Icy, bone-chilling river water flooded her mouth and nose. Her lungs felt as if they were being squeezed by an invisible hand, and her oxygen was rapidly depleting.
Lilith Kahn, the Second Princess of the kingdom, felt only the sickening sensation of slimy tentacles coiling around her ankle and the despair of being dragged into the bottomless darkness in the final moments before she lost consciousness.
Then, a powerful force suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Splash!
The moment she broke the surface, fresh air rushed into her burning lungs. Lilith coughed violently, water spraying from her mouth and nose.
She collapsed onto the rough rocks, soaked to the bone. Her academy uniform clung to her skin, and she was shivering uncontrollably.
She was saved.
The realization almost brought her to tears.
But her pride as a Princess forced her to suppress the vulnerability of her near-death experience. She propped herself up, her voice still trembling as she spoke.
"Cough... Th—ugh..."
The words of gratitude caught in her throat.
When she lifted her wet face and her gaze focused on the person who had saved her, her red pupils suddenly contracted.
That all-too-familiar face.
"...Greg?!" She stared with wide eyes, choking out the words. "Why is it you?!"
His blond hair was darker from the water, several strands sticking to his forehead, while droplets slid down his sharp jawline.
He was Greg Sass, the man who had once been engaged to her older sister.
Fortunately, her father, the King, had quickly realized Greg possessed no magical talent and promptly canceled the engagement.
Current events had proven her father’s decision correct—Greg Sass was indeed a mediocre talent who was all style and no substance.
Not only had he tampered with the Placement Exam, but he had also made arrogant claims to a freshman before hiding in the dungeon, not even daring to attend classes.
Such disgraceful behavior had even led his family to publicly announce his expulsion... He was utterly pathetic.
Though he possessed a handsome face that anyone would praise, for some reason, Lilith could never find interest in his looks. In fact, she felt a faint sense of revulsion toward him.
"You know me?"
Greg was somewhat surprised. He had no memory of this female student he had just saved. Moreover, judging by the cuff on her wrist, she was a first-year freshman, so there shouldn't have been any intersection between them.
Lilith then realized she was still under the effect of her disguise item, so Greg didn't recognize her.
She quickly adjusted her expression, trying to make her voice sound like that of an ordinary first-year student.
"Um, yes. Since Senior Greg is quite famous among the freshmen, I naturally know who you are."
"Famous? Heh, infamous is more like it."
With a self-deprecating chuckle, he let go of her hand and stopped looking at her. He turned and walked deeper into the cave, his departure crisp and decisive.
Eh?
Lilith was stunned, remaining in a half-seated position as she stared blankly at the figure gradually merging into the darkness.
He... just left?
He saved her, confirmed she was alright, and then walked away without saying another word?
This didn't match any of the scenarios she had imagined.
In her understanding, Greg Sass should have been the type of person to take advantage of the situation to make all sorts of demands.
He should have asked for a reward, or at the very least, put on an air of "I saved you, so you owe me a favor."
Such things were all too common in aristocratic circles; performing a favor with the expectation of a reward was an instinct almost carved into their bones.
But he didn't.
Even when she mentioned he was 'famous,' he didn't hesitate to mock himself as 'infamous.'
Was this really the same arrogant fool from the rumors?
Lilith pushed herself up from the damp rocks, her uniform skirt still dripping.
As she watched Greg's silhouette about to disappear around the corner of the passage, a certain emotion surged in her chest. It wasn't just gratitude; part of it was her pride as a Princess.
As the Second Princess of the Kahn Kingdom, Lilith Kahn would never allow someone to save her and then simply walk away as if nothing had happened.
This was a matter of principle, regardless of who the other person was.
Lilith grit her teeth and hurried after him.
Her soaked boots made a splashing sound against the uneven ground, echoing clearly in the silent cave.
"Hey, wait!"
She caught up to him and blocked his path.
Greg stopped and looked down at her.
He was nearly a head taller than her, a height difference that forced Lilith to tilt her head back.
"Greg, who do you think you just saved? I am the great—"
She slammed on the brakes, nearly blowing her own cover.
Greg blinked in confusion. "The great?"
"...The great daughter of a wealthy merchant, Lily Carlo!" she lied, forcing herself to continue.
"A merchant's daughter, huh."
The title made Greg think of the fourth heroine from his year, though the only difference was that the real one was the daughter of the wealthiest man in the kingdom's largest chamber of commerce, truly born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
"And?" He started walking again, sidestepping her to continue forward.
It took Lilith two seconds to realize he was responding to her previous statement.
She jogged to keep up. "So, I have to repay you! I, Lily Carlo, never owe anyone favors!"
Greg stopped once more. His expression became subtle, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, as if he had heard something unbelievable.
"Wait..." he said, his voice laced with obvious bewilderment. "Are you saying... you want to repay me?"
"Yes!"
Greg paused, his tone becoming even more peculiar. "You mean you don't intend to use this to blackmail me, or falsely accuse me of doing something to you while you were vulnerable?"
"Of course not! Would someone really be that cruel to their savior?" Lilith said, feeling a bit helpless.
Greg asked, "Is there really no one like that?"
"......"
Lilith was suddenly at a loss for words. She remembered some rumors she had heard before; there indeed had been cases where people were saved only to turn around and bite the hand that fed them.
Finally, she could only manage to say, "At least I won't."
"You're surprisingly a good girl, aren't you?" Greg's opinion of her instantly shot up.
"......"
Lilith felt conflicted for a moment. She was the one who had been saved and wanted to show her gratitude, so why was she being praised by him instead?
Gurgle~
At that moment, Lilith's stomach made an ungraceful sound. After all, she had entered the dungeon without even eating dinner to avoid those three maids.
Seeing this, Greg naturally extended an invitation. "I was just about to get some food. Want to join me?"
Although she was just a background character he didn't recognize, her kindness had earned Greg's favor, so he didn't mind letting this girl into his camp.
"You can cook?!" Lilith was even more shocked now.
Nobles typically never entered the kitchen.
Cooking was a servant's job, a skill for the lower classes.
A son of a Duke like Greg shouldn't even know how to hold a kitchen knife, logically speaking.
"Otherwise, how do you think I've survived here for so many days?" Greg turned to lead the way, his pace casual.
Just then, several low-level monsters suddenly lunged from the shadows, their fangs glinting coldly.
"Watch out—!"
Lilith's warning wasn't even fully out of her mouth.
Greg didn't even turn his head. He simply raised his hand casually, a spark of fire flickering at his fingertips.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three Fireballs shot out with near zero-frame startup speed, precisely hitting the monsters' heads.
The monsters didn't even have time to howl before they collapsed to the ground, charred black.
Greg walked over, picked up one of the perfectly roasted ingredients, and nodded with satisfaction.
"The skin is already crispy. Saves me the prep work. It'll definitely smell better when I'm done with it."
"......"
Lilith stood frozen, watching the blond youth who was calmly discussing cooking while holding a monster corpse. She thought back to the image of the foolish and overbearing scoundrel from the rumors.
...This vibe doesn't match at all!!
Is this really the same person!?
Rate on N.U.
