Volume 2
Chapter 5
The place Mars had brought Nozomu was the outskirts of the town. The sun had already risen high, and the gradually warming sunlight spread the pleasant spring air throughout the town.
Arcazam was surrounded
by walls to prevent the invasion of magical beasts and other creatures
inhabiting the surrounding forests.
Furthermore, the walls
were built at a considerable distance from the town. This was to allow for the
deployment of large-scale troops in the event of a major invasion and to serve
as a storage place for supplies to maintain those troops.
Also, because it was
far from the town, the possibility of being seen by people was considerably
lower than in the forest, though not as low as deep within the woods.
There, Nozomu and Mars
stood facing each other.
***
Mars drew the
greatsword he carried on his back and suddenly swung it at Nozomu.
"Tch!"
Nozomu drew his
katana, struck the side of Mars's greatsword, and simultaneously evaded by
moving around to his opponent's flank.
"Hey, what's this
all of a sudden!"
Ki filled Mars's body
and it was clearly a combat stance. Nozomu was confused and questioned Mars.
Even though he had expected to be questioned about the forest and himself, he
hadn't expected a sword to be suddenly pointed at him.
"Nothing much,
just need you to answer my questions."
"Then why point a
sword at me!"
Mars didn't answer
Nozomu's question and continued to attack. Nozomu had no choice but to
intercept. The sound of their clashing swords echoed.
Mars used his enhanced
physical abilities to unleash a series of attacks that were hard to believe
came from a greatsword user.
The sword's trajectory
was a three-strike combo of an upward diagonal slash, a horizontal sweep, and a
downward diagonal slash. The sword movements were fluid, and the power was
considerable, suggesting that Mars's skill as a greatsword user was at a high
level.
A combo attack with a
heavy weapon like a greatsword was a very advanced technique. With mediocre
physical abilities, one would be at the mercy of the greatsword's weight and
wouldn't be able to unleash such a fluid combo.
However, Mars
delivered powerful slashes with considerable speed.
Nozomu dodged the
initial upward diagonal slash by turning his body sideways and avoided the
horizontal sweep by crouching.
For the final downward
diagonal slash, he took a step diagonally forward while holding his katana
diagonally against Mars's blade trajectory, changing the vector of the force he
received from diagonal to horizontal, and then moved his body in the direction
of his step, moving to Mars's flank.
Nozomu used the
momentum of his movement to slash at Mars, but Mars seemed to have anticipated
it, as his greatsword intercepted Nozomu's blade trajectory, resulting in a
high-pitched clang.
Nozomu didn't mind the
parry and continued his combo attack. The distance was slightly inside Mars's
greatsword range, just barely within reach of Nozomu's katana.
Nozomu's combo was
even more efficient than Mars's, lacking in speed and power but without any
openings, preventing Mars from carelessly switching to offense.
Unable to attack, Mars
reluctantly used his greatsword skillfully to parry Nozomu's continuous
attacks.
Since he was holding
the greatsword with both hands, Mars's hands were occupied. He heightened his
Ki and released it from his body. The technique had no name. He simply released
his Ki, but Mars, with his abundant Ki, managed to slightly slow down Nozomu's
combo.
In that opening, Mars
focused his Ki in one hand and punched Nozomu away.
Mars's fist,
possessing superior physical abilities and enhanced with Ki, was comparable to
the strike of a magical beast. For Nozomu, under the influence of Ability
Suppression and not fully benefiting from Ki enhancement, it was an unavoidable
blow.
Nozomu blocked Mars's
fist with his scabbard and deflected the force by flying backward.
The moment Nozomu
landed, Mars pursued him. Closing the distance with Flash Step, he activated
the Ki technique "Dust Wind Blade." He tried to slam the wind blades
swirling around his greatsword, along with the greatsword itself, into Nozomu,
but Nozomu, the moment he landed, also activated Flash Step. He focused his Ki
in his legs, enhancing his leg strength to its limit, and charged straight at
Mars.
"What!!"
Mars hadn't expected
him to charge straight at him.
That was only natural.
Even when Nozomu attacked until now, he would first parry and then attack.
Nozomu had hardly ever
attacked first even in mock battles.
This was because his
instantaneous power, necessary for attacking, was restricted by the influence
of Ability Suppression.
Because Mars's
downward swing of the greatsword had gained too much momentum, he couldn't take
any other action.
Nozomu's speed
surpassed the speed of the greatsword approaching his head, encroaching on
Mars's range. This was due to Nozomu's unexpected movement slightly dulling
Mars's sword path.
Before Mars's
greatsword could reach him, Nozomu moved inside his greatsword's reach and
struck Mars's swinging arm with an elbow strike.
"Guh!"
Mars's expression was
distorted because he was attacked in a part not protected by his gauntlet.
Mars released one hand
from the greatsword and focused his Ki, creating a mass of wind in his fist.
Mars released that
mass of wind at point-blank range to Nozomu.
Ki Technique:
"Wind Mass Palm"
A wind-attribute Ki
technique that releases a mass of wind at once to blow away the opponent.
It is also a versatile
Ki technique that can be applied to increase striking power utilizing the mass
of wind.
The released wind blew
Nozomu away, creating a large distance between them again, leading to a reset.
They glared at each
other from outside each other's range, gauging their own and their opponent's
reach. However, time passed without either of them stepping forward.
Mars was once again
impressed by Nozomu's skill.
***
(I see... so in pure
swordsmanship, he's the better one after all...)
Even though I'm
overwhelmingly stronger in terms of power, I can't push through. After the
initial slash, I unleashed a speed-focused combo, but it was all either dodged
or parried. If I tried to force my way through with brute strength, I'd
immediately get countered.
My sword could corner
him, but it couldn't finish him.
I want to know. The
reason why he became this strong, so that I can become even stronger.
More, more, even
stronger……………….
For that, I have to
know him. This man who has become unbelievably strong………….
***
They faced each other
with swords drawn, neither looking away, maintaining a state of readiness. But
then, Mars let out a "phew," dispersed the Ki he had been building
up, and sheathed his sword.
"Sorry about
that. Suddenly attacking you."
Nozomu, while
wondering why Mars, who had been so eager to fight, had sheathed his sword,
also sheathed his katana for the time being.
"……There's
something I want to ask you. …………Since when have you been going into the
forest?"
Mars stared straight
at Nozomu. His eyes eloquently said that he wouldn't let him get away with any
excuses.
To be honest, Nozomu
didn't have any concrete plan for what to do if his identity as a Dragon Slayer
was revealed. To be precise, he knew it would be bad if it was revealed, but he
hadn't come up with any thoughts on what he wanted to do with this power or
what he should do.
He was aware that he
had been running away and thought that things couldn't continue like this, but
having lost the goal of "helping Lisa's dream" and having no reason
to stay at this academy, Nozomu had no concrete idea of what he wanted to do.
This loss of a
"purpose to become stronger" was something Shino had worried about,
just like his "unconscious escape," and now that he was aware of his
unconscious escape, it was the biggest reason why Nozomu still couldn't move
forward.
That's why Nozomu felt
a strong emotion akin to longing for people like Irisdina, who said "I'll
help anyone in need," and Somia, who said "I want to catch up to my
older sister," people who were moving forward towards their goals.
"Let's see... I
started going into the forest around the summer to fall of my first year.
…………Well, at that time... there were things about Lisa... all sorts of
things..."
In response to Mars's
questioning, Nozomu decided to say something innocuous for the time being.
Thinking carefully, since the presence that had been following him yesterday
had disappeared when he entered the forest, Nozomu figured that he hadn't
directly seen his Dragon Slayer power.
"…………I'm
speechless. You've been going into the forest alone since that time?"
Mars was dumbfounded
at Nozomu's nod and looked up at the sky. The academy prevented students from
entering the forest unless they met certain conditions because it was
dangerous, and the students themselves didn't do such things. Occasionally,
there were reckless students who ignored the warnings, but most of them ended
up seriously injured and needing bed care, or at worst, becoming food for
magical beasts and disappearing.
Students were, after
all, inexperienced. No matter how high their abilities or combat skills were,
they couldn't survive without proper judgment. This fact was made known to the
students every year through the sacrifices of several reckless students.
"But that makes
sense. Your unusually precise movements and judgment were honed in the
forest."
Indeed, Mars's words
were correct. For a while after becoming Shino's disciple, he was made to run
through the forest relentlessly, and naturally, he was attacked by magical
beasts.
The magical beasts
that attacked him were all classified as low-rank, but Nozomu at the time,
while his physical abilities hadn't changed much at the time, was immature in
swordsmanship, Ki techniques, tactics, and judgment. No matter how low-rank
they were, he had no chance of winning.
That's why it was
crucial for him to escape.
He would enter rivers
to erase his scent, camouflage himself with leaves on his body, and climb trees
to wait it out.
Nozomu's judgment on
the battlefield was something he naturally acquired while thinking, judging,
and executing various things to survive at that time.
The movements during
the group mock battle the day before yesterday were also like that. He would
constantly move to avoid being surrounded, repeating one-on-one engagements.
This was something he
had learned while fighting magical beasts that hunted in packs, like Wild Dogs.
And then there were
mock battles with Shino.
Fighting Shino, who
possessed extraordinary power, meant that even a slight delay in action would
result in immediate incapacitation, and a wrong judgment would lead to defeat.
He was in such an
environment. He would gain judgment skills whether he liked it or not.
"So, why did you
call me out here, Mars? Don't tell me you suddenly attacked me just to ask
about that. Hey."
Nozomu glared at Mars
with a sharp look. It was only natural. Nozomu was completely innocent. He had
been suddenly called out and suddenly attacked. It was a natural reaction.
"Uh, well,
um..."
Mars seemed to be
aware that he had done something unreasonable. Mars's tone became hesitant.
"???"
Nozomu tilted his
head, confused by Mars's sudden stammering.
However, judging from
Mars's hesitant demeanor, he didn't seem to know that Nozomu was a Dragon
Slayer at al. He just seemed to feel awkward about suddenly attacking him.
Considering how
directly he had asked about Nozomu going into the forest, Nozomu couldn't
imagine him hesitating when it came to swords or strength.
Nozomu was relieved
for the time being, as it seemed his identity as a Dragon Slayer hadn't been
discovered.
"W-what I mean to
say is—" "Aaaaaaaaaa! What are you doing, Onii-chan!!"
"Gah!"
A sudden loud voice
interrupted Mars's words. Looking towards the voice, a girl with features very
similar to Mars's came running towards them. An angry expression was plastered
on the girl's face, and her gaze was directed at Mars. Apparently, this girl
was Mars's younger sister.
"Onii-chan!! What
were you trying to do, calling someone out to a place like this with no one
around!!!"
"N-nothing! And
why are you even here?!"
"Because
Onii-chan left this morning with such a scowl on your face, I thought nothing
good would come of it, so I followed you. And just as I thought, you're trying
to mug someone here..."
As the girl said this,
raising her eyebrows with her fingers, Mars retorted as if he had been deeply
wronged.
"That's not it!
Why would I be trying to mug someone?!"
"Considering
everything Onii-chan has done up until now, it's the only logical conclusion!
Do you have any idea how many times Mom and I have had to bow our heads to the
people you've caused trouble for?!"
"Ugh!"
Indeed, Mars was
recognized by those around him as an uncontrollable delinquent. Despite having
the potential to be in a higher class, the fact that he was still in the 10th
tier showed just how bad his usual behavior was.
However, Mars seemed
to be weak against his younger sister, as he had been on the defensive since
earlier.
Even when he tried to
argue back a little, he was immediately shut down with logical reasoning. Mars
himself probably knew that his behavior was bad and was aware that he was
causing trouble for his family, as he eventually stopped arguing, and his
sister's one-sided verbal assault unfolded.
"My favorite
store banned us because of Onii-chan's rampage!" "I got treated like
a boss by kids my age in the neighborhood because of Onii-chan!" "I
had to apologize to the neighbors for a whole day and night because of
Onii-chan!" and so on. The stories just kept coming, so much so that it
made you wonder how much he had actually done.
Mars himself groaned
"ugh!" or "muu!" every time a story came out, looking like
he was being stabbed repeatedly with some kind of spear.
Eventually, the topic
shifted to Mars's embarrassing old stories.
"His last
bedwetting was later than mine," or "He said he wanted to ride a
horse, so he jumped onto a carriage horse, and the horse got scared and went on
a rampage. It turned into a big chase involving all the men in the
neighborhood."
Perhaps because his
past shames were being exposed, Mars finally couldn't take it anymore and
slumped down with both hands on the ground. Even though it was his own fault,
it was a pathetic sight to see.
The girl, who had been
thoroughly tormenting Mars, came over to Nozomu after confirming Mars's defeat.
"I'm sorry. My
foolish older brother has caused you trouble."
"Ah, no, it's
alright... but, is your brother okay?"
"Yes. If I don't
do this, my brother won't reflect on his actions. Besides, I've been through
quite a lot because of him. This much is only natural retribution."
"I-I
see…………"
Nozomu, feeling sorry
for Mars who had been thoroughly tormented, tried to somehow soothe the girl,
but she cut him off decisively.
Nozomu, who had been
angry at Mars for suddenly attacking him, was completely taken aback by the
girl who had so mercilessly dismissed her own brother, even if he was a
delinquent.
"Oh, sorry for
the late introduction. I'm Ena, the younger sister of that idiot who's dying
over there."
"Ah, nice to meet
you. I'm Nozomu Bountis, Mars's classmate."
Unlike Mars, the girl
greeted him politely. Perhaps because she had suffered so much because of her
brother, she was quite a mature girl.
"My foolish
brother has caused you trouble today. I would really like to apologize, so
would you please come to our family's shop? We run an inn with a bar, so we can
at least treat you to lunch."
The girl asked to
apologize. Nozomu said he didn't need an apology, but Ena insisted quite
strongly, saying, "Since he caused you trouble, we have to make things
right." Feeling it would be rude to refuse strongly, Nozomu decided to
accept her invitation.
"Well, okay, but
what about Mars?"
"Oh, that's
right. Onii-chan, you're in the way, so hurry up and walk!"
Ena kicked Mars. Mars
protested, "What are you doing?!" but was disheartened by his younger
sister's glare and trudged along behind them.
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