TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 104
Episode 104
Leaving the fallen “Muscle Pig” behind, Kraush turned his body, only to hear murmuring voices from behind.
“That person from earlier.”
“That hair color, Balheim?”
“Was there someone else who could enroll in Balheim?”
“You know, that Half-Penny youngest.”
“They say he’s not a Half-Penny anymore, though.”
“Wasn’t that just a baseless rumor?”
“But the way he looked just now…”
The voices, filled with various opinions, also reflected the current image of Kraush.
Thanks to the 1st Prince’s efforts over the past half-year, the scale of rumors surrounding Kraush had significantly diminished.
The fact that people still brought up the Half-Penny story was proof of this.
‘The important ones have likely already realized that all the rumors about me are true.’
The confusion of information resists hastily determining that information as the truth.
Unless you see the source of a rumor with your own eyes, doubt persists endlessly.
That’s why, even if they knew the rumors were true, the fact that they didn’t act rashly was evidence of their hesitation.
They probably didn’t want to risk provoking Balheim unnecessarily and suffering the consequences.
Meanwhile, Kraush entered the Martial Arts Hall.
True to its name, the Martial Arts Hall greeted Kraush with a massive statue holding crossed swords and axes at its front.
The place where Kraush stopped his steps was the training ground of the Martial Arts Hall.
A training ground shaped like a massive dome, reminiscent of an arena.
Just the sight of the training ground hinted at the sheer scale of Rahelrn Academy.
The problem was the people seated in such an arena.
The Martial Arts entrance exam allowed current students to spectate if they wished.
After all, the entrance exam was merely about showcasing one’s martial prowess, so there was nothing for the students to assist with.
Hence, the event was opened with the intention of boosting the new students’ motivation and allowing them to preview their potential juniors.
And among those who attended, Kraush spotted several familiar faces.
‘Sigrid.’
Among them, the most striking was Sigrid Ephania, with her sea-colored hair.
The 3rd Princess of the Ephania Royal Family, known for the White Dragon’s bloodline, and a woman who, like Kraush, possessed memories from previous cycles through Memory Inheritance.
She was also the woman Kraush disliked the most.
She surrounded herself with several individuals.
Every one of them was far from ordinary.
Their strong personalities made them all stand out.
They were individuals who would later make a name for themselves across the Empire.
And among these conspicuous individuals, there was one young man with black hair and an innocent impression.
‘Felray.’
A figure hailed as a true hero among commoners and later part of the Skyborne Generation.
He was someone Kraush had once met in the finals of a Martial Arts Tournament.
However, Felray’s eyes were restlessly scanning his surroundings, as if searching desperately for someone.
That appearance was as though he was looking for someone specific.
Kraush had a rough idea of who Felray was searching for but chose not to react.
‘Looks like Sigrid brought him in.’
Felray, having made it to the semifinals of the Empire’s Martial Arts Tournament, had earned the right to enroll in the Academy.
Naturally, this made it easier for Sigrid to recruit him.
For someone without a strong backing, Sigrid was an incredible connection to have.
Though he wasn’t the type to care about connections.
‘He’s just that naive.’
If she coaxed him by saying she’d take care of the commoner peers in the Martial Arts group, Felray would have willingly joined Sigrid’s faction.
‘That woman really went all out.’
In the past, the followers Sigrid gathered in the Academy were nothing more than sycophants who worshipped her.
But now, the people gathered around her were all connected to the Skyborne Generation.
And each one of them was a difficult personality to manage, yet Sigrid had formed such a group.
This was clear evidence that she was actively utilizing her Memory Inheritance.
Kraush quickly scanned his surroundings.
‘If Sigrid is here, then Arthur must also be somewhere nearby.’
To Kraush, Arthur was currently the most uncertain variable.
Arthur, who had lost his skills to Kraush, would undoubtedly lack his original memories.
That made Kraush curious.
Just which iteration of Arthur was the current one?
And how would Arthur, upon encountering Sigrid with her memories intact, handle the situation?
‘…He’s not here?’
Yet, Arthur was nowhere to be seen.
Kraush furrowed his brows.
In Kraush’s memory, Arthur had entered the Academy alongside Sigrid last year.
But now, Arthur’s presence was absent.
‘Did he decide not to attend, leaving Sigrid to spectate the entrance exam alone?’
Both Sigrid and two others had retained their memories.
Yet, Arthur lacked his, prompting him to ponder why.
Perhaps he was refraining from acting rashly after deliberating on this.
Arthur, too, would be the most cautious about unexpected variables.
‘Tsk, I won’t know until I confirm this myself.’
Clicking his tongue, Kraush averted his gaze from Sigrid.
That was when it happened.
All eyes, including Sigrid’s, turned toward one direction.
Following their gaze, Kraush turned his head and spotted someone he recognized.
Black hair tinged with a mix of blue swayed gently as they walked.
The woman who entered, her presence alone overwhelming everyone, was unmistakable despite being only one person.
“Charlotte Balheim.”
“The Sword Star? Did the Sword Star come to observe the entrance exam?”
“Wow, it’s my first time seeing a Balheim Direct Line in person.”
Even the children who had been nervously tense earlier couldn’t help but gape in awe at Charlotte, expressing exclamations.
To aspiring students of the Martial Arts, a nickname was like a dream.
After all, earning a nickname meant proving one’s strength.
Charlotte was a prodigy among prodigies, having earned her nickname even before reaching adulthood.
Naturally, she became an object of admiration.
Amid the attention of everyone, Charlotte walked leisurely to the far end of the spectator’s area.
Then, she boldly placed her foot on the railing.
As everyone continued to focus on her,
“Kraush!”
She called out a name with an explosive voice.
Even Kraush, who hadn’t anticipated Charlotte’s sudden action, wore a bewildered expression.
As silence enveloped the crowd,
She curled her lips into her signature smirk.
“Win first place.”
Having said only what she wanted, she turned and left without hesitation.
It was a very Charlotte-like action, thoroughly in her own style.
“K-Kraush?”
“Isn’t that the youngest? Even a Balheim Direct Line showed up?”
“Hah, guess first place is out of reach now.”
“But I heard he’s just a half-penny.”
Amidst the murmuring voices of the children, Kraush could feel the growing focus of their gazes on him.
They were those who recognized the distinct hair color characteristic of Balheim.
Gradually, people began stepping back one by one, forming a circle around Kraush.
It was because they concluded that no good could come from getting involved with him.
Thanks to that, Kraush was granted a one-meter radius of empty space amidst the crowd.
He hadn’t even done anything, yet he was being treated this way.
The weight of the names Balheim and Charlotte hit him anew.
‘I ended up drawing attention, even though I didn’t intend to.’
However, what bothered him more was Sigrid’s gaze.
She was looking in Kraush’s direction with half-lidded eyes.
Sigrid, who hadn’t even bothered to supervise the entrance exams in the past.
Thus, she had no idea how Kraush had managed to get into the Academy.
But this time, there were far too many variables at play.
From the actions Sigrid herself had taken, to the disappearance of Abella, the detention of Mary Diana, the escape of Ebelasque, and even Charlotte’s enrollment in the Academy.
It was a situation where no one could predict what kind of variables were in effect.
So it was clear she was now contemplating various thoughts as she observed him.
‘I was planning to reveal my skills during the entrance exam anyway.’
If it could make that woman’s head ache even more, that would be welcome on his end.
“A Balheim Direct Line! Kraush!”
At that moment, Kraush spotted someone jumping into the circle the children had cleared.
A boy with gray, ponytail-like hair and tiger-like patterns etched onto his skin.
Balak Hogma.
He was one of the Three Prodigies of Starlon and a subordinate of Aniks.
This was the first time Kraush had seen him since their encounter at the Holy Land of Stars, and they were the same age.
Which meant he had also come to take the entrance exam this time.
“Wow! You’ve grown a lot taller!”
“You’re still short.”
“Right? I guess I’m just a late bloomer.”
Balak responded casually to Kraush’s remark.
“But you seem much stronger now. Let’s have a bout later.”
“Looks like you still haven’t learned your lesson from the last time.”
“This time, I want to try using weapons too!”
In many ways, he was someone who simply didn’t know how to back down.
Still, as a fellow member of Starlon, he was undeniably one of them.
Having at least one person around was better for appearances than being completely ostracized.
‘As expected of my impulsive sister.’
Kraush sighed as he recalled Charlotte’s unpredictable behavior.
* * *
After Charlotte threw a storm into the entrance exam and disappeared.
Conversations started circulating among Sigrid’s group.
“Is that Charlotte’s younger brother?”
“We should watch out. If he’s Charlotte’s brother, his skills must be exceptional.”
“There was even recent talk that Starlon intentionally distorts information.”
While they talked amongst themselves, Sigrid silently stared at Kraush, lost in thought.
The reason Sigrid showed up here today was simple.
She was looking for Arthur.
Arthur hadn’t enrolled in Rahelrn Academy last year.
The realization had shocked her, but she believed Arthur must have had his reasons and focused on doing her best in her own affairs.
Then, this year, an associate professor she had planted informed her of Arthur Gramalte’s entrance.
The thought that Arthur had finally appeared made her hold back her urge to rush to the Academy and wait patiently.
And today, she had come to witness Arthur at last during the entrance exam.
Yet here she was, seeing someone completely unexpected drawing all the attention.
‘Is it true that the cursed one has grown stronger?’
Sigrid’s blue eyebrows twitched slightly.
To Sigrid, Kraush was nothing more and nothing less than the cursed one.
Aside from his abrasive remarks that often rubbed people the wrong way, she hadn’t paid much attention to him.
He was simply a tool necessary for the path they were forging.
Nothing more, nothing less.
But the Kraush she saw today was clearly different.
Sigrid had been through countless battlefields.
She had a keen eye for assessing people.
The Kraush she observed today had unmistakably entered the realm of a Master.
‘How? That idiot’s talent wasn’t even worth calling half-penny level.’
Aside from his ability to handle curses, he had no notable strengths.
Yet this same individual suddenly appeared as a fully-fledged Master.
Sigrid found this fact extremely displeasing.
He had even made irritating remarks to Arthur in the past.
‘He should’ve just wallowed in curses. Why is he suddenly showing up as a variable?’
Sigrid let out a short sigh and rubbed the creases on her forehead with her thumb.
When Arthur had passed down his memories to her in advance, he had advised her on what to watch out for.
Each time the timeline changed, new variables would emerge due to the butterfly effect.
Instead of focusing on why those variables appeared, he had told her to think about how to deal with them.
Sigrid suspected that Kraush was the variable in this iteration of events.
From what she had gathered about Ebelasque, it seemed she had headed toward Starlon.
‘That fool Mary must have done something stupid that caused this.’
It was undoubtedly a variable stemming from that.
It must have served as some kind of opportunity for Kraush.
‘Well, whatever. This isn’t the priority right now.’
Even so, Kraush’s role wouldn’t change.
His ability to steal curses was essential for Arthur’s journey.
That was the very reason Arthur had kept him around until the end.
‘If he becomes stronger, I’ll just manipulate him to make use of him. I’ll turn him into a card I can play.’
After all, he didn’t know anything about her.
Sigrid couldn’t quite recall what Kraush liked, but she at least knew what he hated.
As long as she avoided those, getting closer to him wouldn’t be a problem.
‘Ha, the thought of having to befriend the cursed one is ridiculous.’
But what choice did she have?
It was all for the sake of saving the world.
Clicking her tongue at her own over-concern for the world, Sigrid leaned back in her chair.
If push came to shove, she could resort to extreme measures to bring him in.
Kraush was a useful tool, after all.
‘But right now, it’s Arthur who matters.’
Sigrid set aside thoughts of Kraush and busied herself scanning her surroundings for Arthur.
Unaware of just how big a mistake she was making in doing so.
“Greetings, everyone. I am Kairan, the Entrance Exam Supervisor and in charge of the Martial Arts segment. We will now begin the Martial Arts entrance exam.”
And thus, the entrance exam commenced.