The Empire's festival was originally established to commemorate the hero who had once saved the Empire—the Great Archmage Miriam.
Thus, during the annual festival, the people of the Empire would hold grand parades and banquets to cherish the memory of this legendary figure.
Although this hero's phantom had just been annihilated a few days ago by a guy who looked like a cowboy, it did not stop the people from continuing their celebrations.
After all, with the passage of time, the so-called festival had long since turned into an excuse for people to release their stress, especially right after experiencing a disaster.
More than ever, people needed a reason to laugh, to celebrate, and to tell themselves that everything was in the past.
Therefore, to ensure the festival could be held on schedule, the students were all working frantically.
Carrying materials, repairing walls, and clearing streets—everyone was incredibly busy.
And the slum area where Greg was located happened to be one of the focal points of the reconstruction efforts, as intense fighting had also occurred here that night.
“Shoo, shoo. You kids go stay with your Sister Lilith over there. Don't get in the way here.”
With a mountain of building materials piled on his back, Greg freed up one hand and waved it at the eager children in front of him like he was shooing chicks.
The children looked to be only seven or eight years old, each rolling up their sleeves and claiming they wanted to help out.
Although Greg was quite touched by their intentions, it would be bad if they got hurt because of it, which was why he turned them down.
Lilith, who had been stiffly dealing with the children, immediately bristled upon hearing this.
Her vibrant red hair seemed to burn under the sunlight. With her hands on her hips, she spoke with clear anger in her voice:
“Wait a minute—are you saying that I'm only fit to stay on the sidelines like a little kid too?!”
She had originally been quite happy to see Greg return safe and sound, but now, she felt that this guy really deserved a good beating back then.
Before Greg could answer, Victoria, who was painting a wall nearby, curled her lips.
“What else? Do you honestly think a mere Lilith can build a house?”
Currently, Victoria's grey hair was loosely tied into a low ponytail, with a few strands draping past her cheeks. Though she was doing manual labor like painting a wall, her entire being radiated a lively, down-to-earth beauty.
“What did you say?!”
Lilith whipped her head around and glared at Victoria, her red hair swaying with the movement.
“You're just a commoner painting a wall! What right do you have to talk down to me!”
“Oh? At least I'm actually working, unlike some people who can't even babysit properly.”
“You—!”
Seeing that they were about to start bickering, Greg quickly intervened. “All right, all right, you're both sisters of the same district, what's there to argue about?”
As a result, both of them turned around at the same time and shouted at him in unison, “Shut up!”
Greg tactfully shut his mouth.
Just then, a cool, aloof voice drifted over from the side. “Please maintain the image of Glory Cael Magic Academy.”
Vivian walked over, holding a set of planning blueprints in her hands.
Her long, ice-blue hair gleamed with a chilly luster under the sun. Her expression was indifferent as her calm gaze swept over the people present.
As the Student Council President, she naturally carried an aura that made others hesitate to act out of line.
Since they had all fought side by side here that night, they had tacitly applied together afterward to take charge of the post-disaster reconstruction for this area.
Perhaps because the four of them were all exceptionally good-looking, most of the other students consciously or unconsciously kept their distance from them.
“Stupid commoner.”
Seeing that her older sister had arrived, Lilith stopped bickering with Victoria. Letting out a cold snort, she turned and walked back.
But on her way back, she couldn't help but steal a glance at Greg's figure.
The scene of the two of them fighting in perfect synchronization that night surfaced in her mind once again.
She thought to herself that the only reason Greg could coordinate so well with her was surely because he had been secretly watching her all along, understanding her combat habits and rhythm.
In that case, was what he said before actually just to get my attention?
At this thought, Lilith's cheeks began to heat up uncontrollably, and even the tips of her ears flushed red.
The moment she returned to the children, the little rascals immediately began teasing her with giggles:
“Sister Lilith's face is so red! Are you thinking about something weird?”
Stamping her foot in embarrassment and anger, Lilith snapped, “W-Who's blushing?! What do you little brats know! If you keep talking nonsense, I won't tell you any more stories!”
The more anxious she was to deny it, the more obvious the blush on her face became, making the children laugh even harder.
Watching this scene, Greg couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Lilith really is a magic-only idiot, just like in the original game. To think she'd let even these little kids bully her.
Just then, he suddenly felt a ticklish sensation on his face, as if something soft was gently wiping his cheek.
Drawing back his gaze, he turned around and found that Vivian had walked up beside him at some point.
Those eyes of hers, which were usually cold and indifferent, now held a trace of softness. Holding a snow-white handkerchief in her hand, she was gently wiping away the sweat from his temples and cheeks.
“...”
Greg was stunned.
Because he felt that this scene looked exactly like an old married couple, where the wife tenderly wiped away her husband's sweat after he finished working.
The thought left him somewhat at a loss for a moment.
“Are the two of you... really that close?”
Victoria's somewhat suspicious voice drifted over from the side.
She had put down her brush at some point and stood with her arms crossed, her gaze darting back and forth between Greg and Vivian with a look of scrutiny and inquiry.
As if startled by the voice, Vivian's movements abruptly froze. She then pulled her hand back in a slight panic, clutching the handkerchief in her palm as she turned her head away.
Greg quickly spoke up to explain, “Of course not! Isn't it completely normal to help each other out?!”
Victoria stared at the two of them with growing suspicion.
“This is bad, President!”
Just then, a petite figure ran over in a hurry.
It was the petite Senior Yelena. She ran up to Vivian and said, completely out of breath, “Over... over there, a dispute broke out over the division of labor... We need you to go mediate!”
Hearing this, the trace of panic on Vivian's face vanished instantly, and she recovered her usual icy expression.
“I understand.”
She nodded, then turned to follow Yelena in that direction.
Before turning around, Yelena apologetically pressed her hands together and waved them at Greg, as if to say, “Sorry for interrupting you guys.”
On the contrary, Greg felt that Senior Yelena had done him a massive favor, and he signaled with his eyes that she shouldn't worry about it.
Meanwhile, Victoria, who watched the interaction between the two of them, felt her mood sink even lower than before.
Rate on N.U.
