Veronica's eyes narrowed slightly. The light-attribute magic in her hand flickered for a moment, but did not immediately die out.
Headmistress Olivia of Glory Cael Magic Academy—she was well aware of the weight that name carried.
Olivia was one of the Great Archmages standing at the peak of the world, a legendary figure who had single-handedly suppressed the Northern Abyss Rift and saved the nation from peril multiple times.
Even as the Saintess of the Holy Church of Light, she had no choice but to take testimony from such a person seriously.
She began to give it serious thought: was this merely a desperate struggle from Greg who was backed into a corner, or could his identity truly withstand scrutiny?
After hesitating for a moment, Veronica finally made her decision.
She turned her head slightly and instructed toward the door, "Go invite Headmistress Olivia of Glory Cael to come here."
The guard nun outside responded and departed.
Silence descended upon the room once more.
Veronica sat back down in the chair by the window, her hands clasped on her lap and her eyes closed, seemingly resting.
But Greg knew she was scrutinizing his every move in her own way.
After a moment, Veronica suddenly spoke, her voice calm yet carrying a hint of probing:
"Since you say you are a reincarnated Heroic Spirit, then... who were you in your past life?"
Greg gave a calm smile on the surface, while frantically shouting to Nightmare in his mind:
"Hajimi! Quick, tell me the name of one of the strongest warriors who used to follow Serafina! One that fits my current situation!"
Nightmare's voice lazily echoed, completely devoid of her previous urge to fight:
"How about Zeyn Hardy? That was indeed a very powerful warrior, and very few people know that name, so it should carry more credibility."
Greg had no time to think it through and immediately threw out the name: "Zeyn Hardy—that was my name in my past life."
Veronica opened her eyes just a slit.
She did indeed have an impression of that name.
Zeyn Hardy, a powerful yet low-profile warrior who was said to always guard the Goddess in secret, never seeking fame or glory.
Even many within the religious order might not know this name. The fact that Greg could speak it did indeed increase his credibility to a degree.
However, after a moment of silence, Veronica suddenly uttered words that scared Greg out of his wits:
"If I recall correctly... wasn't Lord Zeyn Hardy a woman?"
Greg's smile froze on his face.
A roar instantly erupted in his mind: "You sneaky bastard, you set me up?!"
Nightmare's voice carried the delight of a successful plot as she cackled sinisterly:
"Hehehe, I didn't lie. She was indeed one of the strongest warriors who followed that bitch in the shadows, and she was indeed suitable for you to mention in your current situation. It's just... I forgot to tell you she was a woman, that's all."
Right now, Greg wanted nothing more than to drag that stinky cat out of the shadows and give her a sound beating, but he had to get through the predicament at hand first.
Taking a deep breath, his brain spun at top speed, and he forced a smile filled with helplessness and bitterness. "...Yes, Zeyn Hardy was indeed a woman. Of course I know that."
Veronica's eyes flickered slightly as she waited for him to elaborate.
Greg let out a sigh and continued:
"However, I am currently Greg Sass. Reincarnation isn't something I can control."
"My soul remains Zeyn Hardy, but by some trick of fate, my body in this life was reincarnated as a male. This was never my intention, and I was troubled by it for a time as well—but I later came to understand that gender does not matter. What matters is that I still remember my mission, and I still remember the vow I made while fighting for Lady Serafina."
His tone was earnest and sincere, carrying even a faint tinge of melancholy, as if he were truly feeling helpless over the gender mismatch between his past and present lives.
Veronica quietly watched him, offering no immediate response.
She reasoned that with Greg's vast pool of knowledge, if he were truly faking it, he could easily have named any famous male hero from history off the top of his head instead of risking her skepticism by giving a name whose gender didn't match.
This act of exposing his own flaw actually lent an extra grain of credibility to Greg's claim in Veronica's eyes.
Ultimately, she nodded and did not pursue the question any further.
Right at that moment, heavy footsteps resounded from outside the door—the distinct sound of thick cowboy boots treading on the wooden floor.
The door opened, and Olivia walked in.
Her wine-red wavy hair draped casually over her shoulders, and a slightly tipsy flush colored her face—she had clearly just had a few drinks somewhere.
Entering the room, she waved casually at Veronica and asked with a drunken slur, "Yo, Her Ladyship the Saintess, what did you call me over for?"
Then, her gaze landed on the other person in the room.
When she saw Greg sitting there completely unscathed, even offering her a gentle smile, Olivia's eyes, which had been somewhat hazy, instantly snapped clear.
Her sixth sense told her—that kid Greg being here meant he was definitely up to no good.
But even though she had mentally prepared herself a little, Veronica's very first sentence still dropped her jaw:
"May I ask, Miss Olivia, do you know that Greg Sass is the reincarnation of Lord Zeyn Hardy, who once followed the Goddess of Light?"
"..."
Olivia felt her head throb instantly.
Her immediate reaction was wanting to pull out the revolver magic conduit from her coat and blow Greg away with a single shot.
Because she knew better than anyone that Greg was undoubtedly lying—how could that kid's power possibly belong to someone who had once followed the Goddess of Light?!
If she helped him cover up this lie and the truth was eventually exposed, neither of them would have a place left to hide on this entire continent!
Deceiving the Saintess was equivalent to deceiving the Holy Church of Light—a major crime punishable by a continent-wide bounty.
How on earth did this brat dare to play such a high-stakes game?
Could he be trying to bed the Saintess?!
Countless thoughts flashed through Olivia's mind.
She could also just betray Greg right now—with a simple "I don't know," Greg would be arrested immediately, leaving him zero chance to spread her dirt around.
But then she remembered her previous deal with Greg—during the exchange, no matter what happened, she had to stand on his side.
She was an unqualified headmistress, and she knew it better than anyone.
She drank heavily, embezzled funds, and routinely dumped academy business onto her subordinates.
Yet there was one thing she had never broken—and that was a promise she had made.
Because she was the last cowboy in this world!
Olivia fell silent for a moment. Then, lifting her head to meet Veronica's gaze, she nodded. "Yes, I know about it."
Rate on N.U.
