Volume 6 Past
Arc 4
That day, when Nozomu, Lisa, and the others arrived at school and entered the classroom, the first-year classroom had been strangely restless since morning. Even after the morning assembly, the restless atmosphere didn't disappear. Lisa and the others tilted their heads, puzzled by the strange mood. After parting ways with Nozomu, their own classroom was also filled with that atmosphere. Lisa called out to a nearby classmate.
"Hey, did
something happen? Everyone seems a bit off..."
"Ah, Lisa-san.
Um, actually..."
Lisa calmed the
flustered classmate, telling her to take her time, and then the classmate took
a deep breath and slowly began to speak.
"Actually...
Nazwel-kun and the others died during a request in the forest..."
"What!?"
Ken's and Lisa's faces
were filled with shock. Nazwel was one of the most capable students in the
first year. He wasn't in their class, but he had been seen by Nozomu and the
others looking well until the day before. Ken and the others couldn't believe
the news that he had died.
"I-is that true...?"
"U-um, yes.
Someone from Nazwel-kun's party made it back. That person apparently rushed
into the guild, begging for help. But the others..."
Ken and the others
were speechless when they heard her story. From her demeanor, they couldn't
believe she was lying. There was no reason for her to lie. So, this story must
be true.
"C-can you tell
me the details..."
Just as Lisa leaned
forward to hear the details, the teacher in charge of the morning class entered
the classroom.
"Alright,
everyone, please take your seats. We're starting class."
Lisa and the others
hastily took their seats. As the teacher, standing in front of the podium, was
about to begin the class, the female student who had just been talking stood
up.
"U-um, Teacher! About
Nazwel-kun and the others..."
"Oh, so you all already
know about that, huh...? Indeed, yesterday, a first-year party carrying out a
request in the forest was attacked by magic beasts, and all but one of them
perished."
Everyone in the
classroom fell silent at the teacher's words, confirming the rumor.
"The magic beasts
they encountered were C-rank. This academy teaches students to avoid reckless
forest exploration and combat with high-ranking magic beasts, but it seems they
thought they could win since there was only one opponent, and so they engaged
in battle."
Only the teacher's
calm voice echoed in the silent classroom.
"It is
regrettable about the deceased students, but fully understand that there is
always a risk of death outside the city. Otherwise, you will lose your lives
like them. Now, we will begin the class. Please open your textbooks to page
40..."
Despite the loss of
their classmates, the daily life of Arcazam continued as usual. That day, the
classroom remained enveloped in a dark atmosphere.
***
Nightfall enveloped
the boys' dormitory. In one of the rooms, a boy sat with a blanket over his
head, hugging his knees. His figure was like that of a frightened child. In
fact, his body trembled violently like an old man shivering from the cold, and
he breathed raggedly. The moonlight streaming through the window illuminated
his blond hair and the side of his face peeking from under the blanket.
"That Nazwel...
died."
The sun had already
set, but the temperature wasn't that low. However, Ken felt a chill so intense
it seemed as if all his blood would freeze. He desperately curled up to warm
his freezing body and rubbed his clasped arms, but the death of his classmate
and the worst possible future that surfaced from it instantly stole away that
warmth.
"His ability is
about the same as mine and Lisa's... If it had been us who entered the forest
yesterday..."
The image of her,
covered in blood and collapsed, floated in his mind. In Ken's eyes, the scene
that had cast a shadow over his heart since childhood was clearer than ever
before.
"No, that's
unacceptable! But at this rate..."
Nazwel, whose ability
was similar to his own, and a party of top-ranking students from the same year,
were almost completely wiped out. That fact fueled his impatience, cornering
his mind to an unbearable degree. He had to do something, or Lisa would be in
danger. Driven by that impatience, he desperately sought a way to protect her.
"What if Nozomu
continues to stay by Lisa's side...?"
And then, Ken focused
on Nozomu, who he now saw as the biggest hindrance to her. Nozomu, whose
ability suppression had manifested, couldn't get any stronger. For Lisa, who
might go to places more dangerous than Arcazam's forest in the future, he would
only be a hindrance.
"But Lisa chose
Nozomu. But if Nozomu is there, Lisa will..."
He couldn't let Nozomu
stay by her side. But Nozomu was also her greatest emotional support right now.
When he thought about that, Ken was driven by an uncontrollable urge to claw at
the depths of his chest.
"! Why, why is
Nozomu by Lisa's side...!"
His body, which had
been frozen with the fear of losing Lisa, suddenly heated up as if bathed in
scorching magma. Why wasn't it me? I
could get much stronger in the future. I would absolutely not hold back Lisa,
whose talents were blossoming more and more. Nazwel had said the same thing. It was the explosion of jealousy
that Ken had suppressed until now. Nozomu, who couldn't get stronger than him,
had captivated the woman he desired most. The dark feelings that had festered
in his chest since childhood and gradually accumulated overflowed. The negative
impulse, once unleashed, easily swept away his friendship and feelings for
Nozomu.
"That's right, if
Nozomu is there, Lisa will be in danger. I have to find a way to separate Lisa
from Nozomu..."
Ken mumbled like a
sleepwalker. His eyes no longer held the gentle light they once did, but were
dark and murky like sewage.
***
Ken executed his plan
on the day Nozomu was again about to go train in secret from Lisa. Lisa,
worried about his reckless daily training, had again told Nozomu to rest, but
Nozomu hadn't changed his mind, believing he absolutely had to train. He, with
his manifested ability suppression, was holding Lisa and the others back. That
fact continued to be hammered into him. Ken, driven by the dark impulse surging
within him, had been constantly thinking about how to separate Nozomu from Lisa
until this day. But those two had spent a long time together. They had been
together since childhood. Nozomu had always been devoted to Lisa, and she also
considered Nozomu her greatest emotional support. It wouldn't be easy to break
that. Ken racked his brain desperately. At that moment, a devil whispered in
his head.
"That's right, if
something happened that would make Lisa resent Nozomu..."
Something with enough
impact to drive a wedge between the two. A rift so great that their feelings
for each other would reverse. The idea was to make Lisa resent Nozomu herself.
With that method, the stronger Lisa's feelings for Nozomu were, the more her
hatred for him would increase due to the recoil.
"That's right,
Lisa also notices that Nozomu sometimes disappears. If I can use that to my
advantage..."
Lisa herself had noticed
that Nozomu was training in secret. However, she didn't know where Nozomu
trained. Sometimes he trained at the academy, and sometimes he swung his sword
in the outskirts or the dorm yard. Ken, having accompanied Nozomu in his
training, knew his habits to some extent, but Lisa didn't know that much yet.
She would tell Nozomu, who was training recklessly, to rest. Indeed, Nozomu
tended to train excessively after his ability suppression manifested, and she
was worried about it. However, inwardly, she also felt happy about Nozomu's
efforts for her sake. Ken thought about turning that to his advantage. Ken, who
had spent most of his time with Nozomu since coming to this academy, knew his
behavioral patterns well enough. All he had to do was set things up.
One holiday, after
seeing Nozomu off to training, Lisa came to look for him.
"Hey Ken. Where's
Nozomu?"
"Ah, Nozomu went
to town. Probably as usual, I guess?"
"I see..."
Lisa pouted a little
unhappily, half angry that her concern was brushed aside, and half happy and a
little lonely. Ken, captivated by her face, suppressed the surging jealousy and
put on a somewhat serious expression. Lisa tilted her head at his furrowed
brow.
"What's
wrong?"
"Speaking of
which, I heard a rumor recently that Nozomu and some unknown girl were walking
together..."
"...Eh?"
Lisa's face showed a
dazed expression. She was dumbfounded, as if she had heard a foreign language,
but then she immediately shook her head and denied it.
"What are you
saying? There's no way that's true. Are you perhaps taking that rumor
seriously, Ken?!"
The rumor was that
Nozomu was having an affair in town with a woman other than his girlfriend,
Lisa. Ken was the one who spread this rumor. He spread it as a preparatory step
to separate Nozomu from Lisa.
"Of course not. I
heard that Nozomu was walking with a girl in the commercial district last week,
but I know that Nozomu wouldn't do such a thing."
Ken claimed to believe
Nozomu, but he deliberately alluded to the rumor, fueling Lisa's anxiety.
Nozomu was currently training in the outskirts. No one would notice him there,
and no one would be able to prove his innocence after he had been framed.
"...If you know
that, then it's fine. Well, I'm going home now, so make sure to tell Nozomu to get
some rest."
"Alright. See you
then."
Lisa turned on her
heel and ran off. She acted as if nothing was wrong, but Ken noticed that
Lisa's eyes wavered when she spoke. With this, she would definitely try to
confirm the truth of the matter. After seeing her figure disappear into the
commotion, he immediately took action. He repeated excuses inwardly, telling
himself that this was for her sake.
***
Ken headed to a street
stall in a corner of the commercial district. This was originally a place where
traveling merchants set up temporary shops with their tents. Ken, with Nozomu's
face pasted onto his own using "Water Mirror Heart Mask," walked
towards one of the dozens of tents. In the tent he approached, a girl was
busily moving around. She was a girl in her mid-teens, probably from the south,
with tanned skin wrapped in linen clothes. The girl noticed Ken approaching and
cried out in surprise.
"Oh, what's
wrong? I didn't hear you were coming today..."
"I had some time.
Was I... bothering you?"
"N-no! Not at
all!"
Ken spoke to the girl
with a troubled expression, still wearing Nozomu's face. The girl herself
didn't seem to mind his sudden visit. She was originally a laborer for a
merchant who traveled from town to town. Ken met her after she had been in
Arcazam for a while and was starting to get used to the city. At that time, Ken
was walking around town disguised as Nozomu, looking for a woman who could be a
key part of his plan. She was the one he met then. She rarely stayed long in
one town, and she traveled constantly with the same group of people. Having
come to a big city after a long time, and inwardly expecting various things,
there was little difficulty in progressing their relationship once a good
atmosphere was established, despite the initial awkwardness.
"Do you have some
time? Actually, I broke some dishes the other day... I found some candidates to
replace them, but I was wondering if you could help me choose?"
It was an obvious
invitation for a date. The girl, seeing Ken scratch his cheek somewhat shyly,
decided to accompany him on his shopping trip, her heart filled with
anticipation. After a word with her master, the two began walking together. Ken
had no intention of continuing this relationship for long, and the girl also
understood that this relationship wouldn't last. Nevertheless, they indulged in
a fleeting rendezvous. The girl wore a false mask to escape the boredom of her
daily life, and the boy wore a false mask to fulfill a certain wish. In the
middle of their date, Ken glanced behind him and saw the red-haired girl. At
that moment, Ken felt an indescribable bitterness deep in his throat. A slight,
almost grinding sensation. Was it guilt towards her, or hesitation about what
he was about to do? On this day, they exchanged a final kiss, and the two
parted ways. The girl clung to Ken's side as if reluctant to part, but in the
very last moment of separation, she had a completely natural smile. Ken had no
idea what was in her heart. That was understandable. After all, their two
hearts had never truly connected. But the moment he saw the girl's final smile,
Ken felt his heart slightly grate again. But that pain was immediately covered
by a dark sense of satisfaction.
Throughout this date,
Lisa had been staring intently at them. And at the moment of the final kiss,
Ken could clearly see the look of his childhood friend, who was speechless at
the sight. And he somehow found himself thinking, naturally, that with this, he
could separate Lisa and Nozomu... Ken was intoxicated by the murky satisfaction
that filled his heart. It was a moment of unprecedented fulfillment. But it
wasn't enough yet. The final touch still remained.
***
"Hey Lisa! What's
wrong! Answer me!"
In front of Lisa's
room in the girls' dormitory, Camila was pounding on the door, her voice raw.
The thumping sound and her loud voice echoed in the hallway, but there was no
sign of people gathering. That was understandable. It was currently class time,
and the middle of lunch break. Students were at the academy, and there were
hardly any people in this dormitory. Three days had passed since Lisa locked
herself in her room. No one had seen her face since the first day, when she
took a day off from school, saying she wasn't feeling well. When Camila visited
on the first day, Lisa had replied, though falteringly, but from the second
day, she had barely replied at all. Feeling that something was seriously wrong,
she was now loudly calling Lisa's name in front of her room, but there was no
response. Just then, Ken's voice suddenly echoed in Camila's ears.
"Camila! What's
wrong!?"
"Ke-Ken? This is
the girls' dormitory!?"
"Never mind that!
Hurry!!"
Camila cried out in
surprise at Ken's sudden appearance in the girls' dormitory, but Ken ignored
Camila's words and kicked the door open.
"W-wait! You're
suddenly being reckless... eh?"
Camila was flustered
by Ken's sudden action, but the next moment, she was speechless at the sight
that leaped into her eyes. The curtains were drawn shut, and in the dim room
despite it being daytime, Lisa was sitting on the bed. She was motionless,
staring fixedly at the floor with blank eyes.
"Li-Lisa?
Wh-what's wrong!?"
Camila rushed to Lisa
in a panic, seeing her unusual state, and shook her shoulder. But Lisa's eyes
remained devoid of color, and Camila's voice didn't seem to reach her. Ken
closed the door behind him and slowly approached them. A faint ray of sunlight
filtered through the curtains. It illuminated his slightly distorted mouth.
Lisa and Camila. He crouched down beside the two of them, putting on the smile
he had worn for nearly ten years. This was the final touch.
"Lisa, are you
alright?"
Ken gently began to
speak to Lisa, as if reaching out to someone drowning. Driven by a dark
impulse.
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