166. Festival of the Sword (9)
#166
As the sun set dusk fell. A halo of dusky light was flowing along the darkened horizon.
Ronan returned to her restaurant after finishing his conversation with Russell. Her mind was complicated in many ways. When I opened the door even more heat and the smell of grilling meat came out as people were amazed.
“How many bowls is that?”
“That’s amazing. “Only three people.”
“The Little Duke barely ate…!”
Ronan who was looking around to see if there was a fight laughed. People’s eyes were focused on one place. This was the table where Ronan’s group was sitting. Naverose and Lynn Schlieffen were sitting facing each other.
At that time the owner wearing an apron placed a beer mug made of cow horn and a large bowl in front of the three people. On a plate larger than an ordinary tray there were layers of golden brown roasted wild boar. He said while looking at Nabirose’s eyes.
“I see you are eating really well. “Here comes beer and wild boar.”
“Thank you. I think this is enough…Lin. “Can I have some more?”
“huh. “I want to eat.”
Lin nodded her head at Butterfly Rose’s recommendation. From the way she was talking it seemed like she had become acquainted with him. The owner’s eyes distorted for a moment.
As he headed toward the kitchen showing an awkward commercial smile the onlookers cheered again. I was afraid to guess how many dishes I had finished to get such a reaction. At that time the eyes of Nabirose and Ronan who were wiping Rin’s mouth with a napkin met.
“Ronan. “It’s late.”
“…Yeah it just so happened.”
“Sit down. “I even ordered yours.”
With my butterfly I pointed to the chair across from him. Ronan who was sitting astride her fur took a gulp from her glass of beer in front of her. It wasn’t until a while that the mokuldae which was giggling stopped moving. bang! He set down his empty glass roughly.
“Puh-ha…it’s pretty cool. here.”
“Farzan’s beer is famous for its excellent taste. There are even people who participate just to eat this. “Anyway it’s bold to drink after smoking.”
“It’s not even a fileon so what do you think?”
Ronan chuckled. Even though a knife was pointed at his throat to tell him not to drink it he planned to drink it today. He called the owner and ordered additional beer. I opened her mouth with butterflies as I looked Ronan up and down.
“Seeing as there were no blood stains I guess it was finished with a sword?”
“yes?”
“The guy who told you to follow him. “It didn’t look like it had much substance considering its size but it was as expected.”
It was Russell’s story. I don’t know if it was because the atmosphere at the time was harsh but he seemed certain that he had used sparring as an excuse to kill him. Rin was munching on her meat her eyes sparkling with interest. He shook her head.
“I didn’t kill him.”
“I know.”
“yes?”
“I said that because your expression was so dark. “Do I need to explain this too?”
Nabi Rose laughed. It seemed like he was in a pretty good mood when I saw him crack jokes that he didn’t usually make. Only then did her somewhat flushed face come into view. Ronan shrugged his eyebrows.
“How much did you drink?”
“I drank some. My beloved students are achieving excellent results in the Sword Festival so as a teacher I need to be able to calm down. Ahaha…I’m glad to meet you.”
Ronan and Schlieffen’s faces hardened. If the two people’s ears were not wrong I just said that they were definitely ‘beloved’ disciples. It seemed like it wasn’t something I normally drank. Ronan unable to hold back his laughter opened her mouth.
“Me too.”
“That’s right. “Cute guys.”
As her body leaned forward I stroked their cheeks. The kindest person in the world seemed like a different person from usual. She asked if she still had any worries after that and asked Ronan about two additional questions but Ronan only hinted at her and avoided answering.
She wasn’t sure if this was okay to say. Especially if her target is her. Rin who was watching Ronan as if observing him tugged on Nabirose’s sleeve.
“huh? “Why do you do that?”
“I’m in the bathroom.”
“iced coffee. “If you leave the restaurant and turn right…”
“I’m scared because it’s dark. “Please come with me.”
Lin said shamelessly. It wasn’t something a self-proclaimed lady would say. After looking at Lin in confusion for a moment I nodded at her. She raised her body and patted the heads of her two students.
“Eat slowly. “I’ll come back to get some fresh air.”
“Why don’t you just raise it? “If you take me for a little while I will believe you are mother and daughter.”
Her mother and daughter were naturally holding hands with her. Perfect! Butterfly Rose punched Ronan in the head and then left her restaurant. Just before her door closed she looked back at Ronan and saw Rin blinking one of her eyes. She laughed as if Ronan was amazing at her.
“It’s a little thing….”
Anyone could see that he had deliberately avoided her place. As the sights disappeared the attention of the drunks naturally dispersed. Only Ronan and Schlieffen remained at the table.
“Aren’t you going to eat any more?”
“If it was a meal I finished it an hour ago.”
“Did you wait on purpose? “You are indeed a nobleman.”
“If you want I can also leave your seat. “Do you need time alone to think?”
“…No sit down. “I can tell you.”
Ronan shook her head. Anyway there was no one to talk to other than this guy. He relayed to Schlieffen exactly what he had heard from Russell. There is a strange person coming up from the other side of the mountain and there is a high possibility that he is one of those who massacred the Dawn Unit. There’s even a story about a white-haired swordsman that Nabi Rose once met. Schlieffen who had been listening shook his head.
“It’s definitely something that would upset the instructor if he heard it.”
“ok. “I don’t want things to go wrong for no reason.”
Russell’s impression of the devil is that of a robber who betrayed his savior. In other words he looked very similar to the person expected to be his biological father. It could have been a coincidence but white hair and scarlet eyes were not common features as Russell said.
Of course there was a high possibility that it was not the robber himself. The swordsmanship used was similar and it seemed clear that the devil was a very skilled person but his swordsmanship was different. However the thought that there might be a significant connection could not be erased.
‘What is coming up?’
Ronan twitched her lip. It was just a pity that there was no reason to catch and punish the devil right now. Aside from the fact that the sparkling mana found at the scene of the massacre was visible only to Ronan’s eyes it could also have been a trace left by another accomplice. The atrocious act of cutting one’s wrists was also not problematic under the regulations.
‘If you actually pass over it and you’re not the one involved you’re screwed.’
The biggest problem was that this was Farzan where the sword festival took place. In the first place sneaking over was almost impossible. In order to get to Aran Farzan you had to cross the sacred site at the top due to the terrain and since it was an inviolable area the elders who presided over the sword festival directly stood guard. Each and every one of them was a sword master level strongman.
‘You have to catch it at all costs.’
Of course if I showed the dawn plaque something would work out but I felt that the timing was still inappropriate. Ronan truly did not want to lose that bastard. Rather than going out of his way to do something wrong he should have done it in a safe place. Schlieffen spoke as if representing his feelings.
“I guess confirmation comes first.”
“right.”
Ronan nodded his head. The good news is that the mountain gets narrower the higher you go. The fact that they came to the Sword Festival meant that they most likely came aiming for the Holy Sword. The closer you get to your goal the harder it is to give up. He finally came to a conclusion and sighed.
“Whatever it is I have to go up. “I just feel sorry for the people across from me.”
“I guess so. “Have you finished eating?”
“ok?”
“I will spar with you. “Shouldn’t we do what we can during the remaining time?”
Schlieffen stood up. Ronan who was staring at him with his eyes closed burst out laughing. Looking back this child’s consideration has always been like this.
“customer. “The beer came out…what?!”
Ronan took the beer the owner was carrying and drank it. I felt like I felt lighter than before.
“You know there’s no one to blame even if you die right?”
Ronan chuckled and followed Schlieffen out. Within a few minutes a loud noise began to echo from the mountainside. Exactly one hour later they were banned from sparring that day for destroying terrain.
****
The screening test consisted of a total of four stages. Because there was a break of two to three days between each test it took about a week to take all the tests.
Ronan and his group passed the second test with ease. It was a battle for the flag with divisions divided into camps but it was definitely more fun to fight probably because most of the idiots were filtered out in the first test.
Most of those who remained were worthy of being called powerful. In fact I was able to find several talented people that I would like to have as colleagues in the future.
“Ronan. After this festival is over come to our kingdom. “I will let you get whatever you want.”
“Why don’t you just become a member of our family? This is an opportunity to overcome the wall of status that has been established since birth… huh? Are you more powerful than the Acalusia family? “It’s not that but…”
The interesting thing was that among them there were many who wanted Ronan. On the night of the second test about twenty participants came to Ronan one after another. The tone of speech and the conditions presented were different for each person but the content of the conversation itself was similar. Be me or our person.
If I were to choose three of the talented players rising from Gran Farzan they would definitely be Ronan and Schlieffen Nabirose but the latter two already had a solid affiliation and status so I could not bring them in. On the other hand in the case of Ronan although he was famous as a hero who restored spring to the islands he was clearly a student.
To be precise he was a secret agent directly under the imperial family but there was no way he could have known such information and he was a highly coveted talent among those who came to Farzan for the purpose of recruiting. Moreover Ronan’s skills which were confirmed through two tests far exceeded the rumors that were thought to be exaggerated so they all tried to lure Ronan with sweet offers. But the answer that came back was always the same.
“Speak at the top not here. “Then I’ll think about it seriously.”
In short it meant proving your skills. No matter how good the conditions were Ronan was stubborn. People soon realized that compromise was impossible and took action with burning fighting spirit. Among them there were some who muttered that they were unlucky but those types of people were not people to talk to in the first place.
‘Not everything that has a lot is good. ‘The ones who make it to the top are real.’
Ronan instead kept an eye on the participants who did not approach him. There was a high possibility that the truly talented person would remain silent. Ronan suddenly remembered Darman the knife delivery man and shrugged his eyebrows.
‘Is it coming from Aran Farzan?’
The suspiciously fast boy and Jaifa were still nowhere to be seen. If Jaipa had participated in the Sword Festival we would have met him but it was questionable whether he would have delivered well. We’ll find out in a few days anyway.
After shaking off the people Ronan started training as usual. The location is on top of a huge rock that shines in the moonlight. The training included meditation and mana exercises to remove the curse entangled in the blood vessels. He stood up with his back straight and closed his eyes.
‘Now that I think about it I also have to break the damn curse.’
Although he was much better since returning from his big year he still couldn’t shake the feeling that his strength was limited. He was in the midst of meditation after shaking off his distracting thoughts. Lin’s voice came from behind.
“You work hard.”
“Aren’t you sleeping?”
Ronan closed his eyes and opened his mouth. A cool night breeze blew as if to replace Lin’s answer. Somehow she obtained a new sword and passed her second test with ease. Perhaps because her performance was not outstanding people did not pay attention to her. Lin said.
“Why are you here?”
“The big-breasted sister you like asked me to come with you.”
“It’s vulgar.”
“What are you going to say? And get your hands off her ass.”
Rin clicked her tongue and slowly lowered her arms. She always had Ronan hanging around her like this whenever she was training. She is like a child looking for someone to play with.
“Then you’re not interested in the Holy Sword?”
“A holy sword?”
“huh. “Most of them come looking for the holy sword.”
From the sound of her footsteps Ronan could tell that she was circling around the rock. As he pondered over her words that she was a holy sword he spat it out.
“I don’t believe in fairy tales like that. It’s probably a story made up by old people like the elders or money-minded people like Marya. “If people stop visiting everyone will starve to death.”
“Who is Marja?”
“there is. “He’s strong and has big breasts.”
“I see. “I want to meet you.”
Lin said with interest in her voice. The two had an in-depth discussion about the body organ called the chest for nearly thirty minutes. Ronan burst out laughing when he heard her say that she tried to put her hand inside Butterfly Rose’s shirt and got scolded.
“Ugh this is completely perverted. “If it had been a man his head would have fallen off on the spot.”
“huh. “I was scared because I was angry.”
“I’m going crazy. Would you like to join our academy after the festival is over? It seems like the age is right. “I have skills.”
“huh?”
“It will be fun. I’ll also introduce you to Marya and her other friends I mentioned earlier. “If you just change your damn hand habits everyone will love you.”
The stronger night wind blew her bangs. The air was cold perhaps because of the high altitude. Suddenly Ronan realized that this was her first business since she came to Farzan. Lin who had been silent opened her mouth.
“…Are you flirting now?”
“After choosing the words. Well…you could say that right?”
“no.”
It was a refusal as resolute as a knife. Ronan’s brow furrowed for a moment. He was just about to say something.
“Okay then there’s nothing we can do…”
“Tell me one more time not here but at the top.”
“ok?”
“Do you know anything? “I wonder if my mind will change then.”
It was something he used to say to other people. Only then did Ronan open his eyes. He was alone on the flat rock. As she hurriedly looked around she saw Rin already running away in the distance. For some reason the way she took her steps seemed more cheerful than usual.
“Strange guy.”
Ronan lifted his head and looked up at the night sky. A few hours would pass and when dawn broke the third test would begin. It was the final gateway to confirm the reality of the devil.
