166. Festival of the Sword (9)
#166
As the sun set, dusk fell. A halo of dusky light was flowing along the darkened horizon.
Ronan returned to the restaurant after finishing his conversation with Russell. Her head was complicated in many ways. When I opened the door, even more heat, the smell of grilling meat, and the admiration of people poured out.
“How many bowls is that?”
“That’s amazing. “Only three people.”
“The Little Duke barely ate…!”
Ronan, who was looking around to see if there was a fight, laughed. People’s eyes were focused on one place. This was the table where Ronan’s group was sitting. Nabirose, Lin, and Schlieffen were sitting facing each other.
At that time, the owner, wearing an apron, placed a beer mug made of cow horn and a large bowl in front of the three people. On a plate larger than an ordinary tray, there were layers of golden brown roasted wild boar. He said while looking at Nabirose’s eyes.
“Well, you’re really enjoying it. “Here comes beer and wild boar.”
“Thank you. I think this is enough… Rin. “Can I have some more?”
“huh. Want some.”
Rin nodded at Nabirose’s recommendation. From the way she was talking, it seemed like she had become acquainted with him. The owner’s eyes distorted for a moment.
As he headed toward the kitchen, showing an awkward commercial smile, the onlookers cheered again. I was afraid to guess how many dishes I had finished to get such a reaction. At that time, the eyes of Nabirose and Ronan, who were wiping Rin’s mouth with a napkin, met.
“Ronan. “It’s late.”
“···Yes, it just so happened.”
“Sit down. “I even ordered yours.”
Nabirose pointed to the chair across from him. Ronan, who was sitting on her fur, drank the glass of beer in front of her in one go. It wasn’t until a while that the mokuldae, which was giggling, stopped moving. bang! He set down his empty glass roughly.
“Puha… It’s quite good. here.”
“Farzan’s beer is famous for its excellent taste. There are even people who participate just to eat this. “Anyway, smoking and then drinking are bold.”
“It’s not even a fileon, so what do you think?”
Ronan chuckled. Even though a knife was pointed at his throat to tell him not to drink it, he planned to drink it today. He called the owner and ordered additional beer. With butterflies as I looked Ronan up and down, I opened his mouth.
“Seeing as there were no blood stains, I guess it was finished with a sword?”
“yes?”
“The guy who told you to follow him. “It doesn’t seem to have much substance considering its size, but that’s as expected.”
It was Russell’s story. I don’t know if it was because the atmosphere at the time was harsh, but he seemed certain that he had used sparring as an excuse to kill him. Rin was munching on her meat, her eyes sparkling with interest. He shook her head.
“I didn’t kill him.”
“Know.”
“yes?”
“I said that because your expression was so dark. “Do I need to explain this too?”
Nabi Rose laughed. It seemed like he was in a pretty good mood when I saw him crack jokes that he didn’t usually make. Only then did a somewhat flushed face come into view. Ronan shrugged his eyebrows.
“How much did you drink?”
“I drank some. My beloved students are achieving excellent results in the Sword Festival, so as a teacher, I need to be able to calm down. Ahaha… I’m glad to meet you.”
Ronan and Schlieffen’s faces hardened. If the two people’s ears were not wrong, I just said that they were definitely ‘beloved’ disciples. It seemed like it wasn’t something I normally drank. Ronan, unable to hold back his laughter, opened her mouth.
“Me too.”
“That’s right. “Cute guys.”
Nabirose leaned forward and stroked the two people’s cheeks. The kindest person in the world seemed like a different person from usual. She asked two more questions about whether she still had any concerns, but Ronan only hinted and avoided answering.
I wasn’t sure if this was okay to say. Especially if her target is her. Rin, who was watching Ronan as if she were observing him, tugged on Butterfly Rose’s sleeve.
“huh? “Why do you do that?”
“I’m in the bathroom.”
“iced coffee. “If you leave the restaurant and turn right…”
“I’m scared because it’s dark. “Please come with me.”
Lin said shamelessly. It wasn’t something a self-proclaimed lady would say. After looking at Lin in confusion for a moment, I nodded at her. She raised her body and patted the heads of her two students.
“Eat slowly. “I’ll come back to get some fresh air.”
“Why don’t you just raise it? “If you just pick her up and take her around for a little while, I’ll believe you’re mother and daughter.”
They were naturally a mother and daughter holding hands. Perfect! Butterfly Rose punched Ronan in the head and left the restaurant. Just before her door closed, Rin looked back at Ronan and blinked one of her eyes. She laughed as if Ronan was amazed at her.
“It’s a small thing…”
Anyone could see that he had intentionally avoided the situation. As the sights disappeared, the attention of the drunks naturally dispersed. Only Ronan and Schlieffen remained at the table.
“Aren’t you going to eat any more?”
“If it was a meal, I finished it an hour ago.”
“Did you wait on purpose? “You are indeed a nobleman.”
“If you want, I can also leave your seat. “Do you need time alone to think?”
“···No, sit down. “I can tell you.”
Ronan shook his head. Anyway, there was no one to talk to other than this guy. He relayed to Schlieffen exactly what he had heard from Russell. There is a strange person coming up from the other side of the mountain, and there is a high possibility that he is one of those who massacred the Dawn Unit. There’s even a story about a white-haired swordsman that Nabi Rose once met. Schlieffen, who had been listening, shook his head.
“It’s definitely something that would upset the instructor if he heard it.”
“ok. “I don’t want things to go wrong for no reason.”
Russell’s impression of the devil is that of a robber who betrayed his savior. In other words, he looked very similar to the person expected to be his biological father. It could have been a coincidence, but white hair and scarlet eyes were not common features, as Russell said.
Of course, there was a high possibility that it was not the robber himself. The swordsmanship he used was similar, and it seemed clear that the devil was a very skilled person, but the texture was different from his swordsmanship. However, the thought that there might be a significant connection could not be erased.
‘What is coming up?’
Ronan twisted his lips. It was just a pity that there was no reason to catch and punish the devil right now. Aside from the fact that the sparkling mana found at the scene of the massacre was visible only to Ronan’s eyes, it could also have been a trace left by another accomplice. The atrocious act of cutting one’s wrists was also not problematic under the regulations.
‘If you actually pass over it and you’re not the one involved, you’re screwed.’
The biggest problem was that this was Farzan, where the sword festival took place. In the first place, sneaking over was almost impossible. In order to get to Aran Farzan, you had to cross the sacred site at the top due to the terrain, and since it was an inviolable area, the elders who presided over the sword festival directly stood guard. Each and every one of them was a sword master level strongman.
‘You have to catch it at all costs.’
Of course, if I showed the dawn plaque, something would work out, but I felt that the timing was still inappropriate. Ronan truly did not want to lose that bastard. He had to step in and make sure he was screwed in a safe place rather than messing up. Schlieffen spoke as if representing his feelings.
“I guess confirmation comes first.”
“right.”
Ronan nodded. The good news is that the mountain gets narrower the higher you go. The fact that they came to the Sword Festival meant that they most likely came aiming for the Holy Sword. The closer you get to your goal, the harder it is to give up. He finally came to a conclusion and sighed.
“Damn it, I have to go up anyway. “I just feel sorry for the people across from me.”
“I guess so. “Have you finished eating?”
“ok?”
“I will spar with you. “Shouldn’t we do what we can during the remaining time?”
Schlieffen stood up. Ronan, who was staring at him with his eyes closed, burst out laughing. Looking back, this child’s consideration has always been like this.
“customer. Beer came out…what?!”
Ronan took the beer the owner was carrying and drank it. I felt like I felt lighter than before.
“You know there’s no one to blame even if you die, right?”
Ronan chuckled and followed Schlieffen out. Within a few minutes, a loud noise began to echo from the mountainside. Exactly one hour later, they were banned from sparring for the day on charges of destroying terrain.
****
The screening test consisted of a total of four stages. Because there was a break of two to three days between each test, it took about a week to take all the tests.
Ronan and his group passed the second test with ease. It was a battle to capture the flag, divided into camps, and it was definitely more fun to fight, probably because most of the idiots were filtered out in the first test.
Most of those who remained were worthy of being called powerful. In fact, I was able to find several talented people that I would like to have as colleagues in the future.
“Ronan. After this festival is over, come to our kingdom. “I will let you get whatever you want.”
“Why don’t you just join our family? This is an opportunity to overcome the wall of status that has been established since birth… Huh? Are you more powerful than the Acalusia family? “It’s not that, but…”
The interesting thing was that among them, there were many who wanted Ronan. On the night of the second test, about twenty participants came to Ronan one after another. The tone of speech and the conditions presented were different for each person, but the content of the conversation itself was similar. Be me, or our person.
Among the talented players rising from Gran Farzan, the three were definitely Ronan, Schlieffen, and Nabirose, but the latter two could not be recruited because they already had a solid affiliation and status. On the other hand, in the case of Ronan, although he was famous as a hero who restored spring to the system, he was clearly a student.
To be exact, he was a secret agent directly under the imperial family, but there was no way he would have known such information, and he was an extremely desirable talent for those who came to Farzan for the purpose of recruiting. Moreover, Ronan’s skills, which were confirmed through two tests, far exceeded the rumors that were thought to be exaggerated, so they all tried to lure Ronan with sweet offers. But the answer that came back was always the same.
“Speak at the top, not here. “Then I’ll think about it seriously.”
In short, it meant proving your skills. No matter how good the conditions were, Ronan was stubborn. People soon realized that compromise was impossible and took action with burning fighting spirit. Among them, there were some who muttered that they were unlucky, but those types of people were not people to talk to in the first place.
‘Not everything that has a lot is good. ‘The ones who make it to the top are real.’
Ronan instead kept an eye on the participants who did not approach him. There was a high possibility that the truly talented person would remain silent. Ronan suddenly remembered Darman, the knife delivery man, and shrugged his eyebrows.
‘Is it coming from Aran Farzan?’
The boy and Jaifa, who were suspiciously fast on their feet, were still nowhere to be seen. If Jaipa had participated in the Sword Festival, we would have met him, but it was questionable whether he would have delivered well. We’ll find out in a few days anyway.
After shaking off the people, Ronan started training as usual. The location is on top of a huge rock that shines in the moonlight. Her training included meditation and mana exercises to remove the curse entangled in her veins. He stood up with his back straight and closed his eyes.
‘Now that I think about it, I also have to break the damn curse.’
Although I felt much better after returning from the big holiday, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that my strength was limited. He was in the midst of meditation after shaking off distracting thoughts. Lin’s voice came from behind.
“You work hard.”
“Aren’t you sleeping?”
Ronan closed his eyes and opened his mouth. A cool night breeze blew as if to replace Lin’s answer. Somehow she obtained a new sword and passed her second test with ease. Perhaps because her performance was not outstanding, people’s attention was not focused. Lin said.
“Why are you here?”
“The big-breasted sister you like asked me to come with you.”
“It’s vulgar.”
“What are you going to say? And get your hands off your ass.”
Rin clicked his tongue and slowly lowered his arm. She always had Ronan hanging around her like this whenever she was training. She is like a child looking for someone to play with.
“Then you’re not interested in the Holy Sword?”
“A holy sword?”
“huh. “Most people come looking for the Holy Sword.”
From the sound of her footsteps, Ronan could tell that she was circling around the rock. She spoke as if he had been thinking about the word holy sword before spitting it out.
“I don’t believe in fairy tales like that. It’s probably a story made up by old people like the elders or money-minded people like Marya. “If people stop visiting, everyone will starve to death.”
“Who is Marja?”
“there is. “He’s strong and has big breasts.”
“I see. “I want to meet you.”
Lin said with interest in her voice. The two had an in-depth discussion about the body organ called the chest for nearly thirty minutes. Ronan burst out laughing when he heard her say that she tried to put her hand inside Butterfly Rose’s shirt and got scolded.
“Ugh, this is completely perverted. “If it had been a man, his head would have fallen off on the spot.”
“huh. “I was scared because I was angry.”
“I’m going crazy. Would you like to join our academy after the festival? It seems like the age is right. “I have skills.”
“huh?”
“It will be fun. I’ll also introduce you to Marya and the other friends I mentioned earlier. “If she just fixes her damn hand habits, everyone will be happy.”
The stronger night wind blew my bangs. The air was cold, perhaps because of the high altitude. Suddenly Ronan realized that this was his first business in Farzan. Lin, who had been silent, opened her mouth.
“···Are you flirting now?”
“After choosing the words. Well…you could say that, right?”
“no.”
It was a refusal as resolute as a knife. Ronan’s brow furrowed for a moment. He was just about to say something.
“Okay, then there’s nothing we can do…”
“Say it one more time, not here, but at the top.”
“ok?”
“Do you know anything? “I wonder if my mind will change then.”
It was something he used to say to other people. Only then did Ronan open his eyes. He was alone on the flat rock. As she hurriedly looked around, she saw Rin already running away in the distance. For some reason, the way she took her steps seemed more cheerful than usual.
“Strange guy.”
Ronan raised his head and looked up at the night sky. A few hours would pass, and when dawn broke, the third test would begin. It was the final gateway to confirm the reality of the devil.
