NOVEL NEXT Chapter 148
Do you know that I’m the reincarnation of Ronan?
No way. The way you’re speaking feels like something I heard 400 years ago, but the tone is awkward. It’s not how you normally talk. If that’s the case, you’re acting…
With that tone, you said you wanted to be like Ronan… me.
So… maybe you’re not a bad guy after all?
That’s what I thought.
“I have started following the path of the great and brave hero, Ronan the Martial Artist, as I lay down my long-wielded sword, but I feel like I’m still far from it.”
That’s what I thought before I heard those words.
“…Is he crazy?”
Crazy, indeed. That’s the only term that came to mind for this male student, and so I blurted it out.
Yurasia was staring at the male student in front of us, seemingly agreeing without any reaction.
“Well, I have heard that a lot.”
However, the male student nodded sincerely, as if he didn’t care.
“Since I chose martial arts over wielding a proper sword, I had expected this.”
You just put down a perfectly good sword to choose martial arts?
“Did you hit your head really hard or something?”
“I never did.”
“Is there a reason you can’t wield a weapon?”
“…There’s no such reason.”
“Does it have anything to do with being bald?”
“Not at all. This head is something I take care of myself. I style it every morning.”
This idiot is overrating himself.
A bald guy and a martial artist are gathered here. And he chose to be in this state himself!
He’s neither human nor beast. Not even a monster. This is… something that should never be born; it’s structurally wrong.
By the way, sticking to martial arts after putting down a sword is strange.
For some reason, the shape of his muscles seems off. No matter how I look at it, it looks like a muscle meant for wielding a sword, but awkwardly covered with other muscles.
His finger joints are also ambiguously shaped, neither like a swordsman’s nor like a martial artist’s; they look like neither.
It’s like a puzzle piece being forced into the wrong spot.
“Ah, if you don’t know my name and are calling me that, then I apologize.”
The male student, whose hands are as big as pot lids, thumped his chest! and said proudly, “My name is Hurd van Chaser.”
“…Van Chaser? The Van Chaser Family from the North? Duke Betias’s lineage?”
“Yes, that’s my father. Do you know him?”
Oh dear. Was he one of the twins under Duke Betias?
With no silver-blue hair and no red eyes, I didn’t recognize him.
Direct line? Since he called him father, it must be a direct line. Not a side branch, but the direct line of the Van Chaser family!
I remember them boasting that both the daughter and son were the most talented in the family, but is this crazy guy really one of them?
“Does crazy seniors not know me?”
“Hmm… you told me your name, but you seem unwilling to call me by mine. That’s fine. But I don’t know you. We’ve never met.”
“Oh… um, I apologize for that.”
I awkwardly scratched my cheek. Since everyone recognized me just by my hair color, I thought he’d know me too…
“I am Eliaernes Eustetia.”
“Wow… Eustetia! Descendant of the Hero! A descendant of Lady Arisa Eustetia! It’s an honor to meet you!”
No, that dude looks like he knew already. He must have known while pretending not to.
Why? For what reason?
Back 400 years ago, when introducing oneself, the culture of surprise with a name was customary among soldiers, right? It seems he’s following that trend.
“Hmm, hmm…”
When I shot him a cold glare, his crazy eyes turned to Yurasia.
“What about you? What’s your name?”
“…I am Yurasia Espirot, the personal knight of Lady Eliaernes.”
“Oh, nice to meet you. Your weapon is a sword, right? Seeing you flaunt your status as a personal knight inside the Academy, you seem very loyal.”
“Cut the nonsense. What was that you said earlier?”
I shot my gaze back at Hurd. His huge presence caught the eyes of nearby students.
Well… with such an inhuman size, it’s no wonder I am way smaller than most kids here.
“Ah, right. That’s why I stopped to ask, Eliaernes. I wanted to tell you that your answer was excellent.”
“Seems like you already told me that.”
“Also, I wanted to say that I wish to learn from you.”
“Wanna learn? What? The theory? Aren’t you a second-year? I’m just a first-year.”
“Not just theory. To write such an answer, your way of thinking must change first. I want that perspective.”
“Why?”
Hurd’s expression became solemn.
“Because that’s… the way of Hero Ronan.”
In that moment, sparkle—the bald head shone bright.
“What the… hell.”
I couldn’t suppress my reaction to such an overly cheesy line. Was that how Luna felt when cursing at my technique names?
No… No way. My technique names are never cheesy.
It’s just… just Luna, um… never mind.
“Do you want to be like Ronan, you crazy senior?”
“My name… has gotten longer. The answer is… yes. Though it may be impossible to emulate him, I wish to walk that great path. So I laid down the sword and shaved my head.”
Hurd clenched his fist that was as big as a pot lid and smiled happily. His bald head shone again.
Why does it keep sparkling?
“But… the hero, Ronan, was not bald like you.”
And he wasn’t a martial artist. Ronan, I knew, could swing a sword.
He could use a hammer, an axe, a spear, a bow, or even a stone lying on the roadside, and he handled them all well.
“You might not know.”
“There’s no way that’s possible. He was quite the hairy fellow. No, he must have been!”
“A rough, tough macho like Hero Ronan would clearly have shaved his head like this! Or, maybe, he went bald due to rigorous training!”
“Nope.”
“Is there any chance that—”
“No, I said.”
Hurd closed his mouth. Yurasia looked shocked and blocked my way.
“…Hmph.”
“What?”
“It appears you have your beliefs. A belief that doesn’t waver even in front of me.”
“What of it? Why would Ronan be bald? You’re talking nonsense.”
Hurd tightly clenched his fist. Do I step back? Not cause trouble?
Nonsense. From the moment he called me bald, he made himself my enemy.
I also clenched my fist, and Yurasia reached into the A-Space Pocket I handed her.
In this tense moment…
“Impressive.”
Hurd said.
“Impressive! Amazing! Eliaernes, or rather, Lady Eliaernes! You walking your path feels like the closest thing to Hero Ronan’s path! Would you please bestow some teachings upon this humble soul?”
“Wha-what? Teach?”
Thud Thud! Hurd, with a face full of excitement, approached me. He looked even larger as he got closer.
He’s gotta be at least 2 meters tall.
His body is like three of me squished side by side with one more on top.
There are plenty of places to hit, which is good for a fight, but…
Hmm… Maybe when I’m stressed, hitting him a bit for mental training wouldn’t be too bad.
What should I do? Should I say I’ll teach him?
But… if so, I’d lose face in front of Duke Betias. How could I face the son I’m constantly beating?
If it’s someone of Duke Betias’s caliber, he’ll know in an instant how his son got beaten up—not that it was during training or a tantrum.
I should maintain a smooth relationship with Duke Betias. To go to the “Prairie” in the north, I must go through his territory.
Hmm, what should I do? As I was contemplating, suddenly…
“You bald-headed idiot!”
A sharp voice came from behind Hurd.
Then, smack— a crisp sound echoed in the hallway.
Who is that? What is going on? What did they hit?
I want to look, but Hurd’s size is blocking my view.
And I didn’t really need to see.
“Oof…!”
With a cracking sound, Hurd’s knees buckled.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
And then, a girl with bright silver-blue hair appeared behind him.
For a girl… she’s tall. Though she isn’t large in build. Her long limbs and smooth muscles stand out.
Her face is cold and sharp, a beautiful but intimidating figure. Yet, because of her age, her youth adds a strangely captivating charm.
But she’s… holding a sword.
Of course, it isn’t drawn from its sheath, but she’s carrying a personal weapon inside the academy.
That means she’s from the student council. And to prove it, there’s a shield-shaped brooch on the right side of her chest.
Her chest… is incredibly grand and very noticeable.
“Are you guys okay?”
And her tie is dark blue, like Hurd, a second-year as well.
I lifted my head to meet her gaze.
Red eyes.
I turned to see Hurd’s eyes too. Even though I didn’t see before due to his size, now it’s clear.
He also has red eyes.
Duke Betias also had red eyes.
If the symbol of Eustetia is pink hair and eyes, then the Van Chaser family symbol is silver-blue hair and red eyes.
“Huh? Cherry Blossom color… are you Eliaernes?”
“Yes. I am Eliaernes. Then you must be senior Ashtar van Chaser.”
“Oh my…? You know my name?”
“How could I not?”
I had heard various stories about the Van Chaser family from my dad and a lot from Duke Betias too.
Besides, Ashtar is a well-known name within the academy, too, being a student who reached the 6th Rank just like Fabiana.
Though I didn’t know before, I learned this information from wandering around the community lately.
“Aha! My name is a bit well-known. So, is everything okay? That bald idiot didn’t do anything stupid, did he?”
“Well… he did say something odd, but he didn’t do anything stupid.”
“That itself is stupid, what else could it be?”
With a frown, Ashtar slapped Hurd on the head.
“Oof…”
“Aw, stop whining. Hey, you. Didn’t I tell you to quit saying such embarrassing things where I could hear?”
“I’m not embarrassed… Hero Ronan’s path should not be insulted, not even by my own father—”
Smack—!
The same crisp sound I heard earlier, just now might’ve been him getting hit on the back of the head.
“What are you rambling about?”
“Ashtar, isn’t what you’re doing an insult to Ronan?”
“Cut the nonsense. I care about Ronan more than you do, why would I insult him? And stop referring to him as “Hero Ronan” already, haven’t I told you many times to add “Sir”?”
“If I add ‘Sir’, it feels too distant—it’s my belief!”
“…I’m embarrassed just listening to you.”
Blink blink.
I dumbly blinked, replaying what Ashtar just said.
“Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but… do you admire Ronan, senior Ashtar?”
Upon my question, Ashtar turned her head sharply.
And with a bright red face, she whispered.
“No. I love him.”
“Uh… that’s impressive.”
Seeing the brother and sister duo being awesome, it seems the future of the Van Chaser family is very bright!