Chapter 8 Part 8
Translator : PolterGlast
After finishing their
bath, Nozomu and his friends were taken to the room that had been prepared for
them after they finished their meal.
The room was a guest
room where Nozomu had once stayed, and he and his friends were greeted by a
clean white room with calm and tasteful furnishings.
Nozomu, for the time
being, sat down on the bed that had been prepared for him, took a deep breath,
and began to meditate while trying to feel the presence of his surroundings
with a sense of calmness.
It was the spirit
magic that Nozomu was trying to learn. To sense the presence of spirits around
him.
Nozomu was told by
Zonne to take a break, but he could not feel at ease without doing anything.
"...... Not good.
I guess I really have to release the [Soul-Sealing Chains] first."
Nozomu meditated for
about 20 minutes, but the results were not good.
He could sense the
presence of Mars and the others next door, and even the birds resting on a tree
in the garden, but he could not sense the slightest hint of presence that he
believed to be a spirit.
According to Zonne,
the strong binding power of the [Soul-Sealing Chains] also bound Nozomu's soul,
shutting it off from the outside world.
Therefore, in order to
sense the surrounding spirits, it was essential for him to release the
[Soul-Sealing Chains].
However, once the
[Soul-Sealing Chains] were released, he would be too occupied with controlling
the drastically increased Qi.
With that in mind, he
tried to sense the spirits without releasing the [Soul-Sealing Chains], but he
still couldn't sense anything.
A sigh escaped from
Nozomu's mouth.
At that moment, a
knocking sound on the door echoed.
"Nozomu-kun, may
I have a word with you?"
"Hmm? Shina, do you
need something?"
He could hear Shina's
voice through the door.
Nozomu was wondering
what she needed so late at night? He tilted his head and opened the door. He
involuntarily gulped when he saw Shina's figure standing in front of the door.
Shina was standing in
the dimly lit corridor, wearing a light blue nightgown.
Her cheeks were
slightly dyed in vermilion. Perhaps because she had just finished bathing, her
long, smooth azure hair was moist and wet, and her bosom, peeking out from her
nightgown, smelled sweet.
She was gripping her
arms as if to hide herself, and while she was looking down in some kind of
fidgety, shy way, her gaze was glancing up at Nozomu.
"I need to talk
to you... May I come into your room?"
"Y-, yeah,
sure."
Nozomu was at a loss
for a response to Shina's meaningful words, but he urged her to enter the room.
Shina walked around
the room for a while, her eyes darting in the air, and then she sat down on the
edge of the bed by the window.
Nozomu, for the time
being, pulled a nearby chair close at hand and tried to sit down.
"Nozomu-kun, sit
here..."
"Eh?"
However, Shina patted
the bed on which she was sitting, urging Nozomu to come closer.
Nozomu's eyes
fluttered, and then he understood Shina's words and started to get flustered.
However, prompted by
Shina's staring eyes, Nozomu scratched his cheeks in embarrassment and sat down
next to Shina.
The distance between
the two of them sitting next to each other was about the size of a person's
seat.
Her presence near his
shoulder and her sweet scent tickled his nose. Nozomu's heart was pounding
fast.
"S-, so, what do
you need to talk about?"
"Nozomu-kun, have
you been having strange dreams lately? Specifically, a dream in which a black
dragon appears."
Nozomu's expression turned
surprised and his eyes widened.
"How did you know
that?"
"Here
......"
"Is this
Michael's crystal?"
Shina suddenly took
out a crystal with a gold ornament in it. It was the crystal of Michael's soul.
"Yes, I have
heard about your situation from Zonne-dono. I've been holding this crystal for
a while now, but since you want to know more about Tiamat, you should have
it."
Shina gently handed
the crystal to Nozomu.
The moment he touched
Mikael, Nozomu's heart pulsated. And the urge to crush the crystal in his hand
welled up like hot magma.
It was obvious
interference from Tiamat. Nozomu took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled it
as if trying to suppress the rapid beating of his heartbeat.
After a few more deep
breaths, his heartbeat calmed down, and the hatred that had been rising in him
subsided.
"And one more
thing, Nozomu-kun, you want to be able to use spirit magic, right?"
"Yeah, maybe I
can do it if I can learn to control Tiamat's power..."
Nozomu stared straight
at Shina, holding his chest, which had just heated up.
There was neither
confusion nor fear of Tiamat in his eyes. They were eyes of determination,
focused on what he must do now.
"Even if you
already become a Dragon Slayer, there is almost no chance that you, who are
mostly human, will be able to use spirit magic. But you may be able to sense
spirits."
Shina gulped and
silence enveloped them for a moment.
With the same
determination in her eyes as Nozomu, Shina slowly opened her mouth.
"I'll help
you."
Shina quickly got up
on her knees on the bed and slid behind Nozomu.
"Take off your
clothes and show me your back."
"Eh?"
Shina's sudden words
took Nozomu's breath away for a moment.
Nozomu's mind wondered
what she was going to do, but the seriousness of Shina's words, which he could
feel through her back, made him slowly roll up the hem of his clothes.
"Like this?"
"You and I are
connected through a contract. If you and I connect more deeply, you may be able
to share my senses and may be able to sense the spirits."
Shina put her hand on
Nozomu's back. Nozomu's body jerked at the cool sensation on his back.
Shina's words were not
wrong.
Contract magic is the
specialty of species related to fairies and spirits, including elves. The
question is whether it is possible to build such a strong path with Nozomu, who
has not yet released the [Soul-Sealing Chains].
“…………”
"Nhh~"
Blue magic power oozed
out of Shina's body and slowly flowed to Nozomu through her hands.
Nozomu also felt a
warm sensation entering his body while he concentrated his attention on sensing
the spirit.
"... How is
it?"
"... It's no use,
I don't feel anything."
Nozomu shook his head
in disappointment as he could not sense anything.
Shina let go of her
hand on Nozomu's back and folded her arms in thought.
"Could it be,
it's because of the strong influence of the [Soul-Sealing Chains]..."
"Shall I release
it?"
Shina shook her head
at Nozomu's suggestion.
"No, if we break
the [Soul-Sealing Chains] in a place like this without setting up any barriers,
there will be a big commotion. Wait a minute..."
"? Shina, what in
the world... are you doing !?"
Nozomu turned around
and saw Shina, who had stripped off the pajamas she was wearing. Shina's modest
yet beautiful twin hills were illuminated by the moonlight shining through the
windows.
Furthermore, Shina
suddenly put the index finger of her left hand in her mouth and bit it off. A
drop of blood fell from Shina's finger, which was as white as deep snow.
Shina then took
Nozomu's left hand, put his thumb in her mouth, and bit it in the same way.
With a stinging pain,
blood oozed from Nozomu's finger.
Shina laid her own
index finger, which was dripping with blood, on Nozomu's thumb, which she had
bitten off, and slid it across her palm, then hugged Nozomu from behind.
“…………”
"W-, what are you
doing?"
"Don't look over
here. Please concentrate."
"U-, um, umm ..."
Nozomu was surprised
by Shina's sudden action. He quivered and rattled like a broken clock.
Shina, on the other
hand, remained clinging to Nozomu's back, refusing to move. Then, Shina
squeezed their overlapping hands together.
"I'm temporarily strengthening
the contract, so please be quiet. I-, I'm embarrassed too, you know..."
Nozomu's whole body
turned red like hot iron at the sound of Shina's voice and the soft touch on
his back.
And in the palms of
their joined hands, the blood of the two of them was mixed.
The feeling of sticky
blood mixing and spreading, along with the lewd scent, melted away Nozomu's
rationality.
"W-, was there no
other way?"
"A-, another way,
you say? T-, there's no way I can do that..."
There seemed to be
another method, but apparently, it would be more embarrassing than this one.
Shina's cool body
heated up, and her hands, which had been clasped with Nozomu's, tightened.
Nozomu was also
writhing inwardly at the sight of her figure.
"U-, ugh..."
"Calm your mind
and concentrate. If you get distracted, I won't be able to share my senses
properly."
"I-, I
understand..."
Nozomu exhaled deeply
once, closed his eyes, and switched his consciousness.
His vision went
completely dark, and at the same time, Nozomu felt as if he was falling into
himself. However, the sensation rapidly changed its direction once it crossed a
certain point.
The sensation that
should have been sinking turned into a jumping sensation, and his consciousness
rapidly expanded from the inside out.
At the same time, he
could sense the presence of something everywhere in his expanding
consciousness.
The presence of
something large next door, the presence of several small animals under the
eaves, the presence of birds sleeping in the trees outside.
The presence of life.
But then Nozomu felt something completely new, something he had never felt
before.
Something like a fog
was drifting in the corner of the room.
"……Ah"
"Did you sense
it?"
"I felt something
there..."
Nozomu pointed to the
corner of the room where he felt the presence. Seeing this, Shina's cheeks
relaxed.
"Yes, the spirit
of darkness is looking at us. Because you are an odd one. Over there is the
spirit of light, illuminated by the moonlight. Outside the window, in the
trees, there is a spirit of wind resting. Do you sense them?"
Once again, Nozomu's
attention was drawn outside the room.
Then he felt the
presence of something fluttering through the lavish garden, illuminated by the
moonlight, and something twirling around the branches of a tree where a small
bird was resting.
"Umm... Somehow,
I know they're there. But I have no idea what they're thinking or
doing......"
"I see, I guess
that's my limit."
"Still, I was
able to sense the presence of the spirits. That's a tremendous improvement.
Thank you."
"Is that so ...
Thank goodness."
Shina's eyes were
downcast with disappointment, but her mouth relaxed at Nozomu's words of
thanks.
Letting out a breath
of relief, Shina gently pulled herself away from Nozomu and adjusted her pajamas.
Shina, who had
finished adjusting her disordered clothes, suddenly put on a mysterious
expression as she held her hands over her breasts, which were touching Nozomu
earlier.
The air was filled
with a different kind of heat and a heavy atmosphere, and Nozomu's expression
tightened as well.
"Nozomu-kun, now
that you can sense the spirits and have Mikael-dono at your side, I think you
will have a much better chance of glimpsing into Tiamat's past."
“…………”
Nozomu nodded to
Shina's words.
Sensing the spirits
and the existence of Mikael. Both stimulated Tiamat, and perhaps because of the
ritual he had just performed, Nozomu felt that his own connection with the
dragon had become stronger.
At the same time, the
danger of Nozomu being controlled by Tiamat had also increased. The danger of
this was so ingrained in both of their bodies that there was no need to explain
it.
"But I beg you.
Don't be consumed by these memories. Don't let it consume you. You are who you
are..."
"Yes, I know.
Thank you, Shina."
Nozomu nodded firmly
to Shina's plea. Shina smiled at the strong will in Nozomu's eyes.
"Well
then……"
Shina stood up quickly
and quietly left the room.
Nozomu watched Shina
leave the room and then looked down at his palm.
The blood that had
flowed out was almost dry and had turned into a slippery, sticky substance.
The thought of Shina's
blood mixed in with his own blood was unsettling to Nozomu.
"Let's take a
little walk..."
He needed to calm his
mind. Nozomu slowly got up from the bed
where he was sitting and put his hand on the door that Shina had just left.
=================================
After leaving Nozomu's
room, Shina walked down the long white corridor at a quick pace.
When she came to the
front of the room assigned to her, she sighed deeply.
Shina's chest was
filled with joy, relief, and remorse.
Why did she feel
remorse? The truth is that there was something she had not told Nozomu in the
ritual she had just performed on him.
"As I thought, it
was cowardly of me..."
"What do you mean
by cowardly?"
"Eh?"
Shina's leaked
soliloquy was returned, and when Shina involuntarily turned around, she saw
Mimuru, dressed in her nightgown, somehow holding a pillow and tilting her
neck.
Shina, trying her best
to suppress her inner turmoil, maintained her expressionless face.
"Mi-, Mimuru,
what are you doing?"
"Well, I was just
going to the bathroom for a bit..."
"Even though it's
provided in the room? Also, with a pillow?"
"A-,
ahahaha..."
Mimuru smiled bitterly
as she hid the pillow in her hand behind her back.
Shina knew exactly
where she was going and what she was going to do.
"You too, Shina,
what are you doing here at this hour? And what's that smell ...... blood?"
Shina involuntarily
put her left hand behind her back when she saw Mimuru's nose sniffing.
"I-, it's
nothing. I'm going to bed, good night."
"Ah, wait!"
Quickly opening the
door, Shina slipped herself into her bedroom before Mimuru could pursue her.
Shina exhaled with
relief as she closed the door behind her.
The name of the ritual
she had just performed was the blood covenant ceremony.
It was a contract
ritual that was much more powerful than simple contract magic through magic
power.
Those who have gone
through such a contract can sense the other's presence without the intermediary
of magic power, no matter how far apart they are.
Naturally, such a
strong contract couldn't possibly be a "temporary" contract. It was a
soul contract that could never be terminated unless the other party died.
Furthermore, that soul
connection had a special meaning for the elves.
Shina performed the
ritual without telling Nozomu what it meant.
Her reason was that
simple contract magic was not enough to further strengthen the connection with
Nozomu, whose soul was bound by the Soul-Sealing Chains].
There was no other way
to make such a strong contract possible except through the blood covenant
ritual.
"If I tell him
the true meaning of this ritual, Nozomu might feel responsible and kill himself
to make up for it."
That meant denying the
words she had said to Nozomu just a few moments earlier.
"I am an elf and
he is a human. This connection alone is enough......"
As she fell onto the
bed, Shina looked at her left hand, which had been overlapping with his hand
until a few minutes ago.
The blood from her
bitten index finger had dried up.
While gently touching
the scar with her lips, she arched her back on the bed and drifted off to
sleep.
Deep in her chest, she
felt a sense of joy and guilt as if she was "dragging a chain".
==================================
Nozomu was strolling
around the Francilt mansion, trying to distract himself, when he suddenly
noticed a light on in the kitchen.
When he peeked in to
see what was going on, he found that the maid, Mena, was cutting up citrus
fruits and arranging them on a plate.
Noticing Nozomu's
presence, Mena raised her face up.
"Nozomu-sama, is
there something wrong?"
"No, I just
couldn't sleep... What are you doing, Mena-san?"
"Master and
Mazarinette-sama are having drinks in their room, so I have prepared something
to refresh their palates."
Mena returned to
cooking again. This time she put cheese and smoked meat on thinly sliced bread.
Mena concentrated on
cooking for a while, but then she looked at Nozomu as if she suddenly come up
with something.
"Nozomu-sama, I
am very sorry to trouble you, but if you don't mind, I would like you to help
me carry the dishes."
The two plates on
which the snacks were placed were quite large. They were probably big enough to
be held in Nozomu's arms.
The amount of food on
the plates was also quite large. It would have been too heavy for a woman to
carry alone.
"Sure. I'll carry
it."
"Thank you very
much. Let's bring them in."
The two of them each
carry a plate and headed to Victor's office.
The weight on Nozomu's
arms was as heavy as they looked, but this was no problem for Nozomu, who
worked out on a regular basis.
Nozomu glanced
sideways at Mena, who was walking next to him, and saw that she, too, was
carrying the plate in a calm manner.
Eventually, they
arrived in front of Victor's office.
Nozomu had been
questioned by Victor in this room before, and as he stood there, he remembered
the time when Victor harshly described him as a wrecked ship.
(I wonder, what about
now...)
When he was attacked
by Azel, he learned from his own experience that he must become strong and that
his friends would be in danger if he could not improve himself enough to
control Tiamat.
That was why he had
continuously trained himself to master the [Soul Sealing Chain] with all his
might.
With the support of
his friend, he had just recently become able to sense the spirits.
However, deep in his
heart, Nozomu felt that something was missing.
(Also, there's the
matter about Irisdina...)
The fact that Irisdina's
glossy black hair had turned ashen white was, in a sense, due to Nozomu's
carelessness.
Victor, who loved his
daughter more than anyone else, must be furious at Irisdina's current state.
Nozomu thought that
the reason he had not been reprimanded until now was because of Irisdina and
the others.
However, they were not
with Nozomu right now, and if he were to face Victor now, he might be torn to
shreds like rags.
However, in a way,
Nozomu decided that this was something he should accept, and when he was about
to knock on the door .......
"Oooooo!"
A thick and deep voice
echoed from behind the door.
"Eh?"
Nozomu's hand, which
was about to knock, stopped involuntarily.
"Nozomu-sama, is
something wrong?"
"N-, no. It's
just, I heard a crying voice..."
"No need to worry
about it. Let's go in."
Leaving the stiff
Nozomu behind, Mena knocked and opened the door with a bang.
"Sorry to keep
you waiting."
"Welcome back,
Mena. Oya, you came here too?"
Victor's office was
illuminated by candlelight.
On a sofa in a corner
of the room, Madam Parline was sitting with a glass of wine in her hand.
But what caught
Nozomu's attention more than anything else were the dozens of liquor bottles
lying on the floor, and the books and furnishings scattered about. And then
there was the owner of the room, who was crouching and sobbing in front of
Madam Parline.
The room was as
miserable as the ruins of a battlefield. In the midst of all this, the sight of
the lady sipping her drink with a strangely graceful gesture was more
disconcerting than ever.
"Just the right
time, you come over here and have a drink too."
Madam Parline beckoned
to Nozomu as if to say, "Come here and have a drink". Nozomu's back
broke out in a cold sweat.
