Volume 4
Chapter 15
All classes had ended, and as the bell for dismissal rang, the students of the class rose from their seats, even though the bell was still chiming, and began to head home with their respective companions and friends.
Mars and I also
stepped out into the hallway, our belongings in hand.
"Hey Nozomu, what
are you going to do today?"
"…………What do you
mean?"
"What are you
doing after school? If you'd like, want to train in the outskirts? Iris and the
others will probably be there, too, so you could spend some time with us today,
right?"
"……Um……"
Mars invited me, but
the events of yesterday crossed my mind, and I hesitated to accept.
The truth Ken had
confronted me with, and the actions I had taken afterward.
Exploding with hatred
and rage towards Ken, sweeping away lives that caught my eye, incited by
"it."
And the carnage that
remained afterward.
Like the red dream I
had this morning, the ground dyed crimson with the blood I had scattered, and the
still-warm internal organs of the magical beasts. The smell of rusty iron and
death lingering in the air.
"!!"
It was as if
"it" was telling me, "You're just like me," and from the
overwhelming discomfort and disgust, my stomach churned violently, trying to
expel its contents. But I gritted my teeth and swallowed, enduring it so as not
to show it.
"…Nozomu, are you
alright? You've been strange since this morning."
Mars spoke with
concern, but I couldn't say anything and desperately tried to maintain my
composure. I desperately swallowed down the nausea, and just as I was about to
tell Mars "it's nothing," I saw a figure enter my field of vision,
and my eyes widened.
"So, Ken. What
about the meeting place and time?"
"How about
meeting around 10 o'clock in Central Park?"
What entered my sight
were Lisa and Ken walking side-by-side.
Perhaps they had made
plans for a date on tomorrow's holiday, as she wore a happy smile, and Ken,
beside her, smiled similarly.
The moment I saw them,
the flame of intense emotion that had been contained deep within my chest
ignited again and began to rage.
I tried to endure the
anger that threatened to overwhelm me by clenching my fists tightly, but once
the flame began to burn, it swiftly consumed my self-control, trying to burn it
to ashes.
I was desperately
trying to maintain a poker face, at least, when they noticed me.
"!!!"
Lisa's expression
instantly hardened when she noticed me, and she glared at me with hatred. But
for the current me, that was merely adding fuel to the anger I was desperately
trying to suppress.
Even so, I desperately
gritted my teeth, trying not to let my anger explode like yesterday.
My fingernails pierced
the skin of my clenched palms, digging into my flesh, but that pain served as a
wedge, desperately holding onto my reason.
But that wedge was
blown away by the expression Ken showed behind Lisa.
How pathetic!!
…………He was sneering.
He was sneering from
behind Lisa, hidden from her view.
His expression hadn't
changed at all, but the look in his eyes was the same as when he tormented me
yesterday.
"!!!"
The moment I saw that,
the poker face I had desperately maintained crumbled.
My usually flat
eyebrows shot up, my cheeks twitched, and my canine teeth were exposed.
Lisa's expression
changed to surprise as I deflected her hateful gaze head-on.
Overwhelmed by anger,
I almost lunged forward, but…
"Ah…"
Yesterday's scene
flashed through my mind, and I stopped myself at the very last moment.
My ugly self, who was
about to break down again. Desperately trying to hide it, I forcibly averted my
eyes and turned on my heel.
"H-hey,
Nozomu!!"
"Sorry, Mars. I
just remembered something I had to do..."
Ignoring Mars's voice
from behind, I started walking.
Deep in my chest, the
presence of "it" grew stronger. If I stayed here, I didn't know what
I would do, so I just wanted to leave this place.
My feet, which should
have been walking, naturally quickened, and before I knew it, I was running at
full speed.
Desperate to suppress
my anger, the voices from behind me no longer reached my ears, and I just kept
running as if to shake them off.
***
I kept running, and
just like yesterday, I entered the forest again.
The sun shining in the
sky was gradually beginning to set, and in about an hour, the sky would be dyed
crimson by the sunset.
When I arrived here,
my breath was ragged, and I was exhausted for a while, but as my breathing
settled, a sense of self-loathing welled up inside me.
I had desperately
tried to act normally, but in the end, I couldn't.
I felt bad for Mars
and the others, but honestly, I was afraid of what I might do, and I was scared
to be with them.
Even so, a day's time
had given me some time to calm down.
I was aware that I was
running away. I was also aware that I was impatient. That's why I thought I had
to think in the place where I felt most at ease, and I was heading towards that
hut where I had spent the longest time in Arcazam, but...
"? Something
feels strange..."
The forest seemed a
little off; there was no sign of animals.
This forest had many
magical beasts, but proportionally, there were also many harmless animals.
There were many types
and numbers of rabbits, mice, birds, etc., and in the forest until now, I could
feel their presence, albeit with slight differences. Their meat was also a
valuable source of protein when Master left me in the forest as
"training."
"…………"
The abnormal amount of
experience I had accumulated in the forest sounded an alarm, and my
consciousness naturally became vigilant of my surroundings. My heartbeat
slightly quickened, sending blood throughout my body, preparing me for battle
at any moment.
The sound of tree
branches rustling in the wind flowed around me, and other than that, only my
own heartbeat could be heard.
"Shi...…………"
"…………So…………, behind……………"
Then, mixed with the
sound of branches swaying in the wind, I heard several human voices, and not
only that, I also heard the sound of something metallic clashing. But they
seemed quite far away, so I couldn't understand what they were saying.
I didn't know if it
was related to the anomaly in this forest, but to confirm, I made sure I could
draw my katana at any time and began walking towards the sound.
"Mimu...! From
the left... whoa! Pull...!"
"Understood…!
Shi… cover……………"
"Don't overdo it….
medicine and……………"
After walking for a
while, the sounds gradually grew louder, and the light filtering through the
trees gradually increased.
Along with that, I
could also understand the content of the conversation to some extent. It seemed
someone was fighting magical beasts.
Further on, the thick
trees ended, and beyond them was an open clearing.
I hid my body in the
bushes growing at the boundary.
"They
are…………"
There, three Solminati
Academy students were fighting about ten green, dwarf-like demi-humans,
Goblins. The Goblins wore dirty rags as clothing, and in their hands, they held
weapons such as rusty knives, swords, and crude clubs.
Goblins were
demi-humans found throughout the continent, but due to their low intelligence
and indiscriminate attacks on people, they were a race that was subject to
subjugation, just like magical beasts.
What attracted my
attention more were the three students fighting. A petite male student chanting
magic, a Wildcat Beastman girl wielding a machete-like knife and slaughtering
Goblins, and an elf girl continuously firing arrows.
"Shina
Juliel…"
She was the one who
had treated my injuries yesterday, but one word she said afterwards had enraged
me, and I had lashed out and unleashed my killing intent on her.
The three moved
precisely, defeating the Goblins one after another.
Eventually, the three
easily defeated all the Goblins, but because I was too distracted, my slightly
moved body caused the bushes I was hiding in to shake slightly.
The next moment, a
flash of light crossed before my eyes.
***
"This is the
last!"
Mimuru swung her
knife, slitting the neck of the last remaining Goblin, delivering the finishing
blow.
Shina looked around to
check if there were any remaining Goblins, but there didn't seem to be any
alive.
"There are no
more. Tom, are the collected items alright?"
"Yeah. No
problem."
Tom lightly patted the
bag slung over his shoulder.
They had already finished
collecting and encountered those Goblins on their way back to the city.
Yes, they had
"encountered" them.
It all started a
little while ago. When the three of them, who had finished collecting and were
on their way back, came to this open area, about ten Goblins suddenly appeared
from the bushes in front of them.
At first, the three
thought they had been ambushed, but it was actually the Goblins who were taken
aback by the sudden encounter. After some chattering, they suddenly attacked
with their weapons.
The three who were
attacked naturally counterattacked. As a result, not a single Goblin was left
standing.
"But, what was
that all about? They didn't seem like they were trying to attack us, nor did
they seem to be chasing prey..."
At that moment, a
rustling sound was heard. Shina quickly nocked an arrow to her bow and
immediately fired it towards the rustling bush.
The fired arrow
disappeared into the bush, but she nocked another arrow and glared at where the
arrow had disappeared.
"…Come out. I know
you're still there."
Silence flowed for a
while after she spoke, but eventually, a male student, Nozomu, emerged from the
bush.
"…You!!"
Shina's expression
hardened as she confirmed his appearance. The voice that escaped her lips was
also a little strong.
Indeed, their
relationship was delicate, and thinking about yesterday, she had her thoughts,
but the person she had scolded so much had entered the forest without heeding
her warning, so her mood instantly worsened.
"…Um… hello, I
guess…"
Nozomu, on the other
hand, given what happened yesterday and this morning, felt awkward resulting in
a subtle expression of discomfort.
***
"Hmmmm. So you're
that Nozomu Bountis, huh~~. I saw you this morning too, but you look a bit
plain~~."
"Mimuru, stop
it..."
"…………………"
Mimuru peered at
Nozomu, and Tom was trying to admonish her. Shina, meanwhile, remained silent,
arms crossed, glaring at Nozomu.
The reason she didn't
speak was because if she opened her mouth, she'd likely start lecturing him,
and if that happened, what happened last night would be revealed.
"…………Sorry for
having a plain face."
Nozomu was concerned
about Shina, but he tried his best not to look at her as he spoke.
"Nozomu-kun… was
it? Is it alright for you to enter the forest alone?"
"Eh, ah, well,
probably………"
"………………………………………………………"
Tom asked Nozomu, but
Nozomu was more concerned about Shina and could only give an ambiguous reply.
When Nozomu glanced at
her face, her neatly arranged eyebrows were even more raised.
"By the way,
there was something I wanted to ask~~. Like, what did you do to that
Black-Haired Princess?!"
"Stop it,
Mimuru."
Ignoring Shina's
displeased look, Mimuru now asked about his relationship with Irisdina, but was
again admonished by Tom.
"Aww~~! But I'm
curious. Why does that princess care about such a plain guy~~? So! Are you two
dating!?"
"…No, we're not
dating, though…………"
"Aww~~ Really~~?
Then!! "Mimuru, stop being silly and let's go back." "Aww~ It's
such a good opportunity, you're so boring~~"
In fact, Nozomu wasn't
dating her, but perhaps dissatisfied with Nozomu's answer, Mimuru tried to
press him further. This time, Shina admonished her.
Mimuru complained, but
Shina's admonishing aura, which had changed from her earlier displeased look,
was now filled with tension like a taut bowstring.
"This is no time
for such talk. Didn't I tell you the spirits are acting strangely? …They seem
frightened… We should leave this place immediately."
Tom's face stiffened
with tension at her suddenly intensified aura, and Mimuru's playful expression
also changed completely.
What she was referring
to was the absence of any animal presence in the forest. Considering that she
was an elf who could sense spirits, Nozomu knew that the current forest was a
much more troublesome place than usual.
Nozomu also decided to
leave this place, and just as he was about to act, he was struck by a sensation
as if countless sharp arrowheads were piercing his body.
"!!!!!"
The too-dense
premonition of death instantly shifted his body into a combat stance. His
muscles tensed appropriately, and his rapidly beating heart sent rich blood
throughout his body.
Nozomu gazed at a
thicket in a corner of the forest. He felt a tremendous pressure emanating from
deep within that thicket.
Shina and the others
also seemed to notice the gaze, as they each readied their weapons and glared
in the same direction as Nozomu.
Eventually, a beast
emerged from that thicket.
But it was clearly not
a normal type of magical beast. Indeed, it had four legs on the ground like a
beast, and its shape resembled a wolf or a Wild Dog, but its size was clearly
different; its length was larger than an adult's, and its height was about
Nozomu's chest.
Above all, its body
was covered in something like black sludge, and black smoke rose with a
squelching sound.
There were no pupils
in its eyes; only reddish-black eyeballs were set there.
It was a magical beast
he had never seen before. At least, Nozomu had never seen such a magical beast
in this forest, nor had he seen it in any books.
"What is... this
thing?..."
"Ah, ah…………"
"…………"
"W-whoa…………"
A sound escaped
Nozomu's mouth, and Shina let out a groan-like sound. Sweat dripped from
Mimuru's face, and Tom was completely backing away.
A black beast.
Nozomu and the others
were clearly agitated by the unidentified opponent that defied description.
"Vooooooon!!!!"
A roar echoed, and the
trees in the forest swayed as if terrified by its cry.
The next moment, the
black beast sank down for an instant, then dashed towards Nozomu and the others
as if propelled.
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