Volume 3
Chapter 1
The main street of Arcazam in the early morning.
This street, which led
to the main gate of Solminati Academy, was bustling with many students on their
way to school.
Among the large crowd
of students were two male students.
One was a boy with an
Eastern sword at his waist, Nozomu Bountis. A third-year student at Solminati
Academy who ranked last overall among the male students.
The other was a large
boy carrying a greatsword on his back, Mars Dickens. Also a third-year student
like Nozomu, he was in the lowest-ranked class due to his bad behavior despite
his strength.
As the two walked
towards the academy, they overheard some of the other students heading to
school talking about a certain rumor.
***
"Hey, did you
hear? Apparently, a magic item exploded at Irisdina-san's mansion."
"Yes, I heard.
It's quite a commotion in town. But I'm glad to hear that no one was injured or
killed."
Several days after the
incident at the Francilt mansion, the story of that commotion began to
circulate in Solminati Academy and Arcazam in a modified form.
Apparently, a magic
item at the Francilt residence had gone berserk, completely sealing off the
mansion with magic barrier and trapping the people inside.
However, it was said
that Irisdina-san destroyed the magic item that was the cause, and the
situation was resolved...
"Nozomu, this
story about that incident is getting strange. ...Do you think the Francilt
family spread this rumor?"
Mars asked me in a
small voice so that those around us wouldn't hear.
"I don't know.
Irisdina-san herself might not care if this matter becomes public, but I doubt
that the people around a family as large as the Francilts would remain
silent."
The incident from a
few days ago was something the Francilt family wouldn't want to be known. It's
possible they fabricated something plausible to cover up the truth.
"…………But isn't it
okay now? At least Somia-chan was safe."
"Well,
yeah."
Mars replied, agreeing
with my opinion.
I don't really
understand the inner workings of the Francilt family or the obligations of
nobles. I fought back then simply because I wanted to protect my friends.
There were times when
I thought it was over, but as a result, I was able to see her smile again.
But………….
"I wonder if
Somia-chan is alright... I hope she doesn't have any side effects."
Even though she
returned to normal quickly, her soul had been extracted once. On top of that, a
strange magic item was fused with her soul. Nozomu was worried that she might
have some kind of side effects.
"The doctor said
there's no problem... but are you still worried?"
"...Yeah. I'll
ask her next time I have the chance."
***
Even after that
incident, Solminati Academy was holding classes as usual.
The morning class was
Professor Norn's magic class.
The content was
applied techniques of enchantment magic. Even though Nozomu himself couldn't
use magic, as someone who somehow managed to advance through written exams, he
couldn't neglect it even if he couldn't use it.
Incidentally, Mars,
who excelled in practical skills, was bad at this type of class and was
groaning throughout the lesson.
Mars himself had a
decent amount of magic power, but classes related to magic, such as the
construction of spell formulas and the interference between attributes, were
all about using his head, so it was difficult content for the simple physical
type like Mars.
In the classroom
during lunchtime, after the morning classes were over. Classmates were eating
their lunch as they pleased.
Since reconciling,
Mars and Nozomu often ate together unless they had other business.
"Nozomu, what are
you having for lunch?"
"I've already
bought some at the store. What about you, Mars?"
"I have a bento I
brought from home."
Saying that, Mars
raised the package containing his bento.
Nozomu recalled the
hole rabbit steak he had eaten before. If it was a bento from the owner of that
Ox Head Inn, it would probably be quite delicious.
(For now, let's eat
somewhere convenient...)
"Mars, where
should we eat lunch-" "Excuse me, is Nozomu Bountis here?"
"...Huh?"
Because his name was
called by a voice he had often heard recently, Nozomu looked towards the source
of the voice, and there were two beautiful girls.
One was Irisdina
Francilt, a girl with jet-black hair and a perfect figure, exuding an aura of
confidence beyond that.
The other was Tima
Lime, a girl with neatly trimmed brown hair at her shoulders, possessing looks
no less striking than Irisdina-san.
"““““““““““………………”””””””””””
The classmates in the
classroom were all frozen.
Certainly, there was
no need for such talented and beautiful girls to come to the lowest-ranked
10th-class classroom, and it had never happened before.
What confused the
classmates even more was…………
"H-hey. Didn't
she just call that guy's name?" "Y-yeah. I heard it too."
"Why is that guy acquainted with the Black-Haired Princess...?"
It was because the
name she called was Nozomu's. Normally, it was unimaginable that the
top-ranked, beautiful girl and the lowest-ranked, ordinary Nozomu would be
acquaintances.
Nozomu himself was
completely frozen by this unexpected situation.
Irisdina, who had been
looking around the classroom, confirmed Nozomu's appearance and approached him
with a smile. The classmates made way as if they were commoners watching a
royal parade.
As everyone watched
with curiosity, she...
"Hello. Have you
two already had lunch? If not, would you like to eat with us?"
She dropped a
bombshell of a lunch invitation.
"““““““““““Wh-what did she just
sayーーーーーー!””””””””””
In an instant. The
classroom exploded.
***
"...That turned
into quite a commotion..."
Mars muttered in
amazement.
Overwhelmed by the
uproar, Nozomu hurriedly accepted Irisdina's invitation and fled the exploding
10th-class classroom with Mars and the others.
Her single sentence
had caused literal pandemonium among the classmates in the classroom.
Due to her appearance,
talent, and straightforward personality, Irisdina had many admirers of both
sexes, and those who wished to associate with her were countless.
However, she had never
accepted those feelings, becoming an unattainable flower on a too-high peak.
If such a person
invited the unimpressive, lowest-ranked boy to eat with her, it would be
unbearable for those who harbored feelings for her.
They ended up in a
corner of the courtyard. The four of them began to eat in this place, but…………
"That guy, he's
that dropout from the 10th class, right?" "Why is she, and that
bottom-feeder, acquainted?"
The gazes of passersby
first went to Irisdina and Tima, and then to Nozomu and Mars, but they clearly
glared with eyes that said, "Why are those guys with them?"
Some even cast gazes
that seemed to want to curse them to death.
The gazes towards
Nozomu were particularly harsh, most of them filled with pure hostility.
Thinking about it, in
terms of being a place where students were present, the classroom and the
courtyard were the same.
(Ah, I can't taste
anything!)
"…………Tch!"
Even Nozomu, who was
used to negative gazes of resentment and the like, found this current situation
tough. The piercing gazes of hostility made him unable to even taste what he
was eating. Mars seemed annoyed by the impudent gazes and was getting
irritated.
"...I'm sorry.
For suddenly barging into your classroom..."
"…………Sorry. Was
it a bother?"
The two, noticing the
strange behavior of Nozomu and Mars, apologized.
"N-no. I was just
surprised by the suddenness of it."
"S-sorry. It's
not your fault..."
Indeed, it wasn't
their fault. Nozomu and Mars hurriedly apologized to Irisdina and Tima.
Nozomu thought it was
a good opportunity, so he asked Irisdina about something that had been
bothering him since morning.
"By the way, how
is Somia-chan doing?"
"Ah, she's fine.
She went to Ekros today full of energy."
Nozomu was considerate
of those around them and only asked what he wanted to know. Since that incident
was being treated as a magic item that went out of control, he couldn't ask
anything carelessly.
Even though her soul
had been extracted, she seemed fine when he saw her the next day, but Nozomu
was worried about what might happen afterward, so he asked about Somia's
condition, and apparently, she was alright.
The Eternal Flame
Furnace hadn't been removed from Somia's soul, so his anxiety hadn't
disappeared, but Nozomu breathed a sigh of relief at her immediate safety and
resumed his meal.
After the four of them
had been eating for a while, Irisdina asked as if she had remembered something.
"...By the way,
what are you guys going to do after school?"
"Well, I don't have
any particular plans today. So I'll be training..."
Nozomu had never
skipped his training.
He had been
desperately training to escape the fact that Lisa had dumped him in the past,
but whatever the reason, the training he had continued for over a year and a
half had become a habit. Also, for Nozomu, who had low basic abilities and made
up for the difference with technique, sharpening his skills through daily
training was paramount.
"I see... if it's
alright with you, would you spend some time with us after school today? I also
want to thank you for what happened then..."
Irisdina asked Nozomu
to spare some time for her after school. She wanted to thank Nozomu in some
tangible way for what he had done.
Her father was trying
to cover up the incident with the Wajiart family, and even though the fact that
the mansion had been covered in a magic barrier remained, the crucial truth had
been completely changed.
As a result, as the
next head of the Francilt family, she was unable to formally thank Nozomu and
Mars.
That was why Irisdina
wanted to thank him at least as an individual. For the one who had saved her
precious younger sister...
"You don't have
to worry about thanking me..."
"That's not how
it works. You did so much for us... Please, just accept it as me wanting to
express my gratitude, won't you?"
Irisdina spoke, as if
trying to gauge Nozomu's feelings.
(Nozomu-kun... seems
alright today though...)
Irisdina was also
concerned about Nozomu himself. When she had asked him about the power he used during
the fight against Rugato, he had clearly seemed off.
(There's a reason why
he's hiding his power.)
Having realized that,
Irisdina hadn't been able to tell her father about Nozomu's hidden power.
"…………I
understand. What about you, Mars?"
"Why are you
asking me? This is something you should accept, right? Actually, you're the one
who stopped that old man."
To Nozomu, who had
accepted Irisdina's words, Mars asked, "Why me?"
Mars felt that since
Nozomu was the one who had actually stopped Rugato, it would be wrong for him
to receive thanks.
"No, you're
included too. You risked your life to protect Tima back then, which is why
Nozomu-kun made it in time."
"Y-yeah. If
Mars-kun hadn't been there back then, I would have definitely been caught in
that rain of magic. If that had happened, Somia-chan would have been taken
away..."
Irisdina and Tima
denied Mars's thoughts. Certainly, it was Nozomu who stopped Rugato, but the
time needed for that would never have been bought without Mars.
"…………Alright."
Mars also accepted
that fact and decided to join them after school.
***
Eventually, the bell
signaling the end of lunchtime rang, and the students began to return to their
classrooms for the afternoon classes.
Nozomu and the others
also began to return to their respective classrooms, but there was a shadow
watching their retreating figures.
"Hee, looks like
things are getting interesting."
A male student emerged
from the shadows of the school building. A smile played on his lips, as if he
were enjoying himself.
"To think that
the one eating with the 'Black-Haired Princess' and the 'Weaver of the Four
Tones' would be that bottom-feeder and the ruffian... how envious."
The male student
looked at Nozomu and the others returning to their classroom with the eyes of a
child who had found a new toy.
"Well, it's been
a while since I've found something this interesting in this boring academy.
I'll enjoy it to the fullest."
The male student
checked Nozomu and Mars's appearance once more, then turned on his heel. From
his head and waist, magnificent golden ears and a tail grew, as he walked away
in the opposite direction from Nozomu and the others.
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