It was a moment where I was surprised by my own words, as if I had completely forgotten the basic etiquette between a master and a maid. My tone had strayed beyond what was appropriate for my status.

Fortunately, I quickly calmed down right after blurting it out, and I hurriedly bowed my head, apologizing to Ethan for my rude words.

"I'm sorry. I misspoke to you in the heat of the moment, my lord..."

"...It's alright, Lilith. I don’t think it’s such a big mistake."

There I was, bowing my head low enough to nearly touch the dining table, while Ethan, as usual, accepted my apology with a kind smile.

The overwhelming emotion I felt was the urge to dig a hole and bury myself out of sheer embarrassment. What I had just said was utterly ridiculous, even in my own mind.

Not only had I spoken disrespectfully to Ethan, but the reason for it was because he wasn’t interested in sharing a bed with me... If there had been a sturdy rope nearby, I might have considered hanging myself out of shame.

‘Of course, the reward is for Ethan, so whether he accepts it or not is his decision.’

And if you think about it, the whole reason for these intimate moments is to make Ethan feel good and improve his skills as a reward.

So, if he could win against Harold without needing such physical acts, then that was definitely a good thing for Ethan, but...

‘...Still, I feel a little sad about it.’

Does this mean my body has become so used to him that I don’t even care whether it happens or not?

Or was it that I’d already grown tired of it, and Ethan was just being considerate, pretending not to mind?

While I was lost in these negative thoughts, Ethan hurriedly offered an explanation that wasn’t really an excuse.

“Please don’t misunderstand, Lilith. It’s not that I’m giving up on receiving my reward for defeating my father.”

“...Pardon?”

“You see, starting tomorrow, we have the Geology Exploration class for a whole week, right? I don’t know how long that class will last, so I thought it might be risky to exhaust myself too much tonight. I want to manage my condition carefully.”

“Oh... That was the reason...?”

“Yes, and once the Geology Exploration class ends, we’ll have another week off, so I thought we could take our time then. I think there was a bit of a misunderstanding.”

“......”

Oh, how embarrassing.

I sincerely wanted to die.

“I’m sorry. As your personal maid, I should have understood your intentions better, Lord Ethan.”

“It’s fine, Lilith. In fact, I’m relieved. I’ve learned that you’ve been looking forward to the ‘reward’ as much as I have.”

“......”

“I look forward to after the Geology Exploration, Lilith.”

“...Yes.”

At that moment, I had just added another mortifying memory to my history with Ethan, all because of my baseless assumptions.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The next day, after the night where nothing happened, despite Ethan’s victory over Harold in swordsmanship.

While Ethan’s additional explanation had quickly cleared up the misunderstanding that he didn’t want a reward from me, the embarrassment and shame I felt during the process hadn’t disappeared.

Moreover, the awkward tension that had arisen between me and Ethan during the misunderstanding still lingered the next day. The atmosphere inside the carriage, as we traveled to the Geology Exploration class, was particularly uncomfortable.

“......”

“......”

In the quiet, I avoided looking at Ethan, keeping my gaze fixed on the opposite window, while Ethan occasionally glanced in my direction.

Since the Geology Exploration class would have us stuck together for anywhere between three to six days, if this awkward mood continued the whole time, one of us would probably suffocate before it ended.

“Ahem, L-Lord Ethan.”

“...Y-Yes, Lilith?”

“I’d like to briefly explain the information I know about the Geology Exploration class. Is now a good time?”

“...Yes, now is fine. Please go ahead.”

I deliberately shifted the conversation to the class, opening up a natural topic. After all, we’d be spending most of the class together, just like during the Natural Studies Exploration.

And as I’d mentioned before, Ethan and I didn’t have much time left together. There was no point in letting minor misunderstandings ruin our precious time.

“To begin with, I think the professor will be evaluating three main things in this Geology Exploration class: the speed of the dungeon conquest, the stability of the dungeon conquest, and the appropriate distribution of roles within the party...”

As we chatted about various things, the carriage carrying us soon entered the ‘Dungeon City,’ where the Geology Exploration class would take place.

Hopefully, this exploration would go as smoothly as the last one.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The Geology Exploration class, also known as dungeon exploration, included the preparation process as part of the lesson itself.

The class took place in a location called ‘Dungeon City’ in the southeastern part of the empire. It wasn’t called Dungeon City because it had dungeons, but simply because that was its name.

Usually, a region would have one, maybe two, underground dungeons. But this city had four, each with its own level of difficulty and characteristics. It was also a popular tourist destination for adventurers, attracting visitors due to the unique nature of these dungeons.

“Alright, let me explain the grading criteria for this Geology Exploration class.”

The muscular professor, who looked like he belonged in the athletics department, addressed the students, who were all tense as they listened.

Since nearly half the class consisted of students from combat-oriented departments, I scanned the crowd of familiar faces.

The Hero’s party was fully present, and among other familiar faces were Gwyn, the vice president of the student council, and Karaham, who, for once, was walking around without Lyria.

When my eyes accidentally met Karaham’s, I deliberately looked away. This was a rare opportunity to tackle the dungeon alone with Ethan, and I didn’t want him to interfere.

‘Well, given his muscle-brained nature, he’ll probably dive into a solo dungeon and just hack his way through.’

As I mentioned before, Dungeon City had four dungeons, each with different difficulty levels and recommended party sizes.

The easiest was a single-player dungeon that could be cleared in half a day if you were motivated enough.

Next was a two-player dungeon, which, with some effort, could be completed within a day, but usually took two days.

The four-player dungeon, when approached methodically, would take about three days to clear, and the final, most challenging dungeon, required a full eight-person party and took nearly five days to explore.

Naturally, the final dungeon was the one the Hero’s party would tackle. Without their physical prowess and abilities, no one could clear it, so that’s where they would spend the class.

As for Ethan and me, we’d be tackling the two-player dungeon over the course of two days, following the standard approach.

You might wonder how it’s possible for all the academy students to explore the dungeons over the course of a week when each dungeon takes several days to clear.

But assuming all the students are skilled at dungeon conquest would be a huge mistake.

It’s not uncommon to see students enter a two-day dungeon and come running out within half a day, or for a four-person party to enter a three-day dungeon only to be wiped out in a day.

“The moment the necklace we’ve given you is destroyed, the exam ends. Think of this necklace as your life, and make sure you don’t lose it inside the dungeon.”

The necklace in question was a 'Return Necklace,' a specialty of Dungeon City.

If someone died inside one of the city’s dungeons, the necklace would break, and the wearer’s body would be teleported to a nearby church. It was a pricey artifact and one of the city’s major sources of income. Of course, part of the reason for the academy’s expensive tuition was so they could use such items for class.

“The Geology Exploration class, unlike the Natural Studies or Solar Studies classes, is graded on a curve. The fastest party to conquer each dungeon, based on the recommended number of participants, gets an A+. The next fastest gets an A, then a B+, and so on. As long as you complete the dungeon, you’ll at least get a C, so do your best to finish. However, if you leave the dungeon because you weren’t prepared or if your necklace breaks, you’ll get an F. If one or more of your party members’ necklaces break but the rest of the party finishes the dungeon, we’ll evaluate whether the sacrifice was reasonable and decide whether to waive the F. Even if some members are lost, do your best to complete the task.”

“Professor, how is the dungeon order determined?”

“First come, first served. By the way, I won’t accept complaints if you fail the exam because someone else took too long inside the dungeon. Entering the dungeon is part of the exam too.”

“Uh, uh! We’re going in first!”

“The four-player dungeon is ours! Get out of the way!”

“Don’t push, you bastard!”

As soon as the professor finished speaking, students rushed to the dungeon entrance, jostling for the chance to go in first.

Ethan and I, however, stayed back, walking toward the city’s commercial district while thinking about the remaining six days of the exam.

After all, the most important thing about the Geology Exploration class wasn’t whether we could enter the dungeon or not.