Having heard Greg's words, Nightmare showed neither excitement nor disappointment.
She merely crouched there quietly, her calm, deep green eyes gazing at Greg without a ripple of emotion.
“This is merely a gamble on my part.”
An ethereal voice resounded in Greg's mind.
“Placing what little hope I have left entirely on you was always the greatest uncertainty. I have neither the right nor the desire to forcefully interfere with your choices and path.”
She paused, an expression almost akin to relief surfacing on her feline face.
“If the day I dread most truly comes in the future... then you and I shall simply face the end together. At least on the road to the afterlife, we will not be alone and can keep each other company.”
Having said this, Nightmare looked away from Greg, as if she had truly laid down a heavy burden.
She leaped gracefully off the rock, walked over to the warm campfire, and found a flat, dry patch of ground. Curled up elegantly, she buried her head into her front paws and lightly wrapped her tail around her body.
Within just a few breaths, a soft, steady purring sound resonated.
Her posture and that sound were no different from a domestic cat comfortably napping beside a winter stove, completely showing no trace of having just discussed the grand, fate-of-the-world-altering topic moments prior.
Greg: “...”
Looking at the black cat who had instantly fallen asleep, he was temporarily left speechlessly bewildered.
Was this Goddess's mindset a bit too... relaxed... or rather, too given up on life?
However, on second thought, this wasn't bad either.
He was honestly terrified of those plotlines where people shoved you into a fire under the banner of “for the world” or “for all living beings.”
Being able to hold the reins of his own choices—even if his choice was just to lay low and slack off—gave him a sense of relief.
However, that sense of relief lasted for only a few short seconds.
He suddenly slapped his forehead, his face dropping. “Oh crap!”
He had been so caught up in debating distant, world-ending catastrophes with this fallen Goddess that he nearly forgot the immediate crisis right in front of him!
His maid, Allie!
That ruthless girl who threatened to storm into the dungeon and hold a living funeral for him if she didn't see him within a week!
According to his original plan, he intended to take advantage of the late night, venture out of the dungeon, avoid the people and locations in the academy that might trigger death CGs as much as possible, and secretly find Allie to calm her down first.
But what about now?
After squabbling with the Goddess for so long, it was probably well past midnight outside.
Setting off now meant the timeframe was too tight and the risks would skyrocket.
“I can only wait until tomorrow night...”
Greg sighed helplessly, feeling that plans could never keep up with changes.
Tomorrow was the day of the Placement Exam. The academy would be full of eyes and ears, making daytime action inconvenient, so he could only delay it for one more night.
He could only hope Allie... had a little more patience?
Though knowing that maid as well as he did, that hope was exceedingly slim.
Since things had come to this, he might as well sleep first.
He walked to the other side of the campfire and found a relatively flat piece of ground slightly removed from the damp rock wall to lie down.
Underneath him was only his academy jacket, serving as a makeshift blanket.
Through the thin fabric, the dungeon's signature chilly moisture unceremoniously seeped upward, and the uncomfortable gravel beneath could be clearly felt right through his clothes.
“Tsk, what a terrible place...”
Greg shifted uncomfortably, feeling poked and cold.
Staring up at the faint outline of the dark cave ceiling, he resolved then and there: once he settled the mess in front of him, he would definitely find a way to upgrade his living situation!
No matter how tough someone's back was, sleeping on stone slabs every day was unbearable.
With his mind in turmoil and the environment far from comfortable, sleep proved elusive for a while.
Greg lay with his eyes open, listening to the faint crackling of the campfire, the eternal flow of the underground river, and the steady purring of the black cat beside him.
Tomorrow... was the Placement Exam.
One of the important plot points in the original game.
Victoria and Silvia would stand out during the exam, establishing their status in the academy.
Meanwhile, Princess Lilith would engage in a fated duel with Victoria during the exam, which would trigger her romance route.
“Please don't let anything go wrong...” Greg prayed silently in his heart.
After all, his future depended entirely on that gray-haired heroine clearing the game step by step as planned.
...
“A reward? No need for anything so troublesome. You... well, you just need to keep supporting Princess Lilith like this.”
A deep, gentle male voice laced with a helpless laugh seemed to still echo in her ears.
The morning light streamed softly into the room through the expensive magic crystal windowpanes of the princess's dormitory.
Lilith slowly opened her eyes amidst the soft velvet bedding.
Her ruby-like eyes were initially hazy, reflecting the brightening sky outside.
Then, the words from her dream last night surfaced with vivid clarity.
“Nngh...”
Lilith let out an unintelligible groan and abruptly pulled up the soft velvet quilt, covering her head completely. She then rolled back and forth on the spacious, oversized bed, looking like a silkworm cocoon trying to wrap itself up.
“Dammit! Why! Why on earth did I dream about that guy!?”
Her flustered and embarrassed voice filtered out from under the blanket.
After rolling around several times, she finally whipped off the blanket with a swish and sat up abruptly.
Her fiery crimson long hair was a messy nest from her sleeping position and recent tumbling, with a few playful locks sticking out and several strands clinging to her cheeks, which were flushed from the heat and excitement.
Even with a mess of bedhead, even wearing only a silk nightgown, and even with the lingering drowsiness of having just woken up, the young girl's face remained breathtakingly exquisite, like the most gorgeous rose in the morning light.
At this moment, however, this rose was plagued by a tangle of complex emotions.
Hugging her knees with her chin resting on them, her ruby eyes stared blankly out at the whitening sky beyond the window.
“Wait...”
A thought suddenly invaded her mind, making her eyes widen slightly:
“Could it be... that everything that happened yesterday was just a delusion of my own imagination?”
The moment this thought popped up, it spread rapidly like creeping vines.
“After all... that person is Greg Sass!”
She murmured in a quiet voice, as if trying to convince herself:
“That arrogant, rude, stupid, superficial idiot noble who was banished by his own family! How could he... possibly make me feel like he's... interesting? And save me? And say those kinds of words? And even roast such delicious meat?”
The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
She even began to suspect if she had been under too much pressure recently.
Or... was it caused by reading some weird novel?
“Yes, that must be it!”
Lilith nodded vigorously, as if she had found the perfect explanation:
“I didn't leave the dormitory yesterday at all, let alone go to some dungeon! It was all my imagination! A dream! Yes, just an unusually vivid dream!”
She let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if the strange weight on her heart had finally lifted.
If it was just a dream, everything made sense.
Those contradictory feelings, those unexpected conversations, those... details that made her care a little too much were all merely illusions woven by a dream.
Just then—
With a soft creak, the bedroom door was pushed open gently.
Wearing glasses and exuding an intellectual, composed aura, the maid Layla walked in with soft steps, carrying a basin of warm water.
Seeing the princess sitting on the bed in a daze with messy bedhead, she smiled faintly, set the water basin on a nearby silver stand, and spoke in her usual calm and gentle tone:
“Good morning, Your Highness. How did you rest last night?”
As she spoke, she adeptly wrung out a soft silk cloth soaking in the warm water:
“However, Your Highness, even if you have made a new friend, being so excited that you neglect basic etiquette and wake up looking like this... might get you disliked, you know?”
Layla's voice wasn't loud, and her tone carried the respect and thoughtfulness unique to a maid.
Yet to Lilith's ears, it sounded like nothing short of a thunderbolt!
“Friend”?!
So yesterday's events weren't a dream after all!?
Rate on N.U.
