Chapter 107 |
“You think Charlotte is a regressor?”
[Yeah, it seems they’ve assumed that for now.]
As the results of the first part of the exam were about to be announced,
Kraush heard the entire conversation between Mary and Sigrid through the voice of Crimson Garden from his brooch.
‘Indeed, Charlotte’s actions are very different from before.’
Kraush thought that if the roles were reversed, Charlotte would be the first person he’d keep in mind too.
She was a variable in herself.
The most likely candidate.
“More importantly, you said the Arthur there was a fake?”
A fake Arthur?
Someone he had never heard of suddenly appeared.
Judging by Sigrid and Mary’s reactions, it seemed they didn’t know him either.
Was there really such a person?
‘Is this another one of Arthur’s tricks?’
At the same time, Kraush wondered.
What benefit could Arthur gain from this?
Arthur’s actions seemed overly passive, even considering the many variables this time.
To the extent that he was hiding his appearance.
Kraush crossed his arms and organized his thoughts.
‘I haven’t confirmed which iteration of Arthur we are in.’
The Arthur from the previous regression had clearly failed.
Arthur, as Kraush knew him, did not return after Kraush stole his skill.
The current Arthur was undoubtedly someone else.
Someone who was overly passive and cautious.
‘But would Arthur really be this passive?’
The three women didn’t know that Kraush had stolen Arthur’s regression.
So they probably thought Arthur was being cautious this time.
But Kraush, knowing the truth, thought differently.
Arthur, with no information, being this passive led to many thoughts.
‘Wait.’
At that moment, Kraush’s pupils began to dilate.
A thought crossed his mind.
‘…I assumed the current Arthur lacks only the memories of the iteration he spent with me.’
Since Kraush had stolen Arthur’s regression,
he assumed the current Arthur lacked only the memories of the iteration spent with him.
But what if that wasn’t the case?
What if regression wasn’t about inheriting memories from his future self,
but about retaining his own memories and returning to the past?
‘The hint is in the memory inheritance Arthur mentioned.’
Kraush had been pondering how Arthur managed to pass on his memories.
And when he got the information today, he became certain.
Arthur had involved three women, Sigrid, Mary, and Abella, in his regression.
Arthur must have found some way.
But Arthur lost his regression to Kraush.
As a result, the Arthur who should have returned with all his memories died in the world of destruction.
So who is the Arthur in this world?
8th iteration? 6th iteration? 5th iteration? 2nd iteration?
No.
‘The current Arthur might be the 0th iteration.’
The Arthur with memories had died.
The Arthur without any continuing memories is an Arthur without the concept of iterations.
Kraush’s face hardened.
He slowly swept his front hair back with his hand.
Sweat formed and trickled down his exposed forehead.
It was just a hypothesis.
He hadn’t seen Arthur directly, and it was a conjecture based on the oddity of the situation.
But as the pieces began to fit, cold sweat flowed.
It was the thought that he might have completely erased the existence of the regressor Arthur.
‘Damn it.’
Kraush didn’t expect much from Arthur, but now that it had come to this, his feelings were complicated.
Ironically, if this were true, Kraush himself could be the reason the women’s memories continued.
They were almost parasitic to the regression.
‘It’s still just a hypothesis.’
More importantly, the current Arthur had realized that three women had inherited memories.
And Kraush figured out who had informed him.
‘It must be Abella.’
Abella, who Kraush had tried to find but had hidden herself.
Kraush determined that the current Arthur’s actions were definitely related to Abella.
Mary and Sigrid’s information would also have been gathered through Abella.
The situation might have become more complicated.
‘…If Arthur sent the fake to hide his lack of memories from Sigrid and Mary, it’s manageable. But if Abella noticed Arthur’s lack of memories and acted independently,’
Abella’s motive was simple.
Arthur had an unusually strong possessiveness.
Kraush cracked his neck.
If things went wrong, a three-way battle among the regressors could erupt.
‘A fake Arthur, huh.’
Kraush glanced at the fake Arthur walking out with Mary.
The person wasn’t in his memories.
‘I don’t know who he is.’
Whether it’s Arthur or Abella, he would be a key to one of them.
“Then for now, I should let them stay misled.”
[It’s your sister. Will it be alright? Didn’t you say those guys were also regressors?]
Before coming to the academy, Kraush had informed her that there were other regressors besides him.
Crimson Garden was the most suitable to gather information on those four at the academy.
She wasn’t surprised.
She seemed very accustomed to the concept of regressors.
“It’s fine. It’s Charlotte, after all.”
Kraush spoke nonchalantly.
“And didn’t we hear enough of their purpose?”
A chilling smile formed on Kraush’s lips.
To recruit him to overthrow Charlotte.
How could he not laugh at that?
All their past misdeeds were still vivid in his memory.
“Let them stay misled; I can use them.”
In the end, they would cough up everything.
“Now, we will announce the list of those who passed the first part.”
At that moment, the entrance examiner Kairan finally announced the list of those who passed the first part.
With a board above her head, the names appeared in the sky, created by magic.
Kraush immediately knew he had passed the first part.
After all, his name was boldly at the top.
A sign that the names were listed in order of scores.
‘The names below are also familiar.’
He knew all of them.
“My name is not here.”
“This must be a mistake!”
Disappointed voices of children echoed everywhere.
All they had done was place their hands on the aurora stone.
They had shown nothing else.
Kraush empathized briefly with their feelings.
In the past, he too had barely passed the cut-off line, feeling a sense of relief.
‘I enrolled a year later than now.’
After Aliod attempted to poison him and ended up drinking poison soup and dying,
Kraush had trained desperately and consumed all the elixirs.
Despite that, he barely made it to the cut-off line, reminding him of his terrible talent.
‘Rahelrn Academy isn’t a place that accepts everyone.’
It’s an academy that specializes in training talents to counter world erosion.
Those with lower standards wouldn’t even be able to keep up with the lessons.
‘Most of the dropouts are sent by their families to build connections in Rahelrn Academy.’
Still, the number wasn’t small.
About half had failed.
Though the disappointed children couldn’t accept it,
reality was reality.
They trudged out of the arena training grounds.
“Now, we will start the second part of the exam.”
At that moment, the second part of the exam began.
As mentioned before, it involved three matches against stronger, equal, and weaker opponents.
But there was a catch.
One person couldn’t face both stronger and equal opponents.
That person was Kraush, who ranked first.
In terms of aura output, he was undoubtedly the strongest.
So Kraush only needed to take the exam once.
That was the privilege of ranking first.
From passing the first part with the highest score, it was almost certain he would pass.
“For the second part, we will start with the equal opponent. When the examiners call your name, go to them.”
As the children were called one by one, Kraush waited leisurely.
“I’ll be back!”
Even Balak disappeared, leaving Kraush alone.
The reason was simple.
The only person who could face Kraush was Mary Diana, who ranked just below him.
“Seems tedious.”
At that moment, Kraush heard a familiar voice.
As he turned, he saw black hair and a mole near the eye.
It was Kairan, known as the Pirate Empress.
“Entrance Examiner.”
“Call me Associate Professor Kairan. It doesn’t seem like Kraush will fail.”
“Isn’t it unfair to tell me that?”
“You know it yourself, don’t you? Well, you might think it’s natural since you’re a Balheim.”
Kraush chuckled briefly.
“Even for a Balheim, nothing is certain.”
Kairan hesitated at his firm declaration.
She had heard rumors of him being a halfwit in the past.
“…I apologize.”
Perhaps she had touched a nerve.
Kraush shrugged lightly as she apologized.
“It’s nothing to apologize for.”
He was exuding confidence.
Kairan observed Kraush.
Such composure.
Not something a 15-year-old, who had just become an adult, would have.
It was an inexplicable maturity, separate from strength.
Seeing this, she grew curious.
“It would be a shame for Kraush to take the second part only once, unlike others.”
To see how strong he was.
Pirate Empress, Kairan.
She had suppressed her true nature since becoming an associate professor.
Everyone who met her praised her diligence and gentleness.
Even among associate professors, she was highly regarded.
But that was just a facade she had carefully crafted.
In reality, she was the ferocious Pirate Empress of the great sea.
Fortunately, the academy principal had recruited and reformed her.
That’s how she became her current self.
But sometimes, she struggled to suppress her nature.
Especially when faced with a strong growing talent.
Since she saw the aurora stone break, her body had been itching.
Her inner nature was screaming to fight Kraush.
She was barely suppressing her true self.
“…It’s not a shame.”
Kraush wasn’t unaware of her nature.
Many students had suffered under her after falling into her trap.
“No, as you said, the examiner shouldn’t break the rules. Let’s do it fairly.”
But Kairan, being the entrance examiner, could change the rules.
“We’ll apply the second part with a stronger opponent, then have the third part against the examiner first.”
Drop the facade of fighting spirit from your eyes.
Kraush wanted to say but sighed inwardly.
He had to take the third part anyway.
Whether sooner or later, facing her was inevitable.
‘I wanted to save some strength for the fight with Mary.’
Maybe it didn’t matter.
If he gave his all here and exhausted himself, making the match with Mary inconclusive,
‘It could really trouble Sigrid.’
Sigrid wanted Mary to defeat Kraush in the entrance exam.
A malicious glint appeared in Kraush’s eyes.
He was exceptionally good at such schemes.
“Alright. Since it’s Associate Professor Kairan’s words, I’ll follow.”
Smiling, Kraush decided to fuel her fighting spirit.
“But shouldn’t we clarify one thing?”
“Clarify?”
“Yes, isn’t it uncertain who the stronger opponent is until we face each other?”
Kairan’s red eyes blinked.
Her pupils slowly began to narrow.
“You mean, Associate Professor like me is an equal opponent?”
“That’s for us to find out.”
Hearing his firm provocation, Kairan barely stifled a laugh reminiscent of her pirate days.
This guy was even more daring than she thought.
Are all Balheims like this?
Kairan controlled her rising mouth corners and moved.
“Fine. Let’s find out soon.”
“In such a hurry.”
“I used to be a pirate, so I’m not good at waiting.”
Seems like she couldn’t hide her true nature anymore.
Seeing Kairan’s fierce smile, Kraush shrugged.
“Let’s go.”
He was now about to take the third part before the second.
***
While the second part was in full swing,
some who barely defeated equal opponents were catching their breath.
At one corner of the arena marked off with boundaries,
two familiar figures stood facing each other.
“Hey, is that…”
“Is that the examiner and Kraush Balheim?”
Children who noticed them belatedly showed bewildered expressions.
They couldn’t understand why Kraush was facing the entrance examiner.
And that was true for those watching the arena as well.
The noise from the children’s fights was so loud that they couldn’t hear the two’s conversation either.
“Professor Kairan’s habit seems to have come out.”
But the current students guessed the situation.
Some of them had suffered from Kairan’s habit.
“Who do you think will win?”
“Of course, Associate Professor Kairan. She was originally meant to be a professor. She became an associate professor only because the principal insisted.”
“But didn’t everyone see Kraush Balheim break the aurora stone earlier? It’s hard to say who will win.”
“Hehe, it’ll be a fun watch, no matter who wins.”
While the current students discussed it,
one woman was visibly annoyed.
‘Why is Kairan intervening?’
It was Sigrid, who had anticipated Mary to crush Kraush.
Now, there was a chance the match with Mary might not happen.
She disliked that man from start to finish.
In the past and now.
He never helped her.
Sigrid took it for granted that Kraush would always take the curses for her.
“Miss Sigrid, is something bothering you?”
“…Nothing.”
At that moment, she adjusted her expression at the soft voice beside her.
To maintain the image she had built.
While Sigrid was busy maintaining her image,
Kraush was facing Kairan.
“You can attack anytime. The third part is to assess the applicant’s full strength.”
Kairan spoke leisurely and smiled.
In her hand, she twirled a dagger with an octopus design.
Despite her relaxed demeanor, Kraush sensed it.
‘No openings.’
She wasn’t set to be a professor for nothing.
The aura emanating from Kairan firmly controlled her space.
‘Giving me the first move.’
Kraush stifled a laugh.
He then drew Rain Thunder Prime from its sheath.
An empty blade.
Seeing that, Kairan’s eyes filled with curiosity.
Clang—
Kraush dropped the sheath to the ground.
Kairan watched curiously.
Meanwhile, Kraush slowly stepped back.
Simultaneously, he drew Rain Thunder Prime to his side, positioning it into an empty hand’s grip.
In the silent stillness,
as Kairan focused her gaze,
Crackle—
A brief spark sounded.
The thunderous sound made Kairan’s ears perk up.
At that moment, she froze.
Kraush’s stance was that of Iai-jutsu.
Before the empty blade,
a strange flow began to gather.
Light seemed to be drawn towards Kraush.
Even his surrounding space seemed distorted.
Crackle!
Another spark flew.
Kairan’s eyes slowly widened.
The blade of Rain Thunder Prime, extending from behind Kraush’s fluttering clothes, was encased in a sheath of lightning.
The problem was the inside of the sheath.
Wild, pitch-black flames were fiercely raging within.
And the power was growing stronger with time.
Goosebumps erupted on Kairan’s skin.
Her instincts screamed danger.
“Huff.”
With Kraush’s inhalation, smoke exhaled from his mouth.
With each tempering of his body, his presence intensified.
Kairan’s hair stood on end.
Simultaneously, she gripped her dagger tightly.
Her body instinctively reacted.
She felt the urge to stop this immediately.
As she thought that, her body leaned forward.
Bang!
In an instant, as her body shot forward like a launching pad,
Kraush’s smile met her eyes.
“You made the first move, Associate Professor.”
Seeing his smile, Kairan bit her lip.
She had been tricked.
What a cunning applicant.
But regardless of Kraush’s smile, his sword shattered the lightning sheath.
From the first move, he gave it his all.
Annihilation Erosion
Third Technique
Sky-Thundering Annihilation
‘That’s just like me.’
Boom!
The academy arena turned into a battlefield.
End of Chapter
