Volume 1
Chapter 6
Please accept my
sincerest apologies. I had intended to explain in this chapter why the
protagonist wouldn't become a typical overpowered character, but as I wrote,
various ideas sprang up, and I ended up not being able to include that
explanation. I will likely write it at the beginning of Volume 2 or in the
character introductions I'll update it at that time. This is entirely due to my
haphazard writing. I am truly sorry.
---
About three weeks had
passed since the battle with Tiamat. Thanks to my master's treatment, I had
somehow managed to return to daily life.
My master's medicine
was apparently her own original concoction. It didn't have the rapid recovery
power of potions, but it was a medicine that gently enhanced the body's natural
healing abilities.
In a place like a
battlefield where immediate recovery was needed, it might not be ideal, but in
a town where I could rest properly, it was an extremely reliable medicine.
However, during these
three weeks, I could barely move, and on top of that, I had been absent from
the academy for three days without permission. So, when I finally went back to
school, I ended up getting a serious scolding from Ms. Anri.
But surprisingly, my
three-day unauthorized absence and the three-week recovery period weren't much
of a fuss at the academy.
This was because when
Mars saw the injuries on my body after three days absence, he said,
"What's wrong?
Did you get hit by a carriage while spacing out? Seriously, you're so
dull."
in his usual mocking
tone, and since everyone around him agreed, the whole thing was glossed over.
Although, the fact
that I didn't deny it was also one of the reasons.
However, Ms. Anri
wasn't fooled and immediately took me to the faculty room for a lecture.
"Nozomu-kun,
you're hiding something, aren't you～～～? It's not normal to have such injuries after being absent without
permission～～～."
"N-no, it's
nothing serious. I just made a mistake at work and got injured..."
"That's a lie. Nozomu-kun,
you go into the forest, don't you～? The rumor about a dragon appearing is probably just a rumor, but even
so, powerful magical beasts from the depths of the forest sometimes come close
to the roads～."
…………Sorry. It was really a
dragon. And what's more, I ended up defeating it. Of course, I couldn't say
that, so I insisted that it was an accident at work and that I got caught up in
it.
"Then why were
you absent without permission～? Nozomu-kun lives in the dorms, so you could have contacted the school,
right～?"
"I had a fever
and was bedridden because of my injuries. Besides, there aren't any classmates
in this school who care about me..."
…………It makes me a little
sad just saying it myself. It's true that I don't have any friends, and there's
no way I can tell the truth.
I was trying to find
an excuse to get out of this situation, but then,
"………………sniffle"
Surprisingly, Ms. Anri
started crying.
I was bewildered by
this sudden turn of events.
"H-huh? What's
wrong?"
"Waaaaah!
Nozomu-kun doesn't trust me～～～!! Someone as unreliable and half-baked as me～～～!!!"
"E-eh? N-no,
that's not it. Why are we even talking about this?!"
"Because you
won't tell me the truth～～～!! Those injuries look
like battle wounds no matter how you look at them, and I haven't heard anything
about an accident in town, and the medicine used for your treatment isn't the
kind that's sold in this town～～!!"
…………Looks like trying to
deceive her was impossible after all.
But still, I can't
tell her the truth. The back-and-forth between me trying to somehow deceive her
and Ms. Anri trying to question me while crying continued for a while.
…………Actually, Ms. Anri's crying face is unfair.
A beautiful woman with
kind eyes welled up with tears, looking at me. And she's purely worried about
me.
Any man would probably
agree to anything if he saw that expression.
……Actually, this person
is the type who naturally makes men fall for her, and it's even worse because
she's not even aware of it herself.
"Nozomu-kun…………won't
you tell me?"
I told you that's
unfair!!!!!!!!
In the end, the bell
for the start of class ended Ms. Anri's tearful attack disguised as a lecture.
I retreated from the faculty room as if fleeing.
But Ms. Anri still
seemed dissatisfied and was sulking angrily throughout the morning classes.
………………Sorry, Ms. Anri.
"Nozomu-kun! Stop
spacing out and solve this problem～～～!"
And I was called on
intensively during class.
…………Ms. Anri, even for
you, that's childish………….
***
The afternoon was
combat skills class. Just like last time, it was a mock battle within the
class. My opponent was...
"It's you again,
bottom-dweller."
Of all people, it was
Mars again.
"You're unlucky
too, having me as your opponent again after last time. Well, it doesn't matter
who your opponent is, you can't win anyway, so you don't need to worry about
it. Hahahaha!"
Ignoring Mars, who was
as arrogant as ever, I stood in my designated position and checked my
condition.
My injuries were fine.
They had healed properly.
My katana was also
fine. It was a practice sword, but I could wield it with almost the same feel
as my beloved sword.
Ability Suppression
was…………it seemed I could release it.
But………………I won't
release it.
The Tiamat I saw in my
dream and the faint unease I felt at that time. And the premonition that
something within me would break if I released it.
Those things were
making me hesitate to unleash my shackles.
"Alright, begin～～!"
At Ms. Norn's signal,
Mars rushed towards me.
Was he planning to
crush me from the start? It seemed he was already using Ki-based body
enhancement.
Keeping my eyes on the
charging Mars, I used Ki techniques to enhance my physical abilities.
"Get
crushed!!!"
Mars tried to swing
his greatsword down from an overhead stance, but then changed it to a
horizontal slash.
I rotated my body to
gain momentum and swung my katana upwards, aiming to strike under the
greatsword. My katana struck the underside of the greatsword, deflecting Mars's
blade.
Mars immediately
corrected the trajectory of his sword and swung it down in a vertical strike.
I turned my wrist and
held my katana diagonally against Mars's descending blade. At the same time, I
relaxed my legs to absorb the impact and parried the sword strike.
Becoming a Dragon
Slayer, even with the slight increase in physical abilities, allowed me to
parry Mars's attack without losing my balance.
I stepped into his
range and unleashed a single flash of my katana.
Mars blocked it with
his gauntlet as before, but I had already anticipated that action.
At the moment my slash
landed, I deliberately relaxed my grip. The katana was blocked by the gauntlet,
but by relaxing my strength, I could immediately move to the next action.
Using the momentum of
the swing, I took another step forward, released one hand from the katana, and
with the added momentum of the step, I put all my force into a punch to Mars's
abdomen.
"Gah!"
Mars's face contorted
in agony. His body doubled over.
I grabbed Mars's
lowered head and slammed a knee into his face.
Mars staggered back,
blood spurting from his nose.
I was about to press
my attack, but...
"Y-you
scuuuummm!!!"
Along with Mars's
scream, a large amount of Ki erupted.
Pushed back by the
randomly released Ki, I temporarily retreated out of each other's range.
Mars glared at me with
a furious expression.
He had been
unexpectedly counterattacked by a weakling who had only groveled before him,
and he was completely enraged.
"I'll kill you!
You bastard!! I'll definitely kill you!!!!!!"
Still enraged, Mars
poured Ki into his greatsword. The infused Ki became fierce blades of wind,
swirling around the greatsword.
Ki Technique:
"Dust Wind Blade"
A Ki technique where
blades of wind swirling around the sword cut any approaching object.
Also, the wind around
the sword deflects the opponent's defenses, so one must either defend with a
strength that won't be blown away by the wind blades or evade them.
Mars swung the
windblade down at me.
I read the trajectory
of the blade and dodged it, but Mars immediately unleashed a series of attacks.
I continued to evade
the blades. With my current strength, even if I tried to parry Mars's sword, I
would be blown away by the surrounding wind.
But Mars's attacks,
dominated by anger, were more monotonous than during the previous mock battle,
so there was no problem in continuing to dodge.
What made that
possible was the slight increase in my physical abilities.
Under the influence of
Ability Suppression, my current physical abilities were still inferior to those
of the other students.
Even so, the slight
increase in my abilities greatly expanded the range of my fighting style.
I could only parry
before, but now, if I focused on evasion while enhancing my body, I could
somehow dodge Mars's attacks.
I felt my own growth
for sure and began preparing for my next move.
***
"What's going
on!"
I was clearly
bewildered by my opponent whose movements were completely different from
before.
"Why can't my
sword hit him!!!!"
The guy from before
couldn't move like this.
Once he received a
sword strike, he would stagger, and his evasions were just clumsy rolls on the
ground.
Recently, he seemed a
little more skillful, but the result remained the same; he would eventually
just roll clumsily on the ground.
But I couldn't see
such an outcome in this guy's current movements.
His movements
themselves were slower compared to mine, but his evasions were extremely
precise. His ability to read seemed so sharp that I wondered if he could even
see through not only my sword but also the windblades surrounding it.
Suddenly, I looked at
his face, and there was no impatience in his expression. I was certain. That
guy had completely read my sword.
"No way... is
that even possible! Something like that!!!"
He was at the very
bottom of the second year. In contrast, I was in the upper ranks in practical
skills within the year.
I was confident that
my skills would even be comparable to a B rank.
I suddenly remembered
his ability.
"Ability
Suppression"
An ability that lowers
the user's abilities below a certain level. If I remember correctly, his
strength, Ki capacity, and magic power were all restricted.
How much real ability
did a guy who could read my sword while wearing such shackles originally
possess? And how much training had that guy, who had even increased his
physical abilities while wearing such shackles, undergone?
"…………I won't
acknowledge it. There's no way I'll acknowledge it!"
My emotion crushed the
warning of reason that had calmly assessed that guy's hidden abilities.
That was my downfall.
***
Mars had always been
confident in his own strength. Born with a large amount of Ki and a superior
physique, he quickly became strong, and no one around him could defeat him.
He was still in the
tenth rank, but he had real ability. That pride in his own power clouded his
eyes.
Nozomu slightly lost
his balance to Mars's attack. Mars seized the opportunity and swung his sword
down, but it was Nozomu's trap.
Nozomu, who seemed to
have lost his balance, instantly regained it and leaped backward. Mars's sword
pierced the ground, and the windblades wrapped around the sword kicked up the
surrounding dirt, obscuring his vision.
"Damn
iiittt!!"
Panicked, Mars
released the windblades wrapped around his sword in the direction where Nozomu
seemed to be.
Ki Technique:
"Rending Dust Hammer"
The windblades became
a mass of wind and charged forward like a battering ram.
This choice
coincidentally blew away the surrounding dust and secured Mars's vision, but
the sight that jumped into his eyes at that moment showed him the error of his
choice.
Nozomu was not where
the Rending Dust Hammer had been released. He was already beside Mars.
When the dust covered
Mars's vision, he instantly activated Flash Step, sheathed his katana, and
moved to Mars's side.
Their eyes met. Nozomu
had already completed the stance for a quick draw, and Mars was left with a
large opening.
Judging that evasion
was impossible for Mars, he instinctively tried to block with his gauntlet, but
his posture was broken, and his action was slightly delayed.
The moment Nozomu's
katana was drawn.
Gooooooooong,
goooooooong, goooooooong
"Alright～～. The match is over～～～. Class is over for
today, but everyone make sure to review properly～～."
The bell for the end
of class rang, and with Ms. Anri's command, the classmates, released from the
tension of the lesson, began to talk among themselves.
Nozomu sheathed the
katana he had drawn halfway and turned on his heel.
Mars just stared at
Nozomu's back as he left the training grounds without saying a word.
"Hey, Mars. How
was today's dropout?"
"Looks like he's
okay today. Mars, weren't you holding back too much just because you couldn't
be bothered to deal with him!"
His two cronies were
saying something, but Mars didn't hear a word they said.
***
That guy is definitely
getting stronger. No, was he originally strong and we just didn't notice?
At least in
swordsmanship, he's definitely better than me. The result of today's mock
battle shows that.
"…………What is this
unsettling feeling…………"
My feelings are
restless. Anger wells up from inside my chest……why?
Is it because that guy
was hiding his abilities?
…………No. At least, I don't
feel angry when I think about him now.
Then who am I angry
at?………………That's right…………at myself.
…………I've never felt so
angry at myself before.
…………I have pride in my own
strength. At least, I hate guys who are weak and can't do anything but act
sneaky behind the scenes.
And even more than
that, I hate guys who don't resist even when they're being trampled on and just
accept it.
My feelings towards
that guy until now were exactly that. That guy who accepted being treated as
the very bottom of the year without even changing his expression. He was
exactly the kind of guy I hated the most.
But what's the
reality?
That guy was resisting
more than anyone else. I don't know the reason, but he was trying to become
stronger.
And that effort was
probably on a level that I can't even imagine.
I've never even heard
of a person with Ability Suppression having their abilities increase beyond the
limit.
What have we done to a
guy who was trying so hard to resist? We've just been showering him with
insults and mockery to vent our frustrations, haven't we?
Feeling a strong
resentment towards my past self, I continued to watch that guy leave the
training grounds.
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