Volume 4
Chapter 6
"…Why… would you do such a thing?"
"Why? It's
obvious. For Lisa's sake."
Ken, his face still
hideously distorted, declared it was for Lisa.
"Because it's
true, isn't it? Lisa will surely become an amazing Adventurer. A person
respected by everyone. Do you think someone like you, a burden, is needed by
her side? That's why I had you exit the stage."
Nozomu's body had
stiffened as if he were in an arctic wasteland. His mouth was parched, and his
limbs trembled uncontrollably. Even though he had prepared himself mentally for
it, the fact that his own best friend was the root of all his troubles
completely paralyzed Nozomu's mind and body.
"But you found
out. There's no need for me to act anymore, is there?"
Saying that, Ken
slowly drew the longsword at his waist and, with a perfectly natural motion,
cast a strengthening spell on himself.
"I thought you
would have given up by now, but seeing you corner Lisa at the tavern back then,
it seems you haven't given up yet. It's a good opportunity, so I'll crush you
here."
After declaring that
to Nozomu, Ken rapidly stepped forward and swung the longsword in his hand down
at Nozomu.
"Kuh!!"
Nozomu's body, having
accumulated countless real combat experiences, drew the katana from his waist
faster than Nozomu's own judgment, blocking the longsword Ken swung down.
However, due to his clearly delayed reaction, Nozomu was pushed back
significantly.
Ken swiftly pursued
Nozomu, who was staggering, and swept his longsword like a whirlwind. His
skill, having risen to A-rank in his teens, was genuine. His body-strengthening
spell was without wasted motion, clear as the murmuring of a stream, yet
granting him overwhelming power. His sword possessed the momentum of a raging
torrent born from melting snow, and the tranquility of a clear stream.
In contrast, Nozomu's
movements were slower than ever before. His posture was broken in one strike,
and his upper body swayed. The bamboo-like suppleness he once possessed was
gone. Nozomu's consciousness was completely unable to focus on the battle. The
balance between his consciousness and body had completely collapsed, and only
his accumulated real combat experience kept Nozomu's body moving, somehow
weathering Ken's sword dance.
"Haha! What's
wrong, Nozomu! Did you think you could be with her with such a stiff stance?
What a joke!!"
But it wouldn't last
long. Ken mocked Nozomu's pathetic appearance and began chanting while
delivering slashes.
Nozomu frantically
tried to launch an attack during Ken's chant, but he couldn't maintain a proper
stance and was easily repelled by Ken, exposing a large opening. At the same
time, Ken's chant finished.
In Ken's hand was a
small mass of water. Nozomu felt a sense of crisis from that small water mass,
as if all the hairs on his body were standing on end.
"Piercing
Fountain"
An offensive spell
that releases a compressed mass of water in one direction to pierce the
opponent. Outwardly, it's a small mass of water about the size of a fist, but
it can become a terrifying spell beyond its appearance. The power of this spell
changes with the amount of compressed water. If the water volume is small, it
only gets the opponent wet, but if the water volume is large, it can penetrate
even steel plates. The water mass Ken created was the latter. If it hit
directly, a soft human body would be pierced and torn like paper. Ken released
the water mass without hesitation. The compressed water was instantly
unleashed, rushing towards Nozomu. Nozomu tried to twist his body to avoid the
water flow, but it was Ken's trap.
"What!!"
The surging water flow
diffused right before Nozomu's eyes. It completely blocked Nozomu's vision,
concealing Ken.
"Hah!!"
A longsword pierced
through the diffused water flow, closing in on Nozomu. Ken used his
strengthened physical abilities to accelerate instantly. He had unleashed a
thrust at Nozomu. However, Nozomu somehow managed to react. Instead of
forcefully regaining his collapsed posture, he further broke it, falling to the
ground to avoid the tip of the sword that was thrust in. At the same time, he
put one hand on the ground to support his body, pulled one leg in, and spun
around. He converted the momentum of his fall into rotational momentum and was
about to sweep his katana towards Ken.
However, the sight
that jumped into Nozomu's eyes next made Nozomu stop his katana.
"What!
L-Lisa!?"
What jumped into
Nozomu's eyes was the face of his most beloved childhood friend. Ken's face had
somehow changed to Lisa's, and seeing that, Nozomu forgot even that he was in a
battle and was left dumbfounded.
And that was a fatal
mistake in this situation. Ken's longsword flipped, attempting to slash Nozomu
in a diagonal cut from shoulder to hip. Nozomu instinctively raised his katana,
but couldn't fully defend against the momentum-filled longsword, and his
shoulder was vigorously torn open, sending him flying.
"Gah!!!"
Nozomu tumbled across
the ground, letting go of his katana. Ken looked at Nozomu, who was sprawled on
the ground, and smirked. The sight of Ken, a man, smiling eerily with Lisa's
face, didn't seem real to Nozomu.
"Guuuhh!"
But even if the scene
before his eyes didn't seem real, the burning pain in his shoulder coldly
forced Nozomu to acknowledge reality. And the pain, like being pressed by a hot
iron, made Nozomu's frozen thoughts move again, trying to grasp his current situation.
At least it wasn't a
spell. A spell requires a surge of magic power when activated, but the only
surges Nozomu had felt were the previous "Piercing Fountain" and body
strengthening. Also, using ki techniques requires a surge of ki within the body,
and he didn't feel that from Ken either. The remaining possibility was...
"Is that... an
Ability...?"
"Ah, that's
right. It's an Ability called "Water Mirror Heart Mask."
Water Mirror Heart
Mask
An Ability that
adheres a film of water to the body's surface, and as that water changes, it
reflects the other person's appearance like a mirror. Unlike something that
merely deceives one's presence, it's an extremely rare Ability that can
completely change one's appearance, and historically, very few users have been
seen using this Ability. Ken must have been able to freely change his
appearance with this Ability.
"So that's how
you made Lisa believe I cheated…"
"Yeah, it's all
thanks to this ability."
Then Ken recounted the
truth behind that rumor. Using the "Water Mirror Heart Mask" to
transform into Nozomu's appearance, he showed Lisa his transformed self with
another woman, making her suspect that Nozomu might be cheating. At first, she
said, "That's impossible," but she had already seen the false
cheating scene. Gradually, she was consumed by Ken's words and the doubts that
had arisen in her own heart. And then, once again, he showed Lisa his
transformed self with the same woman, crushing her feelings for Nozomu,
comforting her in her despair, and winning her over. Naturally, the woman who
played the role of the cheating partner was someone not connected to the
academy, picked up and flirted with on the spot so she couldn't be traced if
the students questioned her. Due to the woman's unclear identity and seeing
Lisa's furious demeanor towards Nozomu, those around them, who initially had
doubts, focused on the betrayal Nozomu was supposedly committing rather than
the woman's true identity. Lisa didn't know about this Ability. Ken manifested
the "Water Mirror Heart Mask" around the same time Nozomu manifested
his ability suppression. At that time, Ken, already planning to frame Nozomu,
never told anyone about this Ability.
The actions recounted
by Ken were not something one would do to a childhood friend. His triumphant
face revealed ugly, twisted negative emotions he had accumulated until now,
such as jealousy and superiority.
"Nozomu, I didn't
change my attitude towards you just to monitor you. I wanted to to keep an eye
on you. Who is truly worthy to be by her side!!"
Ken slowly approached
Nozomu, revealing the ugly, distorted negative emotions he had bottled up.
"Besides, I met
her first. I fell in love with her first!!"
"Gaha!!"
Saying that, Ken kicked
Nozomu in the stomach. Nozomu bent over, clutching his stomach, only able to
groan. Indeed, if you consider who met Lisa first between Nozomu and Ken, Ken
was first. Nozomu met Ken when Lisa introduced him, some time after Nozomu
started talking to Lisa. From Ken's story, he must have already been in love
with Lisa by then.
"But, well, it's
fine. Unlike when we were in the first year, now that the rumor is so deeply
entrenched, nothing you do will overturn it. So, goodbye, Nozomu. Leave her to
me, and you can just grovel there."
After saying that to
Nozomu, Ken turned on his heel and walked back towards the city, but Nozomu
couldn't move. The truth he didn't want to believe had been forced upon him in
the worst possible way, and his heart had completely frozen. Nozomu muttered
"It's a lie, it's a lie" like a broken automaton in his mind,
continuously rejecting it, but the throbbing pain in his shoulder coldly forced
him to face reality. Eventually, the darkness of night arrived, enveloping the
field and completely shrouding Nozomu's figure.
***
Ken returned to the
city and met Lisa at the central park where they had arranged to meet. His
face, having utterly defeated his rival Nozomu, was clearer than ever before.
(I did it! I did it!!
Now he'll be gone for good!!)
His heart was
overflowing with joy, and he looked ready to leap for joy. He had been
monitoring Nozomu and acting all this time to prevent Nozomu from discovering
the truth, but now that was no longer necessary. Nozomu's comical figure, continuing
their friendship unaware that Ken was the one who had framed him, satisfied the
jealousy Ken held for Nozomu. But recently, Nozomu's demeanor had been
returning to his old self. Just when he thought it was about time, Nozomu
brought up the topic himself, so Ken seized the opportunity to reveal
everything and thoroughly crush Nozomu.
"…………Ken, did
something happen?"
"No, nothing at
all."
Lisa, walking beside
him, asked Ken somewhat hesitantly, but he replied with a smile as if nothing
was wrong. It was a smile that had become ingrained in him from constantly
suppressing his true feelings. It was a smile that had deceived the two of them
for years, but perhaps from the feeling of superiority of "defeating
Nozomu," that smile began to subtly emit a different aura than before.
"…I see (…………I
wonder if something happened?)"
Lisa also felt a
slight sense of unease from that smile, but since Ken seemed happy, she thought
it was nothing significant and continued walking with him without a care.
The two walked side by
side down the main street. Lisa, with her striking crimson hair, was still an
attractive woman, and passersby turned to look at her. Just thinking that he
had monopolized such an attractive woman filled Ken's heart with a sense of
superiority, recalling his triumph over Nozomu.
In the past, Ken and
Nozomu were indeed good friends. They played together and had sleepovers at
each other's houses. When they were children and didn't yet understand romantic
feelings, even if they liked the same girl, they were too young to realize it
was romantic love. Those were the days they were constantly dragged around by
the tomboyish Lisa, along with Nozomu. They also had big fights with the
neighborhood bully and his cronies. By the way, Lisa handled the bully, while
Nozomu and Ken dealt with the cronies. Lisa was amazing for not backing down an
inch against the bully, but Nozomu and Ken also displayed excellent teamwork
against the numerically superior cronies. Sometimes they went too far and were
scolded by adults, but every day spent running around together was fun.
However, as his
feelings grew stronger, Nozomu became an obstacle for Ken. When Nozomu and Lisa
started dating, Ken hated Nozomu so much that he wanted to kill him, filled
with jealousy. But since Lisa needed Nozomu, there was nothing he could do, and
he continued to swallow the bitter, murky feelings of jealousy every day. That
changed after he enrolled in Solminati Academy. As they steadily improved their
grades, Nozomu's abilities didn't grow at all. Furthermore, his ability
suppression manifested, and he fell to the lowest rank in his year. And when
Ken's Ability manifested, his muddy jealousy finally overflowed.
I am the one
who should be by Lisa's side, not Nozomu, who lacks power.
By the time he came to
that conclusion, he no longer held himself back. He would thoroughly eliminate
Nozomu and win Lisa over. And then, he would keep an eye on Nozomu and make him
feel the same pain he had. He executed his plan according to that desire,
acquired Lisa, and today, dealt the final blow to Nozomu.
(With this! With this,
he's truly finished!! Hahahaha!!!)
He laughed in triumph.
But blinded by jealousy, he didn't realize that he had never actually stood on
the same stage as Nozomu.
***
In the
darkness-dominated forest, amidst the hushed animals, a lone figure walked
deeper into the woods. There were no other moving shadows. Only the faint
moonlight filtering through the trees illuminated Nozomu, the lone figure.
He, Nozomu Bountis,
had somehow found himself in the forest without realizing it.
After being confronted
with the truth by Ken, he had entered the forest in despair, walking with
shaky, unsteady steps. His feet were probably heading towards Shino's hut
unconsciously.
"Haha, what is
this…"
Only now realizing
where he was going, a hoarse voice escaped his lips. He was heading not towards
his current friends, but towards the place he had shared with his master.
(…I really am
hopeless, aren't I…)
He had been confronted
by his master with "you're running away," and his master had cared
for him so much, even risking her life. Yet, here he was, thinking, "I'm
running away to the place of my memories with my master and trampling on
it." Nozomu scoffed at himself.
You and I are
alike. We were both betrayed and ran away.
Shino's words came
back to him. Thinking back, she must have realized long ago that Ken was the
one who had framed Nozomu.
"…………Master. It's
too similar, no matter how you look at it…"
Both were betrayed by
the people they trusted, and lost the people they loved. And both Shino and
Nozomu ran away. She fled to a distant foreign land, and Nozomu averted his
eyes from the reality before him, believing only what he wanted to believe.
Their methods were different, but the fact that they "ran away"
remained unchanged. Nozomu had thought he was running away from confronting
Lisa, but in truth, it was more than that. Nozomu had unconsciously been
running from many more things.
(It doesn't matter
anymore…………)
Nozomu's heart was
completely hollow now. His mind had given up on thought, and Nozomu couldn't
think of anything, nor did he want to. Not about Lisa, not about Ken, not about
the future. The anxiety about Tiamat nesting within him. The suppression he had
unconsciously maintained until now. The strained thread, held taut by these
things, had snapped, leaving his heart utterly empty.
(Master, that's why
you told me not to avert my eyes, right?…)
Shino's last words
echoed in Nozomu's mind.
It's okay to
run, it's okay to stop, but don't avert your eyes from the fact that you're
running away.
Thinking back now, she
must have known everything and sent those words to Nozomu. If Nozomu started
moving forward, he would eventually realize that Ken was the one who had set
him up. And between Nozomu, who had continued to avert his eyes from the
discomfort he should have felt, and Ken, who had manipulated him to do so, Ken
had the psychological advantage.
Shino didn't want
Nozomu to continue averting his eyes as she had. That was why those words were
given. That was why she entrusted him with those feelings.
However, for Nozomu,
whose strained mind had now snapped, Shino's words were simply too heavy. He
leaned his back against a tree and slid down to the ground. Nozomu then hugged
his knees and buried his face.
(…………I don't want to
think about anything anymore…)
Nozomu had given up
all thought. His mind and body were simply swallowed by the dark abyss, unable
to do anything.
***
How long had he been
sitting there? Nozomu raised his face from his knees at an approaching
presence. Something was approaching from deeper within the forest. And it
wasn't just one or two. Nozomu slowly stood up, gazing intently in the
direction of the presence, and several pairs of lights emerged in the darkness.
Soon, four-legged
beasts covered in black fur appeared one after another from those lights. About
15 of them. Magical beasts Nozomu knew well. Wild Dogs. The four-legged magical
beasts surrounded Nozomu and snarled, "Grrr." They clearly intended
to attack Nozomu.
"Kuh,
hahaha…………"
Nozomu suddenly began
to let out a hollow laugh, surrounded by the magical beasts. As he was bathed
in the killing intent piercing him, something dark and sinister began to well
up within Nozomu. It instantly swallowed Nozomu's previously withered spirit
and began to burn his heart like dry wood catching fire. A raging inferno that
began to burn due to betrayal by his best friend. Once the flame began to burn,
it dyed his heart with the fire of chaos, using the emotions he had suppressed
until now as fuel.
Nozomu glared at the
Wild Dogs. The aura he emitted had drastically changed. His eyes, holding the
raging inferno swirling in his chest, and his upward-curved mouth. With a
desperate thought of "If I don't kill them, I'll be killed anyway. So,
let's just them," Nozomu confronted the Wild Dogs.
(Now... I just want to
rampage! Enough to obliterate everything!!!)
Nozomu's jumbled heart
was now incomprehensible even to himself.
Was it hatred, anger,
or sadness?
Unable to even discern
that, Nozomu simply charged forward, driven by his own impulses.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Swagaraga
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Creris
Fred A.
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
