Trapped as an NPC in a Dating Sim

Chapter 111: Aurelia’s Tears!

“Why am I unable to see anything?”

From somewhere deep within the Whiteleaf Forest, a tall woman in a dark robe, her figure completely hidden, muttered with a trace of annoyance.

In her hand was a smooth, palm-sized glass sphere, inside which black fog squirmed and twisted endlessly.

Looking at it, it seemed to be some kind of visual artifact.

Through it, she should have been able to see deep into the dungeon, observing everything inside the instant dungeon she had just opened.

Yet…

…there was nothing.

The fog churned as if reacting to something, but no image formed, no shape, no movement at all.

Just emptiness.

Her brows furrowed slightly beneath the hood as her grip tightened around the sphere.

“…Blocked?”

She muttered again, quieter this time.

The only reason her Orb of Sight might have failed was if its access had been blocked.

Otherwise, she should have had no problem spying on a B-rank dungeon with this orb, let alone a C-rank one.

’Is it because of that Space Mage?’

For a moment, she thought of Lyra. Only she seemed capable of stopping her artifact’s effect, as it operated on the principles of space and void.

’Sigh… it seems I still cannot fully gauge that person’s skill today.’

Realizing that the orb showed no reaction, she sighed and put it aside.

’But still, if that boy with such a low level managed to clear that C-rank dungeon, then he should be the one I have been looking for all this time.’

The Voidgate Amethyst was an extremely rare A-rank item. Not only did it allow her to access an instant dungeon, it also let her set up an objective.

After seeing how easily Soren managed to kill the monsters she had prepared before, this time she directly sent him into a C-rank dungeon as a test.

Of course, the objective she set was an easy one. She even made sure to teleport Soren into a relatively safe zone of the dungeon, as her motive was to test, not to kill.

In her opinion, that was enough to observe Soren’s abilities without giving him an easy way out.

Unfortunately, the moment Soren was teleported with that girl, she directly lost the connection. She couldn’t even see what was happening inside.

’Forget it… I should probably leave this area. I don’t know what that muscle brain is planning… too many strong presences are lurking around.’

She thought for a moment, annoyed, before disappearing from her position in a flicker of shadow.

As for Soren, she would meet him later if he was still alive. She wasn’t worried about Lyra helping him, as she was certain even that Space Mage wouldn’t be able to extract someone from a dungeon floating in the void.

***

“Miss Aurelia, Miss Elara…please understand that I really cannot affect an Instant Dungeon at my current level. Besides, the dungeon they were in seemed high-end; even gaining some information is difficult.”

Professor Lyra sighed as she once again heard the same worried questions from the girls next to her.

But no matter how frustrated she felt, she couldn’t get angry; this trouble was partially her responsibility as well.

She told Soren that the area around was safe, after all.

“Don’t worry, you two. From how the channel is still functioning, they seem to be alive and well inside. Maybe they’ll come out after a while? And even if they don’t, I’ve already informed the Principal. He should be able to bring them out.”

Although Lyra doubted that it would be that simple, she offered them some comfort.

Besides, she had no other options.

’But who is targeting him anyway? And even using such a rare instant dungeon to boot?’

Lyra suddenly thought as unlike what she told them, she at least knew that the instant dungeon Soren was in was C-rank.

Someone who could hide from her and send her student to a precious C-rank dungeon like this should be of a very high rank.

What was the motive for such a strong person to target Soren?

For once, she obviously knew that it was not to kill.

Professor Lyra was getting more and more curious about this student of hers lately.

No matter how she looked at him, he seemed wrapped in some kind of mystery.

“Professor Lyra, w-what if they don’t? Did you even find out who is targeting him? What if…t-that person is also inside the dungeon trying to kill Soren?”

Although Lyra’s words were true, Aurelia did not seem to calm down. Rather, as more and more time passed, she became more and more scared.

In fact, the same was the case for Elara, too, who was biting her nails in distress.

However, she was somewhat calmer than Aurelia because her link with her sister reassured her that she was fine and alive.

Besides, she had no idea that the dungeon they were in was actually C-rank.

But Aurelia seeemd a bit tense, as she knew someone was after Soren,

“What if something happens to him? I shouldn’t have given him that orb to check…It’s all my fault, and I’m safe here while he faces such extreme danger.”

Aurelia muttered with moist eyes, on the verge of crying. She thought it was her fault that Soren was in danger.

If only she had not given that Orb for Soren to check…

If only she had listened to Soren and just returned to the camp without distraction.

If only she were not curious…

If only…

As Aurelia blamed herself, her tall and prideful body slouched on its own, as a few drops of tears slowly came out of her amber eyes.

Even with her prideful nature, she could not stop those tears from falling.

If Soren were just a friend like before, she might not have reacted much.

But after their intense kissing session, she vehemently realized that she seemed to like him.

Like him enough to miss him already…

Like him enough to feel her heart being cut apart by the mere idea of losing him here.

’If only my amulet did not stop me from getting teleported.’

She even foolishly hated the safety net that her mother gave her. Without it, she would also be with Soren inside, in life and in death.

Maybe she could help him rather than pathetically waiting outside here, unaware of his situation.

“…”

“…”

As Aurelia slowly shed tears from her beautiful eyes, the atmosphere around them became solemn and awkward.

For once, both Elara and Professor Lyra seemed a bit surprised to see how much she seemed to care about Soren. They were not fools and could clearly understand the situation.

It was just…still very surprising to see Aurelia silently crying. They never thought they would see such a scene, considering her tough reputation.

’That boy… he seems to be liked by every girl around him. Is he so charming or what?’

Professor Lyra was somewhat speechless at seeing such a scene. Fortunately, there were only three of them around.

“Hey… don’t feel sad. It isn’t like he is dead.”

No matter how shocked she was, Lyra still came close to Aurelia and patted her back, intending to console the little girl.

“The channel is working just fine, and that boy is quite tough himself. I don’t think he wil—

—Hmm?”