In a hidden forest outside the Imperial Capital, Greg deactivated his Armor of the Abyss.
The pitch-black armor dissolved into wisps of shadow, revealing his true appearance.
“Phew... Safe at last.”
Just as Greg let out a sigh of relief, he heard a sharp hum from the belt-shaped magic conduit at his waist. With a soft poof, a puff of black smoke billowed from the magic conduit, and the entire device burst into flames due to overload.
“I guess keeping it active for too long was too much for it.”
Greg quickly unbuckled it and threw it to the ground, watching it warp and deform in the flames until it finally turned into a pile of scrap metal.
The two high-grade gems embedded in it had also turned into grayish-white fragments due to complete mana depletion, crumbling into powder at the slightest touch.
He squatted on the ground, his eye twitching with pain as he stared at the pile of scrap metal and powder.
Both the high-grade gems and the magic conduit were top-tier items. It would be a lie to say it didn't hurt to see them ruined in one go.
But on second thought, they had truly served their purpose to the fullest, allowing him to survive and complete his mission.
From that perspective, it wasn't a bad trade.
“Sigh, rest in peace.”
Greg buried the ruined magic conduit in the dirt.
The only trouble left for him now was how to explain to Alice when he got back that he had secretly taken her magic conduit and accidentally ruined it.
After all, Alice had valued this magic conduit so highly before, so she definitely wouldn't take the news lightly.
Greg rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
But since things weren't completely over yet, he could only push this worry aside for now and head toward the place where Wendy was hiding.
“Lord Bishop!”
When Wendy saw Greg emerge from the alleyway, she let out a visible sigh of relief and quickly took a few steps forward to meet him.
Seeing her obedient and sensible demeanor, Greg couldn't help but feel a lot more relaxed.
At least Wendy wasn't like a certain idiot maid who always ran around ignoring his orders, giving him endless anxiety.
He walked up to her, his tone laced with concern. “Nothing happened while you were waiting here, right?”
Wendy shook her head gently. “I wasn't affected at all. Besides, compared to me, who has been in a safe area this whole time, I'm much more worried about whether you're hurt, Lord Bishop.”
Her eyes held a touch of earnestness and worry, as if the moment Greg said he was hurt, she would immediately find a way to do something for him.
Greg replied in a relaxed tone, “Don't worry, I'm not hurt either.”
Since Olivia and the others had arrived so promptly, the third-layer Boss had been taken care of without him even needing to lift a finger in the end.
So, aside from some physical exhaustion from almost completely draining his mana, he indeed hadn't suffered any external injuries.
Wendy felt a bit more at ease.
She then lowered her head, her fingers nervously twisting together as if she were hesitating over something.
After a moment, she mustered her courage and looked up. “Th-That... Lord Bishop, can I really stay with you forever in the future...”
Before she could finish her sentence, a figure with dark golden hair appeared silently beside them.
“Wendy~ Is there something else you wanted to say to this idiot young master?”
Allie held a sword in her hand, with wet blood still clinging to the blade, gleaming with a dark red luster under the newly emerged moonlight.
She glanced at the two of them, a hint of jealousy in her voice. “It seems I arrived at a rather bad time?”
Wendy's mind went completely blank. She opened her mouth to explain, but had no idea what to say.
Just then, Greg took a step forward and reached out both hands—one wrapping around Allie's shoulder and the other around Wendy's, pulling them both into his embrace at the same time.
“No.”
He looked down at the two startled girls in his arms and said in a serious, gentle tone:
“You arrived at just the right time.”
Greg thought to himself: If Li Xunhuan could openly embrace women on both sides, why can't I, a God-man, do the same?
This thought ran wild in his mind like an unleashed dog.
The more Greg thought about it, the more reasonable it felt.
Everyone was a protagonist. Why did the third-ranked scholar with his flying daggers get to be a charming playboy while he, Greg, had to walk on eggshells?
Was there no justice left in this world?
So, he cleared his throat, struck a profile pose he thought was highly charming, and prepared to deliver a grand speech about how "true love shouldn't be limited by numbers."
And then, he heard the sound of a blade slicing through the air.
The blood-stained sword was now resting coldly against his neck.
Allie tilted her head to look at him, her lips curving into a smile so sweet it could drip honey. Her voice was light, like a feather brushing against his heart.
“What did you just say, idiot young master?~”
Greg: “...”
He suddenly realized he had made a grave mistake.
Just who was Li Xunhuan?
Ranked third on Baixiao's Weapon Spectrum, whose Little Li Flying Dagger never missed.
The two girls in Greg's arms, if their martial power were combined, could probably easily overpower him.
In other words, Scholar Li only did that because he had the strength to back it up.
But what about him right now?
He silently felt the chill from the sword against his neck, then quietly recalled Allie's current strength.
Yeah, it was crystal clear. If they actually fought, he could probably survive under her sword for... well, maybe five seconds like a real man.
Though he didn't want to die and wait eighteen years to be a hero again, looking at the expression on Wendy's face, Greg pressed on, “I'm serious!”
Right now, he could only bet that Allie wouldn't have the heart to swing her sword!
“......”
Allie stared straight at Greg for a long while before she sheathed her sword and sneered mockingly:
“A certain idiot young master was acting so cool up in the sky earlier, saying things like, ‘Your Fifth Imperial Princess is my girl,’ so why aren't you saying those show-off lines now?”
Though he was mocked, his life was saved at the very least, so Greg didn't argue.
Wendy had originally kept her head down, not daring to look at Allie, her fingers twisting anxiously.
But thinking about how Greg had just stood his ground for her sake, she finally gathered her courage, stepped forward, and bowed deeply to Allie:
“I'm sorry, Lady Allie... It was all because of my mistake that the Demon King Cult found an opening. That's why the Lord Bishop had to resort to... to that method... Please don't blame the Lord Bishop. It's all my fault.”
Don't do that! She might not have the heart to cut me down, but she might actually slice you!
Greg, who had intended to keep quiet, had to speak up immediately:
“No, it's all my fault! If I hadn't let Wendy and the others come to the Empire, none of this would have happened. So I'm the one to blame, and I'm willing to take full responsibility!”
Allie looked at Wendy's apologetic face, then at Greg's shameless, unrepentant expression. Finally, she sighed and spoke to Wendy:
“I'm not blaming you... If it's Wendy, I don't really mind, to be honest.”
“Lady Allie...!”
Wendy was well aware of Allie's feelings for Greg, so she had worried her intrusion would draw Allie's resentment. But these words finally put her completely at ease.
Allie paused, casting another glance at Greg, her eyes filled with a clear warning:
“I'm just worried that next time, this guy will do something similar again and provoke some random girls. I just wanted to teach him a lesson.”
Seeing things heading in a positive direction, Greg hastily spoke up:
“I get what you mean, Allie. Although I usually tell small lies, I promise you right now, there won't be a next time!”
Though his tone sounded incredibly sincere, Allie felt like she had heard this "next time for sure" way too many times already.
Just as she was about to say something more, Wendy spoke up in a slight rush:
“Um... Lady Allie, I'm very sorry to interrupt you at this moment, but I suddenly remembered there is one last thing we need to do.”
There was a hint of entreaty in her eyes:
“So, could you please come with me?”
Rate on N.U.
