Chapter 197
※The Magical Sword Manufacturer has been changed to the Magical Tool Manufacturer.
Kraush Balheim.
A figure who had been surrounded by numerous rumors even before coming to Rahelrn Academy.
From the claim that he was the new star born in Balheim.
To the speculation that all of it was just exaggerated rumors.
All sorts of rumors had spread.
However, after he came to Rahelrn Academy, the truth of those rumors was revealed.
From the entrance ceremony at Rahelrn Academy to the present day.
The stories he had written were all equally astonishing.
Perhaps because of that.
Rahelrn Academy had gradually started revolving around Kraush.
His presence had already grown so significant that it overshadowed even the First Year Students who had already established themselves at Rahelrn Academy.
And now.
Rona Imblize, who had become both a servant of the Black Witch and a Magical Tool Manufacturer, was realizing the true value of those rumors.
Inside the quiet room.
A place where only faint sunlight entered due to the drawn curtains.
Rona, seeing Kraush cast in shadow on the bed where sunlight fell, felt a chill.
Strange.
He was clearly right in front of her, yet his presence was unusually faint.
As if she were looking at a tree in a forest.
If she passed by like this, it felt as though she would never remember him again, his presence was so faint.
Gulp-
And that made Rona feel even more afraid.
Dangerous.
The Kraush before her eyes now was clearly dangerous.
"Rona Imblize."
At that moment, Kraush's voice flowed out of his mouth.
Just that alone almost made Rona collapse on the spot.
"Do you remember the process of becoming a servant of the Black Witch?"
An abrupt question followed.
"What do you mean......."
The moment she tried to retort.
Rona's lips quivered, but no answer came out.
It wasn't because she didn't want to answer.
The moment she heard Kraush's question, Rona recalled the day she became a servant of the Black Witch.
But it was strange.
As if part of her mind had been erased.
She couldn't recall a proper memory.
A look of dismay spread across her face.
She couldn't recall the day she became a servant of the Black Witch.
"Uh, uh."
A flustered voice escaped her lips.
It was because this was a completely unexpected situation.
"It seems you can't remember."
She couldn't remember the process of becoming a servant.
At the moment Rona realized that fact.
[ Get out. ]
The Black Witch's voice echoed sharply in her mind.
At that moment, the Freysi Magical Tools around her shattered and flew apart all at once.
The shards, which flew through the room in destruction, even engulfed Kraush.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash!
Along with the shattered room, Rona broke through the wall of Kraush's room and dashed outside.
And then, at the moment she unconsciously tried to flee.
"Do you think I'll let you cause this commotion and escape?"
She flinched at the voice she heard.
Because the direction of the voice was none other than in front of her.
She had clearly escaped from Kraush's room.
How could his voice come from ahead of her?
Before she could even question it, Kraush appeared in Rona's sight.
His hair slightly fluttering, he had clearly run just like her.
Excel.
Kraush's ultimate speed skill had caught up with her in an instant.
At the same time, Rain Thunder Prime was gripped in Kraush's hand.
The sword's flames, surging from Rain Thunder Prime, were different from before.
Because pure white flames, not the black flames Kraush usually wielded, had arisen.
Flames showing an entirely different output than ever before.
White Flame.
It was not the power of World Erosion, which Kraush had always burned with Ignis, but the Aura, the power of the world itself.
And that power was utterly terrifying to Rona.
Aura is the power of the world itself.
Naturally, as it possesses the power to protect the world, it was profoundly unsettling for those carrying World Erosion.
The most powerful force capable of opposing the World Erosion Beings.
That was Aura.
And the White Flame, created by such Aura.
Kraush, cloaked in this White Flame, gripped Rain Thunder Prime tightly.
Prick!
At the moment Rona's hair all stood on end like needles.
Her vision was already filled with White Flame.
Whoosh!
With the blazing White Flame, the Freysi Magical Tools were torn apart by the blade of Rain Thunder Prime.
The Freysi Magical Tools were swords created from the power of World Erosion as their foundation.
Thus, they were incredibly vulnerable to the White Flame.
Moreover, Ignis is the power of purification.
"Aaaaahhh!"
It was fatal to Rona, who was a World Erosion Being.
It hurts.
It's hot.
Why am I doing this?
Rona, slashing at her chest and staring at the blazing White Flame, thought.
That day had certainly been like any other day, crafting magical tools.
To her, magical tools were her entire life.
But after one accident, her magical tools were treated as incomplete weapons.
Rona couldn't accept that.
So she devoted herself even more to researching magical tools.
To create more complete magical tools.
To create magical tools that she could proudly show to others.
Her efforts were not in vain.
In fact, Rona's magical tools continued to improve in performance.
Their destructive power increased, and their safety also improved.
But even that was something that could only be known when someone used them.
Her magical tools, which had already been considered eccentric and showed weaknesses in human relationships, were not used by anyone.
It started from that moment.
A small crack formed in her heart.
Resentment toward a world that couldn't recognize her magical tools.
That seed began to sprout.
And on that day.
A black frog appeared before her.
The frog, inexplicably unsettling, looked at Rona and abruptly said.
[ I will make your magical tools recognized. ]
The moment those words were spoken, the frog leapt into Rona's arms.
Without giving her a chance to stop it, as the situation unfolded, when she opened her eyes.
She felt as though the fear and hesitation she had carried in her heart until now had completely vanished.
An inexplicable sense of liberation and exhilaration surged.
Even a confidence that she could do anything arose.
[ Rona Imblize. ]
With that final call, loyalty was engraved in Rona's heart.
A fleeting yet profound loyalty toward the Black Witch.
Rona's eyes, burning within the White Flame, snapped open.
At the same time, doubt filled her eyes.
She had never wished to become a servant of the Black Witch.
Yet, at some point, upon encountering the black frog, she had become one.
It was true that she had resented a world that didn't recognize her magical tools.
She couldn't accept a world where her magical tools were not acknowledged.
However, it wasn't to the extent of denying the entire world.
It was merely the kind of feeling one experiences when they stumble while running.
As the memories that had been wiped clean resurfaced, Rona was flustered.
For what purpose had she followed the Black Witch so loyally?
The power she had given was indeed tremendous, but what was the point of creating magical tools if it meant burning down the world?
"You remembered, didn't you."
Kraush and Rona's eyes met once again.
The vitality had returned to Rona's eyes.
The Black Witch can create servants without the other party's consent.
This applied not only to Mirey but also to Rona.
However, at this moment, as she was struck by Kraush's White Flame, part of the Black Witch's spell was broken.
This was thanks to the White Flame's power to erase everything created by the World Erosion.
'Brainwashing.'
At the moment when there is a very small crack in the heart.
The Black Witch forces her way into that crack and settles inside.
Kraush recalled countless victims of this unique ability of the Black Witch.
Even within the Skyborne Generation, there were those who fell victim to her brainwashing, making her spell exceptionally insidious.
However, with Ignis and Aura.
Kraush could undo the Black Witch's brainwashing spell at will.
"What, what have I done."
Rona's face was filled with dismay.
She considered what she had done to be a greater issue than her body burning in the White Flame.
Because she had caused countless irreversible events.
"What should I do......."
[ What a pity. ]
At the moment Rona uttered her dismayed words, the Black Witch's voice thundered through her mind like lightning.
[ Still, I managed to gather quite a bit of information. ]
With those words, the magical tool hanging around Rona's neck suddenly began to emit light.
The light spread rapidly, so intense that it swallowed all the light in the area in an instant.
"Ah."
Within the dazzling light, Rona, her hair fluttering, looked at the magical tool and realized.
What kind of power this magical tool, which she had created while brainwashed, possessed.
Self-destruction.
[ You did well. ]
With the Black Witch's final words, Rona slowly closed her eyes within the engulfing light.
It's the end.
So she thought.
Crack!
Almost simultaneously with the explosion of light, Kraush tore through the magical tool.
Before tears could even form in her eyes.
The black flames flickered on Kraush's body as he stomped on the ground.
Instead of Aura, the Black Flame of World Erosion, possessing explosive power, blazed magnificently.
Additionally, his body was imbued with acceleration, which hadn't been there before.
His body felt as light as a feather.
But the power contained in his steps was now on a completely different level.
It was the power of Excel.
The sound followed him long after.
Along with the remnants of the soaring Black Flame, Kraush immediately leapt toward the sky.
The light emanating from the magical tool in his grasp grew even stronger.
The magical tool, held within the bursting light, caused Kraush's left arm to swell violently.
At the moment when the power of the arm, condensed with Annihilation Erosion, reached its maximum.
Kraush hurled the magical tool toward the sky with such force that his arm muscles were on the verge of tearing.
The magical tool, imbued with light, pierced through dozens of clouds and soared into the sky.
As the magical tool continued to ascend endlessly, it finally reached the edge of the sky.
At last, the light reached its limit.
Flash-!
A silent flash obliterated all the clouds in the sky, releasing a light source brighter than the midday sun.
Boom!
With the delayed sound of the storm, the trees and buildings of Rahelrn Academy shook simultaneously.
While everyone was astonished by the absurd explosion, their mouths agape as they looked at the sky.
Kraush landed safely on the ground, exhaling a long trail of smoke from his mouth.
Unlike before, Kraush, having summoned the Snow Devourer to cool his body rapidly, turned his head to see Rona sitting down.
She had been certain of her death due to the explosion of her magical tool.
Thus, she had no strength left in her body.
"Will you keep fighting?"
Kraush asked as he tucked the Rain Thunder Prime into his waistband.
Naturally, Rona slowly shook her head.
"What, what will happen to me."
Thanks to the White Flame, Rona, now completely freed from the Black Witch's brainwashing, muttered blankly.
Seeing this, Kraush ignited the White Flame in his hand.
As he approached Rona, she slowly looked up at him.
Would he kill her?
As she gazed at the White Flame in his hand with unfocused eyes, Kraush spoke to her.
"Open your mouth."
"Huh, huh?"
What was that supposed to mean?
As she sat there blankly at the unexpected words, Kraush gathered the White Flame at his fingertip and gestured lightly.
"I'll erase the stigma of becoming a Servant of the World Erosion Beings, so open your mouth."
Rona's eyes widened.
It was because she had never thought such a thing was possible.
"And what do you mean 'what will happen'?"
Kraush pushed the White Flame into her open mouth and spoke.
"In this world, you can roughly resolve things by blaming everything on the World Erosion Beings."
"B-but Mirey..."
The Cardinal, Mirey Beakis.
From the moment she was brainwashed by the Black Witch, she became someone Freeman could never tolerate.
At her mention, Kraush let out a short laugh.
"That's nothing to worry about either."
After all, Rahelrn Academy had Freeman's highest authority figure.
"Austria can just work a bit harder."
It's time for the Saintess to get to work.