abcnovels
Chapter 232:
Chapter 232:
Chapter 232:
Dungeon Stampede 2.0 In The Mud
We arrived at Shark's Girls Highschool.
Even from outside, the place was noisy, and the number of refugees seemed to be increasing.
"Hello!"
"Oh, it's you, nee-san!"
Serai-san waved to a girl standing guard at the back gate, and she greeted us with a smile. It felt good to be recognized at a girls' high school.
But once inside, the high school girls' behavior seemed odd.
"Fairy Knight! Apple…rin!!"
"Hey! What are you doing to my Apple-chan?! You said you liked Pine-chan!"
Two girls in gym clothes were fighting over a red-haired pixie."No way! I've always been loyal to Apple-chan!"
"You're lying! You said you liked Pine-chan before!!"
Huh, what’s going on? Is there a battle over the pixies? Then a baby-faced teacher, Aine-sensei, stepped in.
"Everyone listen! I think… I'm the one who’s closest to Apple-chan!"
Wait, even the teacher? Instead of mediating, she joined the fray.
"Oh, it's the Fairy Knight big sis!"
"And Master Jung is here too!"
Noticing us, the girls surrounded us in no time. When I wore the Bug King Mask, they treated me like a weirdo and kept their distance. What a change.
"Please! Make me a Fairy Knight!"
"Huh, what?"
"That's not fair! I asked first!"
"Hey, big sis! Master Jung!"
Being surrounded and cheered on by high school girls didn’t feel bad, but it seemed their attention wasn’t on me. Still, their excitement was loud.
"Hey! What about your training!?"
"Oh no, the captain is here!"
"Quick, let's go!"
The gym clothes-clad girls scattered and returned to running in the schoolyard when Shark, holding a bamboo sword, appeared. Shark sighed deeply as he approached us.
"Sigh…"
"What's up, Shark? You look tired."
"Well, listen to this…"
And so, Shark began to tell her story.
Long ago, when the world was about to be engulfed in darkness, fairies came from the land of light to protect it. However, though the fairies were skilled in magic, they were weak and small. So, they teamed up with human girls to fight against the dark forces.
That's what they call the Fairy Knights.
"Hmm, ‘Make a contract with me and become a Fairy Knight,' huh?"
"Yeah, a lot of girls got that idea from watching Machi and the others. It’s a problem."
"I see."
My full-body armor, modeled after the Cockroach King and Fly Queen, was shiny and insect-like. It matched the Pixies with their dragonfly-like wings.
High school girls, known for their love of gossip, pieced together what they saw and created a legend in their minds.
"So, that's why I'm Master Jung."
"Yes. Jung is the master, and I’m an apprentice knight. It’s like a movie."
True, I introduced myself as Jung to Shark when we first met, and in front of the high school girls, Serai-san called me "master". That’s how I became Master Jung.
"Got it. If that's the case, let's use their enthusiasm."
"What do you mean?"
"Shark, if the girls are too obsessed with the pixies to listen to you, what if I, as ‘Master Jung', give them guidance on how to become Fairy Knights? What do you think they'd do?"
"They'd follow your instructions to become Fairy Knights!"
"Exactly. I'll give you some instructions, and when the time is right, gather the girls who want to become Fairy Knights. The rooftop should be a good spot."
"Alright!"
…..
Thirty minutes later. Shark gathered about twenty high school girls and Aine-sensei who wanted to become Fairy Knights on the rooftop.
"There's nothing here."
"What’s going on? I heard we could become Fairy Knights here."
I hid on the top of the tower, watching them.
(Hmm… They seem disorganized. They’ve gotten a bit cocky since they gained stats and could repel monsters.)
Training fellow students must be tough for Shark alone.
He didn’t get along well with her aikido classmates even after the stampede and rarely talked. But she was there, excitedly looking around.
(Alright, let's start the show!)
"Silence! (Pyukin!)"
Striking a pose, I appeared before the gathered girls.
Perfect. The sound effect, generated by creating salt, was spot on.
"What's that?"
"Oh no, how embarrassing…"
The high school girls' reactions were underwhelming.
What? They didn’t appreciate the theatrics. I could hear their whispers. Even the girl who shouted "Apple-rin!" earlier was looking at me suspiciously. What's going on, YO!? I thought she was on our side!?
"Listen up! Bow your heads and kneel! The Fairy Queen is about to descend!"
"Yay! Machi-neesan!!"
"Nee-san!!"
But when Serai-san appeared with hands on her hips, the girls' excitement peaked. Ugh.
Fine, let’s get this over with quickly.
I discreetly scattered some salt from atop the tower to create a sparkling effect. The sunset light reflecting off the salt was beautiful.
[Kyua~~!]
"Wow~~!"
And when the Pixie Queen appeared, I created a bunch of mucus bubbles to enhance the spectacle. The bubbles, reflecting the rainbow light, made it look like a gacha game.
[Power~~!!]
"Yay~~!"
The beautiful Pixie Queen’s appearance sent the girls into a frenzy.
"…(Sniff)"
As usual, the Pixie Queen didn’t speak, so Serai-san conveyed her words.
"Do you want to become Fairy Knights? If so… be pure and righteous! Be diligent and never shy away from effort! And always hold love in your heart! These are the words of the Fairy Queen!"
Actually, these were my words. I gave Serai-san a look to pass them on since the girls didn’t seem to like me.
So, as the Pixie Queen disappeared and the area was bathed in purple twilight, I muttered, "A lotus grows in the mud but remains unstained… Even from the mud, it blooms beautifully," and vanished from the scene.
How's that? Pretty masterful, right?