Volume 4
Chapter 10
My consciousness slowly awakened.
My
hazy vision gradually regained its colors, and I could vaguely see what was in
front of me.
The
road was illuminated by the starlight in the night sky. A simple path paved
with gravel and grass growing thickly along its sides.
I
realized I was back on the road leading from the forest to the outskirts of
Arcazam. Perhaps I thought it would be bad to stay in that pool of blood where
the corpses were scattered, and unconsciously made my way towards Arcazam.
Honestly,
I was relieved that I hadn't headed to Master's hut. I didn't want Master to
see my pathetic state right now.
At
the same time, I felt a tremendous sense of disgust at myself for having such a
thought. My face naturally twisted, making my blood and mud-stained face even
uglier.
(I
ran away again…………)
The
truth Ken had confronted me with. Not wanting to admit it, not wanting to think
about it, I simply wielded my power as my impulses dictated.
I
put a lid on my heart by taking the lives of those before me, by destroying
whatever caught my eye.
But
nothing changed because of that. Hiding in my shell and destroying things. Even
if the actions were different, the underlying essence was exactly the same.
(Nothing's
changed… it's the same as when Lisa pushed me away… nothing…)
My
mind was a mess.
The
patheticness and disgust towards myself for easily resorting to power,
everything was jumbled together, and I couldn't think of anything.
Even
so, my body kept moving forward. My mind and body were completely disconnected.
Without
knowing where I was going, I walked on unsteadily like a ghost, tottering.
Without
even knowing my own destination...
***
"Haaah…………"
After
taking a bath, I was looking at the starry night sky from the balcony of my
mansion.
The
night wind blew, and despite it being spring, the still-cold air stole the heat
from my flushed body.
However,
no matter how much I cleansed myself, the feeling of something stuck deep in my
chest wouldn't disappear at all.
I
thought about him.
Recently,
without realizing it, I started thinking about him.
In
the morning, while getting ready in front of the mirror, during lectures at the
academy, during training at the mansion, and during meals.
Even
when I was taking a bath just now, he crossed my mind. And even now.
But
today, after those thoughts, I was always struck by a feeling of tightness deep
in my heart.
His
position at the academy was worse than I had imagined. Just by being with him,
many people criticized me.
And
then, the conversation with Lisa-kun.
She
told me that it would be better for me not to be near him. That I would surely
suffer terribly if I stayed.
I
questioned her about what had happened between her and him, but she left
without saying anything.
Her
face at that time was twisted with hatred, an expression not at all suited for
a childhood friend.
"…Haaah…………"
In
the end, I couldn't learn anything from her, and although I tried to ask him
about the rumor that had caused him to be so harshly spoken of, my best friend
and sister cautioned me against it.
Afterward,
when I heard about his exchange with Lisa-kun from Ena-kun, I couldn't bring
myself to question him directly anymore.
What
I ultimately understood was that I knew nothing about him.
And
that he was still suffering because of Lisa-kun.
But
we had never heard about those past events from him.
Recalling
it, he had always kept a certain distance from us. I knew that the power he
spoke of after helping us sisters wasn't just about releasing his ability
suppression.
But
he showed no signs of wanting to talk about it.
"…………Haaah…………"
My
sighs naturally grew deeper, and my mood gradually darkened.
That
day, I instinctively held the hand that he had held, naturally, close to my
chest.
That
night, I couldn't sleep because my heart was pounding. My body naturally grew
hot, and my cheeks relaxed every time I looked at the hand that had held his.
But
now, when I look at that hand, my chest aches.
I
want to know about him. But I can't ask.
I
want him to tell me about himself. But he won't tell me.
The
unanswered questions kept repeating. Each time, my chest ached, and my
impatience grew.
In
the end, even after my body was chilled by the night wind, the haze in my heart
wouldn't clear.
***
"Phew...
it's gotten so late..."
I,
Shina Juliel, was doing research at the academy library after school.
Solminati
Academy was founded jointly by various countries on the continent. As such, the
number of books collected from all over the continent in its library was
immense, making research quite a struggle.
I
hugged my bag and walked along the darkened cobblestone path, exiting the
Solminati Academy building, passing through Central Park, and heading towards
the main street.
Magic
lamps were installed at various places along the main street, brightly
illuminating the street despite it being night.
These
magic lamps were the first streetlights used in this city, made with magic
stones, which were stones imbued with magic power, and incorporated a spell
formula to illuminate the surroundings during the night.
They
were very expensive equipment, but the influential figures of each country,
considering the importance of this city, decided to install them to maintain
public order and suppress crime.
"In
the end, I still didn't find anything today…………"
I
was researching the magical beast that had taken my homeland, the Forest of
Foschia.
The
Forest of Foschia had been a forest protected by spirits, but during the Great
Invasion ten years ago, the Spring of Forsyn,
which was the heart of the forest, and the great tree Yennisy, which had rooted
itself in that spring, were felled by an unidentified
magical beast, causing us elves to lose our peaceful home.
But
we hadn't given up on our homeland.
Someday,
we would reclaim our homeland from those filthy magical beasts. For that
purpose, I continued to research that magical beast.
Of
course, I knew that not only I, but also my fellow elves and organizations from
various countries were working on it.
Even
so, hoping to find something, I continued to visit the library every day, and
also went to the guild and other places, continuously gathering information.
The
academy library contained a vast collection of books from various countries, so
the number of its collections was enormous, and it contained a number of books
that would be impossible to read through even in a lifetime.
I
had assumed that with such a large number of books, there would be at least one
that mentioned that magical beast, but in the several years since I came to
this academy, there had been no progress.
"Haaah…………!
I can't be like this."
Noticing
a sigh naturally escaping my lips, I hurriedly pulled myself together.
"…?"
At
that moment, I sensed a human presence nearby. This area was far from the
commercial district, so even though it was a main street, there wouldn't be
anyone walking at this hour.
Turning
in the direction of the presence, I faintly heard human footsteps from the
alley. Magic lamps were only installed on large roads in the city, like the
main street, and not in back alleys.
The
light from the magic lamps, conversely, accentuated the darkness of the alley,
so even though there were footsteps, the person making them couldn't be seen.
I
crouched down and braced myself.
I
wasn't good at close combat, but I wasn't completely incapable either.
Even
in Arcazam, where security was good, crime still existed.
There
was no guarantee that a woman walking alone at this hour wouldn't be attacked.
The
footsteps gradually grew louder.
I
put an appropriate amount of strength into both my legs, taking a stance from
which I could move at any time. And the light from the magic lamp illuminated
the figure of the person making the footsteps.
It
was a man, and when I saw him, I frowned.
His
entire body was terribly dirty. I couldn't make out his face because he was
looking down, but his shoulder width was wide for a woman, and his build told
me he was a man.
However,
his entire body was covered in mud and blood, and he clearly looked to be in a
serious state.
"H-hey!
Are you alright?!"
Seeing
his blood-covered state, I rushed over to the man. I knew he was a Solminati
student from the fabric of his uniform and the emblem visible through the mud
and blood clinging to his clothes.
As
I rushed over and tried to check his injuries, the man finally seemed to notice
me and raised his head, which had been looking down.
"Ah,
you…………"
I
recognized that face. It was a face I had seen just the other day.
Nozomu
Bountis.
The
boy who had been surrounded by male students from the same class behind the
school building a few days ago, and at that time, I had chased away the
students who were surrounding him.
He
was now walking around, covered in blood, staggering with unsteady steps.
I
myself didn't have good impressions of him. No one would have good impressions
towards a person who had cheated and then been dumped by their lover.
But
no matter how much I disliked someone, I couldn't leave an injured person
unattended.
"Anyway,
let's go to the doctor's office..."
I
said that and tried to take him to the doctor's office, but he wouldn't come
along.
"Hey!
With those injuries, things will get serious later! Just come with me!!"
I
said that and pulled his hand, but he still wouldn't move. It was as if he was
refusing to go to the doctor.
At
that moment, I suddenly realized. It was already around midnight, and the town
was completely asleep; there were no clinics open at this hour.
But
the boy in front of me needed treatment. This was no time to be concerned about
my or his likes and dislikes.
"For
goodness sake!! It can't be helped!!"
I
forcibly pulled his hand and began to walk, dragging him along. I had to take
him to the nearest place where he could receive treatment.
It
was not at all the way to treat an injured person, but I forcibly justified my
actions, thinking that if his condition didn't improve like this, I would have
to force him to receive treatment.
He
resisted at first, but perhaps he gave up, as he slowly but steadily followed
me.
(Seriously!
What is wrong with him!!)
At
least, grumbling inwardly, I continued to pull his hand.
***
"What
the hell... is this…………"
Kevin's
suppressed voice leaked out from behind me. I, too, frowned at the horrific
scene spread before us.
There
were the Triclopses we had been concerned about, and even Cyclopses as well.
Not
just one or two. At least ten giants were there. If a small town were attacked
by such a large number of giants all at once, it would be annihilated in less
than half a day.
However,
neither I nor Arcazam's guards had our weapons drawn. That was because all of
those giants were dead.
Yes,
more than ten giants lay dead in this place. Some were bisected into upper and
lower halves, some had their heads crushed, and some were completely charred.
There were various others, but all of them were exposed in a gruesome state.
The
blood that flowed from the corpses stained the ground crimson, creating a large
pool of blood.
The
faces of the students following me and the soldiers of Arcazam's guards were
also pale. Some couldn't bear it and vomited, but it was understandable. I
hadn't seen such a gruesome and bloody sight in the past ten years. It was only
natural that these young individuals would show such unsightly behavior.
"Sir
Jihad... what in the world is this...?"
"…I
do not know either, but there is no time now. With this much blood scattered
around, magical beasts from the forest will gather sooner or later. Captain
Mauz, let us split up and quickly investigate the giants' corpses, then leave
this place immediately."
The
scattered corpses, despite being severely damaged, had not yet begun to
decompose. This meant that the being that killed these giants was still nearby.
On
top of that, there was a vast amount of blood scattered everywhere and the
nauseating smell of rusty iron.
If
magical beasts were drawn by this smell, it would be difficult even for me to
protect everyone. And we had students with us.
Splitting
up the soldiers, we investigated the giants' corpses and quickly returned to
town. A being capable of doing all of this.
The
presence of a threat greater than giants, and the impatience it created deep in
my chest...
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