"Magnificence" Itself, Transcending the Concept of "Beauty"

"Here is your beer, please enjoy~"

The Hostess of Fertility was as boisterous as ever, the clatter of plates and cups weaving together with the roar of laughter and chatter.

Syr, the pretty gray-haired waitress, darted through the crowded tables and noisy patrons like a nimble sprite.

She moved with swiftness, a gentle smile always gracing her face.

"Syr, can I get a free smile?" a regular customer from some table shouted as she passed by.

"Sure~" Almost subconsciously, while still busy weaving between tables, Syr turned at the sound and bloomed with a pure, radiant smile.

That smile was clean, warm, and devoid of any impurity, as if it had instantly illuminated the noisy space.

Whoosh—

As if under a spell, the volume of the rowdy restaurant plummeted.

The clink of a glass, a sentence cut off mid-laugh—everything ground to a halt, and the entire space fell into a strange, momentary silence.

Many male customers froze with their glasses held mid-air, their gazes involuntarily captured by that fleeting smile, all of them left momentarily dazed.

It wasn't until Syr was called away by a distant voice to pick up an order that the atmosphere, as if released from a pause button, began to flow again, the noise rushing back like a tide.

The buzzing of conversation filled the air once more, as if that breathtaking moment of silence had been nothing more than another ordinary, yet memorable, little interlude at the Hostess of Fertility.

But it was precisely this little interlude that made the other waitresses in the shop notice something unusual.

Anya, the cat-girl, tilted her head, her round eyes filled with confusion as she watched Syr, who was practically skipping with lightness, and tugged at her companion's sleeve in disbelief.

"Meow? Is Syr acting a bit weird these past two days?"

Beside the counter, Ryu, the blonde elf, stopped wiping a glass.

Her clear, lake-like green eyes rested quietly on Syr, her dear friend and benefactor.

Indeed, Ryu could clearly feel the difference too.

For the past two days, Syr seemed to be enveloped in an invisible aura of joy, and that heartfelt smile had barely faded from her face.

If there was anything special that had happened...

Ryu's gaze drifted thoughtfully toward the entrance; the only variable was likely that special guest who had visited not long ago.

Just as Ryu was silently sorting through her thoughts, Syr hummed an aimless tune and walked to the counter to pick up her order.

Mia, the shop owner, handed over a plate of food with her broad palms, her rugged eyebrows arching slightly.

Her gaze swept over Syr's smiling, glowing little face, and she couldn't help but ask in a gruff voice, "Girl, what good thing has happened to you?"

"Eh?"

Syr, as if her secret had been exposed, subconsciously cupped her slightly flushed cheeks. The blush was like a cherry blossom in bloom, and her eyes held an unconcealable sweetness and shyness.

"Is it... is it that obvious?"

Her demeanor, like a young girl in the throes of first love, was practically an admission.

Mia snorted and slammed several heavy, frothy beer mugs onto the counter.

"I've known you for years, and this is the first time I've seen you act like such a fool!... Table twelve."

The latter half of her sentence was an instruction, her tone carrying a touch of emotion, concern, and a hint of hard-to-detect respect.

"Got it~" Syr drawled, responding with a chuckle, showing no intention of explaining.

She reached out to grab the mugs, her fingertips just brushing the cold glass.

"Welcome, meow~!" Behind her, Anya's energetic voice rang out crisp and clear—the usual greeting for customers.

Yet, this greeting acted like an invisible command!

Syr's body stiffened abruptly, as if she had instantly connected to some sort of signal.

She didn't even care about the wobbling, nearly spilling beer beneath her fingertips, and spun around, her gaze cast eagerly toward the entrance.

When her clear eyes caught those two familiar figures—especially the young man whose hair color resembled the deep starry sky—a surge of immense joy instantly overwhelmed her!

"Meow?!" Anya only had time to let out a short cry of surprise before she was shoved aside by Syr with a speed and force that felt reckless and completely out of character for her usual gentle image.

The next moment, Syr had already cut through the noisy crowd, stopping before the newly arrived guests with a gust of wind.

She tilted her head slightly, her cheeks still flushed with excitement, her eyes brimming with pure surprise and undisguised happiness, her smile sweeter than honey.

"Welcome~!"

Thor's gaze passed over her and landed a little further away.

He saw Anya, the cat-girl who had been shoved aside, hopping on one foot trying to steady herself, only to uselessly thud her head against the wooden door, her eyes instantly turning into swirls.

Thor looked at the enthusiastically smiling Syr, then at the dizzy cat-girl rubbing her forehead, and was momentarily speechless.

Syr seemed completely unaware of the small commotion behind her and asked again, her expression unchanged, "Welcome, are there two of you?"

Thor scanned the noisy restaurant, his gaze lingering briefly on the only empty table, which had a "Reserved" sign on it.

He pondered for a moment and said to Bell, "Looks like there are no seats left. Let's try somewhere else."

Bell naturally had no objections.

However, just as Thor turned to leave, Syr was quick-witted and grabbed his wrist!

Her strength was unexpectedly great. She tilted her face up, her eyes filled with anticipation, and she said urgently, "If it's the two of you, there is space! Please follow me, guests!"

Before she even finished speaking, she had already pulled Thor along without room for argument, walking briskly toward an inconspicuous corner of the shop.

Passing through the bustling main hall, the three of them arrived at a very unremarkable little table beside the counter.

This seemed to be a place where the staff took short breaks; it was kept very clean, and a small vase with a bouquet of roses was placed on the tabletop.

Around this small table, there was even a half-screen blocking part of the view, providing a degree of privacy.

Syr asked with a beaming smile, "Is it alright to sit here?"

Thor looked back at the noisy hall.

It seemed this was the only place left to sit.

"Then we'll take this spot." He sat down with Bell.

As soon as Thor sat down, Syr's face flushed slightly, and she asked with a hint of anticipation in her voice, "Um... my break time just started, would you mind if I sat with you for a little while?"

She stood by the table, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her apron, her eyes looking at Thor with earnestness.

Thor looked up at her, silent for a moment, as if weighing the request.

Syr's tone grew increasingly nervous, her voice trailing off with an imperceptible tremor, almost bordering on pleading, "Is it... not okay~?"

Only then did Thor withdraw his gaze and say calmly, "Feel free."

Having received permission, a smile immediately bloomed on Syr's face. She sat down quickly in the empty seat to Thor's right, right next to him.

Amidst a wave of dizziness, Anya slowly woke up, a large bump having appeared on her head out of nowhere.

What happened, meow?

She only remembered that she had been serving customers when she was suddenly hit by something soft. She instantly lost her balance, her head went thud against the wooden door, and she briefly blacked out.

Anya shook her still-dizzy head in confusion, rubbing the bump on her forehead.

It was then that she noticed Ryu standing by a pillar not far away, her gaze fixed calmly on a corner of the shop.

"Ryu?" Anya stood up, muttering, "What happened, meow?"

She looked around blankly, following Ryu's focused gaze.

She saw Syr sitting beside a man at the small table in the corner of the restaurant, wearing a happy smile she had never seen before.

Anya shook her head, and the dizziness vanished completely.

She muttered, "That little table... is that the one Syr was fussing over all afternoon, meow?"

Ryu's gaze rested on Syr as she nodded in confirmation, "Yes. She went out specifically to buy the flowers this afternoon."

She recalled how focused Syr had been while decorating earlier.

She had looked so expectant.

Anya watched as Syr sat close to Thor, wearing a radiant, heartfelt, and undisguised smile.

Even as slow as she was, Anya understood, "She's... fallen in love, hasn't she, meow?"

She couldn't help but ask curiously, "When did this even happen?"

When did it happen?

Ryu's thoughts drifted back four days.

That day, when they returned from shopping for ingredients, they happened to run into Thor and Bell leaving the shop entrance.

In that instant, the paper bag in Syr's hands dropped straight to the ground.

"If you're asking when..." Ryu's voice carried a hint of uncertainty, "It was probably that time four days ago."

"That time four days ago, meow?" Anya tilted her head, quickly recalling that four days ago, Syr had gone out to shop, dropped the ingredients on the ground, and was severely scolded by Mama Mia upon returning.

"Is this what they call love at first sight, meow?"

In her impression, Syr had always been very reserved; she had never seen her take the initiative like this before...

Ryu shook her head, equally puzzled.

That guest named Thor did look different; he gave off a very mysterious feeling that always made one want to take a second look.

It was like suddenly seeing a veiled person walking down the street... hmm... a potato croquette?

It made you want to look again to see if you had misread the situation, only to focus your eyes and realize the person was just a handsome young man.

Nothing more.

She truly didn't understand what kind of charm that person possessed to make Syr act so uncharacteristically proactive...

Where is a person's most attractive quality?

Appearance? Strength? Personality?

None of these.

It is the soul.

That which represents the essence of life, carrying the weight of every experience within a pure soul.

That is the most unique, profound, and attractive treasure in the world.

Syr held a tray filled with beer and fruit juice, her gaze habitually sweeping over the boisterous patrons in the tavern.

The colors of these souls...

She sighed slightly in her heart.

Most adventurers' souls were like dull, gray stones covered in a layer of grime; worn down by the pressures of survival and desire, they had lost most of their luster, appearing murky and mundane.

Even the gods, who were occasionally surrounded by their familia members while dining in the shop, possessed souls that were nothing more than an unchanging, pale white.

Those souls were pure but lacked variation, clean but insipid, like frozen moonlight—unchanging for ten thousand years, becoming monotonous and boring the longer one looked.

Syr withdrew her gaze with secret disappointment, suppressing the loneliness brought on by that indescribable contrast.

She carried the tray, her footsteps light as she walked toward the small table in the corner, half-hidden by a screen, a bright smile befitting a waitress once again gracing her face.

"Please enjoy~" She smiled, gently placing the beer Thor had ordered and the fruit juice for Bell on the tabletop, her movements as soft and elegant as always.

"Thank you, Miss Syr." Bell immediately looked up, thanking her politely and sincerely; his ruby-like eyes were clear to the very bottom.

Driven by a certain instinctual desire to explore, Syr's gaze naturally fell upon the boy who had just thanked her.

Her vision pierced through Bell's physical shell, seeing the soul deep within.

There, a pure, flawless, and dazzling white radiance shone!

That light was as holy as fresh snow and as resilient as a diamond, shimmering with vibrant energy and pure potential.

It was more vivid and full of life than the pale, frozen souls of the gods!

It was a treasure that would make any existence capable of peering into the origin of souls marvel in awe.

Truly... an extremely beautiful soul.

Syr felt a heartfelt emotion in her heart, even experiencing a subtle, belated sense of regret.

What pure and shining radiance...

If I had seen such a soul before meeting him, I might have truly been hopelessly attracted, and then... I would have wanted to get close at any cost, perhaps even wanting to... "possess" it?

But this regret streaked across the lake of her heart like a meteor, instantly covered by a more overwhelming sense of presence.

Because in the split second her thoughts raced, as her gaze once again involuntarily turned toward that one-and-only existence in the world with irrepressible longing and awe—

BOOM!

The world seemed to collapse and reform before her eyes!

In her "eyes," or rather, in her soul's perception, the person sitting there was no longer a seemingly ordinary youth with meager strength.

What presented itself before her was the vast, boundless universe itself!

It was a magnificent scene where countless stars were conceived, born, burned, and extinguished!

Deep nebulae rotated slowly like giant vortices, radiating unimaginable gravitational force.

Newly born stars spewed scorching stellar winds; dying celestial bodies collapsed into singularities that devoured all light; massive galactic arms spanned the void, dotted with billions of brilliant points of light...

It was "grandeur" itself, transcending all concepts of "beauty"!

It was the interweaving of order and chaos, the song of time and space, the ultimate manifestation of the cycle of life and death!

It was not static, but eternally flowing and evolving, every moment interpreting the ultimate mysteries of the universe—

It was the "answer" she had pursued throughout eternity, existing so concretely before her eyes!

Syr felt as if she had been struck by an invisible giant hammer, instantly frozen in place, her breathing stalled, her blood congealed.

The tray in her hand felt as heavy as a thousand jun, and the sounds of the world were completely silenced before the sight of that magnificently grand soul.

Ah...

A silent, almost convulsive sigh emanated from the depths of her soul.

If only...

If only she could receive even the slightest bit of attention from this "universe," even just a fleeting glance...

What kind of supreme blessing and reward would that be... one that would make even eternity lose its meaning?