Chapter 176
After that, the midterm evaluation for the second-year students of the Martial Arts Department ended.
Naturally, not only the professors of Rahelrn Academy but also the first-year students paid attention to the results of this exam.
And the announced results were as follows.
1st place: Kraush Balheim.
2nd place: Haring Lagrain.
Joint 3rd place: Glen Diana / Balak Hogma.
5th place: Karandis Poseus.
6th place: Arthur Gramalte.
...
Upon hearing the results, some thought it was as expected.
It wasn't just a coincidence that the Special Class was created.
This was because most of the individuals from the Special Class occupied the top ranks.
Especially in Kraush's case, rumors started circulating among the first-year students.
He had already been displaying an unusual trajectory.
This time as well, during the midterm evaluation, he managed to defeat a 7th Rank Erosion Species, causing an uproar.
Of course, he had help from others, and it was created through magic, making it inferior to standard Erosion Species.
Even so, considering all those factors, it proved that his skills were not inflated.
While Kraush's name was once again stirring Rahelrn Academy.
There were those who simply could not accept these results.
"Mary, this idiot lost in the end."
A woman with sea-colored hair sighed in annoyance.
The 3rd Princess of Ephania.
Sigrid Ephania.
Upon hearing the news, she immediately started grumbling.
To be honest, she had a bit of hope.
Because it was Mary, known as the Divine Spear.
She thought Mary might be able to defeat Kraush.
But alas.
Mary was utterly crushed, so much that she didn't even come close to meeting expectations.
The abysmal result was beyond words.
Because it was an overwhelming victory for Kraush.
'Even so, it seemed like she was serious in the end.'
Sigrid's expression started to turn serious as she processed the report.
Up until the entrance ceremony, she still treated Kraush as a Cursed One.
And rightly so, because growth of that level was only imaginable if Charlotte was present.
But his recent trajectory, to be honest, far exceeded expectations.
'It's strange.'
No matter how much Charlotte was involved, Kraush's growth was undeniably peculiar.
It was because he had grown to an extent that surpassed normal limits.
'Even so, it doesn't make sense to grow this strong in such a short time.'
Did Charlotte do something to Kraush?
Sigrid, who had been speculating like that all along, began to feel increasingly suspicious.
Without obtaining an opportunity on the level of regression, this simply made no sense.
Moreover, recalling a recent incident made her want to pull her hair out.
It was none other than news about Felray.
The Commoner's Hero, Felray.
It was reported that he had stopped the evil deed that Associate Professor Jenicalen had tried to commit.
The major incident caused by the associate professor who had been tormented by students from noble families.
In the process of stopping Associate Professor Jenicalen, Felray was seriously injured and urgently transported to the hospital room.
Fortunately, his life was not in critical danger.
Instead, even in his injured state, Felray continuously defended Associate Professor Jenicalen.
He said he hoped that the crime committed by him would not be treated as something utterly heinous.
Moreover, as the atrocities previously committed by the children of noble families were revealed, Felray's words gained even more weight.
Even the professors, who were well aware of the noble students' wrongdoings, came forward to defend him.
The treatment of the escorted Associate Professor Jenicalen was postponed for now.
It was because he had already crossed the line by becoming an Immortal's Servant of the World Erosion Beings, but the Former Fighting Emperor Durandal personally took him away.
According to rumors, even though he had become an Immortal's Servant of the World Erosion Beings, Durandal knew of a way to sever the master-servant relationship.
In any case, thanks to this, Felray's status soared to unprecedented heights.
Naturally, commoners chanted his name, and nobles denounced the noble children who caused the incident, raising Felray's name even higher.
Those who knew well that nobles could not exist without commoners quickly adapted to the situation.
Thanks to this incident, Sigrid, who intended to use it to gain more recognition, ended up in a tough spot.
She had no idea how Felray got involved in this incident, but she was at a loss for words.
"First Mary, now Felray is causing problems too."
Sigrid, whose anger had reached its peak, ground her teeth in frustration, unable even to properly express her laughter.
How is it that there isn't a single person around her who is helpful?
Moreover, she suspected Charlotte's involvement in Felray's case as well.
This was because Felray's suspicious changes began after the Hardenhartz incident.
"Ha."
"It seems things aren't going well."
It was at that moment.
Sigrid turned her head toward the voice coming from the door side.
Standing there was someone with long blonde hair.
As soon as she saw him, Sigrid's brows furrowed slightly.
It was none other than Fake Arthur Gramalte.
"What is your business here? Without even notifying me."
For a moment, she hadn't sensed his presence.
That fact bothered her, but Sigrid didn't reproach him.
Because he was the only key to connecting her with Arthur.
"It's just that the recent developments seem unusual."
Fake Arthur's cold gaze fell on Sigrid.
In his gaze, which somehow resembled the real Arthur's, Sigrid flinched.
"Ha, what nonsense? Everything has been going smoothly anyway."
"Are you talking about obtaining the Sword Emperor's Legacy?"
His next words thoroughly ruined Sigrid's mood.
"You, who have only been observing as a bystander until now, how far are you planning to intervene?"
A venomous aura flowed from Sigrid's eyes.
At the same time, the unusual aura emanating from her created faint vibrations in the surroundings.
In an instant, the room's temperature dropped as if a frost wind had blown.
Sigrid's blue eyes glared at Fake Arthur.
"Just because you're pretending to be Mr. Arthur, do you think you've truly become him? You're merely a messenger. A messenger that can connect us to Mr. Arthur. Have you forgotten your role?"
As her sharp reaction continued, Fake Arthur remained silent.
Then, he let out a sly laugh.
"Right, I'm not the real Mr. Arthur."
When Sigrid, who didn't understand the meaning of his laugh, showed doubt.
Fake Arthur, who instantly stopped laughing, spoke expressionlessly to her.
"This is a command from the real Mr. Arthur. Kraush Balheim, bring him in at all costs. If you fail, you will never meet Mr. Arthur again."
"What? Wait, what do you mean by that."
"Remember that."
Leaving those words behind, Fake Arthur opened the door and exited.
Left alone, Sigrid tightly clenched her fists, trembling, and eventually bit her lips hard.
That Fake Arthur said it was the real Mr. Arthur's command.
If that man didn't want to provoke my anger, that statement must be true.
'Never see Mr. Arthur again?'
Could that statement have been directly made by Mr. Arthur?
A faint uneasiness arose in Sigrid's heart, which had been firmly enduring until now.
Arthur was everything to her.
If such an Arthur abandoned her, she too wouldn't be able to endure it.
Sigrid's teeth ground tightly.
Because she knew very well who the culprit behind this incident was.
"Mary, that foolish girl."
Sigrid, who was trembling with both fists clenched, soon walked to the desk and opened a drawer.
Then, taking out a box, Sigrid closed the drawer and turned around.
A useless dog still has its roles to play.
It was time for Mary to fulfill hers.
Her footsteps echoed heavily in the corridor as she slammed open the door.
* * *
On the night of the day the exam ended.
Kraush was resting after the toll of using both Annihilation Heavenly Asura and Annihilation Snow Erosion.
On top of that, his back, hit by Austria, still felt sore.
Although he'd been hit a few times before, it felt even sharper this time.
[Even in the academy exam! You did that on purpose to make me mad!]
As Austria's nagging words surfaced in his mind, Kraush let out a bitter smile for a moment.
Honestly, he couldn't promise he wouldn't cause worry.
'Still, there was progress.'
Through this exam, Kraush realized that Annihilation Snow Erosion could be used in actual combat.
If this was possible, it could surely be applied in various ways in the future.
'And the output of Annihilation Erosion can be increased as well.'
Most of all, defeating that woman Mary was the biggest achievement.
'Now, only two locks remain.'
If he could unlock just those two, Mary's Excel would be in his hands.
Obtaining Excel would undoubtedly make him much stronger than he was now.
'The range of application methods will greatly expand.'
The path to preventing destruction was starting to appear little by little but with certainty.
Every time the power in his hand grew stronger, he could feel it.
This time, he could stop the world's destruction.
Knock, knock.
At that moment.
Kraush heard the sound of someone knocking on his window.
Kraush's eyes slowly opened as his delayed sixth sense caught on to the presence outside the window.
It was because a story he'd heard from Darling not long ago came to mind.
Creak.
Kraush got out of bed and approached the window, opening it.
There stood a figure cloaked in a robe, trembling slightly.
Even with the robe draped over her, the curves of her body and the black hair visible through the robe were evident.
There, her face was endlessly shadowed within the shaded depths of the robe.
It was Mary Diana.
"What business do you have in the men's dormitory?"
It was the middle of the night.
If she were caught by the dormitory warden, she'd face interrogation without escape.
When he questioned her about her business in the men's dormitory in such a situation, Mary hesitated, her eyes darting around.
"W-well, I wanted to talk to you, Kraush."
At a glance, her reaction was suspicious to no end.
But the emotion reflected in her eyes was infinitely servile.
She looked even more dejected than her usual timid self.
A forced smile and cold sweat.
In that appearance, the Divine Spear of the past could no longer be felt at all.
Kraush silently stared at Mary.
At that, she seemed even more anxious and didn't know what to do.
"Come in."
After a while, Kraush turned from the window and let Mary in.
Then, Mary, finally showing some relief, hesitantly entered.
Between the robe, her bare legs briefly appeared and disappeared.
Seeing that, Kraush felt inexplicably annoyed and sat down heavily on the bed.
"Sit there."
When Kraush offered her a chair, the hesitant Mary finally sat down.
Then, she adjusted her robe neatly and took a deep breath.
"C-could I have some tea? My throat is dry."
Asking for tea right after barging into someone's room—how absurd.
Watching her blatant behavior, Kraush clicked his tongue inwardly and stood up.
"Fine, suit yourself."
Kraush opened the door and stepped out.
Just then, Alicia, who was dozing off while knitting as a hobby, flinched and raised her head.
When their eyes met, she hurriedly wiped her mouth and smiled.
"Mr. Kraush, is something the matter?"
"There's a guest. Could you prepare two cups of tea? You can go straight to bed afterward."
"I'll prepare it right away."
With clinking sounds, Alicia began preparing the tea.
Receiving the prepared tea, Kraush opened the door and entered.
"Ah, I-I can take it."
At that, Mary quickly took the tea Kraush brought.
Watching her hastily move inside, Kraush slightly frowned.
Afterward, Kraush closed the door with a thud.
"So, why did you come at this hour?"
Urging her to stop beating around the bush and get to the point, Kraush pressed her.
At that, her eyes darted around nervously.
"T-today, when I lost. It was kind of inspiring, so I wanted to talk! Haha."
Mary replied, scattering a very awkward laugh.
If so, shouldn't she fix her haggard face shadowed by her eyes before saying such things?
"Sorry, was I... too sudden?"
Watching Kraush's reaction closely, Mary hesitated and answered.
Hearing that, Kraush remained silent for a moment before turning his head.
"Is that really all?"
Mary flinched as her shoulders shook.
Her large eyes wavered more violently than ever.
"I don't think you would come for such a trivial reason."
Kraush's meaningful words caused Mary to shrink even more.
He was a man she'd never thought of as her match in her entire life.
But after being so utterly defeated by him today.
Mary now trembled just by being in front of Kraush.
She was terrified.
When facing him, she felt as if her entire existence was being denied.
She wanted to run away immediately, but Mary couldn't escape.
That was because she had received Sigrid's order.
Sigrid had coldly forced Mary, who had been trembling under a blanket while holed up in her room, to kneel.
[Mary, this is the last order I can give you.]
Sigrid's eyes were truly icy as she uttered her final command.
[Go and seduce that man to have a child.]