From the recent conflict, Greg was certain of at least one thing.
Even with the Emperor's permission, the members of the Church of Light still dared to openly obstruct the development of the Dark Night Order.
If Silvia and Allie hadn't shown up in time today, that standoff would have likely escalated into a bloody conflict.
If things were like this even in permitted areas, then in regions without authorization, any activities of the Dark Night Order discovered by the Church of Light would likely be met with immediate attacks rather than a mere standoff.
This was a very troublesome matter.
The Church of Light had been rooted in human territory for over a thousand years, with believers in every city of every kingdom. Its influence was far beyond what the newly established Dark Night Order could hope to match.
Even with his identity as a spy, he couldn't completely prevent this hostility.
If the two sides remained in constant opposition, the expansion of the Dark Night Order would always be restricted, and it might even be nipped in the bud at this stage.
Therefore, Greg had to find a way to ease the conflict between the Church of Light and the Dark Night Order.
Even if they couldn't cooperate, they had to at least reach a tacit agreement of mutual non-interference.
But that was a matter for the future. Right now, he was facing another situation that gave him a massive headache.
“So... why did it turn out like this?”
Victoria, walking down the street, glared fiercely at Greg beside her, her gray eyes practically screaming, “It's all your fault.”
Greg lowered his voice to defend himself. “Look... there's no point in asking me. I didn't cause this, so it really has nothing to do with me.”
“Nothing to do with you? If it weren't for you, would they have followed us?”
“I just mentioned it in passing, and I didn't know they would hear! I was speaking very quietly back then...”
“Your so-called quiet voice just happened to be heard by Senior Yelena! Tell me, did you do it on purpose?”
“I'm innocent, Junior Sister! Besides, how was I supposed to know they'd want to come with us to eat that stuff?”
As the two of them whispered and passed the buck, a small head suddenly popped in from the side, bringing with it a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Senior Yelena looked at them curiously, an innocent smile on her face.
“Junior Greg, Junior Victoria, what are you two whispering about? I think I heard my name?”
Greg's spine instantly stiffened, and he almost reflexively forced a natural smile.
“N-Nothing, Senior Yelena. Victoria and I were just wondering... if food like cold noodles would suit your tastes.”
He pointed to the cold noodle shop not far away.
The shop wasn't large, its storefront was a bit worn, and the writing on the sign was faded. It looked like an ordinary, humble commoner shop.
After all, Victoria's roommates, Adele and Kayla, were both of commoner backgrounds, so the shop they recommended to Victoria naturally couldn't be the kind of place nobles would frequent.
Yelena glanced at the shop in the direction of his finger, then smiled like an angel.
“If that's the case, you don't have to worry at all! Even though I'm a noble, back in my hometown, I often snuck out to eat food from the street shops, so I don't dislike this kind of thing.”
As she spoke, she winked playfully, as if sharing a little secret.
“And let me tell you, sometimes those little shops hidden in the alleys actually taste much better than the big restaurants!”
Then she turned around and asked the blue-haired girl behind her, “President, you shouldn't mind either, right?”
Vivian walked near the front-middle of the group, her long, ice-blue hair reflecting a cold yet soft luster under the setting sun.
Hearing Yelena's question, her gaze lingered on Greg's face for a brief moment before she replied:
“Yes. As long as it is something you like, I won't dislike it.”
Although her tone was flat and her expression remained unchanged, Greg's heart skipped a heavy beat.
While the others might not have truly understood the meaning behind Vivian's words, Greg understood perfectly through that brief moment of eye contact.
The real meaning of those words was actually directed at him: As long as it is something you like, I won't dislike it.
“Hiss...”
Greg almost couldn't help but gasp.
He realized that ever since they kissed in the passage of the Magic Tower, Vivian's intentional or unintentional direct attacks had become much more frequent.
Although she still appeared to be the same indifferent, icy President on the surface, the words she spoke always managed to strike his heart with precision when he least expected it.
Of course, being actively pursued by a beautiful girl of this caliber was indeed very pleasant, but at the same time, Greg was also a bit worried that their relationship might be exposed prematurely due to a slip-up.
After all, he didn't yet have the strength to handle the fallout if things went south. If this relationship was exposed too early, it could invite a lot of unnecessary trouble.
Victoria didn't notice anything unusual.
Her attention had already shifted to the red-haired girl walking at the very back. With a sarcastic smile, she teased:
“So, can this delicate-looking Second Princess eat commoner food too?”
Lilith, walking at the very back, crossed her arms and raised her chin, her vibrant red hair flowing like liquid blood under the rays of the setting sun.
She snorted proudly:
“Hmph—experiencing the daily meals of the commoners is also the duty of royalty!”
As she spoke, she turned to look at Vivian ahead of her. “Right, Dear Sister?”
Vivian said gently, “If you don't like it, you really don't have to force yourself to tag along.”
“Wait... Dear Sister?!”
Lilith froze instantly, as if an invisible arrow had pierced her straight through the knee.
Victoria laughed as if she had been avenged. “Ha, serves you right!”
Greg looked at this scene and sighed helplessly.
He really had no idea how things had turned out this way.
Originally, after finishing work, he had planned to grab a quick bite at the cold noodle shop with just Victoria, and mention that he had seen Silvia earlier.
But the moment he had said, “Come on, let's grab some cold noodles together.”
Senior Yelena's cheerful voice chimed in from the side: “Cold noodles? I haven't had those in ages, I want to go too!”
Then Vivian added quietly, “I'm going too.”
And then Lilith clamored, “Since Dear Sister is going, I'm going too!”
Thus, the original cold noodle date for two had inexplicably turned into a five-person squad.
Now, he only hoped they wouldn't draw too much attention later on.
Rate on N.U.
