### Chapter: 208
September.
It’s the time when the second years who enrolled in March pass their final evaluations to join the student factions.
During this time, the students of Rahern Academy are incredibly busy.
The second years have to actively search for their factions, while the first years scramble to catch any advantageous members they can.
The student factions are based solely on results.
Factions without achievements receive warnings of dissolution, so securing talent is essential for them.
Therefore, right now…
“Hey second years, how about joining the Divine Sect? Want to get a taste of divinity?”
“Commoner’s Crew! Join the Commoner’s Crew where you can act without caring about your status!”
“If you’re aspiring to be a magician, join the Magic Academy. This is for those aiming to be genuine wizards!”
Each group was out there shouting their slogans, promoting themselves everywhere.
Thanks to that, students heading to class from the dormitory were bombarded with advertisements daily.
“Youth, huh?”
“Is that really what you want to say?”
Kraush turned his head at the jibe coming from the side.
There stood a girl with hair the color of sunlight, giving him an exasperated look.
Saint Astrea Stigma Freeman.
After finishing with Veltoa, Kraush had collapsed soon after.
Even though he had subdued the powers of Aura and World Erosion, his body still needed recovery.
Eventually, Kraush reached his limit and was sent to Rahern Academy, receiving treatment under Astrea’s watchful eyes.
“But I kept my promise, didn’t I?”
“Well…”
When Kraush said he would prioritize finding Astrea if he got hurt, she sighed deeply and pulled up a chair to sit.
“That aside, wouldn’t it be natural to be concerned if you showed up injured?”
“I apologize for that too.”
“Why do you keep coming back in worse shape? With your skills, you should be able to take most hits without getting hurt, shouldn’t you? Lately, it seems you’re injuring yourself rather than getting hurt by others.”
Astrea, not knowing where Kraush had been, looked at him questioningly.
If she found out he’d just had a clash with a 9-star Erosion creature in the Kingdom of Jeblam, she would likely scream.
“I guess I’m weaker than I thought.”
This was Kraush’s genuine feeling too.
Ixion was on the move.
They would be spreading World Erosion here and there, gathering their strength without anyone knowing.
“And eventually, they’ll reach the Kingdom of Jeblam.”
When that time came, he would have to face Ixion in a full-scale battle.
Kraush felt he was still lacking to deal with them.
“Though having gained the seasons, my capacity has definitely increased.”
That thought of being insufficient seemed unavoidable.
[Sounds like obsessive-compulsive disorder.]
Crimson Garden bluntly pointed it out, and as she said, it could indeed be a kind of obsession.
He believed that unless he became stronger, he wouldn’t be able to stop the world’s destruction.
“After all, even Heaven’s Sword couldn’t ultimately protect the world.”
From Kraush’s perspective, craving strength was unavoidable.
“Not to mention the royal palace matter.”
Right now, the 4th princess Sigrid Ephania was busily trying to set up a meeting with Emperor Dalphron Junon at the royal palace.
To deal with that situation, he needed to at least be strong enough.
“Abella is undoubtedly tied to the royal palace and Ixion.”
There was a high chance he would face her again.
Even though she had a mind-numbing obsession with Aria, her magical prowess was undoubtedly the best in the world.
“Abella wouldn’t let that slide.”
Thus, it was necessary for Kraush to train in preparation for that.
“You aren’t still off thinking about other things, are you?”
At that moment, Astrea poked Kraush’s shoulder.
She looked miffed, having caught him lost in thought.
Now that he thought about it, there was indeed something going on in that regard.
Kraush briefly checked the time.
“Astrea, the Festival of the Gods is coming soon, isn’t it?”
“Hmm? Yes, it is. That’s why I went to Freeman the other day, to prepare for the festival rehearsal.”
As summer ends and autumn begins, it’s the season to give thanks to the gods for this year’s harvest.
This annually held festival was slated to take place in Freeman again this year.
“I didn’t expect Cardinal Mirei Beakiss to end up in such a predicament while I was away for just a moment.”
The incident involving the Magic Tool maker Rona Imblize and Cardinal Mirei Beakiss becoming a thrall to the World Erosion and the Black Witch.
As the incident was uncovered, it became known that the Black Witch exploited the cracks in people’s minds to create thralls.
Thanks to this, a thorough search for the Black Witch was initiated.
After all, brainwashing is a dangerously potent power.
Thanks to that, even the Black Witch’s movements were limited.
No matter how powerful she was, she couldn’t act freely if the whole world was up in arms searching for her.
For the time being, other World Erosion creatures would likely take action instead of the Black Witch.
“And right after returning, you’re already diving into work.”
“Can’t really deny that. You’re the only one I can count on to help resolve this.”
“Well, if that’s the case…”
For some reason, Astrea’s mood seemed to improve.
‘This guy’s emotions keep flipping back and forth, don’t they?’
With thoughts on whether a saint would be okay, Astrea cleared her throat.
“So, I have something I’d like to ask you because of that.”
“What’s up?”
“You’re aware they’re treating you like a hero in Freeman, right?”
Of course, Kraush knew that.
They were desperately trying to cover up the story from Mirei’s side by building him up.
Kraush hadn’t particularly stopped it either.
The more his reputation rose, the more Ixion would hesitate to touch him.
Most importantly, rising in value would make it easier to stand at the center of the Sky Generation.
“So, there’s talk about inviting you to this festival. Since you’re the new hero Freeman’s put forth. They even mentioned contacting the Holy Royal Family.”
Despite Kraush being hailed as a hero, they seemed to want to seek approval from the Holy Royal Family first, just in case they crossed their nerves.
The Holy Royal Family probably wouldn’t hesitate to give the green light.
After all, they are firm believers in meritocracy.
Despite the constant tension around the ruler’s position within the Holy Royal Family, ultimately, merit was everything in this world.
Thus, there was no reason to refuse an opportunity that could enhance the reputation and achievements of the direct line.
“So, what do you think?”
Astrea casually looked at Kraush, testing the waters.
Her eyes held a faint hope that Kraush would agree to join her at the festival.
Kraush, heralded as the new hero.
He had already been marked as a promising power to lead the next generation.
Freeman would want to actively use him.
In that case, they would want to keep him close to Astrea, who acted like the face of Freeman.
That way, they could shine a light on the relationship between the saint and the hero.
Astrea was aware of this fact and subtly suggested it to Kraush.
“The Festival of the Gods…”
Kraush thoughtfully drummed his fingers as he crossed his arms.
He glanced at Astrea.
The reason Kraush even brought up the Festival of the Gods was more than just casual talk.
After all, he knew what would happen during this festival.
‘It’s the time when the Paladin Diona Stella and the opposition will rise in rebellion after the Festival of the Gods.’
Typically, this is when Paladin Diona would aim to break the chains of confinement around Astrea.
However, the world had changed drastically now.
Astrea had somewhat broken free of her cage.
She had even negotiated directly with the Holy Royal Family regarding the Holy Grail.
Meaning, Diona had no reason to join hands with the opposition.
‘But the opposition will still exist.’
The opposition has always been uneasy about the very existence of a saint.
Saints are nothing more than a publicly created artificial figure by the Holy Royal Family to symbolize only Freeman.
According to their claims, the saint is guilty of sacrilege against the divine.
They argue that they should erase the saint from this world and establish a true doctrine that follows God’s will.
‘God’s will, my foot.’
It’s laughable to venerate those who couldn’t do anything even when the world was crumbling.
Kraush didn’t hold much love for God and the Holy Kingdom, but Astrea was different.
He owed her his life before his regression.
He vividly remembered how she poured all her holy power into him and then perished.
‘Even if Diona wasn’t part of the opposition, they would make their move.’
This meant that with Diona out of the picture, Astrea could potentially be targeted by them.
It was something Kraush could never allow.
“I’ll go with you.”
“Really?”
Astrea’s face lit up in an instant.
She was overjoyed that Kraush agreed to join her.
“Of course, I promised I’d protect you before. I’ll make sure you can move around freely at the festival.”
“You’ve caught wind of the opposition’s news, haven’t you?”
Astrea seemed to be aware of the situation too.
“Diona tipped me off. She mentioned there’d been an approach from the opposition to her.”
“What did Diona say in response?”
“Well, she rejected it. Doing anything that could put her in a bad position would be risky.
But even without Diona, they don’t seem to have given up. Their goal is to overhaul the Holy Royal Family itself.”
Astrea sighed, looking slightly pained.
“And Cardinal Mirei Beakiss is involved in this too.”
“Mirei Beakiss?”
“That, according to Diona’s research, one of the epicenters of the opposition is Tersada Beakiss.”
Tersada Beakiss.
The Grand Archbishop of the Holy Kingdom, and a candidate for the next Pope.
He is one of the Ten Great Lords and holds the title of Saint King as well.
Being the father of Mirei Beakiss, he’s one of the pillars of the Holy Kingdom.
However, there was one problem with that.
Originally, Tersada Beakiss wasn’t part of the opposition.
For him to have aligned himself with the opposition now meant…
‘Things have changed.’
It’s possible that the incident involving the Black Witch and her thralls could have influenced this.
Tersada Beakiss might be dissatisfied with the Holy Royal Family after they attempted to execute Mirei Beakiss.
The Holy Royal Family and the church are separate entities.
This might be a plot to split them apart entirely.
The situation had become more complicated than anticipated.
“Thanks for sharing that with me.”
This was information Kraush wouldn’t have known without Astrea.
He thanked her, and she shrugged it off, pulling her chair a bit closer.
“So, you’ll be stepping up as my bodyguard, right?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone touch you.”
Kraush had grown strong enough to protect Astrea.
He reassured her, and she glanced around before inching her chair closer again.
“So… you’ll be coming alone then?”
“Well, yeah. Everyone’s busy.”
Everyone was in the midst of ramping up their training.
Kraush juggled both training and work, but most others were different.
Especially when it came to venturing into the Holy Kingdom.
For those not affiliated with the Holy Kingdom, it was quite the tricky situation.
Thus, Kraush was planning to operate alone this time, if possible.
“Alright, that sounds good.”
Satisfied, Astrea stood up from her seat.
She seemed particularly cheerful today.
‘Tersada Beakiss is part of the opposition.’
It seemed like quite a storm was brewing for Freeman.
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