At that moment, the blood-pumping shouts of the intruders choked dead in their throats, and all their rapid breathing and excited whispers vanished.
All that remained in the catacomb was the faint sound of sliding pebbles and the soft hiss of residual power dissipating from the shattered armor fragments.
The formidable enemy they had expected to find had long since turned into a floor covered in debris.
Meanwhile, the upright back of the figure standing in the center of the ruins formed an exceptionally stark contrast with the violent traces of battle all around him.
A shock far more impactful than the roar of an Undead Knight instantly seized everyone's mind.
He was like a legend from ancient heroic epics, standing silently beside a dragon's corpse after slaying it alone—his figure solitary, yet seemingly filling the entire space.
Everyone's eyes involuntarily focused on that blonde boy who, despite looking a bit exhausted, somehow appeared incomparably towering.
At that moment, the entire clamorous crowd fell completely silent.
And after a brief, deathly silence, the wind instantly shifted among the students behind them who had originally idolized Victoria.
The boys' gasps of admiration were completely undisguised:
"Goddess of Light above, am I dreaming? Why is the person standing there Greg Sass?"
"And look beside him! That looks like the armor of an Undead Knight! No wonder there was such overwhelming pressure... Could he really have done all of this by himself...?"
"No wonder the rumors about him at the academy have been multiplying lately! Is he actually a genius?! Had he just been hiding his true power before!?"
Although hearing these discussions left a bitter taste in Victoria's mouth because her thunder had been stolen, it was actually tolerable.
After all, she had witnessed Greg's strength with her own eyes and genuinely recognized it deep down.
What truly infuriated her was the reaction from the girls' side:
"Huh... Have you guys noticed? Greg Sass... seems even handsomer than before?"
"Not just handsome! Look at his physique! You can see his muscle definition even through his clothes! He's completely different from the boys in the academy who are either skinny as sticks or already starting to get little beer bellies! He has so much masculine charm..."
"And the way he's standing there right now... How should I put it? A man who's been through combat just has a completely different vibe!"
"It's a pity his family declined... Still, with his looks and the strength he's shown, marrying into a family wouldn't be totally out of the question—hm? Silvia? Why... why are you looking at me like that? Is there... something on my face?"
Although the girls quickly stopped chatting for some reason, it was precisely their words that made Victoria feel strangely irked, which was why she was so furious now.
At this moment, Silvia stepped forward, gently pulling on the sleeve of the still-pouting Victoria and coaxing her in a soft voice:
"Vic-Victoria, don't be angry. Senior Greg... would absolutely never lie to us. Since he said there was something more dangerous inside, it definitely existed before. As for why he can't explain it in detail..."
Her pink eyes darted a quick glance at Greg, a trace of understanding and resolve flashing within them. Then, in a voice only those close by could hear, she added softly:
"I believe Senior definitely has his own hardship and reasons he can't speak of. We should trust him."
Greg: "Exactly! Just as Silvia said, I have my own hardship!"
Then, Silvia's gaze suddenly darkened, and she added in a tiny whisper:
"As for those... flies attempting to get close to Senior Greg... I'll take full responsibility for shooing them away."
Greg: "Hm? What did you say at the end there? Your voice was too quiet, I didn't catch it."
"Oh, it's nothing, Senior Greg. You must have misheard."
Silvia raised her head and gave him a perfect, radiant, and gentle smile like spring flowers, as if her quiet murmur from a moment ago had truly been nothing more than an illusion.
"I know that's the rationale..."
Victoria agitatedly ruffled her gray hair, which was already somewhat messy.
She took her friend's advice to heart.
Logically, she also felt Greg didn't seem like the type to lie just to hog all the action, and going deep into danger alone was indeed risky on his part.
Yet whenever she recalled the glowing looks and hushed whispers the girls in the catacomb directed at Greg, an inexplicable fire flared up inside her, leaving her feeling stifled.
Damn it! What am I even so mad about?!
What does Greg being targeted by those shallow girls have to do with me?
If he wants to show off, let him! Getting wrapped up in trouble is his own fault anyway!
Besides, he's the one who'll have a headache over it later, not me! Why am I worrying myself over nothing?!
She shook her head vigorously, attempting to shake out all those messy emotions. Then, taking a deep breath to forcibly suppress her churning resentment, she turned around, stared directly into Greg's eyes, and asked in a stiff tone:
"Are you sure... that going in first was really for my own good? You're not lying to me?"
Greg immediately straightened his back and tried his best to make his gaze look utterly sincere, even raising one hand as if making an oath:
"Of course! I swear on my... er, I swear on my future wallet! How could I ever lie to you, Victoria? Do I look like that kind of person to you?"
Victoria stared into his eyes for a few seconds, seemingly trying to spot any trace of deceit, but in the end, she only saw exhaustion and sincerity.
She turned her head again to look at Silvia beside her, who was smiling softly and clearly trusted Greg completely.
"...Fine."
She finally let out a resigned sigh, her shoulders slumping as she shot Greg a cross look:
"I'll let it slide this time! But! Never again! Next time something like this happens, you have to explain it clearly in advance, or... bring me along! No more hogging all the action by yourself, got it?"
Victoria let out a dissatisfied humph.
If you get to use double standards, then I'm going to use a double standard once too!
"Right, right, right! Next time for sure!"
Noticing none of these subtle details, Greg nodded repeatedly, letting out a breath of relief in his heart.
He had finally managed to muddle his way through this hurdle for now.
Only then did Victoria seem to remember there was another person beside them.
Adjusting her expression, she turned to introduce the blonde girl, Catherine, who had been standing quietly a bit behind them all this time:
"This is Senior Catherine, whom I invited to join the party. She's also the one who posted that commission quest regarding you before..."
Her words ground to a sudden halt.
Because she noticed that as she began the introduction, slightly strange expressions appeared on both of their faces.
Victoria blinked, her suspicious gaze darting back and forth between the two.
"By the way..."
She dragged out her tone inquisitively:
"Could it be that you two... actually knew each other all along?"
Greg and Catherine shook their heads in unison: "No, we don't know each other at all."
Rate on N.U.
