Chapter 21
As Darling Danphelion cleaned up the shards of the “Becoming a Woman” potion, she presented a different vial to Kraush Balheim.
“This is a transformation potion. The effects last a week, and it’s a newly crafted special edition, so don’t worry about being hit by magic or doping.”
Given she had just smashed one vial, it was unlikely she’d present him with the same potion again.
Kraush accepted the vial and examined its contents.
“Is this for disguising my identity?”
“All you have to do is register as a commoner from the kingdom, that’s it.”
She could have spared him the theatrics from the beginning!
“Just so you know, the appearance is based on a mental image I conjured up, thinking of your persona as just a kid.”
Even if Darling was spewing nonsense, Kraush didn’t mind.
It seemed perfect for use during the martial arts tournament.
‘Things are looking up.’
He needed to absorb more of the world’s erosion to utilize the Extreme Blood Needle technique effectively.
The lawless area between the kingdom and the empire was rich in world erosion. He could swing by there when time allowed.
“By the way, do you have any confidence in placing in the top three?”
At that moment, Darling asked with a sly smile.
Kraush, once mocked as Balheim’s dimwit, was now the one being prompted to place highly in a massively contested tournament.
Narratively speaking, it felt absurd.
Especially if Kraush was still the same as before.
“The participants in the tournament are just those who haven’t been accepted into Rahellen Academy yet.”
Those who were already confirmed for Rahellen Academy wouldn’t bother competing; they would be training for the tests set by the academy.
What was unfortunate was that few participants would have contracts with gods due to this scenario.
‘There aren’t that many who sign contracts with gods anyway.’
Balheim was drastically outstanding in that regard, while common families saw one in five with such contracts.
So Kraush absolutely needed to make it to the academy.
‘That place is filled with those with skills.’
And more than anything else…
“I’ll be 14 when the tournament happens.”
The martial arts tournament Kraush was set to participate in was for boys under 15.
He was still 14 years old.
“I won’t lose to kids.”
No matter how talented they were, his experience gap could still overpower them.
Anix had certainly fallen short against Kraush, after all.
Kraush had confidence that he could best anyone, provided they weren’t as talented as Charlotte from the Sky Generation.
“Of course, I’m the same age. But I’ll be 16 soon. I’m not a kid anymore.”
Darling, with her eye makeup now slightly heavier, shot a wry smile, proclaiming her adulthood.
Kraush could only view her with pity.
Only kids took pleasure in becoming adults.
In that sense, Darling was still very much a child.
“That’s enough. It’s time for you to go.”
“Aww, but I want to play some more since I came all this way.”
“Now that you’re about to be an adult, what use is it to play with kids?”
“You’re using that against me?”
During the banter between the reluctant Darling and the pushing Kraush, the door they were chatting by creaked open.
As Kraush turned his head at the sound, he saw Bianca Hadenhartz standing there.
Perhaps she had been sleeping; one side of her hair was slightly pressed down. She glanced at the pair before muttering softly.
“…An affair?”
Where on earth did she learn that?
Kraush silently thought that he needed to rein in the maid that often chattered next to Bianca.
＊ ＊ ＊
At the training ground of Balheim, Kraush stood with his sword ready, facing Crimson Garden August.
Although his eyes were closed, Kraush was absorbing more information through his body than he could with his sight.
He was tapping into his heightened sixth sense acquired through sorcery.
While still in its infancy, the sheer amount of information coming in was overwhelming compared to before.
At that moment, he sensed a presence approaching from his left ear.
Clang!
His sword, outstretched, rushed to fill the empty space.
There, a blade of wind had appeared.
However, remarkably, Kraush’s sword had already replaced that space before the blade of wind manifested.
Had his sword not moved before the wind blade could form, he wouldn’t have been able to stop it in the first place.
In the meantime, he sensed another presence from his waist.
Once again, Kraush’s sword quickly filled the gap, blocking the wind blade.
This was virtually a move close to foresight.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
And that movement continued.
Kraush’s sword interposed itself faster than the wind blades could form, a continuous cycle.
However, he found himself in a more precarious condition than when he was being attacked.
His breath became ragged, his arms trembled more vigorously than ever.
Sweat dripped from his body, threatening to plunge him into a state of collapse.
“Enough for today.”
As soon as he heard Crimson Garden’s voice, the wind blades halted.
Gah!
Kraush exhaled and collapsed to the ground.
Huff, huff, huff.
Desperately gasping for oxygen, Kraush opened his mouth wide.
Crimson Garden, watching this spectacle, couldn’t help but smirk.
“Your sixth sense, huh? This is amusing. The experience you’ve accumulated has formed quite an entertaining style of swordsmanship.”
What Kraush was currently doing was pushing his sixth sense to its limits to read the opponent’s intentions with the aim of preemptively countering them using the dull sword technique.
Even geniuses find it challenging to master such swordsmanship, yet Crimson Garden had noticed how well Kraush suited the dull sword technique during their training sessions.
“The dull sword’s first condition is that you must not be intimidated, and the second is that you must perfectly read your opponent’s intent. Those two are more important than swordsmanship itself. And both of those can only be honed through experience, not innate talent.”
Crimson Garden chuckled, playfully tapping Kraush’s head with her foot.
“You excel in that regard. You possess an innate knack for reading your opponent’s intent, allowing your sixth sense to merge with it, nearing something akin to foresight.”
Kraush’s only innate skill was his intuition.
The experiences he’d garnered alongside the Sky Generation and the endless world erosion shaped that talent.
This combination of three factors allowed Kraush to step into the realm of the dull sword technique.
It was undoubtedly a remarkable skill, but Kraush faced a significant flaw.
“However, with that pathetic body of yours…”
What good was it to have foresight if his body couldn’t keep up?
The dull sword technique took control of surrounding space by predicting every attack of the opponent.
While it might appear slow from the opponent’s perspective, the dull sword diligently gained control of all the opponent’s moves.
As a result, the opponent would ultimately find themselves helplessly watching as the sword tilted closer towards them over time.
That was the essence of the dull sword technique.
But if he couldn’t fend off the opponent’s attacks, all of it became meaningless.
The proof was that Kraush had over-strained his muscles to block the wind blades, resulting in his current state.
Kraush’s foresight couldn’t match his body’s capacity.
‘This must be what they call the gap in talent.’
Kraush had hardly any innate physical talent.
Fortunately, being from Balheim meant he was stronger and had better recovery abilities than others.
But that was average at best—geniuses typically retained those abilities naturally.
“That’s pathetic.”
After Crimson Garden’s brief assessment, Kraush raised his trembling arms and looked up.
“…One more time.”
“You don’t know when to quit, do you?”
Kraush’s fierce blue eyes sparkled brightly.
Despite having absorbed experience, sorcery, skills, and the world’s erosion, he had only reached this level.
Most people would eventually realize their limits and succumb to defeat at this point. But Kraush’s will showed no signs of breaking.
Watching this, Crimson Garden couldn’t help but smile.
“Which is precisely why I took you on as my apprentice.”
Though their contract had begun with a promise to grant him immortality,
Crimson Garden was increasingly growing fond of Kraush.
To her, talent meant nothing.
All that mattered was a fierce spirit capable of withstanding her training.
With just that, she could transform Kraush into the strongest fighter.
“But it’s only fitting to stop for today.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you say it was time to set out for the tournament?”
Upon hearing that she meant to end the training, Kraush furrowed his brow and caught on late.
As she pointed out, it was indeed the day of departure.
“Training is great, but as I see it, you need the elixir first. It’s vital to make that pitiful body of yours presentable.”
Kraush, hearing those words, begrudgingly stood up.
His legs and arms still quivered, but he pushed through it.
“Damn, I gotta hurry and get ready.”
Realizing he had wasted too much time training, Kraush hurriedly moved.
He quickly changed clothes, washed up, and arrived at the waiting carriage.
“Kraush!”
Just then, he came face-to-face with Aleriod, who was waiting in front of the carriage.
On the day Darling had brought the transformation potion, Kraush had immediately passed it to Aleriod.
At first, Aleriod had been puzzled, but upon recognizing it was a transformation potion, he took leave to seek his daughter.
The day after that, Aleriod had come to see Kraush, kneeling before him, thanking him tearfully.
He had valued his daughter so profoundly that he had contemplated betraying his master for her.
Knowing that his daughter’s illness had been cured was more than enough for Aleriod; he had no regrets about life thereafter.
“Don’t die on me.”
At this, Kraush had replied.
“I saved your daughter’s life, Aleriod, and you must stay alive until I grant you permission. That’s not too much to ask, right?”
The moment Aleriod heard those words, he bowed deeply before Kraush.
Embedding into his heart who his master for life would be.
‘That settles it.’
Kraush felt he could now erase from his memories the day Aleriod had died from poison.
While curing his daughter had been partly for Aleriod’s sake, it had also served to erase a vivid scene from his recollections.
By removing the first betrayal of his life, Kraush had found himself a bit more at ease.
“Take good care of Green Pine-gwan while I’m away.”
“Yes, I will ensure no one gets in, even if it’s you, Master.”
Hearing Aleriod’s firm promise, Kraush couldn’t help but smile.
That was enough determination for him.
Leaving Aleriod behind, Kraush approached the carriage.
Just then, he came face-to-face with a familiar figure in front of the carriage.
A girl with white hair.
Bianca Hadenhartz.
She stood there delicately, holding one bag in her hand.
“Kraush.”
As always, she called his name in her steady tone.
The reason she was holding the bag today was simple.
She was returning to Hadenhartz.
Her journey back to Hadenhartz was due to Kraush’s request.
She was off to gather one of the materials, the White Snow Yeast, that Darling had suggested.
With her status, it wouldn’t be too hard to procure.
“Since it’s been a while since you visited your hometown, it’s okay to rest well while you’re there.”
After all, he would take quite some time to return himself.
But Bianca shook her head.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“Soon, huh?”
For Bianca, Green Pine-gwan was her home now.
Understanding the meaning behind her words made Kraush chuckle softly.
Her treatment in Hadenhartz wasn’t too pleasant.
Being cursed diminished her value as a noble.
And considering Kraush’s lack of talent in Balheim, he also counted as the most worthless dimwit.
In a way, like Kraush, Green Pine-gwan might very well be the one place where Bianca could feel at ease.
Kraush reached out and gently patted Bianca’s head.
Her white hair flowed under his hand, feeling quite satisfying to stroke.
“I’ll be right back too.”
Oblivious to his growing fondness for Bianca, Kraush said this.
Meanwhile, Bianca opened her bag.
What emerged from it was a lunchbox.
“Eat this on your way.”
He had wondered where she had been wandering yesterday, and it turned out she had been preparing this.
“Who made this?”
“Ellie did.”
Well, that made sense.
It seemed Bianca’s maid, Ellie, had been whispering something to her.
Kraush had thought to silence that maid before, but it seemed that was futile.
“I’ll eat well.”
Accepting the meal prepared by Bianca brought him joy, especially since he felt peckish after training.
“Goodbye, take care!”
Bianca departed after Kraush.
As he saw her off, he boarded the carriage, promising to return swiftly.
As the carriage began to rumble and set off, Kraush gazed back through the window at Bianca, who stood quietly.
He realized he wouldn’t get to see that familiar face for a while.
“You look so regretful. Do you fancy that girl?”
At that moment, Crimson Garden’s voice slipped in through the window.
“It feels like having a younger sister for the first time in my life. I’m probably just anxious.”
Kraush felt the difference in his relationship with Bianca compared to the past.
He held onto many personal regrets as well.
“Tsk tsk, having a younger sister when you’re engaged? Let’s see if you can cuddle while uttering the term ‘younger sister’ at the same time.”
“If you spout nonsense like that, I’ll pluck every feather off you.”
Giggle, “Do you even think you can catch me?”
Seeing Crimson Garden, who was playfully displaying her vulnerability by preening her feathers, Kraush could only click his tongue.
Instead, he opened the lunchbox.
Inside, he found sandwiches and a colorful salad.
It felt efficient, as one would expect from Bianca.
‘Nice.’
As Kraush bit into the sandwich, he recalled Bianca’s penchant for sweet flavors.
He should probably get some chocolate on his way back from the empire.
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