Greg also found himself in a temporary deadlock. His brain worked at top speed, attempting to find even a barely passable flaw to serve as an angle of attack against her ironclad, flawless appearance.
But after scanning her up and down several times, he still came up empty-handed.
Thus, beside the academy's main thoroughfare at a bustling intersection, a rather bizarre scene unfolded:
Lilith, the Second Princess of the Kingdom of Kahn and a genius magic girl, stood face-to-face with Greg, the former Duke's son, separated by mere steps.
One was torn inside over whether to greet the other, desperately maintaining a calm expression while her eyes darted about.
The other was internally plotting how to pick a fight, wearing a face that seemed composed on the surface but harbored hidden schemes beneath.
The two simply stared at each other, neither speaking first nor taking a step, like two statues suddenly hit by a paralysis spell, frozen in a silence that was rapidly growing delicate.
Naturally, this unusual confrontation did not escape the eyes of the surrounding students.
The crowd that had just begun to disperse following the earlier magical accident immediately had their attention firmly pulled back by this far more gossip-worthy scene.
Whispers surged like a rising tide once more:
"Hey, look over there! Princess Lilith and... Greg Sass?"
"What are the two of them... standing there for? Why aren't they saying anything?"
"The atmosphere seems a bit strange... Could something be about to happen?"
"I bet it has to do with Greg Sass's former engagement to Princess Vivian!"
"Oh! I get it! Is he blocking Princess Lilith right now to show force? Or is he trying to send some signal to the royal family through Princess Lilith? Like... 'Thirty years to the east, thirty years to the west—never look down on a poor youth'? Is he planning to prove to the entire royal family that he's no longer the loser he used to be?"
"Highly likely! Look at the air between them, it's practically solidifying! I feel like I can even smell... gunpowder!"
"Huh? You can smell it too? I thought it was just my imagination—wait! You maniac from the Department of Alchemy! What are you doing holding that stack of unstable potions spewing green smoke?! Academy regulations strictly prohibit bringing such dangerous items near crowds!"
On the edge of the crowd, Yelena, who was closely watching Greg's every move, heard the surrounding students' discussions. Her round eyes instantly lit up with an expression of sudden realization.
"So that's how it is!"
Student Greg suddenly stopped Princess Lilith for this!
He wants to use Princess Lilith to prove his growth and strength to the entire royal family! To wipe away his past disgrace and reclaim respect!
T-This takes so much courage and drive!
As his Senior and supporter, I absolutely cannot allow any unforeseen factors to disrupt Student Greg's vital moment!
A powerful sense of mission instantly filled Yelena's small chest.
She rapidly locked onto the alchemy student in the crowd who was still holding the dangerous, green-smoke-spewing potion.
"Hey, student from the Department of Alchemy over there!"
Yelena's petite body erupted with astonishing momentum as she dashed over in a few steps, pointing her finger straight at him, shouting in the sternest voice she could muster:
"Your actions right now severely violate Chapter Seven, Article Three of the academy's disciplinary regulations! Cease your dangerous behavior immediately, drop the items in your hands, and quietly come with me to the Student Council's Disciplinary Department!"
"N-No! I didn't!"
The alchemy student recoiled in surprise, flustered as he tried to explain:
"I-I'm just conducting an observational experiment on gas diffusion! It's completely safe! You guys don't understand—"
Thwack!
Before he could finish his defense, Yelena expertly whipped out a hefty-looking oak baseball bat from out of nowhere and landed a swift, precise blow to the back of his head with lightning speed.
The alchemy student rolled his eyes back and collapsed limply to the ground without even a groan. The green-smoke-spewing bottle rolled to the side, which Yelena swiftly wrapped with a thick cloth.
"Whew..."
Yelena let out a sigh of relief, hid the baseball bat back behind her, bent over, and with considerable effort dragged the unconscious student by his back collar, moving toward the Student Council like dragging a sack of potatoes.
After a few steps, she didn't forget to look back and give a firm thumbs-up filled with encouragement and validation to Greg, who was still locked in a stalemate with Lilith in the crowd.
"Do your best, Student Greg!"
She mouthed silently, her eyes shining brilliantly:
"I've eliminated a potential risk factor that might disrupt you, ensuring your next major move won't be interrupted unexpectedly! So what comes next... depends on you!"
With that, she dragged her trophy away, disappearing into the crowd behind without looking back, concealing her achievements and fame.
Meanwhile, left behind and still staring blankly at Lilith, Greg was thinking:
"Where is my Senior Tiny? Someone come save me! Now's the time for you to repay my favor!"
However, reality quickly informed him that in this situation, no one was going to answer his hopes; the only one he could rely on was himself!
Greg knew that lingering in this deadlock was meaningless.
He had to find a way to break this awkward situation. Otherwise, if the surrounding rumors grew any more ridiculous, it wouldn't be long before he turned into a rumored rebel seeking to send the King to the guillotine.
"Anyway, I should just find any topic to strike up a conversation with her. But in this current situation, what kind of topic is reasonable to open with?"
Greg's sharp mind spun rapidly into action, suddenly recalling subtle details from Lilith's personal story line that were easily overlooked:
1. Deep in the bottom drawer of her bedroom desk was a carefully wrapped notebook filled with neat transcriptions of a public speech Vivian had once given, with her own childish handwriting filling the margins with thoughts and questions.
2. In a corner during a festival celebration, someone had caught a glimpse of her secretly watching Vivian, who was surrounded by a crowd while effortlessly handling noble lords of all kinds. The emotion flashing across her eyes had not been jealousy, but a complex mix of longing and loneliness.
3. Privately, she had once lamented to a highly trusted maid: "I really envy Dear Sister's ability to handle everything so effortlessly. Besides magic, I don't seem to be good at anything..."
These fragments pieced together a Lilith completely different from her outward boastfulness and pride—a young girl who, deep down, actually admired and yearned for the perfect, strong, and reliable image of her sister Vivian.
Greg's eyes lit up.
"What if... I expose this point publicly right now?"
Given Lilith's extreme tsundere nature, being publicly exposed for her admiration of her sister would probably embarrass her so much she'd wish she could dig a hole and crawl into it!
Making someone suffer social death—wasn't that also an exquisite form of revenge?
What's more, he already intended to prevent these sisters from driving a wedge between themselves in the future.
Pointing out Lilith's true feelings right now might push her to face her sister more honestly, planting a seed to repair their relationship.
This was truly killing two birds with one stone!
Greg was almost ready to applaud his own "genius" idea.
Rate on N.U.
