A change of heart about Greg

"Huh?" Sylvia blinked in confusion. "Then what was it...?"

Victoria hesitated, but told her anyway. "Last night, after curfew... Greg came by."

"Senior Greg?" Sylvia looked even more surprised.

"Yes."

Victoria nodded, recalling their brief but unexpected conversation in the corridor the night before.

"He came to check on me and said a few things... He's still as unpleasant to listen to as ever, but... I think he had a point."

She paused, her voice growing firmer, as though she were trying to convince herself.

"It was just one match. If I lost, I could win the next one. There's still a long road ahead of us. There's no reason to stop moving just because we stumbled once."

"Exactly!"

Sylvia nodded vigorously, her pink eyes sparkling.

"That really was a good thing for Senior Greg to say! See? Maybe we really did misunderstand him a little. He's actually a good person!"

Remembering how Greg had saved her in the Dungeon without asking for payment, and how a few words from him had now helped Victoria get back on her feet, Sylvia felt her trust and closeness toward him grow further. The fact that she and Greg both held the special status of the goddess's emissaries only strengthened those feelings.

But just then, she suddenly caught a detail in what Victoria had said-

"Wait, Victoria. Did you just say... Senior Greg came 'after curfew'?"

"Oh, yes."

Victoria nodded without giving it much thought.

After curfew... late at night... a boy and a girl... alone in the corridor outside the ward...

Those phrases combined uncontrollably in Sylvia's mind.

Her smile faltered slightly, and a faint sense of unease rose in her heart, so subtle that even she could not explain where it came from.

Victoria seemed completely oblivious to her friend's momentary change.

A faint blush rose to her cheeks. She turned her gaze toward the window awkwardly, deliberately putting a stiff edge into her voice.

"Well... I'll admit my opinion of him has improved a little. But-but he was the one who provoked me in front of all those people at the start of the school year! So I'm not going to forgive him that easily! I still dislike him!"

Her words lacked conviction. Instead, her awkward insistence only made it seem as though she had something to hide.

"Oh? Why does it feel like someone's character has suddenly taken a turn toward tsundere?"

A distinctly teasing male voice suddenly came from the window.

"Eek!"

Sylvia flinched at the unexpected voice and nearly jumped out of her chair, hurriedly turning toward its source.

Victoria whipped her head around as well.

At some point, a figure had appeared beside the ward's open window.

With one hand braced against the sill, Greg hauled himself inside with some difficulty. He staggered slightly when he landed, clearly injured.

He looked even worse than he had the night before.

His Academy uniform was covered in dust and fresh scuff marks. A tear in his sleeve exposed a nasty wound beneath it that had stopped bleeding, and several new bloody scratches marked his face. His hair was a mess, and he looked utterly exhausted, as though he had just escaped some chaotic battlefield.

"S-Senior Greg!"

As soon as Sylvia saw the state he was in, she forgot her earlier unease. Her pink eyes filled with worry as she hurried over.

"All those injuries... what happened? How did you get hurt so badly? Are you all right?"

Greg steadied himself and tugged at the corners of his mouth, producing an awkward smile that seemed equal parts toothache and embarrassment.

"Uh... about that..."

His gaze wandered as he raised a hand to rub the back of his head. "It's a long story, so I won't tell it."

He could hardly tell them that he had sneaked into the girls' dormitory area under cover of night to find Sylvia, only to come up empty after searching everywhere. Just as he was about to slip away, his damned negative ten luck had suddenly worked its magic.

First, he had nearly run straight into a girl who had just finished bathing. In his frantic attempt to hide, he had knocked over a drying rack, triggering a chain of collapsing racks and alerting the patrolling magic golems. Then, while fleeing, he had happened to trigger some prank alarm barrier, lighting up half the dormitory area...

In the ensuing chaos, which had nearly led to every girl in the school hunting him down, only his familiarity with the terrain had allowed him to scramble out alive.

Telling anyone about that experience would accomplish nothing except social suicide.

Although Victoria and Sylvia knew none of the details, his appearance and the timing of his arrival naturally led them to think of the Dungeon.

He really was working hard to fulfill his duties, exploring that dangerous place...

The same thought arose in both their minds.

Thinking of the missions they themselves bore, they could not help feeling a little closer to the young man before them, who likewise carried a special mission and was clearly struggling to fulfill it. Their fondness for him grew a little, too.

At the very least, he truly was a deeply responsible person.

Victoria was the first to gather her thoughts. Her gray eyes settled calmly on Greg as she got straight to the point.

"So you came here because you need something from us, right?"

She was no fool.

Greg had only visited her yesterday and confirmed that her injuries were not serious.

He would hardly come running back today, covered in injuries himself, just to wander around or check on her a second time.

Greg was somewhat surprised by Victoria's directness, but he had no intention of beating around the bush either.

He nodded, his expression turning serious.

"I do. Remember what I mentioned before? I'd like you both to help me clear the first floor of the Dungeon."

"A-are we going now?"

Sylvia glanced at Victoria's still-bandaged shoulder and said worriedly, "But Victoria hasn't recovered yet. I'm afraid she won't be able to fight..."

Victoria said nothing, merely watching Greg.

She knew he must have a reason for being in such a hurry.

Judging by the personality he had shown so far, he would not rush to make progress for no reason.

Greg did indeed have a reason: a countdown to his death that he could not reveal.

If he failed to clear the first floor before the first chapter's storyline ended, he would be done for.

But he could not tell them that.

His mind raced, and he instantly came up with a perfect excuse, one that would both explain the urgency and appeal to their sense of responsibility.

"Because the Dungeon... has been showing some unusual signs lately."

Greg lowered his voice, his tone grave. "I suspect something may have gone wrong down there, and I want to investigate as soon as possible. And..."

He deliberately paused, sweeping his gaze over the two girls before continuing slowly.

"I've received some vague information that three upperclassmen may have entered the Dungeon earlier and still haven't come out. I'm a little... worried about them."