ZAP – Chapter 149: Eugene Talks with His Childhood Friend – Part 2

In the courtyard of Lykeion Magic Academy, a small pond formed by a natural spring is surrounded by a garden filled with vibrant flowers.

This place, managed by the Gardening Club, is commonly known as the Evergreen Garden.

Unlike plants on the surface, flowers from the dungeon possess strong magical essence and never wither, regardless of the season.

The Gardening Club members have carefully selected the most beautiful of these flowers, crafting an avant-garde garden.

I passed through an archway covered in flowers and ivy.

A sweet fragrance reached my nose.

Looking to the side, I saw a large purple flower called the Devouring Lotus, Voar Lotus. Its central petal formed a bowl-like shape, where nectar had accumulated.

The scent was coming from there.

Just then, a small bird flew over, dipping its beak into the nectar to drink and…

Snap!!!

In an instant, the petals closed with incredible speed.

For a while, I could hear the bird flapping desperately inside the massive bud, which was about the size of a human head. But before long, silence fell.

When the flower slowly opened again, the bird was gone.

Only a few feathers remained.

(That’s terrifying…) (Eugene)

I knew it was a carnivorous dungeon plant, but apparently, it could swallow small animals whole.

I decided not to touch the flowers.

Taking another look around the garden…

• The Dream Rose, a deep crimson as vivid as blood.
• The Golden Sunflower, shining brilliantly like the sun.
• The White Mist Bell, a large lily that swayed in the wind, producing a beautiful melody.

All of them were mesmerizingly beautiful.

Yet, for some reason, I couldn’t shake the illusion that they were all waiting for prey to fall into their trap.

In fact, the Dream Rose’s thorns were poisonous, and the White Mist Bell’s sound had mild hallucinogenic effects.

Why did the Gardening Club gather only these kinds of plants?

Now that I think about it, Sara once mentioned that the Gardening Club president was quite the eccentric.

(I should look for Airi.) (Eugene)

I headed deeper into the garden.

Several benches were arranged around the central pond.

Even though it was class time, a few groups of male and female students sat chatting happily.

Among them, I spotted a girl sitting alone.

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl seemed lost in thought, unaware of my presence.

I slowly approached and sat down beside her.

“Airi.” (Eugene)

I called out my childhood friend’s name.

“…Eugy! Why are you here!? …Camilla, that girl… Geez.” (Airi)

At first, Airi looked at me in surprise, but then, as if realizing something, her expression turned resigned.

“So? What do you want, Eugy?” (Airi)

She pouted in a bad mood.

“How’s your condition?” (Eugene)

“I’m fine. You already know that, don’t you?” (Airi)

“Well, yeah.” (Eugene)

I was the one who healed her with magic after all.

I knew there were no issues with her body.

Oh, right. I should say this.

“Airi, congratulations on clearing the 100th Floor.” (Eugene)

“…Thanks.” (Airi)

Hearing my words, Airi looked slightly pleased but quickly returned to a neutral expression.

“……”

“……”

Silence fell between us as we both gazed at the pond.

This place was famous as a romantic spot for academy couples. The crystal-clear spring water was surrounded by a variety of colorful flowers, creating a picturesque scene.

The chirping of birds echoed.

…I hope they don’t get eaten by that Voar Lotus.

As that thought crossed my mind…

“Hey, Eugy.” (Airi)

Airi spoke up.

“What?” (Eugene)

“Am I weak? If I go with you to the 200th Floor to face the Deus Discipline…will I just be a burden?” (Airi)

It was the first time I had ever heard her so openly voice her doubts.

“Airi, you’re not weak. I didn’t see your fight on the 100th Floor, but when you fought Byakko, you and Sara worked together perfectly, didn’t you?” (Eugene)

“But that was because you and Sara helped me… And yesterday, when we fought, I couldn’t even lay a hand on you… You didn’t even use a sword…” (Airi)

She was still dwelling on that.

Looks like Airi forgot about my white mana’s properties.

“Airi, when I infuse my white mana into a wooden sword, it becomes too flexible to use properly. That’s why I had no choice but to catch your blade barehanded.” (Eugene)

“Oh… Right, I remember now. Then… I’m not actually weak?” (Airi)

“No, you’re not. In fact, your execution of Twin Heavenly Sword Style – Divine Wolf was sharper than mine. My old man loves using it, but I’m not good at it.” (Eugene)

“Really? I actually like that move.” (Airi)

Airi blinked in surprise. The gloom in her expression was fading.

“I prefer to read my opponent’s movements and counter-attack. The one-strike kill of Divine Wolf doesn’t fit my style.” (Eugene)

Airi gave me a puzzled look when I explained.

“You weren’t always like that. Back in the Imperial Military School, you were the type to charge in headfirst.”

She was right.

“…Yeah. I guess I changed after coming to the Lykeion Magic Academy.” (Eugene)

I had completely forgotten.

“I see… You’ve changed. No, you’ve grown.” (Airi)

Airi gave a small, lonely smile.

“You’ve changed too. You’ve gotten stronger…and more beautiful.” (Eugene)

Even I thought it was a corny line, but Claude told me to say something kind to Airi, so I went with it.

I hoped it would cheer her up, but…

“Also, you’ve become more of a womanizer, Eugy.” (Airi)

What I got in return was a cold stare.

(Huh…?) (Eugene)

(That line didn’t suit you, Eugene.) (Eri)

(Did I mess up?) (Eugene)

(If you say that to me, I’ll kick you.) (Eri)

Even Eri criticized me.

“I just wanted to cheer you up, Airi.” (Eugene)

“Then just say that directly… Thanks.” (Airi)

Airi leaned closer.

She was already within arm’s reach, but now she pressed herself right up against me.

Then, she rested her head on my shoulder.

(This is…)

I knew exactly what to do next.

I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

“……”

Airi said nothing.

She just gazed at me with an expectant look.

After a brief hesitation…I kissed her.

Unlike before, this time, I initiated it.

(Aah, that makes four now.) (Eri)

Eri’s grumbling echoed in my head.

…Could you be quiet for a bit?

“Eugy…” (Airi)

Airi blushed and wrapped her arms around me.

(Um…) (Eugene)

Not good, I am on the verge of being swept away again.

Just when I was wondering whether to hug her back…

“Ah♡ Not here… We can’t…”

“It’s fine, everyone does it.”

Voices came from a nearby bench.

“!?”

Airi and I exchanged glances.

It seems that the voices are coming from a male and female student on the neighboring bench.

Between the bench where Airi and I are sitting, there are shrubs and flowers that barely obscure the view.

I can’t tell what they’re doing, but I hear the rustling sound of clothes.

And occasionally, I hear voices as if they’re suppressing something.

The creaking sound of the bench echoes.

(Whoa… they’re quite active in broad daylight…) (Eugene)

“Um… Eugy…” (Airi)

When I looked beside me, Airi had a bright red face.

“What’s wrong, Airi?” (Eugene)

“The people next to us… What exactly are they doing…” (Airi)

I was about to say, “Well, that’s…” but stopped.

I feel that Airi is quite naive about such matters.

“Shall we change places?” (Eugene)

“…Yes.” (Airi)

I took the hand of the blushing Airi and left the lovers’ rendezvous spot.

We could have returned to class, but since it was an awkward time, we skipped all the lectures for the day.

That day, I stayed with my childhood friend until morning.

Thanks to that, Airi’s mood and condition improved… I think.

On the other hand…explaining and making excuses to the three who became displeased was very, very difficult.

◇On the day of the challenge to the 200th Floor God’s Trial: Deus Discipline◇

“Everyone, thank you for gathering today. First, I want to express my gratitude.”

Robert Crown, the head of the swordsmanship club, addressed the members of the joint team, including me, Sumire, and Sara.

Everyone had a serious expression.

Near President Robert were prominent figures, starting with the first team of the swordsmanship club.

I also saw the faces of well-known student mages.

It seems that President Robert extensively reached out when recruiting the temporary team.

That shows how serious he is.

There haven’t been many student exploration teams in history that have conquered the 200th Floor.

Successful cases are extremely rare.

“Well then, shall we depart?”

The joint team boarded the dungeon elevator heading to the 200th Floor at President Robert’s command.

■Comments Response:

>The barrier is sturdy and can be applied to the body and other things, so why didn’t he apply the barrier to the wooden sword to prevent it from breaking?

-Due to the characteristics of angel mana, if Eugene’s mana is applied to a weapon, it becomes a flimsy sponge sword (zero attack power).

If Eugene’s mana passes through shields or armor, they become like airbags. Soft shields.

>Airi is quite a handful, isn’t she?

>A romantic comedy where the childhood friend loses

-Airi is a troublesome girl, but all the heroines in Zero Sword have their quirks, so it’s not a problem.

Eri, Sumire, and Sara are also troublesome girls.

■Author’s Comment:

Happy New Year~.

I look forward to your continued support for Zero Sword this year.

There were comments that in the previous chapter, they didn’t ‘talk’ much, so this time I made them talk a lot.

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