Her tone carried a glimmer of hope that even she hadn't fully realized, mixed with a fear of being rejected.
Greg was stunned for a moment, then let out a chuckle.
He reached out, instinctively wanting to pat her head, but he stopped halfway. Realizing the gesture might be a bit inappropriate, he casually pulled his hand back and shoved it into his pocket.
With a roguish smile, he said:
"Hate it? No way! Senior Yelena, you're really underestimating me. For a man, gossip can sometimes be a badge of honor proving his charm and worth! Being singled out for special care by a cute senior and drawing talk because of it? For a guy like me, that's practically a dream come true!"
His words were half-jesting, half-true; he was teasing her, but he genuinely didn't care about the rumors.
Reputation?
To him, that was one of the most worthless things in existence.
Greg rubbed his chin with one hand, putting on a serious, thinking expression as his tone turned slightly odd:
"While I don't have any weird religious hang-ups or some strange lolicon complex... since you've invited these rumors just to help me, Senior Yelena..."
He paused and looked at her. A half-joking, half-serious light flickered in his amber eyes, and his lips curled into a slightly wicked arc.
"Then, when the time comes, I'll definitely take proper responsibility like a true gentleman. You can rest easy on that."
"Religious hang-ups? Lolicon? Take responsibility...?"
Yelena was left dizzy by Greg's string of terms and expressions, which sounded completely nonsensical to her. Her round face was a mask of utter confusion and bewilderment.
She blinked her large eyes, trying to process Greg's meaning, but she clearly failed.
What on earth is Greg talking about?
I don't understand at all... but I have a feeling it's nothing very proper...
Just as Yelena's brain was about to overload from processing this strange information, leaving her in a brief daze—
"Look out—!!!"
"Get out of the way!!!"
Nearby, from the edge of a small open-air magic practice field, several panicked shouts suddenly rang out, accompanied by an unusually violent surge of mana!
Inside the practice field, a girl wearing a third-year uniform was frantically trying to control a fiery-red magic circle that had already formed but was extremely unstable.
The magic circle's light flared intensely. The wild fire elements within churned violently, making a gurgling sound like boiling water. It had clearly spiraled out of the caster's control!
Boom—!
A second later, the runaway magic circle suddenly contracted inward before erupting like a volcano pushed to its limit!
A brilliant, searing orange-red pillar of fire, carrying the distorted heat of the air and the pungent smell of sulfur, shot out like a mad dog off its leash. Completely ignoring the caster's original intent, it roared toward where Greg and Yelena were standing!
Judging by the amount of mana, the power of this spell had clearly reached the level of Mid-tier fire magic!
The air along its path crackled as it burned, and the grass on the ground instantly withered and curled into yellow char!
"Ah—!"
The sudden, lethal attack happened in the blink of an eye!
Before Yelena could even fully snap out of her confusion over Greg's strange words, her field of vision was filled by that blazing pillar of fire radiating terrifying heat and destruction!
Extreme terror gripped her heart like cold iron pincers!
Her mind went blank, and her body froze as if turned to stone. She could only watch helplessly as the flames representing death and pain expanded rapidly in her pupils...
Time seemed to stretch infinitely. The only things left in her ears were the roar of the burning flames and the frantic, drum-like pounding of her own heart.
However, at that critical moment—
"Tch."
A click of the tongue, carrying clear annoyance and a 'here we go again' vibe, sounded in her ear.
Unlike Yelena's complete paralysis and terror, Greg was long accustomed to this level of accidental attack—to the point of being almost numb to it.
He didn't even look at the incoming fire pillar, nor did he perform any complex casting wind-up or incantation.
He simply raised his right hand casually, pointing his index finger at the incoming flames. In an instant, highly compressed, deep-blue water mana condensed at his fingertip.
"Water Gun."
He whispered the name of a spell so basic it was the bare minimum of water magic.
However, what shot from his fingertip wasn't the weak stream of a typical LV1 Water Gun. It was a high-pressure water arrow, solid as a steel spike, with sharp mana light shimmering along its edges and moving at incredible speed! This was the result of the 【Water Gun】 skill reaching LV3 proficiency!
Pshhh—!!!
The condensed water arrow and the wild fire pillar collided in mid-air, triggering a violent elemental annihilation reaction!
Searing air currents mixed with cold water vapor, creating a chaotic and powerful shockwave that swept out in all directions!
An instant before the chaotic steam shockwave could reach him and Yelena, his feet shifted in a swift, ghost-like sidestep. At the same time, he threw his arm out, firmly blocking the still-dazed Yelena!
Boom!
The steam impact, laden with scalding water droplets and hot embers, slammed squarely into Greg's back.
The powerful force made his body sway slightly, but his feet were like roots, holding firm. He shielded the petite Yelena behind him completely, ensuring she wasn't affected in the slightest.
The chaotic air currents came and went quickly.
A few seconds later, the thick white mist dissipated in the morning breeze, revealing the scene.
On the tree-lined path, Greg stood in front of Yelena, his arm still extended in a protective stance.
The back of his uniform was slightly tattered and messy, and his blonde hair had been tossed about by the wind.
But he didn't seem to care at all, simply brushing off the dust and water stains from his clothes.
Behind him, Yelena—who had been completely shielded—was perfectly unharmed, save for her hair and dress fluttering slightly in the wind. Not a single drop of water or speck of dust had touched her.
"Hey, Tiny... ahem, Senior Yelena."
Greg turned his head to look at Yelena, who still hadn't quite recovered from the shock. His tone was nonchalant, as if he had just swatted away a fly:
"Are you okay?"
"Ah... um..."
Yelena finally seemed to wake from a dream. Her body trembled slightly as she slowly looked up at the tall back standing in front of her.
He... he just...
Without even thinking, he jumped right in front of me...
Even though... even though he could have been hurt himself...
An incredibly complex emotion surged like a broken dam, instantly washing away all the fear and lingering terror in Yelena's heart, filling it to the brim.
There was the fluttering heart of a survivor, shock at Greg's reflexes and strength, but more than that... it was a thumping sensation that made her heart race for an entirely different reason.
For some reason, in this moment, Greg's figure seemed to be bathed in a dazzling halo by the morning light, becoming incredibly tall, upright, reliable, and even... handsome enough to make her feel a bit dizzy.
Rate on N.U.
