Greg originally intended to pretend no one was home and ignore this person who inexplicably wanted to fight him, but the knocking quickly resumed:
“Hey—don't pretend you're not there! I know you're inside! Open up!”
“...”
Left with no choice, Greg walked over, grabbed the doorknob, turned it, and pulled the door open.
Standing outside was a girl of average height but commanding presence.
She had reddish-brown hair tied into a high ponytail. Two curved, dark dragon horns peeked through her hair, gleaming with a dull red luster under the hallway lights.
Behind her, a tail covered in fine scales swayed gently, indicating she was in a rather good mood.
She wore form-fitting athletic clothes that allowed for easy movement, with a pair of short-handled battleaxes hanging from her waist. Her entire being radiated an aura of someone ready to rumble at any moment.
Greg recognized her.
Juno, a student from Ember-Eye Tower Magic Academy. In the original game, she was a minor character who was only mentioned in Act Three and didn't get formal plotlines and dialogue until the Five Academy Tournament in Act Four.
She had a lively, active personality and immense combat talent, but her mind was rather simple—she was the type of person who would never use her brain if she could solve a problem with her fists.
So this girl actually came to the exchange too.
Greg was a little surprised.
But he quickly realized that, given her simple brain structure, she had probably been eliminated right at the preliminary defense and had no chance to perform, which was why she didn't have any story in Act Three.
Calming down, Greg looked at her and asked directly, “What is it? Are you looking for me? Is something wrong?”
Juno's eyes lit up when she saw him open the door. She put her hands on her hips, raised her chin slightly, and said with a tone of natural confidence, “You're Greg Sass, right? Get out here and fight me!”
Greg blanked for a moment. “...Huh? Why?”
“Because I want to see how strong you really are!” Juno said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, her tail swishing behind her. “My aunt said you might be interesting and told me to test you, so here I am!”
Greg raised an eyebrow. Her aunt was Aurora, the Headmistress of Ember-Eye Tower and the Grand Duchess of the Dragon Duchy.
But he didn't understand. He and Aurora were complete strangers. Why would she send someone to test him?
Had she noticed his relationships with Luna and Olivia?
Or was she simply bored out of her mind?
Just as Greg was wondering how to get rid of this hot-headed dragon girl, Juno continued on her own, “Besides, I'm super bored right now! Sarah said her sister suddenly returned after being missing for half a year, so she had to go back and didn't have time to hang out with me. That's why I had to come find you to pass the time!”
“Sarah...” Greg quickly retrieved the name from his memory. She was the Third Imperial Princess of the Empire, a minor character with her own sprite in Act Three of the original game, and a woman skilled in diplomacy.
As for the "sister who suddenly returned after being missing for half a year," Greg could only think of one title that had appeared in the original game's text—the Fifth Imperial Princess.
But the Fifth Imperial Princess had never officially appeared in the original game. Why had she suddenly returned now? Was this another butterfly effect triggered by his actions?
Fortunately, the messy affairs of the Imperial Family had nothing to do with him.
Just as Greg was thinking this, Victoria and Silvia walked over to the door. Victoria crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe, her tone carrying a hint of annoyance, “Seeing how long you took just to open the door, I thought you'd been kidnapped.”
Silvia stood beside Victoria, her gaze falling on Juno at the doorway. A trace of imperceptible gloom flashed through her eyes, and her voice was slightly lower than usual. “Senior Greg... who is she?”
Just as Greg was about to introduce her, Juno's gaze swept over Victoria and Silvia, and her eyes suddenly lit up. With an excitement akin to discovering a treasure, she beat him to the punch, “Wow! You actually possess two such outstanding females! Now I know why my aunt wanted me to test you. It seems you must be really strong! Come on, fight me!”
Greg's mouth twitched. He immediately understood Juno's logic.
In the dragon race's mindset in this world, treasure was the most important metric of strength. The more treasures one possessed, and the more precious they were, the stronger one was.
Moreover, the dragon race's definition of 'treasure' was incredibly broad. It didn't just include gold, silver, jewels, and rare magical items, but also outstanding talents—and even exceptional partners. Thus, in Juno's eyes, having such remarkable women like Victoria and Silvia by his side was itself proof of Greg's formidable strength.
Victoria's face instantly flushed red. “W-Wait! Who are you calling 'females he possesses'?! This scumbag and I don't have that kind of relationship at all!”
Silvia, on the other hand, lowered her head, her cheeks flushed red. She didn't speak, but her silent acquiescence spoke volumes.
Greg felt his temples throbbing again. Why couldn't he have a single peaceful day on the surface?
Taking a deep breath, he turned to Juno first, speaking as patiently as he could, “Miss Juno, I don't have time to fight you right now. I still have a lot of preparation to do for the secondary defense. Besides, if you want to fight, there will be plenty of opportunities at the Five Academy Tournament. We can have a fair and square duel then. How about it?”
Juno tilted her head, seemingly considering the proposal. A moment later, she grinned, revealing two sharp little canine teeth. “Alright! It's a promise, then. You can't run away during the Five Academy Tournament! I'll be looking forward to it!”
Having said her piece, she gave Greg another curious look, then turned around and skipped away, her tail swishing happily behind her.
Greg closed the door and turned around, only to find Victoria staring at him with a scrutinizing gaze. She sighed and spoke up, “Whatever. If we keep staying in the boys' dormitory and someone else sees us, people might misunderstand that we have some weird relationship with a guy like you again. Anyway, we've memorized everything you said. Silvia, let's head back.”
“Sure.” Greg didn't stop them. After all, his task was complete, and he had already received a pretty good reward.
Silvia cast a reluctant glance at Greg, but ultimately nodded and followed Victoria out of the room. Before leaving, she looked back and said softly, “Senior Greg... goodbye.”
“Yeah, goodbye.” The door clicked shut gently, leaving Greg alone in the room.
He walked over to the desk, preparing to tidy up the scattered documents, when his eyes inadvertently swept across the chair Silvia had just been sitting on. There was a small damp patch on it. Greg froze in his tracks.
He remained silent for a moment, then quietly turned around and grabbed a rag from the corner. “As I thought, it's probably best to clean up the room completely before my roommate gets back.”
Rate on N.U.
