### Chapter: 198
The ruckus at Rahern Academy caused by the Cult of World Erosion.
It all started with the incident involving none other than the youngest Cardinal, Mirei Beakiss, and Rona Imblize, a maker of magic tools, who fell under the mind control of the Black Witch, a being of the Cult.
Due to this incident, Rahern Academy found itself in a wave of chaos.
After all, there was the troubling history of an associate professor being from the Cult of World Erosion.
That’s right, the associate professor, Jenikalern.
Although there was a sense of normalcy due to the students being unharmed and their reactions to the professor’s actions, the spotlight turned sharply onto the academy when students themselves began falling under the target of the Cult, drawing attention from all over the world.
Among the gossip, the most frequent speculation was about how the academy had too many talent-hoarding individuals.
The Cult of World Erosion had repeatedly threatened the world.
They all had different goals in mind, but their impact on the world was seldom positive.
Thus, it was only natural for whispers to arise about Rahern Academy, a place where the elite offspring of nobles gathered, continuously being targeted.
While most dismissed the notion of needing to address the issues posed by the Cult, a few began to understand the concern.
In hushed tones, fears circulated about what would happen if Rahern Academy were to suffer an incident where it lost all of its students.
If this generation were completely wiped out, who would be left to protect the world?
Amidst the commotion, the only name aside from Rahern Academy that kept coming up was none other than Kraush.
Indeed, the attention was back on him—this individual who had shown the ability to purify the Cult of World Erosion.
“Did you hear? Kraush Balheim was personally named as the successor by that battle king, Durandal!”
“Are they talking about the guy who purged the Cult of World Erosion?”
“Yeah! Apparently, that’s the signature technique of battle king Durandal!”
You could tell how even commoners were buzzing with excitement around Kraush.
Durandal rose from the ground up to the heavens.
He was the true idol of the common folks, someone many still looked up to.
So, naturally, when news spread that Kraush had become his successor, the world went aflame with excitement.
“Rumor has it that Mirei Beakiss, the youngest Cardinal, also fell prey to the Cult but was purified by him!”
“Whoa, you mean they managed to do what even the Cardinal couldn’t?”
Moreover, the fact that Mirei’s affairs, which normally would’ve been closely guarded by the Church, were now public knowledge added to the intrigue.
“The Holy Maiden officially declared he would purify the world, thanking Cardinal Mirei Beakiss for her protection!”
“Does that mean even the Holy Maiden couldn’t help Mirei Beakiss?”
“Well, who knows? But that Cult is definitely not just any run-of-the-mill organization.”
Even the Holy Maiden announcing that Mirei had fallen to a Cult member before her declaration disclosed the depth of the situation.
Eventually, the Freeman stopped trying to cover up the fact that Mirei had been corrupted by the Cult.
Instead, they began brandishing new propaganda.
They strove to gloss over the fact that Mirei had fallen to the Cult by inflating Kraush’s reputation.
“Behold! The young hero who even saved the Cardinal!”
“A new star of the next generation!”
“A hero recognized by the Holy Maiden!”
Due to political necessities, Kraush’s reputation soared to dizzying heights.
As it happened, being the young direct descendant of Balheim added to his glory.
One could easily predict that he would grow even further from this point on.
So, the Freeman took this opportunity to spin Kraush’s name alongside the troublesome Holy Maiden, heralding him as a great warrior.
As the buzz around Kraush reached the skies, he was stretching in his newly assigned dormitory room, in place of the one Rona had destroyed.
At that moment, he reflected on Rona’s situation.
“I’m sorry. And thank you.”
After everything that transpired, Rona expressed her deep gratitude to Kraush.
Though she was also a victim, she had almost committed an act worthy of execution.
Moreover, she had even attempted to kidnap Kraush’s maid, Alicia.
Because of her connection to the Black Witch, she was pale and terrified, knowing just how precarious her situation was.
Without a defense, she had no words to retort back at Kraush when he reprimanded her.
Kraush lifted the magic tool that had triggered the World Erosion.
Clank!
Then he shattered the tool and turned to face Rona.
“About the mind control from the Black Witch…”
At the sound of Kraush’s voice, Rona lifted her head slowly, her expression firm.
“Can you create a magic tool that can block it?”
Even though this particular tool had been a horrid creation born from the Black Witch’s influence, Rona’s actual skills were remarkable.
If anyone could create a plethora of magic tools, it would be her.
This was certainly going to benefit not only the next generation but also Kraush himself.
So, Kraush put forth a suggestion for her to do the thing she was best at.
Certainly, it’d help lift her spirits.
When Rona looked at Kraush, her eyes sparkled bright.
She quickly realized this was something she could do.
“I will make it. No matter what it takes.”
With that, Rona was set to pursue a clear path ahead.
Just as Kraush thought everything was in place, he suddenly toppled over.
“Uh, hey?!”
Panicking, Rona rushed to help him, as they hurried him off to the medical room.
Kraush opened his eyes in this new room after recovering from the series of events that left him exhausted.
Several days had passed since he was scolded again by the returned Holy Maiden and had been assigned to this room.
[Looks like you’re properly experiencing the consequences. You wouldn’t have any complaints if your body broke into two soon, would you?]
In that instance, Crimson Garden chimed in once again.
As she said, Kraush was fully aware that this was why his body felt like it did.
Currently, Kraush was hosting two types of energy in his body besides the aura.
One was the power of World Erosion.
The other was Aura, the direct opposite power of World Erosion.
These two energies were completely incompatible with each other.
This was why the two types of power were settled distinctly within his body.
[If you’re not careful, you’ll end up going ‘boom’ at any moment. Tsk, tsk.]
Hearing that, Kraush rubbed the back of his neck.
This wasn’t news to him.
“I accepted this knowing the risks.”
Thanks to that, Kraush had come to realize one crucial fact.
A human body has a limit to how much energy it can contain.
It’s like holding a vessel.
And notably, these energies—World Erosion, Aura, and the aura—should be contained in separate vessels.
The strength of World Erosion was like the night sky.
Endlessly vast and wrapped in pitch-black darkness that would terrify anyone who gazed up.
The aura was like the sea.
Constantly rippling, growing in size within the depths of Kraush’s being.
Aura was the earth.
It’s more primitive than the sea, solidly supporting the entire physical form.
Since Aura is the essence of the world itself, it significantly aided in forming the body.
This was also a core reason why the battle king was so robust and physically imposing.
‘If I keep using this, will I end up with a bigger physique like that?’
Not that it mattered much now, so he shelved that thought.
Thanks to this, Kraush could handle three vessels.
One vessel filling up wouldn’t mean that the others could not hold something, meaning his potential for growth had skyrocketed.
The problem was, aside from the aura’s vessel, he couldn’t use the capacities of the other two vessels at the same time.
‘While they can be used individually, excessive consumption causes one to push the other out as if celebrating.’
Kraush fainting was due to this very reason.
The aura got too comfortable in an area previously occupied by the World Erosion’s energy, resulting in a shocking transmission straight to his body.
‘At this rate, even if I output any power, my body will be the one suffering first.’
More than anything, vessels tend to overflow at some point.
You can always increase the size of a vessel, which is fine.
However, if the contents of the vessels spill over and mix with one another by accident…
[That would lead to quite the explosion.]
And that vessel in question was none other than Kraush.
In other words, it meant that a slight misstep could turn Kraush’s body into a total mess.
[Why do you put yourself through this?]
“If I don’t, then I’ll be suffering posthumously.”
When everything goes to ruin, everyone’s dead, and can I really afford to ignore any of that?
Let alone the myriad troubles brewing from the likes of Ixion, the Hell Fairies, and the royal family.
Serious issues were cropping up left and right.
Plus, it was about time those wicked seeds began to sprout.
‘Gotta nip those in the bud.’
With countless tasks ahead, he needed to juggle everything coming his way.
“And that’s why I plan to meet that old man, Veltoa Lacroix.”
Old man Veltoa Lacroix.
Kraush needed to acquire the highest-class curse from him.
If he didn’t do that, he’d be left maintaining a state of instability while holding both the aura and World Erosion’s power—a ticking time bomb.
[What are you going to do about the Black Witch? Even if you appointed that kid to construct magic tools, her mind control is still going to distort her surroundings.]
Upon hearing that, Kraush nodded, appearing to have taken that point into account.
“The Black Witch’s mind control is not infinite. She can control a maximum of three individuals.”
The Black Witch can easily enslave people as long as they have a vulnerability; if their will is strong, they won’t be swayed.
Thus, it wasn’t a concern to fear numerous individuals being affected.
“And more importantly, I can now see the marks of the Cult of World Erosion very clearly.”
After acquiring the aura, Kraush had grown more sensitive to the power of World Erosion.
Unlike Durandal, who had never dealt with the power of World Erosion or the curse itself—the two powers remained indistinguishable to him.
For Kraush, however, who was able to handle both, he was now capable of distinguishing the subtle differences.
Besides, with the aura present, he could free others from the grip of the Black Witch’s mind control.
In terms of the Black Witch, she could not throw her mind control around so recklessly anymore.
[Just don’t let your guard down. Relying too much on your power can lead you to make mistakes.]
“Absolutely.”
Kraush affirmed that point.
Being cautious was definitely not a bad habit to have.
He’d seen plenty who met their end with a simple misstep.
“Cheep cheep.”
At that moment, a skeletal rat poked its head out from Kraush’s pocket.
This skeletal rat turned out to be Ebelasque.
“I found the last known location of Veltoa Lacroix.”
Kraush lifted a corner of his mouth at the voice from the skeletal rat.
Talk about someone who truly knew their stuff; it came to him with spot-on info.
“Nice going!”
Kraush felt an urgent need to set off immediately.
He absolutely needed that curse to sort out his current state.
But there was another problem.
While he could justify being absent due to personal training with the battle king, if he left again, Rahern Academy would probably get suspicious and not simply let him go.
After all, Kraush was a student of Rahern Academy.
That sort of special treatment could only be granted occasionally.
‘What now?’
Even so, it wasn’t wise to leave without a reasonable explanation.
At the very least, he needed a legitimate reason that wouldn’t disrupt his academy life.
After mulling it over, a figure suddenly popped into his mind.
Yes, there’s someone who can provide a legitimate reason to leave Rahern Academy.
Kraush opened the door without hesitation.
He was determined to reach out right away.
However, his strides came to a halt when he stepped through the door.
It was to be expected that he would find an unexpected person standing before him in what was clearly the boys’ dormitory.
“Well, well, long time no see!”
With hair as blue as the ocean, her hair styled in two adorable buns, and a pair of mischievous amber eyes shining vibrantly, the petite woman who smiled at Kraush was someone he knew quite well.
The Fourth Princess of the Empire.
Sigrid Ephania.
She had finally returned from the imperial palace.
“You look rushed. What’s up? I’ve brought lots of treats!”
Sigrid flashed a grin while holding up a small box of pastries in her hands.
When Kraush saw that, he took a step back and opened his room.
“Come in.”
Even if he was heading out, it wouldn’t hurt to at least hear about the imperial situation, right?
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