TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 19
The curse placed on Bianca.
Doll’s Eye.
The curse that stripped Bianca of her emotions has been with her since birth.
Kraush needed that curse of Bianca’s to kill the Frenzy caused by World Erosion.
He had tirelessly worked to unlock her Dial until now.
A few days ago, he finally managed to unlock Bianca’s first Dial.
It was a tremendous achievement, but the problem was the second Dial.
‘What is this.’
The second Dial Kraush confirmed from Bianca left him feeling utterly at a loss.
[To become Bianca’s ‘most precious person.’]
Most precious person.
For some, it could be their parents, their child, a friend, or even a lover.
It was an incredibly tricky term to define.
However, the reason Kraush felt so overwhelmed upon seeing this was different.
Being a friend, that much he could manage.
But for Bianca, who lacked emotions, the idea of a most precious person was far more challenging than expected.
A condition that was already difficult had become even more so because it was Bianca.
‘I can’t be her parent or her child.’
He couldn’t easily obtain the title of most precious person through those two roles.
Then, the only remaining possibility was that of a lover.
Ironically, Kraush had already partially achieved that.
After all, he and Bianca were fiancés arranged by their families.
However, being engaged and being lovers were entirely different positions.
Above all, a lover inherently required the premise of love.
For Bianca, who lacked emotions, love was impossible.
More than anything, Kraush felt something unpleasant.
No matter how he thought about it, the idea of seducing a 12-year-old just to unlock the Dial was too much.
“This is such a headache.”
He recalled that when he had stolen Bianca’s curse in the past, the conditions weren’t like this.
Well, the conditions of the Dial naturally reflected the life the person had lived, so it made sense.
The Bianca of that time and the Bianca of now were different.
For now, he had his Sixth Sense, so it was fine, but someday, he would definitely need her curse.
The worry was no small matter.
Flap, flap!
At that moment, Kraush heard the sound of wings flapping outside the window.
When Kraush opened the window as if accustomed to it, what entered was a crow.
The crow’s identity was none other than Crimson Garden August.
She was his familiar.
“The child really likes me, doesn’t she? She won’t let me go easily.”
The reason she had been here until now was none other than Bianca.
As he had recently learned, Bianca liked animals a lot.
Whenever she saw Crimson Garden, whom Kraush had brought, she would carefully follow her, and upon realizing that the bird didn’t avoid her, she adored her immensely.
Thanks to this, Kraush had recently been thinking that Bianca followed Crimson Garden more than she followed him.
“It seems easier for you than for me, Crim.”
Becoming Bianca’s most precious person might be easier for Crimson Garden.
As he was wondering if he should disguise himself as a crow, Crimson Garden looked at Kraush with dissatisfaction.
“I told you not to call me Crim.”
“But Bianca calls you that all the time.”
“That’s because that’s the only name the child knows.”
Well, that was true.
“More importantly, there’s a carriage outside.”
Upon hearing those words, Kraush nodded.
It seemed Darling had arrived.
‘Aliod will be thrilled.’
Still, as his personal butler, Kraush felt a sense of pride as he placed Crimson Garden on his shoulder and left the room.
At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps began to echo from the stairs.
The owner of those footsteps was none other than Aliod.
Kraush thought he must have already heard about the medicine.
“Aliod…”
“Y-Young Master Kraush!”
Unlike usual, Aliod interrupted him and shouted urgently.
Seeing his face pale as if he’d seen a ghost, Kraush tilted his head.
Something about his reaction was strange.
“What is it? What’s going on? Wasn’t it Darling who arrived?”
Aliod shook his head vigorously from side to side.
If not Darling, who else would come looking for him?
As Kraush noticed the unusually heavy beads of sweat on Aliod’s forehead,
the words that followed froze Kraush in place.
“I-it’s the Patriarch!”
“What?”
“The Patriarch has arrived!”
And then, like a thunderclap, the shocking news struck.
Kraush stood frozen in place, feeling as if he’d been struck by lightning.
The Patriarch—who could that be?
There was only one person in the world Aliod would call the Patriarch.
The Celestial Four Strongest.
The Martial Emperor.
Balrok Balheim.
The man who was Balheim itself had appeared at the Green Pine Mansion.
As Kraush slowly began to lift his head, as if coming to terms with reality,
Aliod’s face came into view, now so pale it was almost white, to the point of evoking pity.
‘Why is Father here?’
Why had he come to the Green Pine Mansion?
The answer was simple.
“……Damn.”
A curse he had been trying to cut back on slipped out of his mouth unconsciously.
Because.
Kraush himself had summoned him.
Could it be that his mother had told his father about that conversation?
As Kraush felt a faint headache coming on, Crimson Garden, who had been perched on his shoulder, flapped her wings and flew down.
Waddling away, her movements were unmistakably those of someone fleeing.
Well, it made sense—if it was his father, he might immediately see through Crimson Garden’s true identity.
“……Where is the Patriarch?”
“I have escorted him to the Reception Room.”
Kraush tightened his tie properly.
Then, he meticulously checked his attire.
There was nothing to be criticized.
After confirming this, Kraush looked at Aliod.
Aliod nodded in response.
“Forget the tea and refreshments. The Patriarch won’t touch them anyway. Also, tell the maids not to come near the Reception Room unnecessarily.”
“Yes, understood.”
Leaving Aliod, who faithfully followed his orders, Kraush began to move.
Naturally, the place he was heading to was the Reception Room where Balrok would be.
With every step he took, the tension seemed to intensify.
Kraush stood before the Reception Room, thinking that in the past, he might have already run away by now.
For some reason, the Reception Room felt exceptionally large today.
Knock, knock—
“Patriarch, this is Kraush Balheim.”
“Come in.”
The moment Kraush spoke, a response immediately came from inside.
He must have already sensed his presence long ago.
Kraush carefully grasped the doorknob and pushed it open.
As he did, under the lit Reception Room, he saw black hair identical to his own.
Through the strands of bangs hanging down to his forehead, eyes shimmering like blue stars quietly gazed at the table.
At the same time, those eyes slowly lifted.
Just from that, Kraush felt a tingling sensation on his skin.
There was a mountain there.
A towering, unreachable mountain no matter how high one raised their head.
Kraush keenly felt, in this moment, what it meant to be overwhelmed.
A being who had surpassed the limits of humanity and reached the realm of a Demigod.
Balrok Balheim.
He realized what it meant to face him directly.
And he also realized just how far his own feeble strength still had to go.
‘Even now, he’s a monster.’
Kraush swallowed dryly and offered his courtesy.
“I greet the Patriarch of Balheim.”
This was the first time he had faced him since returning to the past.
As Kraush felt his mouth go dry, Balrok opened his mouth to speak.
“Sit.”
Kraush immediately adjusted his posture and sat in the chair before him.
The privilege of directly facing the Patriarch was reserved exclusively for those of the direct line.
Yet, for Kraush, who found this privilege the hardest to adapt to, he forced himself to meet Balrok’s gaze as the latter slowly began to speak.
“I heard it was your first time experiencing World Erosion.”
How did he, who should have been in the Forbidden Zone, know that Kraush had been at the World Erosion?
Whether it was through his mother or someone else, Kraush promptly answered.
“Yes, I recently returned from it.”
“How was it?”
How was it, he asked.
He had once again confirmed the grotesqueness of Belorkin, seized the opportunity of becoming an Immortal, and for the first time in his life, even stole a Skill.
From Kraush’s perspective, it had been nothing short of a triumphant victory.
But how would Balrok react if he told him all this?
He had lured his brother into a trap, exposed his true nature, and killed him, only to glorify it as a noble sacrifice.
On top of that, he had stolen his brother’s Skill and even joined hands with the World Erosion Beings.
Kraush marveled at the thought.
The things he had done could be judged in extremes, depending on the person.
Kraush had no way of knowing how much Balrok could see through him.
After all, Balrok, who had ascended to the level of a Demigod, had even awakened the Divine Eye.
Thus, Kraush decided to speak honestly about his feelings.
“It wasn’t as frightening as I thought it would be.”
Reflecting on Belorkin’s death, Kraush now realized how insignificant it all seemed.
Belorkin, who had tormented him so cruelly and symbolized fear, was ultimately nothing more than a criminal crushed under the star known as Charlotte.
Seeing him again, he was pitiful at best, not particularly frightening.
Even deciding to kill him had been easier than expected.
“I see.”
Balrok gave a very brief response.
It was said that upon becoming a Demigod, one grew distant from the emotions that bound humans.
Thus, even though he wasn’t cursed like Bianca, his expression was exceedingly rigid.
“That’s enough.”
Then, Balrok abruptly stood up from his seat.
Seeing this, Kraush, startled, quickly rose to his feet as well.
“Was this all you came to discuss?”
“Yes, that’s all. I’ve learned enough.”
What exactly had he learned from their brief conversation just now?
Though Kraush was bewildered, Balrok seemed to have already made up his mind.
“I’m returning to the Forbidden Zone.”
He spoke of the Forbidden Zone as if it were merely a casual stroll.
But of course, there was no way to stop the Patriarch from leaving.
All Kraush could do was bow his head to the departing Balrok.
And Balrok truly left for the Forbidden Zone.
It was said he didn’t even stop by the Main House.
Though Kraush wondered if this was really okay, no one within Balheim dared to defy the Patriarch’s will.
Feeling as though the storm had passed, Kraush brushed his bangs back.
Damn, it felt like his lifespan had suddenly shortened.
As he pondered what exactly Balrok had come for, he noticed another carriage approaching through the window.
Seeing the emblem of Danphelion engraved on the carriage, Kraush let out a belated sigh.
“She could’ve come a bit sooner.”
He found himself irrationally venting his frustration at Darling, who was about to arrive.