Academy’s Genius Swordmaster

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 227: Late Summer, Early Autumn (3)

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward. Ronan pointed to the box.

“Well, shall we open this first and then talk?”

“Wh-What is this?”

“Equipment from the North. I still don’t know what’s inside.”

The box from Aurora Skar was smaller than expected. It was barely big enough to hold half a watermelon, so it was impossible to guess what was inside.

‘Did they send something like a hatchet?’

Ronan opened the box. Inside lay a strange glove.

The wrist length gloves, like those worn by knights, were made of an unknown metal. Aselle tilted his head.

“…Glove?”

“This is unexpected.”

Ronan raised an eyebrow. He had expected to find a dagger or a hatchet inside. But it turned out it wasn’t even a weapon.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t bad. As he had mentioned during the commission, it was more convenient to use just one handle sword like Lamancha instead of dealing with multiple weapons.

“It’s well-made.”

Examining the glove, Ronan nodded. It was evident that a great deal of care had gone into making it. Thousands of small metal pieces were intricately joined together so seamlessly that no gaps could be seen. Suddenly, a question crossed his mind.

“Why is there only one? Was there a shortage of materials?”

“Ronan, there’s some paper here.”

“Hm?”

Aselle called him. A thick piece of parchment lay inside the box, hidden beneath the glove. Ronan slowly read the words written on the parchment.

“It’s a glove meant to be worn on one hand only, so don’t mistake it for being incomplete… Channel mana into it and see what happens. What does this mean?”

“It seems like the glove is imbued with magic. I sense something ominous.”

“Magic?”

Ronan brought his face closer. Sure enough, he could see geometric patterns engraved in relief on the back of the glove.

The intricately designed magic circle seemed to extend to the fingertips of each finger. Ronan cautiously put on the glove. It fit his hand perfectly, snug and comfortable.

‘I was told to channel mana into it.’

Following the instructions on the paper, Ronan moved his mana. For a moment, the magic circle glowed faintly, and hooked claws like those of a falcon grew from the fingertips of the glove.

Clang! The claws made of black blades pierced through the parchment lying beneath. Aselle recoiled in shock.

“Hieek!”

“Oh, shit”

Ronan’s eyes widened. He immediately realized that these claws were made from the broken fragments of Lamancha.

He had instructed her to use them at her discretion, but he never expected her to utilize them in this way. Furthermore, it seemed like he could retract each claw individually for each finger. As soon as he stopped the flow of mana, the claws disappeared as if they were never there.

“This is impressive.”

He found himself increasingly pleased. It was equipment that fulfilled the various utilities he valued most in combat. It also seemed sturdy enough to be suitable for defense. Turning to Aselle, he said,

“If I had known it would be so well-made, I would have asked them to make one for you too. I’m sorry.”

“I-I’m fine. I have enough already, yeah.”

“Thanks for saying that. Then let’s finish what we were talking about…”

“I’ll go with you.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Aselle responded promptly. Ronan raised an eyebrow. Aselle’s face, which had regained its calmness, was just as serious as his own. Without hesitation, Ronan asked again,

“Are you sure? This time, it’s no joke.”

“Yeah. Actually, I’m glad I can help. You’re my first friend.”

Aselle’s response was firm and without hesitation. Ronan couldn’t help but remember Aselle’s appearance before he first entered Philleon, a boy who couldn’t speak properly, whimpering and running away from Luna Goblins, tears streaming down his face. Now he had become a confident and powerful mage.

‘How time flies.’

Ronan twisted his lips. He couldn’t quite put a name to this overwhelming feeling. Unable to find the right words, he opened his mouth.

“Alright. Thank you.”

“Bu, but can we really go? Wasn’t it a place that doesn’t allow humans? I mean, if we face the flames of a dragon…”

And just like that Aselle began to stumble over his words again. The strong emotion from earlier seemed to have evaporated. Ronan couldn’t help but smirk.

“I’ve already prepared for that, so don’t worry. And we’re not going alone. There’s one more person coming.”

“One more? Wh-who?”

“That…”

Ronan was about to answer when a quick knock sounded, and the door opened. Aselle’s eyes widened at the sight of the familiar young man.

“Sh-Shullifen?”

“I was wondering who else you would take with you, but it turned out to be Aselle. I had a feeling.”

Shullifen murmured as if he had anticipated this. On the back of his left hand was a vivid red tattoo in the shape of a dragon, symbolizing his status as a servant of Itargand.

“Yeah. Have you received the imprint?”

“It wasn’t painful, but it was rather uncomfortable. I hope this can be removed.”

“Have I ever deceived you? If you want I could remove it right now.”

“Enough with the banter. Let’s get this over with. Being away from Miss Iril for a long time is displeasing.”

Shullifen said. He was truly a reliable guy. Since Ronan decided to go to Adren, he had been considering recruiting this guy.

In a way, Aselle and Shullifen had an uncanny resemblance. When Shullifen heard the request for help, he agreed without any hesitation. Despite not discussing anything regarding rewards or compensation, the response Ronan received when he asked if it would be okay was quite unexpected.

– That’s a strange question. Didn’t you ask for my help?

Unlucky bastard. Ronan chuckled lightly at his grumbling. Despite living under an unlucky star, he seemed to have some luck after all. After informing Aselle about the details regarding the imprint, he continued.

“We depart in three days. We’ll use a spatial teleportation scroll to travel to the Tandrey Port, the southernmost point of the continent. From there, we’ll take a ship borrowed from Itargand to Adren. Any more questions?”

“H-How long will it take?”

“I’m not sure about that myself. But it shouldn’t take too long. If we’re unlucky, we might have to fight an angry dragon or even Nebula Clazier, and whether we live or they do will be decided quickly.”

Ronan said nonchalantly. Aselle’s face turned pale. Since there were no further questions, Ronan declared the meeting adjourned.

“Alright, keep that in mind. Aselle, make sure to stop by and receive the imprint from Ir.”

“Y-Yeah, got it.”

The two left. With no further tasks remaining except for farewells.

Ronan went outside with the documents he had prepared. Varen was nowhere to be found in the office, so Ronan had to search for him for a while. He found him near the Hill of the Four Seasons, covered in autumn leaves.

“What the hell.”

Varen, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, was with Lieutenant Nemea, Zafia’s adjutant. They seemed to get along very well, walking side by side holding hands.

They made a good pair. A Werelion couple. Ronan approached him while hiding his presence and poked him in the back.

“Long time no see, Varen.”

“Wha-a-at?! R-Ronan?!”

Varen, who met Ronan’s gaze, jumped in surprise. Perhaps because he was a cat, his leaping ability was extraordinary. Ronan held out the paper he had prepared in advance.

“Why are you so surprised? Sorry to interrupt your date, but can you check this for me?”

“D-Date? It’s not that. I’m just with Nemea…”

Varen babbled incoherently. It was surprising that someone of his size couldn’t handle such a situation. Nemea, who was staring at him, narrowed her eyes.

“I thought it was a date.”

“Wha-a-at?! W-Well, yes, but…”

Nemea sighed as she looked at Varen with a disdainful expression. She couldn’t believe that this was the same person who had fought fiercely with Zafia in the palace. With a somewhat awkward gesture, Ronan slipped the documents into Varen’s coat pocket.

“I’m leaving. Read it later.”

“W-Wait! I’ll be right…”

“Enjoy your date. Goodbye!”

Ronan chuckled as he ran off, leaving Varen, who was babbling like he was drunk. It was actually better this way. The activity plan for the club, which stated they would roam around the City of Dragons and cause a ruckus, wasn’t something his tiny heart could handle.

****

[Translator – Peptobismol]

The plan proceeded as scheduled. Three days later, Ronan, Aselle, and Shullifen, each prepared, gathered in the courtyard in front of the dormitory early in the morning.

The campus, which had yet to rise, was shrouded in darkness. Adeshan, who had come to see them off secretly, asked with concern.

“You’re leaving as soon as we came back from the North. Please be careful.”

“Nothing will happen.”

“What about Itargand?”

“He’s already in the south preparing the ship.”

Although they had said their farewells yesterday, as someone who knew the details of Ronan’s plan, she couldn’t help but worry and couldn’t sleep. Adeshan asked.

“Are you sure I can’t come with you?”

“Don’t worry and focus on student council work. Besides, mind control won’t stand a chance against the dragons anyway.”

“That’s true, but… I feel uneasy about this.”

“We have to go now. It’s really okay, so go inside and get some rest.”

Ronan lightly kissed Adeshan on the cheek. Her stiff face turned as red as an apple.

“I-I really… Everyone’s watching…”

“So what?”

Ronan chuckled. It was a habit he had developed since childhood, so since they started dating, he started doing it almost out of habit. Watching from behind, Aselle clenched his fist.

“…I’m envious.”

“Pathetic.”

Ptuh. Shullifen, who had never seen anything like this before, spat out. He never imagined she would fall for such a deception by that thunderous boar. Lowering his gaze, he spoke solemnly.

“During my absence, you’re in charge. Protect Miss Iril.”

“Got it!”

Cita spread her wings as if to say not to worry. The two, who had become quite close like siblings while living in Iril’s house, had developed a rather peculiar relationship. Their mutual love for cleanliness and affection for Iril created a bond between them.

“Let’s go. Take this.”

Ronan, who had finished salting, approached. In his hand, there were piles of scrolls that looked expensive at a glance. They were teleportation scrolls to get to the Tandrey Port. He wanted to ask Katir for help if possible, but he couldn’t because Katir was on a business trip somewhere.

To cross from the north to the south of the continent, each person needed seven scrolls. Although an astronomical amount of money was spent, which was incomparable to renting a ghost horse, Ronan and Aselle had promissory notes they received from Garcia before. Ronan looked back at Shullifen and said somewhat apologetically.

“This is a bit too much. I know Garcia is doing really well, but still.”

“It doesn’t matter. Saving time is more important.”

“Thank you. I heard my sister was worried about you last night.”

“Miss Iril…?”

“Yeah. She said to come back safely.”

Suddenly, Shullifen turned his face. The corners of his mouth twitched, as if feeling a little upset. Maybe Ronan shouldn’t have told him. Aselle, trapped in a sense of betrayal and defeat, bowed his head.

“Uh…”

“Right. Aselle.”

At that moment, Adeshan seemed to remember something and flicked her finger. Approaching Aselle, who looked puzzled, she held out a wooden box the size of her palm.

To meet her gaze, he had to tilt his head back. Aselle hesitantly asked.

“Wh-What is this?”

“Marya told me to give this to you last night. I almost forgot.”

“Th-This is for me?”

“Yeah. It’s just for you. She said to come back safely.”

With trembling hands, Aselle opened the box. Inside were ten tiny glass bottles lined up neatly. Aselle realized that they were miniature special potions for mages and his eyes widened.

“Th-This is…!”

His face lit up. It was a gift separate from the potions prepared for all three of them. The shitty feeling he had been feeling was completely relieved. Ronan, who had been chuckling, spoke up.

“Well then, let’s really get going now.”

“Come back safely.”

Adeshan waved her hand with a warm smile. The three of them unfolded their scrolls simultaneously.

Boom! With a wave of mana, the space distorted, and engulfed their forms. When Adeshan opened her eyes after a moment of closing them, the three of them had disappeared without a trace.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

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