Volume 4
Chapter 14
"What a commotion
there was this morning, though~~"
Mimuru began to
recount the events at the main gate in a carefree tone, unlike my own. After
finishing the morning assembly, we were heading from our 2nd-tier classroom to
the training grounds for practical lessons.
What we were
discussing was the quarrel that had occurred in front of the main gate that
morning between Kevin Ardinal of the 1st tier and Mars Dickens of the 10th
tier.
Originally, this quarrel
was caused by Kevin Ardinal speaking to Irisdina Francilt, also of the 1st
tier, and getting involved with him
who was by her side.
Him.
He was the
lowest-ranked student in the grade, the boy who had been wandering the streets
in a tattered state late last night. The reason he was in such a state was his
reckless act of entering the forest alone. Remembering that still irritates me.
Originally, I didn't
have good feelings towards him, but from the moment I realized that the cause
of his injuries yesterday was his reckless behavior, I began to detest him.
It was his foolish
recklessness, disproportionate to his abilities, that almost led to his death.
That act reminded me of an event from ten years ago.
*
The Forest of Foschia,
where we elves lived, was one of the richest forests on the continent.
Ten years ago, before
the Great Invasion, the forest was lush with great trees that had lived for
hundreds of years, their branches stretching vigorously towards the sky,
bearing fresh fruit each season.
The animals living in
the forest supported each other's lives in various ways, and under the great
flow of life, they flourished.
My family consisted of
my parents and older sister, making us a family of four.
In that vibrant
forest, I lived a warm life with my gentle parents and older sister, and all
our fellow elves. Looking back now, it was an irreplaceable happiness.
But it was abruptly
taken away.
Our hometown forest
and our homes enveloped in flames. The trees my friends and I used to play in
were burned down, and the lives of the forest were devoured and defiled before
our very eyes.
And then, that magical
beast appeared before me. A cursed beast, coated with the defilement of life.
Faced with that
magical beast I...
*
"Shina!!"
"…Ah."
"What's wrong?
You're spacing out. We've already reached the training grounds."
When I realized it, I
had already arrived at the training grounds. Around me, my classmates were
doing stretches in their respective groups or checking their weapons.
I shook my head to
dispel the scene I had been remembering.
Remembering his
recklessness must have made me recall old memories.
"…Sorry, Mimuru.
I'm fine. …I'm just a little tired."
"…Really? Well,
if you say so... but you shouldn't push yourself, okay?"
Mimuru peered at me
with worried eyes. Mimuru was usually overflowing with energy and had a rough
personality, but the fact that I didn't notice her talking to me until now
meant I must have been deeply engrossed in my thoughts.
I've never talked
about my past.
Sometimes I remember
and get depressed, which makes them worry, but I don't really want to talk
about it, and it makes me remember things I don't want to. So, I've never told
anyone, including them.
"I know. I won't
overdo it. By the way, Mimuru, we talked about going to the forest yesterday,
but about picking the—" "Can I have a moment?" "…You
are..."
Suddenly, I was called
out to, and when I turned towards the voice, there was a male student with
golden ears. It was Feo Lizitsa, a student from the same class.
"Sorry for
interrupting. I have something I'd like to ask, if that's alright?"
"It's alright...
What is it?"
I didn't understand
why he was talking to me. This student, Feo Lizitsa, was always lazy and
unmotivated, and I had clashed with him many times, both during class and
during breaks.
During class, he would
always listlessly stare out the window, and I couldn't feel any seriousness
from him even during practical lessons.
I didn't think highly
of him, and both the teachers and I had warned him many times, but he showed no
signs of improvement.
Nevertheless, his
abilities were apparently high, and his exam results were decent. Because of
this, he belonged to the 2nd tier, a high rank even for a 3rd-year student.
However, thinking that he could achieve much more if he had more motivation, I
couldn't hold a very good impression of him.
He probably thought I
was troublesome too, but he had never initiated a conversation with me before.
However, seemingly
indifferent to my confusion, he quickly began to state his business.
"Actually, it's
about what happened this morning... you know, that commotion in front of the
school gate. You were there too, weren't you?"
"Yes. What about
it?"
"Actually, I was
there too. What I want to ask is about Nozomu Bountis, who was involved in that
commotion."
Nozomu Bountis.
When I heard that
name, ripples formed in my heart again.
It couldn't be helped.
Just a moment ago, I was thinking about him, and it made me recall old
memories.
"…Why are you
asking me about him?"
"No, it's just
that you seemed to be worried about him at that time, so I thought you might
know something about him."
Worried.
When I heard that
word, my heart thumped loudly.
Indeed, at that time,
I was aware of him. When I saw his face, I remembered his reckless actions from
yesterday and got angry.
But that anger was
erased when I saw him awkwardly avert his gaze and remembered his appearance
the last time I saw him yesterday.
The words I spoke to
him yesterday.
In the first
place. No one will help you because you abandoned Lisa-san.
The moment he heard
those words, his usual timid demeanor completely changed.
The intense killing
intent he unleashed at me instantly deprived me of my body's freedom, and the
next moment, I was completely stiff as he grabbed me by the collar.
His face at that time
was terribly twisted with anger, and in the face of his raw rage, I couldn't
say anything.
!!!
…………Sorry……………
But that was only for
a moment.
He immediately
released my clothes, said a word of thanks for the treatment with an apologetic
face, and left the room.
At that time, the
words he spoke just before leaving the room still lingered in my ears.
…I didn't do such a thing…………
That one sentence,
squeezed out as if pushing something painful from deep within his chest.
Those words caught in
my heart, and because of them, I was struck by an indescribable sense of
discomfort and unease.
"…No, it's not
like he's my friend... nor do I know anything particularly special about
him..."
(Besides, if it got out
that I brought a male student into the girls' dormitory so late at night, it
would be a huge problem... and besides...)
…………I feel like I
shouldn't touch that subject...
While repeatedly
telling myself such things inwardly, I composed my face so as not to let my
inner thoughts spill out and answered Feo's question with a calm demeanor.
However, his expression at the very end kept flickering in my mind.
Feo seemed to be
interested in him for some reason. Considering that this male student, who had
a keen eye for interesting things, was interested, I felt a heavy heart at the
prospect of him digging for information, but I had to somehow keep it hidden...
"…………I see.
Sorry. For suddenly asking you such a strange question."
"…Eh?"
However, to my surprise,
Feo quickly withdrew. Though I felt a little skeptical of him, he turned on his
heel and left without another question.
"…What was
that?"
"…I wonder."
"Oh, by the way,
Shina, aren't you going to ask when we're heading to the forest?"
"Ah. That's right,
I hadn't asked when we were going in yesterday's conversation."
"Um, the plan is
to go today, actually. Tom says he's preparing the necessary items for
collection right now. The academy is closed tomorrow, so I was thinking of
going to collect them after school today, is that alright?"
"…Yes, I think
that'll be fine."
Indeed, tomorrow is a
holiday, so it's a good time to enter the forest. The collection spot seems to
be near the forest entrance, but I haven't heard anything about Triclops being
subjugated, and considering the spirits were agitated yesterday, I can't let my
guard down.
After the conversation
was over, I remembered Feo's demeanor from earlier.
He usually had an
unreadable expression, but his demeanor earlier was like a child given a new
toy, and I could clearly see that he was eager to play with it.
(I hope nothing
strange happens...)
I felt uneasy
inwardly, but I honestly didn't know what to do, and in the end, the bell for
the start of class rang.
***
"Damn it! That
dog bastard!!"
In the hallway after
the morning assembly, we were moving to other classrooms, but my anger from the
commotion at the main gate that morning still hadn't subsided.
"…Hey, how about
you calm down already?"
"No way! And
Nozomu! Why are you so calm!! Aren't you angry?!"
"…Of course I'm
not in a good mood. …But you exploded before I did."
"Ugh…"
"But…
thanks…"
"Hmph!"
Remembering my earlier
disgrace, I stammered.
I averted my face from
Nozomu out of embarrassment and a little awkwardness, and my steps towards the
classroom quickened slightly.
My anger had been
diffused, but I was secretly glad that he had thanked me.
"………………"
"………………"
We continued to walk
in silence for a while.
When there was no more
voice to call out, I couldn't help but remember what I had talked about with
Irisdina and the others yesterday.
The gap I felt between
Nozomu, who was called a scoundrel, and the actual Nozomu, when talking about
the rumor that had caused him to suffer so much from those around him.
What had happened to
Nozomu? Why had such a discrepancy occurred?
Thinking about it, we
had never heard about it from Nozomu himself, and until the end of the second
year, we knew nothing about what Nozomu had been doing.
Since realizing that,
I had noticed a strange wall between Nozomu and me, and I felt a small lump in
my chest.
Moreover, Nozomu
seemed strange today, as if he was pushing himself quite hard.
Irisdina and the
others seemed to have noticed it too, but in the end, we couldn't overcome the
wall between us and Nozomu, and everything was left unresolved because of that
dog bastard.
"…………Hey, Nozomu.
You…"
Perhaps wanting to
erase that lump, or perhaps disliking Nozomu's wall, my opened mouth naturally
tried to question Nozomu about what happened two years ago.
(You're asking
Nozomu-kun to tell you something very painful, you know?)
"!!"
But the moment I tried
to ask, Tima's words flashed through my mind, and my open mouth couldn't say
anything. I swallowed the words I was about to say.
I remembered what had
happened between him and his childhood friend, which I had heard about
yesterday at Ox Head Inn.
According to Ena's
story, that childhood friend, Lisa, had directed a hatred towards Nozomu that
was unimaginable for a former lover.
(At least we're not involved.
We should wait until Nozomu-kun is ready to talk.)
"…………What's
wrong, Mars?"
Nozomu spoke to me,
who had fallen silent, but I couldn't say anything.
Indeed, Tima might be
right. Even after hearing Ena's story, I, as stupid as I am, understood that
what happened back then was something I shouldn't force Nozomu to talk about.
More than anything, I wanted to hear it directly from his own mouth.
"…No, it's
nothing."
"…?"
I walked past Nozomu,
who tilted his head, and continued towards the classroom. As I did, I felt the
lump in my chest, which had never dissolved, growing slightly larger.
***
The 3rd-year, 1st-rank
classroom.
For their first class
today, the students didn't have to move, so they spent the time in the
classroom as they wished until their teacher in charge arrived.
In one corner of the
classroom, a pair of male and female students were talking to each other.
Smiles played on their faces, and anyone could feel their closeness.
The two talking were
people everyone knew.
One was a beautiful
girl characterized by her crimson hair and a charming, confident smile: Lisa
Hounds.
The other was a
handsome golden-haired boy. He was one of only five students in this grade to
have reached Rank A, and he was Lisa's boyfriend: Ken Notice.
"Lisa, next
break. Want to go to the commercial district for a bit?"
"Yes, that's
fine... but did something good happen? You seem to be in a good mood this
morning..."
Ken had invited Lisa
on a date.
He wore his usual
gentle smile, but Lisa sensed that he was somewhat elated.
"Well, yes, my
long-standing worry disappeared yesterday. I think that's why."
His smile twisted
slightly as he said that.
(Finally, the Nozomu
matter is settled, and he'll be gone now...)
Ken was elated by the
feeling of liberation from the shackles of Nozomu.
However, this
liberation from his shackles also meant that what had suppressed his dark inner
self was gone.
Indeed, Ken's face was
bright and, combined with his refined appearance, he presented a very charming
smile to outsiders. But that smile was beginning to twist. It was a smile born
from completely crushing his former best friend and thoroughly venting the
negative emotions that had long settled deep within his heart.
"Is that
so..."
"?? Lisa, is
something wrong?"
"N-no. It's
nothing. It must have been my imagination..."
However, that smile,
which would normally have been hideously distorted, was naturally altered by
his years of deceiving those around him, including his best friend and lover.
Lisa only felt a slight sense of unease, and that unease quickly disappeared
within her.
No, she had
intentionally averted her eyes.
(Now, there are no
more obstacles. Only I can be by Lisa's side...)
Ken was still unaware.
His smile, which had always deceived those around him, was now different,
slowly beginning to twist due to the dark inner turmoil overflowing from within
him.
Lisa was still
unaware. The very fact that she had avoided the unease she felt was the essence
of the anxiety within her.
They were still
unaware. Slowly, but surely, their gears were beginning to turn awry.
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