Misunderstanding

Greg had to admit that the excuse he had come up with on the spot was practically perfect.

First, it was based partly on fact. There were abnormalities in the Dungeon, and three upperclassmen had indeed entered without returning. It could stand up to scrutiny.

Second, it dressed up Greg's motives, turning his purely personal quest requirements into an investigation of those abnormalities and concern for fellow students who might be in danger. It sounded full of responsibility and righteousness.

That would easily resonate with upright people like Victoria and Sylvia.

Finally, it cleverly attributed the urgency to a humanitarian crisis-fellow students might be in danger and need rescuing. That made it difficult to refuse, while perfectly concealing his own deadly countdown.

Greg was even a little impressed by his own ability to make things up under pressure.

Sure enough, both Victoria's and Sylvia's expressions changed when they heard his explanation.

"There are abnormalities in the Dungeon?"

"Some upperclassmen are trapped inside?"

The two spoke almost simultaneously, their voices turning serious and worried.

"The information hasn't been confirmed yet, so I need to go down and check as soon as possible."

Greg stressed, "If it's true, the sooner we act, the better their chances of survival."

Sylvia immediately looked at Victoria, her pink eyes filled with an urgency that said, We have to help.

Victoria's brow furrowed.

She thought a little further ahead than Sylvia did.

Unknown abnormalities in the Dungeon, upperclassmen possibly in danger... this really was serious.

In her current condition, insisting on going along would not help. She might even become a burden.

After a few seconds of silence, she raised her head and looked at Greg, then at Sylvia.

"In my current condition, I'd only get in the way."

Her voice was calm as she made a rational judgment. "Sylvia, your light magic is excellent for support. You should be able to help. Greg..."

She paused, her gray eyes meeting Greg's directly. "I'm entrusting Sylvia to you. Make sure you protect her in the Dungeon, or I'll never forgive you!"

In the past, Victoria would never have felt comfortable letting Sylvia go somewhere so dangerous alone with Greg.

But Greg's actions lately had done a great deal to change her initial impression of him.

She believed that, at least in this matter, Greg was serious and would do his best.

Sylvia had not expected Victoria to agree to let her go. She nodded emphatically, feeling both a little nervous and inexplicably filled with excitement and a sense of purpose.

"I-I'll be careful! Make sure you rest and recover too, Victoria!"

She turned to Greg, her pink eyes sparkling with the excitement and earnestness of someone taking part in an important mission for the first time.

"Senior Greg, when are we leaving? Is there anything I need to prepare?"

As a saintess candidate, she had always been well protected and had hardly ever done anything that truly fulfilled her duties.

But now, she was about to enter the dangerous Dungeon with Senior Greg to investigate its abnormalities, and perhaps even rescue the upperclassmen trapped inside!

It made the mission resting on her shoulders suddenly feel real and tangible.

"I'm fairly familiar with the first floor. You don't need to prepare anything special."

Greg looked at Sylvia, speaking a little faster than usual. "But if possible, I'd like to... leave right now."

For him, speed was everything.

The plot had already reached the later stages of the first chapter, and he had inadvertently defeated a miniboss that should not have appeared until much later. That had undoubtedly accelerated the overall progression considerably.

And according to the original story, Sylvia would be kidnapped during the crucial event at the end of the first chapter.

He really did not have much time left to act.

To play it as safe as possible, starting now was the best choice.

Sylvia and Victoria naturally interpreted Greg's urgency as concern for the three upperclassmen who might be trapped. Neither objected; instead, they felt his haste was entirely reasonable.

"I understand!"

Sylvia nodded firmly, determination shining in her pink eyes. "Then let's leave right away!"

Although the Academy had a curfew, its rules only prohibited students from wandering around the grounds after the designated hour. They did not require students to remain in their dormitories.

This setting had probably been intended to make it easier for the protagonist to trigger various special nighttime events that raised his affection levels with the heroines.

But right now, it also made Greg and Sylvia's nighttime excursion easier.

After a brief farewell to Victoria in her hospital bed, Sylvia followed Greg's instructions and, with his help, clambered somewhat awkwardly but successfully out of the ward's window, landing on the grass below.

Greg followed close behind, his movements more practiced.

Victoria leaned by the window and watched their figures quickly blend into the shadows of the trees in the hospital garden until they disappeared.

She let out a soft breath, her gray eyes calm in the night.

She silently prayed for their journey to go safely, while another thought grew clearer in her mind: she had to recover as quickly as possible and become stronger.

At the very least, she had to make up for the support she could not give them this time.

"Senior Greg."

Once they had left the hospital grounds and were walking along a relatively secluded path, Sylvia finally could not resist asking in a hushed voice:

"Why did we... go out of our way to climb through the window just now? Couldn't we have used the main entrance?"

"Uh..."

The question left Greg at a loss for words.

He could hardly tell her the truth: that he had caused a huge commotion in the girls' dormitory area not long ago, and now his guilty conscience had him terrified of being recognized or questioned if he used the main entrance.

His mind raced, and he quickly found an explanation that sounded fairly reasonable.

"Well... mainly, I don't want anyone else to know we're in contact privately."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Sylvia's heart sank slightly, and her steps unconsciously slowed.

A faint sense of inferiority quietly surfaced, so subtle that even she did not fully notice it.

Could it be... that Senior Greg didn't want to get too close to commoners like them?