Sekai no Owari no Encore:Volume 1 Record.2

Record.2: The Dragon, the Angel, and the MASTERKnight Student

1

The black clouds that covered the sky. The dark clouds that were floating far away within the horizon at noon had now covered the sky above.

The light rain where the raindrop fell bit by bit.

“That was close. It started raining after all.”

It was around that time when Ren returned to the Holy Fiora Journey Academy while carrying a bag of snacks.

……An hour passed since I went for shopping.

……I’m completely sure Phia-senpai is waiting for me.

This all started from the wyvern which wandered in to the town. Luckily the wound Ren received on his forehead was minor. But his back which was smashed to the wall was crying out in intense pain.

Then—

“Yo Ren, what are those snacks for? Are you going to have a party?”

“Don’t tell me it’s a reward you are giving to yourself? A reward for getting ranked fifth within the class huh.”

At the pathway of the school building’s first floor. The ones who was standing there when Ren turned around was three of his classmates.

Ebert who was majoring in MASTERKnight.

And Shen who was majoring in ARIASpellcaster.

“Oh, then I would also like one. I was ranked fourth so give some to me as well. Okay?”

The black hair girl called Mion who was standing between the two boys and was putting her hands forward. She was majoring in HEALERCurer, but she tilted her head when she saw Ren.

“Huh? Hey Ren, what’s with that wound? More importantly, your jacket is torn.”

She pointed at the traces of blood on his forehead. His wound should have been easily missed since his bangs were covering it, but she must have high awareness due to majoring in HEALERCurer.

“Yeah, a lot happened. It isn’t a serious wound.”

I fought a wyvern. Ren kept the words inside his throat.

There’s no point in telling them.

There were many witnesses that saw the wyvern, but there’s no guarantee that they would believe me if I tell them that I fought a wyvern. And I was utterly beaten by it.

“Hmm? Do you need the healing spell? If it’s now, I can do it if for five of your snacks, so how about it?”

“No, these snacks are……”

“Don’t bother Mion. He probably got miserably defeated after someone challenged him to a duel again.”

Ebert rested his hand on Mion’s shoulder.

He’s the MASTERKnight student who was ranked first within the overall result of the test.

He was a head taller than Ren. The reach of his sword that relied on his huge body and the speed of his slashes. There would be only a limited number of high-grade students that could keep up with his sword.

As a MASTERKnight student, he was a student that would be ranked in the top ten of this Academy.

“It happens all the time. Ren losing in a mock-battle that is.”

Shen who was majoring in ARIASpellcaster.

After Ebert, he was ranked second for the test among the class. He ranked second for the written test after Ren. He also succeeded in using a high level spell for the practical where even the instructor was shocked.

And the HEALERCurer Mion.

“Or were you planning to get on the instructor’s good side by handing that to him so he would give you a pass for the promotion test in winter.”

“…..No.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Sorry, but—”

Ren put on a self-mockery smile while he carried the bag full of snack.

“Leave me alone for today. I’m seriously tired. Rather, there’s no point for you guys to waste your time on me, right? The three of you are an excellent student. I honestly think so.”

“?”

I would either ignore them or respond at them. Ebert and Shen who thought Ren would react in such way became speechless and were dumbfounded. Using that moment of silence—

“See ya. I have some business I need to take care of.”

Ren climbed up the stairs towards the second floor.

He didn’t care what the three of them who came back into their senses would be talking about. That was because there was something else going through Ren’s mind.

……Even if I tried to put the shock I had at that time into words, my brain goes blank so nothing would come out of my mouth.

……It’s first time having such experience.

“That girl was really amazing……”

The girl whose strong impression was her sparkling silver hair and artistic sweet appearance.

The Dragon-specie. The superior beings that were called the supreme rulers of the Earth. She defeated a wyvern, even if it wasn’t matured, without allowing it to make a single resistance.

I’m sure it was a spell to control gravitational field, but I have no clue what technique she used.

Spells—

The foundation of it came from the wave-motion of the power used by the high-level beings, the Demons and the Angels. That was what the humans copied it from.

If you were to strictly separate them, only the techniques used by the humans were called “spells”. However, the powers of the Demons and the Angels would be categorised as “miracles” and “mysteries” that would directly affect the natural phenomenon.

It was said that the Demons and the Angels started calling their powers as “spells” after that as well, possibly due to finding the word amusing or finding it convenient.

“But was there even a spell like that? Not only that, it seemed like she was holding back as well......”

If I think about it now, her attitude where she didn’t flinch in front of a Dragon-specie was the sign of her confidence.

The world’s best ARIASpellcaster?

If that was the case, the party she was affiliated with must be one of the best in the world.

“If it’s a famous party, then is it the Sword Saint Shion’s “Investigation of the Spirits”? Another party I can think of would be the “Hermekia Dusk” from the supreme metropolitan Hermekia or the “Canaan Pilgrim Sacred-teaching Boat” if she is the highest-level of ARIASpellcaster. If someone from such famous party would come to this town, there would have been rumours about her before her arrival. Rather, someone from such amazing parties wouldn’t want snacks that were on the street……”

The girl with the magical atmosphere.

She didn’t look like a member of a party. That was why Ren presumed she was a civilian and tried to protect her from the wyvern with his life.

“The beginning of Elline’s adventure was the only one. To journey through the world alone.”

The Sword Emperor who was so strong that he didn’t need to form a party. It stayed that way till the legendary Three Great Princesses gathered under him during the End War. Until then, no one who wanted to form a party with him appeared.

Ren thought about the legend—

“But that girl. I’m sure she said a weird thing……”

Ren vaguely muttered as he walked up the stairs.

“Elline, did you……forget about me?”

Brave Hero lookalike.

He couldn’t remember how many times people said that to him in the past seventeen years, but all of those were said while it was meant that “Ren and the Brave Hero are a different person”.

But that girl was different.

She meant it in a way where Ren and Elline were the same person.

To be more precise, she didn’t understand properly that Elline had passed away. Or else she wouldn’t have said it in such a different way.

On top of that, she spoke as if she really knew the Brave Hero.

……Also, the name she used to introduce herself.

“There’s no way that I, the Dragon-Princess Kyelse, will be beaten by this weakling”

Dragon-Princess Kyelse.

What you would imagine with that name would be the girl who was one of the members of the Sword Emperor Elline’s party. The Princess of the “Heavenly Silver Dragon” which was the oldest Dragon-specie. She was so strong that she was thought to be a mutation of her Dragon-specie. The strongest monster in history that was feared by the Goddess from the Heaven and the Demon-Lord from the Underworld.

The only opponent the Sword Emperor Elline struggled in his battle against. On the other hand, she saw incredible strength after she joined the party led by Elline where she contributed by using her unmeasurable power to suppress the End War.

“It......can’t be.”

Her unmeasurable strength.

And her meaningful words she said when she mistook Ren as Elline.

“No, it simply can’t be. ……For that girl......to be the legendary Dragon-Princess.”

It was because it was said that all of the Three Great Princesses died in battle during the End War.

And the truth was, there was not a single person that saw them after the End War. Elline who was the only survivor continued to travel the world and passed away without people seeing it.

“If that’s the case, maybe she is a member of a famous party after all? Though she looked like she was about my age.”

He headed to the fourth floor of the school building as he muttered.

“Ah, so no one is around here anymore.”

Unlike noon, there were basically no one present at the school building of the Holy Firoa Journey Academy during afterschool.

The beginning-rank students would return home immediately to study their educational subjects.

If you become middle-rank and high-rank students, you would polish your battle skills such as swordsmanship or spells at the club you are in.

The highest-rank student would be finding partners whom they could form a party with. Those with splendid results would be scouted by famous parties and there would be times where they would leave the student town in order to take the test.

“Umm, Phia-senpai’s conference room is—”

The council—.

The committee that handled all of the Academy’s event through the year as well as protecting the public moral and the rules of the school.

You could only be a member by the instructor’s recommendation, but the members were always the one who had good results in the Academy. You could say it was natural for Phia to be chosen.

“……Ah, these are heavy. I don’t have strength left in my arm.”

He turned left to the passage at the fourth floor and walked ahead.

He observed the dull weather where it was raining through the window. He walked towards the room at the end—

“Kyelse, I see that you are also planning to find the Encore as well.”

It was around then when Ren heard a familiar voice from the other side of the door.

……Phia-senpai?

“The last thing he left behind. Do you happen to know the whereabouts of it?”

“I do have several clues.”

The one who answered her question had a younger voice compared to Phia. The voice which sounded beautiful like a ringed bell also carried her strong will—.

……Is it the girl from earlier!?

The silver hair girl who defeated the wyvern with a single attack. It was a sound he heard just before so there was no way he would mistake it.

“Nevertheless, what is your thought on whether it really exists or not in the first place?”

Phia’s calmed voice.

“You, me, and even Elise, there wasn’t a single of us that saw Elline taking notes during the break we had in our journey. It may be a story that the humans made up.”

“That man certainly had time to write the Encore. It was when we were absent.”

The voice that was filled with strength belonged to the silver hair girl.

“The five year void. ……Between the time when the End War ended and Elline’s death. We certainly don’t know what he was doing during that time. All three of us received fatal-like damages so we had our hands full trying to maintain our existence.”

“By the way, are we considered dead among the humans?”

“We sure are. It was just a month ago when you broke free from the seal. Both Elise and I were at the Underworld and the Heaven respectively where we were healing ourselves, so we didn’t appear here on Earth. I think it was natural for them to think so.”

The one who said it with bitterness was Phia.

“Kyelse, just how much of it do you remember?”

“Me? Well, I remember till the part where you first had your right leg and left shoulder blown off and then received an attack to your torso which was so serious that it could have destroyed your existence. Did you exchange fatal blows with the enemy?”

“Yes. Also, Elise had her whole body disassembled after being dragged into the enemy’s technique. In her case, she chose the right choice to give up in repairing her body and instead choosing the option to use the reincarnation spell.”

“I heard Elise succeeded in reincarnating herself.”

“That’s correct. She was finally able to do it ten years ago. The former Demon-Lord would be exactly ten years old this year.”

“Pathetic. And both of you call yourselves the strongest Archangel in Heaven and the Demon-Lord of that time respectively huh. I was basically unscratched till I had myself sealed away.”

“You were just too powerful. You are basically invincible with just your breath.”

Phia sighed along with her smile where she had an astonished face.

Ren listened to the conversation of the two from behind the door.

“…………It can’t be……”

Ren was about to drop the bags of snacks he was carrying on the floor by accident.

He realised that he could feel a shocking-like chills on his back.

……It can’t……be……

……Phia-senpai……is actually that legendary……

Ren could still remember clearly the day when she spoke to him who was isolated in his class.

“What do you personally think about it? Do you think the legend of Elline was a fictional story?”

The Archangel Phia.

In one legend, it is said that she was the strongest Angel in Heaven whose power even surpassed that of the Goddess Lesfrese.

However, this explained everything.

Despite being a HEALERCurer, she demonstrated better swordsmanship than the MASTERKnight student boys. Even with her offensive spells, she showed great performance where not only the ARIASpellcaster students, but even the leading instructor became speechless. If her true identity was the legendary Archangel, then she must displayed this much result while holding back.

—To begin with, her name Phia also explains it.

—She had no intention of hiding it. She had been revealing her true identity to everyone normally from the start.

Was it excitement or nervousness?

Ren himself didn’t know the reason for the chills he could feel on his whole body.

“……They weren’t dead. Both the Archangel Phia and Dragon-Princess Kyelse……”

The proper meaning of the term reincarnated was still vague, but at this rate, the chances of Elise who was the Demon-Lord at that time being alive was high. Obviously the chances of their discussion being misheard was high as well. For example, if other student than myself heard this, they wouldn’t trust it so easily. Their discussions were too hard to believe.

……Except for myself.

……That’s because I saw that girl called Kyelse defeating the wyvern the closest.

The appearance of her back then was so lovely and magical. And also—

“So you followed me all the way to this town because I entered your territory.”

If the girl called Kyelse was actually the legendary Dragon-Princess, it could explain why the wyvern assaulted this town.

Kyelse who entered its territory while she was on her way to this town.

The wyvern must had been enraged at her and it followed her.

To sum it up—

If both of them were the Archangel Phia and Dragon-Princess Kyelse respectively, it would explain their inhuman strength and all of their mysterious words.

“Either way, I am also interested in the so-called Encore.”

Phia’s voice.

Her voice which would make you imagine the murmuring of the brook, yet it also sounded simple.

“Just what did Elline seek for by travelling through the world after the End War? The five years till he passed away due to his sickness. Maybe there was something he wanted to say it to us who was his comrade.”

The lonely Sword Emperor. Even after he ended the En War while having the Three Great Princess from the Heaven, the Underworld, and the Earth serve him, it was said that he continued to journey even by himself.

Despite the fact that he carried a disease which would kill him. He continued his journey for a certain reason.

“That’s why I will find the Encore. Even before the rest of the people in this world.”

The silver hair girl’s voice.

Even though her voice was weak, it was full with purity that would never get tainted.

—The importance for the reason for her to seek for the Encore was on another level.

All of the parties in the world as well as the students in this Academy only saw the Encore as a tool which would allow them to attain the title of the “Brave Hero”.

But these girls were different. For them who travelled with the famous Brave Hero, the Encore was genuinely the last belonging left by the now deceased Elline and it was also an important memories of him. And they believe that finding it would be the last parting gift they could do as his former comrades.

Their image to seek for the Encore was simply pure and beautiful.

“…………”

Ren had been gripping his hand tightly without realising it.

……So that’s how it was.

……What Phia-senpai said about leaving the Academy before her graduation to find the Encore.

Her former comrade, the Dragon-Princess Kyelse, woke up from her seal.

That was why she no longer had to remain at this Academy. She certainly didn’t. That was because the girl called Phia already had a comrade who she would journey with from a long time ago.

“Well, let’s end the serious discussion here.”

The sound of the chair that had been moved.

Phia must had moved the big conference desk and the chair inside the conference room.

“Let’s stop talking while standing. Let’s calm ourselves by sitting down and talk about the current circumstance.”

The sound of the table which had been placed on the table followed.

“And that is?”

“I picked it up from the street. I was about to fight over this with a human, but he was a nice fellow who decided to give all of this to me.”

Lies!

You tried to take it without talking about it—Ren kept the words from coming out of his mouth and stayed quiet.

“……Excuse me but isn’t that the snacks I asked Ren to bring?”

“Ren?”

“It isn’t my mistake if there are eighteen puddings, three whole cakes, twenty-five profiterole, and thirty-seven baked sweets inside it. I decided to prepare it for today.”

“The quantity of it is exact.”

“I knew it. No wonder Ren is late. He might have returned to buy the same things again. I need to apologise to him afterwards.”

“……Ren? Who is this person you have been mentioning about since earlier?”

After a several pause.

The silver hair girl then released a shocked voice.

“Oh yeah. Putting aside someone who I don’t even know aside. Listen up Phia! I mentioned it before but I saw a human who looks exactly like Elline that I mistook him as Elline!”

“That’s why I’m saying that the person you are talking about is Ren.”

Phia then chuckled.

“He’s the same student at this Academy as I am. He’s a seventeen years old middle-rank student who is majoring in MASTERKnight degree.”

“A MASTERKnight huh. Then he’s starting to resemble Elline even more.”

—HEARTBEAT

The words that came out of the two girls without meaning it. He resembles Elline—even though it was words Elline had heard many times, he realised that his heart skipped a beat that it hurts so much when the girls said that.

……No. I’m not anything like him.

……I’m not someone so great who could be compared to the Brave Hero.

He hadn’t passed the promotion test and repeated a year as a III-Grade MASTERKnight.

Even with the wyvern before, though it could be said that the he had to face the wrong enemy, Ren couldn’t even graze him.

“That human called Ren had the same smell as Elline……”

The silver hair girl’s voice echoed.

“If humans have resembling appearance and figure, then it could be thought that the human’s biological structure and functions are similar as well.”

“It’s different.”

She denied it by shaking her head to the side—and Ren could easily imagine such scenery happening from the other side of the door.

“I’m not talking about a simple features such as his appearance and smell. It was deeper……there was a certain something he resembled him in. Or else I wouldn’t have mistaken him as Elline.”

“Indeed. Well, the truth is, I came down to Earth because I became curious about him.”

“……Is that why you entered the human’s Academy?”

“Yes. I wanted to “observe” Ren from up-close. I enrolled in this school as one-year his senior, but Ren repeated a year and failed to become a high-rank student and remained as a middle-rank student. I’m a highest-rank student so I’m currently two years his senior.”

“Repeat a year?”

Kyelse responded with a puzzled tone.

“He was marked with a stamp of lacking in strength as a MASTERKnight student. Ren enrolled as a student who wanted to major in MASTERKnight degree, but he failed in his promotion test. There are obviously several students who fails the test every year, but it’s still rare if you see it with a broad perspective.”

“I see. That’s why he panicked so much in front of the wyvern due to his strength huh.”

“So then, what is your opinion after seeing Ren up-close?”

“……I don’t know. Except, it felt as if I was thrown into reality. It felt like I woke up from a dream after knowing that Elline is no longer here.”

It was clearly the legendary Dragon-Princess’s true feeling which was said with a weak voice.

“Was it because Ren is weak?”

“No, it’s because Elline was too strong. That man was truly an embodiment of absolute strength. I learned that a human like him will not appear ever again in this world. That’s how I feel.”

“……I’m sure Ren has potential. At least from my perspective.”

Phia continued with a calm and gentle tone.

“I mentioned it before, but my reason for descending down to Earth was simple. Since the damage I received in that battle had been healed for the time being, I noticed there was a human down at Earth who resembled Elline. So I became interested in him. And I decided to check up on him.”

“……The possibility for him being Elline’s reincarnation?”

“No. Strictly speaking, “reincarnation” is a hidden technique which only the Demons are capable of using. Except, there was a chance for Ren to have the similar spec as Elline come out if we talk in terms of heredity. In other words, inheriting the unpredictable strength like Elline. ……But that wasn’t the case. The power appearing in Ren like I hypothesised didn’t happen and the appearance of Ren resembling Elline was really a coincidence.”

“I thought so. If he really did inherit Elline’s power, he wouldn’t struggle against a wyvern.”

“But—”

After she took a deep breath.

After she ended her lesson as if there was more to it, Phia’s voice echoed once again.

“I actually could have returned to the Heaven after my observation of him ended. Except, ……this was something which I also didn’t expect, but I thought it won’t be a bad idea to stay in this school a bit longer.”

“For what reason?”

“I wanted to continue watching Ren a bit longer. Maybe I should say that I wanted to cheer him on. If I didn’t find out about you breaking from the seal, I would have stayed with him till my graduation.”

“Cheer him on? For what reason?”

“His earnest desire to improve himself than anyone.”

There was an emotion of affection within the voice of the girl who gave such answer.

“He and Elline are different. I’m sure Ren is the one who understands that the most. His talent in using sword is poor and he wasn’t really born with a blessed body. But his heart doesn’t break from the laughter of those around him and I have seen him working harder than everyone every day. As an Angel, the “virtues” of such human makes us want to cheer them on.”

“Seriously. Someone who happens to be an Archangel is playing humans?”

“There are many Angels who takes a liking to humans and since I’m one of them, it isn’t difficult living at Earth you know? Instead I can’t help but enjoy it. Just how far the boy who has been called the fake Brave Hero would go? I started to wish to watch over him.”

“…………!”

The bags of snack that gets dropped from Ren’s arms.

Ren discarded the instinct to pick them up and instead ran through the passage in daze.

—Due to the impulse.

—Even before I can become aware of it, my body couldn’t stop moving.

“What am I doing!?”

He couldn’t speak.

It felt like I had a lot of cold water splashed on my pattern of thoughts that had heated up.

……Yeah, it’s exactly what Phia-senpai said.

……It’s not the time for me to stay there and listen to their discussion. There’s so much things I need to do.

I’m no Brave Hero. What I share in common is simply my appearance. I did get looked down by my seniors and juniors, but I still continued to do my best.

That’s because I also wanted to journey into the outside world.

One day, I want to look at the horizon of this world that the famous Elline and the legendary Three Great Princesses once arrived at.

“If that’s the case, it’s obvious what I need to do!”

What I should be doing isn’t just standing here. In order to catch up to my peers even a day earlier, I must continue working hard.

That’s why the place I was heading toward is—

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