10. Toward the system
#10
Cheonggrang. Something fell at Marya’s feet. Two severed sword bodies were rolling around at his feet.
“uh…?”
Ronan just turned the corner and disappeared. Marya looked blankly at the two knives that had been cut in half. There was not a single trace of incontinence on the clean cut surface.
‘When was it cut?’
Marya clearly saw Ronan’s sword strike splitting the thin air. Even if he had made contact at that time it was impossible for his sword to be cut off. Didn’t he use an old sword rather than a black iron sword?
Marya stood in place for a long time. Asher who had been watching the whole time slowly approached. He smiled awkwardly and greeted me with his eyes.
“Hey…good job.”
Asher followed Ronan and disappeared. She was the only one left standing in the empty space. After a moment Marya threw away her sword and laughed.
“…That’s a funny guy.”
****
“Now take it.”
Marya kept her promise. When she returned in the evening she handed over several of her books along with a sack containing exactly three times the amount.
“What is all this?”
“I really liked you guys. “I have to go to the islands tonight.”
It was a book that comprehensively covered Phileon’s past written exam questions. The cover was bound in thick leather so it didn’t seem like it was an expensive item. Among them were notes written by Marya herself.
“Hold on tightly. “If you both fall I will kill you.”
Marya said pulling the two people by their necks tightly. Asel gasped at her and Ronan nodded laughing as if he was dumbfounded.
“Don’t be late on the test day.”
The farewell promising to meet again was neat. Mary waved her right hand three times on her roof and then lay down. The Caravel band left Marbas while being seen off by the boys.
They remained standing even after the top disappeared from sight. Ronan said.
“You were such a self-indulgent girl weren’t you? “I guess I can’t even believe the rumors that women with big breasts are nice.”
“huh? Uh…I…was okay….”
“that’s right. “He was a good kid.”
Ronan had a cigarette in his mouth. He blew out smoke toward the night view of Marvas and turned around. Merchants at the night market that had just opened were touting customers.
“Let’s go back soon.”
“huh.”
Ronan and Asher headed straight to Nimburton. Although I had a lot of luggage I was able to return home comfortably thanks to buying a mule.
They arrived at Nimbarton the next morning. Iril who had been digging her potatoes threw down her hoe and ran towards her.
“Ronan!”
“I’m back.”
“Where have you been this time? Are you hurt? “What does this mean?”
There was concern dripping from his friendly voice. It was because of my past history of traveling to various places and causing accidents.
“It’s not a horse it’s a mule. And this is a gift.”
“gift?”
Ronan took Iril’s hand and led her into the house. Then he put a box on the table. It was a wooden box with the Caravel Company emblem stamped on the lid.
“Open it.”
“You don’t have to give something like this to a child… What did my little brother prepare?”
Iril who opened her box expecting flowers or food froze. Inside the box gold and silver coins were lined up like well-trained soldiers. Even if you look at it it was a reasonable amount to buy a house.
“Rororo Ronan…? “What on earth is this…?”
“It’s the money left over after tuition. “Me and Asher earned it.”
“Aser…? That pretty-looking kid? “You took it from her?”
“I didn’t steal it I earned it. “I will earn more in the future.”
Confusion was evident in Ronan’s tone. Iril’s tattered clothes were stained with things like wet dirt and roots. It was always like this. Although he was so frugal with saving money to give to his naughty younger brother he regretted buying a cheap set of clothes.
Ronan said gently scraping the dirt off the bridge of his sister’s nose.
“So sister stop digging up potatoes.”
Ronan left the house without saying those words. It was best to avoid the barrage of questions before they started pouring in. He doesn’t seem to believe me even if I tell him honestly where the money comes from.
He returned and headed up the hill where he opened his eyes. Hanging from his waist was the black iron sword he had acquired this time. The scenery I could not protect came into view.
“Speaking of technology… there really is no such thing.”
Ronan looked over the village and drew the hilt of his sword. The black sword body had a heavy black color like the night sky on a rainy day.
To be honest he couldn’t understand Phileon’s practical test. All the swordsman had to do was kill well. He was told to show his own skills. What kind of bullshit is that?
‘It may have its own meaning.’
However he did not dismiss it as useless. Marya’s swordsmanship using mana came as quite a refreshing shock. Even if he only knew how to use mana to that extent he could become much stronger than he is now.
Moreover it is the school he so desperately wanted to attend. Ronan silently raised his sword. The tip of the sword that rose above the top of the head fell in a straight line.
‘I wonder if something will come out if I do this.’
He started swinging his sword vertically. After he had swung 3000 times he was going to swing 3000 times horizontally and then 3000 times diagonally. It was a simple and uncivilized but effective training method for punitive forces.
Ronan realized the seriousness of the Luna Goblin when he captured it. It was ridiculous that he had only swung the knife fourteen times and suffered from muscle pain the next day.
The first task to be solved was to force this young body to mature. After finishing cutting I planned to do basic physical training such as running and push-ups.
“Good. “Heukcheol.”
Even without paying much attention Geomro was drawn accurately. It was definitely a good sword with no annoying shaking. Ronan did not return home until evening. Iril who was making stew shouted in surprise.
“Welcome Ronan…Deer?!”
A plump deer was slung on my brother’s sweaty shoulders. The skin was almost unscathed after being cut off by his single sword.
Ronan skillfully separated the meat and leather and then began to build a brazier. The brazier that was built in less than an hour looked quite decent.
“When did you learn all this?”
“What…both for the sake of it and for the sake of it? “Let’s eat together.”
It was a skill he learned while wandering around and serving in punitive units. He started grilling the fillet. Instead of discarding the intestines or blood they were cooked separately and made into a dish. Iril was surprised as he tasted his brother’s cooking for the first time in his life.
“This is really delicious…!”
“right? “Eat a lot.”
She said forgetting that there was food in her mouth. It looked rough but the flavor was so deep that it seemed like something I had only made once or twice. Ronan was almost putting meat into his mouth.
“Ro Ronan…eat slowly. Then pretend.”
“I’m okay. “You need to eat well too.”
This was also part of training. His theory was that even a skeleton could become an ogre if it included high-intensity exercise and nutritious meals.
After a violent meal Ronan went into his room and opened a book. The content itself was not difficult but the scope of the questions was incredibly broad.
“Fuck you. Why do I need to know things like northern dining etiquette?”
Studying for the first time in my life was boring and sleepy. Nevertheless Ronan continued reading the book. Traces of effort of unknown origin such as a tattered bookshelf or a dried nosebleed kept him from screaming and tearing up the book.
‘Now that I think about it….’
Suddenly Ronan realized that he was making an effort for the first time in his life.
He didn’t feel too bad. Investing time and taking action to achieve something means taking action.
That night Ronan replaced the candles in his room for the first time. After finishing his studies he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the bed. After daybreak he picked up his sword again and headed up the hill.
A month passed like that.
****
“Oh Asher.”
“Ronan it’s been a while.”
The ripe wind smelled like acacia. Two boys met at the entrance of the village and exchanged greetings. When they met each other a month later they said the same thing as if they had planned it in advance.
“Has the kid changed?”
“Your body… has changed a lot.”
Asher looked much better than before. It seemed like my urging to exercise at least a little bit every day was working. My back which had always been hunched straightened and my skinny limbs gained a little weight.
Many of the gloomy shadows that had always appeared on his face had disappeared. Although the girlish appearance was still there.
“Did you study much?”
“Just…okay? “Marya did a great job organizing it.”
“Hehe unlucky guy.”
“Anyway Ronan…you don’t have some kind of disease right?”
Asher asked worriedly. Ronan was also healthier than before but the degree was a bit extreme. Still his boyish body was stronger than that of an adult.
His shoulders were so wide that it seemed possible to sleep on his side and he seemed to be a hand taller.
“It’s a disease you still have a long way to go before you grow up. “This isn’t even close to our general’s standards.”
“I think I can just grow up… become a great general?”
“There is such a thing. “Are you ready?”
“huh.”
The two boys had large backpacks on their backs. Compared to its extremely heavy appearance it was surprisingly light as it was filled with only the items needed on the way to the island.
“Then I’ll come back sister.”
“Yes be careful!”
Ronan turned around. Iril who had come to see me off was standing there smiling brightly. Her white hair was shining brightly in the spring sunlight.
“oh! Wait Ronan. “The collar here is broken.”
“Just wear something casual.”
“no! “We have to make sure we get to the system!”
She got on her tiptoes and straightened her sister’s clothes. Ronan thought she had to get her sister out of Nimbutton quickly. Iril wearing new clothes was so beautiful that she did not look human.
‘If you touch any bastard you will be cut into pieces.’
Ronan eliminated all elements that could be harmful to his sister who was training. A representative example was Hans’ gang. Ronan attacked the thugs whose wounds were slowly healing and after massaging them all again set fire to their hideout.
The boys who had been begging on the ground in the spring rain were grabbed by the men who came out of nowhere. It was a mercenary group that Ronan had provided information about in advance.
‘Whoa…damn it there’s no one.’
‘What’s going on? ‘I think I can help.’
‘ok? ‘What are you?’
The mercenary leader I met by chance at a bar was struggling due to lack of personnel. In a while we would have to go down to the battlefield in the south but all the hired hands who had been hired to use us as arrow cannons had run away.
Ronan told him that he knew boys who were always bloodthirsty. He added that since all of them were orphans there would be no problem if they disappeared.
‘Please save me!’
‘Release this! Ronan! ‘Ronaaaaan!’
The mercenary leader gave me a lot of coins that I didn’t even want. As Ronan listened to the cries of the orphans clinging to the iron bars of the carriage he thought that the stew he had eaten for breakfast was really delicious.
After finishing her cleaning up Iril turned her head towards Asher.
“Asher do well on the exam too!”
“Yes yes! “I’ll do my best!”
An answer like a new recruit came out of Asher’s mouth. Asher who saw Iril’s face up close for the first time felt like he knew why this fool was such a gentleman to his sister. There was a reason why I was annoyed when I saw Marya.
Iril said.
“Take it easy! “If I fail I can live here with my sister for the rest of my life!”
“That’s not bad either. “I’ll be back.”
Ronan lightly kissed his sister’s cheek and left Nimburton. Iril waved his hand until the two figures turned into dots and disappeared.
“To Marvas. “Two people.”
“Seven silver coins.”
“Would you like to pay the original price after receiving seven blows?”
“I’m sorry. “Five coins.”
They traveled by carriage to Marvas. It was a long way to drag the mule and when we arrived there was no place to leave it.
The travel carriage was quite comfortable. Ronan smoked a cigarette with his head out of the half-open window. When I thought about it it was the first complete rest I had had in almost a month. The tired spring breeze tickled the bridge of my nose.
“Ha… that’s good.”
As I smelled the sweet scent of flowers my fatigue seemed to melt away. He turned his head and looked at the seat across from him. I saw Asher wiping his staff with a cloth.
“By the way what about that cane? “Are you sure it’s good to use?”
“huh. I think I did a good job of not selling it. My power has improved and I can concentrate better….”
“It seems like a good thing… It’s so good that you don’t secretly try putting it in your butt do you? eww.”
“What are you talking about now!”
“How can you even scream now?”
Ronan chuckled and grabbed his wand. He said ‘Like this.’ With those words he started making vulgar movements. Asher screamed.
“Stop that! Don’t put it in a place like that! Give it back!”
“Hehehe! “Scream louder!”
Ronan laughed. It was a journey with a heavy task but it was still fun. The coachman looked back from the corner of his eye and burst out laughing almost causing an accident.
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