Volume 7 Epilogue
Nozomu, skipping
school, invited Lisa, and the two went for a walk in Arcazam.
They passed through
the residential district where the student dormitories were and headed for the
central park in the middle of the city.
Sitting on a park
bench, Nozomu and Lisa, both silent, were looking at the chalk-white school
building of Solminati Academy.
For a while, a silence
flowed between the two.
"Um, I'm
sorry."
The one who broke the
silence first was Nozomu.
He glanced sideways at
Lisa's shortened hair, then looked down with an awkward expression.
Lisa's hair, which had
been cut clean from the shoulders, was now cut even shorter, making it look
almost like a boy's haircut.
"I told you, you
don't have to apologize. I wanted a change of pace anyway, so it's perfect.
Well, Camilla was surprised, though."
Contrary to Nozomu,
who had a pained expression, Lisa was waving her hand as if to say not to
worry, with a nonchalant look.
"No, that too,
but about everything until now."
"That's not
something for you to apologize for, is it? If we're going to talk about the
cause, it's my fault for not being able to believe in you, Nozomu..."
This time, Lisa's
expression clouded over.
Although she had been
deceived by Ken's cunning scheme, she was undoubtedly the one who had hurled a
stream of insults at Nozomu.
And the words she had
directed at him had been the decisive factor in driving Nozomu's position at
the academy to the very bottom.
"Um, I'm the one
who should be sorry. For not being able to believe in you, Nozomu..."
Turning to face
Nozomu, Lisa bowed her head deeply.
She herself didn't
think she would be forgiven for something like this. Still, she felt that she
had to apologize properly here.
"No, I should
have questioned you as soon as that rumor started spreading. That goes for
Ken's matter too, I should have confronted you. The reason I didn't was because
I myself was running away from you and Ken, Lisa."
Nozomu looked at her
as she bowed her head and slowly began to state his true intentions.
Those words were
colored with his own regret.
It was true that
Nozomu had been rejected by Lisa. On top of being deceived by Ken's scheme, at
that time, he had also been impatient with his own skills, which were not
improving at all.
However, Nozomu was
also a factor in the situation becoming so complicated.
He had run away into
the delusion that if he became stronger, it would be "for Lisa's
sake," and had not faced them. That was undoubtedly Nozomu's sin.
"In the end,
while saying it was for each other's sake, we weren't looking at each other at
all. We were just dreaming of a story that was convenient for ourselves, and
when it didn't turn out that way, we just kept turning our backs.
That's why I'm the one
who was sorry."
Once again, Nozomu
turned to Lisa and bowed his head deeply.
And the two of them,
who had raised their heads at the same time, both smiled.
"Pfft! We're
doing something strange, aren't we?"
"Haha! That's
true. A man and a woman skipping school in the middle of the day and bowing
their heads on a park bench. From the side, people would probably be tilting
their heads, wondering what we're doing."
For a while, they both
smiled and laughed at each other.
The stagnation that
had been settling in the depths of their hearts for two years, they felt it
flowing away. It was a smile from the bottom of their hearts that they had not
felt in a very long time.
A distorted
relationship where, while saying it was for each other's sake, they had just
been leaning on others as if in dependence. The rusted gears had now finally
begun to turn.
"What are you
going to do from now on, Lisa?"
The two of them was laughing
for a while.
Eventually, at the
question that Nozomu had casually asked, Lisa raised her face and looked into
the distance.
While looking up at
the sky, she closed her eyes as if to confirm what was in her heart.
Eventually, with a wry
smile, she turned to Nozomu and slowly opened her mouth.
"I'm not sure
anymore. I admire adventurers like my father, but I've come to think that's not
all there is, and I also want to learn various things here, and also..."
"Hmm?"
Cutting off her words
without finishing, Lisa quickly closed the distance to Nozomu.
Her moist eyes were
staring at him from a close distance.
At her expression,
which was on the verge of tears, Nozomu felt his heart pounding.
"Hey. Nozomu...
If I decide to leave the academy, will you come with me?"
Lisa's words were a
plea, as if to confirm.
Even though she knew
she had no right to ask, she couldn't help but check.
Her moist eyes, like a
rain-soaked ruby, and her trembling lips eloquently told of Lisa's feelings.
At Lisa's plea, Nozomu
closed his eyes as if to confirm his own feelings.
And when he slowly
opened his eyes, in the face of Lisa's wish...
"I'm sorry,
there's something I absolutely have to do."
He refused, flatly.
"That's why, for
the current me, I can't fulfill my promise to you."
"I see. As I
thought..."
As if she had known,
Lisa moved away from Nozomu.
At the sight of her
moving away with a lonely expression, Nozomu bit his lip.
"I'm sorry. I
couldn't keep my promise."
"No, that's not
it. You properly kept your promise to me, Nozomu. You supported me so that I
could properly face my dream.
You are the kind of
person who will reliably keep his promises right up until the very end,
Nozomu."
He couldn't keep his
promise. To Nozomu, who had said so, Lisa, while smiling gently, clearly denied
his words.
That Nozomu had
fulfilled his promise.
It was undoubtedly
thanks to Nozomu that she, who had been running away and averting her eyes, had
been able to wake up.
It might have taken
time. Still, it was because he, who had never run away at the very end, was
there.
She was truly glad
from the bottom of her heart that she had been able to fall in love with such a
person.
The result may not
have been a happy ending. Still, for Lisa, this feeling was a precious gift
from the person she loved more than anything.
"I was depending
on you, Nozomu. The reason I invited you to this academy was probably because I
was anxious.
Life as an adventurer
is side by side with danger. I think I invited you to this academy because I
thought that you might suddenly disappear, Nozomu..."
If it were just to
become an adventurer, there was no need to attend Solminati Academy. She could
have joined a guild or some other association near her hometown and started as
an adventurer from there.
The reason she didn't
was purely because Lisa herself had been anxious. She admitted to herself that
she was only able to think that way.
But she felt that it
was no longer good to just be tormented by regret and frightened by anxiety.
"And besides,
I've also found various goals."
"Is that
so?"
"Yes."
While returning a
smile to the wide-eyed Nozomu, Lisa stood up.
With a big stretch,
her face was as clear as a sunny sky.
"Are you going
back?"
"Yeah. And you
have your own business to attend to, right, Nozomu?"
"Ah... you can
tell?"
"How many years
do you think we've been together? I can tell that much right away."
It seemed that his
childhood friend in front of him could see right through what he was thinking.
To Lisa, who was
smiling with her hands behind her back, Nozomu gave a wry smile and slowly
stood up from the bench.
"Yeah, I'll be
going."
"Yes, take
care..."
Turning his back on
Lisa, who was waving him off, Nozomu walked towards the park's exit.
Lisa, while watching
his back, let out a deep breath, as if to express all her feelings.
"In two years,
you've gotten so far away..."
While reaching out to
Nozomu's shrinking back, Lisa couldn't help but let out such words.
"But it's fine.
I'll start over, right from the beginning. From here, now..."
With that thought in
her heart, Lisa turned her back on the departing Nozomu and began to walk.
Their paths diverged
here.
But for Lisa, that was
fine. In the depths of her heart, the feelings left behind by her beloved were
firmly dwelling.
With those feelings in
her heart, she would become strong enough to stand next to that person again.
While feeling a single
hot drop fall from her eyes, the red-haired girl took a new step forward.
***
Nozomu, who had parted
from Lisa, was visiting a certain stall in the commercial district by himself.
A unique
fortune-telling shop, where accessories and ritual implements from all times
and places were jumbled together in a disorderly fashion.
Was it because of the
overly eccentric decorations, or because of the overly individualistic shop
owner, that one had no desire to visit?
While thinking about
such things, Nozomu called out into the shop.
"Old man, are you
there?"
"Oh my, if it
isn't the brat. What do you want? The shop is still closed."
The white-haired and
bearded white dragon shop owner showed his face with a troubled expression.
"You're back
quite early. Has Azel's punishment been decided?"
"For now, it has
been settled with a sealing sentence, and she is currently being held in the
village. Do you want to hear the specific punishment?"
"No, that's fine
for now. And I didn't come to ask for a fortune-telling either."
"Then, what in
the world do you want?"
Nozomu himself had no
intention of saying anything about Azel's punishment at this point.
As long as he wasn't
bothered, that was fine. Besides that, Nozomu had a reason why he absolutely
had to meet this old man.
"There's
something I want to ask. Old man, when I was entering Abyss Grief's predation
barrier, you said that to save Lisa, I needed my own power. What did you mean
by that?"
"It means exactly
what it says. You have not only the enormous elemental essence that you took in
from Tiamat, but also another ability. That is the reason you have been able to
live until now."
Nozomu's own ability.
Even in the incident
where Ken and Abyss Grief had merged, this old man had said these words to
Nozomu.
At those words, Nozomu
frowned.
Because he himself had
honestly no idea what Zonne's words were referring to.
"Didn't you think
it was strange? The power that Tiamat possesses is extremely heretical and
exceptional even compared to other dragons. There is no way you could take in
such a power and remain sane."
That was something he
could somehow understand if he imagined the Ken who had merged with Abyss
Grief.
Although he thought it
was a bit much to compare Abyss Grief and Tiamat, both possessed a different
and enormous power, and the way they eroded the host's spirit was very similar.
"However, you are
alive and well here now. It is solely due to the unique ability that you, a
dragonslayer, possess."
"Unique
ability..."
"It has already
manifested. The invisible chain that binds your body. I think you know it
well?"
An invisible chain. At
those words, Nozomu couldn't help but look down at his own arm.
When he strained his
eyes, he could dimly see the chain that bound himself.
The chain that was
still wrapped around Nozomu's entire body was giving his body a leaden weight.
"You mean the
ability suppression? But this is..."
"It is not an ability
suppression. To be precise, your ability has been altered, and as a result,
that form is just being maintained.
The suppression of
power is now nothing more than a by-product of the unique ability you have come
to possess."
"A
by-product?"
At being told that the
power he had thought was an ability suppression until now was now a completely
different thing, Nozomu couldn't help but widen his eyes.
To the wide-eyed
Nozomu, the old man put on a grave face and urged him to enter the shop.
He urged the agitated
him to sit on a nearby chair, poured water from a jug in the back of the shop
into a cup, and thrust it in front of Nozomu.
Nozomu grabbed the
thrust-out cup and drained its contents at once.
The lukewarm water
fell into his stomach, and his head, which had been hot with agitation, cooled
down a little.
After confirming his
state, Zonne once again continued his story about Nozomu's unique ability.
"The power you
possess is sealing. The ability to seal an existence connected to your own
soul, without question. And it has a binding power far stronger than my
dragon-sealing barrier.
A chain of
soul-binding that can even seal the Dragon of Destruction. One might call it
the 'Soul-Sealing Chains'."
"Soul-Sealing... Chains..."
"Due to its
overly powerful binding force, it has sealed Tiamat along with your soul, and
most of your abilities have ended up being sealed."
Once again, Nozomu
looked down at the invisible chains that bound him.
Ignoring the dazed
Nozomu, Zonne continued to speak.
"Perhaps, what
was originally an ability suppression was altered when you became a
dragonslayer. In exchange for most of your power, you obtained the ability to
seal even the Dragon of Destruction.
The reason I was
watching you was also to investigate why Tiamat was sealed in a mere
human."
If Zonne was an
observer, then it was a natural course of action.
The Dragon King of
Destruction, who could only be sealed by the dragon race by confining her to
another world. If he knew that there might be another way to seal her, it was
natural to try and find that method.
Perhaps the reason why
the dragon race had not yet contacted anyone other than Zonne was because
Nozomu had this power.
However, although
Nozomu was also curious about the circumstances of the dragon race, there was
something more important now.
It was not a
coincidence. The fact that he was sealing Tiamat as a necessity was more
important.
"...If I master
it, can I control Tiamat's power?"
"Who knows. Due
to the effect of this seal, I cannot interfere with your soul. Since the cause
of this unique ability's manifestation is in you, control may be possible, but
any power, in the end, depends on the wielder."
Zonne himself did not
know the details of Nozomu's ability. Perhaps due to the effect of the seal,
even with the power of a white dragon, he could not make contact with Nozomu's
soul.
Even if he were to try
to interfere when the seal was released, the power of Tiamat overflowing from
his body was getting in the way, which was the current situation.
"I have a favor
to ask. I want you to train me."
"Hmm,
specifically?"
"How to control
the dragon's power. How to use this unique ability. I want to learn that."
At Nozomu who was
staring straight at him, Zonne narrowed his eyes.
"As I said
before, due to the effect of the Soul-Sealing Chains, I cannot interfere with
your soul. Even if you ask me to show you how to use it specifically, it's an
impossible story."
"But if I'm going
to ask for teachings about the dragon's power, there's no one else but you, old
man. I feel bad for Jihad-sensei and the others, but you're a much more
suitable person, old man."
It was a sound
argument.
As they say,
"leave it to the professionals," but if he was to learn the power of
a dragon, it was considered more certain to be taught by a fellow dragon.
However, Nozomu was a
human. Since he was not a dragon, even Zonne did not know how much of their
arts he could learn.
Zonne stroked his
beard as if thinking and turned his penetrating gaze towards Nozomu.
"Is it because of
those young ladies?"
Zonne needed to
confirm the reason why Nozomu, who had lost his reason to fight, had decided to
become strong once again. Zonne had to confirm that.
At Zonne's gaze, which
seemed to see through to the depths of his heart, Nozomu closed his eyes and
took a few deep breaths, then slowly opened his mouth.
"I was once
deceived by Tiamat and almost hurt them.
Such a me, Iris and
the others accepted... I was happy. Because there was no one other than my
master who had done such a thing for me."
Deeply, deeply, while
searching the depths of his own heart, in a confirming tone, Nozomu continued
his words.
The sincere feelings
of them, who had accepted him, who had only been denied, who had only been
shouldering trouble.
It was not difficult
to imagine just how much of a salvation those feelings had been for Nozomu.
But the color of joy
in his feelings as he spoke of that matter quickly changed to a deep color of
regret.
"Somewhere in my
heart, I might have been looking away. That because I have my comrades, I'm
okay. I believed so. But somewhere, I had let my guard down."
For Nozomu, being by
the side of Irisdina and the others was more comfortable than anything else.
The fact that he, who
had been called the bottom feeder at the academy, was now being relied on by
his underclassmen was undoubtedly because they were there.
However, that comfort
had, on the contrary, made Nozomu let his guard down.
Because they were there,
he was okay. That uncertain sense of security had seeped into his heart like a
leaky roof, and had unconsciously robbed Nozomu of his tension.
As a result, he had
lost himself in his anger, and had once again turned his blade on Irisdina and
the others.
That was also a
situation brought about by Nozomu's immaturity and carelessness.
"Hey, old man.
What do you think of Iris and the others?"
Suddenly, Nozomu had
an expression as if he were looking at something far away.
"They are very
charming women. Even in all the years I've lived, there are not many women as
charming as them. They're too good for you. Rather, I should have them..."
"I think so. I
really think so.
Even though I'm like
this, Iris and the others were happy that I was alive. That's why..."
While giving a wry
smile at Zonne's joke, he forcibly cut off his line and once again dropped his
gaze to his arm, which was wrapped in an invisible chain.
Nozomu and Tiamat, who
had become connected by their souls. No matter how much he denied it, it seemed
to Nozomu that he could no longer sever this connection.
"I will no longer
run from this power. I don't want to run from Tiamat.
That's why, I don't
care how harsh the training is. Please. I want you to teach me how to use my
power."
Then, Nozomu himself
had no choice but to master the power of Tiamat.
And he wanted to
become strong enough to be able to continue to stand by their side.
With that thought in
his heart, Nozomu bowed his head to Zonne.
In front of the deeply
bowing Nozomu, Zonne remained silent with an unusually serious expression.
One second, two
seconds... Eventually, after more than ten seconds of silence had passed, Zonne
returned Nozomu's words with a heavy, powerful word.
"...The training
will be harsh. Tiamat is undoubtedly trying to escape from your seal.
If you have even the
slightest gap in your spirit, you will lose yourself as in the incident
yesterday, and this time for sure, you will die. Will you still do it?"
"I am fully
aware. If I can't overcome something of that level, I probably don't have the
right to be by their side. I'll do it."
Even to Zonne's
intimidating question, Nozomu's answer was immediate.
Zonne let out a deep
breath and urged Nozomu to raise his face.
"...Very well.
From now on, call me 'Master'."
"I can't do that.
There is only one person I will call 'Master.' So I will call you, old man,
'Old Master'."
"Hmph, what an
ill-mannered disciple."
"If you were a
master I could respect, I would use honorifics. ...Old Master, I'll be in your
care."
To the provocative
smile of Zonne, Nozomu also returned a gaze that held a strong will and firmly
gripped the hand of the Old Master that was extended to him.
***
In a certain room in a
mansion in a corner of the administrative district, a man and a woman were
facing each other, looking at a crystal placed on a table.
The woman was Mekuria,
dressed in a purple-based dress. The other was a man dressed in an attire
reminiscent of a crow, called Corpse Crow.
The crystal in front
of the two was emitting a faint glow from within. And the light that was
shimmering like a heat haze eventually began to take on color and reveal its
shape.
What the light had
formed was a young man with a katana, and a chalk-white dragon facing him.
The young man and the
white dragon fought fiercely, and the young man who had cornered the dragon was
suppressed by a life-or-death move from the white dragon.
And in front of the
white dragon, who was about to deliver the finishing blow, the maidens in
Solminati Academy uniforms stood in the way.
"So, this was
what you wanted to ask me to do?"
"Yes, it was.
Wasn't it a suitable task?"
"Or rather,
there's no one suitable other than me~. An ordinary person would probably never
notice that isolation barrier..."
While Mekuria and
Corpse Crow were talking, the image in the crystal was changing by the second.
The white dragon was
defeated by the maidens and the others, and this time, the young man who had
been suppressed by the white dragon was released from his restraints.
And the young man who was
wielding his katana and the maidens and the others began to clash blades.
A five-colored elemental
essence gushed out from the young man's body, overwhelming the black-haired
girl and the young man who was wielding a greatsword who were in charge of the
front line.
While looking at that
scene with an admiring look, Corpse Crow clapped his hands with a happy
expression.
"Oh, oh, that
brat is amazing, but the young ladies are also amazing~. To think there are
students like this, I'm a little past surprised and am starting to get scared~.
What is that? Are they really human?"
"The ones he's
facing are the young lady of the Francilt family, the academy's foremost magic
power holder, and a problem child. And an elf and a beastman.
As for 'him,' the key
person, according to the documents, he is, for the time being, an ordinary
human. He is neither a beastman nor a member of the fairy race. He is supposed
to be a very, very ordinary human from a remote village."
A tone of Corpse Crow that
seemed to get on one's nerves. However, Mekuria, who was facing him, did not
seem to mind at all and answered Corpse Crow's question nonchalantly.
On the other hand,
Corpse Crow, who had heard Mekuria's reply, had a wry smile as if to say it was
impossible, and pointed at the Nozomu in the crystal.
"No, you've got
to be kidding. That brat's power, no matter how you look at it, it's the power
of a spirit, isn't it? And an outlier at that."
"Yes, I have so
many thoughts that it's not even necessary to say it."
Corpse Crow and
Mekuria. In front of the two who were watching, the battle between Nozomu and
Irisdina and the others was reaching its final phase.
Shina released a magic
arrow, and Nozomu was about to crush it, and Irisdina and Lisa were forcibly
pressing the magic arrow against Nozomu's left chest and making it explode.
There, the image in
the crystal was cut off.
"It's
confirmed."
"So, what are you
going to do with this info?"
"We will move up
our schedule. I was planning to stay quiet a little longer, but that is no
longer necessary.
I will have you work
as well, you know?"
"Eh~. I just came
to this city, so I was thinking of doing a little more sightseeing to build up
my energy~"
To the unmotivated,
complaining Corpse Crow, Mekuria's absolute-zero gaze was directed.
In the depths of her
quiet, cold eyes, a flame of desire was flickering. It was as if she were
harboring a color of passion, as if her long-awaited encounter had been
interrupted.
She would not permit
him not to lend a hand. At Mekuria's state, Corpse Crow shrugged his shoulders
as if to say it couldn't be helped.
"Good grief, what
a rough young lady. Well then, call me if you have any business~"
With a rustle, he
flipped his cloak, and Corpse Crow disappeared from the spot in an instant.
What was left was only
a single black feather that had fallen to the floor.
On the other hand,
Mekuria, without a care for the instantly disappeared Corpse Crow, stared
intently at the crystal where the image had disappeared, gently reached out her
hand, and slowly stroked the surface of the crystal.
With a gruesome smile
on her cheeks.
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