＜ 112. Blood soaks sand (3) ＞
#112
“It’s fine. Still, I was curious about the performance.”
Ronan crossed his arms and pulled both hilts at the same time. A black La Mancha and an unseen sword appeared. Schlieffen opened his mouth with his gaze fixed on Ronan’s left hand.
“Was it a dagger? Surprisingly.”
“I also wanted something like this when I first got it.”
Ronan’s new weapon was a dagger. This unfamiliar cutlery, which seems to have a total length of about 30 cm at most, gave an impression that was contrary to La Mancha in many ways.
The sword was curved in a graceful curve. The sword engraved with unknown characters took on a pure white color like the starlight on a winter day. Ronan, who habitually grabbed the dagger by one turn, laughed.
“Damn it, it’s so damn heavy.”
It was as if he was holding a two-handed sword as his shoulders went down. The unusually high weight was also a point in contrast to La Mancha.
If he did not strengthen his muscles with mana, it was difficult to handle it freely. Ronan frowned as he suddenly remembered the time when he received the weapon.
“I can’t remember the name. Didi Khan told me. What is this… already…”
“The sword itself looks good. But what did you do to the hilt?”
Schlieffen looked at the dagger and said. Unlike the pure white sword, the hilt had a blackish black color. Schlieffen noticed that the ominous aura he had felt throughout the trip emanated from there.
Ronan knew it was because he had finished it with a piece of Vajura. Nebula Klazier’s sparkling mana was dripping from the dagger.
“Okay.”
But Ronan shrugged instead of answering. It was too long a story to explain in this situation.
The torch and the shouts were getting closer. For a moment, the wind grew stronger and the clouds that had covered the moon receded. The faces of angry people were revealed.
“There it is! Catch it!”
“Looking at the use of tornadoes, one of them is a wizard. Get rid of him first!”
“Damn, I’m going to get attacked first…!”
There were seven men and three women. As expected, the identity of the group was met by the losers of Dainhar.
In the hordes of thieves, the flashy appearance was proof of that. He had prepared everything and ate the adventurers who challenged Dainhar, so he would have earned a good income with just one or two people.
Schlieffen took a stance. Sita, who was already ready for battle, was also ready to cast blood magic. Ronan, who suddenly walked forward, interrupted Schlieffen.
“What are you doing?”
“Wait a minute. There is something I want to do.”
“What do you want to do?”
“okay. It’s the first weapon I got, so I’ll see if it’s useful. Sita, please wait for a second.”
“Bye.”
Sita absorbed the blood she had been collecting to shoot blood bullets back. Schlieffen reluctantly stepped back. Suddenly, a shout came from the center of the crowd.
“Stone Hand!”
“Five?”
Hearing the chant, Ronan rounds his mouth. It seemed that he was accompanied by a mage to the theme of a swarm of thieves.
Quang! Suddenly, the ground in front of me exploded, and a rocky hand sprang up. The palm, which appeared to be 3m in area, descended toward the two of them.
“You idiots. If I don’t steal, I’ll make a living.”
Ronan spit on the floor and swung La Mancha. A number of strokes were drawn on the surface of the rock. Pussack! The shattered rock hand lost its shape and exploded. The woman’s eyes widened after casting the magic.
“What, what?!”
“It’s you.”
Ronan, who grasped the location of the wizard, threw the dagger. It was heavy and felt like throwing a shot put. Nettle! The white dagger flew towards the woman in a perfect straight line.
“Be careful!”
The man in charge of the vanguard raised his shield and blocked the woman in front. Judging from the quick reaction speed, it seemed that he was quite talented. But that didn’t really matter. Whoops! The dagger that had just broken the shield pierced the man’s neck.
“Kyaak…!”
blood spurted out The sound of the bones being crushed resounded. The woman who realized the situation late was about to scream. Whoops! The tip of the sword that ripped the back of the man’s neck pierced her forehead. The woman’s body flew backwards and crashed to the floor. The thieves around them flinched and retreated.
“Hey, Mindy! Damn it…!”
“Damn it, the dagger has a shield pierced right now?!”
It was an instant death without a doubt. Two corpses were convulsing. Ronan whistled with satisfaction.
“It’s useful.”
It was more penetrating than I had imagined. Just by looking at the path the dagger flew, you could tell how well-made the weapon was.
Suddenly, Ronan raised his right foot. Those nimble bastards had to be dealt with at once before they scatter like cockroaches. He said looking back to Schlieffen.
“hey. If I stumble, shoot me a tornado.”
“What do you mean?”
Schlieffen tilted his head. Ronan rolled his feet instead of responding. thud! At the same time as the sound of footsteps resounded, a ripple of mana spread.
Not just Ronan’s feet, but the dagger digging deep into the woman’s forehead. wow! Glittering roots that grew out of the blue wrapped around the bandits who had gathered around the woman.
“Hey, what is this?!”
“body···!”
The thieves, who were suddenly bound by their feet, struggled in embarrassment. Schlieffen’s eyes widened. He knew whose technology it belonged to.
“Lord Dolan…! How do you use that skill?”
“I’ll explain, so let’s get rid of them. Are you still weaker than you think?”
Ronan pointed at the bandits with the tip of his chin. As he said, some were already trying to take root. Schlieffen quickly regained his sanity and grabbed the hilt. An auror with a storm came up riding a sword.
“I do.”
Schlieffen swung his sword in the direction of the bandits. The sharp swords fired along the sword were thrown into the center of the band of thieves. Aww! A tornado with a diameter of 10m engulfed the thieves.
“aah!!”
“···Save·····!”
Banded thieves could not escape the tornado. A low-pitched scream, diluted by the sound of the wind, was heard. The scattered fresh blood was sprinkled like drizzle. The limbs that had been torn by the wind were dancing in the wind.
Soon the wind subsided. Whoops! puck! The corpses that had climbed to the top of the tornado fell to the floor one by one. A scene like a spilled meat stew spread out in front of me. Brewed broth with hot peppers and tomatoes.
“Ugh, fuck it.”
Ronan frowned. It seemed that he could not think of rice for three days. Schlieffen’s Stormblade was much stronger than it had seen in the midterm evaluation. It seemed like this could never be copied along with all the things of Nabi Rose.
“You don’t know what happened in moderation.”
“The wicked need no mercy.”
Of course, there were no survivors. Then, in the midst of the disaster, a shimmering light caught my eye. Ronan walked up to him and picked up the dagger that had been buried between his intestines.
“This one is good.”
This was the reason why he ordered him to shoot the storm sword, even though he could lose the sword. The name of the dagger that I had forgotten suddenly flashed through my mind. Ronan, who wiped the blood off the knife, said to himself.
“Ymir.”
When I heard it, it seemed like it was the name of some giant. Although he didn’t really like anything about the giant, whatever the name, Ronan really liked the new weapon.
Its weight was different from its appearance, and the ability to cast an aura based on sparkling mana by changing its location wasn’t bad either. He took what he could afford and turned away.
“Sita. Let’s put it away.”
“Bye!”
Sita spread her four wings wide. The blood that had pooled and splashed all over the place became a droplet and floated into the air.
It was the same with the bodies and clothes of the boys. Sita had absorbed all the blood in less than three minutes.
“Well done. I haven’t lost my mind yet.”
“Byeah~”
As Ronan scratched his neck, Sita purred with her eyes closed. According to Ophelia, the more blood it absorbs, the stronger the blood magic.
“…you are capable.”
Schlieffen muttered softly when he saw that his clothes were neat. The two men, who had cleared the losers, moved on again. If he had the same heart, he wanted to go to his base and slaughter all of them, but unfortunately there was not much time left.
****
“Damn it. You have finally arrived.”
“Is it here? It’s the first time I’ve actually seen it.”
Schlieffen murmured as if intrigued. The wide sandy beach stretched out endlessly. The sand dunes with clear wavy patterns were crumbling little by little whenever the wind blew. The sea of stars that stretched out overhead seemed to overflow and pour down below the horizon at any moment.
The night of the fifth day of the walking tour. The two entered the red sand desert. Ronan, who had stretched out to the fullest, grumbled.
“Uhhh I put too much energy into those things.”
“It was the right choice. The casualties will certainly be reduced.”
“That’s right.”
The two walked five more days, as Ronan had predicted. He dealt with thirty-two losers during four sunrises and four sunsets. In most cases, when Schlieffen, who sensed the presence, blew a first attack, Ronan would go and cut them all.
As the rumor spread in their own way, the thieves also responded more and more strategically, but it was always minced meat. In the face of overwhelming force, tactics were meaningless. Ronan glanced at Schlieffen’s profile and nodded.
‘You did a good job bringing this kid, too.’
Not to mention his skills, he had no hesitation in cutting down the wicked. Thanks to this, the two were able to enter the desert quickly even though they had come to clear the bandits. Ronan, who suddenly stretched out his arms, said, pointing forward.
“I see it now. That’s Dainhar.”
Schlieffen turned his head. In the distance, densely growing rocky mountains caught my eye.
It was reminiscent of a crown or an inverted hand. Schlieffen, who was staring at Dainhar silently, twisted his lips.
“I don’t feel like it…”
“Is not it? The closer you get, the more you’ll understand why. You just have to do what I tell you to do.”
Ronan shuddered as he remembered the hardships of his previous life. Even if they could only avoid the damned sandworms, loch birds, and the traps laid by the natives, they would have made a save. He said, throwing away the backpack he was carrying.
“Anyway, it was hard. Let’s camp here today.”
Schlieffen groaned. They made a bonfire and laid out sleeping bags. The nights in the desert were cold, so I had to wear thick leather clothes to sleep. Every time I exhaled, a white breath came out.
Today was the day Schlieffen made the first call. He stood with his back straight and began to gaze into the desert. He gestured towards Ronan Ishita, who wrapped himself in a sleeping bag.
“Come here, Sita.”
“Bye?”
Sita, who was nodding in front of the bonfire, approached Ronan. When the opening of the sleeping bag was opened, Sita graciously entered it and crouched down on Ronan’s chest.
Ronan hugged Sita tightly. A warm warmth spread through the fluffy feathers.
“This is it. Damn it, now I have a little life.”
“Byeah~”
It was a pure function of pets. Sita purred as if in a good mood. Ronan was just about to go to sleep.
“I heard that you saved Zion.”
“ok?”
“As long as I was my brother and didn’t even know it was happening.”
Ronan raised his head. Schlieffen’s gaze remained still on the sand. Ronan soon realized he was talking about what had happened in the Tower of Dawn.
“Oh, that little boy was your brother. How are you?”
“okay. As soon as I got a call from Dawning Mato, I sent an exclusive doctor. Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with his health.”
“It’s nice. He’s a little cuter than you are.”
“I grew up receiving a lot of love. He is the only one of us who has a talent for magic.”
Hearing that it was safe, Ronan breathed a sigh of relief. It was a car I was curious about.
It was by no means unusual for him to be manipulated by forbidden books to blow up an airplane and almost set fire to a library boasting hundreds of years of history. Schlieffen continued.
“For the two days we were together, we only talked about you and the Akalusian girl. In particular, it seems that she and Akalusia’s young Ae became close to each other like real sisters. Even if you don’t know that it’s a hostile relationship.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“It’s nothing. but···”
Ronan shrugged his eyebrows. He was deliberately dragging the conversation. After being silent for a moment, Schlieffen turned to Ronan and opened his mouth.
“Thank you for saving my sister.”
“her.”
At the same time, he bowed his head. Ronan chuckled. I didn’t expect to see this child bowing his head. Ronan, feeling slightly uncomfortable, waved his hand.
“Spicy. done.”
“People in the whole family already know your work. I will repay you in the name of Grancia.”
“The answer is Jill. If you are so grateful, would you stand by for just one more hour? I sleep.”
Ronan turned around, leaving those words behind. Of course, the reward I received for doing what I had to do was somehow not pleasant.
A gurgling sound was coming out of Sita’s mouth, who had already fallen asleep. As my body warmed up, I fell asleep. The eyelids started to fall slowly…
.
···thud!
.
“Ronan. Get up.”
“… huh?”
Ronan opened his eyes. The bright night sky was still visible. A dark red nebula was burning over the Milky Way.
He slowly raised his upper body. It seemed that the fatigue of the body had not been relieved at all. Schlieffen was standing in the same position he had seen at first.
“What, how long have I slept…?
“About thirty minutes.”
“This ungrateful bastard . . . wakes up two hours and thirty minutes first. Are you human?”
“Look over there.”
Schlieffen pointed to the middle of the desert without saying a word. Ronan got up grumbling and looked in the direction Schlieffen was pointing. His eyes widened.
“Damn it. Why is that monster here?”
“It just flew in the direction of Dynhar and crashed. Do you know any creatures?”
“I know, I know…”
I thought I heard something falling in my sleep. Not even fifty steps away, there was a huge black bird lying down. The wingspan of 6m was almost the size of a Wyvern.
Ronan knew the identity of the creature. It was a loch bird, a monstrous bird that only inhabits Dainhar. Ronan shook his head to shake off his sleep and opened his mouth.
“Let’s go.”
The two hurriedly ran towards Locke Bird. After waking up late, Sita followed. Ronan, who arrived first, clicked his tongue and muttered.
“Damn it, he’s dead.”
Locke Bird was already dead with a broken neck. The black wings were stiff. Ronan tilted his head.
“Why did you come all the way here?”
Loch Bird was a creature that lived its entire life within the Dynhar. The memories of being chased by these guys in a previous life were still good in my eyes. Ronan was slowly examining the corpse.
“Uhhh.”
Suddenly, someone groaned under the wings. Ronan’s eyes widened. He quickly approached the place where the sound was heard and raised his wings with both arms.
“Damn it.”
Ronan clenched it. A boy was crouching down and moaning. Five seemingly different tattoos were engraved on the naked top.
“Ahhh!”
“Get it out quickly.”
Judging from his appearance, he was a native living in Dainhar. Schlieffen hugged the boy. Ronan lowered his wings and asked the boy.
“Yumma, calm down. What happened?”
“… they are all dead.”
The little boy who muttered so lost consciousness. Ronan instinctively noticed that things were going the wrong way.
