Chapter 34: The Cry from the Depths (1)
“How can I… say that?”
Ronan mumbled to himself. He remained there until the room grew dark, then finally returned to the dormitory.
As he opened the door, a maid who was dusting greeted him cheerfully.
“Oh my, you’ve returned early today. Shall I prepare your meal?”
Ronan threw his clothes into a corner of the room and flopped onto the bed. He mumbled as if speaking from underwater.
“It’s fine, Lucy. I’m not hungry.”
“Is something bothering you?”
“Not exactly… it’s more like… something that’s bothering my mood. Can I just pee here? It’s too much trouble to go all the way to the toilet.”
The maid’s name was Lucy. Over the past few weeks, Ronan had gotten fairly close to her. He had been annoyingly persistent in wanting to learn various cooking skills. Lucy responded with a serious expression.
“No, you can’t. Please maintain human dignity.”
“But you said you would clean it up for me in the beginning.”
“Just as lovers who can’t bear to part after three days of being together will whisper eternity during their first confession. By the way, are you really okay?”
Lucy looked at Ronan, who was sprawled out, with concern. Normally, he should have engaged in productive activities as soon as he entered the room, behaving like a person who might die tomorrow. Reading books, exercising, and such. Ronan mumbled again.
“Lucy.”
“Yes?”
“Should I protect the dream of the innocent, or should I fulfill the last wishes?”
“You’ve been pondering some philosophical questions.”
“Choosing one means the other won’t be realized. Damn it, I really don’t know.”
Ronan grabbed his head. The latter was a conclusion he had reached after three lifetimes. The general who saw the end knew that going back home and working with fabrics or tailoring was the path that would make her the happiest.
From a rational perspective, it made sense to break Adeshan’s sword and retire after that. But every time he tried to make a decision, the face of the girl Adeshan appeared before him.
– I want to become a General. Even though it may seem reckless, I want to give it a try.
Ronan couldn’t make her a general. However, he could awaken qualities within her that she wasn’t aware of. But that would only expedite her becoming a general.
“What the hell… what do you want me to do…”
If he were someone else, he wouldn’t have even considered the dilemma. Amidst his exasperation, he heard Lucy’s voice, which was dripping with sarcasm.
“Is this something you have to decide right away?”
“Yes?”
“If it’s not something you have to decide immediately, how about observing for a while? I don’t know the details, but everyone has their own worries. Just like when I was debating whether to become a maid or not.”
“Observe…? So… I don’t have to make a decision right away…?”
“Yes. The more important the decision, the more it requires contemplation.”
Lucy spoke in a gentle tone. After a few minutes of silence, Ronan lifted his head slightly.
“I’ve thought about it a lot, but Lucy seems better than most teachers.”
“Hehe, even if it’s empty praise, it’s nice to hear. Thank you.”
“No, really. Professor Navirose is even capable of knocking out students.”
“Navirose? Seriously?”
“I’m not kidding. She even transforms into a massive serpent… I’ll take a rest, Lucy.”
“Alright. If you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to call me.”
Lucy bid farewell and left. Ronan remained in the same position for quite some time.
The ticking of the clock’s second hand, the rustling sound of his own breathing were the only things filling the space. Eventually, Ronan, who had flipped over his body, murmured softly.
“… Maybe I should observe a little longer.”
Moonlight seeped through the window, casting a blue path across the room. At that moment, the path was interrupted as something collided with the window.
Thud!
“Ah, damn it, you scared me!”
Ronan quickly sat up. A rather ugly sparrow was perched by the window, fluttering around. Ronan sighed and opened the window.
“What are you up to again? Did you drink?”
Then Ronan’s gaze fell on the sparrow’s leg. A small note was tied to it. As he untied the note, the sparrow flew off without looking back. The contents of the note were brief.
“The weapon is complete. – Dydican”
****
Even as the sun set, the work of the educators continued. Adeshan and Navirose were in the office attached to the primary combat arena, organizing the materials from the day’s lessons.
The piles of documents before them listed the information and progress of each student. Dressed in a shirt, Navirose rummaged through the papers and spoke.
“Adeshan, do you see any students showing signs of awakening soon?”
“Well… Marsha de Acalusia from the fourth year seems promising.”
“Another one from that family, huh? Quite late for an Acalusia.”
Adeshan nodded. She had already known about one new student who had awakened magic. Speaking of which, she remembered they had plans to go to a café together tomorrow.
“It seems like I’m getting more involved with new students this year…”
New students. Adeshan, who had been lost in thought, finally spoke up.
“Professor, I have something I want to ask.”
“Speak.”
“About earlier… when you manifested the aura to stop Ronan… was it necessary to go as far as awakening?”
Her voice trembled slightly. Navirose smirked, recalling the events of the morning. It had been a while since she had experienced any form of rebellion.
“Why? Were you suddenly spouting this type of nonsense in the infirmary?”
“No, no! It’s not that… I mean, it was just… an exceptional case, wasn’t it? You could have easily subdued him with your skill alone.”
“True, it had been a while since I brought out the serpent completely. I believe it was the third time since I became Professor.”
Navirose nodded. She had known about the magic-awakened student from the moment she awakened it. Come to think of it, she had promised to meet Ronan at a cafe tomorrow.
‘Strangely, I’ve been more involved with new students this year…’
“Professor. If I may ask, how did you feel about Ronan’s reaction?”
Navirose didn’t answer. It was an inexplicable, unsettling energy that was difficult to describe accurately. She had experienced it once before, albeit briefly. Not as a Swordmaster, but in the dense forests of Armauge before she reached that level.
In a fleeting moment, an exhilarating sensation pierced through her entire body. Just as a flock of birds takes off, her aura manifested reflexively.
“It was peculiar. Moments after manifesting the aura, the energy subsided. Fortunately, it didn’t escalate into anything significant.”
‘Among the opponents I’ve faced so far, he was the strongest swordsman.’
She couldn’t forget it even if she tried. The white-haired swordsman had handed Navirose a crushing defeat and then left after teaching her a few sword techniques. Some of those techniques became the foundation of Navirose’s style.
For a moment, Navirose felt a similar sensation from Ronan. Reflecting on it briefly, she spoke.
“I can’t explain in detail. The important thing is that he resisted awakening and took a step forward. And look at my uniform.”
“What?”
Navirose gestured to her uniform hanging over the chair. Adeshan’s eyes widened as she approached, her pupils contracting. There was a hint of reddened skin, about the width of a finger, near the collar.
“As you know, I suppressed him with my aura and struck the back of his neck to make him lose consciousness. In the process, he countered. Whether he read my movements or instinctively swung a blind sword, I’m not sure, but his sword undoubtedly aimed for my neck.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Well, it happened, so we must consider it possible.”
Adeshan was amazed. The fact that he even took a step forward was inconceivable.
Awakening. The aura of a swordsman who once stood at the peak of the Empire. Even Shullifen de Gracia, holding onto the hilt of a sword, could barely stand before the snake that mourned those about to die.
Adeshan knew the rumors were true, that Navirose had once paralyzed a flock of wyverns in the sky, causing them to plummet to their deaths.
“Anyway, keep an eye on Ronan, Adeshan. He’s the only talent who can rival Shullifen for the Swordmaster’s position. At least, that’s my perspective.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Zaifa should be on alert as well. Even that cat can’t stay in the Swordmaster’s position forever.”
Navirose let out a low laugh. Adeshan looked at her as if she found her peculiar. Was it because of what happened earlier in the day? The usually composed professor seemed unusually lively today.
“By the way, what’s the relationship between you two?”
“What relationship?”
“He seems to hold you in quite a high regard. It’s evident he has special feelings for you. Most of the time, it’s love, but given how strange he is, it’s hard to be certain.”
Navirose said nonchalantly. Adeshan’s face turned red as she pondered the meaning of “love” for a moment.
“Lo-love? What are you talking about…? We just met today…”
“Just think of it simply. Most of the male trainees are little more than talking rocks.”
Adeshan clapped her hands forcefully. Navirose let out a wry smile and turned back to the stack of documents.
“Well, shall we continue our work then?”
****
“This stupid weekend outing system. Just let us go after class; where else could we possibly go?”
“Well, we can do most things within the grounds, right?”
“I don’t like being restrained.”
The weekend had arrived. Ronan, Aselle, Marya, and Cita were heading towards Gran Cappadocia late at night. As Aselle saw Ronan’s exhausted face, he worriedly asked.
“By the way… Ronan, did you not sleep? You look really tired.”
“Of course I’m not okay, Aselle. Did you manage to sleep? Aren’t you curious about what kind of monstrosity that punchbag-like genius has created?”
“Beah!”
Cita interjected. Somehow, looking at Ronan’s slightly pudgy appearance, Aselle burst into laughter. It seemed that every time Cita brought messages back and forth between them every four days, his sister sent a lot of food.
Maraya, hearing Ronan’s words, responded incredulously.
“By the way, Isn’t it too late now?”
“I had no choice. If I had missed the Navirose class, that demon instructor would have killed me. Dammit, my shoulders are still sore.”
Ronan had to attend Navirose class that he had missed due to fainting. Perhaps because there weren’t many people due to the makeup class, the teaching became even more intense and relentless. Only after Ronan flawlessly demonstrated Navirose’s three fundamental techniques was he allowed to leave the gates of Philleon.
“Damn it, She should’ve at least taught us something like that snake thing.”
“Snake thing?”
“Yeah, something like that. If you guys had seen it, you probably would’ve wet your pants.”
Ronan recalled an incident that had occurred a few days ago. The gap between him and the former Grand Swordmaster was even greater than he had thought. While his eyes could follow the movements, his body couldn’t keep up.
Under Aselle’s teasing, Ronan had not slept properly. However, it wasn’t just because of the excitement about Doron’s weapon.
“At least this much is not acceptable. I need to become stronger, using any means necessary.”
It was a humiliating defeat. He didn’t expect to be unable to use any techniques, no matter how formidable they were. Ronan conserved his sleeping hours, trained his body, and honed his skills. He even stayed up all night trying to achieve mana manipulation, something that was
beyond his current capabilities.
“At least within three years, I want to achieve awakening.”
Navirose’s awakening had been a tremendous shock. It wasn’t as overwhelming as Shullifen’s Stormblade, but it was a powerful technique with a psychological impact.
The thought that such power might also be hidden within him left Ronan unable to stay still. Of course, he would need to first succeed in mana sensitivity. Muttering to himself, he said:
“I need to find something good to eat…”
“Huh?”
“Never mind. Let’s hurry.”
Walking along the workshop street, they soon arrived at a collapsing blacksmith’s forge. The signboard that read “Hammer Hammer Hammer” looked like it might fall even if the wind blew slightly. Ronan knocked on the forge’s door and called out:
“Hey, Doron. We’re here.”
However, there was no response. Even knocking again didn’t yield any results. Ronan looked back at his companions and asked:
“…You don’t think something bad happened, do you?”
“Surely, he wouldn’t lose his sanity and do something like that. Doron! We’re here!”
Marya, sensitive to the notion of something going wrong, shouted. Her voice was loud enough to make the forge tremble, but there was still no response.
Frustrated, Ronan slammed the door with his fist.
Bang!
The door slid along its hinges and hit the wall. There hadn’t been a latch in the first place.
“Hey, Doron. Stop fooling around and come out.”
The group entered the forge. The scene was no different from before: a landscape of hammers. Moonlight streamed in through a hole in the ceiling. Floating dust, the still-cool forge, and rusty pieces of armor were visible.
They moved toward the location where the elevator had been. The entrance to Gran Cappadocia was supposed to be connected here, but it was impossible to distinguish it with the naked eye. Ronan reached out his hand and began to explore the back of the forge.
“Where was it…?”
It was a structure that activated the elevator by pressing a specific spot. He had been searching the dusty surface for a while. Somewhere, he heard a strange sound.
“Aaah…”
It was a sound that couldn’t be described in words. Ronan halted his actions. As Aselle followed suit, he raised an eyebrow.
“What’s wrong?”
“Shh. Be quiet for a moment.”
He tried to listen again, but all he could hear was the creaking of the outer wall in the wind. Ronan looked puzzled.
“I’m sure I heard it.”
“What?”
Ronan’s shoulders suddenly shook as Cita leapt from his shoulder. It landed on the ground and tapped its forehead against the floor. Ronan hurriedly pressed his ear against the spot Cita had tapped. He felt a faint vibration.
– Wuuuurrrrmmmm…
– Aaaaahhh…
“Dammit.”
Ronan quickly got up. It was a strange sound reminiscent of the day they left Gran Cappadocia. And faint screams were coming from below.
