Chapter 4 Part 12
Translator : PolterGlast
Proofreader : John4891
Nozomu's
POV
I
had a bloody dream. The same bloody dream I had before.
The
ruined city of Arcazam was full of rubble and blazing fire. The burnt smell of
flesh and the fierce smell of death overflowed.
"Haa,
haa, haa, haa ..."
I
desperately ran around trying to escape from it. I looked away from everyone
around the abandoned city, just as I did before I met Shishō.
However,
no matter how much time passed or how long I ran, the bloody dream would never
end. There were ruins everywhere I went, and the flames burned my skin.
My
legs became like sticks and the muscles screamed, "I can't do this
anymore!", but I couldn't stop.
"Uaa!!!"
However,
I reached my limit.
I
tripped over the debris and fell. The baked bricks emanated intense heat and
burned my skin even further.
"Guuuu!"
I
put up with it and got up. If I fell here, I would really die.
(Where
are you going?)
Suddenly,
a voice echoed in my head. This was the voice that was heard when the Triclopes
were slaughtered.
I
forcibly move my aching body and move my legs forward to escape from that
voice. My legs had already reached their limit, and I trembled on each step.
However,
it didn't last long.
My
legs couldn't even support my body that started to move forward, and I fell to
the ground again.
If
I looked closely, my legs were already charred black and I could no longer
move.
(…
What are you trying to escape from?……)
Ignoring
the voice that echoed inside my head, I tried to crawl forward.
"...
Fu, fuu fuu........."
I
desperately stretched my hand forward, but the heat of the ground mercilessly
burned my whole body. No more decent voices came out of my mouth, only
unspeakable groans.
(It's
a waste of time... you can't escape...)
With
that voice, the skin of my hand, which was charred black, broke. The jet-black
scales appeared with a rattling noise.
“…………
Ah……”
The
next moment, the skin of my whole body tore off, and blood overflowed.
Something was breaking through inside me and trying to get out.
"Guh!!!!!!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!"
What
came out of my mouth was a scream that echoed through the sky. Something broke
through my body from the inside, and it was finally released to the outside.
The
last thing I saw was a jet-black giant with six wings that seemed to reach the
heavens.
My
vision became pure white, and finally, my consciousness disappeared.
"Uaa!!!"
I
woke up with a jump.
The
first thing I saw was the morning sun, which shone through the window.
A
deep blue sky with no clouds spread out. The spring sunshine heralded the
arrival of the morning that wrapped everything warmly.
"Guh!!!"
However,
I couldn't focus on the scene. A strong feeling of nausea struck.
I
ran into the washroom and spat out whatever was inside my stomach.
Only
gastric acid came out of my stomach because I hadn't eaten anything since
yesterday, so I drank water many times and immediately spit it out.
After
repeating it about 3 times, I could finally think about whether I'd calmed down
and what I'd been through afterwards.
After
she treated me, I left her room and returned to my own dormitory room.
Perhaps
because I ran out of Qi as well as the mental and physical fatigue that had
accumulated in my body, I fell into that dream.
However,
even after I woke up, my physical condition was horrid. My heart was still
brimming with hatred, hurt, and self-pity.
"Guh!!"
I
had a severe headache. This was proof that I was unrestful.
Ken's
revealed his true intentions and the truth.
Then
I drowned myself in the senseless killings to distract myself.
Because
of my promise with Shishō, I tried to ask Ken so I could finally start moving
forward, but I was shown the truth. One which I didn't want to believe, and
that alone made me hate myself for being weak.
I
closed my eyes tightly while clenching my teeth.
In
front of me, I vividly recalled the tragedy I caused in the forest.
The
Wild Dogs and Giants that were cut in half.
I,
who exerted my power while continuously being showered with blood.
"…………
D*mn……"
I
spat out a curse from anger towards myself, but even my voice was weak.
I
naturally curled my body up and tightened my chest.
Even
so, I got ready and went on my way to school when the time came. It might have
been better to take a rest, but when I was in the room, I thought I might’ve
had that dream again. I was afraid to be alone.
I
headed to school, but my consciousness remained hazy.
The
remaining fatigue placed heavy burdens and shackles on my body and mind. My
mind swayed, and my eyes seemed to be dimly blurred.
“………..
Oi,…… mu…………”
But
what should I do? What should I do?
Such
thoughts couldn’t be answered with a tired mind. They kept circling in my head
meaninglessly.
"...
Oi,... no... mu. Lis………… me…………"
About
Lisa, about Ken, about me who kept running away, about what to do about them.
The
things I avoided kept repeating endlessly in my head.
The
scene of blood and guts was vividly recalled.
A
carpet of blood and flesh. I was smeared with blood and mud by the dead.
That
"thing" had settled inside me. I felt good when using that power. I
was ecstatic to kill others. I felt pleasure even when I was hurt, and that was
why I hated myself.
Honestly,
I wanted to run away. I wanted to look away.
However,
it couldn’t be done.
A
promise with Shisho. I promised not to look away from the truth.
But
now, that promise made my chest ache even further.
I
wanted to run away, but I couldn't. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't.
The
clock, which was my heart, was filled with rust, eroding the gears that were
trying to spin, and making a jarring sound.
The
gears of the heart that still tried to turn. The promise with Shisho and the
feeling of impatience within myself.
The
gears trying to move the hands of the clock forward, and the rust that tried to
stop it.
The
two collided and made the jarring sound even louder.
However,
the gear that was about to break suddenly stopped its movement in a loud
voice.
"Oi,
Nozomu!!! You can hear me right!!!"
A
loud voice suddenly rang out. Looking at the source of the voice, I saw my
friend with a moody face.
"……
Mars?"
"That's
right. Why are you ignoring me! I was talking to you earlier!"
Behind
Mars, I could see the regular members. It was Iris and the others. It looked
like he'd been talking to me since a while ago.
"Ah...
sorry... I was in a daze."
"...
Haa, well it's ok. Let's go"
Mars
seemed a bit suspicious of me, but he urged me to start walking.
I
just followed him
"By
the way, Nozomu. I heard you were in the forest yesterday... hmm... Are you
hurt?"
I
chatted while walking with everyone for a while, but Iris suddenly called out
to me as if worried. Her gaze fell on the bandage wrapped around my arm.
"E...
ah! It's alright. I just messed up a little during training."
I
immediately raised my bandaged arm and acted as if nothing had happened.
"Is
that so... That’s good then..."
It
was a tone with a hint of hesitation that was unlike her usual self. If it was
the usual her, she would’ve asked clearly, but somehow, her gaze was cloudy.
“…………………”
“…………………”
But
I couldn’t tell her anything either.
Rust
built up in my heart. I didn’t know what I'd be talking about if I opened my
mouth now.
A
strange atmosphere flowed between us. Then Somia, who was next to me, opened
her mouth to talk about something.
"Yoo,
Irisdina"
A
voice that I had never heard echoed on the spot, and when I looked at the
source, a beastman with wonderful silver hair and ears was walking over here.
========================================
Shortly
before Nozomu and his friends came to school.
At
the main gate of the school, the rising sun illuminated the school's grandeur
and sprinkled calm spring weather.
However,
despite such a pleasant morning, the main gate was engulfed by a strange
atmosphere.
While
the students were coming to the school one after another, there was a less
crowded space near the main gate.
The
space gave off a strange feeling of intimidation, and as the students who came
to the school got closer to the space, they all avoided it.
There
were several students in the center of the space, but an intimidating feeling
that frightened the students radiated from a single student in the center.
"Chi!!
D*mn!..."
It
was Kevin, the silver wolf, who gave the feeling of intimidation at the center.
The students in the space were the members of his party, who entered the forest
with Kevin the other day.
Kevin
looked moody to everyone and distorted his face.
"Ke-Kevin.
Calm down."
"You're
noisy!!!! Damn!!"
One
of Kevin's party members called out to calm him down, but it fell on deaf ears.
When they returned to the city with the Arcazam Guards yesterday, he was
frustrated when he was told by Jihad.
"You
guys, go back to your own room for today. The rest will be done by our Silver
Rainbow Knights and the Arcazam Guards."
"Ha!!!
What do you mean!"
Kevin
wanted to follow Jihad and tried to find out the truth about this matter.
He
was confident that he had sufficient abilities.
Therefore,
Kevin struck against Jihad, who explicitly tried to get rid of them.
However,
no matter how close he was to Jihad, he could not overturn the decision, and
Jihad insisted that Kevin and the others not speak of this matter anymore. He
turned his back and began to talk to Captain Mauzu.
His
back eloquently communicated the idea that, "there's nothing more to talk
about", and Kevin had no choice but to leave with his lips clenched.
"Why...
damn it!"
It
was too dissatisfying for him. Jihad was discussing future measures with the
guards, who were less capable than himself.
His
rank was A rank. Not to mention in the school, he was one of a select few
talented people in Arcazam.
That's
why he took it for granted that he was there, and Jihad would allow it.
But
that wasn't the case. Jihad said that he wouldn't get involved with Kevin
anymore.
For
Jihad, it may have been an act of concern for his students.
However,
for Kevin, it was the same as Jihad telling himself, "You guys are
useless, so go home."
It
was humiliating for Kevin, a Silver Wolf who was proud of protecting his tribe
with his strength.
"Hmm?"
At
that time, he suddenly smelled something with his nose.
The
presence of a person he recognized. Sensitive to it, he immediately began to
walk in the direction of the presence.
Five
people, men and women, were walking together at the destination.
"Yoo,
Irisdina"
There
were figures of Nozomu and his friends who had just come to school
=====================================
"...
Well then, the fact that the Triclopes was subdued will be hidden for a
while."
"Well,
that seems to be the decision of the superiors. Entering the current forest is
too dangerous. If they think that there are Triclopes, no one will enter the
forest, and they will detour."
Jihad
Roundel's office at Solminati Academy.
Here,
Jihad and Arcazam Guard Captain, Mauzu, were facing each other and having a
discussion.
The
contents was of the corpses of the giants they found in the forest yesterday
and the existence of who did it.
They
returned from the forest yesterday and immediately held a Supreme Assembly with
the one in charge of the city's administration. He had an audience with the
chairman and reported the matter.
Normally,
various procedures were required, and Mauzu, the Guard Captain, should’ve
reported this to his direct supervisor, but this audience was allowed by Jihad,
who belonged to the multinational Silver Rainbow Knights and had command of the
Silver Rainbow Knights in Arcazam. The chairman's decision was to hide this
information for the time being.
"However,
if we leave it be, the city will be suffering damage..."
"...
That's possible, but I think its possibility is lower than Mauzu-dono
thinks."
"…………
Why is that"
"The
one who defeated the Triclopes was using swordsmanship, which means that it is
a human or something similar. At least it seems unlikely that it will attack
people indiscriminately like demon beasts. "
There
were many giant corpses that they saw in the forest. Some corpses were so badly
damaged, and the way they were killed varied, but most were slashed with a
sharp blade like a sword.
But
still, the way they were killed was unusual, but ...
“………..
Jihad-dono. As I thought, this matter should be announced……”
Mauzu
advised Jihad that the information should be kept under wraps, but Jihad's
opinion differed.
"I
also thought about it. Certainly, the danger of getting closer to the forest
will be more known to the people in the city. However, the other party won easily
against the Triclopes. Considering the position of this city, I think that the
disclosure of this information is too risky, and it seems that the superiors
also decided so."
The
position of Arcazam. It was right to say that each country had invested and
cooperated to create it, but in fact, there was always a power struggle between
countries behind the scenes.
In
other words, Arcazam was the epitome of the multinational competition between
many countries, and it was quite possible that what happened inside this city
would develop into problems between nations.
This
problem would’ve been enough to cause turmoil.
It
has been 10 years since the great invasion occurred.
Because
of that, people's memories faded, and conflicts began to emerge between the
country that was invaded by the demon beasts and the country that was unharmed.
A
powerful person, who can kill a group of Triclopes, appeared in such a
situation.
Moreover,
no one understood the intention of the other party. This, in particular,
fuelled anxiety among those who cared about their own interests and those of
fellow countries in tension.
If
such a kind of fire was brought in, it could lead to suspicion if it was not
dealt with properly. It could cast a further shadow on the relations between
countries.
"Of
course, as long as we don't know what kind of person the other party is, we
cannot relax our vigilance because we are concerned about the safety of the
citizens. However, as some people make a living in that forest, we can't just
prohibit them from entering the forest."
Many
people live off the resources of the forest.
The
re wasmeat and fur of the animals in the forest. Doctors could use plants for
medicinal herbs, and trees could be used as fuel for firewood.
The
supply of these couldn’t be stopped. Supplies from outside the city couldn't
cover all the resources needed for this city.
"If
that is the case, what we need now is a person who can judge information
correctly and who can share information properly."
This
was the reason why Jihad didn't try to get Kevin involved.
Anyway,
what they needed now was information on the existence, which defeated the
Triclopes, and human resources, who could accurately judge it.
Of
course, at that time, they instructed Kevin to return because they were
worried, but in terms of the necessary human resources, Kevin, who was strong,
was also qualified in this case.
If
that was Irisdina, Jihad might have made a different decision. Still, he would
have imposed a confidentiality obligation, such as keeping the contents a
secret...
"We
are also asking for the cooperation of Mauzu's units. However, we, the Silver
Rainbow Knights and Mauzu's units, are the only ones involved in this matter
now. Anyway, let's gather information and act cautiously."
