Raised in Dungeon

Chapter 291 Lunchtime

"I invite you to have lunch with me."

Francis said as he reached out his hand to Felicia, offering her to have lunch together. In the realm of Wildenhall nobility, such invitations carried layers of meaning.

'It might be fine if he comes and asks to have lunch with us, but extending this invitation in front of his other friends changes the dynamics,' Felicia thought to herself.

Being invited to lunch in the presence of other nobles was akin to a subtle suggestion to align oneself with Francis' faction. On an ordinary situation, such an invitation might be brushed off, but amid the ongoing throne war, the situation became more complex—especially considering Earl Boldenville's reputation as an impartial noble.

'Is he deliberately extending this lunch invitation to solidify Boldenville's alliance with him? But engaging in political maneuvers within the academy would also pose risks for him,' Felicia pondered.

With a sense of reluctance, Felicia attempted to decline as graciously as possible. "I regret to inform you, Prince Francis, that I'm presently sharing lunch with my friends. Perhaps another occasion?"

By suggesting "another occasion," Felicia aimed to frame her response as a request for patience rather than an outright refusal, a delicate maneuver to avoid public scrutiny should Francis accept.

"I-I understand..." Francis said, his face looking glum, reflecting disappointment. "I'll extend the invitation again in the future."

Felicia breathed a sigh of relief, contemplating, 'If he accepted that, then he wasn't attempting to coerce me into his faction through the public eye. So why choose this moment to invite me to lunch? What is he truly plotting?'

Francis harbored no ulterior motives, nor was he plotting some political thing; his desire to have lunch with Felicia was driven purely by the wish to spend time with her.

However, those trailing behind Francis failed to grasp this intention. Their apparent irritation with Felicia's response was evident as they questioned, "Miss Felicia, His Highness has extended an invitation to dine together with you; why did you choose to decline?"

Irritation was shown in Felicia's gaze as she observed them. 'Those must be the baron's children, following Francis to elevate their family's status. Their arrogance, fueled by their proximity to the prince, blinds them to the fact that they're dealing with the earl's daughter. I'll remember their faces and address this with a stern letter later,"

"Earl Boldenville is a nobleman who keeps his word. I've already made plans to eat with my friends from class, and I can't simply abandon the appointment we agreed on.so I can't just leave them," Felicia explained, fabricating the situation.

Upon noticing the friends Felicia was referencing, they scoffed. "A meal with friends? Seriously, Miss Felicia?"

"As the daughter of a renowned earl, it's beneath you to share a table with commoners. Associating with them is unbecoming. Just look at that dog; he can't even eat properly," they disdainfully remarked.

Geirhild then thumped the table. "What's the problem if she joins us? Is there some issue with her sitting at this table with me?"

"Of course! Dwarves are nothing more than sweaty barbarians! Lady Felicia doesn't belong in such company, let alone with a dog. The prince only invited her because she's the sole person of honor at this table."

Francis immediately refuted, "eh? No, I don't think so-" before he could finish, another protesting voice came out.

"Come here, Lady Felicia; you'd better stay away from them."

Geirhild snorted, ridiculing them. "So what if Felicia hangs out with me? She wants to eat with us; why does it bother you?"

"How presumptuous of you to be a dwarf."

"Huh?"

"Dwarves don't have much mana, right? They're a barbarian tribe that can only make useless machines."

Geirhild slammed the table until it cracked. Following the dungeon's mechanism, the cracked table instantly restored itself to its original state.

"You can talk badly about me, but calling our work useless is crossing a line," Geirhild asserted.

Felicia swiftly intervened, "Geirhild, please stop—"

They cut Felicia's words and keep provoking, "How dare you speak like that to a noble."

But Geirhild wasn't one to heed such warnings, especially from someone not counted among her friends.

"This is the academy; your human rank holds no sway here."

"Oxwadeshire is part of the Wildenhall kingdom. You're here to adhere to human culture and follow the orders of nobles!" The proclamation echoed in the room.

Francis, troubled, attempted to intervene, but the prevailing atmosphere seemed to swallow him.

"What difference does it make whether you're a noble or not? All I see is a bunch of weak humans, right?" Geirhild turned to Sharik and asked, "Don't you think so, Sharik?"

After swallowing his food, he responded, "Geirhild is right. My instincts tell me that you are all weak," accompanied by a confident smile reflecting his trust in his instincts.

The nobles clenched the hilts of their swords, anger etched on their faces. "Then I will show you the power of the nobles!" The tension in the air escalated, prompting onlookers to retreat from the unfolding confrontation slowly. Allen rose to his feet and positioned himself in front of Felicia, with Sharik following suit, readying himself.

-SHOOT

Suddenly, the silence shattered with a resounding of the web.

The spider web swiftly shot out, entangling the weapons worn by the nobles and the mace held by Geirhild.

"!!!"

"What is this? A web?" The nobles struggled as the spider web effortlessly retrieved their weapons. Geirhild, despite her reflexive grip, found her mace slipping easily from her grasp.

"Gosh, Praerea's first years always make the same mistakes."

"Gosh, Praerea's first years always make the same mistakes," Hussain, the chief of the student disciplinary commission, commented as he approached. His secretary, Loukia Miskakou, held a confiscated student weapon with her spider web.

Hussain turned to Loukia and asked, "Aren't you going to get angry?"

"Instead of getting angry, I feel cringe because this happens too often."

"Give us back our weapons!" protested the noble whose possessions were seized.

"Take them back after two weeks," replied Loukia.

"It's a relic of our family!" the noble argued.

Loukia promptly shot her net into both of their mouths. She then proceeded to elucidate, "The Academy strictly prohibits students from engaging in violence in the dining hall, classrooms, and special rooms. As disciplinary commissioners, we have two primary rights. Firstly, we are authorized to use force against those who break the rules. Secondly, we are responsible for reducing the coins of violators."

Continuing, Loukia clarified, "However, the determination of how many points to deduct lies with the chair, vice-chair, and secretary. The remaining members of the disciplinary commission, approximately five people, must collectively approve the point deduction."

Hussain pondered for a moment, then tilted his head. "Hmm... I'm the one deciding the point deduction in this case," he declared, pointing at everyone present. "Creating a disturbance in the anti-riot room results in a deduction of 50 points."