＜ 102. Baeksuje (2) ＞
#102
“It’s the first time a doppelganger is being exhibited in public. It’s all about a pair of alpha and omega.”
“Dopple…what?”
Ronan frowned upon hearing the word doppelganger. It was something that came out of a fairy tale book that Iril told me when I was young. An unidentified creature that changes its appearance at will.
“Did it really exist?”
“…I really didn’t know. So you don’t know about that ridiculous ability?”
“ability? Changing your face?”
“yes. However, the doppelganger reads the mind of the opponent and changes his appearance. Alpha is loved by the subject, Omega is hated. Isn’t it interesting?”
“What?”
Ronan’s face hardened. Marya continued, twisting her hair.
“It reveals a secret that you didn’t even know you had. No one of our age will pass by.”
“…to turn into something you hate?”
“It was. What, are you interested in Omega, not Alpha?”
“What do you do when you know who you love? It’s useless.”
“Hey, you did well. I’ll just take this, right?”
read from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Marya pursed her lips. Either way, Ronan’s attention was focused on the Omega Doppelganger. Although he was dissatisfied with everything, there was only one object to which the grand expression of hatred could be applied.‘…it wouldn’t be bad for the purpose of capturing your heart.’
For a moment, Ahayute’s pale face flashed through his mind. That alone made my forehead feel hot. Suddenly, a question popped up.
‘What happened?’
read from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Marya treated the existence of a doppelganger almost as common sense, but she had never heard of it in her previous life. If there was such a mysterious creature, it would have surely come up and down in the rumors of the poachers-turned-comrades.Ronan was in the midst of trouble. Marya, who patted his shoulder with her head, let out a small laugh.
“Fufu, anyway, even because of the doppelganger, this festival will definitely be held. It smells like money.”
“Smell of money?”
“yes. During the festival, students can open a store. You already have it big.”
In the meantime, Marya was thinking of doing business. Now it wasn’t surprising. After all, the person who became the richest man in the empire had a different mindset.
He said that the size of the top of the caravel was several times larger than when he first saw it. It was thanks to the success of the blacksmith Doron’s monopoly of the sale of the scraps of arms and the money he earned in the Baidian Mountains.
‘Ha-kun Jang.’
I didn’t even water it, but it was like seeing a wild wild flower growing well on its own. I haven’t been paying much attention to it lately, but I’ve been playing my role very well. Both as a merchant and as a warrior.
Ronan, who suddenly smiled proudly, stroked Marya’s hair. It was the moment when the callus-studded palm touched the top of the head. With her eyes wide open, she backed away in horror.
“Gee, what are you doing now?!”
“Because it’s special.”
“But it’s like this all of a sudden…! What did you eat wrong?!”
read from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Marya, who was already a couple of steps away, stuttered and said. His face turned red like an apple, and he seemed quite surprised. Ronan frowned.“What do you mean by touching her head? I washed my hands.”
“Hey, you’re not saying that…! I haven’t even dried the water yet…!”
read from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Marya couldn’t help but stroked her wet hair. It was funny to say that he touched the head on the subject he was closely attached to first. And it’s already wet.“I am here, Ronan. What’s up?”
squeaky. Then the door of the club opened and Asher entered. As if he had just been attending class, he was holding three or four thick books in his arms. Asher’s gaze suddenly reached the two of them.
“···to?”
“Are you here, cutie?”
read from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Marya smiled awkwardly and waved her hand. Reading the subtle air current, Asher stopped in place. The magician’s unique observation ability grasped the situation in an instant.read from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Marya’s white face was red in mind. Her hair was still dripping with water. Asher, moving her gaze following the drop of water on the floor, noticed that it also led to Ronan.‘lie.’
Asher’s face hardened. Ronan’s shoulders were wet as if they had been hit by the rain.
Ronan, exhausted from the world, sat down at his desk and stared into the air. It was an expression that could not be made only after being extremely exhausted or right after experiencing something ecstatic.
“Uhhh.”
Tears welled up in Asher’s eyes. Books spilled through my weak arms.
This was really too. Asher wiped her eyes with her sleeve and grabbed the doorknob.
“Sorry to disturb you. I will go first.”
“Eh? Where are you going?”
“I, I…”
Asher shook her head. The large eyes were wet as if they were about to pour out water. Ronan frowned.
“Don’t be silly, come here. I’m calling you to give you a present.”
“I’ll get it later.”
“Why is he like this today? Would you like to get hit behind?”
“Uhhh.”
Asher came with a smirk. Ronan pulled out the Vajura from his back pocket and picked it up. The stiff cover and inlay caught my eye as if it had just been bound. It was hard to believe that it had been originally cut and crumpled and in a condition that was nothing more than waste paper.
‘I feel bad. It’s definitely forbidden.’
I injected sparkling mana just in case, and this happened. Anyway, it was mana whose identity was unknown. Ashel, who received the Vajura, tilted her head.
“Hey, what is this?”
“It’s your favorite magic book. Read it because it was so hard to find.”
“Is the book all black?”
Asher opened her eyes and began to turn the pages. Ronan nodded his head, seeing how well they fit together.
‘Someone who knows how to use a knife should wield it.’
As Ronan, no matter how hard he tried, he could not understand Vajura. It was not simply that the content was difficult or that there were a lot of unknown words. The knowledge contained in the book itself felt like rejection.
So Ronan handed the Vajura to the clever Asher. It’s because it’s frustrating what he’s doing, but because he was a good guy with a single head.
One day, he might understand Vajura and get his hands on infinite power or something. An exclamation broke out from Asher’s mouth, who had been flipping through the pages in an instant.
“Dude, that’s great. How could such a magical system…!”
“Huh?”
“Lo, Ronan. Where the hell did you get this book…?”
Asher’s voice was trembling. It hadn’t even been a minute since I handed over the book.
“…can you read it?”
“Ugh, yes… I still interpreted the first chapter as a public opinion.”
“Translate?”
Asher nodded. He explained that everything written on Vajura was encrypted. It was also because of the strange sensation Ronan felt. Only those who interpreted mana logic could read the text and see what was hidden.
“So, to be honest, it’s incredibly difficult. It’s a structure that gets harder the further you go.”
“Are you unable to read?”
“Well, it’s not that much… If you give me time, I think I’ll be able to solve it somehow. Of course, deciphering the password and understanding the content are two different things…”
“You are better than the lord. Not a joke, for real.”
Ronan chuckled. I really didn’t know that I could read Vajura. One day, when I came into the club, there was nothing more I could hope for unless Asher, whose eyes were dyed black, was not standing on the corpses of the members.
‘Everyone is doing well.’
The corners of Ronan’s lips rose suddenly. My co-workers were doing better than I could have imagined.
Not only these two, but also Braum and Ophelia. Even the unlucky Schlieffen must have been getting stronger by repeating his own efforts. Ronan stood up with his knees bent and looked back at Marya.
“Marya. It’s easy, but let’s have a dalian.”
“Uh, now?”
“ok. My body is itching, so I can’t do it. Follow me.”
“Come on, wait!”
Ronan grabbed Marya’s wrist and dragged her outside. Assel, who was immersed in Vajura, completely forgot the existence of the two and concentrated only on reading. Before long, two voices were heard from the side of the training ground.
“Ah! Where did you trip over?!”
“Get your mind right. The sword is slower.”
The crowing of insects could be heard through the half-open window. Dusk twilight covered the campus wide. The tumultuous day ended just like that.
****
Time passed quickly. As Baeksu Festival approached, Phileon’s mood increased noticeably.
“It’s really not long now. Oh my God, I thought I would be able to directly participate in the Baeksu Festival that I had only heard of.”
“Is that Manticore coming from last time? uh…”
Wherever I went on campus, I could hear the news about the festival. Each of the students discussed the topic of animals they liked or wanted to see, and the story blossomed.
“I want to go with my boyfriend. If you don’t change into me, I’ll just kill you.”
“Keuk, I went to the Omega doppelganger, didn’t it turn into you?”
The most popular was the doppelganger. There was no student who hated the mysterious creature that reads and transforms the minds of others. The fact that the Phileon Academy was the first place to be opened to the public also inspired the students’ self-esteem.
“Animal biscuits… the stall has become a balloon shop… cutie, what do you have left?”
“Gee, I think there are only street portraits left.”
“right. You saved someone, but you couldn’t save the easel? Let’s go!”
“Go, go with me!”
read from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Marya started preparing for the opening of the store by mobilizing all the people she knew. The festival-goers would never have dreamed that she owned nine different stores selling different things.But even in the midst of that, there were bound to be those who didn’t enjoy it.
The night before the Baeksuje Festival.
The first arena was packed with people even when it was supposed to be empty. Adeshan asked in a trembling voice.
“Lo, Ronan. do you really Wouldn’t that be too many?”
“It’s okay, old man. This is the only way to improve your skills.”
To be precise, only Ronan and Adeshan could be called human. Knights in full body armor surrounded Ronan. Originally, he was a magic engineer, a training tool that only 3rd graders or older could use.
“Well then… do you?”
Through the thin gap in the helmet, a blue light was leaking out. It was the same kind of Lord Madoros he faced during the entrance exam. Adeshan closed her eyes and chanted a spell that moved the knights.
“···in action.”
At that moment, the eyes of the knights all at once changed to red. Ronan quickly rolled to the side. Kaga River! Nine blades smashed into his place.
Instead of facing head-on, Ronan dealt with the knights mainly for evasion or defense. Whoo! Glittering knives narrowly penetrated between Ronan’s limbs. After confirming that the knights had gathered in one place, Ronan rolled his right foot.
“Eat!”
thud! A hemispherical wave spread out around him. Shiny roots stuck to the legs of the knights within range. Coogong! thud! The knights that lost their balance collided with each other and fell.
“Come on, success!”
Adeshan clapped and shouted. It’s only been a few days, but I’ve improved a lot. 👌👌👌👌👌 Ronan fired his sword at the disabled knights.
Knights who suffered more than the limit of damage stopped working. Ronan smirked as he saw that the roots were attached to all nine.
“Heh heh… damn… heh, finally.”
read from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Mana was almost depleted, but it didn’t matter. Because the important thing was whether there was an achievement or not. Ronan took a deep breath and sat down.“Oh my gosh… I’m going to die…”
“great job.”
He was spending all his time honing his second core and his copied aurors. Fortunately, the growth rate itself was not that slow.
Again, Ronan was growing much faster than his mana. Is this what it feels like to awaken the mana of the shadows? Adeshan, who looked around the fallen knights, put her hands together and admired it.
“It’s really great. Such an achievement in just a fortnight!”
“Heo Eok… it’s thanks to senior… Was the balance okay this time?”
“Yes. But I was feeling a little excited. I think it would be ok to lower the output a little.”
Ronan nodded at Adeshan’s advice. It certainly seemed like it when I heard it.
“It’s true… hoo, thank you.”
“Fufu, I’m glad I could help.”
Adeshan laughed. She knew Ronan’s secret that she was the only one who could copy Aurors. Ronan decided to reveal it after deliberation.
“Will I be able to copy everything from Instructor Nabirose someday?”
“Damn it, I can’t even afford it yet. Right now, the root of this tree cannot be properly handled.”
“I will help you. Let’s do it step by step.”
“Hey, thank you.”
Ronan grinned and sat down. The dark ceiling caught my eye. There was no one there, so every time I spoke, a voice rang out.
Adeshan was using his unique insight to aid Ronan’s growth. Most of her advice, based on advanced insights, has been very helpful. Adeshan hesitated for a moment, then crouched down next to Ronan.
“From tomorrow on, you’re white. Time goes so fast.”
“Iknow, right.”
“It’s amazing. It feels like what will happen over ten years since I met you is happening all at once.”
“It’s my mood.”
Ronan said dryly. Adeshan only smiled softly, but didn’t say anything in return. After a moment’s silence, she opened her mouth.
“…Ronan, are you going to only train during the festival?”
“Um… well. Would you like to watch it from time to time? There are things I want to see.”
“I see.”
There was silence again. It was so quiet that I could hear the dust floating around. Adeshan, who had been hesitating, opened his mouth carefully.
“Then… maybe with me…”
It was the moment she was about to say something. bang! Suddenly, the door to the arena opened wide and the lights that had been turned off came on at once. A familiar voice rang out.
“It’s amazing. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”
“Kyo, Instructor?!”
Adeshan, startled, stood up. Ronan looked at where the voice came from. A woman with a familiar outline stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. Nabirose continued.
“Last time, you rubbed your legs in class, and now you are even secretly dating? You are bold for your age.”
“Mi, it’s a secret meeting…! It’s not like that…”
“What happen?”
Ronan put the La Mancha in and stood up. To take it as a joke, Nabi Rose’s expression was not serious. She looked at the two of them for a moment, then sighed.
“…if it’s you, you’ll be fine. The doppelgangers are gone.”
