Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Entrance Ceremony
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After spending the night in his assigned dormitory room.
The next day.
Krash was checking his outfit.
The uniform adorned with blue embroidery was the symbol of a Raheln Academy Martial Department student.
Krash stared at his reflection in the mirror without much emotion.
After all, it was the same sight he'd grown sick of seeing back in his academy days from the past.
Instead, differing from back then, Krash tightened a fancy dark navy tie around his neck.
This was a gift from Lilish, sent as an admission present.
「Krash, congrats on getting in.」
That simple sentence was all she'd written in the letter.
But Krash knew full well how much thought Lilish must have put into even those few words.
He'd have to treasure it from here on out.
"Does this face look like it's enjoying anything?"
The Crimson Garden raven perched on the windowsill let out a cackling laugh.
Krash shot it a slightly displeased glance.
"More importantly, didn't you say there's another one of your kind at the academy?"
"Who is it?"
What a weirdo.
Who'd dare underestimate him at this point?
Crimson Garden flapped its wings with a puff and flew off.
Right then, a timely knock-knock echoed.
"Lord Krash, are you all prepared?"
"Yeah."
Krash opened the door and stepped out to find Alicia standing there.
She smiled, holding his bag and Thunderclap.
"It suits you perfectly."
"Thanks."
Krash took the bag and fastened Thunderclap to his belt.
The Martial Department uniforms came with built-in belts for weapons, which was convenient.
With that, Krash left his dorm room under Alicia's escort.
As he walked the corridor, other students began emerging from their rooms one by one.
The third floor of the all-male dorm—excluding servants—was for the new arrivals.
Naturally, plenty of the students looked excited about the entrance ceremony.
The problem was, the moment Krash passed by, they froze up and hastily cleared out of his way.
"That's Krash Valheim."
"They say he's got a seriously scary temper. Don't get mixed up with him."
"Heard he even took down a vice professor? Said he provoked him on purpose."
Thanks to his exceptional physical prowess, Krash could hear every whisper crystal clear.
They must think I can't hear them. I can, you brats.
But most of them were non-Martial Department freshmen.
The Martial ones clamped their mouths shut the instant they spotted Krash.
They'd witnessed his power firsthand, so they knew he'd catch every word.
Smart kids.
The Martial Department was full of hot-blooded types by nature.
He'd been ready to smack down anyone who tried showing off their attitude.
But no need, it seemed.
The power gap he'd shown during the entrance exam was just too vast.
"H-Hey, Mr. Popular."
That was the moment.
Krash turned at the hand tapping his shoulder.
There stood a familiar face.
Long red hair.
A face that perfectly fit the descriptor "pretty boy."
The red uniform symbolizing the Magic Department.
Aslan Igris.
The spirit-smitten fool.
"Long time no see, Krash."
"Aslan."
Facing a face he hadn't seen in a full year, even Krash cracked a smirk.
It was just that the guy looked so much healthier now—no more of that scrawny build from before, replaced by a tall, handsome figure.
Apparently, he'd been eating well.
"What, been on a foodie tour or something?"
"Ate plenty. Dorothy was trying new stuff too, so it was fun watching her."
Honey wasn't just dripping from his eyes—it was downright cloying.
Watching a friend so lovestruck wasn't exactly a pretty sight, so Krash clicked his tongue.
"Must be pretty lonely, separated from your girlfriend like this."
"That obvious?"
Aslan gave a soft grin.
Then he slightly lifted the hem of his uniform jacket.
Tucked into his pocket was what looked like a tiny, doll-sized figure.
Krash realized what it was and froze.
"No way."
"Hi, Krash. It's Dorothy."
Dorothy waved a tiny hand from Aslan's pocket.
Krash turned to Aslan with a baffled look.
Spirits counted as erosion beasts at the end of the day—who in their right mind brought one all the way to Raheln Academy?
"Not her real body. It's like an avatar of Dorothy. Still lets us communicate, though."
"Professors catch wind of this, it'll be chaos."
"I've got confidence we won't get caught."
Fine, whatever.
If he said so, Krash wouldn't sweat it.
"Where's the main body, then?"
"With Mom."
But the follow-up was utterly unexpected.
Had she reconciled with her mother, Agatha?
Judging by Aslan's smile, something big had definitely gone down.
He'd hear the details later when the chance came.
"Anyway, your rumors have spread all the way to the Magic Department. Caught me off guard."
"No big deal."
"Doesn't seem that way from the commotion."
With Aslan's chuckling laugh, the two headed outside together.
By then, they'd drawn quite a few stares from all directions.
Krash aside, Aslan was quite the attention-grabber himself.
For one, he was the son of the Red Witch, lord of the crimson tower—not to mention his good looks.
They couldn't help but draw eyes.
Lots of girls were outright staring at Aslan in a daze.
Standing next to him made Krash feel vaguely inferior in the looks department.
"You're gonna hear all sorts of talk once you get to the Magic building."
"What a pain, having a famous friend."
The two bantered as they arrived at the Martial Department auditorium for the entrance ceremony.
Martial and Magic seats were separated.
So Krash exchanged a casual goodbye with Aslan before heading to their respective spots.
Sparse empty seats dotted the area.
The kids all froze in horror at the sight of Krash.
Every one of them inwardly prayed he wouldn't pick the seat next to theirs.
Had he maybe caused a bit too much of a scene?
Krash gave a wry smile at the thought coming through his brooch.
Not that he wanted to cozy up to any of the obvious opportunists eyeing the seat beside him.
Their intentions were all too transparent.
Picking a seat's gonna be tricky like this, he thought—right as he spotted one.
And soon enough, a wicked grin crept across his face.
"This seat next to you taken?"
"Uh, no..."
The girl started to reply, but her body went rigid mid-sentence.
Beneath her black hair, a bust and figure swollen beyond what you'd expect from her age.
A striking beauty by any measure—but to Krash, just a face full of annoyance.
Mary Diana.
The woman once called the Divine Spear, before his regression.
She froze solid the moment Krash appeared.
Krash plopped down in the chair without a care.
"Something on my face?"
"N-No, sorry!"
She frantically hid her panic and whipped her head away.
In the original timeline, she was supposed to crush him right here at the entrance ceremony.
But she hadn't even gotten to fight him before he took down Vice Professor Kairan.
Thanks to that, she'd figured Sigrin would drop her—but luckily, Sigrin let it slide this time.
Impossible to avoid, after all.
That said, Sigrin had added a condition.
If Mary wanted to stand at her side as a knight again in the academy, she had to claim first place among the Martial Department's second-years.
Oh, and Sigrin had told her to try getting friendly with Krash.
Mary was second place among the freshmen, and pretty enough on the outside.
A guy like Krash wouldn't outright hate her.
So she should build bridges ahead of time, for later.
That was her resolution coming into today—to absolutely fulfill Sigrin's command.
But for Krash to suddenly plop down next to her?
She couldn't help but be thrown off, unprepared as she was.
Krash, oblivious or uncaring, leaned back casually in his chair.
How to steal Accel.
Krash knew better than to judge anyone based solely on regression memories pulled through Pendal.
But in this world, there were exactly three exceptions.
Three people whose judgment he'd never waver on.
Sigrin Epania.
Abella.
Mary Diana.
All three had regressed just like him.
Regressed identically, so unchanged from before.
Krash, who knew their true natures, had no intention of going easy on any of them.
The hand in his pants pocket stealthily activated Black Hood.
Black Hood
Dials manifested on Mary's body. Four in total—as expected from someone who prides herself on her skills. One already unlocked.
The lofty pride of her Divine Spear days.
That pride had been utterly crushed after her family abandoned her and she rotted away in prison.
Mary now teetered on the brink of being discarded even by Sigrin.
No way she had any self-esteem left.
Instead, Krash eyed the second dial.
Mary Diana, genius spearwoman with a heavenly martial physique.
A dial to crush her through raw force.
Normally, an absurd demand.
Practically no one in the world could overpower her at full strength.
But things were different now.
Her current self had barely trained during her prison stint.
Sure, she'd still snagged second place in the Martial Department entrance exam.
But compared to her true potential? Laughably inadequate.
Which meant she'd be desperate to regain her former power here at the academy.
In other words...
Now's the perfect moment.
He needed to crush her with overwhelming force at some point, one way or another.
Should've thrown down during the entrance exam if I'd known.
Krash smacked his lips in regret.
No chance to check Black Hood back then.
Approaching Mary would've looked suspicious for sure.
But opportunity would come soon enough.
They were first and second in the same Martial Department.
Fate would force a clash eventually.
Crush Mary with force, unlock the other two dials.
And steal her skill, Accel.
That was his conclusion—drawing only a chilling inner smile.
Meanwhile, freshmen kept filing in, seats gradually filling.
Somehow, only the spots around Krash filled slowly.
Not that anyone dared sit next to him casually.
"Um, hey."
Krash heard Mary's voice and glanced her way.
She'd pulled an imperial-brand chocolate from her pocket.
"Wanna have one while we wait for the ceremony?"
She forced a friendly smile.
Unlike usual, she was dropping formal speech entirely to try befriending a classmate.
Any normal guy would've fallen for that face.
But Krash barely kept his expression from twisting in disgust.
He stared at the chocolate for a long moment before speaking.
"I hate sweets so much I don't even touch them."
He really was that way—no sweets for him.
Crimson Garden reacted with disbelief, but Krash was dead serious.
"Oh, uh, okay?"
Mary went slack-jawed for a second before carefully withdrawing her hand.
She fiddled with the chocolate, mumbling under her breath, "...It's dark chocolate, though."
As she wilted, someone finally took the seat next to Krash.
Seats were assigned by freshman numbers.
Eventually, someone had to sit.
"Hello?"
The words came right as the newcomer sat down.
Didn't expect someone gutsy enough to greet me in this situation.
Krash quickly recognized her.
Deep dark-red hair, skin radiating healthy allure that amplified her sensuality.
Proud-looking eyes and jet-black irises.
Staron boasted the world's strongest family, the Valheims.
Freeman was the holy kingdom with its saintess.
Jevram had its magic emperor-king.
Among the four great kingdoms, Poseus possessed talents of every stripe.
The only seafaring realm crossing the golden line—the equator—with its massive trade wealth rivaling even the Empire.
Poseus.
The kingdom's ninth princess.
Karandis Poseus.
"Ninth Princess of Poseus."
"Oh my, for Krash Valheim to remember little old me—what an honor."
Krash couldn't exactly welcome her with open arms.
This woman had come to Raheln Academy to hunt for a husband.
The Poseus king was a notorious womanizer.
Even as his kingdom fell, one of his concubines was reportedly in labor.
He currently had fifteen children.
As the ninth princess, succession was out of the question for her.
So she'd switched tracks.
No prospects in Poseus? Fine—find a high-status groom and marry into power.
Back in his halfwit days, they'd never crossed paths.
But this time, he'd made a massive splash at the entrance ceremony.
Small wonder her eyes had locked straight onto him.
Right then, Karandis scooted her chair a bit closer to Krash.
In the process, she slyly pressed her chest against his arm.
"Ah, sorry. Seats are so cramped, it just kinda bumped."
What nonsense.
No one "accidentally" squished a princess with a "tight seat."
"Oh, and Krash, that fight with Kairan was so impressive. Charlotte Valheim too—all you Valheims are just so incredibly strong, aren't you?"
She beamed with eye-smiles, repeatedly shoving her chest forward.
Krash eyed her coolly before opening his mouth.
"Quit jamming your fat at me. My arm's getting heavy."
"P-Pardon?"
Evidently not expecting the no-holds-barred response, Karandis blanked out.
For some reason, Mary flinched too, hastily hugging her own chest with her arms to keep from brushing Krash.
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