Chapter: 112
“Just say you don’t want to if you don’t like it!”
Meanwhile, after the pouting Astria left, Kraush set aside lunch.
He had mentioned he needed to meet with Aslan and promptly moved on.
Kraush’s destination during lunchtime was none other than the Special Studies Department.
As he entered the glass-domed building, he caught sight of busy students hustling about.
They didn’t even spare him a glance.
True to its name, the Special Studies Department offered all sorts of odd classes.
Thanks to that, students here were particularly driven when it came to their research—far more than in other departments.
Consequently, they were primarily concerned with their own theses rather than paying attention to others.
Navigating through this somewhat self-absorbed crowd, Kraush arrived at the classroom labeled ‘Alchemy Lab.’
Without a care, he casually slid the door open, instantly hit by the distinctive scent of various potions.
The classroom, structured over three floors, was filled with students from the alchemy specialization absorbed in their individual projects.
As he elegantly passed by, he arrived at a spot overflowing with glass vials.
[drip, drip]
“Going from avoiding women to meeting one, huh?”
Kraush caught the words of Crimson Garden as he peered inside.
There, he spotted a girl inserting something into a vial with a pipette.
With her blonde hair and a bizarre outfit of both pants and a skirt, she was certainly an unusual sight.
The one they referred to as the future Alchemist Lord:
“Darling Danphelion.”
Kraush called out to the girl with a name as peculiar as her attire.
“Eh?”
She turned around belatedly, her distinctive eyes sparkling as she tilted her head upon seeing him.
“My boyfriend! What are you doing here?”
“Don’t say things that’ll lead to misunderstandings. There are enough annoying fools around me as it is.”
“Haha, who are you trying to charm while I wasn’t watching? Your cute fiancé might get jealous!”
Seeing her for the first time in a year, she was all giggles and smiles.
Then, suddenly, she checked the date.
“Oh right! It’s already the enrollment ceremony day. Sorry, I totally missed that. I’ve kind of lost track of time lately!”
“Not exactly something to brag about.”
“Well, it is a given for an alchemist, right?”
Apparently, being an alchemist isn’t all that glamorous.
“But hey, Kraush, I think you called me incorrectly earlier.”
“What?”
“You should’ve added ‘senpai’ to it. After all, I’m a first-year student!”
Kraush ignored Darling’s comment.
Instead, he randomly pulled out a chair and plopped down.
“Anyway, I need a favor from you—can you make a potion for me?”
Not even stopping for lunch, Kraush had sought out Darling specifically for this request.
Upon hearing it, Darling put on a knowingly enigmatic smile as she picked up a vial.
“TS-2?”
Just as Kraush raised his fist, Darling quickly pulled the potion back.
“Just kidding! So, what potion are we talking about? The one that makes you fall in love at first sight is still in development, though.”
“If you’re thinking about feeding something weird to my sister, you’re dead.”
“Don’t worry! I’ll be the one drinking it.”
“Don’t drink it either!”
Kraush sighed, realizing he could never have a sane conversation with Darling.
He then went on to explain the potion he wanted her to create.
After listening, Darling cocked her head slightly.
“Hm, sounds like someone might be hiding out somewhere?”
“Pretty similar, yeah.”
Seeing Kraush’s knowing smile, Darling nodded.
“Okay. It’ll take some time, but I’ll make it for you.”
“Great, so let’s grab some lunch.”
Kraush laid the sandwiches he had bought in front of Darling.
Her eyes lit up with joy as she exclaimed, “Wow! That’s my boyfriend! Marry me!”
“No way.”
Kraush cut her off decisively.
And just like that, their lunchtime unfolded.
＊ ＊ ＊
After finishing lunch with Darling, Kraush was headed to the Undeclared Department.
Perhaps it was due to a series of annoying incidents after the enrollment ceremony.
But after having a breather with a familiar face, he felt a lot more at ease.
‘I wonder if Bianca has already had her lunch by now.’
She was the type to carefully eat her meals on schedule.
So, he didn’t worry too much about her.
[tsk tsk] “If this keeps up, you might end up being worse than the king of Poseus.”
“Don’t label me a pervert.”
[Oh, really? Just look at how many women are already tangled up with you today!]
Kraush gave a troubling expression.
[Didn’t I tell you? Women will always surround you on your path, so cut them off before they do.]
“Don’t you dare suggest that I cut off someone else’s.”
[Hmph, what’s stopping someone with the arm of a demon blade?]
Is this guy still sulking about me asking for the demon lord’s arm?
Feeling ridiculous, Kraush shook his head.
Having chatted sufficiently with Crimson Garden, he finally stepped into the Undeclared Department.
With a creak, he opened the door to the classroom assigned to the second-year students.
The noisy chatter of students instantly shifted their attention toward him.
As soon as they recognized Kraush, an eerie silence fell over the room.
At this point, he could almost consider himself a professor.
Maybe he should step up to the podium and hold a class?
Suddenly, a hand shot up enthusiastically.
“Kraush, come over here!”
It was none other than Balak.
That guy was nothing if not consistent.
So, Kraush comfortably made his way over to sit next to Balak.
Balak enthusiastically chattered away beside him.
Thanks to him, the classroom atmosphere began to return to normal.
Right now was the crucial time to bond with classmates.
The second-year students in the Undeclared Department numbered nearly a hundred.
Given that many were nobles, they all seemed busy building connections.
Kraush quietly observed them all.
The main reason he came to Rahelrn Academy was to steal skills.
However, it was unfortunate that there were generally more talents among the first-year students than the second years.
Most of the top contenders had already enrolled in the first year.
‘But there’s a variable in the second years that I don’t know about.’
His gaze fell on a long-haired male student with blonde tresses.
At first glance, he could almost mistake him for a girl.
He was sitting quietly, engrossed in a book.
The fake Arthur.
Kraush had no intention of approaching him for now.
The fake Arthur was a trap laid by the real Arthur.
It was a strategy he’d devised to identify if there were other time-travelers besides him.
No reason to rush into anything here.
“So, speaking of which, Aniks sent word asking when he could see you!”
“Oh, really?”
Aniks Graiza.
Since their clash in the Holy Land, Kraush hadn’t really paid attention to him.
He was too busy, and he figured Aniks would head to the academy anyway.
So, Kraush still didn’t know what Aniks was like now.
“To be honest, I kind of wish he was still the same as before.”
Well, he’d know when he saw him.
“Oh, Kraush! I really wanted to have lunch with you, but where did you go?”
In that instant, Karandis appeared beside Kraush.
She was a truly persistent lady.
Looking around, he noticed that Mary had also settled herself nearby.
[]
Suddenly, a man walked in through the front door.
With a rather ordinary appearance, he oddly carried a white cat adorned with a ribbon in his arms.
He placed the cat on the podium.
As he stepped back, the white cat stretched and sat down, then opened its mouth amidst the attentive gazes.
“I’m Ganon Sarsha, the professor assigned to the second-year Undeclared students.”
A collective look of bewilderment spread across the students’ faces.
Nobody had expected a cat to be their professor.
Only Kraush was aware of the reality behind it all.
And he knew very well who Ganon Sarsha was.
“Due to personal circumstances, I’ll be meeting you all in this form, but honestly, it doesn’t matter much to me.”
Ganon licked his paw and groomed himself casually.
“Most of you probably won’t get to see my original form anyway.”
Which was indeed true.
Ganon was a traveler of sorts, wandering the world solely to combat world erosion.
He possessed knowledge that rivaled that of Sephira when it came to the issue at hand.
And that was Ganon Sarsha.
“Currently, Rahelrn Academy is divided into groups based on twelve student leaders.”
It was similar to the structure of a knightly order.
Students voluntarily elected representatives to form their own groups.
The achievements of these groups would directly affect their evaluations.
If they failed to meet the basic standards, the group would be dissolved after three warnings.
Once disbanded, the student leaders would not be able to pass on leadership to others.
Moreover, support from Rahelrn Academy itself varied greatly depending on performance.
So, the groups were all in fierce competition with one another.
“You will undergo training for the next six months and will either be assigned to a group or establish your own. That will be your true start.”
From the moment they define any group, students would begin their real-world practice in confronting world erosion.
“The first-year students have already begun their practical experiences. In six months, you will compete against them. However—”
Ganon paused and turned to the vice professor.
At that cue, the vice professor approached and handed over a list.
“The participants will be exempt from the six-month training course. As you heard during your entrance exam, they’re special students.”
With that, the expressions of the students shifted instantaneously.
They had not been informed of the results of the third test during the exam.
This was the first time they were hearing it.
“The special students will work alongside first-year students. Their affiliation remains as second-year students, but they’ll be thrown straight into the fray.”
Kraush showed a look of mild surprise.
After all, special students had never existed before his regression.
‘Whoever suggested this was onto something good.’
There were certainly those who would benefit more from real-world experiences rather than training sessions.
“So now I’ll be calling out the names.”
He said this as he placed his hand on the list.
“Kraush Valheim.”
And just like that, the very first name called was indeed Kraush.
“Of course it’s Kraush!”
Karandis looked at him with sparkling eyes.
That much was expected.
If Kraush fell through, it would mean they all did.
And amidst their expected reaction, Kraush swallowed a laugh.
None of them had any clue what sort of methods he had employed to reach this position.
“Mary Diana.”
Mary was also an expected result.
“Balak Hoggma.”
“Hehe, I did it too!”
Here was Balak, one of the trio known as the Star Lords.
“Glen Diana.”
Next, they called out a boy from the back row.
This one sported a face consistently marked with dissatisfaction.
Glen Diana, a cadet from the Diana family.
His gaze was fixated on Mary, clearly irritated.
Not that he would eagerly worship her as he had before his regression.
“Karandis Poseus.”
The name that followed surprised even Kraush.
When he turned to look, Karandis proudly puffed out her chest, showcasing herself.
Karandis was the type of person who could push herself into a corner whenever she set a goal.
The moment she witnessed Kraush’s abilities during the enrollment ceremony, she decided she wanted him as her husband.
With an iron will, she had soldiered through the third test to land herself in a special group.
Quite an incredible determination.
As she winked at Kraush, he was left with a face that screamed he wished he hadn’t seen that.
“Harry Lagrin.”
Upon hearing the next name, Kraush subtly shifted his gaze.
With short hair highlighted by a purplish hue among the black tresses and a violet pansy pin in her hair,
‘That’s the poison princess.’
She was the daughter of the Poison King, responsible for the death of Bianca.
With a glacial stare, she didn’t meet anyone’s eyes in the classroom.
From her expression, it seemed like she was actively distancing herself from the world.
“Finally, Arthur Gramalte.”
With the mention of the fake Arthur, Ganon flicked the paper aside.
“The above-named students will be part of the special group.”
The moment he finished speaking, the classroom door was flung open.
And as everyone turned to look at who had entered, they gasped.
With flowing dark blue hair and an air of confidence that set her apart, a woman in the Undeclared Department uniform walked in.
She was one of only two among her peers to receive the title of genius:
Charlotte Valheim.
Without warning, she strode into the room, crossing her arms in an attitude of command.
“Follow me. Special students of the second-year.”
Her abrupt instruction left no room for explanation.
She was the epitome of “I’m the center of the universe.”
Kraush turned to glance at Charlotte with a “No way…” expression.
As their eyes met, Charlotte gave him her signature smile.
At that moment, Kraush realized why the special group had suddenly popped up.
Someone must have suggested it.
To bring together the new members of a special group was indeed Charlotte.
‘If that’s the case, that crazy sis…’
She must’ve gone to confront the former duke, Durandal, proving her strength and pushing for her suggestion.
Kraush was flabbergasted.
While there had indeed been those who followed through with Durandal’s comments from the enrollment ceremony, no one had received recognition.
But Charlotte had managed to propose the inception of a special group to Durandal.
Aiming to directly involve Kraush together with other special students from the first-year.
‘…I underestimated Charlotte.’
Now, he understood why Arthur had suspected her of being another time-traveler.
Only one person could act so radically.
Charlotte Valheim.
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