---

The crackling sound of the bonfire echoed through the silent cave. Lily, who had been eating Kenni Meat given by Gilbert, could finally reflect on her humiliating current state once her stomach was somewhat full.

Before starting the General Assessment, she had been determined to bring Gilbert down. Just being in the same space as him sent shivers down her spine, and she had a strong desire to return the humiliation she had suffered from him.

Even as she stepped onto the large-scale teleportation Magic Circle, Lily had glared at Gilbert, burning with fighting spirit. When she first arrived here, she was still full of motivation. Her desire to find Gilbert immediately was as strong as a chimney, but rushing out to find him without a plan would have been a foolish decision.

Lily thought that if she followed the training she had received from her proud older sister, everything would be fine, so she stepped onto the Magic Circle.

However, after being transported to the Uninhabited Island and starting her exploration, Lily soon realized that she had been too optimistic about the General Assessment.

In the forest where visibility was poor, Lily spent the entire day exploring without securing any water or food, and she quickly became exhausted. While she still had some physical stamina left, the constant tension of not knowing what might jump out at her from anywhere mentally drained her.

As time passed—one hour, then two, until the sun set—the physical burden began to take its toll.

The hunger and thirst from not eating or drinking anything pushed Lily, who had grown up as the youngest daughter of the Count Family, to her limits.

Walking endlessly without rest, Lily eventually stumbled through the darkened forest, drawn by the faint light and the smell of roasting meat, leading her to this place.

The problem was that the person there was Gilbert, the one she hated most in this world. She had approached carelessly, only to find herself face-to-face with Gilbert, who had his sword drawn, and she ended up showing a humiliating side of herself in front of him.

To make matters worse, Gilbert, feeling sympathy for her, ended up sharing food and water with her.

Honestly, Lily had thought countless times about tearing off her bracelet and quitting right then and there.

She thought it would be better to give up on the General Assessment than to receive pity from Gilbert, but she suppressed all those feelings because she wanted to become like her respected older sister.

Despite her intense dislike for Gilbert, her desire to follow in her sister’s footsteps, who excelled in every way, was also strong.

Meanwhile, Gilbert quietly watched Lily, who was eating with her head down, and organized his thoughts. He had already secured water and food, so his next plan was simple.

As per the plan he had made before the General Assessment, he would meet up with Angelina and Hans.

To do that, his next goal was to head to the southern coast.

So, he had planned to eat some Kenni Leg Roast and take a short rest tonight, but Lily’s sudden appearance had disrupted the situation.

What should I do with this brat?

Gilbert had pondered endlessly about how to handle Lily.

At first, he had thought of simply apologizing, but he gave up due to the immense hostility she held towards him. Her emotional wounds were already too deep, and a hasty apology would only worsen the situation.

But he wasn’t sure if pretending not to know her was the right move either. He had already given up on recruiting her as a companion, but it wasn’t good to completely alienate Lily, who was destined to become an outstanding knight.

Her family was a famous Count Family in the Empire, and her older sister was already an elite among elites, excelling on the Frontline.

If her sister, who had a fiery personality, found out, Gilbert wouldn’t just be alienating Lily. He might already be on bad terms with her sister, who surely knew the full story.

It would be a miracle if she didn’t draw her sword the moment they met.

Gilbert’s head was a mess.

After disposing of the Kenni bones he had eaten, Gilbert looked at Lily, who was glaring at him, and realized he couldn’t delay this issue any longer. If he didn’t resolve it somehow, it could cause problems later as the main story progressed.

In a situation where there was no clear way to return to the original world, the only thing Gilbert could do was to proceed with the main story as smoothly as possible.

Of course, even if he completed the main story, it was uncertain whether he could return to the original world, but he had no other choice.

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

“I have nothing to say to someone like you.”

Lily’s hostility towards Gilbert was so intense that it was almost like a wounded cat. Her attitude made it clear she didn’t want to exchange a single word with him, and Gilbert couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, though he didn’t show it.

“It’s natural for you to hold a grudge against me.”

Lily’s eyes grew even sharper. It was an uncharacteristic look for her, who was usually kind and gentle to everyone, but Gilbert was an exception.

“I don’t plan to apologize now. Even if I did, you wouldn’t accept it.”

Gilbert had half given up on improving his relationship with Lily. He thought it wasn’t good to alienate her, but there was no way around it. If that was the case, it might be better to openly become enemies rather than pretending everything was fine on the surface. Of course, he had no intention of actually doing that.

“…How shamelessly you speak. ‘Natural,’ you say? You have no idea how I’ve been living.”

Lily couldn’t hold back her anger at Gilbert’s words. She had wanted to quietly fail and avoid owing him anything, but she realized how naive that thought had been.

Gilbert was more of a scumbag than she had thought. Bringing up the past showed that he hadn’t changed at all from the delinquent he used to be.

Lily recalled the first time she had met Gilbert in the Reception Room.

His crimson eyes, like red jewels, and his golden hair shining in the sunlight streaming through the window.

The young Lily had greeted him with a bright smile, her heart pounding in a way it never had before.

At the time, she hadn’t understood what that different pounding meant, but now, as an adult, Lily knew all too well what that feeling had been. It was truly unpleasant and disgusting, but the young her had fallen for Gilbert at first sight as he entered the Reception Room bathed in sunlight.

However, Gilbert, with his twisted smile, had trampled all over her feelings. Without hesitation, he had groped Lily’s chest, which had developed early, and made comments about it.

Caught off guard, Lily hadn’t been able to react properly, and it was only later that she pushed him away.

Until then, the overly kind Lily had thought of him as just a bit mischievous.

But Gilbert had continued to torment her throughout her stay in the Lithuania Territory. He had cunningly avoided the servants’ eyes to seek her out, and the naive Lily had no choice but to endure it all.

Every time Gilbert came to see her, he would say things like how he had made her large chest even bigger by touching it, or that she should stay with him instead of returning to her Count Family.

Lily was growing tired of Gilbert’s obsessive behavior when the incident finally happened.

Perhaps frustrated by Lily’s endurance, Gilbert tried to drag her into his room by force.

Frightened by his aggressive behavior, Lily forcibly pushed him away, and an angry Gilbert lashed out at her.

He called her a whore who flaunted her chest.

The young lady of the Count Family, who had been raised delicately, felt her tender heart being torn apart by the insulting words she had never heard before.

Lily had never forgotten the words he had spoken that day. Especially since they had come from the person she had fallen for at first sight. The Lily who had dismissed all his actions as mere mischief had been awakened by that sharp remark and had immediately run to her father.

She couldn’t remember what she had said. All she remembered was crying bitterly.

Gilbert knew about this too. That’s why he thought there was no way to resolve it. The actions of the original Gilbert had left a lifelong scar on Lily.

“Yeah, I don’t know.”

“Really, you say things that make me want to kill you without a second thought.”

“Back then, I had to have what I wanted to feel satisfied. The only failure was you.”

In that case, the only option was to become the target of Lily’s full hatred. As long as her family or her sister didn’t get involved, he could handle it. Of course, recruiting her as a companion was now out of the question, but he had already given up on that.

“I’m not an object, you disgusting bastard.”

Lily suppressed the urge to lunge at him with superhuman patience.

“I’ll leave today. I really want to knock you down right now, but I’ll consider it payment for tonight’s meal. But there won’t be a next time.”

“Is that so? Understood.”

Gilbert didn’t stop Lily as she left the cave with a murderous glare. He had expected her to attack immediately, but Lily was a better person than he had thought. He hadn’t anticipated that she would say something like considering it payment for the meal.

‘Maybe she just doesn’t want to owe me anything.’

Gilbert let out a deep sigh, leaned against the cave wall, and closed his eyes. He couldn’t sleep deeply, but he needed to rest a little.

***

First General Assessment.

End of Day One.

 

---