This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.
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Volume 1 Chapter 3.2
Old Wound that Hurts Part 2
Translator : PolterGlast
Nozomu went back to
the academy with a sense of fulfillment for the first time in a long time, but
in the afternoon he had to attend Caskell's class again.
What's more, this time
it was a practical class regarding ritual magic, a class that Nozomu, who
couldn't use magic by any means, was completely unable to participate in.
Nozomu had no choice
but to sit at the edge of the training ground where he observed the practical
training of his classmates.
"As I mentioned
in the previous lesson, ritual magic is one of the most classic forms of magic.
Therefore, if you follow the procedure properly, you can even use the lowest
level of magic. Unless you're extremely untalented..."
Caskell said so while
glancing at Nozomu, who was sitting at the edge of the training ground, and as
he did so, some of Nozomu's classmates started snickering.
"You pebbles. Just
how bad is your brains that you can't understand it even after I teach you over
and over again?...”
As Nozomu frowned at
the sneers directed at him, his homeroom teacher, Caskell, let out an angry
yell.
"U-, umm, that’s-
… -mmph.”
At that moment,
Caskell grabbed one of the girls who was snickering at Nozomu by the chin and
looked down at her with an intimidating gaze.
"I don't give a
damn about you feeling so great by snickering at the bottom of the pile. But if
you're not here to study, then get out of here. By any chance, do you want me
to expel you? Then just say so. I'll have you out right away."
"N-no, that's
not-..."
"Then why are you
disrupting my class? Can't you understand how your own actions will come back
to you?"
The female student was
completely overwhelmed by Caskell, who was staring at her with piercing eyes. After
being grabbed by Caskell, the girls' eyes moistened and wandered as if looking
for help, but the other students all looked away in unison as if they didn't
want to be noticed by Caskell right now.
However, at that
moment, an annoyed voice interrupted the isolated female student and Caskell.
"Oi, Caskell,
leave that small fry alone and get on with it. We're running out of time."
The voice belonged to
Mars.
He glared at Caskell
and the girl with his arms crossed, looking unhappy.
There was no sign of protecting
and defending the female student who was on the verge of tears.
It was this girl who
was the one provoking Caskell, who didn't like having his class disrupted, and
the fact that she was being subjected to this was entirely due to her own
fault.
"... Certainly, I
don't have time for this garbage."
Caskell released his
hand that was holding the girl's chin.
He then resumed the
class, ignoring the female student who slumped on the spot.
"As I mentioned
earlier, this class will be about ritual magic. I will explain the effects of
the magic to be practiced, the necessary tools and procedures, and then each of
you will put it into practice."
Caskell pointed to the
edge of the training ground.
There was a strange
magic circle painted on it, with a wooden altar and wax candles in the center.
"This is an altar
that recreates classic ritual magic. Each of you will recreate the altar and
use ritual magic on it."
This time, it was
practical training regarding ritual magic, so they would start by actually
making an altar.
"The magic will
be activated by chanting the spell words according to the predetermined
procedure while channeling the magic power at the center. Oh, rest assured. The
magic invoked will be limited to lighting a fire or sprinkling water, depending
on the capability of the caster."
After listening to the
explanation, everyone gathered the necessary tools, then moved to the training
ground, and began to work.
The materials for
constructing the altar were pre-arranged in a predetermined pattern, and the
basics could be easily constructed as-is. The problem was the construction of
the magic circle, which was a little more difficult.
The accuracy of the
magic circle would be directly correlated to the accuracy of the technique. In
addition, it was also important to take into account the capability of the
caster.
Nevertheless, the
students gathered here were, after all, those who were able to enroll in the
highest academies on the continent.
They quickly created
the altar and magic circle, and successfully performed the ritual magic one
after another.
"Alright, I'm
done ......"
"Phew, is this about
right?"
"Hey, look at
Mars. He's pretty amazing."
The one who excelled
the most in such a situation was, unsurprisingly, Mars.
While the others
created enough wind to blow out the candles on the altar or palm-sized flames,
he created a whirlwind that enveloped the entire altar he had prepared.
Although it might be
hard to imagine if one were to judge by his crude speech and behavior, Mars was
one of those exceptional people who were able to use magic and Qi-jutsu at a fairly
high level.
The main source of Qi
and magic power, also known as life force and spiritual power, are all rooted
in the power of the soul, called the "origin element", but they
cannot be blended together and when they are inclined toward either one of
them, they tend to oppose each other.
Therefore, people's
capabilities tend to be inclined towards either magic or Qi-jutsu, or even
both. Of course, there are exceptions, such as those who show a high aptitude
for both Qi-jutsu and magic, but the percentage was less than 10%. Moreover,
when it came to those who could actually use magic and Qi-jutsu simultaneously,
the number was even smaller.
"I've always
thought, Isn't it strange that such a guy is in the tenth class?"
"Well, even
before he entered school, he seemed pretty violent in town, and after he
entered school, he would snap at people everywhere. It's not difficult to see
why he was assigned to the tenth class."
"Wha, idiot,
you're talking too loud. You'll draw his attention to us."
The boys who were
whispering to each other glanced at Mars and awkwardly moved away from each
other.
With his golden hair
fluttering in the wind, Mars looked pissed. With an annoyed look on his face,
he quickly erased the wind he had created and quickly moved on to the next
task. Meanwhile, Nozomu sat on the edge of the training ground and continued to
watch his classmates' lessons with a blank expression on his face.
No one called out to
him nor paid any attention to him.
He had been subjected
to something like this for almost all of his practical magic classes since his
first year, not just once or twice. It all started ever since he was deemed a
liability due to his lack of magical power due to his [Ability Suppression].
"You have no
capabilities. You are a liability. Don't get in our way.", they said
things like that to him.
He had been treated as
someone who didn't exist.
Since then, he only
went to class to get attendance and not to fail any evaluations.
(I'm used to it
now...)
With resignation in
his heart, Nozomu turned his attention to the neighboring training ground as if
to escape from his class.
Next to his class, two
other classes of the same grade were having practical lessons.
The class was a fairly
high-ranking class, and apart from the practical lesson teacher, several
assistant teachers were seen in the same training ground.
The content of the
class seemed to be one-on-one combat training, but the atmosphere was clearly
different from those of Nozomu and his classmates.
The assistant teachers
would prepare potions for students who had finished combat training and
sometimes act as training opponents themselves, including many other things
that were not done in Nozomu's class.
Solminati Academy
provides preferential treatment based on each rank in order to nurture talented
students in a better environment.
Preferential treatment
exists even in everyday classes, and higher ranks thus have more opportunities
to get guidance from teachers.
Furthermore, the
adventurer guild and many stores in the city also provide special treatment in
the form of granting requests, goods, and services based on this priority.
Nozomu was observing
the atmosphere of a class which was different from his own, but his eyes suddenly
widened when a distinctive long black hair suddenly came into sight.
"She is the one I
met in the Spasim forest yesterday... So that class is the first class."
What caught Nozomu's
attention was Irisdina Francilt, whom he had just met yesterday in the Spasim
forest.
She strode to the
center of the training ground as her homeroom teacher urged her to do so.
Standing in front of her in opposition was a female student with red hair tied
in a ponytail. Nozomu's eyes widened as soon as he saw that person.
"Lisa……"
Irisdina's opponent
was Nozomu ex-lover whom he had promised his future to. Nozomu's heart was
pounding when he saw her. It was the first time he saw her in a long time.
Since advancing to the
second year, Nozomu and Lisa had never met at all. In the meritocratic
Solminati Academy, there was a wide gap between each class, and only a few students
visited other classes, even during breaks. No wonder, Nozomu's chances of
seeing Lisa were also drastically reduced.
He hadn't seen her for
almost a year, and she seemed much more dignified and stronger than she had
during the first grade.
Even from a distance,
he could notice her growth. Realizing this, Nozomu felt even more pain in his
creaking chest.
He clenched his fists
to cover the pain. Without realizing it, Nozomu had forgotten everything about
his own class.
Lisa and Irisdina,
facing each other in the center of the training ground, raised their respective
weapons. Irisdina was at the ready pointing the tip of her dummy sword that
resembled a rapier, while Lisa stood with a ready stance while holding two
dummy swords, a long and a short one, reminiscent of sabers.
Lisa's stance was
reminiscent of an agile cat, while Irisdina's stance was graceful, reminiscent
of an elegant orchestra conductor. Both were on their toes, keeping their eyes
on the other, and were breathing in unison.
It was Lisa who made
the first move.
She casted a spell to
strengthen her body and immediately moved toward Irisdina.
(~, fast!)
Nozomu was surprised to
see her acceleration, which was so fast that he could barely follow it from a
distance.
On the other hand,
Irisdiina calmly intercepted Lisa despite being shown such a high acceleration.
Five magic bullets created by her ability [Immediate Deployment] were fired at
Lisa who was rushing forward at high speed.
"Haaa!"
Lisa did not slow down
at all either, even though she ran while using her dual swords to deflect and
knock down the five dark-colored magic bullets.
Lisa, who had closed
the gap between the two, raised her Qi and swung her right longsword.
*Clang!*
Irisdina, using her
[Immediate Deployment] to instantly cast body strengthening on her own body,
skillfully parried Lisa's powerful slash, which carried a fierce momentum.
She then spun her body
to shake off the impact she received and circled towards the side of Lisa's
body.
Irisdina
counterattacked with body movements reminiscent of a graceful dance. A precise
thrust with momentum and body rotation was executed, slamming into Lisa from
the left side of her exposed abdomen.
"Haa!"
But the current Lisa
is also one of the best in her grade.
She brought her left
dagger down on her abdomen to parry the approaching rapier and jumped wide
upwards due to the force of the oncoming thrust.
*Clang!*
A strong metallic
sound resounded, and Irisdina’s expression clouded slightly.
Apparently, Lisa had
an advantage in terms of body-strengthening magic.
Moreover, Irisdina,
who had exposed an opening due to the bounce of her weapon, was met with Lisa's
follow-up attack.
With the help of the
twin swords and powerful body-strengthening magic, a swarm of slashes, just
like a storm, struck Irisdina.
Irisdina managed to
handle the swarm of slashes with precision while retreating backward.
(She could even handle
that, huh...)
Whilst admiring
Irisdina's swordsmanship, the flow of battle was tilted towards Lisa.
At this rate, Irisdina
might eventually be driven to a corner. However, just as Nozomu was thinking
so, something unbelievable happened.
"~!"
Suddenly, Lisa, who
had been attacking, stopped her attack abruptly and turned her head to the side.
Immediately afterward, magic bullets ran past her eyes at high speed.
If one were to look
closely, one could see two magic bullets being formed surrounding Irisdina.
(How could she
construct a spell while being attacked like that...)
Following the previous
shot, the remaining two magic bullets attacked Lisa from close range.
Lisa raised her twin
swords to block the fired magic bullets, but due to that, her momentum was
completely lost.
Irisdina’s casting
speed gave Nozomu a chill once again.
"~!”
With Lisa's offensive
momentum interrupted, Irisdina moved forward to launch a counterattack. She
slashed toward Lisa as if dancing with her rapier, and then fired magic bullets
as if overlapping with the slashes.
She also began to use
more varied magic in succession, such as applying additional strengthening
magic to the rapier she was wielding to increase the power of her slash, trying
to entangle Lisa's legs with black chains, and creating a mist of darkness to
block her vision.
(The magic she can utilize
amidst all that isn't just magic bullets, huh? Even though she had already
wielded her rapier so fiercely...)
Thus, once again,
being shown the heights of the top overall rank in the school year, Nozomu
could do nothing but be stunned.
On the other hand,
Lisa also kept trying to outwit Irisdina's ever-changing attacks and kept
slashing without taking even a step back.
She used her twin
swords to deflect the magic bullets coming at her from blind spots, breaking
the magic chains that were trying to wrap around her, and blowing away the mist
of darkness. The dance of the twin swords brought forth the image of a storm,
and the continuous oncoming attack brought forth the image of a clear stream.
The sound of swords
slashing and magic exploding from them echoed throughout the training ground
like a rushing waterfall.
However, in the midst
of the completely balanced attack and defense, Lisa suddenly leaped back with a
huge leap and opened a gap.
Nozomu wondered why
she, who had been carrying out an offensive-oriented battle, was suddenly
taking distance from Irisdina.
However, as the twin
swords Lisa carried were crossed on top of each other, a burst of magical power
erupted. Flames coiled around the stacked blades, and they gradually gained
momentum as they slithered like snakes. The dummy sword blades became crimson
hot, and the wind, raging due to the heat, shook her hair violently.
"... Haaa!”
And the moment Lisa
swung the twin swords that were stacked crosswise, the accumulated heat was
released all at once.
*Boom!*
With a roaring sound,
as if a volcano exploded, a torrent of flames erupted and engulfed Irisdina.
Facing the oncoming
torrent of flames, Irisdina held her rapier over her shoulder and stared at it
in a meditative manner.
The blade, which was
enveloped in a pale light due to the enhancement magic, somehow began to shine
so brightly that it could be seen from a distance.
The blade of the
rapier glowed in a dark color. Perhaps because Irisdina kept casting her
spells, the blade of magical power, reminiscent of the night under a new moon,
flickered and twinkled like a beating heart, gradually increasing its
brilliance.
As the radiance of the
magic sword increased, the Qi emanating from her body grew stronger.
Then, at the moment
when the increasing magic power and Qi reached a critical point, the blade was
swung.
"Haaaa!"
The magic sword was
swung as if to reap the torrent of flames that rushed towards it while gouging
the ground.
A sword, reminiscent
of a meteor, sliced through the flames and extinguished them.
"Oioioi, whoa!”
Nozomu involuntarily
let out a cry of astonishment as the exploding flames scattered across the
training ground along with the wind.
The scattered flames
quickly disappeared, and silence enveloped the area.
The billowing smoke
slowly dissipated, and the two figures that appeared seemed completely
unharmed.
But Nozomu was shocked
by the destruction that had been etched into the training ground. The ground,
scorched by heat and charred black, forming a line leading down toward Lisa's
feet.
The ground, burned by
the extremely hot burst of flame, was still oozing smoke, showing the
tremendous amount of heat inflicted in just a few seconds. And the black lines carved
into the ground were split into two in front of Irisdina and faded away as if
they had been erased by drops of water.
"She can even
stop such flames..."
The magic that Lisa
unleashed was not the kind of power that even a high-ranking mage could
unleash. Without a doubt, it was as powerful as Tima Lime's [Wind Tunnel of the
Hungry Beast], which Nozomu saw in Spashim Forest. However, Irisdina, who
managed to slash through Lisa's flames head-on, was also outstanding.
"No way..."
What about me? Am I
getting stronger? Can I really become stronger?
Nozomu subconsciously
swallowed those words.
Unaware of the words
that crushed him, he felt suffocated, as if he had been submerged under water.
His hand naturally
stretched out to his chest, his fists clenched tightly, and his teeth creaked
as he gritted his teeth.
"…………”
Without saying a word,
Nozomu turned around to avoid the pain. He was unaware of someone waving behind
him.
◆
As soon as the
billowing smoke subsided, Lisa and Irisdina lowered their respective weapons.
Irisdina's dummy sword
exuded white smoke, probably due to being exposed to multiple reinforcement
magic and intense heat.
To begin with, the
dummy sword was made of low-grade metal. Compared to her own rapier, it was
inferior in every aspect.
Irisdina let out an exclamation
of amazement as the sound of the blade cracking flowed into her ears.
"Phew, that was
tough..."
"How can you say
that after slicing my attack in two with one slash?"
Lisa also relaxed her
shoulders and let the sabers in her hands fall to the ground.
The dummy swords she
was using had already been rendered useless.
The dummy swords,
which had melted and lost its blade halfway through, made a dry crackling
sound.
"When did you start
preparing that magic sword?"
"Since I began
exchanging blows with you. However, your offensive was so fierce that it took
me almost a minute to prepare it. If had kept attacking without retreating,
I'll probably be defeated."
"Hmm, Is that so?
I'll take that as a compliment then."
Irisdina quietly
watched Lisa as she turned and walked away.
(Lisa Hounds. So she's
his ex-girlfriend huh? I heard that she is now dating Ken Notice, who was also
from the same hometown...)
Irisdina's gaze fell
on the blonde classmate who walked towards Lisa.
Ken Notice. He has a
gentle smile on his face, and when he made his way to Lisa's side, his gentle
smile bloomed even brighter as he handed over the potion in his hand.
Lisa accepted the
offered potion with a smile on her face and slowly sipped the contents as she
began to talk.
It was easy to see
that they were quite close, as Lisa occasionally jabbed Ken with her elbow, and
Ken muttered something into her ear, causing Lisa, who was drinking the potion,
to gasp and choke.
This was a scene
Irisdina had seen many times since they were in the same class.
(Hmm. So they're
lovers, huh? Well, I wouldn’t know anything based on that alone...)
Irisdina herself would
never do such a rude act of stepping into someone else's love path out of
curiosity, nor would she have even thought of it.
She is the next head
of one of the noble families in the kingdom of Forsina, and has never been
involved in romance before.
She is a person who
had always been focused on studying and working hard to fulfill the duties
befitting that title.
So, although she had
heard stories about the so-called romances, she had never actually experienced
them.
(And I didn't know
anything about them. So, judging them only based on the rumors and the
atmosphere around them was just plain foolish.)
Putting aside the
relationship between Nozomu and Lisa for the time being, Irisdina began to
reflect on the combat training that had just happened.
(If I could have
deployed the [Lunar Eclipse] a little faster, I would have been able to push
her back... I guess I still have a long way to go)
A magic sword that
took more than ten seconds to deploy. She was wondering how could she deploy it
in half a second like Nozomu Bountis.
While imagining the
blade she saw in the forest in her mind, Irisdina kept pondering on how to
reach a greater height.
"Ah...”
Probably because she
was thinking of Nozomu. She suddenly turned her attention to the neighboring
training ground, and there she saw that person, the one she was currently most
interested in. While remembering the encounter in the Spasim forest in her
mind, Irisdina gave a small waving hand towards Nozomu, as if driven by her
curiosity. But Nozomu turned around immediately and walked away.
"Eh..."
Ignored. Such a
thought came to her mind, but she reconsidered that perhaps he hadn't noticed
her.
She breathed out a
heavy sigh to dispel the look of frustration that appeared on her face for a
moment and walked over to her best friend, who was waiting at the edge of the
training ground to receive her share of the potion.
"Here you go, Ai."
"Ah, thank
you."
She drank the potion
offered by her best friend and recovered her exhausted strength and magic. She
could feel her vitality was revived, and her mind was rejuvenated.
The next match was
already underway in the training ground, and once again the sounds of
excitement and battle resounded in the air.
Normally, she would
watch her classmates fight and try to devise a move that might help in her
future fights.
But then she realized
that her gaze naturally drifted to the neighboring training ground.
"Ai, what's
wrong?"
"N-no, it's
nothing."
After being called by
Tima, Irisdina tried to focus on the combat training in front of her.
However, at the back
of her mind, Nozomu's figure was constantly flickering.
Irisdina had forgotten
the rumors about him until Tima had mentioned it to her, and had originally
only heard about it and never learned the details.
"Tima, may I ask
you a few questions?"
"Yes, what is
it?”
"It's about
Nozomu Bountis... Can you tell me more about the rumors?"
Tima's eyes widened
upon hearing such an unexpected question.
On this day, Nozomu's
image at the back of her mind made it very difficult for Irisdina to
concentrate even after she finished her afternoon class.
◆
After school, Nozomu's
steps felt heavy as he passed through the school's main gate. The day went on
as usual, but he felt as if his entire body was dragging a heavy lead. He was
being weighed down by the scene of the first class being held next to his
class. He was confronted with the difference between himself and the girls in a
way that could not have been starker. In the face of this heartbreaking
reality, various emotions flashed through Nozomu's mind.
Why was I dumped?
Why am I being
ostracized?
Why am I not getting
stronger?
Why am I in so much
pain?
These were
thoughts that had floated through Nozomu's mind many times before. And at the
same time, the ones that made him get lost in the maze with no answers.
He could not think of
any reason why Lisa had dumped him. [Ability Suppression] was also chaining him
down and preventing him from moving forward.
And he couldn't even
return to his hometown. He came to Arcazam against his father's disapproval
after all. The reality of being surrounded by a sense of entrapment made Nozomu
subconsciously stop thinking.
He let his feet lead
him into the Spasim forest, lost in the hazy mist of mindlessness, clouded by
the reality and heartache he had just witnessed.
It was a habit he had
been doing for over a year and a very common defensive behavior for mentally
broken humans. Of course, he didn't start out this way either.
For a while even after
the emergence of [Ability Suppression], he kept trying, believing that he could
still manage, and when Lisa dumped him at first, he kept asking her the reason.
However, contrary to
his efforts, his abilities and grades did not improve, and Lisa only returned a
cold glare and did not answer Nozomu's questions.
From then on, whenever
he repeatedly faced questions that could not be answered and was faced with the
reality that he could not change, his heart was completely broken.
(I should go back to
Shisho and train more rigorously...)
And in an attempt to
mend even his broken heart, he tried to expose himself to harsher training.
But just as Nozomu was
about to walk through the central garden in a gloomy state of mind, a girl's
voice could be heard from the side as if she desperately needed help.
"Wait, wait~~!”
"Hmm? W-whoa!”
Suddenly, a small
shadow jumped out from the nearby grass. The larger shadow that came out
following it caught the smaller shadow that came out first.
"Gotcha...
-kyaa!”
The large shadow that
caught the small shadow lost its balance in front of Nozomu and almost fell to
the ground. As quickly as he could, Nozomu reached out and supported the shadow
that was about to fall.
"Nozomu-san?”
"Somia-chan?”
The shadow that
appeared was Somia, whom he met at lunch break today.
They looked at each
other and looked surprised.
"What's the
matter? It looks like you came out of the grass in a hurry..."
"Umm, Kuro-chan
did it again."
If one were to look
closely, one could see a black cat resting on her propped-up arm. The black cat
was wearing Somia's bracelet around its neck, which also showed that this black
cat had behaved badly again.
"Well... I left
it in the classroom during my afternoon practical skills lesson, and I think
Kuro-chan came in through the open window..."
"Haha, what a
mischievous cat."
Nozomu slowly lowered
Somia to the ground, her shoulders slumped.
Somia removed the
bracelet from Kuro's neck and put it back on her own wrist. Kuro was still
scratching the bracelet on Somia's wrist with its claw as if it still had some
unfinished business with it.
"Well, I'll take
my leave now..."
"Ah, Nozomu-san.
Wait a moment."
Seeing that she had
recovered her bracelet, Nozomu decided that it was okay to go and tried to
leave at once. However, Somia stopped him.
"Hmm? Do you
still need something?"
"U-umm, well...
can we meet again tomorrow?"
"... Eh? Meet?
Why?"
"You've helped me
not once, but twice, and I'd like to talk more with you, Nozomu-san."
Nozomu was troubled by
Somia's gaze as she stared at him.
Perhaps it was because
of the child's own purity and curiosity, but to be honest, his treatment at
school was terrible.
In particular, the
bullying and harassment from some of his classmates were so severe that he was
afraid that if she were to be seen by his side, they would hurt her. Besides,
he had to go to Shino after school for training.
"You don't want
to?"
Perhaps sensing
Nozomu's atmosphere and feeling his attempt to refuse, Somia looked at him with
a pleading gaze before he could refuse.
As expected, it was
difficult for Nozomu to refuse when being looked at with such a gaze.
"... Sure. But I
can't do it after school, so we can only talk a little at lunchtime..."
"Really? That's
great! I'll see you tomorrow then!"
"Eh? No, wait,
hey..."
The moment Nozomu
agreed, Somia smiled like a blooming flower, and with the cat in her hand, she
left in a flash with tottering and nimble footsteps.
Nozomu, who had been
left behind, watched her disappear into the shadows of the city in the distance
for a few moments in a daze, before smiling wryly.
"What can I say,
she's a girl with terrific momentum ......"
Despite her petite
stature, she was so full of energy, more so than befitting her age, and before
Nozomu knew it, the gloom he felt before somehow faded away.
◆
