If anyone else had said those words, Allie would have thought without hesitation that they were out of their mind or spinning a ridiculous lie.
But that strange black mist swallowing the bronze bell just now—a phenomenon that could not possibly be explained by ordinary magic—had truly happened right before her eyes.
If this news got out, it would unleash an unimaginable earthquake across every nation, especially within the sphere of influence of the Church of Light.
A banished failure of a noble becoming the Messenger of a lost deity?
The implications behind this were far too complex and far too dangerous.
Allie fell silent.
She looked at Greg, her expression indecipherable.
After the initial shock subsided, a deeper worry settled in.
To be targeted by such an ancient and mysterious entity—was it a blessing or a curse? What was Her true goal?
Greg noticed Allie's doubt and shock, but he couldn't fully explain the deeper details for now.
However, that dark-attribute magic just now had shown him a brand-new possibility, one he never would have dared to imagine back when he was just a regular villainous character.
“Allie.”
He took a step forward, his expression turning serious. “There's something I need your help with. Something only you can do.”
“What is it?”
“I need you to find a way during this time... to build a religious order that worships the Night.”
In the end, he voiced the idea that had struck him like a flash of inspiration.
Allie froze, as if she hadn't heard him correctly. “...What? Build a religious order? Worshiping the Night?”
“Yes.”
Greg nodded, his thoughts growing clearer by the second.
“Nightmare's... the Goddess's power is deeply tied to faith.”
“Her faith has been severed for so long that She's extremely weak right now.”
“If we can rebuild that faith, even on a small scale, it will help the Goddess recover Her power—and it will help me, too.”
He didn't specify what kind of help, but Allie could guess.
A Messenger's power was bound to be linked to their deity.
The eerie ability Greg had displayed earlier might very well have come from that connection.
If the deity's power grew stronger, Greg would naturally benefit as well.
More importantly, Greg was thinking of another layer: if Nightmare could recover part of Her power, could he, as Her bound shared fate partner, gain some kind of Divine Protection?
He thought of Victoria.
That gray-haired brat of a Hero had taken a direct hit from Lilith's Flame Burst, only to walk away with minor injuries.
Although Lilith's Flame Burst was only at LV1 right now, anyone normal taking a direct hit would be dead or severely crippled.
That was the incredible survival capability and resistance granted by Divine Protection.
What if he could obtain something similar through Nightmare?
When that time came, as long as his own strength kept rising, combined with any potential Divine Protection...
Then, whether it was the bizarre misfortune brought by that damned -10 Luck stat, or the doomed fate waiting for him and Allie in all those bad ends, he would have the power to change it!
He wouldn't have to pin all his hopes on Victoria's protagonist aura anymore, nor would he have to forever tread lightly and hide from every familiar scene.
Perhaps he could truly take fate into his own hands instead of leaving it to that cursed story and his Luck stat.
The thought burned inside his heart like a wildfire. Looking at Allie, his eyes unintentionally filled with intense anticipation, along with a barely perceptible hint of nervousness.
Because he knew full well how absurd and outlandish this request sounded.
Asking a maid who only excelled with a sword to set up a secret religious society and spread the faith of a deity long forgotten by the world... It sounded like a terrible joke.
Yet right now, he had no one else to rely on.
Only Allie—the woman who had grown up alongside him, whose tongue was sharp but who had never truly abandoned him, and who had stayed by his side until the very end in every single Bad End.
Allie didn't answer right away.
She lowered her head slightly, her long golden hair falling forward to veil part of her face.
Only the howling wind echoed across the top of the clock tower.
After a long moment, she slowly raised her head, her azure eyes fixing upon Greg. They swirled with countless emotions, before settling into a sharp light of absolute resolve.
“I understand.”
She finally spoke, her voice regaining its usual composure, sounding almost businesslike.
“I will try. But don't hold your expectations too high.”
Greg let out a sigh of relief, a smile breaking across his face. “I'll leave it to you. I know you can handle it.”
He briefly explained a few more details to Allie. For safety's sake, he planned to spend most of his time in the dungeon without leaving easily, so it was best to get everything clear now.
Allie listened quietly, nodding occasionally, remaining silent for most of it.
Seeing that they had discussed everything necessary, Greg prepared to leave.
“Then I should probably get going. Be careful out there.”
“Mm.”
Allie murmured a response, but her gaze shifted elsewhere.
Greg said no more, turning toward the small doorway. Soon, his figure vanished into the shadows of the stairwell.
At the top of the clock tower, only Allie remained, accompanied by the endless night wind.
She walked slowly to the railing and looked down once more at the sleeping city below, though her gaze lacked focus.
Moonlight bathed her frame, making the white silk of her maid dress seem to glow.
Her mood right now was rather complex.
It felt like her toy had been snatched away halfway through, and she had been forced onto a pirate ship along with it.
However...
Allie closed her eyes, and distant memories involuntarily flashed through her mind.
The blonde brat who used to follow behind her as a kid, clearly terrified of the dark yet puffing out his chest to declare, “This young master isn't scared at all!”
The slightly older figure who, despite becoming increasingly warped, would still awkwardly toss her a bottle of healing potion whenever she got injured practicing her swordwork.
And later, the young master who grew arrogant and foolish, disappointing her time and time again, yet whom she could never truly bring herself to abandon...
She opened her eyes. The cold moonlight reflected in her azure pupils gradually settled into a steadfast determination bordering on stubbornness.
Forget it.
She told herself in her heart.
Besides me, that idiot really doesn't have anyone else left anyway.
If even I let go, then he truly will have nothing.
The night wind blew through her long hair and skirt. Like a marble sculpture beneath the moonlight, she stood silently for a long time, until the first faint sliver of dawn began to break on the horizon. Only then did she turn and quietly vanish from the top of the clock tower.
Rate on N.U.
