Academy’s Genius Swordmaster

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 205: Jaeger (5)

“Behind that… Zaifa is there.”

“What?”

Ronan’s eyes widened. Suddenly, he couldn’t make sense of what he was hearing. Why would Zafia, who had gone south to hunt the Nebula Clazier, be here?

“That can’t be possible. How could Zafia be here?”

“I don’t know either. But… this aura is definitely…”

Adeshan’s breath quickened. The Werewolf, released from mental control, fell to his knees and collapsed. Ronan repeated himself.

“That can’t be possible. There must be some agreement with the Emperor.”

Originally, it was fundamentally impossible for Zafia to be here. The terms of the pact she made with the Emperor included a clause that she wouldn’t set foot in the northern lands. This was to prevent her from gathering the compatriots and starting a rebellion.

If she were to violate it, Zafia’s heart would burst and she would die. It wasn’t a conventional treaty, but a pact sealed in blood. Therefore, Adeshan’s assertion couldn’t hold true.

Certainly, she must have misdetected another aura. Even monkeys sometimes fall from trees. Ronan chuckled bitterly, closing his eyes.

“Wait. I will see for myself.”

“Mm. But, Ronan, really…”

Whatever Adeshan said, Ronan, lost in concentration, couldn’t hear her voice. His senses, gradually expanding, reached beyond the door. Soon, Ronan, detecting a familiar presence, furrowed his brow.

“This doesn’t make sense.”

He couldn’t believe it. There, beyond the door, he could truly sense Zafia’s presence. The chilling sensation running through his entire body left no room for doubt.

‘What the hell. What’s going on?’

He couldn’t possibly understand the current situation. But there was one thing they had to do. Ronan and Adeshan exchanged glances and stepped towards the door. As they approached, Zafia’s presence felt even stronger. Adeshan murmured again.

“No doubt… that’s Zafia.”

Ronan didn’t reply. Whatever was on the other side, they needed to confirm it firsthand. Arriving at the door, the two of them grasped the handles.

“We’ll open it.”

“Yeah.”

With a simple signal exchanged between them, they pushed the door together. Creak… the massive double doors opened with a heavy, stiff sound. Ronan and Adeshan froze simultaneously at the vast landscape unfolding before their eyes.

“…Huh?”

The space was dozens of times larger than they had imagined. The surroundings were wide open, and the ceiling was so high that it seemed to reach the sky. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that half of fortress was used to create this room.

They noticed the extravagant furniture and decorations that one might expect in a Garcia mansion. The luxurious items filling every corner momentarily made them forget that they were in a centuries-old fortress. On one side of the wall hung a portrait of Jaeger in imperial attire. It was excessively large.

However, what startled Ronan and Adeshan weren’t such trivial elements. A group of fully armed beastmen stood in a row, glaring at them. Ronan unconsciously muttered curses at the barrier of beasts blocking their path.

“Shit…”

There must have been at least fifty of them, appearing far more formidable than any adversaries they had faced before. Lions, tigers, rhinos, deer, each one of these well-built and fierce-looking beastmen exuded the aura of a powerful fighter.

Because they had been too focused on Zafia, they hadn’t detected the presence of these creatures. Amidst the profound silence that felt like time had stopped, raucous laughter erupted from somewhere.

“Kehahaha! Your words were true, indeed. They’ve really come looking for me!”

It was a coarse laughter, heard somewhere before. Ronan turned his head towards the direction of the sound. Beyond the beastmen’ barrier, at the farthest corner of the room, a Weretiger wearing an eyepatch was laughing heartily, shoulders shaking.

With a stark contrast between black and white on his skin, he had a well-built physique, and even when laughing, he exuded a certain dignity. Recognizing him immediately, Ronan raised an eyebrow.

“Jaeger.”

It was unmistakably Jaeger. His rough appearance remained the same. It seemed that something had changed with his fate, making him much stronger than in his previous life. Jaeger stopped laughing and spoke up, still smirking.

“Khehehe, I’ve been waiting for you, human!”

“You knew I was coming?”

“Of course. I knew everything. I knew you were trying to kill me and dismantle the New Beastmen Alliance, even infiltrating the fortress. Did you think things would unfold so easily, huh?”

Ronan raised an eyebrow. Somehow, it seemed that the number of people had decreased significantly from the middle. They had indeed fallen into a trap. Jaeger continued.

“Heh heh heh, you have really bad luck. If it weren’t for my friend, you could have carried out a surprise attack on Jaeger like this. The plan to infiltrate as prisoners was quite clever.”

“Friend?”

Instead of answering, Jaeger just laughed vulgarly. It seemed like someone had noticed the plan halfway and gave them a warning. Suddenly, another figure beside Jaeger caught Ronan’s eye.

“That’s…”

Clad in a jet-black robe that covered even their face completely, the figure stood beside Jaeger. It seemed like the mysterious figure the beastmen guards had mentioned as the “Advisor.” For a moment, Ronan’s face stiffened.

“…Zaifa?”

Seeing her up close, it was even clearer. The aura they had sensed from beyond the door was emanating from them. The outline of their body, concealed by the robe, was strikingly similar to Zaifa’s. Taking a deep breath, Ronan spoke.

“Is it really you?”

[Translator – Peptobismol]

There was no response. Ronan pursed his lips. In fact, the identity had already been revealed, except for the face being covered. Everything else indicated more than just a coincidence, especially the ominous aura that couldn’t be replaced.

Unspeakable questions, feelings of betrayal, and anger began to rear his head one by one. Ronan remembered the warning about Zafia that Novirose had constantly emphasized. ‘Remember my words, Ronan. Zafia is dangerous.’

“Say something, you bastard.”

Ronan growled roughly. Once again, the Advisor didn’t respond. Ronan and Adeshan stared at them, and the Advisor turned to Jaeger and spoke.

“We must kill them here. Do not forget my words.”

Ronan pursed his lips. The low, deep voice was also something he had heard before. Jaeger chuckled, twirling his tail around and smiling.

“Haha, don’t worry. My guards and I are invincible. If needed, I guess I can use the treasure you gave me here.”

“Then, I will go.”

The Advisor turned around. Simultaneously, a strong surge of mana rose over their shoulder like a bonfire. Ronan’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.

“What?!”

The mana emanating from the Advisor was shimmering like a clear night sky. It was undoubtedly the sparkling mana, the symbol of Nebula Clazier.

‘Why is Nebula Clazier’s mana coming from Jaeger…’

Now it had become completely incomprehensible. Dozens of desperate scenarios flashed through Ronan’s mind. Suddenly, the Advisor pulled out a scroll and unfolded it. A dimensional portal appeared, distorting the space around them. Adeshan screamed.

“Ro-Ronan!”

“Damn it, move!”

Caught off guard by the shocking situation, Ronan momentarily lost his composure. He knew he had to act quickly to grasp what was happening. Ronan grasped the hilt of his sword. With a swift motion, he drew the crimson-stained blade, accompanied by a burst of light pulling towards his opponent. Raaahh! A roar echoed as the figure of a Waredeer, who was among Jaeger and the Adviser, appeared before Ronan’s eyes.

“What’s this…!”

“Wh-what?!”

Both of them were bewildered by the inexplicable situation. Ronan gripped his scabbard, and the crimson blade became stained red. The Advisor, if it really was Zafia, shouldn’t be underestimated. Ronan spun around horizontally, swinging his sword. At the moment of the lightning-fast strike, a crimson line was drawn across the abdomen of the two people simultaneously. A sharp and piercing sound was heard. Boom! The guard’s body split from above and below the waist.

“Mueeeek?!”

The guard’s eyes widened. The body, split at the waist, fell to the ground. Fresh blood spurted out from the Advisor’s robe.

“Kruk…!”

“Damn it.”

Ronan gritted his teeth. He could instinctively feel that bones and internal organs weren’t severed. The Advisor’s quick reflexes, combined with their tough leather and the fact that they moved their body away upon feeling the blade, saved him. He was about to launch a second strike. Bang! The Advisor’s lightning-fast kick plunged deep into Ronan’s chest.

“Kuek!”

Even when he was hit by the ogre, it wasn’t to this extent. Ronan’s body bent forward. Thud! He flew back to the door and crashed into it, then slid down to the ground. Ronan struggled to catch his breath.

‘I almost died.’

Even if it hadn’t pierced his abdomen, the shock was unbelievable. If he hadn’t quickly lowered his sword to block, he might have died or been severely injured. Ronan spat out blood and raised his head. The Advisor was glaring in his direction, clutching the wound on their stomach. Staggering as he rose to his feet, Ronan burst into laughter.

“Hehe… Seems like you’ve been hurt quite a bit yourself.”

“How dare…!”

It seemed that the injuries were deeper on the other side. A pool of crimson had gathered beneath the Advisor’s feet. The intensified shimmer of mana emanated from their shoulders, spreading outwards. Although temporarily immobilizing their opponent was advantageous, it wasn’t exactly a favorable situation. The clamor of the surrounding beastmen warriors filled the room.

“Oh my god. Diomo’s been hit!”

“What, what did that guy just do!?”

“Be careful, he’s using some strange power!”

Only then did the surroundings start to come into focus. The body of the Weredeer lay scattered, its entrails in a pool of blood, inciting the beastmen warriors like a Taurian flag. Fifty beastmen warriors were growling as if they were about to rush forward. It was not going to be easy. Jaeger, who had been observing the situation dumbfounded, finally spoke up.

“Wh-what in the world… what happened?”

He stood frozen, unable to comprehend the situation. In an instant, the intruder’s blade flashed, and the Adviser and one of his subordinates were dragged away to meet their demise. Whatever sorcery was at play, one thing was instinctively clear: the intruder was not to be underestimated. Quickly assessing the situation, Jaeger exaggerated his movements and shouted,

“D-did you all see that vile scoundrel!? Fellow compatriots, tear him apart!”

“Graaaaaah!!”

Jaeger’s index finger pointed towards Ronan. The growling beastmen warriors roared in unison as they charged forward. The fortress shook with their thunderous cries. Ronan, who had taken a sip of the potion provided by Adeshan, wiped his mouth and muttered,

“…This is why I hate furries.”

It felt like his ears were about to fall off. After drinking the potion, his insides felt somewhat better. Waves of fangs and teeth poured towards the two of them. It seemed if they wanted to meet with the Adviser or Jaeger, they had to break through this wave first. Well, if it had come to this, might as well just kill them all as they went.

With a light sigh of resignation, Ronan dashed forward. Shaaaak! The head of the foremost Warelion charging towards them flew into the air. With hot blood splashing on his cheek, the fight had begun.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

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