189 – Greetings
From noble mtl dot com
Suddenly, Drin remembered what his swordsmanship teacher, Jena, once said.
-The lady’s sword doesn’t shake no matter what happens.
-Of course it’s a compliment!
-A mirror that reflects the inner side of the black swordsman.
-But no matter how hard and painful it is, the lady’s sword is always clear and calm.
-The unwavering spirit that makes that possible is the greatest talent and strength that the lady was born with as a swordsman.
-As the lady’s swordsmanship teacher, I can assure you.
-There won’t be many moments where the lady’s sword shakes in her future life.
Sometime in the afternoon. An empty lot located near the female student dormitory.
Drin was conducting the same training at the same time, in the same place, and with the same content as usual.
However, there was a crucial difference that was different from usual.
“…”
Drin stared at the tip of his sword.
It was a very slight shaking.
However, those who know Drin and know the sword will regard the shaking as violent.
As such, Drin’s condition was unusual.
Unusual emotional agitation.
Drin tried to immerse himself in the sword again to calm his confused mind.
However, her thoughts did not cut through and slipped off the tip of her sword, tormenting her.
“…”
Before she knew it, her eyes were chasing her past, not the tip of her own sword.
Attack of the Warlock.
It is no exaggeration to say that it was the most shocking experience of Drin’s life.
It was the first time anyone had ever tried to harm him.
Even the identity of the attacker was a black magician who had reached an 8-star level.
To make matters worse, his attempt was on the brink of success.
However.
What disturbed Drin’s heart now was not the enmity, malice, death threats, or warlocks he had faced for the first time in his life.
Assassin.
“Right arm…”
Smiley face.
Ceylon.
It was none other than them that confused Drin’s mind right now.
Drin remembers the moment the right arm and smiling face appeared.
She remembers the signals her own super-intuition sent the moment she encountered them.
It was a sign that the other person was a mighty being with ominous power.
At the same time, he was also a sign that perfectly matched what I felt when I first met Ceylon in the past.
Add to that the fact that Ceylon suddenly disappeared right before they appeared.
Numerous clues gathered in one place, hinting at one possibility.
Ceylon.
His true identity may be his right hand.
Or maybe it’s a smiling face.
Actually, it didn’t really matter who it was.
The important thing.
Ceylon. It was that he might have hidden his true identity from himself as a high-ranking assassin.
“Ceylon…”
Drin thought he knew him well.
He himself considered him a dear friend. He also said that he considers himself a valuable friend.
He was a very spiteful person.
But he was a person who made me feel pleasant rather than unpleasant when I was with him.
How stimulating that grumpy yet pleasant feeling was.
“Whoops…”
Drin, thinking of Ceylon’s bewildered yet mischievous appearance, was shaking his head with a face that he could not live without knowing.
Drin believed that this was Ceylon’s true form, and her expression was colored with joy as she recalled it.
“…”
But. A mask is suddenly placed over Ceylon’s face.
Possibilities are presented.
The possibility that he may have hidden his true identity from himself.
The possibility that the appearance of Ceylon he knows may be nothing more than an illusion he has made up.
If.
If he really is a high-ranking assassin.
If the image he has shown himself so far is a fake image.
What kind of face was he looking at himself under his fake appearance?
Did Ceylon really consider himself a valuable friend?
Maybe.
You might have thought it was just an illusion, like a fake.
As a high-ranking assassin of a suspicious group called the true Harasin.
The daughter of a great family might have approached her with a specific purpose.
“Oh.”
Took.
Drin let go of her sword, feeling a throbbing pain in her stomach.
“No… “
Drin tried hard to deny it.
I hoped again.
Please. May it be only your own delusion.
He beat the Ceylon he knew, his true self.
I hope that Ceylon’s identity is not the true high-ranking assassin of Harassin.
“Yes. It won’t be. What’s my gut feeling… “
Drin completely denied his super-intuition that the number of wrong moments in his entire life was on his hand.
Continuing, he repeats suggestions and persuasion to himself.
“…Good.”
Drin, who had barely regained his normal form, put his sword into the scabbard.
It’s still a long way from digesting the daily routine of training, but that’s it for today.
He said he skipped training. It is unimaginable.
Since Drin picked up the sword, he has almost never skipped training except for enemies who had unavoidable circumstances.
But now there are more important things than training.
Ceylon. Will come to him
At the time, you would ask why it suddenly disappeared.
Maybe this answer will come back.
-I wonder if you were so scared that you ran away without even realizing it… !
With his usual dazed look.
Then, I’ll be teasing him mischievously.
Like he used to make fun of himself.
“Whoa whoop… “
A mischievous smile spread across Drin’s face.
Originally, it was an expression she couldn’t make, an expression she learned from Ceylon.
With that expression, Drin looked more happy than ever.
Drin was on her way to her men’s dorm. Her steps were much lighter.
“Yes… ?”
However, the sight of the cadets rushing somewhere caught my eye.
Continued. A series of stories shared by passing cadets reached Drin’s ears.
“Really? Ceylon, that new freshman in the swordsmanship department is the true smile of Harashin’s direct master!?”
“I heard that!? Because of that, the three knight commanders are calling Ceylon to investigate!”
“Oh my God… ! Somehow, it’s unusual for a commoner!”
“… “
Drin became contemplative and she followed them.
***
The place where Drin arrived following the cadets was in front of the main building.
“Don’t push!!!”
“Where is Smiley Face!?”
“Why are you looking for him here!!!”
“How did the investigation go!? The result!?!”
A number of cadets had already arrived at the venue and surrounded the main building, creating a buzz.
To hear the results of the three knight commanders’ investigation of Ceylon as soon as possible.
“Hey!”
“Ah…!”
Kasha watched the situation one step away from the main building.
She found Drin and spoke to him.
Standing beside her is Aid Lynn, her hands in front of her.
“Ah! Sheep!”
Aid Lynn, who found her, welcomed her, wagging her hand and her unseen tail vigorously.
“Ceylon…! What happened to Ceylon-kun!?”
Drin approached them and asked urgently.
“What, what?”
“The sheep you gave!?”
For a while, they were taken aback by their desperate appearance, which is hard to imagine from their usual calm and dignified Drin.
“Damn, how it goes. We know.”
“uuu…”
Then I looked towards her main building with the same fidgety look on my face.
“…”
It was then that Drindo looked at her main building restlessly.
“Hey. What do you think?”
“Yes?”
Kasha blurted out to Drin.
“Really, that guy. You think he’s smiling?”
“…!”
Thump!
Drin’s heart beat once.
But that’s only for a while. She shook her head with a very calm face.
“No. Ceylon will not be him.”
“Yeah, that’s a normal reaction. Those assholes. For some reason, that guy’s smile is what it is. I think the academy’s farming is ruined.”
Kasha looked at her other cadets pathetically, holding her signature arsenic in satisfaction at Drin’s answer.
On the one hand, she seemed relieved after hearing her reply.
“Hey, how are you?”
“Yes? Yes!? Me!?”
“Yes, you. There’s someone else here besides you.”
“Ah, ugh, that’s… Me too…! I’m of the same opinion as you! An idiot has a smile on his face! Yes! That’s ridiculous!”
“Really? Why?”
“Yes?”
“On what grounds did you think that?”
“No… That… Why only me…”
“What?”
“No! It’s not like that… Uh… Somehow, I think so…”
“Why do you just think so?”
“That’s…”
“Why are you avoiding your eyes again?”
“Ah, that’s…! Heeing…”
Kasha let go of her tension and anxiety by teasing little Aid Lynn.
“…”
As Drin looks at the two of them, she feels that her tension and anxiety are lessening.
Yes. This is correct
That person is a high-ranking assassin who hid his identity.
It’s not even possible.
The people here, including myself, are friends who know Ceylon better than anyone else at the academy.
Surely, their thoughts are correct.
Dean also looked toward her main building with a much lighter expression.
***
Even after Drin arrived, the cadets continued to flock.
As if all the academy cadets were about to rush in.
Even among them, some faculty members could be seen.
“Miss Adrin! What happened!”
Adela, who arrived at the location belatedly leading her party, found Aide Lin and almost rushed at her, she asked.
“Ceylon has a smiling face. Isn’t it!?”
“Of course not!”
“What? On what basis do you speak so confidently?”
“No, why don’t you ask!”
“hahahahaha, Lady Aedrin. I apologize on behalf of you. Adela’s personality, which is already dirty, has become particularly dirty because of Ceylon. By the way- what a shameful situation. How irrational to say that the students of Ain Academy are irrational. What a situation where you get swept away and mistake Ceylon for an assassin!”
Agion looked at the crowd of cadets with a disgruntled face.
“Oh! Do you believe in Aegion Islands, Ceylon Islands?”
“Of course! Ceylon! Never! It won’t be a smile!”
“Oh…”
How can you trust Ceylon so much?
Aidrin looked at Agion again.
“Aid Lynn. Don’t look at this guy with that face. He’s just jealous that Ceylon is hiding his smiling face, because he’s afraid he’ll be too cool.”
“Yes?”
Aidrin listened to Melhen’s words and looked at Agion again.
“Those in the theater department… I wondered if they finally accepted my offer because they suddenly started talking to me. Can you introduce me to Ceylon? Who knows who will be my bridesmaid…!”
Agion was muttering in anger.
“Ah, hahahaha… Then, Mr. Melhen, what do you think?”
“I honestly see some potential.”
“Yes!?”
“Ah, Aedrin. Don’t worry about it. What about Ceylon and Smiley’s skeleton and muscle shape? It’s just your usual nonsense.”
“Miss Adela! The skeletal and muscular form is a major event!”
“Uh~ yes, yes. Okay.”
“It’s a big deal, but…”
Melchen scratched her head as she looked towards the main building.
“If you ask me if Ceylon really has a smiling face, yes.”
Adela’s party showed great interest in Ceylon’s smiling face theory.
But I didn’t think that Ceylon would really have a smiling face.
-But, is it really? Really, is Ceylon a smiling face?
-Honestly, it’s nonsense.
-Isn’t it about a direct disciple?
It was the same with the other cadets.
I’ll do that too.
Ceylon, who is the same age as them, is a monster who wins against the sword of Ash, the leader of the Knights of the Rebringer. He is the direct master of a tremendous group called the true God Hara.
Because the sense of reality was too lacking.
Yes.
This can be said to be a huge event following the attack of the black magician.
With that sense, the cadets are in the reception room on the 3rd floor of the main building where the three knight commanders are conducting an investigation of Ceylon.
I looked toward the window.
When will the survey results come out-
What if Ceylon is really a member of the true Harassin-
With the thought.
Clang!
Boom!
“…!”
“What, what!?”
“Kyaaagh!”
At that time.
Something broke the walls of the reception room and burst out of the building.
It slammed into the ground with its momentum, drawing a sharp straight line.
The attention of those present at the scene immediately turned to the point where something was stuck.
The ones there were humans-
“Ceylon!”
That person was none other than Ceylon.
“Damn, what the hell happened inside- Hey, are you okay!?”
“Ceylon!!! What can I do!!!”
Drin. Aiden. Kasha. Adela’s group.
Ceylon’s friends were frightened and tried to approach him right away.
-Stop it!
However, the voice that came through the strong wind that seemed to pierce the atmosphere stopped them.
-Don’t get close to him!
From noble mtl dot com
That’s the leader of the Leolian Knights. It was the voice of Taran the Windbreaker.
Woong-goo-go-go.
The cadets who surrounded the main building were taken aback by the unexpected situation.
-What happened?!
-Could it be that Ceylon was really a real Harar god and was overpowered by the captains!?
Something went wrong while the three knight commanders were investigating Ceylon.
So, the three knight commanders subdued Ceylon.
It was the conclusion the cadets made based on the scene unfolding before their eyes.
-My God!
-Is that okay!? It just flew at an unbelievable speed-
-You’re not dead!?
A few cadets looked at Ceylon, who was pinned to the ground, with worried eyes.
Though it is said that his true identity was indeed a smiling face.
Because you won’t be safe when you become the target of suppression by the three knight commanders.
“Argon! Is it in there!? Wait a minute!”
“Kualin!!!”
Please don’t hurt him!
Drin and Kasha thought the same, and in the waiting room, they stopped Argon and Qualin, who were supposed to be hostile to Ceylon.
Soon.
The three knight commanders came out of the reception room through the collapsed wall.
-…!?
-What is it!?
The three knight commanders appeared after landing lightly from the height of the third floor.
The cadets expressed bewilderment at their appearance.
Three powerful superhumans working together to subdue a high-ranking assassin.
That’s what the cadets expected of the knight commanders.
However, the appearance of the knight commander in front of them was quite different from what they expected.
A mess.
Exhausted.
It was a helpless look that fit that expression perfectly.
From the outside, they didn’t look like they were injured, but it was clear at a glance that their condition was unreasonable.
On the other hand. Ceylon.
He looked surprisingly calm, as everyone believed he would have been in a mess.
The cadets did not know.
The fact that the three knight commanders have now miraculously escaped from the world of imagination spread by Ceylon.
If Ceylon intended to harm them. The fact that they wouldn’t have been able to escape even from the image world, let alone the reception room.
“How did this happen…”
Cadets who can’t keep up with the situation.
Kualin, the leader of Hanahan’s knights, shouted at them.
“Cadets, please evacuate! He is a high-ranking assassin!”
What?
A stifling silence fell over the place.
All their eyes were focused on Ceylon.
Took.
Took.
He was shaking the dirt and dust off his body.
He went ahead and brushed the dirt and dust off something in his hand.
– A smiling face…!
It was a mask with a smiling face.
“Ceylon…?”
“Hey…”
“Stupid…?”
Drin. Kasha. Aiden. They called the name in a trembling voice.
“…”
Ceylon turned her head to look at them.
“Haa…”
Ceylon let out a deep sigh.
However, she soon returned to her usual flat face and spread her hands playfully.
“Tada~ Are you surprised~?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
They were hardened and couldn’t react.
“Haa…”
Ceylon let out another deep sigh.
“This, you seem very surprised.”
“Ceylon-kun…? Isn’t it…?”
Ceylon put on a mask instead of answering.
The smiling face was there.
“…!”
The place fell into a heavy silence for a moment.
And then it exploded.
-Kyaaa!!! Smiley face!!!
-Oh my God, really!?
– Nonsense!!!
-hahahahaha, crazy!!!
Astonished.
Shock.
Joy.
Hundreds of cadets were consumed all at once by intense emotions bordering on madness.
At that time.
Ceylon-
No, I jumped at the smiling face.
A beast of fire, bigger than before, rushed at him.
Then Taran’s blades blew up, creating a whirlwind that reached the pillars up to the sky.
And shadows covered the world.
Ice citadel, larger than the main building floating in the sky, was crashing down.
The skills of the talented people who reached the realm of superhumans created a surreal scene and aroused admiration from the cadets.
It was the moment when the crystals of violent mana were about to rush into Ceylon all at once.
Ceylon snapped his fingers.
In an instant, the adult body of ice stopped falling.
The blizzard whirlpool has stopped spinning.
The beast of fire has stopped charging.
That fleeting moment was enough.
Roaring!
Black flames clung to the crystals of mana.
The black flames, like a swarm of insects covering the corpse of a beast, slowly engulfed them like pitch black with will.
In this way, the flames burned the phenomena and even the wonder they evoked.
-What, what…?
-What happened…?
The cadets muttered in dismay.
To them, a smiling face waved his arms like a performer on stage and greeted them handsomely.
Then the awkward silence became the lingering aftertaste of the climax.
-Waaa!!!
-Smiley Face!!!!!
Cheers erupted from the crowd as if an actor on stage had finished his performance.
-Smiley Face!!!
-The real Harasin!!!
They chanted.
“…”
The three captains of the knights had become supporting actors that made the main characters shine.
The true name Harasin.
The identity of an assassin and a warlock.
It didn’t matter to them anymore.
They were mesmerized by the successive wonders of the true Harasin.
The smiling face nodded contentedly as he heard the chants.
“Three days later!”
Then he shouted in his unique contrived tone as if everyone had heard him.
“In the Ragen Plain, located east of Arien, evil will be rampant! Then! Which hero will be the one who will destroy the evil! The Great Council!? The true Harasin!? Audience members! Much anticipation and support! Please!”
I gripped the jet-black robe with a smile on my body.
The moment he takes off that robe, he will disappear, just like in the case of the warlock attack.
“Ceylon…!”
Drin. Kasha. Aiden.
They looked at him with desperate faces.
“…”
Smiley face. He took off his mask and returned to Ceylon.
And just as I was about to say something to them-
“Oh.”
I looked somewhere and shook my head.
That was the end.
“Should I sleep-“
Flutter!
Jet-black robes scattered.
There was no more Ceylon there.
Even though the smiling faces disappeared, the excitement of the students did not stop.
They cheered or applauded enthusiastically.
“Ceylon…Kun…?”
“Is it really like this…?”
“Stupid…?”
Only three people were out of sync with the atmosphere.
Puffed up. They sat down on the floor one after another.
And when the light in those eyes was about to disappear-
“…What’s all this about?”
“A mess.”
With the appearance of Huivien and Miz, who arrived at the place belatedly, the atmosphere of the place that had sunk into darkness resurfaced.
In the end, it’s like this