### Chapter: 212
As Kraush exited the Pope’s garden, he began walking down the corridor of the Grand Temple.
“Loosen up a bit! You’re gonna eat someone alive at this rate!”
Suddenly, a sarcastic remark from the Crimson Garden echoed in his ears.
True to her words, a substantial rage was boiling inside Kraush.
The reason for his anger was simple.
“Astrea’s will wasn’t part of this discussion at all.”
She was born and raised in Freeman as a saint.
Having grown up as a saint, she acted in accordance with the role bestowed upon her.
Yet now, her life—the life she had endured—was being deemed fake and she was about to be stripped of her title.
“Astrea has always lived as Freeman saw fit.”
Still, she had done her best in her role.
But how absurd it was that even her final decision as a saint was disregarded by a nation trying to dictate her fate.
Kraush couldn’t accept that fact.
So he decided to take action against it.
He was going to meet Astrea right now.
“That Holy Royal Family or whatever.”
He had to turn over anything that caught his eye.
“……Kraush Balheim!”
Just then, Kraush halted at the sound of someone calling out to him.
As he turned, he saw familiar blue hair—just like Tersada’s.
But the face under that blue hair was different from before.
A much younger girl, known as the youngest cardinal,
Mirei Beakis.
And that was why she was there.
Though she had no idea, they had once crossed paths at a women’s council, and Kraush spoke up.
“Mirei Beakis, what brings you here?”
Mirei repeatedly closed and opened her lips.
Kraush noticed she seemed to have something difficult to say.
It had to be something related to Astrea.
Kraush was remarkable at picking up on such things.
“Actually, I’m on my way to see the saint.”
Kraush pointed behind him, a smile playing on his lips.
“Care to join me?”
Perhaps this could be the key to changing Astrea’s life.
—
Astrea Stigma Freeman.
A saint born in the Holy Kingdom of Freeman.
What is she doing now, the saint said to have been loved by the gods?
“Did you say he liked pierogi?”
“Yep, it’s one of Kraush’s favorites. He often buys it for lunch.”
She was currently gathering intel on the guy she had a crush on.
And she was doing it through his closest friend, Aslan.
Astrea had replayed Aslan’s words over and over in her mind.
Though she had never cooked in her life, she figured it was about time she learned.
Just thinking of Kraush enjoying the food she made filled her with joy.
As she dreamily thought about learning to make pierogi, Aslan observed her quietly.
Seyrang, who had been listening intently beside them, crossed her arms and gazed at Astrea silently.
The eyes of Aslan and Seyrang met briefly.
Summing up their thoughts, Aslan nodded.
“How did you come to like Kraush?” he asked.
Cough! Cough!
Astrea nearly choked on her tea from the direct question.
Turning red as a beet, she could hardly muster a response.
“W-well, I’ve never…” she stammered defiantly, but Seyrang sighed deeply.
“Astrea, denying it while being this panicked is pointless, don’t you think?”
“Trying to hide it now seems silly considering how much you’ve been asking about him!”
“W-well, it’s because we have this sort of connection, and it’s just curiosity, I swear!”
Astrea, flustered and stumbling over her words, slowly lowered her gaze.
“…Is it that obvious?”
“Let’s pretend we’re not sharp-eyed, shall we?”
Astrea gnawed on her lip, feeling miserable.
Having been discovered by both Seyrang and Aslan was too embarrassing.
Kraush, being astute, would definitely know her feelings by now.
“Come on, spill it! What do you like about him?”
To be honest, Seyrang found Kraush a bit intimidating.
After all, he knew about the steamy novels she had published as a hobby.
He felt like a ticking time bomb, ready to erupt at any moment.
Naturally, Seyrang couldn’t help but be cautious around him.
Nonetheless, this was a different matter than her friend’s romance.
Through the veil, her eyes sparkled with interest in her friend’s love life.
Astrea, flustered by that gaze, slowly turned her head down.
“…At first, I was drawn to his looks, but…”
Finally, Astrea decided to come clean about her feelings.
Seyrang knew her well.
Aslan, being Kraush’s friend, might offer some good advice.
“Somehow, it just evolved into this deep feeling for him…”
As she explained, her face fell lower in embarrassment.
“Well, Kraush has a habit of attracting people without realizing it.”
Aslan agreed with that observation.
This made Astrea pout.
“Exactly! He’s kind of a jerk, yet there are times he can be oddly sweet. It’s really irritating. If he’s gonna be mean, then just stick with that all the time!”
Every time Kraush looked at her kindly, Astrea felt like she was losing her mind.
One moment he could be grumpy, and the next, when she pressured him just a little, he’d relent and be nice.
He seemed completely oblivious, but each time, Astrea had to endure feeling as if she might unravel.
“Why does he always look like he’s carrying the weight of the world while worrying about others?”
Seeing him never take a break made Astrea’s heart ache.
It would’ve been nice if she could lend a hand, but Kraush insisted on doing everything alone.
“Whoa, Astrea, you really do like him a lot!”
Seyrang looked at her in surprise.
It was the first time she had seen Astrea take such a strong liking to someone.
Astrea, blushing further after speaking, couldn’t even look at either of them.
But despite expressing her feelings, she felt a hint of gratitude for not being judged by her friends.
The image of a saint was usually that of a clergyman who served others for a lifetime.
That was a huge leap away from an ordinary person.
Yet, both her friends treated her without any prejudice.
‘Seyrang, sure, but…’
Aslan’s attitude was probably because he was Kraush’s friend too.
He must be like that since Kraush was as well.
Aslan, now face to face with Astrea, wore an amused smile.
“That’s just a typical response. Kraush is indeed the type to draw people in.”
Aslan understood the kind of person Kraush was, so he readily agreed.
Kraush clearly lived like someone who was being chased by something.
“But that doesn’t mean it’s unsettling.”
Aslan didn’t view Kraush in a negative light.
“At least it appears that Kraush is finding his own way while living like that.”
Astrea looked up at Aslan, surprised.
Certainly, his perspective from a friend’s point of view seemed different.
“We’re just here to support him whenever needed. Kraush does amazing things every time.”
“Is that so…”
He did seem to have a knack for attracting incidents.
To be precise, when incidents arose, Kraush would always push himself into the mix.
Clunk!
Just then, the door to the room where Astrea and Aslan were talking swung open.
As the saying goes, speak of the devil; Kraush entered, accompanied by young cardinal Mirei Beakis.
Striding confidently into the room, Kraush turned to Astrea and said, “Astrea, let’s flip Freeman upside down!”
Once again, absurd words sprang from his mouth.
Both Astrea and Seyrang wore expressions of disbelief, while Aslan chuckled, pouring more tea into his cup.
“Isn’t that just typical of him?”
Kraush certainly wasn’t one to shy away from trouble.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
Astrea looked at him, bewildered by the sudden outburst.
And to think he dragged the youngest cardinal Mirei Beakis into this.
“The opposing faction is planning to eliminate the saint’s title.”
But Kraush continued without batting an eye.
Since he had heard some of it from Diona, Astrea wasn’t caught completely off guard.
However, her expression had stiffened.
“So I…?”
“If they really get the chance, they might try to wipe you out too.”
The opposing faction’s plan to eliminate the saint’s title essentially meant getting rid of her altogether.
“Perhaps they just want to remove the saint’s position from Freeman entirely.”
“That’s just so… typical.”
Astrea’s brow furrowed faintly.
It was no surprise; they had used her when it suited them, only to want to discard her now.
“So this time, we’re going to move on your terms.”
“That means flipping Freeman upside down?”
“Yep.”
Astrea’s expression showed disbelief at how he could come to such a conclusion.
“If we can navigate the world peacefully, that’d be lovely. But sometimes, you need to throw a fit too.”
“How is that supposed to lead to flipping Freeman upside down?”
“We’re going to have you break the Holy Grail yourself.”
Astrea’s mind went blank at his unexpected suggestion.
She looked at Kraush in disbelief, as if asking if she really heard that correctly.
But Kraush nodded, confirming she had.
“See, the opposition wants to eliminate the bad customs surrounding the saint.”
Thus, it followed that they would surely aim to shatter the Holy Grail as well.
So, Kraush was planning to preempt them.
“If you break the Holy Grail and share the story surrounding the saint, you’ll forever be remembered as the saint who broke the Holy Grail.”
A saint who did nothing could easily be erased from history.
But a saint who took action to shed her burdens would be etched into the memories of the people.
“If that happens, the opposition wouldn’t dare lay a finger on you.”
Surely, from the opposition’s standpoint, losing a chance at a full-scale religious revolution had to be infuriating.
‘Tough luck.’
Feeling more annoyed was the last thing on Kraush’s mind.
Given how previous oppositions failed, it stood to reason that this one could as well.
If they happened to stumble again, it would only put Astrea in danger—not to mention how the Holy Royal Family wouldn’t look kindly upon a disgraced saint.
“…Is that really something that can be accomplished so easily?”
Astrea worriedly asked, glancing at Kraush.
“Who do you think I am?” he replied with a confident look.
Astrea stared at Kraush with a baffled face.
But why was she feeling that strange tickle in her chest?
As she pressed her hand against it in confusion, Kraush added quickly.
“Of course, I’m going to respect your wishes in all this.”
At that moment, the surging emotions within Astrea suddenly crystallized in her mind.
“If you don’t want it, I won’t do it. I’ll come back with another plan.”
Kraush was doing this purely for her.
He cared most about her well-being and was making plans to keep Astrea from ending up in awkward situations because of Freeman.
From start to finish,
he acted only in hopes she would be safe.
As she recognized this reality, Astrea’s gaze began to tremble.
At the same time, her ears flushed bright red.
Finding it harder to maintain eye contact with Kraush, she slowly turned her head to the side.
With her silence, Kraush ceased his words.
“What’s wrong? Not interested?”
He looked at her calmly, as if ready to stop if she was displeased by the proposal.
That gaze stirred something in Astrea, causing her to cough awkwardly.
Was he being totally oblivious or just pretending?
What a terrible guy.
