161. Festival of the Sword (4)
#161
“······Sometimes there are exceptions.”
“hey. “Don’t look away.”
“Cough, it looks like the old men of Farzan are in a hurry. “You can’t believe they’re taking such a drastic test from the very beginning.”
Suddenly the girl started coughing dryly. Considering that there was no problem with his complexion at all, it was a dirty tactic to avoid further questioning.
By the way, it was a fairly novel rule. They select the losers based on the number of weapons, not the number of people. This seemed to be the reason why all the weapons they had were made to be taken out during the background check. The guide continued the explanation.
“Reducing the number of weapons is simple. Either destroy it yourself and make it unusable, or put it in the furnace we have provided. “The ownership of the remaining weapons will be considered to belong to the ultimate owner.”
“what?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. This was another shocking rule. People with enough talent to make it to the Festival of Swords would have pretty good weapons, so they could capture them legally. Confusion like wildfire spread among the participants.
“f*ck it. “Get out of my way!”
“Don’t look at my sword like that, you hounds!”
It was ruthless, but I thought it was a genius strategy. It seemed like they were planning to pick only the right guys. Now the participants had to fight with all their might to protect their weapons.
Most of the participants were scared and distanced themselves, but there were some who gathered together in groups of two or three. Maybe they had planned it out in advance. The rules seemed somewhat lenient in allowing something like that to happen.
“Hey bro, I have a question for you.”
At that time, a man with both arms covered in tattoos raised his hand. A hatchet, as ugly as it was impressive, was hanging on each side of his waist. The guide nodded.
“Yes, please tell me.”
“They said they wouldn’t stop bloodshed, but since it’s my first time attending this event, I’m curious as to how far it’s allowed. “Perhaps…”
The man who was dragging his horse looked around. The shiny eyes were desperately longing for something. People who made eye contact with him shrugged their shoulders. The sound of several participants chatting tickled Ronan’s ears.
“oh my god. “I’m a skull collector.”
“Damn it, I’m in the same group as that crazy guy…!”
Seeing that he had a funny nickname, he seemed to be quite famous. We have heard sporadic information that he used an ax to cut off heads to make drinking glasses, or that he was a vicious thief. The man’s gaze, which was slowly sliding, was fixed on the self-proclaimed Lady, who was still playing tricks. A creepy smile appeared on his face.
“Is it okay to kill him?”
“If it is an unavoidable situation. However, attacking an opponent who has abstained is strictly prohibited.”
“Hehe, I really like that.”
In fact, it was as if there were no rules. Her man shook his shoulders and chuckled. Before he knew it, the world around him was empty. The girl frowned as her man and her eyes met belatedly.
“What you looking at. “It’s ugly.”
“Hehehe…”
The man who was laughing looked forward again. The girl, who had repeatedly muttered that she was really ugly, looked alternately at Ronan and Schlieffen and only then relaxed her expression. After finishing her answer, the guide looked at the participants again.
“Do you have any more questions?”
Perhaps because death was mentioned, the words carried a different weight than a moment ago. A weak-looking young man raised his hand and asked a question. A sword that looked too good for the armor he was wearing was rattling around his waist.
“I would like to abstain. Is that possible now?”
“It’s impossible now. Only participants who have destroyed their weapons once the test has begun may withdraw. “I hope you will not approach the sword festival of blood and iron with a light attitude.”
“That can’t be possible…!”
They said that unless we were going to fight while shedding blood or give up our weapons, we had to fight until the end. The young man’s face was distorted in despair. His slender legs were shaking like a newborn deer.
“Hehe, the knife is nice, kid.”
“Do you think you can make it to the furnace?”
Ronan noticed that several participants were glaring at him with sinister eyes. He probably wouldn’t find it easy to abstain. Schlieffen furrowed his eyebrows as if he was displeased.
“It’s obscene.”
After the young man’s final question, silence fell. The guide clapped his hands again to attract attention and announced loudly.
“I don’t think there are any more questions. The test will end as soon as there are ten weapons remaining. We placed an identification spell on the weapon you submitted during the background check, so don’t worry about that. Any participant who does not have a weapon until the end will be eliminated.”
After finishing the final announcement, the guide gestured. Hosts wearing identical uniforms surrounded the audience seats in the arena. The committee members lined up at regular intervals each had a crossbow in their hands. It was a tool to suppress those who violated the rules.
“Everyone get out of the way!”
“You’d better be careful not to fall in. “You won’t even be able to get the bones out of it.”
Next, the gate on one side of the arena opened and a cauldron on wheels appeared. Committee members wearing thick gloves were pushing pots. Molten iron was boiling inside a cauldron so large that it could fit an elephant. The committee members placed the cauldron in the exact center of the arena and then stepped down.
“Then, let’s begin.”
The gate was closed. Fifteen members blew their horns in unison. Buuuu! A loud sound echoed throughout the arena. The first to break the silence was the young man who asked whether to abstain.
“Ugh! Oh, don’t come! “I will abstain!”
He let out a loud scream and started running towards the cauldron. At the same time, the participants who were watching the young man ran out all at once.
“Stand there, you coward!”
“Give me the knife and go!”
Different types of cutlery appeared. Judging from the madness in the pursuers’ voices, it seemed they had no intention of being satisfied with just taking the sword. In fact, it was something I expected the moment I heard that murder was permitted. There are people everywhere who want to taste blood.
“Ahaha, kid, if you weren’t that prepared, you shouldn’t have come!”
Then one of the pursuers kicked the ground and leapt. Perhaps because he had strengthened his leg strength with mana, the height he jumped was ridiculously high. In the hand of the lightly armored woman, gleaming in her cloth, was a dagger, curved like her claws.
Shhh! With all her splendor she turned her lot and fell towards her young man. She was reminiscent of a hawk descending on its prey. She was less than 3 meters away from the young man. Suddenly, a ray of cool wind passed in front of the woman.
-Shirik!
“uh?”
The woman, sensing something strange, tilted her head. A thin line was drawn across her curved sword body. It was the moment when the dagger was about to tear the young man’s back. Sigh! The sword body, split in half along her line, bounced and dug into her right eye.
“Aaaah!”
Quack! The woman lost her balance and fell headfirst to the floor. The sound of her neck breaking echoed softly. The woman’s body went limp as she flinched.
“You, you…!”
The pursuers hurriedly stopped. A young man walked hurriedly and stood between them. Schlieffen, who silently raised his sword, opened her mouth.
“Leave the abstainers alone.”
“My, the morning star of the empire…!”
The calm yet heavy voice was reminiscent of the sea before a thunderstorm. The aura containing the storm was rippling across the bluish sword body. The pursuers, overwhelmed by the momentum, retreated.
“Because it’s unlucky.”
“Urajil, what happened to Daejinun…!”
It was not an opponent I could handle. I wondered why I had forgotten this person’s existence. At that time, the young man who was running without looking back finally threw his sword into the cauldron. Cheeeeeek! The red-hot molten metal swallowed the sword without a trace. The young man sat down, his legs giving out, and cried out desperately.
“Ugh! I am abstaining! “I abstain!”
“Participation number 34 has been confirmed to have abstained. “Please leave.”
It seemed like they had assigned a new number that I didn’t know about. The side door in the corner of the arena opened. The young man left crying with his hands raised above his head. Members with crossbows stopped other participants from attacking him. One of the pursuers who was suddenly intercepted by Schlieffen let out a groveling laugh.
“Hey, hey. Instead of doing this, how about we do the same thing? If you are, you are already guaranteed to pass. “We’ll find people with good weapons, so you… ugh!”
Schlieffen swung his sword in silence. As the wind blew once again, the weapons the pursuers were holding were instantly cut to pieces. Pieces of short spears, long swords, and maces fell to the ground. The pursuers’ faces turned pale.
“Huh oh oh…!”
“Are you going to continue?”
Schlieffen said. Now, in order for them to fight further, they had to take away other people’s weapons. The pursuers, looking at each other, slowly raised their hands. Ronan, who had been watching the scene from beginning to end, laughed.
“What a mess.”
Anyway, he was a noble guy. Those types of people are probably the ones causing the people to have illusions about nobility. The pursuers, their will broken, quietly exited through the side door. The girl who was standing side by side with Ronan and watching the scene curled her mouth in admiration.
“Hoo…your good-looking friend is quite good too.”
“He’s a good guy. “What, you didn’t know who that bastard was?”
“huh. “I don’t have much interest in the world.”
The girl shook her head left and right. It was something only old people who had lived their lives would say. Well, I didn’t even know who the Tortoise Sword was. Ronan muttered and frowned at her.
“By the way, that’s my technique, but you just copied it. “You unlucky bastard.”
I only showed it a few times when I traveled to Dainhar, but it seems like I learned it again. This is why I didn’t like the group called genius. Ronan suddenly felt a faint sensation and looked down. The girl reached out her hand to tease her own ass.
“Hmm… I’m worried. “I think this one will be more solid.”
“Aren’t you going to get your hands off me?”
“Tsk, that’s shameful.”
The girl clicked her tongue and lowered her hand. Somehow, she couldn’t let down her guard even a little. Schlieffen took his place in front of the cauldron and did not move, as if he were the guardian of the right to abstain.
By handing over his sword, he indicated that he had no intention of attacking unless attacked first. Only then did the participants who were paying attention slowly move. There were no more abstentions. The confrontation structure collapsed one by one, and a melee began.
