Chapter 44
Two days later.
Kraush was engaged in the curious act of doing push-ups with just one arm.
Drip drip drip—sweat poured down like rain.
This was the result of concentrating his aura on just his left arm.
But that wasn’t all.
Kraush was currently utilizing not only the aura but also the extreme blood poisoning technique simultaneously.
The two forces condensed into one arm thrashed about wildly.
Thus, Kraush’s one-armed push-up was exceptionally slow.
“Huff huff”
With a quiet exhale, Kraush slowly pushed himself up.
Then he collapsed right onto the floor.
‘I’m dying.’
An honest assessment.
The reason he was practicing like this was to master the specialized technique of the One Sword.
The One Sword is a technique that focuses everything on a single sword.
And Kraush intended to merge this One Sword technique with the Sword Demon’s summoning technique.
To accomplish this, he must be able to concentrate the aura and extreme blood poisoning into one point.
As fate would have it, since he only had one arm, he was training with that.
“…It’s tough.”
Of course, he hadn’t made much progress.
He didn’t expect overnight results, and he had never been particularly talented in that area.
‘It was almost a miracle that I managed to create the Flame Erosion technique.’
It seemed the reality of being a fool did not drastically change no matter what he was doing.
‘But thanks to that, I grasped the weaknesses of the Flame Erosion technique.’
The Flame Erosion technique was an ability that burned the power of world erosion within to forcibly break the limits of the body.
Its drawback was that it raised the body’s temperature too high due to its nature.
While it could unleash tremendous firepower, the moment the effect of Flame Erosion stopped, one would simply retire out of the fight.
This aspect could only be a significant weakness.
Therefore, Kraush deduced.
If I could control the heat of my body after using Flame Erosion, then my retirement and the duration of the technique would increase.
Thanks to that, he could also decide on the next goal to pursue.
The Moonshade Body (月陰肢體).
Referring to that one who was born with the moon’s negativity flowing within them.
“Kraush-nim.”
At that moment, Kraush heard a voice calling him and looked up.
There was Bianca, holding a towel and staring at him vacantly.
“You’ll catch a cold if you keep lying in the snow.”
“I’m just taking a quick break because I’m tired.”
“Still, you shouldn’t.”
Bianca slightly knelt in the snow.
Then she gently cupped Kraush’s face and began to wipe it with the towel.
The soft towel felt warm, as if it had been heated beforehand.
“Stay still for a moment.”
The problem was that Bianca was somewhat clumsy at actually cleaning his face.
Still, seeing her earnest efforts, Kraush remained still.
“How are things with the family?”
“Nothing happened after that.”
Thanks to the negotiation with Meliochan, perhaps.
Since then, he had given Bianca no orders whatsoever.
“But my sister’s a little strange.”
Kraush fell silent at her follow-up words.
The divide between Jenica and Bianca ran deep.
Even before the regression, and now too.
“She avoids me whenever I’m around. It used to be that she would bully me or glare at me whenever I was near.”
Bianca’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.
She too felt uncomfortable around Jenica.
Progress between Jenica and Bianca was a story for much later.
That was something that would only come after Jenica hid Bianca.
Without some incident of that level, it wouldn’t be resolved.
“If you don’t want to see her, just tell her directly in front of her.”
Bianca, holding the towel, looked at Kraush.
“Once feelings arise, you end up hiding your true feelings. It’s good to learn how to be honest from the start.”
You’d end up hiding a lot of things, after all.
“If there’s anything you want, just tell me. I’ll grant your wish with great fanfare.”
Like revenge, for instance.
Upon hearing this, Bianca’s fingers twitched atop the towel.
“Will you really grant my wishes?”
“If it’s something I can do.”
“I don’t think you can.”
What, does she want him to get rid of Hadenharts or something?
Bianca didn’t say anything more.
It seemed her desires were quite grand.
[Seems like you’re having a good time while I’m struggling.]
At that moment, Kraush perked up at a voice he hadn’t heard in two days.
There was a crow soaring leisurely in the sky.
“Kriim!”
[It’s Crimson Garden, you know.]
Once again nagging him, Crimson Garden descended from the sky to ask Kraush and Bianca.
[Did you hold a feast or something in my absence? You seem all lovey-dovey now.]
“Not at all.”
[Do you know that being blinded by lust leads to no good? They say heroes and charmers are lies. Enjoying the opposite sex mostly leads to an early grave.]
Kraush felt a mix of amusement and disbelief.
While it might be different if Bianca became a legendary beauty in the future, she was still just a kid yet to enter her second developmental stage.
Recently, Kraush felt himself starting to grow taller as he entered that stage, but Bianca still looked quite young.
‘Come to think of it, Bianca didn’t grow that much afterward either.’
Bianca was easily a head shorter than him.
Kraush, being tall, was part of it, but Bianca wasn’t exactly that tall either.
[How about preemptively being castrated? That way, you won’t fall into the charms of women.]
Crimson Garden chuckled as she spoke.
Kraush just dug around his ear, ignoring her.
[Just a friendly advice. Even if you don’t want women, they’ll definitely be drawn to you as you walk your path.]
Hearing that, an image of Arthur popped into his head for some reason.
So that’s why women flocked around Arthur.
‘That’s a pass for me.’
Knowing the backstories of the fierce female rivalries that erupted behind Arthur, Kraush frowned.
He didn’t want any part of that.
At that moment, Kraush turned to look at Bianca.
Come to think of it, unlike Arthur, he had an engagement.
If that was the case, the solution was simple.
“Bianca, shall we get married?”
After all, the engagement relationship wouldn’t wake up anymore.
So if he hastened to hold the wedding, women wouldn’t flock around him, right?
Upon hearing Kraush’s words, Bianca blinked.
Her expression was one of confusion, as if she didn’t understand what he just said.
Her eyes rolled in a dizzy manner.
Then, she shivered slightly and looked at Kraush.
With a blank face but her eyes moving frantically, Bianca soon closed her eyes tight.
Bianca’s eyelids trembled, and she quietly said, “Don’t joke with me.”
It wasn’t really a joke, but…
Apparently, she took it that way, so Kraush didn’t press further.
[….Are you an idiot?]
And to make matters worse, he was scolded by Crimson Garden.
“Stop rambling. So, what about my arm?”
Now this was the real issue.
When Kraush asked, Crimson Garden spread her wings.
[Follow me. You can’t do this in a place like this where the eyes are on us.]
Kraush agreed with that sentiment.
So he stood up.
“Bianca, I’ll be back shortly.”
“Are you going with Crimson?”
“Yeah, I’ll sort out the arm issue.”
Bianca looked up at Crimson Garden flying in the sky.
“Crimson is different from an ordinary child, right?”
Bianca had spent a lot of time close to Kraush.
Kraush had spoken with Crimson Garden multiple times in front of her.
Seeing through his facade had its limits; thus she chose not to worry about it too much.
“What, we have a bit of a complicated relationship.”
Since it was a contract-based relationship.
Come to think of it, from Bianca’s standpoint, Kraush must have appeared quite suspicious.
Suddenly getting stronger, acting differently, and talking to a crow were all a series of bizarre occurrences.
But Bianca never raised any questions about it.
At first, she had no interest, and now she felt there was no need to question as Kraush was off on his way.
Bianca merely wanted to be by his side.
“Don’t get hurt.”
Perhaps it was because Kraush always returned with injuries; she said that with concern.
“Trust me, I’m just going to fix my arm. How could I possibly get hurt?”
“But you’re Kraush.”
He thought, What’s wrong with me?
But knowing his previous actions, Kraush just nodded.
“Understood, I’ll be careful.”
Just as Kraush was about to leave, he ran into Jenica, who was lingering around the other side.
Jenica flinched and avoided eye contact, while Kraush carried on.
However, as Kraush passed by Jenica, he suddenly halted in his tracks.
“Jenica.”
Jenica’s shoulders reacted.
Kraush spoke to her without shifting his gaze.
“If you considered someone an enemy, that someone would become your enemy too.”
It was the most natural truth of the world.
And now that Jenica had turned sixteen, she would slowly learn this fact.
“Even if the past you has changed, the deeds you’ve done don’t vanish at all. Therefore, people should make an effort to live correctly from the start.”
That truth doesn’t vanish even if you regress.
Because the deeds one perpetrated would remain solely within one’s heart.
“So heed my warning well.”
Kraush’s eyes grew cold.
While he wished he could just clock her one and be done with it, he was still an outsider.
And despite her demeanor, she was Bianca’s older sister.
This was a matter for Bianca and Jenica alone, so he intended to remain uninvolved.
“If you approach Bianca with the selfish desire to apologize just to feel better about yourself, then don’t.”
That’s not for Bianca’s sake, but merely for your own selfishness.
These toxic human relationships, much like the tales sung by bards, rarely get resolved neatly.
Most are messy, disgusting, and end in a sticky web of selfishness.
That’s why the first button is crucial in this world.
The moment you fumble that first button, no matter how many you button after, the garment will remain disheveled.
And once a button is fastened, it would be forever entangled with the clothing, no matter what you do.
“If, by any chance, you try to use your childhood antics as a free pass…”
Kraush quietly warned the frozen Jenica.
“You’ll never see Bianca again. Just forget about her.”
If he took Bianca with him so she wouldn’t remember Jenica, that would be enough.
That was the reason Kraush had embraced Bianca.
Once Kraush had spoken his piece and turned to leave, Jenica slumped down onto the floor.
Faced with the undeniable fact that past misdeeds won’t vanish no matter what, Jenica quietly lowered her head.
＊ ＊ ＊
In one of the forests of Hadenharts.
Snow fell heavily in that place where signs of life were scarce.
Kraush had stopped before a great tree.
As Crimson Garden landed on his shoulder, Kraush tapped the tree lightly with his hand.
“Ebelasque.”
Upon his call, a groove began to form in the tree.
Then with a creak, a wooden door opened, revealing a woman with black skin, dark hair, and a maid outfit standing within.
For some reason, she was peculiar enough to wear a black rabbit ear headband, and upon seeing Kraush, she bowed respectfully.
“Welcome, Kraush-nim. The master is waiting for you.”
Her name was 8.
One of Ebelasque’s corpses.
8 immediately led Kraush inside.
The hallway that stretched beyond looked nothing like the inside of a tree, and eventually, she halted before a room.
It was a room that resembled the one where Kraush first met Ebelasque.
After 8 knocked on the door, a voice called out from inside, telling them to enter.
Upon opening the door, a multitude of books greeted Kraush’s senses.
As he stepped inside, he once again felt as if he had entered a pigsty.
“Is this a pigsty?”
Upon Kraush’s honest evaluation, Ebelasque—who had been rolling around under the blankets—pouted.
“I’ve placed everything here for good reason! Calling it a pigsty is going too far.”
“The real issue lies in your messy mind. But more importantly, what’s the preparation status?”
Kraush inquired, and Ebelasque rose from her spot.
In the meantime, something sticky from what she had eaten stuck to her ample chest, but Kraush decided not to pay mind to it.
“I received it from Crimson Garden and prepared it right away.”
8 took Kraush deeper into the room, where a magic circle and a small altar awaited.
On the illuminated altar, a single arm—scarred and severed—lay.
It was none other than the Sword Demon’s arm.
Crimson Garden had brought the arm as Kraush requested.
“Are we putting it on right away?”
“Yeah, just a small favor please.”
“Since we need to connect our senses, it’s gonna hurt a lot. Can you withstand it? If not, I’ll knock you out.”
As she raised her hand, 8 returned with a hammer.
Is she planning to kill me?
“Forget it. Just do it.”
“Are you really sure? I won’t take responsibility if you scream in pain later. I won’t stop even if you plead.”
Imagining Kraush crying and begging, Ebelasque puffed up with pride.
Ignoring her, Kraush unwrapped the bandage from the severed arm.
As he did, Ebelasque proceeded forward to the altar without another word.
“Just attach the severed part to your arm.”
This was Ebelasque’s specialty.
Kraush placed the Sword Demon’s arm against his severed one as per Ebelasque’s guidance.
Luckily, it seemed Crimson Garden had a good sense of how much of the arm had been severed.
The length matched perfectly.
However, its size differed as it belonged to an old man.
Ebelasque would surely figure that part out.
At that moment, a clank rang from the altar as iron trapped Kraush’s arm.
Ebelasque had apparently prepared that in advance.
“Bite this.”
As she spoke, she handed him a piece of cloth.
It seemed she intended for him to not bite his tongue due to the pain.
As Kraush obediently bit down on the cloth, 8 wrapped her arms around his shoulder.
This must be to restrain any movement.
“Then I’ll proceed.”
At that moment, Ebelasque placed her hand on the Sword Demon’s severed arm.
As her fingertips touched, the bluish hue of the Sword Demon’s arm began to shift to a color tinged with blood.
The withered fingers unfurled, coming back to life.
Incredibly, the arm started to gradually match the size of Kraush’s own arm.
Soon, Ebelasque placed her hand on the severed part of Kraush’s arm.
At that moment, Kraush felt the skin of the half-regenerated arm tearing apart completely.
Simultaneously, he felt the once-fractured bone pushing back out through muscles and flesh.
Kraush!
Kraush bit down hard on the cloth.
The pain torture him severely, causing cold sweat to pour down.
Though he was accustomed to pain due to the curse, this was quite overwhelming.
Ebelasque glanced over, asking if she should knock him out, but Kraush only silently nodded, urging her to continue with his eyes.
“You stubborn fool, fine! I swear I won’t be responsible.”
Ebelasque shouted that, and then reconnected Kraush and the Sword Demon’s nerves.
Crackle!
In that instant, Kraush felt sparks flying before his eyes.
A shock that could send one spinning struck him, causing the cloth to drop from his mouth.
The blood-stained cloth revealed just how hard he had bitten down.
But gradually, the pain started to subside.
“Didn’t you faint?”
As Kraush gasped for air, Ebelasque said that with wide eyes.
But there was a reason he hadn’t purposely fainted.
“…Unfasten it.”
Upon Kraush’s words, the iron restraint on the altar clanged open.
Kraush slowly raised his arm.
As he did, the Sword Demon’s arm obediently rose alongside his.
Watching it, Kraush clenched and then opened his fist.
Seeing it move smoothly indicated that the sensation was fine.
‘Now to the next step.’
Kraush immediately began to channel his aura.
As he did, the Sword Demon’s arm started to gulp down Kraush’s aura as if possessed.
Now to the next problem.
Flex!
Kraush saw the muscles of the Sword Demon’s arm moving erratically.
The veins popping, the muscles twitching—an unsettling sight to behold.
But Kraush adjusted the aura as he observed it.
After a few seconds, the erratic muscle contractions and veins began to settle down.
At that sight, Kraush sighed with relief.
The extreme blood poisoning had safely settled in the Sword Demon’s arm.
The reason Kraush hadn’t fainted on purpose lay in this very fact.
Had he fainted and had the arm attached, the Sword Demon’s arm would have likely gone on a rampage, absorbing the extreme blood poisoning without his will.
He didn’t want to lose the arm he had finally obtained.
Ebelasque watching from the side appeared to relax.
“Is it done?”
Just then, Crimson Garden queried.
Hearing her words, Kraush shook his right arm and grinned.
“Yeah, it feels just like my own arm.”
“Then we should test it out. You need to get acclimated with the summoning technique too.”
That was something Kraush welcomed wholeheartedly.
“Ebelasque, is there a sparring area or training ground?”
“I’m not your servant, you know.”
“There’s an ancient text you wanted to study, the one on brawling, right? I’ve got it.”
“Sister!”
She casually referred to Crimson Garden as simply “sister” and turned to 8.
“8, guide us there.”
“Yes, master. I will lead you to the training ground now.”
It was time to test out the Sword Demon’s arm.
