The next morning, I woke up and tried to ring the bell next to my bed but failed miserably.

 

That’s right.

 

I didn’t sleep in the mansion yesterday.

 

I hadn’t been sleeping in a bed for so long that I had mistaken it.

 

After stretching and getting up, I briefly felt peaceful as I looked at the clean wooden room.

 

Yes.

 

This is a room where people live.

 

How can a room like Lucy’s room in the mansion, full of frills, be a room where people live?

 

Someday, I’ll be prepared to be treated like a crazy woman by the people of the mansion and rip off the frills.

 

I got up from the bed and opened the door quietly.

 

If it was the maid I remembered, she would have been waiting at the door before I even woke up.

 

“Are you awake, my lady?”

 

My guess was right.

 

The maid was waiting for me early in the morning as usual.

 

But there was someone else there.

 

Karl.

 

He was waiting at the door, wearing armour and holding a sword.

 

“Karl, what are you doing here?’

 

“Sloppy, what are you doing?”

 

“I was guarding the young lady.”

 

“Since when?”

 

“Since the young lady went into the room. There were no intruders until Miss Erin came here this morning.”

 

You were guarding without sleeping?

 

I didn’t even ask you to.

 

I understand that you swore to be a loyal knight, but isn’t this a bit too much?

 

Where would you find a crazy person who volunteers and stays up all night?

 

I understand that you’re doing things for me, but honestly, it’s a bit burdensome.

 

Hey.

 

Are you saying that there’s danger somewhere in this village?

 

Isn’t this stalking rather than loyalty?

 

I glared at him, but Karl didn’t flinch at all.

 

It must be because he was convinced that what he did was necessary.

 

I shouldn’t have mentioned the oath back then.

 

That’s why that annoying guy followed me.

 

No.

 

Do you think he would have just stayed still because I didn’t mention the oath back then?

 

The fact that he swore as if he had been waiting for me to say it means that he had planned to do that from the beginning, right?

 

Recently, seeing Karl showing a bit of excessive loyalty, such suspicions naturally arose in me.

 

Haa.

 

Who cares?

 

What does it have to do with me that this guy wants to suffer?

 

If he wants to suffer, then do it.

 

If he stays like that all day, it’ll be hard, but I’m the one who’s having a hard time.

 

‘Maid, come in.’

 

“Clumsy maid, come in.”

 

“Understood. Miss, would you like me to put on your armour?”

 

“Yes, please.’

 

“Why are you asking when it’s obvious?”

 

The day to enter the dungeon has finally come.

 

As soon as we finished preparing, we headed to where the knights were staying.

 

I wonder what the knights are doing now.

 

They must be training as soon as they wake up in the morning.

 

I’m sure they are.

 

That guy Possell gets sick if he makes those under him rest for even a second.

 

Poor knights.

 

Why did you join the Allen family in the first place?

 

A doting father and a training-addicted knight commander.

 

Isn’t this a truly horrible workplace?

 

If I were you, I would have resigned right away?

 

After riding the carriage waiting in the village for about an hour, I could see a campsite built in the distance.

 

Unlike the makeshift campsite we made while camping on the way to Evans, the one set up near the dungeon was a proper one.

 

It felt similar to the houses of Mongolian nomads on TV.

 

It was definitely built with the right shapes and design, so it was fine.

 

Wouldn’t it have been okay for me to stay there?

 

It was nice to have a proper wash, a proper meal, and a good night’s sleep after a long time, but considering the mental anguish I had all day, it would have been much better to just stay at the campsite.

 

“Miss welcome, did you have a comfortable night?”

 

‘Thanks to you, it was fine.’

 

“It wasn’t bad for a shabby commoner’s house.”

 

“I’m glad.”

 

Possell greeted me with a big smile.

 

That smile that seemed so relieved made me nervous, so I quietly turned my gaze to the other knights.

 

They were paired up and sparring, and they all had dark circles around their eyes.

 

As expected, they were training.

 

This is an addiction.

 

Addiction.

 

Good and bad things are good in moderation, you monster.

 

By the way, there seem to be fewer people than usual.

 

Is it because I’m imagining it?

 

As I was quietly counting the number of people, Possell, who sensed my intention, spoke first.

 

“They went into the dungeon.”

 

“Already?”

 

“Yes. What would we do resting? We’ve been taking turns going in and out since last night.”

 

I sensed a kind of madness in Possell, who said that they weren’t here to play, but to train, and that they couldn’t rest even for a moment.

 

“For a knight of the Allen family, it’s okay to not rest for a few days. You have to let them experience extreme situations in advance during training so that they can deal with the situation without difficulty later on.”

 

So, you’re saying that we should train like a real battle?

 

Hmm.

 

Right.

 

Does that make sense?

 

Hey!

 

What if the Knights of the Allen family rebel?

 

If you treat people like this, when a real battle breaks out, they’ll attack their superiors before the enemy!

 

Of course, neither Benedict nor you are people who would fall if attacked, but you have to do it moderately!

 

What if the resentment you’ve built up against me comes back to me!

 

‘Commander of the Knights…’

 

“Idiot Possell, if you keep doing this, the sloppy knights will fall before you clear the dungeon.”

 

“Miss, when we clear the dungeon that we have to enter someday, there will be countless situations that are more difficult than this. This is just a taste.”

 

I know what you’re saying.

 

The dungeon that the knights of the Count family will have to clear someday is at least a Class A disaster.

 

It’s a hell where you’ll die the moment you let your guard down.

 

I thought back to when I first entered an A-class dungeon when I was still playing Soul Academy.

 

I had prepared thoroughly, but I almost broke my keyboard because of the constant nagging.

 

Later, as I gained experience, I was able to clear an A-class dungeon with bare stats, but that was because I was a player who could keep challenging it.

 

I was someone who had memorized the structure and strategy of the dungeons that would appear from now on.

 

However, those who live in this world are different.

 

They have to go in without knowing anything and rely only on their own bodies.

 

In such a situation, resting… would probably be a luxury.

 

No matter what I said, it didn’t seem like Possell would back down.

 

What was engraved in his eyes was a heavy will that was difficult for me, who had lived an ordinary life, to understand.

 

Just how many battles had Possell gone through before he became the commander of the knights?

 

And how did he come to this conclusion?

 

There must be a reason why the normally nice guy turned into a demon only when he was training.

 

The knights who were sparring behind Possell were looking at me with eyes filled with anticipation, but this time there was nothing I could do.

 

The cause was Possell, so how could I break his will?

 

“Okay, do whatever you want, idiot Possell.”

 

When I nodded, the knights behind me were visibly frustrated.

 

This must be very difficult.

 

But what can I do?

 

This is the order of knights you chose!

 

Endure with brute force!

 

Think of this as a good experience and work hard.

 

They say if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it, right?

 

I can’t enjoy it, but I believe you knights can do it.

 

“What? But what the young lady said wasn’t wrong. You should rest when you have to.”

 

Possell smiled, shrugged, and turned his head to the back.

 

“Knights!”

 

The thunderous voice that came from his diaphragm shook the grassland.

 

Why did it feel like the ground was shaking just because he shouted loudly?

 

“It’s the Lady’s mercy! You’ll be allowed to rest for two hours from now! Show your gratitude to the Lady!”

 

“Thank you very much!”

 

The sight of dozens of adult men, much larger than average, bowing their heads and shouting was, to be honest, a bit burdensome.

 

I told them to just relax since I understood, but the knights couldn’t rest easily.

 

It seemed like my very existence was quite burdensome.

 

If I had the sense, I should just disappear.

 

Since I’m already a training addict, I should take the old man with me.

 

‘Commander…’

 

“Possell, where is the entrance to the dungeon?”

 

“If you want to see, follow me. I’ll show you right away.”

 

Possell seemed to have noticed my intentions and led me without a moment’s hesitation.

 

As I followed Possell, the entrance to the dungeon in the middle of the campsite appeared.

 

It looked just like I had seen it in the game.

 

A stone door standing out in the middle of an empty field.

 

I didn’t think much of it when I saw it in the game but seeing it in person gave me an eerie feeling.

 

Why do I feel fear from a stone door without any decoration?

 

While I was quietly observing him, the dungeon door suddenly opened.

 

“Hic!”

 

What’s coming out?!

 

A monster?!

 

That’s the only thing that could come out of a dungeon door!

 

“Huh Miss, when did you come?”

 

Four knights, including the bald knight, appeared through the door.

 

Haa.

 

What’s going on?

 

Were you coming out after finishing a conquest?

 

This is really bad timing.

 

You surprised me, you idiots.

 

The bald knight greeted me, checked my expression, and smiled.

 

“Miss, are you really surprised?”

 

That demon.

 

You feel so much better now that I’ve gotten you rest?

 

Right?

 

How dare you pick a fight with the high-ranking countess?

 

“You finished a conquest, right?”

 

“Yes, that’s right, Miss.”

 

“Then go to the campsite and rest.”

 

“Yes?”

 

When I told them to rest, the knights asked me back as if they couldn’t believe it.

 

“The young lady asked me to let the knights rest for a while, so I allowed it.”

 

When Possell confirmed this, the knights’ expressions turned astonished.

 

What on earth does rest mean to the knights of the Allen family?

 

I just told them to rest for a while, and they made expressions that seemed to be filled with nationalism.

 

Oh.

 

Is this the first time you’ve seen this?

 

This is rest.

 

Huh?

 

Rest?!

 

There’s no way something like that could happen…

 

“Really?! Thank you, young lady!”

 

‘Except you.’

 

“Bald knight. Excluding you.”

 

“Huh?! Why me?”

 

‘It’s for teasing me.’

 

“It’s for not understanding your place as a sloppy knight!”

 

The bald knight’s face hardened at the provocation, but he had no means of resisting him.

 

What if I tease him?

 

I’m the young lady of the count, and you’re a knight of the count’s family.

 

It’s fun to bully others.

 

Maybe I can understand a little why Lucy usually acts like that.

 

“Miss Lucy.”

 

As I was laughing at the bald knight who was trembling, Possell spoke to me.

 

“Since the dungeon is empty, let’s go inside and take a look.”