TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 144
Despite it being spring, snow was still falling in the territory of Hardenhartz.
An unexpected commotion was unfolding there.
It started with a World Erosion Being invading the territory.
And extended to the tense standoff against the Empire’s unreasonable demands.
For the past few weeks, they had been racking their brains over it.
“Damn it, how did things end up like this?”
Meliocan Hardenhartz, acting as the Patriarch Proxy of Hardenhartz, muttered under his breath, his face buried in his hands.
The struggle with the Empire was momentarily resolved.
This was thanks to the royal family stepping in directly to mediate.
But clashes with the Empire were not uncommon.
The real problem lay beyond that.
World Erosion Beings were a globally critical issue.
Naturally, the royal family dispatched a search team, and the team was composed of an outstandingly elite group.
Because it included none other than the Vice Matriarch of Balheim and one of the Ten Strongest Under the Heavens.
The Sword King, Rai Balheim, had personally arrived.
The Poison King, also one of the Ten Strongest Under the Heavens, had been injured, prompting Starion to take significant action.
“If that were all, it would’ve been reassuring and welcomed.”
But that wasn’t the only issue.
Kraush’s sudden mission request.
At first, it was described as a noble gesture to help a fiancée’s family in peril.
None of Hardenhartz’s direct line had attended Rahelrn Academy.
Thus, unfamiliar with Rahelrn Academy’s structure, they were inclined to approve the mission.
However, before Hardenhartz could issue the mission, the royal family intervened and took charge.
The problem was the participation of Charlotte’s Lion Order.
Charlotte Balheim, the Genius of the Century born in Balheim.
She, who was always mentioned when discussing the next head of Balheim, was coming to Hardenhartz.
Naturally, Hardenhartz was overwhelmed with headaches.
The Sword King, as the Vice Matriarch of Balheim, had proven himself among the Ten Strongest Under the Heavens, so he posed no issue.
But Charlotte, though a genius, was still undeniably young.
If something happened to her in Hardenhartz due to the World Erosion Being incident, they might bear the responsibility.
And yet, the troubles didn’t stop.
‘Why is a princess affiliated with a group created by the direct line of Balheim?’
The individual in the Lion Order was none other than Sizelry Ephania, the 4th Princess of the Empire.
Naturally, as a member of the Order, she too was scheduled to visit Hardenhartz.
The appearance of such high-profile figures was enough to make Meliocan feel like coughing up blood.
And this situation brought about yet another problem.
Although she had no claim to the throne, the presence of the Empire’s princess in Starion was significant.
Naturally, Starion had to uphold proper decorum in response.
Which led to none other than the 1st Prince of Starion, Hilnider Starlon, entering the scene.
He announced his intention to personally greet and welcome the 4th Princess at Hardenhartz.
As a result, Douglakan Hardenhartz, the Patriarch, had rushed off to meet him.
“Is Hardenhartz trying to vanish from this world?”
Meliocan sat in a daze, a blank expression on his face.
For some reason, his stomach ached.
He had never felt like this in his life before.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Jenica.”
At the appearance of his younger sister, Meliocan sighed and told her to come in.
Jenica entered, holding a letter for some reason.
“It’s a letter from Bianca. She says she won’t be coming to Hardenhartz.”
“What?”
Meliocan looked stunned at Jenica’s words.
When he heard Kraush was coming, Meliocan had immediately summoned Bianca.
Since things had come to this, he intended to solidify Bianca and Kraush’s engagement in front of both Balheim and Starion’s royal families.
Just showing the two of them getting along would help secure the engagement.
Additionally, he had calculated that during this incident, if any issues arose with Balheim, they could use the engagement as leverage for compromise.
Yet, Bianca, who had been summoned, didn’t show up.
She had seemed to get along so well with Kraush.
With Kraush visiting Hardenhartz, he had expected her to come running.
So why wasn’t she here?
“Don’t tell me their engagement has fallen apart?”
“I don’t think that’s the case.”
Jenica looked as if such a thing was utterly impossible.
After all, she had seen firsthand how deep their bond was.
Even if the sky were to split in two, it seemed unlikely they would ever separate.
“The letter just says she’s holding back so as not to waver in her resolve.”
“What resolve?”
“How would I know that?”
Jenica, having said all she needed to, left the room.
On days like this, Meliocan couldn’t help but envy her lack of involvement in family matters.
“Damn it.”
He could only pray that this ordeal would pass quietly.
Meliocan clasped his hands together in a silent plea.
* * *
The search for the World Erosion Being that had gravely injured the Poison King.
For this, Kraush was traveling through the snow-covered roads with the Lion Order, of which he was a member.
There was no Space Magic Circle that connected directly to Hardenhartz from Rahelrn Academy.
Thus, they were traveling via the nearest Space Magic Circle close to Hardenhartz.
The problem was that the group wasn’t limited to just the Lion Order.
Kraush’s eyes fixed on a particular individual.
Dark black hair and blue eyes.
Combined with his strikingly tall stature, the person was none other than Felray.
Unlike before, Felray had shot up in height during his growth spurt, looking very different from how he had appeared during the Martial Arts Tournament.
‘Geohaedan.’
It was a group led by none other than Felray as its Commander.
Sigrid couldn’t participate in this matter directly.
As expected, she had thrown a fit over it.
Given how everything related to Kraush had been going lately, it was no surprise.
Her suspicions toward Charlotte had only grown stronger.
It was only natural, as Charlotte was involved in this incident as well.
But no matter how much she fumed, there was no viable solution.
After all, not even Sigrid could confront Starion head-on.
In the end, she had to step back and use Felray as her proxy.
Felray, while affiliated with the Empire, was a commoner.
Moreover, his group included not only commoners from the Empire but also from various kingdoms.
‘Which means deploying Felray draws less attention. That’s the idea.’
She likely planned to use Felray to gather information on how the situation developed.
Thus, the mission now involved two separate groups.
However, the real issue lay elsewhere.
‘We don’t know who the real person that wounded the Poison King is.’
According to Crimson Garden, the Poison King’s severe injuries are real.
In other words, it is clear that he was attacked by someone.
“Sizelry.”
“Achoo!”
Sizelry, who had been sneezing just in time, turned her head upon hearing her name called.
The tip of her nose was tinged red.
She was someone who had always been frail.
Thus, she wasn’t accustomed to the cold or walking long distances.
Her guard, the Mad Sword, would occasionally carry her or check on her.
Nevertheless, her weak constitution was something that couldn’t be helped.
“Sniff, what is it?”
Perhaps embarrassed by her sneeze, she rubbed her nose as she asked.
“Do you know who the real person behind the Poison King’s injuries is?”
When he asked in a voice low enough that others couldn’t hear, she glanced toward Haring.
She must have judged that it was a sensitive topic Haring, the Poison King’s daughter, would catch onto.
She flapped her sleeves and crossed her arms.
“I don’t know for certain. The Royal Family is keeping the information under wraps, so it doesn’t easily reach me either.”
Grumbling that she should have planted more informants if she’d known, Sizelry clicked her tongue.
“However, the claim that the one who injured the Poison King is a World Erosion Being is likely not a lie.”
“Does that mean a World Erosion Being might really have infiltrated Hardenhartz?”
“That possibility can’t be entirely dismissed. But be careful.”
Sizelry pulled on Kraush’s collar as if to warn him.
“The Empire never moves targeting just one rabbit. There could be other reasons beyond aiming for the leader of the Night Crow Unit, the one you’re trying to help.”
She advised him to keep all possibilities open.
“So don’t stew over it alone. Two heads are better than one, after all.”
Watching her smile, Kraush told her to blow her nose and backed away with her advice in mind.
‘In the end, the most urgent matter right now is finding Ebelasque, isn’t it?’
The most desperate one right now was Ebelasque, who had been named the culprit.
Thus, she would likely be chasing the real culprit as well.
After all, she was someone who took protecting her home seriously.
She must have caught onto something.
“What are you so deep in thought about?”
It was at that moment.
An arm suddenly wrapped around Kraush’s neck, causing his posture to bend slightly.
He hadn’t sensed any presence at all.
When Kraush turned his head, there stood someone wearing glasses painted black at the front, obscuring their eyes.
Flowing golden hair that cascaded down.
Clothing so tight that it clung to the body, revealing every curve in a way that was almost indecent.
Kraush knew her very well.
One of the Academy’s faculty members specially dispatched, considering the difficulty of this mission.
Ghost Hand.
Sena Myer.
A figure personally invited by the Former Fighting Emperor, Durandal, to become a professor.
She was one of those enigmatic individuals.
Her style of dress changed so drastically each time they met that it was almost routine.
Hiding her presence was one of her specialties, making it impossible even for Kraush’s Sixth Sense to detect her.
Thus, for the first time in a while, Kraush was startled by someone’s presence.
“Just thinking about this and that. It’s work, after all.”
“Work, huh. Is that something a boy who went directly to negotiate with Durandal himself would say?”
She flicked her black glasses with a finger, causing them to tilt upward.
And then, red eyes and fangs peeking out from between her lips came into view.
“It happened in Starlon, so of course I participated.”
“Hmmm.”
She let out a nasal hum as if she’d heard something amusing, then unwrapped her arm from Kraush.
“I’ve heard a bit from Durandal. He said to step in if it looked like you’d overdo it.”
“I don’t usually overexert myself, so you don’t need to worry.”
[A dog barking somewhere.]
Crimson Garden’s voice echoed, but Kraush paid it no mind.
“Alright then, boy, since this is a serious matter, please don’t make too much of a fuss. I’d rather not clash with your older brother if I can avoid it.”
The older brother she referred to was the Sword King, the Vice Matriarch.
Kraush knew well that she and his brother didn’t get along.
‘They’re both from the same generation, after all.’
Kraush’s brother, Rai Balheim, was also called a genius befitting the Balheim name.
If Charlotte hadn’t been born, he would have remained the most extraordinary genius of his generation.
As such, Sena, who was of the same generation as Rai, was often the subject of various tales.
A generation distinct from the Skyborne Generation, the Golden Generation.
That was the name of the generation to which Rai and Sena belonged.
Ssshh—
At some point, Sena had a cigarette in her mouth, lighting it as she smiled at him.
“And before that, the World Erosion Beings are dangerous, so don’t act too independently, boy. I’ll deduct points if you do.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
[Why are you getting cheekier by the day?]
What else could he do?
That was just his nature.
At that moment, a sign pointing toward Hardenhartz and the sight of the territory on the horizon came into view.
The northern territory of Starlon.
Hardenhartz.
It had been years since he’d last visited this place.
“Squeak!”
It was at that moment.
Kraush lowered his gaze at the sound of a rat coming from beneath his feet.
Amid the snow-covered grass.
There was a rat with its side stitched up.
That rat was none other than one controlled by Ebelasque.
He had intended to seek her out.
Who would have thought she’d come to him this quickly?
‘Well, with the news spread so wide, Ebelasque must have heard as well.’
Kraush subtly extended his foot to ensure others wouldn’t notice.
In that moment, the rat climbed up the inside of Kraush’s pant leg and into his clothing.
It then placed a piece of paper into Kraush’s pocket.
When Kraush unfolded the paper, it happened.
[Don’t look for me.]
Kraush froze in place as he unfolded the paper.
Then, his head slowly tilted upward.
“This fool.”
Something had happened to Ebelasque.