Allie clutched her coin pouch almost instantly, a flash of wariness crossing her blue eyes like a cat protecting its food.
"What do you mean?"
Greg didn't even blink, extending his hand with a sense of righteous entitlement. "Lend me some money."
Allie's gaze turned cold in an instant, and the subtle atmosphere from a moment ago vanished without a trace.
"Huh?"
She narrowed her eyes, her voice filled with disbelief. "Borrowing money from your own maid? Master Greg, has your brain finally rotted away completely after all those foolish adventures?"
Greg choked on his words for a moment, but then he puffed out his chest—though he didn't have much confidence to back it up.
"Quiet! I paid your salary so many times in the past. Now it's your turn to pay me once. What's wrong with that!?"
"Huh!? You—"
Allie was so angry she nearly laughed. She was about to snap back, but as the words reached her lips and she saw Greg's dead-serious, entitled expression, she somehow swallowed them back down.
She frowned, carefully mulling over Greg's twisted logic.
Even though it was total nonsense... for some inexplicable reason, she felt... persuaded?
This feeling of being led astray made Allie even more annoyed, but it was mostly replaced by a sense of powerlessness, a feeling of 'why even bother arguing with this idiot.'
She gave Greg a sharp glare and, with an expression that clearly said she must be losing her mind, she let go of her coin pouch and roughly undid the clasp.
She reached inside and rummaged around before pulling out three gold coins. Without even looking, she flicked them toward Greg's face like she was throwing away trash.
"Only this once."
She spoke through gritted teeth, each word sounding like it was being squeezed out from between them. "If you ever dare to make a request like this again, I'll truly cut you down."
The gold coins traced three faint golden arcs through the air.
Greg scrambled to catch them, clutching them tightly in his palm.
The cold touch of the metal and their heavy weight made a great burden lift from his heart.
"A-okay!"
He subconsciously let out a slang term from his original world, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
With these three gold coins, he could buy some necessary supplies and improve the inhumane living conditions in the dungeon.
Allie watched his undisguised joy with a complex gaze.
She knew that the old Greg Sass used to spend money like water, and it was inevitable that he'd be penniless after being exiled.
She also knew that although this guy talked a lot of nonsense, seeing him this happy over a little bit of money was slightly more tolerable than the old profligate playboy who squandered everything.
Of course, only slightly.
"So."
Allie put away her coin pouch and crossed her arms again, scrutinizing Greg. "Where exactly have you been hiding these past few days? Is playing missing really that fun?"
Greg, happily weighing the gold coins, replied casually, "I wasn't hiding. I've turned over a new leaf. I plan to conquer the dungeon seriously. I want to get stronger and prove myself."
Allie stared at him expressionlessly, remaining silent for two seconds.
"Your brain really is broken."
"Hey! Is it really that weird for me to have some ambition!?" Greg protested.
But then he thought back to his behavior in the original story and had to admit, "Fine, thinking about it, I guess it really is pretty weird."
But regardless of whether it was weird or not, to complete that damn system mission and to keep surviving in this world, he had to at least clear the first floor of the dungeon.
This was a matter of life and death, not a question of whether he felt like being ambitious.
Greg put the gold coins away, and the lighthearted look on his face faded.
He looked up, his gaze meeting Allie's directly, the moonlight settling deep within his amber eyes.
"I'm serious, Allie."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a conviction Allie had never heard from him before.
He paused, then continued, his gaze never wavering. "And... I don't want to stand behind you forever."
The night wind seemed to go still at that moment.
Allie looked at Greg, at his face illuminated by the moonlight, and at that unfamiliar but undeniable seriousness in his eyes.
She suddenly felt that the young master she knew like the back of her hand was... truly different now.
He was no longer just a loudmouth who caused trouble, nor was he the useless wreck who gave up after one setback.
He said he didn't want to stand behind her forever...
Recalling those words, Allie felt her cheeks begin to flush uncontrollably in the cool, watery moonlight.
Rate on N.U.
