Mnotia's Den

 Hello again from outside the 【Hideout】 after a long while. Winter in March is almost over, and spring is just around the corner. Right now, I—Sera—along with Seriana, Elena, and Alec, are rattling along in a carriage headed for the royal capital. It seems that children of nobles ranked Baron or higher attend the Noble Academy in the capital for a year starting in January of the year they turn fifteen. Though education itself can be handled well enough in their territory schools or through private tutors, this is more about meeting peers across the country, forming connections, getting involved in factions and such, and learning shared knowledge and etiquette. Also, experiencing life in the capital is apparently important for nobles. Even as nobles, it seems most rarely leave their own territories. It’s probably similar to the idea of visiting Tokyo at least once in your life. The academy also accepts international exchange students, so interacting with them is another key ...

 "Uwahahaha!" The deepest part of the dungeon's shallows. A child's high-pitched laughter echoed through the area where the boundary to the upper levels was now visible. That was my voice. What happened? Well! At long last! The Holy Coins! I've finally collected 10 of them‼ It’s been two full months since I was granted permission to explore solo. March is just around the corner, signaling the end of winter. Even though I say I collected 10 coins, I’ve been giving my contractor Seriana her agreed share. So in total, I’ve actually earned 14 coins. Thinking back to my first expedition where I got 3 coins, it feels like it took a while—but by general standards, this pace is unbelievably fast. If it were just about defeating monsters, I could handle as many Goblins as you could throw at me without breaking a sweat. In this latest battle too, I took on 8 of them and came out completely unscathed. So why did it take two months? Because there just weren’t...

"Sera, from now on, you’re allowed to go to the dungeon alone. I’m also permitting the use of the 【Floating Orb】 in town. However, there are a few conditions. Understood?" Whoa… I’ve finally become a full-fledged adventurer… Just as I was about to get emotional, Seriana continued. "The only thing you’re allowed to use in town is the 【Floating Orb】. And when you do, make sure you’re dressed like a servant. That’ll prove you're part of this household. You can keep wearing the 【Shadow Sword】 on your finger, but don’t use it outside the dungeon. You probably won’t run into trouble dressed like that, but if, by some chance, you’re targeted by thieves or something—don’t fight, just run. If you truly have no choice, it can’t be helped… but remember, these people are Father’s subjects. Avoid killing them if at all possible." So basically, I just have to move around outside in a maid outfit? "Yeah. Got it." It sounded a bit dangerous, but nothing too craz...

 There was no role for me on the way back. I’ve been getting dragged around this whole time. Did she maybe open a door that really shouldn’t have been opened? This woman. She must’ve had a great time, because even after we left the dungeon and returned to the mansion, she was in a great mood the entire way. "You're in quite the good mood. Did something happen?" We were in Seriana’s room for the report when Elena, seemingly curious about her expression, asked her that. By the time we got back to the mansion, she seemed back to normal, but maybe when you’ve known someone long enough, you can tell the difference? "Yes. As for 【Green Fang】, it felt wonderful to use in actual combat! With this, not only the middle levels but also the lower ones and other areas should be no problem." "That’s good to hear. Sera, I’ll listen to Elena’s report, so you go fetch Alec. He should be at the training grounds. You’re coming to the room too, alright?" "Hm...

 Were we able to successfully destroy the core? The goblin's corpse crumbled away into dust and disappeared. Dungeon monsters are made of either magical power or mana, and if you break the core, this happens. If left alone, they apparently rot, but I don’t really understand how it works. Monsters outside the dungeon leave actual corpses, which is kind of strange… Well, I’ll think about that later. I puffed out my chest with pride, thinking I did a good job, and turned to Elena like “How about that!”—only to see her staring at me with wide eyes. Kind of a dumbfounded look… is she okay? "What’s up?" I do think I pulled it off pretty well, but Alec should’ve reported what happened yesterday, so it’s not like this should be shocking. I looked around, wondering if there were still monsters hiding somewhere, but there was nothing. "That thing of yours… it can move that fast?" Oh, that’s what surprised her! Now that she mentions it, back at the mansion, the...