In an office in a section of the Solminati Academy, the owner of the room and his assistant were facing each other. The owner of the room, Jihad Raundel, had a bundle of papers in his hand, and he looked at it intently. Jihad's gaze, narrowed so he wouldn't miss a word. His expression was stern, and the room was filled with a tense atmosphere. Perhaps exposed to the tension that Jihad gave off, a bead of sweat trickled from Inda's forehead as they faced each other.

"Nozomu Bountis ... Ms. Inda, is what was written here true?"

"'Y-yes. At the very least, that document is Nozomu Bountis's report card at Solminati Academy.

Amid Inda's voice, which sounded choked with nervousness, Jihad ran his eyes over the paper in front of him again and again.

What was held In Jihad's hand were the documents of the students who managed to get to the top team?in the last special training.

Their grades and exam results at the school so far were described in the documents.

“........”

Jihad's gaze had been fixed on Nozomu's documents for a while now, and he occasionally put his hand over his mouth as if he was pondering about something. Inda, who was standing beside him, didn't say anything either. Even for her, the results of the last special training were unbelievable.

"Jihad-dono..."

"Alright. Thank you, Ms. Inda. You can go back to work."

"Y-yes ..."

Inda looked at Jihad as if she wanted to ask him something, but she bowed and left the office. Jihad slowly leaned his body against the back of the chair. The chair made a creaking noise, and his shoulders were somewhat relaxed. Jihad looked at the ceiling of his office and was thinking about the contents of the document he had just read.

"'Overall rank D-. At the very least, a person of this rank should not be able to survive against a dragon, even though it was an undead one. ......"

Rank D-. This means that his ability is at the level of a novice adventurer or an ordinary soldier.

At the time of the battle with the Undead dragon, he had the best students of the third year by his side, including Irisdina Francilt and Lisa Hounds. However, even though they have grown, they were still not good enough to take on a dragon.

Young people are prone to breakdowns due to their mental immaturity. It was inevitable, but it was certain that boys and girls of their age still need more time and experience to become mentally mature.

Under the circumstances at that time, it would not be strange if there were deaths. In the worst-case scenario, they could have been wiped out.

However, no one was missing. Many of them were injured, but all of them were rescued and not in an irreversible condition. Looking at it that way, we can say that the students are growing up, although there are still many things to be improved.

Among them, the one that stood out the most was Nozomu Bountis, the student mentioned in the document Jihad had seen earlier.

Jihad remembers, Nozomu had fought and survived a battle with the black demon beast, which is now named [Abyss Grief]. It happened before special training. Strangely, he is in D- rank, considering he had survived a direct confrontation with an Undead Dragon.

"It's just a test, after all. You can't get the real picture of a person just from a document alone."

Jihad muttered as he gently placed the documents in his hands on the desk.

"The Abyss Grief can't be ignored, either. Though there are many other concerns as well. ......"

He sighed as if to organize his thoughts. After he collected the documents scattered on the desk, Jihad stood up and left the office.

Many concerns were running through his head, but he had to deal with them one at a time.

"First, I need to talk to Mauzu-dono, and then I need to talk to Ms. Anri about him..."

Jihad's muttered voice melted and disappeared into the office,?as the warm sunlight shined contrary to his tone.

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

Speaking of lunchtime, it is the busiest time of the school day.

It is probably the most lively time in the school building.

Students rush to cafeterias and shops to simply satisfy their raging hunger and to find energy for afternoon classes.

Although it is a common sight in school life, it is also the most troublesome time of the day, sometimes causing fights between students.

Despite the hustle and bustle, Nozomu was quick to get what he was looking for at the store.

In his hand, he still had the cheapest black bread, fresh vegetables, and grilled pork intestines.

After buying a lot more lunch than usual, Nozomu walked towards the school building with his feet.

A small room in the white-colored school building. Nozomu, who came to the front of the infirmary, opened the door, being careful not to drop his lunch.

Inside the infirmary, Nozomu's friends had gathered ahead of him and were chatting. He gave a small wave, and his friends responded with a wave of their own.

He walked up to them and sat down on a chair that was empty.

"Hello, Nozomu. You're early."

"Well, I guess so. This bread is still unpopular as usual."

While exchanging a few words with Irisdina, Nozomu tossed some of the bread he was carrying to Feo.

"Here. Those are what I promised."

"Uho, here it comes! Thank you, Nozomu!

The bread was the cheapest in the shop. The dough was dry and not very tasty, but it didn't matter to Feo, who still lived in extreme poverty, because he had the best spice called hunger.

"Hum! ..."

*Chew - chew*

Feo chewed on a piece of dry black bread without putting anything on it. It's hard and the dough is completely dry, so it's hard to swallow. But the bread was the best treat for Feo.

Nozomu felt it was not good enough to thank Feo for teaching him how to throw shuriken with just bread. He also bought a lot of vegetables and meat, because he thought that quantity was better than quality for Feo, who was panting with hunger.

The side dishes that Nozomu offered were disappearing into Feo's stomach at an alarming rate.

The others, who had been watching the scene with a wry smile, also brought their chairs and sat down.

Nozomu and the others begin to eat their lunch while chatting and laughing. They were enjoying their lunch while chatting with each other.

"Ara? Tima-san, what is that? a hair clip?"

Shīna glanced at Tima's hair ornament that caught her attention.

Her neatly trimmed brown hair was adorned with a shiny silver hairpiece.

It was a neat and stylish hair ornament, but the silvery color seemed a bit too flashy for her hair color and her current outfit.

But Shīna's attention was drawn to the hair ornament not only because of its color but also because she could sense a hint of magic in it.

"Ah, this? I made it by incorporating a magic formula into the accessory as a test. The magic stored in it doesn't last very long, and it's only effective as an insect repellent at best..."

Looked like that hair ornament was Tima's own creation.

"No, that's not the case, isn't it quite effective if poisonous insects don't come near?"

Mars praised the effectiveness of Tima's hair ornament, and Nozomu nodded next to him.

Some insects in the forest are poisonous or lay eggs inside other creatures to feed their larvae. Many insects were indeed small and seemed weak at first glance, but in their own natural world and territory, they were existences that could not be ignored.

Nozomu himself once got into trouble when he accidentally stepped on a beehive in the forest.

After Mars and the others praised her, Tima's face turned red. Her face was hidden by her bangs as she lowered her head in shame, but even her mouth turned red.

"That's true~. And whenever I go into the forest, I get bitten by insects and my skin turns red ..."

"Eh? Which one?"

Anri also praised her hair ornament.

But the words that came out of Anri's mouth were a little off.

Nozomu let out a silly voice as the story suddenly shifted from talking about poisonous insects that could kill humans to talking about rough skin. Mars, who was next to him, looked at the situation in the same way.

"It's true that if you have red skin, you'll be limited in what clothes you can wear to parties..."

"And it's hard to take care of it afterward~"

As far as Nozomu and Mars were concerned, their thinking about insects as a threat was pretty low on their list.

But it seemed, to women, insects that cause skin irritation were as threatening as poisonous insects.

"But you made this hair ornament by yourself, didn't you~? It's quite a beautiful hair ornament~."

"N-no. The hair ornament itself was sold in a store. The only thing I did was to incorporate the magic formula and put in my magic power..."

She must have liked the design of the accessory. Anri leaned forward towards Tima. Perhaps Irisdina and Shīna were also interested, they stared at the ornament that adorned Tima's hair.

"It's a little flashy, but it has a pretty good design."

"I heard that a new store had opened along the main street in the commercial district. I saw it on sale there.? Would you like to go with me today, Ai?"

At Tima's invitation, Irisdina mumbled, "Today, is...," and looked a little regretful.

"Um-m. I'd like to go, but I'm going to fulfill some guild requests today. I already accepted it yesterday, and since it's a subjugation request, I thought it would be best to complete it as soon as possible..."

The fact that the guild had a request for subjugation meant that there were people who were in trouble because of the demon beasts. According to her story, the request was made by hunters who were hunting in the forest.

Because Irisdina had a strong sense of justice, she had accepted the request, and above all, she wanted to help those in need as soon as possible.

"It can't be helped then..."

Knowing Irisdina's feelings, Tima didn't want to force her for that reason.

But then again, with her personality, she would never force others at all.

"I'm sorry, Tima, but we'll go another time."

Tima smiled at Irisdina, who looked apologetic. It was as if she wanted to say that Irisdina didn't need to worry about it.

Irisdina's expression relaxed. She was relieved by Tima's smile. At that moment, she called out to Nozomu as if she had an idea.

"Ah right. Nozomu, what are you going to do after school today?"

"Me? I was planning to go into the forest today, but do you need ...... a hand from me?"

Nozomu was a little surprised to be called out of the blue. But from what she's said so far, he figured she was referring to the request she made earlier, so he asked her about it. In fact, Irisdina's story seemed to be about that request, and she asked Nozomu for help.

"Well, you're familiar with the forest, and Tima can't do this request with us because of a little errand. I'd like you to lend us a hand if you can..."

Nozomu is ineligible to accept high-risk requests to enter the forest due to his low rank. However, if he were to form a party with a certain number of people or team up with someone of a higher rank, he would be allowed to take on such requests. And for Irisdina, it would be helpful to have someone familiar with the forest like Nozomu.

"No, umm... we promised to have a party during the ...... special training.

But we couldn't do it, right? So I thought, well, why don't we take this opportunity to do a request together..."

Perhaps it was because she had brought this up out of the blue, Irisdina asked Nozomu in a slightly reserved manner.

They had promised to work together on the second day of the special training, but that promise went unfulfilled when the training was canceled due to the attack of an Undead Dragon.

Originally, the promise was as a means to punish Irisdina, who was worried about Somia's date, for following Somia around.

Nozomu thought that she might have been worried about the trouble she had caused him. He was about to look down, but Nozomu's chest screamed when he saw Irisdina's eyes staring straight into his face.

Nozomu's mind flashed to the words she had said to him in the forest. She said, "I want you to watch my back".

"... A-alright. it's okay."

Nozomu was a bit at a loss for words, but he accepted Irisdina's request in the end. He had planned to train in the forest, where there was no one around, so he could train including his dragonslayer ability. But he had promised her before. So he thought it would be okay to delay his schedule a little bit due to her request.

Above all, her words that came back to his mind were of the utmost importance. He was rarely relied on by anyone since he was at this school.

"Ah... I'm glad. Thank you."

Perhaps she thought she was going to be rejected, after her request was accepted by Nozomu, Irisdina seemed relieved and relaxed her shoulders. Her cheeks, which had been a little tense and nervous, loosened and a smile appeared on her face.

She usually didn't lose her dignified expression, so her smile attracted everyone who saw it. This was a complete surprise. Nozomu was instantly taken aback by her gentle, natural smile. Nozomu could only stand there in a daze. At that moment, an unexpected person opened his mouth.

"... Then, I wonder if I should go too."

The sweet atmosphere that Irisdina was giving off was cut short by an outrageous comment from Feo, who said he would be joining in on the request.

"....Eh!?"

Irisdina couldn't help but make a silly voice when Feo suddenly announced his participation. The sweet, honey-like atmosphere that she just gave off was nowhere to be found, and instead, suspicion and a fishy atmosphere floated up as if this fox had thought of something strange again.

"It's fine, isn't it? We were talking about working together at that time. Then, what about you, Shīna?"

"H-haa!?"

Furthermore, Irisdina raised her voice in surprise when Feo said something unexpected. As for Shīna, she was overwhelmed by the fact that the conversation had suddenly shifted towards her.

"... Why, am I too?"

"What are you talking about? shouldn't we have teamed up together at that time~"

She sounds decent, but even as Nozom, her attitude seems to be clearly interesting.

Certainly, according to the agreement made at that time, Shīna was also supposed to join Nozomu's party. If they think about it, Feo's suggestion seemed natural. However, Feo's grinning expression strangely aroused Shīna's suspicion. What he said sounded good, however, his demeanor clearly showed them that he found something amusing.

"That's true, but..."

Shīna slightly hesitated and glanced at Nozomu and Irisdina. The corners of Shīna's eyes sharpened and she looked somewhat displeased.

Shīna's gaze tightened a bit and Nozomu felt a chill run down his back for some reason. Shīna put her hand to her lips as if thinking for a moment, and finally she shook her head.

"I'll refrain. I have something to do today ..."

"Eh~ why is that. It was just about to get interesting... Ah, that's right! What about you Mars!?"

Nozomu felt slightly uneasy at Feo's words that it was going to be interesting. He glanced at Shīna, and she looked away while pouting. He tried to call out to her, but I couldn't.

"I want to go, but....... I can't. I haven't finished helping out at the store yet."

"What a bore. So you're helping out at home..."

Feo's mouth was agape with a bored look on his face. Mars' temples twitched due to Feo's attitude.

"You're the one who caused all this, but ...... if you've forgotten, should I've reminded you?"

"Ha, ha, ha... Yeah, that's right. Family is important! What about Tom and Mimuru?"

Mars smiled and spoke to Feo in a slightly annoyed voice.

Judging from the way Mars was shaking, not only his temples were twitching but also with his slightly raised mouth, it seemed that Ushitotei was in a lot of trouble because of that idiot Feo.

The fox, facing the intimidation emitted by Mars, immediately decided to retreat. He forcibly turned the conversation to Tom while his face turned slightly pale.

"S-sorry. I've been summoned by Sensei after school..."

"I'm going with Tom!"

"Oi, wait a minute, you pervert fox."

Apparently, Tom and Mimuru had something to do, just like Shīna did.

Not sure if it was because he was a little nervous, or because he felt an uncomfortable atmosphere, but Tom's voice was a little stiff.

"Then it can't be helped! We'll go to the forest with just us three, I guess!

"I-I see..."

Mars tried to confront Feo, who had made a blatant escape.

This time, Feo tried to force the topic to an end, as if he couldn't afford to let other people know about it.

Tom, who was asleep while Feo was drunk and out of control at Ushitotei, and the others who didn't know much about the situation all tilted their heads. While Nozomu who was at the scene couldn't help but sigh.

Among them, Anri-sensei, who was one of the victims and who caused the people who were there to go berserk because of her sex appeal, somehow stood beside Norn-sensei and smiled as usual. Even though she was one of the parties involved.

As Nozomu was wondering if this sensei was actually the most negligent, Irisdina, who had been standing beside him for quite some time, called out to him.

"Well, I'll be in your care, Nozomu"

"... Yeah, likewise."

Nozomu was at a bit of a loss for words, but he managed to reply.

Upon hearing his words, Feo began to clean up the bread bag he had finished eating.

"That's why, we'll meet at the guild after school! After that, we'll go to the forest! I'm really looking forward to it... Well, that's it!"

"Wait, you bastard!"

Feo ran out of the infirmary after forcing the conversation to a close.

Mars ran out after Feo who ran away.

Nozomu smiled wryly, as he watched them run down the corridor, making a lot of noise.