Greg learned from Allie that he had been unconscious for about twelve hours. However, this wasn't too big of a deal, as he still had a decent amount of time left.
Besides, they were already in the preparation phase for the final defense, and students were no longer required to stay in the Magic Tower's dormitories. As long as they didn't leave the Imperial Capital, it was fine—and he hadn't left, since this dungeon was located directly beneath the Imperial Capital.
“Ugh... I’m stuffed.”
After choking down the last bit, Greg set down his bowl with a bizarre expression.
Beside him, Allie asked, “Well? Was it delicious?”
Greg replied with some difficulty, “Uh... putting aside smell, sight, and taste, it was indeed quite delicious.”
Allie snorted, “If it's delicious, just say so. Making up so many words to hide it makes you look like a real idiot.”
Greg: “...Whatever makes you happy.”
Though the taste of that purple soup was indeed as indescribable as its appearance, miraculously, Greg felt a significant amount of his physical strength return after finishing it.
He stood up, stretched a bit, and said in a serious tone, “Allie, the reason I rushed here to find you is actually because there's been a change of plans.”
Allie’s eyes lit up instantly. She set down her bowl, clenched her fists, and said with a hint of irrepressible excitement:
“A change of plans? Are we going to raise some serious hell right now?”
“...Not that kind of change.”
Greg rubbed his temples. “Calm down first and let me finish.”
Only then did Allie tone it down. She sat back down, crossed her arms over her chest, and gestured with her eyes for him to continue.
Greg took a deep breath and dropped the bombshell: “Wendy—she's the Fifth Imperial Princess of the Empire.”
Allie blinked, tilting her head. “The Fifth Imperial... Brigade? What's that? A mercenary group? What a weird name.”
“...It's Imperial Princess, not Imperial Brigade.”
Greg explained in a way that even this airhead maid could immediately grasp:
“An Imperial Princess is the Emperor's daughter, basically the same as our kingdom's princess.”
Allie froze for a moment. “You mean her status is actually the same as Vivian's?”
Greg nodded.
Now Allie completely understood.
“No wonder when I picked her up back then, there were a few troublesome guys tailing her in secret. I thought some blind thugs were targeting her, so I took care of them on the way. But thinking about it now, those guys were way too strong to be mere thugs.”
Greg felt a cold sweat break out.
You call that picking her up?
That's practically kidnapping, isn't it?
However, Greg also knew that Allie's train of thought was just as stubborn as his own in certain aspects. He didn't bother to correct her phrasing and instead moved on to the main topic:
“Setting her identity aside for now, the situation is extremely urgent. For some reason, Wendy has been framed. She's currently locked up in a prison and is scheduled to be publicly executed in a few days.”
Allie’s expression darkened instantly, her voice laced with obvious concern and anger:
“What?! Those Empire bastards... Then what are we waiting for? Let's go up and rescue her right now!”
Having spent the past few months together, Allie and Wendy had developed a deep bond.
Though she never said anything sappy, in her heart, she already considered Wendy the closest person to her besides Greg.
So upon hearing the news of Wendy's impending execution, her immediate instinct was to rush out and save her.
Although Greg also wanted to rescue Wendy as soon as possible, to keep his own neck intact, he shook his head, placed a hand on Allie’s shoulder, and soothed her:
“There's no rush yet. You know Wendy is smart. She went back to the royal family out in the open and even let herself get captured on purpose. This is likely all part of her plan. It's best if we don't disrupt her layout recklessly.”
Greg paused before continuing, “Besides, we have something more important to do right now: we need to keep conquering this dungeon.”
Allie looked at him in confusion:
“Is the dungeon really that urgent? Besides, I feel like I've already wiped out most of the Demon King Cult members in the Imperial Capital. They shouldn't have any strength left to enter this place, right?”
Naturally, Greg couldn't mention the system. He quickly spun a story in his mind and spoke with absolute conviction:
“Actually, this is also related to Wendy. Do you remember me telling you that the Crown Prince suddenly started acting strangely six months ago?”
Allie nodded.
Greg continued, “Wendy's current predicament is definitely connected to him. I suspect the root of his change lies within this dungeon. If we can solve the problem at its source, we might be able to save Wendy even faster.”
Allie tilted her head and thought about it, but she quickly realized she wasn't cut out for thinking about such troublesome matters. She simply gripped her sword:
“Fine, then let's turn this dungeon upside down first.”
She didn't ask any more questions because she always trusted Greg unconditionally.
Since he said they needed to conquer the dungeon first, he had to have his reasons.
After resting a bit longer, they finally extinguished the campfire completely.
Greg circulated his mana. After confirming everything was in order, he stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and looked down the dark passage ahead:
“Let's keep going then.”
Allie nodded and took the lead, sword in hand, her dark-gold hair shimmering softly in the dim light.
Without looking back, she said, “Keep up, idiot master. Don't go passing out from exhaustion again.”
Greg gave a wry smile and followed her.
The two advanced deeper into the second layer along the passage.
According to Nightmare's guidance in Greg's mind, the location of the second layer's Floor Boss should be in a large temple not far ahead.
The temple looked ancient, its walls covered in vines and moss. Its stone doors were slightly ajar, revealing a stale, mysterious aura from the gap.
Intricate patterns were carved onto the stone doors, resembling a tapestry woven from gears, clock hands, and hourglasses.
They didn't encounter any trouble along the way.
Without the interference of those time-deceleration traps, the monsters of the second layer were still as weak as chopped vegetables before Allie.
With flashes of sword light, any monsters attempting to pounce from the shadows fell to the ground one after another, unable to even graze the hem of her clothes.
Following behind her, Greg took the opportunity to ask Nightmare in his mind, “Hajimi, how much do you know about this layer's Boss?”
Nightmare fell silent for a moment before replying:
“I am somewhat familiar with the dungeon's layout, but I do not know what the current situation is inside. After all, a long time has passed since I last came here.”
Rate on N.U.
