One had to admit that the excuse Greg had come up with on the fly was nothing short of perfect.
First, it was based on partial facts—the dungeon anomaly was real, and three upperclassmen had indeed entered and not returned—making it stand up to scrutiny.
Second, it repackaged Greg's motives from a purely selfish quest requirement into an investigation of an anomaly and concern for classmates in danger, making him sound full of responsibility and a sense of justice.
This was the kind of thing that easily resonated with upright characters like Victoria and Silvia.
Finally, it cleverly attributed the urgency of the mission to a humanitarian crisis involving students in potential peril. This made it impossible to refuse and perfectly concealed his own lethal death countdown.
Greg was even starting to admire his own ability to bullshit under pressure.
Sure enough, upon hearing this reason, both Victoria's and Silvia's expressions changed.
“There's an anomaly in the dungeon?”
“Upperclassmen are trapped inside?”
The two spoke almost simultaneously, their tones heavy with gravity and concern.
“The information isn't certain yet, so I need to go down and confirm as soon as possible,” Greg emphasized. “If it's true, the sooner we act, the greater their chances of survival.”
Silvia immediately looked at Victoria, her pink eyes filled with an urgent plea that said, “We have to help.”
Victoria's brow furrowed.
She was thinking more deeply than Silvia.
An unknown anomaly in the dungeon and upperclassmen potentially in danger... this was indeed a major matter. In her current state, forcing herself to go along would not only be unhelpful but could even become a burden.
After a few seconds of silence, she looked up at Greg, then at Silvia.
“In my current state, going will only get in the way,” she said calmly, making a rational judgment. “Silvia, your light magic is strong in a support role; you should be able to help. Greg...”
She paused, her gray eyes staring directly at him. “I'm leaving Silvia in your care. You must protect her in the dungeon, or I will never forgive you!”
In the past, Victoria would never have felt comfortable letting Silvia go to such a dangerous place alone with Greg. But his recent series of actions had largely overturned her initial impression of him.
She believed that, at least in this matter, Greg was serious and would do his best.
Silvia hadn't expected Victoria to agree to let her go. She nodded vigorously, her heart filled with a mix of nervousness and a sudden, inexplicable surge of excitement and duty.
“I-I'll be careful! Victoria, you need to focus on recovering, too!”
She turned to Greg, her pink eyes sparkling with the eagerness and seriousness of someone participating in a major operation for the first time.
“Senior Greg, when do we leave? Is there anything I need to prepare?”
Because she was a Candidate Saintess, she had always been well-protected and had rarely done anything that truly fulfilled her duties. But now, she was going to enter the dangerous dungeon with Senior Greg to investigate an anomaly and possibly even rescue trapped upperclassmen!
It made the mission on her shoulders suddenly feel real and tangible.
“I'm fairly familiar with the first layer, so you don't need anything special,” Greg said, speaking faster than usual. “But if possible, I'd like to... head out right now.”
To him, speed was everything.
The plot had already progressed to the late stage of Chapter One. Moreover, the mini-boss that was supposed to appear much later had been unintentionally dealt with by him ahead of schedule, which undoubtedly accelerated the overall timeline.
According to the original game's development, Silvia would be kidnapped during the final key event of Chapter One. The window of time left for him to act was truly small.
To be as safe as possible, starting now was the best choice.
Silvia and Victoria naturally interpreted Greg's urgency as concern for the three potentially trapped students. Thus, they didn't object; instead, they found his haste entirely reasonable.
“I understand!” Silvia nodded firmly, determination flickering in her pink eyes. “Then let's head out right now!”
Although the academy had a curfew, the rules only stated that students should not wander around the campus after a certain time; they didn't strictly mandate staying inside the dormitories.
This setting was likely originally intended to make it easier for the protagonist to trigger various special events with the heroines at night to increase their affection levels.
But at this moment, it certainly facilitated Greg and Silvia's nocturnal operation.
After a brief farewell to the bedridden Victoria, Silvia followed Greg's lead and helpfully, if somewhat clumsily, climbed out of the ward window and landed on the grass below.
Greg followed immediately, his movements far more practiced.
Victoria leaned against the windowsill, watching their figures quickly blend into the shadows of the hospital garden until they vanished. She let out a soft breath, her gray eyes appearing calm in the night.
She silently prayed for their success, while a thought became even clearer in her mind: she had to recover as quickly as possible and become stronger. At the very least, she had to make up for the support she couldn't provide this time.
...
“Senior Greg.”
After leaving the hospital grounds and walking along a relatively secluded path, Silvia finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice, “Why did we... have to climb out the window just now? Couldn't we have used the main gate?”
“Uh...” This question caught Greg off guard.
He couldn't exactly tell her the truth—that he had just caused a huge scene in the girls' dormitory area and now had a guilty conscience, fearing he'd be recognized or questioned if he used the front door.
His mind raced as he quickly found a reasonable-sounding explanation. “Well... mainly, I don't want others to know we're in contact privately.”
“W-What do you mean by that?” Silvia's heart sank slightly, her pace involuntarily slowing.
A faint sense of inferiority, one she hadn't even fully realized herself, quietly reared its head. Did... did Senior Greg not want to be seen getting too close to someone of commoner background like her?
Rate on N.U.
