Ryuu Kusari no Ori

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

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Volume 1 Chapter 2.2

The Encounter with the Forest Hermit and Its Beginnings Part 2

Translator : PolterGlast

"That Shisho. Even though the sun had already begun to set. Isn't it ridiculous to tell me to bring in more ingredients for dinner now?"

Nozomu, who had been exploring the forest while he was jogging under orders from Shino, was not having a good time. He found no edible fruits or plants, nor any sign of small animals, so his search was fruitless. At this rate, he might have to return home empty-handed.

"This is bad. If I don't bring something to the table, Shisho will definitely be in a bad mood."

Having trained under Shino for nearly two years, Nozomu understood his Master's character quite well.

Nozomu's master, Shino, is a master of katana-jutsu and her skill was unrivaled, but her personality is somewhat harsh and overbearing, and she is quite an eccentric person. This is evident from the fact that even before the construction of Arcazam, she had settled alone in this forest, which was an isolated area.

At the same time, she is quite childish, and once she is in a bad mood, it would be difficult to get her back into a good mood.

It would be nice if she just threw complaining words when she was in a bad mood, but if Nozomu was not careful, his intense training could be doubled several times over.

Nozomu couldn't bear to face such a situation. As he ran through the forest, Nozomu desperately sharpened his senses to his surroundings. It was very dangerous to be out running in the forest when it was getting dark. Tree roots, rocks, and the unseen unevenness of the ground could trip his feet and injure him.

However, Nozomu's pace as he ran through the forest was remarkably steady, with no apparent hesitation at all.

In his training course, Nozomu had been forced to run through this forest day and night, too many times so that it was ridiculous to even count it. Naturally, he got attacked by demonic beasts several times.

Therefore, he became accustomed to running in rough terrain with limited visibility and to concealing his presence from demonic beasts that had senses superior to humans.

However, contrary to Nozomu's expectations, he could not find any food at all that would add a touch of luxury to the dinner.

"This is seriously bad... Let alone a high-quality food, I couldn't even find a single edible mushroom..."

Nozomu finally grew impatient, but at that moment, from behind the trees, which were beginning to be shrouded in dim darkness, came a sound that did not match the silence of the forest.

"Hm? What's going on?"

Wondering what was going on, Nozomu, killed any signs of his presence and made his way toward the source of the sound.

"This is the wailing sounds of demonic beasts and the explosion of magic. It's rare to see people coming to a place like this ......"

What he heard as he got closer was, the roar of demonic beasts and the bursting sound which was the characteristic of a magic explosion.

[Magic]

The general term for the power generated by a force that comes from a magic source called magic power. It is a technique that is the counterpart of Qi-jutsu and has been practiced in many countries for a long time.

"The pitch of the roar indicated that it belonged to beast-type demonic beasts. Probably powerful beasts, even stronger than the Wild Dog ......"

Considering the possibility that he might be attacked by these beasts in the future, Nozomu moved even closer to the source of the sound to at least confirm the type of demonic beast he might be dealing with. Cautiously hiding behind a nearby tree, he quietly peered and involuntarily widened his eyes.

There were two bears-like demonic beasts, Mad Bears.

Growled and glared at the humans they had determined as their prey.

The two bears must be brothers because they were working together even though they were by nature preferred to act alone.

Unlike ordinary bears, Mad Bear have distinctive blood-red fur.

It is ranked B which indicated its threat level. A demonic beast that ordinary soldiers stand no chance against even if they were to fight it single-handedly, and is usually fought by groups of four or five people.

Currently, only two students faced such demonic beasts, and to Nozomu's surprise, they were his schoolmates and they were girls.

One was a girl with long black hair, wielding a rapier with its silver-glinting blade. The other was a girl holding a staff with both hands and brown hair that was neatly trimmed over her shoulders. Both were beautiful girls with outstanding looks, but the reason Nozomu was surprised was that they were the most famous students in the school.

"**Growl~!**"

"Fuh!"

The rapier of the female student in charge of the vanguard flashed.

"Groooaar!”

When one of the Mad Bears was about to pounced on them, powerful attack in the form of Qi-slash caught the Mad Bear off guard, and struck it in the eyes with a single, precise strike.

The Mad Bear's eyes were hit and they hunched over while grunting. And then, a powerful finishing thrust shot into its exposed chest.

A thrust reminiscent of a gale pierced through the Mad Bear's chest, shot through the ribs and shattered the beast's heart with precision.

The girl in the vanguard, who had easily slain one of the demonic beasts, readied the rapier in her hand once again. Her long, lustrous black hair which reached her waist was fluttering in the wind.

The remaining Mad Bear also roared in anger upon the defeat of its brethren, but at the same time, it seemed frightened by the difference in strength between it and its opponent.

Irisdina Francilt.

She belonged to the first class, the highest class in the same second grade as Nozomu, and was the top female student in her grade's overall performance. She is a talented young lady who goes by the nickname [the Black-Haired Princess].

"O Wind, come forth. Storm, roar..."

Behind Irisdina, the one chanting magic was Tima Lime.

She is also one of the most notable figures in the school.

She is a girl with extremely strong magical powers, a caliber unmatched even by teachers, let alone students.

Because of her outstanding talent, she was a special case who was invited to Arcazam at a very young age, even though she was originally a commoner.

She also had a nickname of [the Four Scales Concerto] and was one of the most famous students in the second grade, along with Irisdina Francilt.

True to her nickname, she chanted a spell with immense magical power that rose from her entire body, concentrating it at the tip of her wand to create a powerful wave of wind.

"Tima!"

"Y-, yes!"

Then wind magic was released.

The spiraling wind beast swallowed the second Mad Bear, instantly shredding its huge body apart. The Mad Bear died before it could scream and turned into chunks of meat. Nozomu who was hiding behind a tree gasped upon witnessing the sheer power of the magic.

"Destroying such a huge body with a single magic... Just, how much magic power did she put into that spell?"

[Wind Tunnel of the Hungry Beast]

An offensive magic that converges the wind and blows the opponent away with a vacuum vortex that rips through the opponent.

Although it was intermediate-level offensive magic, its power was clearly comparable to that of advanced ones.

The power of a magic depends on the scale and precision of the spell that forms the magic, as well as the amount of magic power put into it.

Although there was no sign of modification to the technique she chanted earlier, the fact that it was powerful enough to reach the level of advanced magic was proof that Tima's magical power was that powerful.

"It seems to be true that she possesses the greatest magic power of all time... –eh this is bad!"

At the same time as Tima, who had released an extremely powerful offensive magic, heaved a sigh of relief, a large shadow jumped out from behind the bushes.

"Ooooo!"

"Wha?”

What jumped out was the third Mad Bear, which was different from the demon beast they had just defeated.

The Mad Bears previously mentioned were not two, but three brothers.

The Bear-like demonic beast, which had just appeared to flank the two, rushed in a straight line toward the relieved Tima.

"Crap!"

Nozomu reflexively jumped out from behind the tree where he was hiding and ran towards them. At the same time, he activated [Flash Step] and tried to somehow get in between them and the demonic beast.

Unfortunately, he didn't make it in time. Nozomu, under the influence of [Ability Suppression], did not have the power to accomplish his feat instantly.

"Fuh!”

However, Nozomu's impatience was blown away by the five magic bullets released a moment later. Without any chanting or deployment of magic circles, the instantly formed magic bullets accurately landed on the nose, both eyes, and both front legs of the charging Mad Bear, greatly reducing the momentum of its charge. In the direction from which the magic bullets flew, there stood a rapier-wielding black-haired girl.

[Immediate Deployment]

This is an ability possessed by Irisdina Francilt and is an ability to activate magic instantly, omitting the process of chanting and drawing a magic circle that was originally necessary.

Surprised by the magic bullets that were released with no delay, Nozomu poured his Qi into the katana at his waist and released it all at once.

"~! Haa!"

Qi-jutsu [Phantom] was unleashed, and the extremely compressed blade of Qi shot through the body of the Mad Bear in an instant.

"G-, Grh…."

After making such a choking groan, the body of the Mad Bear was cut cleanly vertically down from the shoulders, and the two halves of the body spilled blood and rolled to the ground.

"Wha…"

"… Eh?"

Irisdina and Tima gasped in shock.

It only took about half a second for Nozomu to unleash [Phantom].

The time it took was not much different from when Irisdina released magic bullets using [Immediate Deployment], but its power was incomparable.

"Haa, haa...”

On the other hand, Nozomu was breathing roughly due to his exhaustion stemming from his consumption of Qi.

Compared to its power, Qi-jutsu [Phantom] does not consume that much Qi.

However, for Nozomu who was under the influence of [Ability Suppression], even the slightest consumption of Qi had a considerable effect on his body.

The fact that he had finished combat training with Shino earlier also added to the fatigue that was taking its toll on his entire body.

"Sorry, you saved us. Thank you."

While Nozomu was trying to regulate his ragged breathing with his hands on his knees, a clear and beautiful voice, like a ringing bell, drifted into his ears.

Nozomu looked up to see Irisdina staring at him with eyes reminiscent of obsidian. Nozomu couldn't help but gulp at the sight of her beautiful figure.

"... Um, are you allright? Are both of you hurt by any chance?"

"We are perfectly fine. Thank you for your help."

When Nozomu asked if she was hurt, Irisdina smiled at him, and her dignified expression turned into a flowery smile.

Her smile was filled with a very calm atmosphere, despite the dignified aura she naturally exuded.

"Once again, thank you for helping us. My name is Irisdina Francilt. I'm a second-year, first-class student at Solminati Academy."

Nozomu felt indescribably embarrassed by these words of gratitude, which he had not received from someone of his age for a long time.

"I-I'm Tima Lime ……”

Tima, on the other hand, introduced herself, but for some reason, she hunched her shoulders as if wary of Nozomu and hid behind Irisdina.

"Sorry, she's my best friend, but she's a shy girl.  Especially when she's around men. Please don't be offended."

"...... No, I don't mind."

Although he said he didn't mind, Nozomu felt that his previously uplifted mood had diminished. Nozomu had been exposed to various negative stares at school, and so when he was blatantly told such things, his mood inevitably turned sour.

"And you are? From your appearance, you seem to be a student of Solminati Academy just like us …..."

As if to change the subject, Irisdina asked Nozomu a question.

Nozomu's heart thumped with a loud beat. His reputation at school was very bad. The moment they heard his name, they might immediately change their attitude toward him.

However, it would be too rude not to say one's name when others already mentioned theirs first. What’s more, Irisdina Francilt is a member of a prestigious noble family, whose father is a prominent figure in the Forsina Kingdom, one of the major powers involved in the construction of Arcazam, and a member of a distinguished family.

Nozomu swallowed his saliva once and, as if determined, slowly opened his mouth.

"Tenth class, second grade, Nozomu Bountis …..."

Nozomu's reply was tinged with a sense of nervousness. Knowing his own bad reputation that spread throughout the school, he braced himself for the next word of contempt that would come.

"I see. This place must be a tough place for a tenth-class student to explore. Where's your party?"

However, even after hearing Nozomu's name, Irisdina did not change her attitude. Rather than spewing words of contempt, perhaps concerned about his well-being as a person, she began to ask about his party

Nozomu, who was so surprised by her unchanged attitude, became rigid with a blank expression on his face.

As if to confirm the situation, Nozomu turned to Tima, who was hiding behind Irisdina. And having heard Nozomu's name, her eyes widened and her cautious gaze became even more intense. Apparently, she was aware of some bad rumors about Nozomu.

Irisdina, on the other hand, tilted her head and glanced at Nozomu with her hand on her chin, it was as if she really didn't know about the rumors at all. There was a hint of suspicion in her gaze, but still, there was no trace of being wary.

Nozomu was a little surprised by Irisdina's reaction but still managed to answer her question.

"I don't have a party. I'm just by myself."

"... Eh?"

"Just by yourself, you say?......”

Irisdina and Tima were surprised to hear Nozomu say that he was on his own.

Irisdina and Tima. They are both A-ranked individuals in terms of rank.

Rank is a tiered evaluation based on the individual abilities of adventurers, military personnel, etc., adopted by the various countries on the Arkmel continent, and will be raised or lowered according to their contribution in defeating demonic beasts, the accomplishment of requests and missions, innovative research, and groundbreaking inventions.

A-rank is equivalent to a first-rate adventurer, a knight of the royal guard, a court magician, or someone who is involved in politics, economics, or military affairs.

Coincidentally, only five students in the second grade were recognized by the school as A rank.

Even such a high-ranked and talented person would normally form a party if there is a possibility that he or she will face a magical beast, just in case.

"Umm, well. No one wants to team up with me because I have [Ability Suppression] …..."

Nozomu spoke so with a self-mocking smile on his face.

He felt an indescribable emotion rising up from deep within his chest.

"[Ability Suppression], huh? Speaking of abilities alone, they only manifest and are possessed by a small percentage of students, but even among those abilities, [Ability Suppression] is extremely rare and it can only become a shackle. However, that being said, you've come this far by yourself?"

"Yes, I can train here without worrying about anyone. I know my chances of becoming stronger are very low, but I still can't help but keep trying."

Irisdina's sharp questions made her words seem harsh. And Nozomu's firm tone of reply made Irisdina fall silent in return. The atmosphere between them became heavy.

"Is that so? Sorry, it was a rather strange question."

"No, I apologize for the rude tone of my response. So, Irisdina-sama and- …"

"Just Irisdina is fine. Here, you and I are both just students at the academy."

"But, that's a bit..."

"Come on... it's okay..."

Perhaps out of concern for Nozomu, Irisdina's attitude towards the commoner-born Nozomu was too casual, despite the fact that she was a genuine noble.

However, considering that Solminati Academy itself was originally a place where the power of various countries on the continent couldn't reach, Irisdina's point was not wrong.

"Alright... Anyway, what are you doing here, Irisdina-san? It's very unusual for Solminati Academy students to be here."

"I received an investigation request from the Adventurers' Guild."

"Investigation, huh... So, are these monsters the ones you investigate?"

When Nozomu pointed to the Mad Bear he had just killed, Irisdina shook her head in denial.

"No, that’s not it. There were reports of a strange monster seen in the forest recently."

"Monster?"

"Right. They said they saw a Dragon."

"Dragon, huh..."

Dragon.

On this continent, dragons are considered the most powerful and legendary creatures.

It is a kind of spirit species, possessing immense power and is said to have ruled this continent in ancient times.

It is also said that whoever defeats this being will be granted immense power. However, few people have ever seen it, and both the dragon and the being who killed it are only mentioned in textbooks and history books.

"It's a story that no one will take seriously. Well, it could be a Long (龍/Oriental Dragon), not a Dragon (竜/Western Dragon), and that's why we need to investigate."

Unlike Dragons, Long is a species of demonic beast. Although its strength is far less than that of a real dragon and its intelligence is low, its large stature and hot breath pose a great threat to humans. It is definitely the highest-ranked existence in the category of demonic beasts, and a weak-willed person would have no chance at all to fight against it.

"I see …… Understood. I'll be careful."

"Good. Because if it's really a Dragon, we won't be allowed to engage in a battle either."

Irisdina smiled merrily. Her expression showed no negative feelings toward Nozomu's previous attitude. Being encouraged by Irisdina's smile, Nozomu's tense expression relaxed. Nozomu was grateful for her concern, but her overly casual attitude left the impression that she might be a surprisingly mischievous person.

"So, are you going to dismantle these guys and take their materials with you? One of the beasts has been cut in half, so its value might be reduced, but the meat and organs can still be sold at a reasonable price."

And then Nozomu spoke to discuss how to deal with the three Mad Bears that they had just killed.

One of them is worthless because it has been destroyed by Tima magic, but the other two could still be useful as materials.

Depending on the type of demonic beasts, the skin could be used as material for clothing and armor, the meat for food, and the organs for alchemy and other uses.

It was a valuable source of income for adventurers and students who came to Arcazam from distant lands.

"No, it’s fine. What I have accepted is just an investigation request. You, my benefactor, may take it."

"Benefactor, huh? ...  What about you, Tima-san?"

"I-, I don't need them..."

But neither Irisdina nor Tima seemed to have any particular need for it.

Irisdina is the daughter of a noble family, and Tima is also a special student invited by Arcazam. Neither of them lived a life where money was an issue.

"Alright. In that case, since I can't take everything for myself, I'll take some of the meat instead."

Nozomu, for the time being, used the knife at his waist to cut the meat, removed the skin, and wrapped the meat for tonight's meal.

"Well then, we are going back to town. What about you?"

"I'll be heading back to the town later. Besides, I have class tomorrow."

"Alright. Thank you so much. You’ve been a great help."

"No problem. Well then, I guess I’ll take my leave now..."

After making a small bow to Irisdina, who thanked him again, Nozomu quickly left the place.

◆

Irisdina made sure that the leaving Nozomu disappeared into the depths of the forest, where it was getting dark, and then she turned around and called out to her best friend, who was hiding behind her.

"Tima, I know you have problems with men, but can't you manage to behave a little bit?"

Hearing Irisdina's scoldings, Tima awkwardly averted her eyes.

Tima was certainly not good with men, and was so shy that she couldn't even speak let alone to stand alone in front of boys, but even so, her attitude towards Nozomu earlier was too much.

"I'm sorry, Ai. B-but he's the one. The one who betrayed Lisa-san..."

Lisa Hounds is a female student in the second grade, first class, and is on par with Irisdina in practical skills. Naturally, she is someone Irisdina held in very high regard.

"Ah, right. I remember, I heard that Lisa-kun dated a boy she had known since childhood, but he betrayed her. Was he the one? ......"

Tima's frightened words reminded Irisdina of a rumor that had circulated in their first grade. She had never paid attention to it herself, but at the time the whole school was talking about it. Since people had originally ridiculed them as a mismatched couple, the rumors spread quickly, along with Nozomu's bad reputation.

"I see. But he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would do such a horrible thing though?"

Having not seen the incident firsthand, the rumors about Nozomu were not something that Irisdina could be certain of. However, after meeting Nozomu in person, she saw a clear misconnection between Nozomu's reputation at school and his own character.

To Irisdina, who had lived in an aristocratic society where faking facial expressions was a natural thing to do, Nozomu's demeanor, whose interaction skills had been shattered, was easy to discern, and his character was not hidden.

On top of that, from Irisdina's point of view, his swordsmanship were admirable and at the same time honest and straightforward.

As a fellow swordsman, she couldn't help but admire him.

Her intuition as a noble and as a swordsman whispered to her that Nozomu's nature was different from the rumors spread in school.

"Umm. B-but I'm still scared..."

Tima slumped her shoulders and shrank.

She herself was a very gentle person, but she was not very good with men and was rather fragile. She was aware that she had overreacted to Nozomu because she had heard the rumors.

"Well, next time you see him, you can apologize for it at that time. You don't have to worry too much about it."

"Yes......"

Irisdina cheered up her dejected best friend as they made their way back to the town. When Irisdina glanced behind her, Nozomu was already out of sight under the shadows of the trees.

◆

Meanwhile, Nozomu, who had obtained an unexpected food, the meat of Mad Bears, returned to Shino's hut in high spirits...

"Hoo... you're awfully late. Did you happen to find a beautiful-looking doe?"

"E-ehh? Why are you in a bad mood, Shisho?"

He understood that Shino had been watching the whole thing happened between him and Irisdina and Tima, and broke out in a cold sweat.

In the end, Shino's mood didn't recover that night, and Nozomu had to double his training routine the next morning.

◆

In an administrative district in the northern part of Arcazam.

Irisdina's mansion is located in the residences of the important individuals who govern the city.

Francilt Mansion.

The mansion, built of white marble, is the residence for both Irisdina and her sister.

In her room in the mansion, Irisdina was lying on her back on the bed in her uniform.

From the side, it was a very sensual sight to see her slender body being stretched out and her glamorous legs spread out from her skirt.

If the maid, who was her chaperone, had found out, she would have been scolded for being too immodest.

However, the current Irisdina had even forgotten to change her clothes and take a bath, and instead was thinking about the strange encounter that took place today in the Spasim Forest.

"Nozomu Bountis, huh…"

What came back to her mind was the figure of a male student slashing down a demonic beast that was attacking her best friend in a single strike.

"What was that attack? It could cleanly cut the Mad Bear's body in half. I wonder, how long would it take if I tried to do the same thing?..."

Irisdina slowly pulled out the rapier that was still at her waist.

The rapier was named the [Silver Wings of the Evening Star]. The blade made of mithril, a gift from her father when she came to Arcazam, shone bewitchingly under the moonlight coming through the window.

Mithril is a metal with a high affinity for magic and has the property of amassing magic power within it.

If used as a material for armor, it stood well above other materials and was an ideal metal that combined hardness and flexibility.

However, mithril veins were extremely rare throughout the continent, and its price has always been close to that of gold.

The mithril, made of such mithril, and by taking Irisdina's figure into consideration, was undoubtedly a first-class armament and could be called a counterpart to her as well.

However, she returned the rapier in her hand to its sheath and tossed it onto the bed, then stood up abruptly and made her way to one of the walls of her room.

There, propped up against it, was a child-sized rapier, rather small for her current use. She picked up the rapier by the hilt, which was dirty, and poured her magic into the rapier and began to cast a strengthening spell.

With the image of the extremely sharp blade she had seen today in her mind, she cast multiple spells. Over and over again.

Eventually, the blade of the rapier turned into a blade shrouded in darkness reminiscent of a dark night and silver glints reminiscent of moonlight.

[Magic Sword・Lunar Eclipse]

It is a magic sword that possesses extremely high killing power among Irisdina's magic, and is capable of cutting down even the Mad Bears she encountered today in one fell swoop.

Since both Qi and magic power are based on the soul power called "source element", there are not many differences in the effects they manifested.

The difference is that the accuracy of the manifestation of the technique is more dependent on the caster's senses for Qi, and on the caster's mental state and the technique itself for magic.

In addition, even if the power is based on the same source element, it tends to repel each other when it takes the form of Qi or magic power.

The magic sword made by Irisdina, combined with the material of the rapier, might be able to pierce through even the solid scales of the Dragon species.

However, in front of such magic sword she created herself, she just smiled wryly.

"Ten seconds. I'm nowhere near as good as him, huh?"

Ten seconds. It was an incredible amount of time to create a magic sword, but now that she knew the fact that there was someone who could create a blade equivalent to this in half a second, all she could do was put a bitter smile on her face.

"Come to think of it, he wasn't heading in the direction of the city..."

Irisdina recalled the moment Nozomu left.

He was walking in the opposite direction from Irisdina and Tima.

The night is the time for the beasts.

Only a few people would dare to remain alone in the forest where powerful demonic beasts began to roam freely.

If there were any, they were either fools who did not understand the dangers of the forest, or scouts and secret agents who knew the movements of the beasts in the forest.

"Nozomu Bountis, huh? …... What kind of person is he?"

The fact that he didn't hesitate at all to remain in the forest at night, where demonic beasts abound. And his Qi-jutsu, which could slash through even a powerful demonic beast with a single blow, and his swordsmanship that supported it.

Irisdina's sense of discomfort toward her strange schoolmate was slowly beginning to swell, transforming into curiosity toward him.

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