[The Next Day]

"Good morning, Esteemed Otherworlders. It's really good to see you all in good health."

Right now, Rey and his classmates were standing in the open fields of their training ground.

All twenty-eight of them were facing Grandmaster Conrad, who had Brutus and Lucielle to his right and left respectively.

Conrad had a calm smile on his face as his long hair danced with the wind.

As usual, he was adorned in expensive jewelry and pristine clothing. There was no one who would doubt that this man was royalty.

"I am grateful for you being accommodating and understanding. You've been subjected to a lot of restrictions, and I am deeply honored that you chose to be patient with us."

Truthfully, if it hadn't been for Adonis calming the students down, there would have been a lot more resistance to the actions of the Royal Council.

After Adam's demise, it was clear that something had changed in the power balance.

The desperation of the United Human Alliance began to show, while the students grew a lot more uneasy about their place in the Estate.

This ultimately led to a shift in the status quo.

Right now, it was clear that the United Human Alliance had more to lose from letting the students go, and they had to be a lot more active in their management of their champions.

That was why Conrad—Grandmaster that he was—was standing out in the open to address the Otherworlders.

"All of that changes today. We will cease the barriers, and we will even allow you to explore outside the Royal Estate as you please."

As Conrad said all this, the annoyed countenance of a lot of students began to change.

Smiles and little chuckles began to reveal themselves among the dreary ones.

It felt like a miracle.

As the students murmured among one another in excitement, one of them was also grinning like an idiot, though his thoughts were far from what he showed.

'What a farce…'

Rey was the one who had this thought, and for good reason.

'He's making it sound like he's doing us a favor when, in fact, he has no other option.'

Rey's classmates—that is, the Esteemed Otherworlders—were nearing the limits of what they could take from the Royal Council.

With their power weakening, it was clear that they had to make some compromises.

'Speaking of compromises, I'm sure they've run out of Mana Crystals to power the Grand Barrier, or they're pretty low on their supply. That's why they're stopping the barrier.'

Yet, the way Conrad made it sound, one would think it was a voluntary decision.

'I can see through you guys. It's almost sad how desperate these people are once you peel a single layer off…'

Underneath all that finesse was a Nation that desperately needed saving.

'And I'm sure Adonis recognizes that too. That's why he's still on their side despite how crafty they think they're being.'

In the end, these people required help.

'It's not just Conrad and the people here that will suffer if the Dragons aren't stopped. Millions of people, if not more, will perish.'

For that reason alone, Rey felt his conscience was geared towards helping out more than it was directed towards his selfish interests.

'I've pretty much gotten all I can get from these people right now…'

Rey had used [Doppel] on the strongest people here and obtained their useful Skills, and he now had access to the abilities of all his Classmates as well.

He had learned enough about this world that he was fairly confident he could survive in this world with the current knowledge at his disposal.

Logically speaking, they had nothing else to offer.

'Maybe if I take account for future events, then maybe I can benefit a thing or two…'

However, compared to the abstract future benefits he still wasn't certain about, there were concrete prospects he could pursue now.

'I could get my own place and operate on my schedule…'

That meant he could live his life without the prying eyes and sniveling noses of his comrades weighing down on him.

More importantly, though, he would finally have more time on his hands.

'Training has become pretty useless to me at this point… and honestly, I could better spend my time grinding in the Dungeon.' Rey found himself thinking.

If he spent more time fighting Monsters, he was guaranteed to get more results.

And this wasn't even a necessarily selfish decision.

'The stronger I am, the more useful I can be to this world.'

In essence, it was for their own good.

'But… not yet.'

There were two major reasons why Rey was yet to cut off ties with the Royal Estate and his classmates.

The first and most obvious reason to him was his desire to identify the true malefactor of the recent incidents that had ensued.

'My trial, Adam's death, and now this…?'

It all felt too unnatural and coordinated that Rey couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was behind all of this.

'The one that framed me isn't Adam. It couldn't have been him. There's a good chance that they manipulated Adam and made him take the fall so they could cover their tracks.'

How convenient was it that they were able to nab Adam for everything and solve the mystery of the malefactor so easily?

Something was fishy, and Rey couldn't get it out of his head.

'I can't just leave everyone with the malefactor among them.'

Rey didn't really care much for his classmates, but that didn't mean he was comfortable with them being played by an unknown enemy.

Besides, he had managed to form some sort of relationship with a few people during the time he spent in this world.

Noah, Adonis, Trisha… and then… Alicia.

Which brought him to the second, more sentimental reason, why he was hesitant to leave.

'I don't… feel comfortable leaving her behind.'

Even though Rey knew that Alicia was unaware of his true abilities, and that she wanted to return home if she could, he couldn't help but feel an irrational attachment to her.

'I just…' He found himself glancing in her direction, and much to his dismay, she was also looking at him.

She gave him a smile, and he found himself breaking into one as well.

'I'm happy she's feeling much better after witnessing that gory… hold on, what am I thinking?'

He found himself giving his biggest internal sigh.

Rey knew he was being stupid.

'You're not her type of guy, Rey. It's best to focus on improving yourself and maybe… maybe you can come back once you're good enough!'

Even though he had told himself this many times, Rey couldn't still bring himself to numb his feelings.

That's right!

Rey was in love.

… Or at least, he felt like was.

'Our connection is real! I can feel it! If we weren't interrupted that night, then maybe…'

Those immensely emotional thoughts were stopped by Rey's more negative line of reasoning.

'You would have embarrassed yourself by admitting your feelings, Rey. The best thing you can do now is focus on the grind!'

Right now, he was at war with himself.

Perhaps that was why he didn't pay attention to any other thing Conrad said until three words reverberated in his ears.

"… Royal Dungeon Expedition!"

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Thanks for reading!

What do you think Rey should do, fellas?