If it were before she had heard the shocking news of "Greg Sass defeating a Demon King Cult cadre and rescuing a kidnapped freshman."
Vivian would have likely concluded without hesitation that Greg had been driven completely insane by the blow of being publicly expelled from his family, leading him to commit such suicidal acts of madness.
But now...
Her gaze swept over the camp.
There was a tent of decent quality but certainly not luxury; a simple stone fire pit outside, with tools and remnants of smoked jerky scattered nearby; a small pool of water drawn from an underground river; and besides that, no other proper living supplies.
It was simple, yet it carried the air of someone who had already adapted to living here.
Now, even Vivian, who had always held a very poor opinion of Greg, had to admit one fact:
This former fiancé, whom she had thought was beyond saving, seemed to have truly undergone some changes she was unaware of.
But, not many.
After all, he was still skipping class in a fit of self-abandonment instead of returning to the academy to start over.
"If I go out with him and others see us, I'm afraid it will invite a lot of unnecessary gossip and speculation because of our past engagement..."
Vivian frowned almost imperceptibly, but then her expression smoothed out.
She was a woman of strong principles.
"However, bringing a truant student back to the academy and urging them back onto the right path is the duty of the Student Council President, especially regarding disciplinary work."
Publicly or privately, she had no reason to decline.
"Damn... the Headmistress was serious?"
Greg was now fully awake. Hearing Vivian mention the Headmistress, he immediately understood, a look of mixed annoyance appearing on his face.
Yesterday in the Headmistress's office, Olivia had indeed mentioned the words 'Student Council President' at the end, but he had thought that the fun-loving agent of chaos was just saying it in passing, or perhaps as a veiled warning.
After all, as the Headmistress, Olivia couldn't possibly be unaware of the extremely awkward relationship between him and Vivian.
But now, seeing Vivian actually appearing before him in such a serious manner, and having been ordered to wake him up, Greg knew he had somewhat underestimated the twisted sense of humor of that disappointing beauty and agent of chaos.
He rubbed his eyes as he fumbled for the old pocket watch beside his sleeping bag and glanced at the time.
The hour hand pointed squarely at the '6'.
Greg's mouth twitched.
The earliest class at the academy didn't even start until nine in the morning.
"Your respected Highness Vivian."
He looked up and spoke in a tone of disbelief:
"It's only six in the morning! Isn't this... a bit too early?!"
Even if she wanted to wake him up, there was no need to do it three hours in advance, right?
Was she so afraid he would run away halfway that she had to personally escort him?
Vivian had finished her rough observation of the camp. Upon hearing his words, she merely shook her head slightly, her ice-blue eyes looking at Greg, her tone remaining calm and rippleless.
"It is not early. Time is needed to prepare and handle the Student Council's work for today."
So just because you have to work later, you dug me out of my blankets this early?!
Greg ranted wildly in his mind, feeling a deep sense of helplessness wash over him.
He had gone to bed very late yesterday because he had specifically gone to the deep area of the dungeon to find a few groups of appropriately leveled monsters to test his fully upgraded talents.
The results were a pleasant surprise.
That forty percent damage bonus meant that using just those two basic spells was enough to handle all the monsters in the deep area of the first layer.
Moreover, according to his calculations, his extra experience gain had increased from the original ten percent to twenty percent.
Furthermore, after grinding for over a week and using the 【Digestive Bacteria】 talent to obtain many skills, only one gem had dropped.
Yet last night, under the blessing of a Luck stat no lower than 2, he had actually managed to drop a new gem!
Although the rank wasn't high, its market value was quite good.
This gave him full confidence in his future plan to get rich by farming gems. He even felt that if his Luck stat could increase a bit more, just reselling gems in the future would be enough for him to live a comfortable life as a dungeon shut-in.
But now, just as his beautiful blueprint was unfolding, it had been interrupted by a cold sword tip and an even colder princess.
The intense lack of sleep made Greg choose to follow his instincts. He flopped straight back into the sleeping bag that still held his body heat, pulled the thin quilt over his head, and said in a muffled voice:
"Oh... then you go ahead and get busy with your Student Council work. Don't worry, I'll go there myself on time later."
He emphasized the words 'on time' quite heavily, the subtext being: It's too early, I need to catch up on sleep, leave me alone.
The tent fell silent for a few seconds.
Then, Vivian's cold and emotionless voice pierced through the thin quilt, clearly entering Greg's ears:
"What are you talking about, Greg Sass?"
Greg: "..."
Suddenly being called by his full name gave him a very bad feeling.
Vivian's voice continued, still in that unquestionable, business-like tone: "You need to go and prepare for the Student Council's work as well."
Greg whipped the quilt off, sat up, and stared at Vivian with wide eyes.
"Me? Student Council work?"
He pointed at his own nose, thinking this was absolutely absurd.
"Highness Vivian, have you mistaken something? I have ab-so-lute-ly nothing to do with your Student Council! I don't even know which way the Student Council's door opens!"
Facing Greg's doubt, Vivian only tilted her head slightly, her ice-blue eyes looking straight at him. In a steady tone, as if announcing an established fact, she said clearly:
"No, you do. Because from today on, you are a temporary member of the Glory Cael Magic Academy Student Council's Disciplinary Committee. This is a direct appointment from the Headmistress."
Greg: "...?!"
His mouth hung open, and the expression on his face instantly shifted from absurdity to extreme shock, as if he had heard some impossible fairy tale.
"Wh-What?! Judgment?! No, wait, the Disciplinary Committee?! Me?! Is it really me?!"
He was so shocked that he was almost incoherent. His finger pointed at himself again, his voice rising an octave.
That Disciplinary Committee, known in the academy for its strict enforcement and for striking fear into the hearts of countless rule-breaking students?
They wanted him—the former poster boy for the academy's top rule-breakers—to be a Disciplinary Committee member?!
This wasn't just a joke; this was gallows humor of the highest order!
However, Vivian ignored Greg's exaggerated reaction, merely nodding calmly in confirmation.
"The Headmistress believes that having you personally participate in the management of academy discipline will help you gain a deeper understanding of the school rules and regulations, correct your past slack behavior, and integrate into normal academy life more quickly. At the same time, it will... provide the Student Council with a unique perspective."
She spoke with grand justification, but Greg could almost hear a trace of imperceptible helplessness beneath her calm tone.
Clearly, Vivian herself was likely not pleased with this appointment, but since it was a direct order from the Headmistress, she would execute it strictly.
Meanwhile, Greg had only one thought: I want to scream!
Rate on N.U.
