Chapter 62 Midterm Evaluation (4)
Ronan seemed resolute, with no intention of backing down. Adeshan, who had been gazing at his eyes for a moment, lowered her head deeply. Her lips trembled slightly.
“…There was a war.”
“A war?”
“Yes. Strictly speaking, perhaps not a war. Have you heard of the Night of Fangs?”
Ronan nodded his head. He had heard of it a few times during his time as a disciplinary soldier. It was the incident when the Northern Beastman Alliance led a massive army to invade Marquis of Barsa, a border fortress.
It was famous for being led by Zaifa, who now held the position of Chief General of the Imperial Capital. Ronan nodded his head.
“To some extent.”
“Yeah. It’s a long story. My hometown is the northern frontier of Barsa. I lived there until the Night of Fangs happened.”
The two of them walked slowly through the forest, engaging in conversation. With each step, the fallen leaves crunched and shattered beneath their feet.
“My father was a tailor. He settled in the North following my mother, who was a sergeant in the imperial army. I had two older brothers with a significant age gap.”
“So, did you learn sewing from your father?”
“Yes. My father was an excellent tailor. He was skilled not only with fabrics but also with leather, so he did well in the North. He often assigned me various tasks, so I became skilled in sewing too. Haha.”
“And what was your mother like?”
“Um… She was incredibly strong yet beautiful and kind. Should I call her an ideal soldier? She used to take me on horseback rides frequently. She was tall, so it was delightful.”
Adeshan recounted her childhood memories with a voice full of joy. Her meticulous and caring nature seemed to come from her father, while her tall stature and graceful appearance were inherited from her mother.
Adeshan had two older brothers, almost ten years older than her. Both of them were interested in martial arts and took good care of her, she continued.
“I was truly happy. During the day, I helped my father with tailoring, and in the evenings, our whole family, including my mother, had dinner together. My brothers would cut pieces of meat and place them on my plate, saying I needed to eat a lot because I was still growing. I thought those days would last forever, forever…”
Adeshan trailed off. A shadow cast over her face.
“Until the Night of Fangs came.”
The fairytale had ended. Finally, the story that made her dream of becoming a general began.
“I still remember. It was a weekend evening, and suddenly the sound of horns echoed from the direction of the city walls. On that day, my usually silent mother armed herself with a sword, as if she had been waiting, and left the house. She kissed each family member’s cheek, as if bidding them farewell.”
“Your family knew.”
“Yes, everyone except me knew. Next, my brothers followed my mother out of the house. As usual, they placed portions of their food on my plate. That was the last time I saw my mother and my brothers.”
Signs of trouble related to the Beastman had been brewing in the North for quite some time. Though the situation had improved, a significant number of the Beastmen in the North, who valued their wild nature and traditions, vehemently opposed any contact with other races.
However, the Empire hadn’t halted its expansion to the north. They sent diplomatic missions to persuade friendly tribes, while opposing tribes were either fought off or driven away with military force.
When even the Holy Land, Jube, was taken over by the Empire, the anger of the prisoners of the opposition reached its climax. Eventually, the Beastmen who had gathered under Zaifa’s banner initiated the Night of Fangs.
Ronan clicked his tongue. When he had encountered Marya, the Count of Armarlen, back in the North, fighting against the werewolves, he had known their danger well.
“Just as troublesome as the fur monkeys.”
Beastmen possessed significantly superior physical abilities compared to humans. Even werelions or weretigers, who were treated as living weapons, not to mention werewolves or werefoxes, could take on human soldiers who couldn’t handle mana, outnumbering them by at least six to one.
The Night of Fangs was an incident where around ten thousand of such Beastmen invaded Barsa Fortress. The fortress walls of Barsa had succumbed to the beast’s intrusion within barely a day.
Adeshan continued, “My father embraced my bewildered self and put me on a cart. We took the escape route. But around the time we settled near the Imperial border, the news of death arrived. Blood-soaked identification tags belonged to my mother and… two older brothers.”
Most of the deceased were soldiers. Among them, the majority were soldiers of Barsa.
They had to become a living wall in place of the defenseless fortress walls. Their mission was to establish a defensive line at all costs, buying as much time as possible for the main force to arrive from the rear.
Unfortunately, Adeshan’s mother and brothers were part of that unit as well.
“My mother and brothers died like pawns on a chessboard. They were the defense line, nothing more than meat shields. Everyone said it was inevitable, but I didn’t agree with that.”
The bearer of the news had been a soldier from her mother’s unit. The soldier whose right arm and left leg had been cut off spoke of the truth and horrors of the day.
‘They could have survived. Not only your mother and brothers but many soldiers didn’t need to sacrifice their lives. The obituaries were filled with noble sacrifices and whatnot, but in reality, those were people who didn’t have to die.’
The soldier explained that they had been thrust into battle without a proper plan. There were many strategies that soldiers and non-commissioned officers saw as far superior.
However, the General didn’t change their orders until the very end. They had achieved their goal, and after the situation ended, they had been decorated with medals. Even now, Adeshan couldn’t shake off the words the soldier had muttered as he departed.
– Why did we have to die…
Adeshan continued in her main voice.
“Every year I visit the memorial in my hometown, searching for my mother and brothers’ names. The inscriptions are small and carved so high up that they’re hardly visible.”
“Adeshan.”
“I’m going to be a Grand General, and there will be no more memorials in this land, at least not ones covered with the names of those who should have lived—.”
Eventually, a tear rolled down her cheek. Ronan turned his gaze to the forest, as if appreciating its beauty.
Seeing Adeshan crying was an unsightly scene, whether in the past or present. Soon, after wiping her eyes, Adeshan let out a soft laugh.
“…Sorry. It wasn’t entertaining after all.”
“It wasn’t a cheerful tale.”
“Ahaha, yeah, I’d rather have that reaction.”
Ronan let out a sigh. She was so different from the Adeshan of his previous life.
Who was Grand General Adeshan? Wasn’t she the person who sacrificed her people for the sake of the lineage, who discarded imperial soldiers by the legion for the sake of one Ronan?
‘What in the world happened?’
It was hard to believe they were the same person. The Adeshan of this time still held gem-like hope and goodwill. It might have been just a theoretical story, but Ronan didn’t find it all that bad. He opened his mouth as he rubbed his chin.
“What about your father?”
“He returned to our hometown and continues his work as a tailor. Right where our home used to be.”
“I see. Aren’t the Beastmen scary? There are so many in Philleon alone.”
“They’re not entirely terrifying. Well, I can’t say they’re not scary at all. The fact that my mother and brothers were killed was mostly because of the incompetent command. And if I join the army, I’ll have to interact with Beastman soldiers too.”
“It’s a positive attitude.”
The two of them walked in silence for a while. Gradually, the trees began to thin out, and a gentle yet tall hill came into view. Adeshan spread her arms wide, facing the wind blowing directly towards her.
“Ah, feels refreshing.”
“Yeah.”
“From up there, you might be able to see the whole island at once.”
“Hmm?”
Pointing to the hill with her index finger, Adeshan spoke. Judging by its elongated shape, it seemed to be the highest point on the island. As Ronan glanced up at the hilltop, he furrowed his brows.
“What’s that…?”
“Yeah? Right. There’s something standing up there.”
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Though it wasn’t clear from a distance, there seemed to be a structure of some kind. Even after staring at it for a while, they couldn’t quite make out its nature. Ronan nodded.
“Well, I guess we’ll know once we go see.”
The two of them climbed the hill slowly. With each step, the sky grew closer.
Throughout the ascent, Ronan remained silent. In his mind floated the images Adeshan had shown him and the conversations they had shared. A girl who didn’t falter in the face of adversity. A future grand general who detested worthless deaths.
“Ah, whatever.”
The long contemplation that had begun since he had returned to this time had come to an end. Ronan’s mouth fell slightly open.
“Adeshan.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s not that you don’t have talent for mana.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Your mana is special. They call it Shadow Mana or something like that. They said it required a separate awakening. Among all types of mana, it was said to possess the most secretive, mysterious, and uncontrollable power.”
“What?”
Adeshan stopped in her tracks. Ronan, who had been walking ahead, also stopped. A bewildered voice mixed with surprise flowed from Adeshan’s lips.
“Who did you hear that from? Shadow Mana…?”
“Well, I heard from someone I know. I don’t really know what Shadow Mana is either. I remember the abilities manifested from it were incredibly strong.”
He couldn’t possibly say he heard it from his future self. The strong wind tousled both their hair. Ronan looked at the girl before him, wrapped in his coat, and spoke.
“I’ll help you.”
“Huh…?”
“Just give it a try, Grand General.”
Ronan admitted his own weakness. He couldn’t tell Adeshan to go home and become a tailor. He probably wouldn’t be able to say it in the future either. In that case, it was probably the right decision to help her achieve her dream now.
“You…”
Adeshan was silently staring at Ronan’s face. Within her gray eyes, numerous emotions were swirling. At that moment, a voice came from behind.
“We finally meet, Ronan.”
“Damn it.”
It was a familiar deep tone. Ronan furrowed his brows. When he turned his head, the familiar face was revealed. Shullifen leaned against an unknown building.
“I’ve been searching for quite a while. I’ve even taken care of all the other competitors.”
“Sh-Shullifen…!”
Adeshan’s face turned pale. Ronan sighed, rubbing his forehead. He seemed tired just from looking at him.
“You’re a crazy bastard… How many did you defeat?”
“Fifty-one. Some of them weren’t bad, but of course, there’s no match for you.”
“Don’t move and wait right there. We want to enjoy the view from the summit too.”
Ronan led the hesitant Adeshan up the hill. Indeed, Adeshan’s words were true – this place was the summit of the island. The narrow, dense forest, the small meadow, and the deep blue sea surrounding it all came into view. Yawning, Ronan spoke.
“The view’s nice, isn’t it?”
“Y-Yes… It’s nice… but… um… is that okay?”
However, Adeshan had no time to focus on the scenery. She was keeping an eye on Shullifen like someone who had encountered a beast. Shullifen, who had his arms crossed, glanced at Adeshan and spoke.
“Ms. Navirose’s assistant. I’m always indebted to you.”
“Ah, yeah… hello.”
“Surviving until now shows you have some skills of your own. But that overcoat on your shoulders doesn’t seem to belong to you.”
“Th-That’s…”
Adeshan’s face turned red. Shullifen didn’t press further. Ronan, who had been looking around, spoke up.
“But are you sure there are only three of us left?”
“That’s right.”
“Good. Sunbae, come and take a look at this. What on earth is this building?”
Ronan placed his hand on the mysterious building and called Adeshan. The structure, shaped like a thick cylindrical column, defied easy identification.
“Uh-huh? Yeah… you’re right. Wait a moment.”
Interest flickered in Adeshan’s eyes. She started to examine the building, leaving Shullifen behind. It had a roof like a dome, not quite a watchtower in height. The smooth outer wall was made of an unknown metal.
“It’s fascinating… I’ve never seen this architectural style before.”
For a moment, Adeshan momentarily forgot the presence of the two people. From beside her, Ronan’s whisper reached her.
“I’m sorry, Adeshan. ,third place isn’t bad, right?”
“Huh?”
Snap!
Ronan unsheathed Lamancha. Adeshan’s form twisted and disappeared. Shullifen spoke.
“So, You two weren’t teaming up.”
“It’s a rough spot for a pretty girl to be in.”
“A reasonable judgment.”
Swoosh!
Shullifen drew his sword. Looking closely, it was a different sword than before. Enigmatic characters were engraved on the blade. The tension was palpable.
“The sword looks good. Did Doron make it?”
“That’s right. It can’t reach the Pale Road’s level though.”
“That’s good enough.”
They retreated, maintaining a distance of ten steps, just like in the arena. When Ronan pulled the hilt of his sword, the thin blade of Lamancha was revealed. With a twist of his wrist, Ronan spoke.
“Well then, shall we start?”
A moment of silence hung in the air. In an instant, the two figures vanished from sight. Ronan and Shullifen collided precisely at the midpoint.
Clang!
The sharp metallic sound tore through the wind.
Shullifen said, “Now, show me everything you’ve got this time.”
The two blade spirits met, pressing against each other. Ronan remained silent. Shullifen’s mouth opened again.
“I’ll do the same.”
At that moment, mana in the shape of wind wrapped around Shullifen’s blade. Having sensed the approaching storm sword, Ronan cursed under his breath.
Clang!
Shullifen, who had widened the distance, fired the blade energy towards Ronan.
“You crazy bastard…!”
The blade energy was broader than a crescent, closer to a half-moon shape. Ronan swung his sword diagonally. The split blade energy fell to his sides.
Kwaahh!
A whirlwind with a radius of 5 meters burst forth from Ronan’s sides.
