Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Mary Who Came in the Middle of the Night
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After that, the mid-term evaluation for the second-year martial arts students came to an end.
Naturally, not only the professors of Raheln Academy but even the first-years were paying close attention to the results of this exam.
And the announcement of the results went like this.
1st: Krash Valheim
2nd: Haring Lagren
Tied for 3rd: Glenn Diana / Ballak Hogma
5th: Karandis Poseus
6th: Arthur Gramalte
...
Upon hearing the continued announcement of the results, some thought, As expected.
It was as if to say that the Special Class hadn't been created for nothing.
Most of the people from the Special Class had claimed the top ranks.
Especially in Krash's case, talk was starting to spread even among the first-years.
He'd already been showing signs of something extraordinary.
And now, rumors were flying that he'd taken down a 7-star Erosion Beast in this mid-term evaluation. It was chaos.
Of course, there had been help from others, and since it was a magically created one, it fell short of a real Erosion Beast.
Even taking all that into account, it proved his skills weren't just hype.
While Krash's name was once again sweeping through Raheln Academy like a storm,
there was one person who simply couldn't accept these results.
"Mary, you idiot... In the end, you lost."
A woman with sea-blue hair let out an irritated sigh.
The Third Imperial Princess of Epania,
Sigrin Epania.
She flew into a rage upon hearing the news.
Honestly, she'd had some expectations.
After all, Mary was called the Divine Spear.
Maybe she'd finally take down Krash.
But no such luck.
Mary had been utterly crushed, falling far short of even the slightest hope.
This disastrous result went without saying.
It was Krash's overwhelming victory.
But at the end, she seemed to give it her all...
Sigrin's face grew serious as she recalled the report.
Back at the entrance ceremony, she'd still treated Krash like a total scrub.
And understandably so—even that level of growth was within expectations if Charlotte was involved.
But his recent actions had frankly surpassed all calculations by a wide margin.
This is weird.
No matter how much Charlotte was helping him, Krash's growth was blatantly abnormal.
He was getting stronger beyond any reasonable measure.
No matter how you slice it, getting this strong in such a short time doesn't make sense.
What had Charlotte done to Krash?
Sigrin had been operating under that assumption all along, but now she was starting to feel suspicious.
This level of growth didn't make sense without something like a Regression-type cheat.
And then, she racked her brain even harder recalling a recent incident.
It was the news about Pelei.
Pelei, the hero of the commoners.
He'd stopped the heinous act that Assistant Professor Jenicalen had tried to commit.
The massive scandal caused by an assistant professor persecuted by noble students.
Pelei had been badly injured in the process of stopping her and was rushed to the infirmary.
Fortunately, his life wasn't in danger.
Even so, despite his injuries, Pelei repeatedly defended Assistant Professor Jenicalen.
He pleaded that her eventual crime shouldn't be treated as some one-off lapse in judgment.
On top of that, the misdeeds of the noble students came to light, lending even more weight to Pelei's words.
Even the professors, who knew well of their atrocities, stepped forward in her defense.
The handling of the detained Assistant Professor Jenicalen was put on hold for now.
She'd already crossed a line she shouldn't have by becoming a servant of the World Erosion Beast, but former Martial Emperor Durandal had personally stepped in to take her away.
Rumors were circulating that even after becoming a servant of the World Erosion Beast, he knew a way to sever the master-servant bond.
In any case, Pelei's status had skyrocketed like never before.
The commoners naturally chanted his name, and the nobles trashed the involved noble heirs to elevate Pelei's reputation.
They knew full well there'd be no nobles without commoners, so they reacted swiftly.
Thanks to that, Sigrin—who'd hoped to boost her own fame through this incident—ended up with egg on her face.
No matter how Pelei had gotten involved, she was utterly dumbfounded.
"First Mary, now Pelei causing trouble too..."
Fuming to the top of her head, Sigrin ground her teeth, unable to even force a smile.
How had things turned out with not a single helpful person around her?
On top of that, she suspected Charlotte's involvement in Pelei's case too.
After all, Pelei's suspicious change had started after the Hardenharts incident.
"Haa."
"Things aren't going your way, it seems."
It was at that moment.
Sigrin whipped her head toward the voice coming from the door.
There stood a man with long golden blond hair.
The moment she saw him, Sigrin furrowed her brow slightly.
He was none other than the fake Arthur Gramalte.
"What do you want? Barging in without a word."
For a split second, she hadn't sensed his presence.
It bothered her, but she didn't chew him out.
After all, he was the only key connecting her to Arthur.
"I just felt the recent situation was getting out of hand."
The fake Arthur's cold eyes fixed on Sigrin.
His gaze, eerily similar to the real Arthur's aura, made her shrink back.
"Hah, what are you talking about? Everything's still going smoothly."
"You mean obtaining the Sword Emperor's legacy?"
His next words perfectly soured her mood.
"You've been sitting back like a bystander this whole time. How far do you plan to meddle?"
A venomous glint flashed in Sigrin's eyes.
At the same time, an extraordinary aura poured from her, causing faint vibrations around the room.
The room's temperature plummeted as if a frosty wind had blown through.
Sigrin's blue eyes glared at the fake Arthur.
"You think pretending to be Lord Arthur makes you him? You're just a messenger. A messenger linking me to Lord Arthur. Have you forgotten your role?"
Her sharp retort hung in the air, and the fake Arthur fell silent.
Then, he let out a hollow chuckle.
"Right, I'm not the real Lord Arthur."
As Sigrin shot him a puzzled look, not grasping the meaning of his laugh,
the fake Arthur's smile vanished in an instant, his face turning expressionless as he declared,
"So this is the real Lord Arthur's command. Bring Krash Valheim to our side, no matter what. Fail, and you'll never see Lord Arthur again."
"What? Wait, what do you—"
"Remember that."
With those words, the fake Arthur opened the door and left.
Left alone, Sigrin clenched her fists, trembling, before biting her lip hard.
The fake Arthur claimed it was the real Lord Arthur's command.
If he wasn't trying to provoke her wrath, those words had to be true.
Never see Lord Arthur again?
Did that mean Lord Arthur himself had said it?
A sliver of anxiety pierced the steadfast resolve in Sigrin's heart.
Arthur was everything to her.
If he abandoned her, she couldn't endure it.
Sigrin ground her teeth.
She knew exactly who was to blame for this mess.
"Mary, you stupid bitch."
Her trembling fists steadied as she strode to the desk and opened a drawer.
She pulled out a box, closed the drawer, and turned around.
Useless dogs have their uses.
It was time for Mary to serve hers.
She slammed the door open, her footsteps echoing sharply down the hall.
That very night after the exam ended.
Krash was lost in rest, paying the price for using both Annihilation Heavenly Asura and Annihilation World Erosion.
On top of that, his back still stung from Astria's smack.
He'd taken a few hits from her before, but this one felt even sharper.
"Doing this even during the academy exam! Are you trying to make me mad on purpose?!"
Recalling Astria's scolding brought a wry smile to Krash's face.
Honestly, he couldn't promise he wouldn't worry her again.
But there were gains.
Through this exam, Krash had confirmed he could wield Annihilation World Erosion in real combat.
If he could do that, there'd surely be ways to apply it in the future.
I can probably boost Annihilation Erosion Flame's output even higher too.
Above all, defeating that woman Mary was the biggest win.
Just two locks left.
Once he undid those two more, Mary's Excel would be his.
With Excel in hand, he'd naturally grow far stronger than now.
The range of applications would expand massively.
The path to stopping the world's destruction was starting to come into view, bit by bit but surely.
He could feel it with every bit of power he gained.
This regression, he could prevent the world's end.
Knock knock—
It was then.
Krash heard a knock at his window.
Reacting late from his rest, his Sixth Sense kicked in, and his eyes slowly opened as he identified the intruder outside.
The story Darling had told him recently flashed through his mind.
Creeeak—
Krash rose from bed and opened the window.
There, a robed figure flinched and trembled.
Even under the robe, the curves of her body were visible, along with strands of black hair peeking out.
And the deeply shadowed face within the robe's hood.
It was Mary Diana.
"What's a girl doing in the boys' dorm?"
It was the middle of the night.
If the dorm supervisor caught her, it'd be interrogation time for sure.
When he asked what business she had in the boys' dorm, Mary hesitated, eyes darting around.
"W-Well, I wanted to talk to Krash a bit."
Her response screamed suspicious.
But the emotion in her eyes was utterly servile.
More so than her usual cowed demeanor.
A forced, fawning smile and cold sweat.
Not a trace of the old Divine Spear remained.
Krash stared at Mary wordlessly.
She grew even more anxious, fidgeting helplessly.
"Come in."
Moments later, Krash stepped away from the window and let her inside.
Mary finally brightened, clambering in carefully.
A glimpse of bare leg flashed between the robe before vanishing.
Feeling oddly annoyed at the sight, Krash flopped onto the bed.
"Sit there."
He pointed a chair to the hesitant Mary, who finally sat.
She straightened her robe and took a deep breath.
"C-Could I have some tea? My throat's parched."
Asking for tea in someone else's room? The audacity.
Her intentions were transparent. Krash inwardly clicked his tongue but stood.
"Fine, whatever."
Krash opened the door and stepped out.
Just then, Alicia—who'd been dozing while knitting as a hobby—jerked her head up.
Meeting Krash's eyes, she quickly wiped her mouth and smiled.
"Lord Krash, is something the matter?"
"Got a guest. Mind preparing two cups of tea? You can go to bed right after."
"Right away, my lord."
Clinking sounds followed as Alicia prepared the tea.
Krash took it and re-entered, closing the door.
"Oh, l-let me take that."
Mary hurriedly grabbed the tea from him.
Watching her dart inside, Krash frowned slightly.
He shut the door with a thud.
"So, why'd you come at this hour?"
Get to the point already, he urged, tired of her beating around the bush.
Her eyes darted frantically.
"Oh, t-today, when I lost. It was really impressive, so I wanted to chat! Haha."
She forced an awkward laugh.
If that's all, maybe fix those hollow, shadowed eyes first.
"Sorry, that was too sudden, huh."
Gauging his mood, Mary hesitated before replying.
Hearing that, Krash fell silent for a moment before turning his head.
"Is that really it?"
Mary's shoulders twitched.
Her large eyes shook more violently than ever.
"I don't think you'd come here for something so trivial."
Krash's loaded words made her shoulders hunch further.
A man she'd never once considered a rival in her life.
But after being so utterly crushed by him today,
Mary trembled just being in his presence.
It terrified her.
Standing before him felt like her entire existence was being denied.
She wanted to run, but Mary couldn't.
Because she'd received Sigrin's command.
Sigrin had burst into her room where she'd been huddled under the covers, shaking,
and forced her to her knees with cold ruthlessness.
"Mary, this is my final order to you."
Sigrin's eyes had been utterly icy as she issued it.
"Pounce on that man and make his child."