< 107. Baeksuje (7) >
#107
The incident was not concluded until deep dawn. People were crowded into the empty banquet hall.
Four of them and one of them were members of the special adventure club, and the remaining nine were all related to Baeksuje. To be exact, people who were involved.
“Ahhh…ugh…”
“Ooh, don’t move. “It hurts more.”
Asher said in a voice filled with concern. In front of him, three men wearing janitor’s armor were sitting with their backs to each other and groaning. An invisible hand was grabbing them. Marja snorted at him as she slung his greatsword over her shoulder.
“Leave it alone. “They brought this upon themselves.”
“Is this woman… a mixture of giants? “What kind of power…”
“Aren’t you guys so weak? “What if adults don’t have that much power?”
Marja giggled. The men’s armor was dented as if they had been hit by a huge reindeer. It was the result of Marya’s swordsmanship. Her iconic septum shattered men’s ribs in just two hits.
“When I suddenly received a note, I wondered what this was… Ronan, how did he know this?”
“I-I don’t know either.”
The men were all poachers disguised as janitors. When I suddenly received a note telling me to go to Tower 13, where Varen’s office was, I wondered what this meant, but when I got there, I saw that these two people were actually opening the door to the office. Braum, who was crossing his arms, cleared his throat as if he was displeased.
“Hmm! Poachers are invading this sacred hall of learning. “This is deplorable!”
“Still… I’m glad I found out in advance.”
“Ttaaa.”
Ophelia, who was standing next to him, shook her head. Sita, sitting on her shoulder, also flapped her wings in agreement.
Ophelia, Braum, and Sita teamed up separately to deal with the poachers who were waiting to steal the doppelganger. Since all of them were combatants, it took quite some time, but in the end, we were able to subdue them safely. The woman on her knees at Ophelia’s feet trembled and muttered.
“Huh…suck, vampire….”
“Shh.”
Ophelia put her index finger on her lips. There were two small, red holes in the woman’s neck. Even though it wasn’t just her, the poachers that Ophelia Jo had brought in were somehow haggard. Ophelia, who had been stroking her lady’s head, looked up at her braum, and she said:
“They were bad people… right?”
“I-I didn’t say anything!”
“Yes…thank you. “I was so hungry…”
Braum nodded like a broken doll. Cold sweat was running down his temples. Ever since he learned of Ophelia’s identity, he had been having nightmares about sucking blood from his entire body every three days.
“Are we all there now? “Except Ronan.”
“Oh, there’s still one person left.”
“who? Ah, that person was also a member of our team.”
Asher nodded. Suddenly, the door to the small banquet hall opened and a boy with dark blue hair came in. Schlieffen was wearing a perfect school uniform, unlike the other members who looked disheveled. Braum laughed when he saw that he was wearing his tie too tightly.
“Haha, as expected, it’s amazing.”
“He’s like a noble… he’s a noble.”
Ophelia also nodded in agreement. Schlieffen’s right hand was holding the neck of an old man in a suit.
Judging by the fact that the two people’s clothes were stained with blood, it seemed like things had not gone smoothly. Marya recognized the old man’s face and widened her eyes.
“…That grandfather is quite a famous person, isn’t he?”
I remember seeing it by chance while looking through the list of wanted criminals. He was a criminal who gained considerable notoriety not only for poaching but also for serial murder. He was at the level of Auror awakening, so he was definitely not someone a student could catch.
Schlieffen walked forward with great strides and threw the old man in front of the other poachers. Asher asked worriedly.
“Oh, you’re not hurt…? “The blood…”
“It’s not my blood.”
A dry answer came back. In fact, there wasn’t a single scratch on his body. Schlieffen, who was looking closely at Chairman Soyeon, opened his mouth.
“Didn’t you say there were ten people in total? “Why are there only nine?”
“Well, that’s… one of them is Ronan…”
“Right. Did you kill him?”
Schlieffen hesitated. Her reaction was calm, as if she had expected it. Asher, who was rummaging through her pocket, took out one of her notes and began to read it.
“Uh, yeah… So, what happened…”
It was an additional note I received from Ronan around the time all the poachers were caught. Likewise, the note carried by the crow contained information about the duel with Aarondale and the capture of the Omega doppelganger.
Schlieffen shrugged his eyebrows when he heard the name Aarondale. I never would have guessed that the other one was him.
Since he was the strongest one, he was ordered to run away if he encountered one, so it was funny that he caught him. A faint smile appeared on Schlieffen’s lips.
“···You keep going up too.”
“huh···?”
“no. “I will go.”
Schlieffen, who had finished his business, was about to turn his back. bang! Suddenly, the double doors swung open and a boy with a bandage on his chest came in. A familiar voice rang out.
“What, is everyone gathered together?”
“···Ronan?”
“A long time. “You unlucky bastard.”
The members of the team were shocked at the sudden appearance of Ronan. He was covered in blood beyond compare to Schlieffen, and was holding a long rope in his hand. Ronan looked around the small banquet hall and was amazed.
“One, two, three, four… oh, you caught them all?”
All the poachers who had been ordered to be caught were captured. I thought I would miss at least one person, but I didn’t expect to catch them all.
Since Nabirose had wiped out the entire transport team waiting outside the school, it was safe to say that there were no poachers left in Phileon. Ronan, who was giggling, looked at her members one by one and opened her mouth.
“Everyone worked hard. “No one got hurt, right?”
“Yes. no one is here. Ronan, is that… Omega doppelgänger?”
“Oh, that. I was already going to introduce you. And on the way, I made unexpected income.”
“Unexpected income…?”
“I’ll know it when I see it. Now, come in.”
Asher tilted his head. At that time, Ronan pulled on the rope he was holding in his hand.
– I couldn’t protect anything.
– I love you.
Soon, two men walked into the small banquet hall from behind the door. The men tied tightly with rope stood on either side with Ronan in the middle. The members’ eyes grew so big that they seemed to pop out.
“There are three Ro, Ro, Ronan…?!”
“W-What’s going on?!”
“Bwait?!”
Marya covered her mouth with both hands. Sita, who was flying towards Ronan, stopped in the air. Original Ronan didn’t say anything and just laughed cheerfully.
“How about it, is it similar?”
The members could not say anything. The faces of the other two people looked exactly like Ronan’s. A total of three Ronans were facing the members side by side.
Both men were wearing thick blindfolds, so a detailed comparison was impossible, but it was definitely Ronan. Original Ronan sighed.
“Understand that you are blindfolded. When Omega encountered Varen, she transformed into Drake. “That lion lost her favor with that kind of monster…”
Ronan and Varen had to sweat again to catch the doppelganger who had transformed into Drake. The blindfold was a means to prevent doppelgängers from turning into other troublesome beings.
The three Ronans each had a different appearance. Ronan on the left was as large as an adult and was wearing an Imperial uniform, and blood was dripping at his feet.
The Ronan on the right looked exactly like the current Ronan, but was wearing a stylish uniform that only a crown prince would wear. Asher asked in confusion.
“Well, did you catch the alpha just now? when?”
“Well, it just happened to happen. “He was on his way.”
“…Who ran into Alpha?”
Suddenly, Marya opened her eyes and glared at Ronan. Her associates shrugged their shoulders at the low voice. Eventually, Ronan opened her mouth.
“me.”
“what?”
“Damn it, it’s me.”
Ronan sighed. While returning to the main building carrying a sleeping Adeshan, he encountered a fluffy puppy. The puppy, whose ears were pricked, suddenly transformed into Ronan. Ronan suddenly felt ashamed and twisted his lips.
“I guess… he liked me…”
“What is that…”
Although I had always thought that there was no such thing as a loved one, I had no idea that this would result. Marya’s eyes were fluttering as she could not accept her situation.
“Now, go in.”
Ronan put the Omega doppelganger into the chest. He was much softer than a human, so he was able to put it in easily.
This time, it was a car that was trying to insert an Alpha doppelganger. Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind that it would be a waste to end it like this.
A creature that changes into someone you love. Undoubtedly, on the day of Baeksuje, it would have been difficult to look around because of the crowds.
“···Still, I already got it, shall we have some fun? Hey, morning star of the empire.”
“what?”
Schlieffen turned his head. At the same time, Ronan removed the Alpha doppelganger’s blindfold. It was the moment when the eyes of the doppelganger and Schlieffen met.
The Alpha Doppelganger’s body bubbled and transformed into a white-silver-haired woman. Her rope-tied girl smiled brightly.
-Wow, Mr. Schlieffen! hello!
“What the…!”
Schlieffen’s face lit up. Ronan, the chairman of Soyeon, told her to leave and burst into laughter. The other members who saw Iril’s face let out an exclamation. exclaimed Schlieffen, who had completely lost her composure, placing her hand on the hilt of her sword.
“Rude…don’t you dare tie this sheep to a rope or something!”
“Does it matter now? You really like my sister. ”
“this guy!”
“yes. yes. “Then next is our loser.”
Ronan turned the doppelganger’s body towards Asher. The doppelganger who blinked her eyes bubbled up again. Asher, who belatedly realized the situation, let out a scream.
“Oh, no!”
But it was already too late. The doppelganger’s chest swelled and the rope became taut. The Alpha doppelganger, who instantly transformed into Marya, smiled at Asher.
-Cutie! Should I live with my sister?
“Oh, no···!”
Asher, whose legs became weak, collapsed in place. Marya’s eyes widened. She said as she looked down at her Asher, her face red.
“You, cutie…”
“Maria! “This is, this is…!”
“···Did you like me?”
Marya, who was habitually stroking Asher’s head, stopped her hand. Asher froze. A crying voice came from his mouth as he had lost the ability to speak.
“Well, that’s… wow… ugh…”
“Ahaha, I’m a little embarrassed…”
Marya scratched her cheek and smiled. An awkward silence fell between the two. Tears suddenly welled up in Asher’s eyes as he looked at the two Marjas alternately.
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!”
Asher suddenly stood up and ran out of the small banquet hall. A sad cry echoed through the hallway. Marya, who was standing dumbfounded, muttered quietly.
“You cutie… me…”
“yes. “Miss Marja, look here.”
However, there was no time to get lost in sentimentality. Ronan immediately turned the doppelganger towards Marya. Maria, covering her face with superhuman reaction speed, shouted.
“Ha, don’t do it! “If you show that to me, I’ll kill you!”
“okay. Okay, look here. “It only changes when our eyes meet.”
“Stop! “Aaaah!”
Screams followed. Despite Ronan’s efforts, Marya ended up leaving the small banquet hall without making eye contact with her doppelganger. Ronan tried to show the doppelganger to Braum and Ophelia, but the two had already escaped through the window. Ronan, feeling helpless, licked his appetite.
“Hey, this won’t be fun.”
Schlieffen had already left, so the small banquet hall was empty. A mixture of different voices was coming from outside the window.
It was the sound of horses, the growling of animals, the sound of metal clashing… It was the sound of the people who had taken care of the situation preparing for the Baeksu Ceremony. Suddenly, a question arose.
‘Anyway… is it possible to love yourself while hating yourself?’
What Ronan hates is his past self, who could not protect anything. If you think about it carefully, it was absurd for the alpha doppelganger who turned into your lover to turn into you.
“I wonder what happened…”
Ronan, who was smoothing his chin, stood in front of the alpha doppelganger. The moment her eyes met, the doppelganger’s shape distorted and the transformation began.
“hmm?”
Ronan shrugged his eyebrows. The outline that was beginning to take shape was different from before. His golden hair turned black, and he grew so tall that he had to slightly raise his head.
In the end, the doppelganger that was transformed did not take on its own appearance. His heartbreakingly nostalgic voice fell on Chairman Soyeon.
– Corporal.
“···her.”
Ronan laughed. Her nose suddenly turned cold at her unexpected appearance. Ronan wiped her eyes with her sleeve and opened her mouth, looking up at her doppelganger.
“I guess I respected him.”
The eve is over. The dark blue sky was slowly becoming diluted. The day of unemployment has arrived.
****
The commotion that occurred last night was kept a complete secret. Ronan, who slept for about two hours, headed to Tower 41, where Jaradin was located, as soon as the sun came up. Not long after knocking on the door, Jarudin, dressed in pajamas, greeted him.
“Ronan…? “What’s going on at this hour…?”
“I’m sorry for coming to you all the time. “Please open the way.”
“road···?”
“Why, you know. “The passage leading to Professor Secret’s office.”
Jarudin, who had just woken up from sleep, had his head sticking out like a house that a magpie had just built. He opened his mouth with his eyes half closed.
“Ah… you mean Separacio. “It’s a long-awaited festival, but you’re not enjoying it.”
“You should enjoy it. “Let’s just take care of this.”
“That’s right… you live a very busy life.”
The two headed towards the bookshelf on the office wall. When Jarudin took out a few books and chanted a spell, the bookshelves receded and a path appeared.
“Kashipa, Lunajie, Delphirim.”
“thank you. “See you later.”
Ronan left a short thank you and strode down the aisle. A study room was revealed, surrounded on all sides by books. A child was sitting on the floor and reading a book. Secrit recognized Ronan and shook his hand.
“Oh, Ronan. “It’s been a while since I saw you.”
“It’s been a while, Secret.”
“So, what brings you to this old man?”
Secret laughed, stroking his nonexistent beard. She seemed to be confused as she had just turned into a child. Ronan, who had been silent, opened her mouth.
“I have to do it for you. “No matter what it takes.”
