Chapter 100
After concluding his conversation with Astria, Kraush went on a date with Bianca in the Freeman Holy Kingdom.
In truth, it was nothing special.
Just like always, they indulged in delicious food and explored the Holy Kingdom.
“Since there are so many people, can we hold hands?”
When she said that, Kraush willingly took her hand. Bianca seemed genuinely delighted.
Her happiness was rather cute, so Kraush obliged her every request.
‘The previous saintess…’
She was, of course, nowhere to be seen.
The Holy Kingdom must have taken her away.
Kraush didn’t feel particularly sympathetic towards that saintess.
He had merely informed them of her existence, hoping for a better future for Astria.
‘I’ve always known that I can’t save everything.’
It was hard enough to protect what was already in his grasp.
Kraush decided not to think about it anymore and returned to the temple with Bianca.
“Did you have fun?”
Bianca nodded enthusiastically.
Since there was still chocolate around her mouth from earlier, Kraush raised his hand to wipe it off.
How clumsy!
“You two look really close. Is this what an engagement is like?”
At that moment, Kraush turned to the voice that just chimed in.
It was none other than Astria.
The absentminded look from earlier had vanished, replaced by a radiant smile.
She seemed to have sorted out her thoughts.
“You used informal speech earlier, so I suppose I can too. Is that alright?”
“Yeah, I prefer it that way.”
It felt more awkward for Kraush to still be using honorifics with Astria.
So, shrugging his shoulders, he withdrew his hand from Bianca’s cheek.
Immediately, Bianca grabbed his hand again.
She stood slyly between Astria and Kraush, staring intently at Astria.
Seeing this, Astria cleared her throat and said, “You mentioned wanting to break free from your shackles. I distinctly remember that. Make sure you’re prepared.”
She added that the time would come soon and then left.
Somehow, as she walked away, she glanced at Bianca, but she vanished quickly.
After Astria departed, Bianca looked up at Kraush.
“Kraush, I’m your fiancée.”
“When was there ever a doubt about that?”
What was she becoming anxious about now?
Kraush chuckled in disbelief and patted Bianca’s head.
It seemed she was maturing a bit, as her head no longer shook as much as before.
The cute aspects were fading, and she was slowly becoming more of an adult.
Recently, she had also grown quite taller.
Of course, Kraush was still way taller, so the height difference remained significant.
‘Maybe when she grows up, she might change her mind about a few things…’
But for now, he had to respect her thoughts as a 13-year-old.
“Your engagement won’t change.”
From the moment he decided to take responsibility for Bianca, this was an absolute certainty.
When Kraush said that, Bianca looked up at him with wide eyes before rolling them.
Then she fidgeted and wrapped her hands around Kraush’s.
“Then it’s alright.”
Bianca’s face was slightly reddening compared to before.
It seemed she didn’t even realize she was smiling.
“Let’s head back.”
Considering how long the excursion had been, it was time to return.
For the remainder of the time, Kraush intended to devote himself entirely to training.
The Holy Kingdom had teleportation magic circles connected in various places for emergencies.
Naturally, Valheim had one as well.
Utilizing that, getting back to Valheim would be quick.
Since it was getting late, Kraush thought he could finish his preparations tomorrow and head back.
However, when he returned to his room, he was met with a surprise.
“Kraush, a guest is here.”
“A guest?”
Upon hearing the attendant, Kraush raised an eyebrow.
Not expecting anyone to come.
As he opened the door, not a moment too soon, an unexpected figure appeared.
With a quick flick of her dark blue hair towards him, there stood Lilish Valheim.
“Kraush.”
She had been the commander of this expedition.
So she had to wrap up the final report now that the work was finished.
Thanks to that, she hadn’t been able to come while Kraush was in the Holy Kingdom, but the moment her tasks were completed, she crossed over to see him.
Although Kraush had received a clean bill of health, she had been worried all along.
‘Anyway, I was going to return to Valheim through the magic circle…’
Kraush hadn’t expected Lilish to come ahead of him.
“I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
After assessing Kraush’s condition, Lilish let out a short sigh of relief.
Looking at him like this, Kraush felt Lilish had genuinely changed compared to his memories before the regression.
In his memories, Lilish had always been rather stern and tended to ignore family matters.
‘Maybe…’
If she had had just one experience, she might have transformed like this.
‘Relationships with people can completely change over such small things.’
Kraush observed Lilish.
She was now, albeit late, being a sister who cared for her younger brother.
“I’ll be with Cream.”
In the meantime, Bianca had discreetly excused herself.
She had sensed it was best to allow the siblings to have their moment.
Now, Kraush was left alone with Lilish.
A brief silence passed between them.
Neither of them had ever had a conversation with family like this.
So, both were uncertain about what to say.
“…Want some candy?”
Suddenly, Lilish produced some candy.
It was the same candy she had given Bianca earlier.
When she had first met Kraush, he had been quite young, so perhaps that’s why Lilish still envisioned him as a little kid.
The relationship between them, despite being family, was still distant.
Based on that memory, Lilish had kept the candy with her, thinking that sharing sweets would help endear her to a child she might eventually meet.
Of course, the now-adult Kraush was far removed from the candy-loving kids.
“Sure…whatever.”
Even so, Kraush accepted the candy with a dazed expression.
Lilish felt a bit proud seeing that.
Although Kraush thought he’d give it to Bianca later.
“You really accomplished something big this time. The elders, and even your father, will hear about it.”
In the meantime, Lilish began discussing her work.
It seemed she had reported the facts to the upper management of Valheim.
Would they believe that a 14-year-old made an impact in the conquest of annihilation?
Considering she had sneakily blended in with the Knights, Kraush wondered how they would interpret it.
“Only a few in the upper ranks know about it; others are none the wiser, so it won’t be a problem.”
Knowing that she had understood Kraush’s intent to remain undercover, she refrained from escalating the issue.
The absence of any commotion from Valheim when the Holy Kingdom appeared at all proved this.
The Holy Kingdom also knew that Kraush had fought against Agareth.
However, that was only in the context of Lilish supporting the situation.
Kraush’s actual defeat of Agareth was unknown to them.
Rather, the Holy Kingdom might be concluding their opinions along these lines.
A 14-year-old direct descendant of Valheim had almost died while trying to impress Lilish with his pride.
While it was nonsensical for a 14-year-old to venture into the Demon Realm, Valheim was where Kraush belonged.
‘There’s already a precedent with Charlotte.’
There was a monster named Charlotte who had traversed the Abyss before Kraush.
So, the actions of the youngest Valheim wanting to emulate his sister were likely interpreted favorably.
This was excellent news for Kraush.
He could certainly keep the deal with the First Prince intact.
“The members of the Requiem Order also wanted to express their gratitude.”
They were a group of comrades who had fought alongside him, in a way.
Kraush had saved them several times, so it made sense they would convey their thanks.
“That’s all due to everyone’s effort.”
This wasn’t something accomplished by individual endeavors.
Kraush highly valued the contributions of the other knights.
Without them, they wouldn’t have captured Agareth at all.
That’s why Kraush took care not to neglect his training while ensuring to value those around him.
After that, the conversation with Lilish continued for a bit longer.
However, it didn’t last too long.
Kraush and Lilish hadn’t spoken to each other in ages, so there was a lot of awkwardness between them.
Once the work-related topics were out of the way, they were left uncertain about what to communicate.
A relationship with family can sometimes feel more strained than one with strangers.
“I suppose I’ve said all I need to, so I’ll take a rest.”
In the end, it was Lilish who stood up first.
Though her eyes reflected some disappointment, she genuinely cared for Kraush’s need to rest.
On one hand, she wanted to tell him not to overexert himself.
But she felt she had no right to say that.
She also hadn’t been present to look after her family.
As Lilish turned to leave, Kraush gazed at her retreating figure, gently biting his lip.
There was something Lilish had not asked.
And it was a question that Kraush had intended to keep hidden.
“Sister.”
When Kraush called out to her, she turned back.
“Aren’t you curious about something?”
That something was about how Kraush had been using Velokin’s Ignis.
Lilish took a more convenient interpretation of it.
But reality was far grimmer than that.
However, she genuinely wished to improve her relationship with Kraush.
So, if Kraush were to respond to that sincerity, he had to confront this uncomfortable truth.
He could have opted to stay silent on the matter.
It was a covered-up issue, and he could have hidden it for life.
Yet at this moment, he didn’t want to belittle Lilish’s heartfelt efforts to mend their relationship.
Back during the confrontation with Agareth,
he had seen Lilish’s eyes filled with faith in him.
“Kraush.”
After a brief silence, she finally spoke up.
“Before coming here, I gathered information about Velokin, and learned he must have tormented you immensely.”
Lilish had instinctively sensed that Kraush had stolen Velokin’s Ignis.
So she took the time to understand the relationship between Velokin and Kraush.
Their connection was frankly a mess.
The Valheim family hadn’t considered them actual family.
In the end, they were pushed toward the brink and ended up pointing swords at each other.
That was the nature of the Valheim family.
Kraush had inherited Velokin’s Ignis.
Could it be that these two tortured souls had finally reconciled and combined forces to defeat the Fiend of the Heavens?
Lilish knew she’d have to shake her head, bitterly.
Which meant she had questions about the incident with the Fiend of the Heavens but remained silent for Kraush’s sake.
It was Kraush who broke the silence.
Taking the first step forward, he finally spoke.
“…I killed Brother Velokin with my own hands.”
In response to Lillish’s sincerity, that was the first truth Kraush revealed.
His story extended for quite a while.
He recounted all the events and circumstances entangled with Velokin.
Stripping away subjective thoughts, he shared everything as objectively as he could.
Lilish showed no rage nor disdain.
She listened quietly as Kraush’s sister, accepting the tale of her brother’s relationship with Velokin.
Seeing her composure, Kraush understood one thing clearly.
Lilish didn’t care about how much blood they shared.
To her, both brothers were still her siblings, regardless of blood.
She felt regret for not having intervened between the two brothers in their tragic relationship.
At that moment, Kraush deeply realized that he had learned something profound about Lilish.
He discovered he knew less about his family than about many acquaintances.
When he finished speaking, he said,
“I’m sorry. I haven’t been considerate of either of you.”
An apologetic frown graced Lilish’s face, as she expressed sorrow.
“Can I hug you, just once?”
As Lilish timidly asked, Kraush nodded.
Lilish approached him and embraced Kraush.
Though she typically presented a stoic front, her warmth enveloped him.
In that moment, he could forget, at least momentarily, the relentless torment and coldness he had endured from family and kin.
Her embrace was welcoming.
Even as people age, the pains of childhood remain ingrained, unforgotten, and haunting them.
Having navigated countless challenges, Kraush was not exempt from this.
The deep scars could be concealed with bandages but could never truly vanish.
That’s why he had to understand.
There are those who care about such scars.
For some reason, Kraush felt like he had briefly returned to childhood.
The scar named Velokin,
with a long and complicated relationship,
was finally revealed to his family.
Beyond the window,
hydrangeas soaked in the summer rain were blooming.
The color-shifting hydrangeas might seem similar to him.
Kraush quietly contemplated.
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