Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Bianca's Letter
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After leaving the ruins, Krash received treatment first alongside Haring.
The others had their share of injuries too, but Krash and Haring were in the worst shape.
Krash went without saying.
In Haring's case, she'd been right by his side, suffering full-body burns and the backlash from using the White Azure Pill.
Her body, struck by Decarabia, was a complete mess.
The two of them had somehow clung to consciousness and made it out of the ruins—a miracle in itself.
So the students from the Saanga Unit—majors in martial arts and theology—who'd been waiting outside treated them right away.
After roughly patching them up,
Krash returned to Debram safely with everyone.
The people of Debram welcomed back the entire Saanga Unit with utmost hospitality.
It was their way of repaying them for handling such a bothersome mission.
But Krash himself turned down Debram's kindness and decided to head back to the academy.
"Got it. I'll prepare for your immediate departure."
Anix didn't object to Krash leaving.
Krash wasn't an official Saanga Unit member anyway, and with the mission complete, there was no reason to hold him.
"Ah, before that, one small favor."
On his way out, Krash asked Anix to send a box of Debram's famous dessert to his address.
When Anix raised an eyebrow at the Green Pine Pavilion address, Elfin clued him in.
"Oh, taking care of your fiancée, huh?"
Anix soon smiled faintly.
"Makes sense. You did cherish her back then. Alright, I'll have it sent."
Krash nodded.
"I'll go with you."
Haring decided to return alongside Krash.
She had no reason to stay with the Saanga Unit, centered in Staron anyway.
"Then I'm off. We'll talk research later."
"Sure."
Krash sent Haring back—even though she insisted on escorting him to his room—and returned to his quarters.
His eyelids were too heavy to bear any longer.
He collapsed onto the bed and passed out.
Otherwise, he couldn't recover from the backlash of using Annihilation Asura.
As Krash lay there dead to the world, a few voices whispered past his ear.
"Haa, you... always coming back like this. Good thing I heard and came to check on you. This isn't something natural healing can fix. Why didn't you come for treatment instead of just crashing in the dorm?"
It was probably Astria's voice.
He'd heard it faintly in his sleep, but his body felt much lighter now, so she must have stopped by.
But the pull of sleep was too strong, and Krash drifted off without a word.
Time passed, and three days later,
Krash's eyes snapped open.
"......"
Having slept so long, he squinted at his bleary eyes and scanned the room.
Dorm room.
Even in his half-conscious haze from Annihilation Asura, his homing instinct had worked fine.
"-----."
"---Right."
Just then, voices conversing came from outside the room.
Krash rose, feeling a slight throb in his head.
He moved his body lightly, and it responded without issue.
He'd heard Astria's voice in his sleep after all—she must have healed him.
'Next time I see her, I should at least say thanks.'
As Krash got out of bed and opened the door, two women were there having tea.
One was Alicia, Krash's maid with her distinctive brown hair.
And the other was Lirina, Aslan's former exclusive maid.
"Oh, you're up?"
Lirina turned to Krash with a bright smile.
Krash stared at her blankly for a moment before rubbing his eyes.
She'd transferred to being his exclusive maid after Aslan's death.
Seeing her first thing upon waking stirred old memories.
It left him feeling bittersweet for no reason.
"Master Krash, did you sleep well?"
Meanwhile, Alicia handed him a warm cloth and bowed politely.
Krash wiped his face with it.
The comfortably warm cloth cleared his mind.
"Why's Lirina here?"
"Because everyone's in class right now. Us maids get our break."
Right.
Krash handed the cloth back to Alicia.
Now that he was wiped down, he realized he needed a proper wash.
"Heard you pushed yourself too hard again. Why does it always feel like you're collapsing, Master Krash?"
"Unavoidable."
He wasn't collapsing on purpose.
This time, at least, he'd held on mentally until he got back, so it should be fine.
"Please think of those around you a little. So many people worry about you—Lord Aslan did, and of course, I do too."
But Lirina wasn't wrong, so he nodded.
At that moment, Lirina pulled out a letter.
"And while you were sleeping, a letter arrived for you."
"A letter?"
"Whose do you think it is? The recipient's name is right there."
Krash took the letter, catching her mischievous smile.
He soon realized who it was from.
'Bianca.'
Krash opened the letter.
Dense handwriting filled the page.
Bianca's writing.
She had beautiful penmanship.
Probably from always having a book in hand since childhood.
It looked just like print from a book.
Krash read Bianca's letter slowly.
To Krash Valheim,
Krash, I got the fig cookies. They were so sweet and delicious.
Spring seems to be ending bit by bit.
There's still a long way until next spring, but I wish it would come sooner.
Lately, I sometimes sleep in your room.
It still feels like your warmth lingers, so it's comforting.
But I like being by your side more.
Master Jenna's gotten even stricter.
She says I have quite the talent.
So lately, I've started learning non-surgical techniques too.
She says swords don't suit me because my hands are small.
Yours are big, though, Krash.
I'm training hard so I can attend Raheln Academy with you soon.
I'm worried you'll push yourself again while we're apart.
Days are fine, but every night when I lie down, I think of you.
So at night, I savor the fig treats one bite at a time.
Eating them makes me happy, thinking of you giving them to me.
Oh, and lately, Elli—who was my attendant maid—announced her marriage.
Will I marry you like that someday too, Krash?
Elli looked so pretty in her wedding gown, but I'll be even prettier.
Do you like pretty things too, Krash?
I want to see you soon.
From Bianca Hardenharts
By the time Krash finished reading, he was smiling.
He noticed his lips curved up late and touched them, meeting Lirina's gaze.
"That happy, huh?"
"......Can't read a letter with a gloomy face."
"Even accounting for that, affection's dripping off your expression."
Krash cleared his throat lightly.
The letter conveyed Bianca's feelings so purely that he'd smiled without thinking.
He carefully folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope.
She was rationing the fig treats—he'd have to send more varieties.
"Ah, I was curious too."
"I wasn't reading someone else's mail."
"Well, true, but still."
Lirina glanced at Krash with a slightly sulky air.
"You're more of a softie than I thought, Master Krash. You haven't been at Raheln Academy that long, yet one letter has you beaming like this."
"Isn't that normal?"
"No. Bianca's lucky. I'm jealous."
With that, Lirina stood.
"Ah, wonder if I have a good boyfriend out there somewhere. Being alone's lonely."
Krash watched Lirina walk out.
Her back view stirred various thoughts, but he pushed the feelings aside.
This was just the emotion he'd held for his first love before regression.
"......You'll meet someone great, Lirina."
At Krash's words, Lirina turned slightly to look at him.
"No way to meet the best one, though."
She left with those meaningful words, opening the door.
Krash watched her go, then rubbed his neck briefly.
[Awake now?]
Right on cue, Crimson Garden's voice rang out.
Hearing it snapped him back to full alertness.
[Waking up and looking for girls first. Tsk tsk.]
"Should I have looked for you first?"
[Idiot, I'm a girl too.]
True enough.
"Crim, any movement from Moon Rabbit?"
[Nothing notable. That main guy, Irmar, was probably just a seed Moon Rabbit tossed out as a test. They wouldn't have cared much from the start.]
Good news.
If Moon Rabbit came charging over their kin's death, that'd be a headache in its own way.
Krash tidied Bianca's letter and stowed it safely in a drawer.
Then he checked the time.
Classes were about to end.
"All the other units back from their missions?"
[Some are, some aren't.]
"Guess classes for me starting tomorrow."
Units typically got a week to a month off after missions for rest and retraining.
So Krash, unattached to any unit yet, would attend classes and training with his peers until they all returned.
Once the units were back and taking on missions properly, he'd head out again.
But before that, Krash had things to do.
'Gotta go see Haring.'
The poison and curse research he'd discussed with her.
He had various experiments in mind for that field.
So after washing up, Krash timed his departure for the end of martial arts classes.
Maybe because it was peak class time,
the path to the Martial Hall was quite serene.
True to its new build, the walkway was a comfortable park path at a glance.
Laid out deliberately for students who fought tooth and nail daily.
Krash arrived at the Martial Hall, gazing up at the sacred tree still scattering petals.
Clanging sounds echoed from the training grounds.
Classes must have just ended.
Martial classes were held jointly for first- and second-years.
No wonder the crowd looked substantial.
'Perfect timing.'
Krash leaned against the wall by the training ground entrance, satisfied.
Students began filing out one by one.
Some recognized him.
"Hey, Krash Valheim. Heard you were bedridden. Up already?"
"Waiting for someone."
"Heard from the Saanga folks? Said he shattered a 7-star Erosion Beast in one stroke."
"Classic Valheim. A monster like Charlotte?"
Whispers reached him repeatedly.
Most who didn't care that he could hear were first-years.
Confident in their skills and status.
They no longer feared the Valheim name alone.
Krash knew these were the ones who'd lead Generation of the Sky someday.
And some harbored no goodwill toward him.
"What's so great about Valheim? Think there's another Charlotte?"
"Haha, how cute."
The name Valheim stirred competitive fire in others.
'Roughly figure out which unit hasn't returned.'
Krash gauged the crowd and guessed the absent units.
"See? Told you I'm stronger."
"Shut up. You just got a lucky hit."
"It sent 'em flying pretty good for a fluke!"
Just then, Krash spotted second-years from the elite class with him.
One side was Ballak Hogma, of Staron's Three Heroes like Anix.
The other was Glenn Diana, Mary Diana's cousin.
'Them being here means...'
Krash shifted his gaze behind them.
Another figure emerged.
The fake Arthur.
Slightly off from the real one in a subtly irritating way.
He met Krash's eyes as he walked out but turned away disinterested first.
Krash didn't avoid it either.
Dodging here would just raise suspicion.
'Need to dig into that guy's secrets.'
The only link to the info-less Arthur.
And Krash had thought of a way to lure him out recently.
It'd require meeting Charlotte first, though.
The Lion Unit hadn't returned from their mission yet.
Meanwhile, fake Arthur walked off.
"Ah, Krash!"
As Krash looked away from him, Ballak spotted him and waved cheerfully.
For a guy, he was still short, and jumping in place like that made him look too childish for an adult.
"Don't jump around like an idiot."
Glenn chided him from the side.
They'd gone on the same mission and grown close, it seemed.
Ballak's affable nature probably helped.
"Heard from Anix you overdid it. Looking good now!"
"Yeah. Haring's not out yet? Where is she?"
He asked since she hadn't appeared despite the exodus, and Ballak pointed inside.
"Probably still training. She does that every day."
That explained why she hadn't come out.
He'd have to go in.
"Krash Valheim."
Then Glenn called him.
Krash glanced over, and Glenn asked quietly, spear slung low.
"Mind if I ask one thing?"
"Go ahead."
With permission, Glenn paused before speaking.
"......What do you think of Mary Diana as she is now?"
Once, Glenn had worshipped Mary like a goddess.
But now, she was practically ruined.
Glenn seemed to despise her.
'No, not just despise.'
Krash, sharp at reading people, caught Glenn's true feelings for Mary.
And it wasn't something to poke at right now.
"Dunno. Haven't fought her, so how would I know?"
Still, the thought crossed his mind:
Didn't Glenn hold the key to truly breaking Mary?
"......I see."
Glenn thanked him curtly and left.
What a bland guy.
Krash returned Ballak's greeting and entered the training grounds.
There, Haring faced a magic-made Erosion Beast, dagger in hand, off to one side.
No professor in sight.
Krash, knowing the martial instructor, figured they'd clocked out first.
"Haring."
Sorry to interrupt her focus, but left alone, she'd train all day—so he called out.
She finally looked over.
Her black-and-purple hair framed wide eyes upon seeing him.
"Krash!"
She looked like a cat meowing at its long-absent owner for being late.
Haring hurriedly sheathed her dagger and started over.
Then she noticed her sweaty training state, paused, and sniffed her sleeve.
Worried about her sweat smell.
Krash watched her quietly and smiled faintly.
"Not hungry?"
Let's grab food and talk.