< 110. Blood wets the sand (1) >
#110
The inspection was conducted thoroughly. It took a while for Doron to return to his original position. In his hand was a corner piece of Vajra.
“Where on earth did you get this?”
“That’s a secret. What do you think, is it useful?”
“I wonder if it’s useful… The mana it contains is definitely powerful. “I don’t deny that the possibilities as a material are endless.”
Doron roughly rubbed his beard. He continued without taking his eyes off the sculpture.
“But it’s evil. I have never felt such an evil energy. “It looks like a leaf was plucked from a tree growing in hell.”
“That’s a great analogy.”
“To conclude, it can be used to make weapons. But it’s dangerous. “Unless you plan on making a magic sword, I think it would be better to quit.”
“What, so you’re not using it?”
“······okay.”
Doron nodded heavily. It was a very different reaction from when they brought Sita’s eggshell. The voice filled with concern even felt depressing.
‘You’re worried about me. ‘It’s worth it.’
Ronan slowly smoothed his chin. He could understand the theory. Because the danger of Vajra is on a different level than that of an eggshell. Even if her ego disappeared, that fact did not change.
Even now, sparkling mana was creeping up from the black piece of paper. It might be okay if you were just going to read and study quietly like Asher, but you couldn’t be sure what would happen if you used that to tear flesh and smear blood.
But Ronan had no intention of giving up. I was thinking about what to say to this old man. A soft sigh came from Doron’s mouth.
“Keueummmm….”
At that moment, Ronan realized that Doron was hiding his emotions. Behind her worried eyes, a craftsman’s desire and curiosity that could never be suppressed were burning.
‘Inspiring person. ‘To be dishonest.’
I didn’t think there was any need to cajole. Suddenly Ronan snatched the piece of paper from his hand. widely! Doron’s eyes widened as the paper was taken from him out of nowhere.
“Okay Doron. “Let’s quit.”
“What are you doing all of a sudden?”
“I’ll just make this without using it. “Because I don’t want to become an asshole if I hold a knife incorrectly.”
“Well, that’s still true. Where can you get something like that? Give it here. “It’s too dangerous for you to handle.”
“Ha… Doron. “How about we try to be honest?”
Ronan glanced down at Doron. His gaze was still fixed on Vajra. Ronan squatted down and spoke with a grin.
“You want to try it, right?”
Doron’s expression fell. He hesitated and took the paper.
“Okay, you idiot. “Is it good to beat an old man?”
Ronan, who was giggling, stood up.
“That’s it, Doron. “It’s not a blacksmith to think about what the wielder says.”
“You speak well. Okay, what kind of weapon do you want to make with this hideous thing? knife? window?”
“I’ll leave the type entirely up to you. Because you know much better than me. “Take a look at this instead.”
“Hmm?”
Slurp! Suddenly, Ronan pulled the hilt of the sword. At the same time, the power source of mana was switched. As my heart beat at different beats, a white light came up my sword body.
“This···!”
“It’s so f*cking bright. “Anything is fine, so I hope it’s a weapon that can handle this power well.”
“Nonsense. It’s a completely different power from your existing mana. “I thought the impression I gave off earlier had changed slightly, but that was because of this.”
Doron’s eyes sparkled as he examined the mana that Ronan had manifested. Feeling an instinctive sense of déjà vu, he frowned.
“Hmm… But why does it feel similar to the paper I received earlier? “Is it because of this old man’s mood?”
“You have the insight of a supreme blacksmith.”
“What the hell… no, no. First, show me what you can do with this power. Didican!”
“uh. “You mean the shield?”
Doron nodded. Suddenly Didican went into the corner of the blacksmith shop and came out holding a shield. Ronan tilted his head.
“that?”
“Test shield.”
It was a round shield so large that it covered the entire upper body. There was not a single scratch on the mirror-polished surface. Didican, who was facing Ronan, raised his shield and said.
“good. “Try it now.”
“I’m serious?”
“okay. I’m just trying to see your abilities. “It may look simple, but it was something that the old man put a lot of effort into making, so don’t worry, try it.”
Kang! Kang! Didi Khan smiled confidently and tapped her shield. Even though I knew Ronan’s skills, seeing him do that made it seem like a really well-made shield. Ronan hesitated and grabbed the hilt of her sword.
‘I guess I’ll have to show them what I’m going to do. I hope it succeeds.’
It was my second attempt. Ronan closed his eyes and concentrated. Shuaaaa… I could feel the surrounding atmosphere vibrating slightly and the core changing the nature of the mana. Her mana, which had been sparkling white, began to transform into gold.
“Oh, that’s amazing.”
Didican whistled. The golden afterimage that ran down Ronan’s shoulder wrapped around her right arm. The violent form closely resembled her lion’s paw.
‘It’s a success.’
It was truly a success after a long time. A force that seemed as if it would tear the skin and burst out was sprouting deep within the muscles. It was the same feeling as when Aarondale was split into Aaron and Dale. Ronan asked with concern in his voice.
“Why don’t you quit now? “You can tell the extent of his ability just by hitting something on the floor.”
“I have a bad head, so I have to feel it with my body.” And you can’t become a good blacksmith if you sacrifice yourself to make good weapons.”
“That’s cool.”
Ronan laughed. thud! Suddenly his left foot hit the floor. Shiny roots grew out of nowhere and wrapped around Didican’s legs.
“ok? “What is this again?”
“I’ll help you out. “Hold it straight.”
“Damn it, my legs aren’t moving. “What on earth?”
Didican was embarrassed and struggled, but the root did not fall. The roots anchored his lower body to the floor and made his defensive posture more solid. Didican eventually gave up and picked up the shield again.
“Hey, I don’t know what kind of trick this is, but hurry…”
Before he finished speaking, La Mancha disappeared from sight. Ronan’s arm became a golden trail and split the air. It was the moment the blade touched the shield. Kwaaaaang! Didican’s body flew backwards and crashed into the wall of the forge.
“Gagging!!”
“Oh my god, Didican!”
“Ouch!”
Doron and Adeshan screamed. The werewolf, which was over 2 meters tall, flew towards her as if it were her feather. Slurp! Didi Khan, who was briefly pinned against the wall, fell to her knees.
“Hehe…hehe, this is amazing…!”
Didican chuckled and raised his head. The roots that were connected to the floor were torn off helplessly. On the surface of the shield, which was clean and without a single scratch, there was one very thin and deep line left. Ronan approached her and held out his hand.
“Are you okay?”
“Damn, it’s okay.”
The auror wrapped around Ronan’s arm had suddenly disappeared. Didican grabbed Ronan’s hand and stood up. Clink. At that moment, the lower part of the line crossing the shield fell to the floor.
“oh my god.”
The neatly bisected lower side of the shield was reminiscent of a half moon floating in the sky. Didican, who had experienced an unprecedented situation, laughed.
“Puh-huh, I have no idea what to make. “Our old man is going to have a hard time.”
“Whoa…damn it. As expected, mana consumption is too severe.”
Ronan took a deep breath and switched the power source again. A sudden feeling of fatigue came from the depleted second core.
The only thing I could do was maintain enough time to swing the sword once. He said, looking down at Doron, who was dumbfounded.
“Huh, how do you feel?”
“…Did you use magic? “It’s not enough to separate mana, but it deals with two different abilities.”
“Iknow, right. Anyway, you can get other abilities other than these, but for now, these are all you need. Sir, please take a look and make it into a suitable weapon. “I’m going to pay at Grancia anyway.”
After saying that, Ronan took out a metal card. It was a note received from Schlieffen’s father in return for previously saving Gran Cappadocia. He pointed with the tip of his chin at Adeshan, who was still in shock.
“Don’t forget to make it for that senior too.”
“Yes… that’s right. Hey. “Would you please come here for a moment?”
“Ah, yes!”
Only then did Adeshan come to his senses and run towards Doron. Her Doron, who was studying her, frowned at her.
“You too are feeling unusual. “I’m asking just in case, do you deal with the mana of shadows?”
“W-How can you do that…!”
“I’ve seen it a few times. “The last time I saw you was about 120 years ago… You were born with a rare talent.”
Doron nodded as if he was interested. Seeing a 300-year-old man speak like that, it seemed like a truly rare talent. He continued speaking with a more serious expression.
“Then it will definitely wield unusual power. So, what are your abilities?”
“Well, I’m not a combat type.”
Adeshan looked around. Her eyes suddenly fell on the bats hanging from the ceiling of the blacksmith shop. A low whisper escaped between her parted lips.
“Come on.”
“Kkii!”
Then the bats that were lined up upside down on the ceiling fluttered and flew out. The bats, circling in formation, lined up between Doron and Adeshan. Adeshan said hesitantly.
“…I can control living things. “It depends on the case.”
“oh my god. “Can it be used on humans too?”
“Probably so.”
“This is a truly dangerous force. “I’m glad you seem to have a good heart.”
Doron sighed briefly. He stroked both of his forearms as if to soothe his goosebumps and then opened his mouth.
“good. I can sense your weapon right away. “If you can control your opponent’s movements, it’s definitely a weapon.”
“Are you done?”
“Okay, I’ll take care of the rest, so you can go back now. “It will be completed in about 15 days.”
“Thank you, old man. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“I’m really looking forward to it. “What kind of monster will come out this time?”
Doron trembled. Her round eyes were sparkling through her curly hair. He suddenly grabbed the hammer, looked back at Didican, and shouted.
“That won’t work. I need to start working right away. Didican, help me!”
“Damn, you have an impatient personality. “I’ll just walk you to the elevator and then come back.”
“I’m fine, Doron. See you again.”
Ronan waved his hand. Adeshan bowed politely. Even though Didican wondered if the old man was deaf, Doron did not answer.
However, the loud sound of hammering replaced his greeting. Kang! Kang! The two people were guided by Didican and headed back to the elevator they had entered. Just as they were about to get on board, Didican suddenly stopped them.
“Well, just try two people side by side.”
“ok?”
“I have a new invention I just developed. “It hasn’t been introduced to the market yet, but I want to show it to you.”
Only then did Ronan notice that Didican was holding a strange box in his left hand. There was a short cylinder in the center, and the round side was covered with transparent crystal. Besides that, there were all kinds of miscellaneous parts stuck together, so I couldn’t guess what their purpose was.
“Now, look here. “Taking pictures?”
“You’re filming?”
pop! Suddenly, the box emitted a flash of light and the whole place became bright. The two people frowned. The light soon subsided. Ronan asked irritably.
“Damn it, what did you do?”
“wait. “I’m going to show you something amazing.”
Didican chuckled. Jiyiing…! Suddenly, the box vibrated and a palm-sized piece of paper came out of a groove at the bottom.
“This···?”
“Ooh, do you know what we look like?”
Adeshan’s eyes widened. There was a black and white drawing on the paper. It was a picture of Ronan and Adeshan making incomprehensible expressions, but it was so close to reality that I couldn’t believe it was a painting. Adeshan said in a trembling voice.
“Am I this ugly?”
“It’s not ugly. “Did you make something weird again?”
“It’s a machine that allows you to preserve moments forever. “I haven’t come up with a name yet, but doesn’t it look cool?”
“It’s not that bad.”
Ronan laughed as if he was amazed. He unfolded the elaborate painting without any wrinkles and placed it in his inner pocket. The two immediately took the elevator and headed to the ground.
“It’s already night.”
“Yeah, I didn’t realize time passed because I was underground. “What kind of weapon would you like me to make?”
“Iknow, right. “I’m curious too.”
The moment I left the dry goods store, moonlight poured over my head. The sounds of people living could be heard from all over the city, buried in the night.
Ronan and Adeshan returned to Phileon while looking at the painting Didican gave them. Adeshan complained that he couldn’t show up, but Ronan never gave up the painting.
****
Time passed quickly. The school vacation day came quickly. Since it was only about ten days, nothing significant had happened so far.
“I hope everyone has a meaningful vacation. I hope that even after leaving the Academy, you will not forget that you are a proud member of Phileon Academy…”
Summer vacation began with Kratir’s cliche speech. For 9 weeks, students were able to rest or spend time freely at home instead of going to school.
The once quiet Phileon site was crowded with students returning home. A student who was waiting in line to ride a carriage shouted when he saw Ronan appear in front of him.
“Bird, don’t cut in line!”
“I’m already upset. Do you want to make me angry? “I’m not going home, man.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Should I say I can’t go? shit.”
Ronan crossed the line and headed toward the club building. Squeak – The moment the door opened, familiar faces came into view. Asher, Marya, Braum, Ophelia, and Schlieffen. The five members were each sitting in their respective seats and pacing around.
“good. “Everyone is gathered together.”
Ronan looked around at the members and smiled with satisfaction. thud! He deliberately slammed the door shut to attract attention.
“fist.”
“Ah, it’s here.”
The members turned their heads at the same time. Marja, who met Ronan’s eyes, asked a question as if she had been waiting.
“what’s the matter? “Put it all together like this.”
“It’s nothing special. I’m just trying to decide who will go on a trip with me for about a month during vacation. “Just one.”
“Woah, travel? one month?”
“okay. “It’s a very long… and fun trip.”
The members’ eyes widened. Ronan raised one corner of her mouth. The meaningful laugh even gave off a somewhat evil impression. Asher’s face turned pale as he felt a sense of déjà vu.
“Hey!”
“W-what kind of trip is this?”
“Whahaha! Did I mention that I should go back to my hometown during vacation? “I have six lovely younger siblings!”
The other members also hesitated and backed away. Either way, Ronan didn’t care. As he was carefully considering his future schedule, he pointed to one of his members and said,
“Yes, I would like you.”
