Volume 2
Chapter 1
The morning sun illuminated the cityscape of Arcazam.
Listening to the
chirping of birds bathed in the morning light, the people of the city began
their respective days.
The city streets were
filled with people, diligently working to earn their daily bread.
A lone boy walked
along a road where such people came and went.
His name was Nozomu
Bountis.
A student belonging to
the third grade of Solminati Academy, located in the heart of Arcazam.
A month had passed
since his duel with his master. He had somehow managed to advance to the third
grade.
"Still... I can't
believe I actually got promoted to the next grade."
The duel with Shino
had taken place two days before the end-of-year exams, and the injuries he
sustained at that time prevented him from doing any last-minute cramming,
making the exams more difficult than he had anticipated.
His improved physical
abilities were of no use, and he failed almost all of the practical exams. The
written exams also didn't go well as he kept remembering Shino, and as a
result, he ended up having to take supplementary exams in three subjects.
"Because of that,
I'm still at the bottom... well, at least I somehow passed..."
Incidentally, the
number of supplementary exams he had to take was undoubtedly the highest in the
academy's history.
As a result, his class
ranking was once again the lowest, the 10th tier. His grades upon entering the
academy were also overwhelmingly the lowest, and he was still treated as a
dropout in his class.
(But, maybe it's
better this way for now... that Dragon Slayer power... it's too immense.)
Yes, since his battle
with Shino, he had not released the Dragon Slayer power, or rather, the release
of his Ability Suppression, in front of anyone.
He had tried releasing
his Ability Suppression a few times in Shino's hut after entering the third
grade, but he couldn't control it properly.
While his physical
abilities drastically increased with the released power, the overwhelming
strength amplified all his techniques too much, making even simply punching
something, let alone his originally lethal techniques, something he couldn't
easily use in his student life.
(Just punching turns
rocks to dust, it's totally unusable.)
(Besides... there's
also that guy.)
What he recalled was
the Dragon King of Destruction, Tiamat, within him. Every time he released his
Ability Suppression, it rampaged inside his body, trying to devour his flesh.
Having once fought it
in the spiritual world and succeeded in absorbing a portion of its power, he
wouldn't be immediately devoured upon release, but even so, the time limit for
being able to release his Ability Suppression was at most two minutes.
Even those two minutes
were only possible because Nozomu somehow managed to suppress the power after
releasing it. If he released it without any control, his mind would be crushed
by the power or his body would collapse within ten-odd seconds.
(Anyway, I need to
think about what to do from now on.)
About the academy,
about the Dragon Slayer, about Lisa.
He had encountered
Lisa several times since advancing to the third grade, but she still either
ignored him or directed hostility towards him.
Nozomu couldn't say
anything to her either, and could only stand still in her presence.
(…………I'm still running
away……)
Nozomu was still
unable to take a step forward. However, even though he was still running away,
he had become fully aware of "the fact that he was running away."
What Shino had
conveyed to him at the risk of her life had certainly sprouted a small bud
within him and was beginning to take root.
***
Third grade, 10th
tier. In this class, Nozomu Bountis was still treated the same way.
"What? That guy's
still here?" "Because of him, we're being treated like we're on the same
level as that thing, give me a break." "Seriously, that guy had to
take supplementary exams three times, doesn't he get his limits?"
As he entered the
classroom, the usual jeers were directed at him. He sat down at his desk while
listening to those voices and took out his textbook to begin preparing for the
lesson.
A few minutes later,
"Hey Mars, let's
go to that place today, that girl's there. Sounds good, right?"
"You were after
that girl at that place? You're out of her league. Give it up."
"…………You guys
never get tired of this……"
Mars and his cronies
had entered.
It seemed they were
talking about a place to stop by after school, but Mars didn't seem interested
in the conversation.
"Hey Mars, what's
up with you lately? You're no fun."
"Yeah, you've
been awfully quiet lately."
"…………Shut up,
it's nothing."
Mars ignored his two
cronies' complaints and went to his seat. On the way, he noticed Nozomu.
"Tch……"
Mars looked at Nozomu.
His eyes didn't hold the usual mockery and disdain he had shown Nozomu before.
Instead, there was a seriousness, as if he were trying to ascertain and discern
something.
"Alright everyone～～. Morning homeroom is
starting now～～～～"
The students in the
classroom took their seats as Ms. Anri arrived. Even after the morning meeting
ended and classes began, Mars couldn't get Nozomu out of his head.
***
That guy is here.
That's obvious, this is his class after all. But I couldn't shake the question
within me.
Why is that guy in
this lowest-ranked class? With his current ability, he should be in a higher
class than the 10th tier, at least.
In the mock battle at
the end of the semester, that guy cornered me to the point where he could have
finished me.
No, I lost to him at
that time. I lost my composure and was outmaneuvered. If it had been a real
battlefield, I would have been killed by him then.
It's not an excuse,
but my practical skills are quite good. Good enough to hold my own against even
fourth-year students.
Why is that guy, who
can beat me, in the 10th tier?
"Come to think of
it, he apparently got injured before the exams. Something about tripping on the
stairs while carrying luggage."
"What an idiot～～. Well, that sounds
like that slowpoke."
……Injured? That guy?
Over something like that?
The questions I had
been feeling swelled up within me. No matter how badly he fell down the stairs,
that guy wouldn't sustain such serious injuries. Even when he was blown away by
my Ki-enhanced sword strikes in the mock battle, he didn't suffer any
significant injuries and attended class normally the next day.
For that guy to get
injured so badly before the most important exams like the end-of-year exams?
At that moment, I was
certain that there was something more about that guy.
***
The morning classes
ended, and lunchtime began. The students were spending their short break with
their friends in their own ways.
Nozomu bought some
bread at the school store and was looking for a place to eat it.
Incidentally, this
academy had a rather large cafeteria for its growing students, and the student
store was correspondingly large, but the popular items were always in short
supply for the hungry students, making it a constant battleground.
Moreover, since the
students were all quite capable, it could potentially turn into a real
battlefield with magic flying around.
However, unpopular
items were more likely to be left over and easily obtainable.
Nozomu always bought
the leftover bread at the store and walked around the school building
aimlessly.
When he happened to
look into the courtyard, he saw a crowd, and in the center were two beautiful
girls eating.
Nozomu knew those two.
They were famous students.
One was Irisdina
Francilt.
Long, glossy black
hair that reached her waist, and overly refined features. Captivating black
eyes that resembled her hair, and a dignified expression.
She was a student in
the same third grade as Nozomu, called the "Black-Haired Princess,"
and a talented woman who was at the top of her grade in overall academic
performance.
The other was Tima
Lime.
Like Irisdina, she was
a student in the third grade, 1st tier, and a talented woman called the
"Weaver of the Four Tones."
She had
shoulder-length brown hair, and her appearance gave a more delicate impression
compared to Irisdina.
She possessed an
extremely vast amount of magic power, said to be of legendary level.
Also, her ability gave
her a high aptitude for the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind,
leading to her title, "Concerto of the Four Tones," which became her
alias.
They were students who
represented the third grade and were among the few students in this academy who
had reached A rank.
Incidentally, Nozomu's
rank was still D-, a lower rank than even the second-year students, let alone
the third-year ones.
"Nozomu-kuuun, I
found you～～～～"
(Ugh, that voice.)
While looking at them,
he was called out in a drawn-out voice from the side. When he looked closely, Ms.
Anri and Ms. Norn were approaching him.
Ms. Anri was waving
her hand energetically like a child, and Ms. Norn was wryly smiling at Ms.
Anri.
"Nozomu-kun,
haven't you had lunch yet～～? If you don't mind, won't you eat with us～～"
"Sorry,
Nozomu-kun. Anri insisted on having lunch with you. If you don't mind, would
you keep us company?"
Ms. Anri and Ms. Norn
invited him with smiles. Both of their smiles were captivating, but unlike Ms.
Norn, Ms. Anri's smile held a strong, almost forceful aura. Her expression
clearly stated that she would take Nozomu with them no matter what.
(Ms. Anri…………she still
hasn't given up…………)
Cold sweat broke out
on Nozomu's forehead at Anri's smile, but he couldn't go against them and was
taken away.
The place Nozomu was
taken to was the infirmary, Ms. Norn's workplace.
Actually, since
becoming a third-year student, Nozomu had occasionally been caught by Ms. Anri
and brought to this infirmary. The reason was,
"Hey Nozomu-kun,
why were you so injured during the second-year end-of-semester exams～～～～"
"As I told you
before, Ms. Anri, it was because—" "You said you fell down the stairs～～?" "Yes,
that's right."
Barely having started
his lunch, Anri began to interrogate Nozomu.
Yes, for the past
month, she had been constantly questioning him about the injuries from his duel
with Shino.
"Lying is bad～～. Because those
injuries, they were sword wounds, right? I can't just ignore it if you're
getting hurt like that."
"…………"
"Anri is right,
Nozomu-kun. After repeating such injuries and clearly having wounds from being
cut by someone, we can't just overlook it."
"……………………"
Nozomu said nothing.
He couldn't possibly talk about what had happened between him and Shino or
about his Dragon Slayer power.
But he couldn't make
any more excuses either. After the exchanges over the past month, he didn't
know how to explain himself any further.
"…………What will
you do if I don't? Will you force the truth out of me and hand me over to the
military police?"
Out of frustration at
the impasse, a harsh remark unintentionally escaped his lips.
"That's not it～～! I'm just worried～～～～～～!!"
"That's right!
Both Anri and I are simply worried about you!!"
(Ah, I'm running away
again. I didn't mean to say something like that...)
"…………I'm sorry……I
went too far."
"No, it's okay.
We were a little too forceful too."
An unpleasant
atmosphere filled the infirmary.
"…………Hey～～, Nozomu-kun. Are we
really that unreliable?"
Ms. Anri asked in a
sad voice, and Nozomu felt a pang in his heart at her expression.
He just couldn't bring
himself to open up. Perhaps he had become somewhat distrustful of people
because of the constant ridicule he had endured.
(…………I don't want to
see her make that face.………………I can't tell her everything……but I'll tell her
what I can.)
That face slightly
overlapped with the face of his master during their duel. The face of the woman
who looked like she was about to cry because her feelings weren't understood.
"It's not that
you're unreliable at all. I understand that you're worried about me, and that
you care, and………… I'm genuinely happy about that…… I don't have anyone else who
would have lunch with me like this."
Nozomu began to convey
his feelings slowly but firmly. He didn't want Anri to make the same face Shino
had made.
"At that time,
there were certainly many things that happened to me. So many things that even
now, I haven't been able to sort them all out within myself."
He looked straight
into the eyes of the two teachers and spoke each word carefully.
"But, I learned
something important. Something necessary for me to move forward from now on…………
I'm sorry, this is all I can say right now."
Nozomu bowed deeply.
He was frustrated with his own weakness for only being able to say this much,
but he still tried to convey his sincerity as much as possible.
"…………I
understand. Anri, he says so, let's just wait until he's ready to talk."
"………………But～～"
"I know you're
worried, but it's not the time yet. He hasn't sorted things out himself
yet."
"……………………I
understand……"
Anri seemed to have
finally understood, but she still looked at Nozomu with a worried expression.
"I'm sorry, Ms.
Anri."
"…………I know～～. That something
terrible happened to Nozomu-kun～～～～. I'm sorry～～. Forcing you to talk
like this～～"
"No…… I was happy
that you were worried about me. And Ms. Norn, thank you."
"It's okay. We
were a little too impatient too. We knew something terrible had happened to
you, but we didn't know what to do at all."
The atmosphere
softened, and the expressions of the three people brightened slightly.
"Well then, shall
we finish our lunch? The bell for the start of class will ring soon, and we
can't afford to waste our time. It would be a scandal if teachers were late
after meeting up with a student."
"Hehe, that's
true～～. Let's eat quickly～～"
"Yes, if we don't
eat quickly, rumors might spread. I wouldn't mind though."
They joked with each
other, the atmosphere became amicable, and the three began to enjoy the rest of
their lunch together.
However, at that
moment, a shadow rushed into the infirmary.
"Excuse me, Ms.
Norn, someone's injured. Could you please treat them?"
The person who entered
was a beautiful girl with long, glossy black hair and deep, jet-black eyes.
Irisdina Francilt was
there, supporting a student who appeared to be injured.
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