TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 107
“They’re treating Charlotte as a regressor?”
[Yeah, it seems they’ve arbitrarily judged it that way for now.]
As the results of the first test were about to be announced.
Kraush had heard the entire conversation between Mary and Sigrid through the voice transmitted via the brooch from Crimson Garden.
‘Sure, Charlotte’s actions have been quite different from before.’
Kraush thought that if the situation were reversed, he too would’ve kept Charlotte in mind first.
After all, she is a variable in and of herself.
She’s the most likely candidate.
“By the way, you said the Arthur present there was a fake, right?”
Kraush’s eyes half-opened lazily.
A fake Arthur?
Suddenly, an unheard-of figure came up.
Judging by Sigrid and Mary’s reactions, it seemed even they didn’t know who this person was.
Was there really someone like that?
‘Is this another one of Arthur’s schemes?’
At the same time, Kraush felt a question rise.
What benefit could Arthur gain from this?
No matter how unpredictable this move was, it was far too passive compared to Arthur’s usual actions.
To the point of hiding his presence entirely.
Kraush crossed his arms, organizing his thoughts for a moment.
‘I still haven’t confirmed how many regressions Arthur has gone through at this point.’
Arthur’s previous regression had undoubtedly ended in failure.
From the moment Kraush stole his skill, the Arthur he knew never returned.
The current Arthur was clearly a different person.
One who was extremely passive and cautious in his actions.
‘But still, would Arthur really be this passive?’
The three women didn’t know that Kraush had stolen Arthur’s regression.
So they likely assumed Arthur was simply being more careful this time around.
But Kraush, who knew the truth, thought differently.
For Arthur, with no information at all, to act this passively raised several thoughts.
‘Wait.’
At that moment, Kraush’s pupils began to slowly dilate.
A fleeting thought passed through his mind.
‘…I’ve been assuming that the current Arthur is missing only the memories of the regression involving me.’
Since Kraush had taken Arthur’s regression from him.
He believed the current Arthur lacked only the memories of the regression they shared.
But what if that wasn’t the case?
What if regression wasn’t about “inheriting” memories from a future self?
What if it was about “possessing” those memories while returning to the past?
‘The hint lies in what Arthur mentioned about memory inheritance.’
Kraush had been pondering how Arthur managed to pass on his memories.
And the moment he obtained today’s information, Kraush became certain.
Arthur had somehow managed to involve Sigrid, Mary, and Abella in his regression.
Arthur must’ve found a way, no matter how improbable.
But Arthur’s regression had been stolen by Kraush.
As a result, the Arthur who should’ve returned with all his memories intact had died in the collapsing world.
Then, who was the Arthur in this world?
The 8th cycle? The 6th? The 5th? The 2nd?
No.
‘The current Arthur.’
He might be from the 0th cycle.
The Arthur with memories was dead.
An Arthur without continued memories would have no concept of regression cycles.
Kraush’s face stiffened.
Slowly, he swept his hand through his hair, revealing his forehead.
Beads of sweat formed and trickled down from his exposed temple.
It was just speculation.
He hadn’t seen Arthur directly, and the situation merely felt strange enough to warrant a guess.
But as the pieces began to fit together, cold sweat started to flow.
The thought that he had completely erased the existence of the regressor Arthur crossed his mind.
‘Damn it.’
Kraush hadn’t expected much from Arthur, but now that things had turned out this way, he felt conflicted.
If this were true, ironically, the reason the three women’s memories could continue might lie with Kraush himself.
After all, they were tethered to the regression, almost parasitically.
‘It’s still just a theory.’
More than anything, what mattered now was figuring out how the current Arthur had realized that the three women had inherited memories.
And Kraush had a hunch about who had given him that information.
‘Abella, it must be her.’
Abella, the one Kraush had tried to track down but who had hidden herself.
Kraush concluded that the current Arthur’s actions were invariably linked to Abella.
He must’ve gathered information about Mary and Sigrid through her.
The situation might have become even more troublesome.
‘…If Arthur sent a fake Arthur to Sigrid and Mary to hide his lack of memories, that’s one thing. But if Abella figured out Arthur’s memory loss and acted independently…’
Abella’s motive was simple.
Arthur had always had an unusually strong sense of possessiveness.
Kraush cracked his neck audibly.
If the fire spread in the wrong direction, a three-way conflict among the regressors could break out immediately.
‘A fake Arthur, huh.’
Kraush glanced at the fake Arthur, who was walking out with Mary at that very moment.
He was someone even Kraush’s memory didn’t recognize.
‘I don’t know who this guy is.’
But he is definitely a key to either Arthur or Abella.
“For now, I’ll let them keep their misunderstanding.”
[Are you okay with that? That’s your sister, isn’t it? And didn’t you say those guys are regressors too?]
Before coming to the Academy, Kraush had informed her that there were other regressors besides himself.
Crimson Garden was the most suitable person to gather information on the four at the Academy.
Crimson Garden wasn’t particularly surprised.
She seemed very accustomed to the concept of regressors.
“It’s fine. It’s Charlotte, after all.”
Kraush spoke nonchalantly.
“And you’ve already heard their motive, haven’t you?”
A chilling smile spread across Kraush’s lips.
Trying to sway him to take down Charlotte, of all people.
How could he not find it amusing?
The despicable antics of those people were vividly etched into his memory.
“I’ll make full use of their misunderstanding.”
In the end, they’d be the ones to pay for everything.
“We will now announce the list of those who passed the first test.”
At that moment, the admissions officer, Kairan, finally began announcing the list of successful candidates.
Above her head, magical letters floated in the sky, displayed on a board.
Kraush could immediately tell that he had passed the first test.
This was because his name was boldly displayed right at the top.
It was proof that the names were arranged in order of merit.
‘The names below mine.’
They were all familiar faces.
“M-My name isn’t there.”
“This has to be a mistake!”
The despondent voices of children echoed from all around.
After coming all this way, the only thing they had done was place their hands on the Aurora Stone.
What they had shown was, in truth, nothing at all.
Kraush briefly sympathized with their feelings.
In the past, he too had barely scraped past the acceptance line, leaving him with a pounding heart.
‘I only got admitted a year later than now.’
That was after Aliod had attempted to poison someone but ended up drinking the poison soup himself and dying.
Kraush had trained relentlessly and consumed every elixir he could find.
Even so, he had just barely made it past the cutoff, a fact that reminded him of his appalling lack of talent.
‘Rahelrn Academy isn’t lenient enough to accept all those who failed.’
This was an academy solely dedicated to nurturing talent specialized in combating the World Erosion.
Even if those with lower abilities were admitted, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the classes.
‘Most of the ones who fail here are likely those sent by their families to build connections at Rahelrn Academy anyway.’
Yet, their numbers weren’t small.
About half of the candidates had been eliminated.
Though the children couldn’t accept their failure,
reality was reality.
They trudged dejectedly out of the Arena Training Ground.
“Now, we’ll begin the second test.”
At that moment, the second test commenced immediately.
As mentioned earlier, the test required each participant to face three matches: against someone stronger, someone equal, and someone weaker.
However, this test had a loophole.
One specific person couldn’t face either a stronger or an equal opponent.
And that person was Kraush, the one whose name appeared first.
In terms of Aura Output, he was, without a doubt, the strongest.
As such, Kraush only needed to take the test once.
And that was the privilege of being first place.
From the moment he passed the first test as the top candidate, his acceptance was virtually guaranteed.
“The second test will begin with an opponent of equal strength. When the instructors call your name, go to them.”
Perhaps because of this, even as others were being summoned by the instructors, Kraush waited leisurely.
“I’m off!”
Even Balak disappeared, leaving Kraush’s surroundings quiet.
That was to be expected, as Kraush would only face one person.
And that person was none other than Mary Diana, ranked directly below him.
“Looks like you’re bored.”
At that moment, Kraush heard a familiar voice.
When he turned his head, he saw black hair and a beauty mark near the eye.
It was Kairan, known as the Pirate Queen.
“The admissions officer.”
“Call me Associate Professor Kairan. It doesn’t seem like Kraush will fail, after all.”
“Isn’t telling me that against the rules?”
“You already know it yourself, don’t you? Well, considering it’s Balheim, maybe you think it’s only natural.”
Kraush gave a brief laugh.
“Nothing is ever guaranteed, even in Balheim.”
Kairan paused at Kraush’s firm declaration.
This was because she also knew the rumors that had once called him a Half-Penny.
“…I misspoke.”
Perhaps her words had inadvertently touched on a trauma of his.
Because of that, when she apologized, Kraush simply shrugged lightly.
“It’s not worth apologizing for.”
His demeanor exuded a sense of ease.
Kairan looked at Kraush.
That level of composure.
It wasn’t something a 15-year-old, barely an adult, should possess.
There was something about him—a gravitas that was difficult to place.
A gravitas unrelated to strength.
Watching him, her curiosity began to stir.
“Isn’t it unfortunate that Kraush only needs to take the second test once, unlike the others?”
She wondered just how strong he was.
Kairan, the Pirate Queen.
After becoming an Associate Professor, she had suppressed her true nature as much as possible.
Everyone who met her praised her diligence and mild demeanor.
Even among the other Associate Professors, she was widely respected and well-liked.
But that was merely a facade she had painstakingly constructed.
In truth, she was the Pirate Queen who once rampaged freely across the Great Sea.
Fortunately, this aspect of her had been tempered after she was scouted—and reformed—by the headmaster of Rahelrn Academy.
It was how she had come to be her current self.
Yet, even so, there were times when she struggled to suppress her true nature.
This usually happened when she encountered a budding talent of great strength right before her eyes.
Ever since she witnessed the Aurora Stone shatter, her body had been tingling with anticipation.
Her instincts were screaming at her to face Kraush right now.
In fact, she was barely holding herself back.
“…I don’t find it unfortunate.”
Kraush, too, was not oblivious to her nature.
After all, there were students who had suffered greatly after crossing paths with her.
“No, you’re right. It wouldn’t do for an instructor to break the rules. Let’s keep things fair.”
However, Kairan was the admissions officer here.
Changing the rules was well within her power.
“We’ll apply the second test against a stronger opponent and take the third test against an instructor first instead.”
Wiping away the combativeness dripping from her gaze, she spoke.
Kraush wanted to say as much but held back a sigh.
The third test had to be taken anyway.
Whether sooner or later, facing her was inevitable.
‘I wanted to conserve some strength for my match against Mary.’
On second thought, maybe it didn’t matter.
If he went all out here and collapsed afterward, leaving his test with Mary in shambles,
‘It might even put Sigrid in a tough spot.’
After all, Sigrid wanted Mary to defeat Kraush in the entrance exam.
Malice glinted in Kraush’s eyes.
When it came to schemes like this, Kraush’s mind worked remarkably well.
“Fine. Since it’s Associate Professor Kairan’s suggestion, I’ll comply.”
Smiling, Kraush decided to stoke the flames of her fighting spirit.
“But don’t you think something needs correcting first?”
“Correct something?”
“Yes, well, you can’t truly know if someone is a strong opponent until you face them, can you?”
Kairan’s crimson eyes blinked once.
At the same time, her pupils began to curl ever so slightly.
“So, you’re saying that as an Associate Professor, I am an equal opponent?”
“That’s something we won’t know either.”
Hearing such firm provocation, Kairan barely managed to suppress the raucous laughter reminiscent of her pirate days.
This one was far more audacious than expected.
Was everyone from Balheim like this?
Kairan controlled the upward tug of her lips with effort and began to walk.
“Very well. Then we should confirm it as soon as possible, don’t you think?”
“You’re certainly impatient.”
“I used to be a pirate, so waiting has never been my strong suit.”
It seemed she could no longer hide her true nature.
Watching Kairan’s sly and chilling grin, Kraush shrugged his shoulders.
“Shall we go?”
They were about to take the Third Exam before even finishing the second one.
* * *
During the height of the Second Exam.
It was when a few who had barely defeated their equals were catching their breath.
At one corner of the arena marked with boundaries.
There stood two familiar figures facing each other.
“Hey, hey, wait a second. Is that…?”
“The admission examiner and… Kraush Balheim?”
The students, who belatedly noticed the two, wore perplexed expressions.
It was no wonder—they couldn’t comprehend why Kraush was facing the admissions examiner.
And it was the same for those watching from the arena’s edge.
The students’ fighting was so loud that even those nearby couldn’t overhear the conversation between the two.
“Associate Professor Kairan’s habits are showing again.”
But the current students, upon seeing this, roughly guessed the situation.
Some among them had also fallen victim to Kairan’s habits.
“Who do you think will win?”
“Of course, Associate Professor Kairan. She was originally supposed to take a full Professor position but only became an Associate Professor after pleading with the principal.”
“But everyone saw Kraush Balheim shatter the Aurora Stone earlier, didn’t they? I’m not so sure about the outcome.”
“Haha, no matter who wins, this is going to be entertaining to watch.”
As conversations sprang up here and there among the students.
There was only one woman filled with displeasure.
‘Why is Kairan stepping in and causing chaos again?’
That woman was none other than Sigrid, who had been looking forward to Kraush being utterly demolished by Mary.
At this rate, there was a chance the test against Mary might not even happen.
Honestly, she found that man annoying in every way possible.
Both in the past and now.
Not once had he ever helped her.
Sigrid had come to take it for granted that Kraush always carried away the curses meant for her.
“Sigrid, is there something bothering you?”
“…Nothing at all.”
At that moment, she quickly adjusted her expression in response to the soft voice beside her.
It was to maintain the image she had carefully built.
While Sigrid was preoccupied with preserving her image.
Kraush stood face-to-face with Kairan.
“You can come at me anytime. The Third Exam is meant to assess the candidate’s full strength, after all.”
Kairan spoke with utmost composure, a smile on her face.
In her hand, a dagger adorned with an octopus tentacle design spun lazily.
Despite her relaxed demeanor, Kraush could feel it.
‘No openings.’
As if it were no coincidence she had been slated for a full Professor position.
The aura emanating from Kairan’s body completely dominated her space.
‘To give me the first move, huh.’
Kraush stifled a brief laugh.
Then, he drew Rain Thunder Prime from its scabbard.
The blade was empty.
A flicker of doubt arose in Kairan’s eyes as she observed this.
Clang—
Kraush’s scabbard clattered to the ground.
Kairan merely stared at him silently, as though wondering what he was up to.
Meanwhile, Kraush slowly drew his back foot back.
At the same time, he adjusted Rain Thunder Prime at his waist and aligned the blade’s empty edge with his grip.
In the stillness of silence.
At the moment when Kairan’s gaze locked onto him.
Crackle—
A brief spark echoed through the air.
The thunderous sound made Kairan’s ears twitch.
At that moment, she froze in place.
Kraush had assumed the stance of the ki-gathering technique.
Before the empty blade.
An unusual flow began to converge.
Light from the vicinity steadily funneled toward Kraush.
Even the space around him appeared distorted.
Crackle!
Another spark burst forth.
Kairan’s eyes slowly widened as she took in the sight.
Behind Kraush’s fluttering coat, the blade of Rain Thunder Prime extended, encased within the scabbard of Thunder Energy.
The issue lay within the scabbard itself.
Inside, a chaotic swirl of pitch-black flames pounded fiercely against its confines.
And that power only grew stronger with each passing moment.
Chill!
Goosebumps erupted across Kairan’s skin.
Her instincts screamed at her.
This attack was unmistakably dangerous.
“Hah.”
As Kraush exhaled, smoke escaped his lips.
With each tempering of his body, Kraush’s presence became increasingly overwhelming.
Kairan’s hair stood on end.
At the same time, she gripped her dagger tightly.
Her body reacted instinctively.
It told her to stop this—immediately.
By the time she thought this, her body was already leaning forward.
Bang!
In an instant, like a launched projectile, her body shot forward.
Her eyes met the smile curling at Kraush’s lips.
“The first strike was yours, Associate Professor.”
Watching that smile, Kairan bit her lip tightly.
She’d been outmaneuvered.
What a cunning freshman.
But regardless of Kraush’s grin, his sword soon shattered the scabbard of Thunder Energy into pieces.
From the very first attack, he was going all-out.
Annihilation Erosion.
Third Form.
Sky-Thundering Annihilation.
‘Isn’t that just like me?’
KABOOM!
It was the moment the Academy Arena turned into utter chaos.