Chapter 123: Remaining Days (2)
“Come out. Grab your weapons.”
Ronan stepped outside the building, his club members trailing behind, albeit with curious glances.
They stood in Nest’s training ground, Ronan took a moment to confirm everyone had their weapons before speaking up.
“I’ll explain briefly, so listen up. As you know, I’m under a curse.”
There was no need to conceal it anymore. Ronan succinctly described his current situation—the curse limiting his potential growth, the necessity of undergoing a rite to surpass his limitations, and hence, the need to vacate his position. Aselle voiced a concerned question.
“H-How about doing the rite after graduation?”
“It’d be too late by then. We don’t know how long it’ll take, and if you have potential, it’s best to nurture it from a young age.”
“Do you think it will take a very long time?”
“Can’t say. That’s why I brought along these advanced tools.”
Ronan held up his bracelet. He had expected reluctance from Navirose to lend it, but surprisingly, she readily agreed, albeit with the condition of doubling the training time after completing the training.
“Fight with all your might. That’s the only way you’ll understand the direction for your training.”
“…Today’s summoning was because of that, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. If I return without achievement, I’ll lose everything. By the way, I brought a coach who’ll coach you perfectly.”
“A coach?”
“Yeah. Here she comes.”
Ronan gestured toward the back of the training ground. The members turned their heads.
A young girl in uniform approached. Documents and a small scroll were tucked at her slender waist. She kindly greeted them as she stood next to Ronan.
“Hi. It’s been a while, everyone.”
“Oh, you’re… Senior Adeshan, from last time, right?”
“Yeah. Nice to see you, Marya. How’s the top-level work going?”
Adeshan smiled warmly. Marya’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected her to remember the brief encounter, let alone the work she was involved in. Glancing around at the members, Adeshan chuckled.
“No sign of the Rising Star of the Empire? Did I deliberately not call him?”
“That bastard will take care of it on his own. He’s already awakened his Aura.”
Ronan nodded. He wasn’t worried about Shullifen. Frankly, even if he sparred with all of Philleon’s upperclassmen, there was a strong chance that that unlucky guy would win.
“This senior has sharp eyes. She’ll observe your fights and guide the direction of your training until you gather enough information.”
“Indeed. For this kind of training, there is no one as talented as her.”
Braum mumbled slowly. As a student of Navirose’s class, he was well aware of Adeshan’s abilities. She could oversee nearly thirty people at once and correct their movements. Ronan spoke up.
“Let’s get started, Sunbae?”
“Oh, sure.”
Clang! Adeshan shook the small scroll she held, its clear sound signaling the start of battle. Yet, nobody moved. The hesitant members exchanged glances.
“Did it start?”
Ronan pulled his sword. Swish! A wide horizontal slash passed through the waists of four people. Aselle, Marya, Braum—vanished from sight. Seeing the remaining one, Ronan raised an eyebrow.
“You’re the only one who held out. Age isn’t to be underestimated after all.”
“Gah…!”
Ophelia, the only one who managed to block, bit her lip. Thud! A drop of blood fell from her stomach. His steps were so fast that she wasn’t able to completely block it.
“You… you’re serious…”
“You should do it properly. Not going to blame it on the daytime being unfavorable, right?”
Ronan kicked the ground again and rushed forward. Ophelia whispered her spell. Keuuugh! A wolf’s maw made of blood surged from the ground, swallowing Ronan whole.
“Don’t say that…”
Ophelia clenched her fists. A massive magic circle formed above the wolf’s head. Swoosh! Blades made of shadows rained down from within the magic circle, akin to a torrential downpour of black rain.
“It hurts… I’m sleepy…”
In its original form, it was a technique that would tear everything to shreds without leveling a single trace. Just as Ophelia was convinced of Ronan’s defeat, she turned her body. From behind, a familiar voice sounded.
“Get treated and come out again. Cita is waiting.”
“What…?”
Swoosh! The wolf’s head split in half. A crescent-shaped blade flew, covering Ophelia.
There was no chance to react. Boom! Struck directly by the blade, her form distorted and disappeared. The shadowy blades also dispersed like smoke. Ronan spat on the ground, panting.
“These kids can’t catch a break. How many times do they need to roll around?”
-Thud!
That moment, accompanied by the sound of splintering wood, the club building’s door burst open. The three previously eliminated members revealed themselves.
“Hey! What was that all of a sudden? Really attacking for real?!”
“Jeez, thought I was gonna die!”
“Ugh. Getting defeated again doesn’t feel good.”
The eyes of the bewildered members who faced an absurd death were noticeably different. Marya, swinging her greatsword, charged forward.
“Not sure what you’re thinking, but I can’t can’t live with just getting hit. Let’s go!”
“Agreed!”
“Wa-wait, but what about Ophelia—!”
Braum also launched himself using his great shield. Aselle yelled in confusion, but the two didn’t stop.
Confirming their entry into the range, Ronan swung his sword nonchalantly. Baang! A broad blade shot out, simultaneously causing an explosion.
“Hahaha! This is really something!”
Amidst the smoke, Braum’s hearty laughter echoed. Not a scratch remained on his shield, which blocked the blade.
“As expected, it’s really well-made.”
Ronan muttered to himself. Thud! Marya stepped on Braum’s shoulder and leaped up and swung her greatsword down vertically.
“Haahh!”
“That’s pretty good.”
Ronan raised the corners of his mouth. The pressure was substantial. Her greatsword, growing heavier as it was imbued with mana, was completely tinted in a vibrant blue hue.
A head-on confrontation was futile like this. It was a fleeting moment as Ronan was about to twist his shoulder to evade.
“Gr-gravity Bind!”
A frightened voice echoed from afar. Simultaneously, four magic circles appeared in the air. Swish! Transparent chains extended from the circles and wrapped around Ronan’s arms and legs in an instant.
“Huh?”
Ronan turned his head and chuckled. Aselle was aiming at him with an outstretched hand. Even here, signs of weakness in his legs were evident.
“S-Sorry, Ronan…! But you said to do it…”
“It seems like there was some emotion involved.”
It seemed he had studied Vijra rather thoroughly. The magic he used was far superior to Aselle’s usual Invisible Hand. Despite exerting force, Ronan’s body didn’t budge. Feeling oddly proud, he smirked.
“You guys worked hard.”
“Well done! Cutie!”
Marya cheered. It was the moment when her greatsword, descending down in a blue arc, was about to touch Ronan’s collarbone.
“Well, shall I put in some effort too?”
Ronan switched his power source. A golden energy surged up his right arm. It was Varen’s Aura, amplifying his strength.
As he swung his arm, the stem that wrapped around his wrist tore off relentlessly. Swish! Ronan clutched Lamancha and cut through the remaining chains.
“That… was Gravity Bind!”
Aselle’s mouth hung open. He didn’t anticipate it would be thwarted so easily.
As Ronan dodged and Marya’s greatsword struck the ground, a loud crack resounded. Giant fractures emerged, sending shards of stone flying.
“Oh, no…!”
Marya’s expression twisted as the attack missed. Ronan didn’t wait for her to draw her greatsword. Swish. With a swift motion of his sword, Marya’s form distorted and vanished.
“Marya!!”
An excited Braum rushed over, his footsteps thudding. Overenthusiasm was the biggest advantage of this training. In the hand opposite the shield, he held a sharp one-handed sword.
A sword and shield, not a bad combination. Muttering to himself, Ronan drew the dagger Ymir. Squelch! Braum, frozen mid-action, raised his shield.
“Hmm!”
“Blockhead. You’ve to protect the mage first.”
Braum’s face froze. Just as he hastily turned his head, the dagger had already reached Aselle’s forehead. Before Braum could utter anything, Aselle’s form distorted and disappeared. Thud! Imir flew all the way, embedding itself into the club building’s outer wall.
“Don’t lose focus. You’re the vanguard,”
Ronan’s voice sounded right next to Braum. A shiver ran down Braum’s spine at the sound. Lowering his gaze, he noticed Ronan scratching his head.
“Keuhh, ack!”
Ronan was already within the shield. Swish. Along with the sound of a blade slicing through the air, Braum’s form vanished. It took about three minutes for the members to reappear.
“Damn it! Let’s try again!”
“I think we all… need to go together. I never would’ve thought he would become this strong…”
The members reappeared. Their eyes, filled with even more venom than before, pleased Adeshan. She continued to jot down their movements and habits. Watching Marya’s swordsmanship, she couldn’t help but admire.
“Amazing… they’ve surpassed standard skills by far.”
“Seems like it won’t be easy to teach them, huh?”
“Yeah. All four of them exhibit more than just the basics. Not that I’m skilled enough to teach anyway…”
“Have confidence. I haven’t seen anyone more talented in this area than the Sunbae.”
Ronan tapped Adeshan’s shoulder lightly. She smiled brightly and nodded her head. Marya, who finished her preparations, let out a roar and charged.
“Let’s go-!”
“I’ll use blood magic first to… bind his feet…”
All four of them charged together this time. With Ophelia joining in, the attacks were undoubtedly more fierce.
Ronan subdued all the members with precisely four slashes. Bang! Shortly after the sound of tumbling down the stairs echoed, the club’s door swung open.
“Again!”
Adeshan’s information gathering concluded around the time they died for the fifth time. However, the agitated members didn’t stop attacking until sunset. Marya, experiencing her 27th defeat, glared at Ronan and growled.
“Ugh… enough of this… gasp, just die at least once!”
“Nope.”
“You’re… stubborn…”
Thud! Marya, who was supporting herself with her greatsword, collapsed. She was the final one eliminated. Around her lay Aselle, Braum, and Ophelia, looking almost like lifeless bodies.
Ronan never died once. Yet, he was continuously surprised throughout the battles. The members’ skills exceeded his expectations by several folds.
‘It was really risky a few times.’
He realized he almost died two or three times rashly. That alone indicated how hard he had been working. Reflecting on the dangerous moments, he murmured to the members.
“Thanks. You guys are idiots.”
It seemed safe to leave without worries.
****
After hearing Sekreet’s words about it possibly taking a long time, Ronan deliberated a lot. It was because of the variables that could occur in his absence.
‘It’s not easy.’
The most significant threat was undoubtedly Nebula Clazier. If powerful individuals akin to the branch leader started barging in, there’d be no solution. He was currently the only one capable of bypassing the protection of the stars.
‘But it’s unlikely that such a big shot will barge into the academy’s core. I’ve completely erased all traces of mana.’
Fortunately, the chance of that happening was slim. There were no clues in the institution that could lead someone to Ronan’s residence.
Ronan recalled what Teranil had said. He mentioned tracking Ronan by following the remaining traces of mana on-site. That meant if the evidence was cleared, there would be no way to trace him.
‘It was good to eliminate both, even if it was risky.’
Ronan breathed a sigh of relief. The first thing he did after killing Teranil and Yuria was to erase all remaining traces at the scene. With Cita and the sensitive Shullifen assisting, the operation was probably concluded perfectly.
‘I’ve done everything I could.’
There were no more measures to take before leaving. The members’ direction was set, and his sister’s safety was secured. Unless the Advent incident happened earlier than expected, there wouldn’t be any issues.
‘Well… shall I go for the final supper?’
Ronan opened the door and stepped out. He had been staying at the new house in the institution since last night. Before embarking on something significant, he wanted to have a final meal with his sister.
In Ronan’s left hand, there was Sekreet’s letter confirming that preparations were done. Before he even set foot on the stairs, the delightful aroma from downstairs hit him. It was the trademark smell of Iril’s patented potato stew.
“You’re like a big sister.”
As Ronan descended to the first floor, he raised his head. The kitchen, filled with people, met his gaze. He chuckled at the sight of everyone looking back at him.
“…Why are there so many people gathered here?”
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel