I'll Smash Everything with Passive Skills-Chapter 86: 0. Birthday (3)

"How about this one?"

"Well, do you think Veris would like it?"

"...."

A cheerful conversation among the girls.

Behind them, with an expressionless face, Arwen wandered through the luxurious clothing store until she came to a halt.

"Ah."

What stopped her was none other than a pair of outfits.

First, the dress hanging on the left was a bright gray gown.

The dress was adorned with golden threads on the sleeves and chest, and the slightly open back was finished with smooth curves.

Why is this here?

Arwen's white fingers, staring blankly at the dress, slowly reached out, wandering aimlessly in the air, eventually just fiddling with the dress's sleeve.

"It's truly unique."

At that moment, while the other girls were still deep in conversation.

Arwen wore a face lost in admiration.

An elven traditional wedding dress.

It was unexpectedly here in the commercial district of this academy.

"...."

As Arwen absentmindedly touched the displayed dress, she turned her head.

There hung a men's suit of a similar style to the dress she had just been looking at.

Arwen imagined.

She struggled to recall a scene that had appeared in her dreams long ago.

"Arwen, what are you doing?"

"Ah, Beatrice."

A voice that snapped Arwen back to reality. Recognizing that it was Beatrice, Arwen turned to look at her.

The daughter of the Haruen family, which had a betrothal with the Vitelbach family to which Veris belonged.

"...."

Arwen felt a bitter taste in her mouth.

In the past, Arwen had been a girl who thought she should humbly accept her fate.

But at some point, thanks to the man who saved her, she began to think she wanted to carve out her own destiny.

To Arwen, Beatrice's presence was more uncomfortable than she had anticipated.

Having been freed from a sinister slave trader, Arwen had lived for a long time as a servant of the Vitelbach family.

She knew well that it was a dream she could not dare to weave, but was the human heart so easily determined in the first place?

Sigh.

Arwen thought.

Yes, this is jealousy. It was a fact too overwhelming to admit.... Arwen felt jealousy towards Beatrice, who was simply born with a future promised with Veris.

"Cecilia and Maria seem to be in a good mood, but Arwen, you don't look happy at all."

"I have my reasons."

I heard that Beatrice had been consumed by the influence of the Circle.

Now that the Circle had broken and Beatrice had regained her original personality, she looked every bit the noble lady she was.

...At a glance, she even seemed more aristocratic than the noble Princess Maria.

Beatrice seemed to have something to say, fanning herself with a black fan while looking at Arwen.

"I know."

"...What do you mean?"

Arwen tilted her head. Beatrice found her reaction amusing and smiled softly.

"Arwen. I know you really like Veris."

"W-what!"

In an instant, Arwen, caught off guard, shouted blankly.

Perhaps finding her reaction amusing, Beatrice covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Surely, you're not the only one feeling this way."

With that, Beatrice turned to look at the two girls.

Cecilia and Maria.

With the sudden appearance of a high-profile guest, the clerk was frantically jotting down their requests.

"...."

Arwen knew.

The feeling of having Veris taken away was indeed a prideful and greedy sentiment.

"I don't intend to monopolize Veris just because of a promise between families."

"...."

Arwen fell silent.

It wasn't that she had nothing to say.

She simply didn't feel the need to open her mouth to make excuses.

'Then.'

Should I muster the courage?

Is it okay to take a step forward?

Arwen was deep in thought.

*

"Ta-da!"

"What's this?"

As Veris opened the door to the mansion, cheers erupted. He saw girls filled with bright smiles.

"Happy birthday! This is the gift we prepared for you!"

"...There were so many modifications that I almost didn't receive the outfit today."

The gift was clothing.

"What is this?"

"Isn't your birthday coming up soon?"

"Ah, I had completely forgotten."

It was a fact he had blacked out.

Neither his father, the count, nor his mother, the countess, were the types to celebrate birthdays.

"We pooled our money to prepare this!"

Cecilia exclaimed cheerfully. The girls gathered around Veris all wore joyful smiles.

"Thank you."

With a soft reply, Veris took a look at the items from the clothing box.

A white shirt, black pants, and a black jacket with a cloak—all looked to be of very high quality.

"You must have put in quite an effort."

With a newfound appreciation, Veris stroked the clothes.

The suit was made from fabric that looked expensive at first glance. Even though he was in S-Class, receiving such an extravagant gift was surprising.

"We can't let something as trivial as money block our feelings."

Maria said with a bright smile.

In response, Veris couldn't help but break into a pleasant smile as well. It had been a series of oddly tense days.

But now that things had settled down, how could he not feel good about experiencing this peace after such a long time?

"Why don't you try it on, Veris?"

"Should I?"

At Beatrice's suggestion, Veris nodded willingly.

Since the girls had prepared such a gift for him, there was no reason not to wear it.

After taking the clothing box into his room, Veris emerged back into the central living room a few minutes later.

There's a saying that clothes make the man.

Even though Veris had a knack for impressing others even in shabby attire, now, dressed sharply, he truly looked like a painting.

"Wow!"

"You look truly beautiful."

The girls clapped their hands, praising Veris.

With their scattered, admiring compliments, Veris wore a shy smile.

"It feels a bit awkward."

"You look amazing! I doubt anyone could see you like this and not feel attracted!"

Cecilia said, her excitement rising.

As she passionately expressed her opinion, she seemed to remember something and approached Veris.

"The founding festival is coming up soon. It would be perfect to wear this then."

"That's a good suggestion, Cecilia."

"Right. Let's do that."

Veris felt good.

It would be a lie to say he didn't feel good, especially with people who remembered his birthday, which he had forgotten himself.

*

"Half of the Twelve Black Seats are dead, the academy's communication network is down. The hounds have been captured. Is this even possible?"

In a dark chamber.

An old man dressed in white sat, growling.

"Th-that is..."

The man who merely delivered the news trembled under the old man's fury.

The killing intent emanating from the old man was far from ordinary.

"I cannot comprehend this."

His voice was filled with suppressed rage. The man, who had been trembling like a leaf in the wind, now lay flat on the floor, shouting.

"P-please, calm down. For the greater good, this level of sacrifice is..."

"This level of sacrifice?"

The old man's voice was sharp.

It didn't take long for the man to realize that something had gone terribly wrong.

"Are you suggesting that this level of sacrifice is acceptable when the greater good has been delayed instead?"

"I'm sorry. I dared to speak out of turn!"

The man was sweating profusely, as if it were raining. He could hardly control his trembling body, which now looked pitiful.

"How strange."

The old man sitting in the chamber reflected on the past.

The Second Seat of the Twelve Black Seats, rooted in the heart of the empire.

He could hardly understand how this man had completely obliterated the academy, the heart of the order.

Moreover, what about the incident where Apostle Yunafint was captured by the enemy?

That was an excruciating loss for the order.

The old man knew well that her faith was deep, but swaying a person's heart was not an easy task.

Furthermore, among the priests of the Holy Kingdom, there were those with the miracle of truth.

For instance, leaking information was only a matter of time.

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"It's a summons."

"...A summons, you say?"

The man trembled as he asked the old man again.

The reason was simple. A summons had already been issued to the Twelve Black Seats in the central part of the empire, namely the academy.

That had caused significant bloodshed.

"It's time to stake everything."

With the sudden change in the old man's tone, the man could only stare blankly.

Time to stake everything?

He was not someone who didn't understand the meaning of those words.

"C-could it be...?"

"Yes."

"Oh my God. Congratulations! How could that sacred ceremony...!"

"The greater good has been completed. Now we just need to time it right." It was a moment of overwhelming emotion.

The man seemed to have forgotten that he had just been on the brink of death, now shedding hot tears from his eyes.

He [N O V E L I G H T] looked almost fanatical.

"Surely, the Lord has answered the faith of Your Grace."

Thud!

The man bowed deeply, striking his head against the floor.

Thanks to the marble floor of the chamber, blood spurted from his forehead in an instant.

The splattered blood stained the luxurious chair the old man sat in.

The chair radiated a pure white light, as if it had been made just for the old man.