Seongguk – Temptation

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“Is this good enough?”

It’s a little awkward, but I think it’s okay…

Jade looked in the mirror and turned from side to side.

For the past few days, he had been living in the plain and comfortable clothes provided by the Great Temple.

But the figure in the mirror now was completely different from usual.

The uniform he was wearing was densely embroidered with ornate jewel decorations and gold patterns.

The reason Jade was suddenly wearing such clothes was simple.

‘Time flies. The Hero Inauguration Ceremony is just around the corner.’

It was because of the Hero Inauguration Ceremony in a few days.

He had been personally trying on and choosing from a variety of outfits for hours, after hearing that the Great Temple had prepared the clothes he would wear that day.

Jade admired his reflection in the mirror.

It was just a change of clothes.

But the change made him look dignified all over.

‘There’s a reason why they say clothes make the man.’

He felt a surge of confidence and even overflowing strength.

If he wore these clothes and held the Holy Sword, everyone would surely call him Hero.

Jade carefully touched the round jewel on his shoulder.

-Swish.

The jewel reflected the light and glowed blue.

‘Ha. I could buy a house in my hometown with just this one.’

Coming from a commoner background, he had never had the opportunity to wear such expensive clothes.

The most expensive clothes he had ever worn were the Veil Academy uniform.

So, just wearing something so expensive made him feel burdened.

He couldn’t even fathom how much money the Holy Kingdom had, preparing dozens of similar outfits.

-Rustle.

After completing his final check, Jade walked out of the dressing room.

“Ahem. How is it?”

“Oh!”

Veronica, who had been sitting on a chair, was looking at Jade with sparkling eyes.

“You changed well by yourself. It took a little long, though.”

“I thought I was used to it… but it’s still hard to put on. I’m also afraid of dropping the decorations.”

When he first tried on various outfits, Jade had naturally received help from the dispatched staff.

He was unfamiliar with how to put them on, and he was worried about damaging the clothes.

But after trying on several outfits, he thought he was getting used to it and said he would do it himself…

Apparently, he wasn’t quite at that level yet, as it took him a long time to change.

“Ahem. So, do you think it looks good?”

“Yes! I think this color and design suit you better than before? You were handsome before, but you look even more handsome now.”

“R-really?”

Is she praising me this much? I liked this one the best too, but….

Jade scratched his cheek at Veronica’s overly generous praise.

Either way, he felt good to hear compliments about his appearance. It wasn’t like Veronica was saying things she didn’t mean.

“I’m serious. What do you think, staff? Am I right?”

“As The Saintess says, the uniform with white suits The Hero perfectly. Everyone will be amazed when they see The Hero on the day of the Hero Inauguration Ceremony.”

The staff member standing next to her echoed Veronica’s words.

“Veronica, should we go with this one then?”

“Hmm….”

Veronica, who had been showering him with compliments just a moment ago, wore a subtle expression.

“There are still many outfits left. Can’t we try on just one or two more?”

“Ah, still?”

‘I thought we were deciding and finishing up…?’

Jade had already tried on and compared dozens of outfits.

It was tiring enough, and it was difficult to put on and take off the uniform easily.

In the end, Jade became mentally exhausted.

‘Somehow, this feels harder than training.’

Honestly, at this point, he wanted to just pick one and go train instead.

But unlike his wishes, Veronica didn’t seem to want to end it here.

“No, never mind. Do you want to just go with the one you’re wearing now? Of course, if you like it, Jade.”

“Suddenly?”

Jade was taken aback by Veronica’s sudden change in attitude.

“I was thinking that you must be tired since we’ve been doing this for hours.”

“…Was it that obvious?”

“Yes. Every time I said let’s try on a few more, your face looked like it was aging rapidly?”

“Ugh….”

If Veronica was saying this, it must have been very obvious on his face.

Jade felt sorry for burdening Veronica.

A Hero complaining about not being able to handle just trying on clothes.

Of course, even so, Jade had no intention of stubbornly walking into hell himself.

“I like this one the best, so is it okay to go with this?”

“Yes. It’s the clothes that Jade is going to wear, not me. You don’t have to worry about me too much.”

“…That’s true. I’ve lived a life far from fashion, so I’m not confident about how I look to others.”

“Hehe, have confidence. You look great in anything anyway.”

“Will you go with this uniform?”

The staff member, noticing that the selection was coming to an end, approached Jade.

“Yes. I’ll go with this one.”

“Then we will make some minor alterations and have it ready by the day of the rehearsal.”

A little later, Jade, back in his usual clothes, sat next to Veronica.

“Hoo…. Trying on clothes is hard work.”

“Hehe, you worked hard.”

“By the way, is it okay if we don’t choose the clothes you’ll wear on the day of the Hero Inauguration Ceremony today?”

It was only later that he realized that only Jade’s clothes had been prepared, and there hadn’t been a single word about the clothes Veronica would wear.

Even though it was obvious that Veronica, as The Saintess, would participate in the Hero Inauguration Ceremony.

“I’m going to set aside some time to choose my outfit separately. As The Saintess, there are only a few options I can choose from in the first place. Maybe just a slightly more ornate Nun’s Habit?”

“I guess so…”

Come to think of it, Veronica only wore Nun’s Habit because of her status as The Saintess.

“Anyway, thanks for helping me today. I was going to get help from Annie, but… she seems a bit busy these days.”

“I was happy to see Jade in various outfits. Why don’t you try dressing more stylishly usually?”

“….”

Jade stared blankly at Veronica for a moment.

The smile she was wearing was pure and flawless.

For the past few days, Jade’s life had been hectic.

He was busy preparing for the Hero Inauguration Ceremony like today, meeting nobles from various countries, and training with Lord Antonio.

In fact, to be precise…

Jade was living a busy life ‘intentionally’.

This was because he couldn’t really rest even if he took a break.

If he was idle, only bad thoughts kept popping into his head.

Lena’s absence was that great for Jade.

So, he thought it was better to spend time doing something.

But even in such a gloomy life, there was a ray of light.

It was Veronica, who was next to him now.

She spent most of her time with Jade, filling Lena’s void.

Jade was able to overcome the hellish memories and move forward thanks to her help.

Besides, it was natural for people to become depressed when they were next to someone who was struggling.

But whether it was because her personality hadn’t changed even after losing her memories, she just comforted Jade as if nothing was wrong.

Of course, she sometimes showed foolish sides because she had lost her memories.

For example, there was an opportunity for the two of them to try coffee together for the first time.

‘I heard it’s really delicious to eat coffee with cookies?’

‘I’ve heard that too. Of course, I’ve never had coffee before….’

‘Then I’ll show you!’

Veronica blew on the coffee to cool it down and drank it all in one gulp—

‘Ptoo!’

And then spat it out.

‘Veronica! Are you okay?’

‘I, I’m okay. It’s more bitter than I thought…. Ugh… Why do people drink this tasteless thing?’

‘Pfft.’

‘…Are you laughing at me right now?’

‘N-no.’

That wasn’t a bad thing. Rather, it was an element that made Jade happy.

It was fun to see the hidden side of The Saintess, who was a Hero. This wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t had the unfortunate experience of losing her memories.

In conclusion, Jade was happy to be with Veronica.

That’s why there was something he needed to confirm with her.

“Veronica. What do you like so much about me?”

“Y-yes?”

Veronica looked flustered by Jade’s sudden question.

But Jade didn’t stop there and asked again.

“I’m curious about why you like me.”

A little more directly.