Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no “Kokoro”-

Chapter 8.17

The Opening Festival is both an open campus and a major event for the students of Solminati Academy.

During the day, the school is open to the public, and various people from inside and outside of the school visit the academy.

Although classes and other activities are the same as usual, students are more enthusiastic than usual because the event is open to the general public.

Among the various activities, the main event is the party that will be held in the evening.

The party is attended by the top students from each academic year and dignitaries from various countries, where students can determine their career paths and scouts from various countries can compete with each other to get the best students.

At the same time, this is also a good business opportunity for Arcazam, as many important people from various countries will be visiting the party.

This is because a large number of people will be staying in the city to serve as attendants and escorts for the dignitaries.

The whole city is bustling with activity to take advantage of this business opportunity.

"Ugh, I'm getting nervous..."

While the school and the entire city were in a festive mood, Nozomu, dressed in a neat formal attire given to him by Victor, was alone in the waiting room of the party participants, holding his stomach.

Nozomu is currently in a guest establishment next to the martial arts garden.

It is a place used to entertain dignitaries who visit the school, but of course, Nozomu has never been to this place before and had never paid any attention to it.

The first floor includes a ballroom and a large hall for dinner parties, as well as a waiting room for party participants.

On the second floor, there is a salon and a recreational facility.

During the Opening Festival party, it was the usual routine to have a meeting in the ballroom on the first floor, followed by a detailed discussion in the salon on the second floor.

Incidentally, the waiting room in which Nozomu was present was reserved for the boys attending the party, and if one looked closely, one could see a few familiar faces here and there.

Perhaps because it was built as a waiting room, there is a large magic-powered pendulum clock on the wall.

"Nozomu-kun, are you all right?"

Tom spoke to Nozomu, perhaps upon spotting him with his shoulders slumped.

"Tom? I'm alright... no, maybe not."

"I can't believe you're the same guy who went on a rampage in combat training this morning."

"It can't be helped. I told you before, I've never been to a party this big before."

While stifling another sigh, Nozomu's shoulders slumped in anxiety at the thought of the first battle to come.

"What about Mars and the others?

"They're here."

"Yo."

When Nozomu looked in the direction of the voice, he saw Mars and Feo, dressed in the same formal attire Victor had sent them before.

"What's with you, Nozomu? You've got a bitter look on your face."

"You're one to talk..."

"By the way, I had a joint class with Mars in the morning, did Nozomu have the same class as usual?"

"Yeah. Tom, do you have a paper presentation in the morning?"

"I'm not sure if you can call it a paper, rather it is more like a presentation of practical magic techniques. Yes, it is a demonstration of the construction of advanced magic control techniques and the observation of fluctuations in the efficiency of magic by using the engraving method. Also a demonstration of the observation of variation in control efficiency with different methods and different techniques …"

"That's quite a headache-inducing subject, huh?"

"Ahaha... But it was very well appreciated. It was such a great help to have Mars-kun and Tima-san help us out~."

Although classes are conducted as usual during the Open Festival, there is also a place for Tom to present his research and do practical exercises in the midst of the classes.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, like my gauntlets, Tima's constantly deployable magic barrier, and Shina's enchanted arrows ......."

"Didn't I help you too?"

"So, the four of you are in this together?"

In response to Nozomu's question, Feo and Mars nodded their heads proudly.

Apparently, Tom's presentation was about the techniques that Mars and the others had used when Nozomu had gone out of control before.

The content of the presentation was just a simple demonstration of how Tima poured magic power into each of the formations prepared by Tom and how Feo controlled them using talismans.

The results were apparently favorable. In particular, the high efficiency of the magic power in each of the techniques and the control support using talismans were highly praised. This was the result of Tom's techniques, Tima's magic power and abilities, and Feo's magic control. And it seemed that people from research institutes in various countries showed considerable interest.

The downside was the backlash to the medium in which the technique was engraved. The high output and heavy burden of the magical recoil were as strong as ever, and the medium was damaged so much after use that it could never be used again.

Nevertheless, even though it was extremely restricted, the technique that made it possible to control Tima's magic power and the magic-Qi combination technique of Mars touched the heartstrings of those who made a living in that kind of field.

"Yeah. Nozomu-kun, your joint class was a combat training as usual, right?"

"Yes, the same as usual ..."

"The same as usual, huh? I feel sorry for your opponent."

"?"

Imagining Nozomu, who was probably still unaware of the fact that he was unleashing his deadly moves as usual, Mars grinned and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

At the same time, Mars also thought that his best friend might not really care much about what others think of him.

"Come to think of it, Nozomu, you had a combat training with Kevin, didn't you? How was it? You beat that annoying dog to a pulp, didn't you?"

Perhaps Feo had heard from somewhere that Nozomu and Kevin had had a combat training in a joint class in the morning, and he came up to him with his hand on Nozomu's shoulder.

"No, the class was over before it was settled."

"What a bore."

Feo pouted his mouth in frustration that it was not the result he had expected.

Indeed, for Nozomu, being tangled up with Kevin was bothersome, but he was more concerned about Egrod's presence and what he had done at that time.

"Haa..."

"Why the sigh? I know it's a pain in the ass to get involved with Kevin, but ......"

"It's not because of that... Well, he's a pain in the ass too tho ......."

In response to Nozomu's vague words, Mars and the others urged him to speak.

Nozomu began to talk about what had happened to him after the combat training.

Egrod Fabran, a nobleman, approached him and asked him questions in a pressuring manner.

When Nozomu learned that the other party was a political enemy of the Francilt household, he answered by dodging the question and ended up being scoffed at.

The nobleman also insulted Irisdina and the others who had stepped in between them, so Nozomu couldn't stand it any longer and hit him with his murderous intent.

"You hit a nobleman with a murderous intent, you say..."

Tom himself had experienced being confronted by the serious Nozomu, even though he was out of control.

Tom's face turned pale as he recalled Nozomu's swordsmanship, which was as if his whole body was cut in two with a sharp blade.

It was definitely not something one should do to a nobleman of a country.

"Ha-ha-ha! Isn't that wonderful!"

While Tom was stunned by Nozomu's deed, Mars was laughing out loud as if he was enjoying it.

"That's not good! That would be a big problem!"

"Why? This is Arcazam, remember? This is not the Kingdom of Forsina, you know?"

"That's true, but..."

As Mars said, Arcazam is located in the center of the region where the power of each country does not extend directly to it.

If it were in Forsina, it would be a big problem, but in Arcazam, it would be difficult to imagine someone raising their voice in such a public place.

People with a certain position are often concerned about what others think of them.

"Rather, I don't think his impression of you has gotten any worse."

"…… Seriously?"

"In this case, it would be more of a problem if you simply backed down or didn't say anything."

"What do you mean?"

"This time, it was Egrod who came to talk to Nozomu. And besides, he was blatantly provoking Nozomu. From the very beginning, his goal was to see how Nozomu would react, and everything else was just an extra.

Of course, in the process of checking Nozomu's reaction, he may have been trying to keep the Francilt household in check, if necessary."

According to Feo, Egrod would still deliberately provoke Nozomu, no matter what Nozomu's response was.

The original purpose of the provocation was to see what kind of person the boy was, a commoner who was on good terms with the Francilt household, and nothing else.

"However, If Nozomu had easily taken the wrong approach to a situation in which he was being blatantly provoked in the midst of public attention, they could take his words for it, and who knows what they would have demanded of you. In that sense, Nozomu's strong opposition was not a bad move in this case."

The relationship between the Francilt and Fabran households is well known to everyone in various countries, and a few words or two of rhetoric will not do much to change it.

Rather, it would be better to show a little bit of aggressiveness, so that the other party would not be able to easily intrude onto their side.

"Besides, in this case, Nozomu is defending the black-haired princess. From a third party's point of view, it is clear which side is at fault. In that sense, Egrod can't take things any worse than he already has. And I don't think he intends to."

The only reason why Nozomu retaliated against Egrod's provocation this time was because Irisdina and the others were insulted.

A true nobleman tends to have a high sense of pride, but at the same time, they are good at negotiating.

If comparing the advantages and disadvantages of shouting loudly, the latter outweighs the former, they will say nothing more.

Not to mention those who are just minor noblemen, since Egrod is a major nobleman along with Francilt and Parline, naturally, he is aware of the importance of this.

"Nozomu, you thought so, too, didn't you?"

"I thought, I couldn't just keep quiet. Also, even if I was a little rude, I knew that it would be okay as long as it was in Arcazam. But I wasn't thinking as thoroughly as Feo."

Actually, Nozomu also thought it was a bad idea to remain silent when facing Egrod's provocation

But the reason he took such a bold stance was because, after all, he could not stand the fact that Irisdina and the others had been insulted.

Once the blood had been pumped into his head, he did not have any consideration for third parties in mind, nor did he have any deep thoughts about it.

"Well, provocations like that are a regular occurrence in aristocratic society. There's no point in worrying about it."

"To begin with, why does Nozomu seem to be so concerned about it?"

"Well, umm, I was wondering if Iris would be inconvenienced by this..."

As it turned out, Nozomu was concerned because he was worried that his spontaneous actions might cause harm to Irisdina and the others.

The fact that some time had passed since the combat training in the morning was probably another factor that increased the anxiety in Nozomu's heart.

"I don't think you need to worry about that. Besides, for the dark-haired princess, it was not even a provocation, it was just a greeting, wasn't it? Hasn't she told you?"

"Yeah, Iris said it was just something that happened all the time."

"And you know it."

You are being ridiculous. As if to say something like that, Feo waved his hand and snickered at Nozomu's concern.

Nozomu felt the uneasiness that had been swelling in his chest fade away due to Feo's lighthearted attitude.

"Looks like it's about time."

On hearing Mars' words, Nozomu looked at the pendulum clock in the room and saw that it was indeed almost time for the party to begin.

Then, the door to the waiting room was opened and a teacher entered.

"It's time. Everyone, let's head to the venue."

Prompted by that voice, the students left the waiting room one by one.

Some students smiled confidently, while the others trembled with nervousness.

"Well, shall we go then?"

"Yeah"

Mars and the others followed the other students out of the waiting room.

Perhaps it was because of the coaching they had received at Iris' mansion, or perhaps it was because their presentations in the morning had been well received, their faces showed no sign of anxiety.

Nozomu also stood up to follow Mars and the other students.

"Nozomu. This is a great opportunity for you. So, enjoy it to the fullest."

Feo, who was walking ahead of him, looked back and waved his hand lightly.

"This fox is right. This party doesn't completely determine our future."

"Ahaha... well, I don't know if we should be as carefree as Feo, but this party is just one of the opportunities, isn't that what we should think of it as?"

Following Feo's words, Mars gave a thumbs up and Tom smiled wryly.

They were probably concerned about Nozomu, who had been through so much recently that he was nervous.

This would be his first formal social party. Moreover, it was a place that might determine his future.

Even though he was going to such a completely unknown place, Nozomu found himself strangely at ease.

"Enjoy it, huh..."

A smile strangely appeared on his mouth. He had been worried about it until a few minutes ago, but he had managed to change his state of mind very quickly.

While smiling wryly at himself, Nozomu suddenly remembered something.

"Come to think of it, I haven't thanked Iris properly yet."

After Egrod left, Nozomu apologized for his abrupt behavior, but as he recalled, he had not properly thanked Irisdina for intervening.

That was not good.

Not only that, he was still indebted to her for her help with etiquette with Countess Parline and for giving him the opportunity to practice his dance moves.

(It's not just Iris. Shina, Lisa, and the rest of my friends. I keep causing them trouble ......)

Nozomu went out of control during the attack by Azel. Irisdina and the others struggled to restrain him.

The fact that he pointed his sword at them twice still leaves a big lump in Nozomu's heart.

The lump remained in his chest in the form of regret, and he almost blew it out in the form of recklessness during the training session with Zonne.

However, apart from these regrets, there was another feeling that continued to swell within Nozomu.

(What can I do for them?)

He wanted to help them as much as he could. Such feelings were the natural form of Nozomu's feelings.

Frankly speaking, Nozomu had no idea what he could do. This was because he had spent his days immersed in training and had done nothing but wielding his katana until now.

Even so, having a positive determination despite his regrets was proof that he had grown up, even if he didn't realize it.

"Alright..."

In any case, he would like to thank them in some way. Not just with words, but with something else, something that would remain in a tangible form...

Prompted by the desire that naturally welled up from deep within his chest, Nozomu made his way to the party venue.