TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 128
“Having lived only in the imperial palace, I’m quite curious whenever famous people are mentioned, so I tend to be a bit nosy.”
Then, the Snake Brothers behind her chimed in together to back up Sigrid.
“Sigrid isn’t nosy; she’s just kind.”
“Exactly. She’s kind enough to approach someone first.”
Both of them looked at Kraush and Dorma with slight displeasure.
Kraush is Charlotte’s younger brother, Sigrid’s enemy.
And Dorma approached Kraush, knowing full well of that situation.
It was only natural that the two of them would find her irritating.
Dorma flinched and shrugged her shoulders under their gazes.
She was particularly sensitive to people’s sharp looks.
Then, Kraush moved slightly to block the two people’s gazes directed at Dorma.
“This was my request, so please don’t blame Dorma too much.”
“K-Kraush.”
Dorma, who was behind him, let out a surprised voice.
It was understandable, since Dorma was the one who spoke to him first outside the classroom.
But Kraush stopped her and looked at Sigrid.
After locking eyes with Kraush for a while, Sigrid soon gave a short laugh.
“Yes, of course. I’m actually grateful to Dorma for giving me the chance to talk with Mr. Kraush. I heard the rumors. They say you defeated an Erosion Species close to the 7th Rank in this mission. As a fellow student, I’m very proud of you.”
She naturally praised Kraush and gave a proud smile.
Unlike Karandis, who pushed forward with physical contact, she won people over in a different way.
When someone like Sigrid, with her royal background and beautiful appearance, praises you,
it’s enough to enchant many people without them even realizing it.
But there are also those who are immune to such charms.
“No, it was all thanks to my sister. I didn’t do much.”
Sigrid’s shoulders twitched.
“By sister, you mean Miss Charlotte, right?”
“Yes, I owe her a lot in various ways.”
Kraush knew what kind of suspicion Sigrid held.
She was currently suspecting that Charlotte was also a Regressor.
So, he hammered that suspicion in even further.
“It seemed like you two got along well at the entrance ceremony too.”
“Our relationship isn’t bad.”
“I’m envious. My relationship with my family isn’t great. It’s regrettable. I haven’t even seen my younger sibling who just enrolled.”
That younger sibling was none other than the 4th Princess, Sizelry Ephania.
“My younger sister nearly died, and as her older sister, I couldn’t be by her side. It’s all my fault that our family has become like this.”
It was truly detestable.
“Oh, I’ve taken up too much of your time. I’m sorry. Miss Dorma, please be careful not to cause any trouble for Mr. Kraush. It was a great conversation. Mr. Kraush.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I also had a good time confirming that you’re a good person, Sigrid.”
[It’s quite fierce.]
To those who didn’t know the truth, it might seem like a normal conversation.
But those who knew the reality could feel the fierceness in the dialogue.
“Yes, see you next time.”
Sigrid decided to end the conversation.
Instead, she left behind a meaningful remark.
“Oh, come to think of it, the midterm evaluation is coming up soon. It’s the first midterm at Rahelrn Academy, so I hope Mr. Kraush gets good results.”
What a load of crap.
“Thank you for your kind words.”
Kraush hid his true feelings and expressed his gratitude.
Then, Sigrid smiled once more before leaving.
Still attracting gazes, she left the Special Arts Classroom.
At that moment, someone burst into the classroom in a hurry.
“Kraush.”
It was none other than Haring.
Although her sub-department was Special Arts, her main department was Martial Arts.
So, she had come for Martial Arts training.
It seemed she had heard about Sigrid’s visit late, as she glanced at the door while approaching Kraush.
“Are you okay?”
She showed concern, as if wondering if something had happened.
“What could happen? We just talked.”
When Kraush responded as if nothing would happen, Haring let out a short sigh.
“I thought Kraush would fight.”
“…Am I a fighting maniac?”
Haring didn’t answer, just stared at Kraush blankly.
“Oh my, Kraush, what are you doing, always bringing women into your room?”
In the meantime, Darling appeared with a big smile on her face.
She had already figured out the situation beforehand, yet she acted like this.
It was strangely annoying.
“And even this little lady. You did the same with Bianca. Do you actually like young girls?”
Darling covered her mouth as if she had seen something embarrassing.
Though Kraush could see her upturned lips through the gap in her hand, they were not visible to the short Dorma.
As a result, Dorma’s face turned bright red with confusion.
“N-No! I came to talk about curses!”
“Now you’re seducing with that too? That’s too much. I’m hurt. So, you like cute girls? When will you accept me as your girlfriend?”
“Y-Yes? G-Girlfriend? B-But Mr. Kraush has a fiancé…”
“He has a fiancé, not a girlfriend. Kraush only wanted my body and techniques. What did you want from this innocent girl? Her innocence? You’re like a lustful wolf.”
Dorma seemed confused by Darling’s words and didn’t know what to do.
And Kraush looked at Darling with a look of disgust.
“That’s enough.”
When he warned her that he would get angry if she continued, Darling giggled and patted Dorma’s messy hair.
“It’s a joke. Kraush loves his fiancé so much that there’s no room for me.”
“I-Is that so?”
Perhaps due to previous rumors, Dorma looked at Kraush with slightly anxious eyes.
“Yes, everything she says is a lie. Just let it go.”
Kraush said as if it was nothing to worry about.
But Darling didn’t stop there.
“The last part was true, though. You only want my body and techniques.”
“Don’t twist my words. I need your alchemy.”
“Same thing.”
Darling was busy teasing people all the time.
So, Kraush decided to introduce the two to Dorma.
“Dorma, this is Darling Danphelion, the one who helped me with the list you saw. And this is Haring Lagrain, who, as I mentioned before, will help with combining curses and poisons.”
Haring kept her distance from Dorma, as if she was meeting a stranger, and moved closer to Kraush.
With Darling, she couldn’t find the chance to distance herself because Darling easily closed the gap.
But Dorma, who couldn’t do that, naturally kept her distance.
“Kraush.”
Haring approached Kraush and tugged at his collar.
When Kraush turned to look at her, Haring whispered into his ear.
“There’s someone in the Imperial Faction who doesn’t like Kraush.”
Kraush glanced at Haring after hearing that.
“Are you okay, being part of the Imperial Faction yourself?”
The Ragren Family belongs to the Imperial Faction.
Of course, Haring was also a member of the Imperial Faction.
When asked if she was okay, Haring tilted her head.
“I’d rather Kraush be safe than people I barely know.”
Perhaps it was because they had grown quite close during their mission.
She was someone who thought a lot about him.
“Thank you. I’ll keep it in mind.”
Kraush said this and then flicked Darling’s forehead, who was still teasing Dorma.
After that, he quietly stared out the window.
Members of the Imperial Faction who did not welcome him.
He had a rough idea of who those guys might be.
‘The midterm evaluation, I look forward to it.’
If they bothered him as much as they did before, he felt he could repay them tenfold.
＊ ＊ ＊
Tap tap-
The sound of heels walking down the corridor echoed.
The owner of those heels was Sigrid, walking with her blue sea-colored hair fluttering.
Her eyes were half-open as she walked.
It seemed she was not pleased with the current situation.
‘Kraush has already connected with Veltoa Lacroix?’
The world’s greatest Curse Master.
Veltoa Lacroix.
Even she still couldn’t pinpoint his whereabouts.
When exactly did Kraush meet such a person?
‘Did Charlotte know about this?’
Her mind raced quickly.
Yet, all she felt was the lack of information.
And she felt it when she faced Kraush right in front of her.
That he had become stronger than she had thought.
‘A cursed one suddenly appearing as a variable.’
Sigrid bit her lip slightly and brushed her bangs aside.
‘Mary won’t be enough.’
Using Mary to break Kraush and make him feel the limits of his talent.
Then, reaching out to change the plan seemed like it would fail.
Mary had now served her purpose.
‘She was never much help, except for being sturdy.’
Seeing Kraush made her thoughts shift little by little.
‘It seems a waste to use him just as a cursed one.’
Her eyes rolled around.
She vaguely remembered the incident where Kraush stayed by Arthur’s side.
In a crisis, someone’s help can turn that person into one of your own.
Sigrid recalled Kraush’s interest in curses related to Dorma.
Perhaps she could guide him.
“Hmm.”
With a short nasal sound, her steps became lighter than before.
Maybe she could come up with a good plan.
＊ ＊ ＊
Inside Kraush’s room.
Kraush, sitting on the floor with his eyes closed, was focusing on the power of Nox within him.
He was practicing based on his memory of infusing the Heavenly Slaughter Star into Nox when he faced Decarabia.
“Ugh!”
At that moment, Kraush, who had stifled a groan, slowly opened his eyes.
His body was drenched in cold sweat.
The surging killing intent of the Heavenly Slaughter Star began to be suppressed through the Doll’s Eye.
Kraush took a deep breath and brushed his bangs aside.
‘It was almost a miracle.’
At the time, he had desperately used the Heavenly Slaughter Star, feeling pushed to his limits.
But trying it again now, he realized just how reckless it had been.
[You’re still not skilled at using it. It’s too early to handle the Heavenly Slaughter Star.]
“You’re right, I need more training.”
It was safe to say that being able to fully use the Heavenly Slaughter Star against Decarabia was purely due to luck.
‘If I had been lucky, I wouldn’t have been in that situation in the first place.’
It seemed he was still not ready to freely control the Heavenly Slaughter Star.
Still, the path was gradually becoming clear.
Thanks to Nox, he could easily benefit from the Lunar Body even during the day.
‘I should eat lunch and head to the Martial Arts Training Ground.’
Since he had spent the morning on personal training, Kraush decided to participate in martial arts training today.
“Ah, have you finished your training?”
As Kraush opened the door and stepped out, Alicia, who had been waiting on a chair, immediately ran over to him.
She handed him a wet towel, and Kraush wiped his face with it.
“Where’s Lirina today?”
“She’s cleaning Lord Aslan’s room today.”
For some reason, Lirina, who often talked with Alicia in this room, hadn’t forgotten her duties as a maid.
“Alicia, I’m going to eat lunch and then head to the training ground.”
“Then I’ll tidy up the room while you’re gone.”
“Thanks.”
With Alicia’s farewell, Kraush headed straight to the Dormitory Cafeteria for lunch.
‘It seems they’re doing well with the Instant Enhancement Elixir.’
Recently, Darling and Dorma had been practically living in the Alchemy Lab.
It made sense, as Darling had been constantly writing papers on curse neutralization, and Dorma was an expert in curses, so they got along well.
Thanks to them, the research on the Instant Enhancement Elixir was progressing steadily.
According to them, the first prototype would be ready soon.
‘Sigrid doesn’t seem to be making any moves yet.’
Quite some time had passed since he met Sigrid, but she remained quiet.
It seemed she had some scheme, but she wasn’t planning to do anything immediately.
‘Well, Charlotte hasn’t arrived yet.’
Including Charlotte, many first-year students had yet to complete their missions.
As a result, the Academy was relatively quiet.
With the first-year students absent, only the training sounds of the second-year students echoed every day.
For some reason, Kraush felt like it was the eve of a storm.
‘What happened around this time before?’
Since the world had changed so much, things weren’t flowing as they used to.
Still, he thought he might be able to infer the general situation, and while he was pondering this.
He had arrived at the cafeteria without realizing it.
As he opened the door and entered, he saw many students ordering food.
It was crowded because it was lunchtime.
“Hey, over there.”
“It’s Kraush Balheim.”
Due to the crowd, Kraush immediately felt the gazes focusing on him.
If there had been others with him, he might not have attracted as much attention, but being alone made him stand out even more.
‘Should I just buy something random and eat outside?’
As he walked, thinking he should buy a sandwich or something,
Kraush slowly turned his head upon seeing a familiar hair color.
Then, the other person looked this way, flinched, and subtly averted their eyes.
“Astria?”
When Kraush called out, she finally looked back at him with a slightly sulky expression.
“Looks like your body is doing well.”
Astria Stigma Freeman.
She’s going to be a Saintess.