TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 50
The training ground of the Green Pine Mansion.
There, Kraush stood alone, his eyes quietly closed.
Since returning from Danphelion, Kraush had significantly increased his training hours, focusing intently on his inner self.
This was because, with his total aura capacity expanded, he needed to become even more adept at controlling it.
“If I’m at the advanced level of Expert, I’m only now on par with Belorkin.”
In Balheim, that would be considered merely average.
Kraush wanted to reach at least the entry level of Master before enrolling in the Academy.
To achieve that, aura training was essential.
“Mr. Kraush.”
But such focus had to be interrupted before long.
Because Aliod had appeared at the training ground.
And Kraush knew well why he had come, even halting his own training.
“Has the Head Butler arrived?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The Head Butler had come to test Kraush once again.
The Head Butler’s test.
For members of Balheim’s direct line, it was effectively a test that determined their future standing.
And Kraush had a reason to take this test seriously.
“Bring them here.”
“Yes, I will bring them.”
Aliod bowed his head and departed.
Meanwhile, Kraush finished inspecting his aura and turned his gaze toward the entrance of the training ground, where two figures appeared.
White hair and a wrinkled face.
Though she was clearly an elderly woman, the intense energy radiating from her deep blue eyes burned fiercely, defying her age.
Those eyes were identical to Kraush’s.
It was only natural.
She was none other than Kraush’s grandaunt.
Keselin Balheim.
“It’s been a while, Kraush.”
Keselin greeted Kraush with a gentle smile.
But Kraush knew well that her gentleness was a facade.
Behind that smile, she would be appraising his worth from start to finish.
“You must have heard the details from Aliod.”
“Yes, you’re here to administer a retest, aren’t you?”
“It’s good that you understand.”
Saying so, she tapped her cane on the ground and approached Kraush.
“I’ve heard of your recent exploits. They say you defeated the Butcher Dog that caused trouble in the Empire.”
“It was mere luck.”
“Luck is also a form of skill. Surely you, of all people, understand that best.”
Her words struck home.
After all, Kraush had been born a Half-Penny, always just shy of true fortune.
She still had a knack for relentlessly probing where it hurt.
“I won’t waste words.”
She tilted her cane slightly and fixed her gaze on Kraush.
Under that gaze, other members of Balheim’s direct line would instinctively shrink back.
But Kraush, on the contrary, met her gaze directly.
“If you can’t stand on equal footing with Charlotte, give up on becoming the Patriarch.”
At the moment those words hit him, Kraush blinked.
Then, for some reason, a slow smile began to spread across his face.
Seeing that smile, Keselin wondered if he had lost his mind.
“Why would I go so far as to give up on becoming Balheim’s Patriarch?”
But the moment she heard his retort, Keselin’s eyebrow twitched.
“The position comes naturally with strength.”
Just like the absurd situation where Arthur, despite not being of royal blood, was ultimately elevated to the position of Emperor.
In the end, strength dictates status in this world.
“Isn’t it far too early to be discussing such matters?”
Kraush wore a relaxed smile.
Seeing this, Keselin came to a realization.
‘The reports weren’t lies.’
Kraush had changed.
He was now a completely different person compared to the one she had seen a year ago.
She wasn’t sure what had caused this transformation.
One thing was certain: a new storm might be brewing within Balheim’s direct line hierarchy.
“Let’s proceed with the test.”
It was an arrogant response, suggesting he was ready at any time.
Keselin let out a brief scoff and spun her cane around.
“Just one step.”
At that moment, a sword slowly emerged from her cane.
“Try to make me take just one step back.”
Hearing those words, Kraush made a peculiar expression.
“…Are you really fine with that condition?”
“Are you getting scared now?”
Keselin’s words carried a tinge of provocation.
She was a Master-level warrior.
Though age had made it difficult for her to directly confront the World Erosion, her skill remained undiminished.
To Keselin’s eyes, Kraush was still merely an advanced-level Expert.
He had every reason to feel intimidated.
‘She really shouldn’t be giving me time.’
But, unfortunately for her, Kraush’s inner thoughts were entirely different.
His reaction wasn’t out of fear.
Because a single decisive strike was precisely Kraush’s area of expertise.
Kraush briefly rubbed the back of his neck.
“Alright, I’ll take that as your final decision.”
After all, his opponent was Keselin.
She would surely defend herself without issue.
Though it likely wouldn’t end with just one step.
Kraush pulled his sword toward his waist.
Then, he slowly moved his back foot backward and extended his front foot forward.
It was a stance with the sword still sheathed.
Seeing this, a hint of curiosity flickered in Keselin’s eyes.
‘Ki-gathering technique?’
The ki-gathering technique was a skill designed for swiftly unsheathing a sword.
There was no particular reason to use it in this situation.
‘Is he trying to mislead me?’
Keselin’s eyes gleamed with interest.
She had once encountered a master of the ki-gathering technique.
‘That old man has long since gone to his grave.’
But his ki-gathering technique remained vividly etched in Keselin’s mind.
After all, the scar on the left side of her neck was his handiwork.
‘Let’s see if this will be worth watching.’
Spinning her cane sword lightly, Keselin waited for Kraush’s attack.
However, for some reason, Kraush neither drew his sword nor moved from his stance.
At some point, he even closed his eyes and began repeating deep, steady breaths.
Seeing this, a hint of confusion flickered in Keselin’s eyes.
What on earth is he trying to do?
It was at that moment.
Thud!
Keselin’s eyes snapped toward Kraush’s sword.
The blade remained firmly lodged in its scabbard.
Yet, she could feel the vibrations of the aura emanating from it.
Thud!
Inside Kraush’s scabbard, a massive surge of aura began to gather like a storm.
The aura, battering the interior of the scabbard and swelling uncontrollably, was enough to send a chill down Keselin’s spine.
The problem was that Keselin had seen this kind of aura flow before.
“Huh?”
A faint, deflated sound escaped her lips in that instant.
Compared to that time, it’s definitely slower.
Back then, he had completed this entire process in an instant before drawing his sword.
But aside from the slowness, the method was identical.
‘The Sword Demon’s Ki-gathering technique?’
The very technique of the man who left a scar on the left side of her neck.
It was the Sword Demon’s Ki-gathering technique.
Keselin’s eyes wavered involuntarily.
She had never imagined that Kraush would employ the Sword Demon’s Ki-gathering technique.
Where on earth did he learn that?
While Keselin was still reeling in bewilderment, Kraush didn’t stop there.
His focus sharpened to an extreme, and at some point, he began to draw a mental image of a lake.
The Sword Demon’s Ki-gathering technique unleashed explosive destructive power the moment the sword was drawn.
And truth be told, this process wasn’t so different from the Sword and Spirit Fusion technique.
After all, both the Ki-gathering technique and the Sword and Spirit Fusion required the sword to embody oneself, and oneself to embody the sword.
Therefore, Kraush added one more secret technique to the Sword Demon’s Ki-gathering technique.
It was Kraush’s most destructive swordsmanship technique.
One Sword.
Plop!
The moment a falling droplet echoed vividly in Kraush’s mind.
Along with the rising dragon’s ascent, the aura of One Sword surged violently within Kraush’s scabbard.
Keselin’s eyes widened belatedly as she realized what was happening.
The air in the vicinity began to flow backward, centering around Kraush.
Grit!
In that moment, Kraush’s teeth clenched tightly.
Heavy.
The combination of One Sword and the Ki-gathering technique.
The instant the two merged, Kraush felt the overwhelming weight of his sword, a weight unlike anything he had experienced before.
The sword was so heavy that even drawing it seemed nearly impossible.
For a brief moment, a flicker of red flashed in Kraush’s eyes.
As pale steam escaped from between his clenched teeth,
every muscle and nerve ending in Kraush’s body absorbed the Annihilation Erosion, unleashing explosive momentum.
In that instant, even Keselin found herself momentarily holding her breath at the sheer intensity of it.
And then.
His sword was drawn like a thunderbolt.
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack!
The blade, devouring the surrounding aura as it was unleashed, gave rise to a storm of black flames that tore through the atmosphere, baring its fangs at Keselin.
Against this strike, far stronger than the one that had been enhanced by the Nine Dragon Transformation Pill during the fight with Charlotte,
aura erupted from Keselin’s entire body.
A Master-level aura carried within it the essence of all the experiences and impressions the person had accumulated.
Perhaps for that reason, standing before Kraush’s strike, Keselin felt even more immense than before.
Her eyes, gripping her sword tightly, shone with determination.
It was not the kind of expression one would expect from someone standing before a mere 14-year-old boy.
It didn’t seem like something she could block easily.
“I don’t know where you stumbled upon such a fortuitous opportunity, but…”
With a sharp intake of breath, a vision of fluttering petals seemed to emerge between Keselin’s sword.
The blue petals swiftly enveloped her blade and stretched toward Kraush’s approaching sword.
In that fleeting moment, as a smile tugged at Keselin’s lips, her sword collided with Kraush’s attack.
“It seems you’re quite determined to become a dragon.”
Boom!
With those words, a deafening explosion reverberated powerfully.
Smoke billowed, and in that instant, both sight and sound were drowned out.
Amidst the chaos, Kraush barely managed to remain standing, gasping for breath.
At last, as the smoke began to dissipate slowly,
Keselin, now pushed far back from her original position, came into view.
At the same time, her sword, which had taken Kraush’s attack head-on, was trembling.
It was because it hadn’t been able to fully absorb the impact.
Crack!
In that moment, a fracture began to form on her blade.
Clang!
And with that, the blade shattered and clattered to the ground.
Keselin reached out and picked up the broken blade.
Though it was an old sword and her reaction had been somewhat delayed due to her surprise, she hadn’t expected it to break.
A wry smile briefly escaped her lips.
Though his aura was far from reaching Master-level,
this strike alone might well be considered one worthy of a Master.
“The test is…”
Keselin glanced at the spot where she had been standing moments ago.
She had been pushed back at least ten steps.
The result was unquestionable.
“You pass.”
Since she had become the Head Butler, had there ever been a direct descendant who had pushed her back this far before coming of age?
Even Charlotte had only managed to push her back seven steps at most.
Kraush had managed to push her back three steps farther than that.
Keselin turned to look at Kraush.
That last strike had clearly required him to expend every ounce of his strength.
Frankly speaking, it was practically akin to self-destruction.
But the result was the result.
“Take your rest.”
“Wait… just a moment.”
As Keselin began to leave to report the outcome, Kraush, still catching his breath, called out to her with difficulty.
“I wish to join the Blue Sea Knight Order, which supports the Red Magic Tower.”
As the Head Butler, she could deliver his request directly to the commander of the Balheim Knights.
“…Why specifically the Blue Sea Knight Order?”
The Blue Sea Knight Order was, at best, considered a mid-tier group within Balheim.
If he were trying to join a higher-ranking knight order to gain support and build a reputation for when he ascended as Patriarch, Keselin might have understood, but the Blue Sea Knight Order puzzled her.
“Yes, specifically.”
Since he insisted, she reluctantly nodded.
After all, part of the Head Butler’s role was to assist the growth of the direct line.
“Understood. I will relay your request.”
“Th-thank you.”
With that, Kraush collapsed onto the floor, sprawled out.
Standing on his two feet had reached its limit.
‘Good grief.’
Thinking the youngest of this direct line was an exceptionally peculiar one, Keselin left the Green Pine Mansion.