Chapter 109 |
The arena training ground, devastated by the successive secret techniques of Kairan and Kraush, was filled with silence.
The cause of the silence was the battle between the applicant Kraush and the entrance examiner Kairan.
And the result was an unbelievable sight.
Standing on two legs on the training ground was none other than Kraush.
The one lying on the ground was Kairan, known for her fame as the Pirate Empress.
An unprecedented situation where an applicant defeated an associate professor.
Everyone knew about the third exam proposed by Kairan.
It was originally intended to assess the level of the applicant and place them in a special class, as passing it was considered impossible.
But now, someone had passed that third exam.
The direct descendant of the Balheim family, who was once regarded as a halfwit and had just become an adult this year.
“Damn.”
One of the current students watching from a distance muttered a curse.
The scene he was witnessing was beyond words, except for such a curse.
Even when Kraush shattered the aurora stone, he wasn’t as shocked.
Breaking the aurora stone could be explained by an immense inherent amount of aura.
But defeating an associate professor, who was practically a professor, was on a different level entirely.
It meant that the eye of a storm that would shake the era had appeared, not just in Rahelrn Academy.
The eyes of the current students changed.
Those gathered at Rahelrn Academy were the future leaders of their families.
What Kraush appeared to be in their eyes at this moment was beyond words.
Those who change the era leave extraordinary anecdotes from their childhood.
They had just witnessed one of those anecdotes with their own eyes.
[Why didn’t you just die right there?]
However, contrary to the anecdote, Kraush was being scolded by Crimson Garden.
Naturally so.
Kairan had genuinely responded to Kraush.
And Kraush, who faced that response head-on, had to exert his full strength.
That meant Kraush continuously used Annihilation Erosion to its limit from start to finish.
As a result, Kairan collapsed, but Kraush was also in a mess.
All he could do was breathe enough to cool his overheated body with Lunar Body.
[Well, at least you kept your promise and didn’t use that, so I’ll give you that.]
Crimson Garden, mentioning the promise made at the entrance, looked at Kraush with displeased eyes.
[So, are you satisfied with the result?]
Kraush, feeling the ache in his body from Annihilation Erosion, looked toward the audience.
The future Skyborne Generation kids had their eyes wide open, almost popping out.
Those who had once treated him as a mere tool.
This should be satisfying no matter what anyone says.
“Yeah.”
With that short answer, Kraush’s mind, which had been holding on with sheer willpower, finally cut off.
Why did it always end like this?
***
After Kraush collapsed following Kairan, the second part of the exam was temporarily halted.
The children who witnessed their battle couldn’t possibly take the exam in their right minds.
And that judgment was accurate.
The children were busy talking about the preceding battle.
The same was true for the current students.
An applicant who defeated an associate professor.
Thanks to that, Kraush’s story spread rapidly within Rahelrn Academy.
As Kraush’s story was on everyone’s lips,
the sun had set, and a whole day had passed.
Srrrk—
When Kraush opened his eyes, he felt the morning sunlight streaming through the window.
The distinctive sterile smell indicated that he was in a hospital room.
Even though the Heavenly Slaughter Star had raised the permissible limit of Annihilation Erosion, he had used it until he fainted.
It wouldn’t be possible to recover without hospitalization.
‘It’s painful.’
He didn’t intend to die, but his body ached enough to make such a joke.
Moreover, he felt an unusual emptiness.
As Kraush groped his body to figure out why he felt empty, he realized and let out a hollow laugh.
The emptiness he felt was due to Bianca.
When he was in such a state, she would cling to the bed.
But she wasn’t here now.
The white chick seemed to flit in front of his eyes.
His hand, usually stroking her head, pressed the bed aimlessly.
‘Do I miss her?’
He wondered if she was learning well from her teacher, Jena.
It had only been a few days since they parted due to the entrance exam, yet he was already worried.
Kraush realized anew how much time he had spent with Bianca.
Maybe he should write her a letter to tell her about the entrance ceremony.
As he thought that and tried to get up,
“If you’re planning to go for training again, stay put.”
At that moment, Kraush heard a familiar voice and looked up.
A woman was sitting on a chair in front of the bed, flipping through a magazine-like paper.
Her hair, like the setting sun, and her figure, unbefitting her age, along with her intelligent eyes, gave her a unique atmosphere.
Facing her, Kraush showed a belated sense of wonder.
Because of the toll Annihilation Erosion took on him, he hadn’t realized she was in the room until now.
“Astria?”
“Isn’t it disrespectful to casually call a saint’s name?”
She joked, putting down the magazine and looking at Kraush.
But she soon glanced away.
“Your clothes are disheveled. I know you just woke up, but could you at least dress properly?”
Words he had heard quite often in the past came from her mouth.
Now, Kraush knew she said that not out of dislike but out of embarrassment and hurriedly adjusted his clothes.
‘No wonder I could move better despite using Annihilation Erosion.’
It seemed Astria had treated him.
But how did she end up here?
The Holy Kingdom wouldn’t have sent her to Rahelrn Academy.
“You’re wondering why I’m at Rahelrn Academy?”
“Sharp as ever.”
“Living in the church makes you sharp.”
Saying so, she crossed her legs.
Her fair legs were exposed, but she didn’t seem to mind.
“I used the information you gave me. It would cause an uproar if I resigned from being a saint.”
It seemed Astria had followed a similar path to the previous iterations.
The only difference was that it happened much sooner.
“And I mentioned your family name a bit too.”
Used that too, huh.
No wonder the church had reluctantly agreed.
“Though the achievement is only attending the academy. But at least the cage is looser. By the way, I’m in Theology. It’s a special admission.”
But Kraush still had doubts.
“Why Rahelrn Academy specifically?”
She could have gone anywhere other than the academy.
As Kraush showed his curiosity, she habitually twirled her hair with her fingers.
“Well, there’s no place with as many talents as here. My goal is to completely break away from the church. I need people to back me up. Of course, you’re included in that back-up, so keep that in mind.”
“That’s not too difficult.”
Kraush narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Did you stay here all night?”
Astria’s hand twirling her hair abruptly stopped.
Her eyes began to dart around.
With her abilities as a saint, she could have just treated him and left.
But she insisted on checking his condition, waiting in the hospital room for him to wake up since he collapsed.
Astria closed the magazine with her hand.
“You seem safe, so I’ll go. Take care of your body. Even if it’s your own power, using it like that shortens your lifespan.”
She stood up abruptly, speaking incoherently, perhaps because Kraush had once seen through her true feelings.
She wanted to chat more with him after such a long time, but her face felt too hot to stay.
‘Why does his face have to be my type?’
…It became like this because he was her type.
She eventually fled the room.
Through the gap in the door, her escort knight Diona briefly greeted Kraush before leaving.
Kraush watched them leave and then got up.
It was an unexpected meeting, but Astria coming here wasn’t a bad thing.
It meant he could recover even if he pushed his body hard.
Forgetting her words about shortening his lifespan, Kraush was about to leave the hospital room when he heard a commotion from the corridor.
Turning his head towards the noise, he saw two people carrying trays of water and towels coming towards him.
Both were dressed as maids.
One was Alicia, who had come as Kraush’s personal maid.
The other was an unexpected person.
“…Miss Lirina?”
It was Lirina, the personal maid of Aslan Igrit.
As he showed his confusion, wondering why she was with Alicia, both women finally noticed him.
“Ah, Master Kraush, you’re awake.”
Lirina smiled with her characteristic raised lip.
“To think you collapsed last time and again when we meet now. Are you a sleeping prince, Master Kraush?”
Typical of her, she spoke with her usual wit.
“Why is Miss Lirina here?”
“Alicia was so shocked and didn’t know what to do when she heard you fainted. So, I came to help.”
Was that so?
Alicia had been trained by Aliod, but she wasn’t used to sudden situations.
She must have been very shocked to hear that her master had collapsed.
He owed her a debt of gratitude.
“You seem more fine than I thought. Can you repay my concern?”
“Should I pay you in cash?”
“Price it high.”
“N-no! It’s I who owe her. I’ll pay!”
Alicia, flustered by the joke, hurriedly tried to take out money from her pocket, but Lirina told her it was a joke.
“And where is Aslan?”
“He finished his Magic Studies exam and was assigned a dorm room. Master Aslan also wants to see you soon. Please greet him when you get to the dormitory.”
“I will. Alicia, has my dorm room been assigned too?”
“Yes, it has. I’ve already moved your belongings.”
Having a dorm assigned meant he had passed, after all.
Beating the chief entrance examiner Kairan made it obvious, but still.
“That confident look as if passing was natural is a bit shameless.”
Lirina commented on Kraush’s expression.
“One should have confidence in themselves, shouldn’t they?”
“Really, the innocent Kraush I knew is gone. Pity.”
As she approached him and looked up, Kraush noticed.
He hadn’t grown this much before.
Kraush, who grew exceptionally fast among the kids, now towered over Lirina.
“But you look quite dashing now. Not as much as Master Aslan, but you’ll probably make quite a few women cry.”
“I haven’t really…”
Thinking of Bianca, Kraush stopped.
Come to think of it, he had made her cry quite a bit.
“You’re thinking of your fiancée, aren’t you?”
Lirina narrowed her eyes and spoke.
“They say not to be overly affectionate.”
It was just that she came to mind, but Lirina’s expression turned sour as she grumbled.
“I’ll go back to Master Aslan now. Take this.”
She handed Kraush the towel.
She was quite a stormy person.
As Aslan’s personal maid, they would likely meet often.
“Alicia, when is the entrance ceremony?”
“The entrance ceremony is tomorrow.”
Thankfully, he woke up before the entrance ceremony.
As Kraush turned his head, he saw Crimson Garden’s crow sitting by the window.
She looked at Kraush through the window and conveyed her thoughts.
[Lustful hero.]
It was quite an awkward comment for Kraush.
End of Chapter
