"Sorry. Norn-sensei, someone's hurt. Could you treat her?"
Irisdina Francilt appeared, supporting a girl who looked injured on her shoulder. Behind her stood her close friend Tima Lime, carrying what seemed to be Irisdina's bag.
"Understood. First, have the injured student sit in that chair."
Norn-sensei immediately went to check on the girl. Nozomu grabbed bandages, ointments, and other supplies from the shelf and hurried over to help.
"What happened~~?"
While Norn-sensei and Nozomu treated the girl, Anri-sensei asked Irisdina and the others for details. Apparently, she'd gotten caught up in a scuffle over popular items at the school store—a full-blown war among students.
"Hmm. It's a sprained ankle, but no bone damage. The muscles look fine too. A few days of rest should heal it. I'll apply some ointment just in case."
Norn-sensei worked efficiently. As Nozomu assisted, his eyes met Tima's for a moment.
"!!"
She quickly looked away and hid behind Irisdina.
(...Did I do something to her?)
Nozomu felt a small pang at being so openly avoided by a girl he'd never even spoken to, but he pushed it aside and focused on helping Norn-sensei.
"That should do it. Stay off it for a while."
"Thank you very much."
The injured girl and Irisdina both thanked Norn-sensei properly. Even though she hadn't been directly involved, Irisdina had carried the girl to the infirmary and stayed through the treatment—her polite gratitude said a lot about her character.
Irisdina was the daughter of a high-ranking noble from the powerful western kingdom of Forsina. At this academy, even the teachers couldn't ignore her status, yet she never acted arrogant. Everyone knew she was someone who worked hard every day and carried herself with true integrity.
"Now, like the teacher said, you should take it easy for a while."
"Y-yes!! Thank you!!"
When Irisdina spoke to the girl, she blushed and answered in a high-pitched, nervous voice.
With her striking appearance, exceptional ability, and noble personality, she was known around the academy as the "Black-Haired Princess." Countless boys—and even some girls—had confessed to her, but she'd never accepted any of them.
Incidentally, the one person who'd fought her to a draw in a second-year mock battle was Nozomu's childhood friend, Lisa Hounds. With her vivid red hair and beauty, Lisa was called the "Crimson-Haired Princess," and the two were seen as rivals in practical combat.
"Thank you for helping as well."
Irisdina turned to Nozomu with genuine thanks.
"N-no, I just happened to be here..."
Stared at by her perfectly proportioned features and deep black eyes, Nozomu's reply came out stiff and awkward.
"Ai. Class is about to start..."
Tima spoke up quietly from behind her. Lunch break was nearly over; afternoon lessons would begin soon.
"Right. Then, sensei, we'll head back to class. Thank you again for the treatment."
"Got it. Nozomu-kun, thanks for the help. You should get back to class too."
They thanked everyone once more and left the infirmary. The clock showed only a few minutes left until the end of lunch—no time to finish eating the rest of his meal.
"Understood. Heading back now."
Nozomu answered and returned to the classroom.
On the way down the hallway, I—Irisdina—noticed my best friend acting strangely back in the infirmary, so I asked her about it.
"Tima. I know you're uncomfortable around boys, but your reaction to him earlier seemed a bit extreme, don't you think?"
I was referring to how Tima had behaved toward that boy, Nozomu. Tima does struggle with men—she can barely speak when she's alone with one—but what happened just now went beyond her usual shyness.
"S-sorry, Ai. But that boy... he's the one. The one who toyed with Lisa-san..."
Lisa is a third-year in first class, same as us. An outstanding student who reached Rank A like we did, and one of the few who can fight me evenly in practicals.
Come to think of it, I'd heard a rumor back in first year. Lisa had dated her childhood friend, but he'd cheated and betrayed her. Was that him?
"Still, from what I've heard of the rumors, he doesn't match the description at all."
Helping prepare medicine for an injured person, assisting with treatment—none of that sounded like the kind of thing the rumored guy would do.
"Yeah... but back then, I was scared..."
Tima looked down, shoulders slumping. She's kind-hearted but a little timid and tends to overthink what others might think. Hearing the rumor must have made her react too strongly.
"Well, if you get the chance to see him again, just apologize then. Don't worry about it too much, Tima."
"...Okay."
Class was starting soon. I hurried toward the classroom, comforting my friend as we went.
"All right~~ Let's start the afternoon lesson~~!"
Anri-sensei's drawn-out voice echoed across the training field.
Tenth class's afternoon session was Comprehensive Combat Tactics.
Unlike the usual one-on-one mock battles, this class involved forming parties and fighting as teams. Individual strength mattered, but teamwork was the real key.
Powerful magic beasts are too dangerous for a lone fighter—even veteran knights avoid it unless the reward is huge. Most freelancers form parties of several to dozens, and for major hunts they team up with others or call in reinforcements.
That's why, starting from third year, the academy emphasizes group combat lessons—to build judgment, role awareness, and adaptability in different situations.
But while everyone else paired up into parties, Nozomu stood alone as usual. No one would team with him.
(I knew it, but this is bad.)
The lesson required groups; going solo made it pointless. He tried asking classmates, but they ignored him completely.
(If this keeps up, I can't even participate.)
Parties were already formed. There was no spot left for him.
"Hey, you. If you don't have a party, wanna join ours?"
The voice came from the last person anyone expected—Mars. His lackeys stared in shock; the class buzzed.
"Wha—Mars, for real?" "Why drag in a deadweight like him?"
Understandable reaction. Mars was the one who picked on Nozomu the most. No one would have guessed he'd invite the class outcast.
His lackeys grumbled, but Mars ignored them, eyes fixed on Nozomu.
Nozomu stared back. He had no idea what Mars was thinking, but he had no other choice.
"...Fine. I'll join."
"...Good."
And so the most improbable party in the class was born: Nozomu and Mars's merry band.
The mock battle began in the usual format. Their opponents: four students—two swordsmen, one spear user, and one dual-wielding dagger girl.
Mars's lackeys were an archer and a mage.
As soon as the signal went off, the enemy swordsman and spear user buffed themselves with reinforcement magic and charged Mars.
"Hmph!"
Mars drew his greatsword and met their attacks head-on. Metal clanged shrilly. The boosted strikes hammered at him, but with his own qi reinforcement, he didn't budge an inch.
Nozomu moved to strike the stalled pair, but a wind blade sliced past his face, forcing him back. He looked—the dagger girl was chanting a spell. Another wind blade came, cutting him off from Mars. The enemy plan was clear: isolate Mars, the strongest, and pick the rest off one by one.
A second swordsman rushed Nozomu.
"Gotcha!!"
Nozomu drew instantly, parrying the charge. The momentum was strong thanks to reinforcement, but the deflection threw the attacker off balance.
Nozomu pressed to follow up—then a fireball slammed into him from behind and exploded, sending him flying.
"Guah!"
"Hey, you okay? That caught him too."
"Whatever. Useless guy like that—he's just bait anyway."
The fireball had come from Mars's own lackeys. To them, Nozomu was literal cannon fodder. Hitting him in the crossfire didn't matter.
"Damn it!"
Nozomu got up, steadied himself, but the swordsman was already on him again. The dagger girl joined in. He was on full defense—three blades coming at once. He danced around, deflecting, trying to avoid taking simultaneous hits...
"There!"
"Haha! Perfect target!"
The lackeys piled on with arrows and spells, hitting Nozomu along with the enemy. Area magic swept wide; precise shots exploited gaps. Their ranged combo covered each other's weaknesses perfectly—chant times and draw delays vanished in synergy.
It was effectively 1 vs 4. Nozomu could keep deflecting, but any counter left him open to friendly fire from behind. He had to deal with that, then the enemy hit again. Endless loop.
Then the pattern broke.
A sharp chill hit from the side. Nozomu used instant step and leaped full force away.
In his view: Mars raising his greatsword high. He'd already dropped his two opponents and now charged straight into the chaos—toward Nozomu and the two still on him.
Wind blades wrapped Mars's blade. With enhanced strength he swung in a wide horizontal arc.
The sweep blasted through everything around him. The remaining two enemies flew back, knocked out. The mock battle ended.
Nozomu and Mars locked eyes in silence. Nozomu was clearly furious—MARS had swept him up along with the enemy, and the lackeys had attacked him without hesitation.
In the past, Nozomu would have looked away, withdrawn into himself, ignored it all. But now anger burned openly. He hadn't even noticed how much he'd changed.
The rage was there, but Mars looked different too. No contempt in those eyes anymore. Something else lurked behind them—not hostility, at least.
Come to think of it, since third year started, Mars's attitude toward him had shifted. No more insults, no picking fights in class.
(What the hell is going on?)
Anger still simmered, but curiosity burned hotter now. Neither spoke. The lackeys tried talking to Mars, but he ignored them, gaze fixed on Nozomu.
The end-of-class bell rang. Dismissal.
Nozomu left the training field, the unanswered question gnawing at him.
After class, walking the hallway, Mars thought back on the mock battle.
"That guy... he's changed."
He remembered the glare Nozomu had given him—even after being caught in the sweep. The old Nozomu would have just hung his head and turned away.
Mars didn't know what had happened to him, but something inside the guy had definitely shifted.
"...But seriously, what kind of training has he been doing?"
In the fight, Nozomu had handled what was basically 1 vs 4. Mars had only caught glimpses while dealing with his own opponents, but the movements were flawless—no waste at all.
Even suppressed, dodging four attackers like that? Mars doubted he could do it himself. The motions looked slow—enough that others probably hadn't noticed—but they were terrifyingly precise.
Always slipping into blind spots, forcing 1-on-1s. And he'd sensed Mars's surprise attack and reacted instantly. Insane field awareness.
"He's way too battle-hardened. Where'd he get that experience?"
In this town, real combat came from either academy fights or guild requests. No one at school would spar with him seriously. For subjugation quests, his rank was too low.
Students needed a certain rank or a party to take dangerous jobs—otherwise, only odd jobs. The academy didn't want to lose promising talent to accidents, and students were still green, so the rules existed for a reason.
"...Is he going into the forest alone?"
The only other place for real experience was the forest. But a student entering monster-infested woods solo? Suicidal. No one did that. Sure, powerful beasts rarely came near town, but it wasn't impossible—travelers had been attacked before.
Still, nothing else explained that precision.
"...Guess I'll find out."
Mars made up his mind and walked quickly down the hall.