Chapter 298
Chapter 298
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 298
Chapter Title: The Identity of the Fake Arthur
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After finishing up with Jeblam, it wasn't long before Krash opened his eyes.
This was thanks to his body's own recovery rate skyrocketing after transforming into a Dragon King clansman.
On top of that, Krash heard some unexpected words from the Saintess, Astria.
"What the hell happened to your body? I knew you were using some kind of cursed power before, but now... you've literally become that power itself."
It had nearly been untreatable.
Holy power was one of the forces that opposed World Erosion.
So if Astria had tried to heal him, it would've ended up harming Krash instead.
It was a side effect of becoming a Dragon King clansman.
But the situation resolved itself unexpectedly.
Thanks to Biolein's unique trait, the Mystic Gate.
A rare trait that harmonized even with World Erosion's power and aura.
Because of it, World Erosion's power accepted Astria's holy power without resistance.
'If I hadn't gotten Biolein, I might never have been able to receive Astria's treatments again.'
It was chilling to think about, all things considered.
Krash's reckless style had only been possible because of the safety net of Astria's healing.
Imagining a world without her treatments made Krash's head spin.
'Everything lined up perfectly.'
This was pure luck.
'I can't move forward without considering side effects anymore.'
At the very least, his body needed to be treatable.
Krash was thinking this as he opened the door to his hospital room.
"Oh, Krash!"
The person waiting just outside the door was someone unexpected.
Deep tanned skin, tattoos peeking out from under his clothes.
And a massive build that even Krash had to look up at.
Prea's son, Arshoulder Prea.
He was standing there.
Krash gave him a puzzled look.
The others might come visit upon hearing he'd been hospitalized again.
But he hadn't expected Arshoulder at all.
"Arshoulder, you got business with me?"
The moment Krash asked, Arshoulder grinned wide.
"Of course I do! Put me in the Lion Squad."
Krash's eyes filled with confusion at those words.
He knew exactly which student squad Arshoulder belonged to.
"What about your White Yang Squad?"
"Ah, White Yang Squad."
He shrugged like it was ridiculous even to mention.
"White Yang Squad's about to disband."
Those next words made Krash freeze.
"Disband? What do you mean?"
"Sigrin left the academy."
Another completely unforeseen bombshell.
Sigrin Epania had left Raheln Academy.
In other words...
"She dropped out?"
"Pretty much."
This was another variable he hadn't even dreamed of.
Sigrin dropping out.
'I knew things were falling apart for her.'
But he never imagined she'd go this far.
Raheln Academy was her connection to Arthur, after all.
This meant Sigrin had completely given up on Arthur.
'She finally broke.'
For Krash, it wasn't entirely bad news.
Sigrin breaking meant he could steal the Sword Emperor's secret techniques she held.
But separately, something still nagged at him.
"Do you know where Sigrin went after dropping out?"
"Heard she went to the Empire."
Krash's face darkened instantly.
In the end, the Empire was the only refuge she'd choose.
'What the hell is she planning in the Empire now?'
Sigrin wasn't in her right mind anymore.
She'd definitely gone there with some scheme in mind.
'The Emperor's illness is cured, and he's still alive, so she can't just run wild like before.'
Besides, the Empire wouldn't welcome a princess who dropped out without graduating.
This was basically Sigrin's unilateral decision.
'The problem is, Sigrin put Arthur on the throne, so she knows the Empire's inner workings deeply.'
Even Krash knew a few Empire secrets that could shake it if revealed.
Sigrin would know even more.
'Tch, and things are already getting busier.'
Abella was one thing, but Sigrin was causing trouble everywhere too.
"Thanks for the heads-up. For the Lion Squad thing, ask Charlotte-nee. She's the captain."
"Charlotte told me to get your permission first."
She'd already spoken to Charlotte, huh.
Knowing Charlotte's personality, she'd shoved it off because it was a hassle.
"And she said to drop by before you head out to see her."
Those words sent a chill down Krash's spine.
He'd grown this much, but Charlotte's words still weren't something to brush off lightly.
"Tell her it's approved."
"Awesome, thanks! Wanna spar since I'm here? It's been a while."
"Sorry, too busy right now. Next time."
He wanted to learn Heavenly Creation Martial God first if possible.
A lot had gone down while he was away from the academy.
'Sizzly should be in the Lion Squad room too.'
She'd have more info with her ears in the Empire.
With that thought, Krash headed straight for the Lion Squad classroom.
Maybe because he'd spent longer in Jeblam than expected.
As he walked the halls, various thoughts crossed his mind.
The memories that surfaced were from before his regression.
And most of them weren't pleasant.
At Raheln Academy, Krash had always been treated like a halfwit.
But now, everything was different.
No one at Raheln Academy could dismiss Krash as a halfwit anymore.
Walking these halls didn't feel as suffocating as before.
'A lot has changed.'
And because it had changed, he wanted to protect this place no matter what.
Krash opened the door to the Lion Squad room.
There sat an unexpected figure.
A man with long golden hair, giving off an oddly feminine vibe.
Arthur Gramalte.
The one Krash called the fake Arthur.
Sunlight streaming through the window lit up his golden hair.
The shadows on his face, half-hidden by his locks, gave him an eerie air.
He turned to Krash and spoke.
"You're here."
The Lion Squad room was quiet.
No other presences, so he was alone.
"Why are you here by yourself?"
When Krash asked, Arthur closed the book he'd been reading.
"Squad-wide training."
"You're part of the Lion Squad."
"I stepped out for a bit. Had some business off-campus."
Krash fell silent at Arthur's casual reply.
Then he walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat right in front of him.
Arthur just stared at him silently.
Even looking again, this Arthur was different from the one in his memories.
But if this was the real Arthur's true face, it stirred up all sorts of thoughts.
"Getting along well with Abella?"
So Krash decided to make the first move.
The moment he did, Arthur's eyes flickered briefly.
Krash noticed it was Arthur's habit when something went off-script.
"What are you talking about?"
"Cut the act. I heard everything from Mary."
"Mary..."
Arthur's gaze grew subtle.
Checking if Krash was telling the truth.
Krash had picked up on Abella's suspicions about his regression.
And Arthur, who'd been watching Raheln Academy closely, would be the same.
"Mary, Sigrin, Abella—they all regressed at the same time."
Krash said it casually, like it was just hearsay.
"And at the center of that regression."
Krash's finger pointed straight at Arthur.
"Was their lover, Arthur Gramalte—you."
The true regressor.
Arthur Gramalte.
Isn't that you? Krash asked.
Arthur stared at him in silence.
You could sense the gears turning in his head, debating how to respond.
But Krash had no intention of letting him think it over.
"Yet Mary called you a fake. And Sigrin showed no fondness for you at all."
The same went for Abella.
If she truly saw him as the real Arthur, she wouldn't have kept him at arm's length.
"What's your real goal here?"
Arthur gazed quietly at Krash.
Then he let out a hollow laugh.
Krash didn't yet know what that laugh meant.
But the words that followed made Krash stiffen instead.
"You're the one who stole my regression... and you're asking me that?"
Krash stared at Arthur in stunned silence.
Arthur wore an expression like he'd experienced it himself.
Maybe because summer hadn't arrived yet, a chill wind blew through the window.
It whipped the curtains wildly.
"What's wrong, Krash? Cat got your tongue when it hits too close to home?"
Krash's face slowly began to change.
'The Arthur from back then doesn't exist anymore.'
The Arthur whose regression was stolen never returned.
Which meant these words were deductions from this Arthur's own experiences.
'The question is, how did he make that deduction?'
Terracius had said traces of time magic were found on Arthur.
Krash was certain only one person could wield time magic sophisticated enough not to leave obvious traces: the Red Witch, Abella.
The last surviving mage in the world, with the broadest knowledge Krash knew of.
She'd shown interest in time magic and even researched it.
Though he'd heard it ended in failure.
Her research had yielded this on time magic:
So what time magic had Abella used on Arthur?
He'd heard time magic had two directions.
One: sending the present self to the future.
The other: linking one timeline from countless others to the present.
In short, time magic could only go to the future.
Or pull inscribed past memories into the present.
Regression shattered that concept.
It was the idea of returning to a remembered timeline and starting over.
Completely different from Abella's time magic framework.
'So what time magic did Abella use on the current Arthur?'
As stated, regression was impossible.
That left two options.
Sending Arthur to the future held no value for Abella.
'Meaning the time magic on the current Arthur traces and attaches a past timeline.'
But here, Krash hit another snag.
No matter how many past timelines you attach to Arthur.
His memories could only go back 17 years at most.
Obviously, 17 years wasn't enough to recreate the Arthur Abella remembered, no matter how many timelines.
Abella wouldn't have overlooked that.
So why use time magic on him?
Then a flash of insight struck Krash.
'...The timeline Abella is living in right now isn't the present.'
Abella called her time magic a failure because it activated based on the caster's own timeline.
That way, you could only access present and past.
No matter how you jumped between present and past timelines, the limits were clear.
But Abella's timeline wasn't stuck in the now.
'She regressed from the future to the past.'
She already knew broader future timelines.
So her time magic, based on her perspective, could grant the current Arthur a timeline that was future for him.
Krash, who hadn't anticipated this, stared at Arthur with a hardened expression.
How far did this Arthur in front of him remember?
Arthur's golden eyes quietly flickered in the room's light.
Perhaps the emotion in those eyes was hatred.