Chapter
1 Part 5
He is dreaming. Nozomu doesn't know where he
is, but at least it turns out to be a dream. He is the only one
standing in a pitch-black space. There is no ground in this space,
and water spreads all over like a shore of a lake.
There are no people around, just water, even
the wind isn't blowing. There are no waves on the surface of the water,
and no sound can be heard.
When he looked down, he saw something huge in the
water. A jet-black giant and 6 wings with 5 colors. Tiamat, the King of
Destruction.
The giant dragon stares back at him.
Nozomu didn't know what the emotions behind his eyes were.
After staring at each other silently for a while,
the surroundings gradually became brighter. Apparently, He wakes up.
He looks at the dragon again, feeling a little
relieved that he is still alive.
The dragon is still staring at him, but He still
can't read its expression.
Nozomu is swallowed by the white light with a tinge
of anxiety.
"Oh, are you awake? "
"Woah!"
The wrinkled old woman's face is reflected in front
of his eyes, and Nozomu unintentionally shouted and jumped out of the
futon. The next moment his face got hit with a strong fist. He is full of
injuries and the impact echoed in the wounds, he writhes in pain without
making any noise.
"Shishō is terrible ........."
"Which one is terrible! Even though I brought
you from the forest and took care of you for three days !!!"
Bandages are wrapped around his whole body, and the
scent of medicine is floating. It seems she has really treated him.
"I'm sorry, Shishō. Thank you very much."
Shino still has her cheeks inflated, but her eyes
look very happy. She seemed to be very worried, and when Nozomu thought
about it, his chest felt warm.
"Well, You've been treated all night for three
days. Can you tell me why you were lying down full of wounds in such a
place?"
The atmosphere worn by Shishō changes. Swallowed by
the atmosphere of Shishō who has reached expert culmination, his spine
spontaneously tensed up.
“………… I understand. I will tell you
everything.”
In a tense atmosphere, he began to talk about his
story.
A few hours later, after talking about all the
details, only silence remained.
"......... Follow me."
Shishō took the katana and headed out of the hut.
Nozomu also picks up his katana and heads outside.
When going outside, each one held the katana, silently.
Each one prepares the drawn-sword stance. There are bandages wrapped
around him and countless scars on his body are still painful.
"Whenever you're ready!"
The wounds inflicted in the battle with Tiamat hurt,
his shabby body is painful just by holding the sword.
The next moment, Shino stepped in an instant.
Focused on the pain of his wounds, he is clearly slow to respond. He pulls
out his sword in a hurry, but from his experience, he can't make it in
time.
However, contrary to Nozomu's expectation, Shino's
katana gets hit by his katana with a high-pitched sound.
"Eh"
He makes a dumb voice.
He couldn't parry the current attack until now.
"As I thought"
"What do you mean, Shishō"
Shino is convinced. In response to that, Nozomu
asks. He is obviously confused.
His abilities limited by Ability Suppression have a
great influence on his behavior. Since his muscles are lacking in
instantaneous power and the amount of energy is limited, simple actions
cannot prevent unexpected hits.
Therefore, for that reason, he was training his
sword technique to move according to the situation, but Shino's sword
attack this time makes him could not afford to make a move, and he just
responded with a simple sword technique.
Normally, He couldn't make a move in time and should
be cut down, but for some reason, He was able to parry it. The reason is,
"Your physical abilities have improved. "
The reason why he parried Shino's attack,
"But I "
"It is true that your physical ability does not
improve due to Ability Suppression. However, dragon slayer
inherits the power of the dragon and becomes stronger. That must have
happened to you."
"I am .... a dragon slayer…………"
Nozomu is in a whirlpool of further confusion.
Naturally, dragon slayer is a legendary existence. Even the newest dragon
slayer lived hundreds of years ago, and now it doesn't exist.
The strongest successor. An embodiment of tremendous
power. Some use magic that cannot be explained by now existing magic, and
some have awakened to extraordinary abilities. There is such a fairy tale.
"It doesn't seem to have been strengthened
much, though ..."
"Eh!!!"
Nozomu is even more confused by Shino's remarks that
could deny the legend.
"I think the influence of Ability Suppression
is still great. By the way, it seems that you released the ability
suppression during the battle with Tiamat, but can you still do it?"
Shishō's words remind him of the battle. Certainly,
at that time, He had a chain that bound him and a feeling of tearing it
apart. And the feeling of liberation after that. He unleashes a steel
wedge and remembers the sensation of being able to go anywhere.
Nozomu imagined a chain that bound him. Then a
chain wrapped around his body emerges.
"Ah"
His voice rises unintentionally.
"It looks like you can do it."
Nozomu nods to Shino's words.
"So ......... what are you going to do?"
"What should I do …………."
"That power is extraordinarily powerful, and
strong power attracts various things. Position, honor, power, jealousy,
there is no end to it .......... I'll ask you again, what do you want to
do from now on?"
“……………………”
Nozomu cannot answer. Until now, He hasn't thought
about the future. He only thought about it now.
No, He still can't see it. He is still obsessed with
her in his past.
"I've always thought. You have no reason to be
stronger."
"Well, that's ........."
Shino refutes with a strict attitude and expression
to Nozomu who is trying to find an excuse.
"Is it for your lover? That girl is no longer
your lover. Even if you want to support her, there is already another man
next to her. There is no reason for you to become stronger..............
You must have already known that. "
Shino's words mercilessly dig into Nozomu's heart.
He is forced to open the lid and face what he has never tried to think
unconsciously.
Nozomu couldn't say back and had no choice but
to look down. Because he knew himself.
He may not have a place near her now, or he may no
longer have a place in the school.
"......... It would be impossible to decide
what to do for now. Now, you should concentrate on healing your
wounds."
“You'll be forced to make a choice”, Shino said so
and finally returned to the hut.
"......... It's impossible to go back to the
city because of that injury, so it's better to stay for today."
Seeing Shino entering the hut, Nozomu followed Shino
unconsciously. His expression remained cloudy.
"Well, I don't know what to say."
"??? "
Shino turned to him again, but Nozomu didn't know
what to say.
".................. Welcome back. You have
worked hard"
She looks very happy. Even though her face looked
tired, she was relieved from the bottom of her heart.
She took care of him all the time. Her deep love
gently melted her heart which had frozen since she came to this city.
Her sight is distorted by her heartfelt love for the
first in a long time.
"I..... am.... back"
==============================================
Shino’s POV
In an empty forest, a voice fades, and eventually,
it becomes sobbing and crying.
By the side, I am rubbing his back. He is crying.
Rubbing Nozomu's back who's sobbing in front of me.
He's like a little child.
………… Maybe it's not unreasonable. I also have
experienced ridicule and contempt from people who were believed to be my
friends and lover.
I am not a person from this country in the first
place. I'm from an island country at the eastern end of the continent.
The territory of the country is not large, but it
has developed its own culture, Qi technique, and sorcery.
The high mountains and the sea are adjacent to each
other, and it is difficult for a huge army to move in battles for the
subjugation of demons, and victory inevitably requires an individual or a
small number of people with high capability and ability to respond to
situations.
Among them, our clan was proud of outstanding
martial arts. Speaking of swords technique, my clan is undoubtedly the
strongest, and I was born into the world as the second daughter of that
clan.
I was forced to practice katana from an early age
because I was born into a distinguished family of swords master, but I
took it for granted. Thinking it's a natural thing to do as I didn't doubt
it.
I was talented, I immediately stand out. My parents
seemed to be proud of me as I raised my skills, and my older sister was as
happy as I was.
That's why I became more and more absorbed in
swordsmanship. I can't help myself.
I kept raising my skills, and finally, no one in the
clan could beat me.
Being the best swordsman in the leading clan of
swordsmanship means that I am inevitably the best user in the country.
Therefore, many disciples study under me, and many
influential people were begging for the subjugation of powerful demon
beasts.
Because I lived only for the sword, I didn't dress
up like a woman, and I wasn't interested in makeup or love.
My parents were shocked and forced me to hasten the
matchmake, but only my sister was on my side.
At that time, my older sister was so kind that I
could admire her, and all the famous families from all over the world
approached her about marriage.
However, it seems that my sister had a determined
person, and she stubbornly refused to accept the marriage.
One day I spent those days, I met him.
He came up to me, who was practicing with my sister.
Gentle eyes and gentle smile. His body is smaller
than the average adult boy, creating an intellectual atmosphere.
He is the third son of a sorcerer in this country,
and he seems to have snuck into the carriage when his father, who is the
head, comes to our house.
And my sister also colluded and said that he was
secretly invited to the mansion.
He pleaded with a serious expression.
"You are Shino, right? Actually, I have a request for
you. "
His request was to teach him swordsmanship.
He had almost no magical power, and he was a dropout
out of school among sorcerers, and he had nowhere to go.
That's why he practiced martial arts independently
in order to be recognized by his family, but it still to no avail.
At that time, he had known my sister through country
leaders dinner and heard about me.
Looks like my sister can't refuse his request.
With his enthusiasm, I tried teaching him, but it
didn't work at all.
Because of his style, He had a strange habit, and
the original sharpness of the sword was not utilized at all. His
appearance is also bad, his legs, hips, and arms are not linked at all.
At first, I refused to talk, but he was too
persistent and I couldn't refuse my sister's sincere request, so I ended
up teaching him swordsmanship.
"No! The handle of the sword is the opposite
!!!! If you want to learn, come after knowing the basics !!!"
"What's that slender waist! The old man with
mochi is still more powerful !!!"
"You can cry and scream! You are my practice
puppet! I will teach you the real slashing!"
………… Well, when I think about it now, I was a
little sour, so maybe I did a little too much.
At first, he couldn't even get the basics, but
gradually he was getting stronger.
My sister was very pleased with it, I couldn't show
it but I was also happy.
The disciples that I had trained from the beginning
became stronger. There is no reason not to be happy.
From around this time, I started thinking about him
from time to time.
When eating, sleeping, bathing, or practicing.
Eventually, I remembered him no matter when or where
I was, and I consulted with my sister.
"Everyone has such a time, you don't have to
worry about it, it will be subsided soon."
However, instead of subsided, it became bigger and
bigger, and it couldn't be helped.
The maid of my family who saw such a situation
asked.
"Shino-sama, maybe, are you in love?"
That word turned me upside down.
"This is love?"
"Yes, that is love. As I thought, Shino-sama is
in love."
"B... but... love....."
"Shino-sama. Love comes to everyone, and no one
can stop it, because even God can fall in love."
While listening to the maid, I was completely aware
of my love.
And when I became aware of it, I became conscious of
him so much that I couldn't help myself.
His standing figure and eyes when he devotes himself
to training sincerely.
Even the stiff story during the break and the smell
of sweat from his training clothes makes my heart excited.
I didn't like such myself, I met him when I tried to
avoid him.
"Why do you avoiding me?"
He asks me
“………… I'm not”
"It's a lie. You don't even look at me like you
used to."
“……………… It's misunderstanding”
"No. There is no misunderstanding."
"I'm very confident."
"I've been watching you for a long time, long
before you knew me. Only you."
"……What?"
I felt something deep in his words and asked him
back.
"... I've always admired you. Boasting the best
sword technique in this country, with a noble heart and clear eyes like
that sword. I don't think it's appropriate for me to say something like
this ... I love you. More than anyone in the world "
It's definitely a love confession.
My heart burst from my chest, my face turned redder
than the sunset, I couldn't see his face and turned my back on him.
"......... Are you an Idiot? You like someone
like me who can't even dress like a woman."
An ordinary man would prefer a feminine person like
my older sister over me.
"Maybe, but I loved you. No one else .... Would
you please go out with me?"
".........Idiot Idiot... This is foolish...
You... Idiot..."
"Yes, I'm an idiot. So can you give me the
answer?"
“……………… I have certainly received your
feelings. I am still inexperienced, but I look forward to working with you
for a long time."
I vowed to go out with him at this time.
The relationship between me and him soon became
known, and in the meantime, the date of the wedding was decided.
The marriage between a master of martial arts and a
master of magic was announced extensively, and my parents were pleased.
However, my sister seemed to be ill and often stayed
in her room.
And on the day of the wedding, that incident
happened.
A man suddenly declares to me in front of the
relatives who gathered that day.
"She is having sexual intercourse with another
man, even though she has a vowed partner. This wedding is full of filth
!!!"
The man was one of the men who once proposed to my
sister, who had been rejected.
The place of the wedding was noisy due to the sudden
event, and everyone was confused. I asserted that the man was lying, but
he confidently said:
"Then I should check her room."
And, in my room, He found a man's underwear that I
didn't remember.
This made the groom's relatives angry, the weddings
were broken, and I was blamed by my parents.
I desperately appeal to my innocence, but I wasn't
heard, and he just turned his cold eyes toward me.
I was excommunicated for committing adultery and was
put under house arrest.
And one day, about a year later. My older sister
came to me and said:
"The man at that time, I sent it."
"………………Eh"
"At your wedding, I told him, I'll rethink the
marriage proposal. Then that man was overjoyed and got on the story."
"W...hy...... Why 'Aneue'?"
My sister approached me with an angry look. I was
afraid of my sister's expression, which I have never seen before, and I
backed off.
"Because you robbed him from me, I found him
first! I've been watching him for a long time !!!"
Her expression was just like a demon. My sister
grabs my hair and spits out her cursed words.
"I will never forgive you !! I will take away
all from you !!! Status, honor, everything !! You will never be happy as a
person again !!!"
My hair was torn and it's painful, I begged like a
child, but my sister never stopped.
"In any case, you no longer belong to this
clan. No one will listen to you and will not help you. See you Shino. Rest
assured, I will live with him for a lifetime."
When she says so, she returns and goes out of my
room.
I couldn't do anything, I could only cry.
In the end, I left home. The story of my weddings
was so well known throughout the country that there was no place for me in
the country as the story continued to flow and arrived at my place.
"You and I are surprisingly similar."
Abandoned and Thrown away in the same way. At first,
I hated looking at him in the past, but now he is an irreplaceable
disciple.
When I noticed, my disciple fell asleep, probably
because he was crying.
His expression broke my face …….
"Gu~ !!"
My field of vision is suddenly distorted, My head is
stunned, and it seemed that consciousness could not be maintained.
"Ei! This good for nothing body!"
If I manage to connect my consciousness, my vision
will become clearer.
(………… Recently, the interval is getting shorter.
It’s not long anymore.)
"Sleepness Disease"
A disease in which the person's spirit gradually
declines and dies. The cause has not been identified, and it is an
extremely difficult disease to cure completely.
There are only a few cases that have been cured, and
the reason for their recovery has not been identified.
The disease gradually fades away from the body and
eventually dies like sleep.
However, there is no fear of death on Shino's face,
and there is only regret.
(I wanted to talk to you more. Teaching you more
sword technique...)
Watching Nozomu sleep on her chest, she strengthens
her decision.
(Finally, there is something I need to tell you. At
that time ... with all my might...)
