Chapter 63 – Ready, fight! - part 1

After bathing and changing clothes, Nozomu and the others met the girls in the main room at a table. Most students were already there, and a few were still arriving.

The moment Nozomu sat, Chujitsuna asked, “You got a nice bath, Nozomu? I had a fantastic one with these two pretty girls! Man, Tresuria has a nice body, but Taisetsuna? She is gorgeous! I just wanted to lick her all over, but she didn’t let me!”

Nozomu almost choked and said when he noticed the redness on Taisetsuna’s face, and the angry look that Tresuria was trying to disguise, “You shouldn’t say things like that, Chuji. You might make Taisetsuna or Tresuria angry at you.”

She immediately turned to face Tresuria and noticed the frown she had on her forehead, which she was trying to hide by caressing Draiky’s, who was seated on her lap. “Oh! You are right… I didn’t think…”

Tresuria retorted without looking at her, “That is one terrible trait you have, speaking without thinking first.”

“Yeah, I know. People often say that to me. But then again, it is also what makes me so darn funny most of the time! But I think I got Nozomu’s hint.”

Tresuria looked at her, somewhat surprised, and was greeted with a gentle smile that made her heart skip a beat. She looked down at Draiky and went silent once again.
The Academy servants put plates with food and trays with side dishes on the tables of the new students, and they all ate, whispering about the events that happened in the morning regarding the Dragons.
...

After finishing, Taisetsuna and her group went outside after getting their weapons and armour from their rooms to get some fresh air and relax before the start of the class.
She noticed a group of cooks near the waggons that had the dead Goblins, all looking at the pile of dead bodies, and she approached them.

One cook noticed her and asked, “Do you have any idea of what you want to do with them? Because we can’t have all these dead bodies here, dripping blood on the ground and going rotten. The stench will be unbearable tomorrow.”

Before Taisetsuna could answer, she felt the soil trembling, and a powerful voice spoke from above her. “I could have a snack. Goblins’ meat is not good for meat sacs.”

Taisetsuna looked up and asked the enormous head, “Didn’t you say you ate two Drakes this morning, Hinotsume? Are you still hungry?”

“The Drakes were kind of tiny. Normally, I would only eat tomorrow, but since you have so many Goblins here, I might as well make some effort and eat them. I can also roast some and save them for tomorrow afternoon, or the day after. Roasted meat lasts longer.”

“Sure, that’s fine by me. But weren’t you supposed to go somewhere with Mizukonta? Where is she, by the way?”

“On that open field where your Principal said you were going to have classes after lunch. We went to the mountain range to check things there, and we got curious about what kind of classes you have here. So, we came to watch. And eat those Goblins while we are at it.”

Taisetsuna shrugged and pointed at the nearest waggon. “I guess that’s okay. Take it, they are all yours.”

“What about the waggons? It would probably be better if you asked those horned horses that are frowning at me to bring the waggons. If I do it, I might break them.”

“Their names are Rampage and Furnace, Hinotsume… Do you mind stopping insulting everyone? For an ancient Dragon, you are rather rude, you know?”

The enormous red Dragon turned back and walked on his four massive paws as he answered, “Like if I care what horned horses are named or if they get offended. Come on, chop, chop! Put them to work!”

Taisetsuna tapped Furnace’s side to calm her, while Nozomu was grabbing Rampage’s head, trying to stop him from shooting an electrical ball at the grumpy red Dragon’s back.

Hinen said, with a puzzled look, “Is it just me, or that Dragon made another weird joke?”

Chujitsuna Hito answered while muffling her laughter, “Pfft!… He sure is funny, I give him that! Let me take one waggon, you guys pull another. It is probably better if the Unicorns stay here because they look angry.”

Taisetsuna pulled a waggon, Hinen and Robert went to another, Nozomu paired with Tresuria and Draiky, and they all followed the smiling Snake-kind girl.
They placed the waggons near the wall of the Academy, where Hinotsume and Mizukonta were, and went back to get the other waggons.
When they brought all of them, they sat on the floor with their backs leaning on the wall while the two Dragons carefully picked up one waggon, grabbed one Goblin at a time with the tip of two claws, and calmly ate.

Hinotsume asked while munching, “You know… chomp… chomp… this is kind of fun… chomp… chomp… enjoying the sun, snacking near friends… chomp… chomp...”

Nozomu looked up at the enormous mouth dripping blood and said, “Mouth closed! No one wants to see that gross image! And don’t speak while eating! Sometimes you are like a little kid, Hinotsume!”

“Hey!… chomp… chomp... Whom are you calling kid?”

“Close your mouth! Do I need to slap your butt for you to learn some manners?”

Hinotsume frowned and did as Nozomu said, and Mizukonta spoke, “I always tell him that, but he never learns. I think he does that on purpose to annoy me, you know? Males are all alike. No matter if they are Dragons or any other kind, they are all a bunch of stupid beings. It is a pity that we females need them to breed.”

The big red Dragon spoke with a big grin on his massive lips, “You say that, but I know you love me. So, when are classes going to start, anyway? Not that I am in a hurry or anything, but I am curious.”

Nozomu answered while resting his head on the wall behind him and closing his eyes. “No idea. That Academy Assistant said when he was taking us to our rooms that after lunch, the class would be here. That’s all I know. I guess we will have to wait and see.”

From their left, a Lion-kind male voice spoke, “What are they doing here? They are here for you to brag about them, is that it?”

Taisetsuna faced the frowning boy that was looking at her and shrugged. “They want to see what classes we have here. Why? They scare you that much?”

“Who said I am scared, dumbass? I just don’t like braggers!”

“That coming from someone that said with a full mouth that he was going to make a High-Grade Healing Potion and went to sleep after drinking it, it’s not even funny, you know? It is just pitiful.”

“What did you say, girl? Do you want me to teach you a lesson? No one speaks like that to me!”

Hinotsume’s thundering voice made the ground tremble when he spoke. “Oh, really? And what are you going to do about it, meat sac? Your kind is rather amusing, you know? You are all so full of yourselves, ready to fight anyone, with no regard whatsoever! And then they all die…”

The angry-looking boy pointed an accusing finger at the enormous head at five metres high that was munching a Goblin, peacefully seated on the ground with a waggon on his paws, and said, “You are one to talk! You are not that big of a deal yourself if this dumb Human could defeat you! I can take you any day!”

“Really? Like I said, amusing. Do you know what Dragons say about your kind, meat sac? ‘If we want to fight, we call a Lion-kind to help. But if we want to win, we call someone else’. You wouldn’t be able to defeat that tiny pet plant over there, let alone a Dragon! Do you know why Dragons don’t like to fight pet plants? Because they regenerate their bodies and severed limbs, and they keep on attacking to protect their Gailies! When was the last time you regenerated one of your arms or legs, meat sac? Now shut up. You are interrupting our free time. Go find a Scaraar to play with. Those stupid things will for sure be your best friends in the World!”

The Lion-kind boy was about to say something, but then the other members of his Party arrived and pulled him away while covering his mouth.

One Human boy made a timid wave with his hand to Hinotsume and said with a trembling voice, “Forgive him, oh great one! He has no manners, but we will try to keep him away!”

“Yes, you do that! Preferably out of my sight! I never liked Lion-kinds that much. They are all stupid fools that don’t know any better, and I am too old to teach him manners!”

The boy rushed to meet his group, and Hinotsume put the empty waggon on the ground and picked up another while snorting. “Meat sacs… Why do they never learn? Centuries upon centuries and centuries...”

Nozomu slowly shook his head and closed his eyes again, enjoying the heat of the sun on his body.
…

Almost one hour later, a Dwarf woman and a Cat-kind man arrived. She clapped her hands to call for attention, and introduced herself, “For the ones that don’t know us, I am Muse Sirel, the Fighting Teacher, and he is Egar Gage, Master swordsman and the Strategy Teacher. After passing the try-outs, we now want to see what you can do during a fight to figure out how to adjust our classes. So, first, armed fights, one on one, and then unarmed fights. A fight stops when one of you is unconscious, quits, or loses by first blood. Choose your opponents, preferably from another Party. You will have other opportunities to test your Party members. Who wants to go first?”

The Lion-kind boy immediately raised his arm. “I want to go first, and I challenge him!”

Everyone looked at whom he was pointing his sword, and Nozomu asked, “Really? You want to challenge me, of all these people around here?”

“Yeah, you! Afraid of a friendly fight or what?”

“Yes, I am frightened. So, I refuse. Choose someone else.”

The Teacher Egar Gage spoke with a slight grin, “I think none of us said that you could refuse a challenge, did we?”

“No, but I still don’t want to do it. That kid is too weird for my taste. He will try to kill me for sure, and I have no intention of dying or killing him today. So, thanks, but no thanks.”

Taisetsuna pushed him ahead with a grin. “Oh, come on! Take that stupid smile off his face! He won’t be able to kill you. As for you killing him, I am not that sure, but if he dies, he won’t be missed around here!”

The Cat-kind Teacher tapped Nozomu’s back and signalled for everyone to clear the space. “Of you go. Everyone, make a wide circle!”

Nozomu looked at the strange boy, who was clenching his teeth and growling. He sighed, raised his sword breaker a bit, and put the buckler protecting his chest, lowering his body and tensioning his muscles next, getting ready for the fight.
The Teacher told them to prepare, and after counting to three, he ordered them to start.
Nozomu and the boy jumped at each other at the same time, and when the Lion-kind was making a side slash to hit him, Nozomu didn’t even bother with it; he kept going ahead and hit him straight in the chest.
As the boy was taking a step back to recover his balance, he got hit in the chin from Nozomu’s sword hilt, and when he tried to make a downward slash, he hit the air because Nozomu took one step to the left, getting away from the blow.

Then, a shout alerted them, “Stop! Back away, you two! The fight has already ended!”

The Lion-kind boy faced the Teacher with an angry look and asked, “Why did you stop us? We barely started!”

“Touch your chin. Teacher Muse Sirel said it ended in first blood. You have a cut there.”

The boy looked at the blood on his fingers after touching his chin, and grumped, “This is just a scratch! This doesn’t count!”

“First blood! You have blood, you lose! Next!”