TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 98
Astria Stigma Freeman.
Recently, she has been in a very interesting state.
This is because the direct descendant of the Balheim family, which she had only heard about, was staying at the temple.
‘To think that man was a direct descendant of Balheim.’
What is Balheim?
A family of heroes considered the strongest in the world.
Their fame is immeasurable, and everyone bows their head at the mention of Balheim.
A direct descendant of such a family is currently being treated at the temple.
For Astria, who had been lamenting her fate as a caged bird, this was a tremendous source of interest.
‘But I must endure.’
The first thing a patient should see upon waking is family.
According to Serang, the pretty girl with white hair was his fiancée.
The way she was crying so much clearly indicated a deep relationship.
‘Engaged, huh.’
Astria quietly looked out the window.
Outside the temple, she saw lovers walking hand in hand.
That was something she could never enjoy in her lifetime.
If a saintess were to become lovers with someone, she might immediately be dismembered for blasphemy.
‘What childish thoughts.’
A girl who is only 14 years old this year.
Yet, she must be more mature and holy than anyone else, being a saintess.
That was Astria.
“Saintess.”
At that moment, her guard, Holy Knight Diona, called out to her.
“Mr. Kraush Balheim has woken up.”
Currently, the presence of Balheim in the Holy Kingdom is top secret.
This is because Balheim themselves requested confidentiality.
The Holy Kingdom willingly cooperated.
There’s no reason to pick a fight with Balheim.
“How is his condition?”
“He seems to be fine.”
“Well, whose skill was it, after all?”
With a boldness that belied her 14 years, she flashed a confident smile.
“They won’t say anything if I go to see his face, right?”
As Astria showed slight interest, Diona reluctantly nodded.
“Yes, it’s to check on the patient’s recovery.”
Who would doubt the saintess’s healing abilities?
Diona, who secretly wished for her to live more freely, gave her permission.
“That’s why I really like you, Diona.”
Upon hearing this, Astria quickly got up from her chair and gave Diona a hug.
Seeing Astria like this, Diona smiled with pride.
Diona had been with Astria since childhood, acting as a parental figure to the parentless girl.
And it was the same for Diona.
“I wonder if it’s not rude to ask a lot of questions. I’m looking forward to it.”
What kind of heroic life did a direct descendant of Balheim lead?
Astria, who had been confined to the Holy Kingdom her entire life, was ignorant of worldly matters.
Thus, filled with anticipation, she sought out the room where Kraush was resting.
“Mr. Kraush has gone out to train.”
As she arrived at the room, she blinked upon hearing the words of the tight-lipped servant assigned to Kraush’s room.
When she entered the room, she found it being cleaned by someone alone, which puzzled her.
She hadn’t imagined he would go out to train in the meantime.
“Training right after waking up?”
She had fully healed his body herself, so there was no reason he couldn’t train.
However, even if the body recovers, mental fatigue doesn’t disappear.
‘The memory of passing out from pain must still be in his body.’
Even after full recovery, many still complain of mental anguish.
That’s why Astria often bestowed blessings for mental care on those who were severely affected.
Though not a powerful blessing, it was enough to help people recover quickly.
And among those Astria had seen, Kraush was one of the few who suffered intensely from pain.
So much so that even Astria, who always maintained her composure in front of patients, almost grimaced.
‘Yet, he’s training.’
Is this what it means to be from Balheim?
“Where is the training ground?”
“He is using a private room in the training ground frequently used by the Holy Knights.”
He wanted to keep his identity hidden, yet he’s quite active.
“Thank you. Ella, good work today.”
The servant, pleased that Astria had kindly called her by name, made the sign of the cross.
Leaving her behind, Astria briskly moved forward.
What kind of person would get up and start training immediately?
‘I heard he’s the same age as me.’
A 14-year-old facing an 8th Class Erosion Species.
What kind of place is Balheim that produces such a person?
Thus, she arrived at the private room in the Paladin Training Ground.
She saw one training ground with its door open.
The private rooms in the Paladin Training Facility are used by Holy Knights to train their inner selves.
They are enclosed on all sides by walls, making it very easy to concentrate.
She wondered why the door to such a room was open, but soon realized.
The intense heat coming from inside the room was heating her pale skin.
With this heat, if the door were closed, the room would fill with heat and the walls might melt.
‘This is.’
Black flames burning pitch black.
They were clearly flames created by a curse.
And for Astria, who wields divine power, it was an extremely unsettling force.
As she looked through the black flames, she saw a boy there.
A boy sweating profusely, scattering black flames over a blade glowing with golden light.
His black hair, mixed with blue, fluttered.
At the same time, his sharp-featured face caught her eye.
She stared blankly at the sweat running down his cheeks before finally coming to her senses.
‘He’s handsome, even upon a second look.’
She had thought so even when he was asleep.
In the midst of the black flames, his serious gaze drew her eyes unwittingly.
Was it that she liked sharp-featured faces?
She had seen several Holy Knights that the servants whispered were handsome.
But all she felt was that they looked kind.
She had never felt any particular emotion towards them.
After all, if their faces were torn or burned, the inside would look the same whether handsome or not.
Having seen many injured as a saintess, she thought she didn’t pay attention to appearances.
‘But it was a misconception.’
She definitely looks at appearances.
Just like other girls her age.
The fact that she couldn’t take her eyes off Kraush even now was proof of that.
Meanwhile, the black flames began to slowly subside.
It was because Kraush had finished his training.
The moment he wiped the sweat from his brow and turned his head, his eyes met Austria’s.
For some reason, Austria averted her gaze.
It was difficult for her to look directly at a man soaked in sweat, according to her taste.
“Lady Austria?”
Was even his voice to her liking?
Austria coughed once, as if to regain her composure.
She was a saintess.
Regardless of her preferences, he was visiting the Holy Kingdom as a patient.
It was unbecoming for a saintess to harbor personal feelings towards such a person.
She regained her saintly demeanor.
“I didn’t expect you to head to the training ground right after waking up. How are you feeling?”
She spoke with a benevolent smile.
For some reason, Kraush’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.
It was as if he had encountered someone he found unsettling, causing Austria to flinch.
No matter how hard she tried to maintain her saintly appearance, receiving such a look from a man she found attractive was subtly hurtful.
‘Does he find me unpleasant to look at?’
While Austria touched her face, Kraush spoke up.
“Yes, thanks to you, I’ve fully recovered.”
Since he was able to train at the training ground.
The word ‘fully recovered’ suited him perfectly.
But as soon as she saw Kraush, something bothered her.
“May I ask you one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“The curse residing in your body, why does it feel stronger than when I treated it?”
That had been bothering her all along.
What was it that made him harbor such a curse?
From what she had seen during his training, he was handling the curse.
So when Austria asked, Kraush merely smiled slightly.
When she tilted her head upon seeing that.
She noticed his reaction.
“What’s the answer?”
So when she asked, Kraush continued speaking after his smile.
“I said I would listen, not that I would answer.”
Seeing that, Austria realized one thing.
His face was definitely to her taste.
‘He’s got no manners.’
But his personality was definitely not.
Feeling inexplicably annoyed, she tried to maintain her smile.
“I see. There are many things that are difficult to answer for anyone.”
“Then, may I ask you a question in return?”
Austria’s lips slightly pouted.
“Can I also choose not to answer?”
“That’s fine.”
And then, with a suspicious smile, he spoke.
“Would you like to go on a date with me?”
The moment those unexpected words came out of his mouth, Austria froze.
It was a completely unforeseen statement.
‘A date?’
She gaped at him with a blank stare.
Whether she reacted or not, Kraush calmly adjusted his clothes.
“Oh, and I’ll clean up properly first.”
He was not only rude but also completely self-centered.
And he was a man with a fiancée.
For such a man to suggest a date to an unrelated woman.
And to a saintess, no less.
There was no greater scoundrel than this.
Normally, her quick mind would have processed this, but it was clouded with confusion.
“I’m a saintess, you know?”
A date with a saintess, was that even possible?
Even Diona, who had followed behind, looked at Kraush with a dumbfounded expression.
But Kraush simply shrugged nonchalantly.
“Is that a problem? We can talk about what’s going on in the world, and have a date.”
It was clear he didn’t care at all that she was a saintess.
Austria looked around.
And when her eyes met Kraush’s again, she quickly turned her head away.
“Kraush Balheim…”
Just as Diona was about to say that the joke had gone too far.
“Alright. I’m curious about what’s going on in the world too.”
Austria suddenly agreed.
When Diona looked at her in surprise, Austria tried to hide her reddened ears with her hair.
“You’re from the Balheim Direct Line, you wouldn’t do anything improper, right?”
“I’ll stake the Balheim name on it.”
Before Diona could stop her, the date was already set.
Diona looked at her with a troubled expression, but Austria turned away.
“I’ll be in my room, come get me when you’re ready.”
Maintaining as calm an expression as possible, she walked away.
Seeing that, Diona glanced at Kraush, sighed, and followed Austria.
Thinking about what whim the capricious saintess had this time.
* * *
After Austria left.
Kraush exhaled briefly.
Fortunately, Austria had picked up on his suggestion to talk privately.
For someone from the Balheim Direct Line to behave so rudely and even suggest a date.
She must have sensed something odd from their earlier conversation.
‘She’s always been quick to catch on.’
His behavior was clearly strange, and Austria must have realized there was a reason behind it.
So she took the date proposal as a sign that he wanted to talk privately.
During the Skyborne Generation, they were always in the rear together.
If nothing else, Kraush was confident he knew Austria well.
‘After all, that’s what she used to do when she wanted to have an important conversation with me.’
“Would you like to go on a date with me?”
Words a saintess would never say.
Those words meant, ‘Let’s talk privately.’
In fact, when she took him aside, she used to talk about important matters related to the Skyborne Generation or the world.
Saying she wanted to hear his opinion.
Of course, later on, she actually asked him out on a date, which was a flaw, but.
At least that was not out of spite from the events of the Skyborne Generation, but now it wasn’t.
‘From the start, he didn’t like me much when we first met.’
At the time of our first meeting.
Austria used to snap at Kraush whenever she saw him.
She would turn her head away sharply, as if she didn’t want to meet his eyes.
And that hasn’t changed much this time either.
Today, as they left the training ground, Austria turned her head away the moment their eyes met.
‘What did she say again? That she hated my face?’
When he confronted her about why she kept avoiding his gaze, he remembered her reply.
Appearance is something that varies according to one’s own values.
So, Kraush had let it go.
Of course, even if someone isn’t particularly likable, you can still develop feelings for them if you spend enough time together.
Especially if you go through life-and-death situations together, Kraush knew that those feelings could intensify.
After all, in the Skyborne Generation, it wasn’t just one or two people who had fallen for each other.
So, even Austria, the Saintess, had unwittingly developed such feelings.
Since they were always at the back, he had spent the most time next to her.
And that meant Austria probably still didn’t like him much now.
Plus, being sweaty from training would have made it even worse for her.
She used to get so angry, her face turning red, telling him to wear his clothes properly and wash up.
So, he added that he would go wash up.
“I guess it’s settled since she agreed.”
He had no desire to have a bad relationship with her.
He owed her a great deal, and considering her abilities, there was enough reason to rebuild their relationship.
‘I can talk to her about the Fake Saintess issue this time. Just a hint will be enough for her to handle it on her own.’
As Kraush thought this and was about to leave to wash up and change before their conversation, it happened.
At the entrance corner leading to the training ground.
He saw a single strand of pure white hair.
It belonged to a girl who was staring straight at him.
Seeing that, Kraush froze instinctively.
“Mr. Kraush, have you been training?”
But upon hearing her words, he felt a brief sense of relief.
Kraush had come out to check on the Heavenly Slaughter Star while Bianca was asleep, exhausted from crying.
This could also be something that would upset Bianca, but.
It wasn’t as bad as the conversation with Austria.
Of course, it was all a misunderstanding, but.
However, unlike Kraush’s relief, Bianca’s eyes turned cold for the first time.
“And a date with the Saintess?”
Ah, she heard everything.