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

[LN] Volume 2: Chapter 1.1

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

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Volume 2 Chapter 1.1

Changes in Everyday Life Part 1

Translator : PolterGlast

It was truly a hellish scene.

Screams and cries echoed through the air, and blood and flames danced in the air.

The reddish-black tinted winds swept through the forests of my hometown like a billowing curtain.

"Run!"

My father, who was usually a calm person, shouted at me angrily, which did not suit him.

"Don't worry, you'll survive."

My mother said so in a trembling voice, stifling her fear.

Immediately afterward, the two were brutally murdered. A black beast with countless red eyes killed them.

My sister took me by the hand and we fled, leaving the screams of my father and mother behind.

Gasping for air, I kept running until my legs felt as if they would give out. However, the gaze of death looming behind me was ceaseless.

"You have to run away by yourself from here on out."

My sister, the last one left, let go of my hand.

She stared down at me sadly with her eyes as I shook my head in protest, then she waved her hands in the air and chanted a spell.

"Everyone, Razwod, please take care of my sister."

Particles of light gathered as if prompted by my sister's words. In the center of the light, small birds with azure-colored feathers appeared.

They are my closest friends and my counterparts. The shining light is the power of the spirits who embody them.

The stronger the light, the more distant my sister's presence became. And behind my sister, a red-eyed demonic beast was closing in.

The jet-black demonic beast contorted its mouth into a devilish smile.

"Sister!"

The next instant, my sister's body was dyed in fresh blood and with a flash of light, I was thrown out into total darkness.

All that was left was me and my other half, an azure-colored bird.

"Raz-......"

"Giiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

With a shattering sound, the azure-colored bird shattered like broken glass. I desperately tried to assemble the pieces of my dying friend, but the fluttering shards were swallowed by the darkness and vanished in a flash.

"Aaahhhh!"

I screamed. And amidst the screams, my consciousness became stretched and distant as if falling into a hole.

"~! Haa, haa, haa......!"

Reflexively, I raise myself up. My underwear is sticking to my skin due to the sweat soaking through it, and I am exposed to the cold air.

It is still dark outside, and the room is shrouded in somber darkness.

Shivering as my body grows cold, I look down at my hands while breathing roughly.

"Again, a dream about that time ......"

The hometown and the people I cared about that were taken away from me. The filthy beast that took them all away from me.

I clutched my knees and clenched my teeth against the nightmares I saw over and over again, day after day.

Enduring the pain of the never-ending scars carved deep inside my heart.

◆

Classes are held at Solminati Academy. The content of these classes is very diverse. Languages, mageology, mathematics, history, sociology, and so on. Among them, they tend to focus on subjects such as the record during the Great Invasion and the impact it had on each field of study.

"Therefore~, based on the experiences of battles in various regions since the fall of the Nebula Forest, the importance of effective firepower deployment by those who can use magic has increased, and Arcazam has collected and standardized the various nations' secret heritages, optimized them, and spread them throughout the world~.

The class proceeded in a casual, carefree tone of voice. While listening to his homeroom teacher, Anri Var, Nozomu Bountis, a student in the tenth class of the third grade, recalled an incident that took place about a week ago.

A friend's birthday party at the Francilt mansion and the unknown intruder who stormed into the party. The absurd past contract confronted him and his friends who tried to oppose it.

In order to save his friends, Nozomu also went into battle, and then, literally using all his "lethal power", he managed to defeat the intruder.

Despite the uproar that ensued, there was no significant discussion of the matter, neither at Arcazam nor at the Solminati Academy.

(It could be because of the barrier, but maybe the Francilt and the academy did something about it.)

Although he had many doubts and concerns, Nozomu, as a mere student, had no control over the situation.

"Also, the lands that fell under the control of the demonic beasts during the Great Invasion have been liberated considerably during the subsequent countermovements, but there are still lands that have not been recaptured, and there is still friction with refugees who have not returned to their homelands. ......"

While he was deep in thought, the bell of the school rang.

"Well, that's it for the morning class~~. Be sure not to be late for the afternoon class~~."

And with the end of the morning class, Anri closed the textbook in her hand, waved cheerfully, and walked out of the classroom. A relaxed atmosphere filled the classroom.

Nozomu also quickly put away his writing utensils and left his seat.

"Oi, Nozomu, what are you up to for lunch?"

He was approached by Mars Dickens, a student in the same class.

With his short blonde hair and well-built physique, he is often regarded as a problem child at this school.

However, he is one of the few friends that Nozomu, who is also treated as an outcast, has.

And, just like Nozomu, he was present at the incident at the Francilt mansion

"I'm going to buy some bread. What about you, Mars?"

In response to Nozomu's question, Mars held up a large package in his hand.

"That's quite a big lunch box. But wait a minute, I have to buy one for myself first. ......"

"No need. I have one for you too."

"Are you sure?"

"You see, there's some leftover food from the restaurant. So, if you want, come help out at the restaurant some other time."

Mars' family ran an inn and tavern in the commercial district of Alrcazam.

Nozomu had been there several times and was acquainted with Mars' family.

"Alright. I can only help with washing dishes, though."

As soon as Nozomu agreed, Mars pointed to the lunch box with his chin as if to say, "Here". However, at that moment, a buzzing murmur came from the corridor.

"What's going on? It's getting noisy."

"I wonder......"

Just as Nozomu's and Mars' attention turned to the corridor, the door to the classroom was rattled open.

"Hey, Nozomu-kun. Oh, Mars-kun, you're here, too. Just in time."

"H- hello."

The two students who entered the classroom were two girls with beautiful looks that made everyone's eyes widen.

One was the dark-haired princess, Irisdina Francilt.

She was carrying a delicately crafted mithril rapier at her waist and was walking toward Nozomu and Mars with eyes that held the light of strong will and long black hair that reached down to her waist.

The other one was Tima Lime, [the Four Scales Concerto].

With her short, pale yellow hair, she followed the black-haired girl behind her, shrinking back somewhat timidly.

Both of them belonged to the highest class of the third grade, and were very well-known figures in the school.

They had also fought alongside Nozomu and Mars in the incident about a week ago.

The students in the classroom, however, were unaware of these circumstances and began to murmur at the sudden visit of the celebrities.

"Irisdina-san. Also, Tima-san. ......"

"What's the matter?"

"Well, nothing important, we just wanted to ask you out for lunch."

"W-, whaaaat ----!?"

The classroom erupted upon hearing Irisdina's words.

An invitation from the object of admiration of the school students. Moreover, the other party was Nozomu, the lowest-ranked student in the school and considered a disgrace, and Mars, a super problem child.

Since they were the ones who had invited them, astonishment, doubt, and bewilderment began to be raised around them.

The boys, in particular, were looking at Nozomu with fierce gazes, as if they've found their true enemy.

"U-, ugh......"

Nozomu involuntarily shuddered in response to the murderous intents directed at him from all directions.

As the lowest rank in the school, he was accustomed to scorn, ridicule, and indifference, but even so, the pressure was so great that a cold sweat involuntarily ran down his spine.

"...... Could it be, that you had a prior appointment?"

"N-, no, we don't have one. So let's get going!"

If he were to refuse, he would constantly be subjected to stares that would make even this pricking hell seem like a massage.

With this in mind, Nozomu took Irisdina's hand and hurried her out of the classroom, with a grimace on his face.

"W-, what the fuck is going on?"

"Eh, what's going on? Was I hallucinating!?"

"Kill-kill-kill ......" 𝒻𝓻𝑒ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝑛𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓁.𝑐𝘰𝓶

After Nozomu and the others left the classroom, the racket erupted once again in the 10th-class classroom. The unstoppable commotion kept echoing with shouts and screams until a teacher, having heard the commotion, rushed in.

◆

After leaving the classroom, Nozomu and his group left the school building and headed for the central park, as Irisdina had invited them.

They all seated themselves under the shade of a tree in the trees-filled area, a short distance away from the park square.

Nozomu remembered the commotion in the classroom earlier and began to get scared to return to the classroom for the afternoon class, but he forced himself to dismiss it as nothing he could do about it at this point.

"Sorry, we've caused a ruckus."

"Sorry......"

"N-, no, it's not your fault, Irisdina-san."

"Yeah, don't worry about it. We don't give a shit about them."

Mars is by nature a man with a strong single-minded temperament, a foul-mouthed man who does not care what those around him think of him.

Nevertheless, his words, which contained a hint of sarcasm, caused a delicate atmosphere between Nozomu, Irisdina, and Tima.

"T-, that reminds me! How is Somia-chan doing since that incident?"

"Ah, right! Somia is- ...... look, she's here."

"Nozomu-san~! Everyone~!"

From where Irisdina pointed, a girl full of energy ran up to her with a big smile on her face.

Somiriana Francilt. She is Irisdina's younger sister, the girl who was the collateral for the Francilt family's past contract in the previous incident.

As she stopped in front of Nozomu and the others, her face broke into a happy smile.

"Ehehehe......"

"Hey, Somia-chan. I'm glad to see you're doing so well."

"Yes!"

With Somia joining them, each of them began to eat their lunch.

Irisdina and Somia had beautiful sandwiches with white bread, ham, and fresh vegetables. Nozomu and Mars had a large pie.

Tima, surprisingly, had only two simple breads with vegetables and sliced meats between them.

".... oi, you, that's all you've got?"

"U-, un. My stomach's nearly full. Mars' is quite large, huh?"

"My lunch is just leftovers after all."

Mars bit into the pie after saying so, as if to dismiss it.

A silence passed between the two of them.

Nozomu, who had been watching the scene with a sideways glance, followed his lead and took a bite of the pie he had been handed.

As he bit into the pie, the slightly fluffy pastry crust broke open and the filling rolled into his mouth.

It was cold and the vegetables and meat inside were somewhat mismatched, but the taste of the rich sauce spread through his mouth. To say the least, it was quite delicious.

"Mmm, Mars, what's inside this pie? ......"

"Oh, it's just a bunch of leftover meat and veggies from yesterday."

"It's delicious. As expected of Hanna-san."

Remembering the figure of Mars' well-built mother, Nozomu devoured the pie.

"Speaking of which, what plans do Nozomu-kun and Mars-kun have after school?"

After they finished eating, Irisdina asked them what they were planning to do after school.

"Hm? For the time being, I guess it's training."

Mars, who was sitting next to Nozomu, nodded his head in agreement.

The two of them have been spending more and more time together recently.

They would often train together. It was a good thing for Nozomu, who had no one to train with now that his katana-jutsu mentor, Shino, had passed away.

"Hmm. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you to come with us for a while. I have a favor to ask both of you."

"A favor for us?"

"Yes, I'd like you guys to help us with a request we received from the Adventurers' Guild."

In response to Irisdina's words, Nozomu and Mars exchanged glances.

[The Adventurers' Guild]

The Adventurers' Guild is an international organization that engages in a wide range of activities, from cleaning the sewers of the city to defeating demonic beasts and exploring uncharted areas where no human has ever set foot.

Many of the students receive commissions from the guild and earn money on a daily basis.

The Adventurers' Guild also has a deep affiliation with the Solminati Academy, so the students' achievements earned in the Adventurers' Guild are also taken into calculation for their grades at the academy.

Vice versa, the Academy provides the Adventurers' Guild with the performances of the students, which in turn are used as a reference for ranks and requests.

The Adventurers' Guild originally was the first to introduce the ranking system, which was then adopted by various countries and gradually became the standardized system.

"The Adventurers' Guild, huh? Well,......"

Irisdina's request made Nozomu hesitate.

The truth is, Nozomu has rarely frequented the Adventurers' Guild since a certain point in his life.

The reason for this is that he devoted himself to Shino's training, which was so intense that the word "rigorous" was too simple to describe, and also because the Adventurers' Guild is frequented by many students from the academy.

The fact that he had not shown up at all in over a year, as well as the contempt and indifference with which the students in the guild looked at him, also caused Nozomu to hesitate.

"Is it a No?"

Irisdina closed in and peered upward into Nozomu's face.

Being stared at by her sharp, jet-black eyes, Nozomu felt as if his consciousness was being sucked into hers. His heart began to race and heat began to build up in his face.

"I-, I understand......"

Embarrassed, he simply averted his eyes and gave his approval.

Seeing him like this, Irisdina smiled at him meaningfully.

"Alright! Let's meet up in front of the guild then."

She quickly separated herself and said so in a nonchalant manner, and Nozomu understood that he fell prey to her tricks.

"Ai......."

"Ane-sama, you are so bad."

Somia and Tima looked at her with piercing eyes, and Irisdina scratched her cheeks in embarrassment.

On the other hand, Mars sighed when he saw Nozomu who easily fell for Irisdina's tricks.

"How can you fall to her tricks? ......"

"Shut up."

Meanwhile, the bell rang to signal the end of the lunch break.

Nozomu and the others hurriedly cleaned up their lunch and returned to their respective classrooms.

By the way, because of Irisdina's invitation, Nozomu kept receiving murderous stares from the boys during the afternoon classes, but that's a story for another time.

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