TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 112
“If you didn’t like it, you should’ve just said so!”
After Austria stormed off in a huff.
Kraush skipped lunch.
Telling Aslan he had some errands to run, he immediately set off.
The place Kraush visited during lunch was none other than the Special Arts Hall.
When Kraush entered the Special Arts Hall, with its glass dome structure, he saw students busily moving around.
They didn’t even spare Kraush a glance.
True to its name, the Special Arts Hall offered an assortment of eclectic courses.
Thanks to that, its students were notably more dedicated to their research than those in other departments.
Consequently, their primary focus was on their own research and theses.
It was also a department where people showed remarkably little interest in others.
Passing through this familiar department, Kraush arrived at a classroom labeled “Alchemy Lab.”
Without hesitation, Kraush opened the door, and the distinct smell of alchemical potions wafted out.
The three-story classroom was filled with Special Arts students conducting individual research at their respective stations.
Kraush leisurely walked past them and arrived at a spot piled high with potion bottles.
[Are you avoiding women only to come seeking one?]
Ignoring Crimson Garden’s words, Kraush looked further inside.
There, he saw someone carefully using a pipette to add something to a potion bottle.
A peculiar girl with blonde hair, wearing both a uniform skirt and pants simultaneously.
She was known as the future Alchemy Castle Lord.
“Darling Danphelion.”
Kraush called out to the girl with the unusual name.
“Huh?”
The woman belatedly turned around.
With her distinct gaze, she tilted her head the moment she saw Kraush.
“It’s my boyfriend. What are you doing here?”
“Don’t say things that’ll cause misunderstandings. I’ve got enough headaches from people around me already.”
“Hahaha, who’ve you been charming while I wasn’t around? Your cute fiancée is going to get jealous.”
Seeing her for the first time in a year, she burst into a fit of giggles.
Then, as if just now realizing it, she checked the date.
“Oh, it’s already Entrance Ceremony day. Sorry, I didn’t know. I’ve kind of lost track of time lately!”
“That’s nothing to brag about.”
“It’s practically standard for an alchemist.”
Being an alchemist didn’t seem like a desirable job.
“By the way, Kraush, didn’t you just address me incorrectly earlier?”
“What?”
“You should’ve added ‘Senior’ to it. I’m a First Year Student, remember.”
Kraush ignored Darling’s remark.
Instead, he casually pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Anyway, I’d like to ask you to make a potion for me.”
The reason Kraush sought Darling out, even skipping lunch, was precisely this.
Hearing his request, Darling picked up a potion bottle with a meaningful smile.
“TS No. 2?”
The moment Kraush raised his fist, Darling quickly hid the potion behind her.
“Just kidding. So, what kind of potion? Love at first sight is still in development.”
“If you try feeding my sister something weird, I’ll kill you.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll drink it myself.”
“You’re not allowed to drink it either.”
Kraush sighed, lamenting that he could never have a sane conversation with Darling.
He then explained the details of the potion he wanted her to make.
After listening to his explanation, Darling tilted her head.
“Hmm, did someone sneak in or something?”
“It’s something like that.”
Seeing Kraush’s enigmatic smile, Darling nodded in understanding.
“Alright. It might take some time, but I’ll make it for you.”
“I see. Then let’s grab some lunch.”
Kraush placed a sandwich he had picked up from the cafeteria in front of Darling.
Seeing it, Darling cheered, “Wow!” in delight.
“You really are my boyfriend! Marry me!”
“No.”
Thus ended Kraush and Darling’s lunch break.
* * *
After finishing lunch with Darling, Kraush was heading to the Martial Arts Hall.
Perhaps it was the string of headaches that followed the start of the Entrance Ceremony.
Still, spending some time with a familiar face had put his mind at ease.
‘I wonder if Bianca’s had lunch by now.’
She’s someone who eats her meals consistently.
No need to worry about her.
[Tsk tsk, at this rate, you’re going to end up worse than King Poseus with all these entanglements.]
“Don’t turn me into a womanizer.”
[Aren’t you? Just today, how many women have you tangled with?]
Kraush wore a troubled expression.
[Didn’t I warn you? Women will keep flocking to you on the path you walk. You should cut them off now.]
“Stop trying to cut people off.”
[Hmph, for someone who severed the Sword Demon’s arm, what can’t you cut?]
Was this thing still sulking over asking me to remove the Sword Demon’s arm?
Kraush felt a mix of absurdity and disbelief.
Chatting idly with Crimson Garden, Kraush entered the Martial Arts Hall.
He opened the door to the classroom assigned to the Second Year Students.
The noisy students instantly turned their attention toward him.
The moment they recognized him as Kraush, the room fell silent.
At this point, he wondered if he had somehow become a professor.
Maybe he should take this chance to step onto the podium and give a lecture.
Just then, someone waved enthusiastically.
“Kraush, over here!”
It was none other than Balak.
This guy was as consistent as ever.
Because of that, Kraush felt relatively at ease as he approached and sat beside Balak.
Balak chattered incessantly next to Kraush.
Thanks to him, the classroom atmosphere quickly returned to normal.
Now was the time to build camaraderie with his peers.
There were nearly 100 Second Year Students in total.
Most of them were nobles, busy networking and forming connections.
Kraush quietly observed them.
His primary reason for coming to Rahelrn Academy was to steal skills.
Unfortunately, the First Year Students had more talent than the Second Years.
Most of the exceptional talents had entered during the first year.
‘The problem is the unknown variables among the Second Year Students.’
Kraush’s gaze landed on a tall male student with long blonde hair.
At a glance, one might easily mistake him for a woman.
He was quietly seated, engrossed in a book.
It was the Fake Arthur.
There was no intention to approach him immediately.
The Fake Arthur was a trap set by Arthur himself.
A trap designed to determine if there was another regressor besides himself.
There was no reason to approach recklessly.
“Come to think of it, Aniks asked me to let you know if you could meet him soon!”
“Ah, I see.”
Wooden Bow, Aniks Graiza.
Since their clash at the Holy Land of Stars, Kraush had never paid much attention to Aniks.
He had been too busy, and besides, he assumed that guy would head to the Academy.
Therefore, Kraush knew nothing about the current Aniks.
‘To be honest, I’d prefer him to be the same as before.’
Well, that’s something to find out upon meeting him.
“Ah, Mr. Kraush! I really asked if we could have lunch together, but where did you run off to?”
At that moment, Karandis had suddenly appeared beside Kraush.
She was a woman who didn’t know how to give up.
Looking around, he noticed Mary was also sitting nearby before he knew it.
Creak–
At that moment, the door at the front opened, and a man stepped in with steady footsteps.
The man, who had an ordinary appearance, was inexplicably carrying a white cat with a ribbon around its neck in his arms.
He placed the cat on the podium.
Soon after, as the man stepped back, the white cat stretched, sat down, and settled.
Then, under the focused gazes, the cat opened its mouth.
“I am Ganon Sarsha, the professor in charge of the Second Year Martial Arts Class.”
As the cat spoke, the students displayed expressions of shock.
Well, no one could have expected a cat to appear as a professor, after all.
Only Kraush understood the truth behind it.
And he also knew who Ganon truly was.
“Due to personal circumstances, I’m meeting you in this form, but I don’t think it’s a big deal.”
Ganon licked his paw and began grooming himself.
“I believe most of you will never see my original form, anyway.”
That was the truth.
Ganon wandered the world daily, erasing World Erosion.
When it came to World Erosion, he possessed knowledge rivaling that of Sephira.
That was Ganon Sarsha.
“Currently, Rahelrn Academy is divided into groups based on twelve Student Commanders.”
It was a structure resembling a kind of knight order.
Students could voluntarily elect representatives and form their own groups.
Depending on the achievements of these groups, grades varied greatly.
If the basic grade requirements weren’t met, the group would be disbanded after three warnings.
A student commander of a disbanded group could no longer be entrusted with the role of commander.
Moreover, Rahelrn Academy’s support also varied significantly based on grades.
Thus, the groups competed fiercely with one another.
“For the next six months, you’ll complete a training course and either join an existing group or create your own. That’s when it truly begins.”
From the moment they chose and entered a group, students would begin practical training in World Erosion in earnest.
“The First Year Students have already started their training. Six months from now, you’ll be competing with them. However.”
Ganon paused and looked toward the Associate Professor.
The Associate Professor approached Ganon and handed him a list.
“The individuals I’m about to call will skip the six-month training course. As mentioned during the entrance exam, they are part of the Special Class.”
With that, the students’ expressions changed instantly.
The results of the third exam hadn’t been revealed at the test site.
So this was the first time they were hearing the results.
“The Special Class will be working alongside the First Year Students. Although their affiliation is Second Year, they’ll be deployed directly to the field.”
Even Kraush showed a somewhat surprised reaction.
After all, the concept of a Special Class hadn’t existed before his regression.
‘I don’t know who proposed the idea, but it’s quite decent.’
Some would benefit more from a single field experience than prolonged training.
“I’ll call out the names now.”
With that, he placed his hand on the list.
“Kraush Balheim.”
Unsurprisingly, the first name called was Kraush.
“As expected of Mr. Kraush!”
Karandis looked at Kraush with even brighter eyes.
It seemed everyone had anticipated this.
After all, if Kraush didn’t make it, it would mean no one had.
Amidst the predictable reactions, Kraush stifled a bitter laugh.
None of them knew what he had to endure to reach this position.
“Mary Diana.”
Mary’s selection was also unsurprising.
“Balak Hogma.”
“Hehe, I made it too.”
This one was one of the so-called Three Prodigies of Starlon.
“Glen Diana.”
Soon after, a man seated at the far end was called.
His face was perpetually filled with dissatisfaction.
Glen Diana, a branch member of the Diana family like Mary.
His eyes were solely fixed on Mary, brimming with irritation.
It was hard to believe that before the regression, he had practically worshipped Mary like a goddess.
“Karandis Poseus.”
The next name called left even Kraush with a surprised expression.
When Kraush turned his head, Karandis puffed out her chest proudly, exuding confidence.
Karandis was someone who, once she set a goal, would exert more than her best to achieve it.
From the moment she witnessed Kraush’s abilities at the entrance ceremony, she had resolved to make him her husband.
Thus, she had stubbornly worked her way through the third exam to join the Special Class.
It was an impressive determination.
When Karandis winked at him, Kraush wore a look that seemed to say he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.
“Haring Lagrain.”
Upon hearing the next name called, Kraush subtly shifted his gaze.
Short black hair with a faint purple tint in the strands.
A violet pansy-shaped pin adorning her hair.
‘The Poison Phoenix.’
The daughter of the Poison King and the one who had slain Bianca, who became the White Ghost.
She cast her cold eyes forward, avoiding contact with any of the students.
Her expression made it seem as though she had forsaken the world entirely.
“Lastly, Arthur Gramalte.”
With the Fake Arthur’s name called, Ganon flicked the paper aside.
“The above names are those in the Special Class.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the classroom creaked open.
And when everyone saw who had opened the door, they held their breath in admiration.
Flowing dark blue hair and eyes filled with an arrogance far removed from human emotion.
A woman wearing the Martial Arts Department uniform walked in confidently.
She was one of only two people in her age group to earn a distinguished nickname—the Genius of the Century.
The Sword Star, Charlotte Balheim.
Without hesitation, she strode into the classroom and stood firmly, arms crossed.
“Follow me. Special Class, Second Year Students.”
Without any explanation, she bluntly spat out her words.
She was the epitome of the phrase “supreme and self-reliant.”
Kraush turned to look at Charlotte with a face that seemed to say, “Surely not.”
And as their eyes met, she gave her signature smirk.
The moment Kraush saw that, he realized.
This was a Special Class that hadn’t existed before.
Why had such a Special Class suddenly been created?
It was because someone had proposed the idea.
And the very person who had come to bring in the new member of this Special Class was none other than Charlotte.
‘So Charlotte—that crazy woman—’
Had gone to the Former Fighting Emperor, Durandal, challenged him, proven her strength, and ultimately pushed her proposal through.
Kraush’s expression was one of pure disbelief.
There were indeed people who had taken Durandal’s words at the Entrance Ceremony to heart.
But no one had ever earned his acknowledgment.
Yet Charlotte had managed to force her proposal through and create the Special Class.
With the intention of immediately deploying Kraush alongside the First Years in Practical Training.
‘…I underestimated Charlotte.’
Now he understood why Arthur suspected Charlotte of being another Regressor.
There was only one person capable of making such a radical move.
It was none other than Charlotte Balheim.