Back to the present moment, in the Great Hall of Liberia Inner Castle.
The anecdotes of encountering slimes, searching the dungeon’s depths, the battle with the Asura Beetle—all were logically and coherently explained by Jeanne d’Arc.
[“Not only was the Master of Verdure defeated, but the Verdant Dungeon itself has been completely purified.”]
Finally, Jeanne d’Arc concluded her story in a calm tone.
The Guardian Knights listening from one side of the Great Hall couldn’t close their agape mouths.
The detailed firsthand account left them no choice but to believe an utterly unbelievable truth.
At that moment, Baron Gilbert, who had been watching Jeanne d’Arc with a serious gaze, slowly spoke.
“Is it truly true that you defeated the mighty monster ruling the Verdant Dungeon, the Asura Beetle? And that you did it alone… single-handedly?”
Jeanne lightly nodded and gently placed a small, sharp fragment on the table.
Immediately, Baron Gilbert’s eyes widened once more, along with those of every Guardian Knight present.
A shard of horn emitting a faint emerald glow.
Without a doubt, it was proof that the Asura Beetle had been slain.
Jeanne d’Arc fixed her clear eyes on Baron Gilbert and spoke slowly.
“This is a piece of the Asura Beetle’s horn. It’s the only evidence I brought back from the dungeon.”
“So, the rest of the corpse remains inside the dungeon? Of course, such a huge Asura Beetle’s body couldn’t have been carried out easily…”
Baron Gilbert asked, and Jeanne shook her head before pointing her finger at the ceiling.
“The Master of Verdure is not dead. Instead, God took the Master and transformed it into a constellation that brightens the sky.”
At this, the knights standing in the hall swallowed dryly and murmured among themselves.
“…Now that you mention it, there has been a mysterious constellation shining green light recently.”
“That’s right! I told you before, didn’t I? There’s a constellation resembling a stag beetle!”
“I thought it was an ominous sign predicting monster disturbances…”
“If all of this is true, then what on earth is that girl’s real identity?”
The Guardian Knights found it hard to fully believe Jeanne d’Arc’s words.
Meanwhile, quietly observing the scene, I smiled softly to myself.
‘…Well, believe it or not, it’s all undeniable fact.’
At that moment, the front pocket of my hoodie began to wriggle.
Slowly putting my hand inside, something hard and cool softly climbed onto my palm.
“Afungi, did you finish the Jellypo?”
I spoke to the Asura Beetle crawling around on my palm.
Afungi vigorously nodded and licked my hand.
“Lick, lick, lick, lick!”
By the way, Afungi is the nickname I gave the Asura Beetle.
The full name is ‘Asura Beetle’, shortened to ‘Afungi’.
I borrowed the name from a stag beetle character in a cartoon I used to enjoy.
Anyway, ever since the day the Verdant Dungeon was purified, Afungi and its family have been living in my house in the Reality.
In the living room sat a large aquarium that had been left unused.
I filled it with soil, food bowls, climbing wood, sawdust—creating a suitable habitat.
But the Asura Beetle turned out to be far pickier than I had imagined.
At the slightest disturbance in the environment, it would flip onto its back and faint without fail.
“…Afungi, you really are something else.”
“Lick, lick, lick, lick!”
I quietly recalled the behaviors Afungi had shown over the past few days.
- Placed by a sunny window, it fainted from the intense morning sunlight.
- Put in a dark place, it cried all day out of fear before passing out.
- Given plenty of fresh fruit and jelly, it fainted from overeating.
- Given only a little because I thought it was too much, it fainted from hunger.
- Given cold water from the purifier, it fainted from the chill.
- Given warm water, it fainted from the heat.
Just off the top of my head, but in reality, it was like one of those sunfish memes going around the internet.
“…How on earth did you survive in the wild?”
Afungi awkwardly scratched its head with its front legs.
‘Hmm, at least there’s no risk of it becoming an invasive species.’
Anyway.
Thanks to the optimal environment I prepared, the Asura Beetle family has adapted remarkably well.
And as you can see, Afungi is especially attached to me.
It sticks close to my side all day long and only scampers back to its family’s nest at dawn.
Even this morning, just as I was about to enter the small world, it flew in with a buzz and slipped right into my hoodie pocket.
“…Do you really like me that much?”
Lick, lick, lick, lick, lick, lick.
Afungi lightly shook its horn and rear side from side to side while licking my palm.
I smirked quietly and looked down at the small world alongside Afungi.
“The Creator used Divine Power to purify the Verdant Dungeon… and as a result, monsters no longer run rampant there…”
Baron Gilbert, his hands clasped on the table, murmured something under his breath.
At that moment, a Guardian Knight strode forward boldly and said,
“My lord, may I speak frankly?”
A young knight in his early thirties.
Just from his fiery expression and blazing eyes, it was clear how impatient he was.
“You’re the Deputy Commander of the Order of Knights. Very well, speak your mind.”
“Yes, my lord!”
Bowing to Baron Gilbert, the Deputy Commander then pointed at Jeanne d’Arc and began.
“You must not take her words at face value! The Verdant Dungeon is a place where over thirty knights gather for easy extermination operations! Yet, this girl claims to have cleared it alone and defeated the dungeon’s Master!”
The Deputy Commander furrowed his brows deeply and continued.
“The Asura Beetle is a powerful and cunning monster that the Liberia Knight Order has tried to eliminate multiple times but failed repeatedly! Even the Commander and I attacked together but couldn’t leave so much as a scratch on its tough shell! I assure you, the Asura Beetle is no foe a farmer’s daughter could possibly defeat alone!”
His passionate objection to trusting Jeanne d’Arc’s words.
Jeanne quietly stared at the Deputy Commander and said,
“I swear to God, I have never lied even for a moment.”
The Deputy Commander glared fiercely at Jeanne and said,
“I’ve heard rumors that you’re a witch! That you serve some sinister idol, not the Creator, to gain power! Or that you used mysterious sorcery to take only the Asura Beetle’s horn!”
“…If you intend to insult the Almighty Creator, I will not let it pass.”
Jeanne d’Arc’s eyes, now cold and void of light, fixed on the Deputy Commander.
Startled by her fierce spirit, the Deputy Commander drew his sword from his waist and shouted,
“If you truly defeated the Asura Beetle by your own strength… then you must possess the power to match! Draw your sword! I challenge you to a duel!”
“…Enough.”
Baron Gilbert’s solemn and heavy word stopped the Deputy Commander immediately.
Then, Baron Gilbert turned to the knights standing silently and said,
“Commander, I would like to hear your opinion.”
Among the Guardian Knights, the most experienced-looking man strode forward.
Hidden in a corner of the Great Hall, unnoticed until now, he was a man of massive stature, like a mountain.
The Commander examined the Asura Beetle’s horn carefully on the table before speaking with seasoned eyes.
“This is undoubtedly the Asura Beetle’s horn. But, as the Deputy Commander said, it is difficult to readily believe that a farmer’s daughter with no systematic combat training could have defeated the Master of Verdure.”
The Commander quietly expressed his opinion, then bowed his head and returned to his place.
After some contemplation, Baron Gilbert raised his head and looked at Jeanne d’Arc.
“I will send people to the Verdant Dungeon to verify the truth. If everything you say is true… I will gladly grant your wish.”
This meant writing Jeanne d’Arc a recommendation letter for the Academy of Knights.
The ride from Liberia Inner Castle to the Verdant Dungeon takes roughly a day and a half on horseback.
‘…By this time tomorrow, confirmation should be complete.’
Jeanne d’Arc smiled brightly, seemingly sharing my thoughts.
“…However!”
But Baron Gilbert slowly brought his clasped hands to his lips and continued.
“Like the Deputy Commander and the Commander, I too find it hard to believe your tale easily. Would you be willing to prove yourself once again in this very place, against the Deputy Commander?”
A final test proposed by Baron Gilbert, Lord of Liberia.
The Deputy Commander smiled confidently and pointed his sword at Jeanne.
“Draw your sword, farmer’s daughter. For the crime of mocking my lord and the Order of Knights with your petty lies. And for defiling the name of the Creator as if you were an Apostle of God! You shall pay dearly for that!”
Insulting Jeanne d’Arc with endless disrespect about being a farmer’s daughter and defiling the Creator’s name.
Yet Jeanne offered no rebuttal, only a gentle smile.
“…I will gladly accept the duel.”
Her modest and serene tone.
But having watched Jeanne all along, I knew for certain she was anything but calm.
The southern outpost of Liberia Inner Castle.
‘…Hurry! Please come quickly! It’s about to start!’
A novice knight was eagerly awaiting the senior about to relieve him.
The reason for his restless pacing was simple.
A rumor spread throughout Liberia Inner Castle that morning.
“At noon today, the Deputy Commander of the Liberia Knight Order will hold a knight’s duel against the girl claiming to have cleared the Verdant Dungeon alone!”
For the knights, who lived repetitive, ordinary days, this news was the most thrilling entertainment.
Fortunately, the duel was scheduled around the time the novice knight’s watch ended.
So if he changed shifts and ran quickly, he could arrive on time.
At that moment, the senior knight came slowly up the outpost.
Really. Why must the duel happen when I’m on duty…? Hey, rookie! Watch carefully and later, well…
“…tell me all about it.”
“Yes, sir!”
After a brief handover, the novice knight hurried down from the outpost.
The thought of seeing the Deputy Commander’s swordsmanship in person made him grin ear to ear.
‘…They say the Deputy Commander is a prodigy of Southern Swordsmanship among the Liberia Knights!’
All the senior knights who faced him agreed.
Flowing like water, Southern Swordsmanship is known for relentless, merciless continuous attacks.
The Deputy Commander’s specialty was the ‘Five Continuous Strikes’—slashing the opponent five times in the blink of an eye.
Opposing him was the girl claiming to have cleared the Verdant Dungeon alone.
“Tsk tsk, no one but a lunatic would tell such a lie. The Deputy Commander, who hates lies above all else, must be furious.”
The training ground was located in the backyard of Liberia Inner Castle.
Far from the outpost where the novice had been on duty.
He hurried all the more.
Shortly after, arriving at the training ground, the novice knight panted heavily.
“…J-just made it on time.”
Thanks to running with all his strength, he arrived exactly at the duel’s scheduled time.
Then—
Thud!
A heavy sound as if something solid had been struck down.
It came from inside the training ground.
At the same time, voices of knights shouting something began to carry out.
-!
-?
-!
The tightly closed door muffled the voices, but it was clear something serious had happened.
Startled, the novice knight ran toward the training ground entrance.
“C-could it be the Deputy Commander has already subdued his opponent? Damn, I haven’t even seen the Five Continuous Strikes yet…!”
Breathless, the novice forcefully opened the training ground door.
What he saw shocked him deeply.
“Ah, no, what is this…?”
As the novice had guessed, the duel was already over.
The prodigy of Southern Swordsmanship and master of the Five Continuous Strikes, the Deputy Commander, lay sprawled in a pathetic posture.
And beside him stood a young girl with short golden hair fluttering in the wind.
It was the rumored Jeanne d’Arc.
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