Exactly 24 hours later, the students were finally able to bring out Syria.
And her condition was truly something else.
Her whole body looked sticky, almost as if there were water flowing inside that wall.
“Isn’t it time yet? By now, I think I’ve endured quite enough!”
Syria finally exploded in anger.
If she dislikes it so much, there’s nothing I can do.
“Alright, let’s stop here then.”
“Finally?”
“Yes, it’s all done.”
***
Looking at the students, they all seemed exhausted.
A full 24 hours.
I had made the students repeat it for 24 hours straight.
Just like when I trained those three sisters, whenever they got tired, I healed them and made them repeat the process again.
It was exactly the same training I used for the sisters but with mana control.
By increasing the intensity of the binding spell training and repeating it about three times, the students mana control abilities had greatly improved.
“Are you really a Saintess?”
Syria, who was tidying her hair, asked bluntly.
“Being a Saintess is just a side job. I’m a magician.”
“I must not forget my true role.”
“I’m not a Saintess, but a magician.”
“At the very least, I should be treated as a magical Saintess.”
“Magicians don’t usually act like that. You’re not a Battle Mage, so why so recklessly? Ugh. Look at the blood on my forehead.”
“Yeah, blood is dripping.”
“Blood is pouring from her white forehead.”
“But so what?”
“Well, let’s move on from this small issue.”
“What’s urgent now is the dungeon.”
“Wow, a small issue, huh?”
“Anyway, I can treat it.”
“Isn’t that something a Saintess should do?”
“A Saintess? Me?”
“Would it be easier if I brought out the doctor doll?”
Syria uses magical dolls, and they have various abilities.
Among them, the doctor or nurse dolls can actually perform treatment.
They can’t use healing magic, but they can provide physical treatment, which is quite useful in battlefields or parties without priests or nuns.
I used them often when I was supporting the royal army.
“Otherwise, you’ll whine and complain? A grown woman whining like that? Do you think Dungeon Master would understand?”
“Just imagining it is horrifying”.
“It’s better just to do it.”
“I’ll heal you.”
I placed my hand on Syria’s forehead.
At that moment, a light extended from my hand and healed the wound on her forehead.
Last time, when I refused to make her a doll, she flipped out and whined.
Honestly, it feels bad when a grown woman lies there whining.
“Will my sacrifice finally allow the kids to overcome the magic corruption?”
Syria whispered irritably in my ear.
“Well, I can’t be sure.”
“I’m not sure yet, but at least they won’t die. After that, it’s up to us to adjust things.”
“Alright, everyone has improved their mana control abilities.”
“Olivia, how do we use this mana when the magic corruption starts to consume the body?”
Kruas asked the question.
Unlike earlier, he had become quite calm.
I guess so.
After 24 hours of mana training, he’s finally starting to look like a proper magician.
I decided to gather the other students and explain.
“When the corruption enters the body, it starts to consume you, right?”
“Yes.”
“Now that you’ve improved your mana control, when the corruption starts to consume your body, you’ll feel a tightness or discomfort in that area. At that point, you should spread your mana around it.”
“It’s not difficult”.
“Just do it lightly.”
“Come to think of it, should I teach those three sisters as well?”
“I didn’t think it was necessary to teach them, as there’s no magic corruption near the Cancer Belt that would harm a person’s body.”
“Is that even possible?”
“You can do it if you focus. Anyway, everyone wants to clear this dungeon, right?”
At this point, if anyone wants to leave, I’ll beat them.
As long as they survive the magic corruption, I can handle everything.
“Even if Zerato is stronger now, he can’t defeat me.”
More importantly, there’s Syria.
Even if I can’t use magic, I can still use the dolls to protect the students.
“Then let’s go.”
***
After Havel’s hourglass disappeared, we finally set off.
The first floor was nothing special.
Maybe Adran only allowed monsters to appear starting from the second floor.
When we reached the second floor, monsters started to appear, with Goblins and Orcs being the main ones.
“Groooaaaar!”
“Graaaagh!”
The Goblins and Orcs charged at the students.
“Goblins and Orcs. It’s not too bad here yet.”
Adran had left enough traces.
The Goblins and Orcs were the proof.
If it were Zerato, he would have set up some undead lurking beneath.
The first to second floors are the only ones worth dealing with.
From the third floor, the monsters might have mutated due to Zerato’s influence.
“Wow! Goblins!”
“Goblins are nothing!”
The students started easily taking down the Goblins.
Their skill levels were impressive.
They were nothing like the nobles from the Central District who only cared about their pride.
Their eyes were truly cleansed.
There were quite a few who used magic bullets, and some even used swords.
“Wow, the line between the Magic and Sword departments has blurred.”
Syria murmured from the side.
“In a dungeon, it’s all about survival. It’s normal to fight with weapons you’re more familiar with.”
“But we’re in the Magic department”
If I had more time, I would have chosen that route too.
Magic Overload.
Magic is my specialty, and I am a magician.
Magic is better than swords.
I should have taught them magic.
“It’s a dungeon right before a rampage. We can’t handle it with magic alone.”
“Thankfully, it looks like we’ve arrived just before the rampage starts. Is this the golden time?”
Syria’s words were right.
It was just before the rampage.
The magic energy is spreading like this, but there are relatively few monsters.
I seriously wondered if I should have trained them more.
But with this much, it should be enough.
If it were a normal situation, that’s what I would have thought.
“But this is Zerato’s dungeon.”
“I can’t be at ease.”
“At this point, it should be enough.”
The students’ fighting skills are sloppy, but their backgrounds mean they have decent abilities.
If we go down further, we’ll be fine.
Still, the fact that it’s right before a rampage bothers me.
“Will there be time to kill all these monsters that are spawning so fast?”
“Should I have told the students about Zerato from the beginning?”
[Comment: From this point, a dialogue exchange begins.]
“Isn’t it just magic training, not like you’re a professor? What are you so worried about? Are you not concerned about the dirt on your beautiful hair?”
“No, I was thinking… maybe I should just push forward and deal with it.”
My hands itch.
“No, I guess it’s better than the noble students who have either flunked or dropped out.”
“You should let them handle this themselves. You’re the Saintess, not a professor. Isn’t that right?”
“Well, that’s true, but… hmm.”
“You don’t need to act like you’re a teacher. Are you planning to teach basic magic or swordsmanship?”
She’s been saying strange things since earlier.
“No, I was just thinking some weird things.”
“Huh?”
“I mean, the ones who have no foundation should be beaten up so badly that they’re close to breaking their necks. But these kids, they at least have the right posture. I’m not some crazy person desperate to teach them.”
“Honestly, if I try to change what’s already been instilled in them, it’ll just mess things up.”
“I’m the type to teach in a practical manner, and there’s no need to teach students who are already doing well against goblins and orcs.”
“Is that so?”
“Really?”
Right before the rampage.
“Shouldn’t we finish this quickly?” The monsters have multiplied faster than I expected.
“Yeah, it seems they’ve already started rampaging.”
“Otherwise, the number of monsters wouldn’t have increased this much.”
***
“Has the Dungeon Master already taken control of the dungeon?”
“I didn’t say anything to the students so they wouldn’t panic, but I think Zerato is the Dungeon Master.”
‘Syria probably knows this much.’
Information about the Demon Lord’s army would have reached the magic tower by now.
At my words, Syria rolled her eyes and then clapped her hands.
“If it’s Zerato, he’s the one who got beaten like a dog by Noah, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“He got beaten, and when the traitor Clanis held onto his skirt, he got stronger, only to be beaten again, and even had his mana circuits destroyed?”
“If you keep saying it like that, it sounds pathetic.”
But it’s not wrong, so I nodded.
“Yeah.”
“How do you know all this?”
“The one who originally created this dungeon is Zerato. The Yellow Zone dungeon terror incident. It was known as the work of a dark wizard, but it was actually Zerato’s doing.”
There’s no reason to hide it now.
After all, I need Syria’s cooperation at the moment.
“That’s right. If he regained control of the dungeon, he must have immediately taken control of it. But are you sure?”
“Of course. Professor Adran is very thorough, so he must have been checking the dungeon regularly.”
Adran is a meticulous person.
He must have been confirming the dungeon up until the practical exam.
“Then Zerato must have returned right before the practical exam. As you said, the original owner has returned, so he’s quickly taking control.”
Syria snapped her fingers.
At that moment, magic circles appeared all around us.
Fsss-ssshhh!
Various summoned creatures appeared over the magic circles.
These weren’t regular summons.
Not elemental summons, undead summons, or monster summons.
She summoned dolls from her own pocket dimension.
Yeah, it looks impressive until the moment she snaps her fingers.
It’s like summoning knight-like creatures to immediately clear the area, but…
She’s a doll maker, and she likes doll-like creations.
Surprisingly, giant pink teddy bears appeared.
“Wait, hold on. Where did you get that finger-snap from?”
“I use that.”
“Hehe. You recognize it, don’t you? This is Noah’s signature finger-snap. After months of research, I’ve condensed the doll summoning technique into a finger-snap.”
“This is insane.”
“This is genius.”
At this rate, she might become a great magician before me.
But this isn’t the time for that.
I need to find the next Saintess.
No, I need to strengthen my identity as a magician rather than a Saintess.
The only advantage I’ve gotten from being a Saintess is punishing Lily.
As the dolls are summoned and we begin descending to the second floor, new monsters appear.
“Grrrrrr.”
Skeletons, with no souls left, controlled by Zerato, creaked and rushed from all directions.
“Uh? This is a little scary. Saintess, I’m scared.”
Syria clung to me.
“Go away. You’re too old to be clinging to me like that.”
“Eh? My teddy bears are cute.”
“The pink teddy bears wielding spears, swords, and magic to beat the enemies? That’s so cute, right?”
“Cute or not, what does that have to do with you? The teddy bears are probably going to crush everything anyway.”
“Ah, you’re so jealous of me. You know me too well.”
The teddy bears with toy-like swords are slaughtering the undead.
“Wh-what are those teddy bears?”
“The monsters have suddenly increased in number. It’s probably a rampage.”
“Just the undead appearing is already something Zerato would like.”
“So, are we done for?”
“That’s why Syria summoned the teddy bears. Students, don’t panic, just focus on killing the orcs.”
Someone as skilled as Syria can handle those teddy bears just fine.
Zerato turned out to be weaker than I thought.
He’s always been beaten by me, so he doesn’t know other strategies.
Syria is not some ordinary student from Atlerina.
“I think I’m being ignored by the Dungeon Master.”
“Why?”
“How can they not recognize me? I’m from Atlerina, after all.”
She shook her head.
“Well, maybe it’s because I once smashed Syria into the wall.”
‘Who would recognize a wizard getting beaten by a non-combat Saintess?’
“Honestly, you’re too much.”
“Too much? This is how things work.”