Chapter 48: Rowene Dungeon(8)

• Rowene Dungeon, 3r floor.

After a one-sided battle, the ten or so wizards each took a short break.

Once their mana was restored to a certain degree, they would extract magic stones from the monster corpses and then move on to the next area.

‘Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any major problems today!’

During this exploration of Rowene Dungeon, Gish actually managed the young wizards.

Professor ClearPell only gave Gish various instructions, and did not actually participate in the battle.

Of course, this does not mean that he simply watched.

Whenever he had time, he explained the ecology of the dungeon to his students, and answered even their small questions in detail.

Among them, there were many pieces of advice that were so helpful that even Gish listened.

Since the advance party that went deep into the dungeon failed to conquer it, it was clear that this exploration would take longer than usual….

I wish Lucy had come too.

Gish still had such regrets in his heart.

As a friend, I can only feel sorry for her for missing this learning opportunity.

“Kish, come here for a moment.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Professor Pel, who was sitting a little bit away from the group, motioned to Gish.

He approached without hesitation, and Professor Pel handed Gish several small objects the size of pebbles.

“I prepared them according to the number of people, so please give each of you one later.”

“… What is this?”

“As you can see, it is a simple talisman containing magic. Since they are still immature, they do not seem to have immunity to spirits. If they are possessed by any chance, it will be a big deal.”

“Understood.”

“Of course, there does not seem to be an evil spirit on this floor that is strong enough to possess a wizard’s body…, there is a ‘what if.'”

It was Professor Pel’s habit to always prepare for the unexpected.

Unlike other high-ranking magicians who did not leave the vicinity of the Magic Tower, Professor Pel would visit the dungeon whenever he had the chance.

It’s only natural that he’s become cautious, since he gets annoyed when young wizards who volunteered for the expedition die.

“By the way, Mr. Gish, what do you think of this dungeon?”

“… Aside from the fact that spirits appear, it doesn’t seem like anything special.

And you don’t get as many magic stones as you’d expect.”

“Of course, that’s true if you only look at efficiency, but I’ve discovered a consistent theme in this dungeon.”

“Theme?”

Professor Pell nodded slightly at Gish’s question, then raised his staff and created a small ball of light.

The ball of light slowly rose upward, following Professor Pell’s gaze.

What he saw on the high ceiling was-

“A painting… I see.”

“Yes. You’ve probably seen many similar things.”

That’s right.

Although it was rare for a ceiling to be as well-preserved as this one, Gish had witnessed similar paintings, such as half-erased murals and broken picture frames.

“How do you feel right now?”

“Honestly, it’s creepy.”

A painting on the ceiling.

A gigantic, smiling demon.

The demon enters a human body and stabs his compatriots with a knife.

Countless corpses or sacrifices are piled up under the demon’s feet.

The demon is finally sealed underground, but its smiling face remains the same.

Around it, unknown ancient texts are full of warning signs.

“Yes, it’s creepy. I’ve never seen such blatant warnings in any dungeon.”

“… So you’re saying this is a dangerous dungeon.”

“I don’t know. They were dangerous in ancient times, but how do you know they’re so weak now? Demons aren’t immortal beings to begin with, so they could have died after being trapped for a long time.”

Professor Pell said that jokingly.

At that moment, Gish had a feeling that the situation might be more serious than he thought.

This old professor was the type who wouldn’t joke around in a serious situation.

“If the warning in that picture is real, then we need to check it out.

Honestly, I wouldn’t care if it’s not near East Police.”

Professor Pel said that and looked at Gish with a serious expression.

“If something happens during this expedition, take the students and run away right away.

I’ll figure out how to handle this inside.”

“Professor Pell.”

“This isn’t a request, it’s an order.

Do you understand, Mr. Gish?”

“…I understand.”

Only after Gish nodded did Professor Fell return to his usual calm expression.

“Then, will you take this amulet and share it with me?”

Gish obediently followed the professor’s words.

Sophia, who had first received the amulet from Gish, blushed as if she had misunderstood something and avoided eye contact…

However, when she confirmed that the other wizards had also received the amulets, she slumped her shoulders in disappointment.

‘You’re incredibly dull today, Senior Gish.’

‘That part is cool and cool, but…’

Sophia must be stuffy!

‘The smell of Senior Gish…!’

The lower-ranking magicians who hadn’t heard the rather serious conversation between Professor Pell and Gish a little while ago were still chatting as if they were at a picnic.

Gish felt a little relaxed as he watched them, but-

“… Wait, everyone shut up.”

When one of his golems scattered around was destroyed, he immediately lowered his voice and gave an order.

And among the magicians of the eastern magic tower, there was no fool who would ignore the commander’s order.

“Something is coming. Get ready.”

“… If it can destroy Army Gish’s golem, it must be quite a formidable one.”

Professor Pell, who had noticed the situation, also stood up and prepared for battle.

Maybe it was the rumored knight who had been possessed by an evil spirit.

The fighting power of a knight who handles Aurors is absolutely not inferior to a magician like Professor Pell, so this was a situation where he couldn’t let his guard down!

‘I heard you went down to the deeper part of the dungeon, but did you suddenly come up today?’

I heard that something strange might happen, but I didn’t expect it to come this quickly.

And he’s skilled enough to destroy the golem that Gish worked so hard to make in an instant.

Maybe it really was like Professor Pell said, and he should run away with the other wizards.

At that moment when Gish made up his mind-

“-So Hans, it was wrong for you to just destroy it?”

“… You were the one who said there was something there, Avali.”

“Avali just said there was something. It’s not good to just charge into a dungeon, Hans. I just got lucky this time.

By the way, this golem, I think I’ve seen it somewhere…”

“Wizard, can I take that piece? It looks like it’s quite expensive. If I just take it, it’ll cost me some money-“

The four of them, chattering loudly without any tension, walked out of the darkness.

And among them, a familiar face stood before Gish’s eyes.

“Lucy?”

Gish relaxed his tension for a moment upon seeing the face of his old friend.

Just as he was about to move forward, Professor Pell extended his hand and blocked Gish’s path.

“Wait. It could be a trap.”

“A trap, Professor. This is Lucy Ignis. We’ve explored together before, right?”

“Yes. I won’t forget my student’s face. However, this is a dungeon where possessing evil spirits appear. You must be careful.”

Professor Pel whispered quietly to Gish and raised his voice while maintaining his combat stance.

“Hey, stop for a moment!”

“Oh, it must have had an owner. I don’t know. The boy just broke it in his anger.”

Upon hearing Professor Pel’s voice, Sedral, who had been insisting on taking the golem fragments, immediately changed his words.

“Lucy Ignis, right?”

“Yes.

But that voice-“

“It’s Clear Pel.

If you remember me, stop right there.”

Lucy stopped the group as she said.

“…What’s going on, Professor?”

“This is a dungeon where evil spirits appear, so don’t feel bad and listen, Lucy.

You are now-“

“Otak, disappear. I will wipe away the turbidity and awaken my clear mind.”

As soon as she heard Professor Pell’s words, Lucy immediately began to chant.

When several of her students showed signs of nervousness at the chant, Professor Pell clicked his tongue inwardly.

… These students are really no good.

Clear Mind.

The simplest means of proving that one’s mind is not under control.

Even though I explained this to them before entering the dungeon, they didn’t even remember the spell.

On the other hand, Lucy immediately understood what Professor Pel meant.

Although she lacked innate talent compared to other magicians, she was a model student who worked harder than anyone else, so this was possible.

“-Clear Mind.”

Clear light enveloped Lucy and her party.

Only after confirming that nothing had happened did Professor Pel lower his wand.

“It’s been a while, Lucy.”

“How have you been, Professor Pel?”

“Why didn’t you participate in this expedition?”

“… I’ve been away from the tower for a while due to personal reasons.”

Cackle.

Sophia and her group let out a small laugh at Lucy’s words.

Professor Pel frowned slightly at her rudeness.

He knew that was typical of girls her age, but he never thought she would show it in front of him, her superior.

“The golem you broke was Gish’s. It was inside the dungeon, so I don’t intend to make an issue of it, but I would like you to at least apologize out of morality.”

“Did you hear that, Hans?”

The brown-haired girl standing next to Lucy giggled and tapped the boy on the shoulder.

Then, the boy called Hans walked out with a stern expression and bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t worry about it.”

Gish had no intention of making an issue of it in the first place, so the conversation went smoothly.

“By the way, your skills are amazing. I didn’t know my golem would be defeated so easily. Did you do it with a sword?”

“Yes.”

“That’s because he’s much stronger than he looks, handsome guy.”

While Cedral continued his cheerful conversation with Gish, Professor Pel’s gaze turned to the rest of the group.

What on earth had happened?

Lucy, who seemed to have grown much more since they had met a few months ago.

And next to her, a brown-haired girl was looking him up and down, smiling brightly.

Girl?

That?

“… What is that?”

A strange sense of discomfort flashed through Professor Pel’s mind.

Only the air surrounding the girl felt somehow alien.

The fear of the unknown that only the best Clear Pel could instinctively sense.

“Ah, Avali.

Please say hello.

I am Professor Clear Pel, who teaches about magic stones and dungeons in the Magic Tower.”

“Ah, your teacher’s teacher?”

However, the moment Lucy introduced Professor Pel, the strange feeling that had been dominating his body disappeared like a lie.

“Avali, you are a professor. A teacher-student relationship is not something that can be formed easily.”

“I see? Then you are like a university professor.”

“… Not a university, but the Magic Tower. The university is in the capital. Anyway, please come and say hello.”

At Lucy’s urging, Avalli stepped forward and bowed her head.

“Hello, Professor.”

“… Nice to meet you, Miss Avalli.”

Professor Pel responded to the cute greeting with a dumbfounded look.

At the same time, he examined the girl with a detector that omitted the chanting, but apart from the fact that the flow of magical power was unstable for her age, there was nothing particularly special.

It seemed that the feeling he had a moment ago was an illusion.

… I should at least take care of my health when I get back.

In reality, Professor Pel’s senses had not rusted at all, but he sighed inwardly as he realized his own aging.