Chapter 316

Chapter 316

“—It’s already morning.”
Ronan opened his eyes. Dusky light seeped through the translucent curtains. He felt refreshed after a long, dreamless night’s sleep.
“Hmmmmm—. ”
He would have slept more if it weren’t for the schedule. Yawning lazily, he rolled over and turned his head. He saw Adeshan lying on his back with his right arm as a pillow.
“It’s pretty.
Ronan twirled a lock of hair around his index finger. It was a sight she saw every morning now, and when she finally opened her eyes, she asked, a little hoarsely.
“Mmmm–what time is it?”
“Oh, you’re up?”
His disheveled hair reminded her of algae. Ronan rummaged through the nightstand with his other arm and picked up the alarm clock.
“Let’s see, it’s—8:30.”
“Okay, okay—so I’m just going to do a little more—wait, what?!”
Suddenly, Adeshan jerked his upper body up with a bounce. The comforter fell away, revealing a pure white naked body.
Ronan reflexively gave her a thumbs up at the sight, but today she had no time for jokes. Adeshan ruffled her hair.
“I, I don’t know. You’re totally late—!”
“What? Graduation isn’t until 10 anyway?”
“I was student body president! Did you forget the principal assigned me the song?”
“Ah.”
Ronan snapped his fingers. Come to think of it, that seemed to be his job. Adeshan screamed as he scrambled to his feet.
“Ugh!”
“What’s wrong?”
“Da, I haven’t gotten the strength back in my legs yet—.”
She barely managed to stand up after five long minutes of effort. The sight of her shaking legs made her feel unnecessarily guilty. Scratching his head, Ronan bowed his head.
“That’s–I’m sorry.”
“I’m done—everyone’s going to know why I’m late—I’m crazy, so why get in the mood–.”
Adeshan mumbled to herself as she prepared to go out. Her white face was flushed red, ready to burst at any moment. Ronan, who had gathered her clothes while she washed, snarled.
“Calm down and get dressed. Gee, I never thought I’d see the day when we’d have to wear uniforms again.”
“Thanks. Ugh—is it going to fit? I’m not supposed to laugh if it’s weird—.”
“Don’t worry, you look great no matter what you wear. But you’re in the mood too often for last night to be the only time.”
“You are so—, first of all, get ready!”
Adeshan was about to say something, but she turned away, no time for an argument with sesame seeds spilling out. Somehow, she managed to get ready in time.
“Wow, this works.”
“Ahaha, basic.”
Ronan clucked his tongue. It was indeed a response worthy of a former Supreme Allied Commander.
As expected, Adeshan’s school uniform hadn’t gotten any smaller. In fact, wearing it as an adult had another appeal. She kissed Ronan on the lips before leaving the front door and smiled.
“Bye. Love you!”
“Me too.”
Ronan waved his hand. The sound of the front door slamming echoed. Stretching, he turned back to his room.
I had to get ready quickly if I was going to be on time. Ronan smirked as he pulled his school uniform from the closet. His coat still had the leather Adeshan had padded it with.
“Phileon–it’s been a while.”
****
Ronan left the house an hour later. The school uniform he hadn’t worn in a long time fit him well. The sound of birds chirping could be heard throughout the streets as the morning dawned.
“Nice weather.”
The early spring sky was cloudless and clear. The passage of time was evident as the vegetation began to sprout again. It’s been a year since the war with Nebula Clazier ended.
‘It feels like a blur, time flies.
Ronan’s mouth watered as he reminisced. The years had flown by so quickly that he had no idea what he had done or how he had spent them. So much has happened, but most of my time has been spent repairing a destroyed world.
Abel was not exaggerating when he said that he had destroyed a third of the world. Countless people were killed or maimed, and nations and communities were destroyed.
Institutions were also severely affected. Pileon Academy’s closure was extended until the city had recovered and stabilized somewhat.
The destruction of Pileon’s dormitory was the reason Ronan moved in with Adeshan. As he looked around, he whistled.
“Oh, well, at least you fixed a lot.”
In the distance, I could see the Imperial Palace in the midst of restoration. It was the last thing to be done after all the other buildings and facilities were fixed.
Miraculously spared, Balon IV devoted himself to stabilizing and restoring the empire until his hair was gray. For a few months after the war ended, I thought I was doomed, but I was a man of many talents.
“Uncle Emperor is coming today—.”
Ronan muttered. The last time I saw him was at the knighthood ceremony, so if he attends this graduation, it will be a long time coming.
Still, it didn’t take long for the shattered world to put itself back together. A common catastrophe brought people together.
“Even the battleship Dyneha was mobilized for the work.
The fact that the dragons and vampires, who normally don’t care about worldly things, helped with the restoration helped speed things up. Ronan arrived in Pileon and naturally made his way to the Great Plaza.
“Damn, was there always this many?”
Ronan frowned as he made his way through the crowd. There were more people than usual, probably due to the graduation ceremony coinciding with the end of school.
“Paaaaaah!”
Sita was the first to arrive, circling above the great plaza. Ronan, who had barely made it to the grandstand, was scrambling to find a seat. A raspy voice echoed from not far away.
“Ronan, over here!”
“What, you were already here?”
Ronan arched an eyebrow at Marja. There were familiar facets to her.
Marja, now Countess of Armalen, had grown up, as had the rest of her friends. Ronan greeted her with exaggerated gestures as she arrived.
“Thank you for your consideration. Countess Marja.”
“What do they say. You’re a noble, too.”
Marja laughed in disbelief. She had been granted the Armalen estate by the Emperor and made a noble, just as she had been in her previous life.
Her family’s caravan of caravel tops served as a supply line for the Allies, though their inaction in the war played a part.
The top of the caravelle now stood proudly, one of the three largest on the continent. Suddenly, a booming laugh erupted from behind her.
“Wahaha! That’s a good point, Duke Ronan de Baltois. How are you managing your estates?”
“Braum? Why are you sitting here?”
Ronan’s eyes widened. Braum’s bushy-bearded uniform bulged as if it might burst at any moment.
“You’re a total hairball. Aren’t you getting your diploma?”
“Of course I will, but first I came to say hello to you, Miss Ophelia, and the Archduke!”
With that, Braum stepped aside. Ophelia, cloaked and invisible, stepped forward. Of course, her vampiric appearance was unchanged from before.
“It’s been a while, Ronan. Thanks for being so good to me–joining your club was the best decision of my life–of my life.”
“Me. What are you going to do when you graduate?”
“Now that the restoration work is largely complete—I can finally get back to researching new blood magic. Thankfully, the Archduke has come to his senses—.”
Ophelia smiled. Her fangs glinted between her lips. Ronan shook his head at the mention of the Archduke.
“Right, where is he? Didn’t he say he came with you?”
[I am here].
Just then, a distant voice called out. Ophelia stepped aside without a word. A boy, barely half Ronan’s height, appeared. Ronan asked, unsure of himself.
“—My Lord?”
[Yeah. It’s ridiculous. If it weren’t for you and Ophelia, I wouldn’t have come.
The boyish Archduke clicked his tongue, his puffy cheeks making him look no more than ten years old. It was the price he had paid for surviving the sacrifice of six of his seven blood essences.
“Aha–thank God you’re still alive, you’d be mad if I touched your head, wouldn’t you?”
【I won’t pay you right now. You’re much stronger than I am, but you’d better be prepared for what happens to your corpse after you die.
Ronan snarled at the Archduke’s answer. He recognized the man by his temper. Just then, he heard the murmur of students nearby.
“Hey—isn’t that the Fire Mother, I saw her at the entrance ceremony last year—.”
“Oh no–but who’s next to me? Sue, I’m not breathing well.”
At the same time, Ronan’s head turned, sensing something out of the ordinary. In the front row, a red-haired noblewoman and a man dressed to the nines stood side by side.
The flesh rising from the man’s shoulders was unnerving. He rolled his eyes and looked around, then growled low.
“This is ridiculous, why am I in this position?”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re going to have to keep coming back on a yearly cycle anyway.”
“Damn it, it’s definitely coming to bring destruction and despair then, it better be.”
“Nope. It’s Ronan and his friends’ graduation.”
The lady laughed. For a moment, the man’s flesh surged up his shoulders. It was enough to make most people wince at the mere touch, but she stopped the spread of the damage by striking him in the side with her elbow.
“Kaboom!”
“Gee, what’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”
With a crunch of bone, the man fell to his knees. The lady covered her mouth with her fan and laughed as if nothing had happened. Ronan watched the scene in disbelief.
“What are you both doing there?”
“Oh no, I got caught. I barely covered my horns.”
“—Honestly, Mr. Navarrozze, it’s not the horns.”
Ronan stared at Navarordje in genuine astonishment, his gaze fixed firmly on her wonderfully voluptuous chest. Ronan asked.
“Well, it’s good to see you anyway. What about Adren?”
“Azidahaka and Alibrihe are leading the construction, and they’re both doing a great job. Elsia is with them, too, so it doesn’t take long to get the job done.”
“Aha. That’s good to know.”
Ronan grumbled. All three of them were geniuses in their own right, so they should be able to make it work. Just then, Orse, who was groaning in pain, looked up.
“Bugger you!”
“You’re right, that’s why you’re getting beat up.”
“I’m not interested in you. Where is the killing machine? Bring him to me!”
Orse shouted. His voice was so loud that everyone in the great square could hear him. Asel, who had been sitting next to Marja and acting as a support for her arm, stiffened.
“Heehee! Oh, Orse?!”
“Kahahaha, there you are! Come with me. There’s a new blood festival for us down south!”
Orce, seeing Asel, went berserk. He pushed his way through the crowd, and Asel, his face white as a sheet, screamed.
“Shhhhhhhh!”
He squeezed his eyes shut and swung his arm. Puck! An invisible fist flew out in a flash and smashed into Orce’s jaw. The eyeball-flipped demon dragon lurched forward.
“Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!”
Asel scrambled to his feet. Navarordze sighed at the sight of the stunned Orse. Ronan clapped his hands in admiration as he realized he was completely unconscious.
“That’s awesome. I didn’t even see it.”
“Lo, Ronan—! Not that!”
Asel was about to make an excuse. A familiar voice called out from the entrance.
“Oh, there he is! Ronan! Guys!”
Just hearing his voice seemed to energize me. As I turned my head, I saw the students separating to the left and right.
Through the wall of people, Iril and Schlieffen were walking in. Exclamations were coming from all directions.
“Wow.”
“I’m the new star of the empire—who’s next to you?”
“You’re like an angel from heaven—!”
The students couldn’t take their eyes off Iril, and Ronan’s brow furrowed when he saw them casually linking arms.
“No, calm down.
He suppressed his anger by clenching his teeth. As much as he hated to admit it, Schlieffen was the only creature on this planet worthy of his sister’s companionship. Soon, Iriel approached and pulled his sister into a tight embrace.
“Ronan! How are you? Ehehe, you haven’t been home much lately, must be having fun with Adeshan?”
“Well–yeah. How’s your sister doing, and is this fungus taking care of her?”
“Sure! We’ve been getting a lot of customers lately, and Mr. Schlieffen comes every morning!”
Irene smiled broadly. She’d been running her little restaurant for a few months now. The menu consisted of humble dishes like potato stew that didn’t seem to fit the islands, but for some reason, customers kept coming back.
“—Ms. Irene. You need to sit down.”
Schlieffen said nothing, only blushed. It had been over a year since he had proposed to her in a fit of madness, but even being taken by the arm and dragged around was still too much for him. Slowly, Ronan brought his mouth to Schlieffen’s ear and whispered.
“No matter what you fantasize about, not until you’re married. Do you understand?”
“—I’m not that lousy of a human being.”
Schlieffen said. Ronan couldn’t help but smirk at the serious tone, as if he were determined to protect the world. He knew Schlieffen wouldn’t do it.
“Sure. It’s been a while. See you later.”
“Yeah. I have a new semester to start.”
“See you later, Ronan! Bye!”
Irene and Schlieffen sat side by side, a few seats apart. Every time she giggled, crossed her arms, or slapped him on the shoulder, it distracted him.
Just then, a girl appeared out of nowhere and stopped in front of Iril.
“I’ll sit here.”
“Huh? Who’s the little lady?”
“Lean.”
Her rich gray hair, like a lion’s mane, cascaded down to her waist. Schlieffen’s eyes widened at the sight of Lin.
“You are—!”
“Handsome ass No. 2. Bye.”
I remembered seeing him before, surely. It was the physical manifestation of the holy sword Ronan carried, the one he’d repeatedly tried to touch his ass with at the Sword Festival.
She had regained enough strength to move around in her human form. Rin watched in admiration as she straddled Iril’s lap.
“But you’re so beautiful—the prettiest human being I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh, thank you, the little lady is really cute.”
Iriel smiled broadly. She scooped Rin into her arms before Schlieffen could protest. Running her fingers through her rich hair, Iriel looked back at Schlieffen.
“You know, if I ever have kids, do you think they’ll have hair like this? It’s so pretty.”
“Kaboom!”
Schlieffen swallowed hard and snorted, and Iril shook his head.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, Airani—that—!”
Schlieffen started to say something, but averted his gaze. Rin giggled in amusement at his flushed face. Suddenly, a booming voice echoed through the great hall.
“Okay, we’re going to start the graduation ceremony, and I’m going to ask that everyone be quiet.”
Everyone’s attention was riveted. Soon, Pileon Academy’s headmaster, Kravah Kratyr, was at the podium, with former student council president Adeshan standing somewhere behind him.
“Uh, I can’t believe you’re really graduating— Adeshan.”
Erzebet snorted in the seat in front of Ronan. She was even wearing binoculars to get a good look at Adeshan. Ronan said.
“You can come see me often, I’m at my house anyway.”
“Don’t talk to me, you villain, my God, what a life to wake up in the morning and have Adeshan next to me—if you weren’t the hero who saved the world!”
Erzebet burst into tears again. On her lap sat Zion Siniban de Grancia, Schlieffen’s sister, eating a sweet. It was a befitting image for the bridgehead that had dramatically thawed relations between the Grancias and the Acalusias.
Behind him, Adeshan was surrounded by familiar faces. Varen, Nabiroze, Jarodin, and his wife, Sunya, the newest member of the physical arts faculty. Kratyr spoke up.
“As you all know, a lot has happened in the past year. Let’s take a moment of silence for the heroes who gave their lives to save the world.”
Everyone closed their eyes and stood in silence. Then the graduation ceremony got underway. As Ronan listened to Kratyr’s boring speech, Asel poked him in the side.
“Asel. What are your plans for the future?”
“So, plans? I mean—I think I’ll probably stay in the Twilight Steeple for a while, and maybe go to another continent with Marja during the holidays—Ronan?”
“I don’t know–what to do first.”
Ronan smacked his chin. It had been a long time since he’d had peace, but there was too much work to be done to play around.
First, she had to visit the northern lands of Zaifa and Secrete, and when she returned, she had to visit Sarante’s new temple. She also needed to catch a thief so that the nobles of Gracia wouldn’t look down on her sister.
Most of his friends from his days as a punisher would still be alive. Ronan knew he was the only one who could rehabilitate those assholes.
For some reason, the more he thought about it, the more work it seemed to be, so Ronan decided to focus on the task at hand. Scratching his head, he opened his mouth.
“But I have to get my diploma first.”
Ronan smiled. Kratyr’s speech ended, and former student council president Adeshan began. A gentle spring breeze blew over the quieted crowd.
Ronan loved the scent of spring flowers on the breeze, signaling the start of a new school year.