TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 18
Immortal.
Crimson Garden August.
Kraush once tried to steal her immortality long ago.
However, it wasn’t entirely his intention.
‘Arthur.’
He told Kraush to do so in front of Crimson Garden.
But Kraush failed.
It was because of a single Dial created to steal her immortality.
The condition was simple.
Be stronger than Crimson Garden August.
And Kraush couldn’t fulfill that one condition.
Back then, Kraush was merely a cursed being with a stubbornly long lifespan.
Even when Kraush failed, Arthur didn’t say much and instead dismembered Crimson Garden, submerging her directly into the Lava Cave.
He added that she would live an eternal life, endlessly melting and recovering in that place.
‘At that time, Arthur probably wanted me to steal her immortality to use me as a tool to absorb curses without dying.’
That’s why he could act so nonchalantly.
Kraush looked at the current Crimson Garden standing before him.
After Kraush demonstrated his skill, she remained frozen, unable to say a word.
It was only natural.
The skill was the only way to erase the curse-like immortality from her.
That’s why it took quite some time before the silent Crimson Garden spoke again.
“The terms of the deal.”
And for the first time, her eyes turned serious.
The mocking tone from earlier had completely vanished, and sincerity could be felt in Crimson Garden’s unwavering gaze.
She desperately wanted to erase her immortality, no matter what.
“Help me become stronger.”
And Kraush immediately voiced the terms of the deal he had considered from the start.
Kraush had indeed grown stronger.
And he would continue to grow stronger.
By stealing more skills, mastering secret techniques, and refining himself, he could ultimately become a true powerhouse.
But that would only place him in the realm of geniuses.
And Kraush knew all too well how powerless geniuses were in the face of destruction.
Geniuses change the world.
But geniuses cannot protect the world.
The world needed someone beyond a genius.
So Kraush didn’t hesitate to use any means necessary.
Even if the person before him was a World Erosion Being, Kraush was determined to devour everything in his path.
Crimson Garden was a powerhouse who could rival Arthur with just her subordinates.
With her help, he could undoubtedly become much stronger than he was now.
‘I have no intention of perishing along with the world.’
In truth, Kraush found the world utterly detestable.
Born a half-penny, he endured countless hardships only to be betrayed by his comrades instead of gaining recognition.
A part of him thought, “Just let it all be destroyed.”
But even so.
This was the world he lived in.
Without the world, he wouldn’t exist either.
It wasn’t for others.
He was preventing destruction solely to survive.
So Kraush stubbornly endured and endured again, determined to stop destruction once more.
That was Kraush Balheim.
A half-penny regarded as a stubborn person.
“This is the condition to erase your immortality.”
To unlock Crimson Garden’s Dial, he needed to become stronger than her.
Whether that strength was something visible or merely her perception, it was still unclear.
But the Dial had set that condition.
In that sense, Kraush and Crimson Garden’s objectives aligned in some ways.
If Kraush became stronger, the Dial’s condition would be fulfilled, allowing him to take away Crimson Garden’s immortality.
Thus, Crimson Garden also needed to make Kraush stronger.
“Are you saying this is a condition tied to the skill?”
“Yes, if that condition isn’t met, even I can’t take away your immortality.”
Hearing Kraush’s words, Crimson Garden crossed her arms and looked at him.
‘He’s not lying.’
There was no way a regressor would propose such a deal without any thought.
‘Make me stronger, huh.’
For some reason, a chuckle escaped her lips.
Did this child even understand what that meant?
It meant becoming the disciple of the Dragon King Tribe, no less.
‘…Well, rather than chasing meaningless things by raising the World Erosion level, nurturing what’s right in front of me might not be a bad idea.’
Someone who could kill her.
She had deliberately investigated by raising the World Erosion level to find such a person.
But then Kraush suddenly appeared before her.
If he could erase her immortality, she’d sell even her soul.
What did it matter if she became a disciple?
A provocative smile appeared on her lips for the first time in a while.
“Fine. If that’s the condition, I’ll nurture you. I’ll make you the strongest in this world.”
Seeing the confident Crimson Garden, Kraush felt a bit of relief inside.
Then he stood up and extended his hand.
“Then I’ll be in your care, Crim.”
“Yes, I too…”
At that moment, Crimson Garden’s face twisted in irritation.
“What, child? What did you just call me?”
“Crimson Garden is too long to say.”
Crimson Garden looked dumbfounded, but Kraush remained nonchalant.
‘The only one who ever called me Crim was that guy.’
She never expected someone else in this world to call her Crim again. Letting out a sigh, she clenched her fist.
“Call me Master.”
And she struck Kraush on the head as his master.
* * *
Kraush, who never expected to be hit, completed the investigation alongside Crimson Garden’s subordinate who had returned as an investigator.
Still feeling the lingering sting in his head, Kraush was rubbing it when a bird tapped on the carriage window with its beak.
The bird, strikingly red in color, had a black star mark on its neck.
When Kraush opened the window, the bird perched on his shoulder.
“Crim, isn’t this color too conspicuous?”
The moment he called it Crim, the bird tried to peck his cheek with its beak.
This bird was none other than another subordinate sent by Crimson Garden.
“Don’t worry. The color can be changed anytime.”
Saying so, Crimson Garden changed the color of her feathers to black.
“How about this? I matched it to the hair color of my foolish disciple. You look just like a crow.”
“Thanks for the compliment. Crows are smart, you know.”
“I said it because your insides are as dark as a crow’s, making it a perfect match.”
Should I roast this bird and eat it soon?
Kraush seriously contemplated it.
“So, where is your main body?”
Sending a species meant that the main body was elsewhere.
Thus, when Kraush asked, she plucked one of her feathers.
“You already have a rough idea, don’t you?”
“Stop treating me like a regressor.”
As she said, Kraush already knew the state of her main body.
She was immortal.
To be precise, she was an immortal being eternally asleep.
Her main body was somewhere in this world, asleep with her eyes closed.
And the only way to wake her from that sleep was to erase her immortality.
That’s why she wanted to erase her immortality.
Eternal sleep, in some ways, was even more cruel than death.
Because of this, Crimson Garden handled the most species among the World Erosion Beings.
Through their eyes, she could see the real world, not a dream.
‘And yet, with those species, she managed to fight Arthur on equal footing.’
Of course, in the process, all the species ended up dying.
Judging by that alone, Crimson Garden’s main body might be stronger than Arthur.
‘Though in the end, her body was dismembered and thrown into lava. Who knows for sure?’
Meanwhile, the rattling of the carriage could be felt.
At last, the carriage had started moving.
Goodbye to the detestable main house.
I must absolutely not return for the time being.
‘Though once Father returns soon, I’ll inevitably have to visit at least once.’
Until then, farewell.
After about four hours in the carriage, Kraush finally arrived at Green Pine Mansion.
He had only been away for a few days, yet he felt as if he were returning home. As he was thinking this, he noticed something white running toward the carriage.
Seeing it, Kraush momentarily thought of a white chick.
That chick was none other than Bianca.
Approaching Kraush, who was stepping down from the carriage, she spoke.
“Welcome back.”
Was she here to greet him as his fiancée?
Judging by the book clutched tightly to her chest, she must have been reading when she heard the carriage and rushed over.
Still expressionless, Bianca lightly circled around Kraush.
As he watched her actions, Bianca nodded.
“You’re not hurt.”
“Were you hoping I’d come back injured?”
“I heard it was dangerous.”
Was that her way of showing concern?
“You said you’d return quickly, but it took you several days.”
“This is me coming back as fast as I could.”
Bianca nodded, as if she understood that.
Watching her, Kraush thought Bianca’s expression seemed even more stoic than usual today.
“Welcome back.”
At that moment, Aliod greeted Kraush.
“Yes, nothing unusual happened at Green Pine Mansion, right?”
“Other than a letter arriving for you, Young Master Kraush, nothing of note occurred.”
“A letter?”
As Kraush showed his curiosity, Aliod, as if prepared, took out the letter.
The moment Kraush saw the letter, he immediately knew who it was from.
There was only one woman who would send a letter with a lipstick mark on it.
‘Darling.’
It was from Darling Danphelion, the future Alchemy Castle Lord.
It didn’t feel like it had been that long since he’d visited the Holy Land of Stars.
There was no way she’d contact him this soon.
Kraush opened the letter and skimmed through its contents.
Moments later, Kraush’s expression turned incredulous.
‘A genius is a genius, huh?’
The letter stated that she had created a cure for the Discoloration Disease and would visit soon.
To think she had developed a cure for the Discoloration Disease in such a short time.
Kraush looked at Aliod.
“This must be good news for you.”
“Pardon?”
Since Aliod had a daughter afflicted with Discoloration Disease, Kraush shared the news and carefully folded the letter, placing it in his pocket.
“We’ll have a guest soon. When Darling Danphelion arrives, let her in.”
“Understood.”
Though puzzled by Kraush’s words, Aliod bowed his head professionally.
That was precisely why Kraush wanted him by his side.
Then Kraush noticed Bianca, still standing there, staring at him blankly.
“Young Master Kraush, Miss Bianca was very worried about you.”
In the meantime, Aliod discreetly whispered to Kraush.
“Bianca was worried?”
That Bianca?
Since returning to the past, he had made some effort to get closer to Bianca.
But even so, it was hard to believe she had been worried about him.
“When she heard you were involved in a World Erosion incident, she was about to head to the main house.”
Hearing that she had even considered going to the main house, Kraush realized she was serious.
So, she could worry about someone even without emotions?
Well, that wasn’t really an emotion but more of a thought process.
Come to think of it, it had been a while since he last checked Bianca’s Dial.
By now, they might even be considered friends.
Kraush immediately activated Black Hood.
In that moment, a Dial appeared before his eyes.
As Kraush squinted at the Dial, his eyes suddenly widened.
‘The first Dial has been unlocked.’
Bianca’s first Dial, which had been blocked all this time, was now open.
Kraush faced Bianca, who was staring at him with her usual blank expression.
Even so, it seemed he had finally become something of a friend to Bianca.
The effort he had put into looking after her felt worthwhile.
Now, only one Dial remained.
With this, Bianca would soon regain her emotions.
Feeling inexplicably pleased, Kraush raised his hand and patted Bianca’s head.
Bianca looked at Kraush with a puzzled expression.
However, she didn’t seem to dislike the gesture and stayed still.
“Bianca, have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
She was still at an age where she needed to grow, so skipping meals wouldn’t do.
“Aliod, prepare something delicious.”
“Understood.”
Watching Aliod head off to prepare the meal, a crow-like figure, Crimson Garden, hobbled out of the carriage and perched on Kraush’s shoulder.
Seeing this, Bianca’s eyes widened slightly.
“Ah, come to think of it, I forgot to introduce her. She’s a new member of the family.”
For some reason, Kraush, noticing Bianca’s sparkling eyes, lowered his posture to give her a closer look at Crimson Garden.
Bianca then carefully raised her small hand and gently stroked Crimson Garden’s feathers.
“……So soft.”
Crimson Garden, seemingly not disliking Bianca’s touch, remained still.
“What’s her name?”
She didn’t even seem curious as to why Kraush had brought a crow.
Did Bianca always like animals?
Seeing Bianca ask about the name, Kraush flashed a mischievous smile.
“Crim.”
It’s a secret that Crimson Garden pecked him one more time afterward.