This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.
---------------------------------------------
Volume 2
Chapter 1.3
Changes in
Everyday Life Part 3
Translator : PolterGlast
While Mars and Tima
were distracting the demonic beasts while protecting the wagon, Nozomu and
Irisdina launched a surprise attack from the flanks. Both of them strengthened
their physical abilities with Qi-jutsu and magic and ran to close the distance
at once.
As soon as they leaped
out of the bushes, the magic stone bearers noticed Nozomu and Irisdina.
The four Direwolves,
except for the leader, intercepted them. The four Direwolves were coming toward
them, emitting a glow of magic power from all over their bodies. Their speed
was clearly faster than that of ordinary four-legged demonic beasts.
"As expected,
they are fast. They have strengthened themselves through magic power, huh? I'll
take care of them, so you go on and take care of the leader."
"Leave it to
me."
Nozomu, who had
stepped forward, sent Qi into the katana he carried at his waist, and as he
pushed forward while his left hand still holding the scabbard up, he snipped
the koiguchi (scabbard mouth).
At the same time, with
his right hand on the hilt, he drew the blade from his waist while pulling the
scabbard with his left hand. He swung the blade along the joint of the first
Direwolf's jaw as it pounced on him.
*Kyan!*
The blade with an
extremely fine Qi-blade severed the jaw joint, and the Direwolf's jaw fell off.
The blade also cut the jaw of the other one that had leaped at him with a
returning strike.
*Gehyu …… gahyu!*
The second Direwolf
was also easily taken down by the mandible in the face of Nozomu's Qi-blade.
The two Direwolf
rolled and thrashed on the ground in pain, loss of life, and blood loss.
The wolf-shaped
demonic beasts rely on their strong jaws for their means of attack.
Therefore, simply
taking away its means of attack could almost completely deprive it of its
ability to fight.
However, the opponent
was a demonic beast possessing a magic stone so it could use magic. Nozomu,
without letting his guard down, swung his katana in a single flash and
decapitated the two heads that had lost their jaws.
*Grrrrr! Gyan!*
" ~!"
The third one, which
leaped at him without fear, was now being cut down by a vertical slash.
With a Qi-blade that
could bisect even a Mad Bear, which boasted a much larger physique than a
Direwolf, the body of the third magic stone-bearer, cleanly cut in two, and
separated to the left and right while wailing, fell to the ground with a thud.
And then Irisdina
unleashed the finishing blow.
She activated her
ability [Immediate Deployment]. Without the chanting and magic circle
originally required, she deployed magic based on the formulas and imagination
generated by her brilliant mind.
What was produced was
a huge jet-black spear. The spear, constructed with dense magic power, radiated
an oppressive presence that one would not have expected from something that has
no weight. Irisdina's limbs, as beautiful as willow trees, moved, and like a
battering ram, she launched the magic spear held in her left hand.
"Phew!"
[Intermediate Magic・Javelin of the Abyss]
The spear was launched
as if it was being thrown, and it flew toward the Direwolf Leader, making the
air tremble.
*Uooooon!*
The Direwolf Leader roared
and activated the magic it had been keeping on standby. The magic power
released from its mouth collided with the [Javelin of the Abyss].
The [Javelin of the
Abyss] which was hurling itself forward while surging with a torrent of magical
power, and the storm of magical power that was trying to push it back, were
jostling against each other.
However, the fierce
opposition was shattered by a meteor-like light shot from the side of the
spear.
*Gyan!*
*Gggh……!*
A single arrow flew in
the air, emitting a blue magical light.
It was the arrow that
Shina Juliel had prepared before Nozomu and Irisdina launched their surprise
attack.
The arrow, flying
through the air as if it had a will of its own, pierced the scattering
Direwolves one after another and charged toward the Direwolf Leader.
"~ !?"
There was no way for
the Direwolf Leader, who was in a state of confrontation with Irisdina's magic,
to evade it.
The blue arrow blew
the Direwolf Leader's head away, and the [Javelin of the Abyss] which no longer
had any opposition to hold it back, blew away the remaining torso.
*Ku~uuuu……*
The last remaining
Direwolves possessing magic stones turned on their heels and fled into the
forest, horrified that their brethren had been killed in such a short period of
time.
Irisdina and Nozomu
exhaled to make sure each other was safe now that the threat was over.
"Phew!"
"Are you all
right, Irisdina-san?"
"Yeah, I'm fine.
Thank you for clearing out the way. It's amazing how you can accurately slash
off the jaws of two magic stone bearers and generate that level of Qi-blade in
an instant."
Since Nozomu had been
treated as someone who was not part of the school until recently, he felt his
cheeks heat up involuntarily in response to Irisdina's honest praise and smile.
"N-, no,
Irisdina-san, you are also amazing. Although it was due to your ability, it was
amazing that you could instantly activate such magic."
"Fufu~, it's
because I've been training for it. As for me, I'm interested in the power you
showed at the mansion, you know......."
"Pardon me?"
While Nozomu, who
didn't catch the latter part, looked doubtful, Irisdina deepened the smile on
her mouth, as if to cover it up.
"No, it's
nothing. Anyway, let's go join Tima and the others."
The two of them
sheathed their weapons and headed toward Mars and the others who were holding
back the demonic beasts.
"Mars, good
job."
"Yeah."
"Tima, are you
all right?"
"Uuu~, my butt
hurts......"
Nozomu lightly raised
his hand to make sure he was safe, and Irisdina moved closer to her best
friend.
Unlike Mars, who was
in a lighthearted mood, Tima was supporting herself with her staff and rubbing
her back like an old lady. It was a scene that would ruin such a beautiful
girl.
Meanwhile, as Irisdina
was making sure that Tima was really okay, the students who had been guarding
the caravan earlier called out to her.
"Thank you,
Irisdina-san, and everyone as well."
It was the small
student, Tom Dale, who spoke to her.
He looked to be in his
early teens, but the blue nameplates on his uniform made Nozomu and the others
recognize him as a fellow schoolmate of theirs.
Tom wore a cloak large
enough to wrap around his petite body, and on the waist of his uniform was a
belt with pouches of various sizes attached to it.
If one were to look
closely, one would find numerous pockets on the inside of the cloak as well,
and a wooden doll with gems woven into it hung on the belt at his waist.
"Don't mind it,
we just happened to run into you. You guys are-......."
"Third grade,
second class, Tom Dale. This is Mimuru Midir."
"Nice to meet
you!"
The cat girl called
Mimuru waved to Nozomu and the others and winked at them.
Her whole energetic
personality and demeanor showed that she has a rather easygoing nature.
She has two daggers at
her waist.
The daggers look like
ordinary steel daggers, but the residue of Qi exuding from her body indicates
that she is a Qi user, just like Nozomu and Mars.
"Then she is-
......"
"Shina
Juliel."
The last person
introduced was the elf girl that Nozomu bumped into at the guild branch.
She took a step
forward from Tom and Mimuru and said her name in a soft, hushed tone.
"Yes, I know who
you are. My name is Irisdina Francilt."
"I'm Tima
Lime."
"Yes, I know you
two as well."
First Irisdina and
Tima introduced themselves to Shina and the others.
Shina also seemed to
know their names, but her tone of voice was as indifferent as cold fresh water.
Mars and Nozomu were
next, but Mars was looking toward the other direction with his arms crossed, as
if he had no intention of introducing himself.
Nozomu scratched his
head in a troubled manner at the sight of his friend, but had no choice but to
introduce himself.
"Umm, my name is
Nozomu Bountis. Over there is Mars."
Shina's gaze turned
toward Nozomu. Her eyes, which had originally given the impression of being
cold, squinted even further.
Skepticism and a hint
of dislike. It was the same expression that Nozomu had seen many times at the
school.
Nozomu felt his mood
sinking as he squinted a little under the sudden gaze.
"Hee, so it's
you......"
On the other hand,
Mimuru, whether she was aware of Nozomu's situation or not, leaned forward and
looked into Nozomu's face. The suddenness of her action made Nozomu feel
uncomfortable.
"Umm......"
"You see, Irisdina-san,
why are you teaming up with this guy? He's in the tenth class, isn't he?"
Leaving the bewildered
Nozomu aside, Mimuru began to ask Irisdina a blunt question.
"Yeah, but he's
strong. You saw it, didn't you?"
"I guess so, but
there's a lot more to him than that, isn't there?"
"...... I wonder
what are you implying?"
"You see, he
betrayed his girlfriend. I believe it was the Red-haired Princess. First class,
Lisa Hounds......"
*Creak.......*
Nozomu felt something
creaking deep in his chest. Following that, his heart beat faster and his hands
began to sweat. He found himself gritting his teeth tightly.
"Mimuru......"
"Hm? Ah! I
shouldn't have said that in front of the person himself! Sorry, sorry!"
"...... It's not
something you should say regardless of whether you're in front of him or
not."
Tom reprimanded Mimuru
for her slip of the tongue.
Mimuru, finally
realizing that the atmosphere had deteriorated at once, bowed her head
repeatedly. It seems that she tends to be very careless and say what she thinks
right away.
"Gosh.
Nozomu-kun, I'm so sorry. Mimuru was so rude to you."
"...... I don't
mind."
Even though he said he
didn't mind it, there was a heaviness in Nozomu's tone of voice that he couldn't
hide.
The bitterness of
being reminded of it cast a shadow over Nozomu's mind like muddy water, as he
had only been able to forget his disdainful environment for the past two weeks,
thanks to the presence of Irisdina and the others.
"Um, speaking of which,
is there any special mechanism behind the arrow that finished off the Direwolf
Leader earlier?"
For the time being,
Nozomu tried to change the subject by talking to Shina, who remained silent.
Although it might seem pathetic, in the past, when Irisdina had asked him about
Lisa, he simply left without saying whether or not he wanted to talk about it.
With that in mind, it
could be said that the current him was able to swallow his own emotions
properly.
"...... Yeah. Tom
did some modifications to the arrow feathers and the shaft."
Perhaps sensing
Nozomu's state of mind, Shina, too, answered the question, albeit in a rather
indifferent tone.
"That was very
powerful and well-guided."
"Yes, it's called
an engraved arrow. It's Tom's specialty, you know. Wasn't it amazing?"
Irisdina skillfully
weaved together Shina's nonchalant response and expanded the subject.
Mimuru, on the other
hand, puffed out her chest with a big, happy smile, even though it wasn't about
her, while Tom chuckled in embarrassment.
"I haven't done
any major work on the formula though. It only changes its trajectory slightly
in response to the user's magic power, so if you can't read the wind and the
opponent's movements accurately, you won't be able to properly hit the target.
Besides, I haven't developed a formula to increase the power of the arrows.
"I see...... So
in other words, the power of that arrow is only because it's Shina-kun."
"It was spirit
magic, wasn't it? Speaking of elves, they are the most proficient when it comes
to spirit magic......"
Perhaps intrigued by
Tom's technique, Mars and Irisdina joined in the conversation.
Meanwhile, Nozomu
gasped upon hearing the word "spirit magic" mentioned by Mars.
Spirit magic. It
refers to the power of spirits, a more fundamental power that is distinct from
the magic used by humans.
Elves are also known
as the race most favored by the spirits.
They can borrow the
power of spirits with only their own magic, without the need to use any rituals
or complicated ceremonies.
And spirit magic is
the same power used by Tiamat, the giant dragon that Nozomu was absorbed in.
"...... I didn't
need to use it."
At the mention of
spirit magic, Shina responded nonchalantly with the same cold expression as
before.
Originally, elves
hardly interact with other races and rarely open up to others.
This is largely due to
their ability to communicate with spirits.
The environment in
which they are surrounded by beings with whom they can communicate without
using words from an early age diminishes the need for language.
In addition, they are
a rare species with few relatives, and their community is small.
Inevitably, many elves
become closed-minded and tend to use few words when interacting with other
races.
Their lack of
interaction is sometimes taken as arrogance, which often leads to trouble with
other races.
Perhaps Shina Juliel
is also one of these typical elves. Let alone Nozomu and Mars, she even
maintained her cold attitude toward Irisdina and the others.
"I really
appreciate your help. I'm sorry, but I have to report this to the guild. See
you later......"
Shina turned her back
and was about to leave. Not only Nozomu, but also Irisdina was unable to say
anything, but someone unexpectedly came to the rescue. It was Mimuru, who had
just made a bunch of inappropriate remarks.
"Ah, what are you
princesses going to do after this?"
"By
"princesses," do you mean us? Well, we need to report this to the
guild as well......"
"Then shall we go
together!? Hey, it's okay, right!?"
Mimuru ignored the
delicate atmosphere of the place and suggested to Irisdina to go report to the
guild together.
"Hmm, what do you
think, Nozomu-kun, Mars-kun?"
"I'm fine with
it......"
As Nozomu glanced over
at Shina, she frowned for a moment but let out a sigh as if she had no choice.
"......
Fine."
"Alright! Let's
go then!"
Mimuru raised her
hands in joy upon hearing the words of approval.
The elf girl's sighed
as if to say, "It can't be helped", and Nozomu could somehow sense
the relationship between the two of them.
A beastman girl who
was swinging around, and an elf girl who was being swung around. Nozomu saw the
relationship between the two as similar to his own relationship with his late
master.
(She must be having a
hard time......)
"What?......"
"No, it's
nothing."
Shina turned her
jittery eyes toward Nozomu, who was about to let out a chuckle.
The atmosphere, which
had been heavy until a few minutes ago, had somewhat eased.
◆
After defeating the
pack of Direwolves, Nozomu and the others returned to Arcazam together with
Shina's party, who were escorting the caravan, and went straight to the guild
to report their achievements.
After reporting to the
guild, the results were assessed and rewards were paid.
Normally, in the
Adventurers' Guild, one's evaluation would increase according to one's
contribution to the guild, and one would be promoted to a higher rank if one
continued to achieve above a certain level.
Adventurers are then
able to receive more benefits, better support, and assistance in a variety of
ways. The Arcazam branch, on the other hand, holds a special position among the
many branches of the Adventurers' Guild. It is organized and managed with a
partnership with the Solminati Academy in mind.
The Arcazam branch has
few active adventurers. Most of the requests are carried out by students of the
Solminati Academy.
"Then, we found a
merchant caravan being attacked by a pack of Direwolves, so we worked together
with the party that had arrived before us and eliminated the attacking
pack."
While listening to
Irisdina's report, the receptionist checked the details on the documents in
front of her.
Under what
circumstances did they confirm the traces of the demonic beasts, track them,
come in contact with them, fight against them, and eliminate them?
Irisdina, who was
being questioned, answered all the receptionist's questions without hesitation.
"I see. Are you
certain?"
"Yes, there is no
doubt about it. Here are also the parts that can be used as proof of the
demonic beasts we defeated."
Irisdina presented the
fangs she had removed from a Direwolf.
The defeated demonic
beasts were too many to be put on the wagon because of their large number, so
most of them were left at the scene, except for the demonic beast that was
possessing a magic stone. Therefore, as proof of defeating them, only the
largest canine teeth were removed.
Nevertheless, the
bodies of the remaining demonic beasts also need to be disposed of as soon as
possible, as they might attract other demonic beasts if left unattended.
"I have confirmed
it. We will collect the remaining demonic beasts on the road. I will prepare
the reward for the completion of the investigation request immediately. As for
the sale of the defeated demonic beasts, I will contact you after the retrieval
is done......."
"Understood."
"Lastly, I would
like to confirm that the student, Nozomu Bountis, did indeed defeat three magic
stone bearers?"
The receptionist's
skeptical eyes turned to Nozomu. The other students in the guild who overheard
the receptionist's words began to look at Nozomu suspiciously.
"Oi, that
bottom-of-the-barrel guy just killed a magic stone-bearer, they said."
"Haa? That's
impossible. I'm sure the black-haired princess is mistaken. He's a parasite
after all."
The receptionist had
already checked Nozomu Bountis's past performance in the reference room while
Irisdina and the others were carrying out the request.
The Adventurers' Guild
is committed to fair evaluation without regard to race or birth. As such a
guild employee, she, too, absolutely does not tolerate unfairness.
At the same time, as a
receptionist, she understood that some people would make fraudulent reports.
Therefore, she is
suspicious of Nozomu, puzzled by the discrepancy between his performance at the
school and the report presented in front of her.
"Yes, there is no
doubt about it."
"However, the way
he beat them is- ....... I understand. I honestly couldn't believe it, but
let's acknowledge it for the time being."
The receptionist had a
stern expression on her face, but Irisdina's resolute response made her
acknowledge the report albeit with some reluctance. She smoothly ran her pen
over the request form and stamped a mark of accomplishment on it.
The request is now
complete. All that was left was to take the request form to the exchange
counter and she would receive her reward.
However, there was
still a tinge of skepticism in the receptionist's gaze.
"However, there
are no points awarded to Nozomu Bountis for this request. You know the reason
for that, no?"
The receptionist said
so in a stern tone of voice to Nozomu as she held out the stamped request form.
Basically, the points
for completing a request are distributed fairly according to the rules established
by the guild. At the same time, however, the Adventurers' Guild does not allow
low-ranked members to parasitize on high-ranked members.
For this reason, there
are a number of factors to be judged, such as rank disparity within a party,
difficulty level of requests, percentage of requests completed, school
performance, etc., and points may be added or subtracted depending on the
situation.
The reason for these
rules is to prevent those without ability from moving up to higher ranks and,
by extension, to prevent the guild's rank system from losing its
trustworthiness and credibility.
And in this request, a
negative assessment was given to Nozomu, which canceled out all of his
evaluation points.
The reason for this is
that he has not received any requests from the guild for more than a year and
has no achievements or results to compensate for this.
However, the negative
assessment due to this gap is only for this one time, and there will be no
problem if he receives requests from the guild on a regular basis in the
future.
The guild understands
that punishing adventurers more than necessary is only detrimental to them.
"...... Yes, I am
aware of it."
"Mars Dickens, so
do you. We can't give credit to troublemakers, even if they're competent."
"Shut up, you fat
ass. Your makeup is cracking under your little wrinkles."
"F-, fat ass, you
say!? ......"
The receptionist's
forehead was covered in bulging veins in response to Mars' words, which were
originally intended to be a jab. A few cosmetic powders flew from her distorted
cheeks.
Nozomu covered Mars'
mouth in a hurry. She was in her late twenties. It was a complicated age for a
woman.
"But, to defeat
four magic stone bearers in a single day, as expected of the Black-Haired
Princess and the Four Scales Concerto."
"If you were with
the ruthless withered leaf ears, you might be getting the opposite result
though."
"...... Withered
leaf ears?"
Nozomu tilted his head
in response to the unfamiliar words he heard.
"~......"
The sound of gasping
for air made him look beside him, and he saw Shina with a stiff expression on
her face.
The slender hand
resting on her other arm was squeezing tightly.
At that moment, the
door of the guild hall was opened with a loud bang, and a large group of
students entered through the door.
There were about 20
students in all. By their outward appearance, they were students in the second
to fourth classes of the third grade.
The sight of so many
students from other classes walking together attracted the attention of the
guild staff and other students.
Walking at the front
of the group was a beastman with silver hair and a silver tail.
His arms, covered with
well-trained muscles, extend out from the sleeves of his rolled-up uniform, and
his golden eyes were filled with self-confidence.
Even the tips of his
silver fur were brimming with vitality, and he clearly exuded a presence that
set him apart from the other students in the hall.
And on his chest shone
a purple nameplate indicating that he is one of the highest-ranked students in
the school year.
Kevin Ardinal.
A male student who
belongs to the first class of the third grade. He is a rare race of wolf
beastmen called the Silver Wolf, and one of only five students in the third
grade who are recognized as worthy of rank A.
"Is that you,
Irisdina? Are you here to accept a request?"
"No, we've
already done it. Are you guys about to give a report?"
"Yeah. Oi, we've
finished the request. Let's proceed with the procedure."
As he called out to
Irisdina in a carefree manner, Kevin tossed the request form from his pocket
onto the counter where the receptionist was sitting.
"Please your
report......."
"Karanti. Explain
it to her."
"Understood!"
After leaving the
responsibility of reporting to the other students at the party, Kevin turned to
Irisdina.
On the other hand, the
gray, beast-eared female student entrusted with the report made her way to the
reception desk with a determined look on her face.
"So, Irisdina,
what kind of request was yours? Well, since we're talking about you, was it to
subjugate a designated demonic beast in the Spasim Forest?"
"No, it was to do
a patrol along the highway."
"Patrolling the
highway, after all this time? You're way too good for that."
Obviously
disappointed, Kevin shrugged his shoulders and, squinting his sharp, wolf-like
eyes, took a glance at Nozomu and the nameplate he was wearing.
"Nozomu Bountis,
so you're that guy, huh? ....... Oi, Irisdina, you are the figurehead of the
third grade, aren't you? Then pick the right battlefield and the right
men."
Kevin seemed to know
about Nozomu, but he immediately lost interest in him, and then he pressed
Irisdina in a rather strong tone of voice.
Irisdina, on the other
hand, smiled and lightly brushed off Kevin's complaints.
"Of course he is
the right one I'm the one who invited him to join me."
"Are you
daydreaming or something? ......"
Kevin put his hand on
his forehead and looked up to the sky in disbelief.
Knowing Nozomu's
reputation, Kevin's reaction was only natural.
Rather, it was good
enough that he didn't proceed to spew insults down the line.
"I didn't realize
that you also have withered-leaf ears with you......"
However, the moment he
saw Shina, who was a short distance away from Irisdina and the others, a color
of disdain flashed in Kevin's eyes.
The color of dislike
was clearly stronger than that for Nozomu, and Nozomu couldn't help but be
taken aback by it.
If he were to look
closely, he would see that the other beastmen in Kevin's party were also
looking sharply at Shina.
"You are nothing
but a conceited, deceitful elf."
"Venomous
insects. It's all their fault......"
Kevin's cronies start
cursing in a voice that Shina could clearly hear.
(What's with this
indignation? This is not normal.)
What in the world
could have happened between Shina and them?
Before the question
mark in Nozomu's head reached an answer, Kevin, leaving his cronies aside,
pressed Irisdina with an even stronger tone of voice while pointing his finger
at Shina.
"Irisdina. Did
you also team up with this thing?"
"We fought
together when we fought off the demonic beasts. So you came here just to insult
my companions?"
Irisdina, on the other
hand, could not hide her irritation at Kevin and his cronies, who were clearly
insulting the people with whom she had fought together.
She glared at Kevin
and his cronies with a quiet, yet clear tone of disdain in her voice.
"No...... Just
please don't team up with this thing. Elves can't be trusted, and besides, this
one is a failure even as an elf."
(Failure?)
"Cut it out. Do
you want to cause a ruckus here? If you want me to be aware of my position as
the class representative, then you should reflect on your own words and
deeds."
"Hmph, I have no
intention of denying what I said and did, but if you insist, I'll be going home
today. Then, I'll see you later.
After saying so, Kevin
took his reward from the student who made the report and left with his party
members.
As Kevin and the
others disappeared through the hall door, the tense atmosphere in the hall
finally relaxed.
However, there was an
indescribable, awkward atmosphere between Nozomu and Shina.
"I'm heading
home. See you then......"
"Ah......."
After a few seconds of
silence, Shina said a few parting words and turned away without making eye
contact.
"Shina, wait! I'm
sorry, Irisdina-san, see you later......."
"Thank you. You
saved us."
Mimuru and Tom rushed
after Shina as she left in a hurry.
Nozomu, who did not
have a good grasp of the situation, could only watch the blue-haired girl's
back as she left while holding an indescribable feeling in his heart.
