Chapter 8 Part 17
Translator : PolterGlast
The Opening Festival
is both an open campus and a major event for the students of Solminati Academy.
During the day, the
school is open to the public, and various people from inside and outside of the
school visit the academy.
Although classes and
other activities are the same as usual, students are more enthusiastic than
usual because the event is open to the general public.
Among the various
activities, the main event is the party that will be held in the evening.
The party is attended
by the top students from each academic year and dignitaries from various
countries, where students can determine their career paths and scouts from
various countries can compete with each other to get the best students.
At the same time, this
is also a good business opportunity for Arcazam, as many important people from
various countries will be visiting the party.
This is because a
large number of people will be staying in the city to serve as attendants and
escorts for the dignitaries.
The whole city is
bustling with activity to take advantage of this business opportunity.
"Ugh, I'm getting
nervous..."
While the school and
the entire city were in a festive mood, Nozomu, dressed in a neat formal attire
given to him by Victor, was alone in the waiting room of the party participants,
holding his stomach.
Nozomu is currently in
a guest establishment next to the martial arts garden.
It is a place used to
entertain dignitaries who visit the school, but of course, Nozomu has never
been to this place before and had never paid any attention to it.
The first floor
includes a ballroom and a large hall for dinner parties, as well as a waiting
room for party participants.
On the second floor,
there is a salon and a recreational facility.
During the Opening
Festival party, it was the usual routine to have a meeting in the ballroom on
the first floor, followed by a detailed discussion in the salon on the second
floor.
Incidentally, the
waiting room in which Nozomu was present was reserved for the boys attending
the party, and if one looked closely, one could see a few familiar faces here
and there.
Perhaps because it was
built as a waiting room, there is a large magic-powered pendulum clock on the
wall.
"Nozomu-kun, are
you all right?"
Tom spoke to Nozomu,
perhaps upon spotting him with his shoulders slumped.
"Tom? I'm
alright... no, maybe not."
"I can't believe
you're the same guy who went on a rampage in combat training this
morning."
"It can't be
helped. I told you before, I've never been to a party this big before."
While stifling another
sigh, Nozomu's shoulders slumped in anxiety at the thought of the first battle
to come.
"What about Mars
and the others?
"They're
here."
"Yo."
When Nozomu looked in
the direction of the voice, he saw Mars and Feo, dressed in the same formal
attire Victor had sent them before.
"What's with you,
Nozomu? You've got a bitter look on your face."
"You're one to
talk..."
"By the way, I
had a joint class with Mars in the morning, did Nozomu have the same class as
usual?"
"Yeah. Tom, do
you have a paper presentation in the morning?"
"I'm not sure if
you can call it a paper, rather it is more like a presentation of practical
magic techniques. Yes, it is a demonstration of the construction of advanced
magic control techniques and the observation of fluctuations in the efficiency
of magic by using the engraving method. Also a demonstration of the observation
of variation in control efficiency with different methods and different
techniques …"
"That's quite a
headache-inducing subject, huh?"
"Ahaha... But it
was very well appreciated. It was such a great help to have Mars-kun and
Tima-san help us out~."
Although classes are
conducted as usual during the Open Festival, there is also a place for Tom to
present his research and do practical exercises in the midst of the classes.
"Is that
so?"
"Yeah, like my
gauntlets, Tima's constantly deployable magic barrier, and Shina's enchanted
arrows ......."
"Didn't I help
you too?"
"So, the four of
you are in this together?"
In response to
Nozomu's question, Feo and Mars nodded their heads proudly.
Apparently, Tom's
presentation was about the techniques that Mars and the others had used when
Nozomu had gone out of control before.
The content of the
presentation was just a simple demonstration of how Tima poured magic power
into each of the formations prepared by Tom and how Feo controlled them using
talismans.
The results were
apparently favorable. In particular, the high efficiency of the magic power in
each of the techniques and the control support using talismans were highly
praised. This was the result of Tom's techniques, Tima's magic power and
abilities, and Feo's magic control. And it seemed that people from research
institutes in various countries showed considerable interest.
The downside was the backlash
to the medium in which the technique was engraved. The high output and heavy
burden of the magical recoil were as strong as ever, and the medium was damaged
so much after use that it could never be used again.
Nevertheless, even
though it was extremely restricted, the technique that made it possible to
control Tima's magic power and the magic-Qi combination technique of Mars
touched the heartstrings of those who made a living in that kind of field.
"Yeah. Nozomu-kun,
your joint class was a combat training as usual, right?"
"Yes, the same as
usual ..."
"The same as
usual, huh? I feel sorry for your opponent."
"?"
Imagining Nozomu, who
was probably still unaware of the fact that he was unleashing his deadly moves
as usual, Mars grinned and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
At the same time, Mars
also thought that his best friend might not really care much about what others
think of him.
"Come to think of
it, Nozomu, you had a combat training with Kevin, didn't you? How was it? You
beat that annoying dog to a pulp, didn't you?"
Perhaps Feo had heard
from somewhere that Nozomu and Kevin had had a combat training in a joint class
in the morning, and he came up to him with his hand on Nozomu's shoulder.
"No, the class
was over before it was settled."
"What a
bore."
Feo pouted his mouth
in frustration that it was not the result he had expected.
Indeed, for Nozomu,
being tangled up with Kevin was bothersome, but he was more concerned about
Egrod's presence and what he had done at that time.
"Haa..."
"Why the sigh? I
know it's a pain in the ass to get involved with Kevin, but ......"
"It's not because
of that... Well, he's a pain in the ass too tho ......."
In response to
Nozomu's vague words, Mars and the others urged him to speak.
Nozomu began to talk
about what had happened to him after the combat training.
Egrod Fabran, a
nobleman, approached him and asked him questions in a pressuring manner.
When Nozomu learned
that the other party was a political enemy of the Francilt household, he
answered by dodging the question and ended up being scoffed at.
The nobleman also
insulted Irisdina and the others who had stepped in between them, so Nozomu
couldn't stand it any longer and hit him with his murderous intent.
"You hit a
nobleman with a murderous intent, you say..."
Tom himself had
experienced being confronted by the serious Nozomu, even though he was out of
control.
Tom's face turned pale
as he recalled Nozomu's swordsmanship, which was as if his whole body was cut
in two with a sharp blade.
It was definitely not
something one should do to a nobleman of a country.
"Ha-ha-ha! Isn't
that wonderful!"
While Tom was stunned
by Nozomu's deed, Mars was laughing out loud as if he was enjoying it.
"That's not good!
That would be a big problem!"
"Why? This is
Arcazam, remember? This is not the Kingdom of Forsina, you know?"
"That's true,
but..."
As Mars said, Arcazam
is located in the center of the region where the power of each country does not
extend directly to it.
If it were in Forsina,
it would be a big problem, but in Arcazam, it would be difficult to imagine
someone raising their voice in such a public place.
People with a certain
position are often concerned about what others think of them.
"Rather, I don't
think his impression of you has gotten any worse."
"……
Seriously?"
"In this case, it
would be more of a problem if you simply backed down or didn't say
anything."
"What do you
mean?"
"This time, it
was Egrod who came to talk to Nozomu. And besides, he was blatantly provoking
Nozomu. From the very beginning, his goal was to see how Nozomu would react,
and everything else was just an extra.
Of course, in the
process of checking Nozomu's reaction, he may have been trying to keep the
Francilt household in check, if necessary."
According to Feo,
Egrod would still deliberately provoke Nozomu, no matter what Nozomu's response
was.
The original purpose
of the provocation was to see what kind of person the boy was, a commoner who
was on good terms with the Francilt household, and nothing else.
"However, If
Nozomu had easily taken the wrong approach to a situation in which he was being
blatantly provoked in the midst of public attention, they could take his words
for it, and who knows what they would have demanded of you. In that sense,
Nozomu's strong opposition was not a bad move in this case."
The relationship
between the Francilt and Fabran households is well known to everyone in various
countries, and a few words or two of rhetoric will not do much to change it.
Rather, it would be
better to show a little bit of aggressiveness, so that the other party would
not be able to easily intrude onto their side.
"Besides, in this
case, Nozomu is defending the black-haired princess. From a third party's point
of view, it is clear which side is at fault. In that sense, Egrod can't take
things any worse than he already has. And I don't think he intends to."
The only reason why
Nozomu retaliated against Egrod's provocation this time was because Irisdina
and the others were insulted.
A true nobleman tends
to have a high sense of pride, but at the same time, they are good at
negotiating.
If comparing the
advantages and disadvantages of shouting loudly, the latter outweighs the
former, they will say nothing more.
Not to mention those
who are just minor noblemen, since Egrod is a major nobleman along with
Francilt and Parline, naturally, he is aware of the importance of this.
"Nozomu, you
thought so, too, didn't you?"
"I thought, I
couldn't just keep quiet. Also, even if I was a little rude, I knew that it
would be okay as long as it was in Arcazam. But I wasn't thinking as thoroughly
as Feo."
Actually, Nozomu also
thought it was a bad idea to remain silent when facing Egrod's provocation
But the reason he took
such a bold stance was because, after all, he could not stand the fact that
Irisdina and the others had been insulted.
Once the blood had
been pumped into his head, he did not have any consideration for third parties
in mind, nor did he have any deep thoughts about it.
"Well,
provocations like that are a regular occurrence in aristocratic society.
There's no point in worrying about it."
"To begin with,
why does Nozomu seem to be so concerned about it?"
“Well, umm, I was wondering if Iris would be
inconvenienced by this..."
As it turned out,
Nozomu was concerned because he was worried that his spontaneous actions might
cause harm to Irisdina and the others.
The fact that some
time had passed since the combat training in the morning was probably another
factor that increased the anxiety in Nozomu's heart.
"I don't think you
need to worry about that. Besides, for the dark-haired princess, it was not
even a provocation, it was just a greeting, wasn't it? Hasn't she told
you?"
"Yeah, Iris said
it was just something that happened all the time."
"And you know
it."
You are being
ridiculous. As if to say something like that, Feo waved his hand and snickered
at Nozomu's concern.
Nozomu felt the
uneasiness that had been swelling in his chest fade away due to Feo's
lighthearted attitude.
"Looks like it's
about time."
On hearing Mars'
words, Nozomu looked at the pendulum clock in the room and saw that it was
indeed almost time for the party to begin.
Then, the door to the
waiting room was opened and a teacher entered.
"It's time.
Everyone, let's head to the venue."
Prompted by that
voice, the students left the waiting room one by one.
Some students smiled
confidently, while the others trembled with nervousness.
"Well, shall we
go then?"
"Yeah"
Mars and the others
followed the other students out of the waiting room.
Perhaps it was because
of the coaching they had received at Iris' mansion, or perhaps it was because
their presentations in the morning had been well received, their faces showed
no sign of anxiety.
Nozomu also stood up
to follow Mars and the other students.
“Nozomu. This is a great opportunity for you. So, enjoy
it to the fullest."
Feo, who was walking
ahead of him, looked back and waved his hand lightly.
"This fox is
right. This party doesn't completely determine our future."
"Ahaha... well, I
don't know if we should be as carefree as Feo, but this party is just one of
the opportunities, isn't that what we should think of it as?"
Following Feo's words,
Mars gave a thumbs up and Tom smiled wryly.
They were probably
concerned about Nozomu, who had been through so much recently that he was
nervous.
This would be his
first formal social party. Moreover, it was a place that might determine his
future.
Even though he was
going to such a completely unknown place, Nozomu found himself strangely at
ease.
"Enjoy it,
huh..."
A smile strangely
appeared on his mouth. He had been worried about it until a few minutes ago,
but he had managed to change his state of mind very quickly.
While smiling wryly at
himself, Nozomu suddenly remembered something.
“Come to think of it, I haven't thanked Iris properly
yet.”
After Egrod left,
Nozomu apologized for his abrupt behavior, but as he recalled, he had not
properly thanked Irisdina for intervening.
That was not good.
Not only that, he was
still indebted to her for her help with etiquette with Countess Parline and for
giving him the opportunity to practice his dance moves.
(It's not just Iris.
Shina, Lisa, and the rest of my friends. I keep causing them trouble ......)
Nozomu went out of
control during the attack by Azel. Irisdina and the others struggled to
restrain him.
The fact that he
pointed his sword at them twice still leaves a big lump in Nozomu's heart.
The lump remained in
his chest in the form of regret, and he almost blew it out in the form of
recklessness during the training session with Zonne.
However, apart from
these regrets, there was another feeling that continued to swell within Nozomu.
(What can I do for
them?)
He wanted to help them
as much as he could. Such feelings were the natural form of Nozomu's feelings.
Frankly speaking,
Nozomu had no idea what he could do. This was because he had spent his days
immersed in training and had done nothing but wielding his katana until now.
Even so, having a
positive determination despite his regrets was proof that he had grown up, even
if he didn't realize it.
"Alright..."
In any case, he would
like to thank them in some way. Not just with words, but with something else, something
that would remain in a tangible form...
Prompted by the desire
that naturally welled up from deep within his chest, Nozomu made his way to the
party venue.
