Academy’s Genius Swordsman

< 52. Baidian Mountains (1) >

#52

The first journey of the express adventure club began on the following Saturday.

The day you have to return is next Wednesday. Originally, you could only go out on weekends, but it was possible to go out on weekdays in the name of ‘club activities’.

They decided to ride a ghost horse, following Ronan’s advice. Even riding a nimble steed, the time it took two days could be cut in half.

Ghost horse rentals were made near the North Gate of the Islands. Behind the staff of the Pale Horse Guild, three disgusting-looking horses stood still as if they were statues.

“I, what is that…?”

“Nimiral, you have one more nightmare to have.”

Seeing the ghost horse, Ronan frowned. There were only whites in their gleaming eyes. The hairless, slender body was as blue as a frozen corpse.

It seemed to understand why the classification of ghost horses had stayed for a long time in monsters that were not phantom species. The staff exchanged simple greetings and handed out goggles one by one to the party.

“They have reservations. Get this first.”

“Is it goggles?”

Ronan tilted his head. A good build was something that griffon riders could use.

“yes. Essential when riding a ghost horse. Without it, it would be difficult to open my eyes.”

After all, there must have been a reason for the imperial army messenger to ride. They took over the ghost horse after listening to simple instructions.

“We have the location-aware magic on, so all you have to do is hold on to the reins. Again, never stand up while running.”

“thanks. Shall we go then?”

Ronan got on top of the ghost horse with skillful movements. Ronan and Braum rode one each, and Asher and Marya, who were relatively light, rode one together. Mary asked Asher.

“Sweetie, have you ever driven a horse?”

“Yes···! I’ll be the rider.”

Asher answered with full strength. I thought I was good at learning horseback riding while being whipped by Ronan the other day.

Although the old mule and the ghost horse were as different as enoki mushrooms and mandragora, that didn’t matter now. Marya, who smiled unexpectedly, hugged Asher from behind.

“Oh, how is it? Well then, please!”

“··········!”

Asher froze. The amount of pressure on my back was amazing. Asher, who had barely regained her composure, kicked the ghost horse’s side with both feet as she learned.

“Hey, hey!”

bang! At that moment, Asher’s head tilted back. Acceleration was not gradual. The ghost horse was fired forward like an arrow that left the demonstration.

“aah!”

“Asher!”

Asher’s scream was swallowed by the wind the moment it came out of her mouth. Marya, with her arms outstretched, took the reins together. Ronan, who started one step late, also spit out cursing and grabbed the reins.

“Damn it, there’s a degree…!”

It didn’t take long before I realized the importance of goggles. Aww! A strong wind, which he had never experienced before, came pouring down with the force to tear the skin of his face.

The nearby landscape became an afterimage and disappeared. The distant landscape was rapidly being pushed back. The ghost horse’s bizarre technique, which seemed to flow on the ground, gave the illusion that it was really running in the sky.

“Byeah-!”

Sita was flying right next to him at almost the same speed. The ghosts carrying four people became the wind and raced down the northern boulevard.

When I raised my head, I saw mountain peaks that rose like spines in the distance. Today’s destination was the Baidian Mountains.

****

“Whoa! Whew!”

“Cute, are you okay?”

“ha ha ha! You should have vomited while running like me!”

They reached their destination in less than half a day. As soon as the ghost horse stopped, the party got off the horse in a position that was infinitely close to a falling horse. The horses without manes went back the way they came, afraid to put down the party.

“It’s really fucking ridiculous.”

As I raised my head, the majestic view of the Baidian Mountains caught my eye. It was unbelievable to be in the system until a few hours ago. Sita, who recorded a draw in the race against the ghost horse, was lying on the floor and breathing.

“BiaaH

“You’re going to follow me slowly, so why are you overdoing it?”

Ronan put the exhausted Sita in his backpack. Marya, who was patting Asher on the back, opened her mouth.

“What do you do when you go back?”

“If you blow this, it will come. wherever you are.”

Ronan pulled out a white stick from his pocket and showed it. It was a whistle that called out a ghost horse. He led the party and started climbing the mountain.

“How far do you have to go?”

“About a day. Have you ever camped?”

“Wow! I’m looking forward to it. I’ve only heard of it, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a ley in person!”

Each group had a large backpack on their backs. The goal of this journey was to find the Curse Eye while sucking honey from the ley through a straw.

“Remember? If everyone finds something like an octopus with one eye, be sure to catch it. It is said to be in a dark place like under a rock or under the shade of a tree, so keep that in mind.”

“yes. Was it a monster that eats curses?”

Ronan nodded. He had told the three of them about his curse a few days ago. Braum shouted, banging on his chest.

“Don’t worry! I’ll take you back like a mountain!”

“Thank you, Braum. But this is a place where a lot of monsters appear, right? If you don’t want to be bitten while sleeping, lower your voice.”

“Ummm…! I get it···!”

Ronan took the party and went deep into the mountain range. Although the terrain was rough, the three of them, who had improved their physical strength over the past month, climbed the mountain without much difficulty.

‘There should be no owner.’

The Leys of Baidian Mountain were located in the vicinity of some destroyed ruins. At that time, mercenaries who did not know where they were rolling were occupied. Ronan was able to leave only after turning seven out of ten people into assholes because of the quarrel over paying the toll.

The party, who had been walking until night, camped under an unknown valley. A bonfire lit among the four of them calmed the chill. Ronan chewed the jerky and talked about the next day’s journey.

“Get enough rest. I have a long walk tomorrow.”

“Ugh, but what kind of monster is coming out here…?”

“Not diverse. The most terrifying and the second most terrifying. Which of the two would you like to hear first?”

“Two, second.”

“okay?”

Ronan turned around and threw a La Mancha. The sword that flew in a straight line disappeared through the nearby grass as it was. Whoops! A terrifying scream resounded along with the sound of meat being pierced.

“Kieek!”

“What, what?!”

Ronan walked up to the grass with his hands in his pockets. A green-skinned dwarf pierced through La Mancha’s blade and struggled.

“Kyahiik…! Kaak…!”

“I always followed. I’ll have to speed up tomorrow.”

hooked. Ronan killed the still-living dwarf and threw it in front of the party. Braum, who recognized the dwarf’s identity, asked with a frown.

“Goblin…? Am I right?”

“ok. But do you see this?”

Ronan pointed the tip of his sword at the goblin’s back. Three or four round, circle-shaped, fiery scars remained clearly.

“He’s a slave in the surrounding orc village. They are the second most terrifying of the monsters lurking in Baidian.”

Ronan, who recalled the memories of his previous life, shook his head as if fed up. He explained that there are villages of orcs all over the mountains.

With their basic physical abilities superior to humans, the orcs, who flocked to them in groups, were feared by even middle-level adventurers.

“The biggest problem with these bastards is that they have an insanely large number of heads. You should see it pouring out of the cave.”

“Well, if that’s the second, what’s the most terrible thing…?”

“Ogre.”

The faces of the party turned pale. I didn’t know that I would ever hear that name here. Ronan spoke quietly.

“It’s a real fucking monster. The leather is thick, so the knife does not penetrate well, and how strong is the force…”

“Hey, have you ever had a fight? With an ogre?”

Ronan nodded. Of course, this didn’t happen in this lifetime. At the time he discovered Baidian’s ley, it was probably around the age of 18. The battle between the young man and the monster did not come to a conclusion even after three days and three nights.

“Still, it’s not like I’m just a fucking monster. The reason the mountains are not covered with orcs is because a few ogres periodically destroy the orc villages.”

Even if a hundred orcs came, they could not defeat an ogre. Come to think of it, I must have been wandering around here somewhere.

Ronan twisted his lips, remembering the two-headed ogre who couldn’t fight because his sword wasn’t ripe yet.

“Anyway, I don’t know about orcs, but whenever I meet an ogre, I will spit it out. Because you are not the person you are today.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Come to think of it, the Wyverns are as terrible as the ogres. If you’re walking well and suddenly a shadow falls under your feet…”

The night was ripe with the story. The four of them took turns taking turns for three hours. Fortunately, no more monsters appeared after the first goblin.

the next morning. Said Ronan, who had climbed a cliff and looked at the mountains.

“found. I remember from here.”

The layout of the features was familiar. Ronan walked down the mountain path, groping for memories.

I could see the mana in the atmosphere gradually thickening. A few hours later, the sight of the leylines appeared, and the group’s eyes widened.

“Waa…!”

“Hey, is this a ley? Ronan, how did you get to a place like this…”

“Wah ha ha ha! This is great! Mana is overflowing!”

Baidian’s Leys were nestled in the middle of the mountain. The trees that grew around them were grotesquely twisted with excess mana.

It was a much larger Ley than the Penardo Sam I had visited the other day. Even a single piece of stone under his feet was emitting light with plenty of mana. The mana that rose like a haze from the ground was concentrated several dozen times than the mana that could be felt in the air normally.

“Byeah!”

Fully energized, Sita soared high into the sky. It was seen that the mana that had been in English in the ley was absorbed into Sita’s body.

As expected by Ronan, it was a ley that had no owner yet. Ronan took off his backpack and said, looking at them.

“Each stone is money, so fill it up as much as you can. Be responsive too. Asher, can you explain?”

“Ah, yes!”

Ronan left those words and walked deep into the lei. It was to find the Curse Eye that might be there. Suddenly, the scenery of the ruins I had seen in the past came to my mind.

‘Come to think of it···.’

He said he liked dark places, so he might have been living under the rubble of a building. Soon, the site of the ruins came into view. Ronan’s eyes widened.

“Eh?”

A decent stone building was erected in the place where the ruins should have been. It was the same when I rubbed my eyes. The pointed roof and the pillars supporting the roof were impressive.

“I thought it was broken a long time ago?”

It was said that the building was demolished within four years to say that it was still in good condition. Ronan approached the building and stroked the pillar with a puzzled expression.

Although there were traces of time, there was no sign of collapse at all. It was the moment Ronan was about to enter the building. Someone’s voice came from behind.

“It’s great. How many guests come here?”

“What?”

It was the voice of an unfamiliar man. There was no sign of any sign until he approached. Ronan reflexively pulled out La Mancha and turned around. The startled man dropped the basket he was holding.

“Hey, why are you like this all of a sudden? calm down···!”

He held out his hands as if to prove that he was harmless. Seeing the man’s behavior, Ronan raised his eyebrows.

“Elf?”

“yes? Yes, as you can see.”

“…what are you doing here?”

Ronan lowered his sword. The middle-aged elf then sighed in relief. He said as he picked up the basket that had fallen on the floor.

“I am a priest serving Seniel. You still look young, but it must be something you have to come to this rough terrain.”