Volume 8
Chapter 28
Morning classes had ended in the 3rd Year, Class 1. At the edge of the classroom, a voice filled with quiet melancholy, sadness, and indignation drifted.
"Ai, what do you
mean?"
In the classroom,
which should have been temporarily relaxing after the tension of classes ended,
that one corner alone was filled with a bone-chilling air. The speaker was Tima
Lime. Her usual gentle and quiet atmosphere was nowhere to be seen, replaced by
a fierce emotion brimming in her eyes.
"It's exactly as
I said. I'm going to be busy for a while."
To this cold, yet
inwardly pained and heated, admonishment, Irisdina replied flatly. Her tone of
voice was completely devoid of emotion. Seeing her best friend's cold
expression, Tima felt as if she were looking at an elaborate doll. The
helplessness made a fresh wave of heat surge up from deep within her. Irisdina,
however, dismissed her friend's anger as if it were a gentle breeze, turned her
back, and about to leave the classroom.
"A-Ai,
wait!"
"Sorry, but I
have an engagement I can't miss. I don't have time to be concerned with you.
Now, if you'll excuse me..."
Without waiting for
Tima's reply, Irisdina left the classroom. She did not return to the classroom
that day.
***
After school, Nozomu
was visiting the Craftsman's District, led by Anri. It was because she had
promised to introduce him to a place that would lend him a forge to make the
bell for Irisdina, as a reward for his help with the Opening Festival cleanup
and Ecross's class. But as Nozomu walked through the Craftsman's District, his
expression was grim.
Forget about
it.
The words Irisdina had
so clearly thrown at him replayed over and over in his mind. Anri, puzzled by
Nozomu's scowl, peered into his face.
"Nozomu-kun, is
something wrong~"
"Actually, Iris
told me she doesn't need the bell..."
Nozomu hesitated for a
moment at Anri's question, but he frankly explained the circumstances. He
explained that Irisdina had asked for the bell during the Opening Festival, but
had now told him she didn't need it. And that she had told him she would be
keeping her distance from now on. In fact, aside from their walk to school,
Irisdina had not approached Nozomu. When he had visited the Class 1 classroom
during his lunch break, she had already vanished. According to Tima, who was in
the same class, she had apparently left the classroom the moment morning
classes ended. Tima had apparently tried to call out to her, but Irisdina had
shown no sign of listening. Remembering that story, a sharp pain began to throb
deep in Nozomu's chest.
"Ugh..."
"Are you going to
stop making it?"
Worried about the
grimacing Nozomu, Anri peered into his face. At her question, Nozomu fell
silent for a moment.
"..."
The pain running
through his chest only fanned the flames of his impatience. The problem he was
currently facing wasn't just about Irisdina. There was no sign of him being
able to control his own strange ability. Above all, the fact that he had been
consumed by anger, rampaged, and pointed his blade at those important to him,
was gnawing at his heart.
"...No, I'll make
it. Iris said she doesn't need it, but I want to make it and give it to
her."
But, even while being
consumed by that painful impatience, Nozomu declared clearly that he would make
the promised bell. True, Irisdina had said she didn't need it, but Nozomu still
wanted to make the promised bell. This was Nozomu's stubbornness, his
selfishness, his pride. Having made a promise, he wanted to be ready to fulfill
it at any time. Certainly, being rejected was sad, and he felt a
heart-wrenching tightness in his chest. But Nozomu was no longer the same person
who just kept running away. Even he, who was usually dense, understood that the
reason Irisdina had rejected him so strongly was out of consideration, to avoid
dragging him into her troubles. That was precisely why Nozomu strengthened his
resolve that he, of all people, could not waver right now.
If you want to
put a woman at ease, you must have composure.
The image of the
noblewoman who had taught him dancing and the mindset of a gentleman came to
mind. Precisely because both he and Irisdina were cornered, he was desperately
putting up a brave front, convinced that he could not afford to waver now.
(Anri-sensei isn't
going to reprimand me, huh...)
Nozomu looked back at
Anri, mustering all his strength to form a brave smile. He had thought Anri,
being an academy teacher, might admonish him. Anri knew about the Francilt
family's circumstances and the position Nozomu was in. As his homeroom teacher,
there was no way she didn't know. Naturally, she must have been instructed by
Jihad to keep Nozomu away from the Francilt family. But Anri hadn't admonished
him. Instead, she was here, helping him make the bell. Jihad would undoubtedly
not approve of Anri's actions. Nozomu felt guilty about that, but at the same
time, he was more grateful than he could possibly express.
"Yes, good boy,
good boy~"
Anri, showing not even
a hint of her own trouble or worry, instead began to pat Nozomu's head, as if
praising a much younger brother. Nozomu was surprised by her unexpected
reaction, but he involuntarily turned his face away, overcome with
embarrassment.
"Anri-sensei,
please stop."
"Good boy, good
boy~~~"
"Sigh..."
Nozomu tried to move
his body to escape Anri's hand, but it stuck to his head like an octopus's
suction cup and wouldn't come off. The exasperated Nozomu wished for her to
stop, but the repetitive head-patting attack showed no signs of ending. Feeling
uncomfortable from the lukewarm gazes of the people around them, Nozomu
resigned himself to being patted by Anri for a little while.
"Nozomu-kun, how
was the Opening Festival~"
"It was my first
time, so I was just confused the whole time. Honestly, I just got swept
along... But I never thought the Wajiart family would show up. And..."
"No, no, not
that. You got to talk to all sorts of people from outside the academy, didn't
you~? You're a third-year now, Nozomu-kun. What about your future~, or things
you want to do~, did you find anything~?"
When the head-patting
ended, Anri asked him for his impressions of the Opening Festival.
Surprisingly, what Anri was concerned about wasn't his challenges as a
"Dragonslayer," or the issue between the Francilt and Wajiart
families, but purely about Nozomu's future.
"...As always,
I'm not really sure. I've settled things with Lisa, but if you ask me what I
want to do in the future, I honestly can't think of anything. I was approached
by people from various countries, but I don't have any desire to serve any
particular country or person..."
Nozomu had settled his
past, but he still hadn't determined what he wanted to do in the future. Above
all, his current situation, piled high with the Tiamat problem and others, made
it difficult for him to spare any thought for the future.
"Anri-sensei, why
did you decide to become a teacher?"
Nozomu suddenly asked
Anri why she was a teacher at Solminati Academy. It was hard to imagine from
her usual spacey words and actions, but she was a highly skilled individual,
ranked A-Rank. If she had looked for other paths, she should have had any
number of options.
"Hmm, well, when
I see kids working hard, I just find myself thinking~, 'I want to do something
to help them~'."
At Nozomu's sudden
question, Anri cutely placed her index finger on her cheek and began to speak
fluently. She said she thought becoming a teacher was the most suitable way to
support students who were trying their best.
"You see~, more
than fighting magic beasts, I love seeing everyone sparkle~. Just like little
stars, twinkle, twinkle~."
"Sparkle, huh."
Anri spread her arms
wide and puffed out her chest proudly. Passersby shot Anri odd looks as she
spread her arms wide in the narrow crowd. Some of the men were even staring,
transfixed, at her ample bosom, which pushed against her jacket. But Anri paid
no mind to any of their gazes. In that moment, it looked as if she herself were
shining. Her way of acting honestly on her feelings, without regard for shame
or appearances, was incredibly charming, even to Nozomu.
"But my parents
were opposed to it~. They said, 'What are you thinking~?' 'There's no way a
woman can do that by herself~'."
"Is that
so?"
"Yup. But I told
them that didn't matter and just ran off~"
Nozomu was a little
surprised at how lightly Anri declared this, but he let out a wry smile,
thinking it was just like her, so innocent and pure. She might have come from a
fairly wealthy family herself. As Nozomu was thinking that, Anri brought her
face close to him again.
"Hey, Nozomu-kun.
Would you be interested in trying to work as a teacher at this academy?"
"...Huh?"
Nozomu was momentarily
speechless at Anri's sudden proposal.
"We don't have
anyone at this academy who has mastered katana technique~. You're a master of
the Mikagura-ryu, Nozomu-kun~, so I'd really, really like you to stay at the academy~,
is what I think."
In truth, Nozomu's
skill with the katana was something the academy coveted so badly it would do
anything to get it. There was almost no one at this academy who had mastered
Eastern martial arts. Furthermore, due to his circumstances, he had acquired
techniques to overcome crises with very little ki. If those combat techniques
could be properly systematized and passed on to others, they would become an
enormous asset in the fight against magic beasts. Because his training had been,
quite literally, beaten into his body, Nozomu was not good at teaching others,
but that was something that would naturally improve with experience. In fact,
word had reached Anri's ears that the body movements of the first-year students
Nozomu had taught were beginning to improve at a surprising rate. Education is
something that must be planned and implemented over a span of several years, or
even decades. From that perspective as well, Anri was convinced that Nozomu's
aptitude as an educator was by no means poor.
"...I'm
sorry."
"It's okay~. I
think the most important thing is for you to do what you want to do,
Nozomu-kun~."
However, Nozomu's
reply to Anri's words was not a positive one. She, too, understood his current
situation—that he hadn't been able to find an answer for his future. The
situation surrounding him was far too complex and left no room for complacency.
"Nozomu-kun, when
it comes down to it, I think you should just do whatever you want,
freely~"
"But, I have all
sorts of problems..."
Remembering his own
situation, Nozomu's expression clouded over. The immense power he now harbored
and his own lack of growth; the surveillance of the dragon clan and the
unsettling atmosphere of his surroundings; and the rejection from a person
precious to him. He felt an unbearable sense of stagnation, as if he had been
left behind by his surroundings, which had begun to change at a dizzying pace.
"The burdens
pressing down on your shoulders, Nozomu-kun... honestly, I didn't anticipate
them either. As your teacher, there's very little I can teach you about
them..."
For a moment, a shadow
fell over Anri's cheerful expression. Even her usual drawn-out vocal tics
trailed off, sounding somewhat sad. She was a teacher who cared deeply for her
students. At the same time, she was pained by the predicament Nozomu had been
placed in. He had struggled so desperately and finally stood up, only for even
greater hardships to be piled upon him. The drastically changing reaction of
those around him, leaving him behind, was threatening to swallow the boy whole,
like the muddy torrent of a river swollen by long rains. On top of that, when
it came to Tiamat, Anri was truly powerless. It wasn't as if she could instruct
him in spirit arts, and most of the problems he faced were impossible for a
single teacher like her to solve.
"Still, I can say
this much. The important thing isn't 'What should I do?' but 'What do I want to
do?'"
That's why, at the
very least, she gently cupped his cheeks in her hands, advising him so that her
student wouldn't lose sight of his own will. Nozomu's eyes widened at Anri's
sudden action. What did Nozomu truly want? Even Anri didn't know. But it was precisely
because he had such strong feelings that this boy had endured life-threatening
training and heartless abuse to pull himself together for the sake of a single
childhood friend. That was an undeniable fact.
"You probably
already have your answer, Nozomu-kun. You have it, and that's why you stayed at
this academy and worked so hard. It's just that right now, that answer is a
little hard to see..."
Anri released Nozomu's
cheeks and gently tapped him on the chest, as if to show him that the answer
was right there. Then, the beautiful woman, giving off a sweet scent of honey,
twirled around, turned her back, and began to walk, as if to lead the way.
"Now, let's go.
It's time to do what you want to do right now, Nozomu-kun."
The expression of the
woman who quickly turned around had shed its usual pure innocence and held a
captivating smile that was mature beyond measure.
***
The place Anri brought
Nozomu to was a single smithy on a side street in the Commercial District. From
the back of the shack, which served as both shop and workshop, the Clank! Clank! of metal being struck rang
out. Perhaps to vent the heat from the workshop's forge, the shop door was left
wide open, and a heat so intense it made sweat bead on the skin pricked at
them.
"This is the
place?"
"Yup, it's a shop
that's been taking care of me since I was a student~. Wandor-sa~~n, are you there~~"
As if visiting a
relative's house, Anri briskly walked straight into the shop. Nozomu followed
after her, but the moment he passed through the open door, a furious shout,
like lightning striking right next to him, blasted his ears.
"You idiot! Did
you break it again?!"
"I-I'm
sorr~~y!"
At the sheer volume,
Nozomu's face twitched, and he instinctively covered his ears. When he looked
toward the source of the roar, he saw a short dwarf with a rich, dark-brown
beard, wearing a thick apron and holding a forging hammer in one hand. The
dwarf was red in the face, the very picture of fury. A dwarf. A type of
demi-human skilled in handling metal, primarily inhabiting caves. They were a
race driven from their homeland, the underground kingdom, during the Great
Invasion, and now belong to the Sumahya Federation. But what surprised Nozomu
more than anything was the red-haired girl bowing profusely before the dwarf in
question.
"...Lisa?"
"N-Nozomu!"
The person bowing her
head before the dwarf was none other than his childhood friend, Lisa. As soon
as she saw Nozomu enter the shop with Anri, she scrambled to her feet in a
panic, patting her skirt to knock off the soot.
"Jeez, you had to
see me in such an awkward moment..."
Blushing, Lisa's eyes
darted around shyly. Meanwhile, the dwarf who had been scolding her was glaring
suspiciously at Lisa, who had suddenly stood up and tidied her appearance.
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