177. Festival of the Sword (20)
#177
“Holy sword, would you like to have it?”
“what···?”
Ronan frowned. Her attitude was as if she was in charge of her holy sword. As Aju had entered twice, her expression was so serious that it didn’t seem like she was playing around.
“···Do you know where it is?”
“huh. know.”
Lin shook his head. The transparent eyes were full of confidence. Ronan raised her hand and poked her cheek with his index finger.
“Then why don’t you pick it?”
“That’s not allowed. I thought they would be happy and take off all their clothes right away, but the reaction was worse than I expected. “What do you think of the holy sword?”
Lin said. Judging from the way her eyes narrowed, she seemed a little angry. Why is he suddenly acting like this? Ronan, who thought for a moment, opened her mouth.
“Good knife.”
“···Is that all?”
“huh. “If it can make a name for itself, it must be strong.”
His tone of voice was firm. Even after waiting for a while, no further description came out. Lin’s face gradually began to harden. At one point she turned her head, pouting.
“idiot.”
“Why are you suddenly upset again?”
“It’s too much. “Still, it’s the sword that defeated the demon dragon.”
“Honestly, I’m not even sure if that’s true. If the first emperor played a decisive role in defeating Orsay, more people should know. “But this was my first time hearing it since I came here.”
Ronan said. In fact, if it weren’t for his senior grandmother who couldn’t cook, he would have lived his entire life without knowing about this anecdote. Rin answered in a very sulky voice.
“…I couldn’t help it. “Because he asked the Holy Sword not to record him in history.”
“Huh?”
“But Balon broke his promise. He respected the Holy Sword’s will and did not make a big deal out of it, but he told his associates about it. Of course, the secret was not kept, and the disappointed Holy Sword came to Farzan and settled down. He had no one to wield, but his sanctity was intact. “Farzan’s pool, filled with light, became a tomb where the souls of the sword gathered.”
The story flowed like water between small lips. I felt like a great secret that I shouldn’t have heard passed by my ears. Her Ronan looked at her with his eyes wide open.
“How do you know all that?”
“I just know. And maybe you’re right.”
“What am I saying?”
“It’s just a strong sword. In fact, it was not the power of the Holy Sword that defeated Orsay.”
Lin said calmly. Ronan shrugged his eyebrows at the inexplicable sound.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“The Holy Sword simply awakened the power that Balon possessed. Among mortals who only live a fleeting life, there are some who have potential that overwhelms even immortal beings. Balon was one of them.”
“It’s potential.”
“huh. Orce, who was said to be one of the five strongest dragons of all time, was injured by the explosive power and had to run away. Balon was a man worthy of founding an empire.”
Lin calmly introduced an anecdote about Balon’s fight with Orsay. It was as if the first emperor was a friend.
Of course, as he was the first to create an organization called the Imperial Army, he was called an even more derogatory title among his fellow punitive soldiers, but when he actually heard it like this, it felt quite different. Should I say that it feels like seeing a guy calling his parents by their first names? Rin continued as she rested her head on Ronan’s shoulder.
“In the end, the most important thing is not the sword, but the person wielding it. You know it right. Of course, I didn’t make the decision based solely on that.”
“Do you guess?”
Lin didn’t answer. She stopped banging her head and stood up from her seat. Ronan noticed that Lin’s hair was shining softly.
“what is your identity?”
“Answer my question first. “There’s not much time left.”
The burning sunset was shining on the two people. The clear wind carried no scent. Hae’s struggle to survive felt more intense today.
“no way···.”
Ronan’s eyes widened as he stared at Lin. Looking back, she was a strange girl from the first time we met. Suddenly, a hypothesis flashed like lightning in his head. Ronan felt goosebumps creeping up his entire body as he put what happened after meeting Rin into perspective. He was about to answer something. A loud voice was heard from the direction of the sanctuary.
“It’s different. Where are you coming from? “Get out now!”
“Hey! Ha, just take a look. “If I can’t give it to you this time, I really don’t think I’ll be able to give it to you…!”
The two people turned their heads at the same time. From afar, a familiar boy was walking along the dirt of the sacred site. It was quite comical to see him walking carefully to avoid getting hit by the sword. On his back was a long box that Ronan was familiar with.
“Darman?”
Ronan frowned at the inexplicable action. She couldn’t understand why she was suddenly doing that when she was supposed to give it away later.
From what I heard, it was an area that no one except elders, swordsmen, and finalists could enter. As if to disprove him, the old woman who introduced herself as the owner of the silver sword was yelling at Darman. she asked.
“What do you mean, give it to you?”
“This is a gift from our teacher to Jaifa. As you know, Madame Olga, this is why I came to Farzan. “Really, really, can you give me just a moment?”
Darman was almost crying. He made a tearful appeal based on the days he had been struggling to meet Jaifa for the past 15 days. The elders looked at each other in turn as they couldn’t help but feel weak. At that time, Zaipa, who had been pulling out his sword in an obliging manner, nodded his head.
“Bring it.”
“Oh, Sword Saint…!”
The elders’ eyes widened. Since Jaipa himself said so, there was nothing he could do. Darman’s face brightened.
“Thank you!”
Darman rushed forward and stood in front of Jaipa. The black tiger stopped pulling out the sword spirit with an expression of annoyance in the world. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked quite tired.
“I’ll show you right now. So…here!”
Darman hurriedly opened the box as if his body was on fire. A pure white long sword appeared. The elders who were watching all exclaimed in exclamation.
“Um, is that?!”
“Uh, how do you feel? “It’s a really well-made sword.”
Darman carefully took out his sword and held it out to Jaifa. The elders’ eyes were focused on the sword Darman had taken out. It was more than two months ago, but it still felt vivid. All seven of them knew that sword.
“Obviously… it came from a dream…”
“that’s right. “It’s definitely that sword.”
Two months ago, the elders all had the same dream. A dream where a star crashed into a sacred place, and a sword shining white was stuck there. They had no doubt that this was a sign that the Holy Sword would appear, so they held the Sword Festival earlier. One of the short elders stammered.
“Seoul, Holy Sword?”
“…Does it look like that in your eyes too?”
Alogin shook his head. The sword in Darman’s hand was surprisingly similar in shape to the holy sword he had seen in his dream. In fact, it was no exaggeration to say that they were exactly the same. Elegantly stretched sword body, cross-shaped pommel. Even a soft white glow flowing down the tip of the sword.
Everyone was confused as to what was going on. Jaifa, who had remained silent the entire time, opened his mouth.
“okay. “You’re going to give me that sword?”
“Yes, yes… it’s a gift from our teacher. “He said he hoped you would accept this.”
“He is a teacher. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
Jaipa was the only one who didn’t seem to have any particular thoughts. He was tapping his tail on the floor and thinking only about who had sent him the gift.
“Mo, you might not know. However, he is someone who has admired Zaifa for a long time. “He said it would be great if you would use it, and he worked very hard to make it.”
“Right. “It is definitely a well-made sword.”
Jaifa nodded. Even with the keen eyes of the beastman, it was a famous sword with no flaws. To a certain extent, I can understand why there was such a fuss to convey this. Darman slightly raised his head and said while looking at Zaifa.
“Well, then are you accepting it?”
“no. refuse.”
“uh?”
Darman’s face hardened. Jaipa’s attitude as he turned his back was as resolute as a cut. Darman, who was dumbfounded, shouted in confusion.
“Come on, Jaifa! Is it because the sword is too small? If that’s the case, don’t worry. There is a special function for such situations. If you look closely here…!”
“You can’t receive a sword from someone you don’t even know. “Just say thank you.”
Darman desperately tried to catch Jaifa. However, the black tiger just coldly walked inside the sanctuary. He tried to run after him, but the other elders stopped him with their eyes. Darman, who had a devastated expression on his face, lowered his head.
“···ah.”
“It’s a shame, Darman. Let’s go back and talk after the ceremony. And that sword…”
Several elders approached him to comfort him. In an instant, Darman’s figure disappeared from sight. Ronan’s eyes, who were watching the situation from above, widened as if they were about to pop out.
“Wait a minute, that bastard…!”
“Hmm?!”
Jaipa, sensing a threat, reflexively turned his body and swung his scimitar. Huh! A huge blade passed through the spot where Darman was standing, but there was no one there anymore. At that time, Darman appeared from behind Jaipa.
“You guy…”
Jaifa turned his head. Darman turned the knife he was holding without saying a word. The flawless white sword body was splattered with red blood. Ronan kicked the ground and ran out. Suddenly… the spear of the scimitar sword, split in half, fell to the floor.
“no.”
Lin muttered. At the same time, a fountain of blood gushed from Jaifa’s chest. Sigh! I don’t know if it was because he was so big or because he was stabbed in a vital area, but a huge amount of blood spurted out. The two elders around them roared and rushed towards him.
“oh my god!”
“Darman! “What are you doing?”
It was a phenomenal reaction speed befitting his position as a senior. One of the two was an old woman who introduced herself as the owner of the silver sword. In her hands was a huge two-handed ax that made Marya’s great sword look ridiculous.
Once again, Darman’s figure became blurred and disappeared. The three people who ran fiercely passed each other. There was no sound of metal. As soon as Darman landed on the ground, the heads of the two elders rose high into the sky. Sigh… The blood gushing from the cut side of the headless body once again stained the sacred place.
“······!”
For a moment, the world fell into silence. Jaifa’s staggering body slowly tilted. Even the wind that had been blowing suddenly stopped, so the only sound that could be heard in the shrine was the bodies and heads of the elders falling.
“No pig. “If you recklessly reject someone else’s sincerity.”
Darman laughed coldly. Jaifa fell to one knee. His gray hair was turning white. It looked as if the ashes that had been buried there were flying away. He spun his sword again, brushed off the blood, and turned his head.
“Don’t you think so too?”
The flash war I had already seen was spreading around Darman. Autumn leaves were slowly turning into brown eyes like fallen leaves. He finally fixed his gaze on Ronan and opened his mouth.
“Little brother.”
