Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no “Kokoro”- [LN] Volume 1: Chapter 1

[LN] Volume 1: Chapter 1

Yoo, PolterGlast here

This is the LN version of Dragon Chain Ori

I've read the LN version and I found there are some differences between the LN and the WN.

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This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.

Volume 1 Chapter 1

A Boy Trapped in Chains

Translator : PolterGlast

Solminati Academy.

A school built in the academic city of Arcazam, where youngsters from all over the Arcmel continent gathered to study.

It was a place where students who did not reach a certain level of achievement were dropped out without mercy.

He is there.

Nozomu Bountis.

He is a second year student at Solminati Academy and belongs to the 10th cla.s.s, the lowest cla.s.s in this meritocratic school.

On the chest of his white-colored uniform, he wears a black nameplate indicating his lowest grade.

Falling asleep in the afternoon sun, he remembered the time when he first came to this school.

It was two years ago that he came to this school. He came to this school with his best friend to support the dreams of his loved one.

Lisa Hounds and Ken Notice.

They were his childhood friends who had spent the time together since they were children in their hometown, and Lisa Hounds was his girlfriend whom he had been in love with before he came to this school.

They first met when she moved with her mother to Oire Village, his hometown.

The village where Nozomu was born and raised was on the border of a small country that had friendly relations with major powers.

The land was relatively fertile, so there was no shortage of food, but it was an ordinary agricultural village with little change in its daily life.

While Nozomu was fis.h.i.+ng in the river that flowed through the village, a girl who had just moved to the village approached him.

"Nice to meet you, are you free right now?"

The whole thing started when Nozomu looked back at the girl who called out to him in a stuttering voice.

She was a beautiful girl with short crimson hair, wearing a beautiful one-piece dress. Her eyes, which were filled with confidence but trembled with nervousness, were like jewels that attracted young Nozomu's attention.

Nozomu’s face gradually heated up, and his heart was beating fast. It really was love at first sight.

"Y-, yeah, umm...... I’m free, I think? Are you--……"

"G-, great! Alright, let's chat for a bit! I'm Lisa Hounds, nice to meet you!"

And so began the conversation between the two young people.

They exchanged words as they were surrounded by the rippling river flowing by the bank.

She originally traveled with her parents who were Adventurers, but after her father pa.s.sed away, she seemed to have returned to this village, her mother's hometown.

Because of her many travels, Lisa's communication skills were better than those of boys and girls her age. Nozomu talked about the village, and Lisa told him where she had been traveling to and what she had been doing.

"So you're an adventurer… What kind of places have you been to?"

Adventurers. As the name implies, they are people who explore the unknown and open up uncharted lands.

It was not a story that Nozomu, who lived in a peaceful village, could relate to. However, as a boy who yearned for tales of heroism and adventure, Lisa's story intrigued him.

The fact that the one speaking was someone he had fallen in love with at first sight was also a reason why he was so absorbed in her story.

Thus, the two lost track of time in their first encounter and talked until the sun went down.

Their relations.h.i.+p began as childhood friends. It was around the time when they both reached the second stage of adulthood that their relations.h.i.+p took a major turn.

Nozomu began to grow taller and Lisa's body was gradually becoming more feminine.

"I'm going to Solminati Academy."

She said this to Nozomu with a hint of nervousness, just as she did when they first met.

It was the same as leaving the village where they had spent their lives together. Nozomu was attracted to the girl he had fallen in love with, but he was also frustrated by the fact that she, whom he had been attracted to since he was a child, was leaving the village.

"In that case, I'm coming with you too ......"

Nozomu found himself impulsively saying such words.

Hearing Nozomu's words, Lisa's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about? Nozomu, you are going to stay in this village, aren’t you? If you leave this village, uncle and aunt will……”

Nozomu's family was a farmer, and he was the only child.

Therefore, Nozomu was a valuable and indispensable worker.

His father, in particular, would be strongly against it.

"The girl I love wants to pursue her dreams, of course, I want to help her."

"L-, love....."

Lisa's wide-open eyes were filled with confusion, and she spoke in a fl.u.s.ter.

However, while her expression reflected her confusion, her cheeks were tinged with a bright red color that could not be hidden.

Nozomu, who had finally spoke of his long-held feelings, was determined to support her.

"Thank you... I'm so happy."

Lisa, perhaps moved to tears, gently pulled herself onto Nozomu's chest.

The two of them put their hands on each other's backs and their lips naturally .......

"A dream?......"

The bell, signaling the end of the lunch break, pulled Nozomu back out of his dream and back to reality. Nozomu got up, brushed the gra.s.s off his uniform, and headed to his cla.s.sroom to attend his afternoon cla.s.s.

The vow he once made to her. The fact that he could no longer fulfill it made him forcibly push it out of his mind.

◆

In Solminati Academy, which adheres to a meritocratic system, the difference in rank is a clear indicator that distinguishes students from one another.

The academy was established with loans from countries on the Arcmel continent after the demonic beast disaster known as the [Great Invasion] that occurred 20 years ago.

Regardless of birth or status, if a student was able to rise to a higher rank, they would be able to train in a suitable environment, and by the time they graduated, they were guaranteed to be a prosperous person.

However, if one were to fall to a lower rank, they would receive criticism from those who were originally higher.

Not to mention the treatment of those who were originally lower in rank.

In such a school, Nozomu belonged to the tenth cla.s.s, which was the lowest cla.s.s in the school year.

As he walked down the corridor, he was met with hate-filled gazes.

"d.a.m.n, why is that dropout still here?"

"What a surprise, I thought he had already dropped out of school voluntarily."

Thoughtless, indifferent words were directed at him. In this academy, where students were constantly exposed to fierce compet.i.tion, they had no time to pay attention to those who were lower than themselves.

Even if they did, their voices and gazes would be dyed with contempt and ridicule. But this was still better because it could have been worse.

As Nozomu entered the cla.s.sroom, the atmosphere felt damp and sticky against his skin. Murky, sharp gazes were directed at him. Ignoring the stares, Nozomu went to his seat, where he found malicious words carved with a knife.

[Get out of here!] [A disgrace to the school] [f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d who is worse than a loser]

When Nozomu glanced at his surroundings, several students turned to look at him with grins on their faces.

By the looks on their faces, it was obvious who had made a mess of Nozomu's desk.

They giggled and sneered as they watched Nozomu silently sitting in his tattered seat.

The tenth-cla.s.s students have no standing in this academy.

Of course, it is not as if they are lazy. They are talented youths who would be called prodigies back in their hometowns, and they have been working hard to deserve it.

However, in this academy, where the best from across the continent gathered, their brilliance was overshadowed by the brilliance of others stronger than them.

Solminati Academy's cla.s.s-based system is designed to stimulate students' compet.i.tive spirit and encourage their growth to greater heights.

However, this system that expects total achievement also has its downsides.

Students who fall below a certain level are completely demoralized and drop out without mercy.

Because compet.i.tion is so fierce, people expect rewards and praise from others, and those who make it to the top acquire a special kind of sense of superiority. Conversely, those who fall to the bottom lose confidence and suffer from a sense of inferiority.

The hierarchical teaching system, which is designed to lead those at the top to higher positions, naturally creates a tendency for those at the top to look down on those at the bottom.

But keep in mind that the lower-ranked students were also talented children who were called prodigies in their birthplace. And because they were such children, they had little experience of being treated with contempt and were not used to being in an environment where they are looked down upon.

The pressure they experience is greater than they can imagine.

They couldn't overcome the barriers no matter how hard they tried. They were praised as gifted children, but they were buried in the lowest cla.s.s, and the feelings of depression were building up.

And those who could no longer endure such a situation turned their gaze to those who were even inferior to them. An outlet for their acc.u.mulated inferiority complex. At the bottom of that pile was Nozomu.

"It's futile. Why can't he just give up already?"

"He's making me feel like I'm on the same level as him, and that really irritates me."

Their conversation was full of malice and contempt, albeit spoken in a whisper, but at a volume that Nozomu could surely hear.

Nozomu covered his ears, but poison seeped into them, and his heart ached with a dull pain. He gritted his teeth and endured the dull pain with a blank expression plastered on his face as he looked down at his tattered desk. As if he was holding on until the storm pa.s.sed.

But even if Nozomu himself tried to ignore it, the malice still came at him from the other side.

"Yo, bottom of the barrel, did you come to cla.s.s again for no reason? "

The low, mocking tone of voice was directed at Nozomu. He looked up to see three boys standing in front of his desk, glaring at him.

The one who spoke to him was a particularly large male student standing in the middle of the three.

He was a young man with short blonde hair.

Mars d.i.c.kens.

He is considered to be one of the most problematic students not only in this tenth cla.s.s, but in the whole second year as well.

Mars was a student who should have been in a higher cla.s.s, but due to his belligerent personality and bad behavior, he was stuck in tenth cla.s.s.

Despite Mars' provocative words and gaze, Nozomu kept his head down and his expression didn't change in the slightest. At once, Mars' expression changed and he expressed his displeasure at the sight of Nozomu, who did not respond at all and proceeded to prepare for cla.s.s with an indifferent att.i.tude.

"Look at him, he can't even talk back."

"Exactly, even his childhood friend, the Red-Haired Princess, abandoned him. Maybe it's time for him to stop dreaming."

As Mars looking down at him, Nozomu could only remain silent. Looking at the two, the cronies on either side of Mars raised their voices. As if in sync with their voices, the students around them began to laugh as well.

Abandoned. Hearing these words, Nozomu gritted his teeth hard .

"Hey, are you ignoring us!?"

As Nozomu's consciousness sank, one of Mars' cronies, mistakenly believing that he was being ignored, kicked Nozomu's desk while raising his voice.

Nozomu's body was thrown onto the wooden floor along with his tattered desk, and his fallen textbooks made a rustling sound.

One of Mars' cronies, who thought they were being ignored, raised his fist into the air as Nozomu quietly began to put his desk back together.

But before he could strike Nozomu down, the cla.s.sroom door slammed open and a tall man walked in.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Ugh, Caskell-sensei... N-, no, I was just giving this dim-witted fellow a little lesson."

Caskell Matthiart.

He is the homeroom teacher for the 10th cla.s.s of the second year, and has been the homeroom teacher for Nozomu and the other 10th graders since the first year.

He is a male teacher in his late 20s, dressed in a neat black outfit, and has a refined figure, but he has a somewhat condescending and overbearing look in his eyes.

With a frown on his forehead, Caskell glanced at Nozomu, who was putting back the fallen desk, and realized what had happened.

"Haa...... Do it after cla.s.s. Don't be a bother."

"Y-, yes...."

But Caskell neither questioned nor condemned Mars' cronies.

To this male teacher, Nozomu and the others were students unworthy of his teaching, like pebbles on the side of the road.

"Take your seats and open your textbook, you pebbles. Don't waste my time."

Hearing the heavy and menacing voice, the other students rushed to their seats and opened their textbooks.

The end of the second school year was approaching, and soon there would be final exams. If they didn't get the necessary grades here, they would be expelled without question. Even if they could advance to the next grade, they would be in the bottom cla.s.s again.

Of course, the homeroom teacher's judgment also played a role in the grades.

But while the other students returned to their seats, Mars was the only one who didn't move from in front of Nozomu's desk.

"Mars, get your a.s.s back to your seat."

"Shut up, lowly teacher. I can hear you without you having to yell."

"Lowly, you say... You, to say such words to me, a teacher..."

"Hmph... I guess you indeed in charge of this garbage dump."

Mars sneered at Caskell's anger and returned to his seat while glancing at Nozomu, who kept his head down.

Caskell flushed at Mars' att.i.tude and was about to unleash his anger, but before he could do so, the first bell of the school day rang in the cla.s.sroom.

"Tch...... Mars, come to my place after school, you hear me!"

Caskell seemed to have no choice but to say that to Mars, opened his textbook, and started the cla.s.s.

"As you may already know, magic is a technique that uses one's own mental power to manifest various phenomena by acyivating the magical elements in one's body, but it is possible to activate not only one's own magical elements but also those of the outside world, in other words, the environment."

The lectures Caskell presented were mostly related to magic.

The history and geopolitics of the countries on the continent were also taught in the academy.

"When using large-scale magic, it is often done with magical elements from the outside world. Such magic is called ritual magic, and originally originated in s.h.i.+nto rituals in which prayers were offered to spirits, local deities, and so on. Ritual magic is also one of the two deployment methods in today's magic. It is also the origin of the chanting method and the formation method in today's magic."

Although Caskell had a bias towards students from the tenth cla.s.s, he was still a teacher at Solminati Academy, and with his young age, his lessons were concise and very easy for the students to understand.

The students dutifully copied the writing on the blackboard. For Nozomu, in particular, the written exam was the one in which he could get the most points out of the exams held periodically, so he was very serious about it. For a particular reason, he was hopelessly inept at practical exams.

"Tomorrow, we will be experimenting with ritual magic and the effects of the presence or absence of catalysts and their advantages. Ah right, Nozomu Bountis, you don't have to partic.i.p.ate. You're particularly inferior even among the pebbles. You can't do anything even if you partic.i.p.ate."

"I will join ......"

A flat reply that could be either acceptance or resignation.

Hearing Nozomu's helpless words, Caskell didn't seem to be bothered.

"Alright. Then, stay on the side. Don't get in the way."

Hearing Caskell's dismissive words, several cla.s.s students chuckled.

"Don't make a fuss, you trashy pebbles. From my point of view, there's no difference between you all and him. You black-stained nameplate bearers."

Hearing Caskell's mocking words, those who were laughing at Nozomu fell silent.

At Solminati Academy, the rank to which each student belonged could be easily identified at a glance by their nameplates.

And the black nameplate was only for the lowest, tenth cla.s.s.

For students in this cla.s.s, this black nameplate was an abomination.

Caskell nodded as silence returned to the cla.s.sroom and resumed his lecture.

Nozomu's mind sank remembering what happened in the past as the cla.s.s continued in the cold atmosphere.

◆

Red-Haired Princess.

This is the nickname given to Nozomu's childhood friend and lover, Lisa, at school.

She showed her talent soon after entering the school and quickly rose to the top of her cla.s.s in no time.

On the other hand, Nozomu's grades were not so good. He was originally not a studious student, nor did he have any experience with swords. He also didn't have the same talent as Lisa.

It was a miracle that he was able to enter Solminati Academy, and it was no surprise that his grades were not as high as they should have been.

Even so, Nozomu did not give up, and he devoted himself to his lessons every day, and Lisa supported him wholeheartedly.

He had friends who helped him, and Nozomu struggled to live up to their expectations.

Even if it was not possible now, he would be able to grow someday. A faint hope.

However, that hope was shattered.

Due to "an incident" that happened to Nozomu, he was unable to improve his abilities any further, and in fact, he found himself in a hopeless situation where he was at an even greater disadvantage than before.

His already low performance plummeted even further, and he actually fell to the bottom of the cla.s.s.

Naturally, the people around him became more and more critical of him day by day, and some of them even resorted to direct bullying.

But his girlfriend, Lisa, was not willing to leave him.

They spent more time together and practiced together to reduce the ill will directed at Nozomu.

They weren't always together because the dorms were divided by gender, but she always took Nozomu's side, and he was even more encouraged by her feelings.

However, their relations.h.i.+p came to an abrupt end one day.

"Goodbye."

In the summer of their first year, Nozomu was suddenly told by Lisa that she would be leaving him. Even though she had always supported Nozomu, whose grades were not good, without ever showing a single disgusted expression on her face.

Nozomu was still unable to understand why. His mind was spinning, and everything was vague and unreal like a hallucination.

She turned her icy gaze away from Nozomu and walked away without looking back. From then on, she would look at Nozomu as if she were looking at a piece of filth.

Nozomu was dumbfounded by the sudden breakup. Before he knew it, news of their breakup spread throughout the school, and he was blamed for it.

Lisa dumped Nozomu because he had betrayed her and was seeing another woman.

Nozomu himself had no recollection of this and immediately denied the rumors, but those around him refused to believe him at all.

Lisa was a role model student who was called the Red-Haired Princess because of her looks and abilities.

Nozomu, who had been dating Lisa, was initially the object of jealousy due to his poor grades, but when word spread that he had betrayed her, his reputation dropped dramatically.

Every single one of Nozomu's friends left, and some of them joined those who had been ridiculing him before and began cursing him in even worse terms.

He went to talk to Lisa, but she merely returned a cold stare and did not answer Nozomu's desperate questions.

Nozomu was completely rejected by Lisa. Even so, he continued to try his hardest.

He took his cla.s.ses seriously at the academy, and he also subjected himself to even more rigorous training.

He knew that if he kept his promise, one day he would be able to .............

However, that feeling was also shattered.

On his way home after tormenting his body until it was a wreck, he saw something unbelievable.

There she was, smiling next to a man with light-pigmented blond hair, a man Nozomu knew well.

Ken Notice.

He was one of Nozomu's childhood friends and best friends from the same hometown.

Unlike Nozomu, who did not get good grades, he was one of the top students in the school.

He was personable and gentle in temperament, and like Lisa, he was someone who joined in Nozomu's training.

From what he had heard, Ken, his other childhood friend, comforted the heartbroken Lisa, and they began dating right after that.

At first, Nozomu could not believe it.

But seeing the two of them smiling next to each other, and working together so well in practice that they outshone the other pair, Nozomu was forced to understand that he no longer had a place next to her.

◆

After cla.s.s lectures, the next cla.s.s was practical training.

The grounds of Solminati Academy were vast, and in one of the several training grounds, practical training for the tenth cla.s.s was being conducted.

The content of the training was about personal training. In the training hall where the cla.s.s was held, each student was wielding his or her own weapon while facing a wooden scarecrow.

"Next, the students are paired up for a combat training. We will decide the pairings. Use Qi-jutsu and magic as you wish."

Both Qi-jutsu and magic are techniques that exist in this world.

Qi-jutsu is a general term for techniques that use life energy called Qi. Magic is also a general term for techniques that use mental energy called magic power.

Both are secret techniques that have been pa.s.sed down in various forms, including rituals and folklore, throughout the Arcmel continent.

In Arcazam, these techniques have been discovered, collected, compiled, and systematized, and are now pa.s.sed on to students in the form of education.

At the words of their supervisor, Caskell, the second-year tenth cla.s.s students were confirming their respective opponents for the combat training.

One by one, pairs were formed, and the one who became Nozomu's opponent was .......

"Hey, bottom of the barrel. My condolences."

It was Mars, who had been involved before the previous cla.s.s lecture. He wore simple leather and metal armor over his school uniform and gauntlets covering his upper arms.

The uniforms of Solminati Academy were originally designed to be st.u.r.dy for combat, but some students, like Mars, wore armor over them to protect themselves.

He pulled out the great sword on his back with his right hand, and swung it widely as if to show off his strength. The generated wind pressure shook Nozomu's hair.

Mars was a crude man, but his fighting ability was quite impressive.

Nozomu sighed heavily and drew the dummy sword at his waist as if he was ready to face him.

His weapon was called a katana, a sword unique to the archipelago nation of the Far East.

The blade, which was specialized for slas.h.i.+ng and stabbing, was said to be able to easily cut through even steel when used by a master.

However, due to the high level of skill required to handle it and the rarity of the blade itself, it is not widely used on the Arcmel continent.

However, for Nozomu, who for some reason had difficulty relying on physical strength, Qi, or magic, it was the most suitable weapon, and the only one with which he might be able to find a way to make use of in a fight.

"Let's get started, it's a waste of time dealing with such useless bottom-feeder."

The thick blade, which was thicker than Nozomu's katana, although made of wood, would still be quite intimidating to those who were facing it..

"Well then, begin."

With an indifferent signal from Caskell, the combat training began.

Mars, with his greatsword at the ready, stepped towards Nozomu at once.

"Uoryaaaa!"

"Haa!"

With vigor, Mars swung his greatsword down.

Nozomu tried to parry the attack with his katana, but the moment the two blades collided, he was stopped by the powerful force pressing down on him.

"Guh......~!"

Nozomu stomped one of his feet and swept Mars' slash aside, slamming the greatsword he had parried into the ground.

Quickly, he stepped forward, slid past the dummy greatsword that fell to the ground, and attempted to cleave Mars' torso.

"Too slow!"

But Mars was faster than Nozomu, and with one hand off the hilt of his greatsword, he parried Nozomu's slash head-on with his gauntlet. Mars then took a step forward and punched Nozomu in the face.

Nozomu quickly lowered his head to avoid the oncoming fist attack, but Mars didn't care and forcefully drew his greatsword with his one remaining hand.

Due to the close distance between them, the greatsword did not carry enough momentum, but Mars forced Nozomu away with his own monstrous strength. A gap opened between them and the two of them separated.

"Zee~ei!"

"~...... Haa!"

The greatsword and katana crossed each other many times.

Mars tried to crush Nozomu by utilizing his greatsword's wide range and arm strength, and Nozomu tried to get closer to the distance his katana could reach.

For a while, the attack and defense took place using only swordsmans.h.i.+p and physical prowess, but then both sides opened a gap again as they were both deflected by their crossed weapons.

"Enough, let me destroy you!"

As Mars muttered those few words, a flame-like torrent of Qi rose from his body, and the sense of intimidation emanating from him swelled up at once.

Qi-jutsu.

Qi-jutsu is a technique originating from the eastern part of the continent, in which one's life force is raised and various phenomena are manifested.

Mars, with a rising flame of Qi, stepped toward Nozomu at once.

His speed was incomparable to anything he had ever done before.

Taking advantage of the physical strengthening provided by Qi-jutsu. Mars caught Nozomu within his blade range and swung his greatsword at him at once.

"~ !"

Nozomu also quickly used Qi-jutsu and jumped to the side to avoid Mars' greatsword.

The greatsword swung down with a roar, rolling up the ground and scattering dirt and sand.

"d.a.m.n, you dodged it, huh?"

Mars, perhaps dissatisfied with his failure to land a blow, sneered.

Mars pulled out his greatsword, which had been stuck in the ground, and slashed at Nozomu again.

Nozomu, facing Mars, also released all his Qi and intercepted it.

He used his Qi-jutsu to strengthen his body to deal with the greatsword that roared at him from above, below, left, and right.

However, Mars' Qi-jutsu body strengthening was much more effective than Nozomu's.

Every time Mars' greatsword struck at him, *Gong!*, the impact was so powerful that it reverberated to the core of the body, and Nozomu's body was swept from side to side, making him dizzy and making him retreat.

Still, Nozomu gritted his teeth and managed to endure it.

He managed to regain his balance with his enhanced physical strength. Just before he lost his balance, he managed to hold on and relay the impact by stepping back with his feet.

"I've had enough of this!"

Perhaps because his opponent, whom he thought he could crush immediately, resisted more than he had expected, Mars' frustration grew, and he became more vigorous.

Mars' slashes accelerated, and an intense storm of sword blades with increasing momentum slammed into Nozomu. Then, with a roar, Mars' cleaving blow struck Nozomu. Nozomu's body was thrown back along with a loud sound.

The gap between Nozomu and Mars widened even further.

Mars, who took pride in his originally blessed physique and the amount of Qi, was able to use Qi-jutsu effectively. On the other hand, Nozomu was inferior to Mars in terms of strength, and the physical strengthening effect he could exert was not comparable to the Qi he consumed.

Even so, Nozomu swung his dummy katana in an attempt to retaliate.

He tried to read Mars' line of attack, which had become monotonous due to his frustration, and was somehow able to reduce the impact by aligning his dummy katana with the direction of the attack.

He knew it was futile resistance.

He could only barely manage to handle it, as there was no room for Nozomu to counterattack. And if he couldn't fight back, he knew exactly what would happen next.

Finally, his limits came. Unable to handle Mars' heavy blow, his stance collapsed, and before he had time to recover from his collapsed posture, he was. .h.i.t by a returning blade.

"Go to h.e.l.l!"

Nozomu quickly placed his own dummy katana between Mars' greatsword and his own body, but he was still unable to stop his opponent's enhanced slash.

*Clang!* Along with that sound, the dummy katana shattered, and Mars' greatsword struck Nozomu's body.

Nozomu's body was sent flying and slammed against the wall of the training ground.

The impact on his chest suffocated him, and his sight was blurred in his agony.

"Tch~, you maggot. What a futile resistance."

Nozomu lost consciousness as he heard Mars' abusive words.

◆

A pitch-black field of vision and a consciousness that drifted vaguely within it.

What awakened him was an intense pain that felt like countless needles piercing his body from the inside.

"Ouch!"

His whole body shook involuntarily, and he shrank back.

As he sat up, Nozomu finally came to realize where he was. He was in the school infirmary, on the bed for the sick. The white sheets were reflected at the edge of his vision, and on a small table beside the bed were Nozomu's neatly folded uniform coat and his katana.

"Oh, are you awake?"

As if prompted by the cool voice, Nozomu turned his head and saw a woman in a white coat sitting on a chair in front of the infirmary's office desk.

A young woman with gla.s.ses. She had a quill pen in her hand, and an ink bottle and a piece of paper beside her hand, as if she was writing something.

Her name is Norn Altina.

She is the school’s infirmary doctor, and the word "intelligent and beautiful" fits her perfectly.

Apparently, Nozomu was brought to this infirmary after fainting in the combat training cla.s.s.

"You were brought to this infirmary after fainting in the combat training cla.s.s. Do you feel any pain anywhere?"

"...... My back and chest hurt a little, and I’m a little lightheaded, but other than that, nothing else."

"I see. I've applied the medicine on your back and chest, but if you feel discomfort elsewhere, or if the pain persists, you can always come to me. It would be bad if you just endure it and it gets worse."

Nozomu had been a regular customer of the infirmary since he became a student. So, naturally, he also knew Norn.

"Thank you for taking care of me"

"Don't worry about it. It is my duty to treat the injuries and illnesses of the students. However, your att.i.tude has not changed, huh. You could be a little more open to me, you know."

With a smile on her beautiful face, Norn placed her hand on Nozomu's shoulder. There was not the slightest hint of disdain for the inferior student Nozomu in her smile.

Unlike Kaskell, Norn was one of the few people who did not treat Nozomu, the lowest in the second year, differently.

"U-, umm……"

Unlike Norn, who had a more open att.i.tude, Nozomu's gaze drifted in the air, as if he was lost.

Norn smiled wryly at Nozomu's obviously unnerved behavior. It had always been the case that this student had such a distrustful att.i.tude.

At that moment, loud footsteps came echoing from outside the infirmary.

"Norn~~, how is Nozomu-kun doing~~~~?"

With a prolonged voice, someone opened the door of the infirmary vigorously and walked in.

It was a female teacher in her early twenties with long wavy brown hair, gentle eyes, and a neat appearance.

The brown-haired beauty looked around the infirmary to check on Nozomu, who was on the bed, and ran towards him with a smile on her face.

"Anri. This is school, you know. Even if you're talking to me, you must address me by honorifics when you're here."

"Eh~~, there's no one here, so it's fine~~~~. "

"He's here too, you know."

Norn, pointing at Nozomu, while reprimanding the beautiful woman for calling her by her name as soon as she entered, but she didn't seem to care.

Anri Var.

She is a teacher working at Solminati Academy and currently serves as an a.s.sistant to each homeroom teacher.

Anri Var is a popular teacher among her students because of her beautiful face, but the main reason for her popularity is her personality.

Although she was inexperienced as a teacher, she was a kind woman who always showed her sincere att.i.tude towards her students, even to those in the lowest 10th grade. She didn't consider them useless like Caskell did.

Anri was still young and her duty was to a.s.sist the homeroom teacher, but despite her gentle tone, her straightforward behavior earned her a great deal of trust from the students, regardless of rank.

If one had to name her shortcomings, one would say that she has a tendency to use words as if she has a few screws loose from her head.

However, the fact that she was chosen as a teacher at this school when she was only in her 20s was proof that her abilities were not based on her loose language and behavior.

"Good grief, your att.i.tude is troubling me. Well, it's always been that way …..."

Norn sighed as she put her hand on her forehead as if she had a headache.

Anri and Norn. They were both from this Solminati Academy and had been best friends since their school days.

They hit it off when they first entered school and have been friends ever since.

Nozomu had heard about this from both of them. And he envied them for having such a relations.h.i.+p.

Friends.h.i.+p and love. Both had different forms, but their strong bond was too dazzling for Nozomu, who had fallen into loneliness.

"Nozomu-kun, are you injuries alright~?

"Y-, yes, it’s alright now."

As Anri gazed at Nozomu's face with concern, Nozomu held back the emotions that were about to burst inside his chest and averted his gaze to cover them.

Nozomu's vision was filled with Anri's face.

Her worried eyes, along with the sweet scent that reminded him of a fruit that was unique to adult woman, made his heart skip a beat.

"W-, wait, sensei, you're too close. Please move away a little."

"B-, but~~"

Nozomu involuntarily backed away, but Anri, who was merely concerned about Nozomu's injury, closed the distance without hesitation.

Nozomu tried to get away from the approaching Anri by moving to the edge of the bed. For him, suddenly being approached by such a beautiful woman, made him stiffen awkwardly.

Meanwhile, Norn sighed heavily again at the sight of best friend pressuring a student.

"Haa~ ....... Anri, he'll be fine. He had bruises on his chest and back, and a mild concussion, but the pain will subside soon."

Nozomu nodded in affirmation of Norn's words.

"Really~~?"

"Y-, yeah, it’s true..."

In her squinted eyes, there was a will to see through Nozomu's current condition and an equal amount of concern for his well-being. Anri peered at Nozomu for a while, but eventually, perhaps believing her best friend's diagnosis, she quickly moved away from Nozomu.

"…... I was worried about you, you know. Nozomu-kun, It would be bad if something were to happen to you."

"He'll be fine, Anri. He won't quit just because of this."

"Gosh, Norn sure is cold."

"I only say this because I have a good grasp of his condition."

Since Nozomu was a regular visitor to the infirmary, Norn was well aware of his condition.

Although Norn was just stating that there was nothing to worry about, the important thing was that Anri did not like Norn's tone of voice so she was puffing up her cheeks.

At that moment, the bell chimed, signaling the end of the school day.

"It's already past school day, huh? ......"

Looking out the window of the infirmary, Nozomu saw that the students who had finished their day's cla.s.ses were heading home one after another.

Nozomu got off the bed, put on his uniform coat, and put his personal katana back on his waist.

"Excuse me, Norn-sensei, Anri-sensei, thank you very much for your help."

"Ah, wait a minute, Nozomu-kun, just to make sure, are you still going into the Spasim Forest?"

"Y-, yeah. Sometimes ......"

Anri made a difficult expression upon hearing Nozomu's words.

Spasim Forest is a dense forest that surrounds Arcazam, the city where Solminati Academy is located.

A wide variety of plants and animals grow in this forest, and there are students and ordinary citizens who earn their living by hunting and gathering in the forest.

Considering the reason for the establishment of the Solminati Academy, the forest is also a useful place to gain experience in actual battles with demonic beasts.

However, while the abundant forests are a blessing to the people, they are also home to powerful demonic beasts, and many people die or go missing every year in these forests.

"Nozomu, you've been in this town for almost two years now, so you know that the Spasim Forest is very dangerous in several places. Especially deep in the forest, there are many monsters and beasts that even experienced adventurers and knights are afraid of …"

"......Yes, I know."

"That's why~, Nozomu-kun, I think you should form a party~. I understand that it's hard for you to form a party with other students, but ......"

"I'm sorry, Anri-Sensei. I'm doing fine for now, and I'm in a hurry, so I'll see you later...."

Nozomu left the infirmary as if to run away without hearing Anri's words until the end.

Anri's hand was extended toward Nozomu, but her hand only grasped empty air as if she couldn't reach him.

"There he goes."

"Geez~, Listen to your teacher until the end~!"

Norn smiled wryly at Anri, who looked upset and angry.

"But neither Anri nor Nozomu-kun has changed."

"Gosh~. Norn says something selfish again ......"

"It can't be helped. Do you know how many times this exchange has been repeated since the day you met him?"

The first time Norn and Nozomu met was when he was in his second year of school, whereas Anri first met Nozomu about six months ago.

The first time they met was when Anri came to visit Nozomu in the infirmary during a break, worried about him after he had been injured in a combat training and was covered in bandages.

"I remember at that time, Nozomu-kun wouldn't listen to you at all ......"

"He still wouldn't listen to me even now! I'm worried about him, that's why I told him to form a party~~!"

In the beginning, Nozomu only responded to Anri's concerned appeals with curt replies such as, "I'm fine", "I'm used to it", and so on. Even now, he has not changed much.

"I understand your concern over Nozomu-kun, but isn't it difficult for him to form a party because of his ability?"

On the other hand, there was a hint of resignation in Norn's tone of voice.

Due to rumors circulating in the past and his lowest grade, Nozomu has been completely isolated from the other students.

In this meritocratic school, no one would be crazy enough to party with such a student.

Aside from the conflict with his girlfriend, there was another reason why Nozomu fell to the bottom of the cla.s.s.

It was due to an [Ability] that manifested during his first year of school.

Abilities are a general term for skills that manifest regardless of race.

The underlying cause of why these abilities are manifested regardless of race is not known, but it is said that when they are manifested, the person can receive various benefits depending on the ability, and it is said that there are countless types of abilities.

Nozomu's [Ability] is called [Ability Suppression].

When manifested, it suppresses the person's abilities, preventing them from growing beyond a certain level.

Furthermore, the effects of items, magic, and Qi-jutsu on suppressed abilities are obviously lower than those of ordinary people.

Although it is an extremely rare ability, it does not benefit the individual at all, but rather drags him down. In Nozomu's case, three of his abilities (physical ability, magic power, and Qi) are suppressed, which is a huge disadvantage for him in practical skills.

This [Ability Suppression] further weakened Nozomu's already poor performance, and in practical skills he ranked last among his peers.

He was only able to advance to second year due to the results of the written exam, but even so, he had to take two additional exams during the exam for advancement.

No student would party with such a weak and unpromising person.

"B-, but~~"

Anri, on the other hand, did not seem to want to give up yet and was anxiously shaking her body.

As a kind-hearted woman, she probably wanted Nozomu to form a party at all costs.

"Besides, he still avoids strangers."

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

Hearing Norn's words, Anri fell silent.

It was about a year ago that Norn was a.s.signed as the infirmary's doctor, and since that very first time she saw Nozomu, his condition had been very bad.

His physical injuries were often gruesome, but more than that, his mind was in shambles.

He would answer if asked about his physical injuries and pain, but he would not answer any questions related to his mind, such as the problems he was having.

Even when she made simple small talk with him, he would only respond in silence.

"Every time the treatment was over, he would return to his training without hesitation, and then he would visit the infirmary again with his new injuries. Sometimes he would visit the infirmary early in the morning, so when I asked him what he had been up to, he said that he had gone into the Spasim Forest alone. Moreover, when I asked him how long he had been doing this, he replied that he had been doing it almost every day since the first year ......"

His behavior was indeed a concern, and Norn had questioned him several times to warn him, but his response was not good.

"Thanks to you, Anri, he started to talk to us a little bit. But it's not enough, and besides, his behavior hasn't changed at all."

It was largely due to Anri's efforts that Nozomu began to speak normally, though only slightly.

Norn's best friend, who didn't care about such a personal s.p.a.ce, had been able to shorten the distance between her and Nozomu, who had rejected others, thanks to her natural cheerfulness and kindness.

Thanks to this, they were now able to make small conversation.

However, there hadn't been any progress beyond that. He refused to talk about his worries or anxieties, and he wouldn't stop going into the forest alone.

Silence descended between Norn and Anri.

"But if I keep trying, I'm sure he'll be able to open up~. Nozomu-kun, he definitely has a lot of things to tell, but if everyone knew better about him, they would realize he's not the boy the rumors say he is."

Norn nodded in agreement with Anri's words.

Nozomu has been given various bad names as an insult to him, but if one were to get to know him better, that person would quickly realize that he is not the person the rumors say he is.

"And not only the students, but also the teachers say that Nozomu-kun has no talent, but I don't think that's true~."

"Do you have any basis of your opinion?"

"He can't do anything about his innate Qi or magic power, but he can hone his sword techniques~~. I don't think his sword techniques is something that should be ignored."

"Indeed, I also thought he could hone techniques that don't rely on Qi or magic, such as swordsmans.h.i.+p and spearmans.h.i.+p..."

The teachers were indifferent towards Nozomu because of [Ability Suppression] he had. The teachers at the school didn't have the time to continuously teach students who weren't expected to improve.

If you can't do it, just quit.

That's the way most of the teachers in this school are, and teachers like Anri are rare.

When she was asked if there was no room for such students to grow at all, Anri said that was not the case.

Nozomu could learn techniques such as swordsmans.h.i.+p and spearmans.h.i.+p, and even if his total amount of Qi and magic power did not increase, his skill in handling them would have no problem. What needed to be emphasized was the "limit" of his abilities, not his techniques.

"Hmm, how is Nozomu-kun's skill in katana-jutsu?"

"I've seen it during Caskell's cla.s.s~. I'm not an expert in katana-jutsu, so I don't know much about it either, but ......"

"But?"

"There were times when I thought it was a little scary~. He was just one step away from defeating his opponents, who were hopelessly superior in terms of Qi-jutsu and magic. And it was a very close one, you know~"

Even in tenth cla.s.s, the students of this academy are better trained than ordinary soldiers from any other country.

In fifth cla.s.s, most students are at C rank, and some students in third cla.s.s and above have reached B rank.

A C-rank is equivalent to an experienced soldier. Even among adventurers, this is the rank of those who are reasonably skilled.

Naturally, the physical abilities of such people, enhanced by Qi-jutsu and magic, were unmatched by ordinary people.

It was surprising to Norn that Nozomu could confront such an existence head-on.

"I had always thought his body was well-trained, but not to the extent that he could confront such an existence head-on... "

But at the same time, it made sense. Norn was not an expert in martial arts or swordsmans.h.i.+p, but as a doctor, she had examined the body of such warriors many times.

She had seen Nozomu's body, and her impression of his body was that of a [superb sword forged by a skilled blacksmith who works tirelessly and without sleep].

A well-proportioned body without unnecessary fat or excess. A body that, despite the heavy shackles of [Ability Suppression], had overcome pain repeatedly in an attempt to break those shackles.

His body was not built through natural talent, but like a sword wielded by a master swordsman, it had been trained to the utmost, without waste, through training so rigorous that it was almost hard to believe.

More than anything, it was the countless scars on his body that caught her attention.

Not only lacerations and bruises, but even new st.i.tches marks that Norn could not remember, were found in many places on Nozomu's body.

"That's why I told him to consider stopping."

"I see, Norn also said something like that to him...."

"I was merely saying it as an advice from a doctor. I just don't want to see more unnecessary injuries. You know what I mean, right?"

Once again, silence fell between the two.

Norn and Anri looked at each other for a moment, but then, suddenly, Anri's gaze s.h.i.+fted to the infirmary window.

"Even so, is it wrong that I want him to be rewarded?"

"...... No, I think so too."

Prompted by Anri's gaze, Norn also looked out the window.

There, she saw Nozomu running out of the school building.

"But is it really possible to acquire that much physical strength and katana-jutsu on his own? ...... "

As Norn watched Nozomu run out from the other side of the main gate, such a question suddenly popped into her mind.

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