HDBMTD 51

HDBMTD | Chapter 51

Posted by Ruby, Released on August 9, 2025

~Chapter 51~

After hearing Nocturne’s tearful confession, Aria went to Benji and had a proper conversation with him.
From then on, everything was settled.

Benji no longer tried to get her attention.
If they met by chance, he would just greet her politely and pass by.

Nocturne was happy that Aria had listened to him, but strangely, things between them became a little awkward afterward.

It wasn’t that their relationship got worse—more like there was a cautious atmosphere.
Actually, maybe Aria was the same as always, and it was only Nocturne who was conscious of it.

Aria continued, as usual, to casually share interesting news.

“Nocturne, did you hear about the S-rank monster that appeared in the north?”

“Yeah. I heard your father went out with the Imperial Army.”

“Lately there have been more A-rank monsters, and now even S-rank. They say it’s been ten years since an S-rank attacked civilians. I hope they deal with it quickly.”

“Yeah.”

When Nocturne gave a short reply, Aria leaned closer and asked,

“Nocturne, what do you think about S-rank ‘Eshafé’?”

“I’ve never really thought about it.”

“That’s surprising. People in combat divisions usually admire higher-ranked Eshafé.”

“…Really?”

Nocturne tilted his head.
Rankings didn’t mean much to him—he had never met anyone stronger than himself.

Aria smiled with interest at his indifferent reaction.

“Hey, let’s get your rank re-evaluated soon.”

“Why?”

“Well, your current rank was given when you were three years old. That’s before your awakening. After awakening, it should be measured again. Normally, they do it when you enter school, but didn’t your teacher tell you?”

“No, never heard that.”

“Hmm, maybe because you were ranked B, they didn’t think it was a pre-awakening score. That’s rare. When I was three, I was ranked E. You might be the highest rank ever.”

“Really?”

“Anyway, make sure to re-test before the semester ends, okay?”

“Okay.”

Nocturne answered casually—then suddenly remembered something he was curious about.

“I heard you’re looking for a partner.”

“Huh?”

“That’s what the others said.”

Aria blinked, as if the question was strange.

Then a bright smile bloomed on her face.

“That’s right. I’m going to marry my partner in the future.”

Nocturne felt his breath catch.

Why would she say something like that with such a pretty smile?

While he tried to suppress the messy feelings boiling inside, Aria asked,

“What about you, Turn? Don’t you want to find a partner?”

Nocturne felt uncomfortable.

Why would she ask that? She obviously knows I like her.

“What does it matter to you whether I find one or not?”

“Of course it matters, because…”

“Ari—!”

Minette’s voice interrupted. She had come with friends to get Aria.

“It’s class time. You should go.”

“Wait.”

Aria grabbed Nocturne’s arm as he turned to leave.

“There’s something I didn’t get to tell you. I…”

Before she could finish, every nerve in Nocturne’s body went on high alert.
A sharp danger signal flashed in his head.

“Aria!”

He instinctively pulled her into his arms.

BOOM!

A deafening roar tore through the air as something huge flew over their heads.

Looking up, they saw a black spear deeply embedded in the spot they had just been standing.

“Kyaaah!”

“It’s… it’s a monster!”

Screams of terrified children rang out.

From the forest, a massive shadow rose.
It stepped into view—a giant creature with the skull of a raven.

“The Judge Bird,” Aria whispered with a pale face.
“Why is the S-rank monster from the north here…?”

“What do we do? We have to warn the others, but the alarm bell is too far!”

“I’ll warn them!”

Aria used her ability to alert the academy.
Soon, the alarm rang and all the students began to evacuate.

Then, the monster turned its head toward the academy.
Nocturne gritted his teeth.

“I’ll stop it. You take the kids and run.”

“What do you mean? Then you’ll…!”

Nocturne focused on the monster.
Through a crack in the skull’s forehead, he could see its core.
Blue flames sparked from his body.

“Don’t worry. It doesn’t look stronger than me anyway.”

Flames soon covered the forest.

Nocturne unleashed the hottest fire he had ever used, but the monster would not fall easily.
He dodged every counterattack, pouring all his power into creating fire hot enough to melt the black spear.

At some point, a strange thrill rose inside him.

This is fun.

At first, he only wanted to drive the monster away.
But now… he wanted to burn it completely.
It was exhilarating to use his power without any restraint.

The blackened flames consumed the monster completely but didn’t die out—they began to burn away Nocturne’s sanity.
His vision blurred, and all he wanted was to turn everything into ash.

“Nocturne?”

A voice cut through the chaos—familiar above all else.

Aria?

“Don’t come!”

His instinct shouted in place of his lost reason. But Aria didn’t stop.

Nocturne felt a fear greater than when he faced the monster.
He desperately wanted her to get away from him.

“Nocturne.”

Why won’t she listen? Doesn’t she care about her life?

Just as he was about to shout again, Aria said,

“I’m sorry.”

“…What?”

THUD!

A dull pain hit him, and his consciousness faded.

He didn’t know how much time passed.

His awareness returned before his senses.
In the darkness, a primal fear gripped him.

“…Aria?”

“I’m here.”

Her gentle voice and the warmth of her hand eased his tension.

Nocturne slowly opened his eyes.

They were still in the forest.
Rocks surrounded them, keeping the flames from reaching this spot, but the smell of smoke suggested embers still burned nearby.

He was lying flat on the ground, and Aria was leaning over him.

What… is this situation?

“Nocturne, do you have any dreams or ideals about your first kiss?”

Still dazed, he answered without thinking.

“Yeah.”

“….”

“But why?”

“Because I just kissed you.”

“…Right…”

It took him a second to process before he jolted upright.

“What the—!”

Only now realizing their position, his face flushed red.
Even the remnants of his madness vanished in his panic.

“You—you said you’d marry your partner!”

Aria’s eyes curved as she smiled.

“Yeah, but I’m going to date you.”

“…What?”

He frowned deeply, unsure if she was serious.

But Aria casually rubbed her ankle and said,

“By the way, can you give me a piggyback? I hurt my ankle.”

“Why? Did you get caught in the fight?”

“No, I twisted it chasing after you.”

“…Oh.”

So Nocturne carried her on his back.

He had a lot to say, but for now, getting out of the burning forest came first.

Though tired from the battle, he was still in much better shape than Aria.

As they walked, Nocturne asked,

“By the way, why did I lose consciousness?”

“Oh, I used my ability to make you hit your head on a rock.”

“What?”

“I thought psychic types couldn’t hurt people!”

“They can—it’s just that they feel the same pain themselves.”

“Then… are you okay?”

“You recovered quickly, so I managed.”

“That’s… good, I guess.”

After a short silence, Aria suddenly asked,

“Nocturne, so what kind of fantasy did you have?”

He staggered slightly—she meant the first kiss thing again.

Earlier, he had answered honestly without thinking.
Now, with his mind clearer, he felt a bit resentful. But since he’d already brought it up, he finished his answer.

“I just heard this from others… but supposedly it tastes like lemon and sweetness, and bells ring while time stops.”

“Wow, amazing.”

Aria nodded with admiration.

For a long time, Nocturne held the princess’s hand in silence.
Then he slowly stood up.

Just as he was about to leave the treatment room, the healer watching the princess gasped.

“What the…?”

“What’s wrong?”

“This is strange. Her pulse just got stronger.”

The healer checked again in surprise.

“It’s true. Her heartbeat is getting stronger.”

Another healer came to check, then shouted urgently,