Academy’s Genius Swordmaster

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 226: Late Summer, Early Autumn (2)

“Tell me how to get to Adren. Preferably in a way to arrive alive.”

“What?”

Intargand furrowed his brow. It was a completely unexpected question. He asked, skeptical.

“Why do you suddenly want to go to Adren?”

“Well, to put it simply…”

Ronan’s explanation continued. Since he was Navardose’s son, it seemed okay to speak freely.

There were plenty of reasons to go to the City of Dragons. First, what Barka said in the Sea of Ghosts bothered him. The fact that the Leaders brought up the idea of contact with Adren in a meeting several months ago suggested that some sort of conspiracy might be underway.

Moreover, the information gleaned from Barka’s data collected over the past two days suggested that some of the believers had already entered Adren. What was happening there was unknown. However, given that it was mentioned by the Leader himself, there was a possibility that he might still be there.

Obtaining the blood of the Leader, Abe, was the most urgent task for Ronan now. His own father, Cain, had only about a year left.

‘At this point, it’s as if the world is telling me to go.’

Furthermore, even if he couldn’t meet the Leader, it wouldn’t be a total loss. Alivrihe, an initial member of the Nebula Clazier, was there.

Unlike Elysia, he was said to be still in Nebula Claizer, so there was a high possibility that he knew in detail about the Leader’s whereabouts or the plan of the Bald Headed bastards. Intargand said,

“Indeed, it’s not an ordinary matter. At this point, shouldn’t the army step in?”

“I think so too. But the problem is whether Adren will accept it.”

“Well, that’s true.”

In fact, Ronan requested that the Imperial Army be dispatched to Adren as soon as Nebula Clazier’s conspiracy was revealed. As a secret agent, he had the authority to mobilize soldiers for anything related to the Nebula Clazier, regardless of the reason.

‘They’ll probably refuse anyway. It’ll be fortunate if the messenger doesn’t die.’

However, Ronan knew that Adren would not accept the request. The city, formed by the strongest race and its forces, paid no attention to the Empire’s moves. Especially after Navardose left Adren to stop the enemies from beyond the sky.

She called the current Dragon King a very “dragon-like” dragon, which basically meant his temperament was quite stubborn. Intargand said,

“In fact, going there itself isn’t difficult. All means of transportation to the gate are allowed except spatial magic. The problem is the immigration inspection.”

“Of course, but can’t you just enter?”

“Yeah. Only dragons and their entourage are allowed to enter. If they sense anything suspicious, they’ll turn you into ashes on the spot. They could probably build a whole country with the people who died at the gate.”

“Shit.”

Ronan cursed. The security was excessively strict, to the point of absurdity. Perhaps it was because it was where the Dragon King and the hatchings lived, the security was extremely thorough.

‘Damn it, what should I do?’

A way to pass the immigration inspection didn’t come to Ronan’s mind at all. While he was pondering, an idea passed through Ronan’s mind like lightning.

“Wait a minute. I’ll just become your entourage. Only temporarily during the inspection.”

“What?”

“I’m asking you to put your imprint on me. Why didn’t I even think about this?”

“It seems you don’t quite understand what it means to become an entourage. Carving an imprint is not a simple picture. It’s a magical bond that binds the master and servant… Wait, you don’t mean…”

Intargand’s eyes widened suddenly as he realized Ronan’s intention belatedly. Chuckling, Ronan tapped his scabbard with his fingers.

“Yeah. It’s a ‘magical’ bond. I can cut magic. Just pass the inspection and get rid of the imprint afterward, easy right?”

“Ridiculous. Do you think such a thing is possible?”

“I think it’ll work. Just wait a moment.”

Suddenly, Ronan walked out of the training ground. When he returned, he was holding a large raven. The raven, kidnapped while dozing on a tree, struggled fiercely, flapping its wings and cawing loudly.

“Caw! Caw!”

“Come on, carve your imprint on this.”

Ronan extended the raven to Intargand. His forehead furrowed deeply.

“…Shameful.”

“Come on.”

With a sigh, Intargand placed his hand on the raven’s wing. For a moment, his palm glowed red. The flailing raven became quiet.

“Caw?”

“It’s done…”

Intargand removed his hand. A geometric shape appeared. It looked like a scar from a branding iron but wasn’t hot. The bewildered raven spread its wings and cawed.

“Caw!”

“Uwak!”

Ronan, startled, grasped the raven with both arms. He almost dropped it. Perhaps due to Intargand’s power, it felt as strong as an ostrich.

“This birdbrain. Stay still!”

“Caw! Caw!”

The raven struggled, scratching with its talons. Unable to bear it, Ronan pulled at the hilt of his sword. Swish! The sharp sword strike lightly grazed the engraved surface.

“…Caw?”

The raven, its strength drained, stopped resisting. Intargand’s brow wrinkled deeply. It felt as though the bond with the raven had vanished.

“My goodness.”

The remarkable swordsmanship left no more than a tiny scratch on the raven. In the place where the mark had mysteriously disappeared, only black feathers remained fluttering. Intargand muttered as if lost in thought.

“This… it’s unbelievable that such a thing happened.”

“Yeah… I know.”

Ronan was just as dumbfounded. It seemed like something would happen, but he didn’t expect it to be resolved so easily. Scratching the back of his head, he blurted out,

“Well, it worked.”

****

Time flew by quickly. As the cicadas’ final performance ended, ripe dragonflies began to flutter around the campus.

The sky, with the heat finally relenting, shone with an even deeper shade of blue. Autumn, the season of abundance, was approaching.

Ronan didn’t immediately set off for Adren. Given the place and the involvement of the Leader, thorough preparation was necessary before going. Plus, the equipment commissioned from Aurora Skar hadn’t arrived yet.

‘It’s better to be thorough than to rush and mess things up.’

He decided to take all possible measures. He provided information related to the Nebula Clazier to the Imperial Army and reinforced the security of Iril’s house. News of small branches being cleared out came in frequently.

Of course, he didn’t neglect personal training either. Dueling among the members of the Elite Adventure Club continued daily without fail. Dodging Marya’s horizontal strikes, Ronan lightly struck her wrist with his blade.

“Ugh!”

“Your skills have definitely improved. You’re still a bit slow, though.”

“Yeah, I knew we would lose this time too! Let’s all attack together!”

With her cry, the members rushed at Ronan from all sides. Aselle’s ice, Elizabeth’s flame, and Ophelia’s blood magic poured out in succession. Braum, who positioned himself strategically, raised his shield.

“Oh.”

Ronan exclaimed with admiration. Their coordinated attacks flowed like flowing water. It seemed like they had made the most of their summer vacation.

The friends he hadn’t seen in nearly two months had all grown significantly. Marya was now not only renowned as a merchant but also gaining fame as a swordsman among the noble circles. Aselle and Elizabeth, as students, received calls from all the Magic Towers for the first time.

Braum, a graduating member, had already decided on his career path, planning to take his first steps in the Imperial Knights, though it was said to be difficult. Ophelia succeeded in interpreting an ancient blood magic, and Shullifen, well, there was nothing to say. Watching the onslaught of attacks, Ronan chuckled.

“I’m glad to see you guys.”

It was sincere. His comrades in front of him were one of the admirable driving forces that fueled his desire to save the world. Ronan gripped the hilt of his sword.

“So let’s step it up even more.”

The sword forged from Aurora Skar was much lighter than before. Ronan exerted all his strength to repay their efforts. Swish! The swift sword strokes tore through the magic coming from all directions. Soon, the defeated members were writhing on the ground.

“Aaaah! Damn it! Why isn’t the sword hitting?!”

“Wh-what… every day… hng…”

Whining sounds echoed around. Except for Shullifen, the wing rate for the members hovered around 0%. It was true that they were growing at a rapid rate, but in a way, it was inevitable, since Ronan was growing even faster.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

No matter how many times they tried, the outcome didn’t change, but that didn’t make their efforts meaningless. Nodding as he took turns looking at the exhausted members, Ronan made up his mind.

“Alright. I’ve decided.”

“Decided? About what?”

“I’ve decided who will accompany me on the next club activity. Aselle, come with me.”

“Me? You’re talking about me?! Wait a minute…”

Aselle’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. Instead of replying, Ronan simply hoisted him up on his shoulder. Aselle, having completely depleted his mana after a long time, couldn’t resist at all.

“H-Help me!”

“A-Aselle… damn it.”

Only a pitiful cry echoed out. Braum, who was about to say something, just fainted. Although the exhausted members felt sorry for him, they felt relieved that they weren’t the one chosen.

****

“Wh-what are you talking about? Adren?”

“Just as it sounds. You probably don’t know, but I’ve been agonizing over who to take for a damn long time.”

Ronan revealed his plan to Aselle about three hours after taking him back to his room. Giving him time to recover his depleted mana and spirit was to prevent him from dozing off. Aselle, who was breathing heavily, spoke up.

“Adren? That’s, uh, the City of Dragons, right? Why would you want to go to such a terrifying place?”

“Well, there are several reasons. Don’t tell me the genius mage is scared of something like that.”

“Genius mage… I’m not…”

“Don’t deny it with a straight face. If you’re not a genius, then most mages should commit su**de. And Marya told me everything, bastard. She said you even killed people in the north.”

Ronan lightly tapped Aselle’s back as if praising him. Indeed, Marya’s account of his exploits was nothing short of heroic.

In fact, he practically single-handedly defended the Carabel Marchent. Despite the relentless attacks from the fierce natives and Jaeger’s minions, Aselle’s telekinetic power didn’t even allow them to leave a single scratch.

In fact, after sparring for a few days, it was obvious. Aselle would be truly helpful even in Adren. Ronan spoke up.

“Also, think about it. It’s the city of the race that handles magic the best in the world. Wouldn’t you be inspired? There’ll be far more valuable information overflowing there than what the old fogeys at the Magic Towers teach.”

“L-Like new spells?”

For a moment, Aselle’s eyes flickered. Despite being frightened, seeing his reaction to the mention of new spells, it seemed that indeed, all mages were somewhat similar. Ronan nodded.

“Yeah. This brief visit will definitely help you grow a lot. Surely Marya would approve, right?”

“W-why are you suddenly bringing that up?”

“After the trip to the North, I think that old lady has developed some romantic interest in you. Seriously.”

Furthermore, Marya’s opinion of Aselle seemed to have changed as well. Ronan remembered her subtle expressions when talking about Aselle’s achievements.

‘This bart might not realize it, but…’

If before it was just an attitude of treating him like a cute stuffed doll or a same-sex friend, now it seemed decidedly more like a rational affection. Aselle’s eyes widened.

“M-Marya…? Really?”

“I don’t lie about things like that. If you don’t believe me, you can reject it. But, let me add honestly…”

Suddenly, Ronan’s voice grew heavy. Aselle caught his breath at the completely different atmosphere. Ronan spoke up.

“I need your strength. Aselle.”

“R-Ronan…?”

“The feeling of this journey is a bit different from what we’ve done before. It feels… grimy, maybe. I have a gut feeling that I’ll need a comrade.”

Ronan chewed on his lower lip. It wasn’t something he had agonized over for no reason. Even if they were dragged into the situation somehow, luring a friend into anticipated threats wasn’t an easy thing to do.

“But you can really refuse. It’s a journey that’s potentially much more dangerous than usual. This is just my request, not coercion.”

“I, I…”

Aselle was about to respond when suddenly there was a sharp knock, and Maid Lucy entered. She held a sturdy-looking box in her hands.

“Hello, Master Ronan. Um, a package has arrived.”

“Oh, leave it there. Where is it from?”

“It’s from a place called Aurora Skar..? From someone named Katan.”

“Ah, it’s finally here. Thanks as always, Lucy.”

Lucy responded with a warm smile before leaving. An awkward silence fell in her absence.

The serious atmosphere had suddenly turned ambiguous. Ronan, scratching his chin, gestured towards the package.

“Well, let’s start by opening this and then finish the conversation.”

[Translator – Peptobismol]

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