Academy’s Genius Swordmaster

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 222: Aurora Skar (2)

【Hey, is my request ready yet?】

“What the…?”

It was a heavy, low voice unlike any Ronan had ever heard. Even Zaifa’s growl or Itargand’s weight would not be at this level. His slowly moving hand rested on the hilt of his sword blade.

Whatever it was, it was dangerous. Ronan, calming his breath, turned his head. A man, tall and formidable, stood with both hands in his pockets.

‘…A human?’

Pale skin and a sharply handsome face caught Ronan’s eye. Black hair, falling to his waist, was as long as Adeshan’s.

Instead of a leather coat, he wore a black coat loosely draped over him, too thin even for indoors. Ronan instantly recognized that the “Black Man” that Katan had mentioned was this person.

“…Huh?”

Ronan twisted his lips as he suddenly sensed something strange. The ominous aura emanating from the man vanished in an instant.

It was unbelievably fast, almost like a mirage. One of the blacksmiths who had been hammering greeted the Black Man.

“Oh, you’re here! We’ve been waiting.”

“I asked if my request was ready.”

His voice, which seemed to resonate, returned to normal. The blacksmith answered with a smile.

“Well, it has just been finished. Not even an hour ago. You’ve waited long enough.”

“What…!”

The Black Man’s eyes widened. His blood-red pupils floated like islands in the whites of his eyes. The blacksmith clapped his hands. Clap! The apprentices brought in a long, massive box.

“Here it is.”

“Ugh… it’s, it’s heavy.”

It was large enough to fit Zaifa’s scimitar. Seeing the apprentices sweating profusely, it seemed extraordinarily heavy. The man muttered under his breath, annoyed.

“…Finally.”

It sounded almost regretful. The man approached the box and laid his hands on it, then turned to the apprentices.

“Give it here.”

“W-We’ll carry it to your ship. It’s much heavier than it looks.”

“Annoying.”

The man, as if annoyed, snatched the box. The blacksmiths, six in all, struggled with the item as if it were incredibly heavy. Seeing this, the people watching widened their eyes.

“G-Good heavens! Carrying that with just your left hand…!”

“My goodness.”

Nevertheless, there was no change in the expression of the black-clad man. He rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a small pouch, tossing it onto the ground.

“Here’s the final payment. Take it.”

“Th-Thank you.”

One of the apprentices bowed his head and accepted the pouch. With the box slung over his shoulder, the black-clad man turned to leave. Just before exiting the forge, he glanced back at Ronan and muttered softly.

“…To share an imprint with a human. The Primordial Flame has been fortunate.”

It was a somewhat mocking tone. Ronan raised an eyebrow at the incomprehensible words, but the man was already gone.

The sound of footsteps was gradually fading away. The blacksmith, who had checked the pouch brought by the apprentice, suddenly jumped up in his place.

“My goodness! S-So many!”

Clatter! The pouch fell and its contents spilled out. Rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and other precious gems were easily more than a hundred. Dydican shook his head in disbelief.

“Indeed, the bag is quite large. To finally see him leaving satisfied is quite gratifying.”

“What… is that guy?”

“Huh? I told you about him earlier, the Black Man. I thought it was a very intuitive and well-earned nickname.”

“That’s not what I meant. What’s his identity? His real name or where he’s from.”

Ronan asked. From the reactions, it seemed no one else had detected the aura the man had emitted for a moment. Why was he suddenly acting like this? Dydican scratched his head and spoke up.

“I don’t know why it’s so serious, but calm down. Well, nobody knows his real name. That’s why we call him the Black Man. He’s been staying in Aurora Skar for a month now, coming to check on the progress of his request every midnight.”

“What kind of equipment did he request?”

“Um, what should I call it… It looked like a spear at first glance, but it was closer to a siege weapon. Anyway, he ordered a weapon so large that it would fill that box. It seemed like it could even slay dragons.”

Dydican’s explanation continued. A month ago, the Black Man who visited here ordered an unknown weapon and settled in Aurora Skar.

Normally, it was common to come back when the equipment was completed or receive it by mail, but the man stubbornly insisted on staying until it was done.

Even though the behavior could not even be described as the truth, people didn’t say anything because the amount of gold offered for the accommodation was too much to refuse. Ronan, realizing something odd, raised an eyebrow.

“Wait. Did you say a month ago?”

If it was one month ago, it was the time when some of the blacksmiths were kidnapped by Jaeger’s subordinates. Didecan nodded.

“Yeah, during all that chaos, he didn’t even blink an eye. I even tried to ask for his help, thinking he looked like he could fight, but he refused, saying it had nothing to do with him.”

Meanwhile, he continued to inquire about the progress of the request every midnight. The more Ronan listened to the explanation, the more suspicious the guy seemed.

“…He’s suspicious.”

Ronan furrowed his brow. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but his intuition was sending a warning. The sensation he felt in that brief moment was truly extraordinary.

It was like seeing a volcano disguised as a hill, walking around. Ronan was pondering over the man’s identity. Katan, growing impatient, called out to him.

“Hey, what’s taking you so long to think? The guest has left, so let’s get started now.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Ronan nodded. There was nothing to change by pondering now anyway. If he had felt malice from the Black Man, he might have rushed over to interrogate him, but there was nothing like that.

“Alright. What do you want me to make? Just tell me.”

“For starters, I’d like this sword to be sharpened. I came here for this in the first place.”

Now was the time to carry out the planned tasks. Ronan pulled out Lamancha from its sheath and handed it to Katan. Lamancha, combined with Lynn, had transformed into a Holy Sword, emanating a subtle glow even in normal times.

“Goodness…!”

Katan’s eyes widened. All the blacksmiths, intrigued by her reaction, looked over in their direction. After examining the sword, Katan, with a voice tinged with admiration, spoke up.

“This is truly an impressive sword. The black part seems to be made by the blacksmith Dolon, but I can’t even guess what the white part is made of. What was it made with and how?”

“With my friend’s eggshell…”

Ronan trailed off. He had a feeling that delving into tales of the Holy Sword would become terribly bothersome. Surely, if he started talking about it in detail, all the blacksmiths would come rushing, demanding more information.

“…Just a combination lot of things. That’s right, I have something to give you.”

Ignoring what she said, Ronan rummaged through his pockets. A small metal box came out in his hand, similar to the recommendation letter from Parzan.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a fragment that was originally part of this sword.”

Seeing the contents, Katan raised her eyebrows. Inside the box, fragments of Lamancha were neatly piled up. Impressed once again by the quality of the material, she spoke up.

“Okay, so you want me to melt this down and make a new weapon out of it?”

“It doesn’t have to be a weapon specifically. In fact, just one sword is enough.”

Ronan nodded, pointing to Lamancha. Honestly, he was confident that he could handle most enemies with just that one. He had done so in the past, after all. Increasing his armament would only weigh him down unnecessarily.

“Hmm. Let me give it a try then. The material is so good that it’s giving me more to think about.”

“I’m counting on you. And what about you, Adeshan?”

“Hmm… I’d like something that would help with defense or survival. Is that possible?”

Adeshan asked. A weak defense had always been her long-standing weakness. While her combat abilities had reached a level where she could assist Ronan, her durability was not good.

The whip was mainly for restraint, and the mental domination that became stronger as the number of enemies decreased was less effective against multiple opponents. Katan replied confidently.

“Aha. If that’s the concern, it’s simple. It’s a field where you can taste the essence of our Aurora Smelting Technique.”

“Really?”

“Yes, just trust me, pretty lady.”

Katan said, closing one eye. There was something oddly sticky about her tone. Adeshan’s expression brightened considerably. Ronan flicked his finger as if he remembered something.

“Oh, and please make armor too. It’s for a girl about this tall, and she’s really strong.”

He almost forgot. He ordered the armor that Marya had requested. Fortunately, the note with her measurements was still tucked deep in his pocket. Taking the note, Katan raised her eyebrows.

“Did she write the wrong measurement for her chest circumference? It seems much larger compared to her height.”

“It’s probably right. That brat Aselle is blessed.”

“Remarkable. Well then, let’s get started on that. As for imbuing the equipment with the Aurora, I’ll do it for free.”

“What, you’ll do that too?”

Katan said she would imbue the equipment with the Aurora for free, so Ronan had nothing to give, and Adeshan handed over her whip and crossbow. Katan’s face froze for a moment as she inspected the whip.

“This is… Honestly, it seems to be of higher quality than something made by Old Man Doron, but who made it?”

“It’s from Alivrihe, a dragon. I’m not certain, cuz I haven’t met him directly”

“…Interesting. A dragon blacksmith, huh.”

She clenched her fist. Judging by the hint of anger on her face, it seemed that Alivrihe had expertise not only in the creation of prosthetics but also weapons. Covering her head with a hood, she spoke up.

“Alright. Let’s get started. I’ll send the new items by mail, and you can take the swords and the Aurora-infused weapons today.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re brimming with determination. Dydican, why don’t you see them around the glacier?”

“Understood.”

Dydican nodded. He led Ronan and Adeshan out of the forge.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen the master like that. She’s a person with a strong fighting spirit, but she was feeling a little discouraged lately because there wasn’t a blacksmith more skilled than her.”

“It worked out well. I hope we can meet this man named Alivrihe, in Adren.”

“What, from the Sea of Ghosts to the City of Dragons now? The journey will be treacherous.”

“We’ll make it somehow. By the way, what’s the dragon tattoo on your master’s back?”

“It’s the Blue Dragon, Radhais. It’s said to be the dragon that created this Aurora Skar. She had it tattooed as a token of gratitude.”

The three chatted as they wandered around Aurora Skar. Inside the centuries-old glacier were not only restaurants and lodgings but also exercise spaces for leisure activities. In the stable where mounts were kept, the griffin that Ronan and Adeshan had ridden here, was busy tearing into its meals.

-Pyoooh!

“Yeah, yeah, slow down.”

It felt warmer than any place where people resided, to the extent that it seemed better than the place where people lived. They had seen everything worth seeing, or so they thought.

“Right. I’ll show you how to imbue weapons with the Aurora light.”

“Huh?”

“Normally, outsiders are not allowed, but… No one will say anything if I show it to you. Follow me.”

Without warning, Dydican grabbed the wrists of the two and dragged them along. In a moment, they were opening a stone gate. Whooooosh! A freezing wind hit their faces so cold it felt like their eyeballs would freeze.

“Kyaaa!”

“Shit. It’s damn cold.”

It was the cold from outside that they had momentarily forgotten. The sound of the waves of the night sea echoed again. A vast, flat space, resembling a plaza, stretched out before them.

“Wow…!”

Suddenly, Adeshan, looking up at the sky, exclaimed in awe. The beauty of the Aurora was reaching its peak with the deepening night. Seeing her reaction, Ronan chuckled.

“Quite a grown-up lady, isn’t she, not a child.”

“Haha. The skirts of the sky carry the magic that can turn adults into children.”

Dydican chuckled. In truth, Ronan thought the same even though he said it jokingly; no matter how many times he saw it, the scene was never tiresome.

On the plaza, dozens of weapons and armors were lined up in four rows, fixed to racks. People carrying buckets were carefully applying an unknown transparent liquid onto the equipment.

The weapons imbued with Aurora light were all shining with colors no different from the Aurora itself. Ronan, seeing the strange sight, tilted his head.

“What are they doing?”

“They’re applying concentrated water. It’s a process to better harness the power of the Aurora.”

Dydican said that it was a technique that could only be done at Aurora Skar. Equipment imbued with Aurora had higher mana conductivity and could sometimes develop new abilities.

‘It’s better than I thought.’

Ronan nodded satisfactorily after hearing the explanation. Adding one more ability to the equipment, regardless of its existing enchantments, was definitely a highly valuable task.

Having heard the explanation, Adeshan went to the edge of the glacier and started to admire the burning night sky again. Perhaps because it resembled the scenery of her hometown in the north, she seemed particularly fond of it.

“It’s really beautiful…”

Ronan, watching her, murmured softly. Perhaps because the surroundings were so beautiful, she looked not like a person but like a fairy descending from the sky.

It seemed that his head had gone strange, captivated by that enchanting light. Suddenly, Dydican jokingly asked a question.

“So, what’s your relationship now?”

“Huh? What’s with the sudden question?”

“Quit playing coy. The way you look at each other has changed since two years ago. You’re definitely dating now, right? Did you promise to get married?”

He nudged Ronan’s side. The rough breath hitting Ronan’s face was somewhat unpleasant.

“Hey, you hairy bastard, why are you so curious about that? Are you a gossiping schoolgirl?”

“I just like these kinds of stories. Do you know how it feels to be a man who spends all day hammering away on the sea? I’ll keep it a secret, so spill it.”

Ronan was about to say something, but his thoughts trailed off. He did what his instincts said and kissed her, but he wondered if it would be strange to express it as “dating.” Wait, she kept avoiding eye contact, is it because she hated him now? How does one even establish a relationship called “dating”?

“So…”

Gulp. Adeshan, who was pretending to be enchanted by the Aurora, listened in on their conversation. Ronan was about to say something in response. Crash!! The sound of something shattering echoed from down the passage they had come up from.

“Hey, how long do you plan to keep us waiting?!”

“W-Well, it’s difficult to say. After all, this voyage is also to secure insufficient ores…”

“This is clearly an insult to the Poison Dragon, Drahavier!”

[Translator – Peptobismol]

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