noveldrama
Chapter 161: Father
Chapter 161: Father
Chapter 161: Father
A few days later, the Lion Order returned to Rahern Academy.
The situation in Hadenhartz had been settled, and they couldn’t stay there forever.
Upon their return, Rahern Academy was in an uproar.
After all, the mission related to a world eroder had been successfully completed by none other than Charlotte’s Lion Order and Felray’s Great Sword Order.
Naturally, the reputations of both orders soared to incredible heights.
So much so that most of the second-generation noble students applied to the Lion Order as their first choice, while the commoners overwhelmingly chose the Great Sword Order.
However, Kraush’s name wasn’t mentioned as often.
Although Sena and Haring knew of Kraush’s contributions, there weren’t many who had directly witnessed his actions.
And Kraush had no intention of making this incident bigger than it already was.
‘It’s still too early.’This mission had involved far too many groups.
From the empire and Starlon to the world eroders of Ixion.
Moreover, a significant number of individuals connected to Kraush were also involved.
So Kraush subtly hinted to those around him to keep quiet about his involvement.
Thankfully, none of them were the type to spread rumors.
With that, the Hadenhartz incident was wrapped up for the time being.
But Kraush was now facing yet another significant problem.
“How did things end up like this?”
“I-I’m sorry. I ended up reporting it…”
Kraush was sitting in the guest waiting room of Rahern Academy with Haring.
The reason was simple: none other than the Poison King, who had been gravely injured by the Mad Sword Emperor, was coming to meet Kraush in person.
This was a visit from one of the Ten Greatest Under the Sky.
Given the name and stature of the visitor, it wasn’t possible for the Poison King to come secretly.
Instead, he announced his visit to Rahern Academy under the name of the Lagrin family.
This, of course, caused quite a commotion at Rahern Academy.
As the person at the center of it all, Kraush looked understandably fatigued.
It seemed like the troubles just wouldn’t stop.
‘It’s only been a month since I enrolled.’
How many incidents had already occurred in that short time?
Originally, Kraush had planned to spend some time preparing for the midterm evaluations while waiting for Ebelasque to finish turning the Mad Sword Emperor into a corpse.
In the meantime, he intended to devise a way to block the Black Witch’s advances and focus on training.
But now, suddenly, the Poison King was visiting.
With one thing after another piling up, it felt like he was about to die from exhaustion.
[ Isn’t this all the consequence of your actions? ]
“Squeak, squeak.”
Both Crimson Garden and Ebelasque’s corpse rat nodded in agreement.
Now there was one more voice to add to the criticism.
“…It’s only natural that you’d report it. Don’t worry about it; it doesn’t matter.”
Kraush offered those words to the downcast Haring.
The Mad Sword Emperor, who had been the sworn enemy of the Lagrin family, was defeated.
For her father, the Poison King, it was likely a deeply rooted grudge as well.
It was only natural that Haring wanted to inform him.
‘But still, why is he coming to see me?’
To be honest, it wasn’t Kraush who defeated the Mad Sword Emperor—it was Rai.
Kraush alone was still not strong enough to handle a world eroder.
In fact, even after using Annihilation Moonfire, the Mad Sword Emperor had still been able to move, showing Kraush the limits of his power.
It made him realize just how far he still had to go.
Ultimately, the one who contributed the most to defeating the Mad Sword Emperor was none other than the Sword King, Rai Valheim.
‘It would make sense if he came to thank my brother, but…’
Why was he coming to see Kraush?
Kraush couldn’t shake the question.
‘I hardly know anything about the Poison King.’
In the era when Kraush had been active, the Poison King had already been killed by the White Ghost Bianca.
Perhaps that’s why he felt more tense than usual.
He had a strong sense that what happened here would undoubtedly change the future.
As he waited with a slightly tense expression, the door to the guest reception room creaked open.
Both Kraush and Haring’s gazes turned toward the door.
What entered was a middle-aged man of moderate build.
He had black hair tinged with a violet hue, just like Haring.
His cold eyes mirrored hers perfectly.
Additionally, the subtle scent wafting from his body was a mix of various poisons.
The Poison King.
Hauran Lagrin.
One of the Ten Greatest Under the Sky, had arrived.
Hauran’s gaze, framed by thick eyebrows, slowly extended across the room.
The first person his eyes settled on was Haring.
Soon, his steps carried him forward, stopping directly in front of her.
Every time, even though the intense presence wasn’t directed at him, Kraush could feel its overwhelming weight.
“Haring.”
The moment Hauran’s cold gaze fell on her, Haring flinched.
It was because she feared what might come next.
Hauran’s eyebrows furrowed deeply, anger visibly rising.
“I distinctly told you to stay put at the family estate and behave yourself.”
His ominous voice filled the room, suffocating both Haring and Kraush.
It felt as if their breath had been caught in their throats.
As expected of one of the Ten Greatest Under the Sky, the sheer aura radiating from him was on an entirely different level.
Under the pressure, Haring lowered her head.
Hauran, watching her quietly, let out a deep, profound sigh.
“You made your father worry, thinking something terrible had happened to you.”
At those words, Kraush blinked in surprise.
It was because, with those words, the oppressive pressure emanating from Hauran disappeared all at once.
The face that had been so cold moments ago now looked remarkably gentle.
He hadn’t intended to scold Haring harshly, he was simply upset that his daughter had ventured into a dangerous place.
“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“As long as you’re not hurt, it’s fine.”
Before anyone noticed, Hauran had approached Haring and was patting her on the head.
Haring seemed quite accustomed to the gesture, as if it were something she’d experienced many times before.
‘So this is what the Poison King is like?’
Kraush, who didn’t know much about Haring’s family history, found this unexpected.
And for some reason, he began to understand why Haring had risked her life to seek vengeance against Bianca, the White Ghost.
‘Their family bond was strong from the start.’
To Kraush, who grew up in a family where members constantly clashed and tore each other down, the concept of such a harmonious family was unimaginable.
Finally, Hauran’s gaze turned to Kraush.
“And you must be…”
“Ah, Kraush Valheim.”
Kraush hurriedly introduced himself.
In that instant.
Zap!
Kraush’s sixth sense flared, sending an unmistakable signal: Run. Now.
Before he could even process the warning, Kraush felt the chilling touch of death creeping toward his neck.
Whoosh!
In an automatic reflex, the energy of Annihilation Erosion surged from Kraush’s body.
In an instant, Kraush’s body, heated with tension, reflexively reached for Thunderstorm, only to freeze mid-motion.
‘I’ve been played.’
That thought crossed his mind just as Hauran’s half-closed eyes glinted.
“As I’ve heard, you’re not just some ordinary rising star.”
What had just happened was Hauran deliberately releasing killing intent to test him.
Perhaps it was because Kraush had spent so much time honed by the battlefield that he had reacted too easily to the threat.
Yet, Hauran didn’t retract his killing intent.
Instead, he brazenly continued to direct it toward Kraush.
Cold sweat trickled down Kraush’s back as he tried to make sense of the situation.
‘Wasn’t this supposed to be a test?’
He had assumed that Hauran’s killing intent earlier was to gauge his reaction.
But for some reason, Hauran hadn’t withdrawn it yet.
What’s he thinking?
Just as Kraush was grappling with these questions, Haring finally realized what was happening.
“Father, what are you doing to Kraush?”
Haring’s sharp gaze cut through the room.
Hauran flinched at her tone, then finally retracted his killing intent.
“Ah, ahem, it’s nothing.”
As Hauran feigned ignorance, Haring gave him a suspicious look.
Then, subtly, she shifted her seat to place herself protectively in front of Kraush.
She had picked up on the fact that her father wasn’t entirely pleased with Kraush.
But Hauran’s eyes only sharpened further in response.
Kraush, for a fleeting moment, wondered if he might end up poisoned before the day was out.
“Father?”
When Haring called out to him again, Hauran forced himself to adjust his expression.
Seeing this, Kraush came to a realization about Hauran’s personality.
‘This man…’
He was a doting parent.
To an extreme degree.
“…The reason I’m here today is to discuss the aftermath of the recent incident.”
Clearing his throat, Hauran began with the main point.
“The Lagrin family will take responsibility for this matter and step back from the central noble faction for the time being.”
“What?”
Haring’s eyes widened in shock.
The words coming out of Hauran’s mouth were completely unexpected.
“That’s ridiculous! We handled this incident well!”
Haring exclaimed, her voice full of defiance.
But Hauran’s expression had returned to the face he wore when handling official matters.
It was the face of a family head.
“I sustained serious injuries while pursuing the Night Raven’s leader and ultimately failed to capture them. In essence, I failed my mission.”
Haring bit her lip, unable to accept the logic behind the empire’s actions.
The Lagrin family had always been loyal to the empire, and they had one of the Ten Greatest Under the Sky, the Poison King, in their ranks.
How could the empire oust such a family from the central noble faction?
It was inconceivable.
However, Kraush immediately understood the real reason.
“…So this is the price of acting independently?”
That was merely the surface reason.
The true motive behind the empire’s decision to push out the Lagrin family lay elsewhere.
When Kraush posed the question, Hauran remained silent.
Only Haring looked back and forth between the two with a confused expression.
A clicking sound came from Kraush’s tongue.
“Typical empire.”
There were two individuals who had acted on their own initiative during this incident.
One was Sizerly Ephania.
The other was Haring Lagrin.
The empire had intended to use this incident to capture Ebelasque.
After losing the Night Raven’s leader, a loyal operative they had used for years, securing Ebelasque had become their top priority.
However, the involvement of Sizerly and Haring had cost the empire their justification for interfering in Hadenhartz.
As a result, while they managed to capture the Mad Sword Emperor, Ebelasque eluded their grasp.
Of course, the empire could try to justify their interference again.
But with the Lagrin incident and the Mad Sword Emperor tangled up in this, Haring’s name had gained significant prominence.
The world was now abuzz with tales of Haring avenging her family and the Sword King, Rai, defeating the world eroder who gravely injured the Poison King.
As a result, the Night Raven’s leader’s story had been completely buried.
It had been revealed that the person who injured the Poison King wasn’t the Night Raven’s leader, but the Mad Sword Emperor.
Thus, the empire lost their justification for publicly conducting a search operation for the Night Raven’s leader.
From the empire’s perspective, this was an infuriating turn of events.
The nobles of the empire likely weren’t unaware of the internal dynamics.
This incident had the potential to tarnish the prestige of the royal family.
The imperial family, which valued its prestige above all, couldn’t simply let this incident slide.
However, they couldn’t place the blame on Sizerly, a princess of the empire, either.
Thus, their target naturally became the Lagrin family.
‘If only the Poison King, Hauran Lagrin, hadn’t been gravely injured and had successfully captured the target, everything would have ended smoothly.’
Using this reasoning, they ousted the Lagrin family from the central noble faction and made them an example of what happens when imperial orders aren’t properly executed.
In short, it was nothing more than petty internal politics.
“Because of this incident, Haring is now out of favor with the imperial family.”
Haring’s independent actions, which carried the greatest justification, had ruined the entire operation.
Naturally, the imperial family couldn’t view her in a positive light.
Kraush frowned.
It was he who had involved Haring in this matter in the first place.
While it had ultimately been Haring’s choice, it was Kraush who had nudged her toward it.
Before any talk of preventing war, there was a level of responsibility he couldn’t deny.
“If things are left as they are, Haring won’t be able to wield any influence in politics moving forward.”
It was only natural since she had fallen out of the imperial family’s favor.
Haring looked flustered as she listened to the conversation proceeding without her.
Kraush, with his past life’s experiences and memories, was able to grasp the situation immediately.
But Haring, who was only 15 years old, didn’t have the same capacity for judgment.
Even Hauran, inwardly, found Kraush remarkable.
He hadn’t expected someone to piece together the empire’s situation so accurately after just a few words of explanation.
But in a way, that made things convenient.
“I’m grateful to you for avenging my son and for resolving my daughter’s grudge. However, I assume you’ve realized that some of the responsibility lies with you after hearing this.”
Kraush could feel the energy Hauran was suppressing from escaping his body.
Instead, Hauran ground his teeth audibly.
It was understandable since his daughter’s future had become uncertain.
Hauran had likely also deduced that it was Kraush who initially suggested Haring join the Lion Order.
Kraush himself hadn’t involved Haring purely out of goodwill either.
“Yes.”
Thus, Kraush didn’t argue.
If he had to take responsibility, he would.
After all, the empire was destined to be overturned eventually.
And when that time came, there would be an opportunity to reinstate the Lagrin family as central nobles.
‘When Haring shines as part of the Sky Generation, the empire will have no choice but to welcome her back.’
“Then take responsibility and get engaged to my daughter.”
But Hauran’s next words hit Kraush like a blow to the back of the head.
Engagement.
A ludicrous proposal was thrust in front of him.
Translators note: