As Greg wailed on the inside over the system prompt, a storm was brewing in Victoria's mind because of his words.
He knew she was the Hero?
Scarcely anyone knew about this identity.
Aside from a select few among the highest ranks of the Holy Church of Light, the only other person was Silvia—her childhood friend lying right in front of her, who was also a Candidate Saintess to be the next Saintess.
So how on earth did this former Duke's son, cast out by his family and hiding in a dark dungeon, find out?
Victoria subtly shifted a half-step forward, completely shielding the unconscious Silvia behind her.
Her voice was smooth, devoid of any discernible emotion, but Greg keenly detected the surging murderous intent hidden beneath that calm exterior.
“Who on earth are you?” she asked. “And where did you learn about this?”
Greg snapped back to reality.
The system's sudden intervention had thrown off his rhythm, but it had unexpectedly provided him with a brand-new line of thinking.
He quickly combined his original excuse with the mission he had just received, weaving a completely new chain of logic in his mind.
“Actually, I'm a Messenger of the Goddess too.”
Meeting Victoria's scrutinizing gaze, he spoke with absolute composure. “It's just that the opponent you must defeat is the Demons, while my mission is to conquer the dungeon.”
In this world, humanity faced two ultimate threats: one was the ravenous Demons watching greedily from afar, and the other was the underground labyrinths scattered across the continent, spawning endless monsters.
Considering his talents and the mission issued by the system, Greg wasn't entirely lying. His current goal truly was to conquer the dungeon.
“That doesn't explain what you did before.” Victoria didn't let her guard down.
“Because that was an act I had to put on to sever ties with my family.”
Greg's voice dropped an octave, carrying a perfectly calibrated weight.
“In the House of Sass, except for me, the maid who stayed by my side, and an adopted sister taken in for her talent... everyone else—”
He paused, enunciating each word carefully, “...are all lackeys of the Demons.”
Victoria's pupils contracted slightly.
“Besides, if I really wanted to ruin you...”
Greg continued, his tone taking on a touch of absurd self-deprecation:
“...after tampering with your magic conduit, why would I shout it from the rooftops? Am I some idiot who's terrified people won't know I'm up to no good?”
Thank goodness Greg Sass originally had only 1 point of Intelligence.
Greg silently bowed to his former body's original host in his heart.
It was precisely because the original body's actions had been so incomprehensibly foolish that his current excuse of 'acting on purpose' had room to stand.
Victoria remained silent.
The Church had indeed secretly investigated the House of Sass, but they had always lacked decisive evidence.
She had never imagined that a former core member of that very household would drop such a horrifying secret right in front of her in such a blunt manner.
And considering all those unbelievably foolish misdeeds he had committed in the past...
A seed of doubt was quietly planted.
“Then why didn't you confess this to the Holy Church of Light?” she pressed, her gaze razor-sharp. “If what you say is true, the Church should be your most reliable ally.”
“Because the one who bestowed her blessing upon me wasn't the Goddess of Light.”
Greg delivered his response seamlessly, casually dropping the name of a deity that had appeared in the original game's lore documents.
“The one who granted me her blessing was the Goddess of Night.”
Observing the subtle shifts in Victoria's expression, he added:
“Besides, the Church isn't a solid monolith either. Otherwise, Silvia would have officially succeeded as Saintess long ago instead of remaining merely a Candidate. Am I right?”
Victoria's breath hitched.
To think he even knew about the Church's internal secret—that factional struggles were delaying the Saintess's succession...
This was definitely not information a marginalized noble youth should possess.
At this point, Victoria was already fifty or sixty percent convinced by his story.
However, long-standing caution kept her from letting her guard down entirely.
“I will still remain skeptical,” she confessed, looking Greg straight in the eyes.
“Fair enough.” Greg spread his hands, his tone relaxing. “Miss Hero, I never intended to make an enemy of you. I'm just looking for a little peace and stability.”
The tense atmosphere finally softened a little.
Only now did Victoria belatedly register a chill.
In her rush to save Silvia earlier, she had stripped off her outer robe, leaving her in nothing but flimsy white undergarments.
The damp fabric clung tightly to her skin, fully accentuating her curves in the flickering firelight.
Her movements stiffened for a moment. Then, raising her arms to fold them loosely across her chest, she flashed Greg a cold, featureless smile:
“Have you seen enough?”
Greg blinked and answered honestly, “To be frank, not yet.”
“...Keep staring, and I swear I'll punch your eyes out.”
Greg dutifully turned around.
The rustle of clothes being put on came from behind him.
Once the noise ceased, he turned back around, his eyes sweeping over the still-unconscious, soaked Silvia before settling on Victoria, who was now fully clothed but wore a complex expression.
He pointed toward the narrow passage behind him leading to his makeshift camp and extended a sincere invitation:
“Before Silvia wakes up...”
“...how about coming over to my place to sit for a bit?”
He paused, flashing a bright grin from beneath his golden hair.
“My place is actually pretty big.”
...
Gently placing Silvia onto a dry rock surface by the campfire, Victoria stood up straight and slowly scanned this so-called 'home.'
In the wide cave, aside from the crackling campfire in the center and an academy coat stained beyond belief serving as a mat on the ground, it was virtually empty.
The walls were rough stone, the ground hard rock, and the air smelled of damp earth and the subtle stench of monsters.
“...This is what you call a 'home'?” Her tone dripped with unvarnished disgust.
“Just tell me if it's big or not.” Greg had his back turned to her, wringing out his soaked coat as water pitter-pattered onto the ground.
He peeled off his drenched shirt, exposing his lean, muscular upper body to the dancing firelight.
Traces of water slid down the grooves of his back muscles, and the contours of his shoulder blades moved clearly as he wrung his clothes.
Victoria's eyes stole a quick, imperceptible glance before darting away just as fast.
In all fairness, based purely on looks, Greg Sass was undoubtedly the most striking man she had ever seen.
Yet that dazzling golden hair and overly handsome face had instinctively made her feel... uncomfortable, ever since the very first time they met.
An inexplicable sense of repulsion, like a faint electric current, would occasionally shoot up her spine whenever their eyes met.
Even now, after listening to his explanation that was impossible to distinguish as real or fake, that subtle revulsion remained.
She couldn't figure it out, nor could she be bothered to dwell on it.
Victoria sat down on the opposite side of the fire, positioning herself at a distance from her unconscious childhood friend that allowed her to react at any moment.
Unstrapping the pack from her back, she began checking its contents to see if anything had been lost during the earlier chaos.
She took out several items one by one.
A few bottles of basic healing potions, some dry rations wrapped in oil paper, several light crystals used for illumination, and a few changes of clothing.
Finally, her fingers brushed against two ordinary-looking items at the bottom of the pack.
One was a palm-sized, flat round box made of some dark metal, its surface etched with intricate, hard-to-decipher patterns.
The other was a small bundle of dark brown, dried root-like objects tied with hemp rope, giving off a faint odor reminiscent of old leather.
Just as she pulled these two items out and casually set them on the ground beside her, a near-hysterical shout suddenly exploded inside the cave.
“Son of a bitch! You gray-haired brat, did you bring care packages all the way into the dungeon?!”
Rate on N.U.
