Volume 5
Chapter 12
In the outskirts of Arcazam. In a forest not far from the city. This place, usually inhabited only by magical beasts and animals, was today filled with hundreds of humans. They were students belonging to the third year of Solminati Academy and their teachers.
Today was the first
day of their Special Comprehensive Practical Training. In the forest, normally
enveloped in silence, an operation headquarters for the training had been set
up, and the clamor of hundreds of humans echoed. Once a year, only during this
season, this forest became far from silent. Perhaps because the upcoming
training would directly impact their grades, all the assembled students' faces
were stiff with tension. However, at the same time, this training was also a
big opportunity for the students, and thus, their expressions, while showing
tension, also revealed a certain kind of expectation.
"Hehehe. Doesn't
this look interesting..."
"...You look like
you're enjoying this, Mars."
Mars, who was beside
Nozomu, wore a fearless smile. There was no tension in his expression; he
seemed to be genuinely looking forward to this event. As someone who desires to
grow stronger, he must have a soft spot for these kinds of events where he could
test his strength.
"Well, yeah. It's
a great opportunity. And besides..."
Mars subtly clenched
his fist and stared intently at Nozomu. The carefree atmosphere from earlier
was gone; his eyes were trying to discern something. The lighthearted mood he
had shown just moments ago was no longer there.
"...? What is it,
Mars?"
"...No, it's
nothing."
Nozomu looked puzzled
by Mars's sudden change in mood. However, Mars did not speak his thoughts,
remaining silent. Nozomu tilted his head at Mars's behavior. Mars was
originally a strong-willed man with high pride, but Nozomu had felt that Mars
had been acting a little strange recently. He had been thinking a lot and often
seemed spaced out.
"Hey Mars,
lately, have you been feeling..."
"Oh, there you
are! Hoooey, Nozomu!!"
Just as Nozomu was
about to ask Mars, he was suddenly called out from the side. Nozomu and Mars
looked in the direction of the voice and saw Feo waving his hand as he
approached them. Beside him were Shina, Mimuru, and Tom. Upon confirming Nozomu
and the others, they smiled and came closer.
"Yo! Good
morning, you two!"
"Yeah."
"Good morning,
Feo. So Shina and the others are with you too."
Nozomu returned Feo's
greeting and glanced at Shina and the others, who also nodded slightly.
"That's right.
Somehow, it seemed like we were going to end up in the same party. I thought
Feo would be flexible and adaptable to the situation since he's an all-rounder.
So I talked to him properly and decided to have him in our party for the first
day."
Shina said with a
beaming smile. Her refreshing maiden's smile looked very charming from the
side, but for some reason, a chill ran down Nozomu's spine. Was it his
imagination that sweat seemed to be dripping from the foreheads of the other
three beside her?
"Talk, huh... I
think talking with a bow and arrow in hand, radiating killing intent, is
extortion, not negotiation..."
Feo began to mutter
under his breath, sweat dripping from his forehead. Mimuru, too, buried her
face in Tom's chest, trembling uncontrollably.
"Ahahahaha..."
(...What on earth
happened?)
Tom gave a dry laugh
and patted Mimuru's back as she clung to him. Seeing the strained smile on his
face, Nozomu decided it was better not to inquire further and did not press the
issue. One could also say he couldn't bring himself to press the issue.
"Well, that's how
it is. I'm officially Shina's party, so we're enemies today. Don't go easy on
me."
"...Yeah, I
know."
Feo declared war,
thrusting out his fist. Nozomu also extended his fist, meeting Feo's fist with
his own. Feo kept his fist pressed against Nozomu's and looked at Mars, who
also stood with his arms crossed and chest puffed out, wearing a fearless
smile. Though he didn't speak, his posture declared, "Try me if you can."
They exchanged combative smiles and glares.
But at that moment, a
mocking laughter echoed around them, as if deriding the three.
"Hahahahaha!
Sounds like there's some noisy, bubbly bunch.
If it isn't the fox-guy and a bunch of bottom-of-the-barrel half-wits.
No matter how much you good-for-nothings act tough, you can't do a thing."
Suddenly, a voice of
scorn was heard. From where the voice came, a single beastman walked forward.
Silver ears and a tail. He was Kevin Ardinal, one of the five individuals who
had reached Rank A, belonging to the highest First Tier in their year. Behind
him were students who appeared to be his party members. The silver wolf youth
who had suddenly hurled insults crossed his arms and looked at Nozomu and the
others with contempt. His party members behind him also looked down at Nozomu
with sneering gazes, and the unpleasant stares stiffened Nozomu's and the
others' expressions.
"So it's you,
doggy-bastard."
"To suddenly
appear and say such things... aren't you the noisy, bubbly one?"
"............"
Mars and Feo reacted
to Kevin's words. Nozomu also glared back at Kevin with sharp eyes, and the
other members also directed stern gazes at Kevin. Mars had already placed his
hand on his weapon on his back, looking as if he was about to attack Kevin at
any moment, but the silver wolf youth remained unperturbed, his arms still
crossed. He probably had the confidence to handle it even if Mars attacked him
directly.
"Students there,
what are you doing!"
It was truly an
explosive atmosphere, but an angry roar that seemed to blow away the tension
echoed. Mars, who had his hand on his weapon, removed it from the hilt of his
greatsword. The other members, surprised by the roar, also focused on where the
voice came from, and Instructor Inda, the homeroom teacher of the Second Tier,
and Irisdina and Tima, students of the First Tier, walked towards them.
"What on earth
are you all doing?!"
Instructor Inda, a
strict teacher, had probably heard the commotion and came to scold the students
who were making a fuss.
"Nothing much.
Just saying hello."
"Kevin Ardinal,
your skills are certainly impressive, but you should try to behave more in line
with your abilities."
"Yeah, I know, I
know."
Kevin spoke words that
seemed like repentance, but his arms remained crossed, a posture not indicative
of someone who had repented. Instructor Inda's scolding flew at Kevin again for
his disrespectful attitude, but Kevin looked annoyed and shifted his gaze from
Instructor Inda to Irisdina.
"Irisdina, it's
not too late. Why don't you team up with me?"
"Sorry, but I
already have a prior engagement."
Irisdina immediately
rejected Kevin's invitation. Judging from Kevin's tone, it seemed he had
invited her for this training before. Kevin's expression twisted for a moment
at being rejected, but he quickly returned to his confident self.
"Hmph. I don't
know what's so great about a failure like him... Well, fine. Knowing you,
you'll soon realize who's truly worthy to be your partner. Who should really
stand by your side..."
Kevin unilaterally
said what he wanted and then left. His party members followed suit. Nozomu and
the others watched them go with stern eyes, and Irisdina, though her expression
didn't change, somehow radiated a sense of disgust. Perhaps because her scolding
didn't seem to have much effect, Instructor Inda pressed her temples, looking
troubled. But she quickly returned to her sharp expression and admonished
Nozomu, Mars, and Feo before returning to the operation headquarters tent.
After Instructor Inda
entered the tent, Irisdina and Tima came over to Nozomu and the others, their
faces somewhat downcast.
"Sorry, everyone.
My classmate said something rude."
Irisdina seemed to be
apologizing for Kevin's earlier remarks. Nozomu immediately relaxed his stiff
expression and spoke as gently as possible.
"It's fine. Iris
didn't do anything wrong."
Mars and Feo and the
others nodded at Nozomu's words. Shina and the others' expressions had also
returned to their usual selves, no longer strained as they had been moments
ago. Originally, Irisdina was not at fault. It was indeed Kevin and his
cronies, who were in her class, who picked a fight, but she was not to blame
for that. Seeing their expressions, Iris and the others also relaxed their
stiff faces and smiled faintly.
"Well, now to
register our parties at the operation headquarters, and then the explanation
and instruction for the training..."
Today, the very first
thing would be the official party registration and the distribution of
necessary equipment. After that, Jihad, the person in charge of this training,
would give an explanation of the training content and an instruction, and then
the training would begin.
"That's right.
For now, let's go to the reception to register the party..."
"...U-Um."
As Nozomu and the
others were about to head to the tent where the operation headquarters was
located to register their party, someone timidly called out to them. Nozomu and
the others looked in the direction of the voice and saw three male students and
two female students.
"You guys
are..."
"H-Hey..."
"Nozomu, do you
know them?"
"A-Ah. Well...
yeah."
Irisdina asked Nozomu
if he knew them, seeing Nozomu's and the other party's reactions. Indeed,
Nozomu remembered their faces. They were students belonging to the same Tenth
Tier as Nozomu, and they were the students Nozomu and Mars had faced in the
mock battle during class. He remembered Jin and Tommy, swordsmen who used
longswords, Deck, a spear user, Cami, a dagger user, and Hamlia, a Mage.
These classmates had
always looked down on Nozomu. What on earth did they want? Nozomu, wondering,
decided to listen to them and spoke to Jin, who was at the front of their
group.
"Do you need
something from us?"
"Ah, yes. That's
right. Actually, um..."
Jin spoke hesitantly.
The other members behind him also awkwardly averted their gaze when their eyes
met Nozomu's, or urged Jin on from behind. Nozomu also tilted his head at their
strange behavior, but Jin, urged on, spoke with resolve.
"Actually...
about today's training. Could you let us join your party?"
"...Eh?"
Nozomu didn't
understand what they were saying at first, but then he looked at Mars next to
him and understood. His skill was among the top in the third year. Nozomu's
evaluation at Solminati Academy was still at the very bottom, and since parties
were formed by tier today, he couldn't team up with Irisdina or Shina, and the
others. However, precisely because they couldn't team up with other tiers, they
probably decided to try to acquire the greatest fighting force in the Tenth
Tier(Mars), even if it meant taking on the unstable element that was himself.
That's what Nozomu thought. However, Jin's next words would negate Nozomu's
thoughts.
"Yes. We want to
borrow your strength and Mars-kun's."
"...Eh? Me
too?"
Jin wanted to borrow
not only Mars's strength but also Nozomu's. There was no pretense or flattery
in his eyes as he looked directly at Nozomu, and Nozomu was overwhelmed by his
sincere gaze. Precisely because he had only been looked at with contempt in
class until now, Nozomu was bewildered by this change.
"I know it's
selfish to say this after looking down on you so much until now. But we don't
want to leave this academy yet! The results of this training will have a huge
impact on our grades. I fully understand that this is a selfish request, but...
please! Lend us your strength!!"
"Uh, um...
that's..."
Jin bowed deeply to
Nozomu. The other members also bowed their heads to Nozomu, and Nozomu's
confusion only deepened.
"...Nozomu, why
not? They really seem to need your strength."
"You're right. At
least I don't feel any malice or hostility, and they don't seem to be
lying."
Irisdina, who had been
observing them from the side, suggested that they could let Jin and his group
join. Feo also agreed with Irisdina, and Mimuru and Tom also nodded.
"That's right.
From what I see, their feelings seem genuine. I've had similar experiences, so
I kind of understand how they feel..."
Following Irisdina and
Feo, Shina also agreed with her opinion. Shina, who initially disliked Nozomu,
had also said terrible things to him before and had apologized and reconciled
with him.
"...Mars..."
Nozomu looked at Mars.
Mars crossed his arms, closed his eyes in thought once, and then looked at
Nozomu's face again.
"...It's fine.
Since we've decided to go for the win, I think it's better to have as many
fighting forces as possible."
Nozomu nodded after
hearing Mars's answer, then faced the people again.
"...Alright. If
you're okay with it, let's team up."
"Ah, thank
you!"
Jin, hearing Nozomu's
words, let out a sigh of relief and smiled. The other party members behind him
seemed to feel the same way, as they all uniformly wore relieved smiles.
"Then I'll go to
the operation headquarters to apply for the party. But this is just the
beginning. Our year has more excellent students than usual, so it won't be
easy."
Nozomu said that and
glanced at Irisdina and the others, but she received Nozomu's gaze with an
elegant smile. Nozomu shrugged his shoulders, looking at Irisdina, and headed
towards the tent where the operation headquarters was located.
***
After Nozomu and the
others had registered their party, all the third-year students were gathered in
front of the operation headquarters tent. Perhaps because they were now enemies
with Irisdina and the others, Nozomu and his party were gathered in a separate
area.
On the platform, Jihad
Raundel, the operational director of the Special Comprehensive Practical
Training, appeared, and a detailed explanation of the class began.
"Now, students.
The Special Comprehensive Practical Training class begins today, but before
that, I will explain the rules of this class."
Jihad said that and
took out a pendant from his pocket. When observing the students closely, it was
apparent that they were all wearing the same type of pendant that Jihad was
holding up around their necks.
"First, this
pendant was distributed to each student upon party registration, and it will be
your life in this class. If the owner receives and accumulates a certain amount
of damage, it will glow red, and at that point, that person will be disqualified,
and the pendant will belong to the opposing party. Of course, losing the
pendant also means disqualification. Also, points are assigned to each pendant,
with those belonging to higher tiers having higher scores."
"So that means
Irisdina and the others are worth a lot of points..."
"That's right.
But it also means they're more likely to be targeted by other parties in
groups."
Nozomu agreed with
Mars's words. This was probably to maintain a balance between lower and
higher-tiered individuals. Especially to make students fight against
high-ranked individuals like Irisdina and her group, there needed to be a
corresponding incentive.
"Furthermore, if
a party is completely wiped out, any points that party had accumulated prior to
that will also belong to the opposing party. The accumulated points will be
tallied at the end of today's class, and tomorrow, everyone will start from
zero again."
"So points can be
plundered too..."
"Yeah, it looks
like muggings will be rampant everywhere..."
However, accumulating
points doesn't guarantee safety. Even if lower-tier individuals defeat
higher-tier individuals in a group, if they are then wiped out, it all goes
back to square one. However, the fact that points reset tomorrow means that
points for Day 1 and Day 2 are calculated separately. In other words, how to
survive becomes crucial.
"Additionally,
the tasks are written on the back of the paper that was distributed along with
the pendants. You don't have to complete these tasks, but if you do, points
corresponding to the task will be distributed to your party. Also, for escort
tasks, we, the teachers, will serve as the escort targets, and we will judge
your success or failure."
"What do we do?
We can earn more points if we complete the tasks, but..."
"...Honestly, I
can't say for sure since I don't know how other parties will move, but let's
keep it as an option for earning points."
Jin asked Nozomu for
his judgment on what to do, but Nozomu reserved his decision on whether to
complete the tasks. It would be good to complete tasks and earn points, but
other parties would naturally try to steal them. Whether to earn points through
tasks or to hide and conserve points. That kind of strategy will also be
important.
"The training
area is marked on the back of the paper with the tasks. If you leave this
training area, your pendant will react, and you will be disqualified. Also, the
area has been thoroughly investigated and is monitored by us teachers. We have
also scattered magical beast repellent fragrance along the boundaries of the
training area, but this does not mean there is no threat from magical beasts at
all. This time, unlike regular classes, you will be using real, unblunted
weapons, so please exercise extreme caution during the training."
No matter how much prior
investigation is done, absolute safety is impossible. Furthermore, the weapons
this time were real, not the blunted, mock-combat weapons used in previous
classes. In fact, there had been casualties in past training exercises, and
students were required to sign a pledge beforehand to participate in this
training. In other words, it was at their own risk. Of course, not signing the
pledge and not participating in the training would not result in a grade
reduction, but participation in this training would undoubtedly be a huge plus,
so very few students did not participate.
"Furthermore, the
area around the operation headquarters is a non-combat zone. Any party that
engages in combat within this zone will be penalized with a deduction of
points, so please keep that in mind."
This was, in a sense,
only natural. It would be unacceptable if combat near the necessary operational
area caused disruptions.
"Also, special
targets will be set within the training area. We, the teachers, will serve as
these targets, and the party that defeats a special target will be awarded more
points than for any other task. However, these special targets will attack you
and plunder the points you have acquired. But, if you manage to win, you will
also be able to acquire the points that the special target plundered."
"Teachers are
participating too..."
"I think they're
probably playing the role of powerful magical beasts. Or perhaps to stir things
up and keep the training from becoming stagnant."
Cami was groaning,
holding her head. Indeed, the teachers acting as enemies were nothing short of
a threat. Given that the teachers of Solminati Academy were gathered from all
over the continent, everyone must possess considerable skill.
"This concludes
the explanation of the rules for this practical training. I expect you all to
do your best... That is all."
Jihad finished his
explanation, and a bell was brought onto the platform. When this bell rang, the
training would begin.
"Nozomu, what are
you going to do?"
Jin asked Nozomu for
his opinion. Nozomu glanced at the bell being prepared and muttered in a low
voice so that others wouldn't hear him.
"...If we stay
too close to here, we'll either be attacked by other parties or get caught in
combat, and then we'll be the ones who get exhausted first. First, let's get as
far away from here as possible and set up a base."
The other members
nodded at Nozomu's words. They slowly moved to the edge of the venue. Their
plan was to make a dash at the start signal and get away from this spot as
quickly as possible.
"Full sprint at
the start signal. We're heading west of the training area. After that, we'll
set up a base and consider our next actions. Got it?"
Nozomu reconfirmed
their next actions, and once everyone nodded, the bell was ready.
"Hmm?"
Nozomu had been
bracing himself for the start signal of the training, but he suddenly felt a
gaze on him and looked towards a corner of the crowded student area. He
couldn't see the owner of the gaze at all due to the clutter, but he suddenly caught
a glimpse of familiar red hair through the gaps between the students.
"...Lisa?"
"Now then. The
first half of this year's Special Comprehensive Practical Training class will
now begin!"
Nozomu leaned forward
to confirm the owner of the red hair, but the next moment, with Jihad's
declaration, the bell rang, and all the students present scattered in all
directions as if shot from a cannon. Reluctantly, Nozomu gave up on confirming
the owner of the gaze and sprinted away from the spot with all his might. Soon
after the venue became empty of people, roars, shouts, and screams began to be
heard from all directions. It seemed that combat had started everywhere the
moment they exited the non-combat zone.
Thus, one of the
biggest events of the first semester, the Special Comprehensive Practical
Training class, began.
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