The Second Defense officially drew to a close amid thunderous applause. Greg remained the only person in the history of the Exchange Meeting to have earned a perfect score.
Veronica slowly rose from her seat, gave the judges a slight nod, and then headed toward the exit along the side aisle, accompanied by her two sister bodyguards.
But the moment she stepped outside, many of the students in the Debate Hall sprang into action.
"Your Holiness! Please wait!"
"Your Holiness! I want to join the Church of Light too!"
"Your Holiness-"
As though drawn by some invisible force, they rose from their seats and surged in the direction Veronica had gone.
The crowd swept past like a tide, carrying everything in its path along with it.
Greg stood where he was, watching that white-clad figure gradually disappear amid the crowd, and silently counted his blessings.
Fortunately, he had spoken to Veronica beforehand, asking her to help conceal his identity and avoid doing anything suspicious.
Otherwise, with so many people watching today, even the slightest odd behavior from her could have exposed their relationship. That would have meant serious trouble.
"But come to think of it, what emergency held Veronica up today?"
Greg remembered no plot point in the original involving the Saintess arriving late on the day of the Second Defense.
Was this another butterfly effect caused by his intervention?
He frowned and put the question aside for now.
Amid the surging crowd, Greg noticed a pink figure moving along with everyone else. It looked like Sylvia.
"Strange. Does Sylvia have some reason to go out of her way to see Veronica now?"
The thought stirred his curiosity, but before he could consider it further, Rom and Colwin had already squeezed their way to his side. Each seized one of