I squeeze the return stone and teleport to the shore of the lake, in front of the dungeon entrance. The sudden change of scenery disconcerts and dizzies me a bit, but I quickly recover. Darius, Lily, and Ronan soon appear beside me. I see the prince notice us and approach, followed by his friends.

"Sister, are you alright?" he addresses her.

"Yes." She gives him a hug.

"We got worried when your companion appeared unconscious, even more so because some students have returned from the dungeon saying the spiders were huge."

She steps back and places her hand on the prince's arm in a reassuring gesture.

"Yes, we saw them, and they attacked us. Also some zombies. Don't worry, Darius, Bianca, and Ronan did great."

Vincent turns and looks at us.

I'm not interested in guys, yet I can't help but feel somewhat flustered under his scrutiny. He's handsome, very handsome. No wonder his was the main romantic route in the otome. My few seconds of attention end, and the prince focuses on Ronan.

"You're the student with a very high affinity for dark magic, right? I have a friend in that class, and he says you're brilliant," he continues upon seeing Ronan nod. "Thank you, all three of you, for protecting my sister."

"Lily did very well against the spiders. If not for her, we would have ended up badly," Darius praises her.

Why is it that I can't imagine her...

"Come on, we'll accompany you to the infirmary. They've improvised one." He points to a tent with white tarps protecting the area from the wind and sun.

We approach, and they bandage our wounds after cleaning them and applying an ointment to accelerate healing. They fix Ronan's nose with a spell. Afterward, we sit on the lakeshore waiting for the professors along with the rest of the students. It's curious, suddenly I'm in the privileged little group of the prince and the other boys eligible as romantic interests. Ronan is the only one who doesn't fit there. The poor guy seems as out of place as me.

The poor guy? Since when do I think of him in those terms? Hmm... I guess since he helped us against the zombies. I decide that today is the day to have a chat.

"...Bianca?"

Lily is looking at me. She must have asked me something, and I, lost in thought, didn't catch it.

"Excuse me?"

"Your puppy. Can I hold it?"

"Yes, of course."

We've left our backpacks on the ground, and the seed of evil is poking its head and part of its body out of the pocket opening. I help it out and hand it to the princess.

"Oh, it's adorable, so tiny," she comments with delight while petting it. "Why did you bring it?"

Good question, again. Let's see how I get out of this one.

"It's a pest. The other day it tore up my notes and my roommate's. I can't leave it alone."

"And with your maid?"

"It escapes from her and causes trouble all the same. Better with me."

Lily laughs.

"I can understand that. This puppy is adorable."

Puppy? Of course, the damned thing has the ability to pass as one.

We continue chatting until the professors return from the dungeon once their investigation is finished. I imagine the assistant has told them what happened in detail. Ailus claps his hands to get our attention and calls us over. We gather around them.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"As I imagine you already know, an anomalous event of growth and strengthening has occurred for both the undead creatures of the dungeon and the spiders and octopuses that didn't pose any threat. We haven't found the reason. We'll continue with the investigation, so we want to talk to some of you, to have you tell us what you've seen. For the calculation of the exam points, the difficulties you've faced will be taken into account, and because of that, you can pass without having obtained a jar. The lists will come out later."

Some relieved comments are heard. I imagine more than one had to return empty-handed.

"The exam is over," Catrina steps in. "The groups that returned first with the jars, without encountering this anomalous event, you can leave. My assistant is going to read some names. They're the students we want to talk to. Approach in order."

Ronan is the first. They go to the infirmary pavilion, where the healers have already finished their work. They set up a table and several chairs. I don't know what they'll ask him, but he's there for a while. The next is Darius, then it's my turn.

"Ronan, wait," I say as I walk towards him.

"My lady?"

"Don't call me that... Nevermind," I continue upon seeing he's going to protest, just like he did before, "I wanted to talk to you."

"Do not worry, they do not suspect you. They think it was me with my dark magic."

What?, I think, puzzled. What's he talking about? I wanted to talk to him about my chart.

"What do they think you did?"

"Well, enhancing the dungeon's darkness. You do not need to feign ignorance with me, my lady."

I'm not feigning anything. Oh, wait a minute...

"You have a great affinity for darkness. Tell me, what do you know, and what did you see on my stone chart?"

"I could read the letters written in dark ink. I know who your pet really is and what it has done to the dungeon. You can count on me, my lady."

"Stop calling me that!" I burst out.

I've just drawn the attention of the students sitting on the ground awaiting their turn. I have to calm down. This boy doesn't deserve to be treated like this, not even though he's an expert at upsetting me, especially now that he's just accused the seed of darkness of something very serious.

And why is it that this shiver running down my spine is screaming at me that the little wolf is perfectly capable of having done it?

"No, sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. I don't know why you haven't told them about the seed of darkness, but thank you."

"My lady, I would never divulge your secrets. And do not worry, I understand that you are under a lot of pressure right now."

"Thank you. Were you looking for me at the academy because of that?"

I start walking, moving away a bit from the curious groups. He follows me.

"Yes and no. It is related."

I'm afraid to ask.

"What did you want?"

His face lights up, and then he kneels.

What?

He's raising his right hand and arm towards me. What is he doing? Is he going to confess to me?

Horrified at the idea, I freeze. I want to open my mouth to stop him, do something, but I can't. Besides, we haven't moved that far away. I'm sure everyone is looking at us. I feel my cheeks burning.

"My lady," he begins to say.

Bianca, react! Stop him.

"...for me, it is an honor to formally request..."

No!

"...vassalage."

What? I'm stunned.

"Vassalage?" I manage to say.

He's still kneeling. I don't need to turn around to see that everyone is staring at us. Oh, please, I'm dying of embarrassment!

"Please, Ronan, get up."

"Not until you give me an answer."

I open my mouth to tell him no way. Is he crazy?

Warning: You are about to break the contract with the seed of darkness.

The pop-up window appears before me at the same time I feel a sudden pain in my ankle. The puppy has jumped out of my backpack to give me a warning bite. Of course, I almost killed it without realizing it.

The contract... I have to accept.

"I accept, Ronan. You can get up."

Congratulations, future Dark Lord. You have just obtained your first vassal.

+10 influence points.

I swat away the pop-up window, ignoring it. The boy, who is still kneeling with an arm extended, takes the opportunity to grab my hand when I lower it and begins to bring it to his mouth. No way is he giving me a kiss on the back! I pull it away. He looks at me with some disappointment, stands up, and bows to me.

"My lady, I am at your service."

"Please, go," I mutter.

"Bianca, your turn," one of the professors' assistants approaches me somewhat self-consciously.

Well, rescued! I ignore Ronan, who seems to want to tell me something, and turn to the assistant. Then, I see everyone staring and whispering.

Oh, crap, what do they think just happened? It's a good thing I pulled my hand away, or they might think I just got engaged to someone else. Ops... Marco... This could get even more messed up.

Blushing furiously, I look at the ground and follow the assistant. The pavilion where Catrina is waiting to interrogate me suddenly seems like the most welcoming place in the world.