"Amaterasu!"
Greg let out a low shout, quickly covering one eye with his free hand. His body simultaneously became translucent, turning into a phantom that blended into the air, allowing a sharp wind blade to pass harmlessly through his insubstantial form.
Immediately after, the figure that should have been standing there shattered like crumpled paper and dissipated.
In the exact opposite direction, his form reconvened. His hands formed a simple seal, and a ball of blazing fire emerged from thin air, instantly engulfing the monster that had just attacked.
The poor Horned Rabbit didn't even have time to let out a scream before it was reduced to charcoal within the flames.
【You have killed a Horned Rabbit. Skill dropped: Whimpering.】
【Whimpering proficiency has increased to LV5.】
"Heh..."
Greg slowly relaxed his stance and turned around, standing with his back to the small patch of scorched earth. He stood with his hands behind his back, his chin slightly tilted upward.
"As I thought... I'm terrifyingly strong right now."
"You really are... quite 'extra' to me."
An ethereal voice, tinged with obvious exasperation, rang out.
Nightmare, in her black cat form, appeared on a slightly elevated rock nearby. Her emerald eyes squinted at Greg, the tip of her tail flicking impatiently.
"Extra? What 'Extra'?! Who's Extra?!"
Greg reacted as if he'd been triggered, immediately retorting:
"This is called... appropriately releasing stress and satisfying my lingering inner child! Do you even get it, Hajimi?!"
Nightmare tilted her head, her green cat eyes filled with confusion.
"What are you talking about? I meant that using so many special techniques and giving such grand treatment to such a weak monster is a bit too... extravagant, don't you think?"
Greg blinked, only then realizing that Nightmare's use of 'extra' meant 'extravagant,' not the specific meme he had in mind.
He coughed dryly and waved a hand, trying to appear less embarrassed.
"Oh, you mean that... It doesn't matter. I'm just recovering from my injuries at the camp anyway and not exploring the deep areas. My mana would just go to waste otherwise. Besides, you use skills early so the cooldowns come back sooner, right?"
Nightmare flicked her tail, her tone full of helplessness. "Why do you always insist on using words that I only half-understand?"
"Are you kidding me, Hajimi? You only 'half-understand' those internet slang terms?"
Greg crossed his arms, looking askance at the black cat. "I bet you don't understand them at all, but to maintain your dignity as a goddess, you're forcing yourself to act like you 'roughly get what I'm saying,' right?"
"...Heh, perhaps. After all, I'm starting to doubt my own perception of things lately."
Nightmare rarely didn't retort immediately. A very faint, self-deprecating light flickered in her emerald eyes.
Then she shook her head slightly, as if trying to cast away a certain thought, and brought up another matter.
"By the way, there is something I think I should inform you of. That maid you sent into the city... she indeed seems to be doing something. I can feel that recently, the power of faith related to me has been growing rapidly within the boundaries of this city."
She paused, her tone carrying a hint of inquiry and uncertainty.
"At this rate, it might not be long before this small amount of recovered power is enough to barely grant you a basic Divine Protection."
"For real?!"
Greg's eyes lit up instantly. His previous posturing vanished, replaced by a look of genuine surprise.
"Am I finally going to make it and get my own Divine Protection?!"
A Divine Protection was essentially a permanent passive effect, much like Victoria's three Divine Protections.
Unlike Greg's talent, which only worked within the dungeon, a Divine Protection's effect was not restricted by location; it would remain active regardless of where he was.
This was of great significance to Greg.
It meant that after leaving his home turf of the dungeon, he would no longer be just an unlucky guy stuck with a -10 Luck stat!
Even if the Divine Protection Nightmare could grant now was basic and far less powerful than the talents he relied on in the dungeon...
It was undoubtedly a breakthrough from zero to one—a qualitative change!
Seeing Greg's excitement, Nightmare threw a bucket of cold water on him.
"Don't get your hopes up too early. I only said I've recovered a little and felt a growing trend. It is still some distance away from being able to stably grant a Divine Protection. As for the speed of this process... that depends entirely on the efficiency of your maid's actions."
"Alright..." Greg's excitement dimmed slightly.
Then, a crucial question occurred to him, and he frowned slightly. "But Nightmare, are you sure... this growth in the power of faith is really related to my maid, Allie? Can she... really achieve something of this level?"
Nightmare nodded. "Because the growth in faith began shortly after you and that maid parted ways, so it must be related to her."
"Holy crap, for real?"
Greg suddenly began to worry.
It wasn't that he doubted Allie's loyalty or effort, but because he knew Allie was an idiot-tier character who was useless at everything except swordsmanship.
When he originally gave her this task, he mainly just wanted to find something for her to do to pass the time.
And now, such an idiot maid was extremely efficiently spreading faith in the Goddess of Night...
Greg couldn't help but suspect: could Allie be using her sword to threaten the city's residents into converting to the Goddess of Night one by one?
A terrifying image suddenly surfaced in Greg's mind:
An expressionless Allie, holding a sharp sword, knocks on a commoner's door and says in a flat tone, "Hello. Please convert to the Goddess of Night, Nightmare. Otherwise, it will be considered a sign of disrespect toward Young Master Greg."
If the other party dared to refuse or run, she would use her powerful swordsmanship to corner them and continue preaching until they actually changed their faith...
"Then I'm screwed! If this comes to light, won't I, the mastermind, be cosplaying Louis XIV in a heartbeat?!"
In just a few seconds, cold sweat broke out on Greg's forehead.
He quickly formulated a plan in his mind.
"No, it seems I have to find some time to go check on Allie and see how things are on her end! I hope she hasn't turned into a bad girl like that... But if, just if, things have already reached an irredeemable state..."
Greg grit his teeth, a flash of determination in his eyes.
"Then I'll just have to... completely sell myself to that fun-loving Headmistress and find a way to get Allie into the Academy Dungeon for refuge."
He might be a scumbag, but he was no monster.
Allie was his maid. If something really happened, he couldn't just watch her fall into a desperate situation because of his casual command and then toss her aside.
So no matter what, he would find a way to protect Allie. That was beyond doubt.
Rate on N.U.
