"W-What on earth am I thinking?!"
The moment this thought popped into her head, Yelena lowered her head sharply as if burned, a deep flush exploding across her cheeks and spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.
She desperately questioned and scolded herself in her heart:
"Yelena Furst! What kind of nonsense are you letting yourself think! Student Greg is just a Junior who needs my care! How could I... how could I have these... these strange thoughts about him!"
While Yelena was engaged in an internal struggle—her face turning red and pale by turns, completely lost in her own world—the surrounding students who had witnessed the terrifying scene just now began whispering among themselves, their voices filled with disbelief and lingering fear.
"Hey! D-Did you just see that?!"
"I saw it! My gosh! That pillar of fire almost hit someone!"
"That blond guy... is Greg Sass, right?! His reaction was so fast! He intercepted it instantly with water magic!"
"That was an out-of-control Mid-tier fire magic spell!"
"What spell did he just use...? It looked a bit familiar..."
"It seemed... like just basic Water Gun? But I've never seen a Water Gun with that kind of power and speed!"
"His proficiency must be insanely high!"
"But how is that possible? Isn't he supposed to... have no magic talent?"
Clearly, for Greg, who had long been labeled a magic failure at the academy, to successfully intercept an out-of-control Mid-tier spell in such a clean, decisive manner at such a critical moment—and even take the initiative to shield his companion...
The shock brought by this scene was no less than that of the previous academy news.
Every face was painted with shock, confusion, and a reassessment of Greg's actual strength.
At that moment, the third-year girl who had caused all this—her face pale as a sheet and on the verge of tears—stumbled over, bowing repeatedly to Greg and Yelena with a sob in her voice:
"I-I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I... I didn't do it on purpose! My magic practice suddenly went out of control! I couldn't hold it back at all! I almost hurt you both! I'm really very sorry! P-Please forgive me! I'm willing to take full responsibility!"
Seeing how utterly sincere this girl was, Greg couldn't help but twitch his mouth, remembering those bastards from the Department of Alchemy who had almost blown him sky-high last time while acting like it was no big deal.
What a world of difference in attitude.
He hadn't suffered any serious injuries to begin with, just some minor scrapes and burns.
Since she hadn't meant it and possessed such a good attitude, he couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. After all, if he traced it back to the root, most of the blame for this accident probably rested on his own -10 Luck stat.
"Alright, alright, just be careful next time."
Greg waved his hand, interrupting the girl's non-stop apologies in a flat tone:
"If you're going to practice magic, go to a dedicated enclosed practice field, or get a professor to supervise. Practicing unstable magic in an open area only brings harm to yourself and others. You got lucky this time since nothing major happened. Got it?"
"Y-Yes! I understand! Thank you! Thank you for forgiving me!"
As if granted a grand pardon, tears spilled from the girl's eyes. She hadn't expected the famous Greg to let her off so easily. Connecting this with the academy news she had heard earlier, she couldn't help but think: Could it be that he really has turned over a new leaf?
After offering another round of profuse gratitude, she wiped away her tears and hurried off.
Greg watched the girl leave, then glanced at the growing crowd of spectators, his brows furrowing slightly.
He had no desire to stay here like a monkey at a zoo for everyone to gawk at and gossip about.
"Break it up, everyone! There's nothing to see! If you have class, go to class; if you need to practice, go back and practice! Don't block the path!"
He raised his voice, adopting the authoritative air of a Disciplinary Committee member, and began dispersing the crowd.
Perhaps it was his demonstrated strength or his current stern tone that worked, for although the onlookers were still full of curiosity, they gradually dispersed, turning back to glance at him and muttering in low voices as they walked away.
By the time the crowd of spectators had mostly cleared out, Yelena—who had been lost in her inner world—seemed to finally break free from the massive shock and tangled thoughts.
She lifted her head, looking at Greg's slightly disheveled yet still straight back, then at the visible burns and scrapes on the back of his hand. A strong wave of guilt surged in her heart once more.
It's like this again... my bad luck again... dragging someone else into trouble...
He clearly protected me, and even got hurt because of it...
And yet just now... I was actually letting my mind wander with all those strange thoughts... I really am a terrible Senior!
"I-I'm sorry, Student Greg..."
Yelena's voice was thick with nasal sniffling and chokes. Her round eyes quickly turned red, brimming with self-reproachful tears:
"It's all because of me... all because of me that you were almost put in danger... and even got hurt... I'm really, really sorry..."
Wait, what does this have to do with you?
Greg was taken aback by her words.
Greg was somewhat bewildered, but it wasn't as if he could outright explain that this incident was almost certainly caused by his own -10 Luck stat. Thus, he spoke up:
"It's not your fault, Senior Yelena. Who can predict things like this? Sometimes luck is just mysterious like that."
He paused, looking at Yelena's still-crimson eyes, and added:
"So don't go taking the blame for everything. This was just a coincidence, an accident. See, aren't I fine? If you really feel guilty about it..."
Greg stroked his chin, a sly smile curving his lips:
"...then the next time the Student Council passes out the meal allowance, your portion of snacks belongs to me, how about that? Consider it compensation for my emotional distress."
He attempted to use this half-joking manner to ease Yelena's guilt and steer the conversation away.
Listening to Greg's words and taking in his relaxed expression—along with that final smile as he asked for snacks—the guilt in Yelena's heart didn't disappear completely, but that heavy weight on her chest was mysteriously diluted by a lot.
He really is... completely different from the old Greg Sass.
The current him is strong, dependable, kind, thoughtful... a complete and total... truly good person!
In her heart, Yelena firmly attached the "good person" label to Greg once again, its brightness upgrading by more than just one tier thanks to his heroic rescue and gentle comforting just now.
"M-Mm!"
Yelena nodded vigorously, sniffling as she blinked back her tears, flashing a watery smile at Greg:
"I understand, Student Greg! Thank you! I'll definitely save all my snacks for you next time!"
Seeing Yelena finally turn her tears into a smile, Greg let out a breath of relief.
He rolled his somewhat sore shoulders and began straightening out his uniform jacket, which had been left in a slight mess from the impact earlier. Brushing off the clinging ash, he tried to smooth out his collar, which had crumpled from the hot steam.
Just as he lowered his head to adjust his collar, letting his eyes wander aimlessly across the campus scenery returning to normal, his gaze suddenly caught a familiar red silhouette in the direction of the teaching building not far away.
That long, dazzling hair like burning fire, that neatly tailored academy uniform, and that aura blending confidence and unique charm that could be felt even from a distance...
He quickly realized his chance for revenge had arrived.
That's what you get for playing tricks on me before, hehehe.
At an angle where no one could see, a wicked smile crept onto Greg's face.
Rate on N.U.
