Chapter 8 Part 18
Translator : PolterGlast
When Nozomu entered
the party venue, it was so luxurious and extravagant that the only word that
came to his mind was a simple, "It's too amazing ......."
The hall of Irisdina's
mansion was spacious, but what Nozomu saw before his eyes was a hall that surpassed
even that.
In the hall, which was
both huge and luxurious, dignitaries dressed in various outfits were chatting
and laughing with glasses in their hands.
The party was a
standing buffet, with a variety of elaborate dishes from the East and West, and
each person was feasting their palate on a variety of dishes.
Students who were
already used to parties were greeting the dignitaries with whom they seemed to
be related.
On the other hand,
students who were not used to parties reacted in various ways.
There were those who
looked around nervously, those who made formal greetings to nearby dignitaries,
those who reached for the nearest bottle of wine in hopes of getting a little
help from the alcohol, and those who were so nervous that they couldn't move at
all.
Among them, Nozomu was
none of the above. That's because .......
"Nice to meet
you, Nozomu Bountis-kun. I am the head of the Erdoil family of Forsina Kingdom.
I have been watching your performance at the martial arts garden."
"T-, thank you
very much."
"I am Baron
Milharun of the Cremazone Empire. I reside in the southern part of the
empire."
"I-, It is a
pleasure to meet you. I believe that's where the Mithril comes from..."
"Oh, so you know
about it?"
"Y-, yeah. Though
I've only heard of it in class."
"Is that so? It's
an honor to have you know my name. Recently......"
This was because upon
entering the venue, he was suddenly surrounded by a large number of
dignitaries.
The majority of the
dignitaries were from the Kingdom of Forsina and the Cremazone Empire, followed
by the Sumahya Union.
Perhaps because of his
close relationship with Irisdina, many of them were related to Forsina.
These include
important figures of the country, the feudal lord of a city, and a great
merchant who travels among various countries. All of them are much more
prestigious and wealthy than Nozomu, and can be called successful people.
On the other hand, in
contrast to the combat training in the morning, Nozomu's response was tense and
stiff.
He was clearly not
used to being on the receiving end of such a situation, and this was reflected
in his mannerisms.
Nozomu was originally
a commoner who had never been to such a social party. He was trying to remember
what he had learned about the geography and magic theories in class, but he was
too occupied to respond to every word.
"Have you decided
what you're going to do after you graduate?"
"Ah, no, I
mean..."
"If you haven't
decided what you're going to do after graduation, by all means, come and work
for me ....... I can offer you a good salary."
The head of the Erdoil
family, who spoke to him first, was blatantly trying to recruit him.
As for Nozomu, he
could not just nod his head in agreement.
"I am sorry. I
haven't decided on my future plans yet..."
"Is that so? I
thought you had a goal in mind since you reached that level of ability."
"That's right.
Besides, how did you manage to learn such a remarkable katana technique? I've
never heard of anyone using that kind of weapon in this academy."
"Is it possible
that you have already decided to serve the Francilt household? I hear that you
are close with the young lady of that family..."
He thought about how
he could get out of it and leave the place, but the dignitaries who were trying
to recruit him kept asking questions and saying things one after another,
refusing to give Nozomu any time to think about it.
In fact, that was
their goal. They bombard Nozomu, who was still not used to the situation, with
countless questions, depriving him of his ability to think, and looking for an
opportunity to get some kind of answer.
But then someone came
to his rescue.
"Nozomu-kun,
there you are."
A calm voice wafted
through the air between Nozomu and the dignitaries.
"Shina?"
The one who came to
talk to him was an elf girl, a schoolmate of Nozomu's.
She was also wearing a
blue dress that Victor had sent to her before. The semi-transparent see-through
skirt that hid her short skirt and the shawl draped over her shoulders, as
usual, enhanced her charm as an elf.
In fact, the
dignitaries who had been trying to recruit Nozomu just a few minutes earlier
were also mesmerized by Shina's charms and were rendered speechless.
"I've been
looking for you. Come with me for a minute."
"Eh? W-,
wait!"
While the dignitaries
were frozen in place, Shina quickly took Nozomu's hand and started walking.
Nozomu was surprised
when she suddenly took his hand, but Shina, walking in front of him, glanced at
him and muttered.
"It's all right,
let's go somewhere quieter."
Hearing these words,
Nozomu realized that Shina was concerned about his situation being surrounded
by dignitaries, and he moved to the edge of the hall as she urged him to do.
Once they settled into
a less conspicuous spot by the curtains, Nozomu let out a big sigh.
“Thank you, Shina. You saved me"
"Don't worry
about it. I also wanted to get away from those pesky people for a bit."
"Pesky
people?"
"Yeah, the same
people who are trying to solicit me regarding my future plans after graduation,
just like you."
Nozomu briefly checked
his surroundings and found a group of people other than the group of
dignitaries surrounding Nozomu earlier.
They were probably the
dignitaries who had been soliciting Shina.
There were about ten
of them.
The number of people
in the group was about the same as the number of people surrounding Nozomu
earlier.
“Was it that terrible?”
"Yes. Elven
spirit magic is rare after all, and we're rarely seen in public to begin
with."
"Are you
alright?"
"Yeah. In this
situation, I don't have much of a choice. Besides, I'm not the only one having
such a hard time."
Shina glanced at a
corner of the venue.
Nozomu followed her
line of sight and saw Irisdina dressed in a glamorous white party dress and
Victor in a luxurious outfit.
The color of
Irisdina's dress was white, perhaps to match her hair, which had turned
ashen-white due to excessive use of magic power.
Around the two of
them, dignitaries wearing similarly beautiful and luxuriously ornamented
outfits gathered, calling out to Victor and Irisdina one after another.
The number of people
was even larger than the dignitaries gathered around Nozomu and Shina, and they
completely occupied a corner of the party venue.
Nozomu was stunned by
the sheer number of dignitaries gathered.
"Irisdina-san
seems to be greeting people together with her father. She'll be busy for a
while."
"It seems
so..."
Dignitaries gathered
around them and called out to them one after another. Irisdina and Victor
responded to each of these numerous calls with a smile.
It would be impossible
for Nozomu to act like Irisdina did now, as he was so nervous at the mere
mention of his name that he was unable to respond properly.
(It's just so
impossible for the current me...)
Irisdina shining in
the center of the crowd was just like the moon shining in the night sky.
Her outfit, which
matched her hair, which had turned ashen-white due to excessive use of magic
power, also helped to overturn the dignified image she had previously
portrayed.
Furthermore, if one
looked closely, the dress was decorated with silver ornaments, which further
enhanced the image of "pure white" that she had now.
Perhaps it was because
of this that the dignitaries who were talking to Irisdina seemed to be younger
than the people Victor was talking to.
Nozomu was amazed to
see Irisdina smiling at the dignitaries, but at the same time, he felt a pain
deep in his chest.
"What about Mars
and the others?"
As if to hide the pain
running through his chest, Nozomu turned his gaze back to Shina.
"Mars-kun, Feo,
Tima-san, Tom, and the others are in the same situation as you. Mars-kun,
Tima-san, and Tom are talking with people related to the empire, and Feo is
talking with people from the Sumahya Union. If you go there now, you will
definitely be surrounded along with them."
"Ugh……"
The expression on Nozomu's
face clouded as he imagined the scene.
As if to push him even
further, the next words came from Shina's mouth.
"Besides, they'll
surround you if you're alone. And it wouldn't be just the people who solicited
you earlier..."
"Eh……?"
Shina sighed ... and
pointed to one of the tables prepared in the party venue.
There were ladies
dressed in colorful dresses and ornaments gathered there.
The ladies looked to
be of the same race as Nozomu. However, Nozomu did not recognize any of the
ladies' faces.
"……Who are
they?"
"Those are the
daughters of the dignitaries who accompanied them. Once the dignitaries had
finished their greetings, we would have had to deal with them."
Apparently, these
ladies were not originally from Arcazam, but were ladies who had come from
outside the city for this opening festival.
Upon closer
observation, all of the ladies' gazes were fixed on Nozomu.
When their gazes met
Nozomu's, the ladies all turned lively at once.
Young noble daughters
tend to yearn for brilliant heroes and heroic men.
Perhaps they were
looking at Nozomu, who had fought a tight battle with Jihad, as a future hero.
In fact, their
reactions were varied, with some trembling with excitement, some looking at him
seductively, and others shyly hiding their faces with fans in their hands, but
all were tinged with curiosity and infatuation.
"You sure are so
popular."
"P-, please
stop..."
Nozomu, who was still
not used to being the center of attention, felt his cheeks twitching and his
shoulders slumped.
Although it was only
recently that Nozomu had been receiving a lot of positive attention at the
school, he was still forced to deal with unfamiliar situations, and now the
aristocratic daughters were giving him very intense, passionate gazes.
It was enough to
discourage Nozomu.
"Ugh... I really
want to be a flower on the wall."
"Fufu~, flower,
you say. You're a man, aren't you?"
Shina couldn't help
but chuckle at the sight of Nozomu's shoulder slumping.
Nozomu's lips twitched
involuntarily upon being laughed at by the elf girl.
"Isn't it fine?
You could just shut down your presence and hide..."
"Looks like I
won't just be a flower on the wall, but the wall itself..."
Shina involuntarily
winced at the presence of Nozomu, who seemed to be planning to hide rather seriously.
Not only is Nozomu's
skill in swordsmanship literally extraordinary, but he is also skilled at
detecting presences.
Not only that, but
through his master's training (torture, according to him), he had experience
chasing after numerous demon beasts in the forest.
Naturally, he knew how
to hide from foreign enemies.
In fact, Nozomu had a
record of successfully escaping from Abyss Grief when it chased after him in
the forest.
If Nozomu really tried
to hide, he might really be hard to find.
(This is going to be
okay, right? This isn't in the forest, and his clothes do stand out...)
Since Nozomu is not in
the forest but in a party venue, and since he is dressed in formal attire that
is hardly suitable for hiding, he would probably be found even if he hid.
While thinking so,
Shina, who had witnessed Nozomu's irrationality up to now, could not shake off
a trace of uneasiness that floated around in her mind.
"Hmm?"
Just as Shina began to
worry about Nozomu's escape, two distinctive figures came into the corner of
Nozomu's vision.
One was an old man of
considerable age. The other was a handsome young man who looked like a
theatrical actor, and both men were dressed in traditional clothes based on
green and white color.
The most distinctive
feature of the two was their long ears. They were exactly the same as the ears
of the girl next to Nozomu.
"Elves?"
The old man did not
even try to hide his probing gaze and turned his glare toward Nozomu and Shina.
Although the handsome
young man was smiling calmly, his gaze was clearly tinged with a hint of
suspicion.
Hearing Nozomu's
words, Shina also looked to see what he was staring at.
Then she let out a big
sigh with a resigned look on her face for some reason.
"...... Yes, he
is one of the Elven Elders. He was here during the combat training today."
Nozomu wasn't sure,
but apparently the old man was a very important figure among the elves.
"Your
acquaintance?"
"Well, yeah. He'd
be my great-grandfather."
"……Eh?"
Not just
acquaintances, but they were blood relatives.
Nozomu was surprised
at this unexpected fact.
"Did I not tell
you? My sister was a priestess in the service of the great tree of our
homeland. Even among the elves, only a very few of the elves are truly
qualified for that position."
"You had told me
that you had a sister, but..."
Nozomu knew that Shina
had a sister. And he also knew that her sister had died along with her parents
during the Great Invasion in order to help Shina escape.
However, he did not
know that Shina's relatives actually had such an important role to play.
"Could it be that
Shina, just like Iris…”
"It's a little
different from Irisdina-san. In the human world, lineage is considered
important, however, what a great tree priestess needs is excellent sensing and
contracting abilities with the spirits."
The priestess of the
Great Tree is one of the most important positions for the elves.
By contracting and
communicating with the Great Tree that resides at the center of the Foskia
Forest, the Foskia Forest became an impregnable fortress, protecting the Elven
race.
[The Divine Reciter]
[The Exalted One] [High Elves]
In a sense, they held
a higher authority than the elders.
"When I was in my
hometown, I was a candidate for the priestess position. But I was only a
candidate. At one time I couldn't even perform spirit contracts, and even now I
couldn't possibly hold a candle to my sister, who was a priestess."
Hearing Shina's words,
Nozomu took a deep breath.
Nozomu was well aware
of the power of her spirit magic after the Abyss Grief incident. In fact, she
had almost completely suppressed the Abyss Grief's movements with her spirit
magic.
He wondered how high
her sister's level was and what kind of person she was.
"Even so, I was
one of the few candidates who survived. Naturally, the elders were very opposed
to me coming to Arcazam."
Despite the loss of
the Foskia Forest, the elves managed to survive, establishing a hidden village
near the border between the Cremazzone Empire and the Suimahya Union, where
they have survived until now.
However, they could
not easily change their natural disposition toward exclusion.
Many of the elders
still refuse to associate with other races, even though they yearn to reclaim
their homeland.
"What a
ridiculous way of thinking. In the first place, that's the reason why we ended
up losing our homeland..."
Indeed, it could be
said that one of the reasons for the fall of the Foskia Forest was due to the
elves' exclusionary nature.
Even until the fall of
the great tree, the elves did not permit other races to enter the forest.
Because of this, even
now the position of the elves within the Union was not favorable.
(Could it be that the
elder has come to bring Shina back?)
Such thoughts crossed
Nozomu's mind.
However, Shina smiled
as if to blow Nozomu's worries away.
"Don't worry. My
great-grandfather can't take me back. And he has no reason to."
"……Eh?"
"My
great-grandfather was very much against it because I couldn't use spirit magic.
He wanted me to stay away from going out there because I had no way to protect
myself."
Shina had been unable
to perform spirit contracts since losing her homeland until she met Nozomu.
This was due to the
trauma of losing her family, which was resolved with the help of Nozomu,
Mimuru, and the others.
"But that is no
longer the case. I can use spirit magic properly now."
"I see……"
"Yes, it was
thanks to you."
Shina turned her
radiant smile toward Nozomu.
To Nozomu, her white
skin seemed to be flushed red, as if she were bathed in a fever.
A pure and gentle
smile, filled with trust, affection, and love.
Combined with her
fairy-like appearance and dress, it was a smile filled with a kind of mystical
charm that seemed out of this world.
“…………”
Nozomu's cheeks turned
vermilion, regardless of his own will.
Their cheeks were dyed
red as if they were mirror images, and for a while, the two of them were silent
in a sweet and sour atmosphere.
Eventually, Shina's
eyes, which had been watching the embarrassed Nozomu, showed a color like that
of a child who had come up with a mischievous idea.
"Fufu~, are you
embarrassed?
"Not
really..."
Nozomu could only turn
his head away from Shina, who was teasing him with a relaxed look in her eyes.
To put it bluntly,
Nozomu was embarrassed.
Many of the elves,
both male and female, are good-looking.
Shina, a member of the
elf race, was also much better looking than the other well-dressed ladies in
the party venue.
Any man would fall in
love with her if she smiled at him at such a close distance.
Perhaps reading
Nozomu's thoughts, Shina's cheeks flushed vermilion and she continued to tease
him with a mischievous smile on her face.
“You don't have to be embarrassed. Even I'm a little
embarrassed to say these words in public, too, you know?"
"If that's the
case, why are you saying such things here?..."
"Cause you didn't
seem to be pleased by it..."
"Pardon?"
As she muttered this
in a quiet voice that Nozomu could not hear, Shina turned her charming smile
into a serious expression for a moment and looked at the ladies who had been looking
at them.
Even if they were not
as well dressed as Shina, the daughters of the influential people were
certainly glamorous and eye-catching in appearance.
The ladies' gazes
turned to Nozomu with the same infatuation as if they had just met a famous idol.
But that was all.
Shina's excellent
hearing and eyesight, trained in the forest, and above all, her female
intuition, picked up the words of the ladies throughout this bustling party
venue.
What wonderful power
did he possess, how great was his prospect, and what could they offer him that
would make his heart captivated?
The ladies' eyes were
not looking at the very essence of the young man, Nozomu Bountis.
Isn't he as strong as
Jihad? The ladies were merely driven by the reputation and rumors that Nozomu
Bountis is a strong young man comparable to Jihad.
That was why Shina
found the ladies who were paying attention to Nozomu not interesting.
Shina knew this
because she was deeply connected to him.
Nozomu Bountis is not
one of those flimsy, scribbled-on-paper, heroes of stories.
He is never perfect;
he is by no means strong.
His heart, which has
faltered, broken, and yet still rose up, is the very essence of Nozomu Bountis,
the man the fastidious elf girl wanted to support, even to the point of hiding
the sacred blood-covenant ceremony from him herself.
(Ah, I see……)
A little jealousy
leaked out of her.
And when she
reaffirmed her decision, she came to realize the true nature of the heat that
dwelled in her heart.
(I want to stay by
Nozomu-kun's side forever...)
It was exactly the
same wish as her friend's wish.
To stay next to Nozomu
Bountis, to be close to him. A passionate and deep affection to stay by his
side for as long as time permits, even if it meant not being in the same place
as him.
The ceremony of the
blood covenant was the form of such a wish of hers.
"Can you still
sense the spirits properly?"
"Yes, but it's
still vague like usual, and I have no idea about their intentions..."
As he said so, Nozomu
pointed to the chandelier that illuminated the venue.
Nozomu's eyes could
only see that something was vaguely clinging around the chandelier, but Shina's
eyes could see the spirits of fire and light there, twirling around the candle
flames and playing happily.
(But, I'm...)
The fact that she even
used the blood covenant ceremony, a sacred ritual for elves, to try to help
Nozomu, was all due to her longing, respect, and love for him.
At the same time,
however, the sacred ritual of the blood covenant became a chain that bound
Shina's heart.
The blood covenant
ceremony is the one and only ritual that is equivalent to the sharing of souls
for the elves.
It can only be
performed by those who have placed their complete trust in each other, and it
cannot be performed if there is even the slightest hesitation or distrust.
This ritual was
originally performed between elves, and the contract would remain in effect
until the death of either one of them.
The fact that Nozomu
and Shina were able to make this contract proves that they are bound by a strong
relationship of trust.
Being an elf who can
understand others' intentions through a contract, Shina is able to sense the
clear and unclouded gratitude and trust from Nozomu, with whom she is connected
through the contract, more than Nozomu can feel it himself.
(To such a person, I
did not tell him the true meaning of the blood covenant ceremony...)
Although she was happy
to have such trust from Nozomu, at the same time, it made Shina's heart tighten
helplessly.
As if to cover up the
dull ache in her chest, Shina glanced at a section of the party venue.
Shina's
great-grandfather and his attendant, who had grim expressions on their faces,
were still observing Nozomu and Shina.
"Is it okay if we
don't greet them?"
"It's okay. I
know the elders were going to check on me and take this opportunity to bring me
back, but to no avail."
Nozomu Bountis had no
idea what the blood covenant ceremony meant. He knew only part of its effects.
Because Shina
deliberately did not tell him, in order to provide him with training in the
control of Tiamat's power.
That was why the
presence of relatives who knew the meaning of the ritual was such a headache
for Shina.
If she could, she
would prefer not to talk to them.
But apart from her
true intentions, her great-grandfather approached Nozomu and Shina accompanied
by his aide.
"Fuh~, it can't
be helped. I'm sorry. Excuse me for a moment."
"Ah~,
wait..."
(I have to get out of
here as soon as possible.)
Shina, in such a
hurry, tried to leave the place quickly, but Nozomu stopped her.
"What?"
"Shina, you have
helped me move forward, albeit a little. Although I'm not quite there yet, I
want to say my gratitude again. Thank you ......."
When Shina turned
around, she saw Nozomu looking straight at her and thanking her.
His eyes were filled
with the same sincere trust and affection that she could sense through the
contract.
Even if she had only
felt it with her heart, the power of the gratitude that was expressed in words
was tremendous.
Shina's face turned
red like a boiled octopus.
(He surprised me,
that's not fair!)
Shina quickly turned
her eyes away and turned her back to him.
She took several deep
breaths while holding her chest.
"... Don't worry
about it. Thanks to you, I wouldn't have had to give up on my dream."
"Is it about your
homeland?"
"Yes, to take my
homeland back. That's my dream."
Shina strongly stated
the goal she had vowed to achieve, but she could not say her other wish. The
guilt that lingered in her heart like a lump would not allow her to do so.
"Well then, see
you next time. Be careful, don't let anyone strange follow you, okay?"
"Am I a
child!?"
"They might take
you away, though, right?"
The daughters of the
dignitaries were still paying attention to Nozomu.
However, perhaps
because Shina's enjoyable conversation with Nozomu had aroused their envy,
their gazes began to take on a rather fierce color.
"Ugh~..."
"Well then, see
ya."
"Hey~!
Wait..."
While shrugging off
the pleading eyes behind her back, Shina turned her feet towards her relatives.
She felt both the joy
of being able to help her beloved and a guilty feeling that stirred in her
heart.
