Evil Avalon

Chapter 52-Kaworu Hayase ⑤

(TL:By Rafael)

-- Kaworu Hayase's POV

"Here it comes!

"I an ready to heal, you can go!

　

　I'm in front, with Naoto and Sakurako behind me, holding their wands.

　

　This is the sixth floor of the dungeon. It's a campground for hunting a demon wolf named Warg.

　

　From afar,  Yuma and a demon wolf comes running towards us at full speed. The werewolf's running speed is faster than I expected, and unless I remotely attack it with my bow from afar and start fishing(*1), it will soon catch up with him.

　

　Since the werewolves have the skill of attracting nearby werewolves with "Howling," we need to pay close attention to see if there are any other werewolves around while bringing them in. It's risky for us to fight two werewolves right now.

　

　We can leave the fishing of such dangerous demon wolves to Yuma without worry. At the moment, he has a bow on his back, a one-handed sword, a shield, and a wide range of roles, including fishing, tank, and attacker. The fact that he is able to perform all of these roles at a high level shows just how talented Yuma is.

"Grrrrr!　　Guh!"

　

　The demon wolf chases after him with its fangs bared, instinctively. Despite being 2 meters long and weighing more than 100 kilograms, it was terrifying to see it pounce on us without making a sound.

　

　After reaching a safe campsite, Yuma bought himself some time by using his shield to block the attack of the demon wolf coming from behind. It takes a lot of skill and physical strength just to pass off a huge body that is probably going over 50 kilometers per hour, but Yuma has no problem with it. In addition to the above, you will find a number of other things that you can do to make your life easier. Sakurako basically does not intervene in the battle, but mainly provides support. Since she has the most important role of recovery, she keeps a slight distance in case she has to do so.

　

　The demon wolf was so excited that it couldn't see its surroundings, but when it realized that it had been lured into the hunting ground, it growled lowly while looking sideways at the movements of all of us, trying not to show an opening. In such a stalemate situation, Naoto shot the "Fire Arrow" to break the balance.

"I'm going to activate my skills."

　

　The basic job of a "fighter" has greatly improved my basic abilities, and I can finally unleash my weapon skills.

　

　Yuma protects himself with his shield so that the target doesn't go to the rear guard, and he successfully gains the Demon Wolf's hate with small attacks. Then, he activates "Slash" at the moment when their attention to me is reduced.

　

　Every muscle in my body was switched on, and my body automatically shifted into a skill motion. The slash, which surpasses the movements of an ordinary person and reaches the realm of an expert, contains a terrifying power. Even the thick fur of a demon wolf can be easily sliced through with this skill.

　

　Even though he fired the Slash from behind and took advantage of an opening, the demon wolf avoided a fatal wound by twisting his body just in time. This is why the monsters on the 6th floor are not to be underestimated. The wounded demon wolf could not move well and tried to pull back to get away from the distance, but Yuma quickly closed the distance and thrust his sword, and Naoto thrust his dagger from behind.

"This is the tenth one. It's a good pace, but I think we should take a break here."

"I can still do more."

"No, we should take a break here. From this floor on, we'll have to be at our best state."

　

　It was Saturday, so the four of us had entered the dungeon early in the morning and had already hunted down ten demon wolves. When I suggested we take a break, the glaring-eyed Yuma insisted we continue. But Naoto stops him, saying that he's being overzealous and that we should take a break.

　

　The battle against the demon wolf earlier only lasted a little over a minute, but even in such a short time, a fight to the death with your life on the line takes a lot out of your mental strength. And even though you only activate your skills once per battle, it's better to give yourself enough time to reuse them and recover your MP.

"It's a little early, but why don't we have lunch?I've made you a sandwich with lots of delicious meat and vegetables."

"I'm starving too. Sakurako's lunches are really delicious. I'm looking forward to it."

"Then me and Yuma will set it up. Yuma, set out the plates."

"There's also soup in this magic container. Can you share it with us?"

　

　The four of us sat down for lunch. This campsite is a safe place where monsters don't pop, so unless someone brings a monster in, we can sit back and relax. Other adventurers may come, but since it's only big enough for one party to hunt, the first one to set up basically gets priority. In other words, we have the place to ourselves.

　

　In the large basket that Sakurako had brought, there were sandwiches lined up with a variety of colorful ingredients. In another bag, there was a container with heat-retaining magic, and inside it seemed to be vegetable soup. It must have been very soft and flavorful since it had been simmering for a long time. I could smell the delicious aroma.

"This taste is soothing."

"There's a lot of food here, so don't hesitate to have another helping."

　

　It's simple, but the mixture of many vegetables makes it very flavorful. The saltiness of the sandwich is also comforting to my tired body. I was tempted to gobble it up, but I had to be careful to eat as slowly as possible. I'm a girl of appropriate age.

(TL: Basically she is a girl of marriageable age or a a maiden who need to take care of her appearance in front of others.)

　

　When I looked next to me, I saw Yuma with a difficult look on his face. After losing to Kariya, he was trying to keep his spirits up, but now his mental state has deteriorated to the point where he can't even do that. Perhaps it was because of his visit to the First Sword Club the other day.

　

　Yesterday, in the sword-fighting class, I had scared the boys in duel. That would have made it impossible to practice properly.

　

　Naoto also thought about it when he saw the expression on Yuma's face.

"We are friends who overcome hardships together. So, Yuma,  please don't get too worked up about this."

"......"

　

　What's going on? If you have a problem, talk to me about it. It is the same for me, Kaworu and Sakurako that we want to break out of this E-Class predicament. You don't have to face this alone, Naoto said gently. Of course, I want to help, too, and Sakurako nodded her head in agreement.

　

　He exhaled loudly, as if he had given up, and began to talk about what he had been through, with a downcast look in his eyes. How he felt after losing to Kariya. And what happened at the First  Sword Club.

　

　When I asked him about it, he said that losing to Kariya was not that damaging. Although he had been beaten flamboyantly, he knew that there were people above him, and he knew that he was inexperienced. He just felt bad that he had put everyone in Class E in a tight spot.

　

　As for what happened at the First Sword Club, it was ...... shocking.

　

　If you really want to join, you have to fight 1:1 with the weakest member of the club and try to win, they made you a spectacle, and if you lost then you were kicked out. He was given the humiliating handicap of not being able to move an inch and using only his right arm.

　

　At that time, he said that all the members of the club abused him as hi is in class E as well. Yuma's pride in becoming the strongest was trampled on, and since then he has lost all of his composure, and he is depressed with tears in the corners of his eyes.

　

　On his way back home, drooping, he was approached by the members of the 4th Sword Club who asked him to join them. He withhold his answer. He said that he felt defeated to join there and didn't know what to do.

　

　We couldn't say anything at the heartbreaking confession.

　

　While I wanted to feel sorry for him, it could have happened to me. Those of us in the same position have no right to feel sorry for him, and we are not in that situation. All we can do is face it together.

"The Fourth Sword Club ......, the one in hakama who was talking on the stage at the recruitment ceremony, was the head of the club?"

"Oh. The assistant director was there when they approached me."

　

　The recruitment ceremony for the club activities is an abomination for Class E. The senior in hakama on the stage was also one of those fighting against the upper class. I could feel the determination or spirit in her words.

"Would you like to meet with the people of the Fourth Sword Club again?"

"It might be a good idea to talk to them.

"Hmm. Whether or not you join that club, you might find something useful in the Fourth Sword Club.

　

　When I suggested that I would like to meet the Fourth Swordsmanship Club to see what they do to train, Sakurako immediately agreed. Naoto pondered that it might be helpful in deciding the future course of action for E-Class. He thought that the experience of those who had gone through the same, if not more, hardships as us would be useful.

"This year, we probably won't be able to get into the top class. But we will do everything we can. I'm going to spare no effort in everything I can to steadily build up my strength and become stronger."

"Yes. First is the class competition, right?

"The exam is next month. ......

　

　This is the first time that Class E will be competing against other classes in a class competition. However, it is impossible to say whether we, who have just entered the adventurer school, can fight properly against the top class.

　

　Now that I've done a full-fledged dungeon dive, I can tell you that from the fifth floor onward, the monsters are not easy to deal with, and every battle is as deadly as if you were walking a tightrope. In addition to the increasing number of injuries, the amount of experience required to reach the next level makes it predictable that growth from this point onward will be like walking a cow.

　

　In spite of this, all of the higher classes - even the D class - are able to hunt at a level lower than this sixth floor. For us E class to reach that level, we need more time anyway.

　

　Will we be able to compete with the D class and the C class above them in one more year? I'm not sure, but we have to try.

""I thought about creating a club as a way to increase the strength of Class E, but I think I'll think about it after I hear what Omiya and the student council have to say.  ...... Well, even if that discussion goes well and we get permission to set up the club, it will take about a month to complete the formalities.

　

I heard that Omiya-san is currently negotiating with the student council to establish a club. To be honest, I'm not sure if the student council, which is full of aristocrats, will listen to us E class.

　

　And even if they do give us permission, it will take about a month due to the budget and the advisor's schedule. The inter-class competition was coming up in half a month. There is no time to utilize the club activities.

"So, ...... are we  going to hold our own practice sessions to gather classmates who are struggling to raise their levels and help them with their swordplay and magic.

　

　He threw out an email last night inviting classmates of level 3 and below who have not been able to raise their levels as much as they would like to practice during holidays and after school. He said he would expand the program as more people wanted to join. He also asked me if I would be interested in helping out.

"I have experience in kendo, so I can teach you sword fighting, but I need you to teach me magic.

"I've studied a little archery myself. I've studied archery a little, but not enough to teach it.

"As for recovery magic, well, I think I can help.

　

　I was so happy to see how much Naoto cares about his classmates. I immediately replied that I, as well as Yuma and Sakurako, would like to help.

　

　Class promotion is judged on an individual student basis, but there are also a number of exams where grades are given to a group of students, like a class competition. In order to catch up with the top classes, it is only natural to work together, and I would like to focus on improving the strength of my classmates.

"Speaking of raising the level of strength, you were also working on your own, weren't you, Majima? It seemed like he was teaching dungeon diving along with some of his classmates.

"Yes Majima Hiro, His swordsmanship was pretty high level too. Maybe he has kendo experience like Kaworu."

　

　I remember when he introduced myself, it was a male student who boldly stated that he was from a samurai family and would become a [samurai]. I'm sure he had a lot of trouble at the club's recruitment ceremony, but he turned it down because he was supposed to go with us, but I like the way he quickly recovered and tried to do his best.

"By the way, did you hear about the ...... rumor?"

"What kind of rumour?"

"Narumi-kun was called by Kusunoki-san, a second-year student.

"Kusunoki?...... Are you sure it's Kusunoki Mica Kirara from Horyu(eight dragons)?"

　

　The eight dragons refer to the eight major factions that practically run this school. The First Sword Club and the Student Council that I mentioned earlier are also part of the Eight Dragons. Kusunoki is the next head of the Thief Research Club, one of the eight dragons, and she's a big name in the adventuring school.

　

　She was the kind of person who usually walked around with a lot of cronies, but she came to class E by herself and called Sota.

"By the way, have Narumi and Kusunoki Mica known each other for a long time?"

"No, I don't know. Sota and I are both ordinary commoners. That senior is a nobleman, right? I don't think they had any contact before we joined this school."

　

The world in which commoners and aristocrats live is completely different. Nevertheless, this adventurer school, which has mixed them, can be said to be a very unique place.

"I'm curious about the fact that she came directly to him, when she could have used her cronies to call him out if there was something wrong. If you don't mind, could you get it out of Narumi? We might be able to use this."

"'That would be great, but don't get your hopes up, just wait and see."

　

　If there is a connection between Sota and Kusunoki, it could be used to establish a club or communicate with the student council, but it's hard to imagine that Sota has any connection with such a big name.

　

　--By the way, speaking of Sota.

　

 I was surprised when I saw him for the first time yesterday. He had been eating uncontrollably and had gained a lot of weight, but he had lost so much weight that it reminded me of his old self. I felt my heart tighten as I recalled the sealed memory of my "first love" with Sota.

(TL: haaah.....here we go again)

　

　But now I don't have such feelings at all ....... I was just surprised at how much I had lost my feelings for him.

　

　But still, a diet like that is not unusual. It's not just that he  has just lost weight, but he has also gained a surprising amount of muscle in his upper body. The forearms and neck area that could be seen from the outside were raised. I wondered if he had been doing some special training.

　

　His disgusting glances at me have recently disappeared, and he no longer comes at me everywhere. There is no doubt that Sota has changed a lot in this short period of time. However, the database on the terminal shows that he is still level 3.

　

　I'll ask him about it on my way to school, including his relationship with Kusunoki.

(*1) Fishing

To lure a monster by using a remote attack or skill to inflict hate on it. When hunting with a party, you basically fight in a safe zone where you won't be interrupted by other monsters, so the act of "fishing" monsters from a distance is essential.

TL Note- Well it has be like 2 weeks break, I was waiting for the author to come back from hiatus so here we are. Chapters will come weekly unless chapters are sponsored. You can sponsor Chapter though Kofi, by clicking the support me button or visiting the Valhalla kofi page.

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