This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.
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Volume 2 Chapter 1.1
Changes in Everyday Life Part 1
Translator : PolterGlast
It
was truly a hellish scene.
Screams
and cries echoed through the air, and blood and flames danced in the air.
The
reddish-black tinted winds swept through the forests of my hometown like a
billowing curtain.
"Run!"
My
father, who was usually a calm person, shouted at me angrily, which did not
suit him.
"Don't
worry, you'll survive."
My
mother said so in a trembling voice, stifling her fear.
Immediately
afterward, the two were brutally murdered. A black beast with countless red
eyes killed them.
My
sister took me by the hand and we fled, leaving the screams of my father and
mother behind.
Gasping
for air, I kept running until my legs felt as if they would give out. However,
the gaze of death looming behind me was ceaseless.
"You
have to run away by yourself from here on out."
My
sister, the last one left, let go of my hand.
She
stared down at me sadly with her eyes as I shook my head in protest, then she
waved her hands in the air and chanted a spell.
"Everyone,
Razwod, please take care of my sister."
Particles
of light gathered as if prompted by my sister's words. In the center of the
light, small birds with azure-colored feathers appeared.
They
are my closest friends and my counterparts. The shining light is the power of
the spirits who embody them.
The
stronger the light, the more distant my sister's presence became. And behind my
sister, a red-eyed demonic beast was closing in.
The
jet-black demonic beast contorted its mouth into a devilish smile.
"Sister!"
The
next instant, my sister's body was dyed in fresh blood and with a flash of
light, I was thrown out into total darkness.
All
that was left was me and my other half, an azure-colored bird.
"Raz-......"
"Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"
With
a shattering sound, the azure-colored bird shattered like broken glass. I
desperately tried to assemble the pieces of my dying friend, but the fluttering
shards were swallowed by the darkness and vanished in a flash.
"Aaahhhh!"
I
screamed. And amidst the screams, my consciousness became stretched and distant
as if falling into a hole.
"~!
Haa, haa, haa......!"
Reflexively,
I raise myself up. My underwear is sticking to my skin due to the sweat soaking
through it, and I am exposed to the cold air.
It
is still dark outside, and the room is shrouded in somber darkness.
Shivering
as my body grows cold, I look down at my hands while breathing roughly.
"Again,
a dream about that time ......"
The
hometown and the people I cared about that were taken away from me. The filthy
beast that took them all away from me.
I
clutched my knees and clenched my teeth against the nightmares I saw over and
over again, day after day.
Enduring
the pain of the never-ending scars carved deep inside my heart.
◆
Classes are held at Solminati
Academy. The content of these classes is very diverse. Languages, mageology,
mathematics, history, sociology, and so on. Among them, they tend to focus on
subjects such as the record during the Great Invasion and the impact it had on
each field of study.
"Therefore~,
based on the experiences of battles in various regions since the fall of the
Nebula Forest, the importance of effective firepower deployment by those who
can use magic has increased, and Arcazam has collected and standardized the various
nations' secret heritages, optimized them, and spread them throughout the
world~.
The class proceeded in
a casual, carefree tone of voice. While listening to his homeroom teacher, Anri
Var, Nozomu Bountis, a student in the tenth class of the third grade, recalled
an incident that took place about a week ago.
A friend's birthday
party at the Francilt mansion and the unknown intruder who stormed into the
party. The absurd past contract confronted him and his friends who tried to
oppose it.
In order to save his
friends, Nozomu also went into battle, and then, literally using all his
"lethal power", he managed to defeat the intruder.
Despite the uproar
that ensued, there was no significant discussion of the matter, neither at
Arcazam nor at the Solminati Academy.
(It could be because
of the barrier, but maybe the Francilt and the academy did something about it.)
Although he had many
doubts and concerns, Nozomu, as a mere student, had no control over the
situation.
"Also, the lands
that fell under the control of the demonic beasts during the Great Invasion
have been liberated considerably during the subsequent countermovements, but
there are still lands that have not been recaptured, and there is still
friction with refugees who have not returned to their homelands. ......"
While he was deep in
thought, the bell of the school rang.
"Well, that's it
for the morning class~~. Be sure not to be late for the afternoon
class~~."
And with the end of
the morning class, Anri closed the textbook in her hand, waved cheerfully, and
walked out of the classroom. A relaxed atmosphere filled the classroom.
Nozomu also quickly
put away his writing utensils and left his seat.
"Oi, Nozomu, what
are you up to for lunch?"
He was approached by
Mars Dickens, a student in the same class.
With his short blonde
hair and well-built physique, he is often regarded as a problem child at this
school.
However, he is one of
the few friends that Nozomu, who is also treated as an outcast, has.
And, just like Nozomu,
he was present at the incident at the Francilt mansion
"I'm going to buy
some bread. What about you, Mars?"
In response to
Nozomu's question, Mars held up a large package in his hand.
"That's quite a
big lunch box. But wait a minute, I have to buy one for myself first. ......"
"No need. I have
one for you too."
"Are you
sure?"
"You see, there's
some leftover food from the restaurant. So, if you want, come help out at the
restaurant some other time."
Mars' family ran an
inn and tavern in the commercial district of Alrcazam.
Nozomu had been there
several times and was acquainted with Mars' family.
"Alright. I can
only help with washing dishes, though."
As soon as Nozomu
agreed, Mars pointed to the lunch box with his chin as if to say,
"Here". However, at that moment, a buzzing murmur came from the
corridor.
"What's going on?
It's getting noisy."
"I
wonder......"
Just as Nozomu's and
Mars' attention turned to the corridor, the door to the classroom was rattled
open.
"Hey, Nozomu-kun.
Oh, Mars-kun, you're here, too. Just in time."
"H- hello."
The two students who
entered the classroom were two girls with beautiful looks that made everyone's
eyes widen.
One was the
dark-haired princess, Irisdina Francilt.
She was carrying a
delicately crafted mithril rapier at her waist and was walking toward Nozomu
and Mars with eyes that held the light of strong will and long black hair that
reached down to her waist.
The other one was Tima
Lime, [the Four Scales Concerto].
With her short, pale
yellow hair, she followed the black-haired girl behind her, shrinking back
somewhat timidly.
Both of them belonged
to the highest class of the third grade, and were very well-known figures in
the school.
They had also fought
alongside Nozomu and Mars in the incident about a week ago.
The students in the
classroom, however, were unaware of these circumstances and began to murmur at
the sudden visit of the celebrities.
"Irisdina-san.
Also, Tima-san. ......"
"What's the
matter?"
"Well, nothing
important, we just wanted to ask you out for lunch."
"W-, whaaaat
----!?"
The classroom erupted
upon hearing Irisdina's words.
An invitation from the
object of admiration of the school students. Moreover, the other party was
Nozomu, the lowest-ranked student in the school and considered a disgrace, and
Mars, a super problem child.
Since they were the
ones who had invited them, astonishment, doubt, and bewilderment began to be
raised around them.
The boys, in
particular, were looking at Nozomu with fierce gazes, as if they've found their
true enemy.
"U-, ugh......"
Nozomu involuntarily
shuddered in response to the murderous intents directed at him from all
directions.
As the lowest rank in
the school, he was accustomed to scorn, ridicule, and indifference, but even
so, the pressure was so great that a cold sweat involuntarily ran down his
spine.
"...... Could it
be, that you had a prior appointment?"
"N-, no, we don't
have one. So let's get going!"
If he were to refuse,
he would constantly be subjected to stares that would make even this pricking
hell seem like a massage.
With this in mind,
Nozomu took Irisdina's hand and hurried her out of the classroom, with a
grimace on his face.
"W-, what the fuck
is going on?"
"Eh, what's going
on? Was I hallucinating!?"
"Kill-kill-kill
......"
After Nozomu and the
others left the classroom, the racket erupted once again in the 10th-class
classroom. The unstoppable commotion kept echoing with shouts and screams until
a teacher, having heard the commotion, rushed in.
◆
After leaving the
classroom, Nozomu and his group left the school building and headed for the
central park, as Irisdina had invited them.
They all seated
themselves under the shade of a tree in the trees-filled area, a short distance
away from the park square.
Nozomu remembered the
commotion in the classroom earlier and began to get scared to return to the
classroom for the afternoon class, but he forced himself to dismiss it as
nothing he could do about it at this point.
"Sorry, we've
caused a ruckus."
"Sorry......"
"N-, no, it's not
your fault, Irisdina-san."
"Yeah, don't
worry about it. We don't give a shit about them."
Mars is by nature a
man with a strong single-minded temperament, a foul-mouthed man who does not
care what those around him think of him.
Nevertheless, his
words, which contained a hint of sarcasm, caused a delicate atmosphere between
Nozomu, Irisdina, and Tima.
"T-, that reminds
me! How is Somia-chan doing since that incident?"
"Ah, right! Somia
is- ...... look, she's here."
"Nozomu-san~!
Everyone~!"
From where Irisdina
pointed, a girl full of energy ran up to her with a big smile on her face.
Somiriana Francilt.
She is Irisdina's younger sister, the girl who was the collateral for the
Francilt family's past contract in the previous incident.
As she stopped in
front of Nozomu and the others, her face broke into a happy smile.
"Ehehehe......"
"Hey, Somia-chan.
I'm glad to see you're doing so well."
"Yes!"
With Somia joining
them, each of them began to eat their lunch.
Irisdina and Somia had
beautiful sandwiches with white bread, ham, and fresh vegetables. Nozomu and
Mars had a large pie.
Tima, surprisingly,
had only two simple breads with vegetables and sliced meats between them.
".... oi, you,
that's all you've got?"
"U-, un. My
stomach's nearly full. Mars' is quite large, huh?"
"My lunch is just
leftovers after all."
Mars bit into the pie
after saying so, as if to dismiss it.
A silence passed between
the two of them.
Nozomu, who had been
watching the scene with a sideways glance, followed his lead and took a bite of
the pie he had been handed.
As he bit into the
pie, the slightly fluffy pastry crust broke open and the filling rolled into
his mouth.
It was cold and the
vegetables and meat inside were somewhat mismatched, but the taste of the rich
sauce spread through his mouth. To say the least, it was quite delicious.
"Mmm, Mars,
what's inside this pie? ......"
"Oh, it's just a
bunch of leftover meat and veggies from yesterday."
"It's delicious.
As expected of Hanna-san."
Remembering the figure
of Mars' well-built mother, Nozomu devoured the pie.
"Speaking of
which, what plans do Nozomu-kun and Mars-kun have after school?"
After they finished
eating, Irisdina asked them what they were planning to do after school.
"Hm? For the time
being, I guess it's training."
Mars, who was sitting
next to Nozomu, nodded his head in agreement.
The two of them have
been spending more and more time together recently.
They would often train
together. It was a good thing for Nozomu, who had no one to train with now that
his katana-jutsu mentor, Shino, had passed away.
"Hmm. If you
don't mind, I'd like to ask you to come with us for a while. I have a favor to
ask both of you."
"A favor for
us?"
"Yes, I'd like
you guys to help us with a request we received from the Adventurers'
Guild."
In response to
Irisdina's words, Nozomu and Mars exchanged glances.
[The Adventurers'
Guild]
The Adventurers' Guild
is an international organization that engages in a wide range of activities,
from cleaning the sewers of the city to defeating demonic beasts and exploring
uncharted areas where no human has ever set foot.
Many of the students
receive commissions from the guild and earn money on a daily basis.
The Adventurers' Guild
also has a deep affiliation with the Solminati Academy, so the students'
achievements earned in the Adventurers' Guild are also taken into calculation
for their grades at the academy.
Vice versa, the
Academy provides the Adventurers' Guild with the performances of the students,
which in turn are used as a reference for ranks and requests.
The Adventurers' Guild
originally was the first to introduce the ranking system, which was then adopted
by various countries and gradually became the standardized system.
"The Adventurers'
Guild, huh? Well,......"
Irisdina's request
made Nozomu hesitate.
The truth is, Nozomu
has rarely frequented the Adventurers' Guild since a certain point in his life.
The reason for this is
that he devoted himself to Shino's training, which was so intense that the word
"rigorous" was too simple to describe, and also because the
Adventurers' Guild is frequented by many students from the academy.
The fact that he had
not shown up at all in over a year, as well as the contempt and indifference
with which the students in the guild looked at him, also caused Nozomu to
hesitate.
"Is it a
No?"
Irisdina closed in and
peered upward into Nozomu's face.
Being stared at by her
sharp, jet-black eyes, Nozomu felt as if his consciousness was being sucked
into hers. His heart began to race and heat began to build up in his face.
"I-, I
understand......"
Embarrassed, he simply
averted his eyes and gave his approval.
Seeing him like this,
Irisdina smiled at him meaningfully.
"Alright! Let's
meet up in front of the guild then."
She quickly separated
herself and said so in a nonchalant manner, and Nozomu understood that he fell
prey to her tricks.
"Ai......."
"Ane-sama, you
are so bad."
Somia and Tima looked
at her with piercing eyes, and Irisdina scratched her cheeks in embarrassment.
On the other hand,
Mars sighed when he saw Nozomu who easily fell for Irisdina's tricks.
"How can you fall
to her tricks? ......"
"Shut up."
Meanwhile, the bell
rang to signal the end of the lunch break.
Nozomu and the others
hurriedly cleaned up their lunch and returned to their respective classrooms.
By the way, because of
Irisdina's invitation, Nozomu kept receiving murderous stares from the boys
during the afternoon classes, but that's a story for another time.
◆
