Chapter 47: Erosion (3)
Chapter 47: Erosion (3)
A few hours ago.
Ronan knocked on the elaborately adorned door with a rough demeanor. As the door swung open, the familiar figure of Shullifen de Gracia stood revealed.
“Ronan? What are you doing…”
“Let’s go inside for now.”
Shullifen was already dressed in his school uniform.
Slam!
Ronan, who had burst in unannounced, closed the door.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“Hey, let me ask a few questions first. Among your father’s guards, there’s a guy named Dallan, right? How many years has he been in service?”
“Why are you asking about this all of a sudden?”
“Kid, answer my questions without complaining. Don’t you want to know how my sister is doing?”
“If you’re talking about Dallan Kyeong, he’s been in service for four years now. He quickly secured a position as a guard with his skills and unique loyalty. About a year ago, he had a sword fight, and his mastery of aura techniques and their application was quite impressive.”
“Gracia has truly gone to the dogs. In more ways than one.”
Ronan twisted his lips upon hearing the four-year mark. He seemed to understand why the powerful figures weren’t visible during the Advent incident. Also, the reason Shullifen had inherited the duke’s position at such a young age.
“How strong is your father compared to that Dallan guy? Is he stronger?”
“Don’t underestimate the Lord of de Gracia. Even if all the guards attacked at once, they wouldn’t be able to defeat my father.”
“That’s fortunate. So, listen carefully to what I’m about to say, and don’t be surprised.”
Ronan took Shullifen and moved away from the door. He began to recount the information and plans he knew, one by one. As the story progressed, Shullifen’s expression gradually hardened.
“…So, whether it’s Dallan or someone else, they’re coming to kill me. Probably tonight.”
“Are you asking me to believe this story?”
“You can confirm it, can’t you? Hide in my room and when that guy shows up, we’ll deal with him together.”
“Dallan Kyeong is not that kind of person.”
“Right. With you thinking like that, it’s no wonder they could sneak a bite of Gracia’s food for four years. Anyway, I’ve said what I wanted to.”
Ronan left those words behind as he exited the room. Even after he was gone, Shullifen, who had been standing in the same spot, slowly lowered his head.
“…It can’t be true.”
****
Night fell again.
Under the serene rays of light, a boy with azure hair revealed himself. The tip of his verdant sword was aimed at the shadows.
“I’ll ask one last time.”
Shullifen de Gracia opened his mouth.
“Can you explain the current situation, Dallan?”
“…Young Master.”
As if in response, Dallan drew his sword. The ivory blade gleamed under the moonlight.
The meaning behind his action was clear. Shullifen’s face turned stern. From beneath his black hood, a low, whispered utterance escaped Dallan’s lips.
“I will not explain.”
Thud!
Suddenly, Dallan stomped his right foot on the ground. Waves emanated from that point, spreading throughout the room. Ronan, who felt his body suddenly grow heavy, furrowed his brow.
“What the hell is this?”
At the same time, Dallan twisted his body and swung his sword toward Ronan. The massive, cross-shaped blade aura sliced through the air, hurtling towards him.
“You little…”
Ronan, who had spat out curses, swung the heavy Lamancha.
Kwaang!
With a blast that engulfed half the room, the remaining windows shattered into pieces.
Shullifen’s eyes widened. His body, too, felt as heavy as a bag of sand in his limbs. Judging by the range affected by the Aura, it was close to the Awakening stage rather than the Enlightenment stage.
“What in the…!”
However, there was no time to be bewildered. Dallan, charging in the midst of the explosion, was suddenly right in front of Shullifen.
Swoosh!
Swift yet weighty strikes aimed at Shullifen’s neck. Enhanced by mana, Shullifen urgently raised his sword.
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound resonated.
“…You were hiding your true strength.”
Shullifen muttered with clenched teeth. His wrist that had endured the sword’s impact was throbbing. Both Dallan’s swordsmanship and the power of Aura were on a different level than what Shullifen had known.
Dallan continued his barrage of strikes.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With each spark that flew from the air, Shullifen retreated step by step. Dallan eventually backed Shullifen against the wall and spoke.
“Why aren’t you using Aura?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Are you even worried about people getting hurt in this situation? After all, Young Master’s control of Aura is still limited to a wide range, not individual targets.”
Shullifen remained silent. Dallan calmly but somewhat prematurely continued to speak, as if he was eager to get his message out for the future.
“I’m sorry, Young Master. I wanted to maintain a good relationship with you until the end, but some unknown fool ruined everything.”
“…Since when did you become a traitor? What stained your loyalty?”
“You’re mistaken, Young Master. I have never betrayed you.”
“What?”
Even amidst the conversation, the battle continued. Shullifen furrowed his brow. Dallan spoke matter-of-factly, but it seemed he was too quick to bring out the words he had reserved for later, as if he found it wasteful.
“From the beginning, I was never a knight of Gracia.”
At that moment, Shullifen’s expression changed. Within the temporarily demolished room, only the sound of metal colliding resonated fiercely. After a while, a faint sigh escaped Shullifen’s lips, breaking the silence.
“…I see. Handle it how you see fit.”
“Yes?”
Dallan smirked. At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind.
“Ugh, you frustrating brat. You must be the only one making a fuss to hear that one word. Did you pull out that dagger to scratch my head or something?”
“Enough of this…!”
Dallan turned his head, feeling a chilling sense of foreboding. He saw Ronan, who was supposed to be dead from being cut by the blade, sitting on the couch, yawning as if he was watching a boring match.
“…How?”
“You should have done the opposite, you idiot. You should have shot the blade at that guy and charged at me.”
Ronan said with frustration. Of course, Dallan didn’t know that Ronan was capable of manipulating mana, so he remained ignorant.
“Well, it probably wouldn’t have made much difference either way.”
In reality, Dallan’s luck had run out the moment he entered the room to retrieve his notebook. While Dallan was certainly strong, facing both Ronan and Shullifen simultaneously was beyond his capability.
Easily parrying the blade, Ronan continued to sit on the couch as Shullifen put on a rather theatrical performance. Don’t intervene until Dallan acknowledges his betrayal. That was Shullifen’s demand.
“By the way, it’s so convenient that mana is visible.”
Frankly, the moment Dallan’s Aura was activated, it caught Ronan off guard. Suddenly feeling as heavy as if he had just emerged from water.
But when he focused his mind, he noticed mana extending from Dallan like tree roots. The mana tendrils, containing an unpleasant glimmer, clung to the arms and legs of the two boys.
As Ronan cut away the roots clinging to his body with Lamancha, the heavy sensation disappeared as if it were a lie. Ronan looked at Shullifen, who was still swinging his sword with the roots attached, and clicked his tongue.
“What a monstrous brat…”
He thought he was also becoming strong quite rapidly, but that kid seemed to be getting stronger even faster.
“Well then, shall we finish this?”
The play had ended, anyway. Ronan stood up from his seat. With a forceful stomp on the ground, he rushed forward and swung Lamancha towards Dallan.
“Urgh!”
Clang!
Dallan urgently deflected Ronan’s sword. At that moment, Shullifen’s sword strike brushed against Dallan’s cheek. Ronan continued to launch successive strikes, laughing as he did so.
“Give up, you idiot. You’re finished.”
“Shut up…!”
“Cyril is waiting for you andEdwon is already dead.”
“How dare you!”
But despite his anger and attempts to wield his sword, it didn’t change much. Dallan’s rock-like face was gradually distorting.
As they continued with a 2:1 pattern—blocking one person’s attack, only to be struck by the other—Dallan’s robe began to show signs of being soaked with sweat.
“Wha…?”
Suddenly feeling dizzy, Dallan staggered. He felt his body rapidly growing cold. Only then did Dallan realize that excessive bleeding was occurring from the wounds on his body.
“What’s happening? Why is this…?”
Despite being minor cuts, blood was gushing out as if being sucked in by a pump. Realizing the strangeness, Dallan turned his gaze away.
“Are you not paying attention?”
Swoosh!
Lamancha, having found a gap, passed through Dallan’s side.
Splash!
Blood spurted out like a fountain, staining the floor.
“Ugh!”
Dallan clenched his teeth as he took a gasping breath. His right foot hit the ground. As the Aura-like roots covered the room, the movements of the boys slowed. Despite that, excessive bleeding continued.
“W-What is this…?”
Taking advantage of a brief moment, Dallan pulled away and surveyed his surroundings. He witnessed a bizarre sight. The drops of blood flowing from his body were gathering and rising up to the ceiling, like droplets being drawn to a chandelier.
“What’s that…?”
The blood droplets were converging on a bizarre life form hanging from the chandelier. The creature, with folded wings, was absorbing the blood. Cita, who was absorbing blood with folded wings, looked at Dallan and smirked.
“What the…”
“Darn it, what’s this again!”
Dallan shot Aura at Cita. The considerably weakened Aura shot out as if a lot of energy had been used up. Cita effortlessly jumped off the chandelier, evading the attack. Ronan, who had dismissed Aura again, shouted in an angry voice.
“You piece of trash! Where do you think you’re shooting that crap!”
Ronan rushed forward. Stepping on the bed, he leaped into the air and swung his sword downward. The mana flow around him turned into his sword.
“Hyup!”
It was too late to dodge. Dallan, holding the hilt with both hands, raised his sword. The piercing strike, powered by mana, went through Dallan’s cheek as his arm was severed.
Swoosh!
With a snap, the sword broke, and Dallan’s right arm fell to the ground.
“Kraaaargh!”
The room seemed to quake. The pain was overwhelming, almost causing Dallan to lose consciousness. He bit his tongue, desperately preventing himself from fainting.
There was no other way. He gathered the last of his strength, shot Aura towards the boys, and leaped out of the window.
Quaaaang!
The explosion erupted terrifyingly as he hurled his body, engulfing the room.
“Urk! Huuk…! Huuueeuk…!”
Ronan, who had fallen to the ground, began to run desperately. Most of the rooms in Navirose’s building were illuminated. Students who had been awakened by the commotion were already out on the balconies.
“Look at that! Who’s that?”
“It’s a thief!”
“Hey, didn’t we hear an explosion just now?”
Without looking back, Dallan fled. If he was caught here, it would be all over. In the distance, he could hear the sound of armor clinking, as if approaching.
“How did it come to this…? How did things end up like this!”
He was lucky that there was still some strength left in his legs. Dallan passed through various buildings and reached an isolated open space. The walls of PhilLeon’s castle were right in front of him now.
He just had to cross that. As a glimmer of hope flickered in Dallan’s chest for a moment, a voice suddenly came from beside him. It was a voice he had heard for almost four years, so familiar.
“Why aren’t you using Aura?”
“Shullifen!”
Shullifen, who had somehow left the room, was running beside him. Seeing Shullifen’s core pulsating, Dallan’s face turned pale. Shullifen let out a light sigh and pulled out the hilt of his sword.
“Your guess is correct.”
Shullifen swung his sword. The stormy aura shot towards Dallan. The Aura that hit Dallan turned into a massive whirlwind with a radius of 10 meters, wrapping around his body.
-Quaquaquaq!
However, the whirlwind was not composed of ordinary wind. It was made of threads of Aura that resembled sword blades. Harsh screams resounded within the whirlwind.
“Kraaaaaah!”
The whirlwind, composed of Shullifen’s Aura, soared up to the top of Philleon’s castle walls. Dallan’s screams were soon swallowed by the sound of the wind. Ronan arrived only after the Storm Sword had completely disappeared.
Dallan lay sprawled on the ground, his body turned into a crimson mess. Seeing the exposed skull, Ronan felt nauseous.
“Ugh, damn it. Is he even alive?”
“Barely.”
Shullifen nodded. Dallan was still breathing, for now. He looked at Dallan’s blood-soaked uniform and clicked his tongue. There were some things he disliked about situations like this.
“Tch, messy.”
“Phew~”
At that moment, Cita, who had been perched on Ronan’s shoulder, absorbed the blood on the boys’ bodies and clothes. Shullifen’s eyes widened as he saw the clean uniforms. Gazing at Cita, who was staring back at him, he whispered softly.
“······Thank you.”
“Beah!”
Cita flapped its wings and let out a cry. It was an unspoken understanding between them. Soon, heavily armored guards arrived.
“What’s going on here?”
“Intruders? But why are they in this state… Uwup.”
“Ah, it’s Navirose!”
Among the guards, Navirose emerged. She was wearing an utterly different outfit from her usual image, in disheveled pajamas. She probably had just rushed out of bed.
“I never thought I’d be saying this again so soon…”
She couldn’t fathom the situation at all. As she stepped out of her room, she found the dormitory exploded, and some monstrous figure sprawled on the floor. Navirose alternately looked at Ronan, Shullifen, and the disheveled Dallan before speaking.
“First… cover up this guy.”