Victoria's hands trembled in shock, nearly dropping the items.
She looked up in astonishment to find Greg staring intently at the two objects beside her hand. His eyes were wide as saucers, his expression a mix of seeing a ghost and beholding something utterly terrifying.
Victoria: “...?”
She glanced down at the items—which looked completely unremarkable, if not downright shabby—and then looked back up at Greg's absurdly exaggerated reaction, her brows furrowing deeply.
“Is ‘gray-haired brat’ supposed to be me?”
Only then did Greg realize he had spoken out of line.
But he could hardly be blamed. The two items Victoria had pulled out had each contributed to a death CG that had left a lasting impression on him.
The seemingly chaotic patterns on the box's surface were actually a precise mechanical lock.
Forcing it open in the wrong sequence would trigger poison-dipped silver needles hidden inside, instantly piercing straight between the opener's eyes.
He still remembered the CG showing Greg Sass lying flat on his back, a single dot of crimson right between his eyebrows.
As for that bundle of hemp rope, it was an even more cursed item.
Infusing it with a tiny trace of mana and slipping it under a pillow would cause it to quietly come alive in the middle of the night, coiling around the sleeper's neck like a venomous snake and hanging them in their sleep.
The gruesome sight in that other CG—Greg Sass with eyes bulging out and his long tongue hanging limp—was equally unforgettable.
Forcing down the unsettling memories, Greg cleared his throat, trying his best to regain a calm composure as he began to improvise on the spot:
“Ahem... My apologies, noble Gray-—Miss Victoria.”
“I overreacted just now.”
“You see, as a devout believer in the Goddess of Night, certain precepts I follow... can be rather unique, much like how priests of the Church of Light refrain from eating certain meats or drinking unblessed spirits.”
He pointed at the two items, his tone solemn:
“And those two items in your hand happen to fall under ‘unclean taboo objects’ according to our doctrine. To prevent any mishaps, I strongly advise you to dispose of them right here.”
Victoria frowned, weighing the metal box and the bundle of hemp rope in her hand:
“These? An old box and a bundle of... hemp rope? These count as taboo? Your doctrine is absurdly strange.”
“Matters of faith naturally carry their own rites and rituals.”
Greg didn't bat an eye, quickly offering an example:
“Just as the Church of Light frowns upon carving holy icons out of ebony wood because it absorbs resentment, or forbids certain rituals on new moon nights, believers of the Goddess of Night naturally have their own unique... preferences and taboos.”
His examples were half-true, half-fabricated. As the Hero who maintained close ties with the Church, Victoria had indeed heard of similar rules.
Her doubts waned slightly, though she still wasn't completely convinced. “So how should I dispose of them?”
“Just release them into the underground river.”
Victoria: “?”
Greg immediately corrected himself. “Uh, I mean, running water can wash away sins that shouldn't linger in this world.”
Anyway, she had picked up these two items on a whim, and they didn't look valuable or useful.
After a moment's hesitation, Victoria followed his advice, walking over to the riverbank and throwing the metal box and the bundle of hemp rope one after another into the rushing current.
Watching them get completely swallowed by the pitch-black water, Greg finally breathed a small sigh of relief.
I almost got forced into unlocking an old CG...
He wiped away a cold sweat, mental notes being heavily logged into his personal dungeon survival guide:
Even inside a dungeon, never let your guard down around script-kill items!
Just then, a faint groan came from beside the campfire.
Silvia's eyelashes fluttered as she slowly opened her eyes.
She struggled to sit up, and Victoria immediately stepped forward to support her.
“Silvia! How are you feeling? Is anything hurting?”
“Victoria... I-I'm fine...” Silvia shook her head weakly, looking around in confusion. “Where is...”
When her eyes landed on Greg's handsome face, her body suddenly reclined at a forty-five-degree angle. “Ehk?”
“Hey, isn't it a bit rude for your first word to your savior to be such a disgusted ‘Ehk’?”
Damn developers, they really were utter bastards! Why on earth did they slap such a weird setting onto me?!
Greg grumbled inwardly.
Granted, back when he was playing the original game, he had thought this quirk was pretty nice.
But that was then, and this is now.
Now that he had transmigrated as Greg Sass, it was a completely different story.
“S-Sorry...! Wait, aren't you that haughty Senior Greg? Why are you in a dungeon?”
She pressed a hand to her temple as fragmented memories slowly pieced together:
“I remember earlier... I was dragged into the river... Just as I was running out of air... it felt like... something... k-kissed me... And then... I was dragged into deeper, darker waters... After that... I lost consciousness...”
“Kissed you?”
Victoria slowly turned her head, her icy gaze coming down on Greg's neck like a blade.
Holy crap, she was still conscious under those circumstances?!
Cold sweat instantly broke out across Greg's body.
He naturally knew that these two were childhood sweethearts. They only needed a few more events to naturally get together, leaving zero room for him to butt in.
His actions back then had been purely to save Silvia, but explaining that now seemed a little tricky.
After all, Victoria still harbored hostility toward him. If she found out he had kissed her most cherished childhood friend, god only knew what would happen.
The expression on Greg's face remained composed, though his leg began to twitch uncontrollably:
“You misunderstand. That was actually just the suction cups of that octopus brushing past her lips, making her feel like she was being kissed.”
“Besides, she said it herself—after being 'kissed,' she was dragged into deeper waters. If it were me, why on earth would I do that?”
“Or do you genuinely think I'm some kind of creep who'd do something like that?”
Victoria's gaze grew colder and colder, a faint light gathering at her fingertips.
Seeing this, Greg instantly raised his right hand, his tone exceedingly sincere—he even infused it with a touch of sacred solemnity:
“I swear in the name of the Messenger of the Goddess of Night! I, Greg Sass, have never done anything vile to Miss Silvia! Should I lie, I am willing to bear the most terrifying curse!!”
Perhaps his acting had finally taken effect, or perhaps the title of 'Messenger of the Goddess of Night' made Victoria hesitate slightly. The light at her fingertips dimmed somewhat, though her scrutinizing gaze didn't lessen in the slightest.
Listening to their conversation, Silvia's pale face showed confusion. “Messenger... of the Goddess of Night?”
Victoria briefly summarized Greg's previous story for her.
After listening, Silvia timidly looked at Greg and whispered:
“Um... Senior Greg? I-I happen to know a method to verify whether you really are a Messenger of the Goddess of Night... I wonder, could you cooperate?”
Victoria was surprised upon hearing this. “Hasn't the order of the Goddess of Night long vanished into history? Is there really a way to verify it?”
“There is.”
Silvia nodded. Though light due to her weakness, her voice was clear:
“Because... according to ancient records, the Goddess of Light and the Goddess of Night are considered twin sister goddesses born as one. Thus... the Holy Church of Light has preserved a few secret rituals used to identify divine power of the night.”
What?! Even this can be tested?!
Can the results be kept strictly confidential then?!
After all, married couples aren't even required to share their medical records with each other, so asking for confidentiality on this should be totally reasonable, right?!
Rate on N.U.
