Dragon Chain Ori : Ch 4 Part 2

 

Chapter 4 Part 2

Translator : PolterGlast

Proofreader : John4891

Nozomu and his friends were walking down the main street leading to the school. Students, who also attended school, were chatting around, and chatter filled the air.

White-based uniforms stood out quite a bit on this street, where many people came and went, but among them, Irisdina, Tima, and others stood out by far as usual.

The passers-by looked at them every time they passed each other, and then they gazed at Nozomu and Mars with jealousy and doubts. Nozomu felt like he had a lot of eyes on him, but it was reasonable.

Mars' appearance wasn’t really that bad. His gaze was a little aggressive, but he was tall and rather well-organized. His younger sister, Ena, was also considered a beautiful girl full of vitality.

Until now, Mars was always frowning and had a dangerous and tense atmosphere. Now that he was calm, his original good looks started to stand out.

 

(Well, certainly, I’m the only one who is considered normal among them...)

 

Nozomu, compared to the others, looked quite normal. His appearance and height were normal. We could take the face of any random person off the street, stick it on, and he’d be just as irrelevant. 

Inevitably, he was exposed to jealousy more than Mars.

 

(By the way, about the talisman that I found in the back of the school building before. I knew that it was an oriental-style, long-distance vision technique, but I don’t know who was using it...)

 

Nozomu suddenly remembered the talisman he had found behind the school building.

He still had the talisman he found at that time, and when he looked it up in the library, he found it was one of the long-distance vision techniques, [Eyes of Spatial Connection], but he didn't know who was using it. 

 

Nozomu's friend group was small, and he didn't know much about students in other classes.

Considering that this talisman was in the direction where he felt the line of sight and also that Mars was invited by someone, he immediately thought that the owner of this talisman was the cause.

 

(...If it's Iris and Tima-san, they may know about it)

 

"By the way, I have something to ask Iris and Tima-san. Is that okay?"

"What is it?"

"It-It's okay...what is it?" 

 

Nozomu revealed the talisman he collected from behind the school building.

 

"Do you know what this is?"

 

Tima was the first to react to the talisman that Nozomu showed. She had the quickest reaction because she was a magician and may have recognized the magic-based talisman.

 

"This is a talisman. It is used as a magical medium in countries from the eastern part of the continent.”

"I wonder, do you recognize it?"

 

She squinted her eyes and stared at Nozomu's face, but her expression showed that she had a hard time. 

"Hmm. I understand that it's one of the long-distance vision techniques, but ..."

"I also don't know. In the first place, only a few people use the Talisman Technique at this school. People in that country don't go abroad very often. They should be in the third class or above at the very least."

 

Irisdina, who was watching next to Tima, was also unfamiliar with it. At the same time, she wondered how Nozomu had such a talisman. She knew that Nozomu couldn't rely on magical powers such as magic. 

 

“…………Rather, Nozomu. What's wrong with this talisman?”

"Eh! Ermm, that's........."

 

Nozomu hesitated at Irisdina's sudden question.

 

Actually, Nozomu didn’t tell Irisdina and others that he was taken to the back of the school building. He didn't want to make Irisdina and others worry, and they couldn’t have known that inviting him to eat together would cause a lynching. Irisdina and Tima just came to invite their friends to eat. It was Nozomu's classmates who caused the incident.

When Nozomu heard that Mars was intentionally separated from him, he thought it would be better to tell Irisdina and others after finding the culprit and then resolving everything.

 

“…………..Are you hiding something?”

“...Is that true?"”

 

As Nozomu was pressed, Irisdina and others became aware of the fact that Nozomu was hiding something.

They probably feel that the cause had something to do with them. Irisdina's gaze became sharper, and strangely, Nozomu felt suffocated.

 

"Ermm....."

"This guy was taken to the back of the school building after you came to our class the other day."

"Wait! Mars!!"

 

“…………What do you mean?"   

"Nozomu-kun..."  

"Nozomu-san..."  

 

Nozomu managed to escape, but Irisdina and the others pushed and pressed him with a three-way gaze, saying, "Lies are no good."

 

Irisdina's voice had dropped and turned into intimidating. Her eyes become even sharper, and her stinging gaze pierced Nozomu.

Tima and Somia’s faces, which stared at Nozomu, became harsh, and Nozomu's ears seemed to even hear the sound of the piercing gazes, *Stare--------*.

 

"...Umm. That's........"

"Are you willing to talk?"

"…………Yes"

 

In the end, Nozomu couldn't stand the gazes of the three, and he confessed the events behind the school building.

When Irisdina heard that, she seemed to be angry. Her beautiful eyebrows were frowning, and her deep black eyes were swaying in her anger. Her anger was directed at the students who attacked one person in groups. Some anger was also directed at Nozomu for hiding it.

 

"...Why didn't you tell us?"

"There’s nothing wrong with Iris and the others in the first place. I thought it would be better to solve it by myself..."

"That's not the problem!! Good grief!"

"That's right, Nozomu-san! The issue is that you didn't tell us!!"

"That's right! It's painful for me if my friends have such a terrible experience, but it hurts even more if they don’t tell me at all!" 

 

Nozomu was blamed by three girls. He didn’t know what to say, but they couldn't ignore it as long as they were involved. Even though he cared about them, the saddest thing was that he hid it from them.

 

"Hehe~! Well, this time Nozomu is in the wrong." 

 

Mars was looking at Nozomu, who was surrounded by three people, whispering that it was someone else's problem. Mars stood on the sideline before he knew it, even though he was involved. His cheeks were loose and he clearly enjoyed seeing Nozomu flustered.

However, Irisdina didn't forget about him either.

 

“…………..By the way, Mars knew that Nozomu was hiding it.”

"Ah!"

“…………… That’s right. In this case, Mars-san is also guilty.”

"...Mars-kun"

".........Umm. Oh right! I have a day shift today..."

 

Mars realized that Irisdina and others' spears pointed toward him, so he tried to leave the place by telling an outright lie; however, as Mars was about to rush out, he got pulled back by the neck of his uniform from behind. It was Irisdina who pulled Mars back. She had a very beautiful smile and gave off a feeling of intimidation like a Hannya. Somia and Tima also used intimidation that didn’t suit their looks.

 

(TL : The Hannya (般若) mask possesses two sharp bull-like horns, metallic eyes, and a leering mouth)

 

"Now, I’ll need to teach you two a lesson."

 

Nozomu and Mars couldn't resist the three, and they decided to raise the white flag early.

Eventually, the three sermons to Nozomu and Mars continued until they arrived at central park in front of the school. It continued until they came to a place where they parted ways with Somia who went to Ecross.

 

"Nozomu, from now on, there's nothing hidden from us."

"Do you understand! Nozomu-san!"

"Mars-kun, you too..."

"Y-Yes"

"...I-I understand..."

 

Both Nozomu and Mars had their shoulders dropped and had blue faces. It seemed as if their souls left their bodies from the three’s scolding.

The child, Somia, was angry with her cheeks bulging and still cute, and Irisdina wasn't the usual her, who was always calm. This time, she had raised her voice.

Nozomu didn't think she would get so angry, he could only apologize in a hurry.

 

Tima just stared at Mars with a look filled with sadness. If an ordinary man continued to be sadly stared at by a fragile beautiful girl, they would feel very guilty.

Mars was no exception. At first, he just turned his eyes away with an awkward face, but he gradually began to groan, such as "Uh~" and "Muu", and finally apologized with a small voice, "Sorry". 

 

"Oh! Isn't it the lady from that time!"

 

When Nozomu and his friends looked at the source of the sudden voice, they saw an old man with white hair and a white beard walking towards them. It was Zonne, the perverted geezer who touched Irisdina on the date a few days ago.

 

“………..Why is the old man here?”

 

When Nozomu asked Zonne a question, the old man began to answer triumphantly.

 

"I smell a good fragrance coming from here. I thought that there were probably quite a few flowers, but to think I would meet the young lady again...I feel destined! " 

 

(Ermm, good scent…………Should I call the military police? Or a doctor?)

 

As usual, the old man was still dirty minded. He could tell the place where the beautiful girl was by the smell. It felt creepy. Nozomu began to think half-seriously whether he should hand him over to the military police as soon as possible and put him in a men-only prison. 

 

"What the! There’s another beautiful young lady! How is it! Would you like to have tea with me?!"

"Eh, me?" 

"...Eh!"

 

When Zonne noticed Somia and Tima by Irisdina's side, he started picking up girls without worrying about time or place. Since this place was near the main gate of the school, it would naturally be seen by many students who were attending school and those who were heading to work. The people around were staring at him, but Zonne didn’t seem to care at all. 

 

"Hmm! There's a good store near here! Anyway, you are pretty. Just like a white lily!"

 

Zonne approached Tima and Somia without hesitation. He was too indiscriminate. While talking to Irisdina, he tried to call her best friend in front of her.

 

"E, ermm.........but we're going to have lessons..."

 

Somia didn’t seem to understand well, but the problem was Tima, who originally wasn’t good with men. Zonne was approaching so vigorously that she was completely swallowed by the momentum. 

 

"What, don't worry about it! The most important thing is that we met here now! People meet only once in a while. You may never meet the person you met here again in your life. Then this encounter is more valuable than any jewel! That's why young lady. Immediately date me."

"That's enough!!!"

"Buhaa!! "

 

Nozomu and Mars slammed their fists directly at Zonne's head. The two perfectly synchronized fists slammed Zonne's perverted head against the cobblestones wall, and the old man's face smashed with a pitiful moan. 

 

"What are you doing!"

"That should be my line, you erotic geezer! If you don't cut it out, I'll roll you up and hand you over to the military police!!" 

 

Zonne, who was thrown to the ground and had a red swollen face, continued to say something selfish. As expected, Nozomu didn’t hesitate to deal with this old man, so he had no hesitation in stopping him even if he took physical measures.

However, as expected, the words he heard next make Nozomu perplexed.

 

"...No, that's not necessary. Let's cut him up right now..."

"……eh!"

 

It was Mars who made a ridiculous proposal. He already had a greatsword on his back and was about to kill Zonne.

If we looked closely, his eyes were completely bloodshot, and he seemed to have lost himself in anger.

 

"Wha, wait! What are you going to do in a place like this!!"

"It's decided!! I'll just make meat from the carefree old man in front of me !!"

 

Mars took a peek at the blade of the greatsword from his scabbard. Tima and Somia broke in between them because they thought it would end badly.

 

"Wait! That's no good, Mars-san!!"

"Wa, wait, Mars-kun! As expected, that's overkill!"

"P-Please help me~~!"

"Ha! Oi wait for me! F*ck*ng geezer!" 

 

Tima and Somia stopped Mars from jumping Zonne. Perhaps the old man, who was the cause, felt the danger towards his life from Mars' anger and ran away at lightning speed.

 

(That's fast! What kind of body does that old man have......)

 

Zonne ran away at a speed that clearly didn’t seem like an old man. He had already moved to the entrance of Central Park, and he didn’t look like a person who wanted to cut his days short at all.

However, if he thought about it, Nozomu's master was also clearly not necessarily an old person. Considering their appearance, Nozomu would be convinced even if it was said that they were a single individual race called "Shino".

He wouldn't normally be able to meet such rare creatures. He might’ve been happy with that, but considering that the other party was "Shino", it may have been unavoidable for Nozomu to feel dejected.

 

"So you want to escape! Wait!"

"C-Calm down. Mars-kun!"

"Ane-sama and Nozomu-san!! Please don't just look. Help us!"

(Ah, I forgot about Mars...)

 

Nozomu, who snapped back to reality from Somia's words, hurriedly started running to stop Mars.

 

===================================== 

Mars’ POV

 

 

Nozomu and Mars parted ways with Irisdina and others, then walked towards the 10th class classroom.

Mars was still frustrated because his anger at Zonne hadn’t subsided.

 

"Damn, that geezer..."

 

I still couldn't get rid of the anger towards that geezer, and I complained and grumbled. In the end, the old man named Zonne was gone, and although they weren't injured, there was a flame of anger swirling in my chest that I couldn't even understand.

 

"Well, I didn't sympathize with that old man. It's just...Mars, isn't it settled already?"

"……Hmm!"

 

Nozomu called out to me, whose anger hadn't subsided yet. With anger still hovering over me, I just let out my voice to let go of it.

Why was I so angry in the first place?

When that old man approached Tima, an anger that I had never felt before erupted inside me. Unlike when I'd been messing around, a feeling of frustration as if my heart was grabbed instantly occurred.

In an instant, I recognized the old man in front of me as an enemy and tried to eliminate him from my sight as soon as possible. I immediately felt it was overkill, but once the frustration that arose in my chest pushed my reasoning aside, I was holding a sword in my hand before I knew it.

 

(What happened to me?…………)

 

====================================

 

Mars’s best friend, who walked in front of him, worriedly stared at him, who looked different than usual, but he didn't notice it.

 

Nozomu sighed when he saw Mars, who still hadn’t calmed his own heart down. In this situation, he may not even have noticed it even though he has arrived in the classroom.

At that time, a male student jumped out in front of him.

 

"Ah~"

"Eh!!!"

 

He tried to dodge in a hurry, but he couldn't avoid it, and their shoulders collided. Nozomu was surprised to see the other party in front of him as soon as he regained his position.

 

He had a slender and lean body, and his eyes were so thin that he couldn’t tell if he could see properly, but he had a well-organized sweet appearance and shining golden blonde hair. If anyone called girls out with that face, most women would probably go with him effortlessly. What caught Nozomu's eye most was that the same golden coloured hair on his head grew from the student's butt and tail too.

 

"Ah, pardon me. I was in a hurry. Are you injured?"

"I'm fine, but...are you alright?"

"It's okay. Even if I look like this, I'm pretty well trained." 

 

That said, the boy put his hand on his waist and stretched his chest. A little childish gesture, but without negative emotions such as malice or irritation, but rather purely childish. Nozomu had a strange sense of familiarity with his atmosphere.

 

"My name is Feo Rishitza. Third-year, 2nd class."

"I'm Nozomu Bountis. Third-year, 10th class"

"Fu ~~. I wonder if you're ‘that’ Nozomu Bountis."

"Ah…………"

 

When Feo heard Nozomu's name, he squinted his narrow eyes and stared at Nozomu. Nozomu had a stronger sense of familiarity with his peeping gaze. He was trying to dig up his memory.

 

*clang~ clang~* 

 

At that time, the morning assembly bell rang.

 

"Ah, this is bad. If I keep going like this, I'll be marked late. Later, Nozomu!"

 

Feo one-sidedly said goodbye and left. Nozomu had no choice but to start walking toward the classroom without wiping off the discomfort that had in his mind.

 

 

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[Teaser] DCO Chapter 4 Part 3

  TEASER Chapter 4 Part 3

Iris' POV

 

After parting with Nozomu and the others, we were heading to our classroom, the 1st classroom. Next to me, my best friend talks to me as if she was betrayed.

 

"Ai ~~. Why didn't you help me ~~"

 

In front of me, My best friend criticized me with tears for not helping her. Well, it can't be helped,  I can't get into her assistance every time. By the way, when I couldn't help her in the past, Tima's magic, running wildly because of her mental strain, had blown away the other party.

 

"Well, everyone was there at that time. And it was Mars who helped Tima with all his might, right? Tima was also feeling really happy isn't it?"

 

I give a mean reply. I'm sure my face also has a mean smile. Tima, who is the person in question, said, "Ermm, that is......... uu," and looked down with a bright red face.

I still think that Tima is cute, and I envy her honestly. 

 

Perhaps because I've been trying to protect Somia since I was little, my language is manly and a little rough. Regardless of my appearance, I have no inner femininity. I'm no match for my best friend, who is bashful in front of me, and it's the same for Somia, who is adorable like an angel.

 

(He also ... would a woman like Tima be better?)

 

I remember "him" who parted ways earlier. Recalling that he was hiding something, my chest feels stuffy.

 

(Good grief, why he didn't tell me at all ...)

 

*grumble grumble grumble* 

An indescribable discomfort swirls in my chest. Perhaps because I remembered that he was hiding something, my facial expression has unknowingly become stiff.

 

"Ai, calm down. I also got angry at that time, but because Nozomu-kun is such a boy, and if I think that my friends may feel unpleasant because of me, It can't be helped to hide it, right? "

"... I know ..."

 

Although I understand it in words, as a matter of fact, my mood isn't going to get better yet. Because of the irritation that I couldn't understand myself, my steps toward the classroom naturally became quick and rough.

 

"Yo. Irisdina"

"... Kevin?"

 

I was suddenly called out in the hallway in front of the classroom by a male student. A sturdy body, tall stature, and well-trained muscles pushed the uniform tightly, but there was no excess flesh.

The most distinctive feature was that his head and waist have ears and a tail, which was proof of a beastman.

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Dragon Chain Ori : Ch 4 Part 1

 Chapter 4 Part 1

Translator : PolterGlast

Proofreader : John4891

"Waa~!"

"Fu~!"

 

In the suburbs of Arcazam City. Two people, a man and a woman, crossed blades in a field, which led to the outer edges of the city.

One was Irisdina Francilt, a girl with long black hair. She danced gracefully like a butterfly flying around the field, slashing with the rapier in her hand and thrusting it into her opponent. Her attacks were as fast as the flash of lightning. The girl was slashing at a speed that even ordinary people couldn’t see.

 

The other was Nozomu Bountis, wielding a katana in a Seigan-no-Kamae stance (Kendo Stance). He handled the series of flashes of light with his katana that were only seen as afterimages; however, the boy gradually backed off because it was difficult to handle it completely.

 

Irisdina's continuous attacks gradually broke Nozomu's defenses, and Nozomu gradually became unable to handle her. Her rapier began to graze his body, even so, Irisdina's attack still couldn’t reach the boy in front of her.

 

(Kuh! As expected, it's fast! I can't handle it completely!!)

(As I thought, it's amazing! To handle my attacks this far, which is overwhelming with my ability…………)

 

While retreating, Nozomu transmitted the momentum of his foot and his trunk to both of his arms. He skillfully parried Irisdina’s slashes, who were superior in physical strength.

With his opponent's physical abilities drastically enhanced by strengthening magic, it was difficult for Nozomu to fight head-on.

 

Her physical ability wasn’t as good as Mars's, but her ability to not only use swords but also magic was troublesome. In addition, Nozomu didn’t know every skill she possessed.

That was why Nozomu was initially trying to get away from her, even if just a little.

Because he was fighting in a large area, Nozomu used that space to handle Irisdina's attacks. If the two were fighting in a small room, Nozomu would not have been able to do that.

 

(However, the sword isn’t the only weapon I have! Nozomu!)

 

At that time, the ground at Nozomu’s feet suddenly rose. When the ground rose, Nozomu list his balance, and his feet stopped. However, Irisdina, who wields a sword in front of Nozomu, has not chanted or created a formation to activate the magic. Still, the reason why her magic was activated is due to her ability, "Immediate Deployment".

 

"Ku!"

 

Nozomu, whose momentum was destroyed, immediately abandoned his previous purpose. As he rolled on the ground, he managed to avoid the approaching Irisdina's sword. If his decision had been delayed for a moment, her sword would have reached his body.

 

(I thought my victory would’ve been decided at that point. His judgment is extraordinary...)

(It’s ridiculous. There’s almost no time lag in magic activation. Her ability to deploy magic immediately is so troublesome...)

 

Irisdina pursued further. She thrusted her rapier towards Nozomu who hadn’t got up yet, but Nozomu caught her rapier with his katana. While standing on his knees, he took advantage of the curve of his katana's blade. Then, he parried her rapier upwards. 

 

(This time it's my turn !!)

"Waa~!"

 

After parrying Irisdina's slashes, Nozomu stood up and at the same time, took a step toward her and launched his katana. The katana that was launched would naturally be prevented by Irisdina, but Nozomu continued to launch it regardless.

Unlike before, Nozomu used the rotation of his hips, ankles, and knees to slash at Irisdina while moving his legs. The slashing dance, which was without stagnation, was completely devoted to the basics.

A high-pitched sound echoed, and sparks from the metal-to-metal collision scattered to the wind. Nozomu's slashing was sharp and accurate, but his opponent was the top-ranked student in the third year. By swinging up her rapier, Nozomu's katana was repelled sideways without any difficulty, and she cut into Nozomu with her returning sword.

 

"There!"

"Ku~!" 

 

Irisdina tried to counterattack by slashing diagonally to Nozomu, but Nozomu stepped back while trying to parry her; however, the next moment, a black magic bullet approached in front of Nozomu.

Nozomu pulled out his scabbard and defended against the magic activated by immediate deployment, but he was blown away by the impact and basically lost his posture.

Irisdina’s magic pursued Nozomu, who was out of shape. Several ice arrows about the size of an adult's arm were formed in the air.

 

The magic activated by Irisdina was *Icicle Dance*

She formed several icicles and launched them. It was a spell that skewered the opponent.

 

The icicles waiting in the air rushed toward Nozomu at Irisdina’s command.

Nozomu activated [instant move] with all his might. When the flying icicles collided with the ground, the impact rolled up the soil and shattered it into pieces.

Of course, since it was a mock battle, the tip of the icicles were rounded by tampering with the technique. Even so, if he got hit by it directly, he would be in agony because of the pain.

 

"Not good enough, Nozomu!"

(It's bad! This distance will make me an easy target !!)

 

This time, a magic formation was drawn at Nozomu's feet, and dark chains wrapped around both of his feet. It was [Binding Chain of Darkness] that restrained Rugato's familiar in the previous incident.

 

"Wha, my legs!" 

 

Furthermore, Irisdina pursued. A lump of wind was formed in front of Irisdina.

The roaring green vortex that engulfed the surrounding wind eyed Nozomu as if he was pray. That specialized skill is like a hungry beast waiting eagerly.

Nozomu's feet were completely trapped by the chains of darkness, and it seemed very unlikely that he would be able to evade the magic of Irisdina. The familiar that the dark chains previously bound was equivalent to rank A. 

It was clear that...there was no way for Nozomu, who couldn’t use magic, to break this bind.

 

"Here I go!"

 

The beast of the wind was released with a shout from Irisdina. The released wind spirals cut through the surrounding atmosphere and rushed to overrun and eat up Nozomu like prey.

 

*Wind Tunnel of the Hungry Beast*

 

The magic wind spiral ran through while destroying everything in the direction it travelled, the spell got the name “Wind Tunnel of the Hungry Beast” because the compressed and swirling wind made a roar like a beast.

As long as both of his feet were restrained, it couldn’t be avoided, and Nozomu, who couldn’t use magic, couldn't take defensive measures such as putting up a barrier.

 

(But it doesn't mean I don't have an option!)

 

In front of the beast of wind, Nozomu put his sword in his scabbard and slammed his scabbard’s butt against the [Binding Chain of Darkness] that restrained his leg.

 

Qi technique *Breaking Strike*

Originally, it was an internal destruction technique that directly drove into the opponent's body and shattered the internal organs. He used this technique on the magic formation at his feet instead.

The magic formation shattered with a high-pitched sound due to the "Breaking Strike", and the dark chains were scattered.

 

Nozomu activated the instant move at the same time as the shackles disappeared. While plunging into the [Wind Tunnel of the Hungry Beast], he sent his full power of Qi to the katana that was returned to its scabbard, and at the same time, extremely compressed it.

 

Nozomu changed [Instant Move] to [Instant Move -Curve Dance-] in front of [Wind Tunnel of the Hungry Beast].

 

Without slowing down, he turned away from the approaching magic, ran through the side of the "Wind Tunnel of Hungry Beast", and approached Irisdina as it was.

However, as expected, she was the top-ranked. She was already holding her rapier and ready to confront him. Nozomu pulled out his katana and let go of the extremely compressed blade ......

 

"~!"

 

A red dream flashed back in front of him, and he hesitated to pull out his katana. And thus, there was no victory for those who were wavering in the match. By the time Nozomu noticed, the rapier that Irisdina had swung down was already approaching in front of him.

 

======================================= 

 

 

 

 

 

The previous mock battle ended with Irisdina's victory. After the mock battle, the two were sitting on a section of the meadow, including Mars, Tima, and Somia.

Today they were talking about the training they did early in the morning, and they came to this outer edge where there would be no problems even if it was a little noisy.

 

"It was a good match"

"Is...is that so?"

 

For Irisdina, it was a pure compliment towards Nozomu's tenacity, but Nozomu, who hadn't fully understood his own abilities, just gave a vague reply.

As for Nozomu's feeling, he was pushed all the time and his counterattack was completely prevented, so he didn't think it was a very good match.

 

"That's right. It would be rather strange if you could handle me when you haven't released your ability suppression."

 

Mars agreed with Irisdina's words. Mars was now opening a book while sitting on the grass. He was reading a textbook related to magic.

He was willing to open a textbook, which was something he didn’t usually do, but he may have had something to think about after the fight against Rugato.

 

Tima and Somia were sitting beside Mars. Both of them were watching the mock battle between Nozomu and Irisdina.

The black cat, Kuro, was in Somia's arm, and Tima was stroking Kuro in Somia's arm beside her.

Kuro was dozing in the sunny weather, occasionally yawning with a big yawn.

 

"Yup. I haven't seen many people who can fight Ai for that long...."

"That's right! Ane-sama has fighting skills that are as good as a regular knight of Forsina, so I think it's good for you to have confidence."

 

Mars's words followed by Tima and Somia.

The Irisdina’s rank was A. This was a rank that only a first-class human could have, and if you thought of it as a knight, it was equivalent to a knight in the royal guard. Nozomu himself saw her ability in the fight against Rugato and felt that her skill was no different from that rank.

 

"Hmm, is that so?"

 

However, it seemed that his self-evaluation that had been ingrained until now couldn’t be easily overturned.

In fact, Nozomu was not that strong. To be precise, it was correct to say that his ability couldn’t be easily evaluated because it was too uneven.

Actually, it was strange when he could fight with Mars and Irisdina, who were overwhelmingly more powerful, while in the presence of [Ability Suppression]. At that point, Nozomu's sword skills were far beyond the student's level.

 

However, there was a limit to how much skill he had when he was under [Ability Suppression]. Just as a dragon, who was an overwhelming existence, blew away a first-class swordsman like garbage with just a slight swing of his arm. A pure ability difference appeared as an overwhelming difference on the actual battlefield.

 

Moreover, for Nozomu, not only was his physical strength limited by [Ability Suppression], but also Qi and magical power.

The amount of Qi, the number of times of use, power, range, etc, were greatly reduced. There was almost no magical power, and the means of magic couldn’t be used from the beginning.

 

In other words, it was like putting weight on his whole body and running before fighting, and Nozomu constantly fighting in that state one after another. He never felt comfortable. Even if his ability to fight only in such a state was evaluated, Nozomu would only feel a sense of discomfort.

 

"And in the end, I won, but Nozomu didn't use that technique. I don’t know what would happen if he used that technique in the actual battle."

"Well, that's right."

 

Mars agreed with Irisdina's words.

That technique she was referring to is Nozomu's [Phantom] technique that she saw in the previous incident.

That technique has incredible speed and cutting power, and once released, it is extremely difficult to defend and avoid. Sure, Irisdina was pushing him all the time in the mock combat, but Nozomu had a way to overturn that inferiority and didn't use it. No, to be exact, he couldn't use it. 

 

" ...All right, let's talk about... so what is Mars doing? "   

 

Nozomu diverted the conversation and stared at his friend beside him.

Nozomu had never seen Mars, who wasn’t good at studying, read a textbook by himself before. To be clear, it felt strange, but he was glaring at the textbook as if he were looking at something important.

 

"Well, I also have something to think about. I don't think it's going to work though."

"Then, is it about magic?"

"Yeah" 

 

Until now, Mars had only used Qi in his combat training, aside from class. This was partly because his traits were more suited for Qi techniques than magic, but it was many times more correct to say that there was simply nothing that drove Mars.

Even though Mars's ability was high amongst even the upper grades, since his class was the lowest which is the 10th class, the opponents he fought against were always lower than him. This meant he had never really been cornered and pushed to his limit.

However, being cornered by Nozomu at the end of last year and being beaten up by Rugato in the previous incident may have been an opportunity for Mars to reconsider himself.

 

"Guh, the interrelationship of attributes? The effect of terrain and geological conditions on magic?…………What kind of code is this?" 

 

However, as long as Mars was still frustrated and confused by magic, it looked like he still had a long way to go.

Aside from his practical grades, his written and other exam grades weren’t exactly flattering.

He had a strong desire to become stronger, and he was more suited to wielding a sword than reading a book. He was able to feel that his physical skill acquisition and study became stronger. 

However, his writing grades were terrible and was somewhere around the bottom of the year. By the way, Nozomu, who took additional exams because his practical exams weren’t good, may have been in a higher class if they only counted his written exam. 

 

"That's right! Why don't you ask Tima to teach you? Tima has a lot of knowledge on magic. Isn't it more efficient than studying alone?"

"Ehhhhhhhhh!"

 

Irisdina suggested that Mars be taught by Tima. Tima was surprised and shouted with a loud voice, but her face was slightly red because of her feelings.

 

"What are you saying, please think about Tima's convenience."

 

With a stunned face, Mars was shocked by Irisdina's suggestion.

 

"I said it after thinking. And Tima herself doesn't seem to mind ..."

"Well, ermmm ......... uuu" 

 

When Irisdina told Tima such a thing, Tima turned her face down, which was about to turn from red into crimson. She was just shy at first glance, but Mars saw her gestures in a completely different way.

 

"Look, don't overdo it even though you don't like it."

 

Tima herself wasn't completely satisfied with teaching Mars to study, but he said something completely wrong. Tima hurriedly corrected Mars' words.

 

"I-I don't really hate it! I just wondered if I could do it.........Ermm, if Mars-kun is okay with me then, would you like to study with me?"

"Ehh, is that okay?"

"Y,-Yea. I think I can teach you about magic...but of course, only if Mars-kun is okay with it..."

"I-I have to say, you saved me"

"Yup"

 

In the end, Tima taught Mars, who was struggling to understand the textbook. The wall between Mars and Tima when they first met had disappeared after a forced date by Irisdina and Somia. Instead, they had a strangely messy relationship now...

 

"Ane-sama, isn't it about time?"

"Eh, is that so? Well then, let's go to school now."

 

Irisdina answered Somia's words. The sun was completely out of the horizon, and its light was beginning to illuminate the city.

Nozomu and his friends started walking toward the school. And today, a new day had begun.

 

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