< 114. Blood wets the sand (5) >
#114
Black crystal covered the walls and ceiling of the cave. It was the magic stone from Dainhar that everyone was looking for. Ronan’s eyes widened at the scale he had never seen before.
‘I’ll buy a decent castle or territory.’
It was enough to be done about a thousand times. If I took just one piece, I could have played and eaten for the rest of my life.
But that wasn’t what mattered now. Suddenly, a large young man walked out among the natives.
“Cough, stranger. “Why did you come all the way here?”
He was a larger man, one hair more different from Ronan. The overall thick-lined face resembled thunder, whether we knew it or not.
The unique tattoos of the Dainhar indigenous people were engraved on the muscular upper body. In one of her sturdy hands, she held a dagger. Ronan realized that he was the criminal who kidnapped Thunder.
“Didn’t you hear the thunder? “I’m here to help.”
“What a big liar. “I can’t believe you can say that even after seeing that hell… I know the purpose of seeing it was the black stone anyway.”
“Have you been deceived? Of course, it’s not entirely wrong, but…”
Ronan trailed off. Cough! The man coughed deeply again and growled lowly.
“I know that you saved the thunder of your dreams. In return, you may return with as many stones as you wish. Instead, don’t come back again.”
“This is how Dainhar monkeys behave. “It’s very arbitrary.”
“If you don’t listen…”
Suddenly, the man grabbed the hilt of the sword. Crash. With the sound of metal clinking, the length of the dagger tripled. He pointed the extended tip of his sword at Ronan and chanted.
“I will kill you.”
“Stop bragging, man. “Even if I just run away, you’ll die first.”
“···What?”
“You’re hurt. “I saw it when I was chasing you.”
Ronan said calmly. He had noticed since the chase that the man’s condition was not normal.
“Keuuuu…how dare you…”
The man who was seen through gritted his teeth. In fact, there were two fist-sized metal objects stuck in his back. The sparkling mana seemed to have been hit during the battle with Nebula Clazier.
The foul odor emanating from the affected area indicated the severity of the wound. Ronan looked around her and laughed as if he was amazed.
“Did you save people with that body? “That’s amazing.”
“Cough, shut up…!”
Most of the people gathered in the cave were women, children, or the injured. Given the circumstances, it seemed like the man saved not only the thunder but also the rest. Ronan continued.
“If you leave that alone, you’ll die. “I’ll fix it, so just wait.”
“Keu…don’t disturb me and get out!”
“older brother! “Don’t do that!”
The man raised his arms. Thunder, who was watching, screamed. Sigh! At that moment, a shadow slid down the slope Ronan had come down from.
“Who are you?”
The man quickly turned his head. The natives, who were nervous, reflexively let go of the protest. Kagak! Sparks flew in the air and the cut crossbows fell to the floor.
“I’m stuck again!”
A scream of embarrassment erupted. The shadows that struck down five crossbows at once rushed towards the man.
“The speed…!”
The movements were unusual. The embarrassed man swung his knife. It wasn’t a very bad attack, but the shadow dodged the attack very easily and dug in. The two shapes were about to overlap. Ronan muttered as she sighed.
“Don’t kill me.”
At that moment, the shadow stopped. Tuk. The dagger fell from his man’s hand. A cool sweat was running down his temples.
“Huh, huh…what is this…”
I didn’t even know what happened. The man swallowed thickly and slowly lowered his gaze. A bluish blade was pointed at his neck. Schlieffen opened his mouth without hesitation.
“Ronan. “What happened?”
“Okay, I tried to do it peacefully.”
Ronan spat on the floor. They were poor guys, so I tried to resolve it through conversation if possible, but it seemed like I had already failed. The natives, oppressed by Schlieffen’s murder, were frozen, unable to even think of resisting.
Anyway, although he seemed cool-headed, he was a man with no backs. Now that things were like this, it seemed like he would just have to carry on as usual. Ronan sighed again.
“It’s okay, so just do it. “What about Sita?”
“Bye!”
As soon as she could speak, Sita flew over and sat on Ronan’s shoulder. Nodding her head, Ronan went back behind her man. He said, looking around at the natives.
“Alright, everyone, stay still. “The moment you guys start messing around, this healthy young man’s head will be blown off.”
“No, what do you want to do …
A desperate scream came from the man’s mouth. In Ronan’s hand, he was holding a piece of metal that Nebula Clage had driven into it. Blood and pus that had been festering for three days dripped down.
“Ugh, it’s dirty.”
“Koooook!”
While saying that, Ronan pulled out the remaining metal pieces. Schlieffen held up her sword and stopped her man from rampaging. Ronan, who confirmed that there were no more metal objects, said while stroking Sita.
“That’s enough. Sita, let’s use our strength one more time.”
“Pyeol-ah!”
Sita responded and flew upward. Four wings spread wide. A band of red light covered the natives, including the man.
“What about this?”
“The wound is healing…!”
People who felt this strange situation let out an exclamation. The wound in the area engulfed in the light was healing. New skin began to grow not only on bruises and abrasions, but also on festering and rotting wounds. The man who witnessed the miraculous scene stammered.
“You, what the hell are you…”
“I told you. “I came to help.”
Ronan patted him on the back. I didn’t feel any pain. The original wound site was covered with fresh, bare skin.
Suddenly, water filled the man’s eyes. He looked around at the completely cured tribesmen and opened his mouth.
“···He is a benefactor. “Lower your weapons.”
****
“Bwaeeee…”
“great job. “You are better than people.”
After completing treatment, Sita landed on Ronan’s shoulder. She looked quite exhausted, perhaps because she had to handle so many people at once. Ronan dropped two drops of the potion he had prepared in advance into Sita’s mouth, which was panting.
“It’s Varen’s special. Eat and gain strength.”
“Pyeongwooung!”
Sita, who immediately regained her strength, took off again. Anyway, one effect was an amazing potion. Ronan turned his head and glanced around the bustling room.
“Everything is healed. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Look at this angry gust, the legs are moving!”
“Don’t overdo it. “I’m hurt again.”
The natives whose wounds had healed were happy. It was somehow a proud yet bitter sight. The man looked at each person one by one and returned to Ronan.
“I confirmed that everything is better. “I will definitely repay this favor.”
“it’s okay. “What is your name?”
“An angry gust of wind. He is the older brother of Dreaming Thunder. “Thank you so much for saving my little brother.”
“Somehow they looked similar, and they were brothers. It’s Ronan. ”
Ronan shook hands. Angry gusts of wind joined hands. Ronan, who was shaking his arms up and down, laughed.
‘As we live, days like this come.’
I didn’t know that I would hear the sound of a benefactor from the natives of Dainhar. Ronan took out a cigarette and opened her mouth.
“Is this what survivors are all about?”
“As far as I know, yes. “They are scattered, so there may be more, but there probably aren’t any.”
An angry gust twisted his lips. After being silent for a moment, he pointed to the metal piece that had come out of his body.
“A guy in a strange suit was dragging monsters around that shot those things. He killed him and all the monsters. “The other man didn’t do anything.”
“monster?”
“okay. “The more I swallowed the black stone, the stronger I became.”
Gust began to describe the events of three days ago. As the thunder said, two followers of Nebula Clazie pushed into Dainhar. Only one of them committed the massacre.
Three monsters he had never seen before followed him, throwing metal objects everywhere. All of Dainhar’s warriors took up the fight, but were helpless because of the shield that blocked any attack.
‘The shield is the protection of the stars… and the monster. Are we dealing with monsters again?’
The situation was more serious than expected. The identity of the monster was unknown, but using the star’s protection meant that it was at least a branch leader-level person.
The man who said he did nothing was also bothered. Ronan clicked her tongue and exhaled smoke.
“thanks for letting me know. “So do you know where those bastards went?”
“Why do you ask that? Are you really trying to catch them?”
“ok. “That’s why I came here in the first place.”
“Can not be done!”
Suddenly, an angry gust of wind screamed. A startling thunderstorm interrupted him.
“older brother. “Calm down.”
“Dangerous. They are not an opponent you can beat. “We cannot let our benefactors die.”
“No, brother. All of these people are strong. “They are warriors almost at the level of a chieftain.”
“Dreaming thunder…!”
“No, it’s stronger. That blue hair can create a storm just by swinging a sword. Ronan said he was twice as strong as him.”
Thunder desperately tried to persuade Gust. It was funny to see people who were all dying worrying about the survival of others. Ronan said, scratching her head.
“Well, I’m sorry, but no matter what you say, I’m going to go find it.”
“···you.”
“I don’t want to lose my strength for no reason, so just tell me quickly. “Does anyone really know where it went?”
Ronan said, looking around at the natives. There was a thick silence. About a minute had passed. Gust, who had been quietly drooling, opened his mouth.
“I know.”
“oh.”
People turned their heads at the same time. Thunder also opened his eyes and looked up at him. Ronan asked, shrugging his eyebrows.
“I told you that already. “Just tell me the location.”
“I can’t do that. You have to come with me no matter what. “Outsiders cannot reach there.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I went in where their hearts were.”
For a moment, Thunder’s face hardened. The natives began to riot violently. A trembling voice came out of Cheondeung’s mouth, who had barely managed to control his excitement.
“···older brother. “Is that true?”
“Do not deceive your benefactor. “I saw it clearly.”
“That can’t be possible. Why go there…”
The reaction was unusual. Ronan tilted his head.
“What’s wrong with your heart?”
“···It is a sacred place. I swore to protect it from generation to generation. “It’s why we exist.”
“Holy place?”
“okay. “All the black stones came out of there.”
Ronan’s eyes widened. This was a story she had never heard even in her previous life. Gust, who was looking around, picked up the dagger that was lying on the floor.
“let’s go. “I will guide you personally.”
****
“be careful. “If it falls, it’s over.”
“In what kind of rocky mountain is there a path like this?”
Ronan shook his head left and right. I felt like I knew why the gust of wind had declared that outsiders could not go. It was terrain that he would not have thought of as a road in the first place if he had not been guided.
He was taking one step at a time, clinging to the wall like a frog. There was a long cliff next to the side road that he could barely stand on with one foot. The stone that fell under his foot made a rattling sound only after a few minutes.
“This is the path to the heart. “You can go anywhere, but not everyone can go.”
said the angry gust of wind. He too was passing through the narrow road in the same posture as the others.
Ronan and Schlieffen were following the gust of wind towards a place called ‘the heart’. The task of protecting the natives was left to Sita. Schlieffen, who was also maintaining the frog pose, muttered quietly.
“···Shameful.”
“But we’re almost there now. “Just be patient.”
To conclude, it was a lie. They were able to get out of the narrow road quickly, but the terrain was even more brutal. Ronan cursed as he saw the liquid under the stepping stones boiling.
“Damn it, is this really lava?”
“no. It’s red water. “It’s hot if you touch it, so be careful.”
“It’s lava. “f*ck.”
It was about two hours later that there was a path worth walking. The huge passage was wide enough for thirty horses to race. The gust of wind that had been silently guiding them opened its mouth.
“···thanks.”
“what?”
“It still bothered me that I looked away even though I saw it. I was able to go to my heart thanks to you saving and protecting people. “I thought outsiders were always bad, but I guess that’s not the case.”
“It’s okay, man. When you get to the heart or something, run away without looking back. “Do you remember what you promised?”
“I get it. “I keep my promise.”
A gust of wind roared. Ronan’s request was that you never intervene, as he would catch Nebula Clazier and punish her. Thunder, which seemed like it was going to do something crazy, had been tied up with a rope.
Soon the passage ended and an open space appeared. Ronan and Schlieffen’s eyes widened. A scenery I had never seen before unfolded before my eyes.
“Arrived. “This is the heart.”
It was almost as big as the new Gran Cappadocia. Although it did not have a wonderful ecosystem like there, other factors overwhelmed the viewer.
A light that I didn’t know where coming from was brightly illuminating the entire space. walls and floor. The ceiling was all covered with pure white metal.
It was an architectural style I had never seen before, and the texture seemed similar to the exterior wall of a strange building I had seen during the mid-term evaluation.
“Pillar···?”
Ronan’s gaze, as he looked around, landed on a huge colonnade. Dozens of hexagonal pillars lined up at regular intervals were erected at the ends of the space. The circumference of the pillars reaching up to the ceiling was thick enough to be compared to the spire of Phileon.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, not even in my dreams…”
Ronan muttered as if he were lost. It was a scene that could not possibly feel real. Floating in the center of unreality was a black crystal known as the mother of all Dainhar magic stones.
The crystal, which was larger than an average farmhouse, was spewing out mana in all directions, enough to make the surrounding space appear distorted. In front of her, her man was standing with his back to her. Ronan hastily lifted one of her arms.
“stop.”
The group stopped. Ronan quietly stared at his man. Glittering mana was blooming like fire above her sagging shoulders. It was clearly one of the Nebula Claziers who had invaded.
‘Why is there only one? Anyway, what kind of power…’
Ronan twisted his lips. He felt a stronger energy than any believer he had ever seen. It was at a level that was far superior to that of the old man riding the Brigiana Wyvern.
Ronan was about to put his hand on the hilt of the sword. Her man, who was behind her, opened her mouth without turning her head.
“Welcome. “It’s my first time meeting you in person.”
