I'll Smash Everything with Passive Skills-Chapter 73: 0. Faith (3)

"What would it feel like if a lifetime of faith were to be denied?

Let's take the religious people of Earth as an example.

Even if there is no evidence of faith before their eyes, they leap with fervor.

So, what kind of reaction would the religious people Veris lives among show?

"...Why?"

Yunafint Lunaciel. The moment her faith, which she had devoted her entire life to in the Holy Kingdom, was denied, was now.

She had never doubted the supreme will of the being who commanded her.

She thought she was fulfilling the will of the great god who had bestowed her with power.

But.

"What are you doing?"

At the sight of Veris, who asked while holding a sword, Yunafint's golden pupils trembled violently.

"T-this is..."

She knew as well.

The divine power wielded by the high priest, miracles.

She understood what it meant for a being to be beyond the reach of that miracle.

"I can tell you were trying to pull some annoying trick."

Veris slowly walked towards Yunafint.

It seemed she had no other means of resistance besides the 'miracle' she possessed, as she slowly stepped back with a dazed expression at Veris's approach.

"D-don't come any closer."

"Haha."

It was only natural for a hollow laugh to escape at such a reaction.

If what she had just heard was correct, it was she who had prayed for Veris to take away his sight.

But what now?

Now that she was showing such a reaction, did Veris have any obligation to comply?

"Why should I?"

As Veris drew up his mana, he stood in a brilliant pure white light.

The aura he possessed was far too sacred and beautiful to be dismissed as that of an ordinary academy student, leaving Yunafint, who had just wielded miracles, looking as if she had lost her mind.

"Veris-nim!"

But there was someone who desperately stood in Veris's way.

The girl, Cecilia, who urged Veris to keep his distance, aware of the danger.

"I know I'm not in a position to say this. But... the person we need right now is this one!"

"Need her?"

Veris couldn't understand.

Normally, Cecilia would trust and follow Veris. But now, she looked as if she knew something, her face filled with a firm will.

"C-could it be...?"

Surprisingly, it was Yunafint who reacted to Cecilia's confident voice.

For some reason, she was alternating her gaze between Veris and Cecilia.

"Though its use is prohibited in /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ normal circumstances, priests can wield the power of truth."

"The power of truth?"

"My miracle of truth, with that power, we can subdue her and extract information first."

Cecilia, who seemed to be saying something frightening, hinted at the existence of another power within the holy mana wielded by priests.

Veris, who understood what Cecilia was trying to convey, nodded.

"The most fundamental power of holy mana is the power to discern truth. It is possible because the God of Light governs justice and judgment."

"Are you saying you will use your power on that priest?"

"Exactly. Especially the miracle of truth that I, as a Saintess, wield is even more powerful."

"Priests are not permitted to use that power! Cecilia, you know that, don't you?"

In a tone of protest, Cecilia slowly shook her head at Yunafint.

The reason was simple. There were many reasons for her to extract information.

"If we find out why Yunafint is trying to harm Veris-nim, it will be straightforward. Of course, we need to deal with them first."

Tatadak!

Where Cecilia's gaze landed, a group was charging forward with a menacing aura.

The sticky black mana. It was evident that they were not affiliated with the academy.

"Good idea. We still have too much we don't know."

Veris smiled coldly as he looked at them.

For some reason, it felt like things were going to resolve easily.

At that moment.

"Ah, I almost missed the banquet."

The relaxed voice of an old man, who seemed unaware of the situation, turned Yunafint's face pale.

It had been a long time since she had lost her composure. It was thanks to seeing with her own eyes the fragments of power that Veris possessed.

"I will assist the apostle!"

With the appearance of the group led by the old man, Veris looked at them with a bewildered expression.

It was very clear that the identity of those who had just appeared, led by the old man, was the Demon Cult.

"...Why are the priests of the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Cult moving together?"

The filthy mana emanating from the old man was undoubtedly the black mana that symbolized the Demon Cult.

The golden light-wrapped mana felt from Yunafint was certainly the holy mana of the priests of the Holy Kingdom.

That meant...

"These are insane bastards."

Veris's short and honest voice echoed through the hall.

He had no intention of avoiding or hiding from the imminent battle.

But wasn't this a story that had crossed the line by a long shot?

The Demon Cult, those dreadful beings, having some sort of connection with the Holy Kingdom was certainly not a normal situation.

"Cecilia, I finally understand what you were saying."

"...Though I belong to the Holy Kingdom, there have been many things I couldn't comprehend. Just like when the Inquisition came to capture Veris-nim in the past."

Veris nodded at Cecilia's serious voice.

When it came to the Holy Kingdom, Veris knew almost nothing besides Cecilia.

Whether it was a deviation of some sort or a deep-rooted corruption, he couldn't tell.

"As you said, as long as we have two people alive to extract information, that should suffice."

The ones who had boldly appeared were taken aback by Veris's cold expression.

The power they felt was immense, like a tsunami, contrary to their initial assumption that he was just a somewhat talented academy student.

"They came swarming like ants. I never expected there would be so many Demon Cult bastards hiding here."

The pure white mana that Veris possessed began to radiate light.

What they faced was the cold smile of Veris.

*

"No, that's too much to ask."

"Isn't it obvious that the dean knows? That both Veris-nim and I are not suited for ordinary classes."

"Ugh..."

The dean groaned in a way that made it hard to believe he was the authority of this huge academy city.

The reason was simple.

A girl and a boy had suddenly come to him, demanding that Veris be promoted to S-Class.

Of course, the dean agreed to promote his business partner, Veris, to Class S.

"But if you promote a B-Class student directly to S-Class, there will surely be complaints from all over! If you take it slow, they'll promote him on their own!"

In the end, the dean shouted at the much younger students with a voice akin to a scream.

Since the Demon Cult, those filthy and despicable bastards had caused chaos, the dean's position had become quite precarious.

It was clear that the professors, who were always looking for something to nitpick, would seize on such an issue.

"Dean. Please trust Gunther. Veris has already proven his abilities, hasn't he?"

Beatrice, the Gunther siblings' request was simple.

To promote Beatrice and Veris to S-Class.

In fact, it wasn't a difficult request. Both transfer and current students had proven their abilities in the mid-term evaluations.

However, a practical problem was holding the dean back. He was quite reluctant to go against the noisy faction of professors.

"Your..."

Bang! Bang!

"Dean!"

The dean frowned deeply as he was about to express his thoughts.

Recently, it seemed that everyone had completely lost their respect for the dean, banging on the door so loudly.

Bang! Bang!

"It's urgent!"

Once again, a voice burst from outside the door.

The dean shouted with a confused expression.

"Come in!"

Creeeak!

The door to the dean's office opened, and a man entered, someone the dean knew well.

The professor of elemental studies who taught the A-Class students. He was sweating profusely, as if he had rushed over.

"What is the matter?"

"Um...!"

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The professor looked back and forth between the dean and the two students, as if their presence was awkward.

The dean shook his head and said, "It doesn't matter, so if it's urgent, speak at once."

"...!"

Hearing the dean's firm will, the professor looked surprised.

For someone who was usually so concerned about others' opinions, this was quite a bold decision.

"Currently, a battle has broken out in the commercial district. The assailants are a group presumed to be from the Demon Cult. The ones responding are the mid-term evaluation winners, Veris von Vitelbach, and the Saintess, Cecilia de Frey!"

At the professor's shout, which made reality feel distant, the dean's face twisted once more.

"We need to evacuate the students and staff and dispatch professors who are capable of using force immediately!"

How had his position weakened so much? It was all due to that damned incident where those bastards occupied the dormitory. But now?

With a face that was neither crying nor laughing, the dean gathered the anger boiling deep within him and shouted softly.

"The Demon Cult, those fucking bastards!"

Regardless of what he said, the siblings who received the news quietly stood up.

Creak!

"We'll go ahead first."

The two young men and women, their faces hardened, did not hesitate at the information.

The path from the administrative district where the dean's office was located to the commercial district was not far.

Gunther and Beatrice left in a hurry, not showing even a hint of hesitation.

*

It was just a moment ago that Arwen had asked the spirits to find Veris.

Now, due to the information that came in, she could only harden her face.

"It's urgent."

"Please, speak in a way that is easy to understand." Arwen's voice, moving alongside the Grand Duchess.

The Grand Duchess seemed frustrated, her heart pounding.

"A battle has broken out. It's not far from here. Veris-nim is also there."

"Could it be that the opponent is...?"

"The Demon Cult. They are still present within the academy."

Arwen's brief explanation made the Grand Duchess grit her teeth.

The enemy of her father, the tumor that needed to be eradicated from this world, was indeed alive and breathing close by, just as she had expected.

Whether the ones fighting now were the upper echelons of the Demon Cult or merely their minions was uncertain.

But one thing was clear: Grand Duchess Evangeline had no intention of letting them live, even if her body were to shatter.

"Go."

With the Grand Duchess's low voice, the two women began to move.

They said the destination was close.

There was no need to delay.