Seeing the smug expression on Greg's face, Victoria said, somewhat defiantly, “If you're so capable, you do it!”
“I will then.”
As Greg spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and walked toward a dilapidated shack with a clearly collapsed roof. After studying its structure, he gathered a few relatively intact wooden boards and some dry thatch. Relying on his extraordinary physical strength, he leaped onto the roof in a single bound and began making repairs.
While he was no professional carpenter, he had watched plenty of DIY repair videos in his previous life. He could handle these simple, basic operations easily enough.
He nailed the boards over the damaged area, covered them with thatch, packed it down tightly, and secured it to ensure it wouldn't leak again.
The children stood below, tilting their heads back to watch Greg work on the roof, their faces filled with wonder.
“Big Brother Greg is amazing!”
“Big Brother Greg even knows how to fix houses!”
Greg grinned. “Of course. Unlike a certain silly big sister, I'm an all-rounder.”
Despite hearing his mockery, Victoria couldn't help but smile slightly as she watched him slowly repair the roof for the children. Still, she retorted, “Hmph, you're only good for this kind of manual labor.”
“Heh, I think you're just being stubborn.”
After nailing down another board, Greg called down to her, “Hand me that wooden board from below—yes, the long one.”
Victoria bent down, picked up the board, and reached up to hand it to him.
As Greg reached out to take it, their fingertips accidentally brushed against each other.
Both of them froze for a brief moment, but neither said a word.
Victoria was the first to pull her hand back. She turned her head away, pretending to look elsewhere, though the tips of her ears had quietly flushed a deep red.
Greg pretended not to notice either, continuing to focus on his work.
However, as he took the board, his fingertips gently stroked the wood, as if savoring the lingering sensation of that fleeting touch.
After fixing the roof, Greg checked the wooden door of the shack.
The hinges had loosened, making a harsh creaking sound whenever it opened or closed, and the door itself had several cracks.
He found some iron nails and a sheet of metal, secured the hinges, and nailed the metal plate over the cracks to reinforce the door.
While he worked, Victoria stood by his side, handing him tools from time to time or holding the ladder when he needed it.
The coordination between the two of them was surprisingly seamless. Most of the time, they didn't even need to speak; a single look or gesture was enough to understand what the other wanted.
When Greg hammered in the last nail, he pushed the newly restored wooden door to confirm it was sturdy and reliable. The children erupted into a small cheer.
“Big Brother Greg is so cool!”
“The door doesn't squeak anymore!”
“We don't have to worry about the wind blowing in when we sleep at night!”
Greg brushed the dust off his hands and smiled, ruffling the hair of a child next to him. “This is nothing. I can even show you a magic trick to let you take a warm, hot bath.”
Greg first used Wave Current to replace the murky water in their iron tub with crystal-clear water, then used Fireball to heat it to a comfortable temperature.
“Alright, go on in and wash up one by one. Once you're done, I'll conjure up a fresh tub for you.”
For the children of the slums, hot water was a luxury.
Even in the dead of winter, they could only rinse themselves off quickly in the freezing river.
So, as the warm water washed over their bodies, they let out cries of pleasant surprise.
“Wow! The water really is warm!”
“It's so cozy!”
“This is the first time I've ever felt that taking a bath could be so nice!”
Listening to the children's excited chatter, Greg leaned closer to Victoria and teased in a low voice, “Junior Sister, why do I feel like their admiration for me is about to surpass theirs for you?”
Victoria glanced at him. “How childish. As long as they're happy, I don't care.”
Greg replied, “Is that so? Your face has been red this whole time. I thought you were overheating.”
“Idiot!”
After snapping at him, Victoria quickly ran off to gather dry firewood nearby.
Greg shook his head and walked over to help, but every time he got close, Victoria would react defensively.
Despite being scolded, Greg found that his mood hadn't worsened at all. In fact, the more Victoria scolded him, the better he felt.
This made him wonder if he was awakening some strange, questionable preference.
Once the children finished washing, the two used the gathered wood to build a campfire to dry them off.
The children gathered around the fire, their bodies warm and their faces glowing with happy smiles. They repeatedly thanked Greg, calling him “Big Brother Greg” with immense affection.
Standing to the side, Victoria watched Greg squatting among the children without a hint of disdain, chatting and laughing with them. She felt her heart rate inexplicably quicken.
She couldn't quite describe the feeling, only that the scene before her made her feel a bit flustered and lost.
Ultimately, she hurriedly turned her head away, blurted out, “I—I'm going to buy a few more things,” and quickly fled the scene.
Greg watched Victoria's retreating figure with a puzzled scratch of his head, but he didn't dwell on it and continued playing with the children.
After a while, a young boy suddenly sidled up to Greg, looking up to ask, “Big Brother Greg, are you a noble?”
Greg looked at him, slightly surprised. “Why do you ask?”
The boy lowered his head, remaining silent for a moment, before speaking in a hopeful tone, “If you are a noble, Big Brother Greg... could you please save the Fifth Imperial Princess?”
Greg's movements paused slightly.
Hearing the topic, the other children gathered around as well, all chiming in at once.
“Yeah, yeah, Big Brother Greg! The Fifth Imperial Princess is a good person!”
“There's no way she colluded with the Demons! She must have been framed!”
“The princess came to our district last year. She brought us blankets and grain, and she warned the bad adults not to rob us!”
“She even said she would make sure all the children of the soldiers who died in battle could go to school for free...”
“She's a good person! A really, really good person!”
The children's voices were innocent and sincere, each word striking Greg's heart like a small hammer.
He listened quietly, his impression of Wendy deepening even further.
It turned out she was not only exceptionally capable but also a deeply compassionate girl.
Among the high-ranking officials of the Empire, very few truly cared about the suffering of those at the very bottom. Wendy was clearly one of them.
Greg squatted down, looking into the children's hopeful eyes. He reached out and gently ruffled the hair of the boy who had spoken first.
“Okay. I promise you, I will definitely save the Fifth Imperial Princess. But you must keep this a secret, okay? Don't tell anyone.”
The children's eyes lit up instantly, like stars ignited in the dark night.
They nodded vigorously, then looked at each other with knowing, secret smiles.
Rate on N.U.
