Academy’s Genius Swordsman

18. Blood and Eggs (1)

#18

“Where are you here…”

A day has passed since the winners were announced. Ronan and Asher have been walking through the woods since early morning.

It was the Shemo Forest that took root in the immediate vicinity of the Islands. Asher, who continued to moan, asked worriedly.

“Ro, Ronan… are you really okay?”

“Are you still worried about that? because it’s okay.”

Asher, who had not slept last night, had a dark shadow around her eyes. It was because of the incident that happened yesterday between Ronan and Schlieffen.

When he fell asleep, the assassins hired by Schlieffen would come and go with a dagger in his heart.

“Still, even if you’re a noble, if you get harmed…”

Asher was afraid. It wasn’t just the last time I heard the story of a deviant nobleman called Derian.

It was not enough to wrestle with the heir of the highest family right next to the imperial family, and breaking his nose and running away was something for anyone to worry about.

However, Ronan shook his head resolutely.

“Schlieffen is a good person. I just turn my eyes to a specific situation.”

It was a confident voice. If I didn’t know Schlieffen well in the first place, I wouldn’t have even met him.

Even though the time we met was short, I knew it. If it were not for his pathological obsession with strength, he was a man who could be called an example of a right aristocrat.

He valued trust, was not shy, and knew how to protect the weak.

“Then don’t worry, ma’am. He must have blamed himself for what happened yesterday.”

“Could it be so…?”

“You can see that we weren’t arrested in the morning.”

“D, I heard and saw that…”

Asher then sighed in relief. Ronan unfolded the parchment he was holding and tilted it back and forth.

The crude map marked the location of a ley called Penardo Spring. It was a map drawn by Wear Lion Professor Baren.

“I couldn’t draw a real picture. No, I have to say it’s amazing to draw even this much with that shabby hand…”

The entrance ceremony was a week later. Ronan decided to visit Ley first before stopping by his hometown.

I suggested that I go with Marya too, but she couldn’t because she had to finish the top job.

“It must be this way…”

It was a location just following the river flowing inside the Shemo Forest, but it was difficult to find the river because of the densely lined tall birch trees.

Ronan, who folded the map like a crumpled map, spit out cursing.

“Damn it, I can’t. Let me float, Asher. up to the top of the tree.”

“yes. Invisible Hand!”

Asher raised her staff. Ronan’s body soared into the air. Ronan, who felt the speed significantly increased, exclaimed.

“Oh, are you really fast now?”

Ride comfort (?) has also improved significantly. Previously, it felt like a child who couldn’t control his strength was grabbing it randomly, but now it feels like a sister with soft hands is gently lifting it up.

Ronan, who reached the top of the tree in no time, swung his sword. crispy! The green ceiling was cut and the view of the Shemo forest spread out in front of me.

A long, slender stream of water could be seen meandering through the beckoning trees.

****

Ronan insisted on going on the water rather than walking for a long, painful walk along the riverbank.

“As I’m doing this, I remember that time. Time goes so fast.”

“Yes···.”

So the two were lying side by side on a sloppy raft. A flock of clouds was seen crossing the blue sky.

Ronan pulled out a cigarette from his mouth and held it out.

“Would you like to open it?”

“yes? Oh no… it’s fine.”

“Hey, you bastard.”

Ronan opened the cigarette again and inhaled the smoke to the fullest. Asher, who was lying on her face and dipped her fingers in the river, opened her mouth.

“Where did you learn to make a raft?”

“In the military.”

“Oh, the army? what···.”

“There is such a thing, man.”

Asher couldn’t believe it even after seeing it for herself. Ronan built a plausible raft in less than an hour. It was one of the survival skills he learned while living as a punitive soldier.

A raft made of logs and tough vines guided the boys much more comfortably than by land. Ronan muttered.

“Even so, to tell you about a lei that only you know. That lion was very kind.”

“Isn’t a ley so hard to find?”

“Probably so. Because even if you find just one, you can sell it.”

Ronan recalled a conversation he had with an old man in the past. The old man, who had spent his whole life looking for leylines, likened them to puddles of mana.

A very rare pool where the wandering mana stagnates in one place for different reasons.

“As soon as the news that the ley has been found, it becomes the property of the Empire. So it’s even harder to find. Even if we discover it, we do not share information.”

“why?”

“Because even a shard of stone there is as expensive as gold. Of course, it varies from case to case.”

In fact, some adventurers called the ley a gold mine on land.

read from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲

Mana, which was stagnant in one place, permeated the surrounding objects, turning ordinary stones into magic stones and unknown weeds into magical herbs.

Asher nodded as if she understood.

“That’s why you brought so many water bottles in your backpack. did something.”

“Because Penardo was like ‘Sam’.”

It was also the water that made the change. The water coming from the water source located in the ley was turned into an elixir or potion absurd substance.

That’s why the backpack was stuffed with sacks and water bottles.

“By the way, maybe it hasn’t been discovered yet…”

Suddenly, I remembered the leylines I had visited by chance in my previous life. At that time, they had already been nationalized or had been exploited to a single drop of water and even a single leaf of grass, and these were devastation.

Ronan knew about five or six, but it didn’t seem too bad to visit again later.

“That’s right, Ronan.”

“ok?”

“Is the egg okay? yesterday···.”

“Oh right.”

Ronan took out Marpez’s egg from his inner pocket.

There was no change in her ugly appearance like crushed horse dung, but she looked a little prettier today. It was the first contribution that allowed him to escape from Schlieffen’s magic.

Looking at the still silent egg, Ronan muttered.

“Aren’t you crazy like a sissy?”

Al didn’t answer. It was natural. After throwing an egg into the air once, Ronan closed his eyes.

Ronan and Asher spent that night on the river. A swarm of brilliant stars that would not be strange even if it rained became their blanket.

Ronan dreamed of Marpez, who breathes fire to set the island on fire, and Schlieffen, who dances and begs for his life.

****

The two arrived at Penardo Springs at noon the next day. The leaves of the trees affected by the ley were glimmering softly.

“Only here. The air is nice.”

The water was bubbling up from the center of the small spring. It was a small spring, but it looked quite deep.

In the spring, there were green bushes growing. Stones that were discolored due to manastone formation were sparsely rising.

“It’s more common than I thought.”

Ronan wiped his appetite as if it was bland. Although he had his own charm, he was modest compared to the unexplored sights he had seen so far.

“Ummm… something’s wrong. Is it because of your mood?”

“Waah aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…”

But Asher was different. He had a reaction similar to when he first saw the landscape of the islands. Asher, who took a deep breath and exhaled, muttered in admiration.

“I have never seen such a rich mana in my life.”

“Damn, what’s the difference? I can’t see anything.”

“It’s just… so many. Mana, yes. As far as I can see.”

It seemed that he could use a much stronger magic now. The metaphor of a puddle of mana was correct. Mana, which was usually spread widely and invisible, was everywhere like fruit.

“Because my circle is dirty.”

Ronan sucked hard on the pipe. His mana, mana, mana.

At this point, even if it was dirty, I decided to succeed in mana sensitivity. At that time, Asher, who was slowly looking around, widened her eyes.

“uh?!”

“What?”

“Lo, Ronan! pocket!”

Asher stretched out her staff and pointed to Ronan’s pocket. Ronan shrugged his eyebrows.

“pocket? why?”

“egg···! Take out the egg! hurry!”

it seemed to him The mana that had been lumped around was swirling and being sucked into Ronan’s pocket.

Ronan took out Marpez’s egg. Asher nodded quickly.

Eggs were not enough mana in the air, so they devoured and drank even the mana that had percolated into the ground or trees.

“What is it?”

“Ah, Al is draining mana!”

Ronan tilted his head. It just felt strange to him who couldn’t see it. It’s not a dream bird, and the egg absorbs mana? suddenly?

– Break!

That was then. The shell, reminiscent of dried poop, began to crumble little by little. Ronan, startled, brought his face closer to the egg.

“Boo, are you hatching?!”

However, contrary to Ronan’s expectations, there were no cracks.

However, the color and texture were changing. The rough, brown surface reminiscent of horse dung was changing to a smooth black.

“······what?”

The egg changed shape over a few minutes.

After the transformation, the egg was unbelievably beautiful. The unblemished eggshell was reminiscent of a black pearl.

Ronan patted the shell as if in shock.

“I’ll turn, really. It’s not a caterpillar, it’s an egg that molts.”

“The absorption continues.”

“At this point, a steel beak or a flame feather is not enough. Something more amazing has to come out.”

There was a change, but it was meaningless unless it hatched. Ronan grumbled and put the egg back in.

He went to the spring where the water was gushing out. His face was reflected on the surface of the constant ripples. His thick hair was poking out his eyes.

“ah.”

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through my head. He seemed to know the identity of the sense of incongruity he had felt since coming here. Ronan’s mouth opened slowly.

“Asher.”

“yes?”

“Isn’t it a bit strange?”

“···what?”

“Obviously, the lion saw this and said that it was a place where phantom servants often congregate, didn’t he?”

Asher tilted her head. It was an unfamiliar sound. Ronan’s hand rested on the hilt.

“It did?”

“Phantom species are far more demanding than normal beasts. Of course, where the fantasy species lives, many other animals will also live, right?”

“······Is not it?”

“Then why don’t you see a single sparrow?”

Asher shut her mouth. As Ronan said, he couldn’t even hear the usual birdsong.

All I could hear was the bubbling of water from the spring and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Suddenly, a chilling goosebumps ran up the back of my neck.

“Ha … be prepared, Asher.”

“What, what?”

“It smells like blood.”

Ronan turned his head in the direction the wind was blowing.

The wind tickled the back of his nose, and the smell of fishy blood was oozing out. The narrowed eyes flashed sharply.

“Oh, that…!”

It was the moment Asher hesitated and backed off. Ronan swung his sword into the air.

tuk. The shredded arrow fell to the floor.

Asher’s face turned white.

“Hey!”

“There were guests who came first.”

Ronan grabbed Asher’s neck and threw it behind a nearby rock. The arrow that flew again hit the spot where he was.

Asher took a deep breath and looked at Ronan’s back. He was already running in the direction the arrow was flying. Asher grabbed the staff.

“I, me too…!”

I couldn’t be a burden like last time. Asher squeezed her courage and pulled her head out of the rock. He chanted the spell with his staff pointed at Ronan.

“Invisible, Hand.”

Kugugung! Rocks and pieces of wood, large and small, floated and began to rotate around Ronan’s body.

Two arrows from different directions bounced off the rocks. Ronan looked back at Asher and smiled.

“It’s pretty good.”

“Hey, what’s that kid?!”

A bewildered cry was heard from not far away. It was a densely overgrown bush that was taller than a human being.

After confirming the direction, Ronan sprinted to the ground and began to run.