### Chapter: 255
Sigrid’s swear words.
Even Sizelry was taken aback by Sigrid’s sudden outburst and froze.
“Are you saying that while I take a break, you’re going to run off with everything?”
Sigrid unleashed her intense anger at Kraush without even a hint of respect.
At that moment, the power of the White Dragon began to swirl around her.
The force quickly engulfed both Kraush and Sizelry, and Kraush instinctively wrapped his arms around Sizelry.
Then, at the same time, a similar power of the White Dragon flared up from Kraush’s body.
Kagagagagak!
The two rising forces collided and vanished simultaneously.
Sigrid’s eyes widened as she witnessed the spectacle.
“What… What’s happening?”
Sigrid had never once thought that Kraush would wield the power of the White Dragon.
Now, witnessing him using that power, she felt as if she had been hit in the head with a rock.
“How… How can someone like you do that!?”
“Oh, you mean this?”
Kraush reacted nonchalantly to Sigrid’s question.
“After treating the Emperor, I naturally became able to use it.”
And with that, Kraush smiled innocently.
Sigrid stood stock-still, trying hard to process the current situation in her mind.
Kraush had been kidnapped by a giant in the forest while on the move in the Empire.
After he returned, news reached Sigrid that the Emperor’s health had drastically improved.
Kraush had a history of treating his White Stone Syndrome already.
Putting the pieces together, Sigrid began to think that Kraush might have resolved the Emperor’s White Stone Syndrome.
But now…
Kraush had just outright stated that he had treated the Emperor’s illness himself.
Up to that point, she could handle it.
It was a frustrating situation, especially since it meant things were getting trickier for inheriting the Emperor’s position.
But then a whole new problem confronted her.
Back when he was cursed, Kraush only suffered from White Stone Syndrome; he never wielded the power of the White Dragon.
But now, Kraush was actually handling the power of the White Dragon.
In that moment, with Sigrid unable to wrap her mind around it, Kraush’s gaze became sharp.
“By the way, your little sister Sizelry is right beside you.”
The power of the White Dragon began to surge from Kraush’s body once more, pushing towards Sigrid.
Sigrid quickly regained her composure and summoned her own power.
As their two forces collided once again…
Kagagagagak!
She saw her energy being overpowered by Kraush’s force.
Kraush’s power of the White Dragon came directly from the White Dragon King himself.
Meanwhile, Sigrid’s power was drawn from a shell.
So it was inevitable that the outcome was already decided.
“What do you think you’re doing attacking me?”
“Guh, ugh!”
Sigrid gasped under the weight of Kraush’s energy.
Before she knew it, her legs buckled, and she knelt on the ground.
Kraush’s pressure was just too heavy.
Sigrid felt like she was suffocating.
If she continued to endure this, her body might just crumble.
“That’s enough.”
In an instant, Kraush’s energy vanished.
“Cough, hack!”
Finally able to breathe, she clutched her neck with a groan, and at the same time, her face flushed red.
It was all because she was kneeling in front of Kraush.
Sigrid wanted to spring up and punch him, but her already exhausted body weighed her down after being suppressed.
“Suddenly losing your cool, huh? If you have complaints, I’d prefer it if you cooled your head and talked it out.”
Kraush casually tapped Sizelry on the shoulder while saying so.
Maybe because she realized being associated with Sigrid wasn’t beneficial, Sizelry naturally turned away.
“Haha.”
Just like that, the now-lonely Sigrid began to laugh.
But it felt broken, dragging her down into despair.
＊ ＊ ＊
After meeting with Sigrid, Kraush released his grip.
When he faced Sigrid, he had activated the Black Hood without her noticing.
What Kraush aimed for was the original technique of the Sword King, the Sword Light.
‘Three locks.’
And there were a total of three locks to be opened.
Two of them were already undone.
The first lock: to put Sigrid into a confused state.
The second lock: for Sigrid to belittle herself.
Since two locks had already been opened, only one remained.
‘For Sigrid to be unable to rise again.’
Kraush clenched his fist tightly.
Once one more trigger fell into place, Sigrid would completely collapse.
And to do that, Kraush needed to become stronger than he currently was.
Before him was a secluded training room.
This was the second time he entered there after fully mastering the techniques from the Bloodline Theory.
This time, his seclusion could last longer than expected.
‘Wait for it, Sigrid.’
Soon enough, the day you collapse entirely will come.
Creeeak—
With the opening door, Kraush stepped into the training room.
＊ ＊ ＊
After Kraush entered seclusion, Lahern Academy began to undergo various changes.
The source of those changes was none other than the student tournament.
During the tournament, students felt the sting of their inadequacies.
Common students realized how starkly different their levels were from those higher up, which made them train harder; the high-ranking students felt the same pressure.
Except for the victorious Lion’s Order, everyone felt a sense of despair.
All the students threw themselves into relentless training.
As a result, despite it being winter, an unexpectedly fiery atmosphere engulfed Lahern Academy.
Atmosphere matters more than one can imagine.
Even those exhausted from training began to consider, “Well, if they can do it, so can I.”
Thus, despite the unusually cold winter that normally would have hindered training, the halls of Lahern Academy buzzed.
While everyone focused relentlessly on training…
A single person trudged into the training ground of the second-year students.
A boy with black hair.
Glen Diana, the cousin of the once-prominent Mary Diana.
He glanced around the training ground with a slightly awkward expression.
Before long, those already there began to notice him one by one.
After the fall of the Diana family, Glen had wielded his spear alongside Sigrid.
The second years circled around Kraush, so Glen had kept his distance from them.
Perhaps that’s why he now felt uncomfortable in the familiar training ground teeming with second years.
“Glen!”
At that moment, the first to greet him was none other than Karandis Poseus.
She, the ninth princess of the Poseus Kingdom, had once faced Glen during the student tournament.
Glen, who had used the Demonic Core, had utterly trounced her.
As she approached him now with a bright smile instead of resentment, Glen froze.
He felt guilty for what had happened, so he had no comeback.
But there was no hint of anger in her demeanor.
“Welcome! I heard about the Diana family.”
Her face beamed brighter, more than usual.
Seeing her bright smile, Glen’s expression turned sour.
Yet, Glen quickly realized that Karandis was deliberately trying to support him.
“Wow, it’s Glen!”
Suddenly, Balak Hogma popped up from behind Karandis.
Still small, he greeted Glen with a cheerful face.
“You’re here.”
Even Haring, sharpening a dagger from a distance, raised an eyebrow at Glen, asking if he had just returned.
Everyone in the second-year special class welcomed Glen’s return.
In that moment, Glen felt a lump in his throat.
“…Thanks.”
When Glen expressed his gratitude, the three shared a quick smile.
“Why don’t we train together? Everyone’s been going all out lately.”
Glen nodded in response to Karandis’s suggestion.
Having resolved to wield his spear for someone’s sake, he knew he must grow stronger.
“What about Kraush?”
“In seclusion.”
Haring answered Glen’s inquiry about Kraush.
Haring seemed a bit disappointed that he couldn’t see Kraush.
“I see.”
Glen thought about how much stronger Kraush would get by the time he emerged.
He was hopeful for their next encounter.
After all, he owed Kraush a debt like never before.
‘I never thought he would actually fulfill that promise.’
During the student tournament, Kraush had told Glen who was pushing himself too hard:
“If you lose to me, don’t use the heart you have pierced until the Diana family is restored.”
He had meant to bring the Diana family back to the Empire’s negotiation table.
What utter nonsense that had seemed at the time! Yet on that day, he had indeed been in the Empire.
Since then, the Diana family had made their return to the political realm.
The Emperor had directly assisted their comeback.
Though bedridden, the Emperor had regained his previous strength, and few dared to oppose him.
Moreover, it had been Sizelry herself—almost murdered by former Diana family member Mary—who had sought to restore them.
To avoid inciting the Emperor’s wrath, the nobles recognized the reestablishment of the Diana family.
With the Diana family back in the political arena, Glen no longer had a reason to be tied to the White Ghost.
So he respectfully bowed his head to Sigrid.
“I’ll be leaving the White Ghost for the conviction of my spear.”
Upon hearing Glen’s words, Sigrid looked oddly vacant.
Since the student tournament, she seemed to be in a daze, but lately, that tendency appeared to have intensified.
Her eyes held a hint of anxiety, and her insomnia seemed worse than ever.
That’s probably why Sigrid said nothing in response to Glen’s departure.
“…Do as you wish.”
As if she had no time to deal with such matters, Sigrid willingly permitted Glen to leave.
Having once been a servant to her, Glen thanked her again and quietly left the White Ghost.
As he stepped away from the White Ghost building, Glen overheard voices of key members among them.
“Doesn’t Sigrid seem to be in worse shape these days?”
“Arsoldar, you noticed that?”
There were Arsoldar Freya and Molgrid Panlea, a man who hated any dirt on his body.
“Looks like Arthur comes around often. Every time he does, she seems to get even more haggard, but hey, still cute, right?”
A lewd smile spread across Hyzen Handrickson’s face.
“Sigrid’s face keeps getting more worn out. I’m worried.”
Little Zodiac Cloria chimed in, her small size and cute appearance contrasting with her concern.
“I think something happened again recently. Didn’t she say she was going to meet Kraush? I wonder what happened?”
Mayri, the scribe, agreed.
The White Ghost comprised individuals gathered around Sigrid.
When Sigrid began to waver, it affected the others in the group.
“The White Ghost is crumbling.”
Finally, the man with a blindfold, Yul Topaz, spoke up.
These were the main members of the White Ghost, a leading force among the next Sky Generation.
They all sensed that the White Ghost was beginning to fall apart.
Yet, none were willing to change the White Ghost.
The individualism inherent within the vague notion of the White Ghost kept them from uniting.
They didn’t share deep bonds with each other.
Having collected people in a self-centered way, they were tied together only by Sigrid.
Glen briefly gazed at the collapsing White Ghost before finally leaving it behind completely.
Once out of the White Ghost, Glen felt a sense of relief wash over him.
Being in the special class, he reminded himself that this was where he belonged.
‘The Lion’s Order.’
Glen recalled the order to which Kraush belonged.
He decided he ought to knock on their door.
And at that same time,
There was someone who, like Glen, had unknowingly received Kraush’s kindness.
“A-Ah, Kraush.”
It was none other than Mary Diana.
Once famous in Sinchang, she had been utterly defeated by Kraush, including losing her Excel.
But thanks to Kraush, she had risen again and now trained tirelessly with her spear for him.
Then one day, she heard the news: the Diana family was back in politics.
For Mary, the Diana family had felt like a family that had abandoned her.
So how it turned out for them didn’t matter much to her, but…
There was something else significant.
That was the part about Sizelry pardoning all of Mary’s crimes.
While this was merely a step in the process for the Diana family’s political comeback,
Mary had interpreted it entirely in her own way.
She believed that Kraush had gone all the way to the Empire to rescue her and pardon her sins.
“For me…”
With her hands clasped over her heart, tears streamed down her face as Mary knelt in her room.
Where in the world had someone been so kind to her?
She had never felt such warmth even during her time as Arthur’s lover.
Grasping her spear tightly, she declared,
“I will repay this kindness without fail.”
Rising to a higher level than during her days in Sinchang,
Mary firmly vowed to repay Kraush.
As two individuals lifted their weapons for Kraush, spring approached.
As the leaves of the World Tree turned pink, staining Lahern Academy once more,
a banner was hung at the entrance of the academy.
[ Third Entrance Exam for Lahern Academy. ]
It was time for new talents to emerge at Lahern Academy.
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