### Chapter 340
Kraush emerged from the great sea, finally making his way back to dry land after a series of twists and turns.
Soaked to the skin and panting, Kraush caught sight of waves crashing in the distance.
Seated atop those waves was a familiar figure.
Kraush’s face turned pale at the sight.
His expression twisted in horror as he recognized the man – it was none other than the Sea King, Dino Bardon, who had orchestrated all of this.
Dino rode the waves effortlessly, landing gracefully on the sandy beach in front of Kraush.
With a mischievous grin, he looked at Kraush.
“Well done bringing the egg!”
To Kraush’s surprise, he noticed Glide, equally drenched, dangling from Dino’s waist.
Glide, looking all limp and defeated, barely met Kraush’s gaze before quickly looking away.
He must have confronted the sea dragon to create a chance for Kraush to escape.
But come on, the sea dragon was the ruler of the ocean!
Even the greatest talents among the Sanctuary of Stars wouldn’t dare to mess with him.
It was clear that for Glide, a contender for the Ten Great Lords, facing the sea dragon head-on was a tall order.
“I didn’t really get hit,” Glide insisted, sounding defensive.
Judging by his drenched state, that was probably true.
Still, it seemed like he had a hard time getting out of the situation.
“Were you just standing by and watching?”
“Of course! It’s a test!” Dino replied, quite cheerfully.
Kraush had suspected they wouldn’t just let him and Glide go.
He hadn’t anticipated that Dino would be stealthily following them all along.
“Guess that’s why you’re the Sea King.”
Kraush finally understood why even the Sanctuary’s strongest would steer clear of Dino in the depths of the ocean.
“The results of the test are clear.”
Dino grinned as he glanced at the egg in Kraush’s hand.
Kraush looked down at the egg, then back at Glide, who managed to free himself from Dino’s grip and squeezed out the water from his clothes, meeting Kraush’s gaze as he did so.
“I’m not particularly fixated on my position,” Glide stated.
As long as he could deal with the world eroders, he was fine with it.
Even when his name was floated among the contenders for the Ten Great Lords, he hadn’t felt the need to take any drastic actions.
And now, it was no different.
His interest in participating this time was solely because of his curiosity about Kraush that his mother mentioned.
Now that his curiosity was satisfied, he had no further interest in the Ten Great Lords.
“Kraush Balheim.”
Dino called out, like he was sealing a deal.
Kraush looked up at him, and Dino’s wide smile beamed back.
“I officially recognize you as one of the Ten Great Lords.”
Dino’s recognition was a big deal, meaning Kraush needed just four more endorsements to earn his place among the Ten Great Lords.
[ Three of those four are already guaranteed, right? ]
As Crimson Garden pointed out, the Emperor was determined to nurture Kraush, who was engaged to Sigrid.
Kraush was aware of the Imperial family’s secrets—and he had resolved them as well.
And it turned out, the royal family was in on Kraush’s secrets too.
The best way to keep secrets safe is to keep them close.
Therefore, the imperial family was hell-bent on tying Kraush to the Empire in any way possible.
As such, the ten candidates within the Empire, including the Poison King and the Demon Lord, would have to recognize Kraush as well.
The Poison King had no choice but to acknowledge Kraush, especially because of Haring.
Similarly, the Holy Kingdom of Freeman’s Sword King was doing the same.
The Sword King was promoting Kraush as Freeman’s new hero.
He even had the Holy Sword handed to him right away.
The Ten Great Lords would surely provide their approval to foster their own champion.
Then, it would be down to just one more recognition from among the Ten Great Lords.
And honestly, that last one wasn’t too tough to obtain.
After all, there was already one contender from Balheim.
‘Ten Great Lords, huh…’
Kraush lowered his head, contemplating his new title as the Sword Dragon King.
“Thank you.”
Becoming one of the Ten Great Lords was a goal Kraush had set for himself.
Dino’s acknowledgment would serve as a significant stepping stone towards that goal.
“Glide.”
Kraush called out to him.
“Zodiac Cloria, who has mastered the skill Umbra, might be targeted by Ixion.”
Mentioning that, Kraush noticed Glide’s eyes sharpen.
“Is that because of the news I shared earlier?”
“Exactly. If Ixion knows about it, they’ll likely aim for Umbra, considering how crucial it is for their plans.”
“But even Locke is still figuring out Ixion’s plans.”
Glide pointed out sharply, clearly intrigued by how Kraush seemed to know so much.
Kraush shrugged.
“Ask the Empress.”
Or you could just ask your mom.
With that, Kraush turned away.
He was done sharing information for now.
With plenty of tasks ahead, Kraush was eager to head back.
He needed to figure out how to use the Aura for his plans and confirm Zodiac Cloria with Umbra.
There were so many things to do.
‘Speaking of which, what about Karandis?’
He had promised to resolve the issue with his engagement himself.
Not sure if she was okay with that.
＊ ＊ ＊
Inside the bathroom of Poseus Royal Palace,
Kraush was attempting to wash off the fatigue from his recent ordeal.
Ideally, he would have headed straight to Rahern Academy, but there was no way he could jump into a carriage totally drenched.
So upon returning, the maidservants of the kingdom did their best to treat Kraush well.
‘Feels like the treatment is strangely more elevated. Must be my imagination.’
Kraush chuckled quietly.
A nagging sense of unease began creeping in.
Amidst the busyness of things, he felt it might be best to leave sooner rather than later.
“Kraush!”
He called out for Crimson Garden while wetting his hair with hot water.
[ Yes, I’ve relayed your message. ]
Crimson Garden promptly responded.
The Seira from the World Erosion Exploration Team.
And among them stood Princess Seirang Seira.
Kraush needed to discuss a certain skill with her.
Hence, he had conveyed his intentions through the servant, Mirys, of the Crimson Garden.
“We’re scheduled to meet soon.”
Soon enough, he’d be on his way to meet with Seira.
“As for Zodiac Cloria…”
He recalled how Zodiac Cloria, once part of the White Ghosts during his time at Rahern Academy, had returned directly to his family after graduation.
‘The Cloria family is tasked with protecting an independent city.’
They weren’t quite at the level of a kingdom but had enough standing to be recognized as a city.
That’s who the Cloria family was.
Though not affiliated with them, one of the Ten Great Lords resided there.
This person had once been the legendary Durandal, who began martial arts at a late age.
As Kraush pondered, a lightbulb moment struck.
‘Wait a minute.’
He pressed his chin thoughtfully.
He recalled hearing of the Cloria city from another source.
‘…Isn’t that where Abella was born?’
Kraush had initially overlooked this because, during the time he knew Abella, she had already become the adopted daughter of Igrit’s family.
He hadn’t been close enough to Abella for hometown stories to surface.
Thus, the thought had only just crossed his mind.
‘Maybe I can pick up some clues related to Abella.’
He had never visited Cloria.
That outlying city vanished in an instant, with no chance for him to explore.
If an opportunity arose, however, he might as well investigate.
[ Not yet. It’s a frontier city, so arranging personnel is taking time. Same goes for the Gardeau girl. ]
Kraush felt he’d appreciate it if Crimson Garden stopped with the ‘Gardeau girl’ references, but he nodded in acknowledgment.
With any luck, his uniform, thanks to its automatic recovery feature, would be pristine now.
Deciding it was time to head back, Kraush stepped out, drying himself with a towel as he opened the bathroom door.
No one was in sight since he had told the maidservants not to bother him in the bathroom.
Kraush quickly got dressed.
Just as he opened the door, a familiar presence caught his attention, prompting him to peek through the gap.
“Karandis.”
When Kraush called her name, the woman leaning against the wall looked up at him.
It was Princess Karandis Poseus, the ninth princess of the Poseus kingdom, standing there dressed in the same attire as Kraush.
When their eyes met, Karandis beamed back at him.
“I wonder how it feels for a bride waiting for her husband to get cleaned up?”
Kraush raised an eyebrow; was that some nonsense?
He realized the significance of her school uniform.
“Did everything go well?”
“Of course!”
Karandis formed a peace sign with her fingers.
“Who do you think I am? I’m an expert in this area. Even my father can’t stop me!”
She had changed her fate to marry someone from the Starlon noble family.
Kraush admired her perseverance and ruffled her hair.
“Good job. I knew you would pull it off.”
Her surprise at his praise was evident as she fumbled for words.
“Uh, thank you?”
Her face flushed, and she stumbled over her words.
Kraush, with his warm demeanor, made her heart race uncontrollably.
It all began that day during the practice for the Student Showdown when Kraush acknowledged her after she clashed fiercely against Charlotte.
From then on, Karandis felt her heart beat wildly every time Kraush was gentle with her.
Kraush had always recognized her efforts.
She was a born striver.
Despite being the ninth princess, she had continuously given her best effort.
However, not many had acknowledged her hard work.
No matter how hard she tried, she was often dismissed as “just the ninth princess.”
They’d say, “What could she possibly achieve as the ninth princess?”
But Kraush had looked straight into her eyes, appreciating her dedication.
With that recognition, Karandis felt invigorated to push herself even harder.
She actively took part in rigorous training, honing her skills.
Kraush’s praise filled her with immense pride.
But lately, every time he was tender with her, aside from the joy, she’d also felt embarrassment and confusion brewing inside her.
‘How I express my love…’
Karandis felt she was veering off from the way she had imagined her husband would be.
Supporting him from the side and looking up to him should be the duty of a wife.
That was how she understood things.
But ever since meeting Kraush, she sensed a different interpretation brewing within her.
‘Calm down, Karandis.’
She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.
She hadn’t come to gain recognition from him.
She had work to do.
“Kraush.”
Kraush turned to look at her.
Karandis placed her hand over her chest and continued.
“As I mentioned earlier, I’ve deliberately become your lover to reject the royal family’s orders.”
Kraush had indeed heard that already.
The only thing that made sense for Karandis to resist the royal family’s coercion was that assertion.
“This means I might be using you, Kraush. And I can understand if that would upset you.”
Determinedly, she went on.
Kraush listened quietly to her words.
“So I want to give you a heads-up. I’m going to get stronger from now on. Even if I can’t become one of the Sanctuary of Stars, I’ll strive to be among the Ten Great Lords. I’m committed to putting in the effort.”
Karandis genuinely intended to work hard.
Kraush could agree with that notion wholeheartedly.
“So, until I become one of the Ten Great Lords, can I keep this position as your lover?”
While positioned as Kraush’s lover, the Poseus royal family wouldn’t dare touch Karandis.
Having the youngest contender for the Ten Great Lords as Kraush’s companion would yield endless advantages for the royal family.
With Karandis by his side, her value would skyrocket once she ascended to the Ten Great Lords.
Thus, the Poseus royal family would indeed have to respect her wishes.
Kraush calmly regarded Karandis.
She bowed her head quietly, waiting for his response.
After a brief silence, he replied,
“Alright, let’s go with that.”
Kraush gave a nonchalant answer, as if it were no big deal.
Karandis lifted her head in surprise.
Little did she expect him to agree so easily.
“Thanks to you, Karandis, I managed to wrap up everything with Poseus this time. This is my way of repaying you.”
He articulated this as gratitude for the assistance he received from Poseus.
Kraush turned to leave.
“I’m heading back to Rahern Academy now. Let’s go.”
Karandis, feeling sentimental, bit her lip tightly before dashing forward.
She then quickly wrapped her arm around Kraush’s.
The soft sensation on his arm made Kraush glance back, catching Karandis smiling widely.
“Now we’re officially in a relationship, right? We should at least lock arms to avoid gossip from the Poseus royal family!”
“You…!”
“Remember what you said before? ‘Don’t keep pushing against my chest. My arms are getting tired.’ That kind of talk is off-limits now that we’re lovers.”
She was actually remembering that?
Kraush sighed, realizing she was putting on a façade of happiness to mask her earlier distress.
“Only until we leave the palace.”
“Deal. I need to make sure everyone knows I’m your girlfriend before that!”
Karandis’s determination flared up.
Kraush decided not to argue, realizing this was just how she was.
Yet, little did he know, he underestimated Karandis’s ambition.
Before he could react, Karandis was already standing on her tiptoes, leaning in.
As Kraush froze at the soft contact against his cheek, he found Karandis grinning widely back at him.
“And just so you know, I’ll become your wife before you become one of the Ten Great Lords! Keep that in mind!”
Karandis’s quest to seize his love was far from over.
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