Greg blinked, his face illuminated by the firelight showing genuine confusion, as if he had no idea why Lilith had suddenly snapped.
"What is it?" he asked, his tone sounding almost innocent. "Didn't you ask me what I thought of them in comparison?"
"I meant their strength! Their strength!"
Lilith was practically screaming, her cheeks flushing deep red from a mix of anger and embarrassment. "Who asked you for... for those kinds of... evaluations!"
Greg paused for a moment, and then, as if finally understanding, a look of realization dawned on his face, followed immediately by a hint of... disappointment.
"Oh, so you were asking about their strength..."
His tone and expression were exactly like someone who had just been told their long-awaited surprise party was cancelled.
In his mind, as a background character like "Lily" in this galgame world, she should have been like every other minor character—obsessed with gossiping about the heroines' romantic entanglements and secretly crushing on the protagonist or one of the girls.
So, when Lily had asked him what he thought of Victoria and the others, Greg had already written the script for the rest of the conversation:
Step one: Precisely critique the physical features of the three heroines, just as he had done.
Step two: Lily would nod excitedly in agreement. "Exactly! That's what I thought too!"
Step three: He would steer the conversation deeper, asking with a kind, older-brother smile, "Out of those three, there must be one you care about most, right?"
Step four: Lily would blush like any girl in love and wave her hands frantically. "N-no! I don't think of them like that!"
Step five: He would reassure her with a sincere tone. "Don't worry, I won't tell them. So... just give me their first initial. Tell me the initial of the person you're interested in. I'll keep it a secret."
Step six: Lily would give in and shyly whisper her confession. "I guess I can't help it... but you absolutely cannot tell anyone else. The person I care about is..."
In his imagination, it was supposed to be a friendly, gossipy, harmonious atmosphere filled with girlish secrets.
He could even picture Lily's eyes sparkling as she excitedly shared things like "Her Highness looked so cool on the training grounds today" or "Senior Silvia is so gentle."
But the reality?
This background character wasn't following the script at all!
She didn't care about pink, romantic topics; she wanted hard-boiled strength comparisons!
It was like watching a hopeless underdog in the World Cup qualifiers—not to vent your frustrations, but because you genuinely believed they would win!
This was a deviation! A distraction!
A severe departure from the core duties of a background character!
However, since she was fundamentally a good girl, Greg sighed. Like a senior dealing with a misguided but well-meaning junior, he spoke in a serious, business-like tone:
"Out of those three, the strongest is undoubtedly Victoria."
"Victoria is the strongest? How is that possible!?"
Lilith stood up almost instinctively, her voice rising in disbelief.
But she immediately realized her loss of composure, cleared her throat, and quickly sat back down. She tried to regain the proper image of a merchant's daughter, though her tone remained clearly argumentative:
"Pardon me, what I meant to say was... Her Highness Lilith is a genius who mastered the Level 1 Flame Burst at Level 10! That is one of the highest-tier spells of the fire element. In a direct confrontation, how could Victoria possibly be a match for Her Highness Lilith?"
She straightened her back, her red eyes staring directly at Greg, her gaze practically screaming, "You have no idea what real genius looks like."
Greg looked at her, a subtle expression slowly forming on his face that said, "Youngster, I see you truly don't understand."
The firelight danced in his amber eyes, giving that expression an infuriatingly knowing quality.
True, in the eyes of most people, a genius who could touch the threshold of Flame Burst at Level 10 was a league above their peers.
In magic cultivation, rank suppression was an absolute rule. Mastering a high-tier spell early meant one possessed talent, resources, and effort in equal measure.
Lilith Kahn, the Second Princess of the kingdom, undoubtedly possessed all of those.
But as someone who had cleared the original game eighty-one times, Greg knew that Victoria also possessed certain unknown but incredibly powerful talents.
So, even if Victoria hadn't learned a highest-tier spell of a specific element yet, the two were still evenly matched in terms of combat power.
Where Victoria stood above Lilith was in actual combat experience.
Victoria and Silvia had both been taught in their village by an Archmage who had reached the realm of an Ancient Hero. That Archmage's teaching style was purely Spartan: things like ice spears to the face, fireballs chasing them, and lectures held right next to monster nests.
Victoria's combat experience, which far exceeded her peers, was the result of that hellish special training.
It was experience accumulated through countless battles on the edge of death—something a genius raised in a greenhouse could hardly imagine.
In the original game's Placement Duel against Lilith, Victoria would use a feint to dodge the Flame Burst that Lilith had spent all her mana to cast, thereby securing the final victory.
That moment would also officially trigger Lilith's romance route: "To think you defeated me, someone who mastered Flame Burst at Level 10... Hmph, you're an interesting woman. You have successfully caught this princess's attention!"
Thinking of this, Greg said directly:
"Just wait and see. In tomorrow's Placement Duel, Victoria will eventually use a feint to bait out Her Highness Lilith's Flame Burst and claim the final victory."
"You talk as if you can predict the future." Lilith was clearly still unconvinced. Her heart was forever proud, and she refused to believe she would lose to a commoner like Victoria.
Seeing this, Greg didn't intend to argue further.
From the way this "Lily Carlo" girl's chest puffed out unconsciously and her eyes lit up whenever she mentioned "Her Highness Lilith," he could deduce one thing:
This classmate was likely a member of Lilith's fan club.
While members of these fan clubs possessed a nearly delusional fanaticism, they never actually hindered the heroines from finding happiness; they just watched over them silently from the shadows.
Therefore, Greg didn't particularly dislike them.
The meat skewers were finished roasting. The outer layer was golden and crispy, the fat rendered perfectly by the heat to give off an enticing sheen. Mixed with the exotic aroma of unique dungeon spices, the scent wafted straight into her nose.
Greg took off two skewers and handed one toward Lilith.
"Want a taste?"
Lilith pursed her lips, still brooding over that ridiculous prediction.
This annoying guy! Not only did he evaluate me with such lecherous eyes, but he also had the audacity to predict my defeat!
There's no way anything he makes could taste good!
It's probably either burnt or tasteless, or he added some inedible dungeon plant!
Even as she thought these vicious thoughts, her hand moved faster than her brain, already having accepted the skewer.
Her movements were swift and decisive.
...However, after taking it, she stared at the meat with a complex gaze, as if she were in the middle of a fierce internal struggle.
To eat, or not to eat?
If she ate it, it would be like surrendering to this annoying guy.
But if she didn't... she was really hungry.
She hadn't eaten a single thing since the afternoon, and she had gone through the terror of falling into the river. Her physical exhaustion was immense.
Ultimately, biological needs triumphed over psychological conflict.
With a critical mindset of "I'll see just how terrible your cooking is," and a look of distaste on her face, she took a small bite.
The crispy skin crunched between her teeth.
Immediately followed by a hot, tender, and succulent sensation.
An indescribable fragrance exploded in her mouth.
The texture... the heat was controlled perfectly.
The seasoning... rich in layers, perfectly salted.
Even the quality of the meat itself was more tender and juicier than some of the specialty steaks she had eaten at palace banquets.
Lilith froze.
She chewed slowly, her red eyes widening bit by bit.
The proud, critical voice in her heart felt as if an invisible hand had snatched it by the throat, silencing it instantly.
Only one thought remained, accompanied by the extreme pleasure delivered by her taste buds, echoing clearly and loudly in her mind:
...Wow, this is actually delicious.
Rate on N.U.
