The atmosphere at the dining table was as precarious as if it were suspended in midair by a taut string.
There were far too many of them to fit around one table, so Rom, Colwin, Kaira, and Adele tactfully chose an empty table nearby.
As he sat down, Rom even shot Greg a look that said he was on his own, making no effort to hide his delight at Greg's predicament.
Greg, meanwhile, was forced to sit right in the middle of the large table.
Victoria was on his left, and Vivian was on his right.
The five of them sat around the round table, with a few plates of appetizers and some tea laid out before them, but no one reached for their chopsticks first.
The only one unaffected by the delicate atmosphere was probably Juno.
She held the menu, her eyes sparkling as she scanned the dishes and muttered:
"This one, this one, and this one... Ah, this looks delicious too! I want them all!"
That damn troublemaker actually had the nerve to enjoy herself this much... I hope you choke on your food!
Greg seethed inwardly.
Fortunately, Juno's antics also helped ease the atmosphere around the table considerably.
"Heh. I never thought I'd run into a commoner like you over dinner."
After a while, Lilith lifted her teacup and took an elegant sip, then let her gaze drift toward Victoria, a hint of haughty provocation in her voice:
"Come to think of it, although the Final Defense didn't have specific scores or rankings, I'm sure the Academy Head and the others thought I was better. After all, a subject as profound as the origin of magic certainly isn't something a commoner like you could understand."
Victoria did not even raise her eyelids. She picked up a piece