Chapter 5 Part 12
Translator : PolterGlast
On
the outskirts of Arcazam City. In the forest not far from the city. Usually,
there were only demon beasts and animals inside, but today hundreds of humans
had gathered.
They
were students belonging to the 3rd year of Solminati Academy and their school's
teachers.
Today
was the first day of their Special Integrated Training Class. In the forest,
which was usually surrounded by silence, an administrative headquarters had
been set up, and the din of hundreds of humans could be heard. Once a year, this
forest is free from silence only during this period of time.
Perhaps
because the training that was about to be held would directly affect the
students' grades, all the expressions of the gathered students were tense and
stiff. But at the same time, this training is also a great opportunity for the
students. Therefore, their facial expressions not only exuded a sense of
tension but also showed some expectations.
"Fufufu.
This looks interesting..."
"...You
must be looking forward to this, Mars"
Mars,
who was near Nozomu, had a fearless smile on his face. There was no tension in
his expression and he seemed to be very much looking forward to this event. He
wanted to be strong, and he had probably been waiting for this kind of event
where he could test his strength.
"We~
will yes. This is a good opportunity for me. And..."
Mars
stared at Nozomu and clasping his fists unconsciously. His gaze seemed to be
trying to identify something. There was no trace of the frivolous atmosphere he
had shown earlier.
"...?
What's wrong Mars?"
"...
No, it's nothing"
Nozomu
made a suspicious expression at the suddenly changed atmosphere of Mars. But
Mars didn't talk about his hidden feelings, he just kept his mouth shut.
Nozomu
tilted his head. Mars was originally a strong person and had high pride, but
Nozomu felt that Mars' behavior recently was a little strange. He seemed to
ponder about something and became more and more engrossed in something.
"Hey
Mars, lately you seem to ..."
"Oh,
there he is! O~i, Nozomu!!"
When
Nozomu tried to talk to Mars, he was suddenly called from the side.
Nozomu
and Mars turned their eyes towards the source of the voice, they could see Feo
waving and coming towards them. Next to him were Shīna, Mimuru, and Tom, who
came over with smiling expressions upon seeing Nozomu.
"Yo!
Good morning, you two."
"Yea"
"Good
morning, Feo. I see, Shīna and her friends were with you."
Nozomu
greeted Feo and turned his eyes to Shīna and her friends, and they nodded
lightly.
"Yeah.
Somehow, it looks like we're going to have a party together. Feo is a versatile
type, so I think he can move flexibly according to the situation. That's why I
decided to have a discussion with him and get him to team up with us for the
first day."
Shīna
smiled while saying so. The cool maiden's smile looked very attractive, but for
some reason, a chill ran down Nozomu's spine. Was it due to the fact that sweat
seemed to be pouring from the foreheads of the three people next to her?
"Discussion?
... I think what you did with a bow and arrow ready in one hand was blackmail,
not discussion..."
Feo
started muttering in a whisper while dripping sweat from his forehead. Mimuru
was also trembling with her face buried in her lover Tom's chest.
"Ha
ha ha……"
(...What
happened to them?)
Tom
rubbed Mimuru's back which was clinging to him while letting out a dry laugh.
With their behavior looking like that, Nozomu thought it was better not to ask
what happened to them.
"Well,
that's how it is. I'm officially a member of Shīna's party, so today we'll be
enemies. Please don't hold back."
"...Oh
I know."
Feo
presented his fist while declaring war on Nozomu. Nozomu also presented his
fist and bump it with Feo's fist.
Feo
stared at Mars while his fists bumped with Nozomu's fist, but Mars returned it
with a fearless smile while crossing his arms and puffing out his chest. His
demeanor seemed to declare, "If you think you can, try it", without
opening his mouth. They looked at each other with warlike smiles.
However,
at that moment, laughter that seemed to mock the three of them resounded.
"Hahahaha!
So the ones who make high-spirited noises so loud are the fox guy, the
half-hearted person, and the bottom. No matter how you pretend to be strong,
you still won't be able to do anything."
A
voice suddenly mocking them could be heard. A beastman came from the direction
of the voice earlier. Silver ears and tail. It was Kevin Ardinal, one of the
five students to reach Rank A. He belonged to the first class at the top of his
year. Behind them were students who seemed to be members of his party.
The
young silver wolf folded his arms and turned his contempt to Nozomu and the
others. His party members behind him also looked down and smirked at Nozomu,
and the unpleasant gazes made Nozomu's facial expression stiffen.
"So
it's you, d*mn dog"
“To suddenly appear and say something without
thinking… didn't you end up making high-spirited noises too?”
“………………….”
Mars
and Feo reacted to Kevin's words. Nozomu was also glaring at Kevin with a sharp
gaze, and Kevin's party members were also glaring back at him.
Mars
had already reached for his specialized weapon on his back, and it seemed that
he was about to slash Kevin, but the young silver wolf didn't seem to be moving
with his arms folded on his chest. Perhaps he was confident that he would be
able to respond even if Mars attacked him.
"Students
over there, what are you doing!"
The
atmosphere was bound to explode, but there was an angry voice that blew the
atmosphere away.
Mars,
who was reaching for his specialized weapon, took his hand off from the handle
of his greatsword, and when Kevin's party members glanced at the person who
made the voice, they were shocked. Inda-sensei, the second-class homeroom
teacher, with Irisdina and Tima, the first-year students, walked towards them.
"What
are you guys about to do!"
Inda-sensei
is a strict teacher. She probably came to scold the students who made a fuss
after hearing their voices.
"We
didn't do anything. Just said hello to them."
"Kevin
Ardinal, your abilities are indeed quite good, but try to act in a way that
suits your ability a little bit."
"Oh,
I know."
Kevin
said he was reflecting, but with his arms still folded on his chest, obviously,
his attitude was not that of a person who was reflecting in what he did.
Inda-sensei's
scolding flew again towards Kevin who didn't break his irreverent attitude, but
Kevin only looked annoyed and shifted his gaze from Inda-sensei to Irisdina.
"Irisdina,
it's not too late now. Would you like to team up with me?"
"Sorry,
but I've made up my mind."
Irisdina
immediately refused Kevin's invitation. Judging by Kevin's tone of voice, it
seemed like he had invited her many times before.
Kevin,
who was rejected, distorted his expression for a moment, but immediately
returned to his original confident expression.
"Ha~,
I wonder what's good about such a dropout ... Well, it's fine. If it's you,
you'll soon understand who deserves to be your companion. Who should stand
beside you..."
Kevin
left by simply saying what he wanted to say unilaterally. His party members
followed behind him. The gazes of Nozomu and his friends watching them leave
were cold, and Irisdina was somewhat disgusted without changing her expression.
Maybe
because her scolding wasn't very effective, Inda-sensei had a difficult
expression while holding her temples.
However,
as soon as she returned to her original sharp expression, she left Nozomu,
Mars, and Feo who were there, and returned to the administrative headquarters
tent.
Irisdina
and Tima came to Nozomu and the others as Inda-sensei entered the tent, but
their faces were somewhat depressed.
"Sorry,
everyone. My classmates did something rude."
She
seemed to be apologizing for what Kevin said earlier. Nozomu quickly restored
his tense expression and spoke to them as gently as possible.
"It's
fine, Iris didn't do anything wrong."
Mars
and Feo nodded at Nozomu's words. Irisdina and Tima's facial expressions
weren't as tense as before, and they returned to their usual selves.
Originally,
Irisdina was innocent. Indeed, Kevin and his entourage were in the same class
as her, but she hadn't done anything wrong for which she had to apologize.
Seeing
the expressions on the faces of Nozomu and the others, Shīna and her friends also relaxed their tense faces and smiled
little by little.
"Well
then, it's time to register the party at the administrative headquarters, and
then there will be explanations and instructions for the special training we
will be doing..."
Today,
the first thing to do is to officially register the party and prepare the
necessary equipment. After that, the person in charge of the special training,
Jihad, will explain the content of the training and provide detailed
instructions, and then the training will begin.
"That's
right. For now, let's register our party at the reception desk..."
"...U-umm"
As
they tried to go to the administrative headquarters tent to register their
party for the time being. There were students calling out to him to stop him.
Nozomu and the others looked at the source of the voice. There are three boys
and two girls.
"You
guys are..."
"Hey
..."
"Nozomu,
do you know them?"
"W-w.
Well... yes..."
Irisdina,
who saw the reaction between Nozomu and the other party, asked Nozomu if he
knew them. Of course, Nozomu was familiar with their faces. They were students
from the same 10th class as Nozomu, and they were students he fought in his
class mock battle when Nozomu and Mars formed a party together. They are Jin
and Tommy, the swordsman who wields a longsword, Deck, who wields a spear,
Cami, who wields a dagger, and Hamria, the mage. They were classmates who
initially looked down on Nozomu. Nozomu wondered, what did they call him for?
Nozomu spoke with Jin, who was at their forefront, to hear their story for the
time being.
"Do
you guys need something?"
"Ah.
That... Actually, umm..."
Jin
spoke while stuttering. The other members behind him also awkwardly averted
their eyes when they saw Nozomu and rushed Jin to say something from behind.
Nozomu
tilted his head while looking at them which looked strange, but Jin opened his
mouth in a hurry as if he had decided something.
"Actually
... About today's training. Can you add us to your party?"
"……Eh?"
At
first, Nozomu didn't understand what they were saying, but he finally understood
when he saw Mars next to him.
Mars'
abilities are high even in his third year, while Nozomu's reputation at
Solminati Academy remains at the bottom.
Today,
the students had to have a party in the same class, so Nozomu couldn't team up
with Irisdina and Shīna.
However,
since they couldn't team up with other classes, they probably wanted to gain
the greatest power in the 10th class even if they had to go through their
anxiety called Nozomu. Or so Nozomu thought.
However,
Jin's next words completely refuted Nozomu's thoughts.
"Yes.
We'd like to ask you and Mars for help."
"...Eh?
Me too?"
Jin
wanted to borrow the powers of Nozomu and Mars as well. There was no atmosphere
of lying or playing around in their eyes as they looked straight at Nozomu, and
Nozomu was overwhelmed with their sincere eyes. Nozomu was confused by their
change because, until now, they looked down on him in class.
"...We
know we've ridiculed you and said bad things about you, but we still don't want
to be expelled from this school! Depending on the results of this special
training, it will be a huge plus to our grades. We are totally aware that it is
a selfish request, but... please! Please help us !!"
"U-umm
... that is..."
Jin
bowed deeply to Nozomu. The other members also bowed to Nozomu, and Nozomu's
confusion deepened.
"...
Nozomu, isn't it alright? Looks like they really need your help."
"At
least I don't feel any hatred or hostility from them, and it doesn't look like
they're lying."
Irisdina,
who was watching them from the side, suggested that Nozomu let Jin and his
friends join. Feo also agreed with Irisdina. Mimuru and Tom also nodded.
"Yeah.
I think their feelings are sincere. I had a similar experience, so I was able
to understand their feelings somehow..."
Following
Irisdina and Feo, Shīna also agreed with their opinion. Shīna hated Nozomu at
first. She had also previously told Nozomu something terrible, and she
apologized for it and reconciled with him.
"……Mars……"
Nozomu
looked at Mars. Mars closed his eyes for a moment, thinking while he crossed
his arms, then opened his eyes again and looked at Nozomu's face.
"...I
think it's fine. Since we've decided to win, I think it's better to have as
much power as possible."
Nozomu
nodded when he heard Mars' answer and faced Jin and his friends again.
"...I
understand. Let's work together."
"Thank
you!"
Jin,
who heard Nozomu's words of approval, smiled as if he was relieved. Perhaps his
party members behind him had the same feeling, they all smiled.
"Then
I'll go to the administrative headquarters to register our party. But we have
to be prepared. This year we have more talented students than usual, so it
probably won't be easy."
Nozomu
looked at Irisdina and the others while saying so, and Irisdina looked back at
Nozomu with a graceful smile. Seeing such Irisdina, Nozomu shrugged it off and
headed towards the tent where the administrative headquarters was located.
===================================
After
Nozomu and the others registered for their party, all the students in the third
year gathered in front of the administrative headquarters tent.
Since
Irisdina and the others were his enemies today, Nozomu and his party members
gathered at a different place
Jihad
Roundel, who was in charge of managing the special training, appeared on stage,
and a detailed explanation of the special training began.
"Well
now, students, the Special Integrated Training Class will start today, but
before that, I'll explain the rules of this special training."
Jihad
then took out a pendant from his pocket. If someone else took a closer look at
the students, they had the same pendant that Jihad had just shown, hanging
around their necks.
"First
of all, this pendant is distributed to each student at the time of party
registration, and it will determine your health points on this special
training. When the pendant owner receives or accumulates a certain amount of
damage, it glows red. At that time, the pendant owner will be disqualified and
the pendant will belong to the other party. Of course, if you lose the pendant,
you will be disqualified. Also, health points are assigned to each pendant, and
those belonging to a higher class will have higher health points."
"That
means, Irisdina and the others have pretty high health points..."
"That's
right. And we will be easy targets, so we need to move in groups.”
Nozomu
agreed with Mars's opinion.
Probably
it was to maintain the balance between the lower class and the higher class
students. Especially the need to seek profit so that students are willing to
fight against those who have reached high ranks like Irisdina and the others.
"Also,
if the party is annihilated, the points earned by the losing party will also
belong to the winning party. The points earned will be counted at the end of
each day's training session, and the next day everyone will start from 0
again."
"So
the points will reset every day..."
"Oh,
it looks like there will be students attacking randomly here and there..."
However,
we cannot be relieved just because we have earned points. Even if low-class
students beat a high-class student in a group, and they were wiped out
afterwards, they would end up back where they started. However, the fact that
the points will reset the next day means the points for the first and second
day will be calculated separately. In other words, how to survive becomes
important.
"Also,
there are tasks written on the paper that was given to you when the pendant was
distributed. You don't have to complete the tasks, but if you do, you will be
awarded points according to the completed task to the party. In addition, for
the task of escorting, we teachers will be the escort target and assess the
success or failure of the task."
"So,
what are we going to do? We can get more points if we complete the
task..."
"...To
be honest, I can't say anything because I don't know how the other party will
work, but let's take it as a prospect to earn more points."
Jin
asked Nozomu what to do, but Nozomu withheld whether to decide to complete the
task or not.
It
would be better if they could complete tasks and earn points, but the other
party naturally thought of stealing their points. He wondered whether to earn
points by completing tasks or to hide and preserve their points. Taking this
into account to decide what to do will also be very important.
"The
practice area is written on the back of the paper where assignments are
written, and when you leave the training area, the pendant will react and you
will be disqualified. In addition, we teachers have already investigated the
area in advance and monitored it, and even though the repellant to prevent
monsters is already sprinkled on the boundaries of the training area, the
threat of monsters and demon beasts is not completely eliminated. Lastly,
consider using your specialized weapons like in the usual class, and be very
careful.”
No
matter how many times they did investigation and monitoring in advance, nothing
was absolute. What's more, this time's training was serious, and it wasn't the
mock combat training they had in class until now. In fact, past special
training has resulted in casualties, and students had to complete a contract
first to participate in this training. In other words, their life is their own
responsibility.
Of
course, not filling out the contract and not participating in the special
training will not reduce their grades, but it is undeniable that participating
in this training will be a big plus for their grades, so only a few students do
not participate.
"Also,
the area around the administrative headquarters is a non-combat area. Please
note that parties fighting in this area will have their points deducted."
This
is natural in a sense. This cannot be tolerated. Management will be delayed
with a battle near the place required for management.
"In
addition, a special target will be set in the training area. One of our
teachers will be the special target, and the party that defeats this special
target will be awarded higher points than any task. However, this special
target will attack you and rob you of the points you have earned. But if you
win, you will also get the points robbed by the special target."
"So,
a teacher will also participate..."
"Perhaps,
the teacher is acting as a powerful demon beast, or to move around and keep the
special training in check."
Cami
is holding her head while groaning. Certainly, a teacher taking the role of the
villain is nothing more than a threat. As long as Sominati Academy's teachers
were gathered from all over the continent, every teacher will have considerable
ability.
"This
concludes the explanation of the rules for this special training. I look
forward to your good performance... That's all."
Jihad's
explanation was over, and the bell was brought on stage. Special practice
begins when the bell rings.
"Nozomu,
what are we going to do?"
Jin
asked Nozomu's opinion. As the bell was getting ready to ring, Nozomu whispered
in a hushed voice so others couldn't hear him while looking around.
“...If we stay here, we will be attacked by the
other party or we will be involved in their battle, and if that happens, we
will be the ones who will be exhausted first. First, let's stay away from this
place as much as possible and make a base. "
The
other party members nodded at Nozomu's words. They slowly moved to the edge of
the venue. This was so that they could run as soon as the starting signal rang
and leave this place as soon as possible.
"We'll
sprint after the starting signal. Head to the west side of the training area.
After that, set up a base and consider our next course of action."
Nozomu
reconfirmed their future actions, and when everyone nodded, the bell was ready
to ring.
"Hmm?"
Nozomu
was waiting for the starting signal to ring, but suddenly he felt someone's
gaze staring at him. He turned his gaze to the part of the place that was
crowded among the students.
It
was too crowded that he couldn't see the person looking at him at all, but
suddenly he saw a familiar red hair through the gap between the students.
"...
Lisa?"
"With
this, the Special Integrated Training Class for the first semester of the
school year begins!
Nozomu
tried to make sure who was the owner of the red hair, but the next moment, the
bell rang along with Jihad's declaration. All the students who were there were
scattered in all directions.
Nozomu
was forced to give up on confirming the owner of that gaze and rushed out of
the venue area with all his might. Finally, as soon as his figure disappeared
from the venue, angry voices, screams, and yells began to be heard here and
there. Apparently, battles immediately started here and there the moment they
left the non-combat area.
Thus,
one of the biggest events, the Special Integrated Training Class had begun.