Chapter 159: The Festival of Swords (2)
“Who might this be, the hero who brought spring back to the Empire?”
“Hmm?”
Ronan turned his head. A neatly dressed young man stood behind him, a stark contrast to Ronan’s ragged appearance after having navigated a challenging path for several days.
While he seemed like the son of a noble family, Ronan couldn’t recall his face no matter how hard he remembered. The young man, standing confidently with his clothes impeccably arranged, extended his hand for a handshake.
“Nice to meet you. You’re Onan, right?”
“Who are you?”
Instead of shaking hands, Ronan furrowed his brow. Ronan’s first impression of him was not very good.
It wasn’t just the fact that his face looked like rotten pasta or the disrespect of getting his name wrong on the first meeting, Ronan doubted that this young man had come this far just to participate in the Festival of Swords.
‘How did this weak bastard make it all the way here?‘
For one, he seemed too weak. The amount of mana emanating from his core indicated, at best, was at the beginning level of Sword Expert. His flashy rapier hanging at his waist appeared more suitable for ceremony than combat.
Surveying the surroundings, Ronan realized how this idiot was able to come all the way here with a gaunt face. Two fully armored knights were standing a few steps away.
‘Ah.’
The pattern engraved on the armor matched the embroidery on the young man’s attire. He seemed like a knight affiliated with a noble family. Why would someone go to such lengths to come here? Observing Ronan’s reaction, the young man awkwardly chuckled.
“Ha… haha. This is a bit embarrassing. I am Almas Ranijak de Pashadone, the eldest son of the Pashadone family. It seems the rumors about you being from a commoner background were indeed true.”
“What?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It’s just surprising that you don’t recognize our family crest. I suppose it’s possible for commoners.”
The guy, Almas or whatever, straightened his neck proudly. Ronan smirked. It had been a while since he encountered someone of this kind. When there was a difference in status, it was a habit to put the other person down.
He felt the urge to grab the guy by the hair and give him a few slaps, but for now, he decided to hear what he had to say. Ronan raised an eyebrow and asked.
“So, what do you want?”
“Cooperate with me. We will ensure you can step on the sacred grounds.”
“…Huh?”
“This is our third time participating. Although we’ve never quite reached the sacred grounds, we’ve come close each time.”
Ronan found himself bewildered by the sudden turn of events. The young man unexpectedly brought his face close, making Ronan uncomfortable enough to consider slapping right there. The guy whispered as if sharing a secret.
“From what I heard, there’s something unusual about this festival. It seems to be true that the elders of Parzan had strange dreams. With the extraordinary number of participants this time, the elimination trials are bound to be quite challenging.”
“Strange dreams? What are you talking about?”
“Hehe, it seems your information is lacking. That’s alright, it happens.”
The sarcasm made Ronan want to pull out his nose and shove it in his mouth, but he realized that extracting information might be more beneficial. He remained silent, merely nodding his head as the young man continued.
“The information was leaked by a servant of the elders, and it is said that he had a dream of a pure white meteor crashing into the sacred place. In the place where the meteor fell, a radiant sword was stuck. Isn’t it intriguing?”
“Damn, did all these people gather just because of some old fools’ delusions?”
“You might think so, but what if all seven elders had the same dream?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. It was definitely not normal for seven people to have the same dream.
“What do you think? I think it’s not a bad suggestion for you, Onan. It seems like this is your first time participating, joining forces with me would be a wise decision.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“Why are you being so defensive? Everyone is aware of your achievements, such as defeating the Winter Witch and earning the respect of the Great Mage Lorehon. Flowing Fire Itargand and the Inquisitors of Lodolan merely helped.”
The young man let out a sinister laugh. Ronan’s jaw tightened. Although not entirely false, he didn’t appreciate someone belittling those who had faced hardships.
“I don’t care about that. Just go bother someone else. Shullifen is also participating, go talk to him.”
“Why compare yourself to a dying star? Don’t be like that and consider it some more, it’s a good proposal.”
Bringing his face closer, the young man said. Ronan’s brow furrowed.
“What does that mean? That bastard is a dying star?”
“It’s the truth, isn’t it? He was praised as a prodigy when he was young, but lately, he has failed to achieve any significant accomplishments. Shullifen Synevan is merely a failure piggybacking on Garcia’s prestige.”
The young man suddenly started chewing out Shullifen. Ronan let out a bitter laugh. It was obvious that he wouldn’t even be able to make eye contact with Shullifen in person.
‘Since I took away all the tasks that he was supposed to do, this kind of situation is happening.’
It seemed that since he had been quietly focusing on training alone it led to such evaluations. Upon reflection, the reason Shullifen had been out of the spotlight was largely due to Ronan’s regression. As Ronan had achieved the majority of accomplishments instead, including the Winter Witch.
‘Why am I so irritated?'”
He suddenly felt a surge of irritation. In any case, this idiot had no right to bad mouth Shullifen. Even though that bastard was a bit unlucky, he was still a decent fellow. Ronan took a deep breath and brushed away his bangs.
“I see… That’s right.”
“Indeed. Then shall we go quickly? There isn’t much time remaining.”
The young man urged. He already seemed to regard Ronan as one of his knights. Ronan nodded his head slowly.
“…Fine, let’s go. But do you have any skills?”
“Haha, I may not be as skilled as Onan, but I do have some confidence in my swordsmanship, especially with the Rapier.”
“Oh, really?”
Ronan naturally placed his hand on his waist. The knights still did not take their eyes off the young man. Ronan placed his index finger on the hilt of his sword and gathered mana.
‘I already wanted to test how much faster it has become, this is a good opportunity.’
He could feel the sleeping Lamancha inside the scabbard turning red. He had to deceive not only the knights but also the dozen or so onlookers. Those who had gathered were aware of Ronan, who had become somewhat famous.
“Onan?”
The moment the young man called Ronan again, his hand disappeared from sight. In an imperceptible speed, the drawn strike passed around the young man’s body like a breeze. Dozens of straight lines were intricately carved over his upper and lower clothing.
-Swoosh!
“Ah?”
The young man, sensing something unusual, raised an eyebrow. Simultaneously, his clothes exploded and scattered. The wind that blew in scattered the shredded fabric far into the distance. The clothes transformed into butterflies, fluttering away like a dreamy spectacle.
“Heuack?!”
The now exposed young man let out a scream. Unlike the nakedness of Navirose he had seen earlier, there was nothing good about the young man’s appearance. It was a far cry from the sight of her. The female swordsman who had been observing their conversation up close covered her mouth with both hands.
“Aaack! It’s a pervert!”
“I can’t believe such a beast came to the sacred Festival of Swords! Guards!”
Following the intense reactions, exclamations erupted from various places.Ronan shrugged his shoulders and chuckled. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
“Ah… Aaah!”
The embarrassed young man sank to the ground, and the eyes of the escort knights grew so big that they almost seemed to pop out.
“What on earth?!”
“Young master!”
Without going through Ronan, they rushed directly towards the young man. It seemed they had not noticed anything. The strike did not touch the skin, precisely cutting only down to the undergarments.
‘Indeed, there’s nothing like this for honing the Swift Sword. It’s still useful.’
It was a satisfying result. If only he had pronounced his name correctly, he might have been lenient, but it’s a pity.
Now he felt somewhat better. Ronan, leaving the commotion behind, was about to take a step when something caught his foot.
“Huh?”
Ronan lowered his gaze. A flashy dagger was sparkling. As he picked it up, he noticed the engraved emblem of the Pashadone family, the same as the young man.
‘Seems like a secondary weapon.’
It seemed to have rolled all the way here with the fallen pants and coat. Ronan looked around. All eyes were on the young man screaming.
‘Not bad.’
It looked quite expensive with jeweled decorations. Considering the wasted time, it was a fairly decent compensation. Grinning, Ronan bent down and picked up his dagger and put it in his inner pocket. Of course, no one noticed…
“Thief.”
“Shit.”
…Suddenly, a voice came from right behind. Ronan let out a curse, his eyes closed. Creaking like a rusty pump, he turned his head, but there was no one.
“Huh?”
More accurately, there was no one paying attention to him. He tilted his head in confusion when the same voice was heard again.
“This way.”
“Ah.”
Only then did Ronan realize that the voice came from below. When he looked down, a white head caught my eye. A small girl was crouching at his feet.
“You…?”
“I saw it all.”
The cascading white hair, overflowing to the point of spilling, gave an impression of abundance. The girl slowly stood up. Even fully upright, the top of her head barely reached Ronan’s chest. Looking up, she opened her mouth.
“You did it. You also took off that boy’s clothes.”
“Huh? I have no idea what you’re talking about…”
“Stop pretending. It was precisely 23 times.”
“What?”
“The number of times you swung your sword.”
The girl replied dryly. A shiver ran down Ronan’s spine. He couldn’t have imagined being read so accurately.
Ronan was dumbfounded, his mind went blank. While struggling to find words, the girl suddenly raised her hand and lightly tapped Ronan’s buttocks.
“But it’s okay. You’re handsome, so I’ll let it slide.”
“Huh?”
“Your face fits my taste.”
Ronan stared at the girl, still dumbfounded. Looking at her expression, it didn’t seem like she was joking. Her eyes twinkled with a mischievous watery light.
‘Who is this girl?’
The girl was now openly touching Ronan’s buttocks. Her gestures seemed like she had done it more than once, and her wet and sticky palms only made it worse. Grabbing her hand to stop her, Ronan spoke.
“Stop touching me, please. So, are you saying you won’t say anything?”
“Yeah.”
“Thank yo… I told you to stop touching me.”
The fern-like hand was creeping up the back of Ronan’s thigh again. Ronan intervened once more, stopping her. The girl mumbled, pouting out her cheeks.
“It’s not worn out, but it’s a bit flimsy.”
“This yellow brat. Doing things that my fellow squad members used to do.”
Although she looked cute, her actions were no different from those of intoxicated members of the Punishment Squad. The girl firmly shook her head.
“I’m not a brat. I’m a lady.”
“Ha.”
Ronan chuckled. It felt like he was looking at Aselle, who declared himself manly.
“Lady? Even if I overestimate a lot, you’re probably around thirteen or fourteen at most”
“I’m older than you. And I’m also a participant.”
“What?”
“Look. Sword.”
Saying so, the girl tied her hair back, and a longsword hidden within her hair was revealed. A longsword that seemed to be almost the same height as her.
Examining the condition of the scabbard, it was a very old sword. However, the sword was hidden in the sheath, making it challenging to determine its true quality. When the girl relaxed her grip, the longsword disappeared into her hair again. Ronan asked as if he was astounded by her.
“Can a little brat like you participate in the Festival of Swords?”
“I’m not a brat; I’m a lady. I’ll be going now.”
“Are you sulking?”
The girl didn’t answer and she turned away. Her bobbing head spun back a step later.
“A lady doesn’t sulk about things like this. It will start soon, so you should go back quickly.”
“Uh… yeah.”
“See you again.”
She waved her hand at Ronan, who was dumbfounded. Ronan called out to the girl again, but she disappeared into the crowd without even looking back.
“…What the hell.”
Ronan, staring at the spot where the girl vanished, muttered softly. It seemed like he was encountering many strange kids these days.
The moment the girl guessed the number of times he swung the sword flashed in his mind. 23 times. To accurately count something that others didn’t even notice. A belated thrill ran through his limbs.
‘…This is getting interesting.’
Meeting the first participant who turned out to be an idiot that got on his nerves made him almost disappointed in the festival itself, but now, that emptiness was being filled with a sense of anticipation. Ronan headed back to the plaza he had left.
