Chapter 2 Part 1
Translator : PolterGlast
Proofreader : John4891
The
morning sun illuminates the city of Arcazam.
Townspeople
start their day, listening to the birds chirping.
The
city streets are dense, and they work hard to make a living on their own.
A
boy walked along the road people come and go from.
His
name was Nozomu Bountis.
A
student who belongs to the third year of Solminati Academy, the center of
Arcazam.
It's
been a month since the confrontation with his master. He managed to get promoted
to third grade.
"Well...
I was able to get promoted properly."
The
confrontation with Shino was two days before the end-of-year exam, and due to
the injuries he suffered at the time, he couldn't make it to the final stage,
making the exam more difficult than expected.
His
improved physical ability couldn’t be utilized, and he nearly failed his
practical test. His written exam didn't go well either because he could only
think of Shino, and as a result, he ended up taking three supplementary exams.
"That's
why I ended up at the bottom… Well, I managed to pass, so it's still okay
..."
By
the way, the number of supplementary exams he took is undoubtedly the highest
in the school’s history.
Because
of that, he was once again placed the lowest, in the 10th class. At the time of
going to school, his scores are also the lowest, and he is still treated as a
dropout in the class.
(But
it might be better to keep it as it is now. That dragon-slaying power... is too
great)
During
his battle with Shino, he did indeed release the power of dragon slayer;
however the release of ability suppression was not done in public.
In
his third year, he’d unleashed Ability Suppression several times at Shino's
hut, but he was unable to control it.
Although
the released power dramatically increased physical strength, this absurd
increase in strength in every skill was still too much to handle. Additionally,
it wasn't very easy to use it in his student life, not to mention the skill
originally already had a capable killing ability. It wasn’t very practical
anymore.
"Rocks
become very small pieces just by hitting them, awfully unusable."
(And...there’s
also that monster)
He
remembers Tiamat, the King of the Dragons, who dwells within him. Every time he
released the suppression, Tiamat rampaged in his body, trying to devour it.
He
once fought in the spiritual world and succeeded in capturing Tiamat's power,
albeit in part, so he wouldn't be eaten as soon as he released it, but even so,
two minutes is the time limit of releasing his suppression.
In
fact, those two minutes were when Nozomu managed to hold back his released
power. If unleashed without any control, his mind would’ve been crushed by the
force, and his body would’ve collapsed in a dozen seconds.
"Anyway,
I have to think about what to do from now on."
About
the school, about dragon slayer, about Lisa.
He
met Lisa several times after being promoted, but she still either ignored him
or struck hostility.
He
couldn't say anything to her and could only stand in front of her.
(.........
I'm still running away ... )
Nozomu
hasn't moved forward yet. However, although he was still running away, he’s
become fully aware of the fact that he is running away.
What
Shino told him about his life was certainly starting to sprout and take root in
him.
==============================================================
10th
class in 3rd grade. Nozomu Bountis is still treated the same as usual in this
class.
"Why
is that guy... Why is he still here!?"
"Because
of him, we're treated as the same level as him. Take responsibility!"
"That's
right, he took the supplementary exam three times! He's only thinking about his
own vessel."
When
he entered the classroom, they were still swearing at Nozomu. While listening
to such voices, he sat in his seat, took out his textbook, and began his
preparation.
After
a few minutes
"Hey
Mars, let's go to that store today. That girl is there. It's okay right?"
"Are
you aiming for that store's daughter? You can't do it. Just stop it."
".........
You guys sure don't get tired of it ..."
It
was Mars and his entourage who came in.
Apparently,
they were talking about where to stop by after school, but Mars didn’t seem to
be willing to talk about it.
"Hey
Mars, what happened recently? You’re in a bad mood?"
"That's
right. You’ve been pretty quiet recently."
“…………
Shut up, it's nothing.”
Mars
walked to his seat without hearing the two of his entourage's complaints. Along
the way, he noticed Nozomu.
"Mmm
..."
Mars
looked at Nozomu. His eyes were so serious that he could see and discern
something. His eyes weren’t the same ones that used to scorn and despise Nozomu
anymore.
"Everyone
~~. I'll start the morning homeroom ~~~~"
Anri-sensei
walked into the room, and the students in the classroom took their seats. Even
after the morning assembly was over and the lesson started, Mars was still
thinking about Nozomu.
==========================================================
Mars’s
POV
There’s
the guy. It’s natural that he’s in this class. After all, trash should be put
in the trash class. But I can’t get rid of my doubts inside.
Why’s
he in the lowest class? With his current ability, he should at least be in a
higher class than the 10th class.
In
the mock battle at the end of the school term, he was able to corner and bring
me down.
I
was losing to him at that time. I lost my composure and got defeated. On the
actual battlefield, I would’ve been killed by him at that moment.
However,
I do have a lot of practical skills. So much that I’m on the same level as 7th
graders.
Why
is the guy who can beat me in the 10th class?
"Also,
he seems to have been injured before the exam, and it looks like he was
carrying luggage and was thrown down the stairs."
"Idiot
~~ Well, he sure is a fool."
……
Injured? That guy is? Such a thing?
Doubt
is starting to swell within me. No matter how much he falls down the stairs, he
won't be injured so easily. Even though it was a dummy sword, he wasn't hurt
much when he was blown away by my greatsword, which was strengthened by Qi, and
he took classes the next day normally.
Did
he get hurt before the most important exam, the end-of-year exam?
At
that moment, I was convinced that something was going on with him.
================================================================
The
morning class is over, and the lunch break begins. The students are spending a
moment of peace with their friends.
Nozomu
is looking for a place to buy bread and eat.
By
the way, this school has a fairly large cafeteria for students, and the canteen
for students is correspondingly large, but there’s never enough of the
popular items for hungry beasts such as students, and it was always in a
battlefield-like state.
Moreover,
since the students have the same ability, it can become a real battlefield
where magic is shot in some cases.
However,
unpopular products are easier to get.
Nozomu
always bought unsold bread and walked around the school building.
When
he suddenly looked at the courtyard, he saw a crowd, and two maidens were
eating in the center.
Nozomu
knew the two. Because they were famous students.
One
of them is Irisdina Francilt.
Long
glossy black hair that reached up to the waist and a well-organized appearance.
Dignified expression and black eyes that resembled that hair.
She
was a student of the 1st class in the same grade as Nozomu, and was called
"Black Haired Princess", and was the best talent in their year in
terms of overall scores.
The
other one was Tima Lime.
Like
Irisdina, she was also a student of the 1st class in the third grade, and she
was a talented woman known as the "Four-Scale Spinner."
She
had brown hair trimmed at her shoulders, and her appearance was rather ephemeral,
unlike Irisdina.
She
had an extremely huge amount of magical power, and that magical power is said
to be at the legendary level.
Her
ability was also called "Four-Scale Concerto" because it gave her a
high degree of aptitude for four attributes. Earth, water, fire, and wind.
They
are the students who represent the third grade, and they are also the students
who have reached A rank, which only a few in the school have achieved.
By
the way, Nozomu's rank is still D-, and he was 3rd grade. Even amont 2nd years,
it was considered as a lower rank.
"Nozomu
ku~~~~n, I found you ~~~~"
(Gee,
this voice is...)
When
he turned towards the direction of the voice, he saw 2 ladies. Anri-sensei and
Norn-sensei approached him.
Anri-sensei
was energetically waving like a child, and Norn-sensei, who was watching
Anri-sensei’s child-like action, wore a bitter smile.
"Nozomu-kun,
haven't you had lunch yet ~~? If you're okay with it, won't you eat together
with us ~~"-
"I'm
sorry, Nozomu-kun. Anri really wants to eat with you. Would you please go with
us?"
Anri-sensei
and Norn-sensei invited him with a smile. Both of them wore a fascinating
smile, but different from Norn-sensei, Anri-sensei had a strong atmosphere that
was the exact opposite of her smile. The atmosphere clearly stated that even if
he declined, she would definitely bring him anyway.
(Anri-sensei
………… so, you haven't given up yet ……)
Anri's
smile caused a cold sweat, but Nozomu couldn't reject them and was taken away.
They
travelled to the infirmary, the workplace of Norn-sensei.
Actually,
Nozomu was caught by Anri-sensei and brought to this infirmary after he became
a 3rd grader. The reason was,
"Hey
Nozomu, how did you get that kind of injury during the second year's final
exam?"
“Therefore
Anri Sensei. As I said before, did you really fall down the stairs?
"...That's
right."
Lunch
was going fairly well, and Anri began to question Nozomu.
She’d
been asking him for the past month about his injuries after the duel with
Shino.
"Lying
is not good ~~ because that wound is a sword wound. I can't leave it be if you
get injured like that!"
“...”
"As
Anri says, Nozomu-kun. We can't overlook it if you've been injured so many
times and that’s obviously a slash from someone."
"……………………”
Nozomu
didn’t not answer. He couldn't really talk about what happened with Shino and
his own dragon-slayer power.
However,
he couldn’t escape from it anymore. He couldn’t think of any more excuses over
the past month.
“...What
would you do if I couldn’t tell you? Would you hand me over to the military
police and make me spit out the details?”
Because
of the irritation, things didn't go well. Abusive language came out from his
mouth by mistake.
"It's
not that~~! I'm just worried ~~~~~~ !!"
"That's
right! Anri and I are simply worried about you!!"
(Oh,
I'm running away again. I didn't mean to say this)
“...
I'm sorry... I said too much."
"No,
it's okay. We were also a little too aggressive."
The
unpleasant atmosphere filled the infirmary.
".........
Hey ~~, Nozomu-kun. Are we so unreliable?"
Anri-sensei
asked with a sad voice, and Nozomu felt pain seeing her sad expression.
(I’m
such a fool. Always trying to escape from my problems)
Nozomu
hated his compassion. He just couldn’t move on. He may have been a little on
edge because he’d been continuously ridiculed by others until now.
(I
don't want to make her face look like that. I can't talk about everything...
but I'll try to talk about what I can tell)
He
could see a little bit of Shishio’s face in hers. Tears welled up, unable to
convey her feelings.
"You’re
not unreliable. I know sensei both worry and care about me a lot ... I'm purely
happy about that ... I don't know who else would eat lunch with me like
this."
Nozomu
slowly but firmly began to convey his thoughts. He didn’t want to see Shino in
Anri’s face.
"At
that time, I certainly had a lot of things going on. There are so many things
that I still can’t say properly myself."
He
stared straight into their eyes and spun words one by one.
"But
I learned something important. In order for me to pass the exams... I did
something that was absolutely necessary, which caused my injuries...I'm sorry,
I can only say this much for now."
Nozomu
bows deeply. He gets angry at his weakness, that he could only say this much,
but nevertheless, he did his best.
“...
I see. Anri, as he says, we'll wait until he talks."
“But
~~”
"I
know you're worried, but it's not good right now, because he still hasn't
organized his life and decisions yet."
“...
I understand...”
He
seems to have managed to convince Anri, but she still looks at Nozomu with
anxiety.
"I'm
sorry Anri-sensei"
".........
I know ~~. Nozomu had a hard time ~~~~. I'm sorry ~~. You were forced to
talk ~~"
"No
... I am happy you care and worry about me."
"Norn-sensei
too, thank you."
"It's
okay. We were a little too impatient. I knew there was something wrong, but I
didn't know what to do about it."
The
atmosphere lightened up, and the facial expressions of the three people became
smiles, albeit a little.
"Now,
let's tidy up our lunch. The bell for the start of class will ring soon, and I
can't remain so carefree. Teachers can't be late when they meet the
students."
"Fufu,
that's right ~~. Let's eat it fast ~~"
"Yeah,
there may be rumors if you don't eat fast enough.”
“Bring
it on!"
They
joked with each other, the atmosphere became peaceful, and the three started to
enjoy the rest of the lunch.
However,
at that time, there was a shadow rushing into the infirmary.
"Excuse
me. Norn-sensei, it seems she is injured. Can you treat her?"
The
source of the voice was a beautiful girl with long glossy black hair and deep
jet-black eyes.
Irisdina
Francilt was there, lending her shoulders to a student who was suspected of
being injured.
