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Three Fang Mice, each about the size of a medium dog, emerged from the darkness, brandishing their enormous fangs as they attacked.

Normally, cave-dwelling creatures would flee from the light, but these were clearly magical beasts. Undeterred, they charged straight into the radiant glow of the Light spell.

“「O stream, become a blade and cut through the enemy before me」—「Aqua Ripper」!”

I quickly chanted the spell, converting the magic essence in the air to stabilize it into the form of ‘water.’ A water blade about one meter long appeared in my right hand.

“—hiss!”

I slashed the ‘Fang Mouse’ that leaped at me head-on and then twisted my wrist to slice through the second one that lunged at my waist.

The last remaining one dodged the water blade and charged towards Eren, who was behind me. I caught sight of this out of the corner of my eye and instinctively tried to turn and strike with my blade.

“Take this—hiyaah!”

With an ungraceful shout, Eren swung her spear down at the ‘Fang Mouse’ aiming for her feet.

Her aim was true, and she struck the rat’s body. However, due to her lack of weight and strength, it wasn’t a fatal blow.

“Haa—!”

Even so, stopping its movement for even a moment was good enough. As I spun around, I extended the water blade and sliced the fang mouse’s neck at an angle.

The beast’s head and body separated cleanly. If this were a real sword, the scene would have been quite gruesome. However, the water blade, with its laser-like sharpness, also had a cleansing effect that repelled blood and dirt upon cutting, leaving a clean, pink cross-section as the ‘Fang Mouse’ fell apart like in a manga.

“Phew…”

Having dealt with the immediate threat, Eren and I both let out a sigh of relief.

“Ahahaha! Bravo, well done! Lady Jill’s magic sword is perfectly suited to controlling both her physical strength and her range. Yes, yes, very well thought out. And Lady Eren, your reactions to the enemy’s movements are impressive, showing that you’ve clearly trained under a skilled teacher. However, if I were to point out a flaw, it would be that both of you seem to lack stamina and endurance. You should focus on building up your basic physical strength!”

As we stood there, Bartholomew, who had been waiting behind us, delivered his usual grandiose lecture with his characteristic over-the-top attitude and tone.

To be blunt, it’s incredibly annoying.

—I should never have summoned him. I really shouldn’t have.

I deeply regret it, but there’s no undoing what’s been done. Ignoring him, I pointed the tip of my water blade at the spear Eren had just pulled out of the Fanged Mouse’s body. Using a technique mimicking water jet, I rinsed off the blood and grime, confirming it was clean before giving my right hand a small flick to dissipate the watery sword.

Once the spell was deactivated, the water blade vanished as if by magic—well, it actually was magic—without leaving so much as a single puddle behind.

This efficiency in spellcasting was thanks to my special lessons with the Headmistress. I can now conjure elements like water and fire with precise control, such as ‘burning only the top sheet of a stack of documents.’ This level of finesse wasn’t possible before.

Typically, magic and spellcraft (to avoid a lengthy explanation, just think of magic as relying on innate talent, while spellcraft achieves similar effects through rituals or procedures) emphasize power and impact, and this kind of delicate manipulation is often overlooked. But for me, it’s a significant advantage.

For instance, I can detect blood flow and bodily fluids within a person, focusing healing on areas where abnormalities are found. I can even selectively target and destroy small cancer cells without surgery (not that the concept exists here), which has dramatically expanded the scope of my healing abilities.

“This is amazing! I never thought of using magic like this—it’s a real eye-opener. In terms of healing efficiency, you might even surpass Snow. That girl usually just brute forces everything with her massive magic power, so she can’t apply it as flexibly. Hey, Jill, how about doing some medical work on the side through my connections? You could probably charge something like a thousand gold coins and get away with it.”

The one who praised this during the special lesson, after I demonstrated it on an animal, was none other than Headmistress Mei.

I almost wanted to quip, “Do you take me for an unlicensed back-alley doctor?!” (though, in reality, there’s no licensing system for medical practices here)—but setting that aside, I think she’s overestimating me a bit. After all, the person she’s comparing me to is the legendary Saintess said to have the power to revive even the dead. Someone like me could never…

Just as I had that thought, something tugged at a chord deep within my mind, and I found myself tilting my head in confusion.

“Revive… the dead?”

“Lady Jill?” While I was lost in thought, Eren had efficiently begun dissecting the fanged mice with her hunting knife, extracting the small magic stones within. Noticing my contemplative state, she furrowed her brows in concern.

“Oh, sorry. I was just distracted, trying to recall something that’s on the tip of my mind but won’t come back to me. Thank you for collecting the magic stones.”
“It’s nothing. I used to occasionally butcher the horned rabbits we caught back in the village, so I’m used to it. Also, what should we do with the meat and hides?”
“Let’s see. There shouldn’t be any poison, so I’ll put them in storage just in case.”

You can never have too much food in an emergency.

I used spatial magic, Close Art, on the corpses of the three fanged mice and their magic stones—though I regularly stash away quite a bit, I’ve fortunately never encountered any limits to this art so far. With my resolve renewed, I resumed my position at the front and began walking down the passageway again.

“Still, what exactly is this place? Gray caves, corridors, and small rooms… all we’ve encountered are rats like those or oversized bats and other monsters. Could this be one of those Dungeons?”

Eren, walking just behind me, complained wearily, gazing at the monotonous stone walls and ceiling.

Incidentally, the cave walls have phosphorescent rocks placed about every five mertes apart, but sometimes there are side passages or branches between the light sources, where monsters like the ones we encountered earlier can jump out. To be safe, I split the light from my Light spell into two orbs, one floating above my head and the other hovering slightly ahead to illuminate the path forward.

“Hmm… This is likely a dungeon created by local monsters. However, given that certain parts seem to have been subtly altered, it’s possible that someone else modified existing ruins or a subterranean tomb to create this place. But, I must say, it’s an utterly uninspired, cramped space, devoid of even the barest decorative elements. I, Bartholomew, though a warrior, am also a knight of the Crimson Empire’s palace and can appreciate a bit of humor. Whoever created this place must be a dull, narrow-minded, and petty individual. Truly, it’s a dreadful place.”

Bartholomew, walking behind us, was going on with a tone of barely contained frustration. Well, personal grievances aside, it’s clear that someone’s been here before us. The presence of phosphorescent rocks, branching paths, small rooms, and shoddy treasure chests (containing little more than old coins or rusty swords) all point to someone having tampered with this place.

“It’s best to get out of this depressing place as quickly as possible. So, Lady Jill, are you sure this is the right direction?” Bartholomew asked casually as he effortlessly obliterated an opus bat flying toward us with his halberd—though the resulting shockwave also cracked the ceiling and walls, threatening to cause a collapse.

Since he’d been smashing ceilings and walls as we progressed, our retreat was basically cut off, leaving Vier—who was supposed to guard the rear—walking beside Eren and me, ready to grab us and flee at a moment’s notice. Even when I voiced my concerns, Bartholomew just laughed it off, saying, “Isn’t this perfect? We don’t need to worry about what’s behind us. A true man always falls forward, even when defeated!” So, I gave up trying to change his mind.

Also, Bartholomew is the only man in our party, while Eren, Vier, and I are all biologically female, but there’s no point in correcting him on that.