What Do You Think of Them?

Upon reaching the camp, Lilith looked around.

The cave was more spacious than she had imagined, but aside from a crackling campfire, it was almost empty.

There were no beds, no furniture, and not even a decent storage container in sight.

The firelight danced against the rough rock walls, stretching their shadows into flickering, distorted shapes.

She couldn't help but wonder: how on earth did Greg survive here?

What confused her even more was whether someone like Greg—with his history of being a troublemaker—could actually endure the silence and darkness of a dungeon where there was no one to talk to but monsters.

Meanwhile, Greg was looking around the camp as if searching for something.

His gaze swept over the corners of the rock walls, the edge of the fire, and he even looked up at the stalactites hanging overhead.

His posture didn't seem like he was checking for safety; rather, it looked like he was confirming if something was still there.

But soon, he turned back, his expression returning to calm.

"Just find a spot by the fire and sit down. I'll go prepare the ingredients first."

His voice was natural, as if he weren't in a dark dungeon cave but hosting a classmate in the academy's common room.

With that, Greg dragged the charred monster corpse toward the edge of the underground river.

Lilith found a spot neither too close nor too far from the fire and sat down, beginning to dry her soaked clothes.

The moisture from the fabric rose as steam under the heat of the flames, carrying the faint fishy smell of the river and the dungeon's unique scent—a mix of moss and minerals.

Watching Greg's fluid technique as he skillfully butchered and cleaned the monster corpse by the river, Lilith could at least be certain of one thing: he wasn't lying about knowing how to cook.

The short sword that was originally meant to decorate his noble status flipped and turned in his hand. He removed the inedible parts and cut away the meat suitable for roasting with clean, decisive movements. He didn't look like a pampered noble scion at all, but more like a veteran who had lived in the wild for years.

The fire was warm, and as her clothes gradually dried, Lilith's thoughts drifted.

She couldn't help but think about how surprised her sister would be if she knew Lilith was currently in this state with her former fiancé.

After all, both she and her sister had utterly loathed Greg Sass. No one could have imagined such a day would ever come.

With nothing to do, Lilith's gaze drifted across the ground.

Suddenly, she noticed something on the ground nearby reflecting the firelight. It wasn't the glint of ore, but a softer, more subtle luster.

She reached out, picked it up, and examined it closely in her palm.

It was a few strands of hair.

They were gray, of moderate length, and the texture seemed quite fine.

It was a minor thing, but a strange feeling welled up in Lilith's heart. She pinched the gray hairs and called out to Greg, who was still cleaning the ingredients by the river.

"Senior Greg, has anyone else been here besides me?"

"How did you know?" Greg looked up in confusion before continuing, "Anyway, they were first-year freshmen just like you."

As he spoke, he skewered the cleaned meat onto makeshift wooden sticks and stood up to walk back to the campfire.

"Their names are Victoria and Silvia. I'm sure you've heard of them."

His tone was natural.

He didn't intend to hide the fact that Victoria and the other girl had been here, nor was there any need to.

In Greg's view, the "Lily Carlo" before him was just a kind background character. Even if she learned this information, she was destined to be unable to cause any significant trouble.

It was actually them!?

Lilith was shocked, nearly losing control of her expression.

Victoria and Silvia were exactly the people she had intended to look for today!

Why were they here? And with Greg? Weren't the three of them supposed to be at odds?

Countless questions exploded in her mind, but Lilith suppressed her shock and tried to maintain the reaction expected of a merchant's daughter.

She blinked, showing a perfect amount of surprise. "But I recall... aren't you guys on terrible terms?"

The conflict at the start of the term was known to almost the entire academy.

Greg had publicly humiliated Victoria, while Victoria had slapped his face with her incredible talent during the magic conduit test.

"Oh, you mean that stuff from before."

Greg sat down by the fire and placed the skewers on a makeshift grill.

Fat began to drip, causing small crackles in the flames as a savory aroma gradually filled the air.

"Actually, we've already reconciled."

He spoke dismissively, as if that academy-wide conflict was nothing more than a minor spat between classmates.

Regarding the reconciliation, he even hoped this girl would help spread the news once she left.

After all, he truly had no reason to be hostile toward the protagonists now. Just trying to survive was hard enough; who had the energy to be a classic villain?

Since that was the case, it was better for everyone to develop peacefully.

Once the heroines cleared the game, he could benefit from their success and find a safe corner to spend the rest of his life. The perfect plan.

"They reconciled even after he did something so terrible? How on earth did he manage that?"

Lilith felt as though this man was shrouded in a layer of mist.

Every time she thought she saw through him a little, a new contradiction would appear, making it impossible to grasp his true nature.

The campfire crackled, the flames licking the meat skewers, and the dripping fat sent up bursts of enticing fragrance.

The cave was filled with the warm scent of food, forming a strange contrast with the dungeon's usual cold and damp atmosphere.

Lilith's stomach growled ungracefully again, louder than before.

Her face flushed, and she quickly straightened her back, adopting the reserved posture of a 'merchant's daughter' while pretending the sound hadn't come from her.

"Ahem."

She cleared her throat, trying to regain control of the conversation. "Then, what do you think of Victoria and Silvia?"

Though Greg's change surprised her, what she cared about most now was their strength.

As people who would also be competing in the Placement Exam, any information could be crucial.

Greg replied immediately, "To be honest, they're both very beautiful."

Lilith: "...No, that's not what I meant."

She took a deep breath and asked again, "I mean, how do you think those two compare to Her Highness Lilith?"

This time, Greg didn't answer immediately.

He flipped the skewers, falling silent for a few seconds.

The firelight danced on his blond eyelashes, casting small shadows.

In that moment, Lilith actually felt a bit nervous. It had been a long time since she felt nervous over someone else's evaluation.

Finally, Greg spoke.

"They each have their own merits."

"Each has their own merits?" The phrase caught Lilith's attention. She pressed further, "Specifically in what way?"

Greg spoke quickly, as if reciting a tongue twister:

"Silvia is quite well-endowed, Victoria has legs for days, and Lilith is more of a balanced combination of the two. So, they each have their own merits."

The cave suddenly went silent.

The crackling of the campfire, the flow of the underground river, and the distant, faint cries of unknown monsters.

All sounds seemed to fade away in that instant, leaving only Greg's words echoing in Lilith's mind.

She was stunned.

Completely and utterly stunned.

A few seconds later—

"I TOLD YOU I WASN'T TALKING ABOUT THAT!!"

Lilith's scream nearly brought down the roof of the cave.

She lunged to her feet, her face flushing a deep crimson—half from shame and half from pure rage.

This guy!

This guy really is a scumbag after all!

He was actually looking at me with such filthy eyes!

Utterly unforgivable!