Volume 4
Chapter 20
"This is bad!"
When Nozomu reached
the clearing where he had encountered the magical beast yesterday, the sight
that met his eyes was Shina being caught in the explosion of her own arrow and
being blown away.
"Uwoooooooh!!!!"
He immediately
activated Flash Step with all his might, charging in a straight line. He cut in
between Shina and the magical beast, drawing his katana. With the Ki Technique:
"Dust Severance", he gouged out the magical beast's mouth.
"Gabyaau!!"
Perhaps because its
mouth was attacked again, the magical beast let out a muffled roar. As it
violently thrashed its greatly torn head, scattering even more blood, Nozomu
grabbed Shina by the collar and retreated, dragging her along.
Shina's eyes were wide
open, as if she couldn't believe the scene before her, and she was frozen.
However, as she gradually comprehended that Nozomu was here now and her own
current situation, her eyes narrowed.
"Ah, you! Why are
you here?!"
The first words that
came from her mouth once she understood her situation were, as expected, curses
directed at Nozomu.
"That's my line!
You idiot!! Why are you charging in alone without any chance of winning?!
You're far more reckless!!"
"W-what are you
talking about!? Idiot?! I had a way to win, you know!!"
Nozomu, also full of
pent-up frustration, shouted curses at Shina, and Shina, in turn, became
enraged and shouted back even more.
"Then why were
you in such a desperate situation?!"
"S-shut up! I
just made a small mistake!!"
"A mistake?! Then
it's ultimately meaningless, isn't it?!"
Tit for tat. Frankly,
it was a scene completely out of place, yet the two of them were utterly
serious.
And their out-of-place
conversation slowly began to unravel her heart, which had been hardened by
regret and repentance.
"Gagyaaaaa!!!"
The magical beast's
roar echoed through the forest. Recovering their senses at that sound, the two
glared at the black beast, weapons at the ready.
"..."
Nozomu tried to take
out sound bombs and flash bombs from his pouch, trying to stay out of the
magical beast's sight, but the next moment, the black magical beast closed the
distance and swung its greatsword-like tail down at Nozomu.
"Kuh!!"
Nozomu instinctively
leaped sideways, dodging the tail that fell from directly above, but he dropped
the sound bombs and flash bombs he had taken out. It seemed the trick he used
yesterday wouldn't work this time.
Furthermore, another
tail was swung to bisect Nozomu's torso. Nozomu instinctively crouched, dodging
the approaching tail, but the tail that had just been swung down attacked
Nozomu again without a moment's pause.
It seemed that the
beast had judged Nozomu to be more of a threat than Shina, ignoring Shina and
attacking Nozomu. Its method of attack had also changed from a simple charge to
repeatedly using its tail to ward him off, waiting for him to get exhausted.
Nozomu was somehow
dodging the attacking tail, but the magical beast's limbs were ready to lunge
at any moment. If he showed even a slight opening, it would slam its massive
body into him.
Nozomu, in contrast,
was simply continuing to dodge the approaching lethal tail with minimal
movements.
"Whoa!"
Nozomu dodged the
magical beast's diagonally swung tail with minimal movement, but the dodged
tail slammed into the ground, and the kicked-up dirt got into Nozomu's eyes.
The black beast immediately charged at Nozomu, whose movements had stopped for
a moment.
Releasing all the
stored energy in its body, it charged straight at Nozomu.
"You!!"
However, Shina
compensated for that opening.
She aimed her fully
drawn bow at the magical beast's front leg and fired an arrow. The fired arrow
accurately pierced the magical beast's left front leg, momentarily slowing its
movement.
Nozomu used that
opening to throw himself to the right, towards the leg where the arrow had
pierced. When Nozomu looked at Shina, unlike yesterday, he saw a calm light in
her eyes. The fact that she had shouted at Nozomu earlier, unintentionally
released unnecessary tension from her body.
The magical beast,
having its charge dodged, passed by Nozomu, then slammed its two tails, like
black greatswords, down at Nozomu, grinding the ground with its limbs.
Nozomu rolled to avoid
losing the momentum of his leap, and the magical beast's tail slammed into the
spot where he had just been.
The magical beast then
spun around. This time, it turned towards Shina, and as if a cow swatting away
an annoying fly, it casually swung one of its tails.
Shina dodged the
sweeping tail by jumping backward, then grabbed four arrows between her five
fingers from her quiver. She imbued the arrows with magic power and readied her
bow again.
Before her, Nozomu was
again being cornered by the magical beast, but she fired all four arrows at
once.
The fired arrows
pierced the ground in a line between the magical beast and Nozomu, then
immediately exploded. They scattered dust and smoke between Nozomu and the
magical beast, hiding Nozomu from the magical beast's sight.
"Go!!!"
Nozomu ran at Shina's
shout.
He charged towards the
magical beast with Flash Step, sheathing his katana and pouring all his Ki into
it, compressing it to the extreme.
As Nozomu cut through
the dust and smoke, the magical beast, noticing his charge, thrust its two
black greatsword-like tails towards him.
Nozomu dodged the
first tail with Flash Step - Curving Dance -, then parried the second tail,
which was thrust into the scabbard of his sheathed katana, using the momentum
to move forward.
The magical beast
instinctively tried to bite Nozomu with its gigantic jaws, but its body was
already within Nozomu's katana range.
"Hmph!!"
Nozomu drew his katana
as he passed by.
The katana, imbued
with an extremely compressed Ki blade, was drawn and deeply cut the magical
beast from its right shoulder to its right flank.
"Gugyaaa!!!"
A large amount of
blood spurted from the gashed wound with a groan of agony, but the sludge-like
shadow covering the magical beast's body immediately tried to seal the wound.
"Don't you
dare!!"
Before the wound could
completely seal, Nozomu thrust the scabbard in his left hand into the wound. He
then unleashed a Vibration Strike, attempting to destroy the opponent's
internal organs, but...
"!!"
Just before Nozomu
could unleash the Vibration Strike, the magical beast's tail swept at him. The
magical beast, not caring if its own flesh was wounded, slammed its
meat-cleaver-like tail at Nozomu.
"Damn it!!"
Nozomu instinctively
let go of his scabbard and tried to dodge, but he couldn't completely avoid it.
He reluctantly raised his katana to parry, but he couldn't completely deflect
the momentum of the powerful tail and was blown away.
"Gah!!"
Nozomu, blown away,
was sent flying to the edge of the clearing, slamming into a tree trunk. Air
leaked from his lungs with a groan from the impact. He couldn't fully brace
himself from being slammed into the trunk so forcefully, and Nozomu's movements
became sluggish.
The magical beast
wouldn't miss that opening. It charged at the blown-away Nozomu, attempting to
deliver the finishing blow.
But at that moment, a
glowing arrow pierced the magical beast's right flank, the wound Nozomu had
inflicted and which was now trying to seal.
The next moment, the
pierced arrow exploded. It forcibly widened the halfway-sealed wound, and the
shockwave blew away Nozomu's scabbard, which had been buried in the flesh.
"Gagyauu!!"
The magical beast
groaned in pain, but despite its wounds worsening, its countless eyes all over
its body glowed red with hatred as it glared at Shina, opening its gigantic
mouth.
Magic power imbued
with a dark, stagnant light converged in its gigantic mouth. Shina, feeling a
chilling premonition from that light, instinctively leaped away from the spot.
"Gaaaooon!!!"
The moment Shina
leaped away, a black ball of light was launched with the magical beast's roar.
"Kyaaaa!!"
The launched black
magic power mass flew straight and hit a large tree at the edge of the
clearing. It scattered a roar and a black flash around, and Nozomu and Shina
instinctively shielded themselves from the resulting blast.
"Wha!"
After the blast
subsided, what entered Nozomu's vision was the blown-away tree and the gouged
ground, oozing with a squelching, putrid stench.
"!!"
Perhaps reminded of
her homeland by the sight, Shina gritted her teeth.
Nozomu, meanwhile,
kept his eyes on the magical beast and calmly assessed their situation, but
their chances of winning were quite grim.
(This is bad! If that
guy can use long-range attacks too, then all means of escape vanish
instantly!!)
He didn't know how
often that black roar could be unleashed, but at the very least, maintaining
distance no longer guaranteed safety. Their enemy already overwhelmingly
surpassed them in ability. If they also lost their advantage in range, the tide
would swiftly turn in favor of the black beast.
The magical beast
charged at Nozomu again.
Nozomu's body was
still numb, and Shina hurriedly nocked an arrow to her bow, but she wouldn't
have time to fire an arrow powerful enough to disrupt the magical beast's actions
by merely charging it with magic power.
"Gaaaaah!!"
(Damn it!! Do I have
no choice but to use it now!?)
Nozomu reached for the
invisible chains binding him, but he couldn't tear them apart.
The release of ability
suppression, which held him and "it" down. Nozomu's survival instinct
pleaded for the release of the suppression against the approaching threat of
death, but that survival instinct, his own anxiety towards Tiamat, and the fear
of his own rampage and descent into slaughter, all clashed within his heart.
With each step the
magical beast took, the struggle within his heart intensified. Only impatience
grew, and his mind threatened to go blank.
(!!!)
Nozomu, still wavering
just like Shina. He gripped the chains he had grabbed tightly, but by the time
he realized it, the magical beast was already right before him.
(Damn it! This is no
time to hesitate!!)
A gigantic mouth
spread wide across his vision, attempting to cover and engulf his body, but
Nozomu's hands, against his will, did not tear apart the chains binding him.
They merely gripped them tightly, refusing to move beyond that.
(Wh-why!?)
Nozomu was agitated by
his hands not moving against his will.
"…Ah."
"Nozomu-kun!?"
A dazed sound escaped
Nozomu's mouth. His reason, seeing his hands unwilling to move against the
approaching death, realized that his death was inevitable.
Gigantic fangs
approached to tear Nozomu apart, and just as they were about to crush his
body...
"Teryaaaaah!!!"
A girl's voice,
different from Shina's, echoed through the clearing, and the next moment, a
black shadow burst out from the forest.
The shadow that leaped
out from the forest charged at the black beast with tremendous momentum,
slamming its lithe legs into the magical beast. It was what was known as a dropkick.
Perhaps she had used
some kind of wind magic or Ki Technique on her legs, as the magical beast that
was kicked by the shadow was sent flying with a yelp of "Gyan!" and
then disappeared into the depths of the bushes.
"…Huh?"
A dazed sound escaped
Nozomu's mouth.
The shadow that had
kicked the magical beast spun in the air, then landed precisely on the ground.
Characteristic
cat-like ears and a tail. And large eyes that seemed to have good night vision.
It was Shina's friend, Mimuru.
"SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINA!!!"
Then she turned on her
heel and lunged at Shina, who was also dumbfounded like Nozomu.
"Huh? Eh?"
"You, you idiot
Elf—!!"
Mimuru, who had jumped
at Shina, pinned Shina to the ground and pinched her white, soft cheeks.
"O-ow, ow!
Stooooop!!"
"Who's stopping?!
You idiot Elf!! Running ahead on your own, getting depressed on your own,
disappearing on your own... Take our frustration, Tom's and mine, who were
worried about you—!"
"…………"
"Are you alright,
Nozomu-kun?"
"Tom…"
As Nozomu stood
dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events, he was called from behind. When he
turned around, he saw Tom, also Shina's friend, and Mimuru's boyfriend.
"…You, why are
you here…"
"I couldn't leave
you two behind, could I? Besides, we also wanted to say something to
Shina..."
Saying that, Tom
raised his hand and cast healing magic on Nozomu. The activated healing power
of his body quickly removed the numbness that remained in his body.
"Ah, thank
you."
"It's alright.
Besides, we've been nothing but trouble for Nozomu-kun, and Shina is safe
thanks to Nozomu-kun... But I'll have to give her a good scolding
later..."
Tom said that while
looking at Mimuru and Shina, who were still bickering loudly. His face was
somewhat stern, but in his eyes, there was a light of relief that Shina was
safe.
***
When Nozomu ran into
the forest to look for the missing Shina alone, Mimuru and I just stood there,
dumbfounded.
"…………"
"Mimuru…"
Mimuru just kept
staring at the note Shina had left behind. The hand holding the letter trembled
violently, and her face was downcast and hidden, but she was gritting her
teeth, desperately trying to endure something.
"…Mimuru."
I called out to her
again. I knew her well. After all, she was the person I loved most.
"…It's my
fault…"
"…What is?"
"Shina went off
alone... it's my fault. Because I blamed her so much... even though I knew
Shina seemed off... even though I knew she was blaming herself for Tom's injury
and for pushing the aftermath onto Nozomu-kun..."
Transparent drops fell
onto the letter Mimuru was clutching. The drops, falling from the shadow of her
hidden bangs, landed on Shina's note, forming small, round stains.
Mimuru regretted that
she had been emotional because I was injured and had lashed out at Shina.
"…Mimuru. I
regret it too, you know."
"…Eh?"
"Because, if I
hadn't panicked and tried to cast that spell then, it might not have turned out
like this. If I had been able to fight a little more decently, I might not have
held everyone back so much, even if I had gotten injured."
That was my regret.
Until now, I had been completely absorbed in research and studying, and I was
completely useless in combat and other aspects, but I hadn't tried to improve
that.
I might have been a
little better if I had tried harder, but I found studying, experimenting, and
reading books much more enjoyable than that.
But as a result, when
we encountered that magical beast, I had to pay the price. Because of the spell
that only pursued power, I blew away Nozomu-kun, who was our ally, and in the
end, I became unable to move from the pain of the injury inflicted by that
magical beast.
It was impossible to
fight while protecting an injured person in a place like that. Moreover, as a
result of that injured person becoming unable to move on his own, we had to
force Nozomu-kun to bear an even greater burden so that we could escape, and
that further cornered Shina.
"I regret it. A
lot…"
"Tom…"
Mimuru raised her face
and looked at me with tear-filled eyes.
The wind blew through
the forest. For a brief moment, silence flowed between her and me.
"…Come to think
of it. We don't really know much about Shina before she came to the academy, do
we?"
"…That's right.
When we first met, she always had such a sour look on her face, and she was so
sullen…"
"That's right.
She's so beautiful, yet... or rather, precisely because of that, she had an
intimidating presence. She was kind of scary~~."
"Ah~~. Is it okay
to say something like that? Who knows what Shina will say to you later~~."
Mimuru teased me with
a smirk and mischievous eyes. Little by little, she seemed to be getting back
to her usual self.
"…That's
certainly bad. Then, I have to do something to shorten her nagging, even just a
little..."
Saying that, I looked
towards the depths of the forest where Nozomu-kun had run off to.
"…That's right.
Then I have to properly question Shina. It won't be worth it unless I find out
everything that happened. So even if Shina dislikes it, I'll never abandon
her!"
We said that and
started running. Our destination was the clearing where we encountered that
magical beast yesterday. To truly become comrades with the people we considered
companions and friends.
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