Chapter: 128
“I’ve only been in the palace, so when stories about famous people come up, I get a bit curious—call it my nosy nature.”
Clack, clack—
At that moment, the Snake Brothers behind her chimed in together to back up Sigrid.
“Sigrid isn’t being nosy; she’s just being kind.”
“Exactly! She even goes out of her way to strike up a conversation with someone.”
Those two were simultaneously casting slightly displeased glances at Kraush and Dorma.
Kraush, the younger brother of Sigrid’s rival Charlotte.
It was obvious that with Dorma approaching him, they couldn’t help but feel a bit aggravated.
Dorma flinched under their sharp gazes, her shoulders hunching down timidly.
She was particularly sensitive to such hostile stares.
Just then, Kraush stepped slightly in front of Dorma, blocking the two’s line of sight.
“This was my request, so please don’t blame Dorma too much.”
“K-Kraush?”
Dorma’s voice trembled in surprise behind him.
And rightly so, since she had initiated the conversation outside the classroom.
But Kraush held her back and looked at Sigrid.
Sigrid, maintaining eye contact with Kraush for a moment, soon cracked a brief smile.
“Of course. I’m actually grateful to Dorma for giving me the chance to talk to you, Kraush. I heard the rumors that you took down an almost 7-star-level erosion type in the recent mission. I’m really proud of you as a fellow student.”
She complimented Kraush effortlessly, wearing a haughty grin.
Unlike the straightforward ways of Karandis, she ensnares people with her charm.
With her noble background and stunning beauty, it was no wonder many found themselves unwittingly enchanted by her praise.
However, such tactics do not work on everyone.
“No, it’s all thanks to my sister. I didn’t do much.”
Sigrid flinched at his words.
“By ‘sister,’ you mean Lady Charlotte?”
“Yes, I owe her quite a bit.”
Kraush knew what Sigrid’s suspicions were.
She was suspecting that Charlotte was also a reincarnated person.
Using that doubt, he drove another nail into her concerns.
“It seems you two have a really good sibling relationship, especially during the entrance ceremony.”
“Our relationship is pretty good.”
“I’m jealous. I’m not very close with my family. It’s a real shame, actually. I haven’t even gotten a chance to see my younger sister, who just entered this time.”
That younger sister would be none other than Princess Sizzly Ephania.
“She nearly died. It’s all my fault for not being there next to her; our family has turned into this.”
How utterly despicable.
“Oh, I’m sorry to have taken up so much of your time. Dorma, please be careful not to trouble Kraush. I had a really great time talking to you, Kraush.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I also had a good time confirming that Sigrid is a good person.”
[Every word seems rather deadly, huh?]
To those unaware, it appeared to be an ordinary conversation.
But those who understood could feel the underlying tension.
“Well then, until next time.”
Sigrid decided to end the conversation.
Instead, she left behind a meaningful remark.
“Oh, by the way, the mid-term evaluation is approaching soon. Since it’s the first mid-term evaluation at Rahelrn Academy, I hope you get good results, Kraush.”
“What a pain.”
“Thank you for the kind words.”
Kraush hid his true feelings and expressed his gratitude.
Sigrid smiled once more before leaving.
She exited the special studies classroom, still radiating her captivating aura.
In that moment, someone burst into the classroom through the door.
“Kraush!”
It was none other than Haring.
Albeit belonging to the special studies department, she primarily trained in the fundamental studies.
She seemed to have come after having heard about Sigrid.
Sneaking glances at the door, she approached Kraush.
“Are you okay?”
She displayed a concerned reaction, as if sensing something might have happened.
“What? Do I look like something’s wrong? We just had a chat.”
Seeing that there was no problem, Haring let out a short sigh of relief.
“I thought you might have been in a fight or something.”
“…Do I seem like someone who gets into fights?”
Haring didn’t respond, only gazing at Kraush intently.
“Oh my! Kraush, why do you keep bringing girls into your room? What are you up to?”
Just then, Darling appeared with a smile plastered across his face.
He presumably understood the situation in advance.
It was oddly infuriating.
“And what about this little lady? So you really like tiny girls after Bianca, huh?”
Darling pretended to cover his mouth as if he just witnessed something embarrassing.
Kraush noticed the corners of his lips rising, while Dorma, being much shorter, couldn’t see it.
As a result, Dorma turned beet red in embarrassment.
“N-no! I came here to talk about curses!”
“Is that what you call it now? You’ve definitely stepped it up. I’m hurt! Is this cute girl your new favorite? When are you going to make me your girlfriend?”
“W-what? Y-you mean a girlfriend? B-but Kraush has a fiancée…”
“I’ve got a fiancée, but no girlfriend! Kraush only wants my body and skills. What do you even want from this adorable girl? Innocence? You’re such a lively wolf.”
Dorma looked confused and flustered by Darling’s words.
And Kraush was glaring at Darling with a look of annoyance.
“Cut it out.”
Warning him that he would get angry if this continued, Darling merely chuckled and tousled Dorma’s tousled hair.
“I’m kidding! Kraush really likes his fiancée! There’s no room for me here.”
“R-really?”
Dorma gazed at Kraush with a hint of concern, possibly due to the earlier rumors.
“Yeah, that guy just lies through his teeth. You can ignore everything he says.”
Kraush dismissed her worries as unnecessary.
However, Darling didn’t stop there.
“The last part is true, though. He only wants my body and skills.”
“Watch it. That’s only possible with your alchemy, you know.”
“That’s all the same to me.”
Darling was busy teasing everyone.
Amidst that, Kraush decided to introduce Dorma to the two.
“Dorma, this is Darling Danphelion, the one who helped create the list you saw. And over here is Haring Lagren, who will be assisting with combining curses and toxins.”
Haring slightly distanced herself from Dorma as if cautious of a stranger and came closer to Kraush.
Perhaps it was because Darling had a knack for closing the distance that she had missed her chance to shy away.
Dorma, on the other hand, kept her distance naturally due to her personality.
“Kraush.”
As Haring gradually moved close to Kraush, she pinched his clothing tightly between her fingers.
When Kraush turned to look, Haring whispered in his ear.
“There are some people in the Imperial faction who aren’t fond of you.”
Hearing this, Kraush glanced at Haring.
“Aren’t you part of the Imperial faction too? Are you okay with that?”
The Lagren family belonged to the Imperial faction.
Of course, Haring was in the same boat.
So he asked if she was fine, and Haring tilted her head.
“I prefer having you around than random strangers.”
Perhaps they had become quite close through their mission together.
She was genuinely caring toward him.
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Kraush said and then playfully flicked Darling’s forehead, who was still teasing Dorma.
He then quietly stared out the window.
Those who didn’t take kindly to him from the Imperial faction.
He could roughly guess who they were.
“Mid-term evaluation, I can’t wait.”
If they were going to be a nuisance as they had previously, he would make sure to repay them tenfold.
Clack, clack—
The sound of high-heeled shoes echoed in the hallway.
The owner of those heels was Sigrid, walking with her blue ocean-like hair flowing.
Her eyes were glazed over, showing she wasn’t so keen on the situation.
“Did Kraush already make a connection with Beltua Lacroix?”
The world’s top exorcist.
Beltua Lacroix.
Even she still had no clue where he was.
When on earth had Kraush met such a figure?
“Did Charlotte know that much information?”
Her mind raced swiftly.
However, it seems she could only feel her lack of information all over again.
And as she encountered Kraush right before her eyes, she realized something.
He had grown stronger beyond her expectations.
“A curse user suddenly showing up as a variable…”
Sigrid bit her lip slightly and brushed her hair aside.
“Mary won’t cut it.”
Using Mary to break Kraush down and then failing to change him afterward.
That plan seemed doomed to fail now.
Mary had essentially lost her usefulness.
“She was never really helpful, aside from being tough.”
But as she looked at Kraush, her thoughts began to shift slowly.
“It feels like a waste to use her only as a curse user.”
Her eyes glimmered with shrewdness.
She recalled how Kraush had remained by Arthur’s side.
In times of crisis, assistance from someone can definitely solidify a bond.
Sigrid remembered Kraush showing interest in curses when talking to Dorma.
If she played her cards right, maybe she could entice him further.
“Hmm.”
Letting out a very brief nasal sound, her steps grew lighter than before.
Perhaps she could devise a decent plan after all.
*
Inside Kraush’s room.
Kraush sat on the floor, eyes closed, concentrating on the power within him, Nox.
He was practicing based on his memories of unsettling Dekarabia, where he had infused Nox with the Deathly Emphasis.
“Ugh!”
In that instant, as he swallowed a grunt, Kraush slowly opened his eyes.
His body was drenched in cold sweat.
He had just begun to tame the fierce will of the Deathly Emphasis through the whirling Nox.
Taking a deep breath, Kraush brushed his hair back.
“Was it almost miraculous?”
Back then, he had pushed himself to the limit, intensely using the Deathly Emphasis.
But now that he revisited it, he recognized just how reckless it had been.
[You’re still unskilled. It’s too early to handle the Deathly Emphasis.]
“True, I need more training.”
Having been able to manage all of the Deathly Emphasis when facing Dekarabia was purely lucky.
“Had I really been fortunate, I wouldn’t have ended up in such a situation.”
It seemed he still couldn’t wield the Deathly Emphasis freely.
But he was gradually starting to see the path ahead.
Thanks to having Nox, even during the day, he could smoothly utilize the Moon Enchantment.
“I should have lunch and then go to the fundamental training ground.”
Since he had personal training time in the morning, Kraush decided he would participate in fundamental training today.
“Oh, you’re done training.”
As Kraush opened the door, Alicia, who had been waiting in a chair, rushed to him.
She handed him a wet towel, and Kraush used it to wipe his face.
“Where’s Lirina today?”
“She’s cleaning Lord Aslan’s room today.”
For some reason, Lirina often conversed with Alicia in this room but didn’t forget her duties as a direct maid.
“Alicia, I’m planning to have lunch and then go to the training ground.”
“I will keep the room tidy in the meantime.”
“Thank you.”
With Alicia seeing him off, Kraush headed straight for the cafeteria to eat lunch.
“It looks like they’re doing a good job with the temporary enhancement potion.”
Recently, both Darling and Dorma had almost been living in the alchemy lab.
And rightly so, since Darling had been continuously writing a paper on curse cancellation and Dorma was an expert in curses, their partnership was just perfect.
Thanks to that, research for the temporary enhancement potion was progressing steadily.
According to them, they were expecting to have the first draft ready soon.
“It seems there’s no movement from Sigrid for now.”
Some time had passed since meeting Sigrid, but she remained quiet.
It seemed she had something in mind but wasn’t planning any immediate actions.
“Then again, Charlotte hasn’t shown up either.”
Including Charlotte, many first-year students were yet to complete their missions.
Thus, the academy overall was quite quiet.
With the absence of first-year students, only the sounds of the second-year students training could be heard daily.
For some reason, Kraush had a hunch that a storm was brewing.
“What happened at this time last year?”
The world has changed a lot, so things won’t flow like before.
But he thought he could at least deduce the general situation as he pondered through various thoughts.
And before he knew it, he had arrived at the cafeteria.
Upon entering the cafeteria, he saw several kids placing orders for food.
Since it was lunchtime, the place was crowded.
“Hey, there.”
“Kraush Valheim!”
And due to the crowd, Kraush immediately felt the weight of gazes upon him.
It was one thing to have others around, but alone, it felt even more intense.
“Maybe I’ll just grab some quick food and eat outside.”
As he thought to buy a sandwich and head out, Kraush noticed a familiar hair color and slowly turned his head.
Just then, the person he was looking at flinched and quickly averted her eyes.
“Astria?”
As Kraush called, Astria returned to look at him promptly with a slightly brusque expression.
“It seems you’re alright.”
Astria Stigma Frey Mann.
The saint herself.
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