Allie covered her coin pouch almost instantly, a flash of vigilance darting through her bright blue eyes, like a cat guarding its food.
“What do you mean?”
Without batting an eye, Greg extended a hand, completely righteous: “Lend me some money.”
Allie's gaze instantly went cold, the subtle atmosphere from a moment ago vanishing without a trace.
“Huh?”
She narrowed her eyes, her voice filled with disbelief. “Borrowing money from your own maid? Young Master Greg, has your brain finally fried completely from one foolish adventure after another?”
Greg choked on his words, but immediately puffed out his chest—though he lacked any real confidence.
“Shut up! I paid your salary so many times in the past. What's wrong with you giving me some now?!”
“Huh?! You—”
Allie almost laughed out of sheer anger. She was just about to snap back, but as the words reached her lips and she took in Greg's unabashedly righteous expression, she somehow swallowed them back down.
Frowning, she carefully pondered Greg's twisted logic.
Although it was utter nonsense... strangely enough, she somehow felt... persuaded?
Being led astray like this made Allie even more annoyed, but above all, she felt a sense of helplessness—forget it, why bother arguing with this idiot?
She glared daggers at Greg, but in the end, with a look that said she had truly gone mad, she unclasped her coin pouch with a somewhat rough motion.
She rummaged through her pouch for a bit, pulled out three gold coins, and without even looking, hurled them at Greg's face like trash.
“Just this once.”
She spoke through gritted teeth, every word squeezed from between her jaws. “If you dare make a request like this again, I really will cut you down.”
The gold coins sliced through the air, flashing three faint golden arcs.
Greg scrambled to catch them, clutching them in his palm.
The cool metallic touch and heavy weight made a massive stone lift off his heart.
“OJBK!”
He blurted out internet slang from his original world out of habit, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
With these three gold coins, he could buy some necessary supplies to improve his inhumane living conditions in the dungeon.
Watching his undisguised delight, Allie's gaze grew complex.
She knew that the former Greg Sass spent money like water, so it was inevitable that he would be penniless after being expelled.
She also knew that although this guy spouted nonsensical babble, his current appearance of being happy over a tiny amount of money was slightly more pleasing to the eye than the extravagant prodigal son he used to be.
Of course, only slightly.
“So,”
Allie stashed her coin pouch, crossed her arms again, and scrutinized Greg. “Where on earth have you been hiding these past few days? Is playing missing person that fun?”
Greg, blissfully tossing the gold coins in his hand, casually replied, “I wasn't hiding. I had an epiphany and decided to take conquering the dungeon seriously. I want to become stronger and prove myself.”
Allie stared at him expressionlessly, falling silent for two seconds.
“Your brain really is broken after all.”
“Hey! Is it really that strange for me to have a little ambition?!” Greg protested, aggrieved.
But then he recalled how his original counterpart behaved in the game and had to admit, “Fine, on second thought, it really is pretty strange.”
Strange or not, in order to complete that damned system quest and survive in this world, he had to at least clear the dungeon's first layer.
It was a matter of life and death, not whether he wanted to be ambitious.
Greg stashed the gold coins as the easygoing expression faded from his face.
He raised his head, looking straight into Allie's eyes, the moonlight settling deep within his amber gaze.
“I'm serious, Allie.”
His voice wasn't loud, yet it held a certainty Allie had never heard from him before.
He paused before continuing, his eyes remaining locked on hers. “Besides, I... don't want to stand behind you forever.”
The night wind seemed to freeze in that instant.
Allie looked at Greg—at his face illuminated by the moonlight, at the unfamiliar yet unignorable sincerity in his eyes.
She suddenly felt that the young master standing before her—whom she knew to her very bones—truly seemed... different in some way.
He was no longer the fool who knew only how to bluff and cause trouble, nor the worthless wreck who collapsed after a setback.
He said he didn't want to stand behind her forever...
Recalling Greg's words, Allie felt her cheeks uncontrollably turn warm under the moonlight as cool and clear as water.
Rate on N.U.
