Chapter 221
Chapter 221
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 221
Chapter Title: An Incomprehensible God
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The god who gave Black Hood to Krash.
A nameless girl.
Krash, facing her, slowly relaxed his stiffened body.
She was a god.
Whatever the reason for her appearance before him, Regression was ultimately a skill.
Even if she knew about Regression, it wasn't strange.
'Moreover, Regression was stolen through Black Hood.'
On the contrary, it would be more strange if she, who had granted him Black Hood, didn't know.
However, a faint wariness lingered in Krash's eyes.
It was because of the story he'd heard from the God of Night, who had told him about her after his regression.
「I only know that she's the god most resented by the others.」
A god who had gone around stealing the powers of other gods.
That was the nameless girl who had given Black Hood to Krash.
Krash didn't know her purpose.
He also didn't know why she had given Black Hood to him of all people.
So he had no choice but to remain cautious.
Even if she had given him Black Hood and changed his life so drastically.
Krash knew well that the intentions of gods were not always benevolent.
"You're on your guard."
At that moment, the girl noticed Krash's wariness first.
She approached him with leisurely steps.
Then Krash felt something profoundly strange.
Even though she was right there in front of him, he sensed no presence at all.
'No wonder she's called a god.'
Moreover, she was a god who had stolen powers from other gods.
This might even be par for the course.
"Don't worry. I have no intention of doing anything to you."
She spoke as if she were a gentle mother.
But her unnaturally pale face only gave a bizarre impression.
"Why did you give me Black Hood?"
The question Krash had always wondered about.
Countless gods had granted skills to many people up until now, but Krash knew it wasn't purely beneficial.
Gods bestowed skills and took their price.
And that price could only be claimed when a human's soul was ripe.
After learning this, Krash had grown wary of gods.
But the girl before him was different.
She had given Black Hood to Krash without any price at all.
She had simply bestowed the skill without the usual divine contracts.
Hearing Krash's question, she fell silent for a moment.
Then she slowly tapped her cheek with a long index finger before tearing her mouth into a wide grin.
"Whim?"
It was an absurdly simple answer.
"Just a whim?"
"I think of myself as someone with few whims."
"Then why have a whim about me?"
"You just happened to catch my eye."
Words devoid of any deeper meaning.
That only reminded Krash all the more that she was a god.
Gods thought differently from humans.
They responded to endless prayers, but not with human common sense or reasoning.
Sometimes, the miracles gods granted were utterly selfish in form.
"You looked like you were hurting all over."
She said this with a slow smile.
"So I lent you my power."
And at that moment, Krash realized something.
"Don't lie."
The next words made her blink innocently, as if she didn't know what was a lie.
"Tell me straight. You want something from me."
She had said "lent" instead of "granted."
Krash knew well what "lent" implied.
It meant she would take it back someday.
'So it wasn't given without a price after all.'
She had given it expecting something in return.
Whether it was a whim or him catching her eye.
Even if those were true, like all other gods, she wanted something from Krash in her own way.
Those were just additional reasons.
She hadn't revealed the real truth.
At Krash's perceptiveness, she fell silent again.
Then the smile faded completely from her face.
As if even that smile had been stolen from someone else and merely worn for show.
"If I tell you that..."
She tilted her head expressionlessly.
"...will you stop using my power?"
Will you not use it?
Krash snorted.
"I'll suck it dry until I've gotten every last drop."
He had already decided not to spare any means to prevent the world's destruction.
He wasn't about to do something stupid like sealing Black Hood now.
If he could use it, he would exploit it to the fullest.
That was Krash's way.
"I don't care what your goal is. I'll use your power or any other god's power—everything."
So Krash had to say this now.
"Just don't get in the way of my goals for yours."
He warned her to keep that one thing.
She fell silent for a moment.
"Fine."
Then she replied brightly.
"I won't interfere."
At that instant, a wind blew.
Falling leaves rode in on the breeze.
Krash sensed she was leaving.
So he decided to tell her one thing as she faded away.
"It was thanks to you."
Amid the swirling autumn leaves, Krash said,
"Thanks to you, I've survived this long."
He had wanted to say at least that much.
Without her Black Hood, he wouldn't have made it this far.
Whether it reached her or not, as Krash blinked against the blowing wind,
only emptiness remained.
She had vanished.
Krash stared at the spot for a moment, then clicked his tongue lightly.
'In the end, I couldn't even ask her name.'
He knew nothing of her purpose or name.
Of course, even if he'd asked, she might not have told him.
But he felt satisfied, having met her again at least once.
He had conveyed what he wanted to say, so it wasn't a total loss.
Krash's gaze fell to the holy sword.
Perhaps thanks to this thing, he might meet her again someday.
That would have to suffice for now.
With that thought, Krash turned away.
It was time to return to Raheln Academy.
November had arrived before they knew it.
The World Tree, dyed in autumn leaves once more, announced the season to the entire academy.
'Not a cherry tree or a maple, and yet.'
Krash found it fascinating how the World Tree changed its garb every year despite being a distinct species.
After finishing business in the Holy Kingdom and returning,
over the past month, Krash had thrown himself back into training.
He had felt the gap with Lian, so he felt the need for it more than ever.
This wasn't just Krash.
Students who had sensed their own shortcomings for various reasons were devoting themselves to training.
Especially the second-year trainees who had failed.
Those who failed the second-year final evaluation had to go through another six months of training.
Dropping out was an option, of course.
But few chose it.
The moment they dropped out, they would be branded failures for life.
'Brings back memories.'
Krash, who had failed three times himself, felt a touch of nostalgia.
Thanks to entering the elite class, the final evaluation hadn't mattered much anyway.
"Lord Krash!"
At the voice calling him, Krash turned his head.
There stood a red-haired woman with healthy skin, waving energetically.
Kalandis Poseus.
The ninth princess of the Poseus family.
Beside her was Haring.
A faint smile played on Haring's lips, like a cat reuniting with its owner.
From the looks of it, the two had been hanging around together quite a bit lately.
'Well, they're the only two women in the second-year elite squad.'
Mary was an exception from the start.
For reference, after talking with Krash, Mary had been focusing on training.
As if proving her divine spear days weren't a lie, she was making more progress than expected.
Like she was determined to become a star herself to follow the star that was Krash.
Krash didn't pay her much mind.
With someone like Mary, it was better to let her do as she pleased than keep her close.
Making things complicated for a simple-minded person would just cause headaches.
"Did training go well again today?"
"Good work."
Kalandis's bright energy contrasted with Haring's calm demeanor.
On both their chests gleamed brooches emblazoned with a lion emblem.
They were the symbol of the Lion Squad.
Haring had joined during the Hardenharts incident,
but Kalandis had finally made it into the Lion Squad too.
'The Lion Squad has high entry barriers, probably because of Charlotte.'
With Raheln Academy's strongest, Charlotte, firmly in place,
the Lion Squad leveraged her presence to select only top-tier students.
Unless Charlotte personally approved,
the squad even held private trials to recruit members.
Despite the difficulty, a significant number of second-years were flocking to it.
That spoke volumes about how much prestige the Lion Squad had gained.
"So, what about you two?"
"We trained too."
Kalandis swung her arms enthusiastically as she spoke.
Haring straightened up a bit.
"I've gotten a little stronger."
Her eyes seemed to seek praise, so Krash chuckled briefly.
"Good. Well done."
Kalandis watched them with a hint of envy.
She knew the bond between Haring and Krash ran deep.
But with effort, she could get there too.
"Lord Krash, have you heard the news?"
Kalandis shifted the topic to what she'd heard.
"What news?"
"The Student Squad Showdown."
Student Squad Showdown.
The grand finale held every December.
There were two ways to tally points for the showdown.
One was the missions and achievements the squads had accomplished so far.
The other was victory in the showdown itself that December.
'Victory in the showdown.'
Taking first place meant a massive boost in funding, of course.
It would greatly aid squad operations.
More importantly, in a talent magnet like Raheln Academy, first place carried extra weight.
'It'll raise aspirations for future recruits.'
Existing students would realize it too.
That the top squad was the one poised to lead not just Raheln Academy, but the entire world.
Krash's eyes quietly turned to the academy buildings.
The Lion Squad he belonged to wasn't his own.
It was the one his sister Charlotte had founded.
But he knew he was now another representative figure for it.
A good portion of the second-years applying to the Lion Squad were due to his influence.
So taking first in the Student Squad Showdown with the Lion Squad wasn't bad for Krash at all.
It was more like a gamble he wanted to win.
'Sigrin will aim for first no matter what too.'
He'd clash head-on with her and Generation of the Sky.
'In that case.'
He'd crush them—that was only right.
A cold glint sharpened in Krash's eyes.
Student Squad Showdown.
Time to sweep them all away in one go.