### Chapter: 299
Inside the Lion’s Order classroom.
Kraush and Arthur were staring at each other.
With summer approaching, a warm breeze started to knock against the window and curtains.
Even amidst the sound of the wind, the two maintained a thick silence.
Kraush couldn’t quite figure out how far back in time Arthur had continued from.
However, one thing was certain.
‘At least the Arthur in front of me is not the one I knew.’
If Abella had completed her desired version of Arthur, there’d be no reason to create a god of World Erosion.
In other words, the Arthur before him was one that matched her criteria.
‘Time lines can’t just be pinpointed and reached.’
This was a frequent phrase in the time magic Abella was working on.
A time line splits into two paths based on whether Kraush gets up from his seat right now.
There are countless lines a single individual can impose.
Finding the exact time line Abella desired among all the various living creatures in this world was practically impossible.
Even if one delves into infinity, all that would be found are endless numbers laid out, and the number Abella wanted would probably not even be visible.
‘So Abella probably granted Arthur a time line as similar as she could manage.’
And, as expected, it ended in failure.
Abella must have been furious.
Upon meeting the current Arthur, she realized immediately that he wasn’t the Arthur she knew, and fell into despair.
Even with the greatest chance using time magic, she had still failed.
‘Therasius mentioned he saw multiple traces of time magic.’
If that’s the case, Abella must have repeatedly activated time magic on the current Arthur.
And the price for that would undoubtedly be carried entirely by the current Arthur.
Time magic is a spell that forcibly injects the memories of time lines into the subject.
So, naturally, Arthur’s mental fortitude must have been eroded countless times in the process.
With that in mind, was the Arthur in front of him really in a normal state?
Kraush honestly couldn’t guarantee that.
Not knowing what he’d been through, he couldn’t read anything about the Arthur before him.
“…You’re looking at me with that kind of gaze again.”
The moment broke by Arthur.
Kraush frowned slightly at his next words.
Because he wasn’t referring to the Kraush in front of him.
He was referring to another version of himself existing in the countless time lines that followed.
Arthur was comparing the current self with the version he remembered.
“My eyes often get me misunderstood.”
“I know it’s not about that.”
Kraush sighed heavily, unable to spin around in circles any longer.
His patience was wearing thin.
So, he decided to be direct.
“Arthur, you received time magic from Abella, right?”
Now, there was no reason to hide the fact that he had reincarnated.
At this point, everyone who knew about the previous world would have guessed that Kraush had reincarnated anyway.
Kraush had become strong enough to face considerable dangers head-on.
It was now time for him to confront the danger directly.
“Correct.”
Arthur seemed to feel that revealing information would yield more than hiding it and smiled.
“Then it’s sure now that you’re not the Arthur I knew.”
For the first time in front of Arthur, Kraush acknowledged the fact of his reincarnation.
Along with the fact that he had taken away Arthur’s reincarnation.
Upon hearing Kraush’s words, Arthur pressed his lips into a thin line with his knuckles.
A habit he had when he was about to hide a smile.
Behind the knuckles, Arthur looked directly at Kraush.
“So how was I at the end when you stole my reincarnation?”
“You were unbelievably unlucky until the very end.”
“Unlucky, huh.”
Despite hearing that, Arthur somehow smiled cheerfully.
“Of course, because the person you faced was likely in a state of giving up everything.”
Arthur had lost his reincarnation to Kraush.
He knew completely what that meant.
“You wanted to get rid of your reincarnation so much that you ignored all the requirements of your Black Hood, right?”
At that, Kraush realized something.
“…Did you see a time line where I tried to steal your reincarnation?”
That day when Kraush raised his hand to Arthur while using the Black Hood.
Even while knowing about Kraush’s Black Hood, Arthur had merely looked at him without taking action.
If he had set his mind to it, he could have torn Kraush apart while he was using the Black Hood.
But Arthur did not do that, and consequently lost his reincarnation to the Black Hood.
Maybe there was an unconscious belief that he could not possibly lose his reincarnation.
“That’s also correct.”
Arthur rang the bell of acknowledgment at Kraush’s words.
“Kraush, you attempted to steal my reincarnation. It’s from a world that no longer exists, but in that world, you tried to steal my reincarnation and failed.”
Then, Kraush noticed a deep hatred glimmering in Arthur’s eyes.
Crack—
That hatred soon led to a burst of power from Arthur.
The murderous intent pouring out from him caused the glass window to crack.
The intensity of the hatred Arthur harbored was beyond imagination.
Facing that hatred directly, Kraush was left with a burning question.
This was the first time he had ever seen someone so consumed with hatred.
“You were the only one I told about reincarnation, yet you tried to steal it from me.”
And at that moment, Kraush froze.
“…What?”
“You wouldn’t understand now.”
Arthur gazed down at Kraush with pitying eyes.
“Did you know? A person’s humanity can be dirtier than they realize.”
Kraush realized that within Arthur’s eyes, he was reflecting himself as a far more horrific being than he’d thought.
But more than that, Arthur’s words kept echoing in Kraush’s mind.
‘…I was the only one who told him about reincarnation?’
That was surely one of the countless time lines Arthur had been through.
‘Telling him about reincarnation implies…’
That must mean Arthur had trusted Kraush.
‘Attempting to steal reincarnation means…’
It signified that Kraush had betrayed Arthur.
Kraush pictured the look Arthur had given him.
Whenever Arthur looked at Kraush, he carried a gaze that offered no trust.
That look was always puzzling for Kraush.
Although he sometimes gave that look to others, Arthur was particularly harsh with Kraush.
Eventually, Kraush had concluded that Arthur probably thought of him as a cursed fool.
But perhaps Arthur may have already felt betrayed by him.
Kraush could now say.
Given his current self, he would not want to steal Arthur’s reincarnation, even if it existed.
That made sense, for Kraush had already experienced reincarnation.
But what if it was the Kraush before his reincarnation?
Kraush couldn’t be sure.
He had often desperately wished to return to the past while living through it.
“…When was it.”
So Kraush asked.
When exactly did he betray Arthur?
“When was it?”
“At the point where I attempted to steal your reincarnation, what happened to me?”
Arthur slowly let out a chuckle.
“Why would I know? You died at my hands.”
The dead don’t speak.
Arthur said that to Kraush.
“Simply put, Kraush, you needed reincarnation, and you betrayed me. That’s all that matters.”
Kraush realized what the hatred and betrayal reflected in Arthur’s eyes meant.
He also understood why Arthur had never shown him any trust.
‘…Now I definitely understand why you never took me along until the end.’
The Kraush who had betrayed Arthur once was unlikely to not betray him again.
Kraush finally realized why Arthur had never revealed the truth of reincarnation to him.
Why was that?
Upon realizing that, a sense of peace washed over him.
Because he finally understood all the reasons why Arthur had to act that way.
So Kraush decided to ask one last thing he was curious about.
“Then why did you tell those three about reincarnation and bring them along?”
Sigrid Ephania, Abella, Mary Diana.
All three were undoubtedly gifted, living up to the label of genius.
But their fundamental natures were twisted.
They were variables, unpredictable in which direction they’d bounce.
Just looking at the current situation, the answer to his question was already evident.
Mary had been abandoned by the state, completely collapsed, and now acted like a fool worshiping Kraush.
Sigrid couldn’t accept her shortcomings and went mad, ultimately fleeing to the Empire.
Abella was busy spreading chaos far and wide, trying to create a god of World Erosion to reclaim Arthur.
What on earth was the reason Arthur had to go through all this trouble to reincarnate with such individuals?
Upon hearing that question, a smile still remained on Arthur’s face.
“You really don’t understand at all, do you? You only see one side as usual.”
“Were these three really that valuable?”
“Quite the opposite.”
Arthur casually brushed his blonde hair back, as if he had no reason to hide anything.
“Those three were among the main reasons for the world’s destruction.”
“Excuse me?”
Kraush’s eyes gradually widened.
This was taking the conversation in a direction he truly hadn’t expected.
“Mary was the perfect example of what happens when a foolish person lords over power and strength.
She had such high status and privilege that she grew up to become the commander at the forefront of the most dangerous line of conflict.
Her individual power was certainly commendable. She could block the worst on her own.
However, as a commander, she was the worst. She had decimated 90% of the most dangerous front lines with her poor leadership.”
And Arthur began to enlighten Kraush about reality.
“Sigrid plays a critical role in the Empire’s downfall.
When the first prince rose to be the emperor, she killed the first prince, the second prince, and her sister in a bid for the throne, awakening a bloodlust that led to the Empire’s ruin.
But even after the Empire fell, she called herself the emperor and transformed into a marauder, slaughtering countless.”
Arthur chuckled grimly as he rummaged through the injected memories.
“Abella sold the world for the sake of magic.
Her talent for magic was boundless, and it didn’t take long for it to turn into a threat to the world.
The Demon Lord Therasius severed unnecessary emotions and memories for the sake of magic, but maintained his humanity until the end.
In contrast, Abella discarded even that humanity for her magic.
She then relentlessly continued her pursuit of ultimate magic, seeking to prove the truth of her spells at the price of the entire world.”
The trio bore the world’s destruction.
Arthur etched that image clearly in his mind.
“But there was one instance where that didn’t happen.”
And Kraush understood the implication behind Arthur’s words.
“It was when the three had lovers.”
Arthur’s reason for reincarnating with the trio.
It was to cut off the roots of a new destruction.
