Mars' POV

Tommy, Cami, and I continued walking in the dim forest. The task Nozomu suggested was to collect Regina Flowers.

Regina Flowers are used as the raw material for potions, and mixing this flower nectar with potions will significantly increase the potion's effectiveness. However, this nectar is not something that can last long and will deteriorate within a few days after the flowers are picked.

Well, in addition to its effectiveness, he chose this flower because it is an easy-to-carry item. I can see how much Nozomu takes mobility issues into account.

"...Hey, will they be okay?"

"...Well, I was worried about that too... It couldn't be helped since Jin said he had to do this..."

"...It doesn't really matter, and that's because we have to cooperate with you guys."

Tommy and Cami who were following behind were muttering sharp words. Maybe they're talking about Nozomu. Hearing their sharp words made me instinctively speak to the two of them in a harsh tone.

They both looked at my face awkwardly. Their attitude made me even more annoyed.

"Generally speaking, it was you guys who brought the stories. I wonder because of whom that we couldn't unify our intentions properly. Isn't it because of your leader?"

"" !! ""

Their leader. Was he named Jin? Cami and Tommy glared at me, perhaps because they thought I was ridiculing them. Perhaps, this damn Cami gets so angry because of my words, she looked at me as if I was pierced by her dagger. Hee, I thought she was scared, but it seems that she still has the courage.

"Fuu~. So, you still have a bit of pride in you..."

“..Don't make fun of me. We're not as good as Mars, but we still have the pride that we're still students of this school..”

"That's right! Then, how about you? It seems you have a lot of faith in Nozomu, but can you keep your attitude like that? When we come back and they have been wiped out, then our conversation will stop here."

These guys, Tommy and Cami, charged towards me as they didn't want to give in. Good. With this, there's a meaning for us to work together.

"What are you saying. You should have seen a part of his ability in the last mock battle. Nozomu and I are seriously going to win. So, will you guys show me your strength instead?"

I dare to say it to the two of them in a provocative tone. If they're the type of person who can't do this much, then, I'll have to reject them from here.

"Bring it on! I'll show you, so peel your eyeballs and take a closer look!"

Cami declared so strongly and Tommy continued to glare at me while confronting my gaze from the front. After I was satisfied with their attitude, we started walking again.

I glanced over my shoulder at the two following behind me. The two of them had more rugged facial expressions than before, but their morale seemed to have increased. It seems my ridicule lingers in their minds.

(Well, I can expect a little from them)

As I was satisfied with their facial expressions, I continued walking forward again. Speaking of which, Nozomu wasn't lively until recently...

When thinking of Nozomu, a question that I've been feeling a lot lately comes back to my mind.

(... What is that guy hiding?)

I don't know what it is, but he must be hiding something. Because of that, he often looks strange these days. He insisted that nothing was wrong, but I knew it wasn't a trivial matter.

When I remembered that, for some reason I get restless. Tima said we should wait until Nozomu speaks for himself, but should I press him with questions from here on out?

"....Hmm?"

When I thought about it, I was struck by a strange feeling of anxiety for some reason. What on earth do I need to be scared of? I just need to ask him a few words...

Contrary to my thoughts, the irritation and anxiety in my heart never dissipated, and I spontaneously clenched my fists tightly.

After we walked for about 10 minutes, light began to shine in front of us, albeit dimly. Perhaps our destination is an open place. I stopped and crouched down then instructed the two behind me to hide with one of my hands.

When I looked at the place where the light was coming from behind the bushes, there was a big fallen tree, and Regina flower was growing beside it. Perhaps the fall of a big tree caused the branches and leaves that covered the sky to disappear, and light began to shine through it.

Light shone through the gaps in the tree curtains. These flowers may be blooming due to this slight of light.

"... We found it. Also, there's a bonus."

However, it wasn't just Regina flowers that we found. We can see about four students beside it. Maybe they came to pick Regina Flowers like us.

"...So what are we going to do?"

"...It's decided....we will fight them."

Cami asked me with a provocative smile. I couldn't help but think about Nozomu, who had been in my head until now, but I clearly declared that we will go on the offensive.

I'm quite worried about what Nozomu is hiding and his dissatisfaction with the increasing number of members in our party.

But now it's time to push that discomfort into my chest and concentrate solely on swinging my sword.

After all, I will survive this training and become stronger. Let's think about that for now.

================================

When Mars and his team find Regina flower, Nozomu and his team continue to set traps around the base. Due to time constraints, they could only set up simple traps, but they were still able to set quite the number.

"Fuu~. Is it something like this?"

Finally finished setting the trap, Nozomu sighed loudly. There were also Jin and the others around him, and sweat was dripping down their foreheads.

"Thank you, everyone"

Hamria handed the water bottle to Nozomu and the others who had finished setting the traps. They opened their mouths to take a sip of water from the water bottle that was handed over. Nozomu and the others breathed a sigh of relief at the water seeping all over their bodies.

"...But is this traps good enough?"

Deck muttered anxiously while looking at the traps he had set. Certainly, there were a lot of traps he had set, but they weren't very good. There were many traps that could be easily detected.

"It can't be helped. We don't have time to make it properly. Also, those traps are only used to cover the real thing."

"...In other words, are all the other traps just decoys?"

Nozomu nodded at Deck's words. A trap isn't just about defeating your opponent. There are endless uses for them, such as restraining, gaining time, and alerting the opponents with other traps so they will hesitate to take action. Nozomu is a bit adept at setting traps. Compared to the others, it was quite vast and profound, but he himself didn't even know how far ahead he really was.

Nozomu thought, what his team set up this time was just a means to find a way to win, and Nozomu didn't think he could win with just those immature traps. He's a swordsman, so setting up traps was not his forte.

“Even so, you seem to have gotten quite used to set up this kind of trap. Why are you so used to it?”

Jin asked while looking at Nozomu. His gaze was a genuine curiosity about Nozomu.

"Hmm? Oh, I guess it's because I sometimes go alone to the forest. I'm used to setting up traps here and there to hunt prey or stalling time when escaping from demon beasts."

"""Ehh!!"""

The three of them, Jin and his friends, opened their eyes wide due to Nozomu's answer. It was no wonder. From their point of view, just entering the forest alone seemed like an act of suicide.

"But I believe you can't accept any request to enter the forest because of your rank..."

Hamria asked a little reluctantly. To be precise, "Nozom's rank makes it impossible to accept requests to enter the forest alone." She was probably worried about Nozomu, who had been her classmate for a long time. She just didn't say it very clearly.

“Well that's true, that's why I was in the forest despite the request. Well, when I encountered the demon beasts, I ran from place to place..”

Nozomu answered her question with a bitter smile. However, he remembered his past dangerous marathon ordered by an unreasonable master. Perhaps because he remembered the hell of that time, Nozomu's cold sweat was flowing in a place where Jin and his friends couldn't see.

"...I see. I think I understand the reason why you can move so well in mock battles. Of course, if you can endure being chased continuously by demon beasts, it's understandable that you can handle our attacks so well. If it was me, I didn't want to do it tho."

"A-hahaha..."

Nozomu let out a dry laugh at Jin who nodded as he was convinced. Of all the runs Nozomu has done, there are many because of his Shishō, Shino's tantrum. But it would be terrible to pursue it any further.

(By the way, there was a time when I was sent to the forest at night just because I didn't make enough side dishes for dinner... Even if I think about it now, it doesn't make any sense...)

At that time, the amount of supper was not enough. Shino said, "Get some side dishes!" and Nozomu was thrown into the forest. He encountered goblins who were also looking for food. Then he was chased by dozens of goblins. He had almost become dinner for the goblins.

It was not even training if Nozomu died from it.

However, if he had to choose between Shishō or dozens of angry goblins holding a knife with one hand, even if he was asked a hundred times, Nozomu would choose Goblin every time.

"Ha, hahahaha ..."

"N-Nozomu-kun! Anyway, I wanted to ask you something..."

Nozomu continued to laugh dryly with a ghastly pale expression. Jin and his friends, who felt chills by Nozomu's atmosphere, stopped talking about this topic and tried to forcefully change the topic. At that moment, the bushes behind them let out a rustling sound.

" !! "

Nozomu instantly regained his composure. He turned and immediately stood up. Place his hand on the handle of his katana and prepare to slash at any moment.

Perhaps because Jin and his friends felt that Nozomu's sudden change in behavior was not trivial, they prepared their own weapons.

Eventually, the rustling noise became louder, and multiple figures emerged from within the bushes.

"Finally, I found you."

What appeared was the party chasing Nozomu's party before they got here. Their opponents were 4th class students. A male student was holding a two-handed ax as the vanguard. Probably he was the leader of their party. A boy with a sword and a girl with a spear could be seen beside him, and a girl and a boy with a staff could be seen behind them.

"As I thought, this is where the dropout class is. You guys are only good at running away .... Hmm? That guy, Mars, isn't here?"

The enemy leader was suspicious that Mars cannot be seen. Even though they didn't see the 10th class as a threat, but Mars, who had abilities on par with the upper grades, was probably the only thing that made them wary. Actually, he wasn't here right now, so Nozomu's current party strength was only four people, including Nozomu. But Nozomu had no reason to say that to his opponent.

(Jin....)

Nozomu gave instructions behind his opponent's back. He decided to take advantage of the trap he had just set up.

"...I'm worried because I can't see where that person is, but that's fine. There are points in front of us. Let's catch it."

The enemy leader readied his weapons. Nozomu took something out of the pouch behind him so his opponent couldn't see it.

"Do it !!"

The opponents began to move all at once with their leader's command. The vanguard closed the gap at once, and the rearguard began chanting magic.

"Deck! Hamria!"

"Y-yes!"

"I know!"

Jin gave instructions to the two. With his signal, the two turned around and disappeared into the forest. At the same time, Nozomu threw what was in his hand at the enemy's vanguard.

It was the Flash Ball and Noise Ball that were thrown. Nuisance tools that he likes to use. Powerful flashes and sounds temporarily paralyze the opponent's sight and hearing, and in some cases, can render them unconscious.

However, their opponents were also Solminati students. They instantly covered their eyes and minimized the damage. Still, Nozomu and his party were able to gain a bit of time.

"Jin! Let's go!"

"Alright!!"

"Kuh! I won't let you guys go !!"

Nozomu and Jin rushed into the depths of the forest. And the enemy party started chasing again as if they didn't want to let Nozomu's party go. Nozomu kept running while listening to the angry voice of the enemy from behind.

When the enemy party was about to chase after the Nozomu's party.

"Uwa !"

"Kya !!"

Two students who were at the front suddenly screamed and fell. When they looked closely at their feet, a rope was stretched between the trees, hiding in the overgrown grass.

"What are you two doing!"

The leader jumped over the two who had fallen and tried to step forward, but this time the leader's legs were tied by the grass and fall forward.

Meanwhile, Nozomu's party continued to drift away. They ran straight towards their base while listening to the angry voices coming from behind.

===================================

Nozomu's party base.

Deck and Hamria who retreated earlier were waiting for Nozomu and Jin to return.

"Oh, you arrived!"

"O~i. Jin! Nozomu!"

Deck and Hamria who saw the return of Nozomu and Jin, raised their voices.

"I made you wait"

"They were caught by the traps. But, I think they'll be here soon!"

After they regrouped, Nozomu's party formed a formation to intercept the enemy group that was rushing after them. The vanguard is Nozomu and Jin. Deck is behind them and behind Deck is Hamria standing with a staff in her hand.

"... Hey, Nozomu. Is it really okay?"

Deck raised a restless voice. The parties they would face were certainly opponents above themselves. That's why Nozomu had already talked about strategies and methods to win in advance, but it seemed that Deck still couldn't shake off the anxiety in his heart.

However, it is natural. They never teamed up with Nozomu before. No matter how much they got a glimpse of Nozomu's abilities in mock battles, that alone wasn't enough to make them trust him.

In order for a person to believe in someone, it is necessary to accumulate various events such as time and interaction to know that someone. However, there is still an overwhelming lack of opportunity and time to interact with Nozomu and to establish a clear relationship of trust between them.

Therefore, their party members, including Deck, were worried whether their decision to trust Nozomu, which they were not familiar with, was correct.

"...Hey, Deck. We don't have any more time. We don't have enough strength to survive in this Solminati Academy with our current abilities. That's why we need to borrow the powers of Mars and Nozomu ... Haven't you already know of his high judgment ability?"

At that time, Jin called out to Deck. Originally, Jin was their leader. Perhaps they have built a relationship of trust in their student life. Deck nodded obediently to Jin's words.

"I'm not even sure we could have made it this far if we were alone. We might have been so busy overcoming the battle in front of us that we might have been defeated by another party due to the chaos in the early stages."

"Well, maybe that's true..."

Deck agreed with Jin's words in a sunken voice. Of course, many parties were swarming, so the parties fought each other immediately after the start of training. If they stopped at such a place, they would be swallowed up by the fierce battle in the blink of an eye.

"Of course, I understand that you can't trust him right away. But can you give me face here? It was me who decided to borrow their help. So can you believe me and follow me for a while?"

"... I understand. I'm sorry, I said something strange. Also, Nozomu, I'm sorry. I was a little worried..."

"No, don't worry. It's inevitable that you'll be anxious if you're suddenly instructed by someone you've never teamed up with."

Deck apologized to Nozomu and Jin then he lowered his head. Nozomu understood his reputation from his surroundings. About his rumors with Lisa, and about him taking three additional exams to get promoted.

So he thought it was inevitable for someone like Deck to feel uneasy about teaming up with him.

This was largely due to the fact that Nozomu had been acting alone until now. Nozomu had been taking classes alone because he was isolated at school. So he went to the forest alone all the time to train with Shino.

As a result, his ability to judge situations became extraordinary, but in return, it became difficult for him to build relationships of trust with others. In fact, in the third grade, the lessons were focused on party battles, and at that time, Nozomu couldn't find a partner to teamed up with. It seemed that others see him as a hindrance.

(... It can't be helped. I've turned away from my surroundings until now so I reaped what I sow)

The self-deprecating Nozomu sighed and glanced at Jin next to him. Even considering the previous mock battle, Jin's fighting ability wasn't good enough. Nozomu's physical strength is better than Jin's, and in close-quarter combat, there are plenty of openings to take advantage of.

However, Nozomu felt that Jin was far superior to himself when it came to leading people. Jin took the initiative to lower his head so he could survive. That feeling became even stronger when Nozomu saw how Jin persuaded Deck. From the beginning of the special training until now, Nozomu had only told his party how to survive and made them follow him, but he didn't relieve his party members' anxiety like Jin did ...

"...Hmm? Is something wrong?"

Jin noticed Nozomu's gaze and spoke to Nozomu with a suspicious expression.

"No ... it's nothing. I thought I was the leader. But, all I did today was just telling you guys how to survive ..."

Nozomu glanced at Hamria and Deck behind Jin. Maybe they're still nervous. Although they were a little stiff, they didn't look anxious anymore. Maybe Jin's words worked.

"... I honestly think you're better than me. I couldn't believe it when I heard you have been going to the forest alone, but I was convinced when I remembered your way of fighting in our last mock battle. Also, Mars-kun acknowledged your strength. It's frustrating, but I don't think I have the power to be recognized by him..."

Jin showed a smile at Nozomu's self-deprecating words. Surprisingly, the facial expressions of the two of them were very similar.

Nozomu couldn't move forward without telling his friends about his hidden secret. Jin suffered from his lack of power to support his friends. Although there was a difference in content that the two of them were worried about, their appearance was the same. It was the human figures who realized their incompetence and were constantly bothered by it.

At that moment, Nozomu felt multiple presences coming from the front. At the same time, someone touched the warning network set by Nozomu, and the wooden rod that was attached to a tree fell.

"...Nozomu-kun"

"...They're coming"

Right after Nozomu said that, the enemy party they encountered earlier appeared from within the bushes. Seeing that their uniforms were torn and their faces dirty, it seemed like they were struggling because of the trap that Nozomu's party had set up earlier.

"Haa, haa. I found you..."

The enemy leader glared at Nozomu's party with bloodshot eyes while breathing roughly.

When setting up the traps, Nozomu's party only emphasized the numbers. Nozomu's purpose was to make the enemy side mentally and physically exhausted. Therefore, if the enemy side thought that they had crossed and avoided a trap, they would be caught in the trap beyond it. The outright visible trap seemed to say, "This trap is actually just a decoy, and there may be another trap ahead." So, they were both physically and mentally exhausted from being overly suspicious.

"I can't forgive you guys anymore. I'll crush you ..."

The enemy leader took out his two-handed ax with an angry expression and Qi began to radiate from his entire body. The other enemy party members also prepared their own specialized weapons. Surely, they were frustrated by Nozomu's trap. Their facial expressions were as distorted as their leader's.

"....Jin"

"I know...."

Jin nodded at Nozomu's words. That was the final confirmation. They were ready and determined to execute their strategy. Fortunately, they can definitely win, but if they make a mistake, they will be crushed in an instant, and in the worst case, they will be wiped out. Nozomu was unable to release his ability suppression due to the anxiety that eroded his heart, and since this was training, he was unable to use his extremely high killing techniques, so his party didn't have the explosive power to erase their inferiority.

"Do it!!"

With that command, the enemy leader rushed towards Nozomu's party along with the vanguards of his party. Nozomu and Jin also strengthened their entire body with Qi and ran towards them to intercept.

""What~!? ""

"Eh~!?"

Nozomu and Jin ran straight towards the enemy's vanguard, but Nozomu and Jin suddenly split into left and right and gave way to their rearguard.

At this rate, the enemy vanguard would quickly take down the rearguards of Nozomu's party, Deck and Hamria, who were in the back. After that, Nozomu's team, which was about to lose half its strength, would be defeated in the blink of an eye.

However, at that moment, Nozomu shouted.

"Deck !!"

"Yeah!!"

Deck kicked the stone at his feet. The kicked stone flew as if it was being pulled by something and disappeared into the bushes. Then, ropes appeared one after another from the feet of the enemy's vanguard, and countless ropes were stretched around them.

"Wh, what is this !?"

The stretched rope surrounded the enemy's vanguards like a cage, and they were trapped inside. This trap was the same one Nozomu used to escape from the Black Demon Beast.

Nozomu's strategy was for Nozomu and Jin to charge towards the enemy, stopping the enemy's vanguards with a trap, and simultaneously defeating the rearguards.

Now that the vanguard had been successfully stopped by Nozomu's trap, Nozomu and Jin, who took a detour, attacking the enemy's rearguards from left and right.

"Kuh~ !!"

Due to the crisis, the enemy vanguard tried to cut the ropes to escape by swinging their weapons. However, at that moment, a sudden gust of wind interrupted those who were about to swing their weapons.

"W-what !?"

They were surprised to see the gust of wind. There were Deck and Hamria, who had obstructed the movement of the enemy's vanguards with their magic to give Nozomu and Jin time to defeat the enemy's rearguards.

They used wind magic, "Driving Mass of Wind" and were careful not to cut the ropes surrounding the enemy.??It didn't have the original power as it was slightly far away and was slightly weakened by the stretched rope. However, it was still capable of attracting the attention of the enemy's vanguards.

"Kuh~ !!"

"This!!"

The two enemy's rearguards rushed in and fired magic bullets at Nozomu and Jin. However, after all, the magic bullet only moves linearly. Nozomu instantly overcame the oncoming magic bullet with "Instant Move -Curve Dance-" and Jin also managed to dodge it by rolling to the ground.

At this time, if the opponent were to release wide-ranged magic instead of single-shot magic like magic bullets, both Nozomu and Jin might have been blown away. If that happened, the vanguards caught in the trap would escape from the trap, and Nozomu's party would be at a disadvantage.

However, the many traps that had been set so far had robbed the enemy of their calm judgments. Frustrated by the repeated storms of traps and failure to deal with their inferior opponents, they didn't realize that they could usually deal with it, and they lost their calm judgment and ability to deal with it.

"Ha!!"

"Te~e~eei!!!"

Nozomu and Jin swung the weapons they had in their hands. Jin's sword slashed the boy's arm, and Nozomu's sheathed katana slammed into the girl's belly along with its scabbard.

Two enemy's rearguards were defeated, and their pendants glowed red to announce their disqualification. This leaves only 3 enemies remaining.

"Uoooo!"

The enemy's leader swung down his Qi-enveloped two-handed ax. The ropes that trapped them were torn and fell to the ground. The three vanguards who were freed rushed towards Deck and Hamria saying, "Now it's our turn."

Nozomu and Jin immediately turned around. However, since their enemies were closer to Deck and Hamria, the enemies arrived at Deck's place first.

"Be crushed! You bottom class !!"

"Ooo !!"

The enemy's leader swung his two-handed ax and dropped it towards Deck and Hamria. Deck blocked it with his spear, but his opponent was overwhelmingly stronger and Deck dropped on his knees. However, he still didn't want to give up and tried to push the opponent's ax with his determination.

"Guu !!"

"Ooo !!"

"This is as far as you go!"

"Wait, isn't this a bit too much! You guys!!"

Although the opponent's blade was approaching in front of him, Deck desperately blocked it, but he was pinched by the opponent's spearman and swordsman who appeared from behind the enemy leader. However, at that moment, Hamria's magic, "Driving Mass of Wind" was reactivated. The rushing mass of wind engulfs the enemy vanguards along with Deck.

"Kuh~!"

"Uoo !!"

The spearman and swordsmen who were swallowed by the mass of wind were blown away. Deck and the enemy leader weren't blown away, they were standing on their feet, but they were still caught in the violent wind and were momentarily paralyzed.

However, Hamria had weakened her magic power before releasing it. Deck might be disqualified if she used her magic as usual. She used this magic just to buy time.

"We made it in time!"

"Deck, thank you for your hard work!"

Nozomu and Jin caught up from behind. Attacking the spearman and swordman of the enemy's party who were blown away by the "Driving Mass of Wind", and knocking them out with a single blow.

"D-damn~ !!"

"Guah !!"

The enemy leader abandoned Deck and rushed towards Nozomu. His entire body emitted a dazzling light. He fully used his Qi and attacked Nozomu with it.

"Fuh~!"

After exhaling for a moment, Nozomu also started running with all his might. The two of them plunged in a straight line from the front. Eventually, Nozomu entered the opponent's attack range, and the enemy leader swung his two-handed ax.

The two-handed ax approached Nozomu with a sound tearing the air. Nozomu rotated his body and interlocking the muscles of his whole body. He launched his katana towards the two-handed ax that was swung down from above.

Nozomu's body rotation causes his slash to flow sideways, deflecting the trajectory of the opponent's two-handed ax in the opposite direction. It was the same thing he did when he previously fought against the Cyclopes.

"Wha~ !! Gua !!"

The enemy leader's two-handed ax was driven into the ground. While being covered with scattered earth and sand, Nozomu slashed the enemy leader's arm while deflecting the handle of the two-handed ax with his katana. At the same time as the enemy leader let out a voice of agony and dropped his weapon, Nozomu struck the handle of his katana into the opponent's belly.

"Guh~ ..."

The enemy leader stopped moving for a moment, but eventually, he fell to the ground and the enemy leader's pendant glowed. At that moment, the victory of Nozomu's party was decided.

"Fuh~ ..."

Nozomu exhaled when he saw the light in the pendant. His tense muscles seemed to relax.

"Haa~. Nozomu-kun, thank you for your hard work."

Jin spoke to Nozomu while sheathing his sword. His expression was bright, perhaps because he was also released from the tension.

"We did it !!"

"Wow! We really won!"

Deck and Hamria rushed towards Nozomu and Jin excitedly.

"Nozomu, thank you. And... I'm sorry I doubted you..."

"No, it was actually walking on a tightrope, but I'm glad we succeeded."

Deck bowed to Nozomu again. However, his face looked happy and tears appeared in his eyes. If they thought about it, their oppone-->>

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