I'll Smash Everything with Passive Skills-Chapter 90: 0. War (1)

"Ha ha."

At the top of the tower.

A place that humans from various continents admire, a sanctuary for those who practice magic—the Magic Tower.

The highest floor of that tower is reserved for the Tower Master. Everything from lodging to research and training can be resolved without ever stepping down from that top floor.

"That rascal."

The master of the highest floor, the Tower Master, said with a smile.

The cause was the letter he held in his hand. The luxurious paper and the elegantly written antique script were familiar to him.

"So you've finally made up your mind to do it, you rascal. I told you that you'd only survive by returning to the Magic Tower."

The Tower Master, with his white beard, was smiling despite his words.

This was because the contents of the letter pleased him more than he had expected.

"So you've found your place at last."

Muttering as he sank into his chair, the Tower Master reflected.

Mages and the Magic Tower.

They have been together for a long history, like a needle and thread.

However, the Tower Master realized a certain truth a long time ago.

Circle.

That damned technique is the Magic Tower's vision training method. Therefore, mastering the Circle was thought to mean acquiring exceptional magical abilities.

But.

Just looking at his much younger disciple, Beatrice, made it clear.

The Circle is poison. It not only has little effect on the use of magic but is also a toxin that feeds on human analysis.

Then.

"Why the hell is this damned training method still around?"

The Tower Master furrowed his brow as he set down Beatrice's letter.

It was something that was hard to understand.

Mages belonging to the Magic Tower are beings who pursue the brightest truths more than anyone else.

So why had no one questioned the unknown existence of the Circle?

"Is it because I'm getting old? Ha ha. It feels like I'm the only sane one here."

With a frail laugh, the Tower Master stood up.

He slowly approached the window and gazed into the distance.

The Magic Tower boasts a height that is on a different level from an ordinary building.

Naturally, when he focused his mana and looked far away, even distances that seemed unbelievable came into view clearly.

"Ha ha."

Dark clouds approaching from afar. Seeing that, the Tower Master smiled once more.

"Everyone going to the academy is all that child's intention."

The Tower Master, Heimdall.

It was the day he decided to leave the highest floor after more than a decade.

*

"Hmm?"

John is a soldier guarding the gate.

The place he is stationed is a remote path connecting the southern part of the Vera Empire and ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ the northern part of the Holy Kingdom.

In fact, it was such a dull post that he hardly ever saw monsters or bandits, let alone travelers.

Thud. Thud.

Today, John, who had closed his eyes in boredom, heard a loud noise.

It was strange. If it was such a huge sound, the scouts should have already reported it.

"Eh?"

Surprisingly, the loud noise was growing louder.

And a massive crowd was emerging.

"W-What on earth...!"

John's mouth fell open.

At the end of the path.

There were so many beings gathering that he couldn't even count them.

"The Holy Kingdom...."

The white flags they carried were shapes that John was very familiar with.

The Church of Light. Wasn't that the flag of the Holy Kingdom they proudly displayed?

But.

"Why are they gathering here!"

John shouted in a daze. The sudden sight left his brain feeling stiff.

"Something is happening."

It was already well-known that the Empire and the Holy Kingdom had been at odds recently.

The Demon Cult. One of their minions was confirmed to be from the Holy Kingdom.

But this... was too sudden.

"It can't be an invasion."

John muttered in a trembling voice.

If the two nations that hold the hegemony of the continent were to go to war, it would surely not pass smoothly.

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*

"Hmm."

In the mansion's living room.

Veris sat at the table, savoring his tea with his eyes closed.

It felt like an awkward peace. The girl sitting right next to him chattering away, and the cool summer breeze of the early morning.

"Has it been a while?"

Suddenly, Veris thought to himself.

A mid-term evaluation. Veris had been rushing against time even before that.

Now that he thought about it, he used to have tea like this often with Cecilia, Arwen, and Maria. But recently, he hadn't been able to do so.

Well, it's not that he hadn't seen their faces.

"Really?"

"Yes! This founding festival will be celebrated in a grand manner."

At that moment, Maria and Cecilia, who were having a lively conversation, caught his eye.

The founding festival.

It was a festival he had never even seen in the economically backward Count Vitelbach's territory.

He had only seen it from a distance when he visited the Marquis's house as a child.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At that moment, a loud knocking sound echoed through the mansion.

It was only natural that confusion appeared on everyone's faces.

"What's going on?"

Veris murmured as he stood up.

After all, it was Veris's mana that dominated the entire area around the mansion. Therefore, he knew very well who the sudden visitor was.

Creak!

The door of the mansion opened, revealing a familiar middle-aged man.

"Veris! You need to come out for a moment; we have to go somewhere."

"...? This is sudden, Sir Knight."

"I'll apologize later. It's a matter of urgency, so please hurry."

The knight appeared not in his usual relaxed demeanor but with a face that looked somewhat urgent.

Knowing his character, Veris nodded and quickly got ready.

"W-What's going on?"

"...The atmosphere was strange, wasn't it? Sir Knight."

The girls who had been enjoying snacks with Veris seemed to sense the unusual atmosphere as well.

They were each throwing worried words and glances.

"I'll be back soon."

Saying that, Veris smiled once and left the mansion. He had a bad feeling about this.

The knight took Veris to the central district of the academy.

A place where the heads of the academy gathered. It was also where the knight's temporary residence was located.

"...Could you explain things to me soon?"

"Just a little more patience, please."

The knight guided Veris into a small building in the central district. He opened a hidden door in a place that resembled a tavern.

"Ha."

There were more people gathered there than he had expected.

Was it some secret society? It must have been hard to come to such a gloomy place.

"Just now, we received some shocking news."

"...What is it?"

Veris asked as he surveyed the people sitting in the secret room.

They were all individuals with high ranks within the academy. Although the most important dean was absent, he could at least understand the conversations taking place here.

And.

The faces of those high-ranking individuals were filled with various analyses.

Fear, worry, regret, and so on.

Everyone was filled with negative feelings.

"...War has broken out."

"Pardon?"

Veris's hearing was perfectly fine. But it was so absurd that he couldn't help but ask again.

"The Holy Kingdom, those damned bastards have crossed the southern border of the Empire."

The knight's serious voice. Veris realized that this was the actual situation.

"Why?"

Veris knew it was a question that begged for an answer. But he asked anyway, as he couldn't think of a clear answer himself.

"I don't know for sure. But they are... precisely marching toward the central part of the Empire, that is, the academy."

"Ha."

Veris couldn't hide his astonishment.

It was such an unexpected story. The Holy Kingdom, who worships the gods, suddenly invading the Empire?

And they were even heading toward the academy?

"The southern part of the Empire is home to powerful noble strongholds, isn't it?"

"...They are."

Swallow.

Someone could be heard swallowing dryly.

"Most of them have been annihilated."

The knight said with a somber expression.

"By the absolute ruler of the Holy Kingdom, the Pope of the Church of Light. Liberato."

The Pope, Liberato.

That was the name of the madman who instigated this incident.

"That's too sudden. It's hard to understand."

"...I feel the same way. I only received this information just an hour ago."

The knight's somber voice. Veris felt that the information he was given was unlikely to be false.

...At a glance, the Demon Cult and the Holy Kingdom were intricately intertwined.

What about the priest, Yunafint, who was confined in the academy? She held the status of both a disciple of the Demon Cult and a priest of the Holy Kingdom.

"Surely not."

Veris suddenly had a thought.

Veris had set a trap.

He was holding a girl who was an apostle of the Demon Cult hostage, confined within the academy.

That meant.

"Did they start a war to save that woman?"

It was an absurd voice. But Veris's voice represented the feelings of everyone present.

"Madmen."

A malignant unity.

It was proof that the Demon Cult and the Holy Kingdom were one.

"We must prepare."

"Prepare? For what?"

"The Holy Kingdom's actions are a cowardly invasion without a declaration of war. They must have hidden a strong force, as the southern front fell in an instant. Now, even though a day has passed since the war began, it is only reasonable to prepare for a counterattack." The knight murmured with eyes full of killing intent.

Only then did Veris recall a fact he had forgotten.

The knight. This person's appearance was just that of a nice-looking gentleman.

But inside, there was a warrior with the heart of a fierce lion.