Why did I dream about that guy?

Nightmare showed neither excitement nor disappointment when she heard Greg's words.

She simply sat quietly on her haunches, watching Greg with calm, deep-green eyes.

"This was merely a gamble of mine."

Her ethereal voice rang out in Greg's mind.

"To place my remaining hope in you alone was already the greatest uncertainty. I have neither the right nor the desire to forcibly interfere with your choices or your path."

She paused, and something almost like acceptance seemed to appear on her feline face.

"If, one day, the fate I fear most truly comes to pass... then you and I shall meet our end together. At least we will not be lonely on the road to the afterlife. We will still have each other."

Having said that, Nightmare stopped looking at Greg, as though she had truly laid down some heavy burden.

She hopped lightly off the rock and walked over to the warm campfire. Finding a flat, dry patch of ground, she curled up gracefully, buried her head in her forepaws, and gently wrapped her tail around her body.

Within a few breaths, she began to purr softly and steadily.

Her posture and the sound were no different from those of a house cat dozing contentedly beside a winter hearth. Nothing suggested that she had been discussing the fate of the world just moments ago.

Greg: "..."

Watching the black cat fall asleep in an instant, he found himself at a loss for words.

Wasn't this goddess a little too... serene... or rather, a little too ready to give up?

Still, on second thought, perhaps that was for the best.

He had had enough of those plots that threw you into the fire at the slightest excuse of "for the world" or "for all living beings."

Being able to make his own choices, even if he chose to do nothing, gave him a little peace of mind.

That peace of mind, however, lasted only a few seconds.

He abruptly slapped his forehead, his face falling. "Oh, crap!"

He had been so caught up discussing something as impossibly distant as the destruction of the world with this fallen goddess that he had nearly forgotten the crisis right in front of him!

Ellie, the maid!

The ruthless woman who had said she would storm the Dungeon and hold a funeral for him while he was still alive if she didn't see him within a week!

His original plan had been to risk leaving the Dungeon late tonight, when everyone was asleep. He would avoid anyone and anywhere in the Academy that might trigger a death CG as best he could, sneak off to find Ellie, and placate her first.

But now?

After all that back-and-forth with the goddess, it was probably already past midnight outside.

If he left now, he would have too little time, and the risk would rise dramatically.

"I'll have to wait until tomorrow night..."

Greg sighed helplessly, feeling that his plans could never keep up with the changes.

Tomorrow was the class placement assessment. With so many people and prying eyes at the Academy, moving around during the day would be difficult. He could only put it off another night.

Hopefully Ellie... could be a little more patient?

Though, judging by what he knew of that maid, the chances were slim.

Since things had come to this, he might as well sleep first.

He walked to the other side of the campfire and lay down on a relatively flat patch of ground a little farther from the damp rock wall.

All he had beneath him was his Academy coat, which barely qualified as bedding.

The Dungeon's characteristic cold and damp seeped mercilessly through the thin fabric. Even through the coat, he could clearly feel the loose stones digging into him.

"Tch, this damned place..."

Greg shifted uncomfortably. The ground dug into him, and it was cold.

Gazing at the faint outlines of the cave ceiling in the darkness, he made up his mind: once this current mess was over, he would find a way to upgrade his living arrangements!

Sleeping on stone every day would ruin even a back made of iron.

Between his tangled thoughts and the uncomfortable surroundings, sleep would not come easily.

Greg lay with his eyes open, listening to the faint crackling of the campfire, the endless flow of the Dark River, and the steady purring of the black cat beside him.

Tomorrow... was the class placement assessment.

One of the original story's major plot points.

Victoria and Sylvia would distinguish themselves during the assessment, establishing their standing at the Academy.

Princess Lilith would also face Victoria in a fateful showdown during the assessment, which would open her romance route.

Please, don't let anything go wrong... Greg prayed silently.

After all, his entire future depended on that gray-haired heroine clearing the story as planned.

"Repay me? There's no need to go to all that trouble. You... well, just keep supporting Princess Lilith like this."

That low, gentle male voice, tinged with a helpless smile, seemed to linger in her ears.

Morning sunlight filtered through the expensive Magic Crystal window of the princess's dormitory, spilling softly into the room.

Nestled in soft velvet bedding, Lilith slowly opened her eyes.

Her ruby-red eyes were still a little hazy at first, reflecting the steadily brightening daylight outside.

Then the words from last night's dream surfaced clearly in her mind.

"Ugh..."

Lilith let out an indistinct groan, abruptly pulled the soft velvet blanket over her entire head, and rolled back and forth across the spacious bed like a little silkworm trying to wrap itself up.

"Damn it! Why?! Why did I have to dream about that guy?!"

Her voice came from beneath the blanket, full of embarrassment and irritation.

After rolling around several times, she finally flung the blanket off with a swish and sat bolt upright.

Her long, flame-bright hair had become a tangled mess from sleeping and rolling around. A few unruly strands stuck up, while others clung to her cheeks, which were slightly flushed from the stuffiness and agitation.

Even with her hair a mess, wearing nothing but a silk nightdress, and still a little dazed from waking up, the girl's face remained breathtakingly exquisite, like the loveliest rose in the morning light.

At that moment, however, this rose was troubled by complicated emotions.

She hugged her knees and rested her chin on them, her ruby-red eyes staring somewhat blankly at the gradually paling sky outside.

"Wait..."

A thought suddenly intruded into her mind, making her eyes widen slightly.

"Could it be... that everything that happened yesterday was just something I imagined?"

Once that idea appeared, it spread rapidly like a vine.

"After all... that was Greg Sass!"

She spoke quietly, as though trying to convince herself.

"That arrogant, rude, stupid, shallow idiot of a noble who got kicked out of his family! How could he possibly... possibly make me think he was... interesting? And save me? And say something like that? And roast such delicious meat?"

The more she thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

She even began to wonder whether she had been under too much stress lately.

Or... had she read some strange novel that caused it?

"Yes, that must be it!"

Lilith nodded firmly, as though she had found the perfect explanation.

"I never left my dormitory yesterday, let alone went to some Dungeon! I imagined everything! It was a dream! Yes, just a rather realistic dream!"

She breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though that strange weight in her heart had finally lifted.

If it had been a dream, everything made sense.

Those conflicting feelings, those unexpected conversations, those... details she found herself dwelling on a little were all merely illusions woven by a dream.

Just then-

With a soft creak, the bedroom door was gently pushed open.

Laila, the bespectacled maid with an intelligent, composed air, walked softly into the room carrying a basin of water at just the right temperature for washing.

Seeing the princess sitting dazed on the bed with her hair a mess, she smiled faintly, set the basin on a silver stand nearby, and spoke in her usual steady, gentle tone.

"Good morning, Your Highness. Did you sleep well last night?"

As she spoke, she deftly wrung out a soft silk cloth that had been soaking in the warm water.

"Still, Your Highness, even if you've made a new friend, getting so excited that you forget your basic decorum and look like this in the morning... might put them off, you know."

Laila's voice was quiet, and her tone carried a maid's customary respect and consideration.

But to Lilith, it was nothing short of a thunderclap!

"Friend"?!

Then everything that happened yesterday really wasn't a dream?!