Chapter 212

The hunters in the dungeon have their own set of principles.

That is, they don’t interfere with the monsters others are hunting.

In simpler terms, it’s similar to not randomly stealing game monsters.

Sometimes, by accident, you might snag a monster that someone else was targeting, and in those cases, it’s customary to compensate the one who got there first and reconcile.

Of course, the best practice is to avoid getting involved in fights as much as possible; it’s common sense and etiquette in this field.

Above all, it’s safest to watch from a distance to avoid getting swept up in an attack.

If you interfere with someone else’s plans, it could lead to casualties.

But, a good girl like me wouldn’t do something rude, right?

So, I responded.

“That’s not true! The monster charged at me first.”

I spoke emphatically while facing the Restraid knights.

The above guidelines apply only when a monster has been captured successfully; if the monster escapes, the story changes.

“By the way, why did you let the monster get away? You nearly got yourselves killed.”

My words set off the knights.

“Shut up! We were in the middle of a proper chase, and you interfered!”

“You brat, so brash without a sense of decency…”

The armored knights of Restraid chuckled at my words, barely paying attention.

“Hey, do you know who we are?”

“Who?”

They pointed to their shoulders, showcasing a blue metallic mark adorned with a helmet and anvil.

“See? We’re Restraid. Are you coming to your senses now?”

“How dare a mere student challenge us; it’s absurd.”

They seemed more annoyed than I expected.

“Looks like they struggled to find a monster,” I thought.

The voices of the knights grew increasingly rough.

“Hey, who do you think you are? Who told you to talk back to a hunter?”

“I belong to Aegis Academy.”

Upon hearing my words, the tin cans began muttering among themselves.

“Aegis Academy? Isn’t that our jurisdiction?”

“It’s been a while since the foundation pulled out.”

“But that’s still the southern district! That’s our territory.”

“That’s true!”

The tin can knights seemed to puff up with a newfound bravado.

“If you’re with Aegis Academy, you should know your place even more! You don’t want to be working in our territory, do you?”

“Hey, aren’t you going to lower your gaze?”

What kind of thugs are these? I retaliated a bit more strongly.

“Hey, the monster charged at me first!”

I knew the four major clans were all garbage, but I didn’t expect the Restraid Clan to be this clueless.

“Oh…? Really? Who do you think will believe you? You touched the monster we were tracking and made it escape. You need to take responsibility!”

“We clearly saw you interfering with our hunt!”

Only then did our Violets realize what these knights wanted.

“These guys just want to bully us!”

“Do they plan on using us as a scapegoat?”

After putting the pieces together, I decided to provoke them a bit.

“By the way, are you really part of the Restraid Clan? I mean, isn’t that bulky armor something anyone can buy? No, could it be a fake? Either way, isn’t it your incompetence that led you to lose the monster?”

“What? You little brat!”

Seeing their furious reactions, I was sure they just wanted to see someone else bow their head.

The knights were fuming, drawing their weapons. When the giant sword in their hands struck the ground, it cracked and sent stones flying.

– Thud! Thud! Thud!

“How dare you insult our clan as a student? I can’t take this anymore. Apologize right now!”

“What are you talking about…”

I clicked my tongue internally. To think that saying they belonged to a prestigious clan would lead to such childish displays of strength.

Ignoring them, I turned to leave, but a cold, rough hand grabbed my shoulder.

“Are you listening? Kneel and apologize right now!”

“Hey! Let go of me!”

As I was getting angry, older sister Sophie El stepped between me and the knight. Her delicate white hand pushed the hefty armored knight’s gauntlet back.

“That’s enough.”

“And who are you?”

The knight aimed his great sword threateningly at Sophie El.

In that moment, a flash burst forth.

– Clash!

The knight’s great sword was deflected with a fiery impact. A chilling voice followed.

“…!”

“I told you to stop.”

With a fierce gaze, Sophie El glared at the knights.

“I couldn’t see!”

“That was fast!”

I was in awe. The speed of her attack left the knights looking stunned.

Sophie El smoothly drew her sword from its sheath. The massive sword the knight had aimed at her was pushed aside like reeds in a breeze. The force of her blow was so powerful it made the knight’s armored arm give way.

“This wench!”

As the knight was thrown off balance, the knight next to him instinctively swung a halberd. A flash lit up again. Her blade moved fluidly along a trajectory drawn in the air. The halberd lost its power, veering sideways. In the next moment, the pommel struck the knight’s chest, forcing him back a step.

“What… what kind of strength is this…”

As the knights recoiled, Sophie El frowned slightly.

‘Rayburn-Haix, it works.’

Sophie El felt a mix of admiration and regret regarding the combat techniques that her younger sister had recently started teaching her.

‘It’s impressive. She can repel an armored knight’s attack like that. But she’s still not accustomed to it. It’s insufficient to teach the other students.’

As expected, the knights were flabbergasted. They seemed taken aback by the sight of their prized armor and sword being effortlessly deflected.

“What, who are you!”

As the knight shouted, Sophie El pulled out her ID.

“I am Sophie El Ackright, an agent of the Inspection Bureau. Excuse me, but this student under my supervision is currently in rehabilitation training. Please cease your intimidation.”

Her firm, icy voice pressured the knights.

“No, isn’t the Inspection Bureau all? Aren’t you supposed to be properly overseeing students?”

One of the knights said in a trembling voice. After witnessing her abilities a moment ago, their attitude had noticeably softened.

“So? It’s true that you’ve interrupted our hunt! Shouldn’t the Inspection Bureau manage things properly?”

Sophie El smiled brightly at the knights and patted the black box on her chest.

“First off, the actions you’ve demonstrated up to now will be recorded by the Inspection Bureau. It’s a principle to carry this around, you see. If you wish, we’ll have to deal seriously with the facts at an official level.”

Discomfort spread beyond their helmets. A scornful and furious tone mixed in their response.

“And what’s that to us?”

“If that happens, it will all come to light about what the Restraid knights did, right? If you’re renowned knights, you should have been able to capture such a monster easily. I wonder why you let it get away. We’ll have to sort out whether it’s truly the student’s fault. That way, an apology can be issued.”

Information about Restraid flashed through Sophie El’s mind. Stringent regulations, a hierarchy where orders must be followed, confidence.

What would happen if their superiors saw this footage? They would be reprimanded for failing to capture a hunting monster.

“Be careful. I hear the power of the three major clans isn’t what it used to be. There are many grievances among hunters.”

With one final subtle hint, she pressed the point home.

Whether her logic worked, the knights couldn’t hide their awkward expressions as they hesitated to retreat.

“Ahem… We’ll let this slide. Student, be careful next time, got it?”

“It’s important to generously overlook the foolish mistakes of knights. We’ll be taking our leave now.”

They promptly turned to leave.

“The knights, huh? They’re such fools!”

“Goodbye! May you become monster food!”

As we gossiped about Restraid from behind, I suddenly recalled Sophie El’s earlier display of skill.

“Sister, what was that just now? You were incredibly fast!”

Sophie El smiled slightly in response.

“It’s nothing special. I learned it from my little sister… It’s still lacking in many ways. By the way, do you know what this is?”

I felt a sense of familiarity from her movement earlier, but shook my head.

“I don’t know!”

With a bright smile, Violet scratched her head. Seeing that, Sophie El recalled her sibling’s warning.

‘Seijis’s perspective seems off. This child doesn’t know the Rayburn-Haix system.’

I wondered what her younger sister had been up to in the future as I followed Violet.

After leaving the troublesome Restraid tin cans behind, we found the car we had been fleeing in earlier.

“Thank you for drawing their attention! I thought I was going to die when the monsters chased us!”

“They just suddenly came rushing out from the dust!”

Indeed, the monster that Restraid had let slip had gone wild and charged at passersby.

“But bringing it to us is too much! Hand over the money!”

“I’m sorry!”

After promising a reward from those foolish hunters, I headed down to the depths.

In that place were the ruins of a desolate forward base and cargo that had lost its owner.

While I waited, the follow-up trucks driven by Violet arrived.

“We’ve arrived!”

While the Violet search team dealt with the approaching monsters, the rest of us loaded cargo onto the truck.

Older sister Sophie El also joined to help us.

“Wow, sister, you’re so strong!”

“Just a little bit…”

Her strength truly was remarkable, befitting a future scholarship officer.

A considerable cargo that took two Violet girls using body enhancement to lift it was effortlessly lifted by her.

Thanks to that, we quickly finished our work.

“Let’s head home now!”

I closed the truck door and climbed into the driver’s seat.

As we drove away from the depths of the dungeon and across the wasteland, I pondered today’s events.

“Those Restraid Clan guys are so arrogant!”

“How dare they challenge us? Let’s blow them away!”

“We don’t have ammunition, later!”

If Magna Vis is a group of sneaky magicians, then Restraid is filled with obstinate tin can knights.

Though they were relatively better compared to the perverse scientists of Luminexa and Laplacian, hints suggested they weren’t really good people even in Part 1 of the main story.

And there was the scholarship officer’s warning. She said that if we wanted to fight against large clans or wicked organizations in the future, we needed to consult her first without exception.

“I’m being told it’s not time yet, huh?”

I didn’t know what ‘now’ meant.

“Isn’t that armor cool? It looks like something out of a movie!”

If Magna Vis has skills in artifact interpretation and magical application, then Restraid excels in material engineering and mechanical engineering using rare materials and Ether from the dungeon.

That’s how they can operate such powered armor.

“Didn’t they also create the armor plate for Stregonics?”

“Most of the decent heavy armor is probably made by them, right?”

The knight’s armor was indeed impressive.

It seemed to be quite an expensive piece of equipment; I wanted to have one.

“Knight Violet!”

“Violet Knight!”

As we neared the gate, we couldn’t help but smile.

“Violet, are you imagining something fun again?”

“Yes!”

Why does older sister Sophie El ask us why we’re thinking of fun things?

I began to wonder.

“By the way, did you see the technique you did earlier? It was incredibly fast!”

Though I couldn’t see it clearly due to its speed, Sophie El smoothly deflected the giant sword wielded by the knight.

Her stance reminded me of Tai Chi from martial arts movies.

“Didn’t the Obsidian Legion use similar martial arts?”

“Did they?”

I remembered that the Obsidian Legion was said to use peculiar martial arts.

The witch also used some strange counterattack technique. I couldn’t recall what it was called.

“It might be your unique technique!”

“Certainly, she’s a future scholarship officer!”

We should create a martial art of our own someday.

The name could be Violet-Style Sword Technique!