Academy’s Genius Swordsman

< 89. Shoot at the Dawn (2) >

#89

“Fuck.”

Seven huge fireballs were flying towards the aircraft. There was an eerie sound of flames burning the air. Realizing that he was fucked, Ronan shook Erzebet’s shoulder.

“Yamma, wake up!”

“Ugh…why is that…wow.”

Erzebet, who had been staggering as she shook it, fell to the floor. I woke up, but I was not able to come to my senses from repeating only nausea. Excited to see the fireball, the griffons began to struggle.

– Hwiyooing!!

“it’s okay. It’s okay, so calm down…!”

The riders in charge of the pilot tried to calm him down, but to no avail. The hull began to shake violently as if it had met a storm.

A few seconds later, the man and crew, who appeared to be the captain, ran out onto the deck. Screams erupted from their mouths, who discovered the fireball belatedly.

“Heh heh!”

“Hey, what is that?!”

Judging from the reaction, it seemed that the event was not coordinated with Matop in advance. The captain, who staggered and ran, rang the bell installed in the stern. Deng-! Deng-! A loud metallic sound echoed through the sky.

“No. 1, No. 5, No. 7 brake! Turn left and lower your altitude!”

The captain exclaimed urgently. The riders did their best to carry out their orders. The airship, which somehow regained its balance, was attempting an evasive maneuver, but the fireball was faster than expected. Ronan, who read the orbit, clenched his teeth.

‘Three feet fit.’

Of the seven fireballs, three had a chance of being hit directly. The guy who flew towards the hull from the front was almost as good as it could be, even if it was unconditionally hit.

I had to stop it somehow. While looking around, a rope for anchoring caught my eye. One end was firmly fixed to the hull.

Ronan wrapped the rope tightly around his waist. And without hesitation, he jumped towards the fireball. When I looked down at the empty feet, a swear word came out spontaneously. The wind was roaring in my ears.

“Shake.”

It seems like a lot of things like this are happening in the sky lately. Suddenly, the fireball was approaching. The cluster of flames, which appeared to be well over 3m in diameter, was much larger than it looked from afar. Saa-A bizarre breathing began to come out of Ronan’s mouth.

‘It should not be cut in moderation.’

It had to be blown away without a trace. If you cut it in the middle, the chances of getting hit again could be increased.

Ronan pulled the hilt. Dozens of slashes in different directions poured over the fireball. The moment the fireball hit Ronan, a blast sound resounded. Paang! The flames were torn into hundreds and scattered like an explosion.

“Killing.”

It was the first performance in practice. Ronan looked at La Mancha with a look of disbelief, even as he wielded it. The sword that had been fed mana had a soft red color.

The fragments of the torn fire could not withstand the blowing headwind and perished. The rope connected to the hull was fully unfolded.

Ronan’s body, which had been falling, stopped with recoil. At the same time, the rest of the fireballs grazed around him.

Now I had no choice but to leave it to fate. A few seconds later, an explosion sounded from behind.

– Kwagwang! bang!!

‘Inflammation, right?’

Ronan hurriedly turned his head. His face brightened when he saw the healthy airship. A purple-tinged mana shield covered the hull and griffons. Fireballs collided here and there in the shield, and smoke was rising.

“Good job, Erzebet!”

“Ahhh, the head. How did this happen…?”

Erzebet was leaning against the railing and complaining of a hangover. Suddenly a fireball flew and blocked the block, but I couldn’t figure out what was going on.

– profit. profit.

“yes?”

All of a sudden, a creaking rope caught my eye. Erzebet lowered her gaze along the rope and screamed. Down there, Ronan was taunting, tied upside down.

“Lo, Ronan-sama? Why are you there…?!”

“Why do you think you are, huh?”

“Gee, I’ll upload it now!”

Erzevet stretched out her arms towards Ronan. An invisible hand grabbed him. Ronan soared like a herring with a hook and landed on the deck. Erzebet approached with a stagger and said while covering her mouth with her hand.

“I’m sorry. Ugh… I still can’t control my power well.”

“No, good job.”

“Hey, what the hell happened…? In fact, I can’t remember from last night…”

“You know, you’ll want to jump.”

Ronan chuckled. There were still clear, faint saliva marks on his shoulder. Originally, I was going to tell you about the feeling of shame by figuring out what had happened, but I decided to take a look at it as I came to my senses later. The captain and crew came rushing in.

“Wait, are you okay?!”

“I saw you block a fireball. How could you tie yourself up with a rope and jump off!”

“Thank you very much. Without you two, I would have been beaten up!”

They continued to bow their heads to express their gratitude. Erzebet covered her mouth and ran to the corner. When I saw a girl who couldn’t use her feet when it came to compliments doing that, it looked like she had a really bad hangover.

‘Anyway, good luck.’

Ronan looked around and sighed in relief. Fortunately, no one or a griffon appeared to have been injured. With a sigh of relief, Ronan looked at the captain and opened his mouth.

“What happened?”

“Neither do I. Obviously, I was in contact with Matop until I left … I have been driving this ship for 10 years, but this is the first time.”

“Damn, aren’t there a few more?”

Ronan looked at the horse tower with a narrowed eyebrow. Fortunately, there were no signs of any further attack.

The captain and crew began discussing what to do next. It was a car that had a tendency to turn around or make an emergency landing. Suddenly, a man’s voice resounded in Ronan’s head.

[Can you all hear me? I need the current Dawning Dawn Matapju deputy director.]

“Ah, it’s a surprise.”

Ronan’s eyes widened at the sudden electric sound. The captain shrugged in surprise. Seeing that everyone on the deck had a similar reaction, it seemed that it was a message sent to the majority.

[I saw a total of seven fireball magic fired at your ships a while ago. This attack is by no means the intention of the Dawning Tower side, and we are doing our best to find a suspect.]

“what?”

[I will meet you in person and explain the details. We will take precautions for your safety, so please land safely.]

The sound was cut off. It was the moment Ronan exclaimed how to believe such a word. Shuah! A thick mana shield that seemed to be able to block even the dragon’s breath surrounded the entire airship.

****

The sun, which had fully appeared, was pouring out the dawn. The appearance of the Tower of Dawn, dyed orange, filled the field of vision. The captain, who watched the situation from the stern, sighed.

“Whoa, I don’t know if this is the right decision.”

“I think you are right. You should at least see the face of the guy who shot the fireball.”

Ronan tapped the captain’s shoulder. After deliberation, he chose to land. It was because of the accumulated fatigue of the griffon and the riders that the flight could no longer be continued.

The aircraft landed directly in the garden of the Dawning Tower, not the existing landing site, according to the recommendation of the deputy manager of Ma Tap. Griffon and the riders, who had suffered a lot, were scattered. Ronan looked around the garden and shrugged his eyebrows.

“Nice view.”

The circular garden was a space that had both aesthetics and practicality. Various flowers and trees were growing in harmony on the evenly spread lawn. Most of them were plants used as materials for magic or experiments.

‘Well?”

Ronan shrugged his eyebrows when he suddenly noticed an unusually desolate area. The soil, where there was barely any grass, was awkwardly filled with rocks and statues. It didn’t take long to figure out why.

‘It must have been a fairly large explosion.’

Ronan licked his lips. It was clear that Nebula Clazier had self-destructed a few months ago. As the plane landed, wizards in red robes began to gather in groups. All of them had the sun pattern embroidered on their backs, symbolizing the Tower of Dawn.

“Oh God. Why is this again…”

“It’s ominous. Why does this keep happening? Some time ago, there was even a missing person.”

“This is a curse. Can I keep bringing in outsiders?”

The wizards were murmuring while pointing their fingers at the airship. He didn’t like the way he treated even pests. curse? missing person? what do you mean

‘I don’t like it.’

Ronan placed his hand on the hilt. If any of them were fooling around, I thought I’d cut them off right away.

Although the ship’s entrance had been open for a long time, passengers were not able to disembark easily because of work. The captain took a deep breath and got off the boat first. Ronan was just about to jump off the deck. Whoops! Suddenly, a narrow, high pillar of fire erupted from a spot about three steps away from the captain.

“Hey, what is it?”

“Ahhh!”

Ronan let out a swear word and pulled the hilt. The passengers panicked and stepped back.

A man in a colorful robe walked out from the flames scattered like flower petals. He was a middle-aged man with sideburns and a mustache connected to him. He reached out to the bewildered captain and said,

“You worked hard to come. My name is Aun Pilla, who is the current Dawning Dawn’s deputy and top mage.”

It was a dazzling appearance. The captain, with his chest down, responded to his handshake.

“…it’s Captain Triol of the Westwing.”

“I’m sorry for going through such hardship. I sincerely apologize.”

“I wish you could explain the circumstances properly. If it wasn’t for the two of you over there, it could have been a really big deal.”

Said the captain, pointing to Ronan and Erzebet, who were standing side by side on the deck. Aun Pillar frowned as if he had no face.

“We are doing our best to investigate. Now that we’ve secured the location where the magic was cast and a unique mana wave, the culprit will probably be caught sooner or later.”

“I hope so.”

“I will contact you as soon as we secure the suspect’s recruits. All material damage caused by this incident will be compensated by the Dawning Tower side, so please relieve your anger.”

Aun Pillar bowed his head. It was difficult to argue further when the deputy top owner came out like this. Reluctantly accepting the apology, the captain turned his back. Erzebet, who was standing next to Ronan, muttered in surprise.

“I heard it in full tone… but it was really Aun Pilla.”

“Are you ready to live now?”

“Yes, sorry for the inconvenience.”

Erzebet bowed her head. Whether it seemed that stretching the stomach had an effect, a marked improvement in complexion stood out. Seeing the gloomy figure, Ronan chuckled.

“I wish it was better. Are you famous?”

“yes. The fiefdom (熱鳥) Aun Pillar. He is one of the few 7th circle wizards on the continent.”

There was a mixture of vigilance and envy in Erzebet’s voice. Come to think of it, I think I’ve heard the nickname “Lee Joojo” a lot somewhere. Ronan, who was looking for a memory, asked a question with his eyes narrowed.

“…is that someone who fights by making birds out of fire? He does change.”

“Right. It’s like the symbol of Aun Pillar. Did you know?”

“Damn, that was him.”

Just in case I asked, someone I knew was right. I didn’t recognize him because I had never seen him except the magic he casted and his transformation.

Aun Pillar. Summoning dozens of birds of prey made of flames, he himself was transformed into a giant fire bird and roamed the battlefield, leading the magicians in the final battle.

‘It was a fierce warrior.’

Ronan, who suddenly remembered his end, clicked his tongue. Aun Pilla, who was playing an active part by turning the summoned beasts of Ahayute into ashes, was eventually shot down by the spear of light. It was immediately after his death that the formation of the wizards who had endured in their own way collapsed.

‘I’m glad he’s a trustworthy person though.’

It was nice to see the person who remained until the last minute, but it made me uncomfortable. There was a guarantee that he wouldn’t betray him, but he was destined to die anyway.

At Aun Pillar’s words, the passengers were getting off the boat one by one. Ronan was also about to take a step forward to fulfill the duties that came to the tower.

“Wait, you two over there.”

“ok?”

Ronan lowered his gaze. Aun Pillar was staring at him. I looked around to see if I was seeing anyone else, but only him and Erzebet were left on the deck.

“What’s going on?”

“I saw these two in action below. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it.”

Whoops! A pillar of fire suddenly soared around Aun Pillar’s body. Both eyes widened. At that moment, the same pillar of fire erupted from behind Ronan, and Aun Pillar, who had disappeared, appeared. Erzebet, completely unaware, screamed.

“Damn!”

“Damn it. What are you going to do?”

In Ronan’s hand, the La Mancha that had already been pulled out was shining. The mana leaking from the 7th circle wizard’s body was so concentrated that it made his mind dizzy. Aun Pilla, who looked down at the two of them, opened his mouth.

“I want to talk to you guys. Are you okay for a moment?”