Academy’s Genius Swordsman

42. Haeju (1)

#42

“Ronan… sir?”

Ronan remembered her. Magic and freshman senior. Erzebet de Acalusia.

She was a young girl of the Acalusia family, who treated those without talent as sheep and encouraged them to rule as lions. Seeing the two distorted expressions on their faces, Adeshan widened her eyes.

“uh? Did you two know each other?”

“Yeah, well… for now.”

Ronan nodded shakily. Erzebet’s face was so red that I thought it might have exploded like that. Adeshan, who grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her closer, grinned.

“It’s good that you have the knowledge. Our Eri will guide you well. Because he’s the first-year head of the magic department.”

“Uh, my sister….. the name Eri is a bit…”

“yes?”

“Ah, no…then… shall we go?”

Erzebet greeted Adeshan in a small way and then walked forward. Ronan chuckled. He looked as awkward as Asher, who spit after smoking.

Ronan remembered her appearance at the banquet on her first day of school. He threw Braum, the second-class second-class seat, on the floor just because he interrupted conversation.

The lines she snorted and uttered still remained strong in Ronan’s mind.

– It’s always funny to see a flock of sheep running around. Isn’t it?

Such a young lady clings to Adeshan, the sheep of sheep, and trembles in love. Did you catch any embarrassing weaknesses? Adeshan said, looking down at Ronan worriedly.

“Nothing will happen. Bye.”

“thanks. Later, if a certain black goat comes to you with a knife, you will think it is me.”

Ronan followed Erzebet as she walked. She led Ronan into the woods to the west of the lot. Twenty minutes had already passed, but she didn’t say anything while walking.

In the forest where even the road had been cut off, only the sound of birds could be heard. Ronan opened his mouth as he looked around at the increasingly gloomy landscape.

“I get it. You’re going to kill me and bury me here, Eri. In return for seeing things you shouldn’t have seen.”

“…it can’t be. And could you please stop calling me by that name?”

Finally, I was speechless. Erzebet turned her head and opened her axe eyes and glared at Ronan. Ronan asked with a grin.

“Then I’m happy. How did you become close with Adeshan-senpai? Last time, the sheep trembled and said what to do.”

“Hey, you don’t need to know that…! And Adeshan is different from other sheep.”

It seemed obvious what had happened between the two. Her face had returned to her original white color, but her ears were still red as if it had been burned.

It is different from other sheep by the way. You didn’t know that, did you? Ronan thought about Adeshan’s potential for a moment, then nodded.

“It is not. But where are you really going?”

“This is Professor Secret’s office. You are in charge of [Curse and Heal] in the Magic Department.”

“Nimi, can your main job be a forest keeper? Whose office is in this place?”

“Because he is such a special person. Few students themselves know where the office is.”

Ronan narrowed his brow. The adage that there are many people who like magic, but no one likes wizards was not for nothing. Erzebet spoke.

“Well, I heard the news.”

“What news?”

“You said you saved the artisans of Gran Cappadocia?”

Erzebet slowly slowed down and then started walking side by side with Ronan. Ronan tilted his head.

“Eh? How do you know that?”

“Fufu, it’s difficult to underestimate Akalusia’s intelligence.”

Erzebet said triumphantly. The confidence in his voice seemed to have returned to his original form now.

“Actually, everyone who knows me already knows. It wasn’t usually a big deal, was it? Gran Cappadocia itself was a secret place, so it was a news item, but it just wasn’t.”

“Is it that much known?”

“Sure. You’ll probably be busy for a while. There is no way for the noble families or from each class to sit still after hearing Ronan-sama’s saga. They will probably try their best to recruit Ronan-sama in advance.”

Erzebet even gave information that the Imperial Knights were paying attention to Ronan. Ronan clicked his tongue in displeasure. In the yard with so many things to take care of, it was only going to get messy.

‘I need to organize my work.’

After walking another ten minutes, a small hut caught my eye. A yellow light was streaming through the arched windows. Erzebet, standing in front of the door, suddenly reached out to Ronan.

“Take my hand.”

“yes?”

“I can’t help it…! What if I need more than two people to get in?”

Erzbet didn’t say anything, but she got angry on her own. Ronan did as he was told. She shrugged her shoulders for a moment and opened the door. Ronan, seeing the inside of the hut, raised his eyebrows.

“It’s very homely for an office.”

The appearance of an extremely ordinary farmhouse unfolded before my eyes. Dilapidated dining table, boiling kettle in the kitchen. In a rocking chair in front of the fireplace, an old woman was dozing off.

Ronan asked, pointing to the old woman.

“Is that person Professor Secret?”

“no. You have to stay still. Did you know?”

Erzebet took Ronan’s hand and approached the old woman. The floor creaked with every step, but the old woman was dozing as if deaf. Erzebet muttered like a whisper.

“Kashpa. in Luna. Delphirim.”

Then the sleeping old woman woke up. The old woman who turned her head toward the two of them slowly opened her mouth. Ronan spit out cursing at the endlessly widened upper and lower jaws.

“Fuck.”

The old woman’s mouth grew large enough to swallow the two of them in an instant. Inside the wrinkled mouth, there was only an empty darkness.

Ronan reflexively placed his hand on the hilt. The bandage that had been wrapped around the sword was cut off at the moment of soaring anticipation. Erzebet pressed the back of Ronan’s hand.

“it’s okay.”

Ronan reluctantly let go of the hilt. thump. The old woman swallowed them both. For a moment, my eyes seemed to go dark, but then it became bright again.

“Damn it, what is it?”

Ronan frowned. The old woman and the hut disappeared out of nowhere, and a space like the study of an aristocratic family appeared. A young voice came from somewhere.

“Come on. Erzebet.”

Ronan looked around. In the middle of the colorful library, a little kid was sitting and reading a book.

It was a child with an indistinguishable appearance between male and female, and was wearing clothes that were much larger than his body. Erzebet bowed her head toward the child.

“Hello, Professor Secret. I brought the student I mentioned yesterday.”

‘professor?’

Ronan narrowed his brow. A professor is the kid you would think you were nine years old at first glance?

The child called Professor Secret nodded without taking his eyes off the book.

“okay. You are a child whose face is remembered. Did you use Miss Nabirose’s swordsmanship at the entrance ceremony?”

“Butterfly rose… a sheep?”

Ronan felt goosebumps rising through his arms. No one has ever called her that way in Phileon except for Kratir, the headmaster.

read from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲

More and more I couldn’t understand the current situation. Secret closed the book and stood up.

“You seem to be very confused, so I’ll tell you in the order you’re curious.”

Ronan narrowed his brow. Secret opened his mouth as he looked at Ronan who was bewildered.

“My original age was over eighty. This is my office separazzio. A room where the curse cannot escape. And the reason I’m wearing clothes that don’t fit like this is that every day at sunset, I go back to being an adult.”

“her.”

Ronan chuckled. It was exactly what he was curious about. Secretly approached the bookshelf, looking up and opening her mouth.

“Hmm. Can you plug this in? Second column from the top.”

“Ah yes. That’s right, damn it.”

Ronan did that. It felt like a ghost grabbed my ear and twisted it. Seeing the book put in place, Sekrit smiled.

“Thank you.”

“…it’s nothing.”

“I’m sorry I came to you in such a strange way. Due to the nature of Separachio, there was nothing he could do about it. If you twist the wires as complicated as possible, the curse cannot go out.”

Then I saw no door or window. Suddenly, Secret reached out and asked for a handshake. As Ronan clasped his hands, he happily waved his arms up and down.

“This is Sekrit, who is in charge of the Curse and Haeju subjects. I am happy to see the divinity of martial arts, which I had only heard of through rumors.”

“It’s Ronan. I’ve been wondering since a while ago, why are you like that? What do you like to be your wife?”

Erzebet’s expression hardened as she heard it from behind. Secret, who shed a laugh as if it was funny, opened his mouth.

“Ah… it’s a curse called the Sphinx. It is one of the five curses on me that change my body from day to night. Still, it’s better than the other four curses.”

“Yes?”

Ronan’s face hardened as they shook hands. I wondered if it was okay to leave this author to do my own work.

A nobleman called the master of the curse is under a curse. Isn’t it the same as saying that a doctor who treats baldness is bald? Secret grinned as if reading Ronan’s thoughts.

“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s okay to rest. Because I’m not doing everything on purpose. They are interesting curses in their own way.”

“I don’t know where I should feel relieved.”

“Let’s talk about this… let’s talk about your curse soon. Just stand there.”

right! Secret snapped his fingers in the air. The chalk that came from the corner of the study was held in his hand. Secret took a few minutes to draw a geometric magic circle centered on Ronan.

“What made you realize the curse?”

“What kind of tumor-like monster… um, was it a Curse Eye? As soon as it touched my body, it melted.”

Hearing that, Secret raised his eyebrows. It was a phenomenon that could only be found in the literature.

“Huh, if I had been under a curse that strong, I would have noticed it as soon as I entered… I’m also interested. Oh, don’t move.”

Sacred, who was muttering something and drawing a magic circle, got up from her seat. He rolled up his slack sleeves up to his forearms and placed his hands on Ronan’s back.

“Show yourself.”

The moment Secret had finished speaking, translucent texts came pouring out of Ronan’s body.

“Aww!”

“Nimi, what is all this?”

Ronan let out a swear word. Erzebet, who was taking a step backwards, hit the butt wheel and fell. The letters pouring out like a tidal wave spontaneously floated in the air, reaching the shape of a cylinder.

In the end, a huge cylinder of letters was built around Ronan. Secret laughed.

“I have never seen such a sight in my life. It is a very old curse.”

“An old curse?”

“okay. Its history is as old as fire and prostitution… this is interesting.”

Sekrit explained that it was the realization of the curse in Ronan’s body. Ronan resisted the urge to scream and looked at the texts coming out of his body.

‘Did I have something like this in my body?’

It was a text I had never seen in my life. Had it not been for a certain regularity, I would not have known that it was a letter. Sekrit, who was waving her hands in the air, was muttering as if possessed by something.

“As soon as the Curse Eye touches it, it melts. How the hell did you come up with this design…?”

“I’m fine, right?”

“Wait. I need an analysis. It’s a curse that most people see for the first time.”

Sekrit brought paper and a pen and began to scribble something. He did it for hours before he allowed Ronan to move.

“Damn it, I almost fell off my leg.”

– Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…

The moment Ronan took one step out of the magic circle, all the letters that had embroidered the study disappeared like smoke. Suddenly, the itching in the eyes got worse. Seeing Ronan rubbing his eyes roughly, Erzevet asked worriedly.

“it’s okay? Why are you rubbing your eyes like that?”

“That’s… damn it.”

The tickling went away after a few minutes. Sekrit was staring intently at the paper he had been putting on, without saying a word. Ronan said.

“Am I dying now?”

“Remember that I have five curses on me?”

“Yes? I remember that.”

“Until now, I thought that was the limit of the curse that a human could bear and lead a daily life. Even the slightest curse, when it starts to overlap, it will destroy the body and mind.”

Secret turned around. He looked at Ronan with a serious expression and opened his mouth.

“But now there are ten curses on your body. All of them with a powerful curse. I don’t know how I’ve been living up to this point.”

“I’m mad… so what’s the curse of all that?”

“Three are forbidden. Seven can’t be figured out right now. Forbidden…”

Sekrit paused for a moment and snapped her finger in the air. A translucent barrier separated Erzebet from Ronan. Erzebet, who opened her eyes wide, muttered something on her lips, but no voice came through.

“It’s silent magic. It’s a story that seems to be sensitive.”

“You are more delicate than I thought.”

“Since it is a matter, it has no choice but to do so. Unless my interpretation of the prohibition is wrong… you will not be able to see, let alone manipulate, mana in its natural state.”

Ronan’s eyes widened. It was the moment when the doubts that had haunted him until now were resolved.

‘Yeah, damn it. Something was strange.’

It was Mana’s response that even idiots who couldn’t hold a sword straight could do it. It was good to know that it wasn’t a desperate talent, but I wondered if I should consider this a good thing. Ronan asked.

“Is there any way to solve it?”

“In the original way, I would profess that there is no unsolvable curse…but I am not sure about this time. Most of them are curses whose identity is unknown. Even if it is possible, there is a high possibility that a long study will be required…”

Secret said in a slightly dazed voice. Just by looking at the outside, he was a child who died of grass.

Damn, I can’t even come all the way here. It was the car that Ronan smiled bitterly. Secret, who was staring at the paper, muttered softly.

“…well, I think I can do at least one gold ban.”

“Yes?”

Ronan’s body stiffened. Instead of answering, Sekrit snapped his fingers again. The Silent Magic that had been blocking Erzebet and the two of them disappeared. She said in a rather sharp tone.

“Hey, what kind of conversation did you two have, except for me?”

“Erzebet. Can I lend you a little bit of your mana?”

“yes? My mana?”

Erzebet’s eyes widened. Secret nodded. He picked up the chalk again and started drawing a magic circle on the floor.

“Three, Professor Secret?”

There was no hesitation in Secret’s hand movements that moved the chalk. Three more complex magic circles were drawn than before. Setrit said, pointing to the top of the magic circles in a row.

“done. Would you like to lay your head here, Ronan?”

“You want me to lie down?”

Ronan did that. A ceiling full of strange characters caught my eye.

When I lay down with the magic circle on my head, naturally, the middle magic circle came under my chest and the bottom magic circle came under my feet. Secret said with his back.

“The Haeju method I will try from now on is the Haeju method I developed. It has the side effect of damaging the ego if it fails, but one effect is certain.”

“Damn, is that okay?”

“By the way, curses and harm come with risks. You’ll probably be fine, since you have a strong self-inflicted force. I will make one of your taboos into an imaginary world and project it into your consciousness.”

Ronan frowned. I couldn’t quite understand what he was saying. Secret continued.

“You have to come out of that world by cutting off the curse that binds you. It’s probably like having a realistic dream. Maybe it was thanks to the Curse Eye, but one of the gold medals had weakened considerably…”

“So, you want me to go into my dream and cut the curse and come out? Do you know what it looks like?”

“You can feel it instinctively. It may take a long time, so you should start slowly. Erzebet, put your hands on my head.”

“Yes, yes?”

Secret urged. Erzebet hesitated, and placed a hand on his head. Then Secret put a hand on Ronan’s forehead. Erzebet felt the mana being sucked out and moaned briefly.

“Hey…!”

“Please be patient. This is a spell that consumes a lot of mana.”

Ronan did not understand this bizarre situation at all. Secret opened his mouth with a serious expression.

“Then, let’s begin.”

A spell that sounded like a song flowed from between his lips. It sounded like a lullaby, and it sounded like a tribute to the dead.

Suddenly, Ronan’s eyes darkened. When I opened my eyes again, the two of them were nowhere to be seen.

“here is···.”

The ceiling full of letters disappeared and the sky of a familiar color fell. Ronan slowly got up.

I could see the village built down the hill and the river flowing along the village. A soft whisper escaped from between Ronan’s lips.

“Nim Button?”