169. Festival of the Sword (12)
#169
“Follow me.”
The low voice was serious. However the atmosphere was quite different from when I saw it in the imperial palace before. At least it didn’t feel like the sun burning black. I was wondering whether I should follow this or not. Suddenly Butterfly Rose’s voice was heard from inside the restaurant.
“Ronan! Where did you go? “Did I teach you that way to make your teacher drink alone?”
“…under.”
Ronan placed his hand on her forehead and sighed. Judging by the way his tongue was curled he seemed to be quite drunk. In fact the two students performed well in the exam so it was natural to feel quite good.
Before the test started he had so earnestly warned me not to do anything reckless but when he actually succeeded in catching a hundred I found it ridiculous that he was grinning from ear to ear. Zaifa hearing her voice perked up her ears.
“This voice…did the snake come with it?”
“That’s it.”
“…It’s annoying. “Hold on tight.”
“ok?”
Ronan tilted her head. Suddenly Jaipa stretched out her arm and instantly lifted Ronan onto her shoulder and carried him away. She didn’t even have time to scream asking what this was. phut! He crouched down and leapt towards the night sky.
“What the fuck…!”
The night sky poured over his head. The fearsome leg power was still alive and well. Every time Zyfa kicked the ground and jumped up her star moved further away and closer again. As he was jumping up and down her snow-covered ridge he landed at some point. Ronan jumped down from his shoulder and cursed.
“Hey you bastard what are you doing all this?”
“This is my temporary residence. “I hate noise.”
“Temporary shelter?”
Once my stomach settled down the surrounding scenery came into view. It was inside a spacious cave. It wasn’t deep but it was high and wide enough for Jaifa to straighten her back.
Outside the entrance I could see the starry sky and the eastern plains of the setting moon at a glance. Because it was located in the middle of a rock wall it was nearly impossible to enter unless you had wings. Jaifa nodded her head.
“okay. When coming to Farzan most of the accommodation and meals are provided here. “When you go up to the sacred site there are a lot of troublesome things to do.”
“…It’s quite useful.”
Ronan who was looking around the living quarters shrugged his eyebrows. Although it looked simple it had everything that was needed. Not far from the entrance a huge bonfire was burning vigorously as if it had just been lit. Several stakes with large pieces of meat stuck into them were stuck around the campfire.
“What meat?”
“moose. “Would you mind listening?”
“later.”
Inside the cave there were about five or six wooden boxes stacked with unknown contents. The hammock made with nails hammered into both walls looked more like a trap for an animal like a bison than a bed.
Beside it leaning at an angle was a fearsome scimitar sword that only Jaipa could wield. Looking again it was closer in size to a building material than a weapon.
Judging by the subtle changes in its appearance it seemed to have been destroyed by Nabirose and then rebuilt. Jaifa walked forward and sat down on the box. Ronan asked with his arms crossed.
“So what do you want to ask?”
“Did you kill my men?”
Zaifa asked calmly. His tone was dry as if he was asking me if I had watered my flower pot yesterday. For a moment Ronan’s face hardened. It was a question he expected but he didn’t expect it to hit him like this. Vertically narrowed pupils were staring at him. Ronan who was silent for a moment opened his mouth.
“…You’re making sounds that don’t even sound like words.”
“okay. I guess so. “This is nonsense.”
That’s nonsense. After repeating this Jaipa closed his mouth. The sound of the wind was loud in the awkward silence. Ronan was about to say something. An indescribable eerie feeling ran down my spine.
‘It’s dangerous.’
Ronan pulled the hilts of both swords in a movement that was almost instinctive. At the same time a sharp sound of metal echoed under the night sky. Kaaaaang-! Ronan made eye contact with Jaifa and raised one corner of his mouth.
“I knew it would be like this.”
I was expecting it from the moment I sat down within arm’s reach of the scimitar. The sharp purple blade of the scimitar was stuck between the crossed blades of La Mancha and Ymir. Ronan gritted his teeth as he still felt the immense power. The moment I relaxed even a little my forehead would be split in half. Jaipa who was watching him spoke with interest.
“It has increased significantly. “Have you changed to a dual sword style?”
“I change it whenever I feel like it. “Do you want to give it a try?”
Ronan spat on the floor. Jaipa silently took his stance and thrust out his scimitar. Considering his size and weight he had incredible speed. Every time the three blades collided sparks like spray bloomed in the air. Irregular metallic sounds echoed in the cave. We were in the middle of competing for about 20 sum. Suddenly Jaipa obtained the scimitar. Ronan who had just raised his sword diagonally to cut urgently stopped his movements. The tip of La Mancha’s sword stopped exactly in front of Jaipa’s neck.
“What the fuck are we going to do now?”
Ronan frowned. If I had been a little late I would have gotten cut. Jaifa who was looking him up and down nodded his head.
“…Of course it’s not you.”
“What?”
“At that time he was curious from the imperial palace. “I don’t know what happened but I felt that you had an energy similar to that of those fanatics.”
Ronan twisted his mouth. As expected he noticed. Jaipa who had placed the scimitar against the wall again picked up two extra boxes from the corner and placed them near the bonfire.
“Sit down.”
“Are you going to swing a knife like this again? “I heard it’s similar.”
“Your charges were just dropped. It’s similar but the texture is different. You don’t have that youthful smell that is typical of those who are steeped in illusions. “The way he wielded his sword was completely different from the sword marks left on the bodies of my men.”
“How is it different?”
“It was a massacre that only an emotionless butcher could commit. “It is fundamentally different from your sword which is dripping with emotion.”
Jaifa hesitated. Ronan swallowed thickly at the horrifyingly accurate analysis. I could only say that it was a great intuition to have such accuracy without even being able to see the sparkling mana.
“I’m sorry that I should have resolved the misunderstanding at the imperial palace.”
“It’s okay if you know that’s not the case. “What about your lieutenant?”
“He hasn’t woken up yet. The military doctor said that it was highly likely that psychological factors were involved. “I was so shocked that I closed my mind.”
Ronan twisted his lips. The sight of the lioness still crouching in the hole terrified was pleasing to the eye. It seemed like the wound in my heart was deeper than I thought as I still couldn’t recover even after a month had passed.
“…Damn it.”
“But my body is completely healed so I will come to my senses soon. “Aren’t you going to sit down?”
“To urge you.”
Only then did Ronan lower his sword and sit down on the box. The warmth of the bonfire was warm. Jaipa opened the lid of another wooden box using only his little fingernail. There were five or six large bottles of alcohol well packaged. He took out two bottles and handed one to Ronan. The label made of luxurious paper had a detailed sketch of a snow crystal shape. Ronan’s eyes widened.
“Is this supposed to be an eternal fairy tale?”
“It’s a hometown drink. “I’ll take you to the bar later so please talk to me.”
Jaifa responded and took a gulp of alcohol. Maybe it was because he was so big but when he swung his neck a few times the bottle was immediately empty.
Without any delay he immediately took out the next bottle and opened it. No matter how wealthy you are it may not be something you can easily obtain but it was indeed a use worthy of a swordsman.
“Let’s talk together…shall we do that?”
Ronan muttered quietly. He drank the alcohol in one go like a Zyfa and let out a stinging breath. He felt his body heating up and his energy returning. I thought that maybe this was the secret to strength. Ronan wiped his mouth with his sleeve and looked at Jaifa.
“Puh-ha…it’s awesome. So what were you doing that you were late for?”
“I came here to kill the pests. “In the end I couldn’t find any clues.”
“pest? Nebula Clage?”
“okay. “I think I caught at least a hundred.”
Jaipa said that from the day he left the imperial palace he traveled all over the continent to hunt down the culprit who killed his men. The most likely suspect Nebula Clage had to bear the wrath of the Sword Saint and as a result small branches near the islands were completely withered away. Ronan tilted his head.
“You caught it all by yourself? “Is there anyone who uses a strange shield?”
“It happened sometimes. These guys are dealing with a defense shield that cannot be breached no matter what they do. However all of them had weak durability so there was no problem.”
Ronan laughed. Jaipa explained that there is a separate way to attack those who use Star Protection. In short all you had to do was hit and run repeatedly and catch it when the protection faded but it was possible because it wasn’t a permanent shield like the bald ones.
‘Monster bastard.’
Still it is easier said than done but the fact that it is a great achievement remains the same. We could see that Sarante was defeated in the end. In many ways I was keenly aware that he was the greatest swordsman of all time and at the same time I wondered why he was not seen during the final battle.
‘No matter how you look at it it doesn’t look like he was murdered by anyone.’
His head was spinning. There were too many people including Nabirose and Kratir who could not guess the cause of their disappearance.
Ronan who had been drooling drank again. Anyway nothing could be resolved even if I thought about it right away. Then Jaifa who had been rummaging through his pockets held out something to Ronan.
“Do you really know what this is?”
“hmm?”
The small shiny metal was carved into the shape of a seven-pointed star. Ronan raised his eyebrows when he saw the familiar shape. It was undoubtedly the item worn by Bishop Terranil in the desert ruins of Dainhar.
“…Where did you get this?”
“This is an item obtained when attacking a burrow’s procession. The chief there left him with his arms. “I was transporting something in a wagon but unfortunately I missed it.”
Jaifa clicked his tongue. It happened in the southwestern part of the continent. He explained that he surprised them in a forest where the grass and trees were all white and defeated them but lost the leader and the wagon.
After hearing the description of the white forest Ronan stroked his bangs. Although the location was completely different from the one Russell had mentioned the features were surprisingly similar.
“Where is it?”
“So… it was a forest that appeared after crossing the Itasian Mountains in the northwest. “Only certain sections turned unusually white.”
“You didn’t find any ruins or anything?”
“Ruins…? It’s a shame but I couldn’t do a detailed investigation because I was going crazy with anger at the time. If you are interested please visit. “I will give that to you.”
Jaifa gestured. Ronan nodded slightly and put the badge in his pocket. I felt like I was getting closer to the truth. In addition to Nebula Clage they talked about what they had been up to for the past two years. Thanks to the fairly strong alcohol the atmosphere did not become too serious.
“That’s right your mentor often comes to visit his adjutant. “He’s someone I don’t even know.”
“Master? Is it really Varen?”
“okay. “The kid who blocked me in the imperial palace.”
“Hehehe it’s time for that lion to get married too. “It’s pretty good.”
Ronan chuckled. Jaipa also let out a low laugh as if he was happy. Suddenly Ronan’s eyes landed on the scimitar leaning against the wall. The face of Darman who was delivering the knife flashed before her eyes.
“So I guess you haven’t received it yet?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Uh…so.”
Ronan trailed off his horse. It was because I remembered what Darman had said. He clearly said that the sword he was delivering was a gift from his teacher to Jaipa.
‘Surprise gifts are always the best.’
He didn’t want to beat the candle for no reason. Ronan avoiding eye contact looked around and said.
“no. “You will find out soon.”
“It’s bland.”
“So why did you come here? “I don’t think she came as a participant like Nabi Rose.”
“The Imperial Sword Saint has the obligation to participate in the final exam and the ceremonies taking place in the sacred place. It is my duty to console the rookie who won the final exam and show him the direction in which he should move forward as a prosecutor. It’s annoying but I’m looking forward to it a bit this time. “Because there are quite a few potential participants including you and the Empire’s Morning Star.”
Of course that snake is annoying. Jaifa mumbled and took a sip of his drink. Ronan’s eyes widened. This was a rule I was completely unaware of.
Who would have thought that the winner of the final exam would spar with the swordsman? For a moment thoughts related to Russell and the demon Nebula Clazier quickly passed through my mind. Ronan who was smoothing his chin slowly opened his mouth.
“Zaifa.”
“Why are you doing that?”
“What if I told you I found it? “The one who killed your men.”
In an instant Jaifa’s eyes changed. After being dumbfounded for a moment he drank the second bottle of alcohol in one go.
The liquid enough to buy a house was completely gone in three sips. Cheer up! Jaifa threw the empty bottle on the floor and glared at Ronan.
“What do you mean?”
The growling voice was showing life again. Ronan put his hand in his inner pocket and fiddled with the Dawning card. The wind mixed with the ice cap was howling outside the cave.
