“...As expected, it turned out like this.”
The last bit of luck Greg held in his heart was shattered like fragile glass by reality at this moment.
His absurd guess—the terrifying association he had hoped was just his imagination—was confirmed by this face.
Melina Belladonna, the Primary Heroine whose identity was complicated enough to give anyone a headache in the original game.
The illegitimate daughter of the current Demon King and the leader of the Demon King Cult lurking in the human world.
And someone like her was actually... involved with the Outer God, the Mother of Depravity?
She even tried to use the power of an Outer God to corrupt Silvia.
“This really is a trash game...!”
A wave of intense exhaustion and helplessness, mixed with a dull mental pain like ten thousand ants devouring his heart and a faint soul-tearing sensation from devouring the power of an Outer God, instantly swept over Greg.
The relaxation following the hooded man's death caused his strained will and physical strength—which had been like a bowstring drawn to its limit—to suddenly snap.
The Dark-Erosion Armament receded from his limbs like a tide, revealing torn clothing and skin covered in fine wounds and bruises from the clash of powers and the explosive impact.
His mana was completely exhausted, his head was heavy and throbbing, and his vision began to blur.
But at this moment, more than the physical and mental pain, Greg was suffocated by worry for the future.
Melina... a woman whose trouble-making level was catastrophic. According to the original plot, she would enter the Glory Cael Magic Academy as a transfer student at the start of Chapter Three.
Greg felt his vision go dark at the thought.
The side she showed the player in the game was mysterious enough.
She would often secretly resolve unexpected troubles for the player; she could always provide key information from unknown sources; she knew the secrets of the academy and the kingdom like the back of her hand; and her style was neither purely good nor evil, making her impossible to read...
And now, she had the even more terrifying label of being associated with the Mother of Depravity.
“I just wanted to live a peaceful life... but why does it feel like it's getting harder and harder...?”
His consciousness was like a stone sinking into ice water, falling deeper and deeper.
Greg swayed, unable to support himself any longer. His vision went black, and he pitched forward.
But the expected cold, hard impact and pain did not come.
Instead, a startling sensation of softness and a calming fragrance—a mix of faint soap and a young girl's natural scent—instantly enveloped him.
It was Silvia.
The moment Greg collapsed, she had rushed over from the bushes and caught him with her body.
Greg's face was buried deep between a pair of warm, soft, and amazingly elastic peaks.
The sensation was so soft and full that it seemed to make one forget all pain and trouble, wanting only to drown in it.
“Senior Greg! Senior Greg! How are you? Don't scare me!”
Silvia's tearful, anxious calls rang in his ears, but the voice sounded muffled and distant, as if through a thick layer of water.
Greg's consciousness was at its absolute limit.
Aside from the fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose that made him feel instinctively safe, and the heart-stirring, extreme softness against his cheek, he could hardly perceive or think about anything else.
His body felt as heavy as if it didn't belong to him, without even the strength to lift a finger. Only the rhythmic throbbing in his soul and the extreme fatigue reminded him he was still alive.
Silvia knelt on a relatively clean patch of ground at the edge of the ruins, tightly holding the immobile Greg.
She could clearly feel Greg's warm breath through her thin clothing, puffing against her most sensitive skin and sending shivers of tingling sensation through her.
She looked down at Greg's profile—his eyes closed and his brow slightly furrowed in pain—and a tidal wave of emotion surged in her heart.
It was gratitude.
To save her, he had faced such a terrifying enemy alone, even putting himself in grave danger.
It was pity.
Seeing him collapse from exhaustion like this made her heart ache as if pierced by needles.
It was admiration.
The strength, composure, and that dark power he displayed had deeply shaken her.
But there was another emotion—hotter, more unfamiliar, yet incredibly clear—that sprouted like a seedling and grew into a towering tree the moment she held Greg and felt his weight and warmth.
It was love.
It was affection.
It was so definite and overwhelming that she could no longer deceive herself.
Before meeting Greg, Silvia's life consisted only of her devout faith, the pressure from the church, the company of her friend Victoria, and the conflict and escapism regarding her own identity.
She had never imagined she could feel such intense and complex emotions for a man.
It was Greg who, like a prince from a fairy tale, had descended to save her when she was kidnapped and in the depths of despair.
“I like Senior Greg... like a princess in a fairy tale loves her prince... I love him...”
This realization made Silvia's cheeks instantly flush hot, and her heart beat like a drum.
But following that was a faint trace of bitterness and sorrow.
She remembered that Senior Greg seemed... particularly concerned about Victoria.
He would visit the injured Victoria late at night, and his eyes would change when he mentioned her.
And Victoria—though she always said she hated Senior Greg—Silvia could feel that her friend's attitude was changing unconsciously. Her expression when mentioning Greg was no longer one of pure dislike.
“The one Senior Greg likes... might be Victoria... and Victoria is so good, so excellent. They are the ones who match...”
An indescribable sense of loss welled up in her heart.
But soon, it was replaced by another more secret, even slightly self-reproaching sense of satisfaction.
“But... like this, being able to hold him tightly, letting him lean in my arms, being able to look at him this closely and feel his warmth and breath... even if only for a moment, I feel... so happy, so safe...”
“Am I... being bad? Even though I know Senior Greg might like Victoria, even though Victoria is my best friend... yet I actually... have such despicable thoughts and am secretly enjoying this feeling...”
Silvia's face grew even redder, but her arms around Greg unconsciously tightened a bit, burying his head deeper into the soft fullness of her chest.
A mix of a sense of immorality and a secret excitement—as if doing something wrong without being caught—quietly took root in her heart.
“Right now... I'm just like a... bad girl doing something wrong...”
She gently rubbed against Greg's soft blonde hair, feeling the warmth and weight of the body in her arms as if she possessed the most precious treasure in the world, even if it was only borrowed for a moment.
“Oh? It seems it has just finished?”
A mature female voice suddenly rang out above the ruins.
The voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of the two embracing people.
Before sinking completely into darkness, Greg's fading consciousness caught the sound. One last thought flickered like a dying spark:
...Another expert!?
Immediately after, his consciousness completely surrendered, falling into a boundless darkness and chaos.
Rate on N.U.
