This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.
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Volume 2 Chapter 1.2
Changes in Everyday Life Part 2
Translator : PolterGlast
The Adventurers'
Guild, Arcazam Branch.
Located in the
commercial district in the southern part of Arcazam, it is one of the largest
of the many buildings in the city.
Inside the five-story
concrete building with three underground levels, there are several departments,
including a reception office, a dismantling shop, and an appraisal center,
where a large number of employees work.
However, students
mostly use only the reception office. Hence, the hall on the first floor where
the reception office is located is crowded with many students.
Following Irisdina's
invitation, Nozomu visited the Adventurers' Guild with Mars, but the hustle and
bustle of the guild, which he had not seen in a long time, made him somewhat
nervous.
"Oi, there's
someone unusual here."
"Why is that guy
here?"
"Who knows? Well,
we don't have to worry about it. He won't be able to get a decent request
anyway."
"Most likely,
he's here just to beg some party to give him a piggyback ride. What a
parasite."
Among the students who
frequented the Adventurers' Guild, there were those who were familiar with
Nozomu.
When they saw Nozomu,
they would give him a dubious look, followed by ignoring him and walking away
as if they had seen nothing. Some of them gave him a distinctly mocking gesture
when their gazes met.
Although it was
inevitable, Nozomu frowned upon seeing their attitude.
"Tch, what a
bunch of noisy bastards ......."
Then, when Mars who
was standing next to him glared at them, they quickly began to scurry away.
"Oi, why are you
letting them off the hook like that?"
"It's not like we
can just punch them in the face, right? ......"
Nozomu sighed in
response to Mars, who told him to use force to shut them up.
No matter how much they
may have been ridiculing him, it was clear that if they were to hit them, the
criticism would be directed at them.
Besides, this time
they were planning to form a party with Irisdina and Tima. If they were to
cause a commotion, it would inevitably cause trouble for them.
However, even Nozomu
couldn't help but feel the pent-up anger building up deep in his heart.
(I used to feel
nothing before.)
In the past, he had
unconsciously averted his eyes and closed his mind, making it difficult to feel
the pain. However, from the moment he became aware of his escapism, Nozomu had
become more clearly and sensitively aware of the voices around him.
This was proof that
his eyes had gradually begun to see his surroundings, and at the same time, he
had begun to face the pain that he had been looking away from.
But while he was aware
that the current pain was due to his process to change, he was not yet at peace
enough to look at everything in a positive light.
"Hey, sorry to
keep you guys waiting."
Just as Nozomu was
becoming aware of his anguish, a refreshing voice sounded in his ears.
Immediately after, the
anguish that had been swirling in the depths of his chest disappeared like a
tide.
Irisdina, a regular
visitor to the guild's hall, approached Nozomu.
Beside her, Tima is
also present.
The eyes of the
surrounding students turned to Irisdina and Tima, and then to Nozomu and Mars
whom she had called out to. The stares were exactly the same as those that were
directed at them in the classroom at lunchtime earlier in the day. It was a
mixture of suspicion, upset, jealousy, and murderous intent.
"N-, no, not
really."
"So, what's this
request you want us to work on together?"
"I'll tell you at
the reception desk. Shall we go then?"
"Alright......."
While Nozomu, who was
receiving the most murderous stares, was flustered, Irisdina and the others
headed for the reception desk.
Nozomu followed suit,
but at that moment he bumped into a shadow that had jumped out from the side of
the crowd.
"Whoa
there!"
"Kyaa!"
Nozomu quickly grabbed
the hand of the shadow that was about to fall. The soft skin typical of women
and the slender arm that seemed as if it might break was felt back in the palm
of his hand.
"S-, sorry. Are
you-...... okay?"
A blue curtain spread
out before Nozomu's eyes. The face of a girl on the other side of the curtain
made Nozomu's eyes widen involuntarily.
She had long, azure
blue, straight hair. Her eyes were tinted the same color as her hair. Her face
was surprisingly white and well-shaped.
And the most
distinctive feature of all was the long, pointed ears peeking out from her
azure hair.
"......Elf?"
Elves.
The highly
intellectual races living on the continent of Arkmel are broadly divided into
two categories: human and demihuman, and within the demihuman race there are a
wide variety of races.
Among them, elves were
somewhat unique and mysterious.
They are the only race
that can make a direct contract with spirits.
Normally, they would
never come out in public and live quietly in the depths of the forest, but they
too lost their native forest during the Great Invasion 20 years ago and were
thus scattered all over the continent.
Anyone could tell that
she is a student of Solminati Academy because she wears the Academy's school
uniform.
And Nozomu also
remembered her name.
It was because she is
the only elf who lives here in Arcazam.
"You
are-......"
"...... I'm fine,
so let go of me."
"Ah, right."
Upon hearing the elf
girl's emotionless words, Nozomu let go of the hand he was holding.
She glanced at Nozomu
with cold, emotionless eyes, then turned on her heel and walked away.
"Nozomu-kun,
what's wrong?"
"No, I just
bumped into someone......"
"Ah, I see, Sina
Juliel-kun. I wonder if she has something to do with the guild as well?"
Shina Juliel. That is
the name of the only elf in town.
When Nozomu turned
around, she had already disappeared into the crowd and was out of sight.
"Nozomu-kun, are
you all right?"
"Y-, yeah. I'm
fine. Let's go."
After regaining his
composure, he headed for the necessary procedures.
The Adventurers' Guild
reception desk has a horizontal counter with several receptionists in constant
operation.
"I am Irisdina
Francilt, third grade, first class. I'm here to accept the request."
Upon arriving at the
reception desk, Irisdina removed the nameplate from her chest and handed it to
the receptionist, who was dressed in a crisp uniform.
The nameplate is used
not only as an identification that she is a student of Solminati Academy, but
also as a substitute for a student ID card and, by extension, as a form of
identification in the guild.
"Yes, I have
confirmed it. Here is the request form for the assigned request. Will the party
consist of you and Tima Lime as usual?"
"Two additional members
will join the party. Nozomu-kun and Mars-kun."
Prompted by Irisdina,
Nozomu and Mars removed their nameplates and handed them to the receptionist.
The moment the
receptionist saw the black nameplates indicating that they were of the tenth
class, she looked at them with a momentary doubtful expression on her face.
"Are you of the
tenth class, with ranks D and B?......"
It is not at all
unusual for people of different ranks to form a party, but it is quite rare.
Basically, people of the same rank are more likely to form a party. The reason
is that they know each other well and have a good understanding of the other's
movements and perspectives.
However, she needs to
be professional. The receptionist immediately smiled and began the next
procedure.
"...... Yes, we
have approved it. But it is quite unusual for you to invite others to an
assignment request."
"They're people I
can rely on after all."
"You can rely on,
huh?......"
After receiving the
request form from the receptionist, Irisdina returned to Nozomu and the others.
"So what's the
request about?"
"The request is
to investigate the area near the highway that connects Arcazam with the Vein
River. It seems that recently, demonic beasts have been coming down from the
depths of the forest."
The Vein River flows
from the Spasim Forest to the Forsina Kingdom, and at the same time, it serves
as one of the main transportation routes for sending goods to Arcazam.
The safety of the
highway connecting the Vein River and Arcazam is something that Arcazam must
absolutely maintain, and for this reason, the regular subjugation of demonic
beasts is carried out.
"However, the
guards and other students are patrolling the highway, aren't they?"
"Yeah, but I've
heard that a lot of demonic beasts that seem to possess magic stones have been
sighted recently. Perhaps, they are a bit concerned about it."
Magic Stone Bearer.
As the name implies, a
magic stone is a stone inside the body of a demonic beast, which gives it
special abilities such as magic.
The presence of a
magic stone-bearer within a herd of demonic beasts can make the difficulty of a
request jump drastically.
It is precisely
because of the sightings of these magic stone bearers that Irisdina and her
party were entrusted with the request.
"All right. But
are you sure you want us to join you?"
As Mars reconfirmed
this to Irisdina, she suddenly turned her gaze to Nozomu.
"Nozomu-kun, you
are familiar with the Spasim forest, aren't you?"
"Is that
true?"
"Well, it's due
to my training with my mentor......"
That being said, if it
were just along the highway, Nozomu's knowledge wouldn't matter much. Because
other students have been around it many times.
"In the first
place, if I were to entrust someone with my back, I would rather limit it to
people of the academy, and since I have that one incident involving you guys, I
think I can trust you."
As if agreeing with
Irisdina's words, Tima also nodded her head repeatedly.
After being told this
much, there was no reason for Nozomu and Mars to refuse. After the four of them
finished their discussions, they left the Adventurers' Guild to complete the
request.
The guild's
receptionist watched Nozomu and the others as they left, and then looked down
at the copy of the request form in her hand.
"Mars Dickens and
Nozomu Bountis, huh? ....... Just in case, let's look into them, shall
we?"
The school's top
students chose unusual students.
The receptionist got
up from her seat while muttering to herself and headed for the reference room.
◆
A short distance away
from the reception counter where Nozomu and the others were accepting the
request, Shina Juliel, an elf girl, was chatting with a female beastman and a
male of the human race.
"Shina, did
something happen?"
"It looks like
there was a bit of a commotion......"
The female beastman
had ears on her head covered in brown-colored fur, and a tail of the same color
grew tautly from under the skirt of her uniform.
She was carrying two
daggers at her waist and wearing only the bare minimum of leather gear on top
of her uniform.
Her skirt revealed her
plump thighs, and she was dressed lightly.
Her name is Mimuru
Midir. She is a member of a race of beastmen called the Catmen and is a student
in the second class of the third grade.
The other one is a
male of the human race, who wears a blue nameplate on his chest, indicating
that he is in the same third grade, second class as Mimuru and Shina. He is
quite short, only as tall as the chest of the girl next to him.
His body is slender,
and his large-framed glasses emphasize his fragility.
The boy's name is Tom
Dale. He is a student at the Solminati Academy, where he is well-versed in the
study of magic and alchemy.
"It was nothing.
I just tripped and almost fell."
As she said so, Shina
was peeking at the request form that the girl called Mimuru had received, but
in her mind, she was still thinking back to the boy she had just encountered.
"Hey, do you know
a student in the tenth class with an Eastern saber- ...... katana?"
"Tenth class? I
don't know~. Who?"
While saying so,
Mimuru leaned on Tom, who was standing next to her.
The way she clung to
Tom's arm and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder was clearly too close to be
called a friend.
Tom smiled shyly upon
seeing Mimuru like this. These two were childhood friends from the Sumahya
Union in the southern part of the continent, and at the same time, they were
also lovers.
"Maybe it's
Nozomu Bountis."
"Eh? Is he
famous?"
"Well, I guess
he's famous. In a bad way though. You see, I heard that he had a dispute with
Lisa Hounds, a first-class student, when he was in his freshman
year......"
"A~~ah! I'm sure
you've heard the rumors about the time he betrayed his devoted childhood
friend, right? I heard he didn't have good grades to begin with but he is still
attending the school now."
Mimuru repeatedly
nodded her head, her ears and tail wiggling.
The rumor of Nozomu
was well-known at that time, so his name was still in the corner of Mimuru's
memory.
"Well, it's
something like that. So, Shina, is there something wrong with him?"
"No, I was just
wondering what kind of person the guy who grabbed my hand was when I tripped and almost fell."
"Hee~, it's
unusual for you to be interested in a stranger, but perhaps it's best if you
don't."
"It's not like
what you think. I was curious because he was carrying an unusual weapon.
Anyway, you've done the procedures, haven't you? Let's go."
With a dismissive
gesture by waving her hands, Shina and the others also left the Adventurers'
Guild. Mimuru followed her, pulling Tom by the arm as they rushed out as well.
"Well then, let's
go -------!"
"Wait a minute
Mimuru, slow down, slow down a little!"
As Mimuru passed by
Shina, dragging Tom along with her, Shina let out a sigh and turned around.
Ahead of her gaze, she
remembered the figure of the schoolmate she had just talked about and had
bumped into.
"I don't know
what it was, that stirring sensation deep within my chest......."
Shina Juliel was
doubtful about the sensation, which she had not felt since she came to this
Arcazam.
But before she could
get an answer, she heard the loud voice of Mimuru, who had run off ahead
earlier.
"What are you
doing, Shina, hurry up!"
"Yes, I
know!"
Called by her friend,
the blue-haired girl tossed the question that popped into her head to the
corner of her thoughts and went after her.
Their destination was
the south gate. The request they received was to patrol the highway.
Coincidentally, this
was where Nozomu and his friends, who had bumped into her, had headed earlier.
◆
It has been ten years
since the city of Arcazam was built. The road leading to the Vein River has
been perfectly maintained, and the regularly lined stone-floored road cuts
through the dense green forest in a straight line.
However, one step off the
road will lead to an unexplored forest, and since there are no barriers to
separate the human world from the monsters and beasts, there are occasional
attacks by monsters and beasts.
Therefore, the roads
are constantly patrolled by Arcazam guards and students commissioned by the
Adventurers' Guild, so powerful monsters rarely appear.
This time, Nozomu and
his party began their investigation a little further into the forest than the
main road.
"Hmm? This
is......"
"What's
wrong?"
"Footprints. And
there are quite a lot of them."
Hidden by rocks and
tree roots, the footprints were hard to see, but they were left in a straight
line beneath Nozomu's feet, indicating that four-legged creatures had run
through the area. They were not the footprints of herbivorous animals such as
deer, but of carnivorous ones such as wolves.
"I see, how many
do you think there are?"
"They seem to be
moving in a group, so it's hard to accurately estimate, but I'd say at least
twenty or more......."
"That's quite a
lot ......."
Wolves and Wild Dogs,
for example, tend to act in groups of blood relatives, called packs, usually of
five to nine individuals.
It is rare for a pack
to get so large. Considering the severe competition for survival in the
forests, such as securing food and fighting territorial battles with foreign
enemies, such a number is reasonable.
"In other words,
there is a leader who can maintain that many individuals, huh?......"
"If so, the
possibility that it has a magic stone is even higher."
The fact that there is
a large number of them means that there would be a prominent leader commanding
the pack.
"On top of that,
these footprints, somehow, seem to contain residual magic power......."
"Yeah. I
certainly can sense it, what about you, Tima?"
"I sense it too.
Moreover, there seems to be more than one different magic power......."
Irisdina and the
others frowned in response to Tima's words.
The possibility that the demonic beast leading this pack is a magic
stone bearer has increased even more.
Moreover, if they were
to trust Tima's senses, there could be more than one demonic beast that
possessed magic stones.
At that moment, Nozomu
suddenly raised his head and looked in the opposite direction.
"What's
wrong?"
"I hear
something......"
Hearing Nozomu's words,
Irisdina and the others looked at each other while listening carefully.
However, they heard
nothing but the sound of the wind and the rustling of leaves.
But Nozomu's ears
heard a faint sound. The roar of a beast, a terrified scream, and the clamor of
battle.
"This is......
the sound of a demonic beast attacking someone!"
"O-, oi!"
Irisdina and the
others were perplexed, but they followed Nozomu, who started to run.
After running through
the forest for a while, they finally heard the roar of the beast echoing in the
distance.
"Did it aim for
the merchant caravans traveling along the highway, in this direction?"
"Haa haa
haa....... Guys, wait~~!"
"Oi, hurry up,
you're falling behind!"
"Tima isn't very
good with physical exercise. The magic power she possesses is too strong, and
strengthening her body is dangerous......."
"Tch, screw
it......"
"Kyaa!"
Mars turned his mouth
up in annoyance and grabbed Tima by the waist with his left hand and placed her
on his shoulder as if he were carrying heavy luggage. Mars' sudden action made
Tima flustered.
"Fue, fueee,
fueeeeeee!"
"Don't struggle,
I also carry a sword, so it's heavy and hard for me to move!"
"I'm not heavy!
I'm lighter than a normal person!"
"I never said
that you're heavy!"
The clamor was getting
closer. And as Nozomu and the others dashed out onto the road, they saw, as
they had expected, a group of people being attacked by a wolf-shaped demonic beast.
A horse-drawn carriage
with two horses pulling a wagon. In the back of the wagon were merchants and
travelers who were riding along with their luggage. Surrounding them were
wolf-like demonic beasts.
"Are those,
Direwolf!?"
Direwolf. A C-rank demonic
beast, higher in rank than the Wild Dog.
It is larger in
stature than an ordinary wolf and possesses muscle strength that can easily
chew through human bones.
Moreover, like
ordinary wolves, they attack their prey in packs, making them dangerous beasts
to watch out for in this forest.
There are about 20 of
them. However, three students from the Solminati Academy were standing between
the carriage and the monsters, blocking the beasts that were about to attack.
One was a female beast
with brownish-tiger patterned cat ears and tail. She was carrying a dagger in
both hands, her whole body covered with Qi, and she was taunting the attacking
Direwolves with her nimble movements.
A golem, which seemed
to be made of clay, stood by her side, keeping the Direwolves in check as they
tried to attack from her blind spot.
If one were to look
closely, one would see a young boy in a Soluminati Academy uniform standing by
the wagon, his hand extended out, his magic power surging. Perhaps this boy was
the one who controlled the golem.
And a girl with
distinctive blue hair was standing at the top of the wagon, holding a bow at
the ready.
"That was the elf
I met at the Adventurers' Guild......."
Shina Juliel, with her
slender body and beautifully poised posture, shot arrows from her bow one after
the other. The arrows flew through the air like a rushing wind, hitting the
Direwolf's eyeballs and limbs with precision.
"Gyan!"
"Gu~oooon!"
The Direwolves that
were hit by the arrows screamed and thrashed about in agony.
The other Direwolves
in the pack, however, were not intimidated, but rather roared as if their will
to fight had been roused.
"They don't seem
to back down even after their companions have sustained injuries. This pack is
getting pretty fired up."
"Bring it on. Oi,
get your spells ready. Separate the wagon from the demonic beasts. Nozomu and
Irisdina, you should find the leader of this pack, he's probably nearby."
"E-, eh?
Eeee~eh!'
Mars raised his Qi in
response to Irisdina's words.
Ignoring the screaming
Tima, Mars simultaneously activated his Qi-jutsu and [Flash Step]. He jumped
out of the grassy area where Nozomu and the others were and charged toward the
wolf pack.
"O soil, mother
of the earth, abide! Let me be your sustenance, Fubbh-! My will bhh-......
Kyaaa!"
Tima, who was being
carried like a sack, writhed from the vibrations, while the Direwolves,
pressured by Mars' assault, opened up the way.
"Oooooohh!"
Mars rushed to the
side of the wagon and activated his [Qi-jutsu・Wind Blade]. He held the greatsword in one hand,
covered it with a blade of wind, and swung it in a cleave.
The blade of wind
gouged out the ground and slammed into the forefront of the encircling
Direwolves with a powerful blast of wind and debris.
While the Direwolves
were intimidated by it, Mars tossed Tima, which he was carrying, into the air
in a violent manner.
"Fueee! Rise
forth, Mud Wall!"
While the people
present at the side of the wagon were looking up at the tossed Tima in dismay,
she invoked the spell she had prepared. The ground around the wagon rose up,
and a wall of mud appeared, separating the wagon from the demonic beasts.
What she invoked was a
magic called [Soil Manipulation].
As the name implies,
this is an elementary magic that manipulates the soil with magical power.
However, when used by a caster as powerful as Tima, it can instantly build a
wall of soil taller than a horse-drawn carriage.
A wall of soil
suddenly appeared. The Direwolves, who had supposedly cornered their prey, but
were suddenly blocked by the suddenly appearing barrier, began to turn to the
right and left, as if in bewilderment.
"Y-, you guys
are......"
Mimuru, the girl from
the Catmen race who was on the front line, was surprised when Mars suddenly
jumped in.
"Hey, are you
okay?"
"Uuu~, that was
awful......."
On the other hand,
Tom, who had been controlling the golem with his magic, was worriedly calling
out to Tima, who was thrown and fell on her butt.
Tima looked at Mars
resentfully with tears in her eyes, but unfortunately, he did not notice Tima's
gaze and kept looking up at the magic-generated mud wall, as if searching for
any presence of the outside.
"U-, umm, can I
have a moment-......? Whoa!"
Just as Tom was about
to call out to the motionless Mars, the mud wall in front of him cracked open
upon impact.
On the other side of
the collapsed wall stood five Direwolves. From the mouths of the Direwolves,
there was a shimmering light that seemed to be the remnants of magic.
"Magic Stone
Bearers. And there are five of them......"
One of the
characteristics that distinguish demonic beasts possessing magic stones is that
they can use magic.
The magic they use
varies from individual to individual but is often crude and primitive, such as
by releasing magic power.
It seemed that the
magic stone bearers of this pack would use their mouths to gather magic power
and then shoot it out.
"I see, so that's
the leader, huh?......"
Mars' eyes turned to
the Direwolf, which had a remarkably large physique among the Magic Stone
Bearers.
With its lustrous
white fur and sharp, large fangs that could be seen even from a distance, it
was clearly recognizable as a special individual.
"Uooooon!"
The White Direwolf's
roar echoed through the air. As if encouraged by its roar, the Direwolves under
its command, who had been trying to attack the mud wall, rushed toward the hole
in the wall at once.
"Well, it sure is
convenient having them come from one place!"
Mars braced himself
and swung his greatsword. The three leading ones were killed by a single slash.
However, two of them
rushed in after them, slipping through the gap between the slashes, and tried
to slip past Mars' flank.
"Oopsie!"
"Golem, go!"
Mimuru and Tom's golem
blocked their way.
Golem is a puppet
controlled by the core magical tool and the magic power of the caster.
The clay golem, which
was about one and a half times the size of an adult human, spread out its arms
threateningly, and Mimuru moved to cut into the Direwolves' path.
The two that were
stopped in their tracks were finished off by Mimuru's dagger and Mars'
greatsword, which was cleaved in a return strike.
The pack of Direwolves
that was about to follow was now bombarded by multiple arrows fired by Shina.
"Slow!"
She set multiple
arrows on the strings and released them all at once.
The arrows rushed
toward the Direwolves in a straight line and hit them one after another.
The hit rate was 100
percent.
She was able to focus
her line of fire on a specific point, and yet she was still able to fire arrows
at an astonishingly high rate and accuracy.
The sight of their
comrades being killed in the blink of an eye made the Direwolves stop in their
tracks, and then they veered off to the side as if to clear a path again.
Mars, Shina, and the
others' eyes squinted upon seeing this action. Their stares were focused on the
Direwolf Leader's mouth, where intense magical light was gathering.
The other demonic
beasts possessing magic stones were also gathering magic power in their mouths.
Shina once again
nocked her arrows and this time began to pour magic power into them. The
blue-colored magic energy light poured into the arrows.
However, before the
two sides could unleash their attacks, the situation took another major turn.
Two shadows came out from the flanks of the Direwolf Leader.
"That person
is......."
Shina's eyes focused
on the shadows that sprang out.
One of them is
Irisdina Francilt, a well-known talented student at the school, who is in a
party with Tima Lime. And the other one is a schoolmate she bumped into at the
guild branch today.
◆
