Volume 3 Chapter 1.5
The Fierce Emotion of Betrayal Part 5
Translator : PolterGlast
While Nozomu and Shina
were eating in the cafeteria, Irisdina and Tima joined Somia and were preparing
lunch on the lawn area of the central park.
However, the lunch
itself did not seem to be going very well.
"Tima, did
something happen between you and Mars-kun?"
Tina's eyes widened
for a moment in response to her best friend's sudden question, but then she
remembered that her best friend was good at sensing people's emotions.
"Well, it's not
that there's something happened. It's just, Mars-kun seems to be in a bad mood
lately......"
She put down the bread
she was eating and began to talk about her recent situation in a whispered
voice while narrowing her shoulders.
Tima and Mars had been
studying magic together recently.
She was shy by nature
and had a strong aversion to men, but since she was saved during the incident
with the Waziart family, she has been able to speak somewhat normally with
Mars.
She also had long
studied advanced technology on the continent, as she was a first-year student
at a school affiliated with the Souminati Academy called Ecross, which was a
major reason for her to practice magic with him.
But apparently, their
practice had hit a wall recently.
"What are you
guys working on these days?"
"We've been
working on the basics up to intermediate-level magic, making sure we know how
to apply it in battle, and practicing to improve our control by using two types
of magic at the same time. Only the wind attribute, though."
"That's .......
Pretty fast."
Until now, Mars had
been using only Qi-jutsu in battle. This is largely due to his personality.
However, when Rugato,
the butler of the Waziart family, attacked the Francilt family, he was defeated
without being able to do a single thing. Since then, he realized his own
shortcomings and tried to find a new way out in the field of magic.
"Mars-kun, not
only did he have a high talent for Qi-jutsu, but he also had a high aptitude
for magic. But he seems to want to go further......"
Mars is a very rare
individual who can handle both magic and Qi-jutsu at a very high level.
Furthermore, he also
has the ability to increase the effectiveness and control of both magic and
Qi-jutsu, even though it is limited to
wind attribute only.
However, according to
Tima, he wants more power than he currently has.
"Go
further?"
"A fusion of
Qi-jutsu and magic. Magic-Qi Combination Technique......"
"Isn't that ......
reckless? It's the most difficult technique."
"I think so too,
but Mars-kun didn't want to listen to me......"
Given his high
aptitude for both magic and Qi, Mars may indeed have sufficient potential for
learning it. However, he uses magic intuitively, and his control of magic is
not as good as that of his Qi-jutsu.
Naturally, he is not
yet ready to use Magic-Qi Combination Technique. That was Tima's opinion.
"I wonder if it's
partly because of that power Nozomu-kun has. Maybe he's still training
somewhere, even now, during his lunch break......"
"That,
huh......."
The incident that took
place about a month ago came back to Irisdina's mind.
A vampire who tried to
steal Somia's soul because of the Francilt family's past history.
In the face of an
extremely powerful existence equivalent to rank S, Irisdina was on the verge of
being robbed of her most beloved sister.
The one who saved them
in such a crisis was Nozomu, who had released his Ability Suppression.
He rescued Somia by
defeating the vampire with a power so powerful that it was unimaginable from
his normal self.
"A vampire with a
power that is prominent even across the continent. And he had enough Qi to
overwhelm it. It may be ...... more than just releasing the Ability
Suppression......."
Iriscina gently
touched the light-colored hair ornament that adorned her black hair with her
white fingertips.
It was the present she
had asked Nozomu to buy for her.
Her expression turned
melancholy as she thought of Nozomu, who was supposed to be somewhere else.
"I wonder what
happened to him......"
Why does he still
remain in this school?
Why did he master
katana-jutsu to such a great extent?
How was he able to
acquire such a mighty power?
Why did he suddenly
confront Lisa and the others?
Why does ...... he
always have such a pained expression on his face?
Countless
"why's" come to her mind.
The curiosity about
him that kept flickering in the depths of her heart. Recently, however, she has
noticed a slight change in this feeling.
Until now, she would
only think about him once or twice a day. But the frequency has been
increasing.
It is the same now.
Once she thought of his face, her desire to know more about him accelerated in
the blink of an eye.
It is so ......
difficult to suppress it.
"Ane-sama, did
something happen to Nozomu-san?"
"Y-, yeah,
actually......."
Irisdina told Somia
about what had happened in the morning joint class.
Somia herself was also
surprised to hear about Nozomu's actions.
"I wonder what's
going on with Nozomu-san."
"I think I found
out something important about those rumors......"
Once she had put it into
words, her indescribable frustration leaked out like a leaking dam.
(I want to see Nozomu
right now. But ...... I wonder if it's too much to ask for. And come to think
of it, I don't know much about him......)
Besides, she had not
been able to think clearly since this morning.
She felt a whirlwind
of emotions that she couldn't describe, and even felt as if her limbs were
numb.
Finally, she even
acted as if she was blatantly avoiding him.
(Shina Juliel. Could
it be, she knows something about Nozomu?)
She is the only elf in
the city and someone who lost the blessing of the spirit. However, she has
recently regained her power and has reached the same A rank as Irisdina.
Given the trust she
placed in Nozomu, it is easy to see that he was deeply involved in regaining
her ability to contract the spirits again.
But she didn't know
anything about what actually happened.
Frustration and
sadness, combined with the feeling of being completely left out of the
situation, stirred her heart.
Irisdina found herself
biting her lip and clutching the edge of her skirt tightly.
"Oya~, everyone,
are you in the middle of your lunch?"
As Irisdina was lost
in her own emotions, a familiar voice sounded in her ears.
The voice came from a
maid with light purple hair, neatly combed, whom Irisdina knew very well.
"Mena, what
brings you here?"
"I had to visit
an old friend at the academy. By the way, ojousama, is there something wrong
with your face?"
"That's......"
"You are just
like a little girl who doesn't get any attention from her father, you
know?"
Mena is, in a manner
of speaking, a maid who serves the Francilt family, but at the same time she is
a friend of the head of the Francilt family, and she often has a more open
demeanor with Irisdina and Somia than with the other members of the family.
"Muu~, I don't
have such a look on my face. I just have something on my mind."
"Is it about
Nozomu-sama? Did something happen?"
"W-, well,
yeah."
After Irisdna replied
in an unclear manner, she told Mena about the events of the morning in a
whispered voice.
About Nozomu who was
talking to his ex-girlfriend, Lisa Hounds, and then confronted her current
boyfriend and childhood friend, Ken Notice, and then the atmosphere became
tense.
Of course, she didn't
mention that she had been avoiding Nozomu during class.
"I see. So that's
why ojousama is worried about him."
"W-well,
yes........."
"If that's the
case, wouldn't it be best to be honest and ask him what's going on?"
"B-but-......"
"Whether or not
to tell you is up to Nozomu-sama to decide. But it would not be a problem to at
least ask, would it?"
"Yes, that's
true, but-......"
"I see, there is
something else besides his ex-girlfriend, isn't there?"
Mena's sharp remark
rendered Irisdina speechless.
Having lost her mother
early in life, Mena, who was her mother's best friend, is a good friend.
Perhaps because of this, she immediately saw through her unusual behavior and
understood why she was so unsettled.
"Speaking of
which, have you told Nozomu-sama about his treasured katana [Mumei] yet?"
"N-no, not
yet......"
[Mumei]
It is a synonym for
katanas that are not deserving of having their names engraved on them, but when
it comes to Nozomu's treasured katana, it has a completely different meaning.
It is a special sword
made by a renowned blacksmith in the East. It is a general term for a
kaleidoscopic type of katana that acquires various special characteristics
depending on its owner. The katana that Nozomu possesses is also a [Mumei]
katana.
Although it might
still be in an unawakened state, and there are no particular characteristics
that stand out at the moment, it is definitely of the same quality as what is
called a holy sword or a demon sword on the continent.
"I'm sure
Nozomu-sama would want to know if it concerns his master, and it would be a
good topic for you two to talk about. Why don't you ask him about your concern
at that time then?"
"U-ummm......"
Mena suggested asking
Nozomu while talking about the katana, but Irisdina's response was not
positive.
She looked away
awkwardly, and silence fell between them.
"If you don't
feel comfortable asking, shall I ask him then?"
"Eh?"
"I was planning
to go on a date with Nozomu-san on my next holiday, so I think it would be
perfect."
The one who broke the
silence was Somia, who had been listening until just now.
At the same time, a
strong shock struck Irisdina.
Silence reigned for a
few seconds, as she could not fathom the words that had entered her ears.
"A-, a
date!?"
"H-haaaaaa!?
Wait, Somia! Did I just hear it wrong!?"
Right after that,
voices so loud that they seemed to reach the entire lawn area echoed out of
Tima and Irisdina's mouths. By the way, Irisdina's voice was several times
louder.
On the other hand,
Somia, who was the main source of the incident, looked unperturbed and happily
talked about the promise she had made to Nozomu.
"I haven't told
anyone about it. Besides, I wanted to keep it a secret if possible."
"Arara~, looks
like Somiriana-ojousama is the more aggressive one when it comes to love and
romance. Who made the invitation?"
"Me! I've never
been on a date with a boy before, so I thought it would be a problem for me in
the future, and if I were to choose who I wanted my first date with, it would
be with Nozomu-san~~!"
A date? Somia? With
Nozomu?
An unsettling feeling,
incomparable to the previous one, struck Irisdina, stirring her thoughts into
chaos.
"D-don't-......"
"Ah, I'll go even
if Ane-sama tells me not to, so please don't hide and follow me or get in our
way."
Even the words she let
out reflexively were silenced by her sister, and Irisdina froze with her mouth
agape.
Meanwhile, the
culprit, the younger sister, finished her lunch and put her lunch box away
quickly, and returned to Ekross school building, leaving her stiffened sister
behind.
"A-, Ai, Ai! Are
you okay!?"
"This is not
good. She's completely knocked out."
"E-eh?
Eeeehhh!?"
"Good grief, she
should be happy for her sister's growth, but in this case, she resembles her
father...... Irisdina-ojousama, please get a hold of yourself."
Mena slapped the cheek
of the girl who was supposed to be her master. The way she did it was strangely
adept.
(Please don't tell me
that this maid has been doing this on a regular basis?)
While Tima was having
such a question, Irisdina, whose cheeks were swollen, finally woke up.
"Ha~h!? I just
had a dream that Somia was going on a date with Nozomu......"
"Unfortunately,
it wasn't a dream. No, it is not actually carried out yet, but it seems that it
is already too late for you. Look, your afternoon classes are about to start.
Please return to your classrooms as quickly as possible."
"W-wait a sec. I
have to hear Somia's true intentions. Wha, let go of me, Mena!"
Just in time, the
school bell began to chime. As the bell chimed, Mena strangled Irisdina from
behind as she was about to run toward Ekross.
"I won't let you
go. Please behave yourself. Fortunately, I have some business to attend to
today, so let's just be on our way."
"Ha? Come to
think of it, why does Mena have something to do at the academy?...... N-no,
that's not important, rather, it's Somia. Somia! I think it's still too early
for you to go on a date with someone of the opposite sex!"
"Alright,
alright. Be quiet, it's unseemly. Well then, Tima-sama, shall we go?"
"I-is this really
alright?......"
Tima returned to the
school, urged on by Mena, who was dragging the restrained Irisdina along with
her.
By the way, Tima was
pestered by the teacher because of her best friend who had been misbehaving,
and Irisdina was in a foul mood throughout the class, but that's another story.
End of Chapter 1
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