Early Release!!!!
=======================
Chapter 6 Part 18
Translator : PolterGlast
On
the shores of a seemingly infinite lake, a jet-black giant dragon, unable to
hide its gut-boiling anger, swung its foot up to crush the dwarf-like human in
front of him.
The
person, who was as small as a pea from the dragon's point of view, jumped away
from the place with a gale-like speed and swung out the katana in his hand just
to counterattack.
The
extremely sharpened flying blade struck Tiamat's foot, but it was blasted away
like a raindrop before the jet-black scales of the dragon, only to dissipate
into thin air.
The
dragon's foot that was swung down hit the ground, and the shattered rock came
crashing down on Nozomu along with the shockwave.
The
shockwaves that shot out in all directions rushed across the ground like
beasts, giving Nozomu no chance or space to avoid them.
Nozomu
swung his katana in a circle and used his Qi technique [Fan Shaped Sail] to
block the incoming shockwave.
The
membrane of Qi that had been deployed bent and was able to stop the shockwave
from Tiamat's attack.
However,
Nozomu, who was swallowed by the shockwave and got hit by the stone rubbles,
came to a complete halt.
Tiamat's
body rotated using the foot that was hit onto the ground as its pivot, and the
tail that had gained momentum was swung out towards Nozomu.
There
was no way that Nozomu, who was completely stopped in his tracks, could avoid
it. The tail hit him and he was flung far away, unable to even scream in pain.
Nozomu's
body slammed into the ground many times.
The
sound of bones cracking from all over his body echoed in his ears, and as his
vision continued to spin, his body finally stopped after about ten seconds.
However,
his body was already full of wounds.
He
tried to get up, but his left arm and right leg were completely broken and hung
down.
Severe
pain ran on his flank, and the broken ribs must have pierced his lungs because
when he coughed, clots of blood came out of his mouth.
With
just one blow, Nozomu was critically injured and cornered.
Even
so, he supported his body with his right hand and gritted his teeth to raise
himself up.
He
then looked straight at the giant dragon that was displaying its majesty in
front of him.
Even
though he was no match for it in strength, he would not give up.
His
eyes, lit up by a strong will, were directed at Tiamat.
(~!!)
His
eyes irritated Tiamat even more.
(Why
can you look at me like that! Why won't you give up! Why... why do you speak
like that to the person who betrayed you!)
Tiamat
opened its mouth, anger boiling in its chest as if an old wound that wouldn't heal
had been gouged out from it.
(I'll
never acknowledge it!)
With
such clear rejection and resentment in its heart, the giant dragon gathered all
the power it could in its throat and released its burning anger to completely
deny the human being glaring in front of him.
The
giant flames of chaos that evaporated the lake rushed forward, it quickly
swallowed Nozomu and obliterated him without a trace. After the giant flame had
gone, only the gouged ground remained.
Surely,
this time...
Such
thoughts passed through the giant dragon's mind, but right after that, a
bell-like sound rang... it echoed in that space.
(Kuh~!?)
At
the same time, ripples spread across the surface of the water, and countless
chains shot out from the bottom of the lake.
Like
a flock of flying birds, the chains stretched out into the air, and the next
moment, they attacked the jet-black dragon and began to bind its body like
hunting dogs.
The
chains that flew out one after another wrapped around Tiamat's body in multiple
layers, depriving the dragon of its freedom.
(~!
This is annoying!)
Tiamat
spread its wings in an attempt to escape from the chains.
However,
the seemingly unreliable chains somehow completely suppressed the jet-black
dragon's physical strength, and no matter how much Tiamat flapped its wings, it
could not allow his body to soar high.
Even
so, Tiamat desperately continued to fight back. It flapped its wings, thrust
its fangs into the chains, and fired light bullets.
However,
the chains wrapped around its body could not be damaged, and finally, its wing
became entangled with the chains, and the dragon was dragged down to the lake.
Tiamat
was dragged down into the lake as it is.
Tiamat
tried to escape by strengthening its giant tree-like legs, but it could not
resist, and its huge body gradually sank into the lake.
Its
legs, torso, wings, and neck were completely submerged, and the surface of the
water was close to its throat.
Tiamat
shook its head desperately, but there was no way to escape.
Then,
with a gurgling sound, the remaining head was completely submerged.
At
the same time, his consciousness fades away.
Rage,
revenge, disappointment, resignation, and desolation.
Consumed
by these chaotic emotions, the dragon sank into the depths of the lake.
Until
the very end, until its eyes completely closed, it continued to glare at the
glistening surface of the water with hatred, frustration, and a hint of
sadness.
========================================
Voices
filled with vitality echoed throughout the school.
Boys
and girls in white uniforms were walking down the corridor with smiles on their
faces.
It
was the usual ordinary afternoon scene. It was a scene that could be said as
everyday life in this school.
However,
that peaceful atmosphere was suddenly broken.
"Doaaaa!!"
A
dying scream echoed throughout the school building.
The
students jumped up in surprise, their eyes fixed on the recently restored
martial arts garden.
The
sound of explosions continued to be heard.
*Boom!*
*Thud!*
The
roaring sound that echoed in quick succession seemed like the march of a giant.
For
a while, the sound of the explosions shook the air in the school, but after an
exceptionally loud bang and raising a cloud of dust, it became completely
inaudible.
*......*
The
whole school fell silent. The students, who had no idea what was going on, just
looked up at the martial arts garden with stunned expressions on their faces.
====================================
In
the martial arts garden hat had been roaring earlier, a man was standing with a
giant sword propped up on the ground. Outside the arena were Irisdina, Shīna
and the others, as well as Somia from Ecross.
In
front of the man was the figure of Nozomu, who was lying on the ground like a
doll.
When
it was lunchtime and he was about to leave the classroom, Nozomu was caught by
Jihad who was waiting for him in front of the classroom, and he was taken to
the martial arts garden for another combat training.
"...
There's no movement. He's like a corpse already."
Feo
rushed to Nozomu, who was lying on the ground like a toad, and after poking him
with a stick, Feo shrugged his shoulders and said something like a joke.
"...
I'm still alive"
"Fugya!"
While
making an eerie voice, Nozomu grabbed Feo by the tail.
When
his tail was suddenly grabbed, he yelped and turned around.
He
saw Nozomu looking up at him with an eerie smile on his face.
Nozomu
looked like a demon who had just crawled out of the depths of hell, and Feo's
face involuntarily twitched when he saw his appearance.
"Ara,
Nozomu-san. You're still alive?"
"Yes,
fortunately. Let me borrow your tail for a moment."
"Wha~!
My tail is sensitive ... Gyann!"
Using
Feo's tail like a rope, Nozomu stood up.
The
mischievous fox was whimpering, but Nozomu completely ignored him.
With
one last tug on his tail, Feo let out a loud scream and fell down.
Nozomu
patted the dirt off his hands and turned to face Jihad.
"Hmm,
well thought out as always. Your plan to block my sword is not bad. However,
don't you think you could hold on a little longer?"
"What
are you talking about after blowing me up into the air and taking away my
freedom? ......"
Nozomu
muttered in a hushed voice.
The
result, as they could see, was a devastating defeat for Nozomu.
Nozomu
somehow managed to see through the giant sword being swung towards him and
lowered his posture to the ground while avoiding the Jaw Drop that Jihad swung
at him by a hair's breadth.
He
then leaped up and attacked with [Phantom -Clad-] enveloping his katana as he
sprinted past the Jaw Drop.
He
used his own weight to block the opponent's weapon and swung his katana in that
gap.
Normally,
people would have abandoned their weapon and turned to evasion, or he would
have just taken Nozomu's slash.
However,
Jihad forcibly pulled out his giant sword, which had sunk into the ground, and
threw Nozomu into the air.
This
action was so insane. His extraordinary physical strength made it possible for
him to do such a thing.
Nozomu
was stunned for a moment as he was thrown into the air, and then he found himself
being flattened to the ground by the belly of the giant sword.
"That last one,
however, I'm surprised you could dodge it. Even though your body has no more
energy left to waste than a grain of sand ...”
"Thanks... By the
way, is there anything else on your mind?"
Nozomu looked at Jihad
with a frown. Jihad, on the other hand, tilted his head as if to say what was
bothering him.
"Hmm? I wonder if
I went too easy on you. I understand that you can't swing your katana as you
did in the previous combat training. I thought I took it reasonably easy on
you, didn't I?"
"That's not
true!"
What was beyond
Nozomu's outstretched hands was the gouged and dug-up ground.
It was true that the
magical barriers of the martial arts garden were completely intact, but
instead, the inside of the arena was completely ruined, as if a giant had gone
on a rampage inside it.
However, the one who
was rampaging was a man who could kick such a giant out of his way.
"Look at this
mess! Holes are all over the place! What kind of battlefield is this!? Also,
Inda-sensei is passed out on her feet!
Outside the arena,
Inda-sensei was stunned while standing.
Inda-sensei's mouth
was still half open, and Tima and Shīna were tapping her on the shoulder and
calling out to her, but she didn't seem to respond at all. She looked just like
a corpse.
"Mm ... Well,
sure, we've got a few holes here and there, but none of the magical barriers
have been broken, so there should be no problem."
"That's
enough..."
While putting his hand
on his forehead, Nozomu looked up to the sky.
When they first met,
and when he had told him about his master, Nozomu had thought what an
intelligent person Jihad was.
But in the end, just
like Shino, there was a part of him that seemed to have no common sense.
His shoulders slumped,
and he let out a big sigh of resignation.
"Well then, we'll
head back now..."
"Umu, you've done
your best. Good luck in your afternoon classes."
Nozomu and the others
left the martial arts garden while muttering "Yes..." with a weak
voice.
Jihad saw Nozomu and
the others off, but when he turned around, a grave voice called out to him from
behind. Inda was standing there with a gloomy expression on her face.
He couldn't see behind
her glasses because of the reflection of the light, but he could see her
shoulders were trembling somehow.
"Jihad-sensei
..."
"Oh, Inda-dono.
It's about time ..."
Jihad was about to
invite her for lunch, but Inda interrupted him and thrust something at him.
Jihad took it without
a second thought, but when he looked down at what he was holding in his hand,
he saw that it was a big shovel.
"Please clean it
up."
"……Ha?"
Jihad let out a
dumbfounded voice at Inda's words. She gave off an indescribable atmosphere
while pointing at the arena that had been gouged out.
After that, it seemed
that a big man wearing silver armor was desperately filling a large hole in the
ground.
=======================================
"What a horrible
thing I was just going through...."
With an exhausted
expression on his face, Nozomu left the martial arts garden with his friends
and headed for the school courtyard.
Perhaps it was because
he had suffered so much in the combat training earlier, Nozomu's complexion did
not look good.
"Nozomu-san, are
you okay?"
Somia asked while
looking up at Nozomu's face anxiously.
Nozomu waved his hand
to say he was fine but was stopped in his tracks by an unexpected voice.
"Excuse me, do
you know where Jihad Roundel is?"
"Hm?"
When Nozomu and the
others turned their heads in the direction of the voice, they were greeted by
the sight of a woman whose appearance looked far too unusual to be in a school
like this.
"Um, may I ask
who are you?"
"Nice to meet
you. I am Mekria Aflect, a servant of Fabran Household."
"Fabran..."
When Irisdina heard
the name Fabran, she turned her gaze to the woman named Mekria.
Like Irisdina, she had
shiny black hair that reached her waist, and her body was so sensual that it
reminded anyone who saw her as a ripe fruit.
Her body, wrapped in a
black robe reminiscent of a mourning dress, was tightly pushed up at the chest,
and her slender, taut white legs peeked out from the slit skirt.
Her appearance was
like a doll, with white skin and clear glass-like eyes.
At first glance, her
appearance looked like an innocent lady, but the seductive smile around her
mouth, combined with her black outfit, was reminiscent of a bewitching snake.
"You are the
daughter of the Francilt Household, aren't you? Pleased to make your
acquaintance."
"No, it is my
pleasure. I've heard a lot about you, Mekria-dono, and I've heard that you're a
very talented woman who is trusted by Egurd Fabran-dono."
"It's an honor to
be remembered by the next head of the Francilt Household."
Irisdina and the woman
who introduced herself as Mekria exchanged formal greetings as aristocrats.
Starting with
sophisticated greetings and wordings, the area was filled with a glamorous
atmosphere that was different from the usual student life. Both of them smiled
and praised the other.
Mekria praised her achievements
that she was the top student at Solminati Academy. And she said that Irisdina
was recognized by Fabran Household.
While smiling and
exchanging words of praise, the conversation between the two of them continued
reverently.
Naturally, there was no
way that Nozomu and his friends, who were ordinary people, could enter into
such a conversation, so they could only watch what was going on in silence.
However, despite their
seemingly dainty atmosphere, Nozomu felt a tingling tension in the air as the two
continued their conversation.
It was as if they were
carrying knives with poison on their backs.
Nozomu gulped and
swallowed his saliva.
The two of them
continued their conversation for a while, but then Irisdina asked Mekria as if
she remembered something.
"By the way,
Mekria-dono, what brings you to this school today?"
"I came to this
school because I have something to do with Jihad-dono, but he wasn't in his
office..."
"If you're
looking for Jihad-dono then, he is in the martial arts garden."
Irisdina turned her
eyes to the martial arts garden that she had just come out from.
"Thank you very
much. Now, if you are willing to excuse me..."
Mekria bowed and
disappeared into the martial arts garden.
Nozomu, who had been
watching what was going on, approached Irisdina.
"Iris, do you
know her?"
"No, it's not
that we're acquainted with each other directly, but Fabran Household is one of
the big families in Foskia, just like my household. I've met the head of that household
a few times at parties."
"Hee..."
After Nozomu's casual
reply, a silence enveloped the area.
He didn't really
understand about aristocratic society, but judging from the heavy atmosphere
earlier, it seemed that their relationship was not a friendly one.
"What's with your
lackluster answer? And also, the atmosphere was strangely heavy for your first
meeting, wasn't it?"
In the midst of this,
Feo, with his usual boldness, broke the silence and asked a question from the
front.
Irisdina smiled
bitterly at Feo's bluntness.
"Well, her household
and mine don't have a good relationship. I guess you could call it political
enemies..."
Nozomu and the others
were convinced that this was the reason for such an atmosphere.
Certainly, there was a
strange sense of tension for someone they had never met before.
"My household,
the Francilts, supported the construction of this Solminati Academy, and my
father worked hard to build Arcazam not only in Foskia, but all over the
continent. The Fabrans, on the other hand, have consistently maintained their
opposition."
According to Irisdina,
Mekria was a woman who had been assigned to serve Fabran Household a few years
ago.
At that time, Fabran
was having some problems, and it was said that it would take 20 years to solve
the problems.
However, Mekria solved
the problem in a few months. Her achievement was recognized, and she is now
directly serving the head of the Fabran Household.
As they could see,
she's a beautiful woman, so she seems to have had occasional opportunities to
talk to Irisdina in social circles.
"Recently, Fabran
Household has been regaining power with great momentum. It seems that the
driving force behind this is Mekria-dono."
"From what
Irisdina has told us, she seems to be a very capable person..."
"What on earth
would a messenger from such a household want with Jihad-sensei..."
"Well, that's as
far as I know about her."
It seemed that
Irisdina didn't know why such an important person from a famous household came
to this school.
'Well, what's the
point in worrying about it? If Irisdina doesn't know her well, what's the point
of talking about her now?"
Mars wasn't very good
at thinking, but in a way he was right.
To be honest, there
was so little information that it was obvious that there would be no answer to
the question even if they discussed it here and now.
The story that Mekria
may have brought may not be a good one, but this academy was created by the
consensus of all the countries on the continent.
It was hard to imagine
that it would be affected by the words of a single leader of a country.
"Well, that's
true..."
"Let's go to the
courtyard for the time being. To be honest, we'll miss lunch if we don't hurry
because of Jihad-sensei..."
Mimuru urged them to
go as if she was very hungry.
Her tail and ears were
hanging down lazily and weakly, and they could almost hear the sound of her
stomach growling.
"That's right.
Let's go then."
Irisdina, who saw such
Mimuru's appearance, smiled innocently, different from when she was talking to
Mekria earlier and started walking towards the courtyard.
There was a lot of
shade there, and it would be a good place to cool off from the hot summer sun.
Following after
Mimuru, who exclaimed "Yes!" while clenching her fists, Tom and the
others continued on their way.
Nozomu watched the
others from behind, smiling happily at them.
"Hey, Nozomu
..."
"Hmm?"
When he noticed, there
was Irisdina was next to him. She was fiddling with her hair, glancing sideways
at Nozomu as if about to say something.
"Did you feel
uncomfortable?"
"Eh?"
"Umm ... The me
from earlier."
Apparently, Iris was
quite concerned about the attitude that she had shown in her earlier exchange
with Mekuria.
As for her, she
probably didn't want to show the people close to her what she had just shown.
Her previous attitude
was not the same person that Nozomu had seen at the academy or at Arcazam, but
she was the next head of a household.
Certainly, Nozomu was
surprised by the exchange between Irisdina and Mekria earlier. He had never
actually witnessed Irisdina's behavior as a noblewoman before. Moreover, it was
against a political opponent, as what she did just now, the surprise would be
even greater.
However, Nozomu did
not think that this would change his attitude towards Irisdina.
He was surprised and
pressured, but it did not make him dislike her.
Nozomu shook his head
as if to say he didn't mind, but Irisdina's expression was still somehow not
good.
The way she looked at
Nozomu was just like a child afraid of the dark.
"...... Is that
so?"
"It's obvious,
isn't it? What are you worried about?
If that was the extent
of their relationship, Nozomu wouldn't have told her everything about his
painful past. It was the same with Tiamat.
While saying so,
Nozomu pointed to Mimuru, Mars, and Somia, who were rushing towards them in a
hurry, and the others who were waiting for them.
"Yeah, I don't
think they care about that either, do they?"
"O~i! Come on,
both of you!"
"Ane-sama, what's
wrong?"
"What are you
doing, you two? We're going to lose our lunch break!"
Irisdina's eyes caught
sight of her friends, who looked exactly the same as usual.
Nozomu glanced at
Irisdina, shrugged his shoulders, and rushed to his friends at a fast pace to
encourage her.
Irisdina also followed
him.
The smile on her mouth
was different from the one when she had met Mekria, and it was bright and
colorful.
===================================
When Nozomu and the
others were heading to the courtyard, Jihad and Inda were receiving the Fabran household's
letter, brought by Mekria, who came as a messenger.
However, Jihad's
appearance who received the letter was not the appearance of an honorable hero
by any means, but the appearance of a dirt-covered construction worker.
"Then, I have
certainly delivered the letter from my Lord."
"Thank you very
much for delivering the letter. How about we take a little tour around the
school?"
After leaving the
received letter with Inda, Jihad asked Mekria if she would like to take a walk
around the school.
However, she politely
declined the invitation.
"No, it's a nice
invitation, but I have other things to do today. Even so, it's a magnificent
school building..."
Mekria looked out at
the martial arts garden and the chalk-white school building behind it.
Her gaze circled
around the martial arts garden and then turned back to Jihad.
A cold, icy gaze. It
was not like Inda's eyes, which hid warmth within their harshness, but rather
eyes that were completely devoid of humanity.
"But it's sad.
Many people are still in tears because they cannot return to their homes. We
need to help them return home as soon as possible."
"Yes, we will do
our best to make that happen."
Jihad and Mekria
exchanged formal words. In fact, the meaning behind her words was far from
friendly, even to say the least.
In short, Mekria
wanted to say, "We need troops right away. There's no point in spending
the money we've squeezed out of our blood and sweat for a place like
this".
Jihad completely
ignored Mekria's true intentions while saying, "I will continue to do my
best to educate the students".
"Now, if you'll
excuse me. I will be staying in this city for a while by the order of my
Lord."
Mekuria, who was
completely taken aback by Jihad's words, left the place without a hint of
displeasure on her face.
All that was left was
Jihad, covered in dirt, and Inda, holding the letter of intent.
"What does the
Fabran Household really want?"
"Well,
perhaps......."
Jihad grabbed the
letter of intent that he had entrusted to Inda, broke the seal, and began to
read the contents.
Inda glared at his
blunt gesture, but Jihad ignored her protesting gaze and continued reading.
Eventually, Jihad
snorted and thrust the letter back to Inda
"Um, what exactly
was written in it?"
"It's a letter of
protest for the Abyss Grief incident that happened the other day. How can we
abolish this school just based on a letter of protest from one of the most
important families in this country?"
The letter addressed
to him was full of protests about the recent resurrection of the Abyss Grief.
From one end of the
letter to the other, it was filled with detailed protests and orders, such as
"Don't force an experiment that is not safe," "What is the
meaning of endangering the lives of council members and injuring people?"
In short, it was a
harassment letter.
To be honest, though,
Jihad was amazed at how they could come up with so many things to complain
about.
And at the end of the
letter, it said.
(Given the current
situation on the continent, reclaiming the land that was lost ten years ago is
a matter of utmost importance for each country. I would like to ask Solminati
Academy for further cooperation in the future.)
"In other words,
they want me to abolish this school as soon as possible and send the students
out as soldiers."
Jihad raised his hands
in disgust. His indignation could be felt in the words he said as he spat.
"But the last
Abyss Grief case has been settled. The fact that they brought this up is
......"
"It's probably
just harassment. It's also possible that they're trying to limit our actions by
mentioning it."
It seemed like they
were pointing out the other party's faults, so they might be able to use it as
a bargaining chip for later negotiations.
(I warned you back
then!)
Perhaps, they wanted
to use it as one of their cards to blame the other party if something similar
happened in the future.
Frankly, though, the
vindictiveness and nastiness that filled every corner of the letter were quite
unsightly.
"What are we
going to do?"
“If they just want to make a fuss, so be it. I can't
forbid them from sending such a letter themselves. Just let them say what they
want. However, I am curious about the reason why Mekria-dono came to this city.
Just in case, we have to confirm what she's up to."
"I understand.
Then, Jihad-dono, please continue."
After saying so, Inda
then pointed to a large hole in the arena that was closed half way.
"...... you still
want me to do it?"
"Yes, hurry up. We
don't have much time before the afternoon classes start. We have work to do
even after we finish closing the hole, so please hurry up."
What lied behind her
polite words was a voice of a demon instructor that said, "Get on with
it!"
There were no compromises
whatsoever, just a one-sided order, and then the cleanup, known as civil
engineering work, resumed.
