Chapter 187
"......Follow me?"
Mary absentmindedly mulled over Kraush's words.
It was because she never thought someone would tell her to follow them.
Mary had spent her entire life clashing with enemies at the forefront and smashing them to pieces.
She wasn't particularly born with a good brain.
If anything, she was below average.
Perhaps, because of that, this very fact became an advantage when she took the lead.
With a clear mind, Mary was able to charge forward without hesitation.
Thus, her forte was to advance, advance again, and eventually lead everyone forward.
However, there was an opponent for whom such a forte was meaningless.
A being born from the Greatest Evil, Ragnarok.
In front of that monster that swallowed the world in one hand, Mary was powerless.
The Skyborne Generation was thoroughly smashed, nations were erased from the world, and Mary was pushed to the brink of death.
When she rose to her feet,
the world was already racing toward destruction.
Watching everyone, including the injured, rise to prepare for the final battle, she realized something then.
The crushing pressure of having to stand at the forefront and the conclusion that everything might depend on her alone.
When her thoughts reached that point, she fell into a vague sense of unease.
And to dispel that unease, she leaned on none other than Arthur.
The hero who had always stood proudly by her side.
That hero had said this to her:
[It's fine. Mary, even if you make a mistake, I can fix it. I have Regression. So, it's okay for you to move forward as much as you want.]
Arthur's last resort, as he explained.
Even if this world were to be erased, they could return together, he said.
Trusting in that one statement, Mary thrust her spear toward Ragnarok.
Yes, she certainly did.
And the result was, as expected, utterly disastrous.
The world fell into ruin, and the Skyborne Generation left only a few, including Kraush and Arthur.
Everyone else was annihilated.
She looked up at the world and sighed.
Even though she ignored the crushing pressure and pushed forward, this was the result.
The pressure she had cast aside only returned, swelling even greater than before.
Therefore, after the Regression, Mary clung even more to Arthur.
Because she believed Arthur was the only one who could relieve her of this pressure.
But Arthur did not appear before her.
Arthur's absence, seen nowhere, began to rot her deeply from within.
The series of incidents and the increasingly sinking reality.
And finally, Sigrid's contemptuous words, which she had once trusted.
All of these were enough to utterly break Mary.
At such a moment,
Kraush, who had defeated her, was speaking to Mary.
[Just follow me.]
The words that she merely had to follow.
Those were words Mary had never heard in her life.
Because she had always lived hearing words of encouragement and trust from those behind her.
Even Arthur, who had stood by her side, had never thought of standing in front.
But Kraush now told her to follow him.
At the moment Kraush stepped deeply into her heart, the weight of those words was beyond imagination.
Mary looked at Kraush with an expression of dazed astonishment.
Kraush looked down at her without saying a word.
Though he appeared in a woman's form now, his original form overlapped in her vision.
He was no longer just some Curse Bearer.
He was a strong figure who could even tell someone like her, a divine spear, to follow him.
He was a dazzling figure who would open a new era.
Mary's throat moved as she gulped.
Mary was human too.
The anxiety and fear deeply embedded in her heart when the world was destroyed continued to eat away at her.
This wasn't all that different for Sigrid.
Her personality had never been particularly good, but after the Regression, her personality had become even sharper.
Sigrid, too, was gnawed away by the helplessness she experienced in the face of destruction.
She had always been someone who could do anything.
Perhaps because of that, Mary unexpectedly realized she had stopped relying on Sigrid a long time ago.
Because she knew that even staying beside Sigrid, eaten away by destruction, would lead her to repeat the same mistakes again.
That's why the refuge she chose was Arthur.
But now, even that refuge had failed to appear.
Kraush's words were an incredibly sweet and irresistible temptation.
"Re-really, can I really just follow?"
Kraush had no knowledge of this world's impending destruction.
Mary was certain of that.
But rather, because of that, another thought crossed her mind.
Since he didn't know destruction, perhaps he could face it without fear, unlike them, who had already lost once.
It was an incredibly self-serving interpretation, but Mary wanted to believe in it.
Because she no longer had the strength to walk forward on her own.
Kraush remained silent.
In the face of his silence, Mary's heart wavered.
And her eyes were solely fixed on Kraush's lips.
Like a new bride eagerly awaiting the answer she longed for, she shrank back, desperately waiting only for Kraush's reply.
"Alright."
At that moment, when Kraush's lips finally opened.
"You only need to follow."
The sweet words she heard at the end of her waiting carved themselves into her ears, her mind, and her heart.
Crack—
A sound of something collapsing echoed above her head.
Mary couldn't hear it, but Kraush heard it louder than ever.
It was because Black Hood was activating in his grasp.
The traces of the broken dial scattered as fragments of light.
Amidst the scattering fragments of light, Mary's face was smiling more brightly than ever.
She had cast aside the pressure and everything else and decided to think only of following Kraush.
That fact brought her a fleeting joy.
Within the crumbling fragments of light, Kraush's fist quietly clenched.
The skill he had long desired, Excel.
That Excel had now come into Kraush's hands at this very moment.
Mary would soon notice that her skill was gone.
However, she wouldn't be able to tell anyone about it.
Because letting Kraush know her value had diminished would be her greatest fear.
She would live her life pretending she still had Excel.
But Kraush wasn't entirely done with Mary.
Because she had one more role to play.
"Before that, Mary, there's one thing I'd like to request."
"Y-yes, anything, anything you request!"
Mary nodded enthusiastically, showing her determination to do anything.
Seeing that, Kraush feigned a smile of apology.
"I want to contact Sizelry. Is there a way?"
"Are you referring to Sizelry Ephania?"
Mary's eyes turned wide.
Mary also knew that Sizelry and Kraush didn't have a bad relationship.
But she didn't expect Kraush to contact her personally.
"Yes, is it possible?"
When Kraush asked again, Mary hastily nodded.
The owner of the Imperial Seal engraved on Mary's body was Sizelry.
So, she also knew well that she could use the seal to contact her.
"I'll contact her right away."
Mary spoke, as if pleading not to be abandoned, willing to do anything.
Seeing her like that and saying thank you with a smile, Mary felt overwhelmed with happiness from just that.
It was the price of entrusting everything to Kraush.
'With this, my task with Mary is over.'
While Kraush evaluated Mary's talent highly, it ultimately depended on whether Mary could change herself or not.
Kraush could create an opportunity for her, but he couldn't do anything beyond that.
'One thing I am curious about.'
What would Mary Diana, who ascends to the pinnacle of martial arts with only the Heavenly Martial Body and no skills, look like?
Whether that imagination becomes reality or not depended on Mary.
'Now, two remain.'
Abella and Sigrid Ephania.
Only those two people were left.
Among the three women who returned together.
Mary Diana.
This was the moment Kraush completely broke her.
* * *
After finishing the task with Mary, Kraush safely exited the women's dormitory.
Perhaps because of his resemblance to his mother, he drew a lot of attention.
However, fortunately, no one approached him to talk.
This was likely because Kraush's feminized face looked exceptionally cold.
Thanks to that, Kraush smoothly made his way toward the Special Arts Hall.
He was planning to meet Darling and request the potion to reverse the feminization.
After all, with Mary's task done, there was no reason to maintain this appearance for another day.
[Kraush.]
At that moment, a voice was heard from Crimson Garden, who was flying leisurely in the sky.
As Kraush looked up at Crimson Garden with a puzzled expression.
Kraush suddenly felt a chilling sensation on his back.
And soon, as he hurriedly looked forward.
"Huh?"
There stood a woman with long, dark blue hair flowing in the wind.
Pupils devoid of any emotion, and an intimidating aura that oppressed just by facing her.
Charlotte Balheim.
None other than Kraush's older sister, one year his senior.
As Kraush faced Charlotte, his body instinctively froze.
Something about this appearance made Kraush feel it was absolutely wrong to face Charlotte in this state.
And soon, he realized why Crimson Garden had called him.
Crimson Garden had deliberately turned his gaze away before Kraush could escape.
[Heh-heh.]
The nasty laughter echoed in his head.
But regardless, Kraush first had to think about how to handle this situation.
Because as soon as Charlotte saw Kraush, she kept staring at him.
What would a sister think of her brother walking around dressed as a woman?
With any other sibling, it might have been understandable, but Kraush couldn't predict Charlotte's reaction.
'No, she wouldn't have noticed yet.'
She probably just thinks he looks a bit like their mother.
Kraush turned his head and tried to pass by Charlotte as it was.
"Kraush."
Without any hesitation, Charlotte called out to Kraush.
At the moment Kraush's shoulder reflexively reacted, Charlotte tilted her head to the side.
"What is that look?"
For a moment, Kraush considered using Excel to escape.
But he soon abandoned the idea.
If it was Charlotte, she might even catch up with Excel.
Kraush knew a bit about Charlotte's personality.
For her, it was better to face things head-on.
So Kraush turned confidently toward Charlotte.
"I have my reasons."
Reasons for cross-dressing, no less.
Even Kraush thought it was absurd, but that was all he could say.
At this, Charlotte slightly pressed her chin and scanned Kraush up and down.
Feeling uneasy under her gaze, Kraush instinctively shrank back, but Charlotte didn't care.
Then, Charlotte gave her signature smile, lifting only the corner of her lips.
"Being a little sister isn't bad."
Saying that, Charlotte suddenly stood right in front of Kraush.
"My dear brother, you've been asking me for a lot of favors lately. How about repaying them now?"
"Repay them...?"
As Kraush swallowed hard, Charlotte smiled with her eyes.
"Go on a date."
Suddenly, Kraush found himself about to go on a date with Charlotte.