[Teaser] DCO Volume 4 Chapter 2.1

TEASER

Volume 4 Chapter 2.1

Patchwork Obsession Part 1

 

I loved my dad.

He knew everything I didn't know and was always there to protect me. Someone I truly admire.

I felt at ease under his big hands that stroked me, and I was happy to have been born with hair the same color as his.

My first memories as a child are the sensation of my body being rocked by the carriage, the clear wind, and the endless plains of withered grass. I remember my eyes often glancing up at the dust and sand smoke that rose up in the air.

Spending my days traveling with my parents, who were both adventurers. That was my life when I was a child.

My parents were always on good terms with each other and never had a single quarrel.

They were both well-educated and skilled in the martial arts, and they fought off many powerful demonic beasts with their well-matched combination of skills.

My parents were always requested by various people by name, and at the same time, they were highly appreciated.

I was proud of them, and I did not doubt that one day I would learn from them and become a first-rate adventurer. But those days didn't last forever.

My father ...... passed away.

How did he die, what was the cause? I still don't know.

But I do remember that shortly before he died, my mother argued with him.

No, it was more like a one-sided confrontation.

We were on our way from town to town when the trees and grass had fallen asleep. As I drifted off to sleep in our camp tent, I was awakened by my mother's strong tone of voice.

 

"What the heck are you thinking!?"

 

I peeked out through a gap in the tent and saw my mother there, who was unusually loud and impatient.

Dad answered all of Mom's questions, then apologetically hugged her and whispered something in her ear.

Just what did he say, I wonder? My mother's eyes widened and she burst into tears.

Then she bit her lip sadly and hung her head, not pressing my father any further.

Mom, who was always smiling and cheerful and never showed any signs of weakness, cried. I felt a tightening sensation in my chest upon seeing it, and I involuntarily walked out of the tent.

 

"Lisa ....... Were you awake?"

 

Their eyes widened when they noticed me coming out.

 

"Hey, I got an urgent job to do. Dad has to go."

"E...... a, uh......."

 

Wait, what happened? Why is Mom crying?

My head was quickly filled with one question after another, my bad premonition grew even worse, and my heart was beating fast with shivers as if my whole body was frozen. My mouth kept flailing in impatience to say something, and as if I had forgotten what to say, I only uttered meaningless noises.

 

"Don't worry, I'll be right back."

 

After gently patting me, who was anxious and dismayed, Dad went away.

A month later, he came back stone cold.

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[LN] Dragon Chain Ori : Volume 4 Chapter 1.1

Volume 4 Chapter 1.1

A Fresh Start Part 1

Translator : PolterGlast

Eaten, chewed, dismembered, and burned.

Arcazam engulfed in flames. In his nightmares, Nozomu fought against the giant dragon and kept getting killed. Death that arrives easily, repeatedly falling into intense pain, weakness, and emptiness.

 

"Ugh......!"

 

There is no point in thinking about the difference in power. But still, at the very least, he won't give up his heart and soul.

With that in mind, he resists the feeling of emptiness that envelops his entire being every time he dies.

And when he comes to his senses, the figure of a giant dragon appears before his eyes once again.

The dragon looks down at Nozomu with a loathsome expression, and then attacks again. Facing a one-sided battle that could end at any moment, he still raised his sword in an attempt to fight back......

 

[Oi Nozomu, what are you doing!?]

 

A strong, loud voice echoed in his mind. Immediately after, he felt as if he were being pulled out of the water and was illuminated by a dazzling light. In the blinding light, Arcazam, which was engulfed in flames, disappeared along with the giant dragon.

His consciousness rapidly awakens. What was seen beyond the light was .......

 

‡

 

"Uwaaaa!"

 

Nozomu suddenly regained consciousness accompanied by a scream that echoed in his ears.

In front of him was a boy clad in the uniform of the Soluminati Academy who fell on his butt. There is a threat looming toward him with a large, gooey, unnerving mouth spread wide.

It is a demonic beast called a Blob, whose mucus-like body is lifted up and attacks him as though trying to engulf him. Basically, it is an aquatic creature that grows on nutrients in the water, but larger ones come to land to seek higher nutritional value. This included large creatures, including humans.

Nozomu reflexively jumped in front of the boy and unsheathed his beloved katana, [Mumei], which he carried at his waist.

With a single, precise strike, he cleaved the Blob in two with the very nucleus inside its body.

After the nucleus was severed, the Blob trembled and then collapsed with a splashing sound.

 

"Phew......."

 

He exhaled and looked around the dimly lit surroundings. The torch flames and magical lights illuminated the waterway, which had an arched ceiling. They are in the underground canal of Arcazam. The time is early in the morning.

 

"Nozomu, are you okay?"

 

Irisdina rushed to Nozomu's side after he defeated the Blob.

Behind her, her best friend, Tima, and Mars, who is in the same class as Nozomu, were following her.

 

"Yeah, sorry Iris, I was spacing out."

"That doesn't sound like you. What's wrong?"

"That guy, was bothering me a little......."

 

Hearing Nozomu's implied words, her expression turned grim for a moment, followed by a melancholy one.

Tiamat, the Dragon King.

An extraordinarily great calamity that Nozomu has been forced to face. If released, it is an existence that could bring fatal disasters not only to Arcazam, but also to the entire continent of Arkmel.

 

"......Are you, alright?"

"Hm? Yeah, it's all good now."

 

Irisdina's expression remained stiff in contrast to Nozomu, who sheathed his katana in a nonchalant manner. Because she knew that in such situations, he often left out the words [for now].

At the same time, she bit her lip slightly, feeling frustrated and helpless.

Even if she knew what was going on, Irisdina had no way to solve Nozomu's problem.

Her frustration and anxiety stirred in her heart.

Nozomu, perhaps sensing her feelings, smiled gently at Irisdina.

 

"Thank you, Iris. Anyway, we gotta confirm about the blob."

"Yeah, I guess so......."

 

Despite being at a loss for words, Irisdina tried her best to refocus her mind.

The reason why they are here this time is because of a request from the guild.

The content is to investigate the Arcazam underground waterway.

In Arcazam, underground water is pumped up at facilities called [water pumping buildings] in each area and distributed to various parts of the city through waterways that are spread out like a network.

These are clearly divided into water supply and sewage systems, and basically, no demonic beasts are allowed to enter the water supply system.

However, a few days ago, a construction worker inspecting the waterway informed the guild that there were demonic beasts in the water supply system.

 

"Are you guys all right? Are you hurt?"

 

Irisdina called out to a group of students who were being attacked by a group of Blob.

They were a party of four, a mixed party of men and women, wearing the same Soluminati Academy uniforms as Nozomu and the others.

Upon checking the insignia on their chests, they seemed to be students of the first grade.

 

"T-Thank you! My name is Eldor, a first-class first-grade student!"

 

A boy, the leader of the party, bowed his head, his face flushed in front of Irisdina. He is the male student that Nozomu rescued. Irisdina was originally a celebrity at the school and popular among both men and women alike. Her name seems to be well-known even among the freshmen who have just joined the school this year.

 

"Excuse me, but can you tell me a few things about these Blobs?"

"Y-Yes!"

 

After listening to their story, Irisdina learned that they were passing through a passageway that led from the sewers to the aqueduct when they found the group of Blobs tightly packed in the passageway. They were attacked at this moment.

They were fighting in the narrow passageway while running away from the encroaching Blobs that were about to squash them, and to begin with, their mucus-like bodies made it difficult for them to use their weapons. They could have handled the situation if they had calmly dealt with it by aiming at the nucleus or using magic, but they still lacked combat experience, and their stamina and magic power were depleted as they struggled.

They were in a desperate situation when Nozomu and the others rushed to their rescue.

 

"Thank you, I understand now. You guys should go back to the surface. We'll handle things from here on out."

"B-But......"

"Just get the hell out of here. You're just dragging us down if you're trying to lead a bunch of people who can't move well at all."

 

Although Irisdina tried to persuade them, the underclassmen persisted. Then Mars interjected. His words may sound cold to the outsider, but Nozomu immediately understands that they are a rather awkward reminder from Mars' point of view.

However, hearing his words, the freshmen, who were originally called geniuses in their hometown and had just arrived at the Soluminati Academy with great expectations, became self-conscious that their abilities were not as good as they thought they were.

This caused them to look at Nozomu with suspicion, frustration, and a hint of disdain.

Apparently, these underclassmen were aware of the rumor that Nozomu was the lowest-ranking student in the third grade and a scumbag who had betrayed his childhood sweetheart.

 

"But we're pretty much all D-rank which is rare among first graders! At least, we're better than this seni-"

"Watch your words. He's a C-ranker. His rank is higher than yours."

 

Eldor was unintentionally trying to mend his damaged self-esteem. But Irisdina dismissed him. Her cold voice made the underclassmen tremble, and they looked at Nozomu in surprise.

Until recently, Nozomu's rank was D, the same as them. Perhaps they did not know that Nozomu had recently advanced in rank.

 

"The rumors about him that are circulating in the academy are completely unfounded. Besides, he's my precious ...... friend. In fact, he saved your life, too, didn't he? Insulting your benefactor would be disgraceful......"

 

Although her voice was clear and sincere, it carried a hint of anger. The first-year students were completely overwhelmed by her tone of voice. Nozomu called out to stop her from becoming more intimidating than necessary.

 

"Iris......."

"......My apologies, I got a little carried away. In any case, you guys should go back."

 

Unable to say anything back to her, the first-year students trudged back to the surface.

Watching their backs disappear into the corner of the waterway, Irisdina let out a sigh and slumped her shoulders.

 

"Tima, Mars-kun, I apologize to you as well. I didn't mean to make a fuss......."

"It's okay, Ai, don't worry about it."

"Yeah, I would have said more if you hadn't."

 

Tima smiled back at the apologetic Irisdina, and Mars waved his hand placidly.

 

"But, Mars-kun, you could have said it a little nicer."

"Aa? No way. If they, who only just arrived this year, are doing too well, it's about time things would get to their heads......"

"But there should be a better way to say it ...... right?"

 

Tima smiled and intimidated Mars, who had no intention of correcting his misleading use of words.

Mars broke out in a cold sweat and replied in a trembling voice, "I-I'll be more careful.......". They have been training together often since the Rugato incident, and recently they seem to be getting even closer.

Irisdina's mouth relaxed a little upon seeing them, but her expression immediately stiffened and she peeked at Nozomu, who was standing beside her. Seeing the glint of worry in her eyes, he smiled wryly.

 

"You don't have to worry about me either...... but well, thanks for getting mad for my sake, Iris."

 

She was indeed a bit excessive, but her words were made out of consideration for Nozomu.

Nozomu himself understands this. That's why he is so grateful. Irisdina, who had been glancing at Nozomu's face, was finally relieved when she heard those words.

 

"......Thank goodness. Well then, let's proceed."

 

The group then began to go deeper into the waterway to continue their investigation.

 

‡

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[LN] PAS : Volume 2 Chapter 7.1

Volume 2 Chapter 7.1

Fugitive in the Blue Night, Hope is Fleetingly Plucked Away Part 1

Translator : PolterGlast

The sun, driven beyond the horizon, cast its last glow over the world.

Under a sky filled with blazing colors, a ghastly scene was unfolding.

The first girls' dormitory had already collapsed, crushed from the inside by the raging waves reflecting the various lights that pervaded the world. The crystals kept multiplying and expanding their scope of destruction.

She gazed at the scene of tremendous destruction with a calm thought.

It was not out of hatred that she had dragged the school into hell. It was simply because she thought it was the best way to expose the rats that were causing harm to the school.

If their goal was to identify the <Shepherd's Dog>, there would be no more obvious bait.

Besides, if the rats chose to leave things as they were, they would eventually be killed, so it was inevitable that they would come to stop the destruction.

Since she used revenge as a pretext, her connection to the headmaster will not be noticed by the other students. The girls' dormitory would be restored overnight by a psychic on the instructor's side, and all but the students showing defiance to the school would be unharmed.

 

"...... Please watch over me, Headmaster. I will make sure that all threats will be nipped in the bud."

 

A prayer-like voice melted into the beautiful scene.

She had decided only to report the situation to the headmaster after she had cut off the rats' heads.

This way, she could avoid bothering the busy headmaster, and more importantly, she would be able to demonstrate her usefulness to him in a more effective way.

After that, she might finally be able to see him.

 

◇

 

When Nina arrived at the remains of the first girls' dormitory, Karen Ashby was sitting on top of a mountain of glowing, red-colored crystals, looking up into the sky.

The crystals were still proliferating in a destructive fashion, but there was little movement within a radius of about 10 meters centered on Karen. Perhaps to prevent herself from being crushed to death, she had partially slowed down the rate of their proliferation.

 

"Stingray, I didn't expect you to show your face."

Still sitting on the crystals, Karen turned only her eyes toward Nina.

"I mean, how did you even manage to get here? I'm pretty sure it's not easy to get near here."

 

Nina braced herself once again.

The truth was that Emma, whose physical abilities had been enhanced by candy doping, had carried her, but of course, she had no intention of telling that fact.

 

"I don't know whether it was because you were so scared of me or not, but your crystals were moving neatly avoiding me. It's a strange phenomenon, no?"

"Psychokinesis-based barrier, huh? Well, that much is to be expected."

"By the way, Karen-san, have you gotten permission from the school? You seem to be rampaging around as you please......"

"There's no need for that."

"You said it with so much confidence, huh."

"Because I have a good reason. I have a cause. I have to make sure that the villains who hurt my best friend get what they deserve."

 

That's just an excuse, Nina spat inwardly.

Satya's case was staged. Even if Satya were safe, she would have pretended that she suffered an attack and was hiding somewhere. This would be the best solution to get rid of the Republic's spy without anyone suspecting her involvement with the school principal.

In the first place, why does the school show no reaction to this situation?

Is it a decision in favor of those who were exempted from the entrance exams?

Are they taking the situation lightly because there are no casualties yet?

Or is it because the person who caused the rampage is from the school side?

─It is obvious which of these is the correct answer.

 

"Well, I'm not interested in your reasons."

"I am curious. Why did you attack Satya?"

"You're being awfully paranoid, aren't you?"

"Then why did you show up here?"

"...... Nothing in particular. I'm just here to get rid of an eyesore."

 

Nina put on a heartless, monster-like smile.

 

"You know what I hate most, Karen-san? I hate it most when people act like spoiled children and mistakenly believe that they can do whatever they want as long as they act out of control. Because they are just too ignorant. Don't you find it extremely arrogant to think that you are the center of the world?"

"So what are you trying to say?"

"You have a bad intuition, huh? Didn't you get it? I just can't tolerate the idea that a being far inferior to myself is getting carried away here at Heiberg School. When a filthy vermin walks brazenly across your room, it makes you want to kill it, doesn't it?　It's the same feeling."

 

Karen laughed heartily when she heard this.

If only this moment were captured, it would seem as if the world was not teeming with hell. Karen laughed with such a pure expression on her face.

 

"I knew it, you're interesting. By the way, ......" Karen stood up abruptly. "If you're going to fight me, we're inevitably going to have to kill each other."

 

A sharp murderous intent erupted from Karen's entire body.

The backlight blocked Nina's vision, making it impossible to see her facial expression. Even so, Nina could tell that she was looking at her with a cruel gaze.

─Good, I caught her.

Everything up to this point has gone according to plan.

Now that she's been provoked like this, she'll definitely give in to my demands.

 

"I wish we could kill each other right here and now, but ...... Karen-san, sadly, this school is not a lawless zone. There is an order called extraterritoriality. Even if we were going to kill each other, we might as well fill out a pledge form."

"A <Duel>, eh? Fine, what are the rules?"

"A simple battle will do. The victory condition is that either one of us must be incapacitated or surrender. Ah, I prepared an escape route called "surrender" as a mercy to you.

Of course, the loser should be penalized by losing all the points he/she possesses and being expelled from the school. That is, if you still retain your life after losing. And as for the venue, I think the old school building that my class used for the <Practical Examination> would be perfect. There will be no one around there, and it will be much more convenient for you to fight indoors, right?"

"Okay, that's fine. Just hurry up and fill out the pledge form-......."

"Don't be in such a hurry. We will also set some detailed rules just to be safe.

First, the game starts with both parties hiding in any room in the old school building. The signal to begin will be given by that tin doll, Jake, who will be our witness."

"Why such a roundabout way?"

"It's a reference to the rules of the last <Hide and Seek> test we had. Well, it's just for fun. It doesn't really matter to you and me, anyway."

"Fine, I guess. What about the rest of the rules?"

"Secondly, the battle area should only be inside the old school building. If you are more than five meters away from there, you will be defeated unconditionally. Of course, this is a rule that prohibits us from escaping.

And the third. Let's also add that harming anyone other than those involved in the duel will also result in defeat. Considering your psychic abilities and mine, I thought it would be necessary to take this into consideration as well."

"I can see you're trying to lay a trap here. Can you add a sentence that says, [The third rule does not apply to those who enter the battleground or engage in a <duel> by any means from outside the battleground]?"

"...... Got it. Let's add that."

 

Nina took a pledge form from the pocket of her uniform and added the conditions Karen had mentioned.

If Karen were to miss this rule, she could have used a trick to force a foul win by having Jin sneak into the old school building and intentionally injure himself, but Karen was surprisingly cautious.

She must have anticipated the possibility of Nina fighting together with Jin. The reason why Karen did not propose the rule of [prohibiting outsiders from entering the battleground] might be because she wanted to get rid of all the obstacles at once.

Based on this calm thinking, she has a psychic ability that is so powerful that she can use [berserk] and [madness as a card to hunt down her enemies. As was the case with Bennett, the very existence of the group exempted from the entrance examination is outrageous.

Nina, who was wearing a thick acting mask, welcomed the battle with a terrific smile, even though she was inwardly bitter.

 

"Well, then, since the rules are now settled. Can you sign this pledge form, please?"

"Yeah, hold on a second."

 

Karen ran down the pile of crystals with nimble movements and approached Nina. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and in response, the crystals that had filled the area surrounding her began to disintegrate.

A large number of crystals were converted into particles of light, which danced in the wind.

The scene was so majestic and picturesque. Nina learned for the first time that beauty, when taken to the extreme, could be terrifying to behold.

Karen, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned and completed the pledge form with a nonchalant expression on her face.

 

"Now, there is no going back for you or me. There is no use in having regrets."

"Do I look like I regret it?"

"...... Ha, that's the way it should be."

 

Even though Nina tried to play a monster-like sneer, Karen was not perturbed in the slightest. On the contrary, she seemed to be gushing with excitement, which was terrifying.

Nina wondered to what extent Karen had anticipated their plan.

The other party is the kind of person who hides his true identity while probing them. Naturally, the other party would be capable of thinking like a liar, and they would not be the type to neglect preparations before a fight.

Moreover, Nina had already defeated Bennett Lohr.

This time, Nina couldn't expect any development in which Karen would just give her a free kick right from the start.

─Ugh, I want to go home ......!

There is a part of her in her head that is waving a white flag and crying out for help. That's for sure.

But Nina was also a first-rate liar.

As for the script, her reliable accomplice already wrote it for her. All she had to do was play the role of a liar who would deceive the world by pushing her true feelings behind her facial muscles.

The particles of light that once filled the sky have all but dispersed.

The two liars met each other's eyes head-on, and in them, they saw a flickering certainty of victory and a hint of the most elaborate scheme.

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