Chapter 200
Chapter 200
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Let's Go Find the Top-Tier Curse
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In front of the corridor leading to the Special Studies Hall.
A boy with dark blue hair was making his way forward.
Having recently finished his growth spurt, he now had a sturdy build. It was Krash Valheim.
"You're spouting something ridiculous like it's nothing."
As he walked, Krash recalled what Sigrin had said just moments ago.
"But we have to give it a shot."
Even so, Sigrin had decided to trust Krash.
And if that was the case, she would do everything in her power.
"I'll try to forge some kind of connection, no matter what it takes."
Sigrin had strode out of the room with a resolute expression.
Krash had no doubt she would arrange something before long.
After all, she was none other than the genius girl, Sigrin Epania.
Once Sigrin had left, Krash headed straight outside.
As mentioned earlier, his destination was the Special Studies Hall.
Children engrossed in their personal research bustled about in the chaotic space.
Krash scanned them briefly before arriving at the curse studies section.
With a fair number of students there, various people were deep into their curse research.
Among them, in a secluded corner, Krash spotted a petite girl working diligently on something.
Though older than him, her tiny frame made her seem even younger as she handled a curse with her small hands.
Yet the curse she wielded was far too dangerous for such delicate hands.
The only student capable of handling top-tier curses.
The youngest disciple of Divine Hand Beltua Lockroad.
It was Dorma Lockroad.
"Dorma."
"Eek!"
The instant Krash called her name, she let out a sharp scream.
As the vial of curse in her hand slipped free, Krash swiftly extended his arm to catch it.
She finally exhaled in relief, but Dorma remained rigid.
It was because a top-tier curse had nearly been unleashed in the curse classroom.
Seeing her face drained of color, Krash placed the vial back on her desk.
"Sorry. Calling out like that almost caused a disaster."
"N-no, it's fine! It was my fault for being so careless!"
Dorma shook her head frantically at his apology.
Thanks to that, the tense atmosphere lightened a bit.
Only then did she notice Krash and tilt her small head.
"U-um, Krash, what brings you to the curse classroom?"
"I have some business with you, Dorma."
Dorma tilted her head again.
"It's about Beltua."
Her eyes went wide at his next words.
Krash pulled up a chair with a scrape and sat down, facing her rabbit-like gaze.
"First off, I tracked down Beltua's last known sighting."
"R-really!?"
"Yeah. I'm heading out to search right away, but there's one other issue."
Krash was currently a student at Raheln Academy.
Even with his special treatment, he couldn't neglect his student duties.
Even Princess Sigrin had deliberately taken an imperial mission whenever she went to check on empire affairs.
"Repeated unexcused absences outside missions or training mean expulsion."
Searching for Beltua could count as training for Krash.
But after spending such a long training stint with Durandal recently, acting on his own again felt off.
"What can I do?"
Dorma showed steely determination, ready to do anything to find Beltua.
Catching a glimpse of her resolve, Krash let out a short chuckle.
"Issue me a mission."
"A mission?"
"Yeah. A search mission for Beltua Lockroad in the Forbidden Zone, Endless Night—her last confirmed location."
Dorma's eyes went wide like a rabbit's once more.
"C-can I even issue a mission?"
Raheln Academy missions mostly came from countries or families registering them.
As a mere student, she questioned if she could do it.
But Krash knew there was no problem.
"Of course you can. With Beltua gone, you're the head of the Lockroad family now, Dorma."
The Lockroad family consisted solely of Beltua and Dorma.
Beltua had adopted the orphan Dorma as her one and only daughter.
The other disciples bore their own surnames or were commoners.
Dorma was the only official Lockroad family member.
In other words, she alone could fully represent the family name.
She might be the only one in Raheln Academy who could operate on a family-unit basis.
"Ah, a-ah, you're right!"
Realizing it belatedly, Dorma nodded vigorously.
She decided issuing it under the Lockroad name would work.
"Got it! I'll register it!"
Her voice brimmed with confidence.
She looked ready to help with anything if it meant finding Beltua.
"Thanks. I'm counting on you."
Krash expressed his gratitude, heaved a sigh of relief, and left the Special Studies Hall.
Now he had secured a way to search for Beltua.
'All that's left is accepting the mission.'
But he sensed another obstacle ahead.
Accepting the mission.
That meant meeting Charlotte and asking her for the favor.
'Did Charlotte have any favorite snacks?'
Not long ago, Krash had reaffirmed that Charlotte was family.
He'd realized he'd been turning away from her out of fear of her overwhelming presence, but she'd always treated him like a little brother.
So now, he knew that even her baffling outward actions stemmed from care for him.
Still, he remained awkward around Charlotte.
'No helping it—I have to face her eventually.'
With that thought, Krash headed toward the Lion Corps.
Along the way, various people who recognized him reacted in their own ways.
Most reactions toward the boy were ones of respect.
Once tinged with rivalry, they had shifted to admiration for his achievements the longer he stayed at Raheln Academy.
Krash, too, gradually felt himself becoming the center of Raheln Academy.
I wonder if this was how Arthur felt back then.
His life—once dismissed as a headache even at Raheln Academy—had changed so much, Krash reflected.
It was then.
Krash sensed a presence trailing him.
Letting out a brief sigh at it, he halted his steps abruptly.
Before the pursuer could react, speed surged through Krash's body.
Accel.
In a flash, he vanished, reappearing at the corridor's edge.
His hand shot out instantly.
"Kek!"
The one whose neck Krash seized had snow-white hair.
He was the White Serpent, one of Sigrin's twin followers.
Toy Popoa.
"Toy!"
In that instant, the nearby twin Black Serpent, Tai Popoa, yelled and charged at Krash.
They, too, would one day join the Generation of the Sky.
Their honed skills were far from ordinary—the blade whipping from Tai's sleeve struck at Krash without delay.
But they'd picked the worst possible opponent.
Krash didn't even draw Thunderclap. Instead, he cloaked his hand blade in aura.
Then he swung it straight at the incoming blade.
Clang!
Krash's hand blade, wreathed in pristine white flame, collided with Tai's, echoing with a fierce ring.
Disbelief flickered in Tai's eyes.
He couldn't accept his sword being parried by a mere hand chop.
But it was only natural.
The Jail Dragon Fall Durandal had taught him transformed the body itself into a weapon—a secret art.
Over the past months, Krash had mastered it desperately, reaching the first stage.
Concentrating aura into a body part to harden it beyond steel.
Jail Dragon Fall
First Form
Body
Now, Krash could turn any part of his body into a weapon at will.
Meanwhile, Toy—neck still gripped—tried wrenching Krash's arm.
But no matter how he strained, it held firm like bedrock.
The raw power gap was insurmountable.
Their faces stiffened.
They knew Krash was strong.
But this was beyond excessive.
He was a full year younger than them, no less.
And they were among the elite of the first-years.
They couldn't easily swallow a gap this wide.
Crunch!
"Guhk!"
Krash tightened his grip on Toy's neck.
As Toy's face went ghostly pale, Tai panicked.
"Let Toy go!"
"State your business first. Then I'll release him."
They had tailed him first, after all.
Krash fixed them with chilling eyes as a warning.
He harbored no fond memories of them, past or present.
As Tai hesitated, Krash narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What? Sigrin Epania's orders?"
Tai bit his lip in irritation at the question.
"......No. This is our own call—nothing to do with Lady Sigrin."
"Then why tail me?"
Tai mumbled his lips.
Krash cracked his neck in response.
Recognizing his pre-battle ritual, Tai flinched and blurted out hastily.
"Lady Sigrin's been on edge lately whenever you're involved, so we figured we'd dig up something on our own!"
"Sigrin gets touchy just about me?"
Krash let out a hollow, curt laugh.
Well, he'd demolished every scheme of hers.
It was par for the course that her side would be prickly.
'More than that, she's finally shifting her aim from Charlotte to me.'
They must have picked up on something odd.
Perhaps that's why.
A cold smile tugged at Krash's lips.
'Wonder when she'll learn.'
That Arthur—the one she adored—hadn't regressed alongside her.
Once she knew, Sigrin would shatter for sure.
Krash shared a vicious grudge with her, unlike the others.
Wishing for her downfall, he released Toy's neck.
"Waste of time. You won't pry anything from me, and even if you did, it'd be worthless."
"Ugh."
Tai bit his lip, unable to argue.
A few months back, maybe.
But now, the gulf between them and Krash was vast.
"And you two shouldn't cling to a sinking ship forever."
He left them with that advice and turned away.
Toy and Tai could only stare after Krash, unable to give chase.
Still, Krash mused inwardly.
Before long, Sigrin's faction would make a major play.
'When that happens.'
Time to prepare and smash Sigrin for good.