Chapter 85
The members of the Verdant Blade Knight Order were on the brink of boiling over due to Kraush’s warning.
Just as they were about to shout something at him, a voice cut through their chatter.
“What’s all this commotion?”
The figure who spoke wore a black uniform tinged with green.
He had a noticeable scar across his nose and a thick black mustache.
Pulled down over his head was a beret, and he looked thoroughly displeased with the situation.
This was Lexus Vilter, the captain of the Verdant Blade Knight Order.
He glanced back and forth between the knocked-out knight and Kraush, his brows furrowing deeply.
“Did you lay a hand on my knight?”
Kraush maintained a disinterested expression.
This only made Lexus frown even harder.
“What on earth were you thinking? Speak clearly, or I’ll have to punish you severely.”
Meanwhile, Reblian could be seen running towards them from a distance.
Behind him was another figure, pale as a sheet—it was Vega, captain of the Blue Sea Knight Order.
A small pang of guilt hit Kraush, but there was nothing to be done now.
They really should have known better than to cross the line.
“L-Lexus Captain!”
“Vega Captain?”
Vega hurriedly called out to him, and Lexus looked confused.
It was strange for him to be this flustered over a scuffle between knights.
“Wait, wait, we need to talk for a sec.”
Vega tugged at Lexus’s clothing, emphasizing the urgency.
Seeing this, Lexus frowned and turned to Kraush.
“I’ll postpone things for now, as this is a matter between captains, but if you don’t explain yourself clearly, you won’t escape punishment.”
“Lexus Captain! Please, just stop!”
Vega was nearly in tears as he urged Lexus to back off.
Eventually, Lexus left looking as puzzled as ever, along with Vega.
“…Everyone, return to your posts.”
In the meantime, Reblian started dispersing the Blue Sea and Verdant Blade knights.
The members of the Verdant Blade looked utterly bemused.
However, they had no intention of crossing a noble like Reblian, the vice-captain of the Blue Sea Knight Order.
“Krad oppa.”
As Kraush casually fell in line with his group, Bianca looked up at him, holding his hand.
She gazed at him with her big eyes, fiddling with the hand she held, and spoke.
“You said you’d keep your identity hidden.”
“Well, that’s a secondary issue. I’ve no intention of putting you through that.”
Kraush was well aware that Bianca was trying to avoid that confrontation.
She didn’t want to put him in a difficult position.
However, Kraush wouldn’t go around hiding his identity at the expense of Bianca’s reputation.
It was just a matter of keeping her quiet.
That was exactly what the position was for.
Kraush didn’t pass the Valheim direct line examination for nothing.
Understanding his point, Bianca tightened her grip on Kraush’s hand, looking unexpectedly cheery.
“Everyone’s gathered now.”
Just then, a voice echoed throughout the area.
The chaotic atmosphere from before vanished in an instant, and tension grew among everyone present.
The knights quickly straightened their postures and inhaled sharply.
They all stepped aside to clear a path for her.
Amidst the neatly parted knights, the distinctive blue-tinted dark hair indicative of Valheim caught the eye.
Despite it being summer, her cloak was magically crafted, enabling her to wear it regardless of temperature.
Her long hair, fastened at the ends, fluttered slowly in the air.
With Valheim’s sharp, striking gaze and her cloak embroidered in the colors of the Star-Splitter Knight Order, her figure was undeniably impressive.
Yet, despite her beauty, no one dared to judge her looks in that moment.
It was Lilish Valheim.
She was Kraush’s second sister.
The Valheim direct line held a position of absolute authority within the Valheim Knight Order.
Moreover, she was the commander of the Star-Splitter Knight Order, a title she could claim solely through her skills.
Thus, from the moment she appeared, the atmosphere grew markedly solemn.
Ignoring the gazes drawn to her, Lilish strode forward with confidence.
Behind her followed the deputy commander and other members of the Star-Splitter Knight Order.
The energy radiating from their coordinated actions clearly marked them as formidable warriors.
All of them were above the Master’s initial stage, placing the Star-Splitter on a different level than the Blue Sea or Verdant Blade.
Before such a present force, even the members of the Verdant Blade Knight Order naturally felt intimidated.
Yet, just like with the Blue Sea Order, they wouldn’t dare speak against them.
One couldn’t assail the heavens, after all.
As Lilish passed directly in front of Kraush, her striking blue eyes momentarily turned his way.
Uptight—
At that moment, her steps halted abruptly.
When the members of the Star-Splitter Order, caught off guard by her sudden stop, also froze, Lilish’s gaze slowly shifted toward Kraush.
‘No way…’
Did she sense his disguise as Darling?
While Kraush didn’t necessarily need to hide his presence from Lilish, revealing his identity in such a public setting felt precarious.
After all, he had promises to uphold with the First Prince.
“Child?”
But Lilish was looking at Bianca, not Kraush.
Seeing the distinctly younger girl holding Kraush’s hand among the other knights drew her curiosity.
“She’s my sister.”
Realizing that Lilish hadn’t recognized him, Kraush spoke in Bianca’s stead.
Lilish cast a brief glance at Kraush before rummaging through her pocket.
What was she up to? She pulled out a piece of candy wrapped in paper.
Without warning, she handed it over to Bianca.
“Candy, want some?”
Bianca glanced up at Kraush.
She was silently asking for permission to take it.
Kraush nodded.
At his approval, Bianca took the candy from Lilish, bowing her head slightly.
“Thank you.”
Lilish gave a brief nod and resumed walking.
Kraush followed her with a somewhat incredulous expression.
‘…Did Lilish like children?’
He never would have imagined her carrying candy around.
Considering they had hardly ever spoken, how could he know?
All he ever saw of Lilish was from a distance.
“Krad oppa. That person…”
“Yeah.”
Kraush lightly nodded in response to Bianca’s question.
“She seems nice,” she chirped.
As she said this, Bianca unwrapped the candy Lilish had given her and popped it into her mouth.
The fact that she received candy from Lilish, while everyone’s attention was squarely on them, made her remain unfazed—it was just like her.
“And she has a different vibe from the other sister.”
Bianca must have been referring to Charlotte.
Indeed, Lilish had a markedly different energy compared to Charlotte.
Charlotte was flamboyant and free-spirited.
In contrast, Lilish was calm and dutiful.
‘After all, we’re of the same bloodline…’
It was surprising how they could differ so much.
“Captains!”
“Here!”
As soon as Lilish appeared, Lexus and Vega hurriedly approached her.
Since she was leading today’s operation, it was only natural.
“Have you checked the numbers?”
“Yes, you can enter right away.”
“Go, Daphre.”
Lilish didn’t bother with lengthy explanations and promptly called out for the Valheim mage.
In response to her summons, the spatial magic circle in front of her began to glow.
The image faintly projected from the circle showed it linked to another location.
“Everyone, follow in order.”
As Lilish stepped inside, the captain of the Star-Splitter and the knights quickly followed suit.
“Reblian, vice-captain.”
Meanwhile, as the members of the Verdant Blade followed suit, Kraush approached Reblian.
He leaned in and quietly murmured to him, “Make sure you tell Lilish I’m here later.”
She probably wouldn’t be too concerned, but she definitely needed to be informed since she was in charge of this operation.
“Understood.”
“Thanks.”
After conveying his message, Kraush stepped back.
“Krad, is everything alright?”
In his absence, Colin, a fellow member of the Blue Sea Order, worriedly engaged him.
Many other knights shared the same sentiments, of course.
After all, not only did Kraush knock out a member of the Verdant Blade but also caught the attention of their captain directly.
Naturally, they wondered if trouble awaited him down the road.
In light of that potential trouble, Kraush glanced over at Lexus.
Upon meeting Kraush’s eyes, Lexus seemed to flinch slightly and then lowered his head.
It seemed he had heard the entire explanation from Vega.
It’s probably better for captains to know what’s going on on our side.
“I’m fine.”
Kraush replied nonchalantly.
While he was around, the Verdant Blade weren’t going to pick a fight with him.
That is, unless their captain didn’t mind everything and wanted to keep things quiet.
“Blue Sea, we’re moving too.”
The members of the Blue Sea Order began to stir as the Verdant Blade knights finished their move.
As Kraush stepped onto the magic circle, still holding Bianca’s hand, a brief dizziness washed over him.
It was the aftereffect of spatial magic.
“Ugh.”
Bianca stumbled slightly, presumably due to experiencing spatial magic for the first time.
“Are you okay?”
As Kraush hurriedly caught her, she grimaced, slowly regaining her composure.
She should feel better after a moment of rest.
While patting her back, Kraush’s gaze caught the surrounding scenery.
Beyond the endless expanse of grassy plains lay a massive castle wall stretching all the way to the horizon.
However, only the sky beyond those walls appeared different.
Past the castle wall, the sky glowed vividly purple.
This was one of the borders of the Golden Area—Makyung.
Due to its distance from both the empire and the kingdom, Sephira directly managed this part of the Golden Area.
“Wow, the Valheim folks are here!”
But Kraush’s eyes weren’t on Makyung; they were drawn to a figure nearby.
She wore a veil that concealed her eyes, revealing only her deep cherry-colored lips, and wore a bright smile that lit up her face.
Standing next to her was a stoic-looking bodyguard, also catching Kraush’s attention.
As the light glimmered off her peach-colored hair, Kraush let out a quiet sigh inwardly.
‘Seyrang Sephira.’
The daughter of a rank-one official in Sephira, this princess stood before him.
Next to her was a man with noticeably dark hair—Kraush’s mind automatically reeled.
‘A moronic monster.’
A being who had lived through generations and should have been long dead in retirement.
Blaavi, also known as the Celestial Killing Star.
Although born with a murderous impulse that filled him with hatred for the world,
thanks to the astrological skills passed down in the Sephira family, he evaded his natural calling and continued serving Sephira.
The problem was that he concealed his true identity from most, rejecting all significant roles in the Sephira hierarchy.
‘Of course, who would have guessed he’d undergo a youth reversal?’
Kraush harbored a simple aversion toward Blaavi for a straightforward reason.
‘Seyrang Sephira is going to get murdered by the World Eroder.’
With Seyrang’s death, Blaavi would lose control of the Celestial Killing Star.
As a result, his bloodlust would pivot toward hunting the World Eroder.
The myriad of World Eroders that fell before him pushed everyone to a drastic war.
That led to the existence of that celestial monster.
That would be the abhorrent Blaavi.
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