Chapter 6 Part 22
Translator : PolterGlast
The
next day, after Jihad, Mauzu and the others had discussed the details, Nozomu
was officially released.
When
Nozomu went to school, his classmates asked him a lot of questions, but he had
no choice but to explain that he had been taken away and released without
knowing why.
Students
who did not know the details constantly visited Irisdina and the others and
asked what the truth was, but they could not disclose the truth because they
were still investigating to find the real culprit.
In
response to this, Ken, who was the one who had framed Nozomu, could only bite
his lips.
"Tch~,
so that wasn't enough."
In
the empty back of the school building, Ken clicked his tongue and kicked a
stone away with his feet.
The
sound of bouncing rocks hitting the school building further irritated him, and
once again, he thought about how to get rid of Nozomu.
"So
it's not enough to have an incident like that in the city. I have to do
something bigger. Then......"
Ken
didn't realize that his means and purpose had already strayed so far away from the original.
At
first, he did it out of pure love for Lisa Hounds. The means were neither
humanly nor morally commendable, but at least at the root of his actions were
his feelings for the woman he loved and his concern for her safety.
However,
his heart began to wane once his plan succeeded, and Ken completely lost sight
of his purpose in the two years that passed.
And
even though it was meant to break Nozomu's heart completely, the final
restraint was completely removed when he exposed his entire scheme to Nozomu,
His
unavoidably bloated self-consciousness and narrow-mindedness have already
blinded him to the point where he can no longer see.
"What
are you doing in a place like this?"
"......
Camilla, what do you want?"
A
familiar voice struck on his back when he was sullenly angry that his plan had
not worked.
He
turned around and saw Camilla staring at him with cold eyes.
"That's
my line. What are you going to do this time?
"You
already know what I'm thinking, aren't you? Don't ask me what you already
know."
Camilla
stared at Ken, who spoke as if to spit at her.
The
two of them were silent as they looked at each other, and it was clear that
there was a rift between them that was beyond repair.
Both
were glaring at each other, but there was no sign of regret or guilt in Ken's
eyes.
Camilla
turned her eyes away as if she had given up on Ken, who considered his actions
justified without end.
"I
won't say anything. Well, you're the same as me. I'll do anything for Lisa. Wouldn't
you?"
Perhaps
mistaking Camilla's gesture as his victory, Ken smiled distortedly.
Camilla
smiled as she felt a pang of anger and pity towards Ken.
It
was true that Camilla was willing to do anything for Lisa.
It
was definitely thanks to Lisa that she was able to change herself, who had come
to this academy alone and still remained lonely and unchanged.
She
was socially awkward, wasn't lovable by nature, and could only snap at the
person who approached her. Lisa was the person who changed her.
However,
no matter how it all started, as Ken said before, Camilla helped him to bring
down Nozomu. And considering the fact that Lisa's heart was still injured until
now, exposing the truth will probably cause irreparable damage to her heart.
The
act of betraying one's benefactor for the second time. That was why Ken was
telling her so much because he knew it was impossible for Camilla to tell Lisa.
There were only very few people who can imagine the condemnation that will
surely fall on them and still believe in the path they were taking. That was
why Ken was willing to take advantage of everything around him and never
doubted himself.
Even
though Ken's ugly smile made her feel helplessly angry and disgusted, Camilla
desperately swallowed her anger and opened her mouth to fulfill her duty.
"I
know that telling her the truth will only hurt her. But I don't see you as one
of us anymore."
Camilla endured her
inner rage by digging her nails into her palms. By telling Ken that she was on
Lisa's side, her words were exactly what Ken had expected. Ken's distorted
smile deepened further.
"I don't care. As
long as I can protect Lisa."
After she said so, he
whispered in Camilla's ear, "I have my next move planned."
As she watched him
walk away, Camilla tried her best to suppress the anger that was about to
erupt.
"Do you really
think you can protect Lisa from something like this? What you're doing is
messed up."
"So you wouldn't
mind Nozomu being left alone? He may have gotten stronger, but his weaknesses
have not changed at all."
Ken remembered
Nozomu's figure who exchanged blows with Jihad.
Certainly, Nozomu had
acquired extraordinary skills. He had refined his Qi techniques to the point
where it could penetrate Jihad's shield, and he had developed his skills to the
point where he could fight opponents even though he was at a disadvantage in
terms of strength so overwhelmingly.
However, Ken insisted
that Nozomu hadn't completely removed his Ability Suppression, nor has he
changed his constitution itself, which was fatally unsuitable for endurance
battle. If the weakness itself had not changed, he believed that he should do
everything he could to get rid of Nozomu now.
However, the more he
thought about it, the more images of Nozomu fighting Jihad flashed through his
mind.
"As long as he
still has Ability Suppression, he is not someone who can protect Lisa!"
Ken spat out as he
shook off the scene in his mind. At the same time, he gritted his teeth,
perhaps because of the discomfort that made him want to scratch the inside of
his chest.
Ken's tone of voice,
which should have been flat, turned rough, and his handsome face became ugly
and distorted.
As she watched such
Ken, Camilla gave a small snort.
"At least I'm
pretty sure that you, who's acting like her lover, and I, who's acting like her
best friend, are not the ones who should be with Lisa until the end..."
"So what's your
take on all this? If you're on Lisa's side...... I think you'll understand what
I mean."
Perhaps because of his
hatred towards Nozomu, Ken turned his bloodshot eyes to Camilla and pressed her
for a reply.
Camilla was about to
explode, but when she looked deep into Ken's bloodshot eyes, she was
speechless.
There was a glimpse of
filthy color just like a lake that was dying and reeking of decay. It was a
matured hatred and murderous intent.
Ken's murderous intent
enveloped and tightened Camilla's entire body like a giant squeezing a small
bird.
"~ ! ..."
Despite the chills
that run down her spine, her heart was pounding and beating so hard that her
blood vessels were about to burst.
Being hit by such a
pure killing intent, Camilla desperately tried to keep her voice from escaping
from her throat.
She needed to catch
Ken off guard here and make it look like she was giving in. But the killing
intent that seemed to pierce through her entire body was so fierce that it
really seemed like it would break Camilla's heart.
The nails in her palms
dug into her skin, and while enduring the blood and pain that flowed out,
Camilla gritted her teeth desperately, hoping that her heart would not be
broken in the least.
"... Lisa
couldn't take any more of these facts. So, even though I hate it so much to the
point of vomiting, I'm going to go along with your plan. I have no other choice
but to do so..."
Her voice, which was
squeezed out with a feeling of resistance, was surprisingly sounded harsh even
to Camilla herself.
However, Ken, who was
watching Camilla, smiled with satisfaction. It may have been a good thing that
she was losing her composure earlier.
Ken's intimidation
faded and Camilla let out a ragged breath.
"Haa, haa ...
what are you going to do?"
"...... Causing a
ruckus in the city isn't enough to get rid of Nozomu. Then we'll have to do
something bigger, won't we?"
He was going to cause
another incident. Even though he announced that he would involve even more
people this time, the smile on Ken's face showed no sign of hesitation.
Camilla's whole body
froze. She realized that the man in front of her had already lost his way to
the point where he couldn't return.
"Well, leave it
to me. I've already thought of my next move..."
Confidently, Ken
turned on his heel and started walking towards the main gate. Camilla followed
him while keeping her silence.
The main gate was
beginning to turn red due to the setting sun. To Camilla, it seemed as if it
was a gate to hell.
However, they didn't
notice. At this moment, someone's eyes were staring at them from the window of
the school building.
And the wind blowing
in through the open window made her crimson hair flutter.
==================================
When Camilla made
contact with Ken, Nozomu was sitting on a chair in his dorm room, doing nothing
in particular.
Outside the window,
the sun was beginning to set, and the light shining through the curtains was
gradually fading.
"Sorry. I
apologize for the inconvenience."
A somewhat apologetic
voice, clearly not Nozomu's voice, echoed in his room.
When he turned to look
at where the voice came from, he saw a kind-looking young man standing there.
Behind him was a stubble-bearded middle-aged man.
They were the military
police officers that Mauzu had assigned to watch over Nozomu, and although they
had taken off their armor, they were good soldiers who protected the city.
At the same time, they
were the ones who could prove Nozomu's alibi in case something happened,
because even though there were other suspects, it did not mean that Nozomu was
completely cleared of suspicion.
"No, I understand
that this is necessary, so don't worry about it."
"It makes me feel
better to hear you say that..."
"Well, it won't
be long, so please bear with us."
Nozomu also fully
understood his current situation, so he was not particularly concerned about
this treatment.
The young man in front
of him, a soldier named Jibin, dropped his shoulders in relief with a smile on
his mouth.
Barozza, the
middle-aged soldier behind him, was also scratching his head with a wry smile.
If Ken was going to
make a move, it would be when Nozomu was alone. Right now, Nozomu was under
orders not to go outside after school, and the two military police officers in
front of him have been holed up in this room unnoticed since before Nozomu was
released.
In a corner of the
room, there were sleeping bags and smoked meat and dried bread that they seem
to have brought with them. In fact, they have been staying in this room since
the day before Nozomu was released.
"Would you like a
drink?"
While saying so,
Nozomu raised a pot containing herbal water.
It was made by
decocting a strong fragrant herb, and although it was not particularly
expensive, the steam rising from the beak of the pot gave off a comforting
scent.
"Don't worry
about us. Just do what you normally do as usual."
"On the contrary,
it would be bad if you didn't. We don't want to make people out there
suspicious. But I'll take on your offer..."
"Senior……"
The junior soldier was
making a dismayed expression at his senior, who was showing an imposing figure
but still carelessly shared herbal water with Nozomu.
Barozza smiled at him
as if to say, "it's fine". Nozomu poured the herbal water into
Jibin's cup as well.
As the steam, infused
with the flavor of herbs, tickled his nose, the tension in his shoulders
naturally relaxed.
The situation must
have naturally made him tense up.
The two military
police officers were also enjoying the warmth of the herbal water and the aroma
that spread to their mouths.
"Well, it's a bit
astringent, but it's not bad."
"It's a fragrant
herb that grew wild in the forest, so it's a little different from something
that came from outside the city.
Nozomu used to drink
this herbal water when he was training in the forest with Shino.
It had a nice scent
but was a bit astringent, so Nozomu remembered he choked a bit when he drank it
for the first time.
"Goho-goho
...!"
"Are you
okay?"
"I'm fine,
goho-goho! Sorry, I'm a little choked up... Hmm!"
Jibin, who was choked
up, thumped his chest a little exaggeratedly.
He coughed for a
while, but eventually calmed down, calmed his ragged breathing, and began to
taste the herbal water again.
The three of them
slowly sipped their cups and surrendered themselves to the temporary peace. For
a while, the only sound in the room was the sound of sipping the herbal water.
"Speaking of
which, what are Irisdina and the others doing now?"
Nozomu asked Jibin a
question that suddenly popped into his head.
Irisdina and the
others had decided to cooperate with the investigation, but he hadn't heard how
they had come to cooperate.
"They've been
given [Communication Magic Stone] and placed in different positions. Your
homeroom teacher is one of them. They are mainly located in the administrative
and commercial districts, as well as the investigation headquarters set up at
the school. The Curbstone was also placed in the headquarters."
"Well, if it
weren't for them, this investigation would have been a lot more
difficult."
Barozza was muttering
and playing with a blue magic stone in his hand by twirling it around.
The communication
network that connects the military police personnel scattered throughout the
city, including Nozomu's friends. It was centralized by a single Curbstone.
Originally, a single
Curbstone would not have been able to cover such a large area.
However, what made
this possible was the help of Shīna and the others' "unique talents".
Tima's enormous
magical power and Shīna's spirit magic.
Tima gathered a large
number of spirits with her immense magical power, and Shīna controlled the
gathered spirits, reinforcing the magical connection between the [Communication
Magic Stone] and the Curbstones. This made it possible to build a communication
network that covered the entire Arcazam.
"Well, it'll be
alright. Every student assigned to the city is accompanied by at least one
military police officer, and there are also Jihad-dono and the others at the
headquarters."
"Furthermore,
"collaborators" ready to jump into the scene anytime."
"I see……"
It seemed that not
only Nozomu but also Irisdina and the others were accompanied by military
police officers. It was an arrangement that took into account the fact that
they were students as well as collaborators.
"However, due to
some circumstances, it's difficult to keep the military police officers near
that student named Camilla, but it seems that Jihad-dono will take care of
that"
If Ken were to find
out about the reconnaissance she did, Camilla's life would be in danger.
So Jihad decided to
have a few of the school's most skilled trackers take [Communication Magic
Stone] and follow them at a distance.
The trackers were, of
course, specialized in stealth, and had enough skills that even the school's teachers
could not easily detect them.
"If that's the
case, then it's fine."
The mention of
Camilla's name brought Nozomu's mind back to the image of her when he was
released from prison.
Her eyes were red and
swollen, and she bowed her head deeply, without trying to wipe away the tears.
And the time when they talked at the outer edge of the city on their way home
after that.
Nozomu and Camilla
talked to each other while being illuminated by the same sunset light. In fact,
it was the first proper conversation they had in two years.
"Nozomu ... what
do you want to do with Lisa?"
Nozomu recalled
Camilla's words. When he had talked to her at the outer edge, all he had said
was that he wanted Lisa to get back on her feet.
What was important to
Nozomu now was to move Lisa and the others out of their stagnant time.
With this
determination in his heart, Nozomu was moving forward.
Of course, it was not
that Nozomu himself didn't care about Lisa. He still couldn't express his
feelings for her. The emotions were complicated, and there was always something
clashing in his heart.
"That's why I
could only tell her the feelings I felt right now..."
With a wry smile on
his face, Nozomu scratched his head and drank the remaining herbal water in the
cup in one gulp, as if to shake off his own anguish. A strong bitterness spread
in his mouth, and Nozomu's forehead wrinkled involuntarily.
"H-hey, are you
okay?"
When Nozomu turned his
head at the source of the voice, he saw Barozza looking into him.
"Koho~ ...
Y-yeah. I'm fine."
Unlike Barozza, who
seemed to be in a panic, Nozomu's reply was light-hearted. His expression was
also clear.
Even though he used it
as a reason to run away, the fact remained that his feelings for Lisa were one of
the things that supported him.
It was something that
cannot be denied and should not be denied.
He would not be swept
away by anger, nor would he throw it away, but he would move forward with it.
That's what he decided.
"...Well, you've
been through a lot of hardships, haven't you?"
Whether he knew about
Nozomu's feelings or not, Barozza shrugged his shoulders and drank the
remaining herbal water in one gulp and he opened his mouth.
"Well, as a
senior in life, I can only tell you not to have any regrets and to concentrate
on what's in front of you right now, regardless of what the future holds."
Barozza and Jibin
understood the situation to some extent, but they had not heard the details
from the person in question himself, and they were strangers who had only met
each other a few days ago.
Perhaps because of
this, he chose to say something that wasn't particularly offending.
"When things
start to go wrong, they will go wrong regardless of your worries, and if the
culprit is your childhood friend, he's already crossed a line he shouldn't
have. The only thing left for such a person to do is to roll down the hill
towards the abyss while hurting those around him along the way."
Nevertheless, Barozza
and Jibin have seen a lot of criminals in this city, and even if those people
don't end up committing crimes, they have caught glimpses of trouble between
people.
For them, people who
were crossing the line were the worst. Such people didn't doubt that they were
always right, and they didn't care about the victims due to their actions.
The only thing that
mattered to them was their existence within their own closed world, and the
outside of their world was like food for ants.
The military police
officers in front of Nozomu, who were part of the guardians of this city, won't
acknowledge people like them
"Yes, I
understand."
Barozza's words were
sharp, but Nozom accepted the words without showing any signs of dejection.
Nozomu knew exactly
what Barozza meant. As he said, Ken had to be stopped.
It was because of this
that Nozomu chose to act. He could not believe that Lisa and the others would
be able to continue as they were.
He wanted Lisa and the
others to move forward, no matter what it took.
(It's fine to run
away. But I don't want you to turn away from what you're running from.)
Lisa and Ken were both
important people to Nozomu. Just like Shino was to Nozomu.
Therefore, Nozomu
continued to actively get in touch with Lisa and others.
In the combat training
with Jihad, he exposed all of his Qi techniques. All in order for Lisa and the
others to see him as he was now.
And now, Ken, who once
again regarded Nozomu as a threat, has started to follow the same path he took
two years ago.
Ken had already gone
too far down the wrong path. If left alone, he would do something truly
irreversible.
The passing of time
did not care about such personal circumstances. Then he had no other choice but
to move, even if he hadn't been able to give a complete answer. It's now or
never.
"Yes, I
understand. This time, I'll stop him..."
That's what he had to
do now. He put his strong will into his words and eyes and looked straight at
the middle-aged military police officer in front of him.
Perhaps surprised,
Barozza's eyes widened at the sight of Nozomu's eyes. However, he was satisfied
with Nozomu's answer, and a smile soon appeared on his lips.
At that moment, Jibin
noticed something and reached into his pocket.
What he took out was
the magic stone that was given to the people involved in this investigation.
The color of the stone had turned red, probably because a voice message had
already been delivered.
He put his ear to the
stone and listened to the voices.
The red glow of the
stone returned to blue, and Jibin slowly lowered the hand that was holding the
stone.
"What's wrong?"
"We just got a
call from Jihad-dono. He said that the suspect and the scout have gone out into
the city."
When Jibin sent his
magic power to the magic stone he was holding, Inda and Jihad's voices could be
heard from the magic stone with an even stronger red light.
"Target is
currently moving along the main road in the west district. Teams A and B in the
commercial district and teams C and D in the north section are moving to the
border of the west district. We will set up a net to track the target."
"The target has
the ability to change his form at will. Each of you, keep an eye out for any
changes in the magic stones. Operation begins."
Operation begins. The
moment those words were heard, a clear sense of tension took over the entire
room.
In this tense
atmosphere, Nozomu slowly gripped the hilt of the katana at his waist.
=================================
Ken and Camilla walk
through the civic area on the west side of Arcazam.
It was already dusk
and the streets were crowded with people who had finished their work for the
day and were rushing home.
Camilla followed Ken
from behind. They walked unhurriedly through the crowd.
They were walking in
silence, not saying a word to each other, then suddenly Ken, who was walking in
front of her, turned around.
"Camilla, let's
part ways here."
"……Why is
that?"
Camilla's eyes
squinted at Ken's sudden words.
"We'll split up,
go our separate ways, and then meet up again. Considering what we're going to
do this time, if we act together, my traces can be detected."
“…………”
(Could it be that our
reconnaissance has been discovered?)
A cold sweat ran down
Camilla's spine.
Camilla tried to keep
her face as expressionless as possible so that he wouldn't notice her inner
turmoil, but Ken didn't care as he continued with his words.
"Camilla, wait
here and I'll come back soon."
With no expression on
his face at all, Ken handed Camilla a piece of paper folded in two and stepped
into the hustle and bustle without waiting for her reply.
(What should I do?)
A hesitation crossed
Camilla's mind.
But if she were to
lose him, it would be difficult to find him again on her own.
A moment of anguish.
In the meantime, Ken's figure was almost completely hidden by the crowd.
Frustrated and unable
to make a decision, Camilla found herself stepping out to follow Ken.
"Camilla-kun, can
you hear me?"
"~!"
However, when Camilla
was about to step forward, Jihad's voice, coming from the magic stonei, stopped
her.
"He's got a
tracker on him. You'll go to your assigned location once."
Camilla's eyes widened
at Jihad's use of the word "tracker". She hadn't been told that such
a person was attached to her, and she hadn't felt the slightest hint that she
was being tracked.
It was true that
Camilla's skills and rank were inferior to Ken and Lisa's, but she was good
enough to reach the highest class of the third year.
She had also been
involved in the Guild's requests to defeat demon beasts, so she was more than a
little shocked by what Jihad had just told her.
However, when she
thought about it, the abilities of the teachers she saw in the special training
were opponents she and her party could barely go toe-to-toe with. Considering
the fact that the school had secured such a person, it was not surprising that
she had not been aware of the tracker's existence until now.
"……I
understand"
(Could it be that I'm
not actually needed?)
Camilla shook her head
as if to shake herself out of such a thought.
There were only limited
things she could do due to her lack of experience. If a skilled tracker was to
follow Ken, she would have no choice but to head to Ken's designated location.
She changed her mind
and gently opened the paper Ken had handed her.
"Central Park
..."
On it was written the
name of a place in the center of the city.