< 102. Baeksuje (2) >
#102
“This is the first time a doppelganger is being displayed in public. “And that’s just a pair of alpha and omega.”
“Dopple…what?”
Ronan frowned when he heard the word doppelganger. It was something that only came out of the fairy tales Iril told me when I was young. An unidentified creature that changes its appearance at will.
“Did that really exist?”
“···I really didn’t know. “Then you don’t even know about that ridiculous ability?”
“ability? Changing your appearance?”
“huh. However, a doppelganger changes his appearance by reading his partner’s mind. Alpha is the being that the subject loves, and Omega is the being that the subject hates. “Isn’t it interesting?”
“what?”
Ronan’s face hardened. Marja continued as she spoke, twisting her hair.
“It reveals your inner thoughts that you didn’t even know about. “No one our age would be able to pass by.”
“…turning into an object of hatred?”
“They said so. “What, are you interested in omega and not alpha?”
“What do you do when you know who you love? “It’s useless.”
“Hmph, you did well. “You’re just going to receive it, right?”
Marja pouted. Anyway, Ronan’s interest was only focused on the Omega doppelganger. Although he was dissatisfied with everything, there was only one object to which he could apply the grandiose expression of hatred.
‘···It wouldn’t be a bad idea to calm your mind.’
For a moment, Ahayute’s pale face flashed through my mind. That alone made my forehead feel hot. Suddenly, a question arose.
‘What happened?’
Marya treated the existence of doppelgängers as almost common knowledge, but she had never heard of them in her previous life. If there was such a mysterious creature, it would surely have been the subject of gossip from fellow poachers.
Ronan was in the midst of thinking. Marja, who was tapping his shoulder with her head, let out a low laugh.
“Hehe, anyway, this Unemployment Festival will definitely be held, even if it’s because of the doppelganger. “It smells like money.”
“Smell like money?”
“huh. Students can open stores during the festival period. “I already got it big.”
Meanwhile, Marya was thinking about starting a business. It wasn’t surprising anymore. As expected, the person who became the richest person in the empire had a different mindset.
Come to think of it, the size of the top of the caravel was several times larger than when I first saw it. This was thanks to his success in exclusively selling blacksmith Doron’s scrap weapons and making money from the Baidian Mountains.
‘You are great.’
It was like seeing a sturdy wild flower growing well on its own without even giving it water. I haven’t paid much attention to it lately, but it’s been doing its job very well. Both merchants and warriors.
Ronan suddenly smiled proudly and stroked Marya’s head. It was the moment when my calloused palm touched the top of my head. Her eyes widened and she took a step back, startled.
“W-what are you doing now?!”
“Because it’s special.”
“But still, suddenly like this…! “Did you eat something wrong?!”
Marya, who was already a couple of steps away, stuttered and spoke. Her face was as red as an apple, and she seemed quite surprised. Ronan frowned at her.
“They’re saying something just because I touched his head. “I washed my hands.”
“Well, that’s not what you’re saying…! “I haven’t even dried it yet…!”
Marja smoothed her wet hair, not knowing what to do. It was funny that she would do something like that to someone she was very attached to first, just to touch her head. And she was already all wet.
“I’m here, Ronan. what’s the matter?”
Squeak. At that time, the door to the club opened and Asher came in. He was hugging three or four thick books with both arms, as if he had just attended class. Suddenly Asher’s eyes landed on the two people.
“···to?”
“Are you here, cutie?”
Marya smiled awkwardly and waved her hand. Asher, who read the subtle air current, stopped in place. The wizard’s unique observation skills made him understand the situation in an instant.
Marya’s once pale face turned red. Her hair was still dripping moisture. Asel followed the water droplets on the floor and noticed that they extended to Ronan.
‘lie.’
Asher’s face hardened. Ronan’s shoulders were soaking wet, as if it had been raining.
Ronan was sitting at his desk, looking completely lost in the world, staring into space. It was an expression that could not be made unless one was extremely tired or had just had an ecstatic experience.
“Uh… Uh…”
Suddenly, tears filled Asher’s eyes. Books fell through my weakened arms.
This was just too much. Asher wiped his eyes with his sleeve and grabbed the doorknob.
“I’m sorry for disturbing you. “I’ll go first.”
“Eh? “I’ve already come, so where are I going?”
“I, I…”
Asher raised his head. Her large eyes were wet, as if they were about to pour out water at any moment. Ronan frowned.
“Stop talking nonsense and come here. “I called you here to give you a gift.”
“···I’ll get it next time.”
“Why is he like this today? “Do you want to come back after being hit?”
“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu….”
Asher came sniffling. Ronan took out Vajura from her back pocket. The stiff cover and inner pages, as if they had just been bound, caught my eye. I couldn’t believe that it was originally cut and crumpled and was in a state similar to scrap paper.
‘I feel bad. It’s definitely a banned book.’
Just in case, I injected some sparkling mana and this is what happened. Anyway, it was mana whose identity was unknown. Asher, who was holding the Vajra, tilted his head.
“W-what is this?”
“It’s your favorite magic book. “I worked so hard to get it, so please read it.”
“···All the books are black?”
Asher, with wide eyes, began to turn the pages. Ronan, who saw that she looked good, nodded at her.
‘Someone who knows how to use a sword should swing it.’
No matter how hard Ronan tried, he couldn’t understand Vajra. It wasn’t simply that the content was difficult or that there were many unknown words. It felt like the knowledge contained in the book itself was rejecting me.
So Ronan handed Vajra over to the clever Asher. It’s because he’s frustrated with what he’s doing, but he’s a guy with a good head.
One day, I might understand Vajra and gain infinite power or something. Suddenly, an exclamation burst out from Asher’s mouth as he was flipping through the sheets.
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“Wow, that’s great. How can this magical power system…!”
“Huh?”
“Ro, Ronan. “Where on earth did you get a book like this?”
Asher’s voice was trembling. Not even a minute had passed since he handed over the book.
“···Can you read that?”
“Uh, yes… I only interpreted the first chapter by eyeballing it.”
“Translate?”
Asher nodded. He explained that everything written on Vajra is encrypted. That was the reason for the strange sensation Ronan felt. Only those who interpreted Mana Logic could read her handwriting and see the hidden content.
“Well, to be honest, it’s incredibly difficult. “It’s a structure that gets more difficult the further you go.”
“Is it so bad you can’t read it?”
“Well, it’s not that bad… I think I can figure it out somehow if I just give it time. Of course, interpreting a password and understanding its contents are completely different problems…”
“You are better than the magic tower lord. “It’s not a joke, it’s real.”
Ronan laughed. He had no idea he could actually read Vajra. One day, when she came into the club, she could not hope for anything more as long as Asher, with black eyes, was not standing over the corpses of the members.
‘Everyone is doing well.’
Suddenly, the corners of Ronan’s mouth rose. His colleagues were doing better than he could have imagined.
Not just these two, but also Braum and Ophelia. Even the unlucky Schlieffen was becoming stronger through his own efforts. Ronan, who stood up with his hands on her knees, looked back at Marja and said.
“Marya. “It’s been a while, let’s spar.”
“Eh, now?”
“ok. My body is so itchy that I just can’t do it. “Follow me.”
“Now, wait a minute!”
Ronan grabbed Marya’s wrist and dragged her outside. Asher, immersed in Vajra, completely forgot about the presence of the two people and focused only on his reading. Soon, two people’s voices were heard from the direction of the training ground.
“Ahh! “Where did you trip and fall?!”
“Keep your head straight. “The sword has become slower.”
The sound of insects crying could be heard through the half-open window. A dark twilight covered the campus. The noisy day ended like that.
****
Time passed in an instant. As Baeksu-je approached, the atmosphere in Phileon became noticeably heightened.
“There really isn’t much left now. “Oh my gosh, I never thought I would be able to directly participate in the Unemployment Festival, which I had only heard about.”
“The manticore from last time will come too, right? Ugh…”
Wherever I went on campus, I could hear news about the festival. Students discussed the animals they liked or wanted to see, and their stories blossomed.
“I’m going to go with my boyfriend. “If you don’t change into me, I’ll just kill you.”
“Kuk, I went to Omega’s doppelganger, but didn’t he turn into you?”
The thing that boasted the most popularity was, of course, the doppelganger. There was no student anywhere who didn’t like this mysterious creature that could read and transform other people’s minds. The fact that Phileon Academy was the first place to be opened to the public also boosted the pride of current students.
“Animal biscuits… The balloon shop is over… Cutie, what’s left now?”
“Well, it seems like only street portraits remain.”
“that’s right. We found the person, but we couldn’t find the easel, right? “Let’s go get it!”
“Go, go together!”
Marya mobilized all the connections she knew and began preparing for the opening. Those enjoying the festival would have no idea that all nine stores selling different items were owned by her.
But even then, there were bound to be people who couldn’t enjoy it.
The night before the Baeksuje Festival.
Even though Arena 1 was supposed to be empty, it was crowded with people. Adeshan asked with a trembling voice.
“Ro, Ronan. Are you sure? Wouldn’t that be too much?”
“It’s okay, senior. “You have to reach this level to improve your skills.”
To be precise, the only ones who could be called human were Ronan and Adeshan. Knights in full armor surrounded Ronan. Originally, he was a magic engineer, a training tool that could only be used by third graders and above.
“Well, then… are you going to do it?”
Blue eye light was leaking through the thin gap in the helmet. It was the same type of Lord Madoros that I faced during the entrance exam. Ade Shan closed his eyes tightly and chanted a spell to move the knights.
“···in action.”
At that moment, the knights’ eyes all turned red. Ronan quickly rolled over to her side. Kaga River! Nine blades struck where he was.
Instead of confronting them head on, Ronan dealt with the knights mainly through evasion or defense. Huh! The flashing swords narrowly penetrated between Ronan’s limbs. Ronan, seeing that the knights were gathered in one place, stamped his right foot.
“Eat!”
thud! A hemispherical wave spread out around him. The sparkling roots tangled on the legs of the knights within range. Coogung! thud! The knights lost their balance and collided with each other and fell.
“Seo, success!”
Adeshan shouted, clapping his hands. It’s only been a few days, but my skills have improved significantly. Wow! Ronan fired sword energy at the incapacitated knights.
Knights who suffered damage exceeding the limit stopped moving. Ronan laughed when he saw that the roots had stuck to all nine people.
“Oh wow… damn it… wow, finally.”
My mana was almost depleted, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was whether there was achievement or not. Ronan, who was catching his breath, sat down in his seat.
“Oh my gosh, I’m dying…”
“great job.”
He was investing all his time in training the second core and the copied aurors. Fortunately, the growth rate itself was not that slow.
In fact, it was growing much faster than Ronan’s own mana. Is this what it feels like to awaken the mana of shadow? Adeshan, who was looking around at the fallen knights, put his hands together and admired them.
“It’s really amazing. “This kind of achievement in just 15 days!”
“Heo Eok… Thanks to you, senior… Was your balance okay this time?”
“Yes. But I felt a little excited. “I think it would be okay to lower the output just a little.”
Ronan nodded at Adeshan’s advice. It certainly seemed like that when I heard it.
“It’s true…huh, thank you.”
“Hehe, I’m glad I could help.”
Adeshan laughed. She knew Ronan’s secret that he was the only one who could copy an Auror. She was what Ronan decided to reveal after some deliberation.
“Will I be able to copy everything that Instructor Nabirose did one day?”
“Damn, I can’t even think about that yet. “Right now, we are not even able to properly deal with the roots of this tree.”
“I will help you. Let’s take it step by step.”
“Heh, thank you.”
Ronan, who grinned, lay down in place. The ceiling immersed in darkness came into view. Because there was no one there, my voice rang every time I spoke.
Adeshan was using his unique insight to assist Ronan in his growth. Most of her advice, based on her advanced insight, was very helpful. After hesitating for a moment, Adeshan crouched down next to Ronan.
“Starting tomorrow, I will be unemployed. “Time goes so fast.”
“Iknow, right.”
“It’s so amazing. “After meeting you, it feels like everything that happened over ten years happened all at once.”
“It’s because of my mood.”
Ronan said dryly. Adeshan only smiled warmly and did not respond in particular. After a moment of silence, she opened her mouth.
“···Ronan, are you going to just train during the festival?”
“Um…well, I don’t know. Wouldn’t it be nice to just look around once in a while? “There are things I want to see.”
“I see.”
There was silence again. It was so quiet that I thought I could hear dust floating around. Ade Shan, who had been hesitant, cautiously opened her mouth.
“Then… could you come with me…”
It was the moment she was about to say something. bang! Suddenly, the arena door opened wide and the lights that had been turned off came on at once. A familiar voice rang out.
“It’s amazing. “What are you doing here at midnight?”
“Instructor, instructor?!”
Adeshan, startled, stood up. Ronan looked towards where the voice came from. A familiar-looking woman stood in her doorway, her arms crossed. With butterflies I followed her words.
“Last time, you were rubbing your legs in class, and now you’re having a secret affair? “You’re bold for your age.”
“What a secret affair…! It’s not like that…”
“What happen?”
Ronan stood up, putting La Mancha in it. Butterfly Rose’s expression was too unusual to take it as a joke. After looking at the two of them for a moment, she let out a sigh.
“···I guess it’ll be okay for you. The doppelgängers have disappeared.”
