It's been about 3 weeks since the battle with Tiamat. One way or another, thanks to Shishō's treatment, I get to live my usual life.

Shishō's medicine seems to be her original, and although it does not have the rapid restoration of a potion, it seems to be a medicine that reasonably enhances the healing ability of the body.

Aside from places like the battlefield where immediate recovery is required, it is a very reliable medicine in the city where you can rest slowly.

However, I couldn't move for the past 3 weeks, and I was absent from school for 3 days without notice, so when I attend school for the first time in 3 days, I was pressed considerably by Anri-sensei and it becomes a difficult situation. But surprisingly, the absence without notice for 3 days and 3 weeks to recover the injury did not make much racket at the school.

After 3 days of absence, I attend school for the first time, Mars saw the wound on my body.

"What? Did you walk down the road and get hit by a carriage? It's just too lame."

Like always, He made a fool of me, and since the people around were in tune with it, that's why it became unsettling.

One of the reasons is that I didn't deny it either.

However, Anri-sensei was not deceived, and she called me for a sermon course in her staff room.

"Nozomu-kun, what are you hiding ~~~. To have such an injury after being absent without notice, It's not normal ~~~"

"No, it's not a big deal. I just got hurt while I was working ..."

"That's a lie. Nozomu-kun entered the forest, right ~. A dragon will come out is just a rumor, but even so, a powerful demon beast in the depths of the forest may come near the highway ~ "

…………I’m sorry. It was really a dragon. Moreover, as a result, I defeated it.

I couldn't say that, after all, I insisted that there was an accident at work and I was involved in it.

"Then why absent without notice~? Nozomu-kun lives in the dormitory so you can contact the school~."

"I had a fever and fell asleep because of my injury. And there are no classmates in this school who care about me ......"

………… I feel a little sad when I say it myself. Indeed, I don't have any friends, and I can't really tell the truth.

I tried to escape from here somehow,

“……………… Hic”

Anri-sensei started crying.

I'm confused by the sudden thing.

"Eh, what happened suddenly?"

"E~~n! Nozomu-kun doesn't believe me ~~~ !! Such half-serving reliance ~~ !!"

"E, eh. No, it's not like that. Why does the story become like that!!"

"Because you didn't tell me the truth ~~~ !! Those wounds are battle wounds by any means, I didn't hear about any accidents in the city, and the medicines used for treatments are not available in this city~~!!"

………… It seems that it was impossible to deceive.

But I can't tell her the truth. The battle between me, who is trying to deceive her, and Anri-sensei, who is trying to ask me while crying, continues for a while. ………… Rather, Anri-sensei's crying face is a foul.

A beautiful woman staring at me with tears in her gentle eyes. And she's just worried about me.

If a guy see that expression, that guy will probably listen to anything she’s saying.

... or rather, this person is the type who naturally makes a man swoon, and it's even worse because she isn't aware of it.

"Nozomu-kun ………… Can’t you tell me?"

That's foul! !! !! !!

Speaking of the results, the bell of the beginning of a lesson ended the Anri-sensei's teary-eyed attack sermon. I left the staff room to escape. But after all, Anri-sensei seemed dissatisfied and was angry all the time during the morning class.

……………… Forgive me, Sensei.

"Nozomu-kun! Don't solve this question without using Baud~!"

And I become the center of target intensively during class.

………… Anri-sensei, how much more are you immature ………….

In the afternoon, a combat technique class. It is the same simulated battle class as before. My opponent is ....

"You again? the lowest"

It's Mars again.

"You're out of luck, continue to accompany me like the other day. Well, whoever your partner is, you will not necessarily win. Hahahahahahahaha !!"

As usual, I ignore Mars who makes a fool of people, stand in my own standing position, and confirm my own condition.

Looks like the injury is okay. It has healed properly.

The katana is also ok. Although it is an imitation, it feels almost the same as my own.

Ability Suppression ………… It seems that it can be released.

But ……………… I will not release it.

I dreamed of Tiamat, and I felt a bit of anxiety at that time. And I have a feeling that something of me will be broken by releasing it.

I hesitated to release the chain.

"Then, start ~~"

Mars approaches me with the shout of Norn-sensei.

Maybe He is going to crush me from the beginning, it seems this time He has already used physical strengthening by Qi.

Keep an eye on the rushing Mars and use Qi to improve my physical strength.

"Crush it !!!"

Mars tried to swing the greatsword down from the top and changed it to sideways.

I rotate my body to gain momentum and swing my katana up under the launching greatsword. The katana launches and deflects Mars's greatsword.

Marus immediately corrects the trajectory of his sword and swings it down.

I turned my wrist back and held the katana diagonally against Mars's greatsword. At the same time, relax my legs to absorb the impact and parry the greatsword.

By being a dragon slayer, the slightly increased physical ability made it possible to parry Mars's slash without destroying my posture.

With that opportunity, I step forward and brandish the katana.

Mars prevented it with a gauntlet like last time, but I already consider it.

At the moment of the slash, I deliberately relaxed. The katana can be defended by the gauntlet, but by being relaxed, I can immediately move on to the next action.

Using the momentum of the katana that was swung, with one step further, released one hand from the katana, and put the momentum of the step into the fist, and a severe fist is hit into Mars' abdomen.

"Gat!"

Mars's face is distorted in agony. The body posture breaks.

Then, holding Mars's head down, hitting a knee kick into his face.

Mars staggers while spewing nosebleeds.

I tried to make more attacks, but ...

"This.... This traaaaaaaaassshhh!!!"

A large amount of energy erupted with Mars's screaming.

Pushed by the randomly released Qi, I temporarily stepped back from our respective distances.

Mars glares at me with an angry look.

The unexpected counterattack from the weak me who had just crawled sometime ago. He is completely angry.

"Kill! This damn guy !! I'll definitely kill you !!!"

Mars sent his energy to the greatsword while in rage. The poured Qi becomes a blade of fierce wind and clings to the big sword.

Qi technique "Rift Blade"

It is a technique of chopping an object with a wind-enveloped sword.

Also, the wind around the sword blows off the opponent's defense, so there is no choice but to avoid it with enough strength or prevent it from being blown off by the blade of the wind.

Marus swings the blade of the wind-down to me.

I see through the trajectory of the blade and dodge it, but Mars fires a series of attacks as it was.

I keep dodging the blade. With my strength, even if I try to parry the current Mars's slash, it will be repelled by the surrounding wind.

However, Mars's sword attack, which is dominated by anger, is more monotonous than during the previous mock battle, so there is no problem in continuing to dodge.

What made this possible was a slight increase in physical ability.

Under the situation where Ability Suppression is effective, my current physical ability is still inferior to other students.

Even so, the slight increase in ability had greatly expanded the range of my fighting style.

Until now, there was no choice but to parry it off, but now it is possible to somehow dodge Mars's slashing by strengthening my body and concentrating on evasion.

While feeling my own growth, I started preparing for the next move.

"What's going on!"

Mars was obviously perplexed by my movement which is different than before.

"Why can't my slash hit him !!!"

Until now, I couldn't move like this.

When I received the greatsword, I staggered, and the only way to dodge it was to roll on the ground.

Recently, I moved so well, even so, the outcome is not any different, and eventually, I just rolled on the ground again.

However, currently, He couldn't see such a movement.

The movement itself is slow compared to before, but it is an extremely accurate evasion. Not only his slash but also the sword-enveloped wind seems to be left behind.

When he suddenly saw my face, my facial expression doesn't show any impatience, but confidence instead. Confidence I have completely seen his sword.

***

Mars’s POV

"Such thing !!! It's impossible!!"

He is at the bottom of the second year. But I am superior in practical skills confrontation.

I am confident that my ability will work even in B rank.

I Suddenly remembered his skill.

"Ability suppression”

A skill that reduces the ability of the person below a certain level. Certainly, he must have been limited in power, energy, and magic.

I wonder how strong the guy who was seen through my sword with such shackles would have been. And how much training did he have to improve his physical ability even with such shackles?

“………… I can't accept it. How can I accept it!”

Emotion killed my sense of danger that calmly judge his hidden ability.

That was the cause of my defeat.

***

Mars is always confident in his power. He was born with a lot of energy, a good physique, and became stronger immediately, so no one around him could beat him.

He is still in the 10th class, but he is capable. Such pride in his power clouded his eyes.

Nozomu was slightly out of shape due to Mars's slash. Mars swings his sword down, but it's Nozomu's trap.

Nozomu, who seemed to have collapsed, instantly regained his position and jumped backward, Mars's sword pierced the ground, and the wind blade wrapped around the sword rolled up the soil around him, obstructing his view.

"Daaaammmnnn !!"

The impatient Mars releases the wind blade enveloping his sword in the direction in which Nozomu is believed to be now.

Qi technique "Splitting Hammer"

The blades of the wind become a mass of wind and rush like a battering ram.

This move happens to blow away the smoke around him and secure Mars's view, but the sight that shown into his eyes points to his mistake in his choice.

There was no Nozomu before the Splitting Hammer was released, and he was already next to Mars.

When the smoke covered Mars's field of vision, he instantly moved his legs, prepared his katana, and sneaked around to Mars's side.

The lines of sight of the two intersect. Nozomu has already completed the sword-drawing position, and Mars's action is slightly delayed.

Judging that He cannot avoid it. Mars tries to defend it with the gauntlet, but his position collapses, and his actions are slightly delayed.

The moment when Nozomu's sword is pulled out.

Go ~~~ n, go ~~~ n, go ~~~ n

"Oka~y ... the match is over~~. This is the end of today's class, but everyone should review it ~~."

The bell at the end of the lesson rang, and with Anri-sensei's orders, the classmates who were released from the tension of the lesson began to talk about their thoughts.

Nozomu returned his heels as he put the sword he had drawn halfway down.

Mars just stares at Nozomu's back leaving the training ground without saying anything.

***

Mars’s POV

"Hey, Mars. How was it, today's match?"

"It looks like he's safe today. Mars, how many times you have cutting corners, he's too bothersome isn't it!"

The two people around him were saying something, but Mars couldn't hear the word at all.

He is definitely getting stronger. No, was he originally strong and we just didn't notice?

At least his sword skills would definitely be better than mine. The results of today's mock battle show that.

“………… What is this feeling of sickness …………”

I feel uncomfortable. Anger rises from within my chest ... why.

Because he hides his ability?

…………Wrong. At least I don't get angry when I think about him now.

Then to whom ………………………… I see ………… to myself?

………… I have never been so angry with myself.

………… I am proud of my strength. At least I hate those who are weak and can't do anything but do something in the shadows.

And I hate more, those who were trampled and just accept it without resisting even if it is getting further.

Until now, my feelings towards him are exactly that. Even if he is treated as the lowest of the year, he accepts it without changing his facial expression.

He was exactly the one I hate the most.

But how is it actually?

He was more resistant than anyone else. I don't know why, but He was trying to get stronger.

And that effort would be a level that I couldn't even imagine.

I have never heard that humans with Ability Suppression go beyond the limit.

What have we done to him who tries so hard to resist? I think he has been trampled and ridiculed.

While feeling a strong resentment towards myself, I kept watching him leaving the training ground.