Academy’s Genius Swordmaster

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 201: Jaeger (1)

Sekreet, who had gone missing, had transformed into a fluffy Werefox. Ronan and Adeshan stood frozen in place, dumbfounded by the sight. The innkeeper, upon seeing Sekreet descend, hurriedly approached.

“Oh, you’re awake. Shall I prepare today’s meal for you?”

“No, it’s fine. There’s still some leftovers from last night. Could the commotion earlier have been caused by Jaeger’s lackeys?”

“No, it was just the neighborhood dilinquents, as usual. It’s quite common. They’re only proud of being former members of the rebel army.”

“That’s a relief. Anyway, the meal is fine. Thanks for taking care of it.”

“Not at all. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

The innkeeper returned to the kitchen. From their conversation, it seemed Sekreet had been staying at this inn for quite some time.

Normally, Ronan would have been curious about who Jaeger was, but he felt no such curiosity now. That was because, damn it, Sekreet’s white and fluffy tail was swaying behind him. As he approached with a knowing look, Sekreet casually spoke.

“I heard the news that spring has returned to the Empire. You did a great job.”

Ronan didn’t respond. He couldn’t bring himself to accept the fact that the arctic Werefox walking on two legs was his professor. It was quite shocking enough that he had turned into a girl, and now he was a beast. Sekreet chuckled as he looked at the speechless Ronan.

“You seem to have a lot of questions. Understandable.”

“…Wait a moment.”

Suddenly, Ronan took a large gulp from the glass of distilled spirits. Indeed, it seemed quite potent, possibly because it was Northern spirits. As the spirits burned down his throat, a faint scent of vanilla emanated from within.

Hmm, it’s definitely good spirits. Ronan wiped his mouth and set the glass down. The arctic Werefox remained standing right where it was. It was still emanating mana familiar to him from its diminutive shoulders. Ronan, covering his face with his hands, muttered a curse.

“Shit.”

It was not delirium caused by the shadow mana. What was before him was indeed Sekreet. He pulled up a chair and joined the table.

“It’s been a while Student Council President Adeshan. How have you been?”

“Um, are you really Professor Sekreet…? I-I’ve been well, for now.”

“It seems so. You even came all the way up here to the North with your lover. After all, I realized when you wrote that letter while he was trapped in ice .”

“L-Lover? Ronan is just…!”

Adeshan’s face turned as red as an apple. She tried to explain with her mouth agape, but only incomprehensible sounds like “Uuuh” and “Umm” came out. Just say he’s a friend or a junior. Why say such things?

“Just… Kyaah…”

Adeshan, who had been babbling nonsensically, gulped down the glass in front of her. She tilted her head upwards, gulping without stopping once. The glass she put down was empty.

“Puha…!”

“Are you okay? That must be quite strong.”

“Hmm, I think I’m fine. It’s not bad, though…?”

Every time Adeshan spoke, a scent of vanilla wafted. Seeing her unusual reaction, Ronan chuckled. It was a world of difference from Elizabeth getting drunk after a sip of grape wine. Maybe she was better at drinking than himself. Perhaps drinking was also a talent of hers.

They ordered a bottle of spirits altogether. Melted cheese and crackers were served as snacks. Adeshan seemed to like the distilled spirits quite a bit, since she started sipping it without even toasting. Ronan looked back at Sekreet.

“So… why are you here, Professor? And why didn’t you come back to Philleon?”

“There were circumstances. I’ll explain that gradually, but let’s talk about something else first. Why did you come to the North?”

“I stopped by Hyran and had to go to the Sea of Ghosts. Sunbae came to help me on the way to the blacksmith’s forge… Oh, seriously, can’t you keep your tail still?”

“It’s because I’m happy to see you. I can’t control it as it moves according to my emotions. I only learned that after becoming a beastmen myself.”

The tail swayed relentlessly under the chair. Sekreet added that the ears move in the same way. As Ronan took another sip of his drink, Sekreet’s eyebrows twitched.

“But you’re still a student, aren’t you drinking too much? Well, it doesn’t matter since we’re not in Philleon.”

“I don’t think I can handle this without drinking. How did you end up like this?”

“I ended up like this while wandering the ancient ruins in the far North in search of magic to melt the Winter Witch’s ice. It was an unfortunate accident.”

“Is there a way to return to normal?”

“It’s possible right now. But I don’t know how to become like this again, so I plan to stay like this for a while. Isn’t it amusing?”

Ronan felt like his head was throbbing. It was fortunate that there were no tobacco leaves. If there were, he would have burned a whole pouch of it right here. From what he heard, Sekreet’s condition was even more dire than it was two years ago.

Other curses remained in his body besides the beastmen curse, causing his tail to wag. The curse of the Sphinx, which changed his gender and age, was still active, turning him into a female Werefox who grew younger and older every time day turned to night. It was questionable whether he could be called human now. Sekreet spoke again.

“But it’s not as bad as you think. There are quite a few advantages that are unexpectedly better than humans.”

“I suppose so. Like being able to scratch your itchy ears with your hind legs?”

“That’s one of the advantages. If it’s okay with you, could you tell me about the situation in the outside world? I’ve been completely cut off from the news for the past few months.”

“…Sure.”

Ronan nodded his head. Despite being disgusted by the shocking changes, Sekreet, who helped lift one of his curses, was indeed a great benefactor. As Ronan continued to look at him, he seemed better than when he had turned into a little girl.

Ronan explained in detail his adventures in the Mental World during the two years of wandering and the events that occurred after awakening. From the Winter Witch and Lorehon to the unexpected audience with the Emperor, and the decisive battle with Darman at the top of Parzan. After hearing the story about Nebula Clazier, Sekreet’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“Heh, I didn’t know they were such a ruthless organization. But to do that at the Festivals of Swords, they’ve really crossed the line, haven’t they?”

“Thanks to that, all the influential figures in various regions are now aware. Branches are now spreading across the continent.”

“That’s good.”

Sekreet chuckled. Ronan felt satisfied with the information he provided, but he also thought it was a bit severe.

To not know about the recent incident at the Festivals of Swords, it seemed like he had lived quite isolated from the world. Sekreet, who was lapping up the spirits in the wide glass, muttered softly.

“Hmm… Then could what’s happening here be related to those fanatics? This might be more serious than I thought.”

“Huh? Did something happen in Rundalian?”

“Yes. More precisely, in the North. It’s unfortunate that you came to the North at such a dangerous time.”

Sekreet’s expression turned grave suddenly. Ronan, hearing the ominous words, raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“A dangerous time?”

“Yes. If it’s okay with you, let’s discuss the rest in my room. It’s not something we should talk about in a public place.”

Sekreet stood up abruptly. Ronan, puzzled by the sudden change in atmosphere, also got up. He tapped Adeshan, who was drinking alone, on the shoulder.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

“Sunbae, are you alright?”

“Hmm… I’m fine. This tastes good.”

Adeshan smiled gently. Although her speech was sprinkled with a hint of coquetry, there seemed to be no problem with her calm demeanor. Ronan raised an eyebrow as he confirmed that the bottle was empty.

‘She drank all of this by herself?’

It was almost twenty glasses, and it was a considerable amount of alcohol. He hadn’t drunk with her in his previous life, so he didn’t know. Ronan discreetly prevented her from bringing the glass to her lips.

“Stop drinking now. You’ve had too much.”

“Aw, no fun.”

Adeshan pouted as her glass was taken away. Her face, flushed with alcohol, looked cute but also somewhat mischievous. Wait, didn’t she just say “Aw”? Maybe I misheard.

“Oh, wait.”

At that moment, Adeshan suddenly brought her face closer. Her large gray eyes sparkled in front of him. Ronan held his breath as her nose almost touched his.

“…What is it?”

“You got something on you.”

Adeshan reached out her hand and brushed the corner of Ronan’s mouth with her index finger. Only a crumb from the cracker the size of her fingernail came off. It seemed like he accidentally got something on his face while talking with Sekreet. She naturally put her finger in her mouth and smiled coquettishly.

“Ahaha, you have a clumsy side too, don’t you?”

Ronan was left speechless by her provocative gesture. It was a terrifying drinking habit, completely different from Elizabeth’s boasting about showing the essence of fire magic. Sekreet whispered to him as he gently tapped his back with his tail.

“I thought so earlier, but you two are a great match.”

“It’s not like that.”

Ronan, taking a dry gulp, shook his head. He didn’t drink much, but he felt intoxicated. The professor he hadn’t seen in a long time had turned into a beast, and the former superior who he respected so much was now showing off a coquettish side… Well, the latter wasn’t too bad.

“Alright, let’s go upstairs.”

Anyway, Ronan and Adeshan followed Sekreet to the second floor. His room was located in the farthest corner.

The mana barrier emanating faint light, visible even at a glance, seemed quite dense around the door. It was a security spell he had seen before. Sekreet, holding the doorknob, murmured a specific spell, and then the barrier disappeared, and the door opened.

“It’s shabby and messy, but come on in.”

“Well…”

Ronan’s eyes widened as he entered Sekreet’s room. It gave off a completely different feeling from the room he had seen two years ago in Separacio. Various books, clothes, and papers with scribbles were scattered around. A white furball, presumably from Sekreet’s fur, rolled around like a weed in the wilderness.

A blanket embroidered with the phrase “for humans only” was stuck in the corner of the room, and it seemed impossible to pull it out easily as something small and sinister seemed to live inside. In summary, it was just a mess. After looking around the room, Ronan spoke up.

“…It’s really shabby and messy.”

“Hmm, I did warn you.”

“What on earth did you do to end up like this?”

It seemed like Sekreet’s lifestyle had changed to that of a beast since turning into a Werewolf. Fortunately, it seemed like he seemed to at least use the bathroom for relieving himself. Drunk Adeshan kept tapping Ronan’s back with her forehead, chuckling meaninglessly. Sekreet scratched his head as if he was embarrassed.

“I spent about a month here. I was busy reaching the curse tracking down the Jaeger gang, so I didn’t have time to clean up.”

“The curse? Jaeger gang?”

Jaeger was the name that came up in the conversation with the innkeeper just now. Sekreet nodded.

“Yes. It’s the leader of the new Beastmen Alliance that’s been causing trouble lately. Since you don’t know, it seems like you haven’t visited any cities other than Rundalian.”

Sekreet, who walked into the room, picked up a piece of paper rolling on the floor. On the large paper, suspected to have been torn from the wall, was a bold drawing of a white tiger with an eye patch.

He was not as intimidating as Zafia, but still had a fierce look. Under the portrait was a provocative slogan that read, “Let’s cleanse the North with the blood of the inferior race!” While Ronan examined his face carefully.

“In a cute little corner that you can’t even find even if you rub your eyes… Hmm?””

His face seemed to emit a sense of deja vu. Even considering that all beastmen of a race looked the same, it was still weird. Finally, Ronan, who was rummaging through the memories of his past life, raised his eyebrows.

“This guy…”

[Translator – Peptobismol]

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