chsdbacks Chapter 162: Awareness
Chapter 162: Awareness
chapter 162: awareness
engagement.
the act of promising to marry in the future.
kraush pondered the meaning of that word again as he gazed ahead.
“are you talking about haring?”
he asked once more, just to be sure.
“i won’t accept rejection.”
and the poison king, hauran, reaffirmed his stance.
kraush felt a faint headache.
it was because he understood why hauran had said such a thing.
“squeak, squeak?!”
for some reason, the dead rat of ebelasque in his pocket screamed.
“w-wait, wait a moment!”
perhaps because the conversation was progressing without her opinion being considered,
haring, with an unusually loud voice, stepped in between the two.
“father, engagement? what are you talking about all of a sudden?”
haring scolded hauran, demanding at least a proper explanation.
at her words, hauran exhaled briefly and looked at haring.
“my daughter, the empire is like the calm before a storm right now.”
hauran’s eyes were filled with concern for haring.
“with the imperial throne transitioning to the next generation, countless nobles are secretly pointing swords at one another.”
the moment the throne changes hands, a bloodbath will follow.
this is because the one who ascends to the throne will never leave the noble factions that did not support them unscathed.
“moreover, there have been some suspicious events within the imperial palace.”
this likely referred to the story of the poisonous blood codex that the mad sword emperor had stolen.
kraush also subtly thought that ixion had allied with the imperial family.
hauran must have sensed the same thing.
“in such a situation, lagrin has been ousted from their position as central nobles in one way or another. their future is now uncertain.”
haring’s eyes trembled slightly.
“that’s because of me, isn’t it?”
she now understood.
she realized that lagrin’s current plight was due to her acting on her own accord.
“this is something i should take responsibility for. i’ll go to the empire and accept my punishment.”
haring cried out, saying she would take the blame herself rather than let her family suffer such treatment.
“my daughter, don’t even think about such things.”
hauran shook his head at his daughter, who was willing to sacrifice herself for the family.
“i respect your choices. what is our family motto? repay debts twofold, and grudges tenfold. you have lived up to it admirably.”
hauran patted his chest firmly.
the wound was near his chest. though he slightly grimaced, the corners of his mouth lifted.
“was it not you who vanquished the lifelong enemy of our family and our household with your own hands?”
haring’s eyes widened.
“i’m proud of you.”
in hauran’s eyes was the tenderness of a father.
he didn’t blame his daughter for her choices. instead, he was proud of the results of those choices.
haring’s eyes brimmed with tears.
it was because hauran was genuinely proud of her.
“and to begin with, this isn’t something you should bear responsibility for.”
at that moment, the tender expression of a father vanished.
what replaced it was a face akin to that of a menacing demon or a wrathful spirit.
“isn’t this all the fault of the one who manipulated you from the sidelines?”
his gaze turned sharply to none other than kraush.
“that’s why i proposed the engagement. it’s a matter of taking responsibility, plain and simple.”
“if haring were engaged to valheim, she wouldn’t have to remain in the unstable empire. you mean to suggest she could stay in starlon instead.”
kraush saw through hauran’s reasoning and sighed briefly.
as hauran said, it was indeed a matter of taking responsibility.
haring had fallen out of favor with the empire’s higher-ups.
it was only logical to send her abroad rather than let her remain a target within the empire.
and what better option than valheim?
as the wife of valheim’s direct heir, no one in the empire would dare ignore her.
this would place her in the best position to live without trouble in starlon.
however, there was one thing hauran underestimated.
“father, kraush already has a fiancée.”
before kraush could respond, haring shook her head and revealed the truth.
indeed, kraush already had a fiancée—bianca hadenhartz, a girl who had just turned fourteen this year.
hauran was undoubtedly aware of this as well.
yet he simply snorted in response.
“lagrin is the family that produced one of the ten greatest under the sky. even if they’ve lost influence within the empire, they’re still a lineage that won’t back down anywhere. valheim would welcome the proposal with open arms.”
kraush couldn’t deny it.
however, those words sharpened kraush’s gaze.
“are you suggesting that you’ll use force to annul my engagement with the hadenhartz family and arrange one with the lagrin family instead?”
hauran noticed kraush’s dissatisfaction.
“you seem to be on good terms with your current fiancée.”
he remarked, quickly catching on to the nature of kraush’s relationship with bianca.
haring pictured herself as kraush’s wife.
the first image that came to mind was of kraush, gruff yet caring, calling her name while standing by her side.
then she imagined his large, sturdy hand gently patting her head.
flinch.
her shoulders twitched instinctively, and her face reddened slightly.
this wasn’t the first time she’d felt like this.
often, just before falling asleep, she’d remember kraush’s smile—the one he gave her after defeating the mad sword emperor.
because of that, there were many times when her thoughts were consumed entirely by kraush throughout the day.
she was happier attending martial arts training sessions just to see him than she was taking a break in the dormitory.
as she traced these memories, bit by bit.
she realized something here and now.
who her heart was truly directed toward.
ah.
haring’s eyes shifted to kraush.
and the moment she noticed the awkward expression on his face, her heart clenched tightly.
that fleeting desire vanished the instant she saw his face.
kraush already had a fiancée.
and haring knew he cherished his fiancée deeply.
it felt as though a blade had sliced through her heart.
and in that moment, haring understood why her father had been so insistent on pushing for the engagement.
he had realized her feelings before she had.
“...no, i won’t get engaged.”
her voice trembled as she spoke, the weight of her newly discovered feelings causing her pain.
“kraush already has a fiancée.”
a sorrowful smile appeared on haring’s face as she said those words.
hauran, who had been quietly watching her, finally lowered his head and turned away.
“alright, if that’s your decision, so be it.”
he turned his back on her, not wanting to see his daughter’s pain any longer.
“for now, let’s talk. i won’t press the issue of the engagement any further.”
with that, he gestured for kraush to follow him.
kraush hesitated, glancing at haring, but eventually turned and followed hauran out of the room.
once they were alone, hauran reached into his robes and pulled out something.
it was a book.
and kraush immediately recognized it.
“the poisonous blood codex.”
the lagrin family’s secret martial arts tome—the very one the mad sword emperor had stolen.
kraush stared at it, puzzled, as hauran extended it toward him.
“take it.”
“pardon?”
“you defeated the enemy of our lagrin family. and you’ve saved my daughter from danger countless times. there’s no way i could repay you adequately for all of that.”
hauran’s words were completely unexpected.
“that’s why i brought this—it’s the best reward lagrin can offer right now. from what i’ve heard in haring’s stories, you’re obsessed with becoming stronger. this will help you.”
help? it would do much more than that.
kraush had already been using poisons and curses to create temporary enhancement elixirs.
with the poisonous blood codex, he could produce them far more efficiently.
when kraush accepted the unexpected reward, hauran let out a soft sigh.
then he placed a firm hand on kraush’s shoulder.
“use the poisonous blood codex to grow even stronger.”
hauran had done his research on kraush. at only fifteen, this boy had already achieved unbelievable feats.
there was one thing all such individuals had in common—they were destined to challenge the pinnacle of power.
and today, hauran had seen kraush with his own eyes.
this boy would become great.
without a doubt.
one day, kraush might surpass the ten greatest under the sky and reach the realm of the four above the heavens, or even beyond.
the sharp and dangerous aura in kraush’s eyes was proof enough.
“and keep growing stronger. rise to a position so high that no one in the world can cast a disparaging glance your way.”
kraush looked confused, unable to grasp hauran’s true intentions.
but hauran’s gaze was utterly sincere.
“and when you’ve done that, take my daughter as your wife.”
“...wasn’t that matter settled already? didn’t i say i have a fiancée?”
“it’s not uncommon for capable men to have multiple wives.”
take king poseus, for instance—no one batted an eye at a man of his stature having several wives.
kraush stared at hauran in disbelief.
he could clearly see the unwavering determination in hauran’s eyes—a resolve to tie haring to him no matter what.
“so, grow stronger. if you fail, i’ll personally hunt you down and force you to become stronger, no matter what it takes.”
leaving behind those chilling words, hauran turned and walked away.
kraush, now alone, stood there dumbfounded, staring after him.
eventually, he glanced down at the poisonous blood codex and rubbed the back of his neck.
“this is the most exhausting day i’ve had all year.”
for once, even crimson garden was unusually quiet.
translators note: