163. Festival of the Sword (6)
#163
The first test has ended. It was only after the test was over that the devastation reminiscent of a battlefield came into view. Dead and injured people were scattered everywhere. The sounds of pain from those who were still conscious could be heard throughout the arena.
“Ugh… Pa, my arm…”
“f*ck you, you guys deserve heavenly punishment! Throwing the family’s treasured sword into molten iron…!”
“Ugh! it hurts! help me!”
Eventually, the front door opened and the committee members came in. They walked around the chaotic arena, supporting casualties or carrying them on stretchers.
There were only seven people, including Ronan, standing on two legs. The guide who had jumped into the arena walked forward with great strides.
“Thank you all for your hard work. “We need to confirm the successful applicants, so please take out all the weapons you have.”
The guide began walking around the arena and checking for weapons. The guide smiled sadly after confirming that Schlieffen’s sword was intact.
“I saw them protecting those who abstained. Although you are a Farzan, identity and status have lost their meaning, I cannot help but respect your nobility.”
“I just thought it was right.”
“I passed. Morning star of the empire.”
The guide bowed politely and then turned around. Suddenly, Ronan noticed that one of the men standing there was shaking her body. He looked around him as if he were a meerkat, then quickly bowed down.
“···shit!”
At his feet lay a broadsword with a broken tip. His man was just about to grab the hilt of his sword. Sigh! A crossbow shot from the audience landed in front of her man’s big toe.
“Ugh!”
“I told you not to move.”
The man was scared and hit his butt. If she had moved a little more her legs would have been sore. The guide spoke in a stern voice.
“Anyway, it’s no use coming and picking it up now. Ten weapons have already been decided. “Only a weapon that shines is recognized as intact.”
“···Damn it.”
“Anything else is considered damaged and not included in the measurement. “We will clean it up, so just leave it as is.”
The man rubbed his face with his palm and cursed. From what I could see, he had somehow managed to survive until the end, but it seemed like he had not been able to get his weapon. Soon after, the host came running and grabbed the broadsword he was trying to pick up. Ronan tilted her head.
“light?”
He took a quick look at La Mancha and Ymir. Indeed, a faint blue light that was not normally visible was flowing through the sword body. It seemed to be part of an identification spell.
“Eight! “It’s useless!”
At that time, one of the remaining participants threw away the mace he was holding. The cracked metal piece was not emitting light. Unfortunately, I failed. Now there were only five people left.
‘I guess one of those two is the one who did something.’
Excluding the girl and Schlieffen, there were actually two suspects left. Among them, there is a bastard who made people go crazy and attack Ronan. One was a woman in her full armor and the other was an old man holding her long spear. Judging from the atmosphere they were giving off, it seemed like they had both been eating Kalbap for quite some time.
‘That’s strange. ‘I can feel at least a little bit of a presence.’
But something was strange. Ronan, who was examining them with narrowed eyes, twisted the corner of her mouth. The mana that drove the participants into madness was not felt at all in the two people. She didn’t have the energy to be confusing, but it was like a ghost crying. At that time, the guide who was inspecting the weapons in turn stopped in front of Ronan.
“Participation number 44.”
“Oh, here.”
Ronan took out the sparkling La Mancha and Ymir and held them out to him. Both sacks were in perfect condition without any scratches. The guide nodded with a satisfied smile.
“I have a family in the system, so I know your reputation. “I heard he was a swordsman with amazing skills, but I had no idea it would be this level.”
“It wasn’t a big deal.”
“It was a skill that did not require humility. The last one in particular was the most amazing piece of technology I’ve ever seen in the 10 years I’ve been working at Farzan. “How on earth did you destroy twenty-four weapons without hurting anyone?”
It was the story of Ronan’s final spray of sword energy. It was Ronan’s first success, so he had nothing to say. Ronan responded by shrugging his shoulders shyly. The guide was so moved as if he had seen the sea for the first time in his life, and tapped him on the shoulder.
“I hope you achieve what you want at the top of Farzan. “I passed.”
“thank you.”
“May the Holy Sword bless you. Then next time…”
The guide who had judged Ronan to have passed looked down. The white-haired girl was still clinging to Ronan’s side.
“ah.”
Suddenly, a scene played in Ronan’s mind. It was a scene where the girl’s long sword violently collided with the ax blade and shattered. that’s right. This kid didn’t have a weapon. He looked down at the girl urgently and was about to say something.
“Hey, you…”
“Participation number 72. Possession of a weapon was confirmed. “I passed.”
After acknowledging that the girl passed the exam, the guide left. The girl signaled her trouble by gently waving her hand. Ronan’s frown narrowed sharply.
“···ok?”
This was impossible. The metallic sound of the worn-out sword being shattered was still pleasant to my ears. The longsword fossil would have been so horribly destroyed that it could not be restored even if Doron’s grandfather came.
‘Do I have dementia?’
Ronan was concerned about his own mental state. She noticed a girl fiddling with something. In her fern-like hand, she held a dagger that I had seen many times before. It was richly decorated with jewels and seemed to be more suitable for ceremonial purposes than battle.
“hey.”
“huh?”
“Where did you get that?”
Ronan lightly grabbed the girl’s head. She answered dryly as she played with her dagger, twirling it around.
“I picked it up.”
“So where?”
“In your inner pocket.”
The girl answered shamelessly. There was not a hint of guilt in his calm voice. Ronan put his hand in her inner pocket without her saying anything. The dagger she was supposed to have didn’t exist. said the girl.
“Understand me. “I wanted to go higher.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m just saying I’m interested in this stupid event. I quit midway every time, but for the first time, I wanted to reach the top. No, it’s not an event, but I guess it’s right to say that you and your friend became interested…”
Suddenly, the girl leaned her head towards Ronan. She couldn’t understand what was being said, but Ronan didn’t particularly interrogate her. She had picked up the dagger anyway as a side income, and he was also secretly hoping that the girl would pass.
‘If you have the right weapons, I think you’ll be quite strong.’
Ronan remembered the girl fighting. He couldn’t check it properly because his sword was shattered, but if you look at his movements and posture, he was excellent enough to be counted among the top ten swordsmen I’ve ever seen. At that time, the guide who was checking the status of the weapon raised his hand and shouted.
“Do you happen to have any more weapons?”
“Why is it like that all of a sudden?”
Ronan tilted his head. Judging from the confusion in his voice, it seemed like something had happened. The progress committee members were busy walking around, looking for something.
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“weird. I don’t know where one bag went. Why are there only nine?”
The guide explained that one weapon was missing. I tried stirring the inside of the cauldron to see if anything, but only red-hot molten metal came out on the stick. At that time, a loud man’s voice was heard from a corner of the arena.
“It’s here.”
“what?”
“I can’t move my body… Someone help me…”
The people in the arena turned their heads at the same time. The voice was coming from a pile of casualties that had not yet been recovered. The staff members hurriedly rushed to pick up the people who were lying on top of each other. Soon, a middle-aged man wearing a hood appeared from the bottom. The committee members’ eyes got so big that they almost popped out.
“Oh my god, you’ve been here the whole time?”
“Haha…thank you. “I couldn’t move my body.”
The hooded man shuffled. Her condition did not look very good as her entire body was covered in blood and wounds. He seemed to be completely exhausted and was lying still, staring at his ceiling. The guide approached him with long strides and stood in front of him.
“Participation number 3. Are you okay? “If your condition is too bad, you can abstain.”
“It’s okay. “You will get better if you rest a little.”
“Thank goodness. “Do you have a full weapon?”
“A complete weapon? Ah, yes… I have it.”
Suddenly, the man who was lying down put his arm under his waist. When he came out again, he was holding a short song in his hand. It was an exotic type of sword that was difficult to find in the empire. A group of blue lights, guaranteeing its integrity, were wrapped around the body of the sword.
“···Has confirmed. “I passed.”
“Hehehe, thank you. Could you please move me now? “I can move my arms, but I just can’t stand up.”
The man laughed self-deprecatingly. Commissioners put him on a stretcher. The man was taken outside the arena along with other injured people.
He was being transported on a stretcher. Her man, who made eye contact with Ronan, grinned. Even though she looks like that, she still smiles. Ronan, impressed by his positive side, was about to shake his hand.
“you···.”
“Hmm? “Why but?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. In her eyes, the familiar mana was slowly blooming over her man’s chest. It was a reddish current that turned the participants into madmen. He just laughed silently and then opened his mouth.
“It looks like I have something to tell you, but I’m not feeling well… I’ll see you later, young man.”
With those last words, the man lost consciousness. Her mana, which had bloomed over her chest, faded as her bloody hands hung limp beneath her stretcher. The committee members who were escorting her man hastened her steps. Ronan, who was watching their backs, muttered in bewilderment.
“What, that bastard…?”
****
The second test was scheduled for two evenings later. Until then, participants could spend time resting or training freely.
Those who passed the first test left the village and moved to a base on the mountain. Each time you passed the test, you got closer to the sacred site located at the top. Fortunately, the road to the first base was very well paved, so I was able to climb up even though I was tired.
Perhaps because of the high altitude, the wind was cold. High in the sunset sky, fluffy clouds were flowing slowly. The guide who guided them looked back at the successful candidates and said,
“Only six people passed, so it’s been a while since I’ve seen a group with so few survivors. He must have fought very fiercely.”
Every time he spoke, a cloud of pure white steam was rising. Ronan, who was following him right behind, shook his head.
“Well, that’s right. Do we have the lowest passing rate?”
“Uh… that’s probably not true. “I heard that in Aran Farzan, beyond the mountain, there is a group that passed with fewer qualifications.”
“More than six? “How many people are there?”
“There is only one person. “I passed on my own.”
