Chapter 85: Beyond Spring into Summer (2)

Chapter 85: Beyond Spring into Summer (2)

“Give me your sword.”

Her voice carried an inexplicable sense of awe. Ronan shrugged and handed over Lamancha.

As soon as Navirose grasped the hilt, the crimson mana burst forth like blood rushing from a wound.

“What the...!”

Ronan stepped back in shock. It looked as though the sword was dripping blood. The mana that flowed out was so dense that it could be mistaken for a liquid, it was that concentrated.

It was on a completely different scale from the time with Valzac. The crimson mana continued to pour out relentlessly. In no time, the mana covered the floor of the arena, rising up to the ankles of the students.

“Ugh! What is this?”

“Blood...?”

“I feel sick...”

The students were bewildered. Lamancha’s sword spirit was emitting a menacing crimson light that was far from its original color. Navirose, who had been observing the phenomenon with fascination, muttered quietly.

“Ferocious, yet flexible. It truly resembles its owner.”

“Damn, what have you done to my sword?”

Instead of answering, she tightened her grip on the hilt. The mana that had been flowing throughout the arena began to be absorbed back into Lamancha. In a matter of seconds, a clean floor was revealed. Navirose turned to Ronan after diverting her gaze from the sword spirit.

“Let me start by saying that what you are seeing now is the true form of this sword.”

“You mean that flashy thing earlier?”

“Yes. When I infused mana, it awakened the hidden power within.”

Navirose’s eyes sparkled with interest. She looked like a child receiving a new toy. She turned Lamancha in a full circle and then spoke.

“Very well-crafted weapons add their own color to the user’s attacks, like my Uruza or the Pale Road of the Duke Gracia. Your sword is no different.”

“It seems like our little genius used some sort of power after all.”

“That’s right. It has the potential to be on par with some of the legendary swords. Let me show you just how little you knew about this sword.”

She suddenly swung the sword as if targeting a scarecrow. Along the narrow trajectory, a liquid-like Sword Qi shot out.

However, it was quite different from what Valzac had displayed. Valzac’s Sword Qi had been like a deluge, spreading wide like a bucket of water thrown. In contrast, Navirose’s sword Qi was more like a rapid torrent, pouring in a straight line.

Kwaang!

The torrent of Sword Qi swept up the scarecrow, uprooting it from the ground. But the Sword Qi didn’t stop there.

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

Ronan and Navirose’s eyes widened simultaneously. The torrent of Sword Qi, still extending straight, struck the wall behind them.

Kwaandkwaang!

A sudden deafening explosion grabbed the attention of all the students.

“Aaargh! What now?”

“Professor!”

Dust settled shortly. Part of the damaged wall was exposed. The thick wall, more than a meter in thickness, resembled a cliff that had weathered the waves for centuries. It was marred by numerous large and small holes and cracks, like spiderwebs.

“Oh no...”

It was a show of tremendous power. All the days of fighting with half-hearted efforts seemed unjust now. The mere thought that he could one day use such a technique made Ronan’s hands tremble.

But what was important now was not that. It seemed like the wall was on the verge of collapsing.

‘It’ll crumble with even a breeze, won’t it?’

Ronan was about to make that kind of joke when suddenly, a part of the wall that had been severely damaged collapsed.

“Ah.”

The students screamed. A refreshing breeze ruffled their hair. Beyond the collapsed wall lay a beautiful grassy field. Ronan and Navirose stood still for a long time, gazing at the sight.

Navirose spoke.

“It’s harder to control the power than I thought.”

“What do we do now?”

“We’ll have to fix it later. Can’t be helped.”

It’s fortunate that there are no adepts here. She sighed softly. Navirose handed Lamancha back to Ronan. As he received the hilt, the crimson glow on the sword spirit returned to its original black color.

He took a moment to catch his breath and then turned back to face the scarecrow. There was no sign of fatigue on the scarecrow’s body, which had to endure for five minutes.

‘This won’t do.’

He needed to come up with a new approach. Transferring mana from his body to the sword was fine, but holding it there was the problem. His meager mana reserves couldn’t handle the constant consumption of mana by the sword.

Nevertheless, drinking cold water seemed to cool his head a bit. That’s when it hit him.

‘Cooling down?’

A sudden, lightning-fast idea flashed through Ronan’s mind. The idea that started with cold water began to evolve in his mind.

Cooling down hot things. Heating up cold things. Draining excess. Filling deficiencies. Ronan finally arrived at a solution and burst into laughter as if he had discovered a miracle.

“Just use it up and fill it!”

Mana exercises always required a specific posture, but Ronan was too focused on conventional thinking. He vaguely remembered a warning not to change his posture while practicing, but he didn’t care. He took a deep breath and raised the corners of his lips.

“I can do this.”

It felt unfamiliar, but not impossible. Soon, a strange sound like “Suaaah” began to escape Ronan’s lips. He could feel mana leaving and being replenished at the same time.

“Hmm?”

Though more than two minutes had passed, the crimson glow on Lamancha’s sword didn’t fade. Navirose noticed that Ronan was simultaneously consuming mana and practicing, and she chuckled.

“Seems like you’ve discovered a way to do both.”

No visible or audible changes were happening around them. Only the sensation of mana circulating between the sword and his body remained. How much time had passed? Ronan snapped back to reality when he felt someone tap his shoulder.

“Professor?”

“...Time’s up.”

“What? Already?”

Subjectively, it didn’t feel like more than three minutes had passed. Navirose silently flipped the pocket watch and held it out in front of him. The clock, which had started at 12 o’clock, now pointed to 13 minutes past the hour. Ronan’s eyes widened.

“13 minutes...!”

“Now, while maintaining that feeling, swing the sword. You should be able to do it.”

Ronan nodded. There was no need to respond further. The sword and his hand disappeared from view.

Swish!

The sound of the sword cut through the air after a considerable amount of time had passed.. Navirose nodded in approval.

“Excellent.”

Creak!

Dozens of lines appeared on the scarecrow’s body. Ronan sheathed Lamancha, and the body of the scarecrow that had been torn to pieces collapsed.

“Heh.”

Ronan laughed triumphantly. It was a speed he had never experienced before, different from merely following the flow of mana. If he could maintain this state, there would be nothing he couldn’t cut. Navirose commented,

“Finally, you did it. Can you maintain that state in a real battle?”

“...For a few minutes.”

“That’s good enough. We’re done for today.”

Silence enveloped them. Neither of them spoke. Navirose was just turning to leave. Ronan, who had been standing still for a while, grabbed her by both shoulders and shouted, “Navirose!

“Fuck! Did you see that, Navirose?! Did you see what I did?”

“Yeah, you did well.”

“It’s all thanks to you! Come on, let’s go, Navirose. I’ll give you a piggyback ride and carry around Philleon!”

“It’s your achievement. And call me Professor.”

However, despite Navirose’s restraint, Ronan didn’t stop. His body was completely dominated by the belated sense of accomplishment. He didn’t stop laughing, even after he was grabbed by both ears as he lunged to pick Navirose up.

“Hey!.”

Seeing his comical behavior, Navirose couldn’t help but smile faintly. Just as she was reluctantly considering lifting him once, the ground near the collapsed wall suddenly began to tremble. An unexpected event occurred so quickly that they had no time to react.

The ground seemed to rise up as if something was filling in the collapsed hole. Without any gaps, it restored the wall, even the bas-relief that had originally been carved into it. Navirose frowned.

“This magic...”

“It’s been a while, Navirose.”

At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind. Ronan and Navirose both turned their heads simultaneously. A lean man stood bathed in the setting sun’s rays. Seeing his ominous appearance, Navirose furrowed her brow.

“Jhordin?”