If it were before hearing that shocking news about "Greg Sass defeating a Demon King Cult executive and rescuing the kidnapped freshman"...
Vivian would probably have concluded without hesitation that Greg had completely lost his mind from the severe blow of being publicly banished by his family, driving him to perform such nearly suicidal, crazy acts.
But now...
Her gaze swept across the camp:
A tent that looked to be of decent quality but was by no means luxurious; a simple campfire built of stones outside the tent, beside which were scattered tools and remnants for smoking jerky; a small pool of water drawn from the underground river; apart from these, there were no other decent living supplies.
It was crude, yet it exuded an air of having already adapted to living here.
Now, even Vivian, who had always held an extremely poor impression of Greg, had to admit a fact:
Something she hadn't known about seemed to have truly changed in this former fiancé of hers, whom she had thought was long beyond saving.
But not much.
After all, he was still abandoning himself to skipping classes right now instead of returning to the academy to make a fresh start.
“If I walk out with him and others see us, I'm afraid that old engagement will spark a lot of unnecessary gossip and speculation again...”
Vivian knitted her brows imperceptibly, but quickly smoothed them out again.
She was a person of extremely strong principles.
“However, bringing a truant student back to the academy and urging them back onto the right track is intrinsically the duty of the Student Council President, especially when it comes to disciplinary work.”
Publicly or privately, she had no reason to shirk it.
“Damn... The Headmistress is actually serious?”
Greg was fully awake now. Hearing Vivian mention the Headmistress, he immediately understood, an expression mixing with annoyance appearing on his face.
Yesterday in the Headmistress's office, Olivia had indeed mentioned the phrase 'Student Council President' at the end, but he had assumed back then that it was just a casual comment from that thrill-seeker Headmistress, or perhaps a disguised warning.
After all, as Headmistress, Olivia couldn't possibly be ignorant of the extremely awkward relationship between him and Vivian.
But now, seeing Vivian actually standing before him in all seriousness and even ordered to wake him up, Greg knew he might have somewhat underestimated that disappointing beauty and thrill-seeker's twisted taste.
While rubbing his eyes, he fumbled for the old pocket watch beside his sleeping bag and glanced at the time.
The hour hand pointed squarely at “6.”
The corner of Greg's mouth twitched.
The earliest class at the academy didn't start until nine in the morning.
“Respected Princess Vivian.”
He looked up and said in an incredulous tone:
“It's only six in the morning! Isn't this... way too early?!”
Even if you're waking someone up, there's no need to do it three hours in advance, right?
Was she so worried he would run away halfway that she had to personally escort him?
Vivian had finished her rough survey of the camp. Hearing his words, she merely shook her head faintly, her ice-blue eyes looking at Greg as her tone remained calm and unruffled:
“It is not early. Time is still needed to prepare and handle today's Student Council work.”
Just because you have work to do later, you dug me out of my warm covers this early?!
Greg ranted wildly in his heart, feeling a wave of deep helplessness wash over him.
He had gone to sleep very late yesterday because he had specially run off to the deep area of the dungeon to find a few groups of appropriately leveled monsters to test out his fully upgraded talent.
The results were pleasantly surprising.
That forty percent damage bonus allowed him to deal with all the monsters in the first layer's deep area using only those two Basic magic spells.
Furthermore, after calculating it, the extra experience gain had increased from the original ten percent to the current twenty percent.
Plus, despite grinding for over a week previously and acquiring quite a few skills thanks to his [Digestive Bacteria] talent, only one gem had dropped.
Yet last night, blessed with a Luck stat no lower than 2, another new gem had actually dropped!
Although its level wasn't high, its market value was quite decent.
This filled him with confidence for his future plan of getting rich by farming gems. He even felt that if his Luck stat could rise just a bit more, reselling gems alone would be enough for him to live a comfortable life as a dungeon otaku.
But now, just as this beautiful blueprint was unfolding, it was shattered by a cold sword tip and an even colder Princess.
Severe sleep deprivation made Greg choose to obey his instincts. He flopped straight back into his sleeping bag, which still held his body heat, pulled the thin blanket over his head, and said muffledly:
“Oh... Then go busy yourself with your Student Council work first. Don't worry, I'll go by myself on time later.”
He put a bit of heavy emphasis on the word 'on time,' with the subtext being: It's too early right now, I need to sleep in, don't bother me.
The tent fell silent for a few seconds.
Then, Vivian's clear, cold, and rippleless voice penetrated the thin blanket, reaching Greg's ears clearly:
“What are you talking about, Greg Sass?”
Greg: “...”
Being suddenly called by his full name gave him a rather bad premonition.
Vivian's voice continued, maintaining that same businesslike and unquestionable tone: “You need to prepare for Student Council work as well.”
Greg whipped off the blanket, sat up, and stared wide-eyed at Vivian.
“Me? Student Council work?”
He pointed at his own nose, finding this utterly absurd:
“Your Highness Vivian, have you made some kind of mistake? I have absolutely—zero—connection to your Student Council! I don't even know which direction the Student Council room door opens!”
Facing Greg's skepticism, Vivian merely tilted her head slightly. Her ice-blue eyes looked straight at him, and in a steady tone that sounded like announcing an established fact, she stated clearly:
“No, you do have a connection. Because starting today, you are a temporary Disciplinary Committee member of the Disciplinary Committee under the Glory Cael Magic Academy Student Council. This is a direct appointment by the Headmistress.”
Greg: “...?!”
His mouth hung open as his expression instantly transformed from absurdity to extreme shock, as if he had just heard something utterly fantastical.
“Wh-What?! Judgement-desu?! No, wait, a D-Disciplinary Committee member?! Me?! Is it really me?!”
He was so shocked that he was almost incoherent, pointing his finger at himself again as his voice raised an octave.
That Disciplinary Committee known throughout the academy for its strict enforcement, striking terror into the hearts of countless rule-breaking students?
Making him—a former textbook example of the academy's number one rule breaker—become a Disciplinary Committee member?!
This wasn't even a joke anymore; this was a hellish level of dark humor!
However, Vivian completely ignored Greg's exaggerated reaction, merely nodding calmly to confirm:
“The Headmistress believes that having you personally participate in the management of academy discipline will help you gain a deeper understanding of the school rules and regulations, correct your past slack demeanor, and integrate into normal academy life faster. At the same time, it can also... provide the Student Council with some unique perspectives.”
She spoke with high-sounding rhetoric, but beneath her calm tone, Greg could hear a nearly imperceptible trace of helplessness.
Clearly, Vivian herself wasn't necessarily pleased with this appointment either, but since it was a direct order from the Headmistress, she would execute it strictly.
And right now, Greg had only one thought: I want to scream!
Rate on N.U.
