TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 145
On the Snow Mountain.
Kraush, staring down at the paper, furrowed his brows alone.
Ebelasque Benapoch.
The only Necromancer and former leader of the Night Ravens.
After reading the letter she had sent, Kraush’s mind became tangled with thoughts.
The rat that had been in Kraush’s pocket had frozen still.
She truly did not want him to come looking for her.
What could be the reason she told him not to seek her out?
‘Something must have happened to cause a change in Ebelasque’s state of mind.’
What could have caused such a sudden shift in Ebelasque?
[There were some old comrades I used to roam with. They’re all dead now, but I still want to laugh with them, even just once.]
In Kraush’s mind, a scene of a drunk Ebelasque rambling drunkenly flashed by.
Having been used by Arthur as a tool of the Skyborne Generation, she always longed for her old comrades.
‘Ebelasque’s dream was to bring back her old comrades.’
To the extent of choosing to become a Necromancer, she obsessively explored and studied countless books.
Until she realized it was entirely impossible with her own power.
[I’m sick of it! I’m not your dog! I was a person too, I had people I loved! I wish I had just died with those guys instead!]
Kraush vividly remembered the words Ebelasque had screamed desperately, cursing everything.
At that moment, a certain figure flashed through Kraush’s mind.
“Damn it…”
Kraush knew of just one person who could fulfill her dream.
The paper in Kraush’s hand crumpled and twisted.
The reason Ebelasque had cursed so desperately was because Arthur had killed that person.
The Grim Reaper, who possessed the power to bring the dead back to life.
And one of the origins of destruction that Kraush absolutely had to kill—the Madman.
‘The Black Witch.’
Kraush covered his distorted face with his hands.
He was certain that woman had approached Ebelasque.
‘Well, she had approached Ebelasque once before in a previous iteration.’
The Black Witch had only one reason to approach Ebelasque.
The World Erosion Beings Group.
‘Ixion.’
It was to invite her to join them.
＊ ＊ ＊
Ixion.
Their goal was singular.
To create a Creator God that would recreate the world.
And what did they use to achieve that purpose?
It was none other than World Erosion.
‘Psychopathic lunatics trying to create a god by harnessing the power of World Erosion.’
That was how Kraush evaluated Ixion.
‘Now it all fits together.’
As his thoughts reached that point, Kraush caught a scent.
‘The one who gravely injured the Poison King was a member of Ixion.’
The Poison King had surely been pursuing Ebelasque under the Empire’s orders.
But in doing so, he must have encountered someone from Ixion before finding Ebelasque.
‘Ixion, who wanted Ebelasque, wouldn’t have allowed the Poison King to continue chasing her.’
As a result, a battle broke out between the Poison King and a member of Ixion, leaving the Poison King retreating with severe injuries.
‘The Empire covered it up.’
The Poison King was one of the Ten Strongest Under the Heavens and a member of the Empire.
If word spread that the Poison King had been defeated by a sudden appearance of a World Erosion Being, the Empire’s prestige would suffer.
On the other hand, Ebelasque was the notorious leader of the Night Ravens and had even attempted regicide against the princess.
Given her reputation, they could claim she overexerted herself on a solo mission and sustained her injuries, minimizing the damage to their prestige.
Additionally, it presented an opportunity to capture Ebelasque with their own hands.
‘The Empire must have some grasp of Ixion’s movements as well.’
Once the Ixion matter was investigated and concluded,
They likely thought they could gradually rally the world’s figures to eliminate them.
Sizelry’s words were correct.
The Empire never targets just one rabbit; they go after both.
‘Ebelasque has effectively ceased her activities. They probably assumed Ixion wouldn’t approach her for now.’
It was far too naive a judgment.
Ixion is the cause of the most heinous disasters.
Their scale must never be allowed to grow.
Kraush’s eyes gleamed coldly.
‘Perhaps this is an opportunity.’
Kraush still couldn’t deal with the World Erosion Beings himself.
However, in Hardenhartz, his older brother, the Sword King, resided.
If things went well, they could take down one of Ixion’s members.
‘If I’m going to use them, I’ll use everything.’
Kraush’s eyes, determined to pour everything into preventing destruction, shone sharply.
‘If I can capture one of Ixion’s members this time, I can shake Ixion to its core.’
The existence of Ixion would be exposed to the world, rallying its strongest to hunt them down.
That alone would inevitably reduce Ixion’s power.
‘If I can’t handle it myself, I’ll just use another card.’
Even if a complete eradication wasn’t possible, reducing their scale would be an incredible outcome.
With those thoughts, Kraush turned his gaze to the window.
The Snow Mountain came into view.
“Crimson Garden.”
And Kraush knew the closest person who had once been part of Ixion.
Someone who had accepted a deal to erase their immortality.
Someone who had roamed, unleashing the power of World Erosion.
Crimson Garden August.
She was a former member of Ixion.
“It seems Ixion has interfered with Ebelasque.”
[Tsk, I was just thinking the same thing.]
Crimson Garden seemed to share the same thought.
She reacted with clear displeasure.
It was only natural.
From the moment she struck a deal with Kraush, she had no reason to side with Ixion again.
So she had promptly severed ties with them.
Thus, Crimson Garden likely had no knowledge of Ixion’s latest activities.
If she tried to spy on them through her connections, a war among the World Erosion Beings would have erupted immediately.
“I need to find Ebelasque right away.”
Kraush silently burned the paper in his hand with Ignis.
It seemed he would have to act on his own.
[Wait. Ixion is dangerous. I was with them once, but they gather only the most dangerous of the World Erosion Beings. And from what I see, they’ll want you too.]
Crimson Garden’s voice carried a sense of concern.
That was how dangerous Ixion’s members were.
“Don’t worry. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
At those words, the brooch glimmered briefly.
“Just to be sure, you’re not planning another reckless stunt, are you?”
“When have I ever done something like that?”
Kraush joked, and the brooch glimmered brightly.
[Answer me clearly. Is Ixion an obstacle for you?]
It seemed he’d spent too much time with this thing.
Kraush rubbed the back of his neck as Crimson Garden’s words pierced through him.
“It’s an obstacle I’ll gladly kick to the ends of the heavens.”
When he gave his answer, Crimson Garden let out a long sigh.
[If you want to die, just say so. I’ll send you off in one blow.]
“Unfortunately for you, I have no plans to die until I claim your immortality.”
[You rotten bastard, can’t you even keep your mouth shut?]
She became increasingly harsh with him as time went on.
[…I’ll look into it from my side too. Whatever you’re planning, make sure it doesn’t cross into dangerous territory. You know as well as I do that the Ixion lot are madmen.]
“Don’t worry. For now, I just plan to check out Ebelasque’s dwelling first.”
Before the search operation, he wanted to stop by the dwelling to see if he could find even a small clue.
Once the search operation began, he’d lose the chance to move freely.
‘I have to figure out who’s moving within Ixion at all costs.’
If he found out too late, it could lead to a disaster.
At that moment, the light from the brooch faded.
She had begun to take action as well.
Kraush opened the door and stepped out.
There was someone he absolutely needed to visit in order to act independently.
So Kraush immediately started down the hallway.
Just then, he spotted someone ahead in the hallway.
“Kraush.”
It was none other than Haring.
Perfect timing.
There was something he wanted to get from Haring.
“Haring, can you spare me one Red Tiger Pill?”
Haring’s face showed a hint of surprise.
After all he’d been through, asking for another Red Tiger Pill was astonishing.
It was sheer madness to use an Instant Enhancement Elixir and then rely on a Red Tiger Pill.
“Where are you planning to go alone?”
Noticing Kraush’s intent to leave, Haring grabbed his collar.
“Something came to mind. I want to check it out. I just want to have the Red Tiger Pill as a precaution.”
One must always be prepared for the unexpected.
Haring looked at Kraush.
She knew from their last mission that he wasn’t the type to hold back.
It made her hesitant to give him the Red Tiger Pill.
If he deemed it necessary, he’d use it immediately, regardless of the danger.
“…Kraush, there’s more to this mission, isn’t there?”
Simultaneously, Haring sensed something off about Kraush’s actions.
At first, Haring thought Kraush was moving to prevent disputes between the Empire and Starlon.
But seeing him occasionally conversing with the 4th Princess Sizelry made it clear there was more to it.
“Is it related to the World Erosion Being that injured my father?”
Haring’s voice trembled slightly as she asked.
Her father, the Poison King, had been gravely injured by a World Erosion Being.
And her brother had reportedly been killed during a World Erosion caused by them.
Unconsciously, Haring began to see her brother’s image overlapping with Kraush.
Perhaps that’s why her body tensed up at the thought of him dealing with the World Erosion Beings.
“…”
Kraush remained silent for a moment.
He hesitated, unsure of how much he should tell Haring.
Kraush opened his mouth several times only to close it again before finally meeting Haring’s gaze.
Haring had been brought along because she refused to stand idle as her family instructed.
If he didn’t tell her what was happening…
He’d be no different from the Ragren Family.
Annoyingly enough, Arthur came to mind.
The guy who never told anyone anything and always tried to handle things alone.
Because of those actions, even though Arthur was at the forefront, he never gained deep trust from others.
The fact that Kraush himself didn’t fully trust Arthur proved that too.
Kraush had no intention of following Arthur’s path.
He intended to make the Skyborne Generation soar high, true to its name.
He would stand at the forefront and drag them up by force if necessary.
Thus, trust was the most important word for Kraush as well.
Haring was among the most suitable members of the Skyborne Generation.
To earn her trust, he had to show trust in her.
“Yes, but it’s a long story. I’ll explain when I get back.”
Right now, the situation was urgent, and he couldn’t afford to explain everything.
If he wanted to gather any information on Ebelasque, he had to move quickly.
When Kraush said that, Haring, who had been silent, finally spoke.
“Then I have a condition. Take me with you to investigate.”
“That’s…”
“If you’re going somewhere dangerous, I’ll be more helpful than a Red Tiger Pill.”
Kraush recalled Haring’s skill.
Haring’s skill, Invisible.
A skill that erases her presence and appearance.
Given how much damage it had dealt to Decarabia before, Kraush was well aware of its power.
‘Indeed.’
Haring’s skill was perfect for covert movements.
Especially for sneaking out unnoticed, there was no better skill.
“Alright, let’s talk on the way.”
Kraush decided to take Haring with him.
After all, she was probably the one most eager to uncover the truth behind this incident.
Not to mention, he’d worked with her once before.
Whatever happened, she’d handle it well.
With that, Kraush led Haring and walked down the hallway.
They stopped in front of a particular room.
Standing before this room, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.
She was the only person who could make Kraush feel small.
Raising his hand, Kraush knocked on the door.
Soon, the sound of movement came from inside, and the door opened.
“Hello, my dear brother.”
It seemed she had been napping moments ago.
Charlotte, with her dark blue hair cascading down as she ran her fingers through it, stood there.