“Huh——?”
The two noble girls froze in shock.
Whoosh!
A flash of sword light cut through the smoke, revealing Hulim Heyerar unharmed behind it.
At this point, a mere Tier 2 magic like that could be easily sliced apart with a sword.
“Y-Y-Y-You—how are you unharmed——”
Whoosh!
In the next instant, Hulim’s figure vanished from sight entirely.
The two girls gasped, just about to search for where she’d gone—when a voice sounded behind them.
Thud! Thud!
Two dull crashes rang out, and the two noble girls rolled their eyes and collapsed to the ground.
Hulim remained in the posture of having struck them with the hilt of her sword, staring silently at the pair.
Against them, there was no need for magic—or even proper swordsmanship.
She sheathed her sword and turned to leave without a second glance.
As for the two girls lying on the ground...
“Well, this is the academy—leaving them here won’t matter, right......”
......
......
Middle level of the Echo Labyrinth.
Jingle~! Jingle~!
Hulim shook the pouch, feeling the weight of the Mana Stones inside.
“I think I’ll call it a day......”
She stowed the pouch of Mana Stones in her backpack and began retracing her steps. Behind her, a pile of monsters lay scattered haphazardly across the ground.
After some time, Hulim reached the upper level, not far from the exit.
Thud! Thud! Thud......
“......You worthless trash—know your place!”
“......I’m gonna teach you a lesson today!”
“......Hit him hard! Once he’s in pain, he’ll remember who he is!”
Hearing the commotion ahead, Hulim had no choice but to stop.
Hmm...... This is that thing, isn’t it?
The usual stuff—gang beating, or bullying, to put it plainly?
Ahead, in an open area, a group of boys were kicking and punching another boy, who lay on the ground with his head in his arms, enduring it silently without resisting.
All of them wore the student uniforms of Manacos, so they must be students here—though judging by their ages, they were likely upperclassmen. Additionally, several boys who clearly looked like nobles were among the attackers; they only occasionally kicked the boy themselves, spending most of their time giving orders from the side.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
As for the boy on the ground—his face was hidden by his arms, but from the way both sides were acting, he was probably just an ordinary commoner.
After a while, either tired of the beating or having spotted Hulim, the bullies finally stopped.
“Bah——!”
The boy who seemed to be the leader among the nobles stepped forward and spat on the boy lying on the ground.
“You lowly commoner! It’s already an act of mercy from this noble young master to let you join our party! And you dare ask for payment?”
“Ah——, payment?! We already gave you a share of the loot, and you still want payment! Here—take your payment! Take it——”
The noble boy kicked the fallen boy hard several more times before finally calming down.
“Let’s go——!”
The group of bullies left the boy behind and departed—taking his share of the loot with them......
“......”
The boy kept his eyes closed, lying motionless on the ground.
Hulim walked over, knelt down beside him, and looked at him curiously.
“Hey—are you still alive?”
“......You know——”
The boy who’d been playing dead suddenly opened his eyes.
“If you saw this, you should’ve stepped in to help instead of watching from the sidelines......”
“Why?”
Hulim rested her chin in her hands, tilted her head, then added:
“Aren’t those guys stronger than you?”
“Uh...... That’s a real buzzkill to say.”
The boy pulled a speechless expression, then suddenly pushed himself upright and stood to his feet.
He stretched his limbs—though covered in dust and grime, he’d actually suffered no real harm from the beating.
He looked at Hulim: “First year?”
Hulim nodded.
“Whoa~, you’re pretty impressive then—diving into the dungeon as a first year.”
“By the way, I’m Arthur! A commoner, as you can see—poor commoner, not ‘equal’ commoner! What about you? What’s your name?”
The boy named Arthur had messy brown short hair and sharp, lively brown eyes. True to his description, he wielded a shabby ordinary sword and a low-tier wand—his gear was downright shabby.
Hulim stared silently at him.
......Why are we suddenly doing introductions?
“......Hulim Heyerar—that’s my name.”
“Hu-lim——wait! You’re a noble——?!”
Arthur’s face contorted in shock.
“Why the surprise? Don’t I look like a noble?”
“You look nothing like one——!! If anything, I almost thought you were one of us! I could sense that dangerous vibe from you from far away! Honestly, what noble acts like this? Are you sure you’re not some hitman raised by a gang?”
“......”
This guy is incredibly rude......
Seeming to notice Hulim’s displeased expression, Arthur realized he’d said something offensive.
“Hey~, uh, my lady noble~! I was just rambling nonsense earlier, lost my mind for a second! Please don’t take it to heart~!”
Watching Arthur’s forced, ingratiating grin, Hulim felt a little nauseated.
“Stop it—you’re disgusting...... And do you really think you can get away with it after showing your true colors?”
“Tch——!”
Arthur clicked his tongue loudly, his expression turning menacing.
“Damn it—didn’t work!?”
“I heard that......”
“Ugh~! Fine, what do you want?”
Arthur threw in the towel and snapped.
Hulim tilted her head: “What do you mean, what do I want?”
“......”
“Aren’t you angry with me?”
“Why would I be angry with you?”
“Why...... Well, I said something rude to you, didn’t I? At a time like this, you nobles usually fly off the handle and start yelling about ‘lowly commoners’ and all that, right?”
......I wonder what kind of nobles he’s met.
“......Didn’t you just say I don’t look like a noble?”
“Oh right——!”
Arthur’s face lit up with realization, then he stroked his chin, nodding repeatedly as he muttered to himself.
“I see...... I see......”
“You——”
Arthur reached a conclusion.
“——are nothing like those garbage bastards!”
Even though she knew he didn’t mean her by that, he was still insulting the entire noble class—and she was a noble, after all......
“......Anyway, are you really just gonna let this go?”
“Huh, you mean this thing......”
“Of course not——”
Arthur’s expression turned darker, more sinister.
“I’ll never let this slide! If I don’t get revenge, I’ll reverse the spelling of my name Arthur! I’ll make that guy regret ever messing with someone from the slums!”
Watching Arthur swear up and down, Hulim thought for a moment.
“You’re really short on money, aren’t you?”
At those words, Arthur’s expression froze, and a flash of gloom crossed his eyes.
“Yeah, I am—really, really short......”
“......”
