TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 85
The Green Wave Knight Members were seething with anger at Kraush’s warning.
Just as they were about to shout something toward Kraush,
“What is all this commotion?”
A figure appeared, cutting off their words.
A black uniform with a hint of green.
A man with a noticeable black mustache and a scar running across the bridge of his nose.
Wearing a beret pressed tightly onto his head, he looked visibly displeased with the situation.
It was Lexus Vilter, the Four Swords and the Green Wave Knight Commander.
His gaze alternated between the Green Wave Knight Member who had been struck by Kraush and Kraush himself, and soon his brow furrowed deeply.
“Was it you who dared lay a hand on one of my Knight Members?”
Kraush wore an indifferent expression.
That expression made Lexus’s frown deepen even further.
“What were you thinking, doing something like this? If you don’t explain yourself properly, you’ll face severe punishment.”
Meanwhile, off in the distance, Reblian could be seen running toward them.
And following right behind him was another figure.
It was Vega, the Blue Sea Knight Commander, his face pale as a sheet.
While Kraush felt a twinge of guilt toward the two of them, it couldn’t be helped.
They should have known better than to cross the line.
“L-Lexus Commander!”
“Vega Commander?”
Lexus looked puzzled as Vega called out to him urgently.
Though it was a mere scuffle between Knight Members, Lexus found it odd for Vega to be so flustered.
“Wait, wait, let’s talk for a moment.”
Vega emphasized his plea by tugging on Lexus’s uniform.
Seeing this, Lexus frowned and turned back toward Kraush.
“Since this matter involves Knight Commanders, I’ll postpone it for now. But unless you provide a proper explanation, you won’t escape punishment.”
“Lexus Commander! Stop, please just stop!”
Vega, now looking on the verge of tears, desperately urged Lexus.
In the end, Lexus left with Vega, a baffled expression on his face.
“…Everyone, return to your positions.”
In the meantime, Reblian dispersed the Blue Sea and Green Wave Knight Members.
The Green Wave Knight Members still wore expressions of disbelief.
However, they wouldn’t dare argue with Reblian, who was both a Noble and the Vice Commander of the Blue Sea Knight Order.
“Krad, Brother.”
As Kraush casually followed the others, Bianca suddenly grasped his hand and looked up at him.
She gazed up at him with her large eyes for a moment, then fidgeted with the hand she was holding as she spoke.
“Didn’t you say you were keeping your identity hidden?”
“That’s just secondary. I’m not going to go as far as letting you take the blame.”
Kraush was well aware that Bianca had tried, in her own way, to avoid the situation.
She didn’t want to cause trouble for Kraush by getting involved unnecessarily.
However, Kraush had no intention of hiding his identity if it meant Bianca would be criticized in the process.
He only needed to ensure people kept their mouths shut.
That’s exactly what his position was for.
There was a reason Kraush had retaken the Balheim Direct Line’s test with his full effort.
Understanding Kraush’s words, Bianca tightened her grip on his hand for some reason.
She somehow seemed slightly happier than before.
“It seems everyone is gathered.”
At that moment, a calm voice resonated through the area.
The previously chaotic atmosphere instantly dissipated, and the tension around them rose sharply.
The knights quickly straightened their postures and held their breath.
Then, all at once, they cleared the path in the direction she was walking.
Amidst the space cleared by the knights in a line,
Hair of Balheim’s distinct shade, black with a faint blue shimmer, caught the eye.
Even in the summer, a cloak treated with magic to be wearable regardless of temperature.
The ends of her long hair, tied at the bottom, swayed gently.
With sharp eyes characteristic of Balheim and the colors representing the Sky-Piercing Knight Order embroidered on her cloak, her prominent physique stood out even beneath her uniform.
Despite her striking beauty, not a single person here dared to evaluate her appearance.
Lilish Balheim.
She was none other than Kraush’s second sister.
The Balheim Direct Line held an effectively absolute position within the Balheim Knight Order.
Moreover, she was the Commander of the Sky-Piercing Knight Order, known as the Two Swords.
Her skill alone was enough to secure her the position of Commander in the Sky-Piercing Knight Order.
From the moment she appeared, everyone was on their best behavior.
Lilish paid no attention to the gazes fixed on her and walked forward with steady steps.
Behind her, the Vice Knight Commander and the Sky-Piercing Knight Members followed.
The aura emanating from their synchronized steps was undeniably that of formidable warriors.
Every member of the Sky-Piercing Knight Order was at least at the entry level of Master, making them an entirely different league compared to the Blue Sea and Green Wave Knight Orders.
Even the Green Wave Knight Members instinctively shrank before them.
Unlike with the Blue Sea Knight Order, no one dared to even speak to them.
Because the sky remains unreachable, it is the sky.
As Lilish passed by Kraush,
her blue eyes briefly turned toward him.
Thud—
At that moment, she abruptly stopped in her tracks.
When the Sky-Piercing Knight Members, caught off guard by her sudden halt, also stopped all at once,
Lilish’s gaze slowly shifted toward Kraush.
‘Could it be?’
Did she see through Darling’s potion and figure it out?
There was no need to hide the fact that Kraush had secretly joined the Knight Order from Lilish.
But in a setting where everyone could see, it was an awkward time to reveal his identity.
After all, there was the promise he’d made with the 1st Prince.
“A child?”
However, Lilish’s gaze wasn’t on Kraush but on Bianca.
Seeing the young girl holding Kraush’s hand while standing among the knights naturally raised questions.
“She’s my younger sister.”
Realizing she hadn’t noticed his identity, Kraush spoke on Bianca’s behalf.
At that, Lilish glanced briefly at Kraush before rummaging through her pocket.
Unexpectedly, she pulled out a candy wrapped in paper.
She handed the candy directly to Bianca.
“Do you eat candy?”
Bianca glanced up at Kraush.
She was silently asking for permission to accept it.
Kraush gave her a nod.
With that approval, Bianca accepted the candy and bowed her head to Lilish.
“Thank you.”
Lilish gave a brief nod in acknowledgment and resumed walking.
Kraush watched Lilish’s retreating figure with a slightly bewildered expression.
‘…Did Lilish ever like children?’
Kraush was taken aback because he hadn’t imagined she would carry candy around.
They had barely spoken to each other before, so how could he have known?
Because all Kraush had ever done was watch Lilish from afar.
“Krad oppa. That person.”
“Yes.”
At Bianca’s question, Kraush nodded lightly.
“She’s a good person.”
With that, Bianca unwrapped the candy Lilish had given her and popped it into her mouth.
Even though all eyes had turned toward her because of the gesture, Lilish remained composed, as was typical of her.
“And she’s quite different from the other older sister.”
The other person Bianca referred to was none other than Charlotte.
Indeed, Lilish’s demeanor was vastly different from Charlotte’s.
Charlotte was domineering and free-spirited.
In contrast, Lilish was calm and operated strictly within the rules.
‘Even though they’re of the same bloodline.’
It seemed they could be this different.
“Commanders.”
“Present.”
The moment Lilish appeared, both Lexus, the Green Wave Knight Commander, and Vega, the Blue Sea Knight Commander, hurried to stand before her.
This was because she was acting as the leader for today’s mission.
“You’ve completed the headcount, I assume.”
“Yes, you may proceed right away.”
“Let’s go. Dapre.”
Without speaking at length, she immediately called for Balheim’s mage.
At her call, the space magic circle before her began to emit light.
The faintly reflected shape beyond the magic circle’s boundary indicated the connection to the other side.
“Everyone, follow in order.”
As Lilish, who was at the forefront, stepped in, the Vice Commander of Two Swords and the knights quickly followed her.
“Vice Commander Reblian.”
While the Green Wave Knight Order members were also moving to follow,
Kraush approached Reblian.
Then, leaning closer, he spoke quietly.
“Let Lilish know later that I’m here.”
Though she might not particularly care,
As the leader of this support mission, she ought to be informed.
“Understood. I’ll let her know.”
“Thanks.”
After delivering his message to Reblian, Kraush stepped back.
“Krad, are you sure about this?”
In the meantime, Colin, another member of the Blue Sea Knight Order, approached him with concern.
It wasn’t just Colin; other knight members shared the same sentiment.
After all, Kraush had not only knocked out a member of the Green Wave Knight Order with his fist but had also drawn the ire of their commander.
It was only natural to wonder if this would cause trouble later.
To address that concern, Kraush glanced toward the Green Wave Knight Commander.
When their eyes met, the commander flinched noticeably and bowed his head deeply.
It seemed Vega, the Blue Sea Knight Commander, had explained everything to him.
After all, it was better for commanders to be aware of each other’s circumstances.
“It’s fine.”
So Kraush spoke nonchalantly.
At least while he was present, the Green Wave Knight Order wouldn’t dare cause trouble.
Unless their commander wanted to take full responsibility and step down, that is.
“Blue Sea Knight Order, we’re moving too.”
By then, the Green Wave Knight Order members had completed their transfer, and the Blue Sea Knight Order began theirs.
Holding Bianca’s hand, Kraush stepped onto the magic circle, and for a moment, his head spun.
It was the aftereffect of the space magic.
“Ugh.”
Perhaps because it was her first experience with space magic,
Bianca staggered, looking nauseous.
“Are you okay?”
When Kraush quickly supported her, Bianca grimaced and took slow, steady breaths.
With a bit of rest, she’d likely be fine.
While he gently patted Bianca’s back, Kraush’s eyes caught the surrounding landscape.
Beyond the endlessly barren plains with not a single blade of grass in sight,
A massive city wall stretched unbroken to the horizon.
But there was one thing different—the sky beyond that wall.
Beyond the wall, the sky glowed vividly in shades of violet.
This was none other than the Demonic Realm, one of the Forbidden Zones.
Because it was far from both the Empire and the Kingdom, it was a Forbidden Zone directly managed by Sephira.
“Wow, the Balheim delegation has arrived!”
However, Kraush’s gaze wasn’t focused on the Demonic Realm but on a particular figure.
A woman wearing a veil that obscured her eyes, revealing only her cherry-red lips, stood with a radiant smile.
Beside her stood a stoic guard, who also caught his attention.
As her peach-like hair shimmered, Kraush let out a quiet sigh inwardly.
‘Serang Sephira.’
The daughter of the 1st Class Officer of Sephira and a princess.
And next to her was a man with jet-black hair that stood out in Kraush’s view.
‘The senile monster.’
A figure who had lived through the previous generation and into the present—someone who, under normal circumstances, should have retired or passed away long ago.
The Heavenly Dog Star,
Blavi.
Originally destined to embody the Heavenly Slaughter Star, consumed by murderous impulses and hatred for the world.
Thanks to the astrologers of the Sephira family, he managed to evade the fate of his star and continued to serve Sephira as their loyal hound to this day.
The problem was that, except for Sephira’s key officials, he concealed his identity.
‘Who would’ve guessed he underwent rejuvenation?’
Kraush’s unease toward Blavi stemmed from a simple reason.
‘Serang Sephira is killed by the World Erosion Beings.’
And with Serang’s death, Blavi lost control of the Heavenly Slaughter Star’s influence.
As a result, his murderous intent turned toward hunting the World Erosion Beings.
Countless World Erosion Beings perished by his hand, ultimately leading the World Erosion Beings to resort to war as a desperate measure.
That was the Heavenly Dog Star standing before him.
The ancient monster, Blavi.