What Do You Think of Them?

After reaching the camp, Lilith looked around.

The cave was more spacious than she had imagined, but apart from a crackling campfire, it was almost empty.

There was no bedding, no furniture, not even a decent storage container in sight.

Firelight danced across the rough rock walls, stretching and shortening their shadows.

She could not help wondering how Greg had managed to live here.

What puzzled her even more was whether Greg, with his old troublemaking temperament, could really stand living in this dark, silent Dungeon, with nothing but monsters for company.

Meanwhile, Greg glanced around the camp, seemingly searching for something.

His gaze swept over the corners of the rock walls and the edges of the fire, and he even looked up at the stalactites hanging overhead.

He did not look as though he was checking for danger, but rather making sure something was still there.

Yet he soon turned back, his expression calm once more.

"Find somewhere by the fire to sit. I'll prepare the ingredients first."

His voice sounded perfectly natural, as though he were entertaining classmates in the Academy's common room rather than a gloomy cave in the Dungeon.

With that, Greg dragged the charred monster carcass toward the Dark River.

Lilith chose a spot neither too close to nor too far from the fire and sat down to dry her soaking clothes.

Moisture rose from the fabric under the heat of the flames, carrying the faint fishy scent of river water and the Dungeon's distinctive blend of moss and minerals.

Watching Greg expertly butcher and wash the monster carcass by the river, Lilith could at least be sure of one thing: he had not lied about knowing how to cook.

The short sword that had once served as an ornament of his noble status turned in his hands as he trimmed away the inedible parts and cut off pieces suitable for grilling. His movements were so clean and efficient that he seemed less like a pampered young noble and more like a veteran of years in the wilderness.

The fire was warm, and her clothes gradually dried, but Lilith's thoughts drifted elsewhere.

She could not help thinking how surprised her older sister would be if she knew Lilith was spending time with her former fiancé like this.

After all, she and her sister had both loathed Greg Sass. Neither of them could have imagined a day like this would come.

With nothing to do, Lilith let her gaze wander over the ground.

Suddenly, she noticed something on the ground nearby catching the firelight now and then. It was not the gleam of ore, but a softer, subtler sheen.

She picked it up and examined it carefully in her palm.

It was a few strands of hair.

Gray, moderately long, and apparently in very good condition.

It was a tiny thing, but it gave Lilith a strange feeling. Holding the gray strands between her fingers, she called to Greg, who was still cleaning the ingredients beside the Dark River:

"Greg, has anyone else come here besides me?"

"How did you know?" Greg sounded puzzled for a moment, then continued, "Anyway, they were first-years, just like you."

As he spoke, he threaded the washed pieces of meat onto roughly whittled wooden skewers, then stood and returned to the campfire.

"Their names were Victoria and Sylvia. I imagine you've heard of them."

His tone was entirely casual.

He had no intention of hiding Victoria and Sylvia's visit, nor was there any need to.

As far as Greg was concerned, the "Lily Carlo" before him was merely a kindhearted background character. Even if she learned this information, she was bound not to cause any trouble.

It was them?!

Lilith was so shocked that she almost lost control of her expression.

Victoria and Sylvia were precisely the people she had intended to find today!

Why had they been here? And with Greg, of all people? Didn't the three of them have a serious feud?

Countless questions exploded in her mind, but Lilith forced down her shock and tried to maintain the reaction expected of a wealthy merchant's daughter.

She blinked, showing just the right amount of surprise. "But I thought... weren't you sworn enemies?"

Almost everyone at the Academy knew about the clash at the start of term.

Greg had publicly humiliated Victoria, and Victoria had thoroughly shown him up with her astonishing talent during the magic aptitude test.

"Oh, you mean what happened before."

Greg sat beside the fire and laid the meat skewers across a makeshift grill.

Fat began to drip, sparking little crackles in the flames as a savory, roasted aroma spread.

"We've actually made peace now."

He said it offhandedly, as though the confrontation that had become the talk of the Academy had been nothing more than a minor disagreement between classmates.

He even hoped this girl might help spread the news of their reconciliation once she left.

After all, he really had no reason to oppose the protagonists now. Finding a way to stay alive was hard enough. Who had the time to play the stereotypical villain?

In that case, they might as well all grow stronger in peace.

Once the heroines cleared the game, he could reap the benefits too and find a safe corner to spend the rest of his life.

Perfect plan.

How did he manage to make peace after doing something that awful?

Lilith felt as though the man before her had become shrouded in mist.

Every time she thought she had seen through him a little, another contradiction immediately appeared, leaving her unable to grasp his true nature.

The campfire crackled, flames licking the meat skewers as fat dripped into the fire and released waves of tempting roasted fragrance.

The cave filled with the warm aroma of food, a strange contrast to the Dungeon's usual cold and damp.

Lilith's stomach betrayed her with another growl, louder than before.

Her face warmed, and she quickly straightened her back, assuming the demure posture expected of a "wealthy merchant's daughter" and pretending the sound had not come from her.

"Ahem."

She cleared her throat, trying to regain control of the conversation. "Then what do you think of Victoria and Sylvia?"

Although Greg's transformation had surprised her, what concerned her most was still how strong those two were.

As someone who would also be competing in the class placement assessment, any information could prove crucial.

Greg answered immediately, "Honestly, they're both very pretty."

Lilith said, "...No, that's not what I meant."

After taking a deep breath, she tried again. "I mean, how do you think those two compare to Her Highness Lilith?"

This time, Greg did not answer right away.

He turned the skewers, remaining silent for several seconds.

Firelight flickered across his golden eyelashes, casting tiny shadows.

For a moment, Lilith actually felt nervous. It had been a long time since someone else's opinion had made her nervous.

Finally, Greg spoke.

"They each have their strengths."

"Their strengths?" The phrase caught Lilith's attention. She pressed him, "In what way, exactly?"

Greg rattled off his answer as though reciting a little rhyme:

"Sylvia has plenty up top, Victoria has legs you could admire for years, and Lilith is pretty well-rounded in both departments. So they each have their strengths."

The cave suddenly fell silent.

The crackle of the campfire, the flow of the Dark River, the faint growls of some unknown monster in the distance.

Every sound faded away in that instant, leaving only Greg's words echoing over and over in Lilith's mind.

She froze.

Completely and utterly froze.

Several seconds later-

"I told you that's not what I was talking about!!!"

Lilith's shriek nearly blew the roof off the cave.

She sprang to her feet, her face scarlet, half from mortification and half from anger.

This guy!

This guy really was still a scumbag!

He had been looking at me with those filthy eyes!

Absolutely unforgivable!