Chapter 83: The Moving Operation (7)
The second floor, unlit by separate lighting, was bathed in the tranquil moonlight. Iril’s mouth slowly fell open.
“Wowwww…!”
Beyond the expansive balcony stretched the view of the Philleon Academy. Normally, the view was limited due to the surrounding walls, but from this house facing the main gate, they could admire the beautiful campus.
“Let’s go outside and see”
“Huh? Yeah…!”
Ronan led Iril out onto the balcony. The cool night breeze tousled their hair.
With the elevated view, more details came into sight than usual. They could see students passing by, streetlights lining the roads, towering spires reaching for the sky, and a river running through the campus.
Even though it was still dawn and the sun had yet to rise, there were lights on in various parts of the Philleon Academy. Ronan suddenly pointed his index finger at a building in the corner of the campus. It was the Navar-Dorje Hall, the dormitory where he resided.
“I live over there.”
“Wow, it’s really close! Is that the place you told me about in your letter?”
Iril’s eyes sparkled as she confirmed the distance. In reality, the distance between Navar-Dorje Hall and their new home was just about a 10-minute run.
It was the main reason Ronan had chosen this house. As good as the multi-layered intrusion prevention enchantments and the secret underground refuge were, the ultimate security was proximity.
No matter what happened, he could run here in a month, and in case of emergency, he could send Cita. Given Cita’s speed, it would take mere 10 seconds to travel from the dormitory window to here.
The psychological stability she gained from being able to see where her brother was staying at all times was a bonus. Iril, who was admiring her night view, suddenly spoke in her main voice.
“Thank you, Ronan. Really.”
“So, do you like the house?”
“Yeah, very much…!”
Iril exclaimed, her head held high. Tears of emotion were streaming down her cheeks. Ronan, feeling a lump in his throat, quickly wiped away the moisture from his eyes. He let out a relieved sigh.
‘Finally, it’s all sorted out.’
The goal he had set when entering Philleon Academy had finally been achieved. Now he could relax and move around without any worries. The days of having to return to a faraway Nimbuten, barring an acute bout of nostalgia, were gone.
Ronan turned his head, suddenly remembering the day he and Shullifen had chosen the house. No matter the intent, that guy played a significant role in finding this excellent house.
Shullifen was gazing at Iril’s back as if enchanted by something. He quickly snapped out of it when he noticed Ronan’s gaze and tried to act casual. Ronan smirked inwardly.
“An easy-to-read guy.”
Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to invite him home once in a while, or ask him to guard Iril. Perhaps it would serve as just the right motivation. Just then, Cita swooped down from the night sky and perched on the railing.
“Beah!”
“Hey.”
Iril, wide-eyed, patted Cita on the head as it returned from scouting the area to make sure no one had followed them as Ronan had instructed.
“Oh, Cita. Where did you go?”
“Be-ah-ah~”
“Ehehe, do you like our new house? Now you can come here instead of Nimbuten.”
Cita playfully acted cute toward Iril without giving any special report. Fortunately, it seemed like everything had gone smoothly. Ronan took advantage of Iril playing with Cita and returned indoors. He alternated his gaze between Aselle and Shullifen as he spoke.
“Thanks, everyone. Thanks to you, we wrapped it up nicely.”
“We just did what needed to be done.”
“Oh, no, there were various… things going on, but I was glad I could help.”
Aselle spoke softly.
Ronan, who had been chuckling, suddenly snapped his fingers as if he had remembered something.
“By the way, your parents should move here too, Aselle.”
“Yeah, I was planning to finish that before summer.”
“That’s right, good thinking. It’s no use regretting after losing everything.”
“Regret? What do you mean by that…”
“I mean it in general. Anyway, I’ll definitely help, so just let me know when the time comes.”
Aselle nodded timidly. He, too, was diligently preparing to bring his parents to Jido Barun.
With Nebula Clazier stirring up trouble, they couldn’t predict when something might happen. Shullifen, who had been standing with his fists clenched, finally spoke up.
“So when are you going to unpack?”
“Can’t we just take it a little slower?” Ronan asked.
“I can’t trust the judgment of barbarians like you. Let’s start right away.”
Shullifen spoke firmly, and they immediately began the task of unpacking and arranging their belongings. Even though they didn’t have much to bring, organizing the furnishings in the house was still a challenging task.
Fortunately, with Shullifen and Aselle’s assistance, the work progressed smoothly. Shullifen, who had a keen sense of aesthetics, gave instructions, while Aselle used his telekinesis to position the furniture.
“No, placing the potted plant there would ruin the aesthetics. A bit more to the right.”
“Um, then is it okay if I put it here?”
“That’s suitable. What’s your name?”
“Oh, um, I’m Aselle.”
“I see, Aselle. I heard you’re from the same village as Iril. Is that true?”
“Yes? Well, um, yes, that’s right.”
It was an awkward yet surprisingly fitting combination. They finished organizing around the time the sun was rising. After unpacking all the belongings from Nimbuten, the previously empty house now looked somewhat lived-in.
“Wow, we’re done! Thank you all so much! Let’s have a meal!”
Iril, full of enthusiasm, was crossing through the kitchen. She offered to prepare breakfast, and since the only available ingredient was potatoes, it naturally became potato stew.
“Can I really eat this?”
“Stop with the chatter and dig in.”
They sat around the messy wooden dining table brought from Nimbuten and had their meal. Shullifen, as if it was the finest gourmet dish, ate the potato stew without meat and washed it down with what seemed like imperial grape wine. Seeing his reaction, Iril couldn’t help but comment.
“Wow, do you like it? I thought nobles usually don’t fancy this kind of food.”
“Very much so. It’s delicious.”
“Hehe, there’s plenty more! Please have some more!”
Shullifen nodded, his face lighting up with undisguised delight as he received his fifth bowl of potato stew. Even the valiant warriors who faced dragons probably wouldn’t have made such a face.
Ronan, muttering curses under his breath, sneaked upstairs. He stepped onto the balcony and took out a cigarette from his pocket.
“I can’t take this anymore.”
He needed to smoke it before Iril caught him. He exhaled a puff of smoke while observing the students moving around the campus. By now, Professor Varen, who commuted to work, was probably foaming at the mouth. Ronan was lost in various thoughts when suddenly, a faint commotion reached his ears.
“…No, please!”
“Huh?”
“…Mm! Endure it!”
It was a voice he recognized. Ronan turned his head in the direction of the sound.
Not far away, people had gathered in a circle as if they were watching something. Among them were Zaifa’s subordinates, standing out like scarecrows in a field.
‘Why are those furry ones gathered over there?’
Ronan leaned his upper body out of the balcony to get a better look. In the center of the crowd were three individuals, and Ronan’s expression contorted.
“Damn it.”
Zaifa and Navirose were facing each other. The tension didn’t seem particularly pleasant, especially with the fact that the great sword Uruza was clutched in Navirose’s hand. Adeshan, in her school uniform, was yelling as she tried to intervene.
“Professor, please calm down! You can’t do this here!”
“But you saw it too, didn’t you, Adeshan? This old cat is provoking me.”
“We just made eye contact, that’s all!”
Mana, pulsating through Uruza’s sword, was visible even from here. Ronan muttered curses and jumped down from the balcony.
“I can’t have bad luck like this!”
If either of them swung their swords carelessly, it would lead to a very unpleasant situation. Ronan quickly reached his destination and glanced at the people standing by, who were just watching quietly.
“Are you all so clueless? A disaster is unfolding right in front of you guys, and you’re just standing there?” he grumbled.
“Well, kid, do you know who that woman is? She’s a former Grand Swordmaster.”
“How are we supposed to intervene here? If it were a superior officer…”
“Oh well, you’all are useless.”
Ronan pushed through the crowd and soon spotted the two Grand Swordmasters and the flustered Adeshan. Zaifa, who had been silently observing her, finally spoke.
“Your fiery temper hasn’t changed a bit, Navirose. I thought becoming a professor might have toned you down a bit.”
“Enough talk, draw your sword. I’d prefer you use your own weapon rather than that scabbard.”
“Prideful as ever. You can’t defeat me.”
The situation was tense, and the clash between the two Grand Swordmasters seemed imminent.
At that moment, Navirose’s sword disappeared from view. Except for Ronan and Zaifa, no one saw her sword disappear.
Swish!
Uruza traced a crescent-shaped path in the air, and a crescent-shaped blade of energy shot into the sky.
The massive crescent-shaped energy, almost 200 meters in diameter, cleaved through the thick clouds above, splitting them in half. The spectators’ faces turned pale. A curious tone escaped from Zaifa’s lips.
“…Interesting. You’ve gotten much stronger than before.”
“Do you feel like trying now?”
“A light exercise might not be a bad idea.”
Veins bulged in Zaifa’s hand as she gripped her moonblade. The tails of the other beastfolk were curling beneath their legs.
The atmosphere between the two Grand Swordmasters was charged, and it seemed like they might charge at each other at any moment. Navirose was about to take the first step. Ronan leaped over the crowd and landed between them.
“What the hell are you guys doing here?”
“Ronan?”
Adeshan’s eyes widened, and Navirose stopped in her tracks. The tension that had been building dissipated, and time seemed to flow normally again. Chuckling with a sense of relief, Zaifa sheathed her moonblade.
“…Is the relocation complete?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Good. I should get going soon. I’ve informed the lieutenant, so you can collect the bounty from the nearby patrol.”
“Bounty?”
“Yeah. The old man from the Nebula Clazier you killed was quite a notorious wanted criminal.”
Zaifa informed him that there was a substantial bounty on the old man’s head, who had been protected by the blessings of the stars.
Ronan nodded his head. This was an unexpected reward. Navirose, who had been silent until now, snarled while pointing her sword tip at Zaifa.
“Why are you casually conversing with my disciple?”
“Seeing how I’m not even allowed to speak to him, you must really treasure him. Well, it’s understandable.”
“Don’t change the subject. And ‘moving,’ what does that mean?”
“You’ll find out for yourself. By the way, both, this child and the rising Star kid received my greeting and stood on both legs. You’ve got good disciples.”
“What?”
Navirose narrowed her gaze. Zaifa was about to say something, but the crowd split to reveal the lieutenant were-lion. She saluted Zaifa and then spoke.
“Captain. His Majesty the Emperor has summoned you, and you will need to report to the Imperial Palace immediately.”
“Damn, this is why I wanted to leave so badly…I see.”
Zaifa clicked her tongue. It was an urgent matter of course, but it didn’t seem like she had any particular loyalty to the Emperor, as their relationship was originally forced through a blood pact. The lieutenant, who had saluted Navirose as well, looked at Ronan and said,
“Thank you for cooperating with the arrest. We hope you will accept the bounty.”
“I will. By the way, what’s your name? I’ve seen you often, but I’ve never heard your name before.”
“I’m Lieutenant Nemea from the Imperial Knights.”
“Wow, you must be quite elite. You seem like you’d get along well with one of our professors. Shall I introduce you?”
Nemea seemed taken aback and flinched. Ronan, seeing her uncomfortable reaction, chuckled softly. Zaifa, who had been sighing deeply, finally spoke up.
“I’ll be going then. I look forward to the festival of swords, Ronan.”
“The Festival of Swords?”
The unfamiliar name made Ronan raise an eyebrow. Zaifa didn’t respond. She, along with Nemea and her subordinates, was escorted towards the palace almost as if they were being dragged.
The burly giants disappeared from view after a while. Adeshan, who had been standing still, suddenly seemed to lose her strength and staggered. Ronan quickly supported her.
“Ah… thank you.”
“What’s wrong all of a sudden? Are you okay?”
“Yeah… but… seeing them in person, I was a bit… nervous, I guess.”
Adeshan’s breathing was ragged, and Ronan, realizing the cause too late, twisted his lips. Zaifa, the creator of the Night of the Fangs, was Adeshan’s enemy.
“Darn it. I don’t know what to say. You went through a lot.”
“Yeah, it’s really okay now. Thanks for helping.”
Adeshan stood up with Ronan’s support. After facing Zaifa face to face for a while, her reaction was not unreasonable.
In fact, not screaming or fainting was rather admirable, considering that the person who had directly caused her parents and brothers’ deaths was right in front of her. Navirose, who had been silently gazing into the distance, approached Ronan.
“Ronan, is what that cat said true?”
“What do you mean?”
“That you stood on your own two legs when you were greeted by her.”
“Uh-huh, if you’re referring to that damned ambush, yes”
Navirose’s eyes widened. Taking a deep breath to calm her emotions, she spoke.
“Explain everything that happened when you were with that old cat, Ronan. Don’t leave anything out.”
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