Academy’s Genius Swordmaster - Chapter 17

17. Morning Star of the Empire

#17

[Deputy Chief of Martial Arts Department / Ronan]

The pipe that was in Ronan’s mouth fell. In an instant, time elongated.

The noise in the square died down, and only the letters burning with silver remained, occupying a corner of the narrowed field of view.

second seat.

The flashing letters in front of his name must have been written that way.

second seat? What does chasuk mean? I guess it wasn’t that bad. Was it the fruit name?

Then Asher’s voice came from somewhere.

“Ro Ronan! Cha cha cha second seat!”

“huh?”

“Second from the top! You did it!”

That’s right.

Time began to flow again. Ronan, who came to his senses belatedly, lowered his head.

The face of Asher, who was almost crying, caught my eye. Marya, who came running after a month, clung to Ronan’s neck.

“Did you say I would be? huh?”

Marja hugged Ronan by the neck and did not let go. Ronan patted her on the back and looked at the small print next to his name.

[Deputy Chief of Martial Arts Department / Ronan: 1st in practical skill, 5712th in handwriting]

“Huh.”

I was dumbfounded and laughed. 5712, it was a waste of numbers to count as a ranking. I wondered how many points I put on practical skills to get such a result.

“I know how to see people.”

But it was something I didn’t know. The important thing was that he was second from the top. There must have been various perks, including scholarships.

[Chief of Martial Arts / Schlieffen Sinivan de Grancia: 2nd in Practical Skills, 1st in Written Skills (3)]

But if there is one thing that bothers you, is it that you broke Schlieffen’s ass in practical skills?

Recalling the memories of his previous life, Ronan clicked his tongue.

‘If I do this wrong, I’ll be bothered again.’

There was no doubt about Schlieffen’s ability, but his unique sense of triumph was in my mind.

He was a writer at the pinnacle of a human being who couldn’t stand the fact that someone was above him.

“Well then… Shall we go now?”

It was the moment when Ronan and his friends turned around. Suddenly, an unknown chill ran down my spine.

“hmm…!”

It was an unpleasant yet familiar sensation, like the cool winter wind passing through your body. The sound of wind blowing seemed to ring in my ears.

“Ah… no way…”

Ronan swallowed and looked around slowly. His gaze was soon fixed on one spot.

A boy in a blue uniform was approaching with strides. Ronan sighed, closing his eyes tightly.

“Shit.”

It was a familiar face. Even though it was more than ten meters away, it was clearly recognizable.

Recognizing the boy’s face, the people split on both sides.

“Wow…look at that guy. What’s your face… Huh?!”

“It is the morning star of my empire.”

“It is an honor to meet you!”

Eventually, the boy stopped in front of Ronan. Of the three, Marja was the first to respond. Looking up at the boy’s face, she opened her eyes wide.

“Shu Schlieffen?!”

He was tall and handsome. His dark blue hair was as dark as the deep sea.

As the years passed, he definitely felt young, but his cold impression as if he had been sliced from a glacier remained unchanged.

He was a boy who later crossed the empire and became the continent’s strongest swordsman. Schlieffen muttered lowly.

“You are Ronan.”

“huh? It’s not?”

Ronan whistled and averted his gaze. Asher and Marya’s faces hardened. A slight wrinkle formed between Schlieffen’s brows.

“Why are you lying?”

“You’re lying, man. Do you have proof that I’m Ronan? And when did you say you saw it? ok?”

“…Evidence.”

Schlieffen fell silent. He was able to present two pieces of evidence.

The first was overhearing their conversation by chance, and the second was that Ronan felt an unusual energy.

Auror blooms. It was visible to him who had reached the stage of opening his eyes. The ring that wrapped around Asher’s heart and the lump that grew in Marya’s danteon. Incomprehensible mana pulsating in Ronan’s chest.

But Schlieffen did not explain either.

“Hey Niimi!”

Suddenly, Ronan swears and grabs the hilt. For a moment, Schlieffen’s hand seemed to disappear, but then a spark flew out of the air.

Kang! A belated metallic sound rang out.

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“It’s a cheap fight!”

“Ronan!!”

Screams erupted all around. It happened so quickly that people did not see the process until Ronan and Schlieffen crossed swords.

Black iron and mithril. The two blades facing each other were roaring in the air. Schlieffen muttered lowly.

“This is proof.”

“what?”

“If you weren’t the chief practical skills, I wouldn’t have been able to respond. I want to know what skills you showed.”

“This isn’t crazy bastard!”

Ronan raised blood and shouted. Even the obsession has gone too far.

Even when I met him on the battlefield in the past, I thought he wasn’t a normal human, but I thought that would have improved as he matured.

“Come, I won’t show you!”

Anyway, if I stayed still after being provoked like this, I would be crippled or stupid. Ronan grabbed the hilt.

At the same time as the enemy’s blade was removed, three sword strikes were fired at Schlieffen. For the first time, panic flashed in Schlieffen’s eyes, which had been calm all along.

“Mmm!”

Can-can-can! Three flames rose in the air without any gaps. Ronan, who collected the blade as if shaking it off, spat on the floor.

“Are you done now?”

“…Certainly deserves to be the head of practical skills.”

If it was a normal sword, it would have been more than enough to break, but Schlieffen’s sword made of mithril stubbornly withstood the impact. Ronan continued.

“Yeah kid. If you always get first place, you should know how to be satisfied with second place. is not it?”

Schlieffen, seeing his own collar that had been cut off, nodded. It was a formidable quick sword that could have been beaten.

It was the moment when Ronan let out a sigh of relief and was about to lead.

“But I don’t understand why they beat me.”

“what?”

“Show me what you are hiding.”

Schlieffen, who was suddenly serious, thrust out his sword. Ronan hurriedly raised his sword and countered the attack. A sharp sound of metal tore through the air.

“Do it in moderation, son of a bitch! What the hell are you complaining about!”

Schlieffen did not answer. In just a few seconds, more than ten battles came and went. The slash that hit me sparked a spark, and the stab that I let go of it grazed my cheek.

Ronan blamed himself for not leaving sooner. This noble psychopath would undoubtedly make this fuss until his curiosity was resolved.

Suddenly, an ominous feeling passed through Ronan’s head.

‘Isn’t this bastard even activated?’

Ronan ignored most Auror users. This is because there were many cases in which it was unnecessarily flashy and not very helpful in practice.

But Schlieffen’s case was different. His aura, called the storm sword, was a rare fraud technique that was treated as a strategic weapon.

Of course, since he had returned to the past, he would not be far behind in power at the time, and he was not sure if he would be able to activate his aura in the middle of a crowd without going insane. I had to hurry up and get out of the situation.

As I was wondering if there was anything better, a handful of flashes flashed in my head.

‘There was this.’

Ronan looked at Schlieffen’s sword, which was shining bluish. It was undoubtedly a mithril filled with mana. A round lump came out of Ronan’s right hand as he quickly rummaged through his inner pocket.

He placed his left hand behind his back and made a V with his index and middle fingers. Asher, who had been slowing down his heart all along, opened his eyes wide. It was a hand signal between him and Ronan, set after the Luna Goblin incident.

It means [bouncing]

“Ma marya. let’s go.”

“uh? uh huh Where?!”

Asher held Marja’s hand and disappeared into the crowd. It was the moment when Schlieffen’s sword was fired again.

As soon as Ronan lowered his sword, he quickly raised his right arm.

“stop!”

“what…!”

Schlieffen hurriedly strained his arm and tried to stop the sword, but the sword was already in front of Ronan’s eyes. A blade made of mithril cut Ronan’s palm.

-Chaaaaaaang-!!!

A grotesque metallic sound reverberated throughout the plaza.

“Aww?!”

The crowd covered their ears to a scream they had never heard before. It was a resonant sound that was unique to Mithril.

The shock, reminiscent of an earthquake wave, spread beyond the hands to the whole body. Schlieffen lost sight of the hilt.

Sensing the gap, Ronan headbutted him in the face. Kwajik! Schlieffen collapsed, clutching his nose.

“Ugh!”

“It is also a fantasy species. They practice filial piety even before they are born.”

Ronan smiled contentedly and looked at the Marfez egg in his hand. As expected, there was not a scratch on the eggshell.

It was possible because Schlieffen’s sword was mithril. Ronan put the egg back into his pocket.

And he shouted at Schlieffen, who stumbled and tried to stand up.

“Keep your head cool until the day of the entrance exam, you bastard! If you are a man, you must also know how to accept the results!”

“Keugh…stop right there…!”

Ronan turned his back and disappeared as if being sucked into the crowd. Soon after he left, guards in heavy armor came running.

The guards who recognized Schlieffen urgently supported him.

“Such Schlieffen! Are you okay? What was that sound?!”

Schlieffen stood up from his seat, clutching his bleeding nose. I tried to track the mana of Ronan’s party by extending the mana, but I couldn’t detect if the distance had already gone.

“…yes. it’s okay.”

“Who dared to do this? If you tell me your impression…!”

“Now I am definitely a test taker.”

The guards, unable to understand the meaning at once, tilted their heads. It took a few seconds for them to realize that he meant not to speak up.

“hot…! yes! I get it… No, I get it.”

“And it was nothing. I asked for light sparring, and the author only responded. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“But…”

“I’ll guarantee it in the name of the Grancia family.”

When the heir to the Duke of Grancia said that, the guards had nothing more to say. After bowing politely, they left.

Schlieffen picked up the sword off the floor. His eyes widened as he examined the sword body.

Although it was very subtle, there was an incontinence on the blade.

‘What the hell…what is it?’

There were only a couple of strange things.

The sphere that made the Mithril blade go out was also a problem, but the biggest problem was that the incomprehensible mana, which had always been thought to be Ronan’s, was actually flowing out of the sphere.

‘I didn’t feel mana from myself.’

Schlieffen recalled the workshop he had with Ronan. Although the aura was not activated, he went into battle with a considerable amount of mana loaded onto his sword.

I’m sure I thought Ronan was like that too…

‘No, there’s no way that’s the case.’

Schlieffen thought for a moment about the possibility that Ronan could have fought without using mana. But he soon shook his head. It was impossible.

Rather, it is a secret mana that appears extremely rarely. The hypothesis that he was born with the so-called shadow mana was more plausible. Then everything was explained.

“……shit.”

The nosebleed stopped. When reason returned, the wind felt cold.

Ronan’s words, “You must be able to understand the results,” lingered in my head. I had to admit that I was overexcited by the shock of being second in the practice.

Schlieffen raised his head. The names of successful applicants were still embroidered with stars in the sky.

He fixed his gaze on the two letters burning beneath his name.

“Ronan.”

Power went into the hand holding the hilt. Phileon Academy. I thought it was just a process to go through to become a swordsman, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

Schlieffen moved toward the street. He could feel his heart beating at an unusual speed. The young genius did not know that the name of that feeling was anticipation.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────

_ ──────────────────────