Chapter 245 | Survival Guide for a Doomed Villain in the Academy Dungeon

As promised, Greg took Allie and Wendy to the barbecue place he had mentioned.

The shop wasn't large, hidden deep within an alleyway. A wooden sign, slightly blackened by grease and smoke, hung at the entrance. However, the interior was kept clean and tidy. The aroma of charcoal fire mixed with the scent of meat wafted toward them, instantly whetting their appetites.

The three of them requested a quiet private room, ordering a table full of dishes and two portions of the signature dessert.

It took Allie less than three pieces of grilled pork belly to transition from her initial restraint to completely letting loose.

Holding her chopsticks in one hand and supporting her bowl with the other, her eating manner was still somewhat elegant, but her speed was by no means slow.

The sizzling sound of fat dripping onto the charcoal, combined with the occasional satisfied sighs she let out, formed the most healing background noise for the night.

“Mmm, this is delicious~”

Allie picked up a perfectly grilled piece of beef tongue, dipped it in some sauce, and popped it into her mouth. She then squinted her eyes slightly, her entire being exuding a blissful aura, making her look like a completely different person from an hour ago.

Wendy sat to the side, eating with relative restraint, but she didn't use her chopsticks any less.

As she ate, she marveled in her heart: So Lady Allie is actually this easy to coax. A single meal of barbecue and dessert did the trick.

Just in case, she silently took mental notes.

What she didn't know was that Allie wasn't actually happy because of the barbecue and desserts themselves, but because Greg had specifically treated her to this meal. That was why she found it so exceptionally delicious.

Watching Allie's thoroughly satisfied expression, Greg put away his now completely deflated wallet after paying. He then picked up his teacup, took a sip, and decided to bring up the main business while the atmosphere was just right.

“I believe you two must have noticed over the past few days that the members of the Demon King Cult have been causing destruction all over the Imperial Capital.”

Wendy set down her chopsticks, her expression instantly turning serious.

“Yes. Just as you predicted, Bishop, we encountered the first explosion on the very day we arrived in the Imperial Capital. Over the next few days, the frequency of these destructive activities has only continued to rise.”

She paused, then continued:

“Thanks to you foreseeing the movements of those Demon King Cultists in advance, Lady Allie had the opportunity to accumulate a great deal of renown.”

“Over the last few days, I've taken advantage of the Imperial Capital's citizens calling Lady Allie the 'Shadow Swordswoman' to recruit many followers. I even successfully established a hidden stronghold right under the nose of the Church of Light.”

Hearing this, Greg couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.

He had originally only used the development of the order as an excuse to have Wendy bring Allie to the Imperial Capital. He hadn't expected her to achieve so much in such a short amount of time.

Establishing a stronghold right under the nose of the Church of Light was no easy feat; it required extremely meticulous planning and execution.

Wendy's capability far exceeded his expectations.

Just then, Nightmare's voice suddenly rang in his mind:

“This child is truly capable. Why don't we just have her serve as our High Priestess in the future?”

Greg immediately snapped back in his mind:

“She is my Chief Steward! She's my person, so it's not up to a Hajimi like you to make arrangements for her! Besides, you were so reluctant to even come out and do a backflip earlier, and you even played dead during my time of greatest peril. I've completely seen through you!”

Nightmare lazily retorted:

“Wasn't all of that your own doing? What does it have to do with me? Don't tell me you expect me to block the romantic entanglements you brought upon yourself?”

“Heh, if I really end up getting chopped to pieces, let's see if you can still act so unconcerned!”

Greg crossly ended the conversation and ignored Nightmare, refocusing his attention on Wendy's report.

Although Wendy's outstanding ability had indeed surprised him, what he cared about most right now wasn't actually the development of the order, but the dungeon.

However, it wasn't convenient for him to directly tell Wendy that his actual purpose in having her bring Allie over was to conquer the dungeon.

After all, the reason he had given before was "developing the order's influence."

He thought for a moment before speaking:

“Yes, Wendy, you two have done very well these past few days. But... have you ever thought about what the Demon King Cult's goal is in doing this?”

Wendy was slightly taken aback. She thought seriously for a moment and then answered:

“The Demon King Cult's goal? Isn't it just to deliberately spread fear? To shake public morale by creating chaos, weaken the prestige of the Imperial government, and pave the way for the subsequent war waged by the Demons?”

Greg shook his head. “No, that is only the surface. Their true objective is actually the dungeon hidden beneath the Imperial Capital.”

Wendy's pupils contracted slightly.

A dungeon?

Is there such a dangerous thing beneath the Imperial Capital?

I recall that beneath the Imperial Capital lies a massive labyrinth, doesn't it?

But the Bishop's information is never wrong. Could it be... that the massive labyrinth underground was actually designed to hide the dungeon?!

Greg continued:

“The Demon King Cult is causing destruction all over the Imperial Capital not simply to incite panic. They want to use this method to divert the attention of the Empire and the Holy Church of Light away from the dungeon.”

He lowered his voice, his tone becoming even more solemn:

“A highly bizarre power exists within every dungeon. If they succeed, the consequences will be unimaginable. Therefore, we must enter the dungeon and neutralize this power before they do.”

Wendy listened quietly, her brow furrowing slightly.

Greg's words reminded her of something—six months ago, her imperial brother Finn had suddenly begun to exhibit extremely intense hostility toward her.

That hostility had come without warning. It was as if overnight, the brother who had once been distant but at least maintained a superficial harmony had transformed into a completely different person.

She had assumed at the time that it was due to a power struggle. But now, combining it with Greg's words, a bold hypothesis suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Her voice carried a trace of uncertainty as she slowly spoke: “Bishop... Do you think that the power inside the dungeon... could influence a person?”

Seeing that Wendy had already begun to believe his narrative, Greg nodded directly without a second thought. “Yes, without a doubt, it can.”

He then recalled a plot point from this act of the story that was unrelated to the main storyline: the Crown Prince of the Empire had seized the throne through a forceful coup.

Greg had actually been somewhat puzzled by this, because some lore texts in the original game mentioned:

'Crown Prince Finn is the only male in this generation of the imperial family. Aside from a Fifth Imperial Princess who has been missing for six months and is suspected to be dead, there is absolutely no one who can compete with him.'

And this was precisely what puzzled Greg.

Since there was no competitive pressure and he was still so young, why did he have to seize the throne through a coup—a method that would completely ruin his reputation?

Although he didn't quite understand the reason, Greg figured this was an incident he could exploit to bolster his persuasiveness. Thus, he spoke:

“Furthermore, the Crown Prince of the Empire may have already been beguiled by some power from within this dungeon. He will likely stage a coup to usurp the throne in the near future!”