TEASER CHAPTER 6 PART 27
The
blood that spurted out spread like a red carpet under Ken's kneeling feet.
"~!"
"A-,
aaaaaaaaaaa!"
Ken's
screams hit Nozomu's ears. Nozomu frowned painfully at the sight that made him
want to look away.
The
wound was so severe that Nozomu could tell at a glance that Ken was in critical
condition. Ken's right arm was almost severed. He was desperately trying to
hold the wound, but blood was spurting regularly from the cut surface.
As
Ken crouched on his knees, Barrozza and the other military police officers
tried to subdue him.
Two
of them pushed Ken down so that he couldn't resist and then tightened his arms.
After that, they tied his almost severed right arm tightly around the wound to
stop the bleeding.
"A,
aa. M-my arms ..."
Ken
kept groaning as he was pushed down to the ground. Nozomu just watched his
former best friend being seized in silence.
At
that moment, Jihad, clad in silver and white armor, emerged through the
military police surrounding him. Behind him were Inda, Shīna, and the others.
It
was not clear whether they got the message from the messenger or they moved
after hearing Camilla's message. Either way, Jihad and his men also seemed to
have been able to find this place.
Jihad
had already heard that the perpetrators had been subdued, and he walked over
with a look of relief on his face, but when he saw Ken being subdued and
bleeding, he had a stern look on his face.
"So
you did take him down ..."
Jihad
silently approached Nozomu and tapped him on the shoulder.
"A……"
Nozomu
finally noticed Jihad and the others and turned around.
His
mouth was tightly closed and his eyes full of sorrow. Jihad could see that
Nozomu was desperately trying to suppress the emotions swirling in his heart.
It
was reasonable. No matter how much he was framed, Nozomu was not so despicable
that he would not feel anything after hurting someone who had once been his
best friend.
But
as soon as Nozomu noticed Jihad and the others, his eyes went back to the
crouching Ken. He bit his lip but did not turn away.
It
was as if he had made it clear to himself that this was his decision.
"Thank
you for your hard work. And I'm sorry I left it to you."
"No,
it's okay……"
Perhaps
understanding Nozomu's inner thoughts, Jihad did not say much. Instead, he put
his hand on Nozomu's shoulder to support him.
Jihad
nodded in a comforting way as he spoke words of encouragement, and then he
walked toward Ken. As if on cue, Irisdina and Shīna rushed over to Nozomu.
"'Nozomu,
are you alright?"
"Let
me see your wound. I'll take care of it."
After
Irisdina and Shīna rushed over to him, Nozomu was receiving medical treatment.
When he glanced to the side, Irisdina had Somia on her side.
"Nozomu-san...
are you okay?"
"Y-yeah.
I'm okay."
Somia's
eyes were filled with concern for Nozomu, despite the danger she had been
through.
Nozomu
tried to reassure Somia, but he couldn't smile through his tense face.
Nozomu's
current appearance was very similar to the time when he had gone out of control
and almost hurt his friends.
At
that time, Nozomu was frightened when he realized that he had been misled by
Tiamat's illusion and almost killed his friends. Irisdina reached out and
gently touched Nozomu's cheek, repeatedly saying that it was alright.
