Volume 2
Chapter 4
"Ah, Onee-sama!"
Somia-chan rushed over
to Irisdina-san, who gently embraced her. Irisdina-san's face was smiling, and
she seemed like a kind older sister, not the dignified person she was at the academy.
Somia-chan was talking
to Irisdina-san animatedly, and she nodded at each of Somia-chan's words with a
smile, a heartwarming scene that brought smiles to the faces of those around
them.
(So, Somia-chan's
older sister is Irisdina-san.)
Indeed, the two looked
very alike. Their hair color, eyes, and features were similar, but their
overall aura was so different that he hadn't noticed. But now that he thought
about it, the two looked very much alike.
(Irisdina-san probably
looked exactly like Somia-chan when she was little.)
Nozomu thought it
would be bad to interrupt the sisters since Somia's awaited person had arrived,
so he was about to leave. However, Somia and Irisdina, who was being pulled by
her hand, walked over to him.
"Hey, thank you
for taking care of my little sister."
"Eh, ah,
yes…………"
Irisdina smiled as she
spoke to Nozomu.
Nozomu himself was
surprised that her face wasn't twisted with the usual disgust he received from
those around him.
More than anything,
the reason he hesitated to reply was her smile. Her features were already as
refined as a work of art. If such a person smiled at him...
It wasn't the vibrant
smile that Lisa used to give him, but a clear smile like a pure stream, and Nozomu
couldn't give a proper reply.
"……? Is something
wrong?"
"N-no! It's
nothing!"
When Irisdina spoke to
the frozen Nozomu again, he finally managed to give a proper reply. However,
even though his reply was proper, his voice itself remained stiff.
"Hehe,
Nozomu-san. You were captivated by Ai-neesama's smile, weren't you?"
(S-Somia-chan!!)
Nozomu panicked at
Somia's words.
(It's true that I was
captivated, but you don't have to say it so openly in front of her!)
"Fufu, is that
so? I'm honored then."
Nozomu flusteredly
panicked because Somia had blurted out something unnecessary, but Irisdina
remained completely unfazed and immediately replied.
It seemed he had been
played by the two of them. Nozomu glared at them with a sidelong glance out of
embarrassment, but Somia stuck out her tongue to gloss over it, and Irisdina
covered her mouth and smiled. Her expression was also cute, and Nozomu ended up
forgiving them for teasing him.
(……Being beautiful is
definitely an advantage……)
"Now that I think
of it, you were in the infirmary during lunchtime today, right? Thank you for
your help at that time."
As Nozomu was thinking
that she was a more approachable person than he had thought, Irisdina thanked
him for his help during lunchtime.
"No, I just happened
to be in the infirmary... Besides, it was Ms. Norn who treated her."
"Even so, you
immediately brought medicine when you realized that the person we brought was
injured."
"Well, it's not
good to do nothing... Besides, Irisdina-san also brought someone who had
nothing to do with you to the infirmary even though she was injured."
"Well, yes. Once
I noticed, I couldn't ignore it. Besides, it's only natural to help someone
who's injured."
She was indeed a kind
person. If someone was in trouble, she would help them even if she wasn't
directly involved. That seemed to be her way.
"Help someone
who's in need." There was no pushiness or unnatural eagerness in her
words. She was probably someone who could naturally help others.
Such a person looked
dazzling and radiant to Nozomu.
***
Talking to the boy in
front of me, I still couldn't believe he was the kind of person the rumors
described.
I had heard that
someone had helped my younger sister when she was in trouble at the park
recently, but I never thought it was him.
The boy my sister
spoke so happily about and the person in the rumors were, just as I had felt in
the infirmary, vastly different.
Nozomu Bountis.
At least, no one took
that name in a positive light. The ex-boyfriend of Lisa Hounds, a classmate,
and he was someone who had betrayed her. When I asked female students I knew or
juniors, similar stories came up, and most of them held strong anger towards
him.
Lisa Hounds was a girl
with crimson hair and a bright smile, and one of the most capable students in
the academy. However, she never boasted about her talents and wouldn't tolerate
unreasonable violence, making her an attractive and likable person even from my
perspective.
The rumor that she had
been cheated on and dumped by her childhood friend and boyfriend spread during
the summer of our first year.
At that time, our
grade was abuzz with the story, and many students rushed to her side, worried
about her after being dumped by her boyfriend.
Everyone who rushed to
her side felt strong anger towards the boy who had dumped her, and according to
what I heard, there had even been something akin to a lynching.
As a fellow woman, I
also felt anger towards the boy who had betrayed her when I heard the story,
but I thought it was going too far.
I looked at the boy in
front of me. He didn't have any striking features. He was just an ordinary boy
you could find anywhere. He would probably be indistinguishable if he got lost
in a crowd.
The way he playfully
interacted with my sister, who was teasing him, was heartwarming, and my sister
seemed to be fond of him, which surprised me a little.
My family is large,
although I don't like to talk about it much, and we are what you would call a
distinguished family. We have served the country for a long time, holding
important positions and dedicating ourselves to the nation.
Along with that came
great power, so much so that it had a strong influence even within this
Solminati.
Such great power
attracted many insects trying to suck its sweet nectar.
Those insects
naturally targeted us sisters, the direct descendants of the head of the
family, approaching us with smiles like Noh masks, concealing their filthy
hearts.
Perhaps because we had
been surrounded by such greedy adults since childhood, both my sister and I
became sensitive to the malice within people, and when we talked to such
people, we would speak cheerfully while building a large wall in our hearts.
My sister and I, who
had acquired such survival skills, didn't see such a wall when my sister was
playing with him. She was showing her true self. Even as I faced him and talked
to him like this, I didn't feel any wariness towards him in my heart.
It might sound strange
coming from me, but I seem to have quite good looks, and the gazes of boys my
age often go to my chest and hips, and at the same time, I feel gazes of lust,
so I don't realy like it.
But I didn't feel any
such discomfort from him. He had panicked when my sister pointed it out, but it
was rather endearing and didn't provoke any unpleasant feelings.
A mysterious young
man. That was my first impression of him.
***
After that, the sun
set, and the evening glow began to illuminate the park, so Nozomu said goodbye
to the two of them and returned to the dormitory.
On the way back, Nozomu
recalled his conversation with Irisdina earlier and felt a little happy.
It had been a really
long time since he had talked naturally with someone his age like that.
(I don't think there
will be many opportunities to talk, but I hope we can talk again.)
As soon as he returned
to the dormitory, he prepared and left the dormitory. He was heading to Shino's
hut. Since tomorrow was a holiday, Nozomu had decided to train at night and
stay at Shino's hut. Shino's hut was in the forest, so he wouldn't be noticed
even if he released his ability suppression there. He always went there when he
released his Dragon Slayer power.
"…………?"
After leaving the
dormitory for a while, Nozomu felt a strange gaze. Someone had been following
him ever since he left the dormitory.
He thought it might be
someone from the academy who didn't like him, but there was no hostility in the
gaze, so that didn't seem to be the case.
Even after leaving the
town, they were still following him. Since he only sensed one gaze, it seemed only
one person was following him.
(Maybe I can shake
them off if I go into the forest.)
However, shaking them
off carelessly could lead to troublesome consequences later, so Nozomu
continued straight into the forest, heading to the hut as usual.
He walked through the
forest for a while, and after confirming that he no longer felt the gaze, he
stopped.
"Phew, it seems
they're gone. But who could it have been?"
Nozomu thought about
the owner of the gaze, but no answer came to mind. However, considering the
reasons why he might be followed like this, he could make a guess, but that
guess was not a welcome one.
(Could it be that they
found out I'm a Dragon Slayer?)
That would be very bad
for Nozomu. If that were the case, he couldn't predict how the governments of
various countries would react.
(But if that were the
case, they would have followed me to the end, right? I can't imagine them
stopping the pursuit just because I entered the forest.)
He made various
guesses himself, but the current Nozomu couldn't come up with an answer, and in
the end, he just headed straight to Shino's hut.
***
"So he really did
go to the forest."
The one who had been
following Nozomu was Mars. He had confirmed that Nozomu was going into the
forest, and then he had intended to corner him so he couldn't deny it and then
question him about various things.
However, his target
had entered the forest, and judging it dangerous to enter the forest alone, he
had turned back before entering.
"He got into the
forest, but oh well. Tomorrow is thankfully a holiday. It'll be perfect to
interrogate him."
Mars had never
intended to enter the forest, where magical beasts roamed, alone in the first
place.
He had thought that if
he could confirm the fact that Nozomu had entered the forest alone this time,
he could use that fact to interrogate him, and he had other methods in mind as
well. Quite forceful methods, though...
***
Arriving at Shino's
hut, Nozomu put his luggage inside and started cleaning.
While cleaning, a
memorial tablet and a single katana placed on a shelf came into Nozomu's
vision. It was the katana Shino used to wield.
After Shino's death,
Nozomu was organizing her belongings in the hut when he found a letter addressed
to him.
It simply said,
"I leave my katana to you."
She probably intended
to convey everything she would have written in a will in person before her
death. When Nozomu saw this letter, he thought that such a straightforward
approach was typical of his master.
However, Nozomu still
didn't use that katana. Another katana, Shino's spare, which had been stored in
the shed, hung at his waist.
Nozomu still thought
that he, who was still running away, was not worthy of wielding Shino's katana.
However...
(Master... I can't
wield this katana yet, but someday, for sure...)
***
Once the cleaning was
finished, Nozomu began to practice his sword swings. From a natural stance, he
instantly drew his katana, the drawn blade slicing through the air. He immediately
reversed the blade and unleashed a returning strike. Without losing the
momentum of the returned blade, he connected it to a series of continuous
attacks.
Left upward slash,
reverse diagonal slash, horizontal sweep...
The flowing weight
transfer through his gliding steps and the coordination of his core muscles
seamlessly linked these slashes.
While performing the
continuous attacks, Nozomu immersed himself within.
Eventually, the
surrounding sounds faded away, and completely within his own world, he swung
his katana, refining his slashes.
Then, he activated his
body enhancement and incorporated Ki techniques into his forms. He slashed,
coating the blade with Ki, and immediately sheathed his katana. He unleashed
"Vibration Strike" and transitioned into unarmed combat.
Straight punch, a
stepping elbow strike, a sweeping foot strike while rotating his body and
lowering his waist, followed by a sheath strike.
He linked the
continuous attacks from drawing his katana with unarmed combat, continuing to
dance as if in a ceaseless performance.
Finally, he swung his
katana down with a single powerful motion. The air was torn apart, and a gentle
breeze stirred his hair as Nozomu held his finishing stance.
Having straightened
his posture, Nozomu sheathed his katana and closed his eyes. From here on, he
had to be extremely careful, or he would die instantly.
Nozomu once again
immersed himself within. Eventually, he saw the chains wrapped around his body.
These were the materialized chains of Nozomu's ability, "Ability
Suppression."
What he was about to
do was release his Ability Suppression and control the Dragon Slayer power.
"…………Phew……"
He regulated his
breathing and placed his hands on the chains.
If he failed to
control it, he would unleash the Dragon King of Destruction, and at that time,
Nozomu would undoubtedly not get away unscathed.
However, he couldn't
turn a blind eye. If he left it uncontrolled and something irreversible
happened, and if it affected not only himself but also Ms. Anri, Ms. Norn,
Irisdina-san, and Somia-chan, he would regret it for the rest of his life, and
that wouldn't be the end of it!!
Nozomu steeled his
resolve and released the chains binding him.
At that moment, the
released power instantly filled Nozomu's body, overflowing from him as it
couldn't be contained.
"Gu,
guuuuuu!"
Nozomu gritted his
teeth and endured, but the overwhelming power threatened to wash away his
consciousness in an instant, and beads of sweat appeared on his body.
Such immense power
could easily destroy the mind of a single, insignificant human, but Nozomu's
spirit somehow held on.
Having become a Dragon
Slayer and obtained a portion of Tiamat's power, Nozomu might have gained some
resistance to that power.
However, his limit
eventually arrived. Nozomu, who had been desperately resisting, finally
couldn't endure any longer and wrapped the chains that bound him around his
body again.
"Ku! Haah haah
haah haah…………"
As Ability Suppression
sealed Tiamat's power, Nozomu collapsed on the spot.
His whole body
trembled from the rush of cold sweat and the recoil of the power, and it didn't
seem like it would stop anytime soon.
(As expected, even
with all the suppression, about two minutes is my limit... damn it!)
Nozomu lay down on his
back as he was.
The result was not
good. As expected, two minutes was his limit, and there was no sign that he
could control it any further.
Anxiety was visible on
Nozomu's face due to his lack of control, which showed no signs of improving.
***
In the end, that day's
training yielded no further results, and Nozomu set out on his way back the
next morning.
When Nozomu arrived in
front of his room in the dormitory, an unexpected person greeted him.
"Yo, you're
pretty late."
Leaning against the
door of Nozomu's room was Mars.
"……Do you need
something?"
"Yeah, lend me
your ear for a bit."
Mars told Nozomu in a
tone that brooked no argument.
"What is it? I
just got back from work and I'm sleepy."
He couldn't talk about
being in the forest and training his Dragon Slayer powers there, so Nozomu
lied, saying he had been working until morning.
"Hmph, work, huh?
Is that something you do in the forest? If I recall correctly, you don't have
the rank to take on jobs in the forest. So, why were you in the forest?"
At Mars's words,
Nozomu's mind went blank for a moment.
(How did he find out?
Could it be that the one who was following me yesterday was…………)
"Could it be that
the one who was following me yesterday was…………"
"Yeah, it was me.
…But, so you did notice after all. Then that's perfect, there's something I
want to ask you. Come with me."
Mars turned his back
and started walking. Nozomu had no choice but to follow that back.
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