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

[LN] Volume 4: Chapter 1.2

Volume 4 Chapter 1.2

A Fresh Start Part 2

Translator : PolterGlast

As it turns out, Nozomu and his party's investigation was somewhat successful.

The sewage system that drains sewage out of the city, the magic circle at the outlet of the drain was not functioning.

This city is famous as an academic city, but it actually has another name.

Arcazam, an experimental ritual magic city.

A city designed to utilize the dragon veins, the flow of the world's power. Arcazam is a prototype of this concept.

Facilities built under this concept are located in various parts of the city, which radiate weak magic power to areas that are connected to the outside of the city and are easily accessible to demonic beasts. At the same time, many efforts are made to prevent them from approaching the city.

Naturally, these facilities are also installed in the underground waterways, but a part of the magic circle at the outlet of the sewage system was broken.

Fortunately, Tima was able to temporarily restore the function of the damaged part by drawing a new magic circle. Later, the guild, upon receiving the report, would repair it completely through the City Management Department.

The sun was already rising in the south when Nozomu and his team went outside after completing a series of reports at the guild. It was noon.

"By the way, Nozomu-kun, have you seen the results of the last Special Comprehensive Exercise?"

"Hm? No, I haven't...... Wasn't that exercise sort of ruined?"

Special Comprehensive Exercise. A large-scale exercise that all third-year students participated in about two weeks ago.

It is one of the biggest events in the third grade, and one that directly affects the school's grades.

However, there was an unexpected problem. During the exercise, one of the [The Six Bad Omens] demonic beasts appeared. It was called the [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede. It was a disaster-class demonic beast with a body length of more than 100 meters.

As a result, the Special Comprehensive Exercise was stopped halfway. Naturally, Nozomu thought he would not receive any points.

"That's true. But the first day of the exercise went on until the end of the day, you know. So, the results up to that point were to be announced."

"Hee......"

Nozomu, who had been branded as the bottom-feeder in the first place, was slow to react when told that he might receive some points. Besides, the things that happened after that were so much more significant that he honestly had completely forgotten about the Special Comprehensive Exercise.

Before long, Nozomu and his party arrived at the Ox-head Pavilion in the commercial district. It is Mars' house, a tavern and inn, to which Nozomu is his friend. They opened the entrance door and went inside. Perhaps because it was lunchtime, there were a fair number of people in there. Amidst the crowd, a girl holding a tray with food on it with both hands was running around busily.

"Good afternoon, Ena-chan."

"Ah, Nozomu-san. Welcome~~! Your friends are already here."

Her name is Ena Dickens. She is Mars' younger sister and the mascot girl of this Ox-head Pavilion.

When she spotted Nozomu and his party, she smiled and led them to the back of the restaurant.

There, four students, dressed in the same Soluminati Academy uniforms as Nozomu and the others, were waiting for them at their seats.

"Welcome back. Did everything go well?"

"Yes, for the time being, We've done reporting to the guild."

The first person who called out to them was a beautiful girl with waist-length azure hair.

Her long ears peeked out from between the hair on the side of her head.

Shina Juliel. A third-grade, second-class female student at Soluminati Academy. She is the only elf girl in town.

"Everyone, good work for you guys as well! Come, sit down, sit down."

A girl with cat ears sat next to Shina and urged Irisdina and the others to take their seats.

She is Shina's best friend, Mimuru Midir.

At the same table are two other students, a small boy with glasses and a man with fox ears.

The one with glasses is Tom Dale. The fox-eared demi-human is Feo Risitsa. They are also students in the second class of the third grade at Soluminati Academy, and have become friends with Nozomu and the others through various events.

"Thank you, Mimuru,kun. Were you guys going to the Research Institute?"

"Yes, we did a lot of things with Raz."

Irisdina, who sat down together with Nozomu and the others, asked, to which Shina replied while spreading out the menu.

The Research Institute is in the center of Arcazam. It is a facility of the Gloaurum institution, which is attached to the Soluminati Academy.

This institute primarily collects and compiles magic technology from all over the world. The Solminati Academy and Arcazam were built to educate the results of that research and nurture the human resources that were lost during the great invasion 20 years ago.

"Speaking of which, why is Feo here?"

"It was a coincidence. I happened to come across a nice place on my way home from my part-time job, and when I went in, I saw Shina and the others here."

[Well, let's put that troublesome topic aside for later and have some food, food!]

As Nozomu and Feo were talking, a human-like voice sounded from Shina's shoulder.

Before one knew it, a small bird with long tail feathers and lapis lazuli feathers was perched there.

This bird's name is Razward. At first glance, it appears to be a small bird of an unusual color, but it is actually a minor spirit who has made a contract with Shina, and is a member of the most mysterious race on this Arcmel continent.

"Raz, are you at it again? You're a spirit, you know. It's about time you learned to refrain from sharing our senses."

[What's wrong with that? Everyone needs a change of pace!]

Shina let out a sigh as her partner hopped around on her shoulders, head, and between tables.

"Well, it's certainly lunchtime, so let's order. Ena-chan, is that okay!?"

"Y~es!"

As soon as Nozomu called Ena, each of them started to place their orders.

In case you are wondering, Ox-head Pavilion also has a variety of menus, many of which are reasonably priced.

Being physically exerted, Nozomu and Mars ordered the hole-rabbit steak, a hearty meat-based dish, for their lunch. The same goes for Feo and Mimuru, who are beastmen.

Meanwhile, Tima, Irisdina, Shina, and Tom ordered a lunch consisting mainly of egg dishes.

Ena received the orders and disappeared into the kitchen, and a little later she brought the meals for everyone.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Enjoy your meal~~!"

She put the food on the table quickly and returned to her work with a smile on her face.

"Finally, here they come! Kuu, I'm starving~"

[Oi, Shi-jou, hurry up!]

Feo immediately stabbed his fork into the food and smacked his tongue. Razward, caught up in Feo's joyful smile, urged Shina to hurry up, and Shina, Irisdina, and the others began to eat as well, smiling wryly at him.

[Kua~~! It's delicious~~! We should order dessert, after all!]

"Raz, you're noisy, so be quiet. And you're being a bit brazen."

"As expected of Dell-dono, what a tasty meal."

"Indeed. But I'm kind of scared that I'll be eating as much as I want."

Irisdina smiled while Tima groaned. While everyone was enjoying their meal, Nozomu also reached for his knife to slice the hole-rabbit steak he had ordered.

"Ah......"

But then the knife slipped from his fingers. The dull sound of a clang echoed through the air, and Nozomu let out a stunned cry.

"Hey, Nozomu, are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah. I think I might fail a little bit."

As Nozomu picked up the knife while replying to Mars, Tom spoke to him.

"By the way, Nozomu-kun. How does your katana feel now that the pattern has changed?"

"Hm? I didn't see any particular change in usability......"

(Although when I could no longer infuse Qi, I felt as if I had fallen into a valley......)

Nozomu's katana, [Mumei], is a very important object that was given to him by his master, Shino. It was said to be a rather famous blade, but since the previous battle with the [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede, the shape of its pattern had changed drastically to a chain shape.

"It was recorded that the shape and nature of this katana changed depending on its owner, so it's no surprise that anything could happen to it. Besides, it is well known that items that have been treasured for many years can cause phenomena similar to magic or the work of spirits......"

Tom's eyes flashed as he said this. A bad feeling came over Nozomu.

"Hey, let me disassemble this sword after all......"

"There's no way in hell I'll allow it!"

Before Tom could finish, Nozomu shut him out.

The boy is a promising future alchemist, but his curiosity is so great that he tends to run wild from time to time.

He seems to be interested in Nozomu's [Mumei] recently, and they've had the exact same conversation before.

"Well. Leaving Tom and Nozomu's comedic banter aside....... Although the Special Comprehensive Exercise ended that way, the events are far from over."

"Oh, are we going to start joint classes with other classes in earnest?"

This time, Feo brought up another topic.

The Solminati Academy curriculum is four years. The first and second years are focused on improving the basic skills of the students, but from the third year, the aspect will change drastically.

Practical lessons will be held jointly with other classes, and students will sometimes be involved in activities outside the academy, such as with the Adventurers' Guild. In fact, from tomorrow, practical lessons with other classes will begin in earnest.

However, Nozomu had been in so much trouble recently with Tiamat, Lisa, Ken and the others, and the incidents at the Special Comprehensive Exercise made him completely forgotten about the joint classes.

Perhaps sensing his inner thoughts, Mars stared at him with a difficult expression and opened his mouth.

"So, Nozomu, what are you gonna do?"

"What do you mean?"

"What else? I'm talking about those bastards who have been plotting against you."

Hearing Mars' words, the faces of everyone present rose.

Ken Notice. He is Nozomu's childhood friend and the man who caused Nozomu's girlfriend to break up with him by spreading false rumors. He is also one of those who have made a direct contract with a spirit, which is rare among human beings.

When questioned by Nozomu just prior to the Special Comprehensive Exercise, he admitted to his own deeds and tried to eliminate Nozomu by killing him. His handsome face was tinged with indignation.

And then there was Camilla Vecknose. A friend of Lisa's and a female student in the same class who cooperated with Ken.

They had heard about this whole story from Nozomu's mouth about two weeks ago, right after they had fought the out-of-the-standard demonic beast called the [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede in the forest.

"Are you sure about Ken Notice having a contract with a spirit?"

Feo asked such a question while glancing at Shina, another spirit-user. She shook her head slowly with a sullen look on her face.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't sense it at all. What about you, Raz?"

[......Who knows. We're not flawless, either, and this town is a bit noisy.]

While Shina was at a loss for words in response to Feo's question, Razward, who was prompted by her, replied while thinking about it a little. Irisdina asked a series of questions in response to the little spirit's somewhat implied comment.

"What do you mean by noisy?"

[This whole town is like an altar. It's kind of dense and noisy in many ways.]

"Dense? Noisy?"

[In your terms, I think it's like being in the middle of a crowd all the time. There are so many micro-spirits that they interfere with each other, making it difficult to distinguish between them. Besides, I was kind of out cold just a few days ago.]

"Are there that many?"

Nozomu asked Razward, and the lapis lazuli-colored little spirit replied while chirping.

[Yeah, it's a density approaching that of the Nebula Forest.

At the same time, it gives the impression of being somewhat unnatural.]

"There is also the matter of the [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede. We need to be careful with that spirit."

Following Razward, Irisdina spoke up. The whole group fell silent at her words.

The [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede. Originally thought to have lived in the eastern part of the continent, it invaded the human sphere along with other demonic beasts during the great invasion 20 years ago. It is a unique demonic beast that has caused a great deal of casualties.

It is said that even the best warriors of mankind could never defeat such a beast on their own. Such a demonic beast appeared at a Special Comprehensive Exercise held two weeks ago.

Naturally, the situation at the site was chaotic. Arcazam issued a state of emergency and closed all the gates of the city.

The beast then went into battle against Nozomu, Irisdina, and the others who were in Shino's hut at the time. It was wounded and fled before Nozomu, who used his Dragon Slayer powers.

A week or so later, Arcazam's emergency order was lifted, and peace was restored to the area.

But Nozomu and his friends knew. A spirit emerged from the wounded [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede, which had just collapsed to the ground, and then it disappeared as if fleeing.

"Iris, you said the spirit had the appearance of a little girl, is that true?"

"Yeah, it's just the appearance though. On the inside, it looked like a winged insect...... Does that ring a bell?"

"The spirit's outer appearance looks exactly like the little spirit named Mefi that Ken had a contract with......"

A spirit that controlled the [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede.

Everyone pondered this clue with difficult expressions on their faces.

"Is it really possible? For a mere minor spirit to control a demonic beast as powerful as the [Six Bad Omens]?"

Mars looked at Razward, who was perching by Shina's side. No matter how mysterious the spirit may be, it is a different story if the other party is one of the [Six Bad Omens].

When manipulating the mind, the amount of one's magic power is a major factor in the success or failure of the technique.

The [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede has a huge physique and a huge amount of magic power to match it, and it showed no signs of exhaustion at all while firing countless lightning spells. It is hard to believe that such a being could be so easily manipulated.

[It should be impossible, even for me. And from its appearance, that spirit is quite young. Besides, when it comes to controlling the mind of a demonic beast of that caliber, the sheer magnitude of its difficulties is insane.]

"......Iris, how is Lisa doing in class lately?"

Hearing Razward's statement, Nozomu looked a little surprised, and then he asked Irisdina how Lisa was doing. She was silent for a moment, as if she was thinking about something, but then she began to talk about her recent condition in the first class.

"Nothing unusual. But after knowing everything, it's eerie how normal it seems."

"How is Camilla doing?"

"She's with Lisa-kun, as usual. Is there something wrong with her?"

"No, I'm a little concerned. She seemed to be having a disagreement with Ken when I questioned her before, so......"

Camilla Vecknose is a female student who has been Lisa's best friend since first grade and was friends with Nozomu as well. However, she collaborated with Ken to bring Nozomu down.

[As long as you are my collaborator, I am willing to cooperate with you. But if you're going to walk away, then I don't have a choice ...... You know what I mean, don't you?]

[Good. Just make sure you don't give us the wrong idea.]

Nozomu was lost in thought, remembering the time he questioned Ken in the forest. Ken and Camilla had been working together from the beginning, but Camilla seemed to be being threatened, rather than cooperating willingly.

Camilla, too, had a secret she couldn't tell anyone. Nozomu could not help but feel that way.

"Let's get back to the main topic. So, what do you want to do, Nozomu?"

Irisdina opened her mouth as if to pull Nozomu back, who had begun to think about it with his hand over his mouth.

"What do I want to do, huh......"

Nozomu took a sip of the water in front of him to calm himself and looked up at the ceiling.

"I've told you all about this before. I came to this town to support Lisa's dream."

Irisdina and the others nodded their heads slightly upon hearing Nozomu's words. After the battle with the [Cracked-Crown], the girls had heard about how Nozomu and Lisa had met and how they came to Arcazam.

"I'm angry with Lisa for not believing in me, but more than that, I'm also sad."

He shifted his gaze out the window as if staring into the distance. Nozomu's mouth tightened.

Denounce them in anger and cast them away. It's not that he hadn't thought of doing so.

In fact, he had once exploded with rage and attempted to do more than verbally abuse Lisa and the others.

Just before he was about to kill Lisa, Nozomu hesitated and stopped by reflexively turning the entire attack on himself, but his actions to that point had left him severely depressed. As a result, he lost sight of himself and his relationship with Irisdina and the others cracked, which had various negative effects on him.

All because he did not expose his heart.

But once he had let his anger out and spoken his mind to Irisdina and the others, Nozomu, to his own surprise, was able to look at his current self with a cool head.

"But I don't want things to go on like this. It's okay to run away, but if they don't even acknowledge it, they'll end up like me. So......"

He closed his eyes and heaved a small sigh as if to confirm his own feelings.

"I want to know the Lisa of the past two years that I didn't know, as well as the current her. That's what I think."

He looked up, then opened his eyes again, and in a quiet but clear tone of voice, he expressed his intention. Irisdina looked at him anxiously.

"How......"

"Well, I'll try some things in that regard."

Nozomu, with a look of determination on his face, not of resignation but of a sense of relief, put the bill for the meal on the table and left his seat.

"Nozomu, where are you going?"

"Shishō's hut. It was destroyed in the battle with that demonic beast, so I want to clean it up while I still can."

Nozomu has mastered the Mikagura-style swordsmanship. The master, Shino Mikagura, is already dead, and the hut she lived in was destroyed in the battle with the [Cracked-Crown] Giant Centipede.

However, for Nozomu, it is a place of memories of someone important to him. He wanted to keep it clean while he is still in Arcazam.

"Well then, everyone, see you tomorrow......."

"H-Hold on a second!"

Stopped by Irisdina's voice, which sounded a little impatient, Nozomu stopped and turned around.

He found that she had gotten up from her seat as if in pursuit of him and rushed up in front of him.

[By my side......]

A pretty girl looked up at him with an upward glance. Her voice, which had called out to him when Tiamat had swallowed his consciousness, came back to him. Nozomu's heart skipped a beat.

"Umm, ...... do you still need something?"

"C-Can I come with you? You're gonna need some help to clean up, right?"

"Well, yeah, but......"

Hesitation escaped from his mouth. Perhaps assuming that she would be rejected, she suddenly came closer to him. Seeing the plea reflected in the depths of her obsidian eyes. Nozomu involuntarily gulped.

"A-And also. Training in the same place where that Shino Mikagura lived, would be interesting. R-Right?"

It's just a humble little hut. And a place that will eventually be destroyed and buried in the forest. For Nozomu, it was certainly a little awkward to ask for help with his own self-indulgence. But .......

"I'd like to help you. ...... Is that okay?"

The pure feelings directed at him made his hesitation melt away.

".......Thank you."

Nozomu found himself smiling as he replied.

Hearing Nozomu's approval, Irisdina also let out a big smile, as if feeling relieved.

"Good! Let's go then. Everyone, see you tomorrow."

"Ou."

"Ai, see you later."

Irisdina gave a small wave to Tima and the others and walked out of the restaurant along with Nozomu. The blue-haired elf girl watched their backs with wistful eyes.

At that moment, Mars suddenly stood up and went to stand in front of Tom.

"W-What is it?"

While Tom was startled at being looked down by the imposing Mars, Mars opened his mouth with a mysterious expression on his face.

"Are you interested in the kind of sword that Nozomu had?"

"Huh? Y-Yeah. I don't think there's a single alchemist who wouldn't be interested in a spiritual sword, or a magic sword......"

"I see! In that case, I've got some good news for you!"

Tom involuntarily shrunk back as Mars smiled with his mouth hanging open in a somewhat inhuman smile.

But then he widened his eyes upon hearing Mars' next words and smiled the same inhuman smile that he had.

?

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