Academy’s Genius Swordmaster

Chapter 217

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 217: Reunion

“Elysia.”

Ronan’s mouth fell open slightly. Her silver hair and eyes with ruby-like pupils were features that one could never forget after seeing them just once. Adeshan asked hesitantly.

“…Do you know her?”

“Probably.”

“R-Ronan? Where are you going?”

Ronan didn’t answer. He moved as if mesmerized by the lantern of an anglerfish.

They met. They had finally met.

As Elysia turned her head, her eyes met Ronan’s. Standing still, he put his hand around his mouth and shouted.

“Elysia! I’ve come to meet you!”

His voice echoed like it hit a cliff. Elysia, upon hearing her name, raised an eyebrow. She stopped caressing Hyran.

-Whoosh!

Suddenly, Hyran spread its wings and took off. Despite the gusts of wind strong enough to push one back, nobody paid attention except Adeshan. Ronan approached her and explained the purpose of his journey to the Sea of Ghost.

“My name is Ronan. That building in the sky… what was it called? Drimor. I came here after finding the map in Drimor. I’m not sure if it was left by my father or you…”

A fairly decent explanation followed. It contained only brief and essential information, enough for Adeshan, who was hearing the story for the first time, to understand the context. Every time she inadvertently heard secrets of the world, she felt as if her shoulders stiffened, as if she were shrinking away.

“Ha, I never thought such things would happen in the sky…”

However, Elysia stood still, showing no reaction other than blinking. It was suspiciously still, almost as if she had been switched with a wax doll.

He debated whether to use force to pull her back, even if it seemed a bit rude. Suddenly, Elysia turned her back and began to walk away. Ronan’s eyes widened.

“Wait a moment!”

Reflexively drawing his sword, Ronan activated his aura. The streaks of sunset-colored light shot towards the cliff, creating a surreal scene once again, mixing with the aurora.

But Elysia had already disappeared behind the cliff. Ronan laid Aradan’s body on the ground, reinforced with mana, causing his thigh to swell as if it would burst.

“Damn it, I can’t let this slip away.”

“R-Ronan!”

Thump! Ronan leapt from her spot, leaving a confused Adeshan behind. He couldn’t understand why they were calling him out and then avoiding him now. This time, he had to catch her no matter what.

“Damn it, how far did she go?”

With only five leaps, Ronan reached the cliff. Elysia’s figure was already so far away that it couldn’t be seen clearly. However, footprints at regular intervals marked the path she had taken.

“I told you to stop!”

Although it seemed reasonable to wonder if such speed was possible, there was no choice but to pursue her determinedly. A bizarre chase ensued. Crash! Boom! Every time Ronan pounded the ground with each leap, large shards of ice flew up.

The strange pursuit continued for nearly an hour. The distance between Ronan and Elysia did not inexplicably narrow. Even when he thought he had caught up, he found himself far away when he came to his senses.

The icy landscape flew past rapidly on either side. As Ronan was about to leap again, he stopped in his tracks.

“Huff… Wh-What’s this?”

Elysia’s figure was nowhere to be seen. Even the footprints that should have been marked on the snow were completely gone. Breathing heavily, he grabbed his forehead.

“This can’t be happening…”

He could boast that he had never once taken his eyes off her. Missing her was out of the question. Even the perfectly fine footprints were gone.

While pondering the strange phenomenon, Ronan was interrupted by a voice that sounded like it was on the verge of collapsing from behind.

“I… I caught you…!”

“Adeshan.”

Thump! Finally landing next to Ronan, she gasped for breath, her knees trembling. Carrying two backpacks in front and back slowed her down.

“Sorry. It was such an important matter.”

“Haah… No, it’s okay. It could be possible. Why did you suddenly stop?”

“Elysia disappeared. There’s no way this could happen.”

He even waved his sword in the air, wondering if it was an illusion spell. But nothing happened except the sound of the blade cutting through the wind. Adeshan, who had been fiddling with her frozen hair, opened her mouth.

“Hmm, it seems like a magic illusion, would you like to try swinging the sword? Since you can cut mana.”

“I just tried, but nothing happened.”

“Really? That’s strange… I can feel mana surrounding us though.”

Adeshan’s murmurs were full of conviction. Ronan’s face became more serious. If she said so with such conviction, there must be a reason.

‘Is this a different type of magic than before?’

Taking a deep breath, Ronan focused his senses. In the gradually expanding and sharpening field of view, things that hadn’t been visible before began to appear. Mana traces, similar to those seen in his father’s room, shimmered bluish-green on the ground.

‘This…’

The footprints, which had been sparse and scattered, were now clumped together and flickered like a campfire about three footsteps away. It seemed faint before he activated his aura.

It seemed like there was something to be done. Stepping forward, Ronan swiftly plunged the tip of his sword into the swirling mana. Plop! Along with the sensation of dipping a sword into water, the surrounding landscape began to change.

“Hah. It’s real.”

Ronan chuckled dryly. The landscape of the ice field subtly changed, and Elysia’s interrupted footprints reappeared. A triangular structure resembling an entrance to some facility emerged not far away.

Elysia stood in front of it, with a somewhat peculiar, translucent turtle in front of her.

The red turtle standing between Elysia and the two of them was as huge as if five ogres were clustered together. Its shell, rising like a peak, glowed with hardening lava-like intensity.

A long, wrinkled neck supported a head that looked down on the two of them. Seeing that, Adeshan exclaimed in shock.

“Th-That’s!”

Having diligently attended classes on elemental spirits, she knew. The turtle before her was the high-ranking fire spirit, Bayardo. An incarnation of fire capable of incinerating villages and mountains with just a yawn.

Though not as formidable as Hyran, most elementalists were beings of such high caliber that mere mortals couldn’t even meet their gaze. Was that also a spirit controlled by Elysia? Bayardo, who had been staring them down, opened its mouth.

“Hwaaaam…”

“Fuck.”

Ronan cursed. Flames were boiling deep inside the gaping hole in Bayardo’s head. He stood in front of Adeshan and shouted.

“Damn it, kneel!”

“Uh, okay!”

Adeshan complied. At the same time, flames erupted from Bayardo’s mouth. Whoosh! The viscous flames were made purely of mana.

Ronan drew his sword and stood it upright at the same time. Whoosh! The fire split to the left and right and passed by the two of them. The intense heat made it impossible to keep their eyes open.

“Urgh…”

It was hard to open their eyes. At that moment, Ronan realized that it was this turtle, the one who had incinerated Barka’s secret army. Bayardo had burned them, and Hyran had taken care of the aftermath.

“…What are we supposed to do now?”

Bayardo seemed to have no intention of stopping its fire-breathing. Ronan gritted his teeth. Whatever the intention was, if this was a prank, it had gone too far.

“You should do it in moderation!”

In an instant, the blade of Lamacha turned crimson. Ronan, charging forward, swung his sword directly at the creature. Swish! The flying strike, slicing through the flames, hit Bayardo squarely in the face. A crescent moon-shaped blade split the wide face, and Bayardo’s head fell backwards.

“Mwaaaaa…”

Thud! Bayardo’s body tilted and collapsed. Its corporeal form, made purely of mana like the flames, dissipated into particles. Turning hastily, Ronan grabbed Adeshan’s shoulders and asked.

“Adeshan, are you okay?!”

“Y-Yeah. I’m fine.”

Fortunately, Adeshan didn’t seem to be injured. Unexpectedly being called by name, she blushed. As Bayardo disappeared, Elysia, who was behind him, revealed herself.

“This damn bitch, what does she want with me now…”

Ronan, gripping his sword tightly, was about to shout something. Suddenly, Elysia lowered her head. A beautiful voice flowed from under her white hair.

“Nice to meet you, Ronan.”

“…You know me?”

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Ronan’s eyes widened at the unexpected response. Elysia’s demeanor was polite, as if addressing a superior. Raising her head back up, Elysia continued.

“Yes. I’ve known you since you were born. And congratulations on passing the test so splendidly.”

“Test?”

“Yes. What you experienced earlier was a process necessary to prove your identity. As someone who has inherited his blood, you can find and cut down mana that others cannot see. It is my role to guide you, who have come this far in search of answers”

Elysia said she had been waiting for Ronan to come for a very long time. Her lack of hesitation or pretense in speech and behavior seemed to stem from that.

She explained that the illusion magic and the fight with Bayardo were all part of the test. Ronan, exhaling a light sigh, gestured towards Adeshan behind him.

“Well, if that’s the reason, it doesn’t matter. And she’s fine too.”

“Really?”

“It’s a relief. If things had gone wrong, she would have died here.”

His tone was calm, but his demeanor was not. Elysia raised an eyebrow. There was so much vigor oozing from Ronan that it made her fingertips tingle.

It seemed that blood couldn’t be fooled after all. With a small, muttered remark, she lowered her head again.

“…Forgive me for my rudeness. I was only concerned about Ronan’s test and couldn’t pay attention to your companion.”

“It’s okay now. But what is this building for?”

Ronan looked up at the triangular structure. A metal door was attached vertically to the ground. It gave off a similar impression to the ruins seen in Dainhar. Elysia explained.

“It’s a warehouse for storing plant seeds.”

“Seeds?”

“Yes. One of the ruins built during the brightest era of the world. It was built to prepare for destruction but was never used. Now I’ve modified it to…”

Suddenly, Elysia trailed off. She seemed to have unintentionally mentioned a painful past. A faint melancholy hung over her beautiful face. Eventually, she spoke no more and turned away.

“…The introduction was long. Anyway, please follow me for now. There’s someone you need to meet.”

“Someone I need to meet?”

Instead of answering, Elysia operated the mechanical device attached to the iron gate. Buttons numbered from 1 to 9 were densely packed on the square metal plate.

Beep– Beep– Beep– As Elysia pressed the buttons in a specific order, the entrance opened. A long, narrow staircase led underground. Round lights were spaced evenly along the sides of the staircase, much brighter and easier on the eyes than torches. Ronan raised an eyebrow.

“Are those magical lights?”

“No. They’re items made by modifying a material called a light-emitting diode. It’s also a practical technology.”

“Light… emitting?”

He couldn’t quite grasp what she was saying. The two followed Elysia. Ronan, seeing the iron door from the side, exclaimed in amazement.

“Why is it so thick?”

The door, made of an unknown metal, looked sturdy enough to withstand even a dragon’s stampede. Adeshan, who was originally interested in such things, also sparkled beside him.

“Wow…”

Anyway, the three continued on. It took nearly 20 minutes to descend the stairs. After passing through about three doors similar to the entrance, this time, a large, wide corridor appeared. It was brightly lit like daylight, probably using the same luminescent material mentioned earlier.

“Elysia, I have a question…”

“Later. Meeting him comes first.”

Although there were countless questions, Elysia didn’t respond to any of them. She just coldly promised to explain after meeting someone. While it was good to focus on the main topic, it felt a bit rushed. Greeting as she pleased, testing as she pleased, and now dragging him underground as she pleased.

‘Well, she’ll explain later.’

With no other options, Ronan silently followed her. About 30 minutes passed. Elysia, stopping in front of a certain gate, turned to the two and said.

“We’re here. Absolutely no causing disturbances or touching anything.”

Ronan raised an eyebrow. This door seemed different from the ones they had seen so far. It was much larger and seemed to be important, judging by the things attached to it.

Elysia operated the buttons on the wall. Fssshh… the thick iron door opened to the sides.

A white gas, the composition of which was unknown, seeped out like mist. Ronan and Adeshan’s eyes widened as they saw the interior.

“This…!”

Inside the vast room, filled with all kinds of machinery. A hazy glow filled the space, and various colored lines crawled on the floor like the roots of trees. The blue light cluster emanated from the glass tube in the center of the room.

Inside the liquid-filled glass tube floated a man. His face couldn’t be seen as he leaned against the door, but his back was surprisingly familiar.

‘No way.’

Suddenly, a shiver ran down Ronan’s spine. His heart began to race. As Elysia closed the door, she spoke.

“Greet him. He’s our eternal Savior and the founder of Nebula Class. And…”

She paused for a moment. It was only for a moment, but it felt like an eternity. Wiping her lips, she spoke again.

“Ronan, your father.”

[TL/N: OMG it’s finally happening!!! Ronan finally found his father who went out to get some milk :ooo]

[Translator – Peptobismol]