Chapter: 115
Kraush turned to Aniks and spoke up.
“I got it.”
His mind was currently spinning with thoughts of stealing the night, yet none of that showed on the surface.
[Cunning bastard, your acting skills just keep getting better. What nonsense have you concocted this time?]
Only Crimson Garden understood what Kraush was thinking and gave him a snarky remark.
While Kraush grasped the reason he needed to go to the Grave of the God of Night, he also understood why the Yellow Tower had commissioned this job.
If an erosion manipulator were to camp out in the ruins, it would be a bothersome task for the Yellow Tower to deal with.
On top of that, if they sought help from another nation, the conflicts over interests would only complicate things further.
So, it made sense for them to just commission Rahelrn Academy, allowing for a resolution with mere modest compensation and no squabbles over interests.
Anyway, those wizards were quite the crafty ones.
“Did you see everything?”
Kraush asked Haring as she nodded and drifted away.
He passed the request form back to Elfin.
“Then let’s just drop off our bags at the inn and head out right away. There’s someone ready to guide us to the ruins from the inn.”
It’s quite a distance to the ruins.
They’d probably have to walk for at least a week.
Since they weren’t accustomed to the desert terrain, having a guide would certainly make things easier.
As Aniks led the way, Kraush noticed Haring walking beside him.
The others didn’t seem friendly towards Haring at all, so it was a relief for her to have someone alongside.
‘With her around, I can’t help but think of Bianca.’
Perhaps it was because both had similar expressions, even though they looked different.
Seeing this, it seemed like similar types were sticking together.
‘I heard Debram is famous for its treats made from dates.’
I should send some to Bianca through magical delivery before heading back.
She has a sweet tooth, so she’d probably enjoy it.
[Are you thinking about your fiancée again?]
I wish this guy would stop reading my mind.
＊＊＊
Not long after, Kraush arrived at one of the inns in Debram.
The inn wouldn’t be uncomfortable even for nobles.
So Aniks’s words about support from the Yellow Tower seemed to hold true.
After meeting with their guide, Aniks gathered food and various supplies prepared by the inn for crossing the desert.
“Wow, the Graiza family is quite well-known even at our Yellow Tower. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“We should be thanking you for the Yellow Tower’s active support.”
Aniks and the guide mage shared pleasantries and laughter.
Watching that, Kraush thought Aniks was still the same.
It was only natural since he was wearing that same phony smile for his teammates as well as the guide mage.
‘Hiding his true intentions, as always.’
Whether he knew it or not, Kraush could clearly see through Aniks’s facade.
‘Consistent little rascal.’
At least that smile wasn’t anything pleasant to behold.
In the meantime, Aniks seemed to have finished preparations and approached.
“Let’s all head out.”
And so, they began to traverse the desert toward the Grave of the God of Night.
What happened next?
Well, nothing particularly eventful occurred.
On the first day, the second day, and the third day.
Kraush passed through the desert areas outside Debram’s walls without any issues.
Although being a lawless zone, world erosion did occur frequently in intervals.
But they weren’t second-year students unfamiliar with world erosion; they were first-year students who had spent six months in practical training.
Having lived at the academy for a year, they had grown quite accustomed to world erosion.
Thanks to that, things progressed smoothly without Kraush needing to step in.
‘If I remember correctly, these kids were originally part of a tight-knit group.’
Elfin, one of the trio alongside Aniks, was undoubtedly formidable.
The seven from Star Lord were known for their unity, even being called the “Seven Heroes.”
Their families were close, making it natural for them to cooperate against world erosion.
Additionally, the others Aniks had picked showed great compatibility overall.
So maybe it made sense.
Among them, only two would stand out in the crowd.
One was Kraush, and the other was Haring, who would eventually become the lone wolf.
In Kraush’s case, despite doing nothing, everyone else seemed to jostle for his favor, stepping up proactively in his stead.
Especially among the Seven Heroes, the commotion was quite the spectacle.
They understood how high the Valheim name held weight given they were all from the same Star Lord.
‘Back at the Holy Land of Stars, they were busy tearing at my back!’
Now, with the title of “Valheim” stripped away, it was comical to see how they changed.
But now, Kraush didn’t care about a mere Grade 4 world erosion.
He was sick of it after absorbing enough during practical training in the Magic Realm.
Unless it was something to do with night, there was no need to absorb any more world erosion right now.
So Kraush decided to let them handle it themselves and took a step back.
On the other hand, Haring was like a deserted island.
No one assigned her tasks, nor did anyone offer any help.
As a result, Kraush had more time to observe Haring from behind.
While that might have been normal for a day or two, they were nearing the end of a week doing just that.
Kraush finally struck up a casual conversation with Haring.
“Want a snack?”
He offered her a biscuit he had packed, which she took without a word.
And then, they watched the swarm of erosion creatures together, muttering as they munched on the biscuit.
In the beginning, Haring wouldn’t eat even when offered, but seeing her eat now meant they were becoming a little friendlier, like a stray cat.
Perhaps out of boredom, they were spending time that felt meaningless.
Then, one day.
“We’ve arrived!”
Finally, the guide mage announced their arrival at the ruins.
The squad stopped in their tracks, gazing toward the ruins.
However, no matter how hard they looked, all they could see was sand.
Well, that was to be expected.
The Grave of the God of Night revealed itself only at night.
The time was still midday.
So they had to wait until nightfall.
“It looks like it’ll take some time, so let’s rest in the shade of those rocks over there.”
With that, the squad found an unexpected moment to take a break.
As the sunlight beat down from above, being in the shade of the rocks made it feel bearable.
Thanks to the mage being there, they needn’t worry about the sand.
With defensive magic encircled, no sand could blow in.
Consequently, they enjoyed a rather pleasant break.
Though Haring and Kraush hadn’t really rested, it was still nice.
“Um, Kraush.”
Suddenly, Kraush turned at the voice beside him.
There stood Elfin, holding a water bottle.
With her black hair pulled back to show her forehead and her tall stature, she reminded him of a magpie in her attire.
Elfin Emilia, one of the trio known as the Star Lords alongside Aniks Graiza and Balak Hogma.
As she handed him the water bottle, Kraush accepted it.
It seemed she had something on her mind to say.
“Have a seat.”
At Kraush’s prompting, Elfin tidied her skirt and sat down.
Meanwhile, Haring displayed an uncomfortable expression and subtly withdrew.
Upon closer inspection, she looked like a stray cat again.
“Do you remember anything from before you were with Aniks?”
That must be referring to the time back at the Holy Land of Stars.
Though Kraush had more significant memories, he nodded.
“Since then, thanks to you, Aniks has changed quite a bit. He feels regret over those times as well.”
“To me, he still seems the same.”
“That’s a fair assessment.”
Elfin was right; Aniks was still having those phony conversations with his teammates.
He rarely showed his true self, even to the ones close to him.
“But he has changed, to be sure. He has begun to find ways to move forward.”
Elfin, who had spent the longest time with Aniks, was indeed the most sensitive to his changes.
“And I think it’s all thanks to you, Kraush.”
“What influence could I possibly have on that guy?”
“After all, Aniks lost his way after being outshined by Charlotte.”
Charlotte, a star so brilliant.
The overwhelming brightness could extinguish the light of those nearby.
Hence, Aniks lost himself in the presence of such a star known as Charlotte.
“While he admired Charlotte, he also must have loathed her. After all, he witnessed the true nature of a genius.”
Charlotte’s talent was a double-edged sword for Star Lords.
It was undoubtedly the best sword, but it also injured those standing beside it.
Kraush understood because he had once been wounded by that blade himself.
“But on the day he met you at the Holy Land of Stars, he saw something beyond talent.”
“Are you saying I’m easier on the eyes than Charlotte?”
Kraush’s teasing drew a light chuckle from Elfin.
“No, you’re entirely different from Charlotte. Charlotte is a sun, blinding to look at, a burning sun.”
Elfin continued calmly.
“In contrast, you shine brightly like the distant Polaris, providing a guiding light to those who seek direction.”
Always there, guiding those finding their way.
Elfin referred to Kraush as the star showing a path.
Ironically, out of the five major stars, the first one was indeed the North Star.
“Aniks looked towards that North Star, leading him to find his own path. Perhaps he unconsciously harbored the thought, ‘Can I, too, move forward?’”
“All I did was punch that guy because I didn’t like his face.”
“Anything can be interpreted in different ways. Just like how future generations interpret the writings of those that came before.”
This kid was unexpectedly eloquent.
Elfin seemed to finish her thoughts and stood up.
“What I wished to convey was that I didn’t want you to judge Aniks solely on past events.”
“What did I say about him?”
“No, simply, when Aniks comes around, your eyebrows go up like this.”
Elfin scrunched her brows towards Kraush as if to show him her own expression.
As if that was even remotely true.
[Haha, you have a knack for it, too.]
Kraush dismissed the comment with a light chuckle.
“I just want you to consider my words a little.”
Elfin bowed her head, then drifted back towards Aniks.
Regardless of other things, Aniks had quite a catch there.
‘She pointed out that others were observing closely.’
Kraush clicked his tongue and leaned his chin on his knee.
Up in the sky, the sun began to set slowly.
＊＊＊
Night fell, with stars densely scattered across the sky.
As the moon hung large in the night sky,
The forgotten ruins began to reveal themselves in the desert.
The sight was truly mesmerizing.
The endless piles of sand disappeared at once, revealing the grand architecture of the ruins.
“Let’s move.”
At Aniks’s command, the squad stood up from their resting spot.
Since the site had been hidden beneath the sand, the slope was steep.
Descending along that slope, they finally spotted the entrance to the ruins.
“Well then, I’ll wait here.”
The guide mage announced their journey would end at this point.
From now on, it was entirely up to the squad’s abilities.
“Marahn, please lead us.”
“Yes!”
Hearing Aniks’s request, a scout jumped to the front.
Thus, the squad began to enter the ruins.
Inside the ruins was made up of stone and moss.
It was hard to believe this place had just been buried in sand.
“There’s nothing ahead. Let’s advance.”
As the scout moved ahead, Kraush started spreading his senses around him.
The ruins were practically a maze.
Simultaneously, various presences were felt throughout the maze.
‘Nothing’s there.’
Erosion creatures were crawling about everywhere.
[Your range has expanded too much. What good is it to blame the kids?]
“I’m still technically the same age.”
[It’s no longer even about appearance. Tsk tsk, back in the day, you even had cuteness. Now you just look disgusting.]
The treatment just got harsher and harsher.
At that moment, the entire ruins reverberated with a BANG!
“Marahn, what’s the status of the ruins?”
“I’ll check right away!”
When Aniks turned to Marahn, his face mirrored concern.
He seemed to be struggling to comprehend the situation quickly.
“It’s okay. Calm down. We can take our time.”
Aniks said this while summoning a slow aura.
He was preparing for any possible eventuality.
In the meantime, Kraush’s senses sharpened.
Beneath him, something huge was writhing around.
‘Ju-Yo Irma is an erosion manipulator.’
His eyes widened in horror.
Instead of easy resolutions, it seemed things were about to get complicated.
Just as they had entered the ruins, the opposing side had also sensed their presence.
[I wondered who it could be, and it turned out to be that Moon Rabbit?]
The Crimson Garden seemed to have caught on to the energy below as well.
But apart from that, Kraush felt a sense of confusion.
He had thought Wolmyeo sent the erosion creature merely to inspect the grave.
But now, judging from the feeling, it was a wholly different scenario.
‘This seems more like siphoning the power of the God of Night.’
Later, Wolmyeo did make use of the God of Night.
However, he never resorted to draining that power.
Doing so could easily invoke the wrath of the God of Night, resulting in serious consequences.
‘Now I understand.’
Kraush responded with uncanny clarity.
He realized that Wolmyeo was deliberately inducing the erosion manipulator to siphon the God of Night’s power.
Even if the manipulator mistakenly faced the wrath of the night god, it wouldn’t be a consequence suffered by Wolmyeo.
‘If the manipulator succeeds in draining the God of Night’s power, he comes to feast upon it, and if he fails, he simply tosses away the manipulator.’
And it likely led to failure.
Wolmyeo likely didn’t consider taking the night god’s power because of that.
‘No wonder I’ve never heard of this erosion manipulator’s name.’
This guy must have bitten the dust due to invoking the wrath of the night god.
‘It seems like failure was inevitable.’
I didn’t like touching upon our goal.
At that moment, the energy below intensified.
“Hey, Aniks.”
Kraush called out to Aniks as a caution.
At the moment he uttered those words, the scout Marahn’s eyes widened.
“Something is coming from below!”
Too late.
“Everyone, get away from here right now!”
By the time Aniks gave that command, it was already too late.
As everybody tensed, and the squad rushed to get away from the ground.
BOOM!
The ground exploded.
With that explosion, debris flew everywhere.
Among the airborne debris,
CRACK CRACK CRACK!
Trees erupted from the walls, filling the space while heading toward those caught in the blast.
It was the Graiza family’s secret, “Wooden Celestial Technique.”
“Grab on!”
At Aniks’s shout, the squad members quickly used the trees for support to avoid falling.
They were not novices who hadn’t faced world erosion before; they had confronted it for a long time.
“Are you all okay?”
“I’m alright!”
“We’re safe!”
Hearing several people answering back, Aniks narrowed his eyes.
Marahn, who was part of the squad, had an impressive perception ability, which had led them to be called the Seven Heroes of Star Lord.
While Aniks trusted Marahn considerably, someone else had already moved before him.
That someone was none other than Kraush.
‘He was way faster than Marahn.’
Kraush seemed to know beforehand about the collapse of the ground.
Marahn had only picked it up much later.
This meant Kraush possessed even broader senses of awareness than Marahn.
‘He has enough combat ability to match it. He has broader perception capabilities than Marahn!’
Aniks had witnessed Kraush’s fighting skills during the entrance exam.
So he could see how much Kraush had grown from that moment on.
It wasn’t just a painful journey up until now; it transcended explanation altogether.
As he watched this, Aniks clenched his fist tight.
‘Valheim.’
That was the moment when he once again understood what that name signified.
Aniks’s eyes quietly shimmered as he stood on a branch that erupted from the wall.
“Aniks!”
Elfin’s voice rang out from a distance.
She hurried over, using the wooden structures Aniks had created as stepping stones.
“Kraush’s figure is missing!”
“What?”
Aniks’s eyes widened.
He swiftly turned to search around.
Nowhere.
There was no sign of Kraush anywhere.
His gaze then dropped towards where the rubble was staggering around.
Beneath the disarray, it was an abyss so deep that the bottom was invisible.
Could he have fallen?
‘No way, that’s unlikely.’
Kraush surely anticipated the ground beneath them would collapse.
So it was impossible for him to not be here.
At that moment, Aniks realized someone else was missing as well.
“…Elfin, where’s Haring?”
“Huh?”
Elfin belatedly glanced around.
Before she realized they were all part of the same squad, she had lost track.
Haring was nowhere to be found.
That meant…
“Could it be Kraush went to rescue…?”
“He must have gone down to save Haring.”
Aniks clicked his tongue in frustration.
While Kraush was fine, leaving Haring defenseless was his fault as well.
Despite being a special grade student, she was still a second-year.
With no experience in sudden situations, Kraush must have known and taken action to help her escape.
Aniks’s brows slightly furrowed.
The squad was his.
What transpired within it was directly linked to his responsibility.
“Ugh.”
With a sigh, Aniks looked down into the dark space below.
“Everyone, let’s regroup and head downward.”
They needed to search for the second-year students.
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