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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Star Sanctuary
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Star Sanctuary.
Krash let out a hollow laugh as he once again mulled over the name that was nothing if not grandiose.
It was a name that practically oozed the sky-high pride you'd expect from noble heirs.
Well, these were the kids who saw themselves as the future leaders of Staron.
Natural enough, if you thought about it.
'Though reality's headed for extinction.'
Did these guys even grasp the duty of nobles?
The reason nobles earned respect in this world was that they stood against World Erosion in place of everyone else.
Some felt that duty weighing on them and trained relentlessly every day.
Others ignored it entirely and just partied—that was the reality.
Krash wondered just how many truly capable people were actually in this Star Sanctuary group.
In the rattling carriage.
The Star Sanctuary Bianca and he were headed to was a fair distance from Valheim.
Which meant Krash had a full day of carriage life ahead.
Gazing at Bianca in front of him, her head bobbing with drowsiness.
She loved reading books, but maybe it was tough in a carriage.
She'd been staring blankly for a while, but now sleep had come crashing down on her.
'She was so quiet, I was wondering what was up.'
Krash could spend carriage time honing his aura.
But with nothing like that, Bianca getting sleepy made sense.
The issue was that carriages...
Rattle!
Shook now and then because of the road.
Right on cue, Bianca—head dipped low—pitched forward with the jolt.
Young and small, light as a feather.
So she practically floated up with the carriage's shake.
Krash shot out a hand, caught her, and let out a relieved sigh.
Lowering his head, he found Bianca staring up at him with wide, round eyes.
"Krash?"
Krash steadied her right away and stood from his seat.
He plopped down beside her, cradled her head, and laid it gently on his lap.
"Sleep."
Caught off guard by the sudden lap pillow, Bianca glanced up at him.
Stoic as ever, but his kindness shone through.
Bianca soon closed her eyes softly and drifted off.
With her gentle breathing as background music,
Krash peered out the carriage window at the passing scenery.
Maybe because this was a new route this time around.
The street views felt strangely unfamiliar, different from before.
As he thought 'Huh, places like this exist too,' the day of carriage travel drew to a close.
Krash arrived at a lavish building constructed on an island in the middle of a lake.
Reachable via a central bridge, it was originally the Ara Dragon Pavilion—the most famous tourist spot around.
But today, the inn had been rented out entirely for the Star Sanctuary gathering of Staron's noble heirs.
They rotated venues for these meetups, so whoever's turn it was had gone all out on the luxury.
Krash stepped down from the carriage first and eyed the Ara Dragon Pavilion.
"What a waste of money. Total waste."
Ever since being shipped off to Raheln Academy from Valheim like he was being kicked out.
He'd gotten next to nothing beyond basic support.
Which was why this kind of extravagance rubbed someone with a solid grasp of finances the wrong way.
"Krash."
Bianca pushed open the carriage door and stepped out, rubbing her eyes, still half-asleep as she searched for him.
Lately, the moment she woke up, Krash was the first she looked for.
"You up? You were snoring like crazy."
"I don't snore."
She replied with a straight face.
"Nah, you were."
"I wasn't."
Krash shrugged at her stubbornness over something so odd, then glanced at Aliod.
Aliod fetched the prepared outer coat and draped it over Bianca's shoulders.
"It's cold out. Wear it right."
Bianca fastened the coat at Krash's words.
"Ah, coming from the north, this chill's nothing, right?"
Krash wondered if he was being nosy, but Bianca shook her head.
"It's warm."
The clothes carried a cozy warmth that quickly melted away the winter bite.
"Let's head in."
"Okay."
"Take care, both of you."
As Krash started walking, Bianca trailed after him like a baby chick.
The Ara Dragon Pavilion's interior boasted a lobby as opulent as the outside.
"Welcome to Ara Dragon Pavilion."
A servant approached and greeted Krash and Bianca.
Krash pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it over.
"All confirmed. The party hall's on the 8th floor. Right this way."
The highest floor in Ara Dragon Pavilion—and the priciest.
Krash clicked his tongue at the choice and followed the servant.
Moments later, a magic elevator carried Krash up to the 8th floor.
Servants dressed in fine clothes stood in a line there, bowing in unison as Krash and Bianca passed.
"Krash Valheim and Bianca Hardenharts entering!"
One servant boomed the announcement, and the doors to the party hall swung open.
All eyes inside snapped toward them in an instant.
"Valheim?"
"Krash—the youngest, right?"
"Valheim's halfwit."
Whispers erupted the moment Krash stepped in.
He was used to this level of murmuring.
Raheln Academy dished out far worse.
But amid the chatter, the real players stood apart.
"Valheim? Looks like fun just walked in!"
"Ballak, behave yourself."
Krash's eyes caught a group in the distance.
One was a cat-like man with tiger-stripe tattoos on his arms.
Another was a woman whose height—even at just 14—evoked a magpie, oddly enough.
And the most grating of all was the man at their center.
Dark brown hair, eyes drooping slightly at the corners, handsome features.
Anix Graiza—one of the Generation of the Sky, known as the Wood Bow.
The true heavyweights of this party.
Unlike the others, these ones had already awakened their talents.
They'd later be known as Staron's Three Heroes.
Every one of them fixed Krash with intrigued stares.
And that interest from them? Not a good sign.
'No doubt.'
Probably because of that one incident at Star Sanctuary.
That event had made them feel the overwhelming gap between Valheim and regular noble houses.
'Charlotte took down twenty martial noble heirs single-handedly.'
Overwhelmingly, without a single scratch on her.
After that, Charlotte never showed up at Star Sanctuary again.
Krash had learned about it when Aliod mentioned the gathering.
And the source? Pretty twisted.
Because Charlotte herself had come and told him directly.
'She said she wore a low-cut dress that clung to her body on purpose to draw their advances.'
Her giggling in that getup as she stood before him? Pure terror for Krash.
Charlotte was the closest thing to malicious evil he knew among anyone he'd met.
'Brings back bad memories.'
As an unwelcome mood settled over him, Krash felt the stares shift to Bianca.
"Hardenharts—the northern hegemons?"
"Bianca, that 'snow girl' they call her. Heard she's engaged to Valheim."
"One's a cursed kid, the other's a halfwit. Shame about the looks, even if they're young."
"Don't stare. You'll catch the curse."
Coming with him meant Bianca drew plenty of venomous glares too.
Krash didn't care about jabs at himself.
But lumping her in? That pissed him off.
He shot a fierce glare at the loudmouths.
His already savage eyes twisted menacingly, and those who feared the Valheim name naturally looked away.
Living by power, they dreaded anything above them even more.
"Krash."
Right then, Bianca—who'd been following—called out to him.
Worried she felt uncomfortable, he turned.
Bianca gently tugged at his sleeve.
"Don't mind what they say."
Krash stared at her in disbelief for a moment.
Didn't this girl hear them trash-talking her too?
He snorted at Bianca.
"Don't give a fuck."
Valheim was scarier anyway—who had time for this crap?
"What's a fuck?"
Bianca's innocent question made Krash clamp his mouth shut and turn to walk.
Watch the language around her, he thought.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The party carried on as more people trickled in after the two arrived.
Enough that the Star Sanctuary kids chattered among themselves, and Krash and Bianca faded into the background.
'That guy not showing up?'
This was a gathering of Staron's top ten noble heirs—he'd come expecting that one.
Now he felt like he'd come all this way for nothing.
It was then.
"Darling Danphelion entering!"
The servant's booming voice announced her as she strode in.
Deep golden blonde hair, braided and tied up, caught the eye first.
Perky nose, a radiant smile like the sun filling her face.
Average height, slender build—she wore skirt and pants, unlike the other women in dresses.
Her top had frills but was otherwise simple and unique, drawing stares all around.
"Always shows up late like this—loves the spotlight."
"Ugh, weirdo."
"Ah, Darling, you look amazing today too."
Her reception was oddly split, all over the map.
And to Krash, she was a weirdo among weirdos.
She was the exact reason Krash had bothered coming to Star Sanctuary.
'An attention hog like her wouldn't miss a spot packed with her peers.'
His hunch nailed it.
"Hey everyone, hello!"
Krash moved right away as she dove into excited greetings with the crowd.
"Bianca, wait here."
"Mhm, got it."
Bianca, nibbling a piece of meat Krash had handed her, replied with her hand over her mouth.
She was good at waiting alone anyway—no issue.
Krash strode straight toward Darling, now surrounded by people.
Those around her spotted him and subtly backed off.
No one wanted the fallout of tangling with Krash.
Thanks to that, he stood before her easily.
Darling tilted her head at him.
"Hm? New kid I don't recognize."
Three years his senior, she treated him like a little kid.
Glancing at the reactions around and his face, she tilted further.
"Hmm, that face... I've seen it somewhere..."
"Krash Valheim."
The moment he introduced himself, Darling's eyes sparkled.
Interest flooded her gaze.
Which made perfect sense.
She was one screw loose from being Charlotte's most rabid fan—and dead serious about it.