[Translator – Peptobismol]
Chapter 226: Late Sumr, Early Autumn (2)
“Tell 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 seed 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 eting several months ago suggested that so sort of conspiracy might be underway.
Moreover, the information gleaned from Barka’s data collected over the past two days suggested that so of the believers had already entered Adren. What was happening there was unknown. However, given that it was ntioned 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 to go.’
Furthermore, even if he couldn’t et the Leader, it wouldn’t be a total loss. Alivrihe, an initial mber 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 ssenger doesn’t die.’
However, Ronan knew that Adren would not accept the request. The city, ford 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 ant his temperant was quite stubborn. Intargand said,
“In fact, going there itself isn’t difficult. All ans 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 extrely thorough.
‘Damn it, what should I do?’
A way to pass the immigration inspection didn’t co 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 beco your entourage. Only temporarily during the inspection.”
“What?”
“I’m asking you to put your imprint on . Why didn’t I even think about this?”
“It seems you don’t quite understand what it ans to beco 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 an…”
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 mont.”
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!”
“Co on, carve your imprint on this.”
Ronan extended the raven to Intargand. His forehead furrowed deeply.
“…Shaful.”
“Co on.”
With a sigh, Intargand placed his hand on the raven’s wing. For a mont, his palm glowed red. The flailing raven beca quiet.
“Caw?”
“It’s done…”
Intargand removed his hand. A geotric 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 seed like sothing 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.”
****
Ti 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 imdiately set off for Adren. Given the place and the involvent of the Leader, thorough preparation was necessary before going. Plus, the equipnt commissioned from Aurora Skar hadn’t arrived yet.
‘It’s better to be thorough than to rush and ss things up.’
He decided to take all possible asures. 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 ca in frequently.
Of course, he didn’t neglect personal training either. Dueling among the mbers 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 ti too! Let’s all attack together!”
With her cry, the mbers rushed at Ronan from all sides. Aselle’s ice, Elizabeth’s fla, and Ophelia’s blood magic poured out in succession. Braum, who positioned himself strategically, raised his shield.
“Oh.”
Ronan exclaid with admiration. Their coordinated attacks flowed like flowing water. It seed like they had made the most of their sumr vacation.
The friends he hadn’t seen in nearly two months had all grown significantly. Marya was now not only renowned as a rchant but also gaining fa as a swordsman among the noble circles. Aselle and Elizabeth, as students, received calls from all the Magic Towers for the first ti.
Braum, a graduating mber, 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 mbers 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 mbers 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 tis they tried, the outco didn’t change, but that didn’t make their efforts aningless. Nodding as he took turns looking at the exhausted mbers, Ronan made up his mind.
“Alright. I’ve decided.”
“Decided? About what?”
“I’ve decided who will accompany on the next club activity. Aselle, co with .”
“? You’re talking about ?! 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 ti, couldn’t resist at all.
“H-Help !”
“A-Aselle… damn it.”
Only a pitiful cry echoed out. Braum, who was about to say sothing, just fainted. Although the exhausted mbers 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 ti.”
Ronan revealed his plan to Aselle about three hours after taking him back to his room. Giving him ti 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 the genius mage is scared of sothing 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 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 mont, Aselle’s eyes flickered. Despite being frightened, seeing his reaction to the ntion of new spells, it seed that indeed, all mages were sowhat 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 so romantic interest in you. Seriously.”
Furthermore, Marya’s opinion of Aselle seed to have changed as well. Ronan rembered her subtle expressions when talking about Aselle’s achievents.
‘This bart might not realize it, but…’
If before it was just an attitude of treating him like a cute stuffed doll or a sa-sex friend, now it seed 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 , you can reject it. But, let 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 sothing he had agonized over for no reason. Even if they were dragged into the situation sohow, 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 soone nad 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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