Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Student Captains
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“The Special Class students, please follow Charlotte.”
Following Gannon's instructions, Krash and the rest of the Special Class moved along with Charlotte.
The other classmates shot them envious glances.
Watching this scene would surely motivate them to work even harder to join the Special Class in the future.
‘They won’t stop at just seven members. They’ll keep adding people based on grades and achievements.’
It was a very Charlotte-like way of thinking.
She believed that those with power had to live up to it.
Behind Charlotte’s confident strides,
the Special Class students all quietly trailed after her.
Charlotte’s presence was that commanding.
It was enough to make even Krash wonder if there were any openings when he looked at her.
The others were even more awestruck.
Her destination was the auditorium where the first-years had gathered.
From what he’d overheard, today happened to be a practical training day, so Krash’s group was being assigned alongside them.
“Even Special Class students are still brand-new second-years. For your first practical, you’ll be distributed among the Student Captains’ teams.”
Charlotte kept shooting meaningful glances at Krash as she said this.
Krash deliberately avoided her eyes.
The moment he got assigned to her team, he’d be stuck dealing with her all day.
Truth be told, even as siblings, he and Charlotte didn’t get along all that well.
“You seem really close with your big sis.”
“...If that’s how it looks to you, you need to get your head checked.”
Krash absolutely refused to agree with Karandis’s words.
A short while later, Charlotte led the second-years into the auditorium where the first-years were assembled.
This wasn’t just for the Martial Department.
As mentioned earlier, this class was practical training.
A practical at Raheln Academy meant
venturing beyond the walls into lawless zones where World Erosion occurred daily across the world.
Those areas teemed not only with Erosion Beasts but also criminals, vagrants, and even Erosion Humans.
Raheln students honed their real-world experience and skills in places like that.
That was Raheln Academy’s idea of practical training.
Naturally, the Magic and Divine Departments participated in these as well.
Students from Special Studies went out too, assigned based on their abilities.
For reference, the Literature Department’s practicals involved securing support from Sephira or representatives of various nations.
‘Teams only form if there’s at least one recruit from every department.’
Thus, the team’s operating budget depended on how much support the Literature students brought in.
Just then, Krash shifted his gaze and spotted Aslran waving from afar.
A few other second-year Magic Department students stood beside him.
They must have been selected for their Special Class as well.
Sure enough, on the Divine side was the Saintess, Astraia.
Thanks to her innate saintly aura, she looked the most mature despite being on the younger side.
She locked eyes with Krash, huffed, and turned away.
It was her reaction to him skipping lunch with her earlier.
Even so, she kept sneaking peeks over at him—that was just like her.
As Charlotte entered the auditorium, all eyes snapped toward them.
At the same time, those gazes shifted past Charlotte to Krash.
The feats Krash had displayed in the entrance exam had left a strong impression even on the first-years.
Their eyes gleamed with all sorts of motives toward him.
Some were political in nature, others tinged with simple curiosity.
And every single one sending those looks was no ordinary person.
This was the gathering of Raheln Academy’s first-years.
Even under that pressure of stares, Krash remained utterly calm.
After all, no matter how exceptional they were, they were still greenhorns right now.
Click, clack.
At that moment, someone began approaching Charlotte.
The instant Krash saw her, he barely suppressed a frown.
The Empire’s Third Princess.
Sigrin Epania.
She was the woman Krash hated most.
“Charlotte, the Student Captains are about to distribute the second-years. Come on over.”
As Charlotte had mentioned earlier, even Special Class students got distributed among the first-year Student Captains for their debut practical.
They were apparently planning to sort it out right now.
“Sure.”
Charlotte shot Krash a quick glance before turning away.
Her eyes burned with the resolve to claim him no matter what.
The problem was that Sigrin had glanced his way too as she passed.
The moment their eyes met, she flashed him a brilliant smile.
Thanks to that, Krash barely held back a gag.
‘There are twelve Student Captains in total right now.’
Student Captains could come from any department.
But departments like Literature, Divine, or Special Studies didn’t really need them.
They specialized in support, not frontline combat.
As a result, all twelve current Student Captains hailed exclusively from the Martial and Magic Departments.
“Krash, looks like Lady Sigrin has taken a liking to you.”
That’s when Mary sidled up and chimed in.
She was clearly trying to boost her standing with Sigrin while she had the chance.
“What nonsense is that? The Imperial Princess would despise Valheims above all else.”
Before Krash could even respond, Karandis jumped in.
She was a die-hard Kingdom loyalist who recoiled at the mere mention of the Empire.
Well, that made sense—she was Poseus’s princess, after all.
While Mary faltered, Karandis pressed her attack.
“Don’t try shoving the Empire’s shady schemes on us. Typical of criminals from the Empire.”
“That’s pretty offensive, you know?”
This time, it was Glen Diana who interjected in Mary’s place.
Mary’s cousin.
He didn’t seem too bothered by the jab at Mary,
but he openly bristled at the direct slight against the Empire.
Undaunted, Karandis straightened her back defiantly.
“Offended? Do you even know the atrocities the Empire has committed against the four kingdoms up to now?”
“The four kingdoms are the ones constantly scheming against the Empire. It was just payback for what you’ve done.”
“Payback? Have you already forgotten about that invasion fleet they sent to Poseus’s ocean territories not long ago?”
“That was just support troops because Erosion Beasts from those seas have started spilling over into Empire lands too.”
“That’s all because of the Empire’s greed in expanding their territory too far!”
The exchange between Karandis and Glen grew increasingly heated.
Krash eyed Karandis with a look of surprise.
Back in the day, she never would’ve confronted the Empire so head-on.
“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? What do you think, Lord Krash? You agree with me, right?”
And just like that, Krash realized the source of her unfounded confidence.
He was the top second-year in the Martial Department.
A direct Valheim scion and Kingdom faction member at that.
Naturally, that bolstered the Kingdom faction’s power among the Martial second-years.
Being number one in a place where power concentrated was a position like that.
And second place went to Mary.
Even if she was number two, she was still a criminal.
The Empire had a hard time rallying second-years around her.
Knowing this full well was what let Karandis hold her head so high right now.
Unlike the old days when Krash had been a worthless halfwit who couldn’t leverage the Valheim name at all.
Now, he could wield it to its fullest.
Glen turned toward Krash.
Even he would struggle to counter anything Krash said, just like with Karandis.
Sure, Karandis was a princess.
But in the Martial Department, power included raw strength.
And Krash—a Valheim direct lineage who had already demonstrated power beyond that—wasn’t someone to trifle with.
“I didn’t come here for these petty power games.”
Krash fixed the two of them with a cold stare.
“World Erosion has been surging dramatically these past few years, and I came to Raheln Academy to learn how to avert the crisis.”
This was common knowledge to everyone.
Though most probably just saw it as a recent uptick.
People never notice until disaster hits them personally.
But Krash knew better.
He knew these were the harbingers of annihilation.
This rotting world had been gearing up for its end long ago.
“Inside World Erosion, there’s no Empire or Kingdom.”
Krash had seen it with his own eyes.
Mighty empires and kingdoms that rivaled them.
In the end, they all crumbled to dust.
Drawing faction lines in the face of doom was pointless.
Krash intended to smash every last power bloc here at Raheln Academy, where all the talented gathered.
One year.
That’s all the time he needed to topple these Student Captains strutting around and claim the top spot himself.
That was Krash’s goal.
“Out in the world, I’d let faction squabbles slide.”
Krash glared at them in warning.
“But if you keep it up even inside World Erosion, neither of you will see good results.”
He meant every word.
“R-right? I wouldn’t dream of it either. No plans to bicker inside World Erosion!”
Karandis hurriedly agreed, afraid of earning his ire.
Glen didn’t bother pushing back further either.
Mary, who knew Krash’s character well,
didn’t look at him strangely for it.
He’d been the same even back when he was powerless.
Only Haring Lagren, the future Poison Peak,
gazed at Krash with a peculiar look.
“Ah, they’re coming!”
Just then, Balak reacted as the Student Captains approached.
Among them was Anix Graiza—Staron’s Three Heroes alongside Balak, practically a comrade.
Three of the twelve Student Captains were heading their way.
Of course, they were all familiar faces to Krash.
Leading the pack: Sword Saint Charlotte Valheim.
The tall black-haired one: Commoner Hero Pelei.
Trailing behind, with his sly-looking brown hair and destined to master Wood Heaven Sword Style—Krash’s nemesis, Anix Graiza.
These were the elite of the elite in Raheln Academy, first-year Student Captains no less.
Their talents were unquestionably top-tier.
And even among those supreme talents, one stood overwhelmingly above the rest.
Charlotte strode at the very front.
She met Krash’s eyes and made a regretful face.
‘Couldn’t snag him.’
From a quick glance, it looked like they’d used some magic lottery to pick second-years.
Even Charlotte wasn’t about to throw a tantrum over it.
‘Dodged a bullet.’
Krash actually felt relieved.
Heading out for his first practical under her team would’ve been a massive headache.
Especially since, unlike before, she’d been showing bizarrely intense interest in him lately.
In the meantime, Anix stepped up beside the halted Charlotte.
He looked over the second-years and spoke with a faint smile.
“Nice to meet you, second-year Special Class. Since this is your first practical, we’ll be pairing you up with partners.”
It was a considerate move.
Having a fellow second-year along would put them more at ease.
“Just follow the Student Captain who calls your name.”
“I’ll go first.”
The moment Anix finished, Charlotte stepped forward.
She stared straight at Krash before tsking and calling out.
“Mary Diana, Karandis Poseus. You two, with me.”
Karandis’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Charlotte, while Mary’s shoulders twitched.
Karandis was thrilled at the chance to get friendly with her,
while Mary despaired at not being picked by Pelei, who was under Sigrin’s wing.
As their contrasting reactions passed,
Pelei spoke up next.
“Balak Hogma, Glen Diana, Arthur Gramalte. You three, over here.”
Pelei wore a friendly smile.
“Ooh, Captain! You strong?”
Balak, apparently fine with anyone, eagerly chatted him up.
“Huh? Haha, not really. There are way stronger people out there than me.”
Pelei laughed heartily, though his eyes held a hint of regret.
He longed to meet someone at the academy.
That someone was standing right in front of him, unbeknownst to him.
“Last up, me. Haring Lagren, Krash Valheim. You two, follow me.”
So he’d been assigned to Anix’s team for his first practical.
Krash casually cracked his neck.
For some reason, this practical felt like it would force a final judgment on Anix.
The Anix he’d met back at the Ara Dragon Hall in the Star Sanctuary was exactly as he remembered.
The one who, upon hearing of Charlotte’s wedding, fell apart and dragged his comrades into an Erosion trap he couldn’t escape,
then spat out the insane line that Krash’s death might even delay Charlotte’s ceremony.
He was fated to gradually develop a toxic love-hate for the Charlotte who shattered him, ultimately leading to his downfall.
But now Krash knew better.
You couldn’t judge people solely based on memories from regression.
‘So, are you the same Anix I remember? Or...’
Maybe a slightly different one.
Who knew.
The world had changed a lot, and it was still veering off into paths different from previous loops with every passing moment.
Krash merely flicked a brief glance at Charlotte before watching Anix walk on.
He wasn’t harboring any expectations.
Expectations only bred disappointment.
Besides, he still harbored no goodwill toward Anix.
Whatever the outcome, Krash planned to accept it calmly.
Even if it turned out to be something unpleasant.