I'll Smash Everything with Passive Skills-Chapter 101: Side Story - Enixray (1)

"Ah, Enixray... It's been ten years. Even the mountains and rivers change in that time. It's not an easy thing."

"Is that so?"

"However, I will make an effort. Since someone as noble as you has come in person, my old body has no complaints."

The old man grinned as he left the house.

Veris sat at a wooden table. In front of him was a cup of tea, steam rising from it.

"It's truly a fascinating thing."

Slurp.

Arwen elegantly lifted her teacup and took a sip, murmuring softly.

Her tone was oddly different from usual. There wasn't much meaning in her words, but there was a hint of something different in her demeanor.

"Are you feeling good?"

"...It seems I cannot escape your discerning eye, Veris. I can only apologize for being a bother."

Arwen slightly flushed and lowered her head.

Veris couldn't help but smile pleasantly.

The small cabin where Veris was sitting alone with Arwen was beyond the eastern border of the Empire, at the entrance of the Great Forest.

So why had they traveled such a long way? The reason was simple.

Veris had come here for Arwen.

The burned house, the cold bodies of her family. Arwen had said she would not easily forget the deep wounds of her heart.

Hearing such commendable words, Veris and Arwen had thought to exchange a small greeting before embarking on their long journey.

And thus, they arrived at the entrance of the Great Forest. They had just met an elven elder who seemed to live in this area and had just been served tea by him.

"Bother? You're seeking the place where your memories reside."

"...That's true."

"Then how could you have any complaints? You are my precious person."

"...!"

Arwen, sitting in her chair, flinched her shoulders. Moreover, her small lips were constantly moving, and her fingers were fidgeting, as if she had something she wanted to say.

Seeing that, Veris found it oddly cute and spoke with a subtle smile.

"It's a place where your family is. I hope you don't feel forced to forget them."

"Veris...."

Arwen slowly raised her flushed face and looked at Veris.

Her eyes were shimmering with a faint desire. What was the point of hiding it?

When they set out on this long journey to the Great Forest, they had received permission from girls like Cecilia, Maria, and Beatrice.

...That meant.

Everything happening here would be a secret shared only between Veris and Arwen.

Bang!

The old man who had left the house barged in just as Arwen was lifting her long, white fingers to tickle Veris's hand.

"Cough! I miscalculated the timing. I found someone who knows the way faster than I expected."

The owner of the small cabin, the elven elder, scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.

Naturally, Arwen's face turned as red as a ripe apple. Veris could only chuckle at how cute she looked.

"By the way, I heard it's deep in the Great Forest. How did you find it so quickly?"

"Ah, I don't know what kind of fate this is, but there's a wanderer from that place in the village. If you follow him, you won't have to worry about a long journey."

Veris nodded at the elder's explanation.

In front of him sat Arwen, who was awkwardly avoiding his gaze. She had turned her head away, perhaps feeling embarrassed that someone had caught her actions.

He chuckled softly.

Veris stood up, and Arwen looked up at him with a puzzled expression, like a small animal.

"...Ah!"

He slowly reached out his arm to her. She was delicate enough to fit in one arm. However, Arwen did not resist. She gently detached herself from the chair and nestled into Veris's embrace.

Sniff, sniff.

Of course, it seemed he hadn't been able to shake off a habit he had maintained for a long time.

"Well then, there's no need to delay. I'll go meet him right away."

"Haha! Perhaps it's because you're still young, but you're full of energy. In any case, don't worry about me. I owe a debt to Enixray."

Debt?

Veris tilted his head in confusion.

Meeting the elder and the cabin at the entrance of the Great Forest was purely by chance.

He had thought it was just a kind-hearted personality that provided a place to rest for a while and served warm tea.

"You look puzzled. I'm quite a peculiar old man. If that woman hadn't mentioned she was a descendant of Enixray, I would have chased you away on the spot."

"Hmm... Is that so?"

"..."

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With curious eyes, Veris looked down at Arwen, who had buried her face in his embrace, feeling shy.

Now her ears were flushed red as well. It seemed unlikely she would be able to give a proper answer if he spoke to her now.

*

The guide from deep within the Great Forest turned out to be an unexpectedly young girl.

Was she just about eighteen?

She kept glancing at them with wide eyes. At first, Veris thought she was simply curious about Arwen, who was from outside.

But strangely, he could feel the girl's passionate gaze.

"..."

Arwen narrowed her eyes and kept alternating her gaze between the girl and Veris. Perhaps it was a woman's intuition; Arwen seemed to sense something.

"Stop with those perverted eyes, and I'd like to request a simple contract before the guidance."

"Ah, I-I'm sorry! It's my first time seeing such a beautiful man in my life..."

"Hmm, that has nothing to do with you. You just need to do your job."

"Yes, yes! Understood!"

...This was a side of Arwen that was rarely seen.

When Arwen spoke coldly with a wary gaze, the girl jumped in surprise and shouted.

In response, Veris slowly approached Arwen and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"...!"

"There's no need to be so wary, is there?"

"W-well, that's true..."

"Surely, you're not acting like this just because I looked at you intently?"

"Ugh."

"Ah? It seems I was right?"

Arwen raised her trembling eyes to look at Veris.

Then, a disgustingly handsome face along with a playful smile came into view. Arwen realized that Veris was just teasing her.

...But.

She strangely lacked the courage to push him away, even with the younger girl looking at them with longing eyes!

"Are you two newlyweds?"

"What?"

The sudden voice of the guide girl made Veris burst into laughter.

"Newlyweds, newlyweds."

Veris muttered to himself as he casually withdrew his hand.

In fact, it wasn't strange to see it that way. An elven woman from outside the Great Forest and a young human man.

At a glance, a sweet atmosphere would be radiating from them. After all, Veris, who had just defeated a deity from another realm, was openly expressing his feelings without hiding them.

"What a sweet treat."

"Sweet treat... what?"

"Sweet treat. It's a term that young people often use in the big country to the west these days."

"..."

Veris and Arwen exchanged glances.

In fact, that phrase was something Veris often said at the café.

At first, Arwen and the other girls had laughed, saying it was a strange expression, but how did a girl living in such a place know it?

"Hm, I probably wouldn't be."

Arwen, having roughly grasped Veris's intentions, spoke softly.

"Right, I suppose so."

"It's a truly cute expression, but I'm not. Absolutely not."

Veris chuckled.

In truth, it wasn't something he thought was particularly important. He just found Arwen's reaction amusing.

"Is that really so, Arwen?"

"It could be true, or it could not be."

Arwen scrunched her nose. Naturally, Veris's hand went up. Eventually, his hand settled on Arwen's hair, which seemed to be spun from gold.

"What does it matter? Right?"

"...That's indeed true."

"..."

The elven girl watched the two beautiful people with a dazed expression.

No, just a moment ago, she had been wary of them, but now her gaze towards the handsome human man was dripping with honey.

"Oh dear."

"What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing! Hehe."

Like an elf, her ears were annoyingly sharp. Thinking that, the girl turned her gaze away.

If she didn't, she felt like she would collapse from the embarrassment.

*

"By the way, are you two strong?"

"Strong, you say?"

They began to move deeper into the Great Forest. The elven girl, leaning on her staff, scanned the surroundings with a wary gaze.

At her question, Veris let out a resigned laugh.

Strong? He had never really thought about it, but if Veris wasn't strong, then who could be considered strong?

"Yes. The outskirts of the Great Forest are peaceful, but the deeper you go, it's a different story. There are all sorts of large monsters, and there are elven tribes that are wary of humans."

"Hm. You don't need to worry about that."

"...Um, I'm just giving you some advice because you seem a ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) bit weak. My companion and I are both elves, so we won't harm you, but the elven tribes are extremely hostile towards humans."

"Is that so?"

That was something he already knew. Most elves disliked humans. That's why they lived in the deep wilderness, far from human footsteps.

"Veris is not weak, though."

However, it seemed Arwen found the guide girl's words offensive. She spoke in a firm tone.

...It was certainly not a mere misunderstanding that her tone had become oddly aggressive.

"I also live by being a guide, but my last client said the same thing and was showered with arrows the next day."

"Was he human?"

"Yes. I heard he was a merchant from an academy or something, and he came looking to take an elf as a bride. Of course, he returned to the eternal embrace of his mother."

"..."

A merchant from the academy? Then he could guess who had influenced the man's words about wanting to take an elf as a bride.

Veris shifted his gaze. Even while traversing the treacherous paths of the Great Forest, Arwen was not even breathing heavily.

Her golden hair, so brilliantly and richly spun that it felt like an illusion.

Her large, yet strangely relaxed blue eyes.

Her delicate, pink-tinted lips on a perfectly shaped nose.

An appearance that made even an ordinary elf seem infinitely ordinary.

"Do you have something to say?"

Arwen tilted her head with an innocent expression.

She looked so lovely that Veris couldn't help but smile.