176. Festival of the Sword (19)
#176
A garden of steel spread out before my eyes. The weapons growing from the floor were casting a cool light. There seemed to be tens of thousands of bags filling the entire crater at irregular intervals.
It was just as Nabirose said. The inexperienced participants began to mutter in confusion.
“What is all this? “Are you asking me to find the holy sword here?”
“Magic…is it?”
“I feel like I’m possessed by a ghost. “Anyway isn’t there something strange about these weapons?”
Ronan was equally embarrassed. Even though I have lived two lives I have never seen a scene like this. After looking around for a while he asked Alogin.
“What kind of magic did you do?”
“Hmm… just wait a moment. “Somehow I can’t get used to it every year.”
Fatigue was clearly visible on Alogin’s face. The same was true for other elders and Jaipa. It didn’t look like they were all in good shape hanging upside down and looking like they hadn’t slept in three days. Al Login who was catching his breath opened his mouth.
“…I’m sorry. It’s not normal to summon all the sword spirits. “This is why seven elders have to stay in the sacred place while eating.”
“Sword spirit?”
Ronan tilted his head. It was the first time I heard the word. However based on the tone it seemed like it might be related to the possessed weapon that was sometimes rumored to exist through rumors. Things like flying out of nowhere and stabbing an enemy in the neck without even touching his hand. Alogin answered.
“okay. To put it simply a sword spirit is a soul that resides in a weapon.”
“I…I heard there is a weapon that moves or talks randomly. Is that related to that?”
“Ah you mean the ego weapon. That’s right. When the sword spirit becomes extremely strong such an object is born. What you are seeing is also the materialization of the sword spirits of the weapons offered to Farzan. “Even though they lost their metal bodies they are like ghosts who dream without being able to leave the world.”
Ronan frowned when he heard the word ghost. Alogin explained that all the blades rising before his eyes were intangible. It was somehow eerie that the wind felt even colder.
“…What is the principle? “Honestly I feel a little bad.”
“It’s not exactly known. However our elders speculate that this phenomenon is caused by the owner’s attachment and bond. It would be quicker to experience it yourself than to explain it. Would you like to try it?”
Alogin pointed to the longsword sticking out in front of Ronan. Ronan grasped the hilt of his sword with a questioning expression.
“…!”
At that moment certain scenes passed before my eyes with the sensation of static electricity splashing in my head. A man running through the battlefield a sword digging into the enemy’s armor a scream echoing from all directions and the sound of metal clashing. It was a video that seemed to list someone’s life.
“What the fuck?”
Ronan startled threw away his sword. As soon as the video stopped my vision returned to its original state.
In reality it was only a few seconds but it felt like a very long time had passed. It was a similar feeling to the magic light I had experienced in my past life. Seaaaa… The sword which was swinging precariously collapsed and transformed into a gaseous form and disappeared. Alogin stroked his beard and smiled.
“That is the dream that the sword spirits and weapons are dreaming of. I remember the days when I drank blood with my master. “I guess I’ll have to get started now.”
“wait for a sec. Then consciousness is….”
“What you expect is correct.”
Ronan was about to say something. The elders including Alogin lowered their weapons all at once. Alogin announced while looking back at the participants.
“You just have to go around this sacred place and pull out a weapon that is presumed to be a holy sword. If it is not a holy sword it will immediately turn into smoke and disappear so there is no need to worry about confusion. If you have the ability you can try as much as you want but every time you touch it the memories of the sword will come flooding back so it would be better in many ways to choose as carefully as possible.”
Alogin explained that the ritual will last until the sun sets today. Judging by the color of the sky there were about two or three hours left. He also reiterated the admonition to be careful when choosing a weapon. One of the participants raised his hand and asked a question.
“Does the flood of memories have anything to do with the number of pulls?”
“Once you hold it you’ll know right away. Handling a piece of history is surprisingly very tiring. “There were several participants whose egos were ruined when they overexerted themselves so please be careful.”
As expected Ronan was feeling tired as if he had just run outside. It was a shame to take my hand off right away but if I had held on until it was completely pulled out I would have suffered for no reason.
Alogin then added that one of these must be a holy sword so don’t worry. Only then did Ronan understand why he was so selective in filtering out the participants.
This ceremony was a kind of reception. It was a dangerous act that could cause one to go crazy or become a wreck in an instant unless one’s body and mind were well trained. The faces of the participants who had passed the final test and were released were hardening.
“Then let’s begin now. “I hope someone wakes up the sleeping holy sword.”
Alogin said. The participants each with their own determination dispersed. Elders and sword saints also participated in the ceremony so there were a total of 28 people wandering around the sacred site. Soon exclamations of astonishment began to be heard from everywhere.
****
“…shit! “I can’t eat this anymore.”
The man in her armor lay down swearing at her. In the end he was unable to pull out the long spear stuck in front of his eyes. Aside from the fact that my body became as heavy as a weight the memories of the blades cluttering my mind made it impossible for me to even try. Should I say that I feel like my ego is blurring every time I see a fantasy?
“You are the vice-captain of the Holy Lance Knights… How many swords did you pick?”
At that time another participant came groggily and plopped down next to the man. The dark shadows in his eyes made it seem like he was in the same situation.
“Seven sacks. “Now there is a limit.”
“You picked a lot…I only got five.”
“I don’t know if the damn holy sword really exists. “Isn’t this all a contrived scam?”
“I thought about that for a moment too. But…they are working too hard for that to be true.”
A participant with dark eyes pointed somewhere. The man who was lying down lifted his head and looked in that direction. Elders in uniform were busy walking around among the blades.
They were drawing their weapons every third. It was reminiscent of farmers harvesting radishes. The shape disintegrated and the smoke that rose was mixed with the wind and disappeared. The man who lay down again laughed as if he was tired.
“…They’re monsters.”
“So you’re in the position of elder aren’t you? Seeing that there are people other than them who are particularly good at recruiting I think we are lacking in training. Even the Morning Star of the Empire and the Master of Everything have already drawn double digits.”
“That’s a fair point… Now that I think about it what happened to that young man?”
The man asked a question while lying down. It hasn’t been seen since the ritual began.
“Who are you talking about?”
“Why do you have a friend who blocked the technique of the Explosion Sword? “We used to drink together but I can’t see you anymore today.”
“…You mean that?”
The two shrugged their shoulders. He was undoubtedly one of the most influential participants but no matter how hard I looked around I couldn’t find him.
But that was natural. Thirty minutes after the ritual began Ronan gave up looking for the Holy Sword and sat with his legs stretched out on the western outskirts of the crater. The sunlight was coloring his face even more red. While admiring the scenery below the mountain with his back to the shrine he muttered.
“It’s killing me.”
The western part of the continent came into view at a glance. A rugged horizon surrounded all directions. I felt like I was sitting on the roof of the world because there were no taller mountains as far as I could see. In the distance I could see my hometown Nimburton and the Lomira Mountains across the archipelago.
I was able to climb up thanks to luck I found a slope leading up. Because it was an ambiguous location as to whether it was included in the sacred site Ronan placed La Mancha on his right.
It was used as an excuse in case the elders raised questions about what they were doing there. Stretching out he raised one corner of his mouth and muttered.
“The holy sword is damn good.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Huh…!”
At that time a familiar voice was heard from behind. He was really surprised because he didn’t feel popular. Ronan stroked his chest once and turned his head. Rin was standing with her abundant white hair flowing.
“A you were surprised.”
“Aren’t you looking for the holy sword?”
Lin tilted his head. I was secretly annoyed by his unique expressionless expression and dry tone of voice. Ronan turned his head again and looked down the mountain.
“Don’t worry. “If I had been the chosen one I would have shown up a long time ago.”
“You have a bad attitude. Even if I succeed in life I will never be called a gentleman.”
“I don’t even want to hear it.”
Ronan waved his hand away. In the first place I wasn’t interested in finding the Holy Sword so I was planning on wasting my time before heading back. Rin who was looking at Ronan’s back approached at a slow pace. She then naturally sat down on Ronan’s lap.
“Because I’m dumbfounded.”
Ronan laughed. This was another unexpected development. Ronan looked down at her casually resting the back of her head against his chest.
“You have very good behavior for a lady.”
“The meaning of life is doing what you want to do.”
“I see. “It’s heavy so go down man.”
Lin didn’t move. Ronan let out a sigh as if he had expected her and grabbed Rin’s back and placed her next to him. Of course she wasn’t heavy at all but it bothered her that it was her pants that were always rubbing off her blood. She bit out her tongue slightly as if pouting.
“It’s shameful.”
“It’s noisy. “You should also look for the holy sword so why did you come here?”
“It’s my heart.”
Ronan laughed as if he were dumbfounded. She said she hadn’t touched a single thing and Ronan replied that she had too. The two people sitting side by side watched the sunset without saying a word.
The day was coming to an end. The setting sun contrasted with the pale full moon creating a dreamlike scene. The clouds which looked as if they had been torn from sheep’s wool had ripened like autumn leaves. Rin took one deep breath and opened her mouth.
“I guess you like sunsets.”
“Um…maybe. “I used to hate it but now it’s not that bad.”
Ronan nodded her head. For her a sunset was not just a natural phenomenon. It was the last sight he saw before ending his life. Lin asked.
“why?”
“Someone I knew once gave a unique explanation and I liked it. Did he say it was the last struggle of his dying year?”
“fight? “It’s fascinating.”
“right. The reason the sunset burned red was because it was struggling to live. Like looking for firewood to keep a fire going. “I don’t know why but I liked that explanation.”
This was a conversation I had with Adeshan on the Hill of the Four Seasons. It was a memory of late summer youth that I had never experienced in my previous life. I couldn’t believe that two years had already passed. Ronan happily explained what happened at the time. Lin who saw her subtly determined gaze let out a snort.
“Hmm. That’s the person Nabirose was talking about. “It won’t be easy.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“it’s okay. That’s better than a guy who goes around flirting with random people. I have something more curious than that. “It’s a very very important question.”
Suddenly she turned her head and faced Ronan. Her eyes which were as white as her hair were not only clear but even felt transparent. I always thought she was a girl who gave off a very mysterious impression. By the way what on earth was she trying to ask since she used ‘very’ twice? Lin continued.
“Holy sword. Do you want to have it?”
