Chapter: 138
Kraush was currently sprinting toward somewhere.
The reason? News he heard from Glen.
The news that the Poison King had sustained serious injuries.
Kraush recalled having heard of the Poison King’s assassination in the past.
‘Bianca.’
Before his regression, the Poison King had annihilated the Hardenhartz family.
This was because the second prince, who was falling behind in the succession to the throne, fled to Hardenhartz after unveiling a secret of the imperial family.
That day, Bianca, the sole survivor, became the White Ghost and killed the Poison King out of vengeance.
And at the end of the ensuing war between the Empire and Starlon, Bianca was ultimately killed by the Devourer, Haring Lagrain.
That was an incident that occurred before his regression.
And now, an event similar to that one was unfolding.
Naturally, it wasn’t Bianca’s doing.
The Poison King hadn’t demolished Hardenhartz, and Bianca still had a long way to go before becoming the White Ghost.
But why was this incident happening now?
Kraush furrowed his brow.
The real trouble lay behind what Glen mentioned next.
“The World Erosionist, who severely injured the Poison King, apparently attempted to assassinate the Fourth Princess and then fled. The Empire has been chasing after that World Erosionist.”
Hearing those words, Kraush’s eyes widened.
He knew all too well who that World Erosionist was.
‘Ebelasque Benafoche.’
Regardless of the reality, the story spread among the public was that the one trying to kill the Fourth Princess, Sizelry Ephania, was none other than Ebelasque, the leader of the Night Ravens.
And a thought flashed through Kraush’s mind—that perhaps the clash between the Poison King and Ebelasque was connected to him.
After all, in the past, he had asked her to prevent the Poison King from harming Hardenhartz.
What if this incident occurred because of something he said?
If an unprecedented event had occurred because of his words prior to his regression…
An indescribable emotion surged within him.
Just a mere flutter of wings might have altered everything.
[ Kraush, it’s not her doing. ]
In that instant, Crimson Garden’s voice resonated in his head, cutting through the haze.
His wildly beating heart began to slow back to its original pace.
The momentarily dazed mind began to clear.
“I’ll go after her,” he declared.
With Crimson Garden’s statement snapping him back to reality, Kraush set off in pursuit of Haring.
The immediate issue was Haring.
Because he knew better than anyone what happened to her due to the Poison King’s death.
“Crimson Garden.”
As he ran, Kraush called out to her to ascertain the truth.
At that moment, a crow flew down from the sky and perched on his shoulder.
“Are you sure it’s not Ebelasque’s doing?”
[ Yes, absolutely. ]
Kraush let out a short sigh.
Once he regained his composure, he was convinced that it wasn’t Ebelasque’s handiwork.
‘No matter how much trouble Hardenhartz is in, Ebelasque wouldn’t opt for direct confrontation with the Poison King.’
Logically, it didn’t make sense either.
The second prince fleeing to Hardenhartz was something that couldn’t possibly happen right now.
‘The emperor hasn’t returned yet.’
It meant that the other royals wouldn’t be in a position to casually exile the second prince.
“So, who did this?”
[ It’s true that the Poison King was attacked. There are many witnesses who saw him lying there injured. ]
As soon as he heard this, Kraush’s expression began to darken.
“If the Empire implicated Ebelasque regardless of who attacked the Poison King…”
Kraush’s eyes widened with intensity as he pieced together the situation.
“The Empire has identified Ebelasque’s location.”
Ebelasque was the leader of the Night Ravens.
Given that she was now accused of attempting to assassinate a princess, it was only natural that they wanted to capture her.
‘Above all, they wouldn’t want to lose Ebelasque.’
Her usefulness had already been proven with the Night Ravens.
So, the Empire surely wouldn’t want to miss the chance to capture her, constantly pursuing her.
As a result, the Empire figured out that Ebelasque was in Hardenhartz.
However, if the Empire’s knights crossed the border, it would be problematic.
At this time, the Empire wasn’t keen on waging war with Starlon.
[ Exactly, which is why the World Erosionist who left the Poison King in that state is requesting official entry permission from the Empire Knights. ]
They had intentionally escalated matters to capture Ebelasque.
To them, if they could capture Ebelasque, it would be a win no matter how they did it.
If Starlon captured her, they would request her extradition, claiming she was responsible for the assassination of the princess.
If they caught her themselves, it would be icing on the cake.
“The location for the Empire Knights’ entry approval is…”
[ Hardenhartz. ]
As expected.
“Have they actually figured out who put the Poison King in that state?”
[ That part is still unknown. ]
Kraush furrowed his brow.
‘There’s a lack of information.’
Kraush had never faced the Poison King.
Even Haring, the Devourer, was merely a senior from a year above him at the time, and he had little contact with her.
Moreover, Haring had since sought vengeance against the White Ghost, disappearing into the realms of the skies.
So, there was little information he could come up with.
Kraush slightly bit his lip.
‘What’s clear is that this is an unprecedented event.’
This incident must surely be a result of the butterfly effect from everything happening this time around.
But regardless of that, Kraush couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.
‘It’s flowing in a way that’s different yet similar.’
The Poison King was somehow connected to Hardenhartz for some reason.
The Empire was trying to dig into Hardenhartz.
All these factors somehow reminded him of the outcomes of previous cycles.
As if the world was bound to move within a predetermined framework.
And that predetermined framework seemed to be steadily advancing toward ruin.
Starlon would undoubtedly refuse the Empire’s request.
There was no way they would allow the Empire Knights into their territory.
The Empire and Starlon have never gotten along well.
The Empire could very likely use this as leverage to make various demands.
They had raised their swords to capture the World Erosionist who attempted to assassinate the princess and gravely injured the Ten Great Lords.
But they wouldn’t hesitate to seize the moment to seek national interests.
As a result, the relationship between the Empire and Starlon would begin to gradually falter.
This incident could be one of the triggers that ultimately escalated into war.
‘Was the Poison King’s eradication of Hardenhartz merely an opportunity?’
The Empire and Starlon had been at odds for a long time.
And the annihilation of Hardenhartz had simply served as a catalyst for war.
Perhaps both nations had been waiting for that singular moment to ignite it.
Just like how all wars that erupted over trivial matters had always shown signs of brewing beforehand.
‘This must be why Arthur…’
Arthur hadn’t acted to prevent the war between the Empire and Starlon.
No matter how fiercely an individual struggled, it would be insufficient to intervene in matters between nations.
Perhaps Arthur had tried many times to stop it.
But the moment he witnessed that it ultimately led to war, he let go.
And he shifted from preventing wars to using them to his advantage.
As that thought crossed his mind, Kraush clenched his teeth.
‘Am I just supposed to stand by and watch these rotten nations fight each other?’
While the Empire and Starlon were at war, both sides would exhaust each other’s resources, leaving them unable to control the World Erosion.
The issue wasn’t just between the Empire and Starlon.
After all, they were two of the most prominent nations in the world.
Their war would inevitably ripple out to neighboring countries, causing them to lock down in self-defense.
It was the dawning era of rampant World Erosion.
‘And on top of that, a war between World Erosionists and humans.’
If the World Erosion surged to its utmost extremes, it might all trace back to the war between the Empire and Starlon as its triggering point.
That’s why the war absolutely must be stopped.
But how could he do that?
‘Right now, I’m merely a student.’
The reason Arthur had stayed idle regarding the war was probably tied to this.
As a mere student, he had no right to mediate between nations.
Just as Kraush was deep in thought while running after Haring, it suddenly dawned on him.
Kraush, who had originally been pursuing Haring, quickened his pace even more.
The Poison King’s daughter, Haring Lagrain.
She might just hold the key to resolving this situation.
Kraush’s stride gradually slowed as he arrived at the location.
Because the place he reached was the women’s dormitory.
Haring was heading to her own room.
She was likely trying to use the communication tools in her room to contact her family for details on the situation.
Perhaps because there was no class today unlike for the Munhak course, the wave of women outside the dorm caught Kraush’s attention.
“Uh, is that…”
“Kraush Valheim?”
“I wonder who he’s here to meet.”
The girls looked at Kraush with curiosity brimming in their eyes.
However, Kraush paid them no mind.
The only thought that occupied his mind was to meet Haring.
But he couldn’t just barge into the women’s dormitory.
“…You?”
Just then, he ran into Astria, who was coming out.
She brightened up upon seeing him but quickly masked her expression.
“What brings you here?”
She said with a somewhat haughty look.
“Astria.”
But as soon as Kraush saw her, he beamed.
Astria flinched for a moment at the sight of Kraush’s joyful expression directed at her.
Just then, when she unconsciously let out a subtle smile, he said, “Good. Call for Haring Lagrain.”
But that smile soon faded.
Astria stared blankly at Kraush with a shocked expression.
Naturally, as a man with feelings suddenly searching for another woman right after waking up, it was shocking.
Astria’s eyes widened, trembling with incredulity as she bit her lip tightly.
“…Why?”
Kraush, while responding, noticed Astria’s shoulders were shaking.
A man with feelings was suddenly looking for another woman.
In front of the women’s dormitory, no less.
Naturally, it was shocking for Astria.
“It’s clear what you’re thinking. But it’s not like that.”
So Kraush immediately corrected her misunderstanding.
“There’s a problem between the Empire and Starlon. Due to the World Erosionist, the Poison King has sustained serious injuries, and the Empire claims that the World Erosionist is hiding in Starlon’s Hardenhartz.”
This was a large-scale incident happening between nations.
As soon as she heard this, Astria’s expression, which had just been filled with jealousy and shock, began to shift slowly.
At the same time, her eyebrows knitted together slightly.
“…And you didn’t call me even though this happened?”
The Ten Great Lords had sustained serious injuries, after all.
Naturally, it would be standard procedure to call the Saintess right away for treatment.
However, the Empire hadn’t done so.
Even more so since the Saintess Astria learned of this through Kraush’s mouth.
“More importantly, are you trying to get involved in this?”
If what Kraush said was true, this was a monumental situation.
It was practically a wrestling match between two nations.
Seeing Kraush propose to step in, Astria looked at him in disbelief.
Kraush nodded earnestly.
“Yes, it could easily escalate into war.”
War.
At hearing the word, Astria’s expression slightly tightened, and she turned away.
“If you’re saying that, it must be serious. Alright, I’ll go call her.”
Astria, true to her character, clearly distinguished between public and private matters.
She left those words and turned around promptly.
“Astria, thank you.”
As Kraush called out to her retreating figure, Astria flinched.
Then, she slightly stole a glance at Kraush, turned away, and continued onwards.
“…I didn’t do it for your gratitude.”
Saying this, Astria was secretly feeling happy.
Once she departed, Kraush stood alone, gazing toward the women’s dormitory.
He hoped Haring wouldn’t act too recklessly.
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