As the last rays of the setting sun pierced through the gloom of the dungeon entrance and poured unreservedly over Victoria and Silvia, the two stopped almost simultaneously. They took a deep breath of the dry, warm air above ground in unison.
A nearly instinctive sense of relief seeped slowly into their limbs along with the warmth of the sunlight, dispelling the invisible tension that had gripped them while they were inside the dungeon.
Silvia couldn't help but raise her hand, her fingertips brushing against the falling sunlight as a smile of relief appeared on her face.
She turned her head to look at Victoria, who was lost in thought, and spoke softly. "Victoria... about Senior Greg..."
Victoria was pulled back from her musings. Her gray eyes shifted slightly, signaling for her to continue.
"I think we might have really misunderstood him before."
Silvia's tone carried conviction.
"If he were truly as hostile toward us as he acted at the start of the term, then earlier... he wouldn't have had to risk so much to jump into the dark river and save me."
She paused, her voice even softer but incredibly serious.
"Moreover, the identity of a Messenger of the Goddess... is absolutely impossible to fake. That brand of divine favor is more real than any oath or evidence. I know this better than anyone."
As a Candidate Saintess, her ability to perceive and distinguish sacred auras was an instinct engraved in her bloodline.
The deep, pure Divine Favor of Night on Greg's body could not be faked.
Victoria listened in silence, her gaze fixed on the dark entrance of the dungeon.
She couldn't trust as completely as Silvia did; her vigilance was as natural as breathing.
But... the expression on Greg's face when he threw the gem to her without hesitation, and that posture of almost transparent trust, replayed in her mind repeatedly.
She couldn't see through him.
"But he is indeed... like a different person from before," she finally whispered to herself, her brow still furrowed.
The arrogant, clumsy, and villainous noble brat and the current Greg—who was remarkably calm in the face of danger and even willing to entrust precious resources to an enemy—were overlapping images filled with contradictory cracks.
"Perhaps..." Silvia said tentatively, "he really just wants to distance himself from his family, who very likely have already betrayed humanity."
Victoria didn't answer, only tightening her grip on the gem in her hand.
The cool touch of the gem transmitted through her palm like an unfulfilled promise, or like a stone thrown into a still lake, stirring up her previously clear-cut perception of friend and foe.
The two girls walked along the path of the academy's back mountain toward the main road leading to the dormitory area, each lost in her own thoughts while whispering speculations about the changes in Greg.
Just as they were about to step onto the main stone path, a girl suddenly darted into the dungeon from their blind spot.
Victoria paused, her gray eyes sweeping sharply toward the entrance, but she saw nothing.
"An illusion?"
Before she could think further, three maids in uniform stepped out from the shadows of the trees by the road as soon as they reached the main path, surrounding Victoria in a triangular formation.
The lead maid, who had short hair and a serious expression, reached out without warning and lightly pinched Victoria's cheek with her white-gloved fingertips.
"Hmm..." She felt it carefully, as if checking a precision instrument. "While her height is extremely close to Her Highness's, her facial bone structure and muscle texture... don't seem to be a disguise or the result of props."
Victoria: "...Hey."
Her cold warning seemed to be completely ignored.
Another maid, wearing glasses and possessing an intellectual air, adjusted her frames. Her gaze swept unabashedly across Victoria's chest as she analyzed calmly.
"Furthermore, according to data comparisons, Her Highness's bust line... should theoretically be a bit more... well, curvaceous than this student's."
A vein seemed to throb at Victoria's temple, and a faint but dangerous magic began to swirl around her fingertips. "It seems when I need subjects for magic experiments... I won't have to go through the trouble of making dummies anymore."
Silvia quickly grabbed her arm and hissed urgently, "C-Calm down, Victoria! Violent crimes are absolutely not allowed!"
At that moment, the third maid, who had a high ponytail and looked the most energetic, suddenly leaned in close. She stared at the lines of Victoria's legs encased in trousers and let out a gasp of admiration.
"Wait! Look at her leg shape! Straight and slender, with smooth and perfect muscle definition... this... this is even superior to the standard leg shape Her Highness achieved after years of correction by the royal etiquette instructors!"
Victoria, who was on the verge of exploding, froze.
She lifted her chin slightly, the corners of her mouth curling into an almost imperceptible arc of pride.
"Hmph... It seems you lot aren't completely devoid of taste—hiss! Did one of you just... lick me?"
Silvia: "..."
The three maids suddenly huddled together. "It's definitely not Her Highness. The taste is completely different."
"I see. It seems we've got the wrong person then."
Having seemingly completed some sort of rapid identification procedure, the three maids stepped back in unison. They lifted their skirts in a synchronized movement and performed a standard, impeccable curtsy.
"Students, please accept our sincere apologies for our rudeness just now."
The short-haired maid spoke as their representative, her tone returning to businesslike politeness.
"We are looking for a... specific person. May we ask if you have seen a girl with red hair and... well, perhaps somewhat flighty behavior nearby?"
"No," Victoria answered succinctly.
Unmasked frustration and headaches appeared on the three maids' faces simultaneously.
"We lost her again..."
"The Princess is just too fast..."
"I wonder where Her Highness has run off to this time."
They exchanged quick, low-voiced complaints, their faces filled with worry.
"Princess..." Silvia repeated the word, murmuring under her breath.
Victoria's gray eyes sharpened; she knew exactly who they were looking for.
Lilith Kahn.
The Second Princess of the kingdom. She had enrolled in the same year as them and was already a prominent figure in the academy.
Rumor had it that at only Level 10, she had mastered the prototype of one of the highest-tier fire spells, 【Flame Burst】, through her staggering talent.
Without a doubt, she would be one of the most threatening rivals in the Placement Exam.
But it was precisely that strength that attracted Victoria like a magnet.
Defeating such an opponent would be far more meaningful.
With that thought, the messy emotions caused by Greg were temporarily suppressed in Victoria's mind.
She didn't linger. With a slight nod to the three maids, she pulled Silvia along and walked away quickly, intent on using the last of their time for magic practice.
Watching the backs of the two girls as they hurried away, the three maids exchanged a helpless look.
"If Princess Lilith isn't back by lights-out..."
The maid with glasses pushed her frames, which flashed with a helpless light. "I'm afraid we'll have to report to 'that person' first."
"Princess Vivian..."
The maid with the high ponytail sighed. "Let's hope Her Highness has had enough fun and comes back on her own before she's found."
Rate on N.U.
