Chapter 257 | Survival Guide for a Doomed Villain in the Academy Dungeon

“Greg, it’s almost your turn! Go for it, try to get first place again. We believe in you!”

Rom clapped Greg’s shoulder with such force that he nearly stumbled forward.

Corwin also nodded beside them, his gaze filled with sincere encouragement.

Although these two guys usually loved to gossip about romance, they genuinely cared about their friendship and truly wanted Greg to achieve a good score.

“Mhm, thanks.”

Greg nodded at them.

While he was confident he could secure first place again in the secondary defense, still...

He turned his head, his gaze falling upon the specially reserved area in the middle of the spectator stands.

A lavish seat was placed there, its back carved with the Holy Church of Light’s emblem, its armrests gilded and covered with pristine white velvet cushions.

Clearly, it had been specially prepared for someone of distinguished status, but it remained empty.

This seat was meant for Veronica Keller, the current Saintess of the Holy Church of Light.

Greg had originally planned to use the secondary defense as an opportunity to further improve his standing with her, letting her witness his excellent performance firsthand and solidify her trust in his identity as a reincarnated Heroic Spirit.

But now the seat was empty; Veronica hadn’t arrived.

“Why is that? Did some event not in the original story happen again, delaying her schedule?”

Greg frowned, a subtle unease stirring within him.

If Veronica didn’t come, wouldn’t half of his careful preparations be for naught?

As he pondered, the previous student finished their defense, and it was his turn to go up.

Greg gathered his thoughts, took a deep breath, stood up, adjusted his collar, and then walked steadily towards the podium.

As he reached the stage, he could feel countless eyes instantly focusing on him.

This was normal; after all, he was the top scorer in the preliminary defense, so it was natural for him to receive so much attention now.

Aside from Victoria and her group, the geniuses from other renowned academies also watched him, heads held high, their gazes filled with scrutiny and challenge.

Students from the ordinary magic academies looked on with respect, eager to see just how formidable this prodigy, who had topped the preliminary defense, truly was.

And those students who had yet to take the stage silently prayed he wouldn’t perform too well, so as not to put too much pressure on them.

Greg stood at the center of the podium, his gaze sweeping over the dense crowd below. He opened his mouth, preparing his opening self-introduction: “Distinguished judging professors, fellow students, I am—”

Before he could finish, the main defense hall doors were suddenly pushed open from the outside.

The two heavy wooden doors slowly swung open, and two guard nuns in white habits entered first, positioning themselves on either side.

Then, a pristine white figure stepped across the threshold.

The entire main defense hall seemed to hit a pause button at that instant.

All sounds ceased, and all eyes turned towards the entrance.

Veronica wore a pristine white saintly robe, topped with a golden cape, her platinum-blonde hair gleaming with a soft halo under the lights.

Her eyes were still slightly narrowed, her lips curved in that characteristic gentle smile. Her steps were composed and elegant, as if she were merely arriving for the most ordinary of appointments.

The judging professors were the first to react, rising in unison and performing a standard half-bow, the highest gesture of respect for a Saintess of the Holy Church of Light.

Meanwhile, the students in the spectator stands erupted into a frenzy.

“It’s the Saintess! It’s really the Saintess!”

“Goddess of Light, above all, I’ve actually seen the Saintess with my own eyes in this lifetime!”

“Even though I wasn’t a follower of the Holy Church of Light before, from this moment on, I am!”

Although there had been instances of a Saintess from the Holy Church of Light attending the Hundred Academy Exchange, and an exclusive seat was even prepared for her in the spectator stands, this was merely a gesture of political correctness. No Saintess had ever actually occupied it before.

Because the Saintess represented the Messenger of the Goddess of Light, embodying the faith of many, she rarely appeared in public unless the Church required it.

Yet, such a person, whose presence was almost impossible to attain, suddenly appeared before their eyes. How could the students suppress their excitement?

Bursts of gasps and whispers erupted through the crowd. Some were flushed with excitement, while others even clasped their hands and began to pray softly.

The atmosphere in the entire main defense hall reached its peak at that moment.

Amidst this jubilation, however, Silvia’s face showed no joy.

She sat in her seat, clutching her skirt tightly, a hint of unease in her eyes.

Because she knew Veronica too well.

If there wasn’t something that truly interested her, she would never appear directly before the public like this.

She looked at Greg on the podium, her suspicion growing clearer: “Sure enough, something must have happened between her and Senior Greg back then.”

Veronica, under everyone’s gaze, slowly walked towards the exclusive seat prepared for her.

She stopped before the seat, not immediately sitting down. Instead, she turned her head slightly to face the entire hall and spoke in a gentle voice imbued with invisible authority:

“May the Goddess of Light bless you all. Please, dispense with the formalities and continue. I am merely here to observe.”

Her voice seemed to possess a miraculous calming power, quickly quieting the previously boisterous scene.

Although the students still couldn’t hide their excitement, they had at least stopped their clamor.

Only then did Veronica sit down, satisfied. Her gaze then naturally fell upon the figure on the podium, who was about to begin his defense.

“Excellent, I’m glad I made it in time for Lord Zeyn’s… no, Lord Greg’s secondary defense. It’s all those Imperial Royal Family members who delayed me a bit!” Veronica thought to herself.

For her, the most meaningful thing about coming to the Imperial Capital now wasn’t to fulfill the mission the Archbishop had asked her to do, nor was it to participate in imperial politics, but to listen to the new knowledge Greg would describe during his defense.

Because she knew Greg was a Heroic Spirit who had once followed the Goddess of Light, and besides his immense devotion, he possessed much knowledge that even she, as the Saintess, was unaware of.