Chapter 104: The Dream and the Wizard
I know <that this is a dream>.
My hands feel disgustingly warm. There is something warm and slimy wrapped around my body. The contamination of Human Stagnation filled the air around me and made breathing difficult.
“(gasp)........(gasp).........”
I squeeze breath out of my lungs. Even though I am very familiar walking in this forest, I can’t move forward at all under the light of the moon. I let my [Dark Cloud] go ahead of me as I walk behind it. Harsh rain drums against my body and the sound of thunder beats down on my eardrums.
“No……...no…..!”
My brain is refusing to accept the things that happened right before my eyes. It’s triggering my nausea as I feel the stomach acid come up my throat. Dead. Everyone’s dead.
“I don’t wanna die……..I don’t wanna die…….”
Someone is chasing me down from behind. I know that much, but I don’t know who it is. Is it the person who committed those atrocities? Or is it someone escaping from it just like me….
“Why did all this happen to us…….”
Lightning flashes and thunder immediately follows.
The next instant, I felt the presence behind me.
“HE-HA-HA-HA!!!”
<POW!!>
In the rain, I manage to barely dodge a large stone flying towards me and hear it collide against the tree behind me. I look behind me to see a large, gaping hole in its trunk.
“Ah, as expected of our town’s genius! It’s the first time anyone’s dodged my Spell!”
“........why……...why did you…….”
The rain leaves us both drenched.
“Isn’t that obvious? If I didn’t, <I would have been killed>.” “Is that…..is that why you killed everyone?!”
The boy in front of me did not confirm or deny the accusation. Silently, he manipulated his Magic Power. I could not recognize what he was doing at the time. I didn’t even know how to detect that kind of thing.
But my body moved instinctively on its own.
“[Those who crawl and suffer, come out from the darkness]!!”
“[Stone] Tetsuraーー”
“[DEVOUR HIM]!”
<ZUN!!> (*sfx)
The ground below the boy is tainted by a giant shadow, and countless sharp, twisted teeth emerge from it. It chomped down hard against the boy’s lower body.
Before my eyes, before the boy could finish his incantation, with overwhelming speed and unimaginable power, the jaws of the earth tear the boy in two.
“DAMMIT…….dammit-dammit-dammit…..”
With just his upper body now, the boy continues to curse repeatedly.
“........I knew it…...it’s all about talent after all……”
I want to help him…….but I can’t…..
If I help him, I’ll be the one who’ll be killed.
If I didn’t take him down, it would’ve been me who would have died.
Watching the life drain out of him, I just stood there and watched him die.
“I knew it. The rumors were true about you <YOORI>!”
With those words, I awoke.
I woke up on the top bunk. Just the other day, the school sent out a repairman to fix the broken window frame. Below me, my roommate who’s definitely not a morning person is still asleep. I get out of bed and get dressed.
As I climb down, I see his sleeping face.
Yoori: “.........Igni……”
Today, his face is scrunched up. I wonder if he’s having a bad dream.
I thought about waking him up, but from experience, I know that he’ll just fall right back asleep.
Yoori: “If you were there……”
A pointless "IF" scenario.
But I think about these things because I’m human.
Yoori: “Would you have saved me?” No one will ever know what would have happened then.
And even for Yoori, he sought no answer to that question.
<<<<>>>>
Yoori: “It’s almost the summer break.”
Igni: “Yeah, it’s gotten warm.”
They both were dressed in the summer school uniform and walked towards the school. On the way there, the met up with a Witch who rode on a broom and a girl walking beside her.
Igni: “Yoori, are you going anywhere for summer break?” Yoori: “I’m thinking about going back to visit my family. I haven’t gone back once since coming here.”
Igni: “Family, huh….”
Igni doesn’t have a family to return to, so it’s not something he can relate easily. He thought about how wherever his Grandfather was would be considered his home, but his grandfather has strong wandering habits and would never be able to settle down in one place.
In short, Igni doesn’t have a home.
Yoori: “What will you do, Igni?” Igni: “I……...need to train more, so I’ll find a place to do so.”
Yoori: “That’s amazing. You’re a hard worker as always, Igni.”
Although Igni wasn’t talking about Spells but rather, his skills on how to become more Popular, no one got his real message. Actually, he meant for it to sound ambiguous in the first place. A man who says I’m going to train to become more Popular wouldn’t able to become Popular.
Igni: “Alicia, what about you?”
Alicia: “Me? I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here the entire time.”
Considering Alicia’s situation, it’ll be awkward for her to return home right now. She’s apparently communicating with them periodically but that doesn’t mean that she’ll be able to go home so easily.
But part of the problem is how Alicia feels as well.
Alicia: “What about you, Lilly?”
Alicia decided to toss the question to another.
Lilly: “I will return home once. Lura and Lady Clara will be waiting for me.”
Alicia: “I see. What about you, Iris?” Alicia continues tossing the question around.
Iris: “Me? I haven’t thought about it.”
Iris held an annoyed hand to her eyes against the bright morning sun
Igni: “I’d like to go somewhere with Sara during the summer break.”
Alicia: “Yes, it’ll be sad if she’s left down there the whole time.”
Igni: “But where should we go? We went to the beach already. We already went to the forest…...I guess, what’s left is the mountains?” Alicia: “A hike up a mountain? That sounds like fun.”
Igni: “I hope Sara can walk the whole way though.”
And they continue to chat as they arrive at school. Igni has some business with the Student council so they split up there.
The school is equipped with a Magecraft Artifact that dispenses cool air so it’s quite refreshing inside.
Miko: “Hey 1st Years. You guys are late today.”
Igni: “I was looking for my summer uniform and lost track of tim……..”
Igni’s words fade into the air.
There was a bomb before his eyes.
Before, President Miru’s breasts were hidden under thick layers of the winter school uniform, but now came back with a vengeance in the summer uniform.
And the summer uniform is short sleeves. With short sleeves, what will happen?!
That’s right…..! You can see their second arm! (specifically the bicep/tricep area).
<<<<>>>>
[Grandpa, what’s this?!]
[What are you referring to……...oh? When did you buy this picture?]
[No! I found it on the ground!!”
Igni was holding a niche picture that was emphasizing the “second arm”.
[You picked up something amazing. This is an expensive piece of work……]
[No, not that! Why the second arm?! That’s weird!]
[What’s weird about it?]
[Because…..! I get it if it’s a picture of a breast or rear, but why the second arm?! It’s just an arm!!]
<SLAP!!>
[WhーWhat…….?!]
[..........(sigh). I’m disappointed in you, Igni.”
[AーAbout what?!]
[I’m severely disappointed in you. The second arm is just an arm? You don’t understand. You don’t understand anything.]
[.......whーwhat do you mean?! What are you getting at?!]
[If the second arm is just an arm, the breast is just a solid piece of fat. The rear end is also just a piece of fat. Am I wrong?]
[.......but that’s…..]
Igni was at a loss for words.
[But no, it’s not like that at all. Neither the breast nor the rear is simply a ball of fat. In it, it is chock full.]
[WーWith what……?]
Lucas falls silent, and looks directly at Igni.
[ーーit's full of dreams, no?]
[WHOOOOOOOAAAAAAA!!!]
[It’s the same with the second arm! Unlike men, it is soft, pleasant to touch, and in it, it is filled to the brim with dreams!!]
[IーIs it really……!]
[Igni! Do not ever forget about this even after a good night’s rest!!]
[Since we’re talking about dreams?]
<SLAP!!>
[That’s a stupid joke!!]
Igni was beaten up relentlessly by Lucas’ logic.
<<<<>>>>
But……..!
If it was just a second arm, Igni wouldn’t get so excited…….!!
But there are moments when even the second arm can become overwhelmingly powerful……..!!
That’s when she supports her breasts with her arms……….!!!
Her pale white skin glisten as they stand alongside the emphasized breasts……!!
And on top of it all, this is one of the Student Council’s Top 2 President Miru’s breasts………!!!
Igni: (It’s…….incredible……..!!)
Miru: “Okay, ready to do our morning patrol?”
With that, Miru gets up out of her seat.
Igni: “Yes, let’s!!”
From very early in the day, Igni’s excitement was through the roof.
<<<<>>>>
CHONK TL LiT (Lost in Translation)
Ni-No-Ude (二の腕)
No, not Ni-No-Kuni. Ni-No-Ude. Literally, the second arm or the second part of the arm. This is somewhat of a fetish, but for those concerned about their physical appearances, people in both Japan and the U.S. worry about their arms looking fat. In Japan, the area is referred to as the “second arm” but it more specifically refers to the bicep and tricep area. In most cases, people will point or tug at the fat on their tricep and refer to that as the “second arm”.