“But... resolve the talent disparity? What ability do I have to do that?”
Greg felt a surge of powerlessness.
After all, strictly speaking, he himself was an undisputed delinquent student.
“Tsk, how troublesome.”
Just as Greg felt a headache coming on from this, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a change in the text on the system task panel.
He immediately focused his attention.
Beneath the words that originally displayed 【Redemption of the Villainous Noble: Phase One Completed】, new task instructions slowly appeared:
【Redemption of the Villainous Noble (Phase Two): Please successfully clear the second layer of the Academy Dungeon before the end of Act Two.】
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! I just finished one phase, and before I can even catch my breath, the next one starts immediately?! Are they treating me like a workhorse for the production team?!”
Greg roared frantically in his heart.
Although clearing the first layer brought huge rewards, it nearly cost him half his life. Now, the difficulty of the second layer would obviously only be higher—he could tell just by thinking about it with his toes!
Just as Greg began to feel like he was a mud Buddha crossing a river, barely able to save himself, his ingenious mind suddenly came up with a good idea.
“At that time, couldn't I just find a way to trick Vivian into going down to the dungeon with me to clear it?!”
After all, battling in the dungeon is also a way to increase one's strength, and unlike learning from books, this method has no talent restrictions!
However, the downside is that this method carries extremely high risks; a moment's carelessness could lead to being buried in the dungeon forever, because this is the real world, and there's no option to load a previous save.
Greg quickly calmed down and began to rationally analyze the feasibility of this crazy idea.
After all, he wasn't the type of selfless simp to begin with. Especially now, Vivian was just a character he felt a bit sorry for, so it wasn't worth taking all the risks for her.
The reason he thought of this method now was that even though Vivian's magic talent couldn't compare to Lilith's, she was still the Second-year Representative, after all, with a level above LV30, having reached the standard of a theoretical professor at the academy. At the very least, she wouldn't hold him back during the dungeon clear.
Most crucially, she used ice-attribute magic, and the Floor Boss of the second layer of the Glory Cael Magic Academy Dungeon was extremely weak to ice.
It was precisely for this reason that Greg conceived the idea of finding a way to trick Vivian into clearing the dungeon with him.
If the plan succeeded, not only would he complete the dungeon clear, but perhaps through their shared adventure, he could subtly influence Vivian, letting her see the possibility of growing stronger through combat, thereby slightly alleviating her anxiety and paranoia stemming from the talent disparity, and he would also gain her favor.
Gaining the favor of a high-status princess was, after all, not a bad thing.
Simply perfect!
The more Greg thought about it, the more he felt this plan was tailor-made for him to break through the deadlock!
Although risks and opportunities coexisted, the opportunities clearly outweighed the risks!
The only problem was...
“How should I trick her into going to the dungeon? If I just told her directly, I doubt she'd trust me.”
Greg's mind began to race.
But if he provoked her by saying: “Princess, I think your talent isn't as good as your sister's; stop grinding on theory and come clear dungeons and level up with me!”
That definitely wouldn't work. He'd be frozen into an ice sculpture with a trash-can gaze and then sliced by her sword, one hundred percent.
He needed to find another way.
Greg was absorbed in formulating his grand scheme to trick her, and his footsteps unconsciously slowed down a bit.
Just then—
Vivian, walking half a step ahead of him, suddenly stopped without warning.
“Hmm?”
Greg's thoughts were interrupted, and he stopped as well, looking at Vivian with some confusion.
Only then did he realize that the surrounding noisy discussions had eerily vanished at some point.
A peculiar atmosphere quietly permeated the once bustling tree-lined path.
Greg lifted his head, looking in the direction Vivian calmly gazed—
There, a few meters ahead, stood a girl quietly in the center of the road.
She blocked a significant portion of the path, but the students passing by all spontaneously maintained a respectful distance from her, as if an invisible barrier existed around her.
No one walked directly in front of her; everyone chose to detour around her sides.
She was a golden-haired girl.
Her golden hair was not the vibrant, life-filled molten gold color of Greg's, but a honey-gold, as if meticulously polished, flowing with a soft luster in the morning light. It was meticulously combed and styled into an elegant yet girlish bun at the back of her head.
She wore the academy uniform, but the material and tailoring were clearly superior and fitted, topped with an expensive pale purple velvet short cape, and a small, exquisite guild crest brooch pinned to her collar.
Her face was exquisitely beautiful, her features so delicate they seemed to be from a master's oil painting. Her aqua-blue eyes were like the clearest lake water, currently gazing over calmly, a faint, perfectly appropriate and impeccable smile gracing her lips.
Simply standing there, she naturally exuded a demeanor utterly different from the ordinary students around her, as well as a certain... composure and insight beyond her years.
The moment he recognized that face, Greg's pupils constricted imperceptibly, and he even unconsciously drew a sharp, quick breath.
To think... he'd run into her directly here!
Just as alarm bells rang in Greg's mind, the golden-haired girl moved.
She first elegantly lifted the hem of her uniform skirt slightly, performing an impeccable, standard court curtsy towards Vivian, her movements fluid and natural, as if practiced a thousand times over.
Her voice was clear and pleasant, like wind chimes, yet it carried a comfortable steadiness:
“Good day, Princess Vivian. It has been a long time since we last met; Your Highness's grace is even more splendid than before.”
After completing her greeting, she slowly straightened up, her aqua-blue eyes shifting slightly, passing over Vivian and settling on Greg.
Her gaze was calm, carrying a touch of well-placed curiosity and a sharpness that seemed capable of seeing into one's heart, yet it was softened by her perfectly polite smile.
She nodded slightly to Greg as well, then, with a reassuringly pleasant yet undeniably firm tone, clearly stated:
“Greg Sass, it's been a while. Forgive my presumption, but would you... be able to spare some time for me afterward? There are some things I'd like to discuss with you privately.”
Catherine Roman.
The Fourth Heroine, one of the future candidates to helm the Roman Business Empire.
Greg never imagined he'd run into her so early, right here.
Rate on N.U.
