< 99. Second Heart (2) >
#99
“···ah?”
White mana was wrapped around the blade. Glitter. Ronan’s mind turned completely white as he saw an image that was completely identical to Nebula Clazie’s.
“…I guess it’s finally time for me to die.”
Ronan laughed. I thought I got enough sleep on the airship, but I guess not. As I relaxed my concentration, the sword spirit’s light faded.
‘That can’t be possible.’
Ronan closed his eyes. And he once again breathed mana into La Mancha. I could feel the mana from her tumor flowing down the hilt of her sword.
One second. This second. Ronan waited three seconds and carefully lifted his eyelids. Paaaat! A blinding flash pierced her retina.
“f*ck.”
The black sword body was flashing so brilliantly that it could be used as a light at a party or something. It was the same no matter how many times I tried. Ronan, who had been standing still for a long time, took a step back.
‘f*cked.’
It was none of my business to know what was going on right now. I had to find out why something like this happened.
After some trial and error, Ronan headed to the Gallerion Hall, the main building of the martial arts department. Jaradin was absent, perhaps in class, and he didn’t know how to get to Secret’s office.
Still, Nabirose, the Sentai Sword Saint, must have known something. Sigh. When I opened the door to the first arena, an unfamiliar scene unfolded.
“If everyone is here, let’s get started… hmmm?”
The students who were supposed to be sparring were sitting together with their weapons down. Nabi Rose, standing in front of the students, was drawing something in chalk on a huge portable blackboard.
It looked like a monkey that had been pierced through the chest by a cannon ball, but I couldn’t tell what exactly was being drawn. Her eyes met Ronan’s and she nodded her head.
“It’s been a while. Ronan. “Did you have a good time at the Dawn Magic Tower?”
“…I thought I had a good trip up until just now.”
Ronan sighed with a confused expression. Judging from Butterfly Rose’s reaction, it seemed like she still didn’t know what she had done at the Dawn Magic Tower.
Among the students gathered together was Adeshan. When she spotted Ronan she smiled and waved her hand.
“I was planning to teach you about the Core and Aurors, but it turned out well. Come on, sit down.”
“Core… the timing is killing me.”
Ronan trudged over and sat down next to Adeshan. Perhaps because he had awakened the mana of shadows, his complexion looked much better than last time. she asked worriedly as she saw a shadow cast over Ronan’s face.
“long time no see. “You don’t look good, what’s wrong?”
“I’m finished, Senpai.”
“Yes···?”
“I have become a fool no different from those bald admirers…”
“Big, bald?”
Adeshan tilted his head at the inexplicable sound. Ronan sighed again. It was a deep sigh, as if he had expelled his lungs and then swallowed them again. Nabirose resumed classes.
“good. Everyone already knows about the core, but let’s go over it one more time. Ronan, you answer. “What happens when you pour water into a bowl made of straw?”
“···It’s going to leak, right?”
“okay. A heart that has not been cored is like that. A heart made of straw. There is no problem in circulating mana, but it is difficult to use it for more than that.”
Adeshan began writing down what she said. Ronan realized that of all her students gathered here, she was the only one who did not form her core.
Nabirose diligently drew pictures and explained the core. I thought he would only be strong in practical skills, but the theory classes were better than I thought.
“In the end, creating a core means changing the material of the heart. Only when you reach at least the level of wood or pottery can you accumulate mana in your heart and use it as a power source. Now, look at this article.”
“···article?”
Except for his terrible drawing skills. Ronan was shocked to realize that the monkey that had been shot in the chest was actually a depiction of a knight operating the core. Nabirose pointed out various parts of the monkey knight’s body and explained how to operate the core.
“There are several ways to make a core. What I recommend is to continuously stimulate your heart with mana while training. “It’s the most basic and has no side effects.”
In short, remodeling the ‘existing’ heart through consistent training was the basic principle of creating a core. Nabirose emphasized the importance of the core several times, as it was an essential process to develop Aurors.
The only way to develop an individual’s unique mana, Aura, was to accumulate the absorbed external mana in the core or circle and wait for it to change. Before long, Nabirose spoke.
“Nothing is given without effort. “Dedicate yourself to training, thinking that you are turning straw into steel one by one.”
After quickly finishing the theory, she started the practical class as always. Except for Ronan and Adeshan, the rest were instructed to spar by actively utilizing their cores.
Only the two people who did not yet have a core had to swing their swords at the scarecrow from a remote corner. Nabirose said.
“Don’t be so offended. Because you two have a special case. “Think of it as investing time to make a big bowl.”
“i know. But instructor, I have one question.”
“what?”
“Is there any possibility that two types of mana can emerge from one core?”
“does not exist.”
It was a sharp assertion that seemed like a cut. Ronan chewed her lip and asked the question again.
“Never? No matter what?”
“Nothing exactly has been known so far. “It’s impossible unless you have two hearts.”
Ronan closed his eyes and fell asleep. This was not a normal situation either.
“okay. Damn it… But what is this?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I think I have a core.”
“what?”
Nabirose’s eyes widened. She didn’t seem all that surprised when her independent daughter told her she was pregnant. Instead of answering, Ronan tugged on the hilt of her sword. The mana seeping from the tumor dyed her sword body pure white.
“This···!”
“But then again, it doesn’t come from the heart. Am I now being sold to the zoo?”
“The nature of mana has completely changed. “What on earth happened?”
“That’s right. Oh, can you see anything sparkling?”
“It’s shiny?”
“it’s nothing.”
Ronan breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the flash that could distinguish Nebula Clazier was only visible to his eyes. Nabirose placed her hand on Ronan’s chest and muttered in an interested voice.
“···Really. “Something that functions as a power source has taken up residence next to the heart.”
“Could it be the core? “It wasn’t created for a very good reason, and honestly, it’s a bit scary.”
“You’ll see. If there is any sign of something going wrong, I will correct it, so give it a try.”
Butterfly Rose pointed at the scarecrow with the tip of her chin. Ronan clicked her tongue once and grabbed the hilt of her sword.
‘Yeah shit. I knew it.’
It may have sounded reckless, but he also knew that hitting it directly was the only answer. La Mancha disappeared from sight for a moment. Suddenly! The scarecrow, cut into dozens of pieces, collapsed.
“fast···!”
Adeshan exclaimed. It was a speed sword that had reached the pinnacle of excellence. Even with my visual acuity enhanced with the mana of the shadows, it was difficult to chase after Geomro.
However, Ronan and Nabirose maintained a calm expression. The speed was not much different from the existing sword strike that was cut using mana.
“Looking at it this way, I’m not sure. “Try to unleash your sword energy.”
“I guess so.”
A strange breathing sound came out from between Ronan’s lips. This time it was sword energy. When he concentrated his mind and swung his sword, a crescent-shaped sword energy was fired along the blade.
Quaaaang! The sword energy that flew in a straight line hit the scarecrow’s neck and exploded. Along with the stone dust, flashes like butterfly dust flew out in all directions.
“shit.”
Ronan frowned. As expected, there was no significant difference in terms of power or range. Ronan, who felt something strange in her body, opened her eyes wide.
“Huh…Huh…what is this?”
“You don’t look good. “Are you okay?”
“Wait a minute… Heo Eok, something is strange…”
I hadn’t even moved yet, but I was out of breath. She seemed to have used up more energy than when she normally fired sword energy. Ronan suddenly lost strength in his legs and sat down. Adeshan, seeing his complexion suddenly worsening, shouted in embarrassment.
“Ro, Ronan…! wait. “I’ll bring water.”
Adeshan ran to the office. The sword’s light went out. Ronan changed his power source back to his original heart, just in case. His breathing slowly improved and strength began to return to his legs.
“Ha…what are you doing?”
“Is it operated separately from the existing core? “Interesting.”
Butterfly Rose touched her chin as if she was interested. Ronan cursed at her under her breath. As of now, she couldn’t see any difference from the previously cursed heart. No, she was even worse.
It was fortunate that the mana tank was not shared with the existing heart, but this only slightly increased the total amount of available mana. It’s also something flashy that could only be used at a banquet. Anger gradually began to rise.
‘Nimi, is it just sparkling? ‘Is it just getting harder?’
“I will take care of the other students first. “Let’s try it without causing too much trouble.”
Nabirose, who had been observing Ronan, turned his back. Since he was in the middle of a class, he couldn’t even pay attention to him.
Ronan, who was catching his breath, stood up. He couldn’t understand what had happened to him.
‘There must be something more.’
The unknown power source was probably created under the influence of Vajra. This core originated from a being with tremendous power, whether good or evil, but this could not have been the end.
Ronan changed the power source again. As her body became heavier, sparkling mana rose up her sword body.
Ronan moved in front of the senior scarecrow and took a stance. The advanced scarecrow made from discarded magic engineering articles was known to be ten times stronger than an ordinary scarecrow.
Most of the training was centered on sparring with Schlieffen and physical training, so it was my first time trying this. Ronan looked up at the scarecrow and tilted his head.
“hmm?”
The armor the scarecrow was wearing had the emblem of the Grancia family engraved on it. It was probably received as a support item from Grancia.
I felt an inexplicable sense of déjà vu. A knight wearing Grancia armor. Eventually, Ronan, who had recovered her memories, nodded her head. It already happened several months ago.
‘You look like that kid. Was it Nolan?’
The high-ranking scarecrow in front of me looked exactly like Sir Dolan Concesto, the guard knight of the Duke of Grancia. As a spy for Nebula Clage, he sneaked into the dormitory in the middle of the night and attempted to kill Ronan. Ronan suddenly remembered the way Dolan fought and shrugged his eyebrows.
‘Now that I think about it, the method of manifesting auras was unique.’
“Ronan, are you okay now? Here’s the water…”
Adeshan, carrying a canteen, was approaching from behind, but Ronan did not notice her presence. Without thinking about it, Ronan lifted her leg and stamped her bottom with his right foot.
‘Did you do it like this?’
thud! A wave of sparkling mana spread out along with a dull sound. Adeshan, who was carrying a canteen, lost his balance and stumbled.
“Aaaah!”
“senior?”
Ronan turned his head. Her eyes caught the image of Adeshan falling. In her haste, Ronan caught her and her canteen flying in the air at the same time.
“Thank you…”
“What did you trip on?”
“Well, really? what?”
Adeshan looked around in confusion. There was nothing to trip on on the flat stone floor.
Suddenly, Ronan’s eyes, which were scanning the floor, landed on Adeshan’s legs. Cheer up. La Mancha slipped out of his grasp. A curse escaped Ronan’s mouth.
“What the f*ck.”
“what’s the matter?”
Ronan didn’t answer. His gaze was still on Adeshan’s leg, specifically around the ankle. Ronan suddenly squatted down and grabbed her calf.
“W-what are you doing?”
“This···!”
Adeshan blushed in embarrassment. She desperately tried to get Ronan off her, but he stuck to her like a cicada and wouldn’t move.
Something like a thin tree root was wrapped around her ankle. The sparkling mana roots were very similar to Dolan’s aura.
‘f*ck, what happened?’
Given the circumstances, it seemed clear that he had appeared. His mind was talking about the new year, filled with growing doubts.
Sigh! Suddenly, the space right next to the two people turned over. An old gentleman with a beard walked out gracefully.
“long time no see. Ronan-kun.”
“K-Kratir?!”
“I was looking for you. If it’s okay, let’s go together… hm?”
Adeshan opened his eyes wide. It was Krava Kratir, the principal of Phileon Academy.
Everyone’s attention was focused, but Ronan was only focused on Adeshan’s ankle. Kratir, who belatedly saw the two people’s behavior, narrowed his eyes.
“…Did this old man interrupt an important moment?”
