Chapter: 109
Inside the arena training grounds, now a complete wreck due to Kairan’s secret techniques and Kraush’s successive skills, an eerie silence filled the air.
The stillness stemmed from the battle between examinee Kraush and the entrance exam overseer, Kairan.
And the result was presenting an unbelievable spectacle.
Standing atop the arena was none other than Kraush, while lying on the floor was Kairan, the Pirate Empress who had made a name for herself.
An unprecedented situation where a mere examinee conquered an associate professor.
Everyone knew that Kairan’s third test was one well-known amongst the students of the academy.
It was regarded as an impossible test to pass.
Originally, it was meant to gauge the level of students to see who could make it into the elite class.
Yet, someone had just passed that very third test.
Kraush Valheim.
The direct descendant of the Valheim family, and once regarded as a mere underachiever, had just turned eighteen.
“Crazy.”
One of the students watching from a distance muttered a curse, unable to describe what was unfolding before his eyes in any other words.
Even when Kraush broke the Aurora Stone, it hadn’t shocked him this much.
With the Aurora Stone, it was easy to believe in an innate abundance of aura.
However, the fact that he had defeated Kairan, who was essentially a professor, was a whole different narrative.
It signified that a storm capable of shaking the entire era had just emerged.
The students’ gazes shifted.
The students gathered at Rahelrn Academy were those who needed to lead their family’s future.
It was evident how they perceived Kraush at that very moment.
Someone who would change the age would leave behind exceptional tales from a young age.
And now, they were witnessing one of those tales unfold before their very eyes.
[Why didn’t he just drop dead right there?]
Yet, despite the monumental achievement, Kraush was facing reprimands from Crimson Garden.
Which made perfect sense.
Kairan had fought him with all her might.
And that made it equally necessary for Kraush to go all out to take her on.
In other words, Kraush had pushed his Destructive Flame Erosion to its limits time and time again throughout the battle.
The result had Kairan collapsing, but Kraush was a wreck as well.
He could only manage to breathe lightly, letting his overheated body cool off.
[Haah, well, I’ll let slide that you kept your promise not to use that.]
Crimson Garden mentioned the promise they had made during the entrance ceremony with an exasperated look directed at Kraush.
[So, are you satisfied with the result?]
Feeling the throbbing body from the effects of Destructive Flame Erosion, Kraush turned his gaze towards the audience.
The new generation of future leaders had eyes wide in disbelief, nearly falling over themselves.
Especially those who had once treated him like a mere tool.
This, without a doubt, was a situation worth being satisfied about.
“Uhm.”
Kraush gave a short reply, and eventually, the mental strain of enduring until the end had cut through his consciousness.
Why did the endings always have to feel like this?
*
With both Kairan and Kraush collapsed, the second exam was temporarily halted.
It was determined the children who witnessed their battle wouldn’t be in any state to take the exam properly.
And that judgment turned out to be quite accurate.
The children were all abuzz, eagerly sharing stories of the earlier fight.
And the same went for the students.
An examinee had defeated a professor.
Thanks to that, tales of Kraush spread like wildfire throughout Rahelrn Academy.
As Kraush’s story circulated among everyone, the sun gradually began to set, marking the end of the day.
Swish—
When Kraush finally opened his eyes, he felt the warm morning sunlight filtering through the window.
The unique chilly scent brushing against his nostrils reminded him that he was in a hospital room.
Having pushed the limit of Destructive Flame Erosion and fainting, there was no way he could recover without being hospitalized.
‘I’m dying.’
Although he hadn’t actually intended to, the amount of soreness in his body made that joke feel all too real.
Plus, for some reason, he felt an inexplicable emptiness.
As Kraush scanned his body in confusion, he soon realized why he felt so hollow and let out a hollow chuckle.
He was missing Bianca.
Whenever he found himself in this condition, she would usually be sitting beside his bed.
Yet she was nowhere to be found.
A white chick fluttered ghostly in his mind.
The familiar hand that often stroked his hair now had nowhere to go, resting idly on the bed.
‘Is it that I miss her?’
He wondered if she was learning well from his mentor, Jenna.
Only a few days had passed since he fell short in the entrance exam, yet here he was already worrying about her.
Kraush reflected on how often he had been spending time with Bianca.
Perhaps he should send her a letter soon, just to share the entrance exam story.
As he was about to get up, a familiar voice interrupted him.
“If you’re thinking of training like last time, just stay put.”
At that moment, Kraush recognized the voice and looked up.
In front of him, a woman was sitting in a chair, flipping through what looked like a magazine.
With her fiery red hair reminiscent of the sun, and a figure that seemed impossible for someone her age, she had an intelligent glint in her eyes.
Upon facing her, Kraush belatedly expressed his confusion.
His senses, having been dulled from overusing Destructive Flame Erosion, registered her presence a tad late.
“Astria?”
“Isn’t it a bit sacrilegious to call upon the name of a saint so casually?”
She remarked jokingly, lifting her gaze to meet Kraush’s eyes without straying further. But soon, she averted her gaze with a slight embarrassment.
“Your clothes are a mess. I know you just woke up, but could you at least put yourself together?”
Those were words he’d heard plenty of times in the past.
Now, Kraush realized those words were borne not from disdain but a sense of embarrassment.
He hastily adjusted his disheveled attire.
‘No wonder I’m able to move better than usual even after using Destructive Flame Erosion.’
It turned out Astria had been treating him.
But how she ended up here puzzled him.
The Sacred Kingdom certainly wouldn’t send her to Rahelrn Academy.
“Are you wondering why I’m at Rahelrn Academy?”
“Sharp instincts.”
“Having a knack for noticing is essential to surviving in the church.”
With that, she crossed her legs, revealing her snow-white limbs, seemingly unbothered by the exposure.
“You had some connections, and I used the information you provided. If I drop the title of saint, it would cause quite a stir.”
It seemed Astria had taken a path similar to the previous cycle.
The only difference was that this time, it had come much earlier.
“And I also dropped your family name.”
She’d even used that.
Indeed, the church didn’t just grant permission for nothing.
“It’s only a matter of enrolling in the academy, but at least the cage feels a bit more open now. By the way, I’m studying theology. I got into the elite class.”
But Kraush still had a lingering question.
“Why Rahelrn Academy of all places?”
Considering who she was, she could have gone anywhere.
As Kraush questioned, she instinctively twirled a lock of hair around her finger.
“Well, there’s nowhere else with as many talented individuals as this place. My goal is to completely leave the church, so I plan to gather some capable allies. Of course, you’ll be amongst them, so keep that in mind.”
“That’s not too hard to do.”
Kraush opened his eyes slightly, taking in her words.
“Did you stay up all night here?”
Astria’s hand that had been twisting her hair abruptly froze.
Her eyes began to dart nervously in different directions.
Given her abilities as a saint, merely coming to check in on him and leaving would suffice.
Yet she had deliberately stayed here, claiming it was to see how things would unfold since Kraush had collapsed.
Astria slightly lowered her hand, closing the magazine.
“I’m glad you’re safe. I’ll head out now. Be careful; even with your strength, you shouldn’t push it too far.”
Since she had stumbled over her own words, perhaps due to the fact that she’d been caught wanting to stay longer, she stood up abruptly.
Though she longed to converse more with him, her face was flushed, making it an awkward situation to remain in.
‘Why is it that her face happens to be my type?’
…Well, considering it was my type, it was probably part of the reason for this awkwardness.
Ultimately, she fled the room, feeling like she was escaping.
Her bodyguard, Diona, briefly tipped her head in greeting as she passed by.
Kraush watched her leave and soon got out of bed himself.
It was an unexpected meeting, but Astria’s presence here wasn’t exactly a bad omen.
Even if he pushed his body a bit, it promised a sure recovery.
Forgetting the talks of life span being shortened, just as Kraush was about to step out of the hospital room, he heard a ruckus coming from the hallway.
Reacting to the noise, he turned his head to see two maids carrying trays of water and towels.
They were dressed in maid attire.
One was Alicia, his personal attendant, and the other was an unexpected figure.
“…Lirina?”
Astalan Igret’s direct maid, Lirina, was the last person he had expected to see.
As she showed up beside Alicia, they both finally turned to look at Kraush.
“Ah, Lord Kraush, you’re awake!”
Alicia’s overly formal speech paired with Lirina’s characteristic smirk greeted him.
“You’ve gone from fainting this time to fainting again when we meet. Are you some kind of prince charming who just sleeps a lot?”
Her usual banter brightened the room.
“Why is Lirina here?”
“Well, after hearing that young lady Alicia was rattled upon hearing of your fainting, I couldn’t just let her handle it alone. So, I came to assist.”
Was that really the case?
Alicia had been trained by Aliod, but her familiarity with sudden situations was still lacking.
She must have been shocked to hear of her master’s fainting.
Kraush felt a bit indebted to her.
“Besides, you seem surprisingly well. Can you at least repay my kindness with a smile?”
“If you want to borrow money, just ask.”
“Go ahead and mark it up!”
“N-No! I’ll pay my own debt!”
Alicia was flustered by his joke.
As she hurriedly began rummaging in her dress pocket for coins, Lirina jumped in with a joke.
“But seriously, how’s Astalan?”
“He finished the magic exam and got assigned to a dormitory.”
“I’m sure Astalan must be keen to see you again, so be sure to say hi if you see him.”
“Of course. Alicia, my dorm must be ready too, right?”
“Y-Yes, it has already been prepared and everything moved in!”
Having been accepted into the academy, the fact that his dorm was ready came as no surprise.
After all, he had indeed defeated Kairan, the head of the entrance exam.
“That expression of yours, as if getting accepted is a given, seems a bit shameless.”
Lirina echoed the thoughts on his expression.
“I am simply confident in myself.”
“Really, I miss the naive, innocent Kraush I used to know. Such a pity.”
Saying that, Lirina stepped a bit closer, glancing up at Kraush.
In the past, Kraush had been shorter, but now he had grown so much taller than Lirina that there was a significant height difference.
“It’s good to see that you’ve grown, but it looks like you’ll have to charm the ladies a lot more than before.”
“Not particularly any ladies…”
Kraush was about to say no one had particularly smitten him, but he couldn’t help but remember Bianca and his continuous encounters with her.
“Right now, you are thinking of your fiancée, aren’t you?”
Lirina narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Sometimes, you should practice some restraint in your fascination with women.”
He briefly considered that it was merely a passing thought, but Lirina seemed to be sulking a bit.
“I’ll be heading back to Astalan. Here, take this.”
She handed Kraush the towel she’d been carrying, then swiftly left.
She was quite a storm in her own right.
Being Astalan’s direct maid, it seemed there would be many future encounters.
“Alicia, what about the entrance ceremony?”
“They say it will be tomorrow, my lord.”
It was a relief to be awake before the entrance ceremony.
Kraush turned his gaze toward the window and noticed a raven perched nearby, peering in.
She watched him quietly from outside, her expression unreadable.
[Heroic charisma.]
That was an incredibly awkward phrase for Kraush to hear.
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