TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 33
Kraush, who left the arena with Ebelasque, rubbed his arm.
It felt swollen but wasn’t completely ruined.
‘A few days with a potion and it’ll heal.’
Thinking he should stop by an alchemy shop before heading elsewhere, Kraush glanced to his side.
There was Ebelasque, watching him like a puppy needing to go out.
Come to think of it, he had forgotten something.
Kraush rummaged through his pocket and pulled out her heart.
“Take it.”
Without hesitation, he tossed the heart to Ebelasque.
“Huh?”
Ebelasque looked bewildered as she caught the heart.
Her expression showed she hadn’t expected it to be handed over so easily.
“…Are you sure about this?”
She was a World Erosion Being.
A necromancer of immeasurable value, even to the Imperial Palace.
When she asked if it was really okay to let someone like her go so easily, Kraush shrugged.
“We made a deal.”
Kraush understood Ebelasque’s personality.
She was the type who preferred hiding away rather than causing trouble for others.
Using her heart to control her would only create more annoying problems.
“More importantly, did you bring what I asked you to?”
“Ah, uh, the Golden Dragon Grass, you mean?”
Ebelasque fumbled in her pocket and pulled out the Golden Dragon Grass.
Kraush quickly snatched it from her hand.
He had gone through so much trouble to obtain just this one.
‘Now all that’s left is to head back.’
Having no desire to stay in the wretched Empire any longer, Kraush turned his body.
“Then I’m leaving.”
“Huh, ah, wait—?”
Ebelasque looked flustered.
Then, after glancing around, she began to follow Kraush.
“Why are you following me?”
A few minutes later, Kraush turned to look at Ebelasque with a displeased expression.
At first, he thought they might just be heading in the same direction, but she was following him all the way past the outskirts of the Imperial capital.
“Well, it’s just… I’m a fugitive from the Empire now. Shouldn’t I at least get out of here?”
That much was true.
The Imperial Palace wouldn’t leave Ebelasque alone.
‘If it’s Sigrid, she’ll probably shift the blame onto Ebelasque rather than risk losing Mary. Claim Mary was manipulated by her.’
Public opinion wouldn’t change that easily, but Mary would likely avoid execution.
Mary might be clueless, but her body and skills were the real deal.
No one was stronger than Mary during the World Erosion, even in her current state.
‘A thick-headed brute with a body as tough as stone.’
They wouldn’t want to lose such a loyal meat shield.
Kraush couldn’t stop that from happening.
‘Instead.’
Kraush’s eyes gleamed sharply.
In the process, Mary’s self-esteem would be utterly crushed.
What followed was self-explanatory.
The results would speak for themselves, resting in Kraush’s hands.
“Fine, I get it. So, you’re saying you’ll follow me until we’re out of the Empire?”
“Where are you planning to go?”
Ebelasque, knowing Kraush wasn’t from the Empire, asked the question.
Kraush saw no need to hide his answer.
“Starlon.”
“Starlon? That’s where Balheim is. It’s incredibly dangerous.”
“It’s only dangerous for you.”
“Why? Aren’t you a World Erosion Being too?”
But the moment she said that, Kraush’s face twisted in disbelief.
“You shouldn’t underestimate Balheim. They’re terrifying. They might swallow our heads whole while we’re still alive!”
Kraush had no idea what kind of image of Balheim existed in her mind, but that wasn’t the issue right now.
“Wait, you’re saying I’m a World Erosion Being?”
“Uh-huh? Yeah. You use the essence of World Erosion power. It seems like you’ve deliberately suppressed it, though. I didn’t notice when you were Number 12, but seeing you up close, it’s obvious. Only those who’ve dealt directly with World Erosion Beings or their power would notice.”
Kraush’s face hardened.
The World Erosion power absorbed through Extreme Blood Immersion Poison—could it be making him appear as one of them?
Kraush hadn’t even considered that possibility. He glanced at Crimson Garden.
Crimson Garden, busy preening her wings, eventually spoke.
“You didn’t know? I thought it was obvious.”
“Eek, a-a crow is talking?!”
Come to think of it, had Crimson Garden never spoken in front of Ebelasque before?
‘This isn’t exactly good news.’
Kraush crossed his arms and fell into brief contemplation.
Being perceived as a World Erosion Being could be advantageous for infiltrating them, but the drawbacks were undeniable.
Even if Kraush hid among people, to their eyes, he would still stand out.
It could make him a target.
World Erosion Beings operated as individuals, not as allies.
‘I finally understand why Ebelasque trusted me so easily.’
It was because they were the same kind.
She must have immediately believed he had a special ability to retrieve her heart.
After all, there were plenty of World Erosion Beings with unique powers.
Kraush hesitated for a moment before brushing off the thought.
‘I have to absorb the World Erosion one way or another. The risk was always there.’
The only relief was that ordinary people wouldn’t perceive World Erosion power.
“Crimson Garden, how would others see my Black Flame?”
“It would appear as a sinister, pitch-black flame. Your Black Flame purifies the outward World Erosion power thanks to Ignis.”
That was surprisingly good news.
Using Black Flame might make him seem ominous, but it wouldn’t lead to being mistaken for a World Erosion Being.
“In the first place, very few in this world can distinguish World Erosion power unless they’re a World Erosion Being or one of their kind. It’s like you recognizing the star marks on my kind.”
Kraush acknowledged that.
In the past, identifying Crimson Garden’s kind required Arthur or others with unique senses.
Most people were oblivious to the existence of her kind.
“Moreover, Kraush, you are fundamentally different from us. We are World Erosion itself, while you’ve mixed it with Aura. The World Erosion power in you is diluted, so most would just think you’re cursed.”
True, curses were classified similarly to World Erosion.
To others, Kraush’s Black Flame or World Erosion power would feel more like a curse.
‘So, in their eyes, I’m just someone burdened with a curse, fighting on.’
Not much different from before, then?
If that were the case, Kraush felt slightly reassured.
He had no desire to be hunted as a World Erosion Being.
At that moment, Crimson Garden smirked.
“And that means, as a World Erosion Being, you’re only half-baked.”
Kraush stared at Crimson Garden with an incredulous expression.
A proper World Erosion Being would decline this side.
In any case, it meant he was now straddling the line between a World Erosion Being and a human.
“So that means I can absorb more World Erosion without raising suspicion, right?”
“They’d just think you’ve been cursed more strongly or more often, that’s all.”
Kraush nodded as if he understood.
After clashing with Mary today, he realized it more acutely.
No matter how much he trained, he and she could never stand on equal footing.
Kraush could surpass her only by taking everything into his own hands.
He had already accepted the risks long ago.
There was nothing to fear now.
“Not a World Erosion Being? Huh? Why not?”
Meanwhile, Ebelasque, who had been quietly listening to Kraush and Crimson Garden’s conversation, wore a puzzled expression.
As her massive upper body shook in response, Crimson Garden glared at her with a disdainful look.
“Does all the nutrition that should go to your brain get diverted to your chest? Tsk tsk, to think a surviving World Erosion Being is this dumb.”
“K-Krad, that’s too much! Why are you being so harsh? I’m getting angry here!”
Seeing the bickering pair—a human and a beast—Kraush suddenly remembered something he hadn’t told Ebelasque.
“Ebelasque, my name isn’t Krad.”
Kraush corrected his name and added,
“I am Kraush Balheim.”
Her face turned blank with dumbfoundedness.
“I am the youngest direct descendant of that Balheim you mentioned.”
And at that moment, a woman’s piercing scream echoed from a corner of the imperial city.
* * *
The underground prison of the Empire.
Deep within the Iron Prison, where only death-row inmates were confined.
“I’ve told you countless times to fix that stupid temper of yours!”
A woman with blue hair dressed in a white uniform was shouting at the top of her lungs.
“Not only did you let both targets escape, but what’s this? Attempted regicide?! Are you out of your mind? How many times have I told you not to think! Just follow my orders and those of Lord Arthur!”
The woman was none other than Sigrid Ephania, the 3rd Princess.
True to her nickname, “The Flower of the Empire,” she possessed an exquisitely beautiful face, but now it was flushed red and blazing with fury.
“Why, why, why, of all times, did you decide to think and cause this mess? When I said not to think, I meant don’t act if there’s any uncertainty!”
“…….”
Kneeling silently before her, listening without a word, was none other than Mary Diana.
Her outstretched hands were shackled with enormous black cuffs, and her clothes and body were in disarray.
It was the result of being interrogated about the attempted regicide and tossed around mercilessly.
Even as a daughter of the prestigious Diana family, one of the top aristocratic houses of the Empire, regicide was a grave crime.
Not even she could escape the grueling interrogation that followed.
As a result, her pale skin was marred with wounds and scars, and her clothes were so torn they barely covered her, leaving almost her entire body exposed.
In fact, it was fortunate that she hadn’t been stripped completely.
The standard procedure in the Iron Prison was to strip inmates entirely, but her age and status had earned her a rare exception.
“I was trying to pave a smoother path for Lord Arthur to advance before his return, but you ruined it all.”
Sigrid stomped on the floor, unable to contain her anger.
Mary, however, could say nothing in response.
“The only reason I allowed you in was because of Lord Arthur’s request! Even if you’re clueless about everything else, your skill with that spear is unparalleled! Despite standing at the forefront during the Skyborne Generation’s battles, you survived to the end and demonstrated indomitable willpower—I acknowledged that much!”
Mary Diana’s nickname was Divine Spear, and her other title was Indomitable.
Unyielding, no matter the circumstances.
In Kraush’s eyes, she was like a reckless buffalo charging headlong into dangers that should have been avoided at all costs.
Ironically, at times, that same recklessness became the driving force that kept the Skyborne Generation from collapsing and elevated morale.
Even in hopeless situations, her refusal to give up and her relentless pursuit of World Erosion earned her universal recognition for her bravery.
Thus, Mary Diana always stood at the vanguard.
She wielded her spear on the frontlines, and even when drenched in blood, she would rise again and thrust her spear into the enemy’s heart.
The number of World Erosion events she single-handedly thwarted was countless.
Even Sigrid acknowledged her achievements.
The body she possessed, crafted as if by the gods themselves, was the pinnacle of the Heavenly Martial Body, surpassing the limits of humanity.
How else could her wounds from the recent interrogation already be healing naturally?
In terms of innate physical prowess, she was unmatched in the world.
That’s why she was called the Divine Spear.
But that was only in the context of battling World Erosion.
Now was a time when politics, not brute force, held greater importance.
Her simplistic thinking had no place in the realm of politics.
“Why does the divine only grant one gift…?”
Sigrid sighed deeply, lamenting.
As much as she wanted to cast Mary aside and let her face execution, the truth was Mary was too valuable to lose.
That monstrously durable body of hers was the Empire’s most reliable shield against World Erosion.
Even Arthur had said as much.
And only someone like Sigrid, capable of controlling Mary, could be considered truly exceptional.
Sigrid turned back to look at Mary.
Just seeing her brought a surge of irritation and a stabbing pain in her chest, but she suppressed it with effort.
Whatever Mary’s faults, Sigrid was not foolish enough to act blindly.
She wasn’t as clueless as Sizelry, at least; Sigrid could grasp the bigger picture of the situation.
‘This plan had almost no variables.’
At most, the only variable was if Sizelry happened to stumble upon something Sigrid had missed and figured it out.
Sizelry was always destined to die.
She could never have anticipated Sera turning into a corpse and using that to attack her.
That’s why Sigrid had trusted Mary with the task.
Mary always carried out her orders faithfully.
“Mary, you said you killed Sera, right?”
“…Yes, I definitely killed her with my own hands.”
Mary never lied.
No, to be precise, she didn’t know how to lie.
Especially in front of Sigrid, she would never speak falsely.
If she said she killed Sera, then it was undoubtedly true.
Mary’s spear was far beyond what Sera could defend against.
‘Then she really did kill her.’
Why, then, was Sera alive?
According to Mary, Ebelasque had betrayed them.
‘That fool, betrayal?’
Sigrid snorted in disbelief.
Ebelasque didn’t have the guts for something like that.
She was the kind of woman who’d tremble and hide under a blanket if you so much as met her eyes, or bawl her eyes out if threatened with death right in front of her.
That woman, betray them?
Don’t make me laugh.
‘Something’s going on.’
Sigrid’s eyes narrowed.
This incident.
A variable she hadn’t accounted for had occurred.
“You said the heart in your pocket suddenly vanished, right?”
“Yes, I was definitely holding onto it until just before. I even gave the command.”
Sigrid stroked her slender jaw and then turned her head.
Then, as if coming to a conclusion, she turned her body.
“Understood. Stay where you are.”
“What? S-Sigrid, are you telling me to stay in prison?”
“Isn’t that obvious? You tried to assassinate a member of the royal family. It’s already strange enough that the execution hasn’t been carried out immediately! Do you even realize how much I had to pull strings behind the scenes to barely stop it?”
Mary’s face turned pale.
“You directly challenged the authority of the royal family right in front of them. If I hadn’t maneuvered here and there, and if Ebelasque hadn’t unilaterally taken the blame for the incident, you would have been executed on the spot alongside the deputy commander of the Black Dragon Knights.”
She clicked her tongue and shook her head.
“It’s fortunate that your connection with Siphon and your status as a pitiful young girl deceived by the World Erosion Beings could be tied to the 2nd Prince. Otherwise, you would have been executed summarily for attempting to kill a royal and challenging their authority.”
The 2nd Prince wasn’t completely free from suspicion of Sizelry’s murder either.
He had openly spread rumors about holding the Night Crow in his hands.
Because of that, he was also fervently claiming that he was merely used by Ebelasque and that everything was her doing.
Sigrid lent weight to his claims, and she even included Mary in the narrative.
Thanks to that, the situation was barely defused enough to prevent a summary execution.
If anything had gone slightly wrong, Mary wouldn’t be here right now.
The brilliant minds of the Empire might notice the contradictions in those claims and the gaps in the current situation, but even they, ever neutral, would turn a blind eye in the end.
After all, they understood that this was not merely a challenge to royal authority but, at its core, a dispute over the imperial succession.
Unless the Emperor directly intervened, they would simply observe how the situation unfolded.
Of course, Sigrid had to endure some losses because of this incident.
The 1st Prince, knowing full well that Mary was on Sigrid’s side, would find every possible way to tear her apart.
“Sigh, I wonder how much I’ll have to sacrifice because of this. While the execution might have been avoided, the aftermath is even more problematic.”
The 1st Prince wouldn’t openly attack her since she hadn’t directly targeted him.
But instead, he would diligently work to absorb the 2nd Prince’s faction.
For the 1st Prince, this situation was practically an opportunity to effortlessly swallow the faction of the 2nd Prince, whose succession rights had essentially become meaningless because of this incident.
From Sigrid’s perspective, it was maddening to have to stand idly by and watch that happen.
On top of that, there was also the issue of Mary’s treatment.
The title of the Strongest Spear was now completely out of reach, and all the benefits she was supposed to receive from the Empire would be cut off.
It had even reached the point where the Diana family was considering disowning her.
For the Diana family, harboring a fool who had challenged the authority of the royal family could lead to the ruin of three generations.
Thus, Sigrid was using every means at her disposal to prevent that from happening.
She was desperately wrapping up the situation so that what Mary had done wouldn’t be seen as a direct challenge to the Empire’s authority.
Thanks to that, Mary was now treated as a forsaken child, abandoned not only by the Empire but also by her family.
If public sympathy could be carefully stirred, it might be possible to keep her within the Empire, but it was inevitable that her life would become much harder from now on.
“Well, I suppose avoiding execution is something to be grateful for.”
It was only because Sizelry was from a discarded line, with weak succession rights and little authority within the royal family, that things had turned out this way.
If Mary had targeted the 1st Prince or even the 2nd Prince directly, there would have been no doubt about her immediate execution.
Sigrid glared at Mary with a look of utter disdain.
In response, Mary shrank back with a crestfallen expression.
“I’ll figure out a way to change your situation and get you out eventually. Just wait there.”
“Sigrid, then what about… the academy…”
Mary asked, her voice trembling as tears welled up in her eyes.
If she could go to the Rahelrn Academy, she would be able to see Arthur.
That single hope had been what kept her going until now.
No matter what, she desperately wanted to attend Rahelrn Academy.
She longed to see Arthur, to feel his gentle smile and the comforting touch of his hand.
“Ha…”
But seeing Mary like this, Sigrid let out a bitter, incredulous laugh.
She hadn’t expected the word “academy” to come out of her mouth at this moment.
“This year is impossible. Next year? Honestly, I can’t say. Who knows how long your prison term will last? You might not be able to leave until either I or Arthur ascends to the throne.”
“I-Impossible! Please, I just want to go to the academy! Sigrid, I’m sorry! It’s all my fault! Please, just the academy, I beg you!”
“Mary.”
When Sigrid called Mary’s name again, she collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
Watching her, Sigrid’s face twisted in exasperation.
She wanted to kick and stomp on that pathetic figure right then and there, but this was Arthur’s chosen woman.
If it were anyone else, she wouldn’t have hesitated, but she couldn’t do something so crude to his woman.
After all, she wanted to remain a refined lady in Arthur’s eyes.
“…I’ll try to arrange for you to be exiled to the academy instead. You’re only sixteen, and it would be harsh to punish a young girl manipulated by the World Erosion Beings too severely. If I frame it as recognizing your talent and using it to benefit the Empire, it might work.”
Honestly, she couldn’t guarantee anything.
Still, it might be better to give Mary at least one faint glimmer of hope than to let her completely collapse.
“Ah… Thank you. Sigrid, thank you so much.”
Mary clung to the iron bars, her tears streaming down as she expressed her gratitude.
Despite the iron cage being harder and heavier than steel, it bent slightly under her astonishing strength, once again leaving an impression.
Yes, she endured because of that body alone.
“This year is out of the question. There’s no way you can get out of prison in that time. As for next year, who knows? Until then, don’t do anything foolish and just stay put.”
Leaving behind Mary, who tearfully promised her compliance, Sigrid turned to leave.
All the while, her mind churned over the unexpected variables that had arisen in this situation.