Trapped as an NPC in a Dating Sim

"Are you sure?"

Darius Blackthorne asked lightly while looking at the receding cloud below, his eyes deep in thought.

"Yeah, a hundred percent. I got this news directly from the junior working under Senior Isolde."

A tall, slim figure draped in black cloth replied, playing with the blade in his hand.

"Hm... so that guy is going for the D-rank dungeon, Howling Chasm? He’s got some guts."

Even he, with all the visible and hidden help, wouldn’t dare raid such a D-rank dungeon. In fact, that dungeon was notorious for its difficulty, as reports of hunters disappearing surfaced from time to time.

"Lord Darius, so... what is your plan? Are you really going to let him use that D-rank clearance token like this?"

The lean assassin, Nyx, asked, to which Darius just rolled his eyes.

"Don’t need to incite me further. I know what you are thinking, Nyx."

This practical training had been a very useful endeavor for him. Unlike others, he could directly use the club owned by his family to power-level easily.

In fact, he was already above level 40.

So, naturally, his lackeys gained some level too.

Maybe because of that, Nyx was constantly urging him to enter a D-rank dungeon. Although he seemed to be targeting Soren, he, of course, knew what he was thinking.

"Haha..."

Sure enough, Nyx showed a sheepish smile, not at all embarrassed.

"Okay, there is no need to rush such things. D-rank dungeons like Howling Chasm are no joke. It would be foolish to follow them just for a small conflict."

Darius just brushed him off, refusing to do anything, making Nyx totally confused.

’Then why the hell did you ask me to gather their news then?’

He thought, feeling he had worked for nothing.

Of course, he didn’t dare to express his opinion out loud when he heard Darius speak again.

"But that doesn’t mean I will let him go scot-free."

Darius suddenly smiled and ordered Nyx lightly,

"Doesn’t that guy have a feud with that Senior Kairon over a girl? Tell him this news discreetly. If that guy is somehow smart, he should know what to do."

Why get your hands dirty when you can use someone else’s?

This was Darius’s style of doing things. Although it might look cowardly to outsiders, as an heir of a powerful family, he knew the value of his life more than anyone else.

In fact, even if he went to conquer a D-rank dungeon later on, he wouldn’t go without full preparation and a trump card.

***

---

[Name: Ivory]

[Monster: Sky Crane]

[Rank: E]

[Status: Tamed]

[Ability: Flight, Enhanced Vision, Wind Manipulation]

---

*Swoosh!*

High up above the sky, a large flock of Sky Cranes was flying rapidly, heading south, leaving the Whiteleaf Forest behind.

In the front was Professor Kael flying on his Wyvern as always, while Soren and his group were following behind on the back of Ivory.

The beast pet Soren got from the Professor just now.

To be honest, although it was just an E-rank beast and far lower in rank than his Frost, Soren found it quite convenient.

Just its ability to fly alone was enough.

’With this... I won’t have any issue heading to the D-rank dungeon later.’

Soren thought when, suddenly, an annoyed voice echoed from behind.

"Tch... can you stop acting like a little girl? It isn’t like someone is going to steal her away."

The voice was from Aria Luna, who rolled her eyes at Sylvia, who was busy hugging the soft feathers, with a silly smile.

She was in the same position from the beginning of their travel, constantly showing how happy she was.

Although Aria tried hard, she finally couldn’t control her jealousy.

"Hehe... who knows? I feel like someone is eyeing my Ivory all the time. Maybe some elf will lure her away if I don’t keep an eye on her."

But Sylvia seemed too happy to get offended as she stuck out her tongue at Aria, teasing her.

"You... Hmph, Soren... how about you keep her yourself? Didn’t Sylvia say before that she didn’t want her?"

Aria pouted as she looked at Soren begrudgingly,

"Hmm? Yeah... maybe I should do that? The beast contract is quite expensive after all."

Soren also played along, causing Sylvia to stop smiling abruptly.

"H-Hey, S-Soren... you can’t do that. Didn’t you get her for me in the first place? Besides..."

Sylvia bit her red lips, anxious, thoughts racing in her mind, and whispered a bit shyly,

"It isn’t like I won’t pay you back. H-How about... I-I allow you d-do it a-again."

She stuttered at last, going completely red to the tips of her ears, hiding her face from everyone.

"..."

Although she whispered low enough, everyone was on the back of Ivory, and quite close.

Not only Aurelia and Aria, but even Evan heard it clear and loud.

’Damn it...that’s why I didn’t want to come with them.’

Evan directly cursed as he immediately understood what she meant by that, his heart getting clenched out of nowhere.

Although he had let go of his feelings already, he wasn’t ready to hear such intimate things between them.

In fact, he felt like a third wheel.

And the funny thing was, he couldn’t even get away from here, and could only turn around and act oblivious.

"Shameless!"

Aria finally spoke after a brief silence, a bit flushed.

"Cough... okay, I am just joking. Don’t need to get so worked up. You can make a contract with Ivory once we reach the Academy."

Even Soren was a bit surprised by Sylvia’s words, although he couldn’t say he wasn’t tempted.

Anyway, he could always use her words later on.

For now, though...

"By the way, forget this issue and let’s talk about the D-rank dungeon, Howling Chasm, instead. It would be better if you all knew a bit about it so you can prepare yourselves."

Soren abruptly changed the topic since he couldn’t withstand the intense gaze coming from Aurelia.

She had been beefing with him for a few days already.

---

The capital of Arden Country was Fiona City, home to the renowned Elite Hunter Academy, the number one academy in the nation.

To its north stretched the Whiteleaf Forest, one of the designated hunting grounds used for training students. It was from this very forest that Soren was returning at the moment.

Arden Country was structured around a strict hierarchy of training zones and controlled dungeons, with Fiona City at its center.

Surrounding regions were carefully regulated, each serving as a testing ground for aspiring hunters.

Among them, Whiteleaf Forest was considered a relatively safe but essential training area.

Just...nobody in the entire country thought that someone would dare to open a Demon Gate right inside this forest.

Not only was this a direct provocation to the Elite Hunter Academy, but also to Arden itself. After all, such a thing happened right outside its capital.

In an instant, the number one academy was thrust into the cusp of a storm.

Although Lyra did her best to close the gate immediately and even managed to downplay

Although Lyra did her best to close the gate immediately and even managed to suppress news of Ruther’s death, she couldn’t hide it completely.

After all, the capital wasn’t just home to the academy; it also housed the headquarters of several major guilds across the country.

Not to mention the government.

"So... it has been confirmed that Ruther was a Demon Servant all along?"

Principal Logan asked with a solemn expression, a deep frown on his face.

These days, he had been extremely busy due to the Demon Gate’s appearance.

The moment the Abyss descended, every powerful person near the capital detected its presence immediately.

Hiding it was a near-impossible endeavor.

To be honest, he was truly thankful to Lyra. If not for her, the situation would have turned into something even he couldn’t handle.

But still... getting confirmation that Ruther had truly been involved with a Demon Lord from the Abyss did not improve his mood.

"Yeah... I’ve already cross-checked it. He seems to have been contracted by an Arch Demon Lord related to the Sin of Lust. Maybe that’s why he managed to avoid the academy’s detection all this time."

Lysandran sipped the tea from her hand and spoke softly.

"Arch Demon, huh...no wonder."

The burly man didn’t mind Lysandra’s casualness but frowned even more deeply.

If an Arch Demon was involved, then it wasn’t all that surprising. After all, such demons were above level 500 existences.

In fact, he could even understand why Ruther had died so suddenly. Maybe the demon decided Ruther was no longer useful and simply blew his head apart.

It wasn’t unusual for a Demon Lord to have sudden mood swings, after all.

Just...

"What about this ’Crucible’? Have you managed to find any other information?"

Logan asked again, not at all ashamed that he was seeking information from a healer.

"No... besides that knight fellow’s warning to you, nothing else. They seemed to have suddenly disappeared after that day. At least, I can confirm that they aren’t in the capital right now."

Lysandra remained casual, replying lightly.

"By the way, what is this inheritance dungeon all about? They seemed quite hellbent on getting the chance to enter it."

She suddenly asked, curiosity flickering in her eyes.