{the next day at the Elite Magicians student club}

  “Excuse me, Miss Rasakila,” a girl student said after entering a private office at the Elite Magicians student club.

  “Olivia, hello. Have you registered your team for another Magic Dungeon run already? What day is it?” Nalitta asked after lifting her head up from some papers she was going through.

  “About that…” Olivia said, pressing her right hand at her chest and looking distressed.

  “Is something wrong, Olivia?” Nalitta asked, adjusting her glasses before squinting her eyes while looking at her.

  “It must’ve been some sort of mistake, but… I have been informed that our club is forbidden to register for any Magic Dungeon runs for a whole month,” Olivia delivered the news.

  “What?” Nalitta exclaimed in surprise, composing herself after a brief moment. “This definitely must be some sort of mistake. Please, give me more details.”

  “Yes, Miss Rasakila. The person I spoke to said that the reason behind it is because the group from our student club has cancelled their scheduled run yesterday and that’s why the academy won’t be registering any more runs for the Elite Magicians student club for a whole month as punishment,” Olivia told Nalitta what she was told by the person at the Magic Dungeon exploration registration office.

  “The group did… what?” Nalitta asked, looking shocked. She looked calm, but Olivia could tell what the look in Nalitta’s eyes meant. “Who did that? I want the whole group who was scheduled to go to the Magic Dungeon yesterday in my office immediately.” Nalitta demanded.

  “Yes, Miss Rasakila,” Olivia said before bowing and leaving her office.

  Thanks to the Elite Magicians student club being strict on timely and regular attendance, the five students who refused to go to the Magic Dungeon yesterday were found in a very short time, Olivia bringing them to see Nalitta immediately.

  “Hello to you all. I have a question. All five of you were scheduled to go into the Magic Dungeon yesterday, were you not?” Nalitta asked without waiting for the students to return their greetings to her, wearing a serious yet calm expression on her face.

  “Ah, yes, we were, Miss Rasakila,” one of the boy students responded.

  “Then why are you not in the dungeon right now?” Nalitta asked.

  “Oh, that’s because the Guide who was supposed to escort us was fake,” the same boy student replied.

  “Fake?” Nalitta asked, tilting her head to the side and looking confused.

  “Yeah. As it turned out he was just another student at our academy. We couldn’t believe it,” another boy student joined in.

  “George,” Nalitta addressed the first boy student who spoke earlier.

  “Yes, Miss Rasakila?” George turned to face her.

  “Can you tell me the name of the Guide who was supposed to escort you into the dungeon please?” Nalitta wanted to know.

  “Ah, yes. It was… Narias… Tabone or something,” George said, having a hard time to remember.

  “Narias Talrone?” Nalitta asked, her eyebrows shooting up.

  “Yes, that’s right. He looked older than us, but he said he was only a second-year student at the academy,” George’s friend chipped in. “He must’ve flaked his exams and had to stay and re-do the second year. What a jok-“ – ‘Snap. Burst.’ – “Eek! Yikes!” The boy, as well as the other students in the office freaked out when they heard some sort of snapping sound before seeing Nalitta’s hand become engulfed by flames.

  “Do you realize what you have done?” Nalitta asked in a very serious tone of her voice, clenching her fist and stopping the flames around her right hand burn.

  “Eeh… aah… S… sorry, Miss Rasakila,” the students started apologizing, afraid Nalitta’s next spell might target them.

  “Narias Talrone is a fully certified Magic Dungeon Guide and is taking other student groups into the dungeon on a regular basis,” Nalitta stated, her voice being sharp but calm.

  “Eh? What?” George freaked out. “But…”

  “This can’t be true… can it?” One of the girl students asked, looking frightened.

  “With so many student clubs wanting to go to the Magic Dungeon, getting a slot to enter it is extremely difficult right now. What’s worse, our student club is far behind on the Magic Dungeon exploration level compared to some other student clubs and you had the audacity to cancel your run? Not a single team from the Elite Magicians club has killed the boss monster on the third floor and now we won’t be able to enter the Magic Dungeon for a whole month? How will you take responsibility for it?”

  “But… but… we didn’t know this will happen,” one of the boy students tried to make an excuse.

  “It was George’s fault,” a girl student said, pointing her finger at him.

  “Yes, it was George who told us our Guide was no good and that we will get a new Guide assigned to us,” another girl student added.

  “Wait, it wasn’t my fault. That… that Narias guy said we will get a new Guide to go with instead of him,” George tried to defend himself.

  “No, he didn’t. He simply said the run will be cancelled and you were the one who signed the papers yourself, George,” George’s friend countered his excuse by telling what really happened. It was obvious he wanted to put all the blame on George to save his own skin.

  “Enough. All of you are responsible. You all agreed to cancel the run together, so all of you will have to take the responsibility for it,” Nalitta stated, the students quieting down. She took a moment to think about something or to gather her thoughts before speaking again. “All five of you leave now.”

  “Ah, yes, yes. Sorry. Please, excuse us, Miss Rasakila,” the five students scrambled to leave the office.

  “What… will we do now, Miss Rasakila?” Olivia asked when only the two of them were left in Nalitta’s office.

  “Sigh…” Nalitta took a deep breath in before answering. “I will go talk to the academy’s administration about this. There’s usually up to two weeks punishment to enter the Magic Dungeon when students break some rules. That means something serious must’ve happened for the academy to punish our club so severely. I will go see what I can do.”

  {at the same time, somewhere inside the Magic Dungeon}

  “One Shadeleaf Boar ran to hide under that plant on the left side! Watch out for any more Sabretooth Rahbits that might jump out from those plants on the other side of the cave!” Ileena was issuing commands to her teammates.

  “I will lure it out. Wind Blade!” Nicky cast her spell at the plants where the Shadeleaf Boar ran to hide under.

  - ‘Squeak!’ – A loud squeak was heard before two Shadeleaf Boars ran out of the hiding, both charging directly at Nicky after they did so.

  “What? There are two of them!” Nicky exclaimed in surprise.

  “I’ll protect you,” Growly appeared in front of Nicky within seconds.

  “Sorilani, catch one of them with your Earth Grab spell!” Ileena shouted.

  “I’ll try! Earth Grab!” Sorilani’s cast her spell, but it was only partly successful. Her Earth Grab spell has caught the further away Shadeleaf Boar only be the rear legs. The monster was kicking and squeaking, about to break free.

  “Xefys, get it before it breaks free!” Ileena told him.

  “On it-nya,” Xefys darted forward, reaching the about to break free Shadeleaf Boar within two seconds. “Lacerating Claws!” Xefys unleashed multiple fast slashing attacks on the monster.

  “Wind Cutter!” At the same time, Nicky cast another spell to slow down the Shadeleaf Boar that was charging directly at her, her spell hitting the monster on the front legs and making it stumble.

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  “Humph!” And that’s where Growly came in. He jumped up and slammed the monster with his paws from above, flattening it into a small cloud of dust with just one hit.

  “Ileena!” Sorilani exclaimed when she saw a Sabertooth Rahbit jump out of its hiding spot, instantly rushing to get to Ileena.

  “Lightning Crush!” But Ileena was ready for it, slashing the ferocious Sabertooth Rahbit with her lightning claw, the monster’s body disappearing into dust before it dropped on the ground. “Are there any more monsters around?” Ileena asked after looking around.

  “Not on my side,” said Nicky.

  “All clear here-nya,” Xefys informed.

  “I don’t see any more,” said Sorilani.

  “Ok, well done everyone. Let’s look around to see if the monsters we have killed dropped any Magic Crystals,” Ileena said before adding. “And let’s take a break before going forward after that. It’s not that far from the boss monster’s cave now.”

  “I’m glad to see you are doing so well,” Estella complimented the group after the treasure search was done and the students sat down to have a short rest.

  “Thank you, Miss Alifur,” Ileena said.

  “Yes, we’re doing great,” Nicky said, clapping her hands before adding. “And it’s all thanks to Growly.”

  “No, it’s teamwork,” Growly said, becoming embarrassed.

  “I know. I just wanted to compliment you, Growly,” Nicky said, showing a teasing smile and leaning at his side.

  “Thank you,” Growly smiled.

  “Humph,” Estella smirked.

  “Huh? Is something wrong, Miss Alifur?” Nicky asked, noticing the teacher’s dreamy face.

  “It’s nothing,” Estella said, averting her face away.

  “Oh, sorry. It’s too bad Narias isn’t with us,” Nicky said, covering her hand to suppress her chuckle.

  “Nicky!” Ileena exclaimed in a scolding manner.

  “You’re pretty sharp, aren’t you?” Estella asked, throwing a glance at Nicky.

  “I apologize, Miss Alifur. I shouldn’t have said that,” Nicky smiled, but at the same time, she knew she overstepped the line with her comment.

  “Well, you weren’t wrong there, so don’t worry about it,” Estella said, waving her hand. “And going back to your dungeon exploration. Your teamwork has definitely improved.”

  “Thank you, Miss Alifur,” it was Sorilani who thanked her this time.

  “You are doing much better at timing your spells now, Sorilani,” Ileena complimented her.

  “Thank you, Ileena. I was really worried I will be a burden to you all during this run,” Sorilani said, letting out a deep sigh.

  “Of course not. You’re very strong, Sorilani,” Ileena added.

  “Said the person who won against me during the Solo Arena Battle Competition with ease,” Sorilani said, pouting her lips.

  “It wasn’t easy. I am… a little stronger than you, that’s all,” Ileena said, adjusting her glasses.

  “Nya…” Xefys wanted to say something but clicked his tongue instead for some reason.

  “Is there something on your mind, Xefys?” Estella asked, seeing him squirm.

  “Ah, no, no-nya. All is fine, Miss Alifur,” Xefys said, waving his hands in front of him defensively.

  “Xefys is fast. Helps to catch or intercept monsters,” Growly came to the rescue with a compliment towards Xefys.

  “Thanks, Growly. You’re the man-nya,” Xefys said, showing a thumbs up sign.

  “Although, you lack power and your Lacerating Claws lack precision too,” said Estella, cutting Xefys’ excitement in half.

  “Yikes,” Xefys freaked out, covering his face with both hands as if he was blocking an attack.

  “Hey, you don’t have to freak out every time like that. It was a genuine concern,” Estella said.

  “Ah, yes-nya. Thank you, Miss Alifur,” Xefys said, but everyone could tell he was keeping his guard up.

  “Seriously?” Estella let out a mild sigh, shaking her head.

  “I’m really sorry-nya. I feel really embarrassed for how I acted back then-nya. Worse yet, I never expected for you to be my boss’ girlfriend, Miss Alifur. I don’t want to get on his bad side for acting out of the line again-nya,” Xefys explained why he was so on the edge around Estella.

  “Humph,” Estella looked at him, her eyebrows shooting up a little. “It looks like you have some decency in you after all.”

  “Ah, thank you-nya,” Xefys said, rubbing the back of his head and looking embarrassed.

  “I wonder how Narias’s group that he’s escorting through the dungeon is doing?” Nicky asked, looking to be genuinely curious.

  “I’m sure he is doing a fine job. If I were to guess, he’d be assigned to escort a first-year student group, so there’s nothing to worry about,” Estella said, showing a smile.

  “Yes, that’s true,” Ileena agreed.

  {at the headmistress’ office}

  “Thank you for agreeing to see me, Miss Sweetbell,” Nalitta said, bowing her head respectfully.

  “My pleasure, Nalitta. I will always find the time to speak with my students,” Jean Sweetbell said, showing a kind smile. “How can I help you today?”

  “It is regarding the punishment forbidding our student club to enter the Magic Dungeon,” Nalitta said.

  “Yes, what about it?” Jean asked, her sweet smile not leaving her lips.

  “I totally understand that the group of students from our student club acted completely irresponsibly by cancelling the Magic Dungeon run, but there could’ve been confusion involved too since all five of them are first-year students. They simply did not expect that another student will be their Guide and unfortunately acted rashly,” Nalitta started her explanation.

  “Yes, there could’ve been that possibility too,” the headmistress said.

  “Too? Ahem… in any case, I am not saying the administration was wrong with issuing a punishment for what has happened, but I want to believe that forbidding our student club from entering the Magic Dungeon for a whole month is too severe of a punishment,” Nalitta said, being smart with choosing her words.

  “Is that so?” Jean Sweetbell asked.

  “Ah, yes. As you may know, we have excellent students at the Elite Magicians student club and they are working really hard, both in their studies and in Magic Dungeon exploration. We have two teams who are strong and well experienced in dungeon exploration to take on the boss monster on the third dungeon floor. I am certain students progressing to the lower floors of the Magic Dungeon would benefit the academy greatly,” Nalitta added to her explanation, making a short pause to gather additional thoughts.

  “What a wise thing to say. I truly wish we had more students like you, Nalitta,” Jean Sweetbell said, looking very happy too.

  “Thank you, Miss Sweetbell,” Nalitta said, bowing her head respectfully again. “I understand asking to completely lift the restriction to enter the Magic Dungeon would be very unreasonable of me, but maybe the punishment could be shortened to… one week?”

  “I’m afraid not on both accounts,” the headmistress said without a flinch.

  “Yes, I apologize. I was too bold with my request, Miss Sweetbell. Could it be shortened to two weeks instead?” Nalitta asked politely.

  “I think you misunderstood me, Nalitta. The punishment will be neither revoked nor shortened and that’s final,” Jean Sweetbell told her.

  “What? But…” Nalitta exclaimed, looking rather perplexed. “Excuse me, but… this is a really severe punishment for our student club. And as I mentioned before, those were first-year students and…”

  “Let me tell you something, Nalitta. The person who handled the case suggested to ban your student club from entering the Magic Dungeon for only two weeks, but after I reviewed their full report, I insisted on extending the punishment to a whole month. Would you like to know why?” The headmistress asked, squinting her eyes while looking at Nalitta.

  “Ah, y… yes, please,” Nalitta said, stumbling with her words a little.

  “This is the official report of what has happened. You can read the testimonies from the guards who witnessed what happened on in this report as well,” Jean Sweetbell said, extending a two-sheet paper to her.

  “Thank you, Miss Sweetbell,” Nalitta said, picking it up and starting to read it voraciously. “Huh? What?” She exclaimed loudly, but since she wasn’t done reading, Nalitta continued. “This is…”

  “As you have read, this was a very harsh offense, both towards the Guide and towards the academy too,” Jean said.

  “Yes, well… I admit some students can be… disrespectful to others, but…” Nalitta said, having a hard time to think what to say.

  “Yes, I agree that students get into arguments all the time. However, the students from your club have offended an official Magic Dungeon Guide and they have treated Narias Talrone with contempt even after he had shown them his Guide’s identification badge. Not to mention, a Magic Dungeon exploration time slot was completely wasted and we also had to pay a full Guide’s fee to Narias Talrone simply because it wasn’t his fault that the run was cancelled. This was a loss both for the students and for the academy. I take you understand why your student club has received such punishment now, Nalitta?” Jean Sweetbell explained in a serious tone of her voice.

  “Yes, but…” Nalitta said, her face becoming somewhat pale.

  “Look at it from the other perspective too. What do you think would’ve happened if that student group would’ve actually gone to the Magic Dungeon with Narias Talrone as their Guide while keeping the same attitude towards him?” The headmistress asked.

  “There… might’ve been another accident,” Nalitta said, knowing full well what the headmistress meant.

  “I’m glad that you understand, Nalitta,” Jean Sweetbell said, showing a smile.

  “But… banning my student club from going to the Magic Dungeon for a whole month will also affect the academy in a negative way too. Like I said, we have two teams that…” Nalitta was trying to salvage the situation.

  “Narias Talrone or not, treating a Guide the way the students from your student club did will not be tolerated. No student is above academy’s rules, no matter what family rank they come from,” Jean Sweetbell added before Nalitta could say anything else, also being very serious about it.

  “But… I…” Nalitta lowered her head, looking to be very distressed. “But… isn’t there anything that can be done? Anything. I’ll do anything. Please.” She practically begged the headmistress.

  “Hmm…” Jean Sweetbell squinted her eyes before leaning back in her seat. “I admire you, Nalitta. I really do. I wish more students were at least half as persistent as you are.” Jean gave in, leaning forward at her table again. “I will give you a chance to fix it which might help lift the punishment from your student club completely.”

  “Really?” Nalitta asked, lifting her head up to look at Miss Sweetbell. “Please, tell me, Miss Sweetbell.”

  “You have to convince Narias Talrone to escort one of your student club teams into the Magic Dungeon,” Jean said.

  “Convince Narias Talrone to escort our team into the Magic Dungeon?” Nalitta asked, trying to understand what the headmistress has said.

  “Yes. Simply put, it will be up to Narias Talrone whether or not the academy will remove or reduce the punishment that was put on your student club. However, it will be your student club’s responsibility to cover all the costs, including the fee that we usually pay to a Guide who escorts a group into the Magic Dungeon. Please don’t misunderstand what I am saying here. Your club will not be permitted to register for a Magic Dungeon exploration. What you need to do is to have Narias Talrone register a run for your student club instead, with Narias Talrone being your team’s Guide himself. Just to make it clear, neither I, nor the academy will ask Narias Talrone to do it. It will be all up to him to decide whether he wants to go to the Magic Dungeon with your team or not. After the run, I will have Narias Talrone submit a report to me to see if your student club deserves to be forgiven and the punishment being reduced or removed,” Jean explained, with Nalitta listening very intently. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I understand, Miss Sweetbell,” Nalitta finally said, composing herself.

  “Wonderful,” the headmistress smiled. “Just one more thing before you go, Nalitta. Please, be mindful of the methods you or your student club might want to use to try to convince Narias Talrone to take your team into the Magic Dungeon. After all, the punishment not only can be reduced, but it can be increased as well.”

  “Ah… yes, I understand, Miss Sweetbell,” Nalitta said, bowing her head. “If you excuse me.”

  “Good luck,” Jean added at the end.

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