Volume 5
Chapter 1
"Hah, hah, hah…"
In the forest, I
relentlessly swung my katana. Before me were countless black humanoid figures
with numerous red eyes, raising a miasma-like smoke, just like that magical
beast.
The humanoid figures
wielded weapons like swords, spears, and axes in their hands, attacking me.
I dodged a vertical
strike from the front by slipping past the opponent's side, then immediately
slashed their flank.
From the right,
another humanoid figure with a greatsword swung its weapon horizontally,
attempting to sweep me away along with the humanoid figure I had just cut down.
"Kuh!!"
I read the trajectory
of the greatsword, crouched low to evade the sweeping blow, and put strength
into my bent knees.
The moment the
greatsword passed roaring over my head, I exploded the power stored in my
knees. I sprang up, raising my katana, and bisected the humanoid figure in
front of me.
From the opposite
direction, a spear-wielding humanoid figure charged, but I plunged towards the
opponent, sliding my katana blade along the thrusting spear, and then cut it
down with a diagonal slash.
"Damn it…"
Even as I parried,
swept, and struck them down, humanoid figures appeared one after another.
Before I knew it, I
was surrounded by black humanoid figures, with nowhere to escape. The humanoid
figures surrounded me, positioning themselves a step outside my katana's range.
The numerical
disadvantage was overwhelming. Perhaps my experience unconsciously led me to
it, but I found myself reaching for the invisible chains that bound me.
The next moment, the
surrounding humanoid figures all leaped at me simultaneously.
Against the humanoid
figures attacking from all directions, I slammed my left hand, imbued with all
my Ki, into the ground.
Ki Technique:
"Annihilation Light Impact"
Pillars of light
erupted, covering my surroundings and incinerating the leaping humanoid
figures, but it was merely a temporary reprieve.
"Gaaaaah!"
A humanoid figure I
couldn't completely defeat leaped at me, who was full of openings, and pierced
my body with the weapon in its hand.
My mind went blank
from the intense pain, and blood spurted from the wound. As my blood rapidly
drained, I suddenly felt cold, and my vision grew dark.
"Ah, ah…"
A chill ran through my
entire body. The presence of death slipped into me.
(N-no…!)
But even though my
body should have been cold, the desire not to die swelled disproportionately,
and my heart began to burn intensely.
The flame, ignited by
my attachment to life, shook off my body's limits, moved my hands, and tore
apart the chains that bound me.
The next moment, my
entire body was filled with power, and the overflowing torrent of power blew
away the humanoid figures.
I wielded my power in
the grip of an impulse not to die.
Blood was still
flowing from my entire body, but I ignored it and bisected a charging black
humanoid figure along with the sword it wielded using the Ki Technique
"Phantom Void". I then slammed my scabbard into the flank of a
humanoid figure charging from the opposite side.
The humanoid figure
struck by the scabbard had its ribs crushed, its body bent in a V-shape, and
was sent flying, taking several other humanoid figures with it.
I then channeled Ki
into my feet and activated "Flash Step - Curving Dance." I slipped
through the humanoid figures with high-speed curved movements before being
surrounded again. I then applied the Ki technique "Phantom Void -
Clad" to my katana, cutting down humanoid figures as I slipped past them.
Having broken through
the encirclement, I then rampaged through the group of humanoid figures,
swinging my katana wildly.
The humanoid figures
couldn't keep up with my movements and were unilaterally cut down.
Eventually, I had cut
down all the humanoid figures. I let out a deep breath and re-chained the power
I had unleashed.
But the moment I
finished coiling the chains, the scene before my eyes changed completely.
"Eh?"
I, who should have
been in the forest, was now in ruins. Flames dyed the surroundings red, and familiar
buildings crumbled and burned.
It was the crimson
dream I had seen before.
"U-ugh…"
A tremendous wave of
nausea surged from deep within my chest.
The countless black
humanoid figures I had just cut down and left fallen had, before I knew it, turned
red.
No, they weren't black
shadows.
They were wearing the
familiar white-based uniforms.
They were students of
Solminati Academy, wearing the same uniform I did.
They were all bisected
by sharp blades, and it was undeniably forcing me to acknowledge that I was the
one who had caused this.
"Guh,
geeeeeh!"
I couldn't help but
vomit the contents of my stomach.
Not wanting to admit
that I, not "it," was the one who caused this carnage, I crouched,
holding my head like a child.
"Ah, ah."
But no matter how much
I denied it and squeezed my eyes shut, the smell of blood like rusty iron
filling the surroundings, the sound of sparks flying, and the roar of crumbling
buildings kept forcing me to acknowledge the carnage I had caused.
At that moment, a face
appeared before me as I crouched.
"!!"
In the almost
lightless darkness, her face faintly floated into view. It was her face, one I
knew well.
But it wasn't the
sunny smile she had shown me under the sun; she wore only a pale, lifeless
expression.
It was natural; her
body from the neck down was gone. Because I had cut her down.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
My scream echoed
through the red, crumbling Arcazam, as my stretched shadow twisted and formed
six wings.
The shadow continued
to transform, taking on "its" shape, and light ignited in the areas
where its eyes should be, beginning to pulse. But I didn't notice any of it and
just kept screaming.
***
"Ugh!!"
I jumped out of bed
and rushed to the washbasin.
"Ugh,
geeeeeeeeh!"
I desperately tried to
stick my face into the washbasin and vomit the contents of my stomach, but
since my stomach was empty in the early morning, only stomach acid came out.
However, the nausea
wouldn't subside, so I drank the water from the pitcher and immediately threw
it up.
After repeating this a
few times, the nausea finally subsided, but this time, a tremendous sense of
exhaustion enveloped my body, and I leaned my back against the wall and sank to
the floor.
About two weeks had
passed since I encountered that black magical beast. My condition had only
gotten worse.
I somehow managed to
get up, get ready, and head to school.
The early morning
sunlight was warm, enveloping Arcazam.
"Phew…"
Just before leaving
the dormitory, I took a deep breath to calm myself.
Honestly, my
complexion right now probably wasn't good at all.
After the incident
with that black magical beast, Iris and the others had genuinely worried about
me.
Just before going to
the forest, I encountered Lisa and the others, and at that moment, a dark
impulse welled up inside me.
Not wanting that
impulse, which felt like it would explode, to actually explode, I ran away from
the scene.
Because Mars, who was
with me, told Iris and the others about it, after I defeated the black magical
beast with Shina and the others, and after I finished reporting to the academy,
I was interrogated by them.
However, in the end, I
could only give ambiguous replies.
"…Is that
so?"
"…………"
I remembered that
time.
Irisdina and the
others, who seemed somewhat sad. Mars, who stared at me in silence, not trying
to hide his dissatisfaction that I said nothing.
That day, Irisdina and
I remained somewhat awkward throughout.
Furthermore, during
training in the forest, the flickering nightmare in my head and the dark
impulse bound my feelings, and even when I grabbed the chains of ability
suppression, my hands wouldn't move beyond that.
"Good morning,
Nozomu."
"Good
morning~!"
When I was called and
turned around, Iris and Somia were there, having appeared without me noticing.
"Good morning,
Nozomu-kun."
"Yo."
Tima and Mars also
greeted me, following Iris and Somia.
"Good
morning."
I forcibly pushed the
dream I saw last night deep into my mind and tried my best to return their
greeting with a calm demeanor.
However, my voice was still
slightly stiff.
***
"So, Ransa-chan
got angry and slapped that boy with all her might."
"Well, I
understand how she felt, but the girl who resorted to violence wasn't entirely
in the right either, was she?"
"Really? I think
that guy just got what he deserved, though..."
"Ahahaha..."
"Well, the boy is
definitely the cause, and I think getting angry in return is questionable, but
still, that girl named Ransa shouldn't have just hit someone like that..."
We were deep in
conversation on our way to the academy early that morning. I couldn't talk
about what happened two weeks ago, and Iris and the others didn't press me for
details. Currently, Somia-chan was telling us about her classmates. Apparently,
a male student had forgotten his class duty, and a girl named Ransa tried to
reprimand him. Instead of showing remorse, the boy started getting angry, which
only made Ransa escalate. The fight then escalated into a huge brawl after she
slapped him. Iris expressed her opinion that both were at fault, while Mars
argued it was entirely the boy's fault, saying he deserved what he got. Tima
watched the two of them with a wry smile.
For a few days after
the awkward silence due to the forest incident, Irisdina's and my expressions
had been a bit stiff, but recently, we'd finally been able to talk normally
again.
One more thing that
had changed was...
"Ah! There they
are! Hey! Nozomu-kun!!"
A bell-like voice
echoed around them.
Looking towards the
voice, three people in the same Solminati Academy uniforms as us were coming
towards us.
One was Shina Juliel,
an elf girl with long blue hair and a black hairband.
The other was Mimuru,
a Wildcat Beastman girl with cat ears and tanned skin.
And behind them was
Tom, Mimuru's boyfriend, who was smaller and thinner than the other two.
It must have been
Mimuru who called out to me. She was waving her hands vigorously, as if she had
found a close friend, trying to make their presence known.
This was another
change in my surroundings. After that incident, they occasionally started
talking to me.
"Good morning,
Nozomu-kun. Sorry. Mimuru suddenly raised her voice."
"No, I don't mind
at all..."
"That's right!
He's not the kind of boy to care about such things. Shina is still so
stiff~~."
"You're too soft,
like cream, so I have no choice but to be this way."
"Oh dear~. If I
were that delicious, Shina might attack and eat me~. To be told such things not
only by boys but by girls too... being popular is tough~~."
"Don't worry,
Mimuru, that was sarcasm. Besides, if you look at your cooking skills, the soft
cream you're talking about contains salt and chili peppers, not sugar. No one
would be able to eat such a nonsensical dish."
"Whoa! That's too
mean!! I'm not good at cooking, but at least I only mistake sugar for
salt!!"
"Either way, it's
no good..."
Mimuru replied with an
absent-minded remark that didn't acknowledge Shina's sarcasm.
Somehow, Tom's face
next to her was turning pale... well, I'll pretend I didn't see that.
Perhaps it was the
right decision that I cooked at Master's hut at that time.
"Good morning,
you three. Still the same, I see."
"Good morning,
Nozomu-kun. Well, yeah, Shina and Mimuru are still the same in class. Well,
that's good though."
Tom smiled as he said
that.
Shina and Mimuru were
bickering with each other despite being in public, but their expressions were
very bright.
Their bond, forged
through that incident, had become stronger and firmer.
"Oh, hey there,
Somicchi! How are you doing?!"
"Hi~! I'm doing
great today~~~!!"
Mimuru, finding Somia,
went to her side and high-fived her with a smile.
After the incident,
because I had more opportunities with Shina and the others, Iris and the others
also started talking to Shina and her group.
"Oh, Mars-kun,
good morning. The knife I gave you yesterday. How was it?"
"Ah, it was quite
easy to deploy the spell. But strength is an issue. Etching a formation into
the blade still reduces its strength."
Tom was discussing
magic enchantment with Mars and Tima.
Mars had been studying
magic with Tima, but it was still proving difficult.
Mars was trying his
best, but even if he managed to memorize a spell, it wouldn't work in practice.
This was partly
because Mars had only used Ki techniques until now, so that fighting style was
ingrained in him, and partly because Mars was clumsy with magic.
When he tried to use
magic while fighting or swinging his sword, his control over the Ki technique
he had cast on himself became unstable. On top of that, Mars wasn't very good
at controlling magic.
So Tom suggested a
method using alchemy to draw a formation on the weapon beforehand and then
channel magic power into it to activate the magic. This would reduce Mars's
burden compared to activating magic from scratch.
By the way, Iris
sometimes joined this conversation.
"But Mars-kun's
weapon is a greatsword, right? If you're thinking of it for magic deployment,
you don't need to worry too much about strength..."
"That's what you
say, but I'm a complete vanguard. I don't want to switch weapons when the
opponent's attacks are constantly grazing me, as it creates an opening. Well,
I'm not going to use this knife, though..."
The knife with the
formation drawn on it was a commercially available one, but it seemed they had
only experimented with it this time. Tom was probably thinking of enchanting
Mimuru's knife, his girlfriend's.
"Hmmmm. Then
directly carving a formation into the blade might not be a good idea... I think
it would be fine for a dwarf, though..."
Tom was an alchemist,
not a blacksmith. Even if there was no problem with the magic enchantment
itself, he was completely amateur when it came to how it would affect the
weapon's strength or handling.
"Hmm. I guess
I'll think about it a little more. Thank you, Mars-kun and Tima-san."
"No, I was helped
too. Honestly, I was struggling to use magic while fighting."
"U-um. Thank you
too... I'm not familiar with weapon enchantments and stuff..."
Tima, with her talent,
could use a wide variety of magic, including offensive, healing, and support
spells. However, having the aptitude to use them and actually being able to use
them were separate issues.
She was only 17 years
old. She couldn't possibly master thousands of years of magical history and
wisdom.
Especially regarding
magic she didn't use herself, it was understandable that she wouldn't know much
about it.
"Speaking of
which, Shina-kun, you have such long hair, do you have any concerns about
it?"
"Well, after
washing it, I try to dry it naturally and avoid putting too much stress on it.
It seems to be damaged easily right after washing... What about you,
Irisdina-san?"
"That's right.
Sometimes my maids do it for me, but basically, I try to do it myself. But it
does bother me. It seems to have been damaged a bit recently..."
Saying that, Iris ran
her white hand through her hair.
Iris and Shina were
having a very girly conversation.
Her hair was black and
very lustrous. Frankly, I had no idea where or how it was hurting.
"That's right.
I've also been through a lot lately, so mine is a little damaged too."
Shina also pinched her
long blue hair and showed it to Iris. Iris also showed her hair in the same
way, but I still couldn't tell.
"Hey Nozomu. You
think so too, right?"
"…Eh?"
"Look, this hair.
It's a little damaged..."
"Haaah, mine
too..."
Iris suddenly asked
me.
It seemed she was
talking about hair quality, as Iris and Shina were pinching the ends of their
hair and showing it to me.
Black and blue. The
colors were different, but the hair was very beautiful. Shina's hair seemed
slightly lighter in color, but that was apparently because her hair was finer
than Iris's.
I looked at the hair
held out to me, but I still couldn't tell at all.
"U-umm... Sorry.
I don't know..."
"“Haaah…”"
The two sighed in
exasperation and frowned in dissatisfaction.
"Nozomu, you have
no tact."
"That's right.
You lack tact."
"Um...
sorry..."
Perhaps my answer
didn't please them, as the two voiced their dissatisfaction, but their voices
somehow pierced my heart.
"Hm?"
I was feeling down,
but suddenly I felt a gaze and looked in that direction, seeing a red-haired
girl mixed in the crowd looking at me.
"Lisa?"
The distance between
her and me was quite far, and I couldn't read her expression.
Lisa noticed my gaze
and quickly averted her eyes, but there were many people on the street, and she
soon disappeared into the crowd.
"Nozomu! Let's
hurry!!"
"Ah, yeah!"
Mars called my name.
For a moment, Lisa
crossed my mind, but Mars urged me again, and I hurriedly started to follow
everyone.
***
"Nozomu…"
I found his figure on
my way to school. My mind instantly turned red, but at the same time, the
recent events came to mind.
About two weeks ago, I
ran into him while walking home from school with Ken.
I glared at him, the
guy who had betrayed me. At first, he was looking down, but then he was
different from usual, and the next moment, he glared back at me.
At that moment, I felt
a pain as if my chest had been pierced by a gaze that reflected my anger back
at me.
When I realized it, he
was looking at me. His expression was hard to see due to the distance.
But when I saw him
with Iris and the others, my anger welled up even more, and my chest ached.
He betrayed me, he
abandoned me...
I gritted my teeth and
instinctively clenched my fists.
"Good morning,
Lisa. Is something wrong?"
"!!"
I hurriedly composed
my expression upon hearing Ken's voice from behind and turned away from his
gaze to face Ken.
"No, it's
nothing. More importantly, you're late!"
"Sorry, sorry, it
took me a while to get ready."
Ken's unchanging
smile. His smile, which hadn't changed in ten years, made me feel the pain deep
in my chest heal.
...Let's forget. Ken
is here now. Even without that guy, I'm not alone...
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