Freya's learning capability exceeded my expectations.
For every spell I taught her, she successfully cast it on the first try!
This was quite strange, considering she supposedly had an F for mana, like a baby... yet she didn't show any signs of mana depletion at all.
In fact, she didn't even look tired at all!
Could this be due to her faith?
Perhaps her high faith reduces her mana consumption... Is that it? Damn girl, sign me up for your church!
Jokes aside, I've run out of things to teach her. If I want to teach her more, then I'd need to ask Master Krystal for more Holy spells instead... which would delay my learning of Alchemy, so a big no-no.
So, we decided to apply what she learned against monsters.
The monsters on the second level were no longer vorpal rabbits; instead, we encountered Rabid Canines. These were essentially wild dogs, infected with rabies by default—mouths bubbling, crazed, and extremely aggressive.
Of course, they posed no real threat to us.
"Young Master, please don't go ahead by yourself," Lyle, who had just dispatched a few Rabid Canines behind us, called out. "I can't protect you properly if you're too far off."
"I'm not. Don't worry. I'm just checking for monsters around the next corner," I shrugged.
Our team structure was well-balanced.
Lyle served as the vanguard and tank, as well as our reliable melee damage dealer.
Frau provided mid-range support with her throwing knives. I was a mid-range DPS with my trusty Dominator's Hand. Finally, there was Freya, who had just learned support spells, healing, and detoxification.
Just as we're handling another big party of dogs...
"Master."
"Huh?"
I turned to the other passage, spotting Miranda's familiar figure. She had been gone for about an hour, presumably taking down a multitude of monsters, yet her uniform remained spotless.
Just... how?
As I pondered this, she approached from behind and pulled me into her embrace. This had become her usual mannerism—hugging me like I was a large teddy bear. It didn't feel bad from my perspective, so I just let her be, though.
Meanwhile, Lyle and the others were occupied with the Rabid Canines ahead.
I had expected Miranda to have something to say, but she remained silent until the battle concluded, at which point she released me.
"I'm fully recharged now, so I'll go on the other side and continue my task, Master," she said before heading back the way we came.
The other side... Did she mean the opposite path? Away from the stairs leading further down?
Those areas likely had fewer adventurers, meaning there would be more monsters than here... But would she be alright?
Well, worrying about someone stronger than all of us combined was like putting the cart before the horse. Instead, we should concentrate on our own tasks, improving our skills while allowing Freya to level up her Holy Magic (Support) skill!
In the time we had spent, it had already reached level 5! That speed was practically a cheat!
But it did make sense.
With her low skill level, her buffs didn't last long and required constant recasting. This resulted in a higher number of skill uses, significantly increasing her skill experience.
*SQUEAL!*
Startled by a noise behind me, I turned to see Frau, bloodied dagger in hand, stomping on a Rabid Canine's corpse. Had it approached me from behind?
I suppose I should pay more attention while in the dungeon and avoid zoning out.
After that, we continued hunting on the second level. Whenever we encountered other adventurers, we greeted them before moving on.
Among adventurers, there was a tacit understanding: if one party was already hunting in a space ahead, others should find another area—except for paths leading to the boss room or the stairs to the next floor!
There were many other "manners" to follow while in the dungeon, which we don't really use in the dungeon back in our place, since only Father's soldiers explore it, so I would need to study those later.
"Hmmm?"
But after a while, I noticed something odd.
While it wasn't unusual to encounter another party during our exploration, I could tell this particular group had been in my detection range for quite some time—almost as if they were following us.
"Lyle..."
Feeling concerned, I quickly brought this matter to Lyle's attention.
Once I explained my observation, I noticed his expression tightened with tension.
"Young Master, if we were heading toward the stairs, it would be normal for a party or two to follow us," he said. "But we're currently near the edge of the second level, far from the stairs."
Lyle didn't need to say anything outright; I understood his implication.
"In short, that party..." I sighed. "Doesn't have good intentions toward us."
"I believe so," Lyle nodded.
Just great. Another problem!
"Should we confront them or just ignore them?" I asked, feeling a bit irritated. "In my opinion, it's better to strike first. If we're always on the defensive, we'll be too passive."
Frau was the first to respond to my words.
"I think we should confront them. However, we can't attack first. If we do and get reported later, there's no way to talk our way out of that."
"Ugh... this is troublesome..."
As my emotions sank further, I detected a familiar presence approaching. It was moving directly toward me, passing right through the shady party that had been tailing us.
"Shit, let's go!" I shouted to the others. "If we don't hurry, those bastards will fucking die!"
I wasn't sure why I felt that way, but it was the impression I had.
After a short jog, we arrived at the scene.
"What the hell do you think you are, huh?!"
And just as I suspected...
Miranda was standing in the midst of a suspicious group, comprised of individuals with receding hairlines, who were harassing her.
From what I could see, there were eight of them.
They appeared to be dressed as regular adventurers; however, my appraisal revealed they were actually knights, just like Lyle.
Their act of posing as abrasive adventurers was quite convincing. Still, I was a step ahead in this information battle against them.
But why were these knights here, pretending to be adventurers?
"Ah..."
Even so, I felt a chill run through me as I noticed the cold look in Miranda's eyes.
Her expression suggested she was indifferent to what the other party was saying and was merely annoyed that they were blocking her way. Her hand, gripping the hilt of her rapier, trembled with irritation and anger.
"Hey, you bald bastards!" To prevent the situation from escalating, I raised my voice. "What are you doing with our party member? Do you want to die?"
"I-I'm not bald!"
The leader of the group shouted back, his voice rising a pitch higher.
Looks like I hit a nerve.