### Chapter 384
The Demonic Bastion has been closed.
That news spread quickly across the world.
The heroes of Icarus who closed the Demonic Bastion received praise and cheers from every corner of the realm.
Kraush, after returning from the Demonic Bastion, was deep in thought in a quiet inn room.
Before him lay the Holy Sword he had received from Charlotte.
Now, the only remaining challenge was the Kingdom of Jeblam, or rather, the Forest of Giants.
Once that was dealt with, all that would remain was Abella.
‘No, it’s not just Abella.’
The World Erosion affiliates of Ixion still existed.
They would likely side with Abella.
‘I thought I had turned the world upside down.’
The Ixion-based World Erosions were nowhere to be found.
The fact bothered Kraush deeply.
‘Is there something they’re planning?’
They were the ones even Ebelasque or Crimson Garden’s intelligence couldn’t catch.
So it was fair to say they were hiding somewhere.
Kraush couldn’t even guess where that might be.
‘Abella’s been watching me from the sidelines.’
At least he was certain she would never conceal herself in a place he would know.
“Crimson Garden, what’s Abella’s location?”
[ We are continuously monitoring. However, she’s still up to something ridiculous. ]
Where Abella was located turned out to be surprisingly simple.
This woman was none other than in the sky.
In the universe spread out above.
Abella was moving in accordance with the celestial bodies’ rotations.
At first, he thought about intercepting her.
But even the Demon Marquis reacted ambiguously.
He was worried that rash magic might affect the celestial rotation.
Abella was a sorceress whose legacy went back to ancient times.
To defeat her, immense power would need to be exerted, and that was what worried him.
Let alone, if Abella were to lose her cool, who knows what she might do to the celestial bodies?
She was already a witch who had once destroyed the world during Arthur’s reincarnation.
If it were her, she could indeed plunge the world into ruin at any moment.
Thus, Kraush decided to give up on intercepting Abella.
‘Once I swallow up the Kingdom of Jeblam completely…’
Abella would inevitably appear before him.
She saw him as a vessel to create the God of World Erosion.
“You dirty witch.”
Kraush spat out a curse and washed his face with his hand.
He needed to head to the Forest of Giants tomorrow.
So he couldn’t continue to dwell in thought any longer.
It was time for some rest.
Kraush leaned back on the bed.
In the far-off night sky, he saw countless stars shimmering.
A shooting star streaked across.
Perhaps one of those shooting stars held Abella’s presence.
‘I won’t let it go as you wish.’
To end their long-standing connection,
Kraush quietly ignited the flame in his blue eyes.
Knock, knock—
He heard a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
When Kraush turned his head and spoke, someone opened the door.
The figure with floating white hair was none other than Bianca.
“Kraush, it’s time to eat.”
“Kraush! There’s a banquet going on downstairs; it’s crazy!”
Suddenly, from behind, Karandis popped out and shouted.
It was another day where life and death danced at the brink in Icarus.
For the sake of their fallen comrades, they needed to raise a mighty toast today.
That way, the deceased wouldn’t have regrets but would leave joyously.
Upon hearing that, Kraush stood up from his chair.
“Alright, let’s eat and get some rest.”
As Kraush stepped outside, he ruffled Bianca’s hair.
At the moment she smiled softly, Kraush bumped into someone who had come from the side.
Stepping back slightly, he noticed golden-blonde hair reminiscent of the sun swirling around.
It was Astria Stigma Freeman.
The former Holy Maiden herself.
Her face was slightly flushed.
The moment Kraush saw her slightly dazed eyes, he caught on.
“Astria, are you drunk?”
“I’m not!”
That trailing off made it clear she indeed was.
“Sorry, I didn’t know it was yours and ended up drinking.”
Just then, Haring appeared, looking rather embarrassed.
Haring rarely got drunk.
After all, dealing with various poisons made her nearly immune to toxins.
Of course, she wouldn’t get tipsy from mere alcohol.
So she easily downed drinks that were quite potent.
Astria probably knew that too, but seeing her down it meant Kraush could guess the situation.
There was only one occasion when Astria would drink.
When many people had died.
‘This Demonic Bastion was tougher than I thought.’
Icarus had indeed shown great prowess.
The veterans had grown stronger while traversing the Kingdom of Jeblam.
Thus, the Demonic Bastion didn’t easily claim their lives.
But there were deaths nonetheless.
In battles against the top-level demon erosion species, the defensive battle at the Demonic Bastion was nothing short of living hell.
Kraush deliberately avoided giving attention to the dead.
He remembered all their names, but he didn’t utter them.
If the leader showed signs of struggling, it would ripple through all of Icarus.
But Astria was different.
Most of those coming to her were seriously injured.
Some even realized they were dead only after being rushed.
She could save the most people, hence witnessed the highest number of deaths.
But Astria could not bring back the dead.
Kraush wrapped his arm around Astria’s waist.
And in that moment, he caught sight of tear streaks on her face.
She looked strong but had a soft heart deep down.
Since she healed the most people, every member of Icarus had all eyes on her.
It was only natural for Astria to care about them.
“Hehe, you.”
Upon making eye contact, Astria grinned like a schoolgirl.
She could probably use her divine power to blow off the effects of the alcohol.
But the fact that she didn’t meant she wanted to stay tipsy.
“Astria, if it gets too tough, you can leave it to someone else.”
There were a bunch of Holy Kingdom Freeman graduates in Icarus.
Because Freeman wholeheartedly supported Icarus, a massive number of priests were dispatched.
Yet, Astria blinked her large eyes and shook her head.
“No way. If I step back, it’ll just get worse.”
Her power was significant in Icarus.
It was thanks to her healing that Icarus could keep moving forward.
Kraush gazed at her for a moment before pulling her in for a hug and gently patting her head.
That simple gesture seemed to have restored a fair amount of her spirit, as Astria hugged Kraush tightly.
“Yeah, that’s just like you.”
Astria was indeed the Holy Maiden.
That much Kraush could guarantee unequivocally.
Whoosh—
In that moment, Kraush turned his head towards a soft sensation coming from the opposite side.
There was Bianca, wrapping her arms around Kraush’s waist.
At the same time, Haring stepped up and leaned against Kraush’s shoulder.
Noticing the movements, Astria finally opened her eyes wide in disbelief.
“What are you two doing? I’m the one hugging him right now!”
“Doesn’t mean I’m stopping you from it.”
“Kraush, I’m tipsy too.”
Bianca said with a nonchalant expression, resting her head on Haring, who usually doesn’t get affected by toxins.
At Astria’s astonishment, Kraush felt a weight behind him.
That was Karandis, who had somehow moved behind him.
“Me too! I’m tipsy too!”
Karandis was actively trying to keep hold of Kraush, not giving up easily.
“Everyone just back off. Shoo, shoo!”
Thanks to the alcohol, Astria was more expressive than usual, making cat sounds as she tried to push everyone away.
But the more she shooed, the more they clung to her.
Her attempts at dismissal lacked any force.
And to top it off, there was even a little rat.
Wriggling in Kraush’s pocket was the corpse rat.
[ It serves you right. You played with fire, and this is the result. ]
Kraush decided to just roll with Crimson Garden’s words.
Honestly, it didn’t feel all that bad.
He simply thought it might be okay if it stayed like this for a while longer.
*
The Forest of Giants.
The most dangerous Kingdom of Jeblam and a place where everything had grown far larger and more formidable.
An unexpected figure appeared before Kraush as he headed towards the giants’ forest.
“It’s been a while.”
Sigrid Ephania.
Currently, she was Kraush’s fiancée and the fourth princess of the Empire.
Before he knew it, both she and Kraush had turned twenty.
Their youthful appearances from when they first met had faded away, replaced by maturity.
Of course, Sigrid, who wasn’t naturally very tall, was significantly shorter than Kraush.
But the aura she emanated was just as striking as his.
This place was precisely the entrance to the Freya Mountains, devoured completely by the Forest of Giants.
Sigrid had been waiting for Kraush there.
“What brings you here? Did you come all this way?”
Kraush had been keeping in touch with Sigrid regularly.
She had delved deep into the Empire’s situation and several other matters.
Thus, she was always ahead of the curve when it came to world events, continuously passing updates to Kraush.
In fact, it was Sigrid who had helped prioritize the threats in the Kingdom of Jeblam.
Unbeknownst to many, she was an unsung hero in blocking the Kingdom.
“Out of all the Jeblam, the Forest of Giants is the last to deal with. Since it’s near the Empire, I decided to come.”
Sigrid said while approaching Kraush.
Then she abruptly sniffed the air, her face forming a curious expression.
“Your aura is mixed with many women’s scents. The fragrance of my beloved lord has almost been overpowered.”
Recently, the ladies around Kraush had been making their presence felt.
Perhaps because they had all matured beyond the childishness of their youth.
It was unclear how they got that impression, but they subtly approached Kraush in various ways.
Kraush found himself accepting much of it but wondered if there was even a need for this.
It seemed they had some rivalry brewing among themselves.
‘Hopefully, they’ll all get along.’
Women have their circumstances after all.
As long as everyone stayed within manageable limits, it should be fine.
Moreover, because of that, it also made them seem closer together.
Kraush didn’t interfere.
“How do you even know something like that?”
“Anyone besides you could figure it out, right?”
Sigrid said and then walked over to Kraush, hugging him tightly.
Then she rubbed her face all over his chest like a playful kitten.
Watching her do that in disbelief, Sigrid looked up with a satisfied expression.
“How about this? Now I’m going to smell like me for a while.”
“You’re also the competitive type?”
“Hehe, I’m a woman in front of my lord.”
Sigrid then stepped back from Kraush’s embrace and sat down on a chair in the inn room.
“And that’s the reason I’m here today.”
Just as expected, she had something to say.
“I’ve found the remaining Ixion remnants.”
And what she said next cast a heavy look on Kraush’s face.
“They’ve hidden in the Forest of Giants’ center while we maintained the frontlines.”
Damn it.
“Ixion appears to be determined to fully awaken the utmost evil.”
Thus, the second war with Ixion was about to begin.
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