Chapter 16
News of the annihilation of a mid-tier knight team and Belorkin’s death spread quickly throughout the Balheim estate.
This world’s erosion had manifested in bizarre symptoms, escalating in difficulty to a level 5, which left only Kraush Balheim standing.
So, where was Kraush right now?
He was none other than in the family estate.
I never thought I’d return here for such a reason.
Kraush had found himself a vacant room in the estate and was currently taking a break.
Later on, he was discovered by the purification squad and additional knights, in a state that could only be described as a drowned rat, utterly exhausted.
Consequently, he was moved to the family estate, which was closer than Green Pine Hall.
Thanks to this, he was resting at the family estate after a long time.
“This doesn’t make any sense! How, how could Master Belorkin die while some fool from Balheim is still alive alone?!”
“Mind your tongue! No matter what, Kraush is still a direct descendant of Balheim. Do you want to make it worse?”
In that moment, a voice echoed from outside.
The owner of the voice was none other than Belorkin’s personal attendant.
It seemed he couldn’t accept that Belorkin was dead and had careless shouted out.
Funny enough, some guys are praising Belorkin for being great even now.
According to the purification squad, this world’s erosion had indeed risen dramatically, now at a level 5.
Level 5 erosion was something an upper-tier expert would have to deal with to eliminate it.
Amid such chaos, Belorkin fought tooth and nail, inflicting significant wounds on the Celestial Demon with Ignis and ultimately bringing it down.
It was truly a noble sacrifice.
Of course, since it was termed a sacrifice, he couldn’t escape death.
He had succumbed to a curse due to the Celestial Demon’s final attack.
Belorkin had attempted to pierce his face with the sword containing Ignis for breath, but he was in too hazardous a state from injuries and had trouble breathing.
In the end, instead of his face, he only sliced through his poor body and died from the inability to breathe.
And who was the one to testify to his heroic sacrifice?
None other than Kraush.
It appears they all believe the testimony, so I don’t really have to care anymore.
Though he had killed Belorkin with his own hands, Kraush didn’t feel much guilt at all.
He consistently hated himself.
Until the very end.
Anyway, Belorkin was destined to die at the hands of family too. So it’s not like anything new happened.
After all, he still vividly recalled how Belorkin had been killed by Charlotte.
Speaking of which, why had Charlotte killed Belorkin?
Due to the consecutive curses and the injuries inflicted upon him by Belorkin, Kraush’s memory of that time was faint.
He thought perhaps Belorkin had done something to provoke Charlotte, just as he had done to Kraush.
By now…
He figured he was likely off on an expedition against the world’s erosion with one of Balheim’s five upper knight squads.
Nothing I need to worry about then.
In any case, Balheim was currently preparing for Belorkin’s funeral and was deeply engaged in investigating the anomalous situation surrounding the world’s erosion.
And he knew that until that investigation was complete, Kraush wouldn’t be returning to Green Pine Hall.
Now that I think about it, I told that guy I’d be back soon…
Rubbing his head, Kraush recalled Bianca.
She would do just fine on her own; he figured she was okay.
In fact, she might have already forgotten about him and was probably engrossed in reading books by now.
Anyway…
Kraush perched himself on the bed, raising his hand.
Then, just like during the black hood incident, he infused power into it, and flames erupted in his palm.
This was none other than the Ignis he had stolen from Belorkin.
After gazing at it for a moment, Kraush couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
He strongly felt that he had finally stolen a skill he had long desired.
Is this the second time, following Arthur’s regression?
The activation of the dial for stealing a skill from Belorkin had three conditions.
The first was the collapse of self-esteem.
That had been steadily built upon since yesterday evening, and Kraush’s final awakening had finally caused it to collapse.
The second condition was that the target must willingly pass some of their Ignis.
Kraush had directly received flames from Belorkin to face the Celestial Demon.
Thus, the second condition had been met.
The final third condition was that the target must perceive that ‘I’ could use Ignis better than they could.
Clearly, from the third condition, that ‘I’ referred to Kraush.
At that moment, Belorkin had seen Kraush’s single sword and concluded that Kraush handled Ignis far better than he ever could.
And at the instant when all the dial’s numbers aligned, Kraush’s black hood activated.
Belorkin’s Ignis was seized in an instant, then flames erupted from Kraush as a result.
This was the full story of how Kraush was able to steal Ignis.
Kraush was truly a rare breed, having drawn every circumstance to its conclusion to successfully achieve it.
Thanks to that, not only had Belorkin’s death been portrayed as a noble sacrifice, but the fact that Kraush had stolen the skill also remained under wraps.
I must not let anyone find out just yet, though.
No one should know that he could steal skills.
Curses were one thing, but the moment people found out he could steal skills, everyone would distance themselves from him.
There are still so many skills left to steal.
Ignis was only the starting point.
Therefore, Kraush had turned Belorkin’s death into his own self-destruction.
While generously passing on all the contributions of the world’s erosion to Belorkin.
Having confirmed Ignis, Kraush extinguished the flames.
He had gained quite a lot from this ordeal.
From obtaining Ignis to being able to use Extreme Blood Puncture Poison.
Not to mention, he had also confirmed the temporary measures regarding the Extreme Blood Puncture Poison.
However, what intrigued Kraush most was that Ignis had even ignited the power of world erosion.
Flare!
The moment Kraush summoned Ignis once more, what erupted from his hand was a black flame.
Black Flame
This was Ignis burning the power of world erosion that had settled within Kraush’s body due to Extreme Blood Puncture Poison.
The black flame felt far more dangerous than the usual aura flames.
The flames swelled with intensity, demonstrating considerable firepower.
Somehow, he had unexpectedly acquired a trump card.
All thanks to Belorkin.
However, there was still one more significant issue left unresolved.
The real reason that had bound Kraush to the family estate.
The bizarre symptoms accelerating the stage of world erosion.
As a result of this incident, personnel specialized in investigating world erosion had been dispatched.
This event was significant enough to warrant such action.
And they still haven’t figured out the cause.
Knowing the reason all too well, Kraush set down his sword and sunk into thought.
The reason for these bizarre symptoms was rather straightforward.
Immortal.
That fiend’s minions were on the move.
World Eroders.
They were beings born from world erosion, who bore a resemblance to humans.
They contained world erosion within them, and each one was composed of monsters at the master level and above.
Among them was the Immortal.
The one who could manipulate the most diverse types among world eroders as if they were his own hands.
Was it at this time that he deliberately began to elevate the stage of world erosion?
That guy had been up to strange antics, raising the stage of world erosion by two levels at a time.
This Immortal was still unknown to the world.
Of course. The one who revealed this was Arthur.
Through the memories of regression, Arthur had informed him about the Immortal.
The Immortal’s actions of raising the stage of world erosion had concocted numerous dangers.
So, Arthur had informed him about the Immortal and then killed him.
Ironically, while Kraush had begun to utilize the power of that Immortal…
Kraush could not let the Immortal be.
“Kraush.”
In that moment, a soft knock resonated against the door, prompting Kraush to promptly extinguish the black flames.
“Come in.”
As Kraush spoke, a woman entered the room.
As he saw her, Kraush tilted his head in confusion.
Her appearance was unlike that of a typical maid.
Wearing a veil adorned with the Balheim crest and a tightly fitted outfit with a blue cloak draped over her, she was none other than Valkyrie, a direct knight under Balheim’s matriarch.
Valkyrie, composed of elite members at the expert upper level, brought a puzzled look to Kraush’s face.
“What business does Valkyrie have with me?”
“Lady Aria Balheim is calling for you.”
“My mother?”
Aria Balheim.
She was the woman who married into Balheim after the previous matriarch passed, and she was the mother of Charlotte and Kraush.
And having given birth to a star like Charlotte, she wielded considerable influence, ranking just below the family head in Balheim.
Upon hearing her summons, Kraush felt a tinge of unease.
I thought the specialized investigation team, Sephira, would summon me first, but I can’t believe my mother did instead.
Kraush already had an inkling as to why Aria had called for him.
He knew her demeanor better than anyone else—after all, she was his mother.
“Okay, lead the way.”
“Yes, certainly.”
Valkyrie respectfully guided Kraush.
Following her, he saw the unfamiliar corridor stretch out before him.
This place, thick with the remnants of Balheim, made it abundantly clear that he was within the family estate.
And that fact unnerved Kraush excessively.
No one had as little connection to this place as he did.
Tap-tap—
“Lady Aria, Kraush has arrived.”
After a brief moment, Valkyrie paused before a door and knocked.
As she stood waiting outside, she caught a fleeting glimpse of the room appearing to be for receiving guests. But before the invite came from inside, footsteps resounded.
Thud!
And with the door swinging open, a fragrant aroma of cosmetics wafted through.
At the same time, there stood an absolutely dazzling woman, exuding a subtle blue glow, despite her considerable age.
The moment she saw Kraush, her eyes widened in surprise.
“Kraush!”
And shortly after, she rushed at him and hugged him tightly.
“My son! Did you think I wouldn’t worry about you after hearing you almost died?!”
Seeing her create such a fuss, Kraush couldn’t help but click his tongue in response, as if he had already guessed this would happen.
She was none other than Aria Balheim, the matriarch of Balheim.
The woman who was his mother.
“Mother, let’s head inside for now.”
“Oh, right! How silly of me! Come on in!”
With joy radiating from her, Aria ushered Kraush into the room as if it were her own.
Kraush couldn’t help but feel indifferent at her excitement.
If this had happened during his childhood, when he had been banished to Green Pine Hall and met his mother again, he would have burst into tears.
But alas, Kraush had already experienced far too much.
And he knew well what kind of woman Aria, standing right in front of him, was.
As the door closed, she hummed cheerfully while preparing tea.
Kraush, who stood without even sitting, asked, “Mother, what did you call for me?”
“Hmm? Well, I wanted to see your face since you came back from the dead.”
Hearing that, Kraush snorted for some reason.
If someone had just come back from the dead, a mother would be the first to rush to them.
Yet, she had done the opposite, calling him later with a relaxed expression.
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