I'll Smash Everything with Passive Skills-Chapter 53: 0. Heavenly Sword Ceremony (2)

"Greetings. I am the daughter of His Majesty, the great Emperor of the Vera Empire, Princess Maria Theresa."

"...It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

Count Verden could not hide his discomfort at Maria's cheerful greeting.

For now, she was a princess of the same age as his son, Veris. But the problem lay in her status.

She was a member of the imperial family of the great empire, and rumors were widely spread that the current emperor and the crown prince cherished her dearly.

Maria's relaxed smile indicated that she fully understood the situation. Thus, the Count could only break into a sweat at her candid self-introduction.

"By the way, Father, can we explore the city now?"

"The city, you say?"

It was none other than Veris who saved the Count from his discomfort. At his son's suggestion, while they were having tea, the Count's face brightened.

"They said they wanted to see the Count's territory."

The Count nodded vigorously at Veris's words.

Even though they were guests who came with his son, the mere fact that they were sitting together with them was quite uncomfortable. So, his mood naturally improved.

"Really? I'm looking forward to it!"

Cecilia clapped her hands and jumped up from her seat. The Count chuckled at her actions and looked at the girls.

Each one of them was a beauty. Not only that? Their noble status and abilities were also far from ordinary.

Thus, the Count couldn't help but wonder.

At a glance, it seemed they were... infatuated with Veris. So why were they following him so closely?

He hoped it wasn't just because of Veris's outstanding appearance.

*

"Oh dear! Young Master! It's been so long since you visited our fruit shop!"

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"I just entered the academy."

The group that had come out onto the street sparkled at the attitude of the local residents welcoming Veris.

He was the only son of the lord, yet all the locals maintained a friendly demeanor towards him.

"Veris, sir."

"Yeah?"

"How are you so close with the locals?"

It was Maria who asked this. Even though she had grown up in the royal family for nearly her entire life, she was well aware of the relationship between ordinary noble families and their subjects.

Thus, to her, such ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) a close relationship was nothing short of fascinating.

"Well, maybe they just enjoy living here?"

"Enjoy living...?"

Maria tilted her head in confusion.

This place, unfortunately, was the countryside of the empire. There were hardly any merchants passing through, and there were no local specialties, so it was undoubtedly a tough place to live.

"There are no bandits or monsters in the Vitelbach territory."

"Really?"

Maria's eyes widened at Arwen's explanation.

No bandits? And on top of that, no monsters?

...It was a statement that was hard to comprehend. What could be the reason for the absence of those two entities that oppressed the common people to the point of being called tumors?

Maria's curious gaze demanded an answer. In response, Arwen silently pointed to Veris.

"What?"

"It's thanks to Veris."

Was that a strange statement?

Maria was engulfed in even more questions.

She knew very well that Veris possessed great power. But what did that have to do with the absence of bandits or monsters around the territory?

"I've been doing it as a hobby since I was young."

"A hobby?"

"Yeah. I think I started patrolling the area around the territory when I was about eight? After cleaning up continuously, I noticed that bandits stopped appearing at some point."

"Goodness... So, the monsters too?"

"Something like that."

Maria couldn't hide her astonishment.

What kind of bizarre behavior was this, not even a legendary hero but a mere child taking such actions?

"Moreover, you also eradicated the followers of the Demon Cult. That was when you were only ten years old!"

At Cecilia's chattering voice, Maria felt her mind spinning.

How many people would readily believe that a small child had eradicated bandits, monsters, and even the minions of a Demon Cult?

"By the way, who are these ladies... Young Master?"

The merchant, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, could no longer hold back and asked Veris. He simply replied lightly.

"Princess Maria and Saintess Cecilia. You already know Arwen."

"Wha, what?!"

The merchant gasped, covering his mouth in shock.

A princess? A Saintess?

It seemed he couldn't believe that the noble figures he had only heard of in rumors from another world were right in front of him, as his eyes widened in disbelief.

"W-w-what are such esteemed individuals doing in this territory...?"

The dazed merchant couldn't even dare to look at them and lowered his head.

Seeing his frightened demeanor, Veris chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry too much; we're just here for sightseeing."

With that, Veris moved on. Given the size of the Vitelbach territory compared to its bustling nature, exploring the city took quite a bit of time.

And... the city tour inevitably ended sooner than expected.

The main reason was none other than Saintess Cecilia. Most of the locals, influenced by the Count of Verden, served the Church of Light, which was prominent in Count Vitelbach's territory.

Thus, due to the gathering locals, Veris and his party had no choice but to return to the mansion earlier than planned.

*

"Wow! Is this Veris's room?"

"Don't run, Cecilia. You'll kick up dust."

"It's so tidy. It's a room that could even be compared to the palace; it really suits you, Veris."

The three girls each expressed their different impressions.

Veris, too, felt a wave of nostalgia as he re-entered his room, even though only a few months had passed.

Thud.

"?"

But there was a presence that shattered that peace, and it was Cecilia.

Boldly, with her cheeks flushed, she lay on the large bed and rolled around. "Get up!"

"No."

"What is this!"

Seeing Cecilia's surprise attack, Arwen began to panic. But soon, she had no choice but to fall silent, and the reason was simple.

Thud.

"Even Maria...!"

Maria, too, couldn't bear to watch Cecilia's antics and laid down on Veris's bed!

"Ugh..."

Arwen didn't hide her discomfort, but she had no justification to pull them off the bed.

Thus, she looked up at Veris with a sad face.

But...

"What does it matter? It's not like anything dirty is getting on it."

Veris casually kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed. Alone, Arwen, who had been standing awkwardly in the room, had no choice but to sneak onto the bed as well.

No matter what anyone said, she held out until the end. She consoled herself that it was this situation that had pushed her into such a moment...

"I feel so lazy."

The group had not yet shaken off the fatigue of their journey. With everyone lying comfortably, a strangely warm feeling flowed over the bed.

"I think I'll take a nap."

The mana that aids in 'deep sleep' soon began to ripple through Veris's body.

No matter how big the bed was, with four people on it, they soon began to breathe in unison.

*

"Ahem."

Hearing the report that all four had fallen asleep due to travel fatigue, Count Verden cleared his throat.

Beside him, his wife, who looked unusually cheerful while sipping tea, piqued the Count's curiosity.

"My dear, why do you seem so happy?"

"Hoho. Of course, I am. Isn't it obvious?"

"Obvious?"

The Countess gently set down her teacup. A pleasant smile adorned the lips of the beautiful middle-aged woman.

"Those children... don't you think it's obvious that they all like Veris a lot?"

"...That's true. But I wonder if Veris can handle them all by himself." The Countess nodded quietly.

Each one of them was an extraordinary girl. Just considering those girls, there was also the future candidate for the archmage, Lady Beatrice.

However, the Countess had no intention of obstructing the girls' affectionate feelings. On the contrary, she wanted to support them.

"They're such adorable girls. Especially Arwen... I think she's finally being honest with her feelings."

"I knew that girl's feelings even I."

Count Verden chuckled.

The sight of that young elf girl following around the equally young boy was incredibly cute.

"Perhaps our son will have several brides in the future."

At the Countess's warm voice, Count Verden envisioned a near future in his mind.

Several ladies following his son. It was clear that he would have adorable children.

As he indulged in such pleasant thoughts, a satisfied smile spread across Count Verden's face. The thought of becoming a grandfather was something he had never anticipated while rolling around on the battlefield.

Of course... it seemed necessary to give him a firm warning to avoid any unexpected incidents before he graduated from the academy.

After all, the statuses of the girls following Veris were all quite extraordinary.