They say that relationships between people gradually improve through casual banter while working, and this indeed proved to be the case.
Greg squatted on the roof, clinking away with a hammer as he tapped loose tiles back into place, while Victoria stood on a ladder, focusing intently on applying a fresh coat of paint to the wall.
The distance between them was neither too far nor too close, just right for them to carry on a casual, sporadic conversation.
“What should we eat when we take a break later?”
Greg asked as he continued to tap on the tiles:
“I heard a new barbecue stall opened on East Street to cater to us pack-mule laborers. The prices are reasonable, and the portions are huge.”
If he were asking Vivian out for a meal, Greg wouldn't suggest such a casual option, but it was different with Victoria.
Although Victoria looked every bit like a noble lady on the outside, she was actually of commoner background, so as long as the food tasted good, she wouldn't be too picky.
Victoria's brush didn't pause, but her tone carried a hint of disdain:
“Barbecue? Eating barbecue on a hot day like this, are you out of your mind? Besides, when it's time to rest, I doubt I'll have any appetite for that kind of food.”
While she indeed didn't care about unnecessary formalities, she was still a girl, not a literal pack mule like the guy next to her.
After doing hard labor for half the day, how could she have any appetite for such greasy food?
“Then what do you suggest?” Greg asked.
Victoria thought for a moment. “My roommate mentioned there's a place in South Alley that makes good cold noodles with a sweet and sour broth. I kind of want to try it.”
Greg grinned. “Sure, cold noodles it is. I'll just tag along and let the boss treat me, hehehe.”
Victoria retorted, “Wait, why are you making it sound like I'm the one paying?”
“Well, I've been broke lately. Besides, our academy is treating us magic academy students like free labor without even giving us a stipend. I literally don't have a single copper right now. I seriously suspect there was supposed to be a stipend, but that damn cowgirl embezzled it all!”
After complaining, Greg immediately pressed his hands together:
“So please, Junior Sister, you wouldn't want to see your Senior Brother starve to death on the streets, would you?”
Victoria replied, “I don't care. It has nothing to do with me if you starve to death.”
Greg threatened, “Then before I die, I'll write your name on my left thigh and tally marks on my right thigh.”
“You shameless bastard! What are you even saying?!”
In the end, Victoria sighed helplessly. “Just this once.”
“No problem, no problem!” Greg agreed repeatedly. “Don't worry, Junior Sister. A drop of kindness will be repaid with a fountain of gratitude in the future!”
After chatting a bit more, Greg suddenly changed the subject and lowered his voice:
“By the way, Junior Sister, there's actually something I want to give you a heads-up about.”
Victoria looked up warily. “What is it?”
“It's about that belt-shaped magic conduit... Cough, cough. You know, it was stolen by the Demon King Cultists during the chaos, and it has absolutely nothing to do with me. If Alice asks you about it later, make sure you don't say the wrong thing.”
The brush in Victoria's hand came to a halt. She looked up, staring at Greg with a serious expression:
“Are you asking me to help you lie? No way, I don't lie. Besides, Alice is my respected Instructor. How could I lie to her face?”
Greg leaned his head down from the roof, his face wearing a deeply flattering smile:
“Don't be so heartless. How about this: once I get some money, I'll treat you to some delicious food?”
Victoria remained unmoved. “No. This is a matter of principle.”
“We'll eat at the Golden Crucible, and you can order whatever you want until you're completely satisfied!”
Without a shred of hesitation, Victoria replied, “Deal.”
Greg nodded in satisfaction. “That's more like it.”
Even though it was just pointless small talk, Victoria realized that the annoyance she had previously felt toward Greg had completely vanished without her even noticing.
She even felt that spending time like this was actually quite pleasant.
After a moment, however, Greg suddenly asked another question:
“By the way, why haven't I seen Silvia around lately? Where did she go?”
The work in Victoria's hands paused for a second.
She fell silent for a brief moment before answering, “Silvia has been assisting with the work over at the Church of Light these past few days.”
Greg was somewhat surprised. “Assisting the Church of Light? Why?”
Victoria was also somewhat worried.
She had previously invited Silvia to help out with the reconstruction here. Silvia had happily agreed at first, but then she seemed to recall something, hesitated, and ultimately declined.
When Victoria asked her why, she had only smiled and said, “I'm sorry, but I have other, more important things to attend to right now.”
This only made Victoria more certain of her suspicion.
The people from the Church of Light had to be pressuring Silvia to inherit the position of Saintess as soon as possible, which was why they were already forcing her to familiarize herself with all kinds of procedures and etiquette!
Victoria then shared her theory with Greg.
Greg was also rather surprised upon hearing this.
Although he had been slightly puzzled when he saw Silvia standing behind Veronica at the execution grounds, he hadn't thought that far ahead.
But now that Victoria mentioned it, he realized that might indeed be the case.
However, what he couldn't understand was why the Church of Light was in such a desperate hurry to have Silvia succeed as the Saintess.
Veronica was doing a perfectly fine job at the moment, and Silvia hadn't fully matured yet. There was absolutely no reason to rush things like this...
Greg wondered if there was some hidden agenda at play that even he wasn't aware of.
After all, the current plot development had completely diverged from the storyline of the original game.
As Greg was lost in thought, a sudden commotion from not too far away interrupted his train of mind.
“Hurry, get away from here! It looks like a conflict is about to break out between the Church of Light and the Dark Night Order!”
“Hmm?”
Greg's brow furrowed slightly.
Ever since the existence of the Dark Night Order had been permitted by the Emperor, they had been allowed to operate openly within the Empire.
Therefore, to expand their faith as quickly as possible, Greg had instructed Wendy and the others to start gathering believers with the Imperial Capital as their center.
Although it wasn't convenient for Wendy to command things openly right now, Greg recalled her mentioning that she would leave the task to a subordinate she trusted deeply...
But looking at the situation now, the working style of this subordinate of hers seemed to be quite different from Wendy's.
Greg set down the hammer in his hand and stood up.
Since this involved the Dark Night Order, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing. He had to go check on the situation.
He turned to Victoria below and said, “Cover for me. I'm going to check out what's happening. I'll be right back.”
With that, he lightly leaped down from the other side of the roof. Using the piles of building materials as cover, he stealthily slipped away toward the direction of the noise.
“Hey... wait!”
Before Victoria could even get a word out, Greg's figure had already vanished behind the stacks of building materials.
She sighed in mild exasperation. Still, to prevent anyone from noticing that someone had slacked off and slipped away, she buried herself in painting the wall with a vengeance.
As she painted, she grumbled inwardly:
“What an annoying Senior Brother... running off to join the fun and leaving me all alone to cover for him!”
Rate on N.U.
