Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no 'Kokoro'-

[LN] Volume 3: Chapter 4.4

Volume 3 Chapter 4.4

Ripples of Impending Danger Part 4

Translator : PolterGlast

As the sun rose toward midday, Jihad was looking over the exercise area from the west gate of the city.

The training area was covered with forest, so he could not see the situation directly, but he could not sense any sense of disturbance.

Looking down, he could see teachers busily working at the headquarters.

At a simple clinic next to the headquarters, a team of medics, including Norn Alteina, is treating injured students, but there are no reports of any deaths or serious injuries that require urgent attention.

"There are no problems so far......"

He looked around for a moment and muttered so to himself.

Eventually, Jihad realized that he was unusually nervous, and then let his mouth relax.

Abyss Grief. The appearance of an unidentified demonic beast, which was said to be involved in the great invasion, was on his mind.

(Even though it has already been defeated, it is better that we remain vigilant......)

"Jihad-sensei. Half of today's exercise time is over, so I've come to give you the status report."

Interrupting his thoughts, Inda, who was holding a report in one hand, called out to him.

Hearing the words of his confidant from behind his back, Jihad took a deep breath and turned to face her.

"I see...... so how is the situation going?"

"Currently, the number of parties that are still partaking in the exercise is only one-fifth of the total. Also, there are several parties that are able to defeat the special targets."

Inda turned her slanted eyes to the report in her hand and read out the outline. Jihad took the report in her hand and read it over as well.

"I see...... I thought even if they are first-class, their experience won't be able to keep up with their abilities and it wouldn't be strange if they were defeated ...... but it seems they are growing properly."

A pure compliment. Even though they have the same A rank, there is a clear difference in experience between the teacher and the student. No matter how capable they may be, that difference in experience could not have been easily overturned.

However, there are reports of parties of lower ranks defeating special targets.

That alone is enough to confirm the growth of the students. And among the lower-ranked parties that had defeated the special target, there is one that particularly caught Jihad's attention.

"Nozomu Bountis and Mars Dickens, huh......."

Their names sounded familiar. Mars Dickens is a student who was considered to be highly competent but with a bad behavior problem.

The other one, Nozomu Bountis, is the student who encountered Abyss Grief along with Shina Juliel, Kevin Ardinal, and others.

He is the first person to be able to release ability suppression, and his combat ability when released is reported to be capable of overwhelming the Abyss Grief.

"Inda-sensei. Did he release his ability suppression?"

"No, he seems to have defeated Anri-sensei without releasing it. To be honest, I find that hard to believe......"

"I have known Anri-sensei's personality since she was a student at this school. She is a person of character who puts her students above everything else, but she would never cut corners......"

Although he seems to be a student who is not well-liked at the school, there are reports coming in that he does not have such a twisted personality.

(I had expected that he would have a certain amount of competence as well. But looking at these results, it seems that he is competent enough not only in individual combat but also in party battles......)

Jihad smiled meaningfully at the student who looked promising for the first time in a long time and shifted his eyes to his assistant in front of him again.

Upon closer look, her eyes were wavering, and a hint of agitation was showing through them in response to this report.

"Inda-sensei, about Nozomu Bountis and his team defeating a special target. Looks like you still can't believe it, huh?"

"Y-yes ...... -ah, no ......."

Perhaps she was ashamed of herself for being so shallow and not fully grasping the capabilities of Nozomu Bountis.

She is a competent and strict teacher. Otherwise, she wouldn't be a first class homeroom teacher in her late 20's. But at the same time, she is also very strict on herself.

"You don't have to worry about it. Just a while ago I was also laughing at my own immaturity."

"Ha?"

"Fufu, shall we head back then?"

Inda was taken aback by Jihad's words, in which he called himself immature. Seeing her unusual expression, Jihad let out a chuckle and headed back to the headquarters.

(Nozomu Bountis, huh......)

A student who was considered a failure since the beginning of the school is getting back on his feet and becoming stronger.

His figure will have an impact on many people. Both to the students and to the teachers.

He could not help but hope that it would be for the better.

At that moment, a strong wind blew.

"......Hmm."

A gust of wind blew through the warm spring weather. Something seemed to be mixed in with it, but that strange discomfort quickly dissolved into the air of the exercise site and was no longer recognizable.

(......I hope there's nothing going wrong.)

Like paint falling on clear water, the foreign air spread out in ripples.

A faint sense of uneasiness was rising in Jihad's heart.

◆

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"Sei~!"

"~ !"

Irisdina's jet-black hair fluttered as she unleashed a slash that bounced off the weapon of a male student who was facing her, and a magic bullet fired at close range struck him in the abdomen.

After confirming that the pendant of the fallen male student had turned red, she exhaled and sheathed her rapier.

Around them, six other students were lying on the ground. All of their pendants glowed red, signaling that they had been disqualified.

"......Looks like it's over."

"Yeah, it was pretty tough actually ...... Are you guys alright?"

"Y-yes...... somehow ......."

After Tima, who was standing behind her, called out to her, Irisdina approached each of the students she had defeated.

It was just like them to perform a simple recovery spell on those who were injured.

After finishing their treatment, they handed their pendants to Irisdina and returned to the headquarters.

After seeing them off, Irisdina exhaled heavily and looked up at the overgrown trees.

Her expression was somehow tinged with melancholy. Although the sight was quite captivating, especially considering her elegant and refined appearance, Tima, who was looking at her best friend with a sideways glance, sensed Irisdina's uneasiness mixed in with her gestures.

"Ai, you're still thinking about Nozomu-kun, aren't you?"

"...... What are you talking about?"

"I can tell even if you try to hide it. Every time you see Nozomu-kun getting along with Shina-san, you will always be in a bad mood."

Irisdina couldn't help but make a sour face in response to her best friend's observation.

"No need to worry about me. What about you, Tima?"

"......Yeah. I'm kind of at a loss to understand what Mars-kun is thinking, too."

Tima and Mars have been training magic together, but lately, he has been training more and more recklessly, and the two have started to drift away from each other.

Whenever he did something reckless, Tima would warn him, but he would say he understood and would not change his ways. The pain in her chest made her let out a small sigh.

"I wonder Why he wants to be so strong ....... Even though there's nothing good about being strong......"

"Tima......."

"Sorry, I just remembered something unpleasant......"

Tima's family could not stay in one place because of her strong magic power, and she had to move from one place to another before coming to Arcazam.

Because of the trouble she has caused her family and the suffering she has endured, Tima has no sense of pride or superiority in her power. Rather, she has feelings akin to disgust.

She is in Arcazam only because she is training her magic and does not want anyone else to be hurt by her power anymore. Irisdina is aware of her best friend's situation.

That is also why Tima feels angry at Mars for his relentless pursuit of power and at herself for not being able to stop him.

"......Somehow, we're both kind of pathetic, huh?"

A rift has developed between friends. The distance between them is slowly widening, as pent-up emotions mix together.

The scenes of the past few days came back to Irisdina's mind.

The way he talked with Shina Juliel and her contracted spirits in a casual manner, and the expression on his face as he happily went on a date with her little sister. It inevitably stirred her heart.

(Why do I behave like that to him? ......)

Regret cast a shadow over Irisdina's heart.

She is a quick-witted girl by nature. She knew that Shina Juliel had lost her ability to contract with spirits.

And considering that she had recently regained that power, it was easy to imagine that Nozomu had provided some help to Shina when she had lost her powers.

Undoubtedly, he helped the elf girl out of pure goodwill.

That is exactly why he was even willing to put his life on the line.

(Come to think of it, he is someone who could truly become serious when it came to helping someone else......)

The charm of Nozomu Bountis can be understood after having actually been helped by him.

Become serious for someone else's sake. That temperament was dazzling to Irisdina.

I want to know more about him, I want to watch him more closely. Such feelings began to occupy her mind without her noticing it.

Perhaps that is why. Because she could perceive deeper circumstances, her heart was violently shaken, and for some reason, she was angry with him.

It was definitely a feeling of "anger" stemming from "jealousy".

Actually, she wanted to have a different conversation with him. She wanted to share more and more of their time together.

Even though she wanted to get to know Nozomu in her heart, she couldn't take the initiative.

"~......"

A squeezing pain ran deep in her chest.

Indescribable anxiety welled up and covered her mind.

Her thoughts continue to spin around and around in circles. She shook her head to reset it, but it only made her glossy black hair flutter and did not calm her mind at all.

On the contrary, the momentum of the whirling thoughts increased rapidly. Warmth and coldness, comfort and anxiety, so many conflicting emotions come to the surface, and her mind becomes disoriented.

It is not surprising. This is the first time in her life that she has ever felt these emotions after all.

"...... Ai, after this exercise is over, I'm going to have a talk with Mars-kun."

"Eh?"

"About why does he want to be so strong....... He may not answer me...... but if I don't do that, then there's nothing I can do to help him."

"Yeah, that's true ....... Yup, that's absolutely true ......."

That was the conclusion that Tima came up with because she wanted to do something about this situation.

At the same time, the words of her best friend bring light to Irisdina, who was lost in a maze of thoughts.

Yes, nothing will get better if one doesn't make a move.

If she wants someone to share their feelings with her, she must open her heart to them first.

(Let's ask him once again. About what happened. About why does he make such a sad face again......)

He saved my sister, who was dearer to me than life itself. He gave me the hope to live.

(That's why, this time ...... I will...)

Just as Irisdina made up her mind, the bushes behind them rustled.

"~ !"

She reacted quickly to the sound coming from her back. At the same time as drawing her rapier, she simultaneously activated a strengthening magic.

Immediately after, a shadow jumped out and slashed at her.

"It's blocked!"

"Kuh, Lisa-kun, huh!?"

A saber and a rapier clashed with a high-pitched sound. It was Lisa who ambushed Irisdina.

The two sides glared at each other at close range, but when Lisa realized that her surprise attack had failed, she immediately leaped backward to gain some distance.

Immediately after, multiple ice spears flew from the bushes from which Lisa had leaped.

"I knew it, you had other companions with you ......!"

"Ai, let's go!"

Irisdina nodded and replied without looking back to her best friend's voice that came from behind her.

Right after that, a torrent of magic power erupted behind Irisdina. Tima's enormous magic power was instantly converted into flames, and the swirling winds that converged further gathered the heat and formed a huge fireball.

[Disaster of the Damned]

Using multiple intermediate-level magics; converts one's own magic power into flames, manipulates the wind to accelerate the combustion, and then concentrates it into a single fire.

This is an advanced magic that manipulates multiple attributes, and combined with Tima's enormous magic power, it exhibits extraordinary power.

The fireball passed by Irisdina, vaporizing the ice spear that was approaching her in an instant, and flew in a straight line toward the bushes.

"Oopsie!"

"Whoa!"

Just as Ken and Camilla, who had been hiding, rush out of the bushes, the [Disaster of the Damned] landed.

The raging firestorm instantly incinerated the trees in a radius of 20 mel.

"As expected of Irisdina-san and Tima-san. Looks like it won't be easy to defeat them."

"............"

Irisdina casts a sharp glance at Lisa, who seemed to be in a relaxed atmosphere.

In her mind, she remembered how Nozomu and Lisa behaved during their joint class.

"Just the right time...... I had a question I wanted to ask you guys......."

"~ !"

Aiming her piercing eyes toward Lisa, Irisdina accelerated in an instant, closing in on her.

Lisa reflexively swung her saber down at the incoming thrust. A metallic clang echoed, shaking their eardrums.

Perhaps startled by Irisdina's full power from the very first move, Lisa, who is supposed to be superior in physical ability, fell back slightly. As if to fill the gap, Irisdina stepped in further.

"Guh~...... What a surprise, that you, who are always so composed, would attack me with such ferocity!"

The figure of Lisa facing her head on made Irisdina's chest burn with a searing heat.

To cover up the heat, she thrust out her rapier whilst firing magic bullets with all her might.

"Your movements are more monotonous than usual. And I can clearly see the trajectory of your magic bullets!"

However, Lisa repelled all the oncoming thrusts and magic bullets and launched a counterattack. Her twin blades clashed with the rapier, and with a deafening metallic sound, the red and black magic power scattered as a residue.

"Looks like you are getting fired up as well. Just as I was wondering what kind of conversation you had with him......!"

The words that were directed at her made Lisa frown.

"Hee ....... I've been thinking about this for a while now, why do you care so much about Nozomu?"

"You met him, didn't you? You talked to him, didn't you? What did you say to him?......"

"~......!?"

Lisa's eyes widened involuntarily, apparently overwhelmed by Irisdina's voice that seemed to stifle anger. Immediately afterward, a vague sense of discomfort surged up from deep within her chest.

What emerged in her mind was the dimly lit forest and the face of Nozomu, who was shedding tears in anger.

(What is this scene?......)

A scene she did not know, his anger she had never seen before. And then, a sorrowful cry that resounded in her ears.

Her breathing becomes shallow. The discomfort that had been rising inside her turned into disgust, and her heart was stirred by a sense of anxiety and foreboding that her footing was about to crumble. In order to shake it off, Lisa raised her voice.

"~, I don't know....... Why should I care about that guy now!? Even though he betrayed me, he's still talking about things that are convenient for him!"

"What exactly do you expect him to do!"

But Lisa's words struck a nerve for Irisdina. The dark-haired girl, revealing the anger she had been suppressing, pushed Lisa forcefully as if slamming her with her fury.

"He was your childhood friend, wasn't he!? He was your boyfriend, wasn't he!?"

"It has nothing to do with ...... you!"

"It does! He's my-......!"

Trying to shake off the discomfort rising inside her, Lisa also swung her twin blades while raising her voice.

The thin blades and rapier clashed again and again, creating a continuous clanging sound in Spasim Forest.

However, a blade of ice intervened between Lisa and Irisdina. The Serpentine Sword, writhing like a snake, lashed out to separate the two, and Irisdina quickly leaped backward to keep her distance.

"Lisa, stand back."

"Ken, but ......"

"Just do it, I'll deal with her."

Ignoring Lisa's words, Ken pounced toward Irisdina.

"You said too much. Even though you don't know anything about it."

"Kuh!"

The Serpentine Sword lunged at her abdomen, slithering like a serpent.

Irisdina repelled the approaching blade of ice with her rapier, which she swiped horizontally, and fired a magic bullet as a counterattack.

"As expected of the top overall student of our school year. But that's all there is to it. You can't even compare to me, the chosen one!"

However, her magic bullet dissolved in mid-air and fizzled out.

(What was that? It's as if my magic power dissipated on its own......)

"I won't give you time to think!"

"Kuh!"

Ken's Serpentine Sword closed in again on Irisdina, who was in a state of shock.

"Ai!"

Just before Ken's blade reached Irisdina, Tima's magic was activated.

A huge mass of flames exploded between them, covering the area with a shockwave and flames.

◆

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