Though his words sounded noble on the surface, Greg secretly wished he could sneak Allie into the Academy Dungeon with him.
With a Level 68 powerhouse like her helping him, he could likely conquer the first floor in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately, the dungeon entrance was protected by a restriction that only allowed students of Glory Cael Magic Academy to enter.
His hopes were destined to remain unfulfilled.
However, he had mostly achieved his goal of stabilizing his maid, who seemed to have some rather obsessive tendencies.
Greg didn't dare ask for more.
But a new problem soon crossed his mind.
Allie had made it clear she intended to keep following him, but he was no longer a noble. He could no longer bring her into the academy as his personal attendant.
How was he supposed to settle her?
Was he just going to let her wander aimlessly through Yenier City, waiting longingly every day for him to sneak out of the academy at some unknown time?
That seemed a bit too... pitiful.
And knowing Allie's personality, leaving her idle for too long would likely lead to god-knows-what kind of trouble.
Just as Greg was frowning, trying to figure out what to do with her, his cursed -10 Luck stat decided to strike again with pinpoint accuracy.
BOOM—!!!
Above their heads, the ancient metal components connecting the massive bronze clock—a city landmark that had hung there for countless years—suddenly groaned under their own weight and snapped without warning.
The giant bell, weighing several tons and carrying years of rust and the cold scent of death, plummeted straight toward where Greg was standing!
A shadow instantly engulfed him.
"Master Greg!!"
Allie noticed almost at the same time. Her blue eyes narrowed sharply, and her hand instinctively gripped the hilt of her sword.
But the distance, the speed of the fall, and the need for a strike that wouldn't harm Greg... all the calculations were completed in an instant, leading to a cold and desperate conclusion.
There wasn't enough time.
Whether it was pulling Greg away or shattering the giant bell, there simply wasn't enough time.
The image of the rapidly approaching bell wall, covered in green rust, reflected in Greg's pupils.
I'm going to die.
Greg's mind went blank, leaving only that single thought.
He could even feel the air pressure being pushed down by the falling bell.
Right then—
A voice, so calm it bordered on indifferent, rang out directly in the depths of his mind:
"The gift I bestowed upon you isn't just a decorative ornament for show."
Almost the moment the voice sounded, his survival instinct overrode his frozen brain.
Greg didn't even have time to think about what to use; his body followed an instinct etched into the depths of his soul, driving a power he had yet to truly master.
Level 1: Bracers of Darkness.
As his will moved, mana surged.
A pair of bracers, as pitch-black as the deepest night, instantly manifested on his forearms.
The surface of the bracers wasn't smooth metal; instead, a thick black mist churned and flowed as if it were alive, radiating an ominous and profound aura.
There was no time to feel the power, nor time to be surprised by its form.
The giant bell was already upon him.
However, the expected pain of being crushed and the violent impact never came.
The moment the heavy bronze wall touched the pitch-black bracers, the thick mist on their surface seemed like a startled beast. It suddenly boiled and expanded like a wave of living shadows, instantly swallowing the entire bronze bell.
There was no loud crash, no sparks from clashing metal—only the silent surging of black mist.
A moment later, the mist receded like a tide, shrinking back to the surface of the bracers and continuing its slow flow.
The giant bronze bell that should have crushed Greg into a pulp had vanished.
It was gone without a trace.
Not even a flake of rust remained, as if it had never existed in that spot at all.
The night wind continued to blow across the empty top of the clock tower.
Greg remained frozen in a defensive stance with his arms crossed, staring blankly at the pitch-black bracers on his arms that were slowly turning transparent before finally fading away.
Allie's hand was still clamped onto her sword hilt, her body leaning forward in a lunging position.
Her face was a mixture of extreme shock, disbelief, and a hint of... bewilderment.
What just... happened?
Where was the bell?
That massive, heavy bronze bell had fallen, and then... it was 'eaten' by a mass of black mist?
She slowly straightened up, her gaze locked firmly on Greg—or rather, on his arms where the black bracers had just appeared.
Those blue eyes, usually clear and calm, were now filled with profound suspicion and uncertainty.
She couldn't understand it at all.
When did this young master, whom she had watched grow up, master such a bizarre, ominous, and powerful force?
What on earth was that black mist that seemed capable of swallowing everything?
She had never seen, or even heard of, such a sinister ability.
As for Greg himself, he was equally dumbfounded.
While he had guessed that the dark attribute abilities he gained as Nightmare's Demigod wouldn't be too bad, this effect was simply too overwhelming.
It just swallowed a whole bronze bell like that?
In the original story, no one had actually used dark attribute magic, so he hadn't expected such a simple and crude erasure.
Silence stretched across the top of the clock tower for several seconds, broken only by the whistling of the night wind.
Finally, Allie was the first to snap out of her shock.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, though her voice still carried a trace of tension.
"That power just now... what was it? That black mist, and those bracers... I've never seen you use them. No, I've never even seen magic like that before."
"Uh... well..."
Greg lowered his arms, his mind racing as he faced Allie's questioning.
There seemed to be no point in hiding this from Allie; besides, he couldn't hide it even if he wanted to.
Even a blind man could see that something was wrong after that display.
Furthermore, Allie was currently the only person he could fully trust and who had the ability to help him handle abnormal matters.
"It's a long story..."
Greg organized his thoughts and decided to reveal part of the truth.
Of course, he didn't plan on mentioning the life-bond, the shared Godhood, or the fact that they could both drop dead at any moment. That would likely only make Allie more worried.
"To put it simply..."
He cleared his throat, trying to sound more convincing. "I... was chosen by an ancient being. You can think of it as me becoming Her Messenger."
"An ancient being?" Allie frowned.
"The Goddess of Night, Nightmare," Greg spoke the name.
Allie's pupils constricted slightly once again.
The Goddess of Night... Nightmare.
She had only seen that name in a few scattered records in extremely ancient texts, which were treated almost like myths and legends.
She was one of the ancient deities whose faith had long since been severed, vanishing into the long river of history.
In the orthodox texts of the Holy Church of Light, Her existence was even deliberately blurred or belittled.
And now, Greg was telling her that this goddess, who only existed in legends, had chosen him?
That he had become Her Messenger?
Rate on N.U.
