Chapter 9: Ex?

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

It was time to switch shifts.

Meng Linna rubbed her eyes and sat up to relieve Peggy.

Though there were hardly any monsters outside the dungeon, basic vigilance was still needed.

The second half of the night was Meng Linna’s watch.

“I’m a vampire, so sleep’s not a big deal.”

Peggy gave an awkward smile and sat beside Meng Linna.

“But I’m a bit curious about something.”

Having someone to chat with was better than a boring watch alone.

Meng Linna acted casual.

“What’s that? Look.”

Peggy lowered her voice.

“You and Miss Na Naya. Something must’ve happened between you two, right?”

That’s all?

Meng Linna frowned but kept her tone calm.

“Yeah, I bullied her back at the convent.”

“No, no!”

Peggy shook her head.

“Don’t fool me. She’s a saintess candidate. What right did you have to bully her? Something else happened, didn’t it?”

Just baseless guesses.

Meng Linna let out a relaxed laugh.

“There’s more than one saintess candidate. But I was a duke’s daughter.”

She paused deliberately, letting Peggy imagine.

“You get it, right?”

“I don’t.”

Peggy shook her head.

“And the way you two act is weird. If you bullied her, your relationship wouldn’t be like this.”

Meng Linna poked the campfire with a stick.

She didn’t even bother addressing Peggy’s guesses.

“So what does our great detective think happened?”

“Well.”

Peggy actually started thinking seriously.

“It feels like you were dating, cheated, got caught, and now she hates you forever.”

“So in your mind, I’m the cheating type?”

Meng Linna could barely respond to Peggy’s guess.

“I don’t even know how to argue with that…”

“Huh, not cheating?”

Peggy tilted her head, puzzled.

“Then what? Domestic abuse?”

“So you’ve already decided Na Naya and I are exes?”

Meng Linna’s head was full of black lines.

“Can you stop making wild guesses?”

“But your dynamic is so odd. It’s like, in Na Naya’s mind, you’re a guilty ex. She hates you but still knows you so well…”

“Enough guessing.”

Meng Linna pushed Peggy toward the tent.

“Go sleep. Dawn’s not far off!”

“Ugh, so stingy!”

Realizing she couldn’t pry anything from Meng Linna, Peggy gave up.

“Dating? As if…”

Meng Linna sat alone by the campfire.

She fiddled with the stick, bored.

***

With Professor Elim gone, the three graduate students each paired with a bodyguard.

The three small teams split up to explore the dungeon.

The dungeon had already been fully conquered.

Its internal maps were drawn out.

If they followed the plan, they could finish the survey in about a week.

“Coo-coo-goo—”

“What, just a turtledove?”

Hearing the familiar sound, Meng Linna lowered her guard.

But the graduate student beside her shook her head uneasily.

“This is inside the dungeon. Why would a turtledove fly in here?”

“You’re right!”

Prompted by the student, Meng Linna raised her holy seal.

“Holy Law Aura!”

A yellowish halo shot from her hand toward the sound.

A scream followed.

“It’s a bird-type monster!”

Meng Linna stuffed the corpse into her backpack.

But a monster killed by one halo probably wasn’t worth much.

The graduate student caught up.

She was more interested in the minerals than the monster.

“Another mithril vein? This dungeon’s resources are too rich!”

Meng Linna didn’t understand this stuff.

She watched the student chip a small piece of mithril from the exposed ore.

Curious, she asked.

“Is the yield here high?”

“Absolutely!”

The student nodded firmly.

“The key is the ore’s high purity. It’s a top-quality vein.”

“Sounds like it’ll make everyone a fortune.”

Meng Linna nodded thoughtfully.

“If I chip off a piece, could I make a ton of money?”

“No way!”

The student was horrified by Meng Linna’s comment.

“These veins belong to the guild. Stealing guild resources is a crime!”

“Uh.”

Meng Linna stared at the small mithril piece in the student’s hand.

“But you took some!”

“That’s different!”

The student’s face paled in panic.

“Don’t talk nonsense! This is a sample for the vein. It’s legally allowed. I’ll submit it to the guild as evidence. You can check—there are regulations for this.”

“Got it.”

Meng Linna nodded, understanding.

“But what if you accidentally take too much sample?”

“Miss, you’d better drop that idea. It’s outright illegal.”

The student’s expression was deadly serious.

“Even sampling is regulated. If I take too much, I’d have to pay compensation. See this camera on my chest?”

The student gestured to her action camera.

“So it records your actions?”

“Yes.”

The student nodded.

“So promise me, no bad ideas, okay?”

“Of course.”

Meng Linna nodded obediently.

“I was just curious. Good, as long as you get it.”

The student sighed in relief.

“I’m still a student, but I know a bit about geology. If you’re interested, you can ask me…”

At this, the student got a bit shy.

Honestly, could anyone dislike Meng Linna?

A curvy, blonde older sister with a church background?

She seemed like the type to hold you close and comfort you!

In the dim dungeon, the student couldn’t help but have strange fantasies about the older sister.

“Cool.”

Meng Linna nodded.

“Adventurers like me can’t compare to professionals. I might need to ask you for help.”

“My pleasure!”

The student turned away in a fluster.

She wiped a nosebleed.

This big sister was too much!