### Chapter: 227
After a spontaneous training session near Rahern Academy’s mountains, things turned out to be much worse than expected.
The reason? A certain pair of siblings.
Originally, the goal was to descend the mountain before sunset, which would have been a victory condition. But these siblings had different plans—namely, to knock their opponents out.
Without a hint of hesitation, they plunged into battle, resulting in the downfall of the Lion’s Order members.
Kraush took down the first-year members, while Charlotte obliterated the second-year members.
The two of them elegantly descended the mountain, soon facing off against the waiting students from the Unnamed Academy and the Theology Hall.
Upon seeing the aftermath, the Theology students hurriedly began their ascent. They needed to heal those injured by the siblings.
“You really did a number on them,” Astraea said, looking at Kraush with wide eyes filled with shock.
The first-year members knocked out by Kraush were sprawled in hospital beds.
But Kraush couldn’t exactly help it.
Charlotte’s followers were on another level, both in skill and tenacity. They charged at Kraush, burning their very souls in the process.
For instance, the honorary vice-captain, Cromos, was in such a state that he attempted to lift himself with a stone pillar despite having two broken legs. It was like something out of a horror story.
Kraush had no choice but to fight back.
When the opponent was bringing their A-game, he couldn’t exactly hold back, either.
“Besides, I wasn’t the only one,” he added, slightly awkward, including Charlotte in this mess.
While the first-years were certainly a wreck, the second-years weren’t in a much better state. Karanidis was in the worst condition.
Her bones and muscles were shattered and twisted, making it almost impossible for her to move. They had to deliberately piece together her bones to treat her.
“She’s… looking pretty rough,” Kraush said, surprised by Karanidis’s state.
Just then, Charlotte came over and casually dropped this bombshell.
“It’s surprising, really.”
Kraush was taken aback more by Charlotte’s words than Karanidis’s condition. It was exceedingly rare for Charlotte to compliment someone.
‘What on earth happened?’ Kraush wondered.
Karanidis, now recovering more quickly, approached him.
“She… fought till the very end,” Haring said, rubbing her injured arm as she looked at Karanidis.
Even when everyone else had retired, Karanidis’s punch had somehow landed on Charlotte.
Haring clenched her fists, recalling that moment.
Karanidis’s persistence had surpassed even her limits.
“She’s working hard just to be next to Kraush,” Haring pointed out.
“…”
Kraush turned to look at Karanidis.
In his memories, Karanidis was just a girl who chased after Arthur, infatuated with him for rather selfish reasons. She even got harshly treated by Abella, the red witch who genuinely loved Arthur.
But even so, Kraush remembered her tenacity.
“I’ve never regretted the effort I put into becoming Arthur’s wife, not once,” she had said, her eyes shining despite his cold refusals.
“I’ll love Arthur to the very end. That’s just who I am.”
Even not being the chosen one, she was adamant about giving her all.
‘What was Karanidis’s ending like?’
Kraush couldn’t recall Karanidis’s final moments.
Of course, he couldn’t.
She hadn’t belonged to the Sky Generation back then.
Her skills were decent, but the direction she pursued was different from who she was now.
‘She was definitely trying to become the King of Poseus.’
If she trained to belong to the Sky Generation, it would hinder her path to Poseus’s throne.
While she wasn’t incompetent, her talents fell short when compared to others in the Sky Generation.
So, Karanidis couldn’t do both.
Either she would strive to become the King of Poseus or work to fit into the Sky Generation.
She could only choose one to devote her life to fully if she was to barely reach her goals.
So, she gave up on the Sky Generation.
Arthur didn’t want Karanidis who belonged to the Sky Generation; he wanted Karanidis who ruled Poseus.
But that too had crumbled when Poseus fell to the War Erosion.
Her end must have sadly coincided with the day the Poseus kingdom fell.
After that day, Kraush never saw her again.
‘Had Poseus not fallen…’
Perhaps she really would have become the King of Poseus.
Kraush looked back at Karanidis.
Despite being a complete mess due to injuries, she had finally received treatment thanks to Astraea and was now sleeping soundly, dreaming colorful dreams.
Unlike when she had sought to become the King of Poseus to be chosen by Arthur, she was now obsessively honing her skills.
At this rate, she was keeping up with Haring’s relentless training.
Kraush knew very well how hard she was working.
He also understood who had influenced her direction.
It was none other than himself.
Karanidis wanted to be beside Kraush.
To accomplish that, she trained fiercely.
Somewhere deep inside, she had realized that the person Kraush wanted was someone who was strong enough to belong to the Sky Generation.
Even if her reasons might seem shallow, to her, it was love. It was genuine.
“K-Kraush, sir.”
In that moment, Karanidis opened her eyes.
When their gazes met, she beamed brightly.
“I hit Charlotte! Just one punch!”
She proudly proclaimed, recounting her little feat.
Kraush couldn’t help but think of the usual cocky Karanidis, sporting a slightly smug expression.
How could one hate someone like her?
At least Kraush didn’t dislike people like her.
In fact, he liked her.
Unbeknownst to her, Karanidis began to notice that fact, perhaps realizing it.
Kraush couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
Arthur had never fully accepted Karanidis.
Perhaps he had known all along that she could never reach the throne of Poseus.
After all, Poseus was among the first kingdoms to fall at the hands of the War Erosion.
So, Arthur had made no significant investments in her.
Despite knowing this, she still aimed to be with him, desperately wanting to be a queen.
And look at her now.
Now, she was striving to stay beside Kraush instead of Arthur.
This time, she was putting in far more effort than anyone else.
Even though Kraush didn’t pay her much attention.
For just a brief moment in Kraush’s mind, a vision of Karanidis, sword drawn, trying to protect the crumbling Poseus emerged.
An unrecognized supporting character in a play.
Yet, this supporting character had once again picked up the sword she thought she had forgotten in pursuit of becoming king and stood against the War Erosion to protect Poseus.
Karanidis Poseus was that kind of person.
Kraush momentarily regretted not witnessing that side of her.
Surely, Karanidis’s end had been much more brilliant than anyone else’s.
Slowly, Kraush lifted his hand.
Subsequently, he gently patted the head of Karanidis, who was now completely lost in thought.
In that moment, Karanidis froze, unable to understand what just happened.
She looked at Kraush with a blank expression as she processed his warm touch.
“Good job.”
This time, Kraush didn’t use honorifics as he usually did with Karanidis.
However, Karanidis, who understood what it meant, gradually widened her eyes.
Kraush’s face, smiling sweetly at her, seemed to be a different side than she had normally seen.
Her healthy complexion flushed red instantly.
“U-uh, eep.”
Suddenly, she began to splutter like a machine gone haywire.
Without thinking, she pulled the blanket over her head, shyly hiding her face.
After all, this was her first time feeling this way.
Despite her usual boldness, today, she couldn’t meet Kraush’s gaze.
Unbeknownst to her, her heart was fluttering uncontrollably.
Kraush eventually lifted his hand away from her head.
While he thought it might be sacrilege to pat a princess’s head, this level of affection seemed acceptable.
“Get well soon.”
Kraush decided to leave, allowing Karanidis some rest as he turned to exit the infirmary.
Haring, who had been trailing him, caught sight of Karanidis, now hiding under her blanket.
Knowing quite well what kind of reaction she would have, Haring mused.
“…Rival.”
She recalled the conversation she’d had with Karanidis earlier.
The number of women surrounding Kraush had notably increased.
Karanidis was definitely included among them now.
Soon enough, she would probably become quite the formidable rival.
With those thoughts in mind, Haring stepped outside, resolved not to stagnate herself.
*
Following the training, there was a noticeable change within the Lion’s Order.
Their training schedules intensified beyond previous levels.
The reason was simple.
They were all ticked off for having gotten completely wrecked by the siblings.
Before sharing their admiration for Charlotte and Kraush, they were warriors wielding martial powers.
Naturally, losing made them furious, and all that energy translated directly into training.
Hence, strange rumors began circulating at Rahern Academy.
Lion’s Order members were showing up in disheveled states at the dining hall, quickly eating, and then leaving.
It sounded like some sort of creepy urban legend.
Yet, among the students preparing for the upcoming competitions, this was no laughing matter.
“The Lion’s Order is training?”
And of course, Sigrid was one of those students.
She was the third princess of the Empire, Sigrid Ephania, leading one of the student groups, the White Ghost.
Due to the unruly nature of the Sky Generation, she had been having a tough time managing her training and grimaced upon hearing the news.
Her grunt of disapproval reached her loyal confidant, the black-haired twin of the snake, Tai Popoa, who bowed his head.
“Yes, they had a picnic in the mountains, returned injured, and their methods have become more rigorous.”
“…A picnic?”
Sigrid frowned, her earlier expression twisting into irritation.
There wasn’t anything special about the mountains they visited.
What could possibly have boosted their morale?
‘The Lion’s Order can’t be that cohesive.’
Considering Charlotte’s free-spirited nature, she usually neglected the Lion’s Order.
As a result, they didn’t have a strong internal bond among them.
With such a leader, it was hard for them to come together.
But upon hearing the report, it seemed surprising.
They had suddenly rallied together.
‘Ah, the Sun-Bright Lair was there.’
They had formerly followed Charlotte as a close-knit group.
However, even excluding Charlotte, the first-years had been eclipsed by the White Ghost.
With Sigrid actively recruiting members, the White Ghost included the most Sky Generation members.
‘The problem lies with the second-years.’
Thanks to Kraush, the second-year class had too many gathered from the powerful Sky Generation.
In reality, it wouldn’t be wrong to say the strongest members among the second-years had all boasted within the Lion’s Order.
Although Sigrid was doing her best to attract second-year members, she still fell short against the Lion’s Order.
On top of that, among the second-year members of the Lion’s Order was a fake Arthur.
It seemed like he had entered with the intention of gathering intelligence.
Still, being part of the Lion’s Order, he couldn’t afford to slack off.
“Geez.”
Sigrid clicked her tongue in annoyance.
For an instant, her thoughts flew to Mary.
She had been someone who, if nothing else, ensured the group’s power was solid.
If she had been around, their second-year strength wouldn’t have been so dramatically insufficient.
A fleeting look of regret crossed her face.
However, she quickly brushed that thought aside.
She was well aware of the weaknesses Mary possessed.
‘It’s fine. I found a substitute anyway.’
Sigrid turned her head to look out the window.
“Glen should be back by tomorrow.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Upon hearing her white-haired Tai Popoa’s answer, she smiled.
The strongest spear she had created to substitute for Mary was soon to be revealed.
‘It’s enough to make up for the lacking second-year strength.’
The White Ghost would definitely win the tournament.
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