Chapter 18
Immortal.
Crimson Garden August.
Kraush had, in fact, attempted to steal her immortality a long time ago.
But it wasn’t entirely his intention.
“Arthur.”
He had been commanded by Arthur to confront Crimson Garden.
However, Kraush had failed.
It was all due to the one and only dial created to steal her immortality.
The condition was simple.
“You must be stronger than Crimson Garden August.”
And Kraush couldn’t meet that singular requirement.
At that time, he was merely a stubborn lump of a curse.
Arthur had placed her in a volcano, chopped into pieces, without a second thought, even if Kraush couldn’t steal her immortality.
He added that she would melt and regenerate there for eternity, living a never-ending life.
“That bastard Arthur must have wanted me to absorb that unending curse.”
It was then that Kraush could display such an attitude.
Kraush now looked at the current Crimson Garden before him.
After he showcased his skill, she remained frozen in silence, unable to utter a word.
And why would she?
That skill was the only method that could erase her curse-like immortality.
After a while of silence, Crimson Garden opened her mouth again.
“What are the terms of the deal?”
And for the first time, her eyes shifted to seriousness.
The mockery she exhibited just moments ago had vanished entirely, replaced by a sincere gaze as she looked straight at Kraush.
She desperately wished to erase her immortality, no matter the cost.
“Help me become stronger.”
And Kraush immediately voiced the core of the deal he had thought of from the beginning.
Kraush had certainly become stronger.
And he would continue to grow stronger.
He would steal more skills, master techniques, and ultimately become a formidable powerhouse.
But that was merely the realm of genius.
Kraush was well aware of how powerless genius could be in the face of destruction.
Geniuses change the world.
However, they cannot protect it.
The world needed someone beyond genius.
Thus, Kraush was willing to use any means necessary.
Even if the one before him was a world eroder, he planned to devour everything in his path.
Crimson Garden was a powerful force, comparable to Arthur in terms of the minions she wielded.
With her help, he could surely become stronger than he was now.
“I have no intention of going down with this world.”
To be honest, Kraush found the world to be a pain in the neck.
Born a loser, he endured endless suffering only to be backstabbed by his supposed allies.
Part of him wished for it all to collapse.
But despite that…
This was the world in which he lived.
Without the world, he would not exist.
It wasn’t about caring for others.
He fought to prevent destruction solely for his own survival.
Thus, Kraush dug deep and persevered to avert that dread of annihilation.
This was Kraush Balheim.
An despised loser.
“This is the condition to erase your immortality.”
To unlock Crimson Garden’s dial, he needed to become stronger than her.
Whether that strength was merely visible or a perception she held was still uncertain.
But the dial had presented that requirement.
In a way, Kraush and Crimson Garden shared similar goals.
If Kraush became powerful, the conditions of the dial would be fulfilled, allowing him to seize Crimson Garden’s immortality.
Thus, Crimson Garden also had a stake in making Kraush strong.
“Is it a condition set upon the skill?”
“Yes. If you don’t meet that condition, I can’t take your immortality either.”
Listening to Kraush, Crimson Garden crossed her arms and regarded him.
‘Not a lie, then.’
After all, a regressor wouldn’t propose such a deal without thought.
‘“Make me stronger.”’
Laughter escaped her lips, somewhat bewildered.
Did this kid even understand what that entailed?
Becoming a disciple of a dragon king!
‘…Well, rather than chasing futile upgrades to world erosion, nurturing something tangible right in front of me could be a good move.’
The one who could kill her.
She was the one who had purposefully investigated to find that individual, raising the levels of world erosion.
Yet now Kraush stood in front of her.
“If you’ll erase my immortality, I’d sell my soul.”
Disciples didn’t matter to her now.
A mischievous smile spread across her face after a long time.
“Fine. If that’s the condition, I’ll help you grow. I’ll elevate you to the pinnacle of strength in this world.”
Seeing Crimson Garden brimming with confidence, Kraush exhaled in relief.
He then stood, extending his hand.
“Then let’s get along well, Crim.”
“What? Kid? What did you just call me?”
“Crimson Garden is way too long, isn’t it?”
Crimson Garden wore a look of pure astonishment, but Kraush remained unfazed.
‘I thought I was the only one who called her Crim.’
She hadn’t anticipated this nickname to resurface in this world, and after a sigh, she clenched her fist.
“Call me Master.”
Then, she whacked Kraush’s head, as a teacher would.
＊ ＊ ＊
Never in a million years had Kraush expected to get a head smack. He later completed his investigation with Crimson Garden’s minion.
Still feeling the sting in his head, he leaned back against the carriage window as a red bird tapped its beak against the glass.
The vibrant red bird boasted a black star on its neck.
When Kraush opened the window, the bird hopped onto his shoulder.
“Crim, isn’t your color a bit too eye-catching?”
As soon as he called her Crim, the bird attempted to peck him on the cheek.
This was another one of Crimson Garden’s minions sent to him.
“Don’t worry. I can change colors whenever I want.”
As she said this, Crimson Garden transformed her feather color to black.
“How’s that? I matched it with your stupid hair color. You’re like a crow.”
“Thanks for the compliment. Crows are smart.”
“Yeah, and deceivingly dark, just like you.”
Kraush seriously considered cooking this feathery creature.
“So where’s the original?”
Sending a minion meant her original body was somewhere else.
So when Kraush inquired, she plucked one of her feathers.
“You know the answer.”
“What about that regressor situation?”
As expected, Kraush was aware of her original being trapped in slumber someplace in this world, eyes closed.
Her only escape was to erase her immortality.
It was why she desperately wanted to do so.
An eternal slumber could be worse than death itself.
That’s why Crimson Garden commanded the greatest number of minions among the world eroders.
Through their eyes, she could witness a reality beyond mere dreams.
‘Yet she achieved combat power on par with Arthur through those minions.’
Of course, during that process, her minions had all died off.
If anything, her original form might not even be as strong as Arthur.
‘In the end, she was chopped up and dropped into the lava. But who really knows?’
The carriage began to jostle.
Finally, it had begun to move.
Goodbye to that dreadful family estate.
He wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon.
‘Though I’ll eventually have to visit when my father returns.’
But until then, it was goodbye.
After about four hours in the carriage, Kraush finally arrived at Green Pine Hall.
Having been gone for just a few days, he felt as if he were returning home when he spotted something white waddling towards the carriage.
In that instant, he imagined a little white chick.
But that chick was none other than Bianca.
She approached Kraush as he stepped down from the carriage and said,
“You’re back.”
Was she out to greet him because they were engaged?
From the way she tightly clutched her book, it seemed she’d heard him coming and hurried out.
Still expressionless, Bianca circled around Kraush.
Watching her behavior, Bianca nodded.
“You didn’t get hurt.”
“Did you want me to?”
“I heard it was dangerous.”
“So you were concerned for me?”
“You said you’d hurry back, but a few days passed.”
“I did my best to get back quickly.”
It seemed Bianca understood, nodding in acknowledgment.
Kraush thought her expression appeared a bit more stoic than usual today.
“So, have you been?”
Just then, Aleriod greeted Kraush.
“Yeah, no trouble at Green Pine Hall?”
“Aside from a letter for you, nothing much.”
“A letter?”
When Kraush showed his intrigue, Aleriod promptly pulled out the prepared letter.
Upon seeing the letter’s seal, Kraush instantly recognized the sender.
There was only one female who would leave a lipstick mark on a letter.
“Darling.”
Darling Danpellion, a future matriarch of the alchemical family.
It hadn’t been long since he visited the Star Sanctuary.
Why would she contact him so soon?
Kraush opened the letter and scanned the contents.
Moments later, he wore a flabbergasted expression.
“So, I’m still a loser, huh?”
The message detailed how she had concocted a remedy for the color-changing disease and was soon coming over.
To create an antidote in such a short time frame…
Kraush turned to Aleriod.
“Looks like this is good news for you.”
“Huh?”
Considering Aleriod had a daughter afflicted with the color-changing disease, Kraush said that and neatly folded the letter to pocket it.
“Expect a guest soon. When Darling Danpellion arrives, let her in.”
“Yes, understood.”
Though Aleriod was somewhat perplexed, he immediately bowed his head, showing his professionalism.
That was precisely why Kraush wanted him by his side.
Meanwhile, he still noticed Bianca gazing at him with wide eyes.
“Kraush, were you very worried?”
In the meantime, Aleriod slipped a secret message to Kraush.
“Bianca was worried about you.”
“Worried? That Bianca?”
He could hardly believe that.
While they had grown close since his return to the past, it didn’t mean she would actually worry about him.
“When you got caught up in the world erosion incident, she even considered heading to the family estate.”
Hearing that, Kraush realized she was genuine.
Emotionless or not, she still could feel concern.
“Then again, it’s more of a cognitive matter than an emotional one.”
Reflecting on it, he noted that it had been quite some time since he had checked Bianca’s dial.
Surely, by now they might be friends.
Kraush decided to activate the Black Hood ability.
At that moment, the dial appeared before him.
With bleary eyes staring at the dial, Kraush suddenly widened them.
“The first dial has unlocked!”
The long-blocked first dial of Bianca had finally opened.
Kraush looked back at Bianca’s impassive face.
It seemed he had finally become somewhat of a friend to her.
All that time spent looking out for her paid off.
Only one dial remained.
With that, Bianca would soon regain her emotions.
For some reason, Kraush felt uplifted and reached out to pat Bianca’s head.
At that, she gazed back at him, utterly confused.
However, she didn’t seem to mind and stayed still.
“Bianca, is food ready?”
“Not yet.”
She should still be growing, yet here she was starving herself.
“Aleriod, prepare something tasty.”
“Yes, understood.”
As he watched Aleriod rush off to prepare, a crow-like figure of Crimson Garden landed on Kraush’s shoulder.
Seeing this, Bianca’s eyes widened slightly.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce. Meet the new family member.”
Kraush, noticing the twinkling in Bianca’s eyes, lowered himself to give Crimson Garden a better view.
Then Bianca carefully raised her small hand to stroke Crimson Garden’s feathers.
“…So soft.”
Crimson Garden didn’t seem to mind the affectionate touch from Bianca.
“What’s its name?”
Surprisingly, Bianca didn’t appear to be curious as to why he had brought a crow.
Had Bianca always been an animal lover?
Watching her ask the bird’s name, a mischievous smile broke across Kraush’s lips.
“Crim.”
Of course, it remained a secret that he had gotten pecked on the head once again.
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