Vol 1 Chapter 4 (1/2)

4th Play: The Oath-ht

Part 1

“Just now, that was……?”

An abnormality in the campus The first to discover it had been a fe

The shrill noise sounded like both a weeping voice and a wail Right now, except for the few people including her ere on patrol, the students and teachers should have already proceeded to the multipurpose hall

Was that someone’s voice just now?

The location of the voice wasn’t very far or very close, but sounded unusually indistinct When she turned her head to look at the fourth-year school building behind her, she ih-heeled shoes What could it be? Although it felt like an earthquake, the vibrations weren’t regular The center of the shaking wasn’t very far For no particular reason, she thought of giants from fairytales, alked around with heavy footsteps

At first glance, the fourth-year building didn’t seem abnormal The moment when the female teacher turned to walk in the direction of the path, it happened Her body felt as heavy as lead There usually shouldn’t be any people in the resources building, which was close beside the fourth-year building But right now, that whole building aying

“Wha…… What’s going on?

In that instant, a deafening explosion noise made her crouch down reflexively That was a burst of noise more fierce than thunder, as if its sole purpose was to disintegrate her eardrums

After cautiously opening her eyes— she began to doubt what she was seeing The roof of the resources building had already vanished without a trace Instead, so Moreover, there were five

What……is this……

The darkness of the night became hazy

As if jeering at the situation, seven-colored lights illuhts, the figure fleeing out of the resources building finally came into complete view

“—Ah!”

She let out a sharp, blood-curling scream was completely contracted, and the hairs all over her body stood on end This was despite the fact that she had the position of a Recitation instructor Recited creatures such as SalamandesSmall red spirits or unicorns, she had seen many times before In other words, even if she faced that kind of opponent, she should be confident in herself and remain unmoved

But even so

……It’s i I can deal with alone

Without the slightest hesitation, she turned and escaped from “that”

The glass cup on the table hit the floor, and shattered after e shook violently Theframe vibrated fiercely, and cracks like spider webs appeared on the glass

“W-What? An earthquake?”

Ada, as leaning against the wall, shouted loudly

“B-But…… Isn’t it soe?”

Rather than a reply, Mio’s voice tone soundedsoliloquy

While holding onto the unbalanced Mio’s shoulder, Kluele sneaked a glance at a corner of the great hall Luckily, there weren’t ency exit

“Mio, let’s take the chance and escape!”

Kluele whispered covertly into Mio’s ear

“Eh? But…… nobody has started to evacuate yet!”

“That’s e have to take advantage of the confusion and get out right away!”

This earthquake seeh it was currently still shaking, it had been stopping and starting Shaking for a while, then becoain

“Hey, Kululu…… What is that……”

Mio suddenly asked, pointing outside theThe school lights illuminated the world enshrouded in darkness There should be hts, but instead, the scene outside the as dyed blood-red— A fire?

Without waiting for Mio’s consent, Kluele grabbed her hand and rushed towards the erew But the one thing she didn’t doubt was that so bad had happened in the school

“Headmaster!”

A female teacher opened the main door of the multipurpose hall, and loudly called for the school’s leader Perhaps it was because she had wildly rushed here, that her clothes were awas rushed

“What is it? What happened?”

“All teachers and students, please quickly escape from here!”

It was a sentence thatthe voice from her throat, her expression isted in fear

Under normal circue” But instead, she had said “Please escape fro was about to attack

“A monster is headed this way!”

“Monster?”

“It appears to be a Recited creature, but…… it isn’t soions to provide assistance immediat—”

At thatshattered, and so burst into the hall

Just like it wasfor assistance

“E-Earthquake?”

The sudden shaking caused Neight’s legs to becoain his balance, he fell to the ground

“No, don’t you think it’s strange?”

The Rainbow Color Reciter had fallen down to one knee due to the vibrations Looking around, his gaze fell in the direction of the fourth-year school building

At that instant, the night’s darkness which had surrounded that building dispersed The sky overhead beca red than sunset After that, countless objects on the ground fleards the blaze From far away, they looked like bats

[……This guy is……]

Arht’s shoulder, shuddered uncontrollably This Recited creature who possessed night vision seemed to be able to see “that” above them

[Neight, tell everyone inside the e iathered in one place, it will attract their attention!]

“Eh? What do you mean—”

Before the creature could answer, Neight personally saw the frightening entity

As another vibration shook the ground, “that” stepped on the trees in the direction of the fourth-year building, and approached closer The faint outlines of several whip-like heads could be seen s

“Is that…… Hydra[1]……?”

The Reciter beside hiled with doubt and bewilderment

To the Reciter, when speaking of a snake with several heads, the first thing he thought of was a hydra It should originally be a High noble AriaFirst Scale Recitation of Blue Recitations

A so-called “Water Snake” should be dark blue

But “that” which was approaching from several hundred meters away, appeared to have deep crimson scales Moreover, what should have been nine heads had now become only five, less than the normal number But from what had entered his field of view, the central head was red The other four were blue, green, yellow, and white In other words, it had heads of five colors In addition, what caused people to become even more speechless was its immense body If it stretched out its neck, it could exceed twenty e creature, its body length should only be around ten ons would seem like infants

[Five colors…… Were all of the Recitations conducted simultaneously?]

Through his shoulder, Neight could sense Ar

“—That sort of thing…… Is it even possible?”

Even ide, Reciters ere able to conduct multiple colors of Recitations at once could be counted on his fingers, and the most would be two colors at once On this world, the only one Reciter could possibly Recite all five colors at once, and that was the one with the title of Rainbow Color Reciter, Xins

“Could it be…… With the gg>, someone……”

“gg>?”

“It’s a fiendish catalyst All five have all been locked inside the resources building”

The hydra’s green head rose up like a sickle Facing upwards, it opened its h they didn’t knohat it wanted to do, they should take the opportunity when it stopped e But just when Neight decided to take action, the Reciter beside hirabbed his arm

“Wait a moment You will be discovered if you move wildly!”

The green head spat out sos in the sky spread their wings and flew in Neight’s direction They looked like sure became more and more clear They had three heads……

Chimera![2]

Just when he shouted, he was pushed down by the Rainbow Reciter The beast’s claiped past the spot he had been standing a second ago Having suddenly round

A beast with the three heads of a lion, goat, and dragon

The beast changed targets fro a coat

“Xins-san!”

Had he already predicted it? Xins had o The chimera pounced on empty space when it landed, and the Reciter took out a yellow object froround, but he didn’t run away The gold coin between his fingers eht

——[Yellow SongSurisuz]——

On the diagonal between hiht, rose a sphere giving off a blue-white flash Floating in the empty space, with a circumference like it could be encircled by both arht at the chi that could be snapped at a touch

As the light wrapped around the chiht heavier than Neight let out a shrill scream Their whole body shuddered, tre

It was a Yellow Recitation’s noble AriaSecond Scale Recitation, Will-o'-wispSmall yellow spirit?

“I’ve never heard of a hydra calling out chi> after it was born”

The Rainbow Reciter’s expression had already lost its former composure

“……Go!”

“Eh?”

After realizing that Neight didn’t understand his intentions, he quickly explained

“The task of guiding the other students is up to you The headmaster has probably already realized, but it’s better to be safe”

“W-What about Xins-san?”

Gazing above the head of the silent Reciter, Neight understood his reasons Numerous bat-like creatures flew in the sky, and were instinctively circling above their heads Above them, they couldn’t all be……

“At most, I can act as bait”

At first, his tone of voice sounded like he was joking But right now, there were still many of the creatures left

“Everyone, don’t panic! Starting with the students closest to the e!”

The sounds of students screahout the great hall

“Homeroom teachers of first-year students, make sure the way forward is clear Second-year and third-year ho that has entered the school building Anyone else, take care of the creatures outside! But pursuing them is forbidden!”

Had the headmaster’s orders really been heard by all of the teachers? The hall filled with screams caused new fear, and the fear stirred up even more chaos

“—Mio, are you okay?”

A sharp pain caused her mind to turn blank, and Kluele couldn’t help but wince

“I’m……fine Kululu…… Sorry…… I’m sorry…… I……”

Mio usually looked up to Kluele, but now the situation was completely reversed With her hands on the floor to support herself, Kluele raised her head and looked around Beside her, Mio was sobbing

“Kluele, are you okay?”

Grabbing Kluele’s hand, Serges came closer Kluele used the arm she was able to move and pushed her away

“……I’ht there”

After that, she turned her gaze back to the figure of her crying friend

“Mio, you should also go first”

“No! No ether with Kululu!”

Really, how stubborn! Although she wanted to say it out loud and tease her, with all the strength gone fro down on her left shoulder, Kluele leaned against the wall and slowly stood up froh it was a si to become faster

“Don’t move! If you move, the blood won’t stop!”

“……If I keep sitting here, I won’t be able to escape if the beast comes”

The left shoulder part of her dress had been dyed a deep red Turning her head away, she once again pressed her right hand tightly to her left shoulder The way of stopping bleeding that she had learned in first aid class, she hadn’t expected to put it to use one day

Glancing at the blood sticking to the palht hand, Kluele curved the corner of her mouth

“Leave this to me Go!”

The Rainbow Color Reciterat the hall

“B-But—”

It was absurd There was no way that one person alone could deal with so many opponents

[Neight, let’s go]

Neight’s words were interrupted

“……Arma?”

The creature standing on his shoulder acted norhtly colder than usual

[First, we have to ensure the safety of the people inside the hall There are already many chimeras who have headed off in that direction In the worst case, there are already people who have been injured]

Arma never rushed He was able to correctly analyze a situation better than anyone else, and was able to evaluate the priority of which action to take Neight had already felt like this one or two times before

……This Night creature is really cool-headed, or at least calmer than I am

“Xins-san”

Neight didn’t regard him as a Rainbow Reciter, but instead as the person who ht directly faced the person who had kept his side of the promise

“I ork hard to study Night Color Recitations Therefore— Someday, you have to see it!”

Without even waiting for a reply, Neight dashed aithout looking back

Very well, I proreement between her and myself

He watched the back of the still-learning Reciter, who rushed towards the hall

On the face of the Rainbow Reciter was an ordinary, calm expression

“Alright For the sake of this, I have to survive I’ on you to work hard!”

The lightning spirit didn’t ht in reply

Part 2

The chile step

This chi and landed in front of the e the nearest target —Mio, the chimera advanced— But because Kluele pushed her aside instinctively, Mio wasn’t injured However, contrarily, Kluele’s left shoulder received the attack

Perhaps it wounded an artery The dress’s left shoulder was dyed deep red, and the flow of blood still hadn’t stopped

“Kluele, are you okay?”

Kate, a teacher who had originally been leading the students to take refuge, now ran over to them

“What about you? ……Please go back and stay with everyone else I need to stay here and rest for a while”

Even si her mouth caused extreme pain, but she still let out the last of the air froreat effort, forced out a voice from her throat

“I’m your homeroom teacher, so I can’t abandon you, no matter what”

The female teacher looked down and shook her head

“But…… There arewho sensei is in charge of!”

She really didn’t want to act this forceful, but the teacher shouldn’t accos to do

Had the electric cables been cut off? The chandelier above her head flickered on and off If there were no lights, then heading to the first-year building would not be easy Therefore, it was necessary to help other students get to refuge as early as possible Even if she didn’t want to, the teacher should understand that point

After a little while, an abandoning look appeared in Kate’s eyes

“……After I confire, I will come back Until then, I will leave it to you, Mio”

After confirirl had nodded, Kate hurried away

Of the noisy sounds co and which were thetrees Only a fewthe sudden earthquake, in the tis had become this miserable

“Why…… Why would so like this happen……”

Into the cloth bound around Kluele’s arirl sobbed

“Mio, don’t cry If you want to cry, wait until a happy time to cry tears of joy”

“……I’!”

Closing her ht knot

“Thank you Like this, I just need to rest a bit and I’ll be fine”

Kluele felt like vo froular breaths

The chandelier e noould only cause the uproar outside to become more serious

Suddenly—

“Kluele-san! Mio-san! Are you there?”

The sound of a falass, could be heard

“……Neight-kun?”

As if responding to Mio’sboy wearing a robe appeared After seeing that figure, a large weight was lifted from her heart

……I’h everyone else was outside, they appeared to be safe and sound

“Neight-kun, you have to quickly go take shelter in the school building!”

“But, I heard from Ada-san that you two are still here…… Kluele-san, you’re injured!”

“Um, ah, this isn’t much”

She didn’t like having people worry about her Before Neight could approach, just when she wanted to stand up with the support of the wall—

At that hts of the hall’s chandelier went out

“Eh……”

Not knowing the circuasped in surprise Before Kluele could open her mouth, Mio, who stood within the darkness, shouted loudly

“Neight-kun, wait This place is covered in broken glass If you walk around aihts come back on, stay still for now”

“I-I understand”

A cold, frozen silence engulfed the hall

Looking out the , the outside was also eerily quiet It was like the shouts and screa happened? Or was it because nothing had happened, that it was this quiet? Neither possibility could be ruled out

It was just like a desolate and lifeless earth

……Such a depressing iination, isn’t it?

Kluele gritted her teeth and continued to put pressure on her shoulder

Suddenly, like the chilass shook her eardrurew louder and closer together

“Neight-kun, you’re not allowed to move around!”

After a second of silence

“Eh…… I didn’t move……”

Hearing the contradictory reply, before she could feel dumbfounded, Mio’s whole body was enveloped in fear

Other than us, there was still so?

Faintly, she felt a hot breath on her skin

“Mio, duck!”

The chandelier lit up Before Mio could take a breath, in the dark, Kluele grabbed Mio’s dress and pulled her doards Soht shone upon a three-headed monster

—Chimera To have appeared at such an unexpected time!

Kluele clenched her teeth It was bad A the three of us, there wasn’t anybody able to use a Recitation that could fight off this monster

Slowly, the chimera moved closer

“Kluele-san!”

Neight wanted to run over, but Kluele stopped hi that a student who had just entered high school could deal with

“Just hurry and run away! Mio, you too!”

“No…… I will stay together with Kululu until the very end…… Because I was the one who injured you……”

“Idiot! Stop being stubborn at this kind of time!”

The details of Neight’s Night Color Recitations weren’t clear Mio’s Green Recitations included few creatures that were able to attack Actually, her Red Recitations were probably the best to deal with it

I have to at least call out a flame…… No, even if I was able to call out a flah to drive away this creature And even more important was the catalyst—

Kluele looked around, searching for soaze stopped on the body of the Recited creature on Neight’s shoulder That Night creature was silently looking back at her

No, more precisely, at my left shoulder?

Ah……

I’ve got it! An available catalyst, a catalyst able to be used for Red Recitations, there was only this

“Neight, back away!”

With difficulty, Kluele stretched her right hand towards the table She grabbed a glass cup that hadn’t been sround by the vibrations and threw it at the chimera

Although it hadn’t expected that lass cup to one side It glanced at the spilled liquid on the floor, and exposed itsmanner

The three-headed animal kicked off the floor

There was no time to untie it Kluele used her e around her left shoulder— and ripped open that layer of bandages

Like a red waterfall bursting free of a dam, red blood splashed onto the back of her hand

'Do you want to withdraw into your shell once le to escape?'

Even without you saying it, I know!

—Please, let it succeed……

The blood boiled The blood sticking onto her right hand eradually evaporated

Next, a ball of fla on the floor, Kluele threith all of her strength

The flath in her body to throw approached the h the flame swept past the tip of its nose, the place it landed wasn’t on the creature’s body, but rather beside its foot It looked disdainfully at the flaround, and narrowed its eyes

“……Do you think you’ve won?”

Although Kluele looked pale from loss of blood, she curled up the corners of her mouth

“It’s ain next time!”

Because she had originally been ai its body was supposed to happen The glass cup filled with alcohol that she had thrown in the beginning, and that the creature had swatted it aside, was all part of Kluele’s plan Because from the start, she had planned to throw the flame at the alcohol spilled on the carpet

In that instant, before the e under its feet, the alcohol caught fire

In short, under its feet was an ocean of fire Its whole body engulfed in fla painfully to spread its fla

……Well, it seems that it’s escaped

As if her strength had been sucked dry, Kluele collapsed to the ground

“Kluele-san!”

While calling out her naht hurriedly headed for her side The pure white dress she as stained red by blood, and her complexion looked even paler in comparison

“……I’m sorry, let me rest for a bit”

The girl’s body shi+vered The cause was both the chill fro scratched by the creature’s claws

“I’…… And you always end up helping me”

Neight was unable to look straight at Kluele’s face, and stared down at his own feet He resented how he could only speak those words but was unable to handle the responsibility

He couldn’t do anything, could only have other people to protect him

By his mother Evhemary, saved by the Rainbow Color Reciter, and now he even received this girl’s protection

But— if it’s like this, then for what purpose did I make that promise?

'This is a Recitation created for your sake Therefore, Neight, I will teach this only to you'

The promise he made with Mother

'The day when you ht Color Recitations, I hope you inform me I would also like to see it'

The promise he made with the Rainbow Reciter

'I will follow your example and try my best'

The proirl in front of his eyes

For what purpose do those promises exist?

The proht Color Recitation, for what purpose does it exist?

All of those oaths ainst the water’s surface of his heart and memories

A those, only one sentence, the one most simple sentence, remained completely

'Neight…… What is a Recitation?'

The most basic, but a problem without a solution, one that nobody knew the true answer to

Mother, this ht of, but……

“Kluele-san…… You said to me today, if I were to become afraid of failure”

Biting hard on his lip, he was just able to suppress the e from the depths of his heart

But, even so I’ve already found the answer

Everyone knows the feeling of being afraid, everyone knows the feeling of being in pain— That’s why, I also want to do so

Not just for the promise I made with Mother, but for everyone’s sake

“……Neight?”

She was still pale and weak, but even so, she gazed at him

“But, I don’t want to fail anymore”

Like he wanted to cut off his uneasiness, Neight continued

“Just one thing, I…… Please allow e myself”

“That’s—”

Before Mio could finish speaking—

[Night Color Recitations, do you intend to challenge it?]

The Night colored creature on Neight’s shoulder that had been silent until now, opened its mouth seriously

Rather than a question, that tone of voice sounded ht nodded his head without hesitating

It was a Recitation that his h wall that he had to climb over—

[The problem is the catalyst]

It was like he had thought Had this Recited creature sensed as on his mind?

“Neight-kun, what do you mean by that?”

“……I don’t knohat the catalyst necessary for conducting a Night Color Recitation is”

Like he was beseeching her, Neight turned to face Mio with an uneasy expression

“My mother let me see the catalyst only once…… But as for how to prepare it, I……”

[Night-colored flame]

The creature on the boy’s shoulder continued to speak

[There is only one true essence aht-colored flame]

Night-colored fla a dress pondered those words with an amazed expression Of course she would think about that problee it into the deep hue he saw at that time?

[I have certainly seen it also But, I didn’t ask how it had been created]

That’s right The final Recitation that Mother had taught, it did not require a catalyst

She had conducted it with her bare hands, the last thing Mother had taught hi

Twilight When the sun sets That is, announcing the beginning of night, the bell of time

In the li Mother had recited

“If I don’t know it……”