Chapter: 166
“Again.”
“Ughhhhhhh!”
Just like any other day, Bioren stomped away in frustration, turning her back on him.
Kraush watched her retreating figure thoughtfully.
‘She’s finally got it together.’
Kraush had an exceptional knack for reading people.
Perhaps that’s why, as the goal of creating a barrier began to seem within reach, he noticed Bioren was falling into a void of emptiness.
Bioren would soon become an essential force in the Sky Generation.
Kraush pondered how to help her set her own goals and move forward.
His conclusion? A clue about her mother, the barrier magician.
Kraush knew Bioren wanted to meet her mother without even realizing it.
‘If it’s something personal like this, she should naturally push herself forward.’
It seemed that ever since he provided her with that next goal, the emptiness on her face had greatly diminished.
Thanks to that, her progress on the barrier accelerated.
With a new target in mind, Bioren no longer feared failure and could churn out results efficiently.
Kraush relaxed his neck a bit.
If that’s the case, he wouldn’t have to fuss over Bioren too much.
[Seriously, do you really think things would flow this smoothly?]
At that moment, Crimson Garden chimed in.
“What’s wrong?”
[I’ve already set her life goals twice. And yet, the minute things go wrong, she could fall into a burnout state, unable to do anything.]
Crimson Garden clicked their tongue, as if exasperated with the situation.
[Of course the next goals, the third and fourth, will also be similar. She’s likely relying on you again.]
It felt like she had foresight into the future.
[You’re going to end up completely dependent on her. What were you thinking?]
Kraush pondered those words carefully and tilted his head.
“Well, I guess I’ll just have to help her.”
[Sometimes your naivety is infuriating.]
That was quite harsh, to say the least. For some reason, even the body of a dead rat in Kraush’s pocket nodded in agreement.
“Kraush! Great job at training today!”
Just then, he was met by a familiar face that popped up beside him.
With healthy skin and bright red hair, it was Princess Karandis Poseus, the 9th princess of the Poseus Kingdom.
As she leaped toward him, Kraush instinctively stepped back.
She waved her hand in the air, looking disappointed as she gazed at Kraush.
“I was just trying to offer you a towel! Why are you dodging me?”
In her hand was indeed a towel, as she claimed.
However, Kraush responded sarcastically.
“I can handle my own sweat.”
“Such modesty!”
She was quite the brazen girl.
In the meantime, Kraush turned his head and spotted Haring walking out.
Upon meeting his gaze, she flinched and immediately averted her eyes.
Then, almost as if fleeing, she dashed out of the training ground.
Ever since the incident with the Poison King, Haring had been acting like that.
So much so that they hadn’t exchanged a single word since.
With her constantly avoiding him, there was nothing he could do.
“Kraush, what happened between you and Haring?”
Karandis slyly asked, showing she was aware of the situation.
It was no surprise she would pry; she always did when Kraush was around.
“Nothing serious.”
Kraush rubbed the back of his neck.
The Poison King was pushing for a betrothal, placing responsibilities on Kraush’s shoulders.
Haring would have been overly concerned about that, as she absolutely hated causing trouble.
‘We need to talk about it sometime.’
“Hmm, really? Oh, by the way, I submitted an application to join the Lion’s Order, but for some reason, it hasn’t been processed. Could you mention that to Charlotte?”
“I’ll pass it along.”
Kraush gave a disinterested response.
Regardless, Karandis’s unwavering determination refused to dim.
“Speaking of which, midterms are coming up soon. Do you feel confident about getting first place again?”
The word ‘midterms’ reminded Kraush of Mary.
‘She hasn’t been around lately.’
Kraush’s gaze turned distant.
Mary was definitely going to take a gamble in this midterm.
She was cornered now; it was her last chance.
‘And that fake Arthur…’
Kraush kept an eye on the movements of the fake Arthur.
However, the fake’s actions were decidedly lackluster.
It practically felt like he was just sitting back and watching everything unfold.
‘What’s he thinking?’
Still, Kraush had plans. After this midterm, he was going to actively draw out the current Arthur.
That meant there were things he needed to do beforehand.
‘It’s soon.’
An unavoidable incident was going to transpire in this midterm.
‘Sigrid will definitely be involved in that incident.’
A huge scandal would erupt during the first-year students’ evaluations.
A horrifying case where a commoner professor at the academy, who was being disregarded by noble students, committed a series of murders.
Due to this incident, Rahern Academy would be shaken significantly and become a pawn in political power plays.
Arthur was the one who caught the serial killer later, but it was after four victims had already fallen.
That was when Arthur became an object of respect among his peers.
And Sigrid would surely try to leverage that incident.
It was a golden opportunity to stamp their authority firmly in the center of the Sky Generation.
‘Sorry, but…’
Kraush quietly rolled his neck.
‘I won’t let that happen.’
He also knew he shouldn’t be the one to step in.
It wouldn’t mean anything for a noble like him to intervene against a commoner professor.
If he stepped in, it would only escalate the conflict between commoners and nobles.
So,
“Felray.”
Kraush called out the most suitable person for the job.
Just then, Felray was passing through the hallway.
“Kradd! Oh, Kraush!”
Felray’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of him, and his face broke into a bright smile.
Feeling like he just spotted a big, fluffy dog, Kraush clapped Felray on the chest, leaving Karandis in the dust.
“Last time, you got your body pulverized. You doing alright?”
“Thanks to you, I’m just fine.”
After the chaos in Hardenhartz, Felray had truly been a mess.
He had to spend quite some time in recovery.
In fact, Kraush’s speed at recovering was unusually quick.
Usually, they’d need this much downtime.
That’s why today was the first time Kraush had seen Felray since Hardenhartz.
“Kraush, is this person…?”
Karandis, feigning ignorance, asked what was already common knowledge.
Seeing her sparkly eyes, it was clear she recognized Felray’s significance.
After all, in this world, commoners outnumbered nobles.
Felray was dubbed the hero of the commoners, standing at the center of those countless folks.
In other words, having him by one’s side meant enjoying immense support from the common people.
While the dimwitted would fail to appreciate that value and belittle Felray, the smart ones had long recognized it.
As a testament, Sigrid always kept Felray close to her side.
“This is Princess Karandis Poseus. This is Felray.”
Right away, Felray performed a formal greeting.
The naive country boy who used to be in his own world seemed to have sophisticated himself over time.
It looked like he must have received quite the education in Rahern Academy over the past year.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so pleased to meet you! I heard you’re the hero of the commoners? I heard amazing things about you during your mission with Kraush!”
“Not at all. That title is way too much for me.”
Karandis beamed at Felray, whose face turned awkward as he glanced at Kraush.
Then, when Karandis met Kraush’s eyes, she quickly cleared her throat and stepped aside.
“Um, I’ll take my leave now. You two can talk.”
Watching Karandis swiftly exit, Kraush turned back toward Felray.
Felray read Kraush’s gaze and waited for him to speak.
“You seem to have more questions in mind.”
As soon as Kraush opened the conversation, Felray stiffened.
After all, he’d learned that the squad from the Empire participating in the martial arts tournament was directly connected to the Holy Royal Family.
He would have a lot to ask.
But Felray shook his head.
“You answered the question about whether we could meet at the academy. That’s enough.”
Kraush observed Felray closely.
Yeah, this was his character alright.
A faint smile crept up Kraush’s face.
“Speak freely.”
“Oh, but…”
“Is it necessary for me to show up as Kradd before you can relax?”
Kraush pressed his fingers against his closed eyes, causing Felray to slowly smile.
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
“Alright, Felray. Now that we’re friends, I have a favor to ask.”
“Uh, what?”
Felray was taken aback; he hadn’t expected a request to come his way this quickly.
Yet, maybe it was just Kraush’s nature to not be trivial about his requests.
Felray straightened his posture, composing himself.
“What is it?”
A sharp one, isn’t he?
“There’s this associate professor at the Magic Academy named Jenikallen.”
Felray tilted his head, as if he had never heard that name before.
“Within the students, there are bullies who constantly extort, hurl insults, and physically attack him just because he’s a commoner.”
Kraush watched as Felray’s expression tightened at the next words.
“I’d like you to step in and put a stop to that.”
“…Kraush, the reason you’re not handling this yourself is because of your status.”
Hearing Felray, Kraush looked at him quietly.
“Felray, does being a hero of the commoners weigh heavily on you?”
Felray always found it tough being known as the hero of the commoners.
Yet, he continuously pushed himself to meet everyone’s expectations.
That’s why it had led him to fall apart as he sought hope that would inspire others.
Kraush was well aware of this fact.
“Huh, you must be feeling the pressure of everyone having high hopes for you. The commoners are probably staring hard at you.”
Felray turned away, his lips slightly pressed together.
At just 16 years old, a year into adulthood, it was a heavy burden for him to carry.
That’s why Felray was hesitating about the request.
He wanted to help the professor out of pure intention.
Yet, he feared that confronting noble kids would only invite harm to the other commoners.
“If it’s that hard, then stop trying to meet their expectations.”
Felray raised his head in response to what Kraush said.
His expression showed he was confused about what that meant.
“And just do what you can.”
“What I can do?”
“You’re fantastic at meddling in other people’s affairs. Remember how you tried to pull me out of the Raven Squad?”
“That was…”
Felray’s face flushed red as he covered it with his hands.
That was a slip of the tongue for him, given he didn’t even know Kraush’s true identity.
“Back then, you were like that. And right now, in my eyes, you haven’t changed much.”
Felray never had to act like the representative of the commoners or worry about others’ judgment.
“Just be yourself.”
Felray was someone shone brightest when he acted authentically.
Kraush’s words struck directly at Felray’s heart.
No wonder he had always felt so awkward under the expectations of being a representative of the commoners.
“That’s what looks best on you.”
Kraush smacked Felray on the shoulder.
“Do your best with what you can do. I’ll be doing my best with what I can do.”
Let’s both give it our all with what we can do.
“I can handle what you can’t, and you can handle what I can’t, right?”
With that, he spoke to Felray as if declaring them equals.
It’s a completely different sentiment compared to how Sigrid always treated Felray like a subordinate.
“After saving my life once, I ask for just one small favor.”
That playful request was evidence of that new dynamic.
A snicker escaped Felray’s lips unexpectedly.
For some reason, it felt like a long-stuck knot in his heart was finally loosened.
“Fine! I’ll be myself.”
The reply struck the perfect note.
Kraush waved his hand lightly as he brushed past Felray.
The hero of the commoners, Felray.
He could not wait to see him shine as he truly deserves to.
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