Volume 6
Chapter 4
The class right after lunch. For students who had just satisfied their hunger, lectures at this time were a major hurdle. Blood rushed to their digestive organs to process the food, resulting in less blood in their brains, making them sleepy. While physical education classes in the training grounds were one thing, if the class at this time was a monotonous lecture, students had to concentrate more on fighting off drowsiness than on the lecture content. The students taking the lecture in the 10th Class classroom were no exception, desperately enduring the encroaching sleepiness, frantically scribbling notes from the blackboard visible through their drooping eyelids.
"As you know,
spirits sometimes display incredibly powerful powers. Volcanic eruptions,
sudden earthquakes, extreme droughts, and heavy rains. Some of these major
natural disasters are believed to have been caused by spirits."
The 10th Class lecture
was currently being taught by Professor Torgrain. He was an expert in alchemy
and a talented teacher who also served as a researcher at a certain research
institution. He was a kind-looking young man with gentle eyes and rimmed
glasses, but he gave off an impression of not being very good at asserting
himself.
"Despite
possessing such immense power, spirits also have their drawbacks. Due to their
ethereal and hollow nature, they generally cannot travel long distances like us
or migratory birds. Spirits can only move within the domains where they can
exist."
Saying that, the
professor illustrated the relationship between spirits and land on the
blackboard.
"These are lands
with specific environments suitable for spirits, such as forests and springs.
This is also why elves must contract with the spirits of each land when they
use spirit magic."
Professor Torgrain
drew a forest-like diagram and fuzzy, cloud-like representations of spirits on
the blackboard. He then drew arrows pointing from the spirits to the forest and
vice versa.
"The land becomes
a breeding ground for spirits, and as the spirits increase in number, the land
becomes further imbued with the color of the rooted spirits. And then, the land
reactivates the spirits. Activated lands repeat this cycle, and we indirectly
receive various blessings from the food and animals that grow within
them."
Professor Torgrain
finished drawing the diagram, turned around, extended his index finger sharply,
and said, with a slightly stronger tone, "However!"
"It's not that
spirits have no way to move outside their territory. There are ways, such as
possessing some kind of vessel or shrouding themselves in something to maintain
their existence. Well, the latter method is limited to spirits with a very
strong will..."
He finished speaking,
then placed a hand to his mouth as if clearing his throat.
"Now, we're in
the middle of the lecture, but..."
His gentle eyes
sharpened, zeroing in on a target. Casually raising the chalk in his hand,
Torgrain swung his arm swiftly.
"Ah!"
The chalk the professor
threw perfectly struck Nozomu's head. His hair turned white from the shattered
chalk, and Nozomu involuntarily choked, having inhaled the scattered powder.
"Nozomu-kun, are
you awake?"
"Y-yes..."
Torgrain spoke in a
slightly forceful tone. Nozomu, now awake, hastily replied. He could hear his
classmates stifling their laughter, and Nozomu looked down, a little
embarrassed.
Due to the effects of
his ability suppression, Nozomu's practical grades were disastrous, and he
compensated for the necessary credits with written exams. He usually couldn't
nap during lectures, but he must have been exhausted from the battle with
Tiamat in his dream this morning. His body might have been sleeping, but his
brain wasn't getting enough rest, so he had apparently dozed off
unintentionally. The dream he had while sleeping was very recent, however.
Professor Torgrain,
confirming that Nozomu was awake, began the lecture again. Nozomu looked at
Professor Torgrain, who stood at the podium, patting away the chalk dust from
his head. Even as he listened intently to the lecture, the dream he had just
seen crossed Nozomu's mind. The dream he had seen was about a week after his
rematch with the Corpse Dragon in that forest.
***
Nozomu Bountis was the
most underachieving student since the founding of Solminati Academy. There were
two reasons why this reputation had become established and why Nozomu continued
to be looked down upon by other students.
First, the effect of
his ability suppression. The decline in all his abilities, including magic and
ki, was fatal in this highly competitive academy. Indeed, his grades, which had
fallen to the lowest rank, were so terrible that it was understandable why he was
mocked.
Second, the rumor that
Nozomu had abandoned his childhood friend and girlfriend. From her attitude
since the rumor spread, those around them believed the rumor to be true, and
this decisively ruined Nozomu's reputation.
Irisdina and the
others already understood that this rumor was completely unfounded nonsense.
However, they had never heard this story directly from him. Why had Nozomu
become this way? It was something everyone present, including Irisdina, was
curious about. Because of it, Irisdina had been driven by impatience, and had
even clashed with Lisa Hounds, who was directly involved. Of course, Nozomu
himself hadn't been able to tell them the truth, but it was also true that even
though they were curious about the truth, they couldn't bring themselves to
take a step towards Nozomu himself.
But they intended to
put an end to that now. In that forest, they learned Nozomu's secret, and they
declared, "We want to know more about you." They took action a few
days after Nozomu woke up. It was around the time he was finally able to get
out of bed. Before Nozomu, Irisdina stood with a serious expression. Around her
were friends like Tima, Mars, and Shina, all looking at Nozomu with uniformly
tense expressions.
"Nozomu, there's
something I want to ask you..."
"Eh? Wh-what is
it?"
Nozomu, pushed by
everyone's intensity, shifted slightly backward on the bed.
"It's about,
well, Lisa-kun..."
"Ah..."
With Irisdina's single
word, Nozomu understood what they wanted to ask. He closed his eyes and slowly
exhaled, as if steeling himself. It was a painful past for Nozomu too. Because
he remembered the happy times from long ago, his heart ached even more. At
Nozomu's whispered words, as if exhaling them, Irisdina and the others felt as if
the air around them had suddenly grown heavy. Nozomu's expression barely
changed. Precisely because it didn't change, they could clearly tell that he
was feeling as if his chest was being torn. Irisdina and the others, feeling a
stabbing pain in their chests, continued to wait for Nozomu's words. Because
they desperately wanted to know about him. Because they had vowed to face him
properly again.
"...Right. Where
should I start?"
Nozomu felt the same
way. Sweet and painful memories came to mind. As if savoring those memories,
Nozomu slowly began to speak.
"You already know
that Lisa and I were dating, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Lisa, Ken, and I
were childhood friends, and we grew up in the same village. Only Lisa was from
outside the village, but she came to the village with her mother when she was
little."
Nozomu first began to
talk about his meeting with Lisa. It was when she first spoke to him.
"The first time
we met, I was fishing in the river. She called out to me, and when I turned
around, she was there."
Even now, remembering
it, Nozomu clearly recalled his heart pounding at that moment. The moment he
consciously recognized her as a female was at a different time, but thinking
about it, Nozomu had begun to be curious about her from then on.
"At that time,
she had just arrived in the village. She was already friends with Ken, but she
didn't seem to have many other friends."
Nozomu added that
perhaps that's why she spoke to him. Although it was just a coincidence that he
was there, it was undeniable that the time he spent with her and Ken after that
was enjoyable for Nozomu.
"After that, we
started playing together, and after various things happened, I heard her
dream... and I decided to enroll in this academy because I wanted to support
that dream."
Even now, thinking
about it, it was reckless. Solminati Academy, one of the top academies on this
continent. Considering that aspiring students flocked from various countries,
and that they educated talented individuals like Ecros from childhood, it was
clear how difficult it was to continue learning and advancing there with just a
little thought. Lisa and Ken fortunately blossomed their talents quickly, but
Nozomu did not. The difference from his childhood friends began to show
immediately after enrollment.
"Indeed, I tried
my best after coming to this academy, but my grades didn't improve as I wished.
I couldn't become strong like Lisa or Ken. But both of them accompanied me in
training every day and encouraged me when things didn't go well. I also made
friends besides Lisa who would lend me strength, so I thought I could manage..."
Indeed, life at this
academy didn't go well, and Nozomu's swordsmanship, ki techniques, and magic
didn't improve as he wished. He had put in effort, so his physical abilities
were somewhat better, but it was still nothing he could boast about. In fact,
Ken and Lisa, who enhanced their bodies with magic, could easily perform
movements beyond Nozomu's. Nevertheless, they didn't abandon Nozomu. They
studied together and desperately tried to teach Nozomu, who struggled with
magic, how to use it. Camila, who became Lisa's friend after coming to this
academy, also accompanied Nozomu in his training. She was a girl who grumbled
sometimes, but she was also kind to the underachieving Nozomu. He thought he
could somehow manage. Nozomu had that thought. However...
"At that time, my
ability... ability suppression manifested."
The ability
suppression manifested in Nozomu. Because of this, Nozomu was burdened with a
fatal handicap.
"When ability
suppression manifested, my body stopped moving as I wished, more than ever
before. No matter how much strength I put in, I would be overpowered. I
couldn't withstand an opponent's single strike, nor could I continue holding my
sword. I was originally bad at it, but I became completely unable to use
magic."
Nozomu's body became
duller than ever before. Putting aside a normal life, he ended up carrying a
huge handicap for navigating through battles. With his Ki restricted, he
couldn't properly exchange blows. Magic, which he was already bad at, no longer
materialized his will, no matter how much he chanted.
"Still, I tried
to do something, so I kept pushing myself recklessly. At that time, both Ken
and Lisa told me it would be alright and accompanied me in training."
When ability
suppression first manifested, his classmates looked at Nozomu with pity.
However, they gradually started to whisper behind his back, seeing Nozomu
repeatedly engaging in reckless training. For them, Nozomu seemed to be making
futile efforts. Nevertheless, Nozomu didn't give up, and his childhood friends
and Camila didn't abandon him either.
"But, at some point,
that rumor started spreading... and everything changed. There's no need to
mention the content of the rumor now."
The day everything
suddenly turned upside down. At that time, even the last refuge that supported
Nozomu hurled insults at him.
"Everyone cursed
me. Lisa also hurled hatred at me. Ken didn't change his attitude towards me, though..."
Nozomu's frozen heart.
He unconsciously stopped moving forward, and instead of fulfilling his promise,
he let that dream degrade into a tool for escape. If his master and Anri hadn't
been there, Nozomu would undoubtedly have been broken. However, it was also a
significant factor that Ken didn't change his attitude. In retrospect, even for
the short time Lisa wasn't with them, being able to talk normally with Ken,
with whom he shared his childhood, was a temporary salvation for Nozomu.
"But even that
was a lie. Ken was the one who spread that rumor, after all..."
However, even that was
within Ken's calculations. When Nozomu confronted Ken before, he clearly
presented that fact to Nozomu.
"Why did he do
such a thing...?"
"...Probably, Ken
thought I was in the way of Lisa realizing her dream, so he did this. Someone
like me, who can barely protect myself, would only be a hindrance to Lisa's dream
of adventure..."
Lisa and Ken were
getting stronger. Meanwhile, Nozomu was left behind. In the end, he would lose
everything.
"I thought if I
became stronger, Lisa might turn back to me. That's why I entered the dangerous
forest alone and endured master's reckless training. In the end, that was also
just my escape, though..."
He was aware of his
escapism now, but at that time, he could only struggle in the darkness. Nozomu
scoffed at his own escapism. Looking back at himself like this, he felt truly
pathetic. He felt no different from the useless drunkards at the tavern.
"Thinking about
it that way, master's training might have been for the best. I was so busy just
surviving each day that I didn't have time to think about unnecessary things."
Precisely because his
days were so demanding that he had no room to think about anything else, Nozomu
avoided straying from his path in despair. In fact, when he first met Shino,
Nozomu had entered the forest in despair and was almost killed by a magical
beast. Even if he hadn't entered the forest, if he had stayed in the city, he
might have caused some trouble. Nozomu smiled wryly, recalling his days of
training with his master. They were enjoyable yet difficult days, but perhaps
the difficulty outweighed the enjoyment, as a dry laugh escaped his lips.
"Why aren't you
angry! This is clearly a betrayal against you!"
Nozomu's
self-deprecating and wry smile. Mars raised his voice, seeing Nozomu, who
didn't seem angry. Everyone else also felt anger at the injustice directed at
Nozomu. Nozomu silently shook his head at Mars's words.
"It's not that
I'm not angry. When Ken told me the truth, I was stunned, but then I wanted to
go wild. In fact, I unleashed my ability suppression and annihilated a group of
Triclops..."
Irisdina and the
others widened their eyes in surprise at the story of Nozomu having gone
berserk once. Nozomu, who normally controlled even his own ki techniques, let
alone the dragon's power hidden within him. Even though he was enraged, they
were surprised that he had ever wielded power in anger. At that time, by going
berserk and slaughtering the Triclops, Nozomu consequently developed a very
strong fear and anxiety towards the existence of Tiamat, which he had absorbed.
"I am angry, yes.
Probably at Ken, at Lisa, and at myself."
Contrary to his words,
a wry smile floated on Nozomu's face. Nozomu was quite cornered by various
things, but the fact that he could put it into words, even if only partially,
was at least some salvation. However, after a beat, Nozomu wore a pained
expression, as if he had cut himself. A suffocating sensation, as if pulling
out a foreign object from deep within his chest. Squeezing it out, Nozomu
slowly spoke.
"But more than
that... I'm sad."
A heavy silence
enveloped Anri's room. Everyone wore expressions as if they had bitten into a
bitter bug. Mars, who had pressed Nozomu in anger, also gritted his teeth with
an awkward expression. Irisdina and the others could only remain silent at
Nozomu's pained feelings. However, Nozomu, while feeling sorry that they felt
so much anger and regret, secretly felt happy. Because he could feel that they
were angry for him, and that they cared for him.
"Thank you, everyone."
To try and alleviate
their hardened expressions, Nozomu thanked them in a deliberately cheerful
voice. Smiling at Irisdina and the others, who looked up with a start, Nozomu
continued his story.
"I think Lisa is
the most important person to Ken. The promise they made together was also about
protecting Lisa's back."
Indeed, Nozomu at that
time was nothing but a hindrance to Lisa. He had vowed to help Lisa, who
dreamed of adventure, but this would be putting the cart before the horse.
"Besides, Ken had
always liked Lisa. He stepped aside when Lisa and I started dating, but he
seemed to have resented me inwardly all along..."
A childhood promise
and his feelings for Lisa. Nozomu, not being Ken himself, didn't know all the
reasons why he had set him up. However, when Nozomu confronted Ken and he
declared that he was the one who spread the rumor, Ken had said, "I met
her first. I fell in love with her first!!" Considering that, it was
perhaps inevitable that Nozomu and Ken would clash in some way. It's difficult
to suppress one's own feelings. It would be especially difficult for boys and
girls in their sensitive teenage years, like Nozomu. However, if asked if he
himself was blameless, Nozomu couldn't proudly declare that he was. Regardless
of the outcome, it was clear that neither Nozomu nor Lisa had faced each other,
and instead used the other as a tool for escape. Nozomu used her dream as an
excuse for his escape. Lisa tried to avert her eyes by directing her hatred at
Nozomu himself.
"We weren't truly
together..."
Nozomu felt that
belatedly. This academy, where he had harbored dreams and hopes. But it
couldn't be realized. For whatever reason, all of them had turned their backs
on each other.
"So...
Nozomu-kun, what are you going to do? Are you going to leave it like
this?"
"...I don't know.
Lisa doesn't know that Ken spread that rumor. Some things are better left
unknown, but... at the very least, I don't think this is okay as it is."
No matter how much he
sank into sadness, Nozomu himself didn't think Lisa or Ken were fine as they
were. The current Lisa and Ken might just be escaping, just like his past self.
Nozomu, who had realized his own escapism and taken a step forward with the
help of his comrades, somehow felt that way about the two of them now.
"Can you wait a
little longer? I want to properly reconsider how to face the two of them again.
I might consult with you all about various things, though..."
Just as he had faced
Irisdina and the others the other day, he would likely have to face Lisa and
the others again. But Nozomu himself still felt an undeniable anxiety deep in
his heart.
"...I understand.
I'll do my best then."
"Yes, I intend to
as well."
Irisdina and Shina
directly met his gaze as Nozomu asked them hesitantly. The other friends around
them also nodded firmly in unison.
"...Thank you,
everyone."
Hearing everyone's reply, Nozomu deeply bowed his head, feeling the emotions welling up in his chest.
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