Chapter 183: Walking Around the Campus

Chapter 183: Walking Around the Campus

"My subordinate has something to say. It's about what happened that day."

Zaifa tapped the Lieutenant's shoulder. Ronan noticed Adeshan's quickened breath. Ronan, belatedly recalling her trauma, whispered.

"Should we talk about it later?"

"No, it's okay."

Adeshan shook her head. She faced the two people like someone confronting their fear. Lieutenant Nemea approached and bowed her head. With heer imposing stature, she seemed like a towering wall in front of them.

"I should express this first. I apologize."

It was a courteous demeanor that didn't match her size. It was an apology for the rudeness she had shown when she encountered Ronan during the massacre. Ronan replied.

"It's okay."

"No. I was too rude at that time. Even in such a situation, I should have maintained my composure... It was my fault for being inexperienced."

Nemea spoke with her head bowed. As expected, the reason she had been startled by Ronan was that the attackers' eye color matched Ronan's.

Ronan's speculation was spot on. The identities of the attackers were Darman, Ajie, and the Ferocious Sword Croden. Nemea explained that her comrades died splattering blood whenever the scarlet eyes flashed.

'Damn it.'

Ronan twisted his lips. Having experienced the annihilation of a squad himself, he knew how devastating it must have been for the Lieutenant. Ronan, who had been silently listening, waved his hands.

"It's really okay, so lift your head. Even if it were me, I would have lost my mind."

"...Thank you."

Only then did Nemea raise her head. Even after experiencing such an ordeal, the fact that she thought to apologize to others showed that she was indeed different, even though she was a former member of the Imperial Knights. Ronan, who had been observing her, spoke up.

"Is there any other business?"

"...Yes. Since you also seem to be in discomfort, I'll make it brief. I happened to overhear the conversation of the attackers that day."

"Oh?"

"It was muffled by the rain, but I heard it clearly. Most of it was chatter, but occasionally, I caught snippets that sounded out of the ordinary."

As she was a Warelion with exceptional hearing, it was possible. Nemea said they mentioned a specific location. Although she couldn't ascertain if it was Nebula Clazier's next destination, it was still valuable information.

Nemea said she would document what she heard and send it to Ronan soon. Since, Ajie, the only spared in Parzan was escorted to Rodolan, she also added that she would compile any extracted gleaned from her there. After finishing speaking, she bowed her head once again.

"Well then, I'll visit again soon. Take care of yourself."

"Thank you."

The two beastmen left the room. Zaifa left behind a bottle of aged Perennial Snowflower liquor on the bed side table as a get-well gift. It seemed like being in the Philleon Academy was quite pleasant. Like a tiger going mad.

Somehow, Ronan had a feeling he would be seeing Zaifawa often in the future. Adeshan, who had been beside him, sighed suddenly. Ronan asked with concern.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Phew... I'm much better now."

Adeshan regulated her breathing. She didn't look away from Zaifa until the end. It was impressive how she maintained her composure throughout. After all, no matter what anyone said, Zaifa was the one who had caused her family's downfall.

Ronan, who got along with everyone without any reservations, often forgot that Zaifa was the leader of the Great Alliance of Northern Beasts, who had unleashed the Night of the Fangs. Ronan held her hand until Adeshan's breathing steadied again. Soon, she regained her composure completely and chuckled softly.

"Yeah. I'm really okay now. Your hands seem to have gotten bigger though."

"Thank goodness."

"By the way, you mentioned you developed your Aura, what is it?"

"Um... It's a bit difficult to demonstrate here. I'll show you outside."

Ronan said, looking at the flamboyant Lamancha leaning against the wall. It seemed too flashy for indoor use. Adeshan added.

"Right. Your club members all went out for club activities. They should be back by tomorrow. Elizabeth went to the Dawn Magic Tower for training."

Even without Ronan, the Special Adventure Club was still running smoothly. Their current activity was visiting (raiding) the griffin's nest, which had caused casualties. It wasn't as intense as when Ronan was there, but to ordinary students, it was still enough craziness.

"It's nice that everyone is busy."

Ronan nodded with a satisfied smile. Just then, the door of the infirmary swung open, and familiar faces entered one after another. Shullifen, Navirose, and Iril. Ronan's eyes met with his sister's, who clapped her hands and exclaimed.

"My little brother, you're finally awake!"

"Sister?"

"Do you know how worried I was? Huh?"

Iril rushed over to Ronan and pulled him into a tight hug. Tear marks were already visible on her cheeks. It seemed he had caused more worry again. After stroking her brother's face for a while, Iril turned to Shullifen and spoke.

"Thank you so much, Sir Shullifen, for saving my brother."

"I just did what needed to be done."

Shullifen replied like a broken machine. Ronan raised an eyebrow at the incomprehensible words.

"What do you mean, 'saved'? What happened?"

"Shullifen was the one who carried you all the way to Gran Parzan. You're fine now, but your condition at the time was quite serious. You were running a high fever due to typical mana overload."

Navirose spoke in place of Shullifen, who seemed to be suffering from dementia. Thanks to Lynn's power, Ronan, who had already drawn out his potential, had fallen into a kind of coma, but thanks to Shullifen carrying him over in an hour, quick emergency measures were possible. Ronan looked at Shullifen with a genuinely surprised expression.

"I owe you one. Thanks."

"You were heavy."

Shullifen muttered dismissively. His gaze remained fixed on Iril. Ronan chuckled at his consistent demeanor. Navirose looked at the transformed Lamancha and spoke up.

"Is that the Holy Sword now?"

"Yeah."

"Amazing. I thought it was only a fairy tale."

She expressed pure admiration upon hearing Ronan's words. Navirose conveyed the news that all survivors from that day, including Allogin, were safe.

They talked for quite a while about the events in Parzan. As the conversation seemed to be winding down, Adeshan grabbed Navirose's sleeve as she was about to leave the room.

"Um, I've been meaning to ask you since earlier..."

"Hmm?"

"Isn't this... Ronan's coat? Why is the instructor...?"

Adeshan trailed off, and a sense of unease could be felt on her face as she awkwardly smiled. Navirose raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, you mean this?"

Ronan had given it to Navirose because her clothes were torn during her fight with Croden. Just as she was about to dismiss it casually, she suddenly stopped. A mischievous smile appeared on Navirose's lips as she glanced between Ronan and Adeshan.

"Um... It's nothing, really. I just put it on because I felt embarrassed being half-naked."

"Huh? H-Half-naked? What do you mean...?"

"That's exactly what I mean. This guy was a complete beast that day. His energy reminded me of my youth."

While it was true, a somewhat distorted explanation flowed from Navirose's lips. Adeshan covered her mouth with both hands. She looked at Ronan with breaths that were nowhere near as calm as when she faced Zaifa.

"You...!"

"Hey, hold on a second. There's a limit even to omitting the subject."

Ronan chuckled. Adeshan's eyes were already starting to moisten. Navirose, who had been chuckling, tapped her on the shoulder and spoke.

"Just kidding, just kidding. Well, I'll be off then. The entrance ceremony is coming up soon, so don't overexert yourself and rest well."

With those words, Navirose left the infirmary, still wearing the coat. Then, Ronan noticed the head of a pipe protruding from the outer pocket of the coat.

Right. He had to get that back too. Ronan was about to get up.

"Where are you going?"

"Sunbe?"

"You should rest."

Adeshan grabbed his wrist. Perhaps it was because she had been wielding a crossbow and whip, but her grip was surprisingly strong. Ronan even gestured, appealing to her sense of injustice.

"You don't seriously believe that kind of talk, do you? She said it herself, it was a joke."

"Yeah. But I think I need an explanation. A bit more detailed."

Her suddenly composed attitude was eerie. Her eyes, which had been wavering with indecision, were now chillingly calm. It felt like even if he resisted, she might resort to mind control.

In the end, Ronan returned to his seat. It wasn't until three hours later that he was allowed to get up from his seat. He had to explain everything that had happened in the Holy City of Parzan from the beginning.

After being discharged, Ronan returned straight to the dormitory. Despite being away for nearly a month, his room remained immaculately clean, thanks to his exclusive maid, Lucy. Ronan greeted her warmly as she played with Cita.

"Long time no see, Lucy."

"Oh my, Ronan-sama! You still look tired. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I still have a lot to do. Take this."

After handing Lucy a tip close to her monthly salary, Ronan ushered her out of the room. Despite her protests that she couldn't accept such a large amount, he firmly ignored them.

"Damn it, it's been so long since I've written anything, my handwriting's a mess."

The first thing he did was summarize the events in Parzan and report them to the Emperor. Cita, acting as the messenger, delivered the report to the imperial palace and returned in just five minutes. Once her task was done, Cita compensated for his absence over the past month by fiercely rubbing her face against Ronan's cheek.

"Byaa! Bwaaah!"

"Yeah, yeah. I missed you too."

Ronan gently stroked Cita, who was now the size of a large dog. Somehow, it seemed like she had grown so much that she could almost carry people and fly.

The response was very quick. Less than an hour after Cita returned, there was a tapping on the dormitory window with a bird's beak, carrying the imperial decree.

-Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

"You're so impatient. Hold on, will you?"

Ronan checked the letter tied to the bird's ankle. It confirmed receipt of the report and advised him to rest as the results of the meeting would be forthcoming soon. The Emperor's handwritten note expressed gratitude and recognition for his efforts.

Whoosh! After reading all the orders, the magically enchanted paper spontaneously burst into flames and disappeared. Rubbing his chin, Ronan muttered under his breath.

"What will you do now? Nebula Clazier."

It was difficult to predict the many changes that would occur in the future. Just considering the people who survived in Parzan at that time, there were many influential figures from various walks of life on the continent. They were expected to share the horrifying events they experienced in Parzan with their acquaintances.

'They'll truly become an enemy of the world now.'

Ronan, who had fought against Lycopos, was convinced. He believed he still had a chance to win. Though they were undoubtedly strong, they were insufficient to break the absolute power of a nation. He could understand why they hadn't launched a full-scale attack.

'There must have been a reason why the strong ones were eliminated one by one.'

When there was a chance of victory, they needed to completely break the momentum. Killing all the giants would be good, but it would be even better if the disaster of their arrival didn't happen at all. After finishing his most urgent tasks, Ronan left his room. His destination was Katir's office.

'I should inform him on this occasion.'

Katir would have undoubtedly heard the news, but directly speaking about it would provide more accurate information. Philleon, where he returned after a month, was incredibly peaceful.

The students who regained spring were not wearing thick coats. The flower beds were blooming with various colors of flowers. The chaos and tragedy that had occurred in Parzan felt like a dream of one night.

Suddenly, Ronan's gaze fell on the sword swaying at his waist. Lamancha, imbued with Lynn's essence, still maintained its peculiar form. About 70% of the sword's blade had turned into a snowy white color, resembling pieces of wood that had been glued together. Ronan, staring at the blade intently, spoke.

"Lynn."

Despite waiting for a long time, there was no response. Ronan suppressed a wry smile. Lynn hadn't spoken since leaving Parzan. It seemed that the blow of losing her physical body to Darman was bigger than expected.

It was impossible to know if she would never speak again. However, it was clear that Lynn existed within the sword. As if to prove it, the scabbard of Lynn's sword subtly tapped Ronan's buttocks every time he took a step.

'...So that's why she was so obsessed with butts.'

It seemed like he knew why she had been fond of touching others' buttocks so much. Chuckling, Ronan strolled through the academy campus. He decided to remain faithful to what he could do with the sword. Who knows, if he fed it plenty of blood, she might regain her strength and start speaking again.

'She's going to fight with Sunbe quite a lot.'

Ronan imagined the moment when Lynn would regain her body. If she continued her usual behavior of harassing him, it was obvious that Adesan's eyes would widen in surprise. Ronan chuckled as he envisioned the chaos that would ensue.

'It's going to be interesting.'

As he strolled along, lost in various thoughts, he suddenly found himself standing in front of the principal's office. Just as he was about to knock, the closed door opened on its own, and Katir's voice was heard.

"...Come in."

It was a voice devoid of energy. Ronan nodded and entered the room. Katir was standing in front of his desk, covering his face with both hands.

"Long time no see, Ronan... I'm truly glad, but please forgive this old man who can not welcome you properly."

"What, what's going on?"

"Oh my..."

Instead of answering, Katir sighed deeply. When he removed his hands, his face revealed an indescribable concern.

Suddenly, Ronan noticed a piece of paper clenched in Katir's hand. It was a finely crafted crimson paper, much more luxurious than what was used to deliver the Emperor's decrees.

As Katir reread the letter, he staggered. He barely avoided falling by grabbing onto the desk. Ronan frowned at this unexpected behavior in front of someone.

"Damn it, what the hell is going on?"

"I'm sorry... I just can't keep calm. You must also know. Among the students enrolling this year, the Red Dragon Itargand is there."

"I know. So what?"

Ronan raised his brow. Since he was the one who brought him, there was no way he wouldn't know. Katir, after putting down the paper, wiped his face.

"His... mother is coming to visit."

"...What?"

Ronan's eyes widened. He must have misheard. Or maybe this old man had finally succumbed to a brain disorder. However, he quickly proved that his mind was still intact by clearly articulating the impending matter.

"In other words, it means Navardose is coming in person."

"Shit."

Ronan cursed. He immediately understood Katir's attitude. Navardose, the Mother of Fire. During the incident of the giants' arrival in his previous life, she was the only Red Dragon who defeated the giants without dying.