Evil Avalon
“How are you feeling, senpai…?”
I couldn’t recall a single cute underclassman who would call me “senpai,” no matter how deeply I rummaged through Butao’s memories. Wondering just who the hell this was, I turned around—
—and there stood a beautiful girl, her deep indigo bangs neatly trimmed, flawlessly wearing a uniform of a slightly different color, smiling sweetly at me.
There was no way someone this cute could be Butao’s underclassman. But when I looked more closely, I realized—surprisingly enough—that it was a face I’d seen fairly recently. As I hesitated, unsure how to react in this situation, Kaworu leaned in and whispered into my ear.
“(Who is she?)”
“Ah—well. She’s someone my little sister knows. Her name’s Chi-chan.”
“Chi… Chizuru. I’m Chizuru Mamiya. Pleased to meet you, senpai. I’m a third-year at Adventurer Middle School. I hope we’ll get along.”
In response to Kaworu’s question, Chi-chan delicately pinched the hem of her skirt and performed a perfect curtsy. Kaworu hurriedly bowed back, but then shot me a sharp look clearly demanding an explanation.
Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like I’d be given the time for that.
A group of noble boys, trailed by dozens of attendants, stepped forward with mocking smiles tinged with irritation.
“Well, well—senpai of ‘First-Year Class E,’ it’s a pleasure to meet you. Forgive my bluntness, but I’d appreciate it if you’d show a little awareness of your standing.”
The students before us looked slightly younger than high schoolers, all dressed in uniforms. Pinned proudly to their puffed-out chests were multiple gold badges and crests marking them as nobility. The reason they immediately knew we were from First-Year Class E was simple: we either lacked adventurer-rank badges on our chests, or ours were clearly low-rank.
Adventurer rank-up exams are held at the Adventurers’ Guild, but only once every few months. Since we hadn’t even been enrolled for half a year, most of us had taken the exam at best once—making our status obvious at a glance.
One of the nobles made a dismissive shooing gesture at us, as if telling us to get lost, then stepped in front of Chi-chan and smoothly held out his hand.
“Come now, dungeons are dangerous. Lady Mamiya—please, stay by my side.”
“Hey. Don’t get so familiar. Can’t you see she’s uncomfortable?”
“You’re the one standing too close. Lady Mamiya, I swear I will protect you.”
Thus began, without warning, a battle among nobles over Chi-chan.
Come to think of it, Chi-chan in DunEx was always surrounded by nobles too. Being both exceptionally talented and beautiful—and the top student of her year—must be exhausting in ways I hadn’t considered.
Yet without paying the slightest attention to their quarrel, Chi-chan casually asked, as if making small talk,
“Where are you going, senpai?”
The one who answered wasn’t me, but the refreshingly handsome Akagi.
“We’re going to scout the new area on the seventh floor. If we have time, we’ll do some hunting too.”
“…I see. Then may I join you?”
“That’s dangerous, Lady Mamiya!”
Just as I was about to see how she’d react to the protagonist’s charm—supposedly super-effective on DunEx heroines—the nobles behind us barged in again, shouting about how dangerous it was.
Dangerous? What exactly was supposed to be dangerous?
Chi-chan might be a third-year middle schooler, but she was already strong enough to rival the leaders of the Eight Dragons. Just recently, she’d fought the Holy Empire head-on. There was no way seventh-floor monsters posed any threat to her.
According to the nobles, though, she always dove into dungeons alone, without guards, and they were worried some unscrupulous adventurer might try to deceive her at any moment. Given that she was cute enough to be a DunEx heroine—and a noble lady at that—that concern wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Still, apparently fed up, Chi-chan coldly brushed them off.
“This is far enough.”
But the hot-blooded nobles refused to back down, insisting,
“We will protect you no matter what!”
Their attendants glared at us as well, causing Pink-chan to shrink back nervously. Kaworu shot me another look, silently demanding an explanation yet again. I was supposed to infiltrate the protagonist’s party and gather information—a crucial mission—and things were getting annoyingly complicated.
As I was agonizing over what to do, fortune smiled on us.
It was our turn at the gate.
Wouldn’t jumping in there solve everything?
“If we enter that light, we should be able to warp…”
“Looks like it. Mind if I go first?”
Tachiki stood there, fascinated, studying the magic circuits carved into the wall and the light emitted by the gate. Normally, someone registered with the gate would need to activate the magic circle, but this one was constantly open, radiating purple light.
With eyes like a child waiting for a ride at an amusement park, Akagi reached out and touched the light first. Wrapped in purple radiance, he vanished instantly.
With this many adventurers flooding the same floor, wouldn’t all the monsters already be wiped out? Well, I wanted to see what the seventh-floor DLC area looked like anyway—so it worked out.
As I followed Kaworu and gently reached toward the light, Chi-chan suddenly ran up beside me and stretched out her hand too. Wrapped in the purple glow, she smiled cheerfully. Watching her expression, I quietly waited for my vision to shift.
A few seconds later—
When the light faded and I opened my eyes, we were standing in a room surrounded by old stonework.
We had arrived at the seventh-floor DLC area.
Akagi and the others, using a gate for the first time, stared around in a daze, but a furious shout of “Get out of here immediately!” snapped them back to reality, and we hurriedly moved on.
The gate room here was only a fraction of the size of the first-floor one, and adventurers kept pouring in nonstop. If we stayed, no one else would be able to warp in.
Even after leaving the gate room, the congestion continued. With Akagi leading, we pushed our way through the crowded corridors inside the building. Then Chi-chan—who’d warped in with us—grabbed my arm tightly so she wouldn’t get separated, startling me.
Given how cold she’d been toward me during the clan party, I couldn’t help wondering what she was aiming for. At the same time, Kaworu—who saw this from nearby—stared with wide-open eyes in shock, which left quite an impression.
At last, we escaped the old church that housed the gate room and emerged into the square of a ruined village. A cemetery was attached to it, and it was normally a monster-infested area crawling with skeletons—but now, adventurers bustled about, food stalls lined the area, and it felt more like a festival than a battlefield.
There was no way we could hunt here. Chi-chan suggested we leave immediately.
“It doesn’t look like they’ve arrived yet. Is that really okay?”
“It is.”
When Akagi asked whether the group of nobles who’d bothered us on the first floor had arrived yet, Chi-chan immediately replied that she didn’t mind. Honestly, even if they did catch up to us, they’d only get in the way of hunting, so we agreed and decided to leave the area.
However, even after walking for quite some time since leaving the abandoned village, the level of congestion hadn’t changed much. We passed not only adventurers of all ranks, but also plenty of media personnel carrying cameras. Thinking about it, even the discovery of an unknown area was an event that only happened once every few decades—add the discovery of a gate on top of that, and it made sense that this many people would come rushing in.
While looking at the map on his wrist terminal, Kaworu suggested we stop and talk things over, so we came to a halt and held a strategy meeting.
“We can either go farther out, or give up on hunting altogether, but… um, Lady Mamiya, is there anything in particular you’d like to do?”
“…Not really. I was ordered to search for gates, so I thought I’d explore along the way. But—by the way—what level are you seniors?”
From our exchanges on the first floor of the dungeon, Kaworu already knew that the girl traveling with us was a third-year at Adventurer Middle School and a noble. Still, she’d never really spoken with a noble before, and on top of that, Adventurer Middle School had completely separate facilities—buildings, classes, even clubs—so there was almost no information available. She clearly wasn’t sure how to deal with her.
According to Chi-chan, Adventurer Middle School had also received orders from the Eight Dragons, along with explanations of the rewards for discovering gates, and that most of the middle schoolers were participating. She herself, however, had no interest in those rewards—she’d come purely to explore the new area.
At the same time, she kept stealing glances at Akagi and the others, subtly probing what kind of party we were. Considering she’d seen my abilities back in Tokyo, it wasn’t unreasonable for her to suspect there was more to us than met the eye.
In short, we were both feeling each other out.
I never imagined I’d end up involved with her at school, and with Kaworu glaring at me like, Explain yourself, I was completely at a loss. As I wondered whether I could somehow strike an agreement with Chi-chan and get our stories straight, Tachiki suddenly made a realization and froze, eyes wide.
“Lady… Mamiya. Could it be that you’re the top student of the third year—the ‘Bludgeoning Angel’?”
“Top student?”
“B-Bludgeoning Angel?”
Everyone did a double take at the girl—first at the fact that she was the top-ranked student, and then at that disturbingly ominous nickname.
According to Tachiki, there was a monstrous middle schooler who, right after enrolling, had annihilated a massive train of monsters led by an Orc Lord using nothing but her fists. That was how she earned the nickname “Bludgeoning Angel.” Her close-combat ability had drawn intense interest from major clans and even alumni of Adventurer High School, and now she reigned unchallenged at the top of Adventurer Middle School as the undisputed year head.
Since Mamiya Chizuru in DunEx was firmly etched in my mind as a mage-type character, even I was shocked that her hand-to-hand combat prowess had drawn so much attention. I briefly wondered if they had the wrong person—but then she puffed out her cheeks and confessed:
“I was just punching things to save MP and for dieting purposes… and then they gave me that dishonorable nickname.”
That settled it—it was true.
Next, Akagi displayed his level on his wrist terminal. Seeing it, Chi-chan seemed to understand something and leaned in to whisper softly by my ear:
“You owe me one.”
I don’t dislike smart girls—but when we’re both hiding secrets, I’d really appreciate it if we could keep things even, no debts attached.
Beneath the perpetually gloomy sky unique to undead-heavy regions, we walked through a cemetery filled with countless weathered crosses. Black miasma occasionally appeared and transformed into skeletons, only to be slaughtered in moments by nearby adventurers.
The first time I’d come here, there’d been no one around besides Kano, and I’d been able to savor the full horror atmosphere. Now, thanks to adventurers hunting while drinking and partying, it was completely ruined.
So, after exchanging information and talking things through, we concluded that we’d focus on area exploration. I did want to see exactly how capable the protagonist’s party was, but even a leisurely walk through the dungeon could yield plenty of information.
Up ahead, Kaworu scanned the surroundings while chatting cheerfully with Pink-chan, their shoulders nearly touching. Akagi and Tachiki followed behind them, watching over the two with gentle expressions. Thinking about it again, they really were among the top-tier beauties in DunEx—an incredibly picturesque party.
(Maybe this really is where Kaworu belongs.)
In DunEx, Kaworu endured endless mental and physical trials, struggling day after day. In the end, though, she was illuminated by Akagi’s light and grasped true happiness. I know exactly what her smile looked like then—so how could I ever claim, I could make you happier than him?
Tachiki and Pink-chan, too, possessed hearts strong enough to never give up, no matter the hardship. For Kaworu, who sought to claw her way up from rock bottom and become a first-rate adventurer, those two were ideal companions as well. So please—take good care of my precious childhood friend—
—or so I was thinking, watching the protagonist’s party with a wave of sentimentality, when for some reason Chi-chan walked so close beside me that our bodies nearly touched, pulling my thoughts away.
I really couldn’t tell what this girl was thinking.
We parted ways in Tokyo with her still disliking me, and I had no memory of us ever becoming close afterward. Yet every time I glanced her way, she would smile softly back at me. While I struggled over how to gauge the proper distance between us, Chi-chan pointed ahead and spoke up.
“Narumi-senpai, I can see a crowd in the distance. What do you think it is?”
Following her slender finger, I could make out a large gathering of people several hundred meters away. A few had drawn their swords, so at first I wondered if some unfamiliar floor boss had appeared—but there was hardly any movement.
Straining my ears, I could hear angry shouting, making it more likely that this was a conflict between people. Akagi halted our advance, saying we should stop and assess the situation.
It didn’t seem to have escalated into full violence yet, but the real problem was that many people in the crowd were wearing Adventurer School uniforms.
The one to analyze the situation was, as always, our resident strategist—Tachiki.
“Listen. Generally speaking, nobles don’t wear armor unless they’re engaging in a serious hunt. That means the people in uniform up ahead are most likely nobles…”
“Then we should be worried about the other side,”
Pink-chan said quietly.
According to Tachiki—who came from a warrior family (see note 1)—nobles believe that maintaining an air of composure at all times is proper etiquette. As such, they don’t don equipment unless it’s a genuine battle. As his explanation ended, everyone’s gaze naturally shifted to Chi-chan. Just as he said, she was in her uniform and didn’t even have a weapon on her.
Hmm.
If that was the case, then Pink-chan was right—the ones to worry about were the others.
Nobles were far more terrifying than your average raid clan. Not only did they command numerous powerful retainers, they also wielded authority that transcended the law itself. They wouldn’t hesitate to destroy an unwanted commoner socially or physically. In a country with a rigid class system, words like “equality” or “human rights” were nothing more than concepts to be laughed at and trampled underfoot.
To oppose a noble meant accepting that you were giving up on life in Japanese society.
If you weren’t prepared for that, then no matter what was happening over there, the correct choice was to close your eyes and walk away—
“That said, we should at least confirm who the other party is. If it’s someone we know, I won’t sleep well afterward.”
“…Y-Yeah, from a distance at least…”
If it really was someone we knew, we couldn’t just pretend we hadn’t seen it. Kaworu was clearly hesitant once nobles were mentioned, but we agreed that a simple confirmation wouldn’t hurt.
But what if they were acquaintances? Everyone joked about kneeling together and begging for forgiveness—but they seemed to have forgotten we had a trump card.
Time to negotiate.
“Hey, Chi-chan—if they turn out to be people we know, do you think you could stop them?”
“…It’s Chizuru. I think they’d at least hear me out, but I can’t promise they’ll back down.”
If the opposition was noble, then we’d respond with a noble.
Not all nobles were equal—there were clear ranks and disparities among them. Roughly sixty percent held only minor peerages that lasted a generation or two, while another thirty percent were barons. Those two groups alone made up ninety percent of all nobles.
And the Mamiya family, it just so happened, ranked even higher—viscounts.
In other words, high nobility.
Hoping that most nobles would at least listen to the words of a viscount’s daughter, I suggested it as a long shot—but surprisingly, Chi-chan was cooperative.
I might not be able to give a noble lady what she truly wanted, but if there ever came a chance to lend my strength, I’d rush to her side without hesitation—
…though with that older brother of hers around, my help probably wouldn’t be necessary.
As we drew closer to the crowd, it became clear that the scale was far larger than we’d expected. Including retainers, there were close to two hundred on the noble side, plus around a hundred onlookers.
And the situation itself was worse than anticipated.
I’d assumed it was just a standoff—but several students in Adventurer School uniforms, likely nobles, were already down. They weren’t dead, but some had nosebleeds, others injured arms.
There was no way some idiot commoner would dare lay hands on nobles in broad daylight in Japan. But when I looked at the other side—it turned out the attackers were an ordinary clan equipped with simple gear, about twenty members strong.
“(That clan… something’s off about them.)”
“(What do you mean?)”
Kaworu asked for clarification after noticing Tachiki’s unease.
The nobles’ retainers were trying to surround the clan with drawn weapons, clearly intent on letting no one escape. Judging from the mana they were emitting, these retainers were anything but weak. And yet, the opposing clan showed no sign of fear—if anything, they’d drawn their swords as well, wearing provocative expressions that screamed Bring it on.
They weren’t afraid of making enemies of nobles.
The possibilities were limited—an organization capable of standing up to nobles, such as a large-scale raid clan. If that was the case, things were about to get extremely messy. Even so, the nobles wouldn’t back down. To a noble, being looked down on was a career-ending disgrace. No matter who the opponent was, retreat was never an option.
At the center of the noble group stood a tall, handsome male student, attendants fitting him with mirror-bright plate mail as he prepared for battle with graceful ease. The surrounding nobles followed suit, donning armor as well. One thing they all had in common was their lavish, heavily ornamented bows.
This had to be one of the Eight Dragons’ divisions—the First Archery Corps.
After fastening the final clasp, the handsome boy—likely the club captain—rose to his feet, holding several arrows that burned with a crimson glow.
“Now then. Do you have any last words before you die?”
“I’ve told you again and again—we can’t let anyone pass beyond this point. It’s orders from above. We’re risking our lives too, you know.”
Realizing there was no remorse in their response, the archery club members began releasing dense auras no high schooler should possess. Students with lower levels and the onlookers were forced back by the pressure alone.
The opposing clan responded in kind, flaring their own mana while continuing to argue—clearly prepared to fight right here.
The time for mediation—Chi-chan’s or anyone else’s—had long since passed. At any moment, the spark could ignite.
Since we’d confirmed there were no acquaintances on the other side, the correct move was to retreat immediately. Battles between high-level adventurers involved high-output skills, and even the shockwaves alone could kill Kaworu and the others.
If the protagonist’s party died here, it would be a catastrophe. The future would be sealed—game over.
Deaths were likely if this continued, but that was no longer my concern. I turned to find Akagi, our leader, to call for a retreat—
—and then I froze.
Oi.
Why the hell are you standing there?!
“Please wait. Isn’t it possible there’s been some misunderstanding? Let’s calm down and talk this through.”
Standing squarely in the center of the storm of killing intent and mana—
was Akagi, wearing that same refreshing smile.
(Note 1) Warrior Retainers (Shizoku)
Commoners who serve nobles. Often former adventurers, or siblings who did not inherit the family estate. Though legally classified as commoners, they belong to the upper social class.
TL Note- Now that's some development....February here we come....
Did not expect Chizuru to be here she changed fast. Thanks for translation hope Main character Akagi gets jumped from both sides. He doesn't have enough power or status to be negotiating.
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