176. Festival of the Sword (19)
#176
A garden of steel stretched out before my eyes. The weapons growing from the floor were casting a cool light. There seemed to be tens of thousands of bags filling the entire crater at irregular intervals.
It was just as Nabirose said. The inexperienced participants began to mutter in confusion.
“What is all this? “Are you asking me to find the holy sword here?”
“Is it magic?”
“I feel like I’m possessed by a ghost. “Anyway, isn’t there something strange about these weapons?”
Ronan was equally embarrassed. Even though I have lived two lives, I have never seen a scene like this. After looking around for a while, he asked Alogin.
“What kind of magic did you do?”
“Hmm… just wait a moment. “Somehow, I can’t get used to it every year.”
Fatigue was clearly visible on Alogin’s face. The same was true for other elders and Jaipa. It didn’t look like they were all in good shape, hanging upside down and looking like they hadn’t slept in three days. Al Login, catching his breath, opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry. It’s not normal to summon all the sword spirits. “This is why seven elders have to stay in the sacred place while eating.”
“Sword spirit?”
Ronan tilted his head. It was the first time I heard the word. However, guessing from the tone, it seemed like it had something to do with the possessed weapon that was sometimes rumored to exist through rumors. Things like flying out of nowhere and stabbing an enemy in the neck without even touching his hand. Alogin answered.
“okay. To put it simply, a sword spirit is a soul that resides in a weapon.”
“I heard that there is a weapon that moves or talks at will. Is it related to that?”
“Ah, you mean the ego weapon. That’s right. When the sword spirit becomes extremely strong, such an object is born. What you are seeing is also the materialization of the sword spirits of the weapons offered to Farzan. “Even though he lost his metal body, he is like a ghost, dreaming without being able to leave the world.”
Ronan frowned when he heard the word ghost. Alogin explained that all the blades rising before her eyes were intangible. It was somehow eerie that the wind felt even colder.
“···What is the principle? “Honestly, I feel a little bad.”
“It’s not exactly known. However, our elders speculate that this phenomenon is caused by the owner’s attachment and bond. It would be quicker to experience it yourself than to explain it. Would you like to try it?”
Alogin pointed to the longsword sticking out in front of Ronan. Ronan grabbed the hilt of his sword with a skeptical expression.
“······!”
At that moment, certain scenes passed before my eyes, with a feeling of static electricity popping in my head. A man running through the battlefield, a sword digging into the enemy’s armor, screams and the sound of metal clashing echoing from all directions. It was a video that seemed to list someone’s life.
“f*ck, what?”
Ronan, startled, threw away his sword. As soon as the video stopped, my vision returned to its original state.
In reality it was only a few seconds, but it felt like a very long time had passed. It was a similar feeling to the magic light I experienced in my past life. Seaaaa… The sword, which was swinging precariously, collapsed and transformed into a gaseous form and disappeared. Alogin stroked his beard and smiled.
“That is the dream that the sword spirits and weapons are dreaming of. I remember the days when I drank blood with my master. “I guess I’ll have to get started now.”
“wait for a sec. Then what is consciousness…”
“What you expect is correct.”
Ronan was about to say something. The elders, including Alogin, lowered their weapons all at once. Alogin announced while looking back at the participants.
“You just have to go around this sacred place and pull out a weapon that is presumed to be a holy sword. If it is not a holy sword, it will immediately turn into smoke and disappear, so there is no need to worry about confusion. If you have the ability, you can try as much as you want, but every time you touch it, the memories of the sword will come flooding back, so it would be better in many ways to choose as carefully as possible.”
Alogin explained that the ritual will last until the sun sets today. Judging by the color of the sky, there were about two or three hours left. He also reiterated the admonition to be careful when choosing a weapon. One of the participants raised his hand and asked a question.
“Does the flood of memories have anything to do with the number of pulls?”
“Once you hold it, you’ll know right away. Handling a piece of history is surprisingly very tiring. “There were several participants whose egos were ruined when they overexerted themselves, so please be careful.”
As expected, Ronan was feeling tired, as if he had just run outside. She would have suffered for no reason if she had immediately removed her hand and held it until her slut was completely pulled out.
Alogin then added that one of these must be a holy sword, so don’t worry. Only then did Ronan understand why he was so selective in filtering out the participants.
This ceremony was a kind of reception. It was a dangerous act that could cause one to go crazy or become a wreck in an instant, unless one’s body and mind were well trained. The faces of the participants who had passed the final test and were released were turning hard.
“Okay then, let’s get started. “I hope someone wakes up the sleeping holy sword.”
Alogin said. The participants, each with their own determination, dispersed. Elders and sword saints also participated in the ceremony, so there were a total of 28 people wandering around the sacred site. Soon, exclamations of astonishment began to be heard from everywhere.
****
“···shit! “I can’t eat this anymore.”
The man in armor lay down, swearing. In the end, he was unable to pull out the long spear stuck in front of his eyes. Aside from the fact that his body became as heavy as a weight, the memories of the blades swirling around in his head made it impossible for him to even try. Should I say that I feel like my ego is blurring every time I see a fantasy?
“Vice-captain of the Knights of the Holy Lance… How many swords did you pick?”
At that time, another participant came groggily and plopped down next to the man. The dark shade in her eyes made it seem like she was in the same situation as him.
“Seven sacks. “Now there is a limit.”
“You picked a lot… I only got five.”
“Damn it, I don’t know if the Holy Sword really exists. “Isn’t this all a fabricated fraud?”
“I thought about that for a moment too. But for that to be the case… they are working too hard.”
A participant with dark eyes pointed somewhere. Her man, who was lying down, lifted his head and looked at her. Elders in uniform were busy walking around among the blades.
They were drawing their weapons every third. It was reminiscent of farmers harvesting radishes. The shape disintegrated and the smoke that rose was mixed with the wind and disappeared. The man, who lay down again, laughed as if he was tired.
“…They’re monsters.”
“So, you’re in the position of elder, aren’t you? Seeing that there are people other than them who are particularly good at recruiting, I think we are lacking in training. Even the Morning Star of the Empire and the Master of Everything have already drawn double digits.”
“Ha, that’s a fair point… Now that I think about it, what happened to that young man?”
The man asked a question while lying down. She has not been seen since the ritual began.
“Who are you talking about?”
“Why, you have a friend who blocked the technique of the Explosion Sword. “We used to drink together, but I can’t see you anymore today.”
“······That’s right?”
The two shrugged their shoulders. He was undoubtedly one of the most powerful participants, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find him.
But that was natural. For Ronan, thirty minutes after the ritual began, he had put aside his search for the holy sword and was sitting with his legs stretched out on the western outskirts of the crater. The sunlight was coloring his face even more red. While admiring the scenery below the mountain with his back to the shrine, he muttered.
“It’s killing me.”
The western part of the continent came into view at a glance. A rugged horizon surrounded all directions. I felt like I was sitting on the roof of the world because there were no taller mountains as far as I could see. In the distance I could see my hometown, Nimburton, and the Lomira Mountains across the archipelago.
I was able to climb up thanks to luck I found a slope leading up. Because it was an ambiguous location as to whether it was included in the sacred site, Ronan placed La Mancha on his right.
It was used as an excuse in case the elders raised questions about what they were doing there. Stretching out, he raised one corner of his mouth and muttered.
“The Holy Sword is damn good.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Huh…!”
At that time, a familiar voice was heard from behind. She was really surprised that she didn’t feel popular. Ronan stroked her chest once and turned her head. She was standing there with her voluminous white hair flowing.
“Ac, you were surprised.”
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“Aren’t you looking for the holy sword?”
Lin tilted his head. I was secretly annoyed by his unique expressionless expression and dry tone of voice. Ronan turned his head again and looked down the mountain.
“Never mind. “If I had been the chosen one, I would have shown up a long time ago.”
“You have a bad attitude. Even if I succeed in life, I will never be called a gentleman.”
“I don’t even want to hear it.”
Ronan waved his hand. He had no interest in finding the holy sword in the first place, so he was planning to waste all his time on it. Rin, who was looking at Ronan’s back, approached at a slow pace. She then naturally sat down on Ronan’s lap.
“Because I’m dumbfounded.”
Ronan laughed. This was another unexpected development. Ronan looked down at her, casually resting the back of her head against his chest.
“You have very good behavior for a lady.”
“The meaning of life is doing what you want to do.”
“Right. “It’s heavy, so go down, man.”
Lin didn’t move. Ronan let out a sigh as if he had expected her and grabbed Rin’s back and placed her next to him. Of course she wasn’t heavy at all, but it bothered her that it was her pants that were always rubbing off her blood. She bit out her tongue slightly, as if she was pouting.
“It’s shameful.”
“Noisy. “You should also look for the holy sword, so why did you come here?”
“It’s my heart.”
Ronan laughed as if he were dumbfounded. She said she hadn’t touched a single thing, and Ronan responded that she had, too. The two people sitting side by side watched the sunset without saying a word.
The day was coming to an end. The setting sun contrasted with the pale full moon, creating a dreamlike scene. The clouds, which looked as if they had been torn from sheep’s wool, had ripened like autumn leaves. Rin took a deep breath and opened her mouth.
“I guess you like sunsets.”
“Hmm… maybe. “I used to hate it, but now it’s not that bad.”
Ronan nodded. To him, sunset was not a simple natural phenomenon. It was the last sight he saw before ending his life. Lin asked.
“why?”
“It’s just that someone I know once gave a unique explanation and I liked it. Did he say it was the last struggle of his dying year?”
“fight? that’s interesting.”
“right. The reason the sunset burned red was because it was struggling to live. Like looking for firewood to keep a fire going. “I don’t know why, but I liked that explanation.”
This was a conversation I had with Adeshan on the Hill of the Four Seasons. It was a memory of late summer youth that I had never experienced in my previous life. I couldn’t believe that two years had already passed. Ronan happily explained what happened at the time. Lin, who saw her subtly determined eyes, let out a snort.
“Hmm. That’s the person Nabirose was talking about. “It won’t be easy.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“it’s okay. That’s better than being a guy who goes around flirting with random people. I have more questions than that. “It’s a very, very important question.”
She suddenly turned her head and faced Ronan. Her eyes, which were as white as her hair, were not only clear, but even felt transparent. I always thought she was a girl who gave off a very mysterious impression. By the way, ‘very’ is included twice, so what on earth are you trying to ask? Lynn continued her words.
“Holy sword. Do you want to have it?”
