### Chapter: 220
The Saintess with No Limits
After Astria pulled off that ridiculous stunt, Kraush hadn’t seen her until the day he left Freeman.
As a side note, the rampaging Astria bolted right after. From then on, whenever she thought she might run into Kraush, she would make a hasty retreat, rendering themselves powerless in the situation.
Given her impulsive actions, it was no surprise that she felt incredibly embarrassed about it.
‘For someone who’s so embarrassed, she sure went and did something reckless.’
Kraush felt a mix of disbelief as he considered his lips. He could still feel the sensation of her sudden kiss lingering.
Before his reincarnation, Astria hadn’t been this aggressive.
Kraush recalled a key difference between this cycle and the last.
Sure, a lot of things had changed.
But in terms of relationships, there was a notable difference.
‘… Engagement?’
Kraush remembered his engagement that was still intact.
Originally, when he and Astria started getting close, he had already broken off his engagement.
It was a bit further down the timeline, but either way, he had already ended things with Bianca.
‘If that’s the case, then I should see less of this kind of situation… right?’
Kraush thought getting married to Bianca would solve most issues.
However, looking at Astria, he began to feel that wasn’t the simple solution he had hoped.
[People naturally become more fervent when faced with walls they can’t overcome.]
Kraush decided to ignore the unnecessary ramblings from Crimson Garden.
Well, it was time to head back now.
The disaster had gotten so big that the gods’ festival had been cut short and wrapped up early.
Sure, the citizens were feeling a bit let down, but it seemed like the gossip train was running on high with everyone busy chatting about the latest developments in their homeland.
When Kraush was packing up to leave, there was a knock on his door.
Knock, knock—
Kraush heard someone at the door of the room he was staying in.
“Come in.”
He didn’t know who it was, but he told them to enter anyway. To his surprise, the person who walked in was someone unexpected.
A woman in priestly robes with striking blue hair.
The youngest cardinal, Mirae Beakis.
She had come to visit Kraush.
Kraush looked at her in mild confusion; after all, he couldn’t see a reason why she would seek him out.
At the same time, he noticed what she was holding in her hands.
“What’s that…?”
“Lord Kraush, this is a gift for you from Freeman for resolving this situation.”
A look of disbelief spread across Kraush’s face.
That’s because what she was presenting him was utterly absurd.
“A holy sword?”
One of the ten legendary swords and a treasure of Freeman.
Mirae was offering it to him.
“What’s going on?”
Freeman must have deemed it necessary to utilize Kraush for this situation, especially considering they couldn’t afford any missteps in the newly established religious revolution.
Kraush wasn’t about to voice any complaints about it.
After all, he had played his part in using Freeman too.
Yet, he never expected they would gift him a holy sword.
Seeing Kraush’s reaction, Mirae held back a small smile.
“I suppose they really just want to hand over the symbolic weight of Freeman to you.”
Mirae had stood against the opposition alongside Kraush to protect Astria.
While this could be seen as going against her father, it was also acting based on her own beliefs.
‘Symbolism.’
What Freeman truly desired was for Kraush to wield the holy sword, one of their symbols, and create a lasting legend.
‘Quite crafty, aren’t they?’
With this, Freeman could milk the connection between Kraush and the holy sword for the next century.
“Even if it’s a religious revolution or a new religion, it’s ultimately operated by the same people. The methods and means don’t really change.”
To Mirae, there didn’t seem to be much difference between the opposition and the current royal family.
Kraush observed Mirae, then quietly asked, “Is it okay for you to say that?”
She was after all part of the Holy Kingdom of Freeman.
Her actions from earlier likely put her under some scrutiny.
“It’s fine. As long as you accept the holy sword, all will be forgiven,” she added.
“You’re quite cunning, Cardinal Mirae.”
“I take after my father.”
Her smile bore a close resemblance to Tersada.
Kraush momentarily gazed at the holy sword he was holding.
It was white, a different meaning from the Heavenly Sword, and it had golden embroidery.
Moreover, the holy energy radiated powerfully from the sword.
“The one who wields the holy sword can use divine power effortlessly. If you infuse the sword with your aura, it will be transformed into divine energy,” Mirae elaborated.
With her additional explanation, Kraush truly sensed the value of the holy sword.
Divine power is second only to aura when it comes to combating the force of World Erosion.
It was a power bestowed by the gods, separate from the skills borrowed.
That divine energy was now entirely embedded within the holy sword.
‘Isn’t this akin to a skill as well?’
A skill that was bestowed not to a human but to a sword.
‘Wait a second…’
Kraush clenched the hand not holding the sword.
Could it be that the holy sword would be immune to the Black Hood?
‘There’s a chance.’
Although Kraush had the aura that was the strongest force against World Erosion, divine power was a separate vessel.
It was a form of divine power that functioned like a skill.
‘If I could feed it to the Seasons…’
Maybe he could expand the size of the vessel too.
[Are you cooking up another wild scheme in that head of yours?]
Crimson Garden, sitting on the table, posed the question.
Kraush remained silent and sheathed the holy sword at his waist.
It was worth a shot to experiment with.
After all, it was a legendary sword among the ten.
From Kraush’s perspective, it wasn’t something he strictly needed, but the holy sword would serve as the perfect bait to draw out the Crimson Witch, Adela.
‘It was a weapon used by Aria.’
Adela, who loved everything Aria possessed, wouldn’t want to miss out on it.
Kraush decided to hold onto it just in case something came up.
“There’s a saying that the holy sword may grant you opportunities to meet the divine. Surely, as you wield it, good fortune and divine protection await you, Lord Kraush.”
Mirae gave her blessing as best as she could as a cardinal.
“I won’t forget the life I owe you.”
Kraush chuckled at the Dark Witch’s servant talk.
Both of them had managed to end things on a neat note.
“Well then, I’ll see you soon at the Academy.”
With her final farewell, she took her leave.
As she mentioned, they would surely meet again at the Academy in no time.
Packing up, Kraush stood and decided to rejoin Aslan.
Receiving such an unforeseen gift from Freeman was quite beneficial.
With that, Kraush opened the door and stepped out.
Outside the window in the hallway, autumn leaves were slowly beginning to emerge.
The gods’ festival was supposed to start when September rolled into October, marking that October had already arrived.
‘Is it already fall?’
So much had happened in such a short time.
‘My growth rate has accelerated too.’
After enrolling in Rahern Academy, Kraush had experienced tremendous growth.
Of course, it felt like it was a grueling march that involved plenty of sacrifice of flesh and bones.
But he had finally reached a level where he felt he could maintain some confidence.
‘Still, I can’t shake the feeling of being insufficient.’
That feeling was triggered because of the last battle where he had to face off against honing.
He had sustained injuries that barely amounted to burns.
Even though honing was renowned as one of the strongest under Ixion, it still hit him hard.
‘Not letting me rest on my laurels, huh?’
Though it hadn’t spread far across the globe, Ixion was still active in various regions.
From what he understood, honing had stolen something none other than the design for the Holy Grail.
What his intentions were with it, Kraush couldn’t say, but it was easy to tell they were no good.
‘Insufficient.’
Kraush’s eyes flared with malice once more.
Despite being at a position well above his peers, excluding Charlotte, he still felt a thirst for more.
‘It’s time to advance again.’
Kraush knew the limits of his own abilities.
So the only way to get stronger was to steal something using the Black Hood.
It was just as Kraush was about to take a step forward.
In the direction of the garden by the Freeman shrine, a woman in strange attire with long black hair was gazing at fallen maple leaves.
For some reason, Kraush couldn’t tear his eyes away from that spot.
At the same time, a memory flickered through his mind.
It was during his time in the infirmary at Rahern Academy.
On that day, he had been feeling miserable, cursing reality after an exhausting training session due to his lack of talent.
“Treating yourself like that is only going to make it worse, you know?”
She had appeared from the window.
With the sun behind her, casting shadows on her pale, white face, she wore an inexplicable cold smile.
“No, maybe it’s already too late to treat it and I’m just destined to suffer.”
Her words felt as if she could peer deep into Kraush’s soul.
The girl he saw back that day was now in the Freeman garden.
And in the very garden that was said to be often visited by the Pope.
As if she had been there countless times before, she seemed quite familiar with the scenery.
Kraush’s gaze grew wild.
Naturally, one could see why.
He knew exactly who she was.
The nameless goddess who had given him the skill, Black Hood, when he was a student at Rahern Academy.
The girl with a different contract style compared to the other gods was standing there.
Why?
Just then, that thought crossed his mind.
At the same time, Mirae’s words had echoed back to him.
“The holy sword may bring about opportunities to meet the divine.”
Could it be because of the holy sword?
He couldn’t be sure.
Yet, Kraush was in possession of the Black Hood, and he had never met that nameless goddess before.
Perhaps that was what drove him towards her, given that he hadn’t seen her since that day.
Kraush found his legs moving toward her before he even realized it.
As he stepped into the garden through the window, she finally turned to face him.
With her otherworldly pale complexion, she recognized Kraush immediately.
And slowly, a smile spread across her lips.
That smile was so stunning it could blind anyone looking.
“Have the scars healed a bit now that time has passed?”
Then the next words froze Kraush in place.
The nameless girl, the deity who gave Kraush the Black Hood, knew about his reincarnation.
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