"You might have heard about the weird dungeons appearing now and then that contain different kinds of monsters and different places." Ann said as the others nodded their heads.
"There is a possibility that this dungeon will also be one of them."
As she said that, the vibe around the table became grim.
"If that appears to be the case, we will retreat, depending on the condition." She said this as others nodded their heads in agreement.
…
"Agh. I'm tired." Aiden muttered as he lay down on his bed.
He had just returned from the meeting.
The meeting went smoothly as Ann explained some possible moves at the dungeon and assigned roles to play at the dungeon to each member.
'I was assigned the role of staying beside Ann.' Aiden thought as he remembered what Louis had said to him.
'So, she is my magic teacher?' He thought as he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
After assigning roles to each member, the meeting ended, but when everyone was returning, a woman named Lyn approached each of them and asked if they needed any items.
'Aiden.' Eden, who was quiet all this time, called out as Aiden answered.
'Yes?' He said this as he wondered what Eden wanted to talk about.
'Come up here. I have something to talk about.' Eden said as Aiden became silent for a moment, but he still closed his eyes.
Swoosh
Inside Aiden's consciousness, Aiden's figure suddenly emerged from the darkness as he looked at Eden, who was sitting in his chair.
'Sit.' Eden said as Aiden silently sat at the bed.
'What do you want to talk about?' Aiden asked as he wondered why all this was just talk.
'I want to talk about the duel.' Eden said as Aiden realized what it was about.
'I'm fine about it. You don't have to worry.' Aiden said as he lowered his head.
'No. Let me explain what really happened.' Eden said as he wanted to make Aiden feel better.
'You remember that night when you were prepared to kill the beast?' Eden said as Aiden nodded his head. He was talking about the panther.
'Why do you think you were prepared to kill?' Eden asked as Aiden frowned and answered.
'Because it had killed…' Aiden went silent, as he didn't want to talk about it.
'Yes. But that's not entirely it.' Eden said as Aiden looked at him in confusion.
'What are you trying to prove?' He asked.
'That night, you were indeed prepared to kill because you lost him, but there is also another reason—it was that your life was also in danger.' Eden said as Aiden became silent for a bit and tried to process what he said.
'Yes, I think.' Aiden said as Eden nodded his head.
'And earlier in that duel, your danger sense was activated, wasn't it?' Eden asked as Aiden nodded his head.
'Yes. The reason you almost killed him wasn't your fault, but it was something that the skill made you do because you knew your life was in danger.' Eden said as he looked at Aiden.
'What I'm trying to tell you is don't fret over it because it was something you had to do to protect yourself.' He said this as Aiden remained silent.
'…Ok.' Aiden finally replied as he nodded his head.
'Also, I think it's a good time to teach you something.' Eden said as he raised his finger.
'Don't ever feel bad for trying to save or protect yourself. Coming from a slum in our previous lives, you should know it the most.'
…
[Hosling Guild]
At the duel ground,
"Blake, you seem excited after fighting the kid." Kate Moon, the assassin lady of the party, was sitting on the ground, sharpening her daggers, when she suddenly said this as she looked at Blake, who was throwing knives at a wooden dummy.
"Do I?" Blake asked as he looked towards her.
"Yes. At first, you were not pleased about him being on this exploration, but after the duel, you literally became his fan." Kate said as Blake flashed a helpless smile and scratched his head.
"Was it that obvious?" he asked.
"Yes. Even NoI was able to tell that you were dissatisfied with his joining." Kate said as she pointed at Noi, who was cleaning her green staff.
"Did you?" Blake asked as he looked at Noi.
Nod
Noi nodded her head as she agreed.
"I see. I just thought he would be a burden on this mission. You know how the bratty young masters act on this kind of mission. They are insufferable." Blake said as Kate nodded her head in agreement.
"I know. I was glad the kid wasn't like that. I was planning on not joining the exploration if he had turned out to be like that." She said as she wanted anything but a bratty kid ruining their mission.
"Also, it looks like he will be mostly under the guild master's supervision. So, he shouldn't cause any problems." Kate said.
"I wonder why the guild master assigned him that role. She doesn't even need guarding." Blake thought as he knew how strong guild master Ann was.
"It's not that." Kate said as she stopped sharpening her dagger and looked at its sharpness.
"What? Do you know something?" Blake asked.
"Yes. The kid's father made a deal with the guild master." Kate said as Blake frowned.
"What deal?" he asked.
"A deal for the guild master to train the kid as a mage in exchange for the funding we got for this mission." Kate said as she took out another dagger and started sharpening it too.
"…Mage?" Blake became speechless out of confusion.
"Why a mage? Doesn't he have affinity for just one element, and there are also many rumors that he is a failure of the family because he is more interested in swords than magic." Blake said as Kate shrugged.
"Don't ask me. I don't understand the thought process behind these rich households." Kate said as Blake scratched his head and returned to throwing his knives at the wooden dummy.
…
Back at the mansion, inside the city lord's office,
"City lord, the young master just arrived from the meeting." Louis said as he stood in front of the city lord.
"I see. Has he said anything after returning?" Enel asked as with his eyes focused on some documents.
"…He hasn't." Louis answered.
"I see. Prepare him well for the dungeon."