Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no “Kokoro”--Chapter 4[LN] Volume 2: .1

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

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Volume 2 Chapter 4.1

Those Who Once Fled, Those Who Still Struggling Part 1

Translator : PolterGlast

Why don't you make use of the Adventurers' Guild?

Following Irisdina's suggestion, Nozomu visited the Adventurers' Guild again. The purpose of his visit was, of course, to accept a request, but there was a slight problem.

The receptionist refused to approve the request that Nozomu wanted to take.

"No. I can't allow it."

"But ......"

"I've told you many times, your current rank is D. You must be rank C to be allowed to venture into the Spasim Forest alone. You will not be allowed to take any request to go to the forest without a party."

What Nozomu intended to accept was an item-gathering request on the outskirts of Arcazam.

However, the Adventurers' Guild does not permit individuals of D rank or lower to accept requests in the forest alone.

Therefore, they are always required to form a party.

On this particular day, Irisdina and Tima were on personal business, while Mars was caught by Hanna-san and forced to help out in the store.

To begin with, the guild does not allow low-ranked individuals to parasitize on high-ranked ones. Considering the deduction of evaluation points due to rank differences within a party, Nozomu needs to be paired with someone close to his own rank.

However, unfortunately, Nozomu did not know of any students of rank D or lower who might be able to form a party with him.

"I'm sorry, to tell you the truth, I don't really know anyone who might be willing to team up with me. Besides, I've been in the Spasim Forest alone many times. So ......"

"So I should allow you to take the request alone? That's not possible. Besides, it is your problem that you can't find anyone to partner with. From what I've seen in your records, you're in the third grade. The fact that you've been in this town for more than two years and they don't trust you, that's your problem, isn't it?"

"That's ......."

"The ability to build relationships of trust is also an important skill. It is precisely your own fault for failing to create and nurture connections with others. Time is not infinite, you see."

Nozomu could not help but fall silent in the face of the sound argument.

In fact, Nozomu hardly ever showed his face during the time he was being trained by Shino.

The only requests he received were a few times when he was between training sessions when he was left alone to do chores such as cleaning out ditch and carrying luggage.

Because of his own escapism, he had been avoiding meeting people, especially people of his own age.

"Besides, why are you only starting it now?"

"That's ......."

He couldn't say it. Nozomu himself was not sure what he truly wanted to do. He no longer has any reason to be strong or to stay at the academy. Because the woman he wanted to protect had long since left his side.

The receptionist let out a sigh as Nozomu fell silent and began to put away the request form in her hand.

"If there's nothing else, we're done. Please take your leave. There are other students waiting in line."

"Wait ...... please."

Nozomu's trembling voice, as if trying to squeeze his voice out, escaped from his mouth.

The receptionist, who was putting away the request form, stopped her hand upon hearing the weak yet desperate tone of Nozomu's voice.

"I can't say it well. But I feel like I have to do something. That's how I feel."

A sense of frustration swirled in the depths of his chest. Nozomu still did not know what it was. In fact, perhaps it was because he did not know what it was that he was so impatient.

However, Nozomu understood that it was definitely born from the realization of his own escape.

Therefore, he had to move forward, even if only a little.

"Please. Anything is fine. Could you please give me another chance?"

"......As I said before, we cannot approve requests to go into the forest. However, there are still vacancies for patrols around the outer walls of the city. Would that still be okay?"

Patrols around the outer wall are originally low in terms of request difficulty, and they receive only a reasonable evaluation point. But for the current Nozomu, just the fact that he was allowed to accept the request was a big step forward.

"Yes, please!"

"Very well. Then here it is. The patrol route will be around Arcazam, so you will have to go around with the guards at the south gate. Am I making myself clear?"

"Y-, yes!"

As she watched Nozomu run out after receiving the request form, the receptionist let out a small sigh and reached for the remaining documents in her hand.

As for her, she was not saying those harsh things because she wanted to. She simply stated it because she was in a position where she had to.

And considering Nozomu's past records in the guild, it was only natural that the guild would have little trust in Nozomu, who had suddenly returned to the guild after not having been seen for so long. Rather, they feel antipathy toward the fact that he was suddenly trying to gain recognition.

Nevertheless, she introduced the request because it was her job and she had more experience in dealing with society than he did.

(Though, I wonder how long he can go on?......)

In society, as is often the case, the lower you fall, the harder it is to rise. She had seen many students struggle to regain their grades and reputation once they had fallen, but they were unable to do so and gave up along the way.

With these thoughts in mind, the receptionist had just finished putting away some papers when she sensed someone approaching the counter she was working.

She put the documents she had on hand aside again and greeted the visitor with the smile she had cultivated over the years.

"Welcome to the Adventurers Guild. May I help you?"

"Yes, I would like to make a nomination request."

A middle-aged maid visited the counter.

She had a straight back and a maid's uniform without a single wrinkle. Her eyes were as sharp as swords, and her quiet appearance, even though she was a maid, gave the impression of elegance.

"Alright, to whom and what kind of request do you wish to make?"

The receptionist, who perceived that the maid was an escort maid working for a fairly high-ranking aristocrat, involuntarily swallowed her spit from nervousness, but kept her smile on her face as she responded.

A nomination request is also a sign that the client has a keen interest in a student. If a student is nominated by a high-ranking nobleman's attendant, he or she must have a promising future.

"The nominee is a third-grade, 10th-class student, Nozomu Bountis-sama. The request is to escort the second daughter of the Francilt family."

"Haa?"

The receptionist, who had been bracing herself to hear the details of the request, was taken aback by the next words of the maid in question, Mena Manat, and let out an unintentional gasp.

As she was making a dumbfounded face, which was unbecoming of a veteran, she kept her consciousness flying off into the distance until she was addressed by the maid, the cause of all this, a few seconds later.

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After being handed a written request for a patrol guard, Nozomu left the guild and headed for the south gate.

When he arrived at the south gate, he visited the guard station and showed his request form to two guards in steel armor.

One was a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard. The other was a young man of about 20 years old.

"Oh, certainly. I am Barozza, and this is Jibin, who is also a member of the guard."

"Nice to meet you."

"I am Nozomu Bountis. Pleased to meet you."

"As you've probably heard, this time we'll be patrolling the perimeter of the city. After leaving the south gate, we will patrol eastward to the north gate. Normally, there are three of us, but due to a sudden health issue, he was unable to patrol with us. So I had you here to take his place."

After a brief greeting, the three of them left the garrison station and headed for the south gate.

Once outside the gate, they go counterclockwise around the outer wall to see if there were any traces of demonic beasts.

All the trees around the outer wall of Arcazam had been cut down in preparation for the oncoming of foreign enemies, and thus the visibility was quite good.

The roads were also well maintained, making it much easier to walk than walking around in the forest.

However, this did not mean that they could relax.

About 20 meters away from the road is the Spasim Forest, which is infested with demonic beasts. A meter is a unit of length used on the Arkmel Continent and is roughly the length of an adult's outstretched hand. And a distance of 20 meters is enough for a demonic beast to launch an attack.

Of course, there were not many demonic beasts that could approach Arcazam.

However, since there was a possibility that they could be attacked at any time, they had to be on their guard.

The three passed the east gate along the outer wall and headed for the north gate.

"Even so, it's unusual for a third grader to get a patrolling job. I thought someone your level would have been actively going into the forest with your schoolmates......"

"Well, I'm in a bit of a situation where I can't ask for their help......"

"What, did you get in a fight? Or is it a love affair?"

"Senior, you're being rude."

Jibin expressed his complaint to Barozza, who asked Nozomu a probing question.

"What do you mean? It's about the school you used to attend, you know. You used to long for it, too, didn't you? Don't you want to hear about it?"

"What I longed for wasn't romance or anything of that sort."

Surprisingly, Jibin seemed to be a former student of Solminati Academy.

"Although I used to attend the Solminati Academy and I am now a Guard of this town. I was expelled from the school during my freshman year because I didn't get enough grades."

Nozomu was at a loss for words when he heard that Jibin had been expelled from school.

"Well, umm......"

"Ah, you don't have to worry about it. It was a long time ago, and when I was expelled from school, strangely enough, I didn't feel any regret. And to this day, it's one of my fondest memories."

Nozomu was surprised to see Jibin smiling so casually.

It would be understandable if he had gradually come to accept it over a long period of time, but how could he say that he had no regrets when he was expelled from school?

"How could you think of it as a good memory?"

"Well, because I did my best. I worked as hard as I could and gave it my all. Even though I was crushed, but the fact that I was able to work that hard in my life meant a lot to me."

Because I gave it my all, I have no regrets. Nozomu understood this feeling well. He had the same experience.

The final confrontation with Shino. That battle in which both of them gave it their all, and put their heart and soul into it. And her last words have become a major pillar of support for the current Nozomu.

"Ah, certainly, I think I can understand that......"

"Right? It was because I was enrolled in that academy that I was able to become a member of the guard of this city like this. Do you know? Guards in this city are pretty well paid, you know?"

Jibin smiled at Nozomu's sympathetic words.

There was no trace of shadow in his smile, and he sincerely felt that the trials of his youth had been good ones.

Jibin did not at all mind that he was expelled from school, rather, he used it as a lesson for his life. Nozomu compared himself with Jibin and felt a little bit envious of him.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Nozomu's senses felt a strange sensation.

The pressure was subtle, as if a tip of a needle had been placed against his skin, and it was transmitted from all parts of his body.

"What's wrong, boy?"

Barozza called out to Nozomu, who suddenly stopped.

Jibin, next to him, was also standing there with a puzzled expression on his face.

"There's something here."

"What do you mean by something?"

"I don't know what it is, but......"

The two guards didn't seem to notice, but Nozomu was sensitive to the gaze that was directed at him from out of nowhere.

There was a faint tinge of hostility in that gaze.

His whole body was agitated, and his heart began to beat faster.

"It's about a hundred and fifty meters from here, further into the bush."

"...... You can tell?"

"Some demonic beasts are very good at detection. It wouldn't be surprising if they were watching us from deep in the bushes."

"No, not that way......"

It is difficult to see into the dark places from the brighter places. Moreover, if they deviate from the well-maintained perimeter pathway, they will soon find themselves in a sea of thickly growing trees.

It was no ordinary feat to be able to perceive the presence of a demonic beast who hid more than a hundred meters away, deep in the bushes.

Wary of the gaze he felt, Nozomu lowered his waist and let his mind focus on his entire body.

With his right hand on the hilt of his katana, he relaxed the muscles in his body so that he would always be able to pull out as fast as possible.

Barozza and Jibin, who were standing next to Nozomu, looked at him with wide eyes, gulped, and trembled in surprise upon seeing the sudden change in Nozomu's atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Nozomu was focusing all of his attention on the owner of the gaze peeking out from deep in the forest, and then suddenly, the needle-like gaze vanished.

The gaze disappeared in an instant. After a few seconds, Nozomu let out a heavy sigh.

"...... It disappeared. It seems that he ran away when he realized that we had noticed him."

After confirming that the other party had retreated for the time being, Nozomu relaxed his stance and began to move toward the bushes.

And then, about 150 meters into the forest from the outer wall, the three of them spotted the footprints of several demonic beasts.

"What kind of demonic beasts are they?"

"Judging by the footprints, most of them seem to be Direwolves......"

What they found were the footprints of Direwolves. And among the footprints, there were some that Nozomu recognized.

The footprints, which were bigger than those of a normal Direwolf, were the same as those found yesterday when he was out exploring with Irisdina and the others.

"You recognize them?"

"Yesterday, when we encountered a pack of Direwolves on the highway, there were five magic-stone bearers. One of them escaped, but ...... look at this one."

But what caught Nozomu's eye more than that was the even bigger footprints than those of the earlier magic stone-bearer Direwolf.

Footprints were reminiscent of big demonic beasts such as Mad Bears. Considering the depth of the sunken ground, the demonic beast must have weighed more than twice as much as those magic stone-bearer.

"It's huge. I've never seen footprints this big."

"'It's not a Direwolf ....... Perhaps it's a Garm ......."

"A-, are you sure? It's an A-ranked demonic beast!"

Garm.

Also known as the Demon Wolf of Hell. It is a very dangerous demonic beast with red fur like a collar, and unlike the Direwolf, it is born with the ability to use magic.

"Perhaps he is the one leading the Drewolf pack."

Among some highly organized wolf packs, there have been instances where different kinds of the same species have blended into the pack. It could be inferred that this was one of those cases.

A rank A demonic beast is something that ordinary soldiers and students can no longer compete with. Without a doubt, it would require a party of the academy's top rankers to defeat it.

But what was more threatening than anything else was the fact that such a dangerous demonic beast had come so close to the city.

"Barozza-san, we need to go back immediately."

"Ah, t-, that's right."

Barozza was petrified by the might of the demonic beast that might have attacked him, but Nozomu's voice finally brought him back to his senses, and he hurriedly turned around to go back in the direction from which he had come.

Following this, the report was immediately conveyed to the relevant authorities, and the next day, a request was sent to the influential people of the school as a specially designated subjugation request.

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