"I Was Reincarnated Into Another World So I Want to Teach Them a Lesson in the Dungeon." ~I May Have Been Expelled as a C-Rank Sorcerer, but Since It Seems Everyone Wants My Cheat Skill, I Think I'll Teach Them a Lesson~ - Chapter 10

I wonder how long I had been enveloped in Strega’s embrace.

“It’s time…” Strega announced, checking her pocket watch. It seemed that two hours had passed since then.

“We failed to defeat the area boss…” This meant that Ryner and Caroline had been defeated. The demon Mule, whose details we still didn’t know, would now live freely in the world that was about to be reconstructed. That was something I couldn’t stand, it was frustrating.

With a blinding flash, the world was being rewritten at this very moment.

When I came to, we had been thrown in front of the gate. Strega gave a glance at the Necronomicon that had spat us out, as Miria lay beside us, still unconscious.

“Oh dear. I seem to have left my nithsdale behind.”

Others from various investigation teams who had challenged their respective areas were also being regurgitated into this courtyard.

Some were engulfed in sorrow. Others rejoiced in victory. The Necronomicon, indifferent to their paths, began erasing them without concern.

Lokiel’s corpse, the new members of Ryner’s investigation team, Strega’s nithsdale—all were digested without a trace within the Necronomicon.

“Soma… You’re alive, huh?” The crudeness of the voice could only belong to Ryner. Ryner was apparently alive, and while Caroline’s figure was also visible, their demeanor was anything but calm—evident as Caroline’s arm was torn off.

“Yeah. I’m alive.”

“If you hadn’t messed up back then, none of this would’ve happened!”

“Cough. That’s just an excuse. You were simply too weak. You should just admit it cleanly.”

“What…! Stay out of this! This is between me and Soma!”

“No. Since Soma is a member of my team, I can’t just stand by and remain uninvolved.”

“What…? Soma, you… left the party on your own? That’s a violation! Prepare yourself; I’ll have the Magic Association’s inquisition expel you!”

“A violation, huh…? Well, maybe we broke the rules. If you want to sue, then sue me; I was the one who forcefully made him join. But you also abandoned your team and fled, didn’t you? If you take that to the inquisition, I wonder what judgment they’ll render, especially since there were many deaths.”

Strega pressed Ryner with a calm demeanor, seemingly looking down on him and even appearing to have the upper hand.

“By the way, the orc you couldn’t defeat was taken care of by Soma.”

“Stop lying! A C-rank weakling like him couldn’t possibly defeat it!”

That was the truth.

I wanted to interject, but it would complicate things, so I kept quiet in my mind. Instead, Strega fearlessly continued her verbal assault.

“It’s true. That’s why we’re alive and out of the Necronomicon, isn’t it?”

“Then you should’ve defeated it from the start! What, did you do it on purpose?”

“You really are annoying.”

Ryner’s face boiled with rage as he raised his fist. The scene caused quite a stir among the onlookers.

“Stop it, Ryner. How much more do you want to embarrass yourself?”

“Soma… Since when did you become so high and mighty? You’re challenging me, the leader? It’ll be a hundred years before you can do that! Don’t get too cocky…!”

“Isn’t it you who’s getting too cocky, Ryner? Besides, you’re going to expel me, right? So I’m not related anymore.”

I pointed the tip of my magic staff, with its dull-colored gemstone, right at Ryner’s nose.

“Blue flame that burns all demons to ashes—”

“What are you doing…?”

“I can burn Ryner to ashes just like I did to the orc.”

Ryner’s face twisted with fear.

“Hey… Do you realize what it means to kill someone?”

“Ryner, you’ve done the same until now, haven’t you?”

I imitated Ryner’s face from that time, saying, “Nice idea.”

“Cough. Soma, stop it.”

At that moment, all eyes turned to Strega.

“Hey, isn’t that elf Strega? She’s a solo specialist with an S-rank, a monster, right?”

“There’s no mistake, it’s the real deal…! I’m a big fan and this is my first time seeing her live!”

The crowd unanimously chanted “S-rank Great Sorcerer Strega.”

“Strega—

Could it be, the Demon Hunter Elf Strega?”

Ryner had probably referred to one of Strega’s nicknames. An S-rank solo specialist, the Demon Hunter Elf, she was a great sorcerer who had made various aliases resound throughout the world, showing demons her strength. It was the true nature of Strega I hadn’t known.

With such a talent, it was indeed a mystery why she would recruit someone like me, a C-rank without any title.

“Hey, why are you protecting such a weakling?”

Ryner asked the question on my behalf.

“There’s no need for me to explain it to you. You can think of it as a whim of mine if you like.”

“That’s not a good enough reason. You, a solo specialist, wouldn’t team up with a weakling for such a flimsy reason. I want a convincing explanation.”

“Hmm. Because I like him… Would that be satisfactory?”

It was no surprise that everyone, including myself, let out a pathetic “Eh?” in unison. I was the one least convinced, after all—

“Besides, we need to transport Miria to a healer before her condition worsens—

It seems your girlfriend over there needs treatment too, right? Unfortunately, I can’t heal her. You better hurry.”

“Like… that’s not even a reason! I’m much stronger and more handsome than Soma!”

“Why can’t you be promoted to S-rank… Why do I like Soma… I think you’ll never find the answer to that.”

Leaving those words behind, Strega turned her back on Ryner.

“Let’s go, Soma. We need to move before Miria’s condition gets worse.”

“Okay…”

◆ ◆ ◆

The outpatient clinic attached to the monastery built by the healing practitioners dispatched by the Magic Association was where we left Miria.

The exterior was made of wooden frameworks and bricks in Romanesque style. Since it was primarily for Magic Association members and investigation teams, it was isolated from the town by city walls.

Inside the building, remnants of healing spells faintly permeated the air, gently caressing the patients’ wounds. The simple interior design oddly invoked a sense of security, reminiscent of a modern hospital.

With enough space for visitors between the neatly arranged beds, we sighed in relief seeing Miria sleeping peacefully.

The practitioner’s skilled treatment meant she would likely wake up by tomorrow, according to the diagnosis.

“I’m glad it wasn’t serious…”

Thanks to Strega’s swift healing, there was no sign of long-term damage, so what remained was aftercare for Miria. The trauma she carried about her father and the loss of her keepsake bow meant she needed healing of the heart, as the attending nun informed us.

Would it be too cruel to stop her if she decided to run away, just like before Strega lectured me? Either way, I was facing the dilemma of spiritual death that Strega taught, and a sense of helplessness washed over me even amidst the relief.

“It’s okay. Soma, you’ve already done what you could. Now it’s up to Miria. I won’t scold her, no matter what decision she makes.”

“You sure treat me differently…”

“That’s because at that time, you had the will to fight.”

“Is that all?”

“Humans have whims, and so do elves.”

Strega gazed kindly at Miria.

“Besides, from a solo specialist’s perspective, you looked cool to me. That’s how I saw it.”

“Strega once had companions, right?”

“Yes, that’s right—

Well, I was also saved and survived because of others. Maybe now I just want to do the same.”

“I assumed from the start that you were cheat-level strong.”

“Not at all. Everyone’s weak at the beginning. At the beginning, that is.”

The magic particles floating around burst upon Strega’s forehead.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Normally, you would deploy the magic formula before casting a spell. When you cast magic, a magic circle was formed, right?”

“Like a magic circle?”

“That’s what it’s called.”

“You didn’t know?”

“No.”

I thought Strega, well-versed in magic, would know, but perhaps the term “magic circle” was a term from my previous world.

Or simply, Strega was a natural genius type who handled magic by intuition, a cheat-level talent with a gift for magic.

A talent gacha, perhaps? An SS-rank god-tier pull?

“The magic formula is like a scope that prevents magic particles from being released indiscriminately by correcting angles and distances. The scattering of magic particles like this is only seen on busy days with many patients, like today.”

“It’s beautiful, but now that I’ve heard that, I can’t purely be moved by it…”

“Oops, sorry about that.”

Strega offered a half-hearted apology.

“Thank you for helping me with Ryner. I’m glad you stopped me back then.”

“I’m the leader, so it’s only natural. Plus, I got a bit carried away too.”

“I threatened him, but I was a bit panicked when the magic didn’t activate.”

“Well, it’s good you didn’t embarrass yourself.”