This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.
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Volume 2
Chapter 4.1
Those Who Once
Fled, Those Who Still Struggling Part 1
Translator : PolterGlast
Why don't you make use
of the Adventurers' Guild?
Following Irisdina's
suggestion, Nozomu visited the Adventurers' Guild again. The purpose of his
visit was, of course, to accept a request, but there was a slight problem.
The receptionist
refused to approve the request that Nozomu wanted to take.
"No. I can't
allow it."
"But ......"
"I've told you
many times, your current rank is D. You must be rank C to be allowed to venture
into the Spasim Forest alone. You will not be allowed to take any request to go
to the forest without a party."
What Nozomu intended
to accept was an item-gathering request on the outskirts of Arcazam.
However, the
Adventurers' Guild does not permit individuals of D rank or lower to accept
requests in the forest alone.
Therefore, they are
always required to form a party.
On this particular
day, Irisdina and Tima were on personal business, while Mars was caught by
Hanna-san and forced to help out in the store.
To begin with, the
guild does not allow low-ranked individuals to parasitize on high-ranked ones.
Considering the deduction of evaluation points due to rank differences within a
party, Nozomu needs to be paired with someone close to his own rank.
However,
unfortunately, Nozomu did not know of any students of rank D or lower who might
be able to form a party with him.
"I'm sorry, to
tell you the truth, I don't really know anyone who might be willing to team up
with me. Besides, I've been in the Spasim Forest alone many times. So
......"
"So I should
allow you to take the request alone? That's not possible. Besides, it is your
problem that you can't find anyone to partner with. From what I've seen in your
records, you're in the third grade. The fact that you've been in this town for
more than two years and they don't trust you, that's your problem, isn't
it?"
"That's
......."
"The ability to
build relationships of trust is also an important skill. It is precisely your
own fault for failing to create and nurture connections with others. Time is
not infinite, you see."
Nozomu could not help
but fall silent in the face of the sound argument.
In fact, Nozomu hardly
ever showed his face during the time he was being trained by Shino.
The only requests he
received were a few times when he was between training sessions when he was
left alone to do chores such as cleaning out ditch and carrying luggage.
Because of his own
escapism, he had been avoiding meeting people, especially people of his own
age.
"Besides, why are
you only starting it now?"
"That's
......."
He couldn't say it.
Nozomu himself was not sure what he truly wanted to do. He no longer has any
reason to be strong or to stay at the academy. Because the woman he wanted to
protect had long since left his side.
The receptionist let
out a sigh as Nozomu fell silent and began to put away the request form in her
hand.
"If there's
nothing else, we're done. Please take your leave. There are other students
waiting in line."
"Wait ......
please."
Nozomu's trembling
voice, as if trying to squeeze his voice out, escaped from his mouth.
The receptionist, who
was putting away the request form, stopped her hand upon hearing the weak yet
desperate tone of Nozomu's voice.
"I can't say it
well. But I feel like I have to do something. That's how I feel."
A sense of frustration
swirled in the depths of his chest. Nozomu still did not know what it was. In
fact, perhaps it was because he did not know what it was that he was so
impatient.
However, Nozomu
understood that it was definitely born from the realization of his own escape.
Therefore, he had to
move forward, even if only a little.
"Please. Anything
is fine. Could you please give me another chance?"
"......As I said
before, we cannot approve requests to go into the forest. However, there are
still vacancies for patrols around the outer walls of the city. Would that
still be okay?"
Patrols around the
outer wall are originally low in terms of request difficulty, and they receive
only a reasonable evaluation point. But for the current Nozomu, just the fact
that he was allowed to accept the request was a big step forward.
"Yes,
please!"
"Very well. Then
here it is. The patrol route will be around Arcazam, so you will have to go
around with the guards at the south gate. Am I making myself clear?"
"Y-, yes!"
As she watched Nozomu
run out after receiving the request form, the receptionist let out a small sigh
and reached for the remaining documents in her hand.
As for her, she was
not saying those harsh things because she wanted to. She simply stated it
because she was in a position where she had to.
And considering
Nozomu's past records in the guild, it was only natural that the guild would
have little trust in Nozomu, who had suddenly returned to the guild after not
having been seen for so long. Rather, they feel antipathy toward the fact that
he was suddenly trying to gain recognition.
Nevertheless, she
introduced the request because it was her job and she had more experience in
dealing with society than he did.
(Though, I wonder how
long he can go on?......)
In society, as is often
the case, the lower you fall, the harder it is to rise. She had seen many
students struggle to regain their grades and reputation once they had fallen,
but they were unable to do so and gave up along the way.
With these thoughts in
mind, the receptionist had just finished putting away some papers when she
sensed someone approaching the counter she was working.
She put the documents
she had on hand aside again and greeted the visitor with the smile she had
cultivated over the years.
"Welcome to the
Adventurers Guild. May I help you?"
"Yes, I would
like to make a nomination request."
A middle-aged maid
visited the counter.
She had a straight
back and a maid's uniform without a single wrinkle. Her eyes were as sharp as
swords, and her quiet appearance, even though she was a maid, gave the
impression of elegance.
"Alright, to whom
and what kind of request do you wish to make?"
The receptionist, who
perceived that the maid was an escort maid working for a fairly high-ranking
aristocrat, involuntarily swallowed her spit from nervousness, but kept her
smile on her face as she responded.
A nomination request
is also a sign that the client has a keen interest in a student. If a student
is nominated by a high-ranking nobleman's attendant, he or she must have a promising
future.
"The nominee is a
third-grade, 10th-class student, Nozomu Bountis-sama. The request is to escort
the second daughter of the Francilt family."
"Haa?"
The receptionist, who
had been bracing herself to hear the details of the request, was taken aback by
the next words of the maid in question, Mena Manat, and let out an
unintentional gasp.
As she was making a
dumbfounded face, which was unbecoming of a professional, she kept her consciousness
flying off into the distance until she was called by the maid, who was he cause of
all this, a few seconds later.
◆
After being handed a
written request for a patrol guard, Nozomu left the guild and headed for the
south gate.
When he arrived at the
south gate, he visited the guard station and showed his request form to two
guards in steel armor.
One was a middle-aged
man with a scruffy beard. The other was a young man of about 20 years old.
"Oh, certainly. I
am Barozza, and this is Jibin, who is also a member of the guard."
"Nice to meet
you."
"I am Nozomu Bountis.
Pleased to meet you."
"As you've
probably heard, this time we'll be patrolling the perimeter of the city. After
leaving the south gate, we will patrol eastward to the north gate. Normally,
there are three of us, but due to a sudden health issue, he was unable to
patrol with us. So I had you here to take his place."
After a brief
greeting, the three of them left the garrison station and headed for the south
gate.
Once outside the gate,
they go counterclockwise around the outer wall to see if there were any traces
of demonic beasts.
All the trees around
the outer wall of Arcazam had been cut down in preparation for the oncoming of
foreign enemies, and thus the visibility was quite good.
The roads were also
well maintained, making it much easier to walk than walking around in the
forest.
However, this did not
mean that they could relax.
About 20 meters away
from the road is the Spasim Forest, which is infested with demonic beasts. A
meter is a unit of length used on the Arkmel Continent and is roughly the length
of an adult's outstretched hand. And a distance of 20 meters is enough for a
demonic beast to launch an attack.
Of course, there were
not many demonic beasts that could approach Arcazam.
However, since there
was a possibility that they could be attacked at any time, they had to be on
their guard.
The three passed the
east gate along the outer wall and headed for the north gate.
"Even so, it's
unusual for a third grader to get a patrolling job. I thought someone your
level would have been actively going into the forest with your
schoolmates......"
"Well, I'm in a
bit of a situation where I can't ask for their help......"
"What, did you
get in a fight? Or is it a love affair?"
"Senior, you're
being rude."
Jibin expressed his
complaint to Barozza, who asked Nozomu a probing question.
"What do you
mean? It's about the school you used to attend, you know. You used to long for
it, too, didn't you? Don't you want to hear about it?"
"What I longed
for wasn't romance or anything of that sort."
Surprisingly, Jibin
seemed to be a former student of Solminati Academy.
"Although I used
to attend the Solminati Academy and I am now a Guard of this town. I was
expelled from the school during my freshman year because I didn't get enough
grades."
Nozomu was at a loss
for words when he heard that Jibin had been expelled from school.
"Well,
umm......"
"Ah, you don't
have to worry about it. It was a long
time ago, and when I was expelled from school, strangely enough, I didn't feel
any regret. And to this day, it's one of my fondest memories."
Nozomu was surprised
to see Jibin smiling so casually.
It would be
understandable if he had gradually come to accept it over a long period of
time, but how could he say that he had no regrets when he was expelled from
school?
"How could you
think of it as a good memory?"
"Well, because I
did my best. I worked as hard as I could and gave it my all. Even though I was
crushed, but the fact that I was able to work that hard in my life meant a lot
to me."
Because I gave it my
all, I have no regrets. Nozomu understood this feeling well. He had the same
experience.
The final
confrontation with Shino. That battle in which both of them gave it their all,
and put their heart and soul into it. And her last words have become a major
pillar of support for the current Nozomu.
"Ah, certainly, I
think I can understand that......"
"Right? It was
because I was enrolled in that academy that I was able to become a member of
the guard of this city like this. Do you know? Guards in this city are pretty
well paid, you know?"
Jibin smiled at
Nozomu's sympathetic words.
There was no trace of
shadow in his smile, and he sincerely felt that the trials of his youth had
been good ones.
Jibin did not at all
mind that he was expelled from school, rather, he used it as a lesson for his
life. Nozomu compared himself with Jibin and felt a little bit envious of him.
"Hmm?"
At that moment,
Nozomu's senses felt a strange sensation.
The pressure was
subtle, as if a tip of a needle had been placed against his skin, and it was
transmitted from all parts of his body.
"What's wrong,
boy?"
Barozza called out to
Nozomu, who suddenly stopped.
Jibin, next to him,
was also standing there with a puzzled expression on his face.
"There's
something here."
"What do you mean
by something?"
"I don't know
what it is, but......"
The two guards didn't
seem to notice, but Nozomu was sensitive to the gaze that was directed at him
from out of nowhere.
There was a faint
tinge of hostility in that gaze.
His whole body was agitated,
and his heart began to beat faster.
"It's about a
hundred and fifty meters from here, further into the bush."
"...... You can
tell?"
"Some demonic
beasts are very good at detection. It wouldn't be surprising if they were
watching us from deep in the bushes."
"No, not that
way......"
It is difficult to see
into the dark places from the brighter places. Moreover, if they deviate from
the well-maintained perimeter pathway, they will soon find themselves in a sea
of thickly growing trees.
It was no ordinary
feat to be able to perceive the presence of a demonic beast who hid more than a
hundred meters away, deep in the bushes.
Wary of the gaze he
felt, Nozomu lowered his waist and let his mind focus on his entire body.
With his right hand on
the hilt of his katana, he relaxed the muscles in his body so that he would
always be able to pull out as fast as possible.
Barozza and Jibin, who
were standing next to Nozomu, looked at him with wide eyes, gulped, and
trembled in surprise upon seeing the sudden change in Nozomu's atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Nozomu was
focusing all of his attention on the owner of the gaze peeking out from deep in
the forest, and then suddenly, the needle-like gaze vanished.
The gaze disappeared
in an instant. After a few seconds, Nozomu let out a heavy sigh.
"...... It
disappeared. It seems that he ran away when he realized that we had noticed
him."
After confirming that
the other party had retreated for the time being, Nozomu relaxed his stance and
began to move toward the bushes.
And then, about 150
meters into the forest from the outer wall, the three of them spotted the
footprints of several demonic beasts.
"What kind of
demonic beasts are they?"
"Judging by the
footprints, most of them seem to be Direwolves......"
What they found were
the footprints of Direwolves. And among the footprints, there were some that
Nozomu recognized.
The footprints, which
were bigger than those of a normal Direwolf, were the same as those found
yesterday when he was out exploring with Irisdina and the others.
"You recognize
them?"
"Yesterday, when
we encountered a pack of Direwolves on the highway, there were five magic-stone
bearers. One of them escaped, but ...... look at this one."
But what caught
Nozomu's eye more than that was the even bigger footprints than those of the
earlier magic stone-bearer Direwolf.
Footprints were
reminiscent of big demonic beasts such as Mad Bears. Considering the depth of
the sunken ground, the demonic beast must have weighed more than twice as much
as those magic stone-bearer.
"It's huge. I've
never seen footprints this big."
"'It's not a
Direwolf ....... Perhaps it's a Garm ......."
"A-, are you
sure? It's an A-ranked demonic beast!"
Garm.
Also known as the
Demon Wolf of Hell. It is a very dangerous demonic beast with red fur like a
collar, and unlike the Direwolf, it is born with the ability to use magic.
"Perhaps he is
the one leading the Drewolf pack."
Among some highly
organized wolf packs, there have been instances where different kinds of the
same species have blended into the pack. It could be inferred that this was one
of those cases.
A rank A demonic beast
is something that ordinary soldiers and students can no longer compete with.
Without a doubt, it would require a party of the academy's top rankers to
defeat it.
But what was more
threatening than anything else was the fact that such a dangerous demonic beast
had come so close to the city.
"Barozza-san, we
need to go back immediately."
"Ah, t-, that's
right."
Barozza was petrified
by the might of the demonic beast that might have attacked him, but Nozomu's
voice finally brought him back to his senses, and he hurriedly turned around to
go back in the direction from which he had come.
Following this, the
report was immediately conveyed to the relevant authorities, and the next day,
a request was sent to the influential people of the school as a specially
designated subjugation request.
◆
