Chapter 227
Episode 227
After the sudden training session near the mountains of Rahelrn Academy during a picnic.
The results of the training were far more devastating than expected.
The reason was none other than a pair of siblings.
Originally, the victory condition was to descend the mountain before sunset.
However, the siblings chose to shoot down their opponents instead.
Without the slightest hesitation, they jumped into battle, and as a result, they shot down a member of the Lion Order.
Kraush took out a First Year Student of the Lion Order.
Charlotte took out a Second Year Student of the Lion Order.
After smashing all their opponents, the two leisurely descended the mountain and eventually faced the waiting Martial Arts and Theology Department students.
And as soon as they saw this, the Theology Department students hurriedly began climbing the mountain.
It was to treat the individuals the siblings had smashed.
"You really went overboard."
Austria looked at Kraush with an exasperated expression as she observed the injured.
This was because all the First Year Students Kraush had smashed were bedridden.
However, even for Kraush, it couldn't be helped.
The Three Mad Cats following Charlotte were not only skilled but also on a different level of persistence compared to others.
They truly threw themselves at Kraush until the very end, burning with determination.
The Honorary Vice Commander, Chromosh, who raised himself using a stone pillar despite both his legs being broken, was nothing short of terrifying.
Thus, Kraush couldn't hold back either.
Since the opponents were going all out, he had no choice but to do the same.
"Besides, it wasn't just me, was it?"
Kraush, including Charlotte in the matter, made a slightly embarrassed expression.
While the First Year Students were certainly devastated, the Second Year Students were no less so.
Among them, Karandis's condition was the most severe.
This was because her bones and muscles had been smashed, leaving multiple twisted areas.
It was so bad that they had to deliberately go through a process of reassembling her bones for treatment.
"She's quite something."
Kraush, shocked at Karandis's state, was about to say something when—
Charlotte, who had approached him, casually passed along a comment.
Kraush was more surprised by Charlotte's words than by Karandis's condition.
After all, Charlotte praising someone was an exceedingly rare occurrence.
'What on earth did she do?'
As Kraush looked at Karandis, Haring, who had recovered relatively quickly, approached him.
"......She fought until the very end."
Haring, caressing her injured arm, looked at Karandis.
Haring had seen Karandis right before losing consciousness.
At that moment, when everyone had retired.
Karandis's fist, though devoid of any strength, had indeed touched Charlotte.
Watching this, Haring clenched her fists tightly.
This was because Karandis's persistence at that moment had surpassed her own.
And that image reminded her of Kraush.
"To stay by Kraush's side, Karandis is putting in just as much effort."
"......."
Kraush turned to look at Karandis.
In Kraush's memory, Karandis was just one of those who had chased after Arthur in infatuation.
Even then, it was for quite shallow reasons, and because of that, she had once been harshly treated by Abella, the Red Witch who genuinely loved Arthur.
However, even then, Kraush remembered her persistence.
[I have never regretted the effort I put in to become Arthur's wife.]
She said this with a clear, unwavering gaze, despite Arthur's cold rejection.
[So I will love Arthur with all my might until the very end. That is who I am.]
Even if it meant not being chosen, she had done everything she could.
'What was Karandis's end like?'
Kraush couldn't recall Karandis's final moments.
It was only natural.
Back then, she hadn't been part of the Skyborne Generation.
While her skills were decent, the direction she pursued then differed from her current self.
'She definitely aimed to become the King of Poseus.'
If she trained her Martial Prowess to join the Skyborne Generation, it would have been harder to reach the throne of Poseus.
It wasn't that she lacked talent, but compared to the Skyborne Generation, her abilities were honestly lacking.
Thus, Karandis couldn't do both at the same time.
Either she worked to become the King of Poseus.
Or she worked to join the Skyborne Generation.
She had to choose one and pour her entire life and effort into it to barely achieve it.
So she gave up on the Skyborne Generation.
This was because what Arthur wanted wasn't a Karandis belonging to the Skyborne Generation.
It was a Karandis who ascended to the throne of Poseus.
However, even that dream ended in failure when Poseus, weakened in defense due to the war with the World Erosion Beings, fell to the Greatest Evil.
Surely, her final moments were on the day the Poseus Kingdom fell.
After that, Kraush never saw her again.
'If the Poseus Kingdom hadn't fallen.'
Perhaps she really might have become the King of Poseus.
Kraush looked at Karandis once more.
Though battered from her injuries, she was barely treated thanks to Austria and now lay asleep, breathing heavily.
Unlike when she had worked to become the King of Poseus to be chosen by Arthur.
Now, she was fiercely improving her skills with all her might.
To the point where she could even keep up with Haring's training, which was no less intense than Kraush's.
Kraush wasn't unaware of how much effort she was putting in.
And Kraush knew who her current direction was for.
It was for Kraush himself.
Karandis wanted to stay by Kraush's side.
To do so, she relentlessly trained herself.
This was because she had subconsciously realized that what Kraush desired was someone strong enough to belong to the Skyborne Generation.
Even if her efforts were for shallow reasons.
To her, it was love, and it was sincere.
"Kraush, sir."
At that moment, Karandis opened her eyes.
As soon as her gaze met Kraush's, she smiled brightly.
"I landed a punch on Charlotte, you know."
And she proudly spoke of her accomplishment.
Her slightly smug expression reminded Kraush of the usual Karandis.
Could anyone hate someone like this?
At least Kraush didn't dislike someone like her.
Rather, he liked her.
Perhaps Karandis had subconsciously noticed this and was changing because of it.
A faint laugh escaped Kraush's lips.
Arthur never accepted Karandis until the very end.
Perhaps Arthur had long known that Karandis wouldn't reach the throne of Poseus.
After all, Poseus was one of the first kingdoms to fall to the Greatest Evil.
Thus, Arthur never made any particular investment in Karandis.
Despite knowing that, she still wanted to become a king to stay by Arthur's side.
How about now?
Now, she wanted to stay by Kraush's side, not Arthur's.
In this round, she was putting in more effort than anyone else.
Even though Kraush didn't show much interest in her this time either.
For a brief moment in Kraush's mind.
He thought of Karandis, who might have picked up her sword to protect the crumbling Poseus.
In a play, she would have been a minor character that no one noticed.
However, that minor character aimed to become the protagonist.
She picked up the sword she had forgotten how to wield as a king and stood against the Greatest Evil to protect Poseus.
Karandis Poseus was that kind of person.
Kraush regretted, even for a moment, not having seen that side of her.
The end of someone like Karandis must have been more radiant than anyone else's.
Kraush's hand slowly rose.
Before he realized it, Kraush's hand was stroking Karandis's hair.
For a moment, Karandis, unable to process the situation as reality, stiffened.
Then, with a blank expression, she looked at him while his hand stroked her hair.
"You did well."
Kraush didn't use his usual honorifics with Karandis.
However, Karandis, who understood the meaning, began to widen her eyes.
Kraush's face, which met Karandis's gaze, was smiling with immense kindness.
Knowing that this was a face he often showed to others, Karandis visibly flustered.
Suddenly, her healthy complexion turned bright red.
"Uh, ah, uhh."
Then she creaked like a clumsy machine.
And soon, she slowly covered her face with the blanket cover.
Well, it couldn't be helped.
After all, this was the first time she had ever felt this way.
Despite her usual daring antics, today she couldn't bear to look at Kraush's face.
Her heart was strangely fluttering uncontrollably.
Without knowing this, Kraush removed his hand from stroking her hair.
Stroking a princess's hair could be considered lèse-majesté, but he thought this much was appropriate.
"Take care of yourself."
Kraush turned his body and left the hospital room to let Karandis rest.
Following him, Haring saw Karandis, who had now pulled the blanket cover over her head.
Haring knew well what kind of reaction this was from Karandis.
"......Rival."
She recalled a conversation she had with Karandis not long ago.
The women who gathered unusually often around Kraush.
Among them, Karandis was now undoubtedly included.
And moving forward, she was likely to become quite a formidable opponent.
With such thoughts in mind, Haring left the hospital room.
Thinking that she, too, couldn't just stay idle here.
* * *
After training, a change occurred within the Lion Order.
It was none other than the training schedule of the Lion Order becoming harsher than ever before.
The reason was simple.
They were furious about being completely crushed by the siblings.
Before respecting Charlotte and Kraush, they were warriors who wielded martial prowess.
Losing was naturally infuriating, and that rage translated entirely into training.
As a result, strange rumors began to spread recently in Rahelrn Academy.
That members of the Lion Order would enter the cafeteria looking like beggars, eat, and leave in groups.
It sounded like a ghost story.
But to other student units preparing for the upcoming Confrontation, it wasn't a story to be overlooked.
"The Lion Order is training?"
Of course, Sigrid was among those who heard it.
The 3rd Princess of the Empire, Sigrid Ephania, who led one of the student units, the White Lamb Order.
Frustrated by the unruly Skyborne Generation during training, she frowned upon hearing the news.
At that, Tai Popoa, one of the twin snakes and her loyal subordinate with black hair, bowed her head.
"Yes, after going to the mountain for what they called a picnic, they returned with many injuries, and their training methods have become harsher."
"......A picnic?"
Sigrid furrowed her brows.
There wasn't anything particularly noteworthy about the mountain they had visited.
What could have happened to raise their spirits like that?
'The Lion Order wasn't known for being so united.'
Charlotte, with her free-spirited personality, had usually neglected the Lion Order.
As a result, the Lion Order wasn't particularly cohesive internally.
When the leader has no intention of uniting them, it's hard for the group to come together.
However, upon hearing the report, what was this?
They had suddenly become tightly united.
'There was the Three Mad Cats.'
They had always been a good match and had followed Charlotte in the past.
But even so, without Charlotte, the first-year students' combat power was surpassed by the White Lamb Order.
As Sigrid had actively gathered members.
The White Lamb Order was the group with the most Skyborne Generation members.
'The problem lies with the second-year students.'
Due to Kraush, an unusually large number of Skyborne Generation members had gathered among the second-year students.
In fact, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that all the top combatants among the second-year students were in the Lion Order.
Sigrid had also tried to recruit second-year students in her own way.
But the reality was that they were no match for the second-year members of the Lion Order.
Furthermore, the Lion Order's second-year students included Fake Arthur.
It seemed he had joined with the intent of gathering intelligence.
But even so, once he joined the Lion Order, he couldn't act carelessly.
"Tsk."
She clicked her tongue in annoyance.
For a brief moment, Mary came to mind.
Regardless of anything else, she had been a reliable force.
If Mary had been by her side, the second-year students' combat power wouldn't have fallen behind so much.
For a brief moment, regret flashed through her eyes.
But soon, she dismissed the thought.
Because she knew all too well about Mary's weaknesses.
'It's fine. I already found a replacement anyway.'
Sigrid turned her head to look out the window.
"Glen is returning tomorrow, isn't he?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Hearing the response from Tai Popoa of the White Snake, she smiled.
The Strongest Spear created to replace Mary.
It was time to unveil it.
'If the second-year students' combat power is lacking, I'll just create it.'
The White Lamb Order will win the Confrontation without fail.