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‘…I can only rely on myself.’

He could only rely on himself to carry out this confession flawlessly.

From the preparation of what to say to the actual execution.

He must rely on himself in order to do all of that.

“We’ve arrived.” Norn said.

Vera’s gaze turned outside the carriage.

There was a city covered in a blanket of white snow.

Eirene, located at the entrance of Oben Archduchy, was the largest commercial city in the north, where all goods coming into the archduchy were gathered.

They had arrived there.

Vera was swept by nostalgic feelings as he watched Eirene from afar, and soon turned to Renee.

“Saint, this is Eirene. We can stay here for three days, organize our supplies, and then enter the archduchy.”

“Ah, did we arrive sooner than expected? I heard it’ll take a week.”

“The snow is less heavy than expected. I think we’re lucky enough to avoid the blizzard.”

“Uhh… is that so?”

Renee stretched her body, wearing a very thick fur coat.

A smile rose up his face when he thought about how adorable Renee looked in her fluffy fur coat.

[…I want to puke.]

Annalise, who was held by the sleeping Jenny on the other side of the carriage seat, instantly spewed out a biting remark.

Vera frowned and glared at Annalise.

Annalise made a disgruntled noise and tucked her head into Jenny’s arms.

This scenario repeated throughout the journey towards the north.

Annalise kept nitpicking on everything Vera did as if something got on her nerves, but she turned her head away whenever Vera glared at her.

You’re no different from a grumpy old hag with dementia.

Vera inwardly cursed Annalise and checked Renee’s attire.

The wind was strong, so he wanted to make sure that it wouldn’t find its way through any gaps in the warm clothing.

“Uhh…”

At that time, Jenny, who had been asleep even through Annalise’s recent tirade, lazily opened her eyes.

Her eyes widened as she caught in the view outside the window.

“Whoa…”

It was the look of amazement from seeing a snowy landscape for the first time in her life.

Observing Jenny’s amazed expression, Renee smiled and asked her.

“What do you think?”

“Oh my god…”

Inaudibly muttering words as if half-dreaming, Jenny lightened the mood with her demeanor.

In such a mood, the clamor outside made Renee think that it was time to get off, so she asked Vera.

“What’s our schedule here?”

“Professor Miller would have made lodging reservations as he was the first to arrive. The Saint can unpack and rest. You don’t need to worry about the supplies because Sir Norn and the twins will take care of them.”

“What about Vera?”

Vera’s hand stopped adjusting Renee’s coat.

His expression tensed slightly.

It was because he couldn’t possibly say, ‘I’m going to buy you a gift’.

Vera was startled by Renee’s question, but he quickly fixed his expression and answered.

“…I’m going out alone to gather intel. I’m going to use the underground information guild while we’re at the commercial city.”

It was an excuse he made in the hopes that Renee wouldn’t notice him acting strangely.

Should he say that it was a relief?

Renee only became fixated on the word ‘underground’ and poked fun at him with a mischievous look.

“Oho~ is Vera, the King of the Slums, finally making a comeback?”

Vera’s expression cracked.

He unknowingly tugged her collar tighter, and now it seemed like he was grabbing her by the collar.

Vera, who realized it belatedly, let go of his grip and said.

“…Please stop teasing me.”

Even if he was slightly hurt, it was more important that Renee was able to move on without raising any suspicions.

And now he was trying to quell those feelings.

***

There was an unusual lodging that can only be found in Eirene.

A lodging establishment named ‘Hotel’ rented out a lavish private mansion at a high price.

It was a lucrative business since it was located in a city that was only second to the Imperial Capital in terms of gold wealth, but was uninhabitable due to the frequent snowstorm.

It was Eirene’s specialty that earned it an enormous fortune by catering to wealthy travelers seeking comfortable lodging, particularly those southern businessmen who rarely visited.

Vera recalled that information as he looked at the huge mansion in front of him.

What else could he say? It was the said ‘Hotel’ where the group would stay for three days.

“Over here!”

The raucous voice belonged to Miller.

Miller, who went to Eirene first and finished making a reservation at the Hotel just in time, greeted the group with a beaming face and spoke.

“I-I purposely picked a huge place. What do you think?”

Does Miller look like a puppy that wants to be praised, or is it just my illusion?

Ignoring Miller, Vera swerved his gaze to the mansion and asked.

“The facility is flawless, but is the price alright?”

“Yes, we’re using the Academy’s funds.”

Vera’s gaze returned to Miller.

Miller raised a thumbs up and added.

“Aren’t we traveling with the Saint? I’m saying~ our Headmaster is giving us a huge allowance this time!”

Why in the world would that Headmaster give Miller that much money?

Vera, who was wondering, was able to find the answer right away.

‘…Not surprising. I can easily tell just by looking at the banner when we first entered the Academy.’

He must be someone who really cared about his image.

These kinds of people exist, do they not? The type that would be hospitable toward guests yet acted irritatingly toward close colleagues.

Despite having never met the Headmaster in person, Vera had a strange feeling that he somehow knew the type of person they were, and continued speaking with that odd sensation in mind.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“What do you mean, hard work? I was just having fun spending money.”

Miller chuckled.

Vera left Miller behind and approached Renee.

“Saint, I’ll go straight to the place I told you about.”

Renee rubbed her eyes as she stood between Jenny and Aisha, and lifted her head.

She exclaimed, ‘Ah!’ and smiled before answering.

“Come back safely.”

The sight of her face, slightly smudged red from the chilly wind, or the way she would breathe out a thin mist as she spoke made Vera’s heart race.

He clenched both of his fists tighter than ever.

‘I promise.’

…That I will make you the happiest girl in the world.

With such determination, Vera walked with a big stride.

‘I’m certain that the Cream Heart is available right now.’

He recalled the precious jewelry distributed in Eirene at this time of year in his past life.

***

He grew impatient.

He wanted to finish his preparation quickly and return. Vera couldn’t wait to see her happy face when she received what he had prepared for her.

He wanted to apologize for keeping her waiting for so long and express how he felt.

‘This is it.’

A small workshop on the outskirts of Eirene.

Vera examined the items with a face full of satisfaction.

‘Codine’s Contract, Borger’s Veil, Lenev’s Steps, Anima’s Loyalty.’

And the Cream Heart ring, which carried their abilities.

Vera nodded.

This would be the best gift that combined both aesthetics and practicality.

Obviously, Renee had no way to tell its color or shape, but that wasn’t a big deal.

The important thing to convey wasn’t the ring itself; it was his feelings. The ring was simply a medium for conveying those feelings.

He went to great lengths to obtain that medium because he wanted to be thorough.

Vera couldn’t be more satisfied with all the preparations he had made.

Vera picked up one of the items lined up on the table.

It was Codine’s Contract, which acted as a catalyst for transferring artifact abilities to other materials.

The process involved using divinity and transforming the properties of mana.

Vera scrupulously attached the contract to the cream heart as he had planned.

After that, he let out a sigh of relief when he saw the Cream Heart glowing in an ivory color.

‘…The initial step is done.’

Vera threw the contract to the side and looked at the next component.

There were three abilities to engrave on the ring.

It was the barrier in Borger’s Veil, the short-distance teleportation in Lenev’s Steps, and damage absorption in Anima’s Loyalty.

With a face full of concentration, Vera reached out to the fine-colored cloth called Borger’s Veilcreen. It was an artifact that functioned as a barrier, and he activated his divinity again.

Buzz—

The divinity was so powerful that it caused the surroundings to flicker brightly.

The workshop continued to glow in a golden color for quite some time.

***

“I have returned, Saint.”

A room in the Hotel where warmth emanated from a large fireplace.

As Renee was dozing off while stuck between Jenny and Aisha, she raised her head to the sound.

“…Vera? You’ve returned early.”

“Yes. There was fortunately nothing different from my past life, so I had no trouble finding information.”

“How was it? Did you find something useful?”

“There was nothing in particular. Maybe because it’s a forbidden subject, but everything that was disclosed by the private guilds is information that we already have.”

Vera walked toward Renee.

He didn’t make up a story; they were actual facts he had gathered while sourcing materials for the gift.

“Hmm… that’s a bit of a shame.”

Jenny and Aisha, who had been sleeping against Renee’s shoulders, tumbled to the sofa when Renee straightened her back.

Plop—! Renee smiled upon hearing the noise they made and remarked.

“The two of them had a snowball fight until a moment ago. They must be very tired.”

“…I see.”

Vera’s gaze headed toward Jenny and Aisha.

When did they get so close?

Such a thought briefly entered Vera’s mind, but it quickly disappeared.

It was obviously because Vera had something more important that couldn’t be compared with trivial things like this.

With his hands behind his back, Vera looked at Renee while fiddling with the small case he held.

His mind was no longer occupied by how to convey it.

That was because he planned everything before he came here.

“Saint.”

“Yes?”

“Since you’ve been in the city since we arrived, wouldn’t you like to go outside at least for a while?”

Even Vera, who was inexperienced in romance, knew something.

The process of getting to the moment of confession played the biggest role in setting up the mood.

You had to spend time together to create an atmosphere, even if it meant using up the entire day.

Renee looked a bit puzzled.

After giving it some thought, Renee asked Vera playfully.

“Are you asking for a date?”

The tips of Vera’s fingers trembled.

It was a reaction that emerged when he refrained from instantly saying ‘no.’

At least for today, he must give her a different answer.

“…Yes.”

It was Renee who paused this time, a blank look on her face.

Vera spoke with a tense expression.

“I am asking you out on a date.”

Renee’s face flushed red.

***

Annalise was lying next to Jenny’s head, voicing her annoyance at the sight of the two across from the sofa.

‘Shit.’

This fucking sucks.

There was nothing she liked about that repulsive brat who adjusted his collar, nor that woman lowering her head, acting like some kind of graceful lady or something.

All the while, Annalise was trapped in this doll-like form, reduced to being a mere baby pillow.

As if that weren’t enough, the fate of the continent was at stake.

And yet, these two were leisurely acting as if they were the only ones in the world. It infuriated Annalise.

‘I’ll kill them all.’

…To be fair, there was nothing wrong with those people behaving that way as there was nothing to be done at this point, even if they were to build up a serious atmosphere. Even though Annalise was aware of that, she couldn’t help but react that way.

Wasn’t that always the case?

One can’t stop their feelings no matter how hard they try to mask it with maturity.

Even Annalise, hailed as the greatest intellectual of her time, did not want to witness the sight of two people she disliked looking happy.