"Hmm? Ah, this..."
Greg followed her gaze to the Shaman's corpse. The gruesome death gave even him a bit of a chill.
"...Yeah, I did that. It's a... well, a Dark Magic spell I haven't quite mastered yet."
When he first used it, he really thought Dark Pulse was a trash skill. Its form was pathetic, it lacked impact, and he was sure it wouldn't do any damage.
He never expected the actual results to be so overwhelming—or rather, so wicked.
It had slapped a lethal debuff platter onto the target, cursing a Level 23 elite monster to death.
But this time was pure luck.
If that tiny black dot had missed, or if the effect hadn't been so absurd, Silvia might have...
A wave of retrospective fear washed over Greg.
He had grown used to exploring the dungeon's edges alone lately. In battle, he focused more on his own positioning and skill rotations, and his awareness of covering a companion was definitely lacking.
Silvia was a long-range support. She lacked close-quarters self-defense and real combat experience. He had to learn from this. From now on, he needed to keep a closer eye on her and never let her fall into such danger again.
"I knew it..."
Having her suspicion confirmed, Silvia's eyes brightened even more, filled with visible admiration and a delayed sense of wonder.
He had single-handedly fended off an onslaught of over a dozen Goblin Warriors, neutralizing every attack with a never-before-seen black bracer that seemed to swallow everything.
At the critical moment, he had instantly killed the Goblin Shaman—a creature even she could sense was dangerous—in an inconceivable way, saving her when she was defenseless...
Senior Greg's strength was far greater than she had imagined, and his methods were mysterious and unpredictable.
Moreover, this was already the second time he had saved her...
Senior Greg... is really amazing.
Reliable, attentive, and so strong, yet he had remained so low-profile until now...
And when he rushed over earlier, he seemed so frantic... Was he worried about me?
Her heart seemed to skip a beat, and her cheeks felt slightly warm.
Silvia instinctively lowered her head, not wanting Greg to see her expression.
A mixture of gratitude, admiration, and something more hazy and indescribable quietly took root and spread in her heart.
The hand he had held seemed to retain the warmth of his touch.
Greg looked away from the Shaman's corpse and toward the dark entrance leading to the middle layers, his brow furrowing again.
"I really didn't expect it. Even something like a Goblin Shaman has migrated from the deep area to the shallow layers..."
In the original game setting, the Goblin Shaman was an elite monster that only appeared in the deep area of the first layer. At Level 23, it was considered a high-tier magical beast within the Academy Dungeon's first layer.
Its presence here undoubtedly confirmed that something unusual was happening in the middle layers, or even the deep area. The severity of the situation was likely higher than anticipated.
He grew increasingly curious about the situation below, but also more cautious.
What was it that made these monsters, which should have fixed territories, cross boundaries and flee to the shallow layers?
After taking a moment to steady his breathing and calm the slight fatigue from the battle, Greg turned to Silvia, his tone more serious than before.
"Are you rested enough? We need to keep moving and check the middle layers. From now on... I'll pay more attention to you. I won't let you get into danger like that again."
"P-Pay more attention to me?!"
Silvia looked up sharply, her pink eyes widening slightly as the blush on her cheeks deepened.
Those words... sounded like they had a special meaning.
"Yeah."
Greg nodded and explained naturally, "After all, I promised Victoria I'd protect you. I have to keep my word."
"..."
The expression on Silvia's face froze instantly.
The light that had been dancing in her eyes seemed to be scattered by an invisible wind.
She gave a soft "Oh," her voice dropping. The subtle excitement and shyness from before quickly faded, replaced by a faint sense of disappointment that she didn't fully understand herself.
So it was because of... Victoria...
She remembered how Greg had given that precious Reflection Gem to Victoria without hesitation.
She remembered how he had gone alone late at night to visit Victoria in the hospital, offering words of comfort and encouragement...
And now, the reason he promised to pay more attention to her was also because of a promise to Victoria.
Thinking about it carefully, Silvia realized that Senior Greg seemed even closer to Victoria than he was to her.
Even though she was a Messenger of the Goddess just like him, even though she had been trying her best to help, even though just now... he really had saved her and seemed so worried...
But why did it feel like Senior Greg's gaze, his focus, and his special actions always fell more on Victoria?
Victoria was her most important friend, and Senior Greg was someone she respected and felt grateful to.
She should have been happy that they got along well.
But at this moment, what was this lingering, sour, stinging sense of disappointment in her heart?
Silvia instinctively bit her lower lip and looked down, avoiding Greg's eyes.
She didn't want Greg to see her strange mood. It would make her seem immature and... petty.
"What's wrong? Are you still feeling unwell?"
Seeing her suddenly go silent and lower her head, Greg thought she was still shaken from the earlier encounter or physically uncomfortable.
"N-No, it's nothing!"
Silvia shook her head quickly, forcing a smile that looked natural.
"I'm fine, Senior Greg. Let's... keep going. I'll stay close."
She tried her best to cheer up, but the inexplicable feeling of emptiness in her heart wasn't so easily dispelled.
If Greg knew what she was thinking, he would probably laugh his head off.
What do you mean I'm closer to that gray-haired brat?
You should know that my Excalibur is still glowing right now because of you!
But of course, the current Greg had no idea what she was thinking.
Although he thought her smile was a bit forced, he assumed she just hadn't fully recovered from the shock and didn't press further. He simply cautioned her again.
"If you feel anything's wrong, or if your mana consumption gets too high, tell me immediately."
"Hmm, I understand," Silvia replied softly.
She followed Greg toward the entrance of the middle layers, which emitted an ominous aura.
However, her gaze drifted between Greg's tall, alert back and the empty darkness, her mind clearly elsewhere.
Rate on N.U.
