271. Eradication (3)
#271
“Your sister sent you?”
Ronan opened the envelope. Finally, as he read the letter, he smiled. Ade Shan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the anger had completely disappeared from his face.
“thank god. “I guess I’m feeling a bit relieved.”
“It’s a letter written by my sister, but I can’t read it while frowning. “Thank you for telling me.”
Ronan’s eyes were dripping with affection. It was an expression she rarely showed except when it was just her and him. Her Ade Shan smiled involuntarily when she saw that.
“You really like Iril.”
“sure. “Why, as Adeshan knows, I have no parents?”
For a moment, Adeshan was speechless. I didn’t know how to react to these words. Although Ronan himself was speaking casually. When Adeshan was silent, he spoke.
“If you think about it, he’s a really shitty seller. Her mother died when she was young, so she has never seen her face, and her father is sleeping at the tip of the North, keeping the secrets of the world. So she doesn’t know much about maternal love, her parents’ love, etc.”
“Yes···.”
“But I never once felt dissatisfied or lacking about it. Because I had a sister. “Even though I was mean as a child, it wasn’t because I didn’t receive much love growing up, but because I had a naturally nasty temper.”
Ronan chuckled. She Ade Shan also raised the corners of her mouth with an effort. The later contingent, who had confirmed that the star’s protection had disappeared, was entering the mountain path.
“My older sister always raised me with love and care. I felt it from the moment I walked around Nimburton on my swaddle. “He was too much for a bastard like me.”
“Well, that’s all I have to say.”
“no. “Really.”
Ronan shook his head. He told me a few anecdotes from his childhood with Iril.
“One time, I made a fuss about wanting to see the demonic dragon Orsay from a fairy tale. It was easy to say that we could meet in a dream, but she didn’t say that. “What do you think he would have done?”
“Um… well? “Did you draw a picture for me?”
“It was similar, but a little different. My sister created a truly believable Orsay costume by sleeping less for an entire month. And he surprised me by walking around wearing it himself.”
Ronan laughed as he recalled the memory of that time. Even by adult standards, he put a lot of effort into his makeup. He made four wings from real raven feathers. He exclaimed as Adeshan covered his mouth.
“wow.”
“And I went into the room without even pretending to be surprised. At that time, my interest in Orsay had already cooled. “After that, I never paid any attention to that makeup.”
“···wow.”
Adeshan was impressed once again. It feels a little different than before. Ronan saw her expression and smiled bitterly.
‘정말 개새끼였군.’
The more I looked back, the more I realized that my childhood self was a poor child with no answers. I couldn’t understand why I bothered my sister who was changing my poopy diaper.
Although she never did anything pretty, Iril always gave her endless love for free. Right before she ran out of the house without saying a word.
I’m so glad you’re back. Ronan muttered under his breath and continued.
“I’m a little speechless. “I guess I just wanted to show that I care about it.”
“huh. “I feel enough.”
“Thank you for saying that. Anyway, that’s it. “I want to make my sister just as happy.”
Ronan concluded. In fact, Iril’s happiness was one of the biggest driving forces behind his decision to save the world. Tragedy did not suit his beloved sister.
“Oh, can I come to the island for a few hours tomorrow?”
“huh? Of course that’s okay, but why?”
“I didn’t know, but I guess tomorrow is my birthday. “My sister said we should spend time together after a long time.”
Ronan showed the letter he received from Iril. On the parchment, writing was clearly written, twisting like an insect.
At the bottom of the message telling me to come home because tomorrow is my birthday, there was a postscript saying that I had already prepared a gift. It’s been so long since I forgot my birthday, I completely forgot about it. Adeshan nodded.
“That has to go. Anyway, if we occupy Felgrand, we will take a break. “I’ll tell you well.”
“I’ll be back soon. “Senpai, everything is fine, right?”
“huh? Umm… that’s it…”
Adeshan hesitated. She had been experiencing auditory hallucination-like symptoms recently. The voice of an unknown woman that she has been hearing in her head since she went to the North with Ronan is getting louder day by day.
I wanted to talk, but I was worried that talking for no reason would take up a lot of time. Even if the situation was completely tilted, it was still a battle. She was about to say something.
“hey. “I think we’ll have to retreat.”
“Mr. Balzac?”
Balzac suddenly approached from behind and spoke. There were bruises all over her pale face that weren’t there before. It was as if he had been dragged away for training by the Shadow Grand Duke and beaten with excitement. Ronan asked.
“what’s the matter?”
“A telegram just arrived from the East. It is said that the 2nd corps led by Jaipa has occupied Pansia Fortress. “They say the hawks are on their way here after finishing the finishing touches.”
“Aha, did you finally eat pancia? “If it’s something like that, you should jump out.”
Ronan nodded. He and Adeshan, who exchanged glances with him, rushed urgently in the direction of his unit. Soon her voice echoed in her head.
[The 4th field commander announces. The entire army must retreat immediately to the outside of the Felgrand Mountains. Repeat. Commanders who hear this message should lead their troops to leave the Felgrand Mountains immediately.]
A sound containing the mana of the shadow spread throughout the military camp. The Allied offensive, which was reaching its peak, came to a halt.
They completely changed their stance and began to retreat. The Allied vanguard, which was about to enter deep into the mountains, soon also turned around.
“No, they’re leaving!”
“What happened?”
The believers who were preparing for the final battle expressed bewilderment. It was an unknown retreat. Now, if only two bases were captured, all of Felgrand would fall into the hands of the Allied Forces, but I couldn’t understand how things were going so smoothly.
“What is this…”
Archbishop Alicia frowned. She was gathering herself in her stronghold after being defeated by Ronan and the Shadow Prince. The subordinate who approached asked a question.
“Shall we chase after you?”
“···no. We are at a disadvantage. Just focus on moving supplies and manpower.”
Alicia shook her head. I don’t know the English language, but it was truly fortunate. The presence of Ronan, who unconditionally cut down divine protection, was like a thunderbolt striking a dry sky. Now that there were no other archbishops, a sloppy fight could have resulted in even more bloodshed.
“What on earth are you doing, leader?”
As she pondered her defeat, she muttered quietly. Even though the organization was in desperate danger, the leader had not been seen for a month. At first he thought he was away because he had something planned, but now even that belief was shaking little by little.
“…Everything goes as the stars will.”
But I couldn’t give up here. It was the cult leader and no one else. As he had done well so far, he was sure to lead the church to the right answer.
Clap clap. Alicia lifted herself up, strengthening her faith by hitting her face with her palm. She was the car through which she passed down her instructions to her subordinates. The believers standing guard at the eastern watchtower screamed.
“Boo, something is coming from the north!”
“What do you mean?”
“Ah… my God, look at the sky, look at the sky!”
The surroundings were becoming increasingly noisy. Alicia looked towards the east and raised her head. And like everyone else, I froze. In the sky above the horizon, seven gigantic dragons were flying in formation.
“what.”
It was a falcon unit responsible for the firepower of the Allied Forces. Now that their power was weakened and the protection of the stars was gone, there was no way for Nebula Clage to stop them. Itar Gand, who was in charge of the vanguard, opened his mouth wide and roared.
【Kaaaaaa-!!!】
Navardose’s youngest son was small in size, but he radiated the hottest fire among the seven. The mountain range shook at the loud voice. Despair appeared on Alicia’s face.
The scales of the seven dragons were all sparkling red, reminiscent of ruby. God’s creatures that inherited the blood of Navardose were known to be the most powerful of all dragons.
“Is this why you suddenly returned from the army…?”
I felt like I knew the reason for the sudden retreat. The seven dragons spewed fire from the moment they entered the mountain range. Quaaaaa! The red-yellow flames that poured out like molten metal began to burn the bases that the Allied forces had not yet reached.
“Do, run away! “Go inside the fortress!”
“late···!”
“Alicia! “Rice, may the stars bless you!”
Screams erupted from everywhere. Despite the appeals of the believers, Alicia was unable to activate the star’s protection. Once the protection was destroyed, more time was needed to regenerate it.
The dragons quickly reached their heads. Itargand, who was scanning the ground, shouted in an angry voice.
【Abandon hope! You bug-like bastards!】
At the same time, the sky turned red. A torrent of flames rained down on Alicia’s head. The believers cast defensive magic in a hurry, but they could only last a few seconds. Alicia looked up at the sky and laughed.
“This is too much.”
Quaaaaa! Flames enveloped the fortress, accompanied by a sound as if a thousand forests were burning at the same time. The fire, which decomposed organic matter in the blink of an eye, penetrated into the interior of the building and burned down all the troops and supplies that had taken refuge.
Where the dragon’s fire swept away, not even a scream remained. As the cold wind blowing from the north swept across the mountain range, a pile of ash mixed with sparks rose up. The Felgrand Mountains, which served as the northern pillar, fell into the hands of the Allied forces.
****
It was a refreshing noon. In the sky over the islands, clouds like flocks of sheep were flowing. The early summer breeze was seeping through the half-open window.
“It’s finally today.”
The temperature was high, but it wasn’t hot because there was no humidity. Iril, who was looking out her window, smiled. It was a perfect day to celebrate her beloved brother’s birthday.
“I want to see you soon. My little brother.”
Iril muttered. She hasn’t been able to see Ronan’s face lately because she has been busy. She also had friends like Asher and Schlieffen.
There was so much food laid out in front of her that her upper legs would break. The twenty dishes, including the potato stew at the center of her table, were all cooked by herself.
It took a lot of work, but considering Ronan’s face, it wasn’t difficult at all. Besides, today was not a normal birthday, so it was right to push harder than usual.
The gift she prepared today had a much deeper meaning than usual. She was wiping her hands on her apron when she suddenly snapped her fingers.
“Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing.”
Iril suddenly realized that he had not taken out the gift and went into his room. She stopped in front of her bed and bowed her back. Deep in the depths, I saw a box containing acupuncture needles.
“Hey!”
Iril reached under the bed and gritted his teeth. No matter how hard he tried, the box just barely passed his fingertips and he couldn’t catch it. Iril, who had been shaking in that position for a while, finally got up.
“Whoa… did I put it in too deep?”
She muttered, wiping the sweat from her forehead. It seemed like I would have to move the entire bed. She rolled up her sleeves and was about to get into action again.
smart.
Suddenly a knock was heard from the front door.
“Okay, let’s go now!”
Iril shouted. The sound of a cheerful knock on the door was familiar. I thought it might be a little late, but it actually came quickly? She smiled brightly and opened her front door.
“Ronan! Come on! “I’m very hungry… huh?”
Iril’s eyes widened. There was no one outside her door. She lay face down in silence, with only the strangely deserted streets remaining.
“···what?”
Iril tilted his head. She clearly felt popular, but she must have been mistaken. thud. It was at that moment that she turned around, closing her door without much thought.
“I heard wrong… AAAAAA!!”
A fierce scream burst from Iril’s mouth. The entire house had turned into a sea of blood. Dozens of men dressed in black were rolling around on the floor, headless corpses.
“This is…what the hell…”
The bloody smell stung my nose. Iril covered her mouth with both her hands. The men’s clothes all had the emblem of the Balon Empire drawn on them. They were elite agents directly under the imperial family who were dispatched to escort her Iril at Ronan’s request.
There was no one alive. The blood gushing from the cut side of the neck was unrealistically red. She was breathing heavily and was about to sit down. A man’s voice came from her table.
“nice to meet. “This is my first time seeing it in person.”
“omg···!”
Iril quickly turned his head and froze. Someone was clearly sitting at an empty table. The white-haired man was slyly eating the potato stew she had made.
“Your cooking skills are perfect. “I’m glad there wasn’t any blood up to this point.”
“Oh, Dad…?”
Iril trailed off. The man’s appearance was very similar to the one she remembered from her father.
But that doesn’t mean there was a difference in the fundamental feeling. Her father’s kindness could not be found in her man’s sunset-like eyes. Iril, who had barely managed to calm his breathing, asked a question.
“···no. “Who are you?”
“After all, you were my brother’s blood relative. If so, this would also be a historic meeting. You may already know this, but let me formally introduce you.”
Suddenly, the man who was eating stew stood up. He came up to Iril, scratching his head, and opened his mouth.
“My name is Abel. “He is the current leader of Nebula Clazier.”
