Academy’s Genius Swordsman

< 53. Baidian Mountains (2) >

#53

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. It must have been something for you to come all the way to this rough terrain.”

“Seniel?”

“yes. It’s a silent soul. Only a few now remember his name .

Seniel. It was the first name I heard. The man began to pick up the herbs and mushrooms spilled from the basket. Ronan also helped with the pick up.

“Ah, thanks for the help.”

“It was because of me that it was natural. But are you eating all of this?”

Ronan frowned. All the strangely shaped grasses were things I had never seen before. The man who picked up the roots as black as the devil’s beard laughed.

“These are very good medicinal herbs. It is a species that can only be found in places where mana pools like this one.”

“I think it wouldn’t be strange if a tail grew on the buttocks just by looking at it….

“Come in. Even a modest car will come with me. It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone who is not a pilgrim.”

“Good. But I have a party, can I bring it with me?”

“Ah, I feel like I’m being popular somehow. of course.”

The elf man gladly accepted Ronan’s offer. Before long, Asher, Marya, and Braum arrived in front of the temple. They all looked around, admiring the fact that the temple had been built on such a rugged land. The man put his palms together and bowed his back.

“La Seniel. My name is Sarante Remation.”

“Remation?”

Hearing the last name of Remation, Ronan frowned. The castle of the elf Cyrilla, who was imprisoned in Rhodolan, was Remation.

However, no objection was raised. Due to the custom of the nobles who use the name of the mother tree as their surname, it was common for the surnames to overlap, and Remation was the most common surname among them. Ronan’s party also took turns exchanging greetings.

“It’s Ronan.”

“Ah, hello… I’m Asher.”

“Hello Sarante. My name is Marya Caravel.”

“Whahahaha! Except for Braum!”

Sarante joined the group again and led the party to the temple. The rectangular interior had a austere yet hostile atmosphere unique to the temple. Marya murmured as she stroked the relief-engraved wall.

“It’s the first architectural style I’ve ever seen.”

read from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲

Most of the structures, including chairs and pedestals, were made of stone. It looked crude at first glance, but with a little attention you can see that it has been crafted with very delicate craftsmanship. Ronan’s gaze while examining the temple stopped at one place.

“This…?”

In the center of the temple stood an ugly rock. If it was a temple of another religion, it was a location where important things such as sacred objects and altars should be placed. Then Sarante’s voice came from behind.

“Ah, that’s Seniel’s image.”

“A god? this?”

Ronan frowned. The image of the god could not be found anywhere in the rocks that looked like leftover corn. Only the years and hard work that this stone had to go through in the past was transmitted through the worn surface.

It was a very strange religion. Ronan thought about something for a moment, then opened his mouth. Inwardly, it was a car that cared about something like Cyrilla.

“Hey there, Sarante.”

“Well? Why?”

“Don’t ask me anything, will you follow me? The advent of the stars is the day when the starlight comes down.”

Sarante tilted her head. Ronan was ready to pull the hilt at any time.

“What does that mean?”

“I will tell you soon. Please follow me at once. hurry.”

All eyes of the party were on Sarante. Marya suddenly started to sharpen her sword, and Braum stood in front of the entrance, pretending to be watching the relief. Then Sarante opened her mouth.

“It is. The advent of the stars is the day when the starlight comes down.”

“Well.”

“Now can you tell me what you mean? Is it like a spell that is popular in the outside world these days?”

Sarante followed Ronan’s words without changing her expression. It was the same even if I tried to insult Ahayute.

Ronan was relieved at that moment and released his hand from the hilt. He gave a brief description of an organization called Nebula Clazier. Sarante smiled bitterly and shook her head.

“There has always been a force that has thrown the world into chaos with false beliefs. Come to think of it, I think there was a similar organization in the reign of Lixoda VII…”

“Rixoda…?”

Ronan narrowed his brow. It was a name I had only heard in history class. It was a kingdom that ruled the central part of the continent when Balon, the Millennium Empire, was still only a small country on the outskirts. Sarante, who interpreted Ronan’s silence, smiled as if he was sorry.

“Well, it seems that the owner of this land has changed again.”

“How old are you?”

“I don’t know either. I stopped counting a thousand years ago.”

Ronan shook his head. Conversation with the longevity races often made him feel like his common sense was being destroyed. Sarante has been asking questions about the current situation on the continent.

“Hey, that demon dragon Orsay ran away. This is amazing. Mortals must have been so high.”

“The war between the first emperor and Orsay is now only in fairy tales.”

“I’ll have to try my best to be able to hear the news from outside once in a hundred years… Oh, let’s eat. This is a tea that can only be tasted here in Baidian.”

After the conversation, Sarante handed the party a steaming teacup. The blue-tinted tea had a scent that seemed to maximize the scent of all kinds of herbs.

“Ah, thank you.”

Thought verification was over, but he couldn’t be vigilant yet. Ronan drank only after watching Sarante empty his glass. The moment the hot liquid passed through his throat, Ronan’s eyes turned cloudy.

“uh? Why is this…”

Ronan blinked continuously. Sarante’s low laughter could be heard from beyond the blurred vision.

“Fufufu… I hope you like it.”

“Wow, snow!”

“What is this…!”

The other group’s bewildered shouts were heard. Damn, did you put poison in it? It was the car that Ronan was trying to pull out La Mancha. All of a sudden, my blurry vision cleared up, and my eyes felt as if I had entered a mint field.

“Are you happy?”

“Whoa, it won’t be just that.”

Eye strain had completely disappeared. Sarante smiled contentedly at the bewildered party. At that time, Asher, who was looking around, burst out in admiration.

“Hey, Mana…! You look so good…!”

“Wow! This is great, did I even make an auror bloom?”

Unable to control his excitement, Braum got up from his seat. Ronan rubbed his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it even after seeing it. The mana floating around was several times clearer.

“Nimi, what is this…”

It was as if the eyeballs were pulled out, washed in the potion, and then put back in. The range was much wider, and the mana in the people’s bodies, even weakly, could be seen at a glance.

Unless he was born with the qualities of a wizard, it was originally a vision that could only be acquired by reaching the level of Auror’s flowering. Ronan said with a smirk.

“Damn, what did you feed?”

“This tea is formulated with herbs that increase mana affinity. It’s only a temporary effect right now, but if you drink it consistently, it will definitely help you improve your affinity in the long run.”

“Thank you very much, but this is a scary arrangement.”

“Fufu… you’ll get this too.”

Sarante held out a large sack. It was filled with herbs like the ones he had in his basket. Sarante also gave each party one such bag and told them the recipe for the tea.

“Well, if you have time, how about staying for a few days?”

“Are you going to stay?”

“yes. If you feel uncomfortable, you can refuse. But the opportunity to talk with such young and promising people is so rare.”

Even if they were pilgrims, like Sarante, they must have been at least a thousand years old old elf.

Ronan looked back at the group. Everyone seemed to be in awe of the questionable efficacy of the tea.

“I’m fine, how about you, are you okay?”

“I, I am fine. It takes a little bit of mental preparation to ride that horse…”

“I agree too. Wouldn’t it be great if we could learn more about the Leys?”

“Wah ha ha ha! I don’t care! Would you like one more cup of this?”

The group all voted in favor. Ronan, who was silent, also nodded. It was too good an offer to be rejected with only slight doubts.

“Then I will take care of you. Please take good care of me, Sarante.”

“I am very grateful.”

Thus began a short life in the temple. Sarante treated Ronan and the others with the utmost respect. He didn’t stop collecting the by-products of the Leys, but helped them get better ones.

That afternoon, Sarante took her party and headed into a cave. It was a place with a high density of mana to the extent that manastone was in progress up to the stalactites. Sarante opened her mouth, pointing to the magic stones scattered deep in the cave.

“How do you feel? The Mana Stones here are fine.”

“It’s not that it’s good enough… it’s mostly a magic stone that will remain even after getting the highest grades…!”

“You can take it if you want. Some people use them to create meaning.”

read from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲

Marya’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. She said that she would definitely repay her, and she picked up carefully selected magic stones and put them in her backpack. That night after a rewarding day. Sarante has caught a large wild boar.

“Let’s have this for dinner tonight. It has the mana of Baidian, so it tastes great.”

“…are you an elf?”

“Heh heh, that preconceived notion probably won’t go away until the elves go extinct. Of course, there are many people of our own people who abstain from eating meat, but those who worship Seniel like me do not care. Death is not the end, it is the beginning of a cycle.”

Sarante had a different mindset from the elves she had ever seen. Unlike other geeks who shoot arrows when they kill even one rabbit in their territory, they are not afraid of consuming nature.

At the back of the temple, an oven was prepared for roasting meat. Sarante cooked and served wild boar meat with great skill.

Indeed, the meat with plenty of mana was different from the ones I had eaten until now. Sarante muttered a little as she looked at the group who were frantically eating meat.

“Fufufu…tomorrow I will try a more special meat.”

Ronan’s eyes widened when he heard that by chance. Several terrible possibilities flashed through my mind.

Just by looking at Sarante’s expression, it seemed that it would not be strange if Asher disappeared tonight and the meat that I had never seen in my life appeared on the table the next day. The tragedy begins when Marya finds red hair stuck in her teeth.

‘right. You said you were strangely kind, but now you are revealing your true nature.’

But the night passed without incident to Ronan’s concern. Sarante caught a huge deer for lunch the next day. It was a deer larger than any other reindeer.

‘···Fake?’

Ronan frowned, seeing his expression, Sarante tilted her head.

“Uh? Do you have any uncomfortable places?”

“No… I just heard what the special meat was doing yesterday, but the expression on his face was unusual. I must have misunderstood.”

“hot···! Did you see that…?”

“yes. I must have known that one of us would be on the table.”

“Ah, sorry if I made you nervous. It’s been a while since the precious guests have come, so they’re excited about it.”

Sarante scratched her head as if she had no face. The venison was brought to the table right away that evening. It was a special meat, so the taste was amazing. Ronan, who had one of his hind legs completely cut, nodded.

‘I was too sensitive.’

At this point, I had to admit it. Sarante was just a nice old man. Suddenly, I wondered who destroyed the temple where such a good writer lived.

‘It doesn’t seem like someone did it with a grudge.’

Contrasting the fact that the temple is still standing and the sense of time felt in the ruins, Ronan came to the conclusion that the series of destructive acts would soon occur.

Ronan recollected his memories and recalled the scenery of the ruins. No malice or intention was felt in the ruins of the temple, which had been completely destroyed, leaving only a few pillars.

Ronan began to enumerate the strong candidates to make the temple that way. As a rule of thumb, there were three candidates, and one seemed to be able to handle two while one was helpless.

‘It’s all right. I was itching too.’

Ronan called the party to a place where Sarante was not there that night. After waking up, Marya asked with a yawn.

“Ahhhh… what’s going on in the middle of the night?”

“Suddenly I had a good idea.”

“Good idea···?

“Before we float here, let’s clear out the orc villages nearby. Let’s look for more Curse Eyes.”

“What?”

The eyes of the party, including Marya, lit up. I suddenly wondered what kind of bullshit this was. Ronan continued with a pipe in his mouth.

“We are all indebted to that old-fashioned old man. If you eat, you have to work.”

“Yeah, yes, but…”

“And there is nothing like practical experience in improving your skills. Right, Asher?”

“Hey profit…!”

Asher took a step back. Ronan had the same smile he had when he suggested that we go to steal Luna Goblin’s fortune.

“Everyone, follow me.”

Ronan recklessly led the party to the top of the mountain. A panoramic view of the vast Baidian Mountains caught my eye. Ronan said, pointing to the flashing lights here and there.

“That’s all a fucking orc village. You can think of one hundred to three hundred animals in each village.”

“Four, three hundred …!”

“We’re going to get it all out today or tomorrow. I bet it will be a pretty good experience.”

It didn’t take long for Ronan to realize that he wasn’t joking. The faces of the party turned white.

“I… all of that?”

There seemed to be enough villages. The strength of each Orc was too great to say the least. Ronan continued speaking as if he had read the minds of those colleagues.

“I know what you are thinking. Are you doing this because you think it’s going to take a damn long time?”

“Honestly, yes. No matter how well you fight, your stamina will be limited!”

Braum said with a serious expression. The moment he was even a little tired, he was going to be overshadowed by the Orcs. Ronan exhaled smoke.

“Don’t worry about that. There are only a handful of guys that we can actually put our knives on.”

“Well?”

Ronan smiled and looked at the orc villages. They were all set up in a good location to live together. Caves, rivers, and the back of the cliff that acts as a barrier behind him… He looked back at Asher, who was tight-lipped, and opened his mouth.

“Fighting and killing are two different things.”