Chapter: 238
#### Rahern Academy’s Student Tournament: Round 1
The Rahern Academy’s student tournament was pure chaos.
Since it was the first tournament, the teams fought tooth and nail to secure victory.
Thus, they battled fiercely until the veryst rays of sunlight disappeared.
And the most prominent figures to emerge from all this madness were three individuals.
First up was the Sword King,<em>Charlotte Balheim</em>.
She hade alone to confront the<strong>White Ghosts</strong>, obliterating their key personnel.
Reappearing after her battle with<em>Sigrid</em>, she rampaged through all the teams.
The sight alone was enough to instill fresh terror towards Charlotte.
Next was the Imperial Third Princess,<em>Sigrid Ephania</em>.
Leading the attacked<strong>White Ghosts</strong>, she battled her way through.
Showing what it truly meant to be of the bloodline of the White Dragon, she disyed overwhelming power.
With one swing of her sword, chills and freezing air roared forth, leaving students utterly helpless before her.
Those who had begun to doubt<em>Sigrid’s</em>abilities were convinced that day.
She was indeed a powerhouse capable of standing toe-to-toe with<em>Charlotte</em>at Rahern Academy.
While the<strong>Lion’s Order</strong>and<strong>White Ghosts</strong>raised their standings in this tournament, there was someone who gained notoriety in a different way.
None other than the one who stole the most bracelets throughout the tournament.N?v(el)B\\jnn
<em>Second-Year</em>top student.
<em>Kraush Balheim</em>.
While the first-years disyed their strength throughout the tournament, there was no one who outperformed Kraush.
Even the well-known team leaders felt powerless before him.
Every time he showed up, students flew, and ck mes surged.
Those who had an inkling of Kraush’s strength finally realized through this tournament.
<em>Kraush Balheim</em>was a force that no second-year or even first-year could reckon with.
As the three stars of the tournament were noted, the results were announced.
Given the chaotic nature of the battle, students couldn’t quite grasp the oues.
So, amidst their expectations,<em>Durandal</em>took to the stage.
He looked out at the disaster that was Rahern Academy and grinned.
“Ha ha, you all really went all out.”
Rapid repairs were already underway by the professors and assistant professors of the Magic Department.
Given how wild the students had gone, the faces of the assistant professors were dark.
It was only natural they had to work all night to fix the mess.
Meanwhile, Durandal chuckled heartily.
He was just d the students fought valiantly.
“Now, I will announce the results.”
And soon, he unveiled the oue of the tournament.
“5th ce goes to the<strong>Scales and Maidens Union</strong>.”
Led by the youngest cardinal,<em>Meiri Beakis</em>, and the nuns, their mention brought nods of recognition from all.
The coboration of the holy knight squad under the theology department with the nuns was indeed noteworthy.
“4th ce is the<strong>Skycalf and Twinw Union</strong>.”
Next came the mention of<em>Taria Valles</em>, the top student from the first-year Magic Department, leading the<strong>Skycalf</strong>, and<em>Aniks Graiza</em>leading the<strong>Twinw</strong>.
Both teams had performed eptably amidst the chaos but made crucial mistakes when it came to protecting their bracelets.
“Got us there,” Taria scratched her cheek in disappointment.
Beside her, Aniks chuckled.
The one who’d snagged their bracelets was none other than<em>Haring</em>.
Using his invisibility to sneak in, he had conned them out of their trophies.
“Who does he take after? Really slick at stealing,” Taria quipped, ncing toward Haring and Kraush.
Haring was getting praised by Kraush for his efforts, looking rather proud of himself.
Seeing that smug grin of Haring, Taria felt a bit deted.
She hadn’t really cared about their team’s victory after all.
Finding humor in it helped her brush it off.
“3rd ce goes to the<strong>Gold Owl Brigade</strong>.”
When the 3rd ce was announced, students buzzed with chatter.
The<strong>Gold Owl Brigade</strong>was primarilyposed of students from the Literature Department.
It was a fact that they were naturallygging inbat prowesspared to other teams.
Students directed their gazes toward<em>Persona Madin</em>, the leader of the<strong>Gold Owl Brigade</strong>.
He was the top first-year from the Literature Department and had remarkable instincts.
He had leveraged those instincts to navigate the fray.
Noting the gathered nces, he merely shrugged nonchntly.
As expected, a middle-of-the-road result.
Considering that<em>Airing</em>, the runner-up of the Literature Department, had lost all her bracelets, it really showcased how daunting it was to im the top spot.
“And now, for 2nd ce.”
When 2nd ce was about to be announced, the air grew tense.
Once the second ce was announced, the first ce would be solidified.
It was a reasonable assumption.
The top contenders were certainly the<strong>Lion’s Order</strong>or the<strong>White Ghosts Union</strong>.
The<strong>White Ghosts</strong>, though hit hard, had managed to recover and re-entered the fray.
They had snatched a good number of bracelets just as effectively as the<strong>Lion’s Order</strong>.
As everyone held their breath, all gazes zeroed in on<em>Durandal</em>, who was well aware of their stares.
That charged moment passed, and finally, Durandal opened his mouth.
“2nd ce goes to the<strong>White Ghosts, Sea Moth, and Demon</strong>Union.”
At that announcement,<em>Sigrid’s</em>eyes slowly widened.
The<strong>White Ghosts</strong>had secured enough bracelets in the back, thinking they had a solid shot at victory.
Yet, they lost.
<em>Sigrid</em>wore a lost expression as her alliance’s faces hardened with shock.
Among them, only<em>Meiri</em>stood tall.
She had managed to keep her bracelet safe despite the chaos, aided by the likes of Kraush.
Of course, the truth was that their sess was thanks to Kraush returning her bracelet—
But she stood proudly, concealing that fact.
“And 1st ce goes to the<strong>Lion’s Order</strong>.”
The moment Durandal confirmed the first ce, cheers erupted from the<strong>Lion’s Order</strong>side.
“We won! We’ve done it!”
“It’s a victory for the<strong>Lion’s Order</strong>!”
The first-year students were especially ecstatic.
They had struggled against the<strong>White Ghosts Union</strong>and faced significant pressure.
Unlike second-year students.
The first-year students had spent a year at Rahern Academy, intimately aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
That might exin why the battle was a delightful mess.
“<em>Charlotte Balheim</em>, captain of the<strong>Lion’s Order</strong>, please step up to the podium.”
Soon after being called by Durandal, Charlotte strode forward.
As she approached the stage, all eyes were glued to her.
Her flowing indigo hair danced with her every step, confident as ever.
Durandal handed her a certificate along with a medal.
“This is the prize for the 1st ce of this student tournament.”
The gold medal bore the symbol of the<strong>Lion’s Order</strong>with the number one engraved upon it.
“Thank you,” Charlotte epted, then turned and casually hung the medal around Kraush’s neck.
“Since my little brother gathered the most bracelets, this is yours.”
It was a bit much to bestow such an award on him when it pertained to the entire team.
But given Charlotte’s straightforward nature, Kraush epted it without question.
“Well done, everyone. We’ll grant benefits at the academy ording to the rankings, so each leader will be notifiedter.”
Thus, the 1st Student Tournament of Rahern Academy came to a close.
—
As the excitement of the tournament began to fade, winter gradually set in.
The cold wind blew fiercely, stripping the World Tree of all its leaves, leaving it bare.
With winter’s chill biting, the frequency of student training dropped considerably.
Most people took a breather in this season.
However, one person intensified his training.
That was, of course,<em>Kraush</em>.
In the midst of that intense cold, he stood firm with his eyes shut.
Heat radiated from him, feeling almost like it was sweltering, instead of freezing.
The source of that heat was none other than<em>Annihtion Erosion</em>.
Using the advantage of winter,<em>Kraush</em>was pushing the limits of his<em>Annihtion Erosion</em>.
[ I can’t keep relying on the<strong>Lunar Body</strong>and the<strong>Snow Woman</strong>forever. ]
Hearing the words from<em>Crimson Garden</em>,<em>Kraush</em>nodded in agreement.
As she had stated,<em>Kraush’s</em><em>Annihtion Erosion</em>was outputting more power than before, needing more than the<strong>Lunar Body</strong>and<strong>Snow Woman</strong>to keep it in check.
‘To increase the output of<em>Annihtion Erosion</em>, I need another trick.’
To boost its power further, he needed to alleviate some physical strain.
Thus, he needed another means to alleviate that overload.
<em>Kraush</em>had something in mind.
“It feels like it’s about time.”
As he reduced the heat radiating from his body,<em>Kraush</em>casually loosened his arms.
With the focus on<em>Annihtion Erosion</em>training post-tournament, he felt a bit stiff.
‘Maybe I should have a light spar.’
Just as<em>Kraush</em>thought this, he sensed an approaching presence and looked up.
What he saw was recognizable long ck hair.
Beneath the long hair, the woman tried to hide her face, yet her curvy figure peeked through her winter clothes.
However, despite her figure, she still seemed to be shying away.
“<em>K-Kraush-nim</em>.”
The hesitant voice fluttered towards him; it was<em>Mary Diana</em>.
Formerly known as the<strong>Divine Prodigy</strong>, she had be fully timid since those days.
When her eyes met his, she beamed brightly.
“<em>Mary</em>, it’s been a while.”
“Y-yes, it’s been a while for me too!”
Having been spending more time training alely,<em>Mary</em>found it hard to show up.
She was focused on reiming her past self.
In the earlier days, that wouldn’t have thrilled him as much.
But now, since she wielded her spear solely for<em>Kraush</em>’s sake, it didn’t feel like a bad thing at all.
Regardless of her character, herbat abilities were undeniable.
‘She’s gotten stronger.’
Indeed,<em>Kraush</em>could feel that her aura was markedly different fromst time.
As expected of the legendary prodigy.
Her natural talent and growth from experiences had been astonishing.
‘At this rate, she might return to her former self within five years.’
With that thought,<em>Kraush</em>walked closer to her.
“Do you need something?”
It was odd for someone who rarely showed her face toe all the way to this training ground.
So when<em>Kraush</em>expressed his curiosity, she looked around nervously before whispering to him.
“W-well,<em>Sigrid Ephania</em>has been acting suspiciouslytely.”
“Sigrid?”
It seemed she had been keeping her ear to the ground on that front.
Kraush looked at<em>Mary</em>with an eyebrow raised. She awkwardly fidgeted, seemingly anxious.
“I thought you and Sigrid didn’t get along. Hehe.”
It was her way of wanting to be of help.
“I see. So what’s this suspicious behavior about?”
When<em>Kraush</em>asked straight up,<em>Mary</em>cleared her throat and lowered her posture more.
“<em>Kraush-nim</em>has been investigated thoroughly. She always intended to target you, but it seems to have intensified since the tournament.”
“Hmm.”
So she figured something out after sensing the tournament vibe.
Kraush recalled the look in<em>Sigrid’s</em>eyes when she had watched him.
Suspicion and vignce.
And that underlying severe anxiety gushing forth.
‘Looks like she’s trying hard to quell her worries.’
Her expression was tangled with several conflicting emotions.
‘If she discovers the truth about my reincarnation, she might just fall apart.’
Once she realizes that Arthur heeded the call and never returned…
<em>Sigrid</em>would eventually shatter irreparably.
In that sense, the things she was doing now were akin to strangling herself.
‘She learned the<em>Sword King’s Sword Light</em>.’
<em>Shecked skills.</em>
And that was due to the royal family’s secrets.
However, she’d learned the<em>Sword Light</em>, an ability normally exclusive to the royalty.
Surprisingly, even<em>Daliya</em>, the heir to the Sword King, had never been permitted to learn it.
It must’ve been something she grasped through knowledge of reincarnation.
‘<em>Sword Light</em>is quite useful.’
A subtle smirk crept up<em>Kraush’s</em>face.
Her bringing along something worthy of being stolen?
There was no reason not to snag it, especially now.
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t think you need to stress over that.”
In fact, if given the chance, it was time to show her that I’d reincarnated.
<em>Sigrid</em>had moved to a point where she was no longer a threat to<em>Kraush</em>.
Now it was time to stamp out thest vestiges of that danger.
“R-right.”
“Still, I appreciate youing to tell me. It was helpful.”
“Of course, I ought to.”
With<em>Kraush’s</em>gratitude,<em>Mary’s</em>face lit up.
Her blush meant she looked just like a devoted dog to its owner.
“<em>Kraush</em>.”
In that moment, a familiar voice rang in his ears.
Looking up, he spotted flowing ocean-blue hair.
The girl with donut-shaped braids was about to turn sixteen but still had a petite frame approaching him.
As if someone had conjured her just by mentioning her, it was<em>Sigrid Ephania</em>.
“I’m ready.”
The setting was prepared for a meeting with the<strong>Sword King</strong>,<em>Daliya</em>.