After three hours, Rina was ready to enter the dungeon and, upon leaving, saw Aoi waiting in the Tsuyokuni Yaminohana Academy's combat uniform.
"This will be my third dungeon."
Rina nodded and walked toward the meeting point for the dungeon expedition. As she walked, she wondered how to get closer to Enrico.
"What do you think I should do to make Enrico my Ketsumei, Aoi?"
"Maybe—"
"I think I should conquer him first, which should be easy since everyone says I'm pretty."
And Rina went on like that for a long while, while Aoi simply let her talk. Later, they were escorted by the servants and entered the Norimono. After two hours, they arrived and, stepping out, began walking, followed by a guard. The path to the dungeon wasn't complicated, but the silence around them made their hearts beat faster.
"…You don't seem nervous," Aoi said, adjusting her white mask while Rina kept her eyes on the path.
"What, are you scared?"
"Tsk... It's not fear, it's caution. This dungeon is Faizes level, Rina."
"Relax, Takeshi and five elite guards will be there."
Shortly after, the trees opened up and they saw the group ahead.
At the top of a rocky elevation, Enrico stood with Yumeha beside him. Near them, Takeshi stood with his arms crossed, like a guardian ready to protect. Behind him were four guards in light armor, all with Tsuyokuni symbols embroidered in red on their shoulders.
"You've finally arrived, Lady Rina and Lady Aoi. I hope you're ready."
"Yes," Rina answered firmly. Takeshi looked directly into both their eyes.
"We analyzed the dungeon. It has three level one Faizes inside, and the boss is a level two Faizes. All the Nartheis inside are Zara level two, so be careful."
Rina and Aoi nodded, while Yumeha seemed to hesitate, her eyes quickly darting aside, but Enrico touched her shoulder and she nodded confidently.
Enrico stepped closer and showed the map. He said the dungeon had been activated two hours ago and that he had entered it quickly, memorized it, and returned immediately. Rina looked directly at him, not believing the lie, thinking he must have seen the future and there must be important things inside—and she couldn't deny she was excited.
Aoi moved closer, looking at Enrico in detail and noticing, by looking at his hands, that he must train a lot. If he truly had the potential everyone believed, combined with training, he could become very strong.
"Interesting... Sometimes when prodigies appear, they don't put in much effort. But you seem to be the kind of prodigy who trains hard, like Rina."
Rina assumed a confident pose with a face that said the two of them would make a good pair, while Yumeha had already realized Rina wanted to be Enrico's Musubinin, and her eyes burned with competitive fire.
'You'll have to try hard to join me at master's side, sister.'
She remembered a small conversation in which she asked Enrico if he would accept one of her sisters if their father asked him to choose a new one, and Enrico, with a neutral expression, said they would have to try hard for him to choose a new one who could compare with his potential—which ignited her competitive spirit, unaware that Enrico only said that to make her train even harder.
"Very well, let's go in."
Everyone nodded and entered the open dungeon together.
In a dark room where Soushi, the Emperor's son, was, sitting cross-legged before a small table with fresh ink, sacred paper, and a ceremonial seal from Tianlong. His sharp eyes moved over the words he had just written:
"The Emperor has awakened. He was saved by a strange young man with something unexpected.
Urgent reinforcements are not necessary.
I only request a wait to see what happens now."
He sealed the scroll with the ceremonial stamp, and a seagull that could turn invisible emerged from the activated seal—a bird made of energy, ready to fly to the Tianlong council. But before the creature could take flight, a golden spear pierced through the paper of the window in a straight line, slicing the gull in half mid-air. The magical creature exploded into bluish light particles and disappeared before completing its first wingbeat.
Soushi jumped up, eyes wide. He would recognize that move anywhere.
"...Daigo?"
The figure walking slowly through the door was unmistakable. Daigo, with his unbreakable expression, and the spear still shimmering in his hand. The man walked to the center of the room with firm steps and eyes that missed none of Soushi's movements.
"You shouldn't have done that, young master."
Daigo walked up to Soushi, who backed away in fear.
"You wanted your father's throne, is that it? Or were you going to hand over the territory to Tsuyokuni's enemies?"
"It's for Tsuyokuni's future. Tsuyokuni can't face Tianlong. Even if I'm weak, I can be a good emperor."
Daigo didn't draw his spear again—he simply raised his fist and brought it down in a sharp blow to the center of Soushi's chest, concentrating his magic just right. Soushi collapsed to the floor, unable to breathe properly, eyes rolling back as he passed out. Daigo looked at Soushi sprawled on the floor with restrained contempt, then picked him up onto his shoulder, along with the scroll as proof.
"A joke... A coward like this would surely flee at the first sign of trouble..."
Daigo turned and left the room. Up ahead, he found a guard who looked confused.
"Lord Daigo, what—?"
"The Emperor's son is a traitor. There will be a trial."
The guard immediately understood that it was a very serious matter, and both walked toward the emperor's chamber, worried about how he would react.