Chapter 8 Part 16
Translator : PolterGlast
"Fuh~..."
While the women's
group was in a strange atmosphere, Nozomu was maintaining his posture in front
of his opponent, who was falling to the ground.
There was no problem
with his consumption of Qi or physical strength. The stares of spectators around
him were somewhat unnerving, but when the fight was underway, they did not
bother him at all.
It seemed as if he
could go a few more rounds at this point.
As he continued to
maintain his stance, Nozomu was aware of his surroundings.
He was looking for the
presence of something distinctly different from the human presence he had felt
before while feeling the multiple stares and the heat of the combat training on
his skin.
The presence of wind
on the training ground, the scent of earth slightly tickling his nose, and the
presence of the spirits he had felt that night.
He needed to be able
to sense the power of the spirits and control it as soon as possible.
Despite his
determination, the spirits' presence was as vague as ever, and he could not
perceive their presence.
This fact agitated
Nozomu's frustration.
But the fact that a
mere human being was able to sense the spirits is in itself a miraculous
progress...
"~!"
The next split second,
a fist thrust into Nozomu's back along with a powerful Qi.
Nozomu reflexively
swung his katana, parried the fist, and moved away from the attacker who had
taken him by surprise.
"Kevin
huh..."
There he was, a
schoolmate who belonged to the Silver Wolf clan.
He stared at Nozomu
with his fists ready, making no attempt to hide his seething hostility.
"Your next
opponent will be me. Get ready."
Kevin brought the left
half of his body forward and took a stance.
As if encouraged,
Nozomu also raised his katana to his right shoulder.
Nozomu's body and
thoughts, which had been in standby mode, instantly turned into battle mode.
At the same time that
Nozomu took up his stance, Kevin immediately moved.
"~!"
He instantly closed
the distance and launched a single strike with his fist. The target was the
center of Nozomu's body, the solar plexus.
Nozomu calmly aligned
his katana with the thrusting fist.
With a deafening
sound, the Qi which was enveloped to the back of Kevin's hand began to
disperse.
Nozomu and Kevin
crossed and passed each other as they swapped their standing positions, then
turned around to face each other again.
"Tch~ ..."
Kevin involuntarily
clicked his tongue.
If one were to look
closely, one could see a small scratch on the back of the gauntlet that he had
just thrust into. It was a sign that Nozomu's Qi blade had penetrated Kevin's
Qi.
Kevin Ardinal is a
proud beastman with a lot of pride in his veins, and his A-ranked prowess is no
joke.
The martial techniques
and combat experience he had acquired, and above all, his instincts as a Silver
Wolf clan member, kept ringing alarm bells against Nozomu, whom he was facing.
He had seen with his
own eyes the entirety of the combat training that Nozomu and Jihad did in their
joint class.
He no longer harbored
any feelings of contempt for Nozomu Bountis.
But instead, what
dominated his mind was the emotion that he didn't particularly like the man in
front of him.
"I fucking hate
him. I swear I really hate him..."
Kevin turned his
emotions of frustration into a fighting spirit and struck at the opponent in
front of him.
His Qi was flowing
through his entire body, and each muscle was agitated to the point of
screaming.
Nozomu's eyes squinted
as if he too sensed Kevin's fighting spirit.
A moment later,
Kevin's body was shot forward like an arrow.
He transformed himself
into a single fang and sprinted toward Nozomu in a straight line.
On the other hand,
Nozomu also raised his katana to intercept Kevin.
He poured more Qi than
ever into the blade of his wooden katana and activated his instantaneous
movement. He then swung his katana down in time with Kevin's charge.
"Stop right
there!"
However, the fang and
the blade did not collide.
The signal for the end
of the lesson was heard in the training grounds.
Nozomu's blade was
stopped just before it sliced through Kevin's shoulder and torso, and Kevin's
fist was stopped just before it struck Nozomu's left chest.
"............"
"............"
Nozomu and Kevin. The
two of them looked at each other at close range for a few seconds, and then
both of them moved away and turned their backs to each other and began to walk
away.
"... Next
time."
Kevin declared so to
Nozomu as he turned his back on him.
"The next time we
fight, I will surely crush you."
A clear yet one-sided
declaration of war.
Nozomu kept walking,
despite Kevin's declaration behind his back.
Kevin's declaration
also caught his attention, but it was quickly overshadowed by the frustration
smoldering in his chest.
"I still don't
feel like I can control it well at all ......."
Nozomu's mind was
still occupied with the bomb inside him.
As he moved to the
edge of the training ground, stowed away his wooden katana and placed his own
katana back on his hip, Nozomu swallowed down the words that were about to come
out of his throat.
There was nothing
wrong with his Qi control. His physical condition was also good, thanks to the
one-day off from training with Zonne. His swordsmanship wasn't bad either.
However, the
frustration in his chest was still not going away.
When he looked around,
he saw that the students had finished their classes and were leaving the
training grounds.
The spectators who had
been watching began to noisily turn their feet toward their next destinations.
At that moment, Nozomu
was suddenly called out by someone.
"Excuse me. You
are Nozomu Bountis, I presume?"
When Nozomu looked in
the direction of the intimidating low voice, he saw a large man in front of him
who appeared to be a nobleman.
He seemed to be in his
forties, perhaps. Despite the small wrinkles running across his cheeks, his
muscular physique and sharp eyes radiated an air of dignity that would make an
ordinary person shudder.
It was Egrod Fabran,
one of the leading figures of the Kingdom of Forsina.
However, Nozomu had
never met him before. Moreover, he was obviously a nobleman.
Nozomu was alarmed by
the sudden appearance of this suspicious person.
"Who are
you?"
"Hm, you don't
know me? I am ......."
Before Egrod could say
his name, someone interrupted their conversation.
It was Irisdina, a
young lady with long gray hair.
She interrupted Egrode
in a rather confrontational manner, and she was looking at him with a wary
gaze.
"Iris?"
"It's been a
while, Egrod-sama. May I ask how can I help you?"
"It's been a
while, Irisdina Francilt. I am sorry, but I have no business with you. I have
business with the swordsman there."
The word
"Egrod" came out of Irisdina's mouth, and Nozomu finally realized the
identity of the nobleman in front of him.
"Egrod?..."
"Egrod Fabran, a
nobleman from the Kingdom of Forsina. You could say that my household and
Francilt there are political enemies."
Egrod's words, which
sounded like a provocation, made Nozomu tense up.
"... What can I
do for you?"
"I'll cut right
to the chase and ask, what are you going to do with all that power?"
The question was so
abrupt that Nozomu couldn't give an immediate answer.
What in the world does
this nobleman know about Nozomu, and to what extent?
The sudden approach
and the intimidating tone of voice. Furthermore, hearing ambiguous words such
as "that power" plunged Nozomu's thoughts into deep suspicion.
"……What do you
possibly mean?"
He did not think it
was necessary to answer such a meaningful question from someone he did not even
know.
Egrod, on the other
hand, was glaring at Nozomu.
Nozomu frowned at him
as if he was trying to forcefully probe the depths of his eyes.
Egrod stared at Nozomu
for a while and then let out a deep sigh of disappointment.
"Answering a
question with a question ... Apparently you aren't as much of a man as I
thought you were."
"What are you
implying?"
"I mean that you
are not the man I expected you to be."
The furrow on Nozomu's
forehead deepened further at the dismissive tone in his words.
It was only natural
for Nozomu to feel uncomfortable when someone appeared out of nowhere and asked
him such an impolite question in a blunt tone of voice.
"Egrod-sama, you
are very rude to someone you have never met before. This is Arcazam, and we are
in the middle of the opening festival. In the presence of other countries, a
person who fails to show even the bare minimum of courtesy is ......"
Irisdina expressed her
complaint on behalf of Nozomu's feelings.
On the other hand,
Egrod, who had just spoken harsh words to Nozomu, dismissed Irisdina's words
before she could finish speaking.
"Silence! Women
will never understand what it means to be a man. No matter what the time, what
could a man do if he could not answer with his chest out when asked about his
own intentions?"
Egrod's gaze was
already on Irisdina, not on Nozomu.
It was as if to say
that he was no longer worth paying attention to.
"Irisdina, the
same goes for you too. Stop carrying your household on your back with your
slender arms. You will only be played with and destroy yourself. Behave
yourself as a noble lady should be..."
"Egrod-sama, I am
already the next head of the Francilt household. Besides, I've already set my
path. I have no desire to turn back now."
Even in the face of
the intimidating Egrod, Irisdina remained the same. With her dignified
appearance intact, she declared that she would go her own way without
hesitation.
"Hmph, what a
fool ... In the end, you can never expect much from a man who has no integrity.
No matter how great his talents and background may be, he will never make it to
the top. Neither you nor your friends are much of a person to devote yourself
to such a man..."
"What a very
selfish thing to say..."
Hence, Nozomu could
not stand Egrode's words that seemed to humiliate the girls.
Nozomu found himself
in front of Irisdina and glared at Egrod again.
"…… What did you
say?"
"Why should I
answer a question from someone who comes out of the blue to pick a fight with
us?"
His tone of voice was
rough, not like his usual self. To put it simply, he was pissed.
His words were
extremely disrespectful to a nobleman. Moreover, he was now in the presence of
dignitaries from other countries for the opening festival, so it would have
been more problematic if he had not said anything despite the rude words and
actions directed at him.
After all, this is
Arcazam, a place where the power of the various nations cannot reach.
Even though he had an
excuse in the corner of his mind that this level of disrespect was no big deal,
Nozomu returned Egrod's gaze, which had become even more intimidating.
“Hmph, what can a man protected by a woman do…”
"I don't care
what you say about me. However, if you insult them any further, I'll ..."
"Hou~, what are
you going to do? ... ~!"
The next moment, a
dense killing intent enveloped the training ground. At the same time, countless
silver flashes ran across Egrod's eyes.
Egrod swallowed his
words as the silver flashes cut his neck and limbs in half in an instant, and
then split his torso into four parts with a vertical and horizontal slash.
“…………”
After a few seconds of
being frozen, Egrod checked his neck, which had been struck by silver flashes.
Egrod's head was still
firmly attached to his body, and there was not the slightest sign that he had
been cut. Nozomu's katana, which he was facing, was still in its original place
and was not even in Nozomu's hand.
The silver flashes
that Egrod saw were the sword Qi that Nozomu had released along with his
killing intent. It was an imaginary sword strike with the clear intention of
"cutting through that spot".
The sword Qi was so
dense that not only Egrod, but also Irisdina and the other dignitaries who were
watching the situation from the distance could see the imaginary sword strike.
"No-, Nozomu
..."
Irisdina, who was
exposed to Nozomu's intense sword Qi, let out an involuntary yelp.
Egrod, who was on the
other side of her, squinted his rigid eyes and raised his mouth.
"I see ...... you
are not a cowardly rabbit, but a dog that wags its tail for its master. Then,
make sure your owner doesn't abandon you. Francilt is not as innocent as you
think."
Egrod turned on his
heel and walked away from the training ground, as if he had nothing more to say
to them.
As Egrod disappeared
into the shadows of the school building, the tense atmosphere that had
enveloped the training ground finally eased.
The students and
dignitaries, having been released from the tense atmosphere, glanced at Nozomu
and the others as they hurriedly left the training grounds.
"Nozomu ..."
"I'm sorry, Iris.
I made a bad move."
"No, it's okay. I
knew that the Fabrans would make a contact with you during this opening
festival. Besides, he's always been that way."
Therefore, there would
be no point in worrying about it.
Irisdina smiled as she
added those words.
Judging from the fact
that she did not seem to be particularly bothered by it, Nozomu concluded that
this was not the first time that the nobleman had acted that way.
However, there was
still a slight shadow on Nozomu's face.
(You have no
integrity)
Those words, which
were once said to him in the same way as Victor, tingled like a lump deep in
Nozomu's chest.
===========================
Egrod left the
training grounds and returned to the Solminnati Academy, followed by Mekria,
Egrod's trusted confidant.
"Mekria ..."
"So, how was it?
How was that Dragon Slayer?......"
"As you say, even
if he were a Dragon Slayer, as he is now, he is neither poison nor medicine.
But ......"
What came to his mind
was that last sword Qi that was unleashed.
Even for Egrod, who
had faced many swordsmen, noblemen, and royalty, it was the densest killing intent
that he had ever experienced. If it had been aimed directly at an ordinary
person, the mere illusion of being "slashed" would have been enough
to make one so afraid that one could commit suicide.
Although he did not
show his expression out of his natural stoutness, pride as a nobleman, and
above all, pride as a man, to tell the truth, Egrod also felt nervous on the
inside.
At the same time, he
thought that it was not a bad thing.
"It was obvious
that he had a bad impression of us ..."
"Haa~. In our kingdom,
with the Dizzard Empire to the north and the Cremazzone Empire to the south, a
single Dragon Slayer will not be enough. Besides, it is better for him to stay
with the Francilt household under the current circumstances."
As a matter of fact,
the current situation in the Kingdom of Forsina is quite severe. The country is
sandwiched between a powerful hetero-species nation to the north and a military
superpower to the south. If Forsina were to adopt a Dragon Slayer, the Cremazzone
Empire, which was founded by the Dragon Slayer, might become a problem for the
country.
Furthermore, there had
been no diplomatic relations at all with the Dizzard Empire in the north, but
recently there had been a talk of establishing conditional diplomatic
relations, which caused some tension both domestically and internationally.
If a bomb like a
Dragon Slayer were to explode in such a situation, the family that would suffer
the most would be the one most closely associated with the Dragon Slayer, in
other words, the Francilt household.
"I'll let that
'opportunist' take the risk for me."
"Is that all
right with you?"
"Don't make me
repeat myself."
After saying so to his
aide, Egrod started walking, ignoring his aide who was standing by.
As if to pretend that
this academy, which had been an abomination to him, was shaken out of his
sight.
