“Then let’s go submit the application to enter the dungeon now.”
Liyakade spoke as she tried to take off the Collar around her neck.
“Hmm?”
Just as Liyakade placed her delicate hand on the slender back of her neck, ready to unfasten the Collar, she suddenly felt a warm hand press against her nape.
“What are you doing? Our bet is still in effect. We agreed you could only take it off if you won.”
Field gently squeezed Liyakade’s jade hand that reached for her neck, stopping her.
“Ahem, stop messing around. We’re about to go to the Academic Office, and we still need to enter the dungeon. Let’s focus on the main task first.”
Liyakade coughed twice, trying to convince Field.
“That won’t do.”
Field grinned mischievously, securing the Collar in place. One hand stroked Liyakade’s chin, while the other played with the Bell on the Collar, making it ring crisply.
“A bet is a bet, and this thing doesn’t affect your combat abilities anyway.”
“But… but it’s so embarrassing… Wearing this makes me feel like someone’s pet…”
“That’s exactly the effect I want!”
“Ugh…”
“Uh… I have to say, you guys play pretty hard…”
Watching the three interact, Darkness unconsciously scratched her face.
In the end, Liyakade couldn’t remove the Collar and Leg Ring.
After discussing the reward and target of the request, the three went to the Academic Office to apply for permission to enter the dungeon.
The application process was easy. After explaining their reasons, the Grade Director quickly approved their entry into the Nasca Labyrinth.
After all, the trio’s strength had already been demonstrated at the previous Cultural Festival. A low-level dungeon like Nasca Labyrinth posed no threat to them.
However… the Grade Director’s gaze toward Liyakade was somewhat strange.
He glanced at Field and Alice, then back at Liyakade, with a meaningful expression, making Liyakade so embarrassed she wanted to curl her toes into the floor.
After receiving permission, the three made some simple preparations and immediately headed to the Nasca Labyrinth.
As for transportation, Field, being a Princess, naturally didn’t need to hire a coachman or carriage from the Adventurers’ Guild or similar places.
After leaving the Academy, Field summoned the Royal Coachman to take them to the Nasca Labyrinth.
However, to avoid attracting attention, Field didn’t use the Royal Carriage but opted for a Noble Carriage instead.
“Ah… finally, finally got on the carriage…”
Stepping onto the carriage, Liyakade let out a sigh of relief.
Because Field never allowed her to remove the Collar and Leg Ring, Liyakade felt more and more eyes on her from the moment she left the Academy until she got onto the carriage.
Alice and Field even held her on either side.
Liyakade couldn’t imagine what the three of them looked like together.
She felt embarrassed, and a faint sense of pleasure lingered.
But it was just the Collar—for a moment, she wondered if it would be even more… no, if Field could pull the chain attached to the Collar.
Liyakade shook her head like a rattle drum, quickly banishing such dangerous thoughts from her mind.
She leaned against the carriage window, watching the scenery rush by outside, feeling the bumps of the ride, and couldn’t help but sigh.
“Come to think of it, this is our first time riding a carriage together. It feels like a field trip.”
In fact, for Liyakade, this was not only the first time riding a carriage out of town with Alice and Field, but also her first time on a carriage ever.
In her previous world, Liyakade had always lived in a city of towering buildings and never experienced such a thing.
After arriving here, she’d been inside the Academy all along, with no opportunity to go out.
So, riding a carriage was still a novel experience for her.
Compared to the ones from the Adventurers’ Guild, a Noble Carriage was much more comfortable, though still a bit bumpy.
But even this bumpiness was a new sensation for Liyakade.
“Yeah.”
Alice slowly moved closer to Liyakade, looking out the window over Liyakade’s shoulder.
“The scenery outside is beautiful.”
“Hehe, it’s true, it’s not much different from a field trip.”
Field chuckled.
The Nasca Labyrinth was so low-level that, for them, this trip really did feel like an outing.
“But we still have to be careful. We don’t have much real combat experience. The last time we fought monsters was during the Midterm Exam, so we can’t relax too much.”
Field added.
“Mm… so why are you getting closer and closer! Alice!”
Liyakade nodded and looked out the window.
Suddenly, she felt something soft pressing against her back.
“Huh? No, I just wanted to see the scenery too.”
Alice said nonchalantly.
“You’re about to press me into the glass!”
Liyakade glanced back at Alice, cheeks puffed in annoyance.
Alice had one hand on the window, her body pressed against Liyakade’s back, looking anything but innocent.
“Since we have so much free time, and it’s still half a day to go, why don’t we do something fun?”
“Besides, Field-sama won the card game earlier, and Miss Liyakade hasn’t paid her wager yet.”
As she spoke, Alice’s hand, which had been on the window, slowly slid down Liyakade’s arm, intertwining their fingers.
“That’s right. If Alice hadn’t reminded me, I’d have forgotten.”
Field suddenly remembered.
If Darkness hadn’t interrupted earlier, she could have put the item in place.
“Liyakade, you got away with it.”
“Plus, there’s no one else on the carriage. It’s the perfect chance to settle the bet.”
“This, this… this isn’t right!”
Seeing the two’s eager faces, Liyakade panicked.
She instinctively tried to back away, but there was nowhere to retreat on the carriage.
Aren’t we supposed to be exploring the dungeon? Why are you two trying to explore my dungeon instead?
Honestly, ever since that night, these two seemed to have flipped a switch, openly expressing their desire for Liyakade.
Alice was strong-willed, but Field seemed to have awakened some strange tendencies, pulling out all kinds of props.
Although Liyakade hadn’t been completely broken yet, she felt that at this rate, the day wouldn’t be far off.
Not only that, she could hardly imagine what Field would do to her in the future, but to be honest, there was still a bit of pleasure in it.