Chapter 222
Chapter 222
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: Picnic During the Student Unit Competition
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Student Unit Competition.
With first-years and second-years mingling regardless of their cohorts, it was a clash where unity among the units sparked chaos everywhere.
The Lion Unit had gathered together as well, seemingly intent on trying some unity of their own.
"Hmm, what's the point of this?"
The problem was that their leader was the last person you'd associate with unity.
Charlotte wore a bored expression as she looked at the students assembled before her.
She might have taken the student unit leader position, but she'd always dumped the actual work on the Lion Unit members.
Aside from missions, she had zero interest in miscellaneous tasks.
Which explained her apathy toward this Student Unit Competition.
"Can't we just have me and Krash go out there and call it done?"
Charlotte glanced at Krash, as if the two of them were more than enough.
Not a single person among those who heard her showed any sign of indignation.
It was only natural, after all.
The undisputed strongest from both the first- and second-years were in the Lion Unit.
As the two of them said, sending just them out might very well decide the entire competition.
"Lady Charlotte, to get the bonus points, the entire student unit needs to participate actively."
Delon Markis—the son of the Staron Kingdom's prime minister and the Lion Unit's de facto vice-leader—offered her some advice.
He leaned in and whispered softly into her ear.
"And winning first place would help Krash too, wouldn't it? Since you're both in the Lion Unit."
Charlotte turned to look at Krash.
She had been slowly tapping her arm with her crossed hands, but now the corner of her mouth curved up slyly.
It was Charlotte's signature smirk.
"Guess we have to take first, then."
Delon had grown quite adept at handling Charlotte.
It was a relief for Krash as well.
There was nothing more reassuring than her active participation.
Especially since Sigrin was gunning for first—they had to block her no matter what.
"So, what are we doing for this unity thing?"
Charlotte had never once tried team-building in her life.
She stared at Delon as if she had no clue how it even worked.
Delon let out a short chuckle at her expression.
It was the laugh of someone who had a very simple solution.
"Let's go on a picnic."
And out came a completely unexpected suggestion.
The Lion Unit's sudden picnic.
Surprisingly, it wasn't a bad choice.
They'd never once truly bonded internally before.
While others were deep in training, the Lion Unit was climbing a mountain near Raheln Academy.
"...Why are we climbing a mountain?"
Krash turned at the voice beside him.
There stood Astria, whose usual exercise was a bit lacking.
If anything, Krash eyed her curiously.
"I'm more wondering why you're suddenly joining us."
"Well, the unit I was in kicked me out."
The unit Astria had belonged to.
The Balance Unit, originally led by student unit captain Cardinal Mireille Beakis.
As a saintess, she'd been part of the Maiden Unit centered around nuns.
But the moment she stepped down as saintess, she'd bolted from the Maiden Unit.
Now she had no unit to call her own.
Or more precisely, she was reluctant to join one.
Her name was still buzzing everywhere.
She didn't want the extra attention of joining somewhere rashly.
Krash, aware of this, glanced at her.
"Regretting quitting as saintess?"
He felt some responsibility for the incident, so he asked.
She shook her head with an incredulous look.
"What are you talking about? It's way more comfortable now. I was never suited for all that pomp anyway. You know that."
Sorry, but no one fit the saintess role better than Astria.
She might talk like this in front of Krash.
But in public, she'd been more benevolent than anyone.
"If you say so."
Since she insisted, Krash let it drop.
Her face did look more at ease without the saintess burden, after all.
"So, how long are you gonna keep avoiding eye contact?"
"..."
Astria averted her eyes in silence.
It had been over a month since that impulsive kiss.
She no longer fled when they crossed paths, but she still wouldn't meet his gaze.
How long had it been since he'd properly seen her face?
"I'll handle it myself!"
Astria snapped back, suddenly irritated.
Yet here she was, tagging along on the Lion Unit picnic.
Whatever—she wanted to, so Krash dropped it.
"Lord Krash, Saint... er, I mean, Lady Astria. Did something happen between you two?"
Karandis, who had nearly called her "Saintess" before correcting herself, sidled up to Krash with a question.
There had been plenty of incidents.
But none he could blab about.
Astria might have quit as saintess, but people still saw her that way.
"Nothing worth mentioning."
"Doesn't look like nothing to me."
Karandis alternated curious glances between Krash and Astria.
To her, Astria was still a rival, so she had plenty of questions.
Haring, meanwhile, strolled leisurely, admiring the scenery.
She seemed to be savoring the grassy scent with closed eyes, looking utterly relaxed.
Yet she stuck close behind Krash like a cat on a walk.
"All the second-years in the Lion Unit have turned into Krash fans."
Aslan chuckled and struck up a conversation.
As she said, the core second-year members revolved around Krash.
Even those who'd passed the Lion Unit exam were heavily influenced by him.
Their eyes sparkled fiercely whenever they met his gaze.
Krash was the second-years' hero.
His feats since entering Raheln Academy had earned him their boundless admiration.
'Is it my imagination, or are their stares getting more intense?'
He was fine with them striving to become eternal stars like the Generation of the Sky.
But it came with heavier expectations than anticipated.
'Am I actually feeling the pressure too?'
Once you build a reputation, you can't move recklessly without thought.
Reputations and gazes crumble in an instant from a single mistake.
It restricts your actions.
[Since when do you care about others' eyes?]
Crimson Garden shot back dismissively.
'Fair point.'
Ignoring what others said was his specialty.
Just do things as usual.
If someone criticized him, he'd deal with them directly—it was simpler that way.
'Arthur might have crumbled because he couldn't do that.'
Unlike Krash, Arthur had strived desperately to maintain his reputation.
It wore him down mentally with all the worries, yet he polished it obsessively.
'Almost like an obsession.'
Maybe something from Arthur's past life influenced it.
Krash knew little of Arthur's history.
He'd hung around the guy but never had a serious talk.
Just as Arthur saw Krash as a tool, Krash saw Arthur as a tool to avert ruin.
You don't share deep thoughts with tools.
In that sense, they might have treated each other the same.
Neither had ever tried to gauge the other's true feelings.
'And now, I'll never know yours.'
The Arthur in Krash's memories was gone from this world.
But an Arthur still existed here.
The fake Arthur entered Krash's view.
He had long golden hair like Arthur's, but a more feminine face.
The fake was following along at a leisurely pace, scenery-gazing like Haring.
He'd joined the Lion Unit at Krash's request, prompted by Charlotte.
Even before joining, he'd always seemed detached.
No one at Raheln Academy hung out with him.
Despite being in the special class, no less.
"Arthur Gramalte is quite the odd one, isn't he?"
Karandis noticed Krash's gaze and chimed in about the fake Arthur.
"He always shows exceptional skill but avoids people. Brushes everyone off who approaches."
"You know him well."
"Yeah, same special class. I tried talking to him a few times."
Like with Mary, Karandis quietly took good care of the special class.
She'd apparently tried befriending the fake Arthur too.
"He barely responded, so I gave up."
If even friendly Karandis quit, he must have stonewalled her.
'Enough with just playing the role. Is that it?'
Krash recalled his recent talk with the fake.
「Indeed, the power of World Erosion alone wasn't enough. For the you back then, or the you now.」
Profound words.
Krash had dismissed them as nonsense.
The Arthur who'd regressed in his regression cycle was gone.
So he'd figured it was a probe.
Yet the words lingered in his mind.
He'd only learned of the fake's existence in this cycle.
No such person in the previous one.
What had he been up to back then?
Perhaps sensing Krash's gaze, the fake turned his way.
Their eyes met briefly.
Then naturally drifted apart.
Nothing left to say after that conversation.
"We're here."
Delon announced their arrival.
Everyone looked up to see the mountain summit.
From the peak amid rocks and trees, the mountain's scenery unfolded below.
Yet the World Tree loomed so high they had to crane their necks.
Sunlight filtered warmly through its sky-filling leaves.
"Now that we're on our picnic, how about some training?"
As the summit breeze cooled the sweat from the climb,
Delon brought up training.
Picnic followed by training.
An odd combo, but everyone perked up.
Delon smirked amid the anticipation.
"Conveniently, our Lion Unit has both the first-year and second-year top students in the martial department."
Those two were none other than Charlotte and Krash.
As they exchanged glances, Delon adjusted his glasses.
"The two of you form one team, the rest of the Lion Unit the other. We'll hold a mock competition right now."
And the training Delon proposed was utterly unforeseen.
Delon, this guy.
I'd noticed it following Charlotte around, but he wasn't all there either.