Academy’s Genius Swordmaster - Chapter 103
[ 103. Unemployed (3) ]
#103
Ronan stood up while leading La Mancha. Nabi Roze’s expression was too unusual for it to be a joke. Looking at the two of them alternately, she sighed.
“…it would be fine with you. The doppelgangers are gone.”
“yes?”
“There is no time to explain. If you are willing to cooperate, follow me.”
Nabi Roze turned her back with those words. Ronan and Adeshan, who blinked at each other for a moment, followed her.
The three of them walked down a hallway with minimal lighting. Long shadows slithered along the walls and floor.
It was close to midnight, so there were no students walking around. Adeshan muttered as she rubbed her arms.
“Is it because it’s night? It’s a bit… eerie.”
“Senior, I have to go to the Dawning Magic Tower. What did I see in the library with all the lights off…”
“Ha, don’t do that!”
With every step he took, the sound of his footsteps resonated like an echo. Contrary to expectations, the move did not take that long. Suddenly, Navi Rose stopped in front of a huge double door.
“It’s here.”
“It is surprisingly close. You were at Gallerion.”
The place where the doppelganger was confined was a small banquet hall located in the Gallerion Hall. After confirming that no one was around, Nabi Roze turned around.
“I will finish the search. More details to be passed on to the concerned people.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“And aren’t there many good places besides the arena? Or the Hill of the Four Seasons. I don’t understand.”
“yes?”
“done. Goes.”
Nabi Rose left behind words she couldn’t understand and turned around. Adeshan’s face turned red like autumn leaves.
“Something like that…”
“What are you talking about?”
Ronan shrugged and opened the door. A spacious secret room appeared. About seven people were walking around the small banquet hall with bamboo statues made.
Under the circumstances, all of them appeared to be related to Baeksuje. There are two people who look like faculty members and four janitors in armor. One was a male student in a school uniform, but his face was somehow familiar.
“huh?”
Hearing the door open, the male student turned his head. It was the moment his eyes met Ronan’s.
“…Heeik?!”
“what?”
The white-haired male student lowered his head. Ronan tilted his head at the incomprehensible action. At that time, a Wear Lion standing in a corner of the banquet hall in pajamas caught my eye.
Come to think of it, that person was in charge. Ronan sneaked up to him and stabbed him in the back.
“Baren. I’m here.”
“Ro Ronan? What are you doing here…?”
“Instructor Nabi Roze sent me to help. I heard your doppelganger disappeared?”
Baren’s eyes widened at the unexpected encounter. Brushing his mane once, he let out a deep sigh.
“After…yes.”
“What happened?”
Baren’s face was as haggard as right after reading Ronan’s club activity report. His mane, which should have been shiny, was crumbly like spoiled soap. A suicide-like voice came out of his mouth.
“To begin with, the box containing the doppelganger was suddenly opened. If this is a nightmare, I hope someone will wake me up…”
“A chest?”
Ronan looked around. Two huge chests were placed in the middle of the small banquet hall with their mouths open. Four very intricately shaped locks were tumbling under it.
“Well, take care of yourself. It’s the same with Dream Bird and Manticore, and I’m not very good at it.”
“Keuheu heuk…I tried my best too. It was never a lock that could be unlocked…!”
Baren sobbed as he tore at his mane with both hands. He explained that he was doing his best to manage the doppelganger so that there would be no disruption to the unemployed system.
After locking the box with a specially designed padlock, nine people, including Baren, took their seats in the small banquet hall. His strategy was to stay up all night together rather than leave halfway or set up a boundary to create a gap. Baren, recalling the situation, sighed again.
“The bathroom…I shouldn’t have gone to the bathroom. How could this happen…”
But despite his efforts, the doppelgangers escaped. By the time he went to the bathroom for a while, it was all over. The two chests were left open, and the small banquet hall was a mess.
The two doppelgangers managed to escape by transforming themselves into a frost troll, a charming blond woman, a giant spider, and everyone’s mother. People couldn’t stop the strange creature. Although he was prepared for an outsider’s invasion, he hadn’t even imagined that his doppelganger would be immediately released from the inside.
“How did the lock break? I heard it was specially made.”
“That is really questionable. It’s a lock that can’t be unlocked without this key. I only have the key.”
Baren, who was rummaging through his inner pocket, pulled out a package of keys and showed it. Four keys, as complicated as the lock, hung in a row. In a worldly somber voice he began enumerating the advantages of his lock.
“It might sound a bit lame when I say it now, but it’s a really good lock. It’s mithril coated, so it’s virtually impossible to break, and it’s got an anti-magic enchantment to unlock. But it’s really unbelievable that it was released…”
“Baren. If you’re not thinking of selling that lock to me, keep quiet.”
“Sorry…”
Baren shook his head. It was a problem that such a great lock was opened, but the bigger problem was that no one saw the process of unlocking the lock. Ronan let out a curse in his mouth.
‘…The rank and file.’
It was pathetic. Whatever it was, it was just a matter of monitoring properly. I wanted to gather all the writers who were on guard duty and beat them up, but there was no time for that.
With less than half a day left in Baeksuje, there was only one important thing. Capture of the doppelganger. Ronan scratched his head roughly and spoke in a voice mixed with annoyance.
“Damn, shouldn’t we wake everyone up and go catch them? Right now, tomorrow is a festival.”
“That is difficult. When the doppelganger blends in with the crowd, the difficulty level of capturing it becomes ridiculous.”
“So what?”
“If possible, we will try to conduct the search with a small number of people. They are strong people who can subdue the doppelganger.”
Suddenly, Baren grabbed Ronan’s hand. A hand like a pot lid was trembling.
“If student Ronan could help me… I think it would be of great help.”
“I came to help in the first place.”
Ronan nodded happily. He left Baren, who seemed about to burst into tears, and approached Adeshan. She was looking around the small banquet hall with her eyes narrowly open.
‘There’s no one like me for this kind of thing.’
In the investigation and pursuit, Adeshan’s insight would be of great help. It was the car Ronan was about to call her. Suddenly, a voice came from behind.
“Hey there… are you okay for a moment?”
“hmm? You…”
Ronan turned his head. A skinny boy stood awkwardly. It was the guy I had just met. Ronan, who suddenly remembered his name, snapped his fingers.
“Lakota?”
“Yes yes… that’s right.”
“Yeah, I heard the rumors. He said he got lost while picking herbs and was reported missing. What if the young bastard already does that?”
“Ah…ahaha…it was.”
Lakota scratched her head and smiled. He was a boy who gave the impression of being clumsy in many ways. Ronan, who saw him twisting his hands and feet, shrugged his eyebrows.
“Why are you twisting your body like that? Do you want to poop?”
“Um…can I talk to you separately for a moment?”
“I don’t have a hobby of going to the bathroom with men.”
“It’s not like that. It just takes a moment, really.”
“Tsk… I’m busy. It’s nothing special.”
Ronan followed the Lakota. He didn’t know why he was doing this all of a sudden. Ronan saw him going down the stairs and frowned
.
“Please…please don’t ask anything and follow me. Please.”
The voice was earnest. Ronan let out a sigh and started walking again. Without stopping, they eventually reached the bathroom at the end of the hallway downstairs.
“Is this the bathroom after all?”
Ronan chuckled. A soft candle was burning over the urinal. Lakota looked around nervously. After making sure he didn’t feel anything, he carefully opened his mouth. “Here…it’ll be fine.
”
“hmm?”
Suddenly, Lakota put his hand into his pocket. A click sounded like a button being pressed. At the same time, a wave of translucent mana spread out from his pocket. In an instant, a hemispherical barrier spread over the two of them. Ronan frowned,
“What the fuck?”
Ronan noticed that no outside noise could be heard. It was the silent magic he had been using. Lakota sighed in relief
. It is.”
“How important a secret are you going to tell me?”
Ronan laughed. He called someone out of nowhere, and he didn’t know why he was doing this. The hesitant Lakota opened his mouth
.
“what?”
“I was surprised when our eyes met for the first time. They looked similar in age, but I could never have imagined that you were attending Phileon…” ”
What bullshit are you talking about?”
“Even being a warlock must have been a lie. Actually, I expected it from the middle.”
A black magician out of nowhere? It was incomprehensible, but it was a nonsense that somehow made me feel deja vu. Ronan, sensing a suspicious atmosphere, put his hand on the hilt. Lakota took a few deep breaths and continued. “…I did it
.
” hmm?”
“By unlocking the lock and freeing the doppelgangers. I did it.”
Ronan’s eyes widened. It felt like he had been hit in the head by a fist-sized stone. His brain, which couldn’t accept the information, was creaking. He managed to control his emotions and glared at Lakota. “What are you talking about all of a sudden
? Did you release me?”
“yes. But that was for the best. The story was going in the direction of seeing blood by Baren’s unexpected strategy. Organizations need to hurry before re-planning.”
“blood? group?”
“Even if you are embarrassed, you should listen to me. I don’t have much time. You can stop this situation…”
Lakota was about to say something. Ronan rushed in like the wind and kicked him in the stomach. Wow! Lakota’s body fell backwards and crashed into the urinal.
“Ugh! Wait a minute…!”
The Lakota raised their arms to stop them, but in vain. Ronan grabbed his hair and pulled out La Mancha at the same time. Lakota, moaning in pain, froze. The black blade made contact with the collar of his neck.
“Hee hee hee…!”
“If you move, you will die. Don’t play tricks.”
“Calm down…! please…!”
Blood was dripping down his thin neck. But Ronan did not reap the sword. Lakota’s voice had changed. The middle and high notes, which gave a rather mean impression, resonated with a calm low tone.
“who are you?”
I remember. It was definitely a voice I remembered. Lakota wiggled and raised her arms.
“I’ll show you Ji-ji right now…so this knife…!”
“Do it like this.”
“Yes yes… I see. Whoa…!”
Grabbing him as if scratching under his left ear, he tugged at his hand. Chow! The pale skin was ripped away like a skin, revealing a dark face. Ronan’s eyes widened.
“you…!”
“I’m folding. Ballus. Don’t you remember?”
A blade fell from the Lakota’s neck. The brain that failed to perceive information was creaking.
Poacher Balus. A motive for Ronan’s punitive unit, and a member of Carribolo, one of the leading poaching organizations on the continent. He was the only survivor among the poachers who hatched Sheeta.
“…why are you here?”