Lunadea
patreon
Bookbound Bunny 2: Chapter 65
🕑 Added 2025-10-21 06:15:01 +0000 UTCB2 - Chapter 65 - Gauntlet Gathering
The day of the mock dungeon trial had finally arrived and the excitement from the first years was infectious, causing a stir throughout all of the cafeterias in the morning.
The older students couldn't help but be caught up in the excitement, as they too were once in this position. Some even tried to offer last-minute tips or advice, although whether it actually would have an influence was unlikely at this point.
Lily herself was brimming with confidence, and Arakil even declared his full faith in her. To keep up appearances he'd shrunk down to his smallest size, and she easily pocketed him. This way he could be present for her test through his magesight, although he would be strictly staying silent to adhere to the spirit of the competition.
The students gathered in Alice's classroom and almost at once they were ushered down into the dungeon. The reason for the hasty entrance was to ensure their Wards would be sufficiently charged for the extra layer of protection, unique to Regarth.
While the dungeon was supposedly under the headmaster’s control, accidents could always happen and so caution was always preferable.
When they entered and passed through the barrier, everyone quickly noticed how their newbie area had changed quite drastically. It was much larger than before with a clear waiting area, and four large doors with rusty iron portcullis. The four doors were separated into pairs, with a fifth open passageway as the dividing line.
That wasn't the only surprise however as there were other staff present who had apparently been waiting for them. Lily didn't know who these staff were, although she did notice Pete looking quite cheerful in the crowd.
Once everyone arrived and settled down, Alice began her explanation.
"Four randomly selected students will enter together and once you reach the end, you will exit through the central tunnel and come back to us. The route will reset, and the next student will take their place."
"You are to reach your destination as quickly as possible, using everything you've learned. Each room will have a preferred method of conquering it; however, you are encouraged to think outside of the box and find any other possible solutions. This goes without saying, but do not mention anything that happened inside to your fellow students."
"Once you exit the final door, your time will be officially recorded. Once everyone has had their turn, we will head to the prize room outside of the dungeon and starting from first place, you will have five minutes to make your choice."
I guess I didn't need to worry about bringing Arakil with me for the test then. Even so, I want him to see me in action!
"As for the rules… While I'd love to say there aren't any, we do have a few. If your Ward has spent both your charges in succession—you fail. However, don't be disheartened if you take a blow, as in the dungeon your Ward can recharge! Think carefully and if you aren't reckless you can recover. I'd rather you all pass slowly than fail trying to chase a quick time."
"Another rule is no outside help. We don't want anyone using mommy or daddies magic weapons, this is supposed to be about your accomplishments. Naturally if you've created something yourself, then it will be allowed. Considering how early this is, we will be quite strict in checking anything you are trying to bring. Basically, if you haven't already gotten it signed off, expect it to be rejected."
Some students grumbled, looking a bit peeved off.
"Lastly, no Familiars. We want to see what you are capable of."
Lily couldn't help but feel Alice was staring directly at her when she said that and judging by the looks some of the other students were giving her, it wasn't just her imagination.
Lotte gave her poke in the side, and when Lily glanced at the girl, she gave a reassuring thumbs-up. Lily smiled, she didn't need Arakil to pull the dungeon monsters away from her.
With the explanation out of the way, the presence of the extra staff became clear as they began interrogating each and every student to confirm they weren't trying to cheat with a hidden item.
While Lily was watching the staff distribute themselves across the students, she spotted Alice coming straight for her.
Lily sighed. I knew it…
"Got any items you want to declare?" Alice asked. "If you use anything during the test, you'll automatically fail."
Lily reached into her pocket and pulled out a stack of talismans, looking almost like a deck of cards with how thick it was and causing Alice to frown.
"I have the glyphs I drew myself," Lily answered.
"This many…" Alice grumbled, glaring at the stack of tiny pages.
"And I had two professors confirm I did it myself," Lily quickly added, attempting to shut down any protest.
"Yes, yes… I know," Alice sighed, looking both annoyed and defeated. "Anything else?"
Lily pulled out the notepad sized grimoire, placing the stack of talismans on top of it before turning out her pockets. "Nothing else."
Alice eyed the tiny book suspiciously but didn't say anything. As long as Lily didn't "summon" Arakil, she wouldn't be disqualified. Sighing for the umpteenth time, Alice turned to Lotte.
"I got nothing," Lotte replied with a shrug. "The best I could do is an herbal ointment, but if I'm lathering up scrapes and bruises, I imagine I've failed the test already."
Alice nodded. She then took one last look at Lily before turning and walking to another student.
"Sheesh, what's her problem?" Lotte asked.
"I really have no idea," Lily admitted.
She pocketed the book and then began to distribute the stack of talismans to various pockets, based on what the glyph was. She had kept them stacked up for proof, but searching through a pile for the right one in the heat of the moment was a terrible idea.
When the last few students were busy being checked, the headmaster made an appearance. He came walking down the exit passageway and gave a friendly smile and waved to everyone present.
"Good to see all of you again!" he said cheerfully. "I've come to wish you all good luck and hope that we will see some impressive performances this year."
Fabrelis chuckled to himself and then simply walked away, as if he'd lost interest. Most of the staff followed after him, as if that was their cue to leave.
Did he really come all the way here just come here to say that?
Unfortunately, she had no idea, and before she knew it the draws for the students going up had started. Lily had wondered how they would do the random students and was almost expecting some magical item or spell or something equally wondrous.
So, when one teacher pulled out a simple hat and another teacher reached in, pulling out a folded, torn up piece of paper she was dumbstruck. She looked around and clearly the other students were also somewhat let down by this method. It made perfect and practical sense, but when you were inside of a dungeon underneath one of the top magic schools, you expected more!
Lily held back her complaint and waited with bated breath, but her name wasn't called out from the first four draws, much to her surprise. With how Alice seemed to be bullying her, she thought for sure she would be one of the very first to go.
The four students lined up at a door, and when Alice gave the signal, the doors swung open, and they dashed inside. The door swung close behind them, and Alice pointed to the two remaining helpers.
"Do the next draws and have them wait outside a door, I'll be back later," Alice said, and then she hastily walked off in the same direction the headmaster took.
Wait… she's not even going to watch!?
Lily was so confused. What was the point of doing this if the person in charge was leaving? Her ponderings were once again interrupted as the names began to get called out, although she wasn't in the second round either.
This is so weird…
***
"I didn't miss anything, did I?" Alice asked as she entered the hidden room.
Comfortable chairs and sofas were scattered about the room, and there were even tables with drinks, snacks and food present. The large room was currently occupied with almost every teacher, professor or staff that belonged to Regarth.
"Not unless you count them beating the first skeleton," Fabrelis chuckled and pointed to four floating images projected at the end of the room.
The four images were from a floating perspective above and behind the students that had first entered, giving the viewers a third person perspective of their actions.
"I still can't believe this counts as illusion magic," Pete said, pointing at the four images.
Beatrice gave a quick cackle in response. "When you get to my age, you stop being excited by all the new-fangled magics everyone comes up with."
"It's most definitely illusion magic, I effectively can't do anything else," Fabrelis admitted with a shrug.
"Surely this counts as scrying though?" another teacher asked.
Fabrelis shook his head and held out a hand, a purple floating eyeball appearing above it. He held out his other hand, and above that a projection appeared, displaying what this newly formed eyeball was focused on.
"I simply project what this eye sees using illusions," he explained.
"But that's more akin to summoning, no?" Pete asked again.
The headmaster shook his head again, "They aren't alive, and they aren't really seeing… I'd liken them closer to mirrors than anything else."
"Well, who cares if they let us watch the tests like this!" Professor Elius said, gesturing at the four students with the drink in his hand.
"It definitely beats the tests the Adventurers can come up with," Alice admitted, grabbing an unoccupied seat and kicking up her feet. "When you've got a veteran following you around, you can't help but feel tense with them watching you constantly."
A few of the staff nodded in agreement, it wasn't easy to always perform your best with someone constantly on your shoulder.
"And I swear watching these is the best! When else can we drink during work hours?" Elius chuckled.
The atmosphere was incredibly jovial as they watched the four students performing. The staff would casually chat while observing, occasionally making comments on actions taken or what the student should have done.
If there was a professor who was closer to the student, they would sometimes provide more detailed commentary on their capabilities or what they were currently working on or struggling with. This usually only happened later in the year, but thanks to the Personal Development time slots some students had already sought out mentors within their respective fields.
In some ways this mock dungeon trial was a good way to debut a student to the rest of the staff. Not everyone was socially inclined and there had been many times when a particularly awkward student would cause their talent to be forever hidden.
With the staff now getting to see the students' capabilities firsthand, this added a much needed safety net to ensure that no hidden gem, or a student suffering in silence, would be left alone.
Of course, not every teacher was present, like those currently teaching the older students, but the teachers talked and sometimes word of mouth was enough to ensure a student ended up in the hands of the right mentor.
Occasionally the door to the hidden room would be opened, with another teacher joining the festivities or one regretfully leaving to another obligation. However, when the door opened to a certain blue-tinted individual, some of the staff couldn't help but choke on their drinks and stare in bewilderment.
"Has the bunny had her turn yet?" Sylwel asked.
"Sylwel!?" Professor Elius spluttered in response.
His shock and surprise were shared by all of the staff, as far as they knew he had never come to one of these events. Hell, the mad scientist was almost never seen outside of his lab, period.
"Since when do you give a damn about the kids?" Pete asked.
"I invited him to attend," Ollie replied.
This caused even more confusion, as far as everyone present knew these two hated each other. Well, admittedly the hate was likely from one side only as Sylwel was seemingly oblivious to almost everyone.
"Yes, I want to see how well Lyla does," Sylwel replied.
"Lyla? Isn't she in the third year?" Beatrice asked.
"Lilith?" Sylwel tried again. "Leili?"
Those who knew of Sylwel knew he had no memory for anything that didn't interest him. Often times he would just call them "hey you" or by their appearance. The fact he was even trying to recall a name was quite a mystery to them.
"He means Lily…" Ollie sighed.
Sylwel snapped his fingers. "That one."
"Her name hasn't been drawn yet," Headmaster Fabrelis answered, evidently also quite surprised by the appearance.
"Excellent. Hopefully it will be quite impressive," Sylwel said, taking a seat.
While everyone else was recovering from the rare sighting of the hidden and elusive alchemy professor, one person was most definitely not happy. Alice was glaring daggers at him and wondering why this abominable man was interested in her student.
Comments
Kenneth Welever
Lilly's so used to being physically crippled that a normal physique feels extraordinary and she is still small so doesn't want to spend a rediculous amount of effort to get decent at something she will never excel at. Also she's constantly compared to the rest of her race which is like my tubby desk potato ass being compared to the average olympic athlete. I hike every now and then and I'm definately not helpless.... But I'm in so much of a different league from them that I'd have to spend several years just to work my way up to being in last place but not.... Humiliatingly last place.
Lecture Filler
Ngl Im with Alice in trying to up the physical aspect of Adventuring in Lily. Like ofc she is being weird, but dodging and general physical constitution, basic self defense are still pretty important imo, and clearly Lily can t/doesn't care to improve there
Jamie Mann
Thank you for the chapter!
Gryphaun
When Lily comes out the other side and thanks Sylwel and Ollie for their help, but approaches Alice with a 'So about those star charts you promised', Alice is going to have her vicariously possessive ('protective') worldview shattered.
Gryphaun
We're definitely about to exit the 'rising action' section of the conflict between the two. If the inciting incident was Lily doing poorly on her dodging test, and the star chart promise that's gone unfulfilled was building action, Lily proving she can handle herself in a dungeon and doesn't need Martial Help from Alice is going to be the climax of their diametrically opposed approaches to combat preparedness. Alice thinks of Lagia tactics as 'Hit and Run' but Lily isn't going to back down— She's going to be casting 'Magic Mortar Bombardment' from her magic-proof luck-bunker by the time she graduates
Kenneth Welever
Alice pretty much sees this as a way to help her idol's child and she isn't qualified to help in any way Lilly will accept.
Kenneth Welever
Honestly I'll bet Alice is gonna be rather sullen when she finds out that Lilly's favorite teachers are all her electives and those teachers are all looking at her as a mirical prodigy as well as being their favorite student by far. All while Alice is grossly unsuited to help her progress as Lilly is the most quinticential pure d&d wizard you could ever find. She'll only consent to learn sword forms when she can use magehand well enough to fight using it.
Michael Zinkstein
Thanks for the chapter
Summer Coff
"Lily had wondered how they would do the random students" -> "Lily had wondered how they would choose random students"
Kenneth Welever
Or Alice is trying to live vicariously through her. She put Lilly on the pedestal of "daughter of my greatest fandom/crush" and is upset that she has absolutely no interest in being good at lagia things. Instead purely focusing on magic. Her mental image of a possible lagia mage is a powerhouse spell sword or a dragoon where she's getting a freaking nerd wizard who looked at her offering of sword training and tried very hard to be polite instead of wrinkling up her cute little nose, flopping her ears back and saying "ew"
Kenneth Welever
She has tried. But she's essentially been trying to browbeat the bunny equivalent of a physical cripple (who has magic to fall back on) into taking special forces physical training to salve her pride. Lilly flat out refused sword training as she'd have trouble being slightly passible by human standards, let alone the bunnykin powerhouse her race is known for.
denver boyer
Same
Peter Smith
More and more it feels like alice is trying to protect lilly from something she can't explain.
Cathsaigh
Normally I'm on the Alice hate train, but in this case Lily is breaking the rules so I'll let it slide. Even if she shouldn't be grumpy about the talismans but rather giving more side eyes at the book.
CataFlan
TFTC!
Engineer4God
Tank oo fur da chap!
BlastYoBoots
Oh if all the dungeon monsters are effectively aiming for her heart (coat pocket), it should look natural enough I imagine. The REAL trouble would be if she reaches the end and the angry Dungeon Master shows themselves to have some WORDS with Arakil. :D
PigmyOcelot
Unless I’m forgetting something, the whole problem Alice has with Lily is that she isn’t very agile or good at dodging right? I’m not sure where she gets off being protective over Lily when she’s being petty and seemingly avoiding getting Lily her star charts. I’m wondering if Alice doesn’t still have some of the hero worship for Lily’s mom, and is disappointed Lily isn’t following in her footsteps.
Keifru
Not sure why Lily/Arakil think shrinking him down and bringing him in will work and be unnoticed considering their immediately prior experience of the dungeon laser focusing on him. Like, its going to be pretty obvious something fucky is going on, nevermind if something goes wrong and then the book is revealed and Lily has to explain things which is a risk of being found out again.
Shai182
TFTC!
Nathan Borges Goncalves
Would be incredible at the end of her school all professor wishing to be her favorite and she goes there and tell " my favorite teacher was Arakill"
BeepBoop
Dauntless Gauntlet Gathering Gauntlet
ZebulonTheCat
Did he really come all the way here just come here to say that? Did he really come all the way here just to say that?
JAndy
Why specifically Kappa? Oh! Do you mean the subcore Syl unintentionally disappeared? Nah, the subcores don't have personalities.
daroi holtsag
I mean the author hasn't been particularly secretive with why Alice is peeved with Lily.
Kennyevilmonkey
Alice, she isn't *your* student. You haven't even delivered on those promises yet or even tried to have some one on one teaching time.
Snake With An Aurora Borealis
We will finally understand why Alice is bullying her? Good.
Uroš
Alice is giving off weird vibes
Profile Name
Tyftc
Grimmace
The conflict with Alice is dragging on a bit, hopefully it's resolved soon.
Napalm078
Nah, Sylwel is definitely Kappa in disguise. Thank you for the chapter :D
Nathan Borges Goncalves
Alice she is not ypur student just a student
Fi
Tftc ❤️
Kenneth Welever
I'm wondering if Alice heard Lotte and Lilly wondering why Alice was bullying her with those fancy rabbit ears of hers
Daniel Mountain
I have no clue why people are so envious of teacher's pets.
CringeWorthyStudios
Alice is a tsundere? Makes sense. Thanks for the chapter!
Oof Oof
Still no dungeon bunny yet…but I did expect that. Till Wednesday!
Kasamuri
Thanks for the chapter!
Wensber
Thanks for the chapter!
