“...So it really turned out like this after all.”
The last lingering thread of luck in Greg's heart was brutally shattered by reality in that moment, like fragile glass.
His absurd suspicion—that terrible association he had hoped was merely him overthinking—was confirmed by this face.
Melina Belladonna, the Primary Heroine whose identity was already headache-inducingly complex in the original game.
The current Demon King's illegitimate daughter, and the Cult Leader of the Demon King Cult lurking within the human world.
And someone like her was actually... involved with the Outer God, the Mother of Depravity?
She had even attempted to corrupt Silvia using the power of an Outer God.
“This really is a trash game...!”
A surge of intense exhaustion and powerlessness—mixed with a dull spiritual pain like ten thousand ants gnawing at his heart and a faint sensation of his soul tearing from devouring the Outer God's power—instantly swept over Greg.
The relief following the hooded man's death caused his tightly stretched willpower and forced physical strength to snap suddenly, like a bowstring drawn past its limit.
Dark-Erosion Armament rapidly receded from his limbs like an ebbing tide, exposing damaged clothing and small cuts and bruises across his skin left by the clash of powers and explosive impacts.
His mana was completely drained, his head throbbed heavily, and his vision began to blur.
But right now, more suffocating and headache-inducing than the double pain of body and mind was his worry about the future.
Melina... this woman whose level of trouble could be called catastrophic, according to the original game's plot, would enter Glory Cael Magic Academy as a transfer student at the beginning of Chapter Three.
Just thinking about it made Greg feel like passing out.
The side of her revealed to players in the original game was already mysterious enough.
She would frequently step in secretly from behind the scenes to resolve unexpected trouble when players encountered it; she could always provide key information of mysterious origins; she knew certain secrets of the academy and even the kingdom like the back of her hand; and her style was neither purely righteous nor purely evil, making her impossible to fathom...
And now, she had to carry an even more terrifying label—someone connected to the Mother of Depravity.
“I just want to live a quiet life... But why does it feel like it's getting harder and harder...?”
His consciousness was like a stone sinking into icy water, constantly falling.
Greg swayed, unable to hold on any longer, and as darkness swept before his eyes, he collapsed forward.
But the expected cold hardness and pain never came.
In their place was a startling sensation of softness, along with a soothing fragrance—a blend of light soap scent and a young girl's natural bodily perfume—that instantly enveloped him.
It was Silvia.
The moment Greg collapsed, she rushed out from behind the bushes and caught him with her own body.
Greg's face buried itself deeply and perfectly right between a set of warm, soft, astonishingly bouncy peaks.
That sensation was far too soft and full, as though it could make one forget all pain and worries, wanting only to drown in it forever.
“Senior Greg! Senior Greg! How are you feeling? Don't scare me!”
Silvia's panicked call, laced with tears, echoed near his ears, but the voice sounded muffled and distant, as if separated by a thick layer of water.
Greg's consciousness had frayed to its absolute limit.
Aside from the fragrance hovering at the tip of his nose that instinctively brought him comfort and peace, and the exquisitely soft sensation against his cheek that sent ripples through his mind, he could barely perceive or think about anything else.
His body felt so heavy it didn't seem to belong to him, without even enough strength to lift a single finger; only the waves of throbbing pain from deep within his soul and his extreme fatigue reminded him that he was still alive.
Silvia knelt on the relatively clean ground at the edge of the ruins, tightly holding the immobile Greg.
She could clearly feel Greg's warm breath passing through her thin clothing to brush against her most sensitive skin, bringing waves of shivering numbness.
She lowered her head, looking at Greg's side profile—his eyes tightly shut, his brows slightly furrowed in pain—as an overwhelming wave of emotions surged within her heart.
Gratitude.
To save her, he had faced such a terrifying enemy alone, not hesitating to plunge himself into danger.
Heartache.
Seeing him collapse like this from exhaustion, her heart felt as if it were being pierced by needles.
Admiration.
The strength, composure, and dark power he displayed had all shaken her deeply.
But there was another emotion—more burning, more unfamiliar, yet extraordinarily clear—that sprouted like a seedling breaking through the soil the moment she embraced Greg and felt his body heat and weight, growing instantly into a towering tree.
Love.
Affection.
It was so clear, so overwhelming, that she could no longer deceive herself.
Before meeting Greg, Silvia's life had contained only devout faith, pressure from the Church, the companionship of her friend Victoria, and contradiction and escape regarding her own identity.
She had never imagined she could feel such strong, complex emotions toward a man.
It was Greg who had descended like a prince in a fairy tale to save her when she was kidnapped and plunged into the deepest despair.
“I like Senior Greg... Just like how the princess in a fairy tale falls in love with the prince... I've fallen in love with him...”
Realizing this made Silvia's cheeks instantly turn burning hot, her heart pounding like a drum.
But following that was a faint trace of bitterness and heartache.
She remembered that Senior Greg seemed to... care about Victoria exceptionally.
He would visit the injured Victoria late at night, and his eyes would change whenever she was mentioned.
And as for Victoria, though she always claimed to dislike Senior Greg, Silvia could feel her best friend's attitude changing unnoticed; her expression when mentioning Greg was no longer purely one of disgust.
“The person Senior Greg likes... is probably Victoria... And Victoria is so good, so wonderful—they're the ones who truly match...”
An unspeakable feeling of loss rushed over her heart.
But quickly, it was replaced by another satisfaction—one that was far more secret and even tinged with self-reproach.
“But... being able to hold him tightly like this, letting him rest in my arms, looking at him from so close, and feeling his warmth and breath... even if it's only for a moment, I feel... so happy, so safe...”
“Am I... being terrible like this? When I clearly know Senior Greg might like Victoria, and when Victoria is my best friend... yet I actually... actually have such despicable thoughts, secretly enjoying this feeling...”
Silvia's face flushed even redder, but the arms hugging Greg involuntarily tightened a bit, pressing his head deeper into the soft fullness against her chest.
A mixture of a sense of immorality and a secret excitement—like having done something bad without getting caught—quietly took root in her heart.
“Right now... I'm practically... like a bad girl doing something naughty...”
She gently nuzzled Greg's soft golden hair, feeling the warmth and weight of the body in her arms as if she possessed the most precious treasure in the whole world, even if it was only borrowed temporarily.
“Oh? Looks like everything just wrapped up?”
A mature female voice suddenly echoed over the ruins.
The voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of the embracing pair.
Before sinking completely into darkness, Greg's fading consciousness caught the sound, and a final thought flashed weakly like a dying spark:
...There's another expert!?
Immediately after, his consciousness fully surrendered, falling into boundless darkness and chaos.
Rate on N.U.
