Chapter: 139
As Kraush waited in front of the girls’ dormitory for Haring…
Student girls kept glancing over at Kraush.
Well, it’s only natural since Kraush was such a hot topic.
But nobody dared to approach him.
After all, very few people would feel brave enough to speak to someone with the name ‘Holy Royal Family’ behind them.
“Is that you, Kraush?”
Except, of course, if they were from the same Holy Royal Family.
Kraush lifted his head at the voice calling him.
“Sis.”
There she was, a woman with the same hair color as his.
The Sword Master, Charlotte Balheim.
Apparently, she had just returned, as her body was slightly damp with sweat.
Perhaps that’s why even though it was spring, there was a hint of warmth radiating from her.
The Lion’s Order had returned.
“Kraush!”
And beside her was none other than Karandis.
The ninth princess of the Poseus Kingdom.
Karandis Poseus.
Like Charlotte, her clothes were soaked with sweat, and due to her healthy skin tone, she exuded a certain charm.
As soon as she spotted Kraush, she flashed a bright smile and waved her hand.
“Why are you two together?”
Kraush raised an eyebrow at the unexpected company, prompting Charlotte to glance back.
“She followed me when we returned.”
Kraush quickly pieced the situation together.
Karandis, who wanted to marry him.
Since Charlotte was leading the Lion’s Order in this mission, it made sense that she would be following closely behind.
It seemed she was scheming to charm the family first.
The only unfortunate thing was that ‘the family’ referred to Charlotte.
Charlotte, however, appeared completely uninterested in Karandis being there.
“Hehe, we worked on a mission together!”
Karandis maintained a positive demeanor, as if it were no big deal.
What a strong mental state she had!
Meanwhile, Charlotte, as always, turned her lifeless gaze toward Kraush.
“So, why are you here, Kraush?”
“I was waiting for someone,” he replied.
Charlotte’s eyes drifted toward the girls’ dormitory.
With a slightly peculiar look, she opened her mouth.
“Forget you have a fiancée. It’ll only lead to trouble. Even if you don’t get along with her, it’s better to make up.”
“K-Kraush, you’re not getting along with your fiancée? Because there’s also a way to get a new fiancée…!”
Karandis spoke with anticipation, pointing her fingers at herself.
And Kraush just ignored her.
“It’s a misunderstanding. I get along well with Bianca.”
“In that case, it’s no problem.”
Well, this worked out perfectly.
He was planning to meet Charlotte right after this anyway.
“Sis, can we talk a bit about the student matters?”
Kraush needed Charlotte’s help to resolve this situation.
To be precise, he needed her and her team’s assistance.
“Were you here to see me?”
Charlotte’s eyes widened slightly before her signature smirk appeared.
“Good thinking. That’s my little brother. Just wait here.”
Charlotte said cheerfully and headed into the dormitory.
It seemed she was planning to wash up and change.
“Is something going on?”
After Charlotte went in, Karandis asked Kraush, not following.
Kraush observed Karandis for a moment, then smirked maliciously.
“It seems there might be a war due to a power struggle between the Empire and the Starlon Kingdom. Want to get involved?”
“Goodbye! It was so nice to see you today! Let’s meet again soon!”
Karandis instantly bolted away.
No matter how obsessed she was about getting married, there was no way she’d want to get tangled in something this massive.
Plus, with Kraush giving off a vibe of “stay out of this,” she must’ve sensed it and made a quick exit.
‘Quick-witted girl.’
She might not be as genius as Sigrid, but crafty Karandis was no ordinary girl.
Indeed, it made sense for her to survive as the ninth princess in a kingdom teeming with royalty.
Anyway, things went well.
It seemed he could wrap up the conversation quicker this way.
Just as Kraush sighed in relief, a figure appeared from the girls’ dormitory alongside Astria.
A girl with uniquely colorful hair combining black and purple.
Haring Lagrain.
“…Kraush.”
Unlike the last time he saw her, she looked extremely gloomy.
“Are you okay?”
Kraush asked upon seeing Haring.
Her face was genuinely a wreck.
It was understandable though; she had probably heard her father was gravely injured and wanted nothing more than to return to the Empire right away.
But she wasn’t holding any belongings.
With a blank expression, she stood there, at a loss for what to do.
Kraush quickly figured out what was going on.
‘They must have told the Lagrain family to stand down and do nothing.’
They probably wouldn’t disclose the reasons.
From the Empire’s perspective, it was a top-secret situation.
The Lagrain family, too, likely had to keep quiet.
“…Yeah, I’m okay.”
Haring replied with a dazed expression.
Her spirit seemed completely drained.
It was as if she was unable to focus on the conversation at all.
Not even a stray cat abandoned on a rainy day would look this miserable.
Kraush shot a glance over at Astria.
She was crossing her arms, carefully observing as if she planned to listen to everything.
After all, it wasn’t exactly irrelevant for her to hear this.
Kraush decided just to speak up.
“I wanted to talk about your father.”
For the first time, Haring’s shoulders twitched slightly.
“I’m planning to go to Hardenhartz to chase the World Erosion that attacked the Poison King.”
Haring, who had been looking down, slowly raised her head.
Her eyes were wildly trembling.
She had a look that seemed to question whether she had heard him correctly.
“You.”
Astria frowned slightly, looking at Kraush.
No matter how you sliced it, wasn’t that a bit reckless?
“…What do you mean?”
Meanwhile, Haring appeared unable to comprehend why Kraush was doing this.
The World Erosion that had gravely injured her father was currently hiding in Hardenhartz.
Naturally, this was the sort of situation that the Empire and Starlon should handle directly, not students without an ounce of authority.
Let alone, Haring, who was directly related to the case, was ordered not to do anything by her family.
And that was the most torturous part for Haring.
She had trained tirelessly her entire life to prevent something like this after losing her brother to the World Erosion.
But despite all her efforts, her family was once again in danger, and she could do absolutely nothing.
That fact gnawed at her insides.
She hated being helpless and it tormented her.
But right now, Kraush was speaking to her as if he were free to act.
Saying he was going to chase the World Erosion to Hardenhartz.
As she pondered that statement, Haring’s face slowly went pale.
“Wait, wait, no. Kraush.”
Haring staggered towards Kraush.
Grabbing his sleeve absentmindedly, she shook her head like a child.
She seemed utterly lost from hearing what Kraush had to say.
Trying to maintain her composure, Haring had persevered by training hard and doing her best up until today.
But deep down, she had already started to rot.
Because she had caused her brother’s death.
That fact haunted her for eternity.
The memory of counting numbers alone in the confinement had left a scar on her heart, one that wouldn’t heal easily.
And now, the news that her father, the Poison King, had been seriously injured had carved another wound into that scar.
Her condition continued to fester, oozing blood and pus.
Despite her efforts, her family had again told her to remain still.
Helplessness was slowly dragging her back down to that dark place.
At that moment, as she listened to Kraush’s declaration of intent to face the World Erosion, her heart plummeted.
After the mission, Haring often saw her brother reflected in Kraush.
He was more mature than his peers, often displaying an unintentional resemblance to Haring’s older brother.
And that image kept reminding her of him.
On top of already being in disarray over her father’s state…
So perhaps it was no wonder that Haring was confused about whether the Kraush in front of her was her brother.
“…No. I don’t want to lose anyone like that again.”
She whimpered rebelliously, trembling all over.
She could not go, so Kraush would go in her stead.
The situation bore an uncanny resemblance to when her brother had confined her alone back then.
At that moment, Haring felt something cold touch her hand gripping Kraush’s sleeve.
It was none other than Kraush’s hand.
That hand slowly radiated warmth as it spread through her.
“Haring.”
Kraush called out her name.
Haring slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze.
Kraush’s face was partially in shadow, with the sun high above them.
“With this issue, the relationship between the Empire and Starlon will reach an all-time low.”
Kraush spoke slowly, explaining his reasons to Haring, whose eyes were shrouded with uncertainty.
“I plan to stop that. With World Erosions erupting all over, a war between the two nations would help neither side.”
Kraush’s eyes were more serious than ever.
He genuinely intended to halt this disaster himself.
World Erosion.
To Haring, who had lost her brother to the World Erosion, it was something she desperately wished to prevent.
“And I need your strength to do this.”
Haring’s eyes gradually widened.
Rahern Academy is supposed to be a place of harmony.
An intention for the Empire, the Four Great Kingdoms, and smaller groups to join together in their fight against World Erosion.
That was the reason Rahern Academy was established.
And within such an academy, there is the notion of ‘groups.’
Although it’s now often used for faction battles, the original meaning of ‘groups’ is for those who believe in the captain, regardless of their origin.
In essence, the concept of groups should exemplify harmony itself.
In this case, the heir of the Balheim family and the daughter of the legendary Poison King would be part of that.
And so she’d accompany Kraush to Hardenhartz in order to assist in avenging the Poison King.
That would surely paint the perfect picture of unity to showcase to the world.
‘This alone could deter the Empire’s reckless moves toward Hardenhartz.’
The Empire was attempting to storm Hardenhartz under the pretense of seeking revenge for the Poison King.
But the one with the strongest justification was his daughter, Haring.
At the moment, if she acted as the representative of the Empire, the Empire itself would have nothing left to stand on.
Moreover, since Starlon had also extended its support to the direct line of Balheim, they could express their utmost efforts toward the Empire’s affairs.
‘Just that alone could put out this urgent fire somehow.’
In diplomacy, the most important thing in the end is justification.
So what Kraush needed right now was Haring.
She symbolized the Empire’s legitimate claim in the current incident.
“That is…”
Haring’s eyes began to tremble violently.
Amidst the chaos, she partially comprehended Kraush’s thoughts.
She wasn’t a fool, after all.
Perhaps that’s why Haring felt even more flustered.
She never imagined Kraush would ask her to go along.
Lost in her thoughts, she stammered.
“…My family told me. To do nothing and to wait.”
Sure enough, Kraush had anticipated that answer.
Haring must have been even more anxious as a result.
Being told to sit idle by her family would drive anyone crazy.
Kraush squeezed Haring’s hand a little tighter.
Even with just that touch, Haring felt as though Kraush’s warmth was being transmitted to her.
“You’re first a student of Rahern Academy before being affiliated with the Empire.”
All here shared the identity of students at the academy, free from their families.
“Whatever your family says, just act like a student should. Even if you take reckless actions, you can always be dismissed as just youthful folly.”
It’s said that if the entire group that was part of Rahern Academy decided to march toward Hardenhartz together…
While they may have initially planned to wait, it was inevitable that they’d support whatever cause that compared to no action.
With that said, there wasn’t much the family could do to stop them.
“The world is weaker than you think when you stubbornly push your ideas.”
As Kraush said this, he let out a laugh to the world.
“Isn’t it unbearable to be powerless?”
He fixed his gaze upon Haring’s round eyes.
Kraush’s own gaze shined clearer than ever.
“I hate being weak and unable to do anything.”
He had lived that way his entire life.
In this world, those who live helplessly often end up with the most miserable outcomes.
That was why Kraush had been struggling endlessly up until now, and was still planning to keep struggling.
To prevent the war that Aria could not stop, he’d roll on the ground if he had to.
“So, I’ll keep fighting.”
Haring stared blankly at Kraush.
“You should fight too. No matter what your family says, what others say, or what the world says. Just do what you can.”
And his words were the first time anyone told her to do anything rather than just sit tight.
Haring’s body started to tremble.
New emotions began to bubble up deep within her instead of her previous hopelessness.
Slowly, color began returning to her previously pale face.
Strength returned to her weary body.
“And about that debt from the last mission, just say you’re repaying it. The Lagrain family says debts are always paid in double.”
A playful smile crept onto Kraush’s lips, like a mischievous boy.
“…”
Haring gazed in utter wonder at that smile.
It went on for a while.
“Ha, heh-heh.”
For some reason, a chuckle escaped her lips.
The face that had been tortured just a moment ago couldn’t hold in the laughter.
Was it because she was smiling as blankly as Bianca?
Even Kraush looked surprised at her reaction.
Well, in his case, it’s not like he was suppressing his emotions.
That she smiled was as normal as could be.
“…You know, I lost my biological brother to the World Erosion that the World Erosion caused.”
Upon hearing that, Kraush fell into momentary silence.
Kraush didn’t know Haring deeply at all.
He only caught a glimmer of her past—a loss that left a trauma.
But he couldn’t grasp the full reality of it.
Thanks to that, Kraush now understood why Haring was so obsessed with revenge against the White Ghost.
In her quest to pour out her grievances, she had risked forsaking her family.
‘She must have been driven mad.’
Bianca could also become the White Ghost thanks to that very fact regarding the World Erosion.
After all, she lost her family due to the World Erosion.
“So when I heard my father was attacked by that World Erosion, I couldn’t bear it. But again, to just be told to sit tight? I felt utterly powerless; it felt like all my effort had been in vain.”
Being told to do nothing.
For Haring, it was the most horrid and crippling statement.
In the end, all she had to show for her inactivity was the death of her brother.
Faced with that, Kraush had said the words against that notion.
He urged her not to stay idle.
“…So, debts are all I ask.”
Haring stepped back a few paces, finally managing to suppress her laughter.
But the gentle smile remained on her face.
“If that’s how you feel, I’ll take it as a debt… and pay it back.”
“Sure, do as you wish.”
Kraush simply respected her will.
[ Why can’t you leave the girls alone? ]
And once again, somehow, he received some blame.
So much so that even Astria looked at Kraush with a slightly concerned expression.
Kraush felt thoroughly wronged.
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