Ellie Hill

Whenever a player-controlled character was hospitalized, they were assigned this room by default, so Greg had instinctively assumed Victoria would be here too.

But on second thought, Victoria had never been hospitalized after the class placement assessment in the original game, because she had won.

So it made sense that another injured student was occupying this hospital room reserved for the protagonist.

"I've memorized all your basic information."

Greg stuffed the student ID he had found in the backpack on the bedside table back inside, then addressed Yelina, who lay on the bed wrapped in bandages:

"So, those things you just heard... you understand what will happen if word gets out, don't you?"

All the innocent Yelina could do was nod frantically.

Only after securing her promise did Greg turn and leave the room.

Victoria stood in the hallway outside, quietly watching him.

She had some bandages on her too, but her injuries were clearly far lighter than those of the mummy inside. A few days of rest looked like all she needed to recover.

"Looks like you really aren't hurt that badly." Greg looked her over, relief audible in his voice. "That's a weight off my mind."

Victoria's gray eyes widened slightly.

She had thought Greg had come to mock her while he had the chance.

After all, she had received the Reflection Gem from him, only to lose the match before she could even use it. That was embarrassing however she looked at it.

But she hadn't expected this...

Her gaze swept over Greg.

His Academy uniform was dusty, his cuffs were scorched, and something like sharp claws had even slashed his hem. His face bore scrapes and signs of exhaustion.

That clearly hadn't happened at the hospital.

He must have come straight here from the Dungeon... he went out of his way to check on me, even though he was injured himself?

That realization left Victoria with mixed feelings.

When they first enrolled, they had been enemies through and through.

Although Greg had claimed in the Dungeon that it was merely an act to break away from his family, Victoria hadn't fully believed his explanation.

She was accustomed to judging people by their actions and results, and Greg's past misconduct was hardly something she could dismiss so easily.

Yet now, he was clearly injured himself, and he had still come...

This concern, unnecessary as it seemed to her, made the high wall of wariness in her heart crumble a little despite herself.

"...You don't blame me?"

After a few seconds of silence, Victoria finally spoke, her voice softer than usual:

"I took the Reflection Gem from you, but I lost without even getting a chance to use it."

"So you lost. It was just one assessment. What's there to blame you for?"

Greg answered without hesitation, almost casually. "Winning and losing are part of life. What matters is that you're all right."

He meant every word.

Although he didn't know why Victoria had deviated from the original plot and lost to Lilith this time, thankfully, her injuries weren't serious. That meant the plot wouldn't stall for too long.

As long as he found a way to handle some of the problems that required the protagonist's involvement during her few days of recovery, he could steer the story back on track as much as possible and keep later deviations from growing too large.

As for winning or losing... honestly, as long as Victoria, the hero, could keep growing, follow the main storyline, and defeat the Demon King, losing to the princess once along the way didn't matter to Greg at all.

If anything, seeing the heroine alive and kicking mattered more than anything else.

His reaction was completely beyond Victoria's expectations.

There was no ridicule, no disappointment, not even any questions about the details of the match. There was only an almost matter-of-fact acceptance, and... a barely perceptible concern for her injuries?

That only left Victoria more uncertain about how to respond.

She was used to straightforward conflicts or cool calculations of mutual benefit, but this ambiguous interaction, tinged with awkward concern, left her at a loss.

When Greg saw that she wasn't speaking, he added:

"Don't overthink it. There's no shame in being unable to take Her Highness Lilith's Flame Explosion head-on, even if it was only an early version."

"The fact that you were still planning a counterattack under those circumstances is already impressive."

"You lost this time. Just win next time. You've still got a long road ahead of you."

It sounded like both reassurance and a statement of fact.

Victoria looked up at him. Greg's expression was unremarkable, his gaze calm, as though he were saying something that couldn't have been more obvious.

"..."

Victoria pressed her lips together and finally gave an almost inaudible "Mm."

Perhaps it was her imagination, but when she heard Greg's last words, "You've still got a long road ahead of you," they seemed to pry open a tiny crack in the heavy knot of defeat and self-doubt weighing on her heart.

Although she still couldn't trust him completely, at least at that moment, Victoria's impression of Greg had indeed undergone another subtle shift.

Perhaps he really wasn't entirely the sort of person she had first believed him to be.

"Since there's nothing seriously wrong, keep getting some rest. I have to go."

Seeing that Victoria was doing reasonably well, Greg had no intention of staying longer.

He hadn't slipped out of the Dungeon specifically to visit her. Now that he had confirmed the protagonist was all right, his real objective was still waiting for him.

"Your injuries..."

Before Greg could walk away, Victoria spoke instinctively, her gaze falling on his damaged clothes.

"Nothing serious. A good night's sleep will fix them."

Greg waved dismissively and turned toward the other end of the hallway. "See you."

Victoria watched his swiftly retreating figure disappear into the stairwell. She stood there a little longer before turning and slowly returning to her room.

The injury on her shoulder still ached faintly, but the negative thoughts that had been churning endlessly through her mind seemed to have settled a little, unexpectedly.

As the Kingdom's foremost institution, Glory Kael Magic Academy naturally occupied an exceptional location.

Beyond the Academy's towering walls lay the most prosperous city in the northern Kingdom.

It was late at night, but the city had not yet fallen completely asleep.

Magic-powered public carriages occasionally passed along the distant main road, their lamps trailing flowing streaks of light over the cobblestones.

Many shops lining the streets had already closed, but warm yellow decorative lights still glowed in their windows, illuminating a dazzling assortment of goods.

Higher up, scattered lights shone through the windows of mansions in the noble district, while the enormous magical neon billboards hanging over the commercial district tirelessly cycled through brilliant images and text, advertising the latest magical devices or theatrical performances.

The nighttime scenery here really was beautiful.

When playing the original game, Greg had often guided his character on leisurely strolls through the city's streets and alleys, triggering side quests or simply admiring the unique atmosphere of this fantastical city.

Those meticulously rendered streets, the lively NPC conversations, and the explorable secrets hidden everywhere had brought him plenty of enjoyment.

But tonight, he clearly wasn't in the mood.

Although Ellie hadn't explicitly said where she would wait for him, and the original game had contained no storyline in which she was asked to leave the Academy, Greg knew exactly where she would choose, thanks to his knowledge of her character.

He didn't linger on the brightly lit streets. Instead, he turned into an alley and moved quickly toward the city center under cover of the shadows.

At last, he stopped before a building.

It was one of the tallest buildings in the city-the City Clock Tower.

Its ancient masonry stood silent and imposing in the night, the enormous mechanical clock face at its top gleaming with a cold metallic sheen beneath the moonlight.

The clock tower wasn't open to the public, but Greg knew of a hidden maintenance stairway.

He took a deep breath and began to climb.

The wind grew louder in his ears, while the city's clamor and lights slowly shrank beneath his feet, becoming a hazy sea of light.

As he pushed open the heavy little door at the top, the biting night wind struck his face without obstruction, tossing his hair and making his clothes snap and flutter.

The platform at the top of the clock tower was empty. Only the enormous gears and pendulum mechanism moved, slowly and steadily, producing heavy, hypnotic clicks.

Moonlight poured down freely here, coating everything in cool, silvery white.

And at the edge of the platform, beyond the railing, a white figure stood quietly in the open air, overlooking the entire sleeping city.

The night wind stirred the long skirt of her maid uniform and her long golden hair. With her back to Greg, she stood straight as a spear, as though she had already been waiting for countless hours.

Seemingly sensing his arrival, she slowly turned around.

The moonlight illuminated her face.

It was an impeccable face, as delicate as a doll's. Her blue eyes were crystal clear beneath the moonlight, yet so deep they seemed capable of drawing in a person's soul.

With looks like those, it was no wonder she had been so popular in the original game.

Her expression was calm, and the faintest hint of a smile even touched her lips.

Yet a fine layer of cold sweat instantly broke out across Greg's back.

Ellie Hill.

His personal maid.

Or rather, his former personal maid.

Looking at Greg, she tilted her head slightly. Her smile seemed to deepen a fraction, and her voice was as soft as the night wind:

"Good evening, Young Master Greg. You've arrived a little later than expected. Do that again, and I'll kill you~"