Chapter 87: Beyond Spring Into Summer (4)
Crash!
Cages that held various small animals were falling one after another, releasing the creatures. Ronan’s mouth hung open as he witnessed the scene resembling the collapse of an entire wall.
“General.”
He blurted out without thinking. It was truly a long-lost ability. Although it was far weaker than what he had seen in his past life, he could instantly recognize the power of the same vein. Ronan admired the laboratory turning into an animal zoo as he supported Adeshan.
“Are small animals still the limit?”
“Chirp! Chirp!”
“Squeak! Squeak!”
Animals that escaped from their cages were running wild. Birds flew around, scattering bird droppings. A group of squirrels, now united, hid within complex machinery. Most of them were rodents or small birds, so they weren’t particularly threatening, but they had enough power to create chaos.
Amidst the chaos, they continued to fall. Jhordin, who had just realized what was happening, furrowed his brow.
“Damn it.”
Expensive magical tools were breaking in real-time. As he flicked his finger, the stone floor rose, blocking the walls. A moan escaped Adeshan’s lips as she seemed to lose consciousness.
“Ugh…”
“Are you okay?”
“Ronan? Hot…!”
Adeshan opened her eyes. She realized she was leaning on Ronan. She quickly got up, apologizing frantically.
“I’m sorry… I was heavy…”
“It’s okay.”
Ronan smiled weakly, a hint of bitterness in his smile. Adeshan’s humane response brought him back to reality.
He knew. Enhancing her abilities didn’t mean the General’s former personality would return.
Adeshan looked around the laboratory and suddenly covered her mouth with both hands.
“But, what’s going on here…?”
“It’s the sunbae’s doing. Let me explain.”
“Did I do all this?”
“Never mind that, just tell them to gather here. It may still be difficult to control with just your thoughts.”
With a puzzled expression, Adeshan reluctantly complied. Ronan pointed at the animals with his chin and replied. Finally, her voice, filled with suspicion, emerged.
“Gather here?”
At that moment, a change occurred. The once noisy laboratory fell silent in an instant. Animals that had been causing a ruckus or hiding in corners started approaching them. Adeshan, who noticed the gathering animals, recoiled in shock.
“Wh-what is this?”
Most of the animals that had fallen from high places were not in good condition. There were canaries trying to walk on two legs with broken wings, and mice dying with glass shards stuck in their bellies. Nevertheless, the animals approached Adeshan as if they were possessed. Ronan explained.
“This is the sunbae’s ability.”
“…Gathering mice?”
“For now, yes. This time, tell them to go back to the cages.”
The animals lined up as if they were trained soldiers. Adeshan sensed an eerie aura in their eyes. She opened her mouth again.
“Go back to your cages.”
Then another change occurred. The animals that had gathered began crawling towards one of the undamaged cages among the scattered ones. Suddenly, Adeshan felt a severe dizziness. The strange aura in the animals’ eyes disappeared.
“Kheik?!”
“Sweet!”
The animals, now back to their senses, looked around in confusion. It was the moment they were about to scatter in all directions again. Kugugwung! A semicircular formation made of rocks covered them. From behind, Jhordin’s voice could be heard.
“Good job.”
“Professor…!”
Jhordin heaved a sigh of relief. It was almost a disaster. Forcing the animals deeply hidden in magical tools to come out was not an easy task.
He used earth magic to clean up the laboratory, which had turned into a mess. Dozens of stone hands moved to gather the debris. Adeshan shrugged her shoulders and asked.
“What… what happened to me? Ronan swung his sword, and then suddenly I…”
She felt strange. she couldn’t sense any mana flowing through her body. Jhordin spoke up.
“All the mana in your body has disappeared. I don’t know what happened.”
“What? What does that mean?”
“That’s right. You’ve awakened shadow mana. Do you feel something like a lump deep in your chest?”
Adeshan nodded. There was indeed something cold pulsing deep in her chest. It felt strange, but not entirely unfamiliar. In fact, it felt more familiar than the mana she had dealt with her whole life.
“That’s the power you need to develop from now on. It’s called a shadow mana core.”
“A core?”
“Yes. You’ll need to learn to use that power instead of regular mana for things like manifesting a sword or awakening an aura.”
Adeshan’s eyes widened. It was a core she had never been able to create despite all her efforts. Jhordin explained that shadow mana was still a form of mana, so she could perform all the actions she could with regular mana, such as manifesting a sword or awakening an aura.
“It will require a lot of effort. It’s like starting over from scratch.”
Adeshan immediately grasped the meaning of those words. Her current abilities didn’t even come close to the level of a sword user. That was because she had lost all the mana she had previously relied on.
To master her newly acquired abilities and handle shadow mana, she knew she needed to put in tremendous effort. Adeshan nodded her head.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Your attitude is commendable.”
Jhordin smiled. He seemed to understand why she had earned Navirose’s favor. Despite losing everything she had built up until now, her eyes still sparkled with determination. After a brief silence, Jhordin spoke again.
“The problem is the abilities contained within your shadow mana. It’s too dangerous.”
“That’s right. What exactly are my abilities?”
Adeshan asked anxiously. The small animals had clearly followed her commands. Even though they were in complete disarray, their unwavering obedience was eerie.
“We’ll need more research to know the details. But it’s clear that it is an ability to take control of one’s mind.”
“Control the mind?”
“Yes. It’s a power that even Archmage Lorehon couldn’t obtain. I only knew of it as a theoretical concept, but I didn’t know it could exist in reality.”
He explained what he had speculated about Adeshan’s ability. Her face turned pale as she listened. Ronan, recalling his past life, pursed his lips.
‘Power like this would be excessive in anyone’s hands.’
Adeshan’s ability was to impose and instill her will into living beings, and it was a power far more potent than mere illusion magic or simple enchantments. Its strength diminished as the number of targets increased, but it grew more potent against individual foes. In her previous life, General Adeshan had wielded this power to perfection, becoming a legendary figure. While applying her ability to tens or even hundreds of thousands of individuals resulted in little more than boosting morale and ensuring clear orders, even that alone led to tremendous efficiency.
With a mere thought, she could narrow down the range and organize a fanatical army that followed her orders blindly. As Ronan recalled the last decisive battle, he couldn’t help but twist his lips in a bitter smile.
‘It’s a power that can become infinitely cruel.’
Three lifetimes had worn Adeshan down. Ronan remembered the soldiers who had rushed towards Ahaiyute to buy them time. There were not many people who carried out orders solely on loyalty and willingness.
Except for the foolish punitive force comrades or a few knights who cherished honor. Most of their eyes were filled with a dull light, like the animals that had just been mind-controlled.
For some reason, he had mixed feelings. Would this girl someday issue such commands as well?
After finishing the explanation, Jhordin turned his head.
“Go back for now. I’ll finish cleaning up here.”
“Sorry, Jhordin, for destroying things needlessly.”
Ronan scratched his head and apologized. The shattered hexagonal columns looked incredibly expensive. They were indeed magical tools worth several manors, but Jhordin calmly nodded.
“It’s fine. I will deduct this amount from the debt I owe.”
“I like it because it’s exciting.”
“I might have hesitated if the last one had been destroyed. Now, go back.”
They walked side by side as the street ahead buzzed with activity. The chirping of cicadas echoed in the distance. Adeshan, lost in thought with pursed lips, sneaked a glance around. Ronan didn’t feel the need to start a conversation.
‘It must be quite overwhelming for her’
For her, it had been like a day that lasted ten years. Awakening an extraordinary ability, losing all the mana she had accumulated over the years. Ronan arched an eyebrow, feeling a strange sense of empathy. Adeshan had now become another talented novice.
Then, perched on a branch above them, a group of sparrows caught her attention. Adeshan halted in her tracks and raised her hand.
“Come here.”
“Chirp, chirp.”
A bird flew over and landed on her index finger. Its white and fluffy appearance was incredibly cute. However, Adeshan’s expression remained far from bright. She looked at the troubled bird’s eyes and spoke.
“Ronan, you mentioned before that my abilities might also work on humans, right?”
“Yes, as long as you work hard.”
“Is it even acceptable for such an ability to exist in the world?”
Adeshan deactivated her ability. The bird flew away as if it were escaping from something terrifying. Ronan spoke.
“If it’s you, I know you’ll use it wisely.”
“I’m scared. I might misuse my abilities without even realizing it.”
“It’s possible.”
“I might become a monster. Manipulating people as I please, trampling on their intentions, intentionally causing fights and making countless people die…”
Adeshan trailed off. Normally, she would have thought of a way to comfort herself, but she was a genuinely kind person. Ronan, who was gently stroking his chin, spoke up.
“Then, I’ll stop you if you ever try to control people for selfish intentions.”
“How will you do that?”
“However I can. Don’t worry.”
Ronan said with a calm expression. Adeshan looked at him closely with a faint smile.
“Okay, then I can rest easy.”
Time passed quickly after that. There were no noteworthy events. In the early summer that had come, Ronan and Adeshan gave their best efforts to develop their respective abilities.
It was about two weeks later. Ronan spotted Adeshan practicing under the shade of a tree and waved at her.
“Sunbae.”
“Ah… Ronan.”
“Oh, look, it’s the squirrels today.”
“Yeah… I must have been crazy back then. How did I control so many of them?”
Adeshan was sweating profusely as she commanded the squirrels. Ronan chuckled as he watched the five squirrel squads undergoing their specialized training.
Mental manipulation consumed an immense amount of mental strength, and finding the right approach required consistent training. Adeshan had started with perfecting her control over small animals.
“Have a drink.”
“Oh, thanks.”
Ronan tossed her a water bottle before heading to the Nest’s training grounds. Soon, he spotted members of the training squad gasping for breath, and Shullifen was the only one still going strong. He looked at Marya and Braum with a look of disbelief.
“These crazy bastards! Do they think everyone in the world is like them?”
“Wahaha… Wahahaha…”
Braum, who had long since run out of breath, let out a soulless laugh. Since Shullifen had joined, all members of the martial arts club were required to follow his training regimen. Naturally, except for Ronan, no one could match Shullifen.
As complaints continued to surface, one day, Adeshan was approached for advice. She looked at their training schedules and exclaimed in horror.
“Ugh, training should not be done like this! We’re not part of some Imperial special forces!”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“We should tailor the training to each person’s level. Have you really been doing it this way all this time?”
“Yes.”
“…This won’t do. Can I guide them?”
From that day on, Adeshan visited the club, analyzing each member one by one. Even though she had lost her mana, her sharp insight remained intact.
Before long, each member was receiving training methods optimized for their individual needs. Marya, who had been receiving Adeshan’s guidance, asked with a grateful yet cautious attitude.
“Sunbae, can’t you join the club?”
“Huh?”
“Please, that lunatic behaves respectfully towards you. Wait, by the way, what’s the relationship between you two?”
“I-If you ask about our relationship… I’m not sure how to answer.”
Adeshan hesitated and scratched her cheek. Marya responded with an attitude somewhere between gratitude and wariness. Due to the stereotype that men don’t like taller women, she was more at ease, but their closeness seemed more dangerous than Ophelia’s.
“Marya…”
Aselle was tormented by an indescribable pain every time he saw her like this. It wasn’t a pain caused by a broken bone or bleeding, but a constant, gnawing ache in his chest. Despite his efforts to console himself through diligent magic study, the pain persisted. Regardless, it was a time when he had to endure it.
Ophelia and Cita weren’t idle either. After the moon had risen, it was their time. One night, Ophelia secretly took Ronan out of the club premises, saying she had taught Cita a new magic spell.
“Beah!”
Cita demonstrated a magic spell where it released a blood mist and exploded it after showing it during their previous fight. Then, it perched on a broken tree and triumphantly celebrated its victory.
Ophelia smiled proudly.
“I taught it this time… a magic specialized in mass slaughter. Isn’t it cool?”
“Why are you teaching such a thing to Cita?”
It could be useful, but still… Ronan grinned as he added that. Peace had lasted for almost two months. They focused on their academy life, individual training, and gradually built up their strength.
It was a day when you could barely call it early summer. Ronan was training his sword by infusing mana into it in the first training ground. In the past few months, his body had become even stronger.
“It seems like you’re overdoing it.”
Navirose approached Ronan, catching the attention of the female students who were watching the training. In her hand, she held a rather sophisticated-looking piece of paper, which turned out to be a letter.
“It seems like the Dawn Magic Tower has been restored.”
“Huuu… What did you say…?”
Ronan wiped his sweat-drenched brow and turned to face Navirose. She had just informed him that the Dawn Magic Tower, which had been damaged in an explosion, had completed its restoration and was once again open to the public. A small, satisfied smile crept across Ronan’s face.
“At last.”
It was the place where Sarante had suggested that they might find clues about the Dawn’s Key. Ronan gathered the mana he had accumulated during his training and prepared to leave.
He reached into his pocket and retrieved a pocket watch. The watch indicated that two hours had passed since he had infused mana into his sword. It was time to go.
The season had transitioned from spring to summer. As Ronan left the training grounds, he looked up to see the sky had grown even higher. Beneath the deep blue sky, fluffy white clouds drifted lazily.
