Chapter 4 Part 15
Translator : PolterGlast
Proofreader : John4891
Nozomu's
POV
When
all the lessons were over and the closing bell rang, the students in the class
left their seats and began to return home with their peers and friends even
though the closing bell hadn't stopped.
Mars
and I also went out into the corridor with our bags in one hand.
"Hey
Nozomu, what are you going to do today?"
“…………..
Why do you ask?”
"If
you don't mind, why don't we train at the outer edge of the city? Iris and the
others will come too, so can you go out with us today?"
"...
Umm..."
Mars
invited me, but I still remembered what happened yesterday, making me hesitate
to accept the invitation.
Ken
told the truth of the things he’d done since then.
My
hatred and anger towards Ken exploded. I took many lives in front of me just as
that “Guy” incited.
The
misery that remained after that was… the bloody dream I had this morning. The
ground was dyed red with blood, which trickled out of veins, and the remains of
the demon beasts, which were still warm. A rust-like odor and the smell of
death floated around.
"!!"
It
was as if that "Guy" was saying, "You are the same as me."
The discomfort and disgust in my stomach swelled violently, trying to escape
from inside. But I gritted my teeth and swallowed my saliva, holding it in.
"...
Nozomu, are you okay? You've been acting strange since morning."
Mars
spoke anxiously, but I didn't say anything and desperately tried to fix my
expression. When I desperately swallowed the feeling of nausea and tried
saying, "it's nothing" to Mars, however, I opened my eyes and a
figure came into my sight.
"Anyway,
Ken. What is the meeting place and time?"
"Why
don't we meet at Central Park around 10 o'clock?"
What
I saw was Lisa and Ken walking side by side.
Perhaps
she had promised a date for tomorrow's holiday. She smiled happily, and Ken
smiled next to her as well.
The
moment I saw it, the flames of fury that’d been stored in the depths of my
chest lit up again and began to rage.
I
tried to contain my anger by clenching my fists, but the flames that I was
about to get rid of started to ignite, taking hold of me in the blink of an
eye.
At
the very least, I tried not to show it on my face, but when I was desperately
trying to make my face expressionless, they noticed me.
"!!!!!!"
At
that moment, Lisa's facial expression became stiff. She hit me with a gaze full
of hatred. For the current me, it was just an act of pouring oil on the fire,
which I desperately tried to suppress. Still, I desperately clenched my teeth
so as to withhold the anger that could’ve exploded out like yesterday’s.
The
nails pierced the skin of my clenched palms and pierced into the flesh, and the
pain became a wedge for me to desperately hold back my fury.
However,
the wedge blew when Ken's expression appeared behind her.
(So
unsightly!!)
…………
he sneered at me.
He
sneered at me from behind Lisa, so that she wouldn't notice.
His
facial expression hadn't changed at all. It was the same as when I was made fun
of yesterday.
"!!!"
The
moment I saw it, the expressionless face, which I desperately kept up,
collapsed.
My
flat eyebrows were lifted at once. My cheeks were pulled and my canines were
exposed.
I
glared back at Lisa's hateful gaze, and Lisa's expression changed to one of a
surprised expression.
I
was so angry that I tried to jump in anger, but...
"Ah……"
I
stopped at the last minute.
Yesterday's
sight flashed through my head.
The
ugly part of me was about to come out again.
I
desperately tried to hide it, forcefully looking away and turning my heels.
"O,
oi Nozomu !!"
"Sorry,
Mars. I just remembered an errand ..."
I
ignored Mars' voice coming from behind and started walking.
The
presence of that "guy" in the depths of my chest grew stronger. I
didn't know what I would do if I stayed here, and I had to get out of here.
The
legs that should have walked naturally became faster, and before I knew it, I
was running with all my might.
I
was desperate to suppress my anger. I couldn't hear the voice from behind
anymore and just kept running as if to shake it off.
As
I continued to run, I was in the forest again like yesterday.
The
sun shining in the sky gradually began to fall, and in about an hour the sky
would turn bright red as the sun set.
When
I arrived, I was out of breath and worn out for a while, but as my breath was
getting better, the disgust for myself began to rise.
I
was desperately trying to behave normal, but I couldn't do it after all.
I
felt sorry for Mars and the others, but to be honest, I didn't know what the
current me would’ve done, and I was scared to be with everyone.
Even
so, the setting sun gave me some time to calm down.
I
was aware that I was running away and impatient. That was why I had to
contemplate in a place that would calm me down, so I headed to that hut. Ever
since I arrived in Arcazm, the hut was where I’d spent the longest amount of
time in ...
"?
It's kind of strange ..."
The
state of the forest was a little strange. There were no signs of animals.
There
were many demon beasts in this forest, but there were also many harmless
animals in proportion to it.
There
were many kinds of rabbits, mice, birds, etc, and although there was some
diversity in the forest so far, I could feel their presence. When Shishō left
me in the forest for training, their meat was useful as a valuable source of
protein at such times.
“…………….”
My
accumulated experience gave off warnings due to the abnormality of the forest.
My consciousness naturally alerted me to the surroundings.
My
heart beat slightly and blood was distributed throughout my body, so that my
body was ready to fight at any moment.
The
sound of rustling tree branches fluttering in the wind could be heard all
around me, and the only other sound I could hear was my own heartbeat
"Shi
………… .…………"
“………..
that …………, behind …………………”
Then,
I heard the voices of multiple people mixed with the sound of the branches
fluttering in the wind. I also heard the sound of some metal vibrations;
however, I didn’t know what they were talking about. They seemed to be pretty
far.
I
didn’t know if it was related to the forest anomaly or not. Anyway, I started
walking towards the source of the voices, and I was always ready to pull my
katana out, just to make sure.
"Mimu
...! From the left ......... ! Attract it ...!"
"Minute
...! Shi ... support ..............."
"Don't
be reckless.... medicine ..............."
After
walking for a while, the voices gradually became louder, and the light shining
through the gaps between the trees gradually increased.
Along
with that, the content of their conversation became audible, albeit a little.
It seemed someone was fighting a demon beast.
When
I went further, the overgrown trees were cut down, and beyond that, it looked
like an open square.
I
hid my body in the bushes growing at the boundary.
"They
are ........."
There,
three Solminati Academy students fought with about ten demihumans with green
dwarf-like bodies. Goblins. They wore dirty rags on their bodies. They held
rusty knives, swords, and clubs in their hands.
Goblins
were demihumans found all over the continent, but they had low intelligence and
attacked people indiscriminately, so they were a race that was targeted for
subjugation like demon beasts.
What
caught my attention more than that was the three students who were fighting. A
petite male student wielded a hatchet-like knife while chanting his magic. A
wildcat girl was slaughtering goblins, and an elf girl shot arrows one after
another.
"Shīna
Juliel ..."
She
healed my injuries yesterday. Shortly after, I got angry, striking her with
great bloodlust.
The
three defeated the goblins one after another with accurate movements.
Eventually,
the three of them defeated all the goblins without difficulty, but because I
was too distracted, my slightly moving body shook the bushes I hid in.
The
next moment, a flash of light crossed in front of me.
=================================
"This
is the end!"
Mimuru
used the knife to tear the remaining goblin and stabbed it.
She
looked around to see if there were any goblins left, but there didn't seem to
be any goblins alive.
"Tom,
are the things you collected alright?"
"Yeah.
There’s no problem."
Tom
tapped the bag hanging from his shoulder.
They
had finished gathering and encountered the goblins on their way back to the
city.
That's
right, they "encountered" them.
A
little while after the three, who had finished collecting and were on their way
home, came to this open place, about 10 goblins suddenly appeared from the bush
in front of them.
At
first, the three of them thought they were ambushed, but it was rather the
goblins who were taken aback by the sudden encounter. After somehow speaking
with "Gyaagyaa", they suddenly attacked with their weapons.
Of
course, the three who were attacked counterattacked. As a result, all the
goblins were defeated.
"But
what was that? They didn't seem to ambush us, nor did they seem to be chasing
their prey..."
At
that moment, they heard a rattling noise. Shīna quickly nocked an arrow in her
bow, and she immediately shot an arrow at the bush.
The
arrow that was released disappeared into the bush, but she nocked her arrow
again and glared at the point where it had disappeared.
"...
Come out. I know you're still there."
After
she called out, silence flowed for a while, but soon a male student, Nozomu,
appeared from the bush.
"……you!!"
When
she confirmed the appearance of the other party, Shīna's expression
intensified. She leaked out a slightly strong voice.
She
certainly had a complex relationship with Nozomu. Thinking about what happened
yesterday, her mood suddenly worsened because he kept going to the forest
despite all her scolding.
"...
Um ... Hello ..."
On
the other hand, Nozomu had an awkward and subtle expression because of
yesterday and this morning's incident.
"Hmm~~~.
You're that Nozomu Bountis ~~. I saw you this morning, but your face is a bit
dull~~"
"Mimuru,
knock it off ..."
“……………………….”
Mimuru
looked at Nozomu, and Tom told her to stop. Shīna remained silent, folded her
arms, and glared at Nozomu.
She
didn’t speak because she tended to ramble if she opened her mouth, and that was
what happened last night.
“………….
Sorry for saying your face is a bit dull.”
Nozomu
was worried about Shīna, but he tried not to look at her.
"Nozomu-kun
... wasn't it? Is it okay for you to enter the forest alone?"
"Eh,
well, maybe ..."
“……………………….”
Tom
asked Nozomu, but Nozomu was more concerned about Shīna and could only give an
ambiguous answer.
When
Nozomu glanced at her face, her well-organized eyebrows were further raised.
"By
the way, I have something I’ve wanted to ask~~. What did you do to that
black-haired princess?"
"Stop
it. Mimuru"
Ignoring
Shīna's moody appearance, Mimuru asked about Nozomu’s relationship with
Irisdina, and Tom stopped her again.
"Eee~~!
I'm curious. Why does that princess care so much for such a dull man~~. Eh! Are
you two dating !?"
"...
No, we are not dating ..."
"Ee
~~ Really ~~? Then!!"
"Mimuru,
you should stop doing something stupid every time-"
"Eeh
~ It's such a great opportunity~ boring~."
Nozomu
not dating her was the truth, but Shīna scolded Mimuru, who was trying to
pursue further.
Perhaps
because she wasn't happy with Nozomu's response.
Mimuru
made a dissatisfied voice, but she reluctantly gave in.
However,
Shīna's atmosphere had changed from a moody one to a tense one.
"This
isn't the time for that. Like I said before, the spirits are strange... It
seems they're afraid of something... We need to get out of here right
away."
Tom's
face tensed up instantly, and Mimuru's playful expression changed completely.
Given
that she was an elf who could respond to spirits, she said that the usual
animals and beasts that should’ve been in the forest were all absent. Nozomu
also found that the forest was now a much more troublesome place than before.
When
Nozomu decided to leave the place, he was startled by the sensation of many
sharp arrows piercing his body.
"!!!!!!"
With
a dense premonition of death, his body instantly shifted to a combat stance.
His muscles tensed up a bit and his heart beat faster, sending thick blood
throughout his body.
Nozomu
looked at the bushes in the corner of the forest. He felt a tremendous sense of
power from the depths of the bushes.
Because
Shīna and her friends had noticed his gaze, they were glaring in the same
direction as Nozomu.
Eventually,
a demon beast emerged from the bush.
However,
it was definitely not some kind of ordinary demon beast. Certainly, it had four
legs down to the ground like a beast, and its appearance was very similar to
that of a wolf or a wild dog, but that was where the similarities ended. Its
size was clearly different. Its body length was longer than that of an adult’s,
and its height was also about as high as Nozomu's chest.
Above
all, it was covered with something like black sludge, and black smoke was
rising with a squelching noise.
There
were no eyeballs in the eye sockets. Only something painted red remained there.
It
was a demon beast that they’d never seen before. At least Nozomu had never seen
such a demon beast in this forest, nor had he seen this one in books.
"What
... is that ..."
"A-Ah
........."
"........."
"U-Uwa
........."
A
voice leaked from Nozomu's mouth, and Shīna made a groaning voice. Sweat
dripped down Mimuru's face, and Tom took a pratfall.
Black
Demon Beast.
Nozomu
and the others were clearly shaken from the unknown enemy, which was so unusual
that it couldn't be expressed in any way.
"Vu~ooooooooooon
!!!"
The
roar reverberated, and the trees in the forest shook as if they were scared by
its cry.
In
the next moment, the black demon beast lowered its body in an instant. It aimed
and rushed towards Nozomu and the others as if they were its prey.
