Zing! Zing! Zing!
It was as if invisible magic bullets were whistling through the air, piercing the defenses of everyone's hearts in the Adventurer's Guild lobby that afternoon.
The cause was simple, yet the impact was akin to a catastrophe: a single smile.
Kazien Altavis, the youth who previously radiated an aura as cold as ice, now complied with his fiancé's request. His lips curved to form a wide, sincere smile.
The effect was instant. His handsome face, with sapphire blue eyes that were usually sharp, softened drastically. The smile radiated a blinding, pure charisma, as if the spring sun had just risen in the middle of that gloomy room.
It wasn't just the women who felt their knees go weak; even the male adventurers found themselves transfixed, their faces flushing unconsciously, captivated.
"Kyaaaaa!!! He is so handsome!" The hysterical scream of a female adventurer broke the silence.
"His face was already handsome earlier! But when he smiles... By the Goddess, his handsomeness becomes even clearer to my eyes! My eyes are blessed!" another female adventurer responded while clutching her chest.
However, the biggest surprise came from an unexpected direction.
A well-built male adventurer suddenly walked closer with a dazed look, as if hypnotized. He stood right in front of Kazien, his face turning pink.
"Hey, Sir..." the man said, his voice made as soft as possible. "Am I cute enough in your eyes?"
Kazien blinked. His brain stopped working for a moment. "Huh?"
Seeing that, Alvin, who was standing beside Kazien, looked as if he had been struck by lightning. His cute face went pale, then turned beet red with panic.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Alvin screamed hysterically.
He jumped in front of Kazien, spreading both arms wide, trying to be a human shield for his fiancé's body. Alvin pushed the broad chest of the male adventurer with all his might.
"He is my future husband! Don't come any closer! Shoo! Shoo! Go away!" Alvin shooed him away like chasing off a stray cat.
However, Alvin's defense was breached. The lobby went uncontrollably chaotic. People surged forward like starving zombies, scrambling to see or touch Kazien.
"Move aside, you elf! Let me see that smile closer!"
"Kazien! Look here!"
Alvin was overwhelmed. He swatted a left hand, kicked a right leg, and blocked another's body. "Don't touch! This face is mine! This smile is my patent!"
Amidst that storm of humans, Kazien stood frozen.
He was truly in shock. His eyes darted wildly, looking at the hysterical crowd. Cold sweat trickled down his temple.
W-What is actually happening here? Kazien thought in panic. His mind tried hard to find a logical explanation but hit a dead end. Why is everyone trying to grope me?
He stared at his own hands, then at the people screaming his name. He truly couldn't comprehend it.
This makes no sense. Just because I smiled, they went this crazy? Do they all lack entertainment?
Alvin turned briefly amidst his busyness fending off hands. He looked at Kazien with teary eyes full of regret. "Forgive me! Forgive me, my dear! If only I hadn't forced you to smile, this lobby wouldn't have turned crazy like this!"
Kazien looked at Alvin. He understood the situation now—that this was the doing of his smile. But disbelief still dominated his mind. It felt impossible that a simple facial expression could have such a powerful impact.
I have to verify this, Kazien thought.
Without warning, Kazien did it again.
He looked at the crowd vying for position, then once again pulled his lips. This time, he gave a wider, brighter, and completely innocent smile to everyone.
The effect was explosive.
"KYAAAAA!!!! Show us your smile again!!" The screams of the women this time overflowed in the guild lobby.
"I want to pinch your cheeks! You're so cute!"
"Lord Kazien! Make me your second wife!"
Kazien's eyes widened. He finally believed it. It turned out to be true; his smile was the cause of all this madness.
However, Alvin did not accept this. Jealousy burned the top of his head seeing Kazien actually smile again. He turned around, grabbed Kazien's sleeve, and glared at him with puffed-out cheeks.
"What do you mean by smiling widely like that at them again?!" Alvin exclaimed, heavily jealous. "Are you trying to attract everyone's attention? You're teasing them on purpose, huh?!"
Kazien was startled. He immediately lowered his face, bringing his lips close to Alvin's ear to diffuse the situation.
"I was just verifying my smile," whispered Kazien honestly. "And I didn't expect my smile could make them fascinated like this."
"I'm jealous! I'm jealous! I'm jealous!" Alvin whined while pounding on Kazien's broad chest. "That smile is mine!"
"We'll be affectionate later when we're home," whispered Kazien again, soothingly. "Don't be angry anymore, okay?"
And Kazien smiled widely in front of Alvin to show a special smile just for him.
The commotion in the lobby intensified with the hysterical screams of the women, until finally, the noise lured out the ruler of the adventurer guild.
The double doors on the second floor opened. A woman stepped out, walking toward the crowd.
"Why are you all making a racket in this guild?!" her voice was firm.
"Master Elisa... Th-that... he is so handsome! His smile is addictive!" reported a guild staff member.
The woman named Elisa descended the stairs. Her gaze swept across the floor and was shocked to see the body of a Silver Pholidota lying there. And the purple-haired woman was even more shocked when she saw a High Elf figure before her.
"W-What is happening here? Why is there a High Elf and an S-Rank monster in the guild lobby?" she asked in shock.
"The monster was killed by the two of them, Master! As for the High Elf, he is the future wife of Kazien Altavis," someone answered.
Kazien Altavis? Is he Elgard's son? thought Elisa.
"Did you two kill this S-Rank monster?" asked Elisa.
Kazien and Alvin turned around. They saw a woman with bright purple hair who was around 40 to 47 years old, yet her appearance was still very beautiful and youthful.
"Yes, it was us two who killed it. Who are you?" asked Kazien.
"I am Elisa, the Guild Master of this central guild! I want to see your identification cards, both of you!"
Kazien and Alvin gave their license cards to Elisa.
Elisa's expression changed instantly when she found out that the two people before her were S-Rank adventurers.
Aside from being S-Rank in the same party, I never expected this High Elf to be a member of the elven royal family. This is truly an unexpected surprise.
"Your name is Alvin, right?" asked Elisa to confirm.
Alvin nodded, confirming her words.
"To my knowledge, elves do not have a gender yet [at birth]. And one of my employees said you are his future wife. Have you become a female elf?"
"No! Right now I have become a male!" answered Alvin firmly. "If I became a female, Kazien would definitely reject me immediately!"
Elisa gaped in disbelief at what she had just heard from the High Elf's mouth. "What do you mean... he only likes men?"
Elisa glared sharply at Kazien. Instantly, the temperature in the guild lobby became freezing cold.
Kazien frowned. What? Why did it suddenly become cold here? What is happening? Is my father here? thought Kazien, sensing a familiar energy.
Before Kazien could react, Elisa immediately grabbed Kazien by the neck and stared at him sharply.
"Kazien, what is the meaning of all this? Has Elgard failed to educate his son?"
Kazien and Alvin were shocked when the guild master called their father without his honorific title.
"D-Do you know my father?" asked Kazien.
"Of course I've known him since we were kids! Because Elgard is my biological older brother, you stupid nephew!"
Silence...
For the second time in the last hour, the Adventurer's Guild lobby fell back into absolute silence. But this time, it wasn't because of the charm of Kazien's deadly smile, but because of the shocking confession that had just slipped from the Guild Master's lips.