Volume 6 Past
Arc 3
Nozomu decided to enroll in Solminati Academy. However, his parents strongly opposed him. His father, especially, was stubborn and was very reluctant to let Nozomu leave the village. In the end, it escalated into a fierce family quarrel, resulting in Nozomu getting a large bruise on his eye. After a night of persuasion, which included fists, his father reluctantly gave his permission. The following year, Nozomu, Lisa, and Ken enrolled in Solminati Academy and set foot on the land of Arcazam. The boys and girls came to this land with hopes and dreams in their hearts. However, staying enrolled in this academy was not an easy feat. Those who did not achieve results and whose grades were insufficient were ruthlessly expelled, or left the academy unable to keep up with the fierce competition for survival. In fact, nearly a quarter of the new students left this place within two months of enrollment. In the midst of all this, Nozomu somehow managed to cling to his difficult academy life.
"Hah!"
"Whoa!"
The voices of young
people echoed in the training grounds. In a mock battle using wooden swords,
Ken's swung imitation sword attacked Nozomu. Nozomu received the sword strike
swept from the side, but his sword, held up in defense, was knocked back along
with his body, making him stumble. Ken spun his swung sword around and this
time struck Nozomu from above. Despite losing his balance, he somehow managed
to cut into the descending trajectory of the sword. A particularly loud clack
echoed, and both their swords locked tightly. They put strength into their
arms, determined not to be pushed back. They could hear the grinding sound of
the imitation sword's blunted blade. At first, the two were evenly matched, but
after a few seconds of deadlock, their superiority gradually emerged.
"Kuh!"
A groan escaped
Nozomu's lips. It was Nozomu who began to be pushed back. What Nozomu was
performing on his body was body strengthening using ki techniques. Ken was
performing body strengthening using magic on himself. The techniques both used,
as their names suggested, enhanced physical strength, but despite using similar
techniques, the difference between the two was clear even from a distance.
Compared to Ken's flowing technique use and magic manipulation, Nozomu's ki
techniques were rough. Perhaps because he was putting too much power into it,
he was using too much ki unnecessarily, and ki that he couldn't control was
leaking from his body. Furthermore, Nozomu's manifested ability further
hindered his ki-based body strengthening. And the balance, which had slowly
begun to tip, collapsed in an instant like an avalanche after a beat.
"Kuh...
Ugh!"
Nozomu was suddenly
pushed back by Ken and involuntarily stumbled backward. He tried to resist the
momentum, but his body, which had already started to fall back, couldn't be
stopped. Ken then grabbed his clothes, threw him with a twist, and pushed him
to the ground.
"Gah!"
Nozomu was slammed to
the ground without being able to brace himself. A groan escaped Nozomu's lips
from the pain running through his back. Nozomu's vision flickered, and before
he could regain his focus, Ken pressed the tip of his imitation sword to
Nozomu's throat.
"Haa, haa... I
give up."
Nozomu declared
defeat. Ken pulled back his imitation sword, and Nozomu slowly raised his upper
body. But his vision was still spinning, and his consciousness remained
unfocused. He felt a burning heat on his forehead. When he lightly touched it,
a sticky, viscous liquid adhered to his finger, and the metallic scent
stimulated his nostrils. It seemed he had cut his forehead slightly.
"Ouch!!"
"Nozomu, are you
alright?"
Nozomu grimaced at the
pain in his forehead. Lisa, who had been watching the two from a short distance
away, rushed to Nozomu. She leaned close to Nozomu, whose upper body was
swaying, and supported his shoulder. Lisa took out a handkerchief from her
skirt pocket and pressed it against the wound on Nozomu's forehead.
"Gosh! Ken, you
overdid it!"
"S-sorry... I
just got carried away..."
Lisa, supporting
Nozomu's shoulder, complained to Ken in a slightly angry tone. She seemed upset
that her boyfriend was injured.
"But Ken, you
could have done it better, couldn't you!?"
"No, but..."
"It's alright,
Lisa. I asked Ken not to go easy on me."
It was Nozomu, who was
being treated, who stopped Lisa, who was pressing Ken. He held Lisa's hand,
which was on his forehead, and looked straight at her.
"But..."
With Nozomu himself
saying that, Lisa's momentum was cut short. She herself knew very well that her
boyfriend was trying his best for her. Although she sounded a little
displeased, his earnest feelings always moved her heart and filled her with
relief and warm comfort.
"Now, now. Leave
it at that, Lisa. Nozomu is also working hard for your sake, after all."
"Ugh..."
At Camila's words, who
had approached the three, Lisa turned away a little awkwardly. Knowing Nozomu's
feelings towards her, she was caught between a rock and a hard place, and she
merely pouted.
"Nozomu, are your
injuries okay? Well, you're fine, right? After all, your beloved has treated
them."
"N-no, Camila,
don't say strange things!"
"A-ah, of
course..."
"Look, Nozomu
says so?"
"!"
Camila continued to
tease Lisa. Lisa opened and closed her mouth, trying to say something, but
Camila just grinned, seeing Lisa's reaction. In this situation, anything she
said would only amuse Camila. As a result, Lisa could only puff out her cheeks
and glare at her best friend, and both Nozomu and Lisa's faces were flushed
red. Camila, watching the two, smiled faintly, and her heart was inwardly
filled with joy. However, her gaze fell upon Ken, who remained silent. He was
staring fixedly at Nozomu and Lisa, whose faces were red.
"............"
"Ken? Is
something wrong?"
Camila called out,
sensing something amiss with Ken, who was silently staring at Nozomu and Lisa.
Ken turned to Camila with a startled expression.
"N-no, it's
nothing. More importantly, let's hurry up and treat Nozomu."
Ken seemed deflated,
but Lisa also nodded at the suggestion to treat Nozomu. Blood was still coming
from Nozomu's forehead. Lisa nodded at Ken's words and tried to cast healing
magic on Nozomu's forehead. Lisa herself wasn't very good at this kind of
healing magic, but she used her ability, "Nivea’s Demonic Hand," to
double the magic's effectiveness. Warm light overflowed from her hand,
gradually healing Nozomu's wound. She was happy for Nozomu's feelings to
protect her, but she felt a little frustrated about her own unsuitability as a
healer in such times. Nevertheless, a smile appeared on Lisa's lips from the
warmth transmitted through her hand touching him.
However, unkind words
interrupted the two.
"Is Nozomu still
at this school?"
"It seems so. Why
is someone like him dating Lisa-san, I wonder?"
"Because they're
childhood friends, right? Otherwise..."
The voices belonged to
Nozomu's classmates. Nozomu's face stiffened at the contemptuous voices.
"! I-I'm alright
now. Thank you, Lisa."
"Ah..."
Nozomu forced a smile,
pretending not to hear their voices, and gently pulled away from Lisa. A sad
voice escaped Lisa's lips at the warmth she no longer felt in her hand. Nozomu's
expression showed a momentary apology at her voice, but he forced a smile, put
strength into his cheeks, and stood up. He then picked up the imitation sword
that had fallen to the ground and offered his hand to Lisa.
"Let's go. It'll
be dark soon, and I'll walk you back to the dorm."
"Right... Okay,
please."
Lisa, who was a little
downcast, nodded slightly, took Nozomu's hand, and stood up. She then walked
beside him towards the training ground exit. Camila followed a little behind,
but she turned back and glared at the classmates who had just hurled insults at
them. However, the classmates paid no mind to Camila's gaze and scoffed.
Camila's gaze sharpened further at their reaction, but they showed no sign of
changing their attitude. Camila was seething with anger inwardly, but she
couldn't keep glaring forever, so she began to trot after Nozomu and the
others. Following Camila, Ken finally tried to leave the training grounds.
However, from behind him, one of the students who had just been mocking Nozomu
called out.
"Hey Ken, that's
rough, isn't it? You have to deal with such a trash too..."
"Nazwel..."
A student from the
group that had been mocking Nozomu earlier approached Ken. His name was Nazwel Barkin.
He was one of the exceptionally talented students in the first year and the son
of a nobleman from the Cremazione Empire. The Cremazione Empire was a country
with a formidable army, and its power rivaled that of the Forsina Kingdom. He
was the third son and not in a position to inherit the family like the young
lady of the Francilt family, but he was recognized for his abilities and chosen
as one of the people to come to this academy. For his education as someone who
would bear responsibility for the country, and for building future connections.
He was also a talented individual, showing his power from the beginning of his
enrollment, and had quickly achieved promotion to D-rank, just like Irisdina
Francilt, Tima Lime, and Kevin Ardinal.
"No, I..."
"You and Lisa
both have wonderful talent. But why does she care about trash like that?
Honestly, I don't understand."
Lisa and Ken had also
rapidly gained strength since enrolling and had reached D-rank, just like him.
Their talents were by no means inferior to his. Precisely because he felt that
way, Nazwel treated Ken and Lisa as equals. And he couldn't understand why
Lisa, whom he recognized, was with Nozomu Bountis. For him, results were proof
of talent. He was a person who believed that talented people produced results,
and that was everything. In fact, the students behind him were also excellent
students in the first year. Ken himself had sparred with them several times.
"...Lisa needs
Nozomu."
"However, she
aims to be an adventurer. Indeed, I don't think it's impossible for her to rise
to be a top-tier capable person. But wouldn't Nozomu Bountis only be an
obstacle to her dream?"
Nazwel said without
hesitation, frowning at Ken's answer.
"Lisa chose
Nozomu..."
Ken murmured as if in
a soliloquy, then began to walk after Nozomu and the others.
"Well, if you say
so, it can't be helped. However, I think you should reconsider. This is a
dangerous world. You never know when death might descend and take a life."
Death. The word
pierced Ken's chest. His greatest fear. The worst possible outcome he felt when
he heard Lisa's dream as a child. The fear that it might become reality
resurfaced. Feeling Nazwel's gaze stabbing him in the back, Ken forcibly moved
towards the training ground exit. Feeling the growing ache in his chest.
***
When Ken left the
training grounds, Nozomu and the other three were waiting for him. Thinking
something might have happened to Ken, who was taking a little longer, Camila
called out to him.
"You're late. Did
someone say something strange to you?"
"No... I'm
fine."
Ken replied, trying to
appear calm. A smile played on his lips, as usual. Nozomu and Lisa. The
expression he had worn on his face ever since the two childhood friends took a
step forward in their relationship. He was already used to wearing this
expression. But it was fine. He told himself, "This is fine." He
glanced at his best friend standing next to her. Nozomu was always like that.
He always ran forward first for someone else. When he was young, when Lisa, who
didn't have a father, was subjected to unkind words by Muzil because of it, it
was Nozomu who first leaped at Muzil. He himself was always one step too late.
Lisa chose Nozomu. She was attracted to him, and she chose him, not him.
"Well, shall we
go home?"
"Right. It's
gotten quite late... Is it okay, Nozomu?"
Since everyone was
together, Camila urged them to go home for the day. Indeed, the sun was about
to set. It was about time. Lisa also agreed with Camila's opinion. She also
called out to Nozomu, as if checking his complexion. But Nozomu seemed to want
to train more, and he stumbled over his words a little. He was probably
concerned about the results of the mock battle just now, and the words Nazwel
had spoken to him. Lisa also noticed that Nozomu was displeased.
"Nozomu..."
"Y-yeah. Okay..."
Lisa touched Nozomu's
injured forehead with a worried expression. Receiving Lisa's gaze, looking up
at him, Nozomu also agreed to return to the dorm. Hearing Nozomu's reply, Lisa
breathed a sigh of relief. Ken, who was watching that scene, felt his cheeks
involuntarily tense.
"!"
Ken realized his face
was twitching and hastily relaxed the tension in his cheeks. Neither Nozomu,
Lisa, nor Camila noticed Ken's current expression. The three of them continued
walking towards the main gate. Ken breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't
been noticed. However, at the same time, he felt something dark and ominous
stirring deep within his body. It writhed in his stomach as if churning his
internal organs into a messy pulp. Still, he desperately swallowed his saliva,
trying to prevent whatever was deep in his stomach from overflowing. He had a
premonition that if it came out, everything would change.
"Ken?"
Lisa turned around
with a puzzled expression. Just her looking at him made the ache in his chest
from moments ago vanish as if it were a lie, and a natural smile returned to
his stiff face.
"Are you okay,
Ken? You still seem to be in pain..."
He replied that he was
fine, and Ken also started walking beside the three. The four passed through
the main gate, walked through Central Park, and headed towards the dorm. They
walked for a while, chatting about trivial things. They eventually reached a
crossroads. One path led to the girls' dorm, the other to the boys' dorm.
"Well then, we're
going this way."
"See you
tomorrow, both of you."
Camila and Lisa said
goodbye and headed towards the girls' dorm. But Lisa suddenly turned around as
if she had remembered something and came back to Nozomu and the others.
"I forgot one
thing. Nozomu, you should rest today."
"Eh?"
"Eh? What do you
mean 'eh'? Knowing you, Nozomu, you were probably going to go train again when
you got back to the dorm, weren't you?"
"Ugh, no, that's
not true. Maybe?"
"............"
Lisa glared at Nozomu.
He must have been unable to withstand her obviously intensified gaze, for
Nozomu nodded slightly, acknowledging her words.
"As I thought...
No, not today. You're injured, so rest in your room!"
"B-but..."
"No! You've been
training without a break today too, haven't you!? Just go back to your
room!"
"............Understood."
Nozomu nodded firmly
to Lisa's words, though his voice was a small whisper.
"That's good...
Ken, I leave Nozomu to you."
"Ah, yeah. Alright."
Lisa breathed a sigh
of relief from the bottom of her heart, a satisfied smile on her face, when she
heard Nozomu's and Ken's replies. However, Nozomu, although captivated by that
smile, couldn't forget the impatience swirling in the depths of his chest. When
Lisa's figure was completely out of sight, Nozomu opened his mouth.
"Ken... I'm going
to be a little late getting back to the dorm, is that okay?"
"Nozomu, are you
perhaps planning to go train? Even though Lisa just stopped you...?"
Ken reprimanded Nozomu,
who was still trying to continue training despite being stopped by Lisa just
now.
"Sorry. But... I
can't protect her back if I don't get stronger. At this rate..."
However, Nozomu,
driven by impatience, blurted out what was in his heart. His fists were
clenched tightly in frustration, and he seemed about to rush off, spurred by
impatience.
Ability Suppression.
An ability that
forcibly suppresses one's abilities below a certain level. This ability, which
manifested in Nozomu, exacerbated his impatience. Not much time had passed
since it manifested, yet Nozomu's grades had fallen to the lowest in his class.
I had to do something... Driven by
that thought, Nozomu tried to leave the spot, intending to train alone.
"I understand.
But, we'll just do a light spar in the dorm, okay? Nothing more than
that."
Honestly, Nozomu, once
he got like this, couldn't be stopped. Ken sighed deeply and scratched his
head, thinking so.
"Thank
you..."
Thanking his best
friend for his concern, Nozomu quickly returned to the dorm. To get stronger so
he wouldn't be left behind in her dream. Watching Nozomu's retreating back, Ken
also desperately suppressed an indescribable impatience and a dark, ominous
emotion welling up from deep within his chest. But the next day, a certain
rumor spread, sweeping through the first year. And that became the trigger that
would create a fatal rift between Nozomu and his friends.
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