Greg truly could not understand why Nightmare became so enthusiastic whenever he mentioned this. It was as though he was not going to conquer the Dungeon, but to clean up her enemies for her.
After silently grumbling to himself, Greg decided not to dwell on why this unreliable goddess was so fixated on clearing the Dungeon.
He gave his belt pouch and belongings one final check, slipped back out through the camouflage, and returned to the cavern where Vivian was waiting.
"Sorry for the wait. I got what I needed. Let's keep going." Greg pointed at his visibly bulging belt pouch.
Vivian's gaze lingered on the swollen pouch for a moment. A faint trace of puzzlement flickered through her ice-blue eyes, but she ultimately did not ask what was inside.
She merely nodded slightly and followed Greg as he set off again.
The two continued through the dim, winding underground passages.
"First that pink-haired bitch, and now thou art so attentive to this stone-faced human woman... Thou certainly dost keep busy."
Nightmare's unmistakably teasing voice rang out in his mind again, her tone leisurely.
Greg kept his expression composed and shot back mentally, "Heh, what's this? Is our esteemed goddess... jealous? I seem to remember you saying you were rather fond of this face of mine."
"Hmph!"
Nightmare's reply dripped with disdain and arrogance:
"I am the goddess who rules over Night. Why would I be jealous of a human woman? Thou dost underestimate my generosity of spirit."
An almost imperceptible smile tugged at Greg's lips as he continued their mental sparring:
"Really? Because right now, all I see is a Hachimi who spends most of her time acting cute and making snide remarks. Maybe once you start being more useful, I'll actually think of you as a goddess."
Even