Since the player's character was always assigned to this room whenever they were hospitalized, Greg had subconsciously assumed Victoria would be here as well.
But on second thought, Victoria never actually stayed in the hospital after the Placement Exam in the original story—because she had won.
So, it was only logical that some other injured student was occupying this 'protagonist's exclusive' hospital room.
"I've memorized all your basic information."
Greg stuffed the student ID he had dug out of the backpack on the nightstand back into its place. He looked at Yelena, who was wrapped in bandages on the bed, and said:
"So, about those things you just heard... if word gets out, you understand what the consequences will be, right?"
To this, the innocent Yelena could only nod her head frantically.
Having secured her silence, Greg turned and left the room.
Victoria was standing in the hallway outside, quietly watching him.
She also had some bandages on her, but compared to the mummy inside, her injuries were clearly much lighter. It looked like she would recover after a few days of rest.
"It seems your injuries aren't that serious after all." Greg sized her up, his tone sounding relieved. "I'm glad to see that."
Victoria's gray eyes widened slightly.
She had expected Greg to take this opportunity to mock her.
After all, she had received the Reflection Gem from him, yet she had lost the match before she could even put it to use. No matter how she thought about it, it was quite embarrassing.
But she hadn't expected...
Her gaze swept over Greg.
His academy uniform was covered in dust, his cuffs had scorch marks, and the hem was even torn by something that looked like sharp claws. His face was also marked with scrapes and exhaustion.
This clearly wasn't from the hospital.
He must have come straight here after leaving the dungeon... and even though he was injured himself, he specifically came to check on my condition?
This realization made Victoria's emotions grow complex.
At the start of the term, they were undeniable enemies.
Although Greg had claimed in the dungeon that his behavior was just a disguise to distance himself from his family, Victoria hadn't fully believed that story.
She was used to judging people by their actions and results, and Greg's past atrocious behavior was not something that could be easily erased.
But now, he was clearly injured himself, yet he still came...
This concern, which seemed somewhat unnecessary to her, caused the high wall of wariness in her heart to uncontrollably loosen a few cracks.
"...Aren't you going to blame me?"
After a few seconds of silence, Victoria finally spoke, her voice lower than usual.
"I took the Reflection Gem from you, but I lost without even getting a chance to use it."
"You lost, so you lost. It's just one exam; what's there to blame?"
Greg answered bluntly, almost dismissively. "Winning and losing are just part of life. What matters is that you're okay."
He meant every word.
Although he wasn't sure why Victoria had deviated from the original plot and lost to Lilith this time, fortunately, her injuries weren't severe. This meant the story wouldn't be stalled for too long.
As long as he could find a way to handle some of the troubles that required the protagonist's intervention while she was recovering, he could try to pull the story back on track and avoid any major future deviations.
As for winning or losing... to be honest, as long as Victoria, the Hero, could continue to grow and follow the main quest to defeat the Demon King, losing to the princess once in the middle didn't matter at all to Greg.
If anything, seeing the female lead alive and well was better than anything else.
His reaction was completely outside Victoria's expectations.
There was no ridicule, no disappointment, and he didn't even press for details about the match. There was only a near-casual acceptance and... a faint, barely perceptible concern for her injuries?
This instead made Victoria unsure of how to respond.
She was used to direct conflict or cold calculations of interest, but this vague interaction, tinged with a sort of awkward care, left her feeling lost.
Seeing her silence, Greg added:
"Don't overthink it. Princess Lilith's Flame Burst, even if it was just a prototype, is nothing to be ashamed of for failing to tank it head-on."
"The fact that you were even planning a counterattack in that situation is already quite impressive."
"You lost this time, so just win it back next time. You still have a long road ahead of you."
It sounded like comfort, yet also like a statement of fact.
Victoria looked up at him. Greg's face held no particular expression, and his gaze was calm, as if he were stating something perfectly natural.
"..."
Victoria pursed her lips and finally let out a barely audible "Mm."
Whether it was an illusion or not, when she heard Greg's last sentence—"You still have a long road ahead of you"—the heavy weight in her heart, born of failure and self-doubt, seemed to be gently pried open by those words.
While she still couldn't fully trust him, at least at this moment, Victoria's perception of Greg as a person had undergone another subtle change.
Perhaps he really wasn't entirely the kind of person she had initially thought.
"Since there aren't any major issues, you should get some more rest. I have to go."
Seeing that Victoria was in decent shape, Greg didn't plan to stay any longer.
His trip out of the dungeon wasn't specifically to visit the sick. Now that he had confirmed the protagonist was fine, his real target was waiting for him.
"Your injuries..."
Before Greg could step away, Victoria spoke up instinctively, her gaze falling on his torn clothes.
"Minor issue. I'll be fine after a night's sleep."
Greg waved his hand dismissively and turned to walk toward the other end of the hallway. "I'm off."
Watching Greg's briskly retreating back disappear into the stairwell, Victoria stood in place for a moment longer before slowly turning back to her own hospital room.
The wound on her shoulder was still throbbing, but the negative thoughts that had been churning in her mind seemed to have unexpectedly calmed down a bit.
...
As the top institution in the kingdom, the location of Glory Cael Magic Academy was naturally extraordinary.
Outside the academy's towering walls lay Yenier City—one of the most prosperous cities in the northern part of the kingdom.
The night was deep, but Yenier City was not entirely asleep.
In the distance, magic-driven public carriages occasionally passed by on the main thoroughfares, their headlights dragging flowing trails of light across the cobblestone roads.
On both sides of the streets, many shops had already closed for the day, but their windows still glowed with warm yellow decorative lights, illuminating a dazzling array of goods.
Higher up, the windows of the noble district's mansions flickered with points of light, while giant neon magic billboards hanging in the commercial district tirelessly cycled through brilliant patterns and text, advertising the latest magic conduits or theatrical performances.
The night view here was truly beautiful.
When playing the original game, Greg often controlled his character to leisurely wander through the streets and alleys of Yenier City, triggering various side quests or simply admiring the unique atmosphere of this fantasy city.
The meticulously drawn streetscapes, the NPC dialogue full of life, and the explorable elements hidden everywhere had once brought him a lot of joy.
But tonight, he clearly didn't have the luxury for leisure.
Although Allie hadn't explicitly said where she would wait for him, and there was no plot point in the original story about her being persuaded to leave the academy, Greg knew exactly where she would choose based on his understanding of her character settings.
He didn't linger on the brightly lit streets. Instead, he turned into an alley and, using the shadows as cover, moved quickly toward the city center.
Finally, he stopped in front of a building.
It was one of the tallest structures in Yenier City—the City Clock Tower.
The ancient brick and stone structure appeared silent and towering in the night, its massive mechanical clock face glinting with a cold, hard metallic luster under the moonlight.
The clock tower was not open to the public, but Greg knew of a hidden maintenance ladder.
He took a deep breath and began to climb.
The sound of the wind grew louder in his ears, and the city's noise and lights slowly shrank beneath him, turning into a blurred sea of light.
Pushing open the heavy small door at the top floor, the piercing night wind instantly rushed at him without any obstruction, blowing his hair back and making his clothes flutter loudly.
The platform at the top of the clock tower was empty, save for the massive gears and pendulum structures operating slowly and rhythmically, emitting a heavy, hypnotic clicking sound.
The moonlight poured down unreservedly, plating everything in a layer of cold, clear silver-white.
And at the edge of the platform, in the void beyond the railing overlooking the entire sleeping city, a white figure stood silently.
The night wind brushed against her long maid skirt and golden hair. She stood with her back to Greg, her posture as straight as a spear, as if she had been waiting there for countless hours.
As if sensing the newcomer, she slowly turned around.
The moonlight illuminated her face.
It was an impeccable face, as exquisite as a doll's. Her azure eyes were crystal clear under the moonlight, yet so deep they seemed capable of sucking in one's very soul.
With this appearance, it was no wonder she enjoyed such high popularity in the original story.
Her expression was calm, and the corners of her mouth even carried a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
But Greg's back was instantly drenched in a layer of fine, cold sweat.
Allie Hill.
His personal maid.
Or rather, his former personal maid.
She looked at Greg and tilted her head slightly. Her smile seemed to deepen a fraction, and her voice was as soft as the night wind:
"Good evening, Young Master Greg. You've arrived a bit later than expected. If you do this again, I'll kill you~"
Rate on N.U.
