A few days had passed since the chaos in the Imperial Capital.
The city had sustained significant damage during the disaster.
Cracked ground and collapsed walls could be seen everywhere on the streets. Many houses had their roofs blown off, windows and doors shattered, and rubble piled up by the roadsides.
A faint burnt smell still lingered in the air, a remnant of the fires.
Due to the sheer volume of work, students from various academies had also taken on the responsibility of the reconstruction efforts.
The young mages were incredibly busy, using magic to carry debris, repair walls, and clear clogged sewers.
Because of this, the scheduled final defense was forced to be postponed to the last day of the exchange, while the academic research presentation was canceled outright. After all, at a time like this, no one had the mind to set up booths and prepare speeches.
Despite the heavy workload, most of the students were in relatively good spirits.
Perhaps the feeling of helping others gave them a sense of purpose.
As for Greg...
“Um... Alice, can you come out for a moment?”
After finally breaking away from the heavy reconstruction work, Greg managed to find some time to return to the Magic Tower.
Pushing open the unlocked door, Greg saw a petite figure slumped over the desk inside. He took a deep breath and called out to her.
He had already rehearsed his explanation about the magic conduit several times in his head, thinking it was time to resolve this matter and stop putting it off.
“!”
Alice stiffened upon hearing his voice.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally stood up, kept her head down, and slowly walked over. Her guilty demeanor made her look like an elementary school student who had made a mistake, not even daring to look Greg in the eye.
Seeing her like this made Greg feel even more uneasy.
He opened his mouth, just about to apologize—
But Alice beat him to it. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, filled with obvious guilt and anxiety:
“Greg, I'm sorry... I—I accidentally lost the magic conduit...”
“?”
Greg froze, immediately explaining, “Alice, it's not your fault. Actually, it's—”
But before he could finish, Alice suddenly snapped her head up, her eyes rimmed with red as she interrupted him emotionally:
“No, it is my fault! It's because I didn't take good care of it that the people from the Demon King Cult took advantage of the situation to steal it! I was just too careless...”
Her voice grew softer and softer, and her head drooped lower and lower, until it was almost buried in her chest.
“........”
Greg stared at her in silence.
He realized that Alice seemed to genuinely believe the Demon King Cult had stolen the belt-shaped magic conduit from her room during the previous chaos.
He opened his mouth, wanting to clear up the misunderstanding, but Alice's expression grew increasingly dark, and she kept muttering to herself:
“Detestable Demon King Cult... despicable, shameless Demon King Cult... opportunistic Demon King Cult... thieving Demon King Cult... a bunch of rats that can't stand the light... Not only did they cause chaos and harm civilians, but they also stole important research equipment in the confusion... They are simply a cancer on this world...”
She cursed them fiercely. Her gnashing of teeth actually sent a slight shiver down Greg's spine.
Once she finally finished venting, she noticed Greg's hesitant expression and asked in confusion:
“Greg, was there something you wanted to say?”
Greg was silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly. “Yes, it's all the Demon King Cult's fault. They really are detestable!”
...
Inside the Imperial Capital, Melina, who was sitting on a large tree, sneezed again.
She rubbed her nose. Her long black hair fluttered gently in the wind, her slender legs were crossed, and her fair ankles peeked out from beneath her hem, radiating a lazy yet lethal allure.
She tilted her head, slightly puzzled. “Strange, did I really catch a cold? That shouldn't be possible, and...”
She turned her gaze toward the palace below, her brow furrowing slightly.
“Why did so many people go in, but not a single piece of news has come out yet? Surely they didn't get wiped out completely?”
...
Although this wasn't Greg's original intention, since the Demon King Cult had slandered Wendy first and caused her so much suffering, it wasn't unfair at all to let them take the fall for him this once, right?
This is what you call poetic justice.
And so, following Alice's train of thought, he joined her in fiercely cursing the Demon King Cult. Alice nodded repeatedly as she listened, and the anger in her eyes gradually subsided.
Finally, Greg tactfully mentioned that it was fortunate the academic research presentation had been canceled, so the loss of the magic conduit wouldn't have much of an impact anyway.
Hearing this, Alice finally let out a long sigh of relief, her entire body visibly relaxing.
She lowered her head, her voice filled with genuine gratitude:
“Thank you, Greg. At first, I didn't even know how to tell you... I kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep, constantly thinking about how to bring it up. But you really are an understanding, wonderful student!”
Then, she bowed deeply to Greg.
“I want to apologize for misunderstanding you before... I'm so sorry. To think I actually misunderstood such a good person like you...”
By the end of her sentence, her voice was slightly choked up.
Greg waved his hands in a slightly guilty manner:
“It's fine. After all, it really wasn't your fault. As for Victoria, I'll go tell her about it later, so you should go get some proper rest first. You're starting to get dark circles under your eyes.”
“Okay, I'll leave it to you then.”
Having shed a heavy burden, Alice felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Drowsiness gradually caught up with her. She let out a yawn, waved to Greg, and then walked back into her room and closed the door.
Standing in the hallway, Greg watched Alice's petite back, a hint of guilt rising in his heart.
He sighed softly and muttered to himself:
“I really put her through a lot. She hasn't slept well for days and nights because of something I did. But it's fine—as compensation, I will definitely make her the most famous scholar in this world.”
Greg silently made up his mind.
Just then, a nun walked up to him.
She wore a neat white robe, her face serene, her hands clasped in front of her in an elegant and respectful posture.
She bowed slightly, her tone formal: “Mr. Greg, the Saintess has requested your presence.”
Greg's pupils contracted slightly.
He nodded. “Yes, I understand.”
Straightening his collar, he followed the nun's lead and walked toward the upper levels of the Magic Tower.
It was indeed time to wrap up this particular plot thread.
My bro, the time for your liberation has finally arrived!
Rate on N.U.
