(One hour later...)
After the death of Black Flash, the dungeon had reopened. The surviving miners were greatly shaken, but with the promise of a very large bonus, their spirits were quickly rejuvenated.
Despite that, it had been a huge tragedy. By the time Arthur and Light left the dungeon, hundreds of news stations had already gathered outside, reporting on the incident. They tried to get Arthur to talk as well, but Light took it upon himself to silence the media.
As it turned out, he was very famous and influential, being known as the Hero of Light. He had cleared hundreds of dungeons, participated in dozens of raids, and slain a handful of extremely powerful monsters. And yet, someone like that was still in the academy? Arthur found that a bit odd.
Anyhow, fast-forward an hour, and Arthur was in Light’s car, sitting opposite him.
I know I did agree to the academy proposal, but still... Is he having second thoughts? Arthur thought.
Yes, he had agreed. And yes, the only reason he had done so was because he wanted to show Victoria and everyone else that he could reach a high position through his abilities alone.
"Hey, so I’m a bit curious about one thing. You were fast enough to save all of those miners, but you didn’t. Why?"
"Hmm? Just because the public calls me a hero doesn’t mean I’m inclined to act like one. Funnily enough, as one-sided as that fight seemed, had I allowed him to use the hostages like he did, I would’ve gotten seriously injured."
Light crossed his legs and added:
"I’m not putting my life in danger for people I’ve never even met before. So, to answer your question, I did it because I’m not an idiot. Anything else?"
"Not really. What’s life at the academy like?"
"Pfft... Life at the academy? It’s fun. Even though I consider myself decently strong, there are dozens of other people who could kill me with their eyes closed. There are plenty of people to challenge, and the lessons they give us are actually useful."
Arthur shook his head. "I doubt I’ll fight anyone there, but it’s good to know."
"We don’t have many healers at the academy, so they’ll definitely pick a fight with you. I saw that you were pretty sturdy, though, so you’ll be just fine. Don’t worry."
That didn’t make him feel much better, but at this point, all Arthur wanted to do was get into the academy and start learning something useful.
Ah, right.
"The miners got extra money, and I got an invite to the academy."
"Yeah? And?" Light raised a brow. "Want something extra?"
Arthur smiled. "I thought you’d never ask. Alright, so I have no idea what your level is, but do you think you could take me to a Level 30 dungeon or so? I want to do some quick leveling so I have fewer troubles at the academy."
Light stared at him for a moment, pondering it. Then, he sighed.
"I don’t mind taking you along, since I do feel somewhat responsible for you, considering I’ll be recommending you. Though, I’ll only be able to help you out next week. I’ll be busy this week dealing with the aftermath of the dungeon. I’ll also need to have a talk with Nathaniel’s parents and hand his body over to them."
"Yeah, no problem. I’m sorry about your friend," Arthur replied.
"Friend?" Light shrugged. "If he was a friend, he would’ve talked to me. When his girlfriend left him and approached me, I told her to fuck off. When the dean gave me all the credit, I punched the dean. All of this could’ve been avoided, but no... This smartass decided to listen to some demon and get corrupted. It pisses me off."
Arthur let out a sigh and listened to Light rant about his friendship with Black Flash. The two had definitely been good friends, but their relationship had started to deteriorate over time. This was probably the nail in the coffin.
But oh well, it wasn’t for Arthur to worry about. This was between Light and Black Flash. On the other hand, there was one thing in particular he needed to worry about. That thing was none other than the message he had just received.
[Are you hurt?]
Victoria...
I’m fine. Got a few scratches, but I’m a Healer, so it’s no biggie.
[No biggie?]
[The connection had been cut off, and my stat growth had halted. I thought you had died... So what do you mean, "No biggie?"]
"..."
Seeing how cold she sounded, Arthur felt like he had a really long talk ahead of him once he got back home.
A-Ahem. Let’s talk once I get back home. I still have a lot to do today.
[...?]
[Talk once we’re back home?]
All of a sudden, he heard a knock on the roof of the car. Both Light and Arthur thought they had misheard it, but when another knock resounded, they knew that someone was on the roof.
And when that certain someone brought her legs down beside the side window, Arthur felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest.
How the hell did you get here!?
[What? I told you I can sense where you are. I just teleported and ended up on top of this flying car,] Victoria replied nonchalantly. [Now let me inside.]
"Uhh... Mind opening the door for a sec?"
Light tilted his head. "A friend of yours?"
"Close. She’s my wife."
His eyes widened.
"I didn’t take you for the married type."
"Why not? I’m a pretty good husband, you know?"
"Well, unless you’re hiding a ring inside of your ass, I suggest you put one on. I don’t want to become collateral damage because of your wife’s fury."
A ring?
Right, a ring!
He had nearly forgotten about it. They were posing as a married couple, yet they didn’t have the main thing that showed they were married. A damn ring... He needed to get one ASAP.
[Hello~?]
[Are you letting me in?]
But until then, he needed to deal with the matter at hand.