Volume 3
Finale
The commercial district after nightfall. Normally, it should be enveloped in darkness and dominated by silence, but in this commercial district, lights were lit everywhere, and many people still came and went. However, the people walking along the streets were very different from those who had been there during the day, with adventurers carrying swords at their waists and women in glamorous attire.
They ventured out into
the night city, which had changed its expression from the daytime, to obtain
what they sought.
Here, too, at the Ox
Head Inn, many men and women, young and old, gathered in search of their
respective food and drink.
"Alright! Order
of lamb soup and everything else is up!"
With a spirited voice,
Hanna, the landlady of the Ox Head Inn, placed a steaming hot soup on the
counter, and the waitress Ena began to carry the dishes one after another with
practiced hands.
The petite girl held
what seemed like an impossible number of plates, but her steps were firm, and
she carried the dishes one after another without any trouble.
"Thank you for
waiting! Here are your orders!!"
Ena placed the ordered
items on the tables with a clear voice. The aroma rising from the freshly made
dishes stimulated their noses and appetites, and the customers sitting at the
tables swallowed hard.
"Oh! I've been
waiting!" "I'm starving~." "This looks delicious!"
The customers must
have been very hungry, as they immediately dug into the food, quickly filling
their stomachs. Amidst this, one customer spoke to Ena.
"Ena-chan, you
seem to be in a good mood. Did something good happen today?"
"Eh, does it seem
that way?"
"Yeah, your voice
has more energy than usual, and your face looks bright. It's easy to
tell."
"Yes, well.
Actually—" "You! Say that one more time!!" "Oh dear,
again…………"
When the customer who
was talking to Ena looked towards the loud voice, two customers who had been
drinking at the counter were arguing. They seemed so worked up that they looked
like they were about to start fighting any second.
"Sigh, it's fine
to drink, but I wish they would stop with the violence..."
"Oh dear, if
those two cause a fight in this place, they won't be able to eat properly for a
while."
However, the two
regulars just sighed at the two hot-headed customers and didn't seem
particularly concerned. Ignoring them, the ones arguing were getting even more
heated.
"I'll say it as
many times as I want!! If you hadn't left your post guarding the cargo back
then, it wouldn't have been stolen!!"
"Huh? In the
first place, wasn't it your fault for taking a detour and not delivering the
cargo straight away!!"
The details of the
story were unclear, but it seemed to be about the stolen cargo they were
transporting. However, while raising their voices and making a fuss was one
thing, resorting to violence was unacceptable.
The regulars of this
establishment would never do such a thing. They knew very well that if they
did, it wouldn't end well for them.
As Ena was about to
speak to the two to stop their quarrel before things escalated, a voice Ena
knew well cut in between them.
"Hey, cut it out
already."
It was Mars who had
stepped between the two arguing customers. His voice, which resonated deep
within their stomachs, cast a binding spell like a restraint magic, and the two
who had just been glaring at each other froze like statues.
"I understand
that a little alcohol can loosen your tongues, but fighting here is against the
rules. If you're going to continue, I'll have you pay a penalty fee with your
wallets and your bodies and forcibly kick you out. What's it going to be?"
When Mars threatened
them with rather ominous words, the two customers gave forced smiles, took out
money from their wallets, and hurriedly left the establishment. The money they
handed over seemed a little excessive.
"Hahaha! I knew
it would come to this. But those guys were lucky. If they had caused trouble in
this place when he was around, they might not have gotten away with all their
limbs intact..."
In fact, Mars had once
beaten up a group of adventurers who had caused a big commotion in this inn. It
was caused by a dispute over the division of rewards among their group, and the
commotion became so large that customers were caught up in it, and some were
injured.
The troublemakers were
around D-rank, and there were five of them, but Mars, who was already beginning
to show his talent, single-handedly took on the adventurers, and as a result,
three of the opposing adventurers had their arms or legs broken, and two were
beaten so badly that their faces were unrecognizable. Since then, any violence
when Mars was at the Ox Head Inn had become strictly forbidden, an unspoken
rule among the regulars.
Customers who didn't
know this, just as Mars had said, were left with indelible scars on their
bodies and minds, forcibly charged a penalty fee, and then politely thrown out
of the establishment.
"I guess so. (But
I don't think it's luck...)"
Ena recalled her older
brother's behavior today after they had all gone out. When Tima and Mars were
left alone, she had been worried that her brother might do something rude to
Tima. Even though Somia had said, "It'll be alright." Ena, having
witnessed Mars's rampages many times, was still concerned that her brother might
do something.
However, while she had
been away for a short time, the prickly, sharp aura that her brother always
had, the one that felt like it would cut you if you touched it, had faded, and
there was a Mars who was more honest than ever before. Frankly speaking, Ena
couldn't believe her eyes, and it was only natural that she suspected her
brother had become strange.
(I wonder if something
happened between Tima-san and him after all?)
Ena peered at her
brother's condition without being noticed. Mars, who had just chased away the
quarreling customers, was organizing luggage inside the counter, but unlike his
usual self, he had a certain calmness about him.
Ena was honestly quite
curious about what had happened between Tima and her brother. She and Hanna and
Del had spent years and years talking to him repeatedly (sometimes it turned
into harsh mental attacks), hoping that her brother would change his ways, so
while she was happy about the fact, she was also a little frustrated that Tima
had changed Mars in less than half a day.
"...Seriously,
that idiot of a big brother…………"
Her muttered words
were swallowed by the din of the tavern and disappeared without anyone hearing
them.
***
In the eastern
district of Arcazam, in the area called the Citizens' Quarter, stood rows of
houses where many of the city's residents lived. In one of those houses, an
ordinary house that looked no different from the others, lived a mage who might
one day become a great historical mage.
"Hey,
Tima-neechan. Did something good happen today?"
"Eh, why do you
think so?"
"No, it's just
that you're smiling more naturally than usual, and you're even chuckling to
yourself. You don't usually do that, do you?"
"I-is that
so……………"
The person who came to
my mind upon hearing my younger brother's words was the boy my age who had
walked next to me today. At first glance, he looked scary and like a ruffian,
but he was the boy who had been on my mind since that incident the other day.
Ever since I was a
child, I had been bullied by the boys in the neighborhood, and as a gloomy
person, I couldn't make friends with girls either. Until I met Iris, I could
hardly talk to anyone other than my family.
Even when I was with
him today, my heart was pounding, but before I knew it, I no longer felt the
same fear I used to feel when I was with other boys.
"What's wrong
with me…………"
Somehow, the depths of
my chest felt warm. It was a different feeling from when I was with Iris and
Somia-chan. It had been smoldering in the depths of my chest ever since I
walked through the town with Mars-kun today.
***
In the northern
district of Arkazam, the political center of this city. In a room of the grand
Francilt mansion located in that district, a maiden had thrown her limbs onto a
bed in a luxurious bedroom.
The maiden was wearing
a purple see-through negligee. The moonlight shining through the window
illuminated her long, glossy black hair, reflecting her white skin like fresh
snow in the dark night.
Even though the night
was already late and the day was about to change, the girl lay on the bed,
constantly lost in thought.
*
I threw myself onto my
bed and replayed the events of today in my mind.
Somia and I had
separated Mars-kun and Tima from Nozomu and Ena-chan to leave the two of them
alone. It was a somewhat forceful method, but since it seemed that the two of
them had properly reconciled as a result, I considered it a success. Well, I
might get some complaints later when Mars-kun and Nozomu aren't around, but at
that time, if I bring up today's events, she'll immediately start fidgeting.
That's cute in its own way, though…………
"...My curiosity
lies with Nozomu…………"
His figure from that
time was still deeply etched in my eyes.
The benefactor who had
saved my younger sister's life. At that time, I had been faced with the
possibility of losing Somia and had desperately resisted, but against a true,
strong person, I was so powerless.
Ever since I was a
child, I had decided in my heart to protect my only younger sister, and I had
diligently trained in not only swordsmanship and magic but also in everything
else. I believe that strength has certainly become a part of me, and I had been
evaluated as an unprecedentedly excellent person even within this completely
meritocratic Solminati.
But such things didn't
work against that old man. I couldn't even wound the old man who tried to take
my precious younger sister away, and it was as if everything I had done had
been proven meaningless.
Somia and I were
trapped in despair, faced with an unchangeable reality. It was a single blade
that rescued us.
A single blade that
cut through the abyss of despair and reached out to save our hands that were
reaching for help. From that moment on, I had been curious about him.
I looked at my hands.
Today, these hands had held his hand and run through the city.
His hand that I held
was larger than I expected, hardened from constantly swinging a sword, and had
calluses in various places.
Towards the old man
who had touched my hand impudently, he was different from his usual quiet self
and showed his emotions and anger outright. At that time, he had snapped at the
old man before I could even get angry, so frankly, I had missed my chance, but
that's beside the point.
"What is it, I
wonder…………"
The palm of my hand
that I was looking at was faintly warm, and that warmth vividly reminded me of
the time I had held his hand.
I recalled it many
times. The face he had when he was seriously making candy crafts, the face he
had when he was having a war of words with the fortune-telling old man, the
troubled, flustered face he had when I held his hand.
While recalling his
face, I gently clasped the hand that had held his to my chest. As if not to let
go of something precious...
"Fufu! My heart
is pounding…………"
***
Nozomu, Irisdina, and the
others parted ways at the Ox Head Inn, and Nozomu returned to the dormitory.
The sky visible from the window in the dormitory hallway was already closed in
darkness.
Perhaps it was because
so many things had happened today. A slight fatigue was visible on Nozomu's
face.
(So many things
happened today, huh?)
While climbing the
stairs to his room, Nozomu recalled the events of the day. Being suddenly
invited to a meal by Irisdina, who had suddenly appeared in his classroom
during lunchtime, and the big commotion that had ensued in the classroom.
"Well, anyone
would be surprised if those two suddenly showed up…………"
Irisdina and Tima, two
people known and admired by everyone in the academy.
The commotion had
spread like wildfire throughout the academy, and he had been dragged to the
back of the school building by some heartless classmates and almost subjected
to vigilante justice.
Nozomu had resisted,
but he was outnumbered. On top of that, the opposing students, enraged by
Nozomu's resistance, had even started using magic despite not being in the
training grounds. At that time, Nozomu, who didn't have his weapon with him,
would have been seriously injured if it hadn't been for Shiina's help.
Shiina had easily
dealt with the male students surrounding Nozomu, but the gaze she directed at
him was one of contempt. She had told Nozomu that he had brought it upon
himself, and then immediately turned on her heel and left. She probably didn't
want to be seen with Nozomu either. Her attitude itself expressed her feelings.
(Well, it can't be
helped, huh………… At least I myself didn't take any action to change anything……)
Most people in the
academy probably held the same feelings towards Nozomu as Shiina.
A dropout who didn't
belong in this academy. A scoundrel who had toyed with a devoted woman. That
was the surrounding evaluation of him, and it hadn't changed even after he had
started to look forward.
Nozomu didn't find
that surrounding evaluation strange.
Certainly, he hadn't
been able to decide what to do from now on himself, and while it was painful to
continue being insulted by those around him, Nozomu had gradually begun to
accept that as his reality.
Thanks to Shino, he
had been able to realize the facts he had been unknowingly running away from,
averting his eyes and blocking his ears.
But after realizing
that he had been escaping, the reason he had gradually been able to accept it
was probably because he was no longer alone. Shino was no longer in this world,
but now he had a few friends in the academy.
When he was with them,
Nozomu felt that the dull pain that had been gnawing at his chest every time he
was scorned by those around him had now subsided, even if only a little.
Thump
"Ugh!!"
Suddenly, a heartbeat
that echoed in Nozomu's ears came from deep within his chest. The heartbeat
sounded loudly only once, then became quiet, and he could hear nothing more.
(Was that,
perhaps…………)
That heartbeat wasn't
Nozomu's own. "Tiamat" within him had reacted to something.
(What in the
world…………)
Nozomu didn't know
what the thing inside him had reacted to. But that heartbeat made him aware of
the existence he had been carrying within himself, forcefully reminding him of
the red nightmare that burned everything he had seen after releasing his
ability suppression before.
Nozomu had finally
taken one step forward, but his path was still shrouded in deep darkness.
***
"………………………"
A single figure looked
up at the dormitory where Nozomu was. The lights of the surrounding houses had
already gone out, and only the stars illuminating the night sky reflected the
figure's presence.
Various emotions
swirled in the eyes of that figure. Anger, hatred, and regret. But even if the
emotions could be read, probably no one could know the source of those
feelings. The shadow didn't do anything, just continued to look up at the
dormitory, its eyes fixed on Nozomu as he disappeared into his room.
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