I'll Smash Everything with Passive Skills-Chapter 58: 0. Transfer Student (2)

"Veris!"

"...Beatrice?"

"Yes! Your Beatrice is here."

It was Beatrice who greeted Veris with a refreshing smile. It wasn't an easy situation to understand, so Veris looked around.

Indeed, it was the familiar scenery of the southern commercial district. The mansion looked just as it had when Veris and his party left.

But... why is Beatrice here?

Noticing Veris's confusion, Beatrice approached and subtly crossed her arms. Naturally, the three girls shot her fiery glares at such shameless behavior, but Beatrice ignored them and continued speaking.

"I came to the academy earlier than planned for my transfer. And... I heard you visited Count Vitelbach's territory?"

Her bright, lively smile was striking. Yet, for some reason, that gentle smile felt cold.

"Yeah, that's right."

"I'm really disappointed. Why did you...?"

Beatrice trailed off, but Veris easily understood her meaning.

It seemed she was sulking. Perhaps she thought that as his fiancée, she should have been included in his visit to the territory.

"I didn't expect you to come to the academy so soon. I thought you'd stay at the Magic Tower longer."

"Yeah, I hurried a bit."

When Beatrice flashed her cheerful smile again, the atmosphere brightened.

"You really rushed it."

Cecilia, unable to hide her discomfort, quietly muttered from behind.

Beatrice's cold gaze quickly landed on Cecilia.

'This woman?'

Of course, Cecilia was oblivious to Beatrice's intentions... she was not just a naive priestess of the Holy Kingdom. Having tasted the world's storms ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) firsthand, how could she not sense this tension?

'Unbelievable!'

Cecilia silently screamed in her heart.

She knew that Beatrice was the daughter of a marquis, betrothed to Veris long before he was born.

However... it was obvious that Veris would not cast aside Cecilia or Arwen. So why was Beatrice acting like this?

To be fair, if Maria were to officially join this romantic front, Beatrice would be pushed down the line, wouldn't she?

"Let's stop this meaningless power struggle and go inside. Everyone must be tired after a long carriage ride."

"Truly wise words."

It was Veris who ended this delicate situation. Even though Arwen shared Cecilia's sentiments, perhaps due to fatigue, she nodded in agreement.

"Ugh."

Perhaps because the situation wasn't flowing as he wished, the future archmage wore a pained expression. Feeling soft-hearted, Veris subtly suggested to her.

"Why don't you come in and have a cup of tea? The tea Arwen serves is much better than most cafes in the commercial district."

"...Should I?"

A smile bloomed on Beatrice's previously expressionless face as she scanned Cecilia, Arwen, and Maria with a cool gaze.

"..."

Naturally, the three girls could only maintain their silence, feeling utterly bewildered by the reaction of the girl with two faces.

*

"...."

"...."

"...."

Thanks to the sudden appearance of Lady Hedel, the protector of the great empire's princess Maria, the three girls sat side by side in the mansion's living room, holding tea.

Their focal point, Veris, had left to wash up and change his dusty clothes.

Thus, an unexpectedly chilly atmosphere filled the living room. It felt like walking on thin ice, a place filled with gunpowder that could explode at any moment.

The strange silence of the living room, where they quietly sipped tea, was broken by Beatrice. She spoke to the two girls with a bright smile.

"I've heard a lot about Saintess Cecilia and Spirit Sword Arwen."

"Is that so?"

"Truly, I'm grateful."

The two girls could only respond with a lukewarm reaction.

This wasn't their first encounter with Beatrice.

However... the Beatrice they had seen before had appeared so brokenhearted that it evoked sympathy. Yet, to think that a person could change so drastically just by breaking the Circle.

Moreover, the personality of Beatrice, who had regained her emotions, was more than enough to shock and terrify Arwen and Cecilia in various ways.

What had it been like when she left the academy before? She had confessed to Veris while holding the Stone of Truth. She liked him...

At first glance, it might sound like an embarrassing and sweet love confession, but unfortunately, the man Beatrice confessed to was someone both Arwen and Cecilia had feelings for as well.

"I'm always grateful to both of you. You're helping to support the one who will be my 'husband' so closely."

"...!"

The sudden ambush from Beatrice left the faces of the two girls in shock.

The word 'husband' that she had thrown out so unexpectedly carried a heavy weight.

Just a short while ago, she had been worried about not being able to exchange a single word with Veris, let alone meet his gaze... and now, that girl was clearly their enemy.

"There's nothing to be grateful for. My body and heart belong entirely to Veris."

"You sly fox...!"

This time, it was Arwen who took the lead. Beatrice raised her eyes at Arwen's darkly revealing response.

Body... and heart?

There was no need to hear her true feelings; it was a very blatant statement.

Not stopping there, Cecilia chimed in. Even though they were usually friends and rivals, the sudden intrusion of a girl with 'legitimacy' had formed a united front filled with hostility.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

"Everything must be the will of the God of Light. I remember the warmth of the time when Arwen and I... slept together in Veris's bed."

Suddenly!

"What, wh-what? What did you say?"

Would any woman sit quietly after hearing that the man she longed for had slept in the same bed as someone else?

"...."

Cecilia's ambush left Arwen equally astonished.

Well, it wasn't entirely untrue.

The two girls who had been preparing to sneak attack Veris with the Stone of Truth had indeed slept in his bed... the three of them, so it could be considered a fact.

Cecilia was precariously walking the tightrope between 'truth' and 'misunderstanding.' And that strategy had produced quite effective results.

The evidence was right there: Beatrice, who had regained her emotions, was trembling with rage!

"Veris, you were with those sly foxes before me? That can't be true, it shouldn't be!"

Though it wasn't clearly audible, her voice was laced with ominous anger.

Beatrice looked back and forth between Arwen and Cecilia with disbelief.

"...."

To Arwen and Cecilia, this girl seemed a bit off. Her appearance was elegant enough to evoke the image of a black rose.

However.

Could it be that she wasn't just affected by the Circle... but was originally an odd person?

*

The long summer vacation was nearing its end.

The most surprising recent event was that Beatrice had started living in the mansion.

Well, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible from Veris's perspective.

After all, Beatrice was his fiancée. From her point of view, it might have been quite unsettling for Veris to live with another woman.

Beatrice immediately remodeled a guest room into her own.

Although Arwen and Cecilia showed slight opposition, in the end, the mansion's owner was effectively Veris, so they couldn't stop Beatrice from moving in.

Was it because of that?

Due to the impressive residents of the mansion where Veris lived, unusual rumors began to circulate within the academy.

The types of rumors were varied. First, who was Veris?

Some said he was the one who rescued students when the dormitory was occupied by devil worshippers.

The famous Lady Delia of the Hindenstaufen Duke's family had claimed that the student council president, Walten, had a credible story, so the rumor was gaining traction.

Next came the rumors about the magical genius Beatrice, who had recently arrived from the Magic Tower.

With her ebony hair and black eyes, that girl had become a hot topic at the academy.

The future archmage. The weight of that name was certainly not light. It was said that both the Magic Tower and the academy were bustling to win her over.

The place where rumors spread the fastest within the academy was the southern commercial district.

It was a common place for people from the central, western, northern, and eastern regions to visit. At a café in that commercial district, several young men were gathered around a round table, engaged in a close conversation.

"Have you heard that rumor?"

"Rumor? I'm sick of it. It's probably about that ridiculously handsome guy from Vitelbach or his fiancée Beatrice's magical abilities... something like that."

"Ugh. Are you late on the rumors too? That's why you'll never escape C-Class for life."

"What about you? You haven't even been promoted from C-Class until you become a third-year!"

"Ahem. Anyway, the rumor I brought this time is different."

"...Different?"

"Yeah! Do you happen to know anything about the Duchy of Wallenstein in the western Galia Kingdom?"

"To some extent. But why suddenly about the Galia Kingdom, a potential enemy nation?"

"Haha. You really are late on the rumors."

"Stop beating around the bush and just say it!"

Perhaps feeling frustrated, the brown-haired student raised his hand as if he were about to smack his friend on the back of the head.

Seeing this, another student hurriedly continued.

"The Grand Duchess of Wallenstein from the Galia Kingdom!"

"...Huh?"

The sudden mention of such a heavy name caused the student to sit quietly.

Who wouldn't know the name of the Grand Duchess of Wallenstein?

He was the one who facilitated the peace treaty between the overwhelmingly powerful Galia and the Empire. Just his existence alone had the power of 'war deterrence.'

Moreover... at just fifteen years old, she was a sword genius who had earned the title of Sword Master. Recently, the Empire had been promoting Gunther von Haruen as the Empire's sword genius in contrast to her...

"That girl is a real monster."

"Right!"

Seeing that their conversation was flowing, one student continued.

"I heard she's coming to the academy?"

"...Why?"

"The rumor is really funny. I heard she's looking for his marriage partner at this academy."

"What?!"

The student's astonished voice echoed through the café.