The air was thick with the stench of burnt remains.

The dragon hung its head lifelessly, already dead. It seemed that its breath attack had truly been its last desperate act. And that was exactly why something felt off.

Wild animals and monsters, when aware of their impending death, use every last ounce of strength to survive. Yet, just like the homunculus, this dragon had used all of its remaining power not to escape, but to take us down with it.

I couldn’t say whether this dragon harbored malice, but its grotesque appearance, the timing of its emergence, and its choice to drag us along in its demise all reeked of something suspicious.

If I was overthinking it, that was fine.

When I turned around, Class One was celebrating—except for about three people.

"Hey, you!"

"Ow!?"

A sudden fist landed on my head, and I looked up.

"Oww..."

It was Void. His face was grim. And it wasn’t just him—Riona stood with her arms crossed, glaring at me, while Oujin looked down at me with a troubled expression.

"You’re the one who told us to retreat, so why the hell were you the one still standing there, huh?"

"Uh..."

Oujin muttered.

"That was reckless. Were you planning to die alongside those you couldn't save? No one wants that."

"Ugh..."

They were completely right. Even I thought so.

I should have made the rational decision at that moment. But my feet wouldn't move. It was an immature mistake—something unthinkable in my days as Blythe.

Riona sighed.

"What do you think would have happened if Fix hadn’t been there? Please, think before you act. I’m really mad this time."

"...I'm sorry."

There was no excuse.

During the homunculus battle, Lili had saved me. In this fight, after making the wrong choice, Fix had saved me. And now, here I was, getting scolded by people far younger than me.

Lately, I’d been nothing but pathetic.

Ugh, I felt like crying. But if I cried now, I really would be a ten-year-old.

As I hung my head, a light tap landed on the back of it.

"Hey, stop sulking. Let’s get back to the surface."

Guh. Void, you little—stop patting my head.

...Wait?

I lifted my gaze.

"The surface? We’re going back? But today’s exploration was only supposed to go up to the seventh floor."

The moment I raised my head, a knee suddenly slammed into my rear from behind.

"Ugh!"

This time, it was Oujin.

For someone like him to resort to such actions, he must have been really mad.

"Well, I’m just glad you’re okay. But don’t push yourself too far next time."

"Got it. I promise."

As I rubbed my sore backside, Oujin flashed me an unusually mischievous smirk before walking away, showing me the hilt of his broken sword.

The emblem of the Lehan Knight Academy was carved into the hilt, glimmering faintly. Now that I looked closer, my own dagger's emblem was glowing as well.

"Ah, so the retreat signal was already given."

Had we really been in the dungeon that long? No wonder I was exhausted.

Looking around, I saw that not only our three teams but others had also begun their retreat. The groups were diverse, blending nobles and commoners alike, exchanging information as they made their way out.

Ilga, too, was walking alongside Seneca, the leader of the commoner party—but Seneca had an angry expression, as if they were in the middle of an argument.

...Time to go home.

A sudden chill ran down my spine.

It was a gaze from behind. Riona? I’d rather not get hit on the head or kicked again, thank you very much—

But when I turned around, she wasn’t there.

"Huh?"

Then, from right beside me, a soft breath tickled my ear.

By the time I realized it, it was already too late. Lips pressed against my cheek.

"Mmm~"

"—Mnh!?"

Before I could push her away, Riona had already pulled back, grinning.

"Heh, gotcha. Thanks for the treat!"

"You—!"

"Hehe, next time I’m going for the lips. Better be ready?"

"I can block it if you try from the front!"

Damn it, of all things to use an assassin's techniques for... But maybe this was better than Void and Oujin’s lectures and scoldings—

...No, I’d rather take the lectures.

Still, somehow, that unexpected ambush took the edge off my exhaustion.

"Phew..."

"Hey, don’t fall behind, El-tan!"

"Yeah, yeah, I’m coming."

With that, I chased after Riona’s back.

And so, once again, we all safely completed our dungeon curriculum and returned to the surface.

However, something strange happened after that.

As expected, we reported everything that had happened to the instructors, including Lili, detailing our encounters.

The discussion revolved around whether it was time to halt the student-only exploration of the Lehan Dungeon before any fatalities occurred.

But the next day, when Lili, the War Maiden, along with several instructors, delved into the sixth floor to investigate the truth—

Though they found traces of our battle in the ogre settlement, the dragon’s corpse, which we had supposedly slain, was completely gone. Not even a single dragon scale remained.

The burned chamber was now filled with nothing but sand and ash.

If the dragon had turned to ash, then that meant it had been burned by a flame far hotter than its own breath.

Later, during the instructors’ meeting, the final verdict was given: insufficient evidence.

There was not enough reason to suspend the dungeon curriculum.