Chapter 8 Part 4
Translator : PolterGlast
The scene that Nozomu
saw as he slept slightly.
Raging cold and heat
waves. Conflicting weather conditions were alternately blowing over the land,
robbing the few people who lived there of the energy they needed to survive.
The seeds that had
been planted froze along with the ground overnight, and the sprouts that
finally emerged withered away in the blink of an eye along with the hot winds.
Furthermore, raids by
hungry monsters and demon beasts further plunged the devastated humans into
hell.
There was no hope.
Hunger and resignation drained the humans of their energy.
She watched such a
scene from the sky.
(Horrible……)
That was Tiamat's
first thought when she saw the scene.
All her possibilities
were being seized from her in an environment that she had no control over. And
she had been avoided by her own people because of her birth. However, their
environment seemed far more miserable than her own.
An ordinary human
being would have lamented their own powerlessness and simply surrendered
themself to the death that would come.
Fortunately, however,
Tiamat had the power. She may be a bottom feeder as a member of the dragon
race, but she was far more powerful compared to humans.
So, she extended her
hand a little.
Using her own
elements, she temporarily changed the direction of the raging nature.
She suppressed the
shining sunlight with the power of darkness and transferred her own life force
to the withered plants. She also sent the darkness that had stored heat during
the day high into the sky during the night, causing rain to fall.
As a result, the
withered buds sprang back to life, and the wasteland was transformed into a
green meadow in the blink of an eye.
She had miscalculated
her power and created forests here and there, but thanks to her, the people living
in the area were able to sustain their lives.
For her, it was just a
trivial task.
However, the words
that people said to her at that time struck her heart strongly.
(Thank you)
It was the first time
in her life that she had ever received such words from a small existence. It
brought her a feeling she had never experienced before.
A sense of
fulfillment, contentment, satisfaction, and accomplishment.
Then little by little,
she began to help humans.
She helped the wind to
be calm, the sun to be healthy, and the land to be bountiful.
As a black dragon, she
could only do so much, but each time she did, the humans expressed deep
gratitude to her.
And to her, the people
who lived there had turned into irreplaceable beings.
The demon beasts that
had been ravaged by hunger became docile, and eventually, some of them began to
coexist with humans.
Eventually, her
friends joined the land and it grew into a large country.
Alharant. A land where
spirits, demon beasts, and humans lived together in an ideal world.
===================================
"Was that, her
memories?..."
Nozomu woke up to the
morning sun shining through the window of his room and ruminating on the scene
he had just witnessed.
The memory of Tiamat,
which he had glimpsed from time to time. However, he had rarely seen it in such
a clear form.
Except for when he was
in sync with Tiamat in the previous incident...
"Sudden
synchronization? But the [Soul-Sealing Chains] have not been broken..."
Nozomu got off the bed
to check himself, just to be sure, but he could not feel anything unusual.
There was no pain
eroding his entire body, and the invisible chains were still wrapped around
him.
"I'll ask Old
Master, just in case."
It might not be a
problem for now, but it would be better to be sure.
He grabbed the katana
he had left by his bed and left his room, heading for the dorm garden.
In the dormitory yard,
there were several students who were working out as hard as Nozomu.
They glanced at Nozomu
as he came, but immediately focused on their own training afterward.
Nozomu also quietly
pulled his katana out of its sheath and began to swing it as if to check it.
From diagonal slash to
reverse-diagonal slash, from lateral slash to the right to lateral slash to the
left.
He swung his katana
slowly and without wasting time as if he was confirming the form.
Demonstration of
flowing curves. The blade of the katana danced lightly in the morning sunlight.
For him, it was not
even a workout, it was just a confirmation process. However, it was so
beautiful that those who saw it could not help but admire it.
In fact, the eyes of
the students who had been practicing on their own were once again focused on
Nozomu.
"Come to think of
it, I really need to do something about the party..."
Meanwhile, Nozomu was
still wielding his katana and racking his brains about the opening party.
Yesterday, after
realizing that he was a party participant, Nozomu had immediately gone to the
office and obtained a participant's guidebook.
He then received some
explanation from the office staff and further perused the guidebook he had
obtained in his room last night.
Coming from a commoner
background, Nozomu was not familiar with the etiquette of the party, but according
to the office staff, there was no problem with wearing a uniform to the party.
However, since the
impression one makes at a party may directly affect one's future, most students
seem to have gotten appropriate attire to attend the party.
The school had secured
a number of formal attire for the party, and it was okay to borrow to attend
the party.
However, Nozomu did
not have to worry too much about that. When Victor invited him to the mansion
before, he gave Nozomu formal attire as a gift.
"Perhaps he knew
about this and gave me that attire?"
Remembering the look
on Victor's face when he told him "you'll need it when the time
comes", Nozomu recalled the guidebook he read last night.
"Anyway, there's
also dance ....... what should I do?"
Nozomu had never cared
about whether he was good at dancing or not. He always thought it was something
he had nothing to do with.
However, when he
thought about it, those who graduated from the school have a good chance of
attaining a high position in society, regardless of status.
If that were to
happen, there would inevitably be opportunities to come into contact with the
upper class. If this were the case, it would be necessary to acquire the skills
necessary to do so.
Nozomu must have never
thought that a time would come when he would experience it.
According to the
office staff, the teachers would provide special training for students who
would be attending the party for the first time, but the application period
ended the day before yesterday, so Nozomu could not apply in time to attend.
Meanwhile, Mars, who
was the same as Nozomu who had never been to a party before, had already
applied.
"I have no
experience at all. There's no way I can dance. Is using [Rinne Kaiten] no good?
No, of course, it's not good..."
It was only natural.
What was he going to do? Beat up his dance partner?
Nozomu still seemed to
be in a panic inside his head.
The first thing to do
was to take a deep breath and calm his muddled mind.
"I think I'll
just become an ornament on the wall..."
For Nozomu, it didn't
seem like a bad idea.
He would need time to
practice his dance moves.
As Irisdina and the
others said, it might be necessary to make connections with influential people.
But for Nozomu, he wanted to prioritize training with Zonne above all else for
now.
To completely control
Tiamat's power. That, he believed, was what needed to be done above all else.
Perhaps because he was
so deep in thought, Nozomu did not notice the presence approaching from behind.
"Oi……"
Nozomu turned around
as he heard a voice coming from behind him.
There was his
classmate, someone of a Silver Wolf Race with his silver hair and tail.
"Kevin, what can
I do for you?"
Kevin Ardinal.
A classmate of
Irisdina's. He is a student who was considered the best close-quarter combatant
in the third year.
However, since the
combat training between Nozomu and Jihad, Nozomu's name has been at the top of
the list at the school.
Perhaps he was also
training early in the morning. His skin was glistening with beads of sweat, and
his hair was moist and wet.
"I hear you're
going to be at the opening party too..."
"Well, it looks
like I have to participate. So, what exactly do you want?"
“…………”
Nozomu sneered at
Kevin, who stared at him silently, but his nervousness increased.
Kevin is a prideful
man, and in the past, he had one-sidedly scorned Nozomu, who had not performed
well. During the special general training, he was overtly hostile toward
Nozomu.
Even for Nozomu, it
was not a very pleasant situation to be in.
A tense, skin-pricking
feeling of intimidation flowed between the two.
Then, at that time, a
voice suddenly blew away the tense atmosphere between the two.
"Ah, Nozomu.
There you are."
"I-, iris? Why
are you here so early in the morning..."
“…………”
Irisdina appeared,
dressed in her uniform.
Upon seeing her, Kevin
turned his hostility toward Nozomu, silently turned on his heel, and walked
away.
Irisdina, who had seen
Kevin's back, put on a wondering expression on her face.
"……Did something
happen?"
Irisdina, who was familiar
with Kevin's personality, asked Nozomu, while squinted her eyes.
"No, he didn't
say anything to me... A-, anyway, do you need something? I can't believe you're
coming to the boys' dorm this early in the morning."
"Ah, right. I've
got some business with you. Would you mind hearing me out?"
Irisdina's sharp gaze
faded away, and she began to look at Nozomu's face with a flustered expression.
She looked into
Nozomu's face with a flustered gaze, and her cheeks seemed to be slightly
tinted with vermilion.
"Well, umm.
Nozomu has no dance experience, right? Then why don't you practice a
little?"
"Practice?"
"Y-, yeah. I have
a place in my house and it's spacious enough that you won't be bothering the
people around you. W-, what do you think..."
Irisdina's suggestion
made Nozomu's expression turn uncomfortable. He had just been thinking of
abandoning his dance practice.
He understood that
Irisdina was concerned about him and was making the suggestion. But as far as
he was concerned, he was reluctant to appear in front of the stage right now.
"But wouldn't
that be a nuisance? Besides, considering the Old Master's training, I think it
will be very late in the day. Victor-san might not be too happy about it
either..."
"No problem. I'm
the owner of that mansion. And even if it's late, there is no curfew in the
dormitory, right? I'll at least treat you to dinner. What do you say?"
"I'm glad Iris
suggested it, but I'm ......"
He was happy to hear
from Irisdina that she was willing to help him practice. But it was too early
for him now. Once he thought about it, Nozomu couldn't readily accept her
suggestion.
After much
consideration, Nozomu decided to refuse Irisdina's suggestion.
Nozomu's heart ached
as if it was creaking when he thought about her thinking about him as much as
she could. Nozomu swallowed the pain along with his spit.
Controlling Tiamat's
power. That was the priority for him now more than anything else, he thought,
covering up the pain in his chest.
At the very least, he
should refuse her, not with excuses, but with firm and sincere words. Believing
that out of respect for her, Nozomu tried to open his mouth.
"I...
see..."
But before Nozomu
could reply, a shadow appeared on Irisdina's face as she stared at him.
She is a very
perceptive woman. She must have immediately realized what Nozomu's response
would be.
The ice that had been
creaking deep inside Nozomu's chest was cracked by her expression that was
filled with a sense of loneliness.
"I'd like to
dance ... with you..."
The words she muttered
sadly fell with a thud sound into Nozomu's chest.
At that moment, the
ice in his chest that had been creaking earlier rattled and crumbled.
At the same time,
Nozomu felt indescribable anger at himself.
(What am I doing… I
don't want her to make such an expression, that's why I begged Zonne to train
me.)
Nozomu slapped his own
cheeks with both hands as if to rebuke himself for trying to make excuses.
Irisdina was startled
by Nozomu's sudden action, and her eyes were flustered.
"Iris, I need you
to help me practice my dance moves, please. Honestly, it's about time I had to
do something about it."
While staring her
firmly in the eye, Nozomu asked her to help him practice. Her face, which had
been frozen in surprise, gradually relaxed and turned into a big smile.
"A-, alright
then! I'll be waiting for you at the front gate after school today, and we can
go to my place after your training with Zonne is over!"
Irisdina grabbed
Nozomu's hands and shook them as if driven by the excitement, and then she
started talking rapidly.
Then she let go of
Nozomu's hand and ran toward the front gate of the dormitory.
"You hear me! You
better promise me! That you'll definitely come!"
"Yeah, it's a
promise!"
Irisdina turned around
and waved her hand, to which Nozomu also responded with a wave.
It might be bad for
him since his training time with Zonne will be reduced. Even so, Nozomu could
be sure from the bottom of his heart that this was for the best.
The sun had already
risen completely above the horizon. The wind, however, was still biting cold.
Nozomu's body shivered
from the cold. But inside his chest, it was warmer than ever.
Incidentally, their
conversation was instantly spread throughout the boys' dormitory by the
students who were training early in the morning, and Nozomu was subjected to
countless murderous stares from morning on.
