SWNOVELXO Chapter 149: When debt is comfortable
Chapter 149: When debt is comfortable
Kraush hurriedly exited with Number 8 and looked at the sky turning yellow.
As soon as he saw that sky, Kraush bit his lip.
[ So, he finally made his move. ]
A displeased voice from Crimson Garden echoed.
As she said, this was none other than the work of the Mad Sword Emperor, who had initiated a world erosion.
The sky from the world erosion caused by him always had a yellow hue.
“Ah?!”
At that moment, a scream-like voice came from behind.
When Kraush turned around at the sound, he saw Haring, who had followed them out, staring blankly at the yellow sky.
At the same time, her lips quivered, and her face began to turn pale.Haring’s breathing grew increasingly rapid.
Noticing her obvious symptoms of distress, Kraush’s expression turned puzzled.
Soon, Kraush recalled the fact that her brother had died because of a world erosion caused by a world eroder.
“Haring, could it be…”
“…This sky.”
The yellow sky.
The image of the red-haired man sitting on the roof and laughing that day.
That scene was still vivid in her mind, as if it had happened yesterday.
She saw her brother’s back as he held her hand and led her.
At the same time, she also recalled the last smile he gave her as he shoved her into a solitary room.
“This sky, this is it. The sky created by the world eroder who killed my brother.”
From Haring’s eyes, an unparalleled resentment began to pour out.
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Haring started hyperventilating, as though she was about to lose her sanity at any moment.
In that instant, a murderous aura surged up, and venomous energy erupted uncontrollably from her entire body.
It was the result of her aura going berserk.
“Sir Kraush!”
Number 8 shouted urgently, warning Kraush to get out of the way.
Haring’s venomous energy had grown so intense that it warranted such a warning.
Sizzle Crack—
The snow on the ground and the silent grass nearby began to melt from the venom.
In that brief moment, Haring’s mind was dragged back to that time, and she began losing control over her body.
Haring had not yet reached the level of a master.
To be precise, she was on the verge of crossing that threshold.
Perhaps because of this, her mental state was reflected in her aura, causing her outburst to grow even more intense.
Ironically, in this moment, she was on the verge of stepping into the Master level.
However, doing so could put Haring in even greater danger.
Even if her mind reached the Master level, her body would not be able to withstand it.
Kraush had witnessed countless people like her before.
Among them, there were some who lost control in this way, unable to endure their trauma.
He had to stop her.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Kraush’s hand extended without hesitation.
Kraush grabbed Haring’s arms firmly with his hands.
At the same time, his expression hardened slightly.
A sharp pain struck him, and it felt as though his skin was peeling away.
Even though Kraush had enveloped himself in aura, Haring’s venom was still seeping through.
That was how far gone she was in her berserk state.
“…Haring, get a hold of yourself.”
But Kraush tightened his grip on her arms even more to snap her out of it.
He could not let Haring lose control here.
Given the current situation, her Invisible was absolutely essential.
“Listen carefully. The one who caused this sky is targeting Hardenhartz. I’m going to stop him.”
Haring’s gaze followed Kraush’s powerful voice upward.
When her eyes met his blue ones, her ragged breathing slowly began to steady.
His gaze reminded her of her late brother.
Amid her disoriented thoughts, she listened intently to Kraush’s words.
“What about you? What are you going to do?”
For Haring, standing still was the most unbearable thing.
Kraush, knowing this, deliberately gave her a purpose to act.
As the past momentarily overlapped in her mind, filling her thoughts, Haring realized Kraush’s intention when she met his eyes.
Haring, her faintly open eyes, gazed up at Kraush.
Here was someone who supported her so unwaveringly.
It was Kraush she had vowed to repay.
The tears welling up in her eyes carried a deep resolve.
“…I’ll go. I’ll do it.”
Haring’s reason gradually returned to her eyes.
Simultaneously, the venomous energy emanating from her body began to subside bit by bit.
In its place, the presence of Kraush filled her entirely.
“Even after seeing a world eroder, can you stand by without charging in?”
The Mad Sword Emperor was a dangerous foe.
Even Kraush, without preparation, would have no chance against such a monster.
If Haring lost her mind and charged recklessly at such an opponent, it would be the end.
When Kraush reminded her of that fact, she clenched her poison pouch tightly.
“This is the grudge I’ve endured and suppressed up until today.”
Her eyes glimmered with determination.
“I would never do something so foolish.”
That was enough for Kraush.
He let go of her arms, and only then did Haring’s gaze fall upon his body.
His skin was completely peeled away, exposing raw, crimson muscle underneath.
The reason he hadn’t used Annihilation Erosion was that the intense heat would have harmed Haring further. Instead, he had only protected himself with aura, which led to his current condition.
“Kraush…!”
Haring’s expression was filled with shock. Her face turned stark white.
But Kraush, as if it were nothing to worry about, pulled out a vial of medicine and poured it over his wounds.
With a hissing sound, his skin began to heal rapidly.
It was a medicinal concoction he had received from Darlin. Such injuries could be easily treated with it.
“You’re in no position to be scolding me.”
At his words, Haring looked at herself.
The uniform of Rahern Academy, with its self-repairing and cleaning functions, was made of highly durable material.
However, due to the overwhelming strength of her poison aura, the self-repairing function wasn’t working properly, leaving parts of her skin exposed here and there.
Haring’s face belatedly flushed a deep red.
She hurriedly tried to cover herself, and Kraush casually tossed her a vial of the same medicine.
After all, she was not entirely unaffected by the aftereffects of her poison either.
“Sorry for showing you such an unsightly state.”
To Haring, it was more embarrassing to have exposed her disheveled appearance than her body to Kraush.
‘…Once again, thanks to Kraush.’
She realized she owed him yet another debt.
But why?
The more indebted she became to him, the more at ease she felt for some reason.
Something unknown filled her heart.
It was as if, for someone who had always stood alone, a bond called “debt” had become a source of reliance.
Within Haring’s heart, Kraush’s presence continued to grow larger.
When she raised her head, she saw Kraush adjusting his collar.
His back, from her perspective, appeared to be the most reliable place she could lean on.
As long as Kraush was there, she felt as if she would never falter.
Thump—
She felt the faint sensation of an unknown heartbeat echoing from somewhere.
And following that sound, she felt as though the ever-present weight of her brother in her heart had lightened slightly today.
The place of the brother she had revered so deeply was slowly being overlaid by Kraush.
At this moment, Haring was still unaware of it.
Kraush glanced in her direction.
When their eyes met, for some reason, Haring instinctively lowered her gaze.
Her face felt hot.
Was it because she had shown such a disheveled state?
Or was it because she owed him too much?
She wasn’t sure, but looking directly at Kraush felt difficult.
Under the yellow sky filled with swirling snow, Haring found herself entangled in emotions she couldn’t understand—emotions that surpassed fear and resentment.
＊ ＊ ＊
Afterward, Kraush waited briefly while she healed her wounds and restored her clothing.
In the meantime, he gazed at the yellow sky absentmindedly.
‘The Mad Sword Emperor will undoubtedly target Brother Rai.’
The World Erosion of the Mad Sword Emperor is exceptionally unique.
This is because the more the Mad Sword Emperor fights someone he designates as a target, the more that power reflects in his World Erosion.
Thus, defeating the Mad Sword Emperor becomes even more difficult.
Unless there’s an overwhelming difference in power, the World Erosion will grow stronger, leaving the surroundings in utter ruin.
Unless the World Erosion is dealt with first, the Mad Sword Emperor cannot be defeated.
Currently, the strongest individual in Hadenhartz is none other than the Sword King, Rai Valheim.
‘I mustn’t let the Mad Sword Emperor and Brother Rai fight.’
If left unchecked, Hadenhartz will inevitably be devastated by the World Erosion.
At the same time, Kraush realized why the Poison King had suffered severe injuries at the hands of the Mad Sword Emperor.
The Mad Sword Emperor is undoubtedly strong.
However, he isn’t powerful enough to one-sidedly crush someone of the caliber of the Ten Greatest Under the Sky.
‘He provoked him.’
According to Haring, it was definitely the Mad Sword Emperor who had brought Lagrin to that state.
For the Poison King, it was an event where he lost his own child—a wound that could never heal.
The Mad Sword Emperor had clearly struck at that very wound.
‘A fight between strong individuals can end with just the slightest opening.’
The Mad Sword Emperor possessed a natural talent in such areas.
From the beginning, his World Erosion was optimized to toy with others.
Kraush clenched his teeth at this thought.
It was because he found the Mad Sword Emperor to be utterly detestable.
To be precise, every single one of those Ixion scum was infuriating beyond measure.
“Kraush.”
At that moment, a slightly timid voice called out.
When Kraush turned his head, there stood Haring, now fully clothed, fidgeting as she hugged her arms.
It seemed she was feeling guilty for her reckless rampage, which had injured Kraush.
Kraush walked over and gave her shoulder a light pat before looking back at Number 8, who had been waiting.
“Number 8, guide us immediately.”
“Yes.”
Number 8 promptly responded.
As Kraush and Haring were about to move together, something caught Kraush’s sharpened sixth sense.
When Kraush turned in that direction, he saw someone slowly walking toward him, having removed the gloves from their hands.
Kraush froze momentarily.
Of all times, to show up now—his luck was truly abysmal.
‘As expected, she followed me.’
Blonde hair, red eyes.
And fangs that stood out prominently—Kraush bit his lip, recognizing her identity.
‘I anticipated running into World Eroders, so I purposely let her follow me as a precautionary measure, but still…’
The Ghost Lord, Sena Meyer.
She was none other than a professor from Rahern Academy who had accompanied them on this mission.
“Kraush, boy, I believe I told you to refrain from acting independently.”
Her gaze was cold and unyielding.
At the same time, her eyes turned toward Number 8.
Number 8 was a corpse.
Using her peculiar sense of Ghostly Insight, she likely discerned immediately that Number 8 was a corpse.
It was already public knowledge within the Empire that the Night Raven was composed entirely of corpses.
The moment she saw Number 8, she must have realized the connection to Ebelasque.
Time was critical, and Kraush had no opportunity to explain.
‘It’s problematic for her to show up at this moment.’
From the professor’s standpoint, she would undoubtedly try to prevent any approach toward the World Eroders.
As Kraush was about to open his mouth, she sighed first.
“Hah, explanations can wait. Let’s move for now.”
Kraush turned to her, his expression one of surprise.
She swept a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Lead the way.”
Her words were unexpected.
Sena, noticing Kraush’s gaze, walked up to stand beside him.
“When I was about to move, Sizzli stopped me.”
It was the work of the mischievous genius girl.
Sena cast a brief glance at Number 8 behind Kraush.
In her eyes, Number 8 clearly carried traces of the power of a World Eroder.
However, Sena didn’t display any hostility toward Number 8 at the moment.
The reason was that, just as she had begun to pursue Kraush, Sizerly had appeared.
「Professor Sena Meyer, wouldn’t it be troublesome to act without understanding the situation first?」
It was unclear how much Sizerly had discerned in that brief moment, but she had given Sena hints about why Kraush had acted independently.
The leader of the Night Raven was not the true culprit behind the attack on the Poison King; there was another force working in the shadows.
Kraush explained that he had approached the leader of the Night Raven to secure their cooperation.
「I swear upon the name of the Ephania Empire’s princess: the leader of the Night Raven will not become our enemy. Ah, to be precise, Kraush won’t allow that to happen.」
Hearing this, Sena felt a wave of disbelief.
However, some of the questions that had lingered since the start of the mission seemed to fit together slightly.
It was clear there was something between the 4th Princess, Sizerly, and Kraush.
「Don’t worry. I have no intention of restraining Kraush.」
「That’s a relief, then.」
After hearing Sizerly’s account, Sena immediately pursued Kraush.
While she was tracking him, the sky unexpectedly turned yellow, and World Erosion erupted.
She couldn’t simply leave Kraush and Haring alone, so she hurried to appear before Kraush.
Judging by the state of Kraush and Haring, it was evident that they were about to cause some sort of trouble.
A sigh escaped her lips, but as a professor at Rahern Academy, it wasn’t her position to suppress students.
Her role was to support them so they could grow into greater heroes.
Even if the students of Rahern Academy were young in age, they were still comrades fighting alongside her against the World Erosion.
“I may have underestimated you, Professor.”
“Oh, if not for Sizerly’s intervention, that evaluation might have been correct.”
She replied with a short laugh, turning her body slightly.
“If you’re going to do something dangerous, the professor’s role is to make it less dangerous.”
Hearing this, Kraush finally felt a sense of relief.
He made a mental note to thank Sizerly later. Thanks to her, they had gained a valuable ally in the Blood Witch.
“Understood. I’ll explain more while we’re on the move.”
They needed to find Ebelasque and the Mad Sword Emperor.
Translators note:
Back with a new series!
30 chapters incoming!