Academy’s Genius Swordmaster - Chapter 198

198. North Road (4)

#198

Accompanying the Caravel Merchant was a better decision than expected. The Mercenary, which had grown significantly over the course of two years, provided the mercenaries with better bedding and meals than most inns.

to Rundalian. So while the road connected by the system continued, safety was guaranteed, so it was comfortable enough to go sightseeing.

It was the afternoon of the ninth day after the start of the journey. Even though it was summer, the air was getting chilly. Ronan frowned at the sight of the meat skewers being cooked in front of the campfire.

“Yumma, what kind of bastard did you cut that big piece of meat? Am I buying it?”

“I just need a taste, so what? And I didn’t cut it, but I tore it by hand and put it together.”

“Anyway, if only the power is too good…”

Ronan shook his head. Meat dumplings the size of an adult’s fist seemed more like a dish made for beastmen like Baren or Jaifa than for humans.

When Marja was on duty, this dish was always served. Handling the meat of a muscular wild boar like clay with her bare hands was something only she could do. Marja picked up a skewer and held it out to Ronan.

“Be loud and open your mouth. Ah~”

“Anyway.”

Ronan grumbled, but eventually opened his mouth to bite the meat. It was physically impossible to put it in one bite, so I had to bite it bit by bit like an apple. Ronan, who had been mumbling quietly, nodded.

“…delicious.”

“Hey, right?”

It was unexpectedly soft and the seasoning was excellent. Marya smirked and slapped Ronan on the shoulder. His behavior was so natural that he wondered if they were already dating. Adeshan, who sat quietly and watched the scene, bit his lower lip.

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…”

Adeshan was acutely aware of the strategic advantage of his childhood friend Eri had been explaining for the past nine days. Even though the psychological distance was close, it was too close. Sometimes, to the point where I wonder if he did it on purpose. Marja, who suddenly met her eyes, opened her mouth.

“Yes, my sister eats too.”

“I am fine. I’m not very hungry right now.”

Adeshan waved his hand. I didn’t think much of food because I was sick to my stomach. Then Ronan pulled out a skewer in front of him and held it out to her.

“Don’t do that, eat it. It’s quite delicious.”

“Ro Ronan?”

Adeshan’s eyes widened. A piece of meat the size of an apple stayed in front of him. What it meant was a self-evident action.

“Then… just one bite.”

She closed her eyes and bit the meat. Ronan held the stick until she spoke. Adeshan covered his mouth in admiration at the better-than-expected taste. Seeing the childlike reaction, Ronan giggled.

“Is it delicious?”

“huh. delicious.”

Adeshan laughed bashfully. The pain accumulated over the past 9 days seemed to melt away. Occasionally these events would occur, so I could have a nervous breakdown or not go crazy. Suddenly, Ronan’s lips gleamed in her eyes.

“Oh, there is oil on it. Wait a minute.”

“What.”

Adeshan suddenly came and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. Ronan hesitated for a moment at the face that was getting closer. The eyes that hung between the thick eyelashes were sunk in a beautiful gray color.

‘Oh Mr. Why am I like this?’

Feeling strange, Ronan averted his gaze. It was a recent symptom. Adeshan removed her face only after thoroughly wiping off the oil.

Accustomed to serving, she was unaware that this was as drastic an act as putting food in her mouth. Marja, who looked at the two in turn, smiled meaningfully.

“Ooh…”

Anyway, the journey continued. Each time the wheels of the wagon turned northward, the scenery around them became more and more desolate. Ronan and Adeshan were sitting facing each other, enjoying the slow-moving scenery outside. Ronan stretched out his arm and pointed at the snowy mountain towering in the distance.

“If you go over there, it is the Tucan Plateau. It’s very, very close to the birthplace of the fucking feral werewolves. You have to be careful because they tear and eat regardless of whether they are human or animal.”

It was also the place where Rundalian, the destination of the Merchant, was located. Adeshan tilted her head.

“Yes. thank you. But how did you know that?”

“I had been rolling there for almost a year. By order of someone who looks exactly like you.”

“…huh?”

“just joke.”

Reflecting on his past life, Ronan laughed. It was the Tukan Plateau where he first met Marya, who was Count Armalen, and where he first went after receiving orders from Adeshan, who was a colonel at the time.

The mission was a pitiful experience in retrospect for mine development and expansion of the Empire. I came here covered in werewolf blood, but there was no water to wash, so I used to roll around in the snow. It was a place where a lot of the punishment soldiers died too.

‘I wish I could get over it a bit this time.’

I just hoped it wasn’t as tough as it was then. Since this was a time in the past, the power of the furry people would not be as strong as before.

On the night of the third day after that, the Caravel Merchant crossed Astan, the starting point of winter. The land that had not yet melted snow greeted them. The howling of wolves every moonlit night signaled that they were on the right track.

***

The sun has set. The stars and moon were nowhere to be found in the overcast night sky. With the sound of a bell at the head, the procession at the top stopped. Doon’s voice resounded loudly.

“Today we will camp here!”

A snow-covered plain stretched out towards the son-in-law. In the distance, the lights of Rundalian were shining like stars floating on the ground. It was the Tukan Plateau, which I entered five days after leaving Astan.

The coachmen pulled the reins as if they had been waiting for that. Twelve wagons formed a circle and prepared for camp. When the wagon came to a complete stop, the merchants and mercenaries got out of the wagon, stretching themselves.

“Euhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaam… will you arrive tomorrow?”

“Unless the ice dragon suddenly comes and freezes the entire top. I just want it to go like it is now.”

“Damn, Rundalian sells beer, right? Even furry people don’t drink.”

Fatigue was accumulated on their faces. Even if there was nothing to do and the welfare was good, escorting the corps was hard work in many ways. It was very likely that the enemy to be dealt with would not be a human.

“Oops.”

Ronan, who had been wary of the surroundings until the end, jumped off the roof of the carriage. As I took a deep breath, a cold wind with snowflakes swept through my lungs. He turned to Adeshan and said.

“Finally it’s tomorrow.”

“Yeah… it was a lot of hard work.”

Dark shadows were cast over the two faces. They knew better than anyone how menacing beasts who were hostile to humans were.

The biggest thing that happened over the past five days was that a golden eagle mistook the bald mercenary’s head for a rock and dropped a rabbit on top of it, but Ronan and Adeshan remained tense. Marya wiped her eyes and hugged the two of them.

“Good job bringing you two. Thank you so much.”

“Let go. It’s suffocating.”

“Ahaha…we owe it to you.”

Despite their resistance, Marja did not let them go. I didn’t expect to work this hard. She continued in a somewhat watery voice.

“I will definitely repay this favor. It’s my promise as the next leader of the Caravelle Merchant. Yes, I will pay all the expenses at the smithy this time.”

“What kind of favor do you want to return? It was something we did to be nice to each other.”

“It’s noisy and they just take it if you give it to them.”

Marja lightly tightened her right arm. The strangled Ronan snorted. By noon tomorrow, the caravel group would arrive in Rundalian. It was a turning point where they headed their separate ways. said Marja.

“You two should get some sleep now. I will stand by our wagon watch from start to finish today.”

“It’s okay, Marya. Wake me up.”

“Leave me alone if you say you’ll suffer. Okay, let me suck some honey too.”

Ronan giggled and headed inside the carriage. The hesitant Adeshan followed him. Looking back, I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since I left.

The two sat facing each other and leaned against the wall. The moment my buttocks touched the floor, I felt tired. The two met eyes and smiled at each other.

“thank you for your effort. senior.”

“Ronan…You too.”

Adeshan was nodding off his drowsiness. The half-closed eyes were pretty cute. no it’s cute I’m pretty sleepy too. Ronan swept his bangs and opened his mouth.

“I’m going to Heiran tomorrow, is it okay? I won’t be able to live as comfortably as I do now.”

“Yes, of course… that’s what I’ve heard in the first place.”

“Then I’m glad. Let’s do well together again.”

“Hehe…yes. I’m still happy, but that’s more…”

Adeshan, unable to speak, lowered her head. Before long, a whining sound began to spread through the carriage. Ronan’s eyelids, which were getting heavy, finally closed.

“…….”

Silence fell. It was a night without even moonlight, so the inside of the wagon was covered in complete darkness. Only the howling of the wind could be heard through the wooden walls.

In the dream world sparsely unfolding before his eyes, Ronan saw his father covered in shadows and Adeshan wiping his mouth.

I punched my father in the face and I don’t remember how he reacted to Adeshan. It felt like time was flowing like sand. Ronan, who suddenly opened his eyes, opened his mouth.

“senior.”

“huh. There are forty-three.”

Adeshan was already awake. She answered without hesitation. Ronan shook his head as if he was fed up with the specific numbers.

“Damn it… so many of them came.”

“What, are you still not sleeping?”

Hearing the voice, Marja put her face inside the carriage. Unlike the two of them, she wasn’t sensing anything. Ronan silently put his hand on the hilt.

“It’s an assault. They are also quite skilled. It’s not easy to kill a presence like this. Is there even a wizard?”

“…what?”

Marja’s face hardened. Suddenly, Ronan thrust his sword into the wagon’s ceiling. hooked! As the tip of the sword gently pierced the tree, a tearing scream resounded.

“Kheuuuuuong!”

It was not a human voice. La Mancha, which was immediately pulled out, was dyed deep red. Dark red blood gushed out of the hole in the ceiling. Marja took a step backwards at the bloodshed unfolding without any warning.

“What the hell is this…!”

“A surprise! Everyone wake up!!”

Instead of answering the question, Ronan exclaimed. Before long, the entire upper section started to become bustling.

bang! He kicked down the door and leaped onto the roof. A werewolf clad in leather lay clutching at its chest. Seeing that he struggled with a boiling sound, it seemed that he was still breathing. Werewolf glared at Ronan with bloodshot eyes.

“Krurrrruk! human…!”

“Ah fuck.”

Somehow, I thought things would work out. Ronan wordlessly pulled the hilt. Awesome! At the same time as a neat arc was drawn, the werewolf’s head was separated from the body. The rolling head naturally fell out of the carriage. He turned the knife around and looked around. Fortunately, no other werewolves were seen.

‘It must have been a skirmisher. No matter how much I pick the nimble guy…’

It was an unbelievable stealth skill. Ronan soon found what he was looking for on the western side of the plateau. Dozens of pairs of eyes were shining in the dark. At a rough count, it seemed to me that there were really forty, as Adeshan said. Marja, who had followed and climbed onto the roof, asked in fright.

“What is that all about?”

“A bunch of thieves.”

Forty pairs of eye-lights were running toward the top, dragging their long tails. Deng-! Deng-! Deng-! A belated bell rang. The mercenaries who awoke from their sleep ran out in confusion.

clap. The sound of Adeshan loading his crossbow came from under the roof. Ronan, who was staring at the middle of the darkness, grabbed the hilt.

Roaring! A bright scarlet dyed the blade. In the dark plains where not a single point of light could be found, the light of La Mancha stood out like a lighthouse. At the same time as the son-in-law became brighter, the beasts wearing clothes made of bones and leather appeared.

“Kuaaa!”

“Kheung!”

Exposed to the light, they growled in disgust as if they were vampires. Most of them were werewolves, and there were also one or two werewolves and werewolves. Judging by the patterns on their clothes, it seemed like they had never met a tribe in their previous lives. said Ronan.

“long time no see.”

“Krurruk!”

The attention of the prisoners was focused on Ronan. The teeth that caught the light were terrifyingly gleaming. He probably knew how to talk, but seeing that he didn’t, it seemed like there was no room for a conversation this time either. Raising one corner of his mouth, he muttered softly.

“Good. I need to get some blood before I sharpen my sword.”

“Ke-huh-!!”

A roar full of murderous intent resounded under the night sky. Forty beasts rushed at them like wrath. Ronan, who was calmly measuring the distance, pulled the hilt.