Chapter 8 Part 35
Translator : PolterGlast
In
the forest shrouded in the darkness of the night, Nozomu was relentlessly
exerting himself, just as he had done in the past when he was training with his
master.
He
ran soundlessly like a fox or a cat over rough paths where an ordinary person
would either stumble on a tree root or trip over a stone and fall down in a few
steps.
After
running for nearly two hours without releasing his chains and without being
noticed by the demon beasts of the forest, Nozomu arrived at the goal point,
Shino's hut, where he pulled out the katana at his waist and began to repeat
his forms.
In
front of the hut, which had been destroyed in the battle with the Undead
Dragon, Nozomu continued to draw flashes of strikes in the darkness of the
night with his blade and body clad in Qi. Single-mindedly, without rest.
How
long had he been wielding the blade? Nozomu, having reached the limit of his
physical strength, tossed his drawn katana and collapsed to the ground on his
back.
"Haa,
haa, haa..."
Rough
breathing gushed out of his mouth, and sweat flowed unceasingly.
White
steam rose from his heated body and melted away in the cold winter air.
A
feeling of exhaustion gently enveloped his entire body, just like when he used
to devote himself to sword training for the purpose of escaping. It was a
nostalgic feeling.
"What
can I say, it's been a long time since I've pushed myself this hard..."
Nozomu
soliloquized amidst the exhaustion that felt as if his body had turned to lead.
Since
entering the third year of school, Nozomu had been training alone less and
less. The newfound connection and the warmth he had regained had helped him
forget the loneliness he once felt.
But
now he needed time to think alone.
"Since
I'm a Dragon Slayer ...... no, that's not it."
Thus,
alone, he dispelled his thoughts by pushing his body to the limit, and feeling
the cold of the winter soil on his back, he lost himself in thought.
Aware
of his former escape, he must clear his past, and now he must think about the
future.
"What
I want to do..."
The
reason why he could not accept Lisa's confession. What he himself was supposed
to do, and what he had decided to accomplish.
However,
no matter how much he thought about it, he could not come up with an answer.
As
if seeking light in the darkness, he thought back to the dreams of those
closest to him.
"Iris
wants to protect Somia-chan, and Somia-chan wants to become like Iris."
"Lisa
wants to be an adventurer, Shina wants to reclaim her homeland, Anri-sensei
wants to support her students... Everyone has some kind of dream."
Only
Nozomu doesn't have a dream. Nor does he have a goal.
For
him, training his strength as a Dragon Slayer is not a dream. It is just a
duty, a responsibility.
He
must learn to use it. Otherwise, he might hurt the people he cares about.
And
indeed, he did, and it was almost irreversible.
The
fact that he went out of control and turned his blade against Irisdina and the
others has created a new kind of frustration in Nozomu's heart since Azel's
incident.
"Phew..."
However,
the exhaustion of his body, which had been overworked to the limit, somewhat
eased his frustration. Taking deep breaths repeatedly, he turned his gaze
languidly to his left hand. If he focused his eyes, he could see an invisible
chain, like a phantom, wrapped around his entire body.
"The
[Soul-Sealing Chains]... huh. How should I put it, it really does represent who
I am."
His
very lifeline, his guiding light, and his shackles. The outline of the
invisible chain seemed clearer to Nozomu than before, as if it were gradually
increasing in power.
Nozomu,
clutching the soul-sealing chains that bound his body, now turned his attention
to his surroundings.
He
could sense countless gazes from around the hut, which was shrouded in the
darkness of the night.
In
the moonlight, in the wind that ruffles the leaves, in the jet-black darkness,
the spirits were watching Nozomu.
"I
remember Shina telling me. Because I'm special, I'm more likely to attract the
attention of the spirits."
Spirits.
They are the same nature as the being that is currently residing in his body,
and also the fundamental being that wields a power that no human being can ever
control.
He
tried to call out to the spirits around him, keeping his awareness on them.
However,
the spirits did not answer Nozomu's call, but kept a certain distance from him
and did not even try to approach him.
No
matter how much Qi he drew from them, no matter how much magic he dispersed,
the spirits did not respond.
As
expected, it seemed that Nozomu, in his human body, could not use spirit magic.
"If
so, then ..."
Nozomu
tore off the Soul-Sealing Chains] that had been clenched in his grip, and
released his power. The rush of the elements erupted immediately afterward.
With its tremendous power, Tiamat's consciousness was also released.
(Ooooooooooo!)
"Ggh!
Maybe, with this..."
While
trying his best to ignore Tiamat's roar of hatred that echoed in the depths of
his ears, he spoke to the spirits. He asked them to lend him their strength to
suppress the power of this dragon.
However,
the spirits did not respond to Nozomu's call, but left the place at once.
Upon
manifesting his power as the Dragon King, the surrounding spirits still did not
respond to Nozomu's call, but rather left the place altogether. It was
completely counterproductive.
"It
didn't work, huh..."
Nozomu
exhaled in disappointment as he reapplied the Soul-Sealing Chains].
I
can't advance, I can't solve the problem, I can't see the future. In this
pitch-dark water, he struggled, unable to breathe. Emotions that have nowhere
to go were raging and making a rumbling sound.
The
fatigue that he had worked so hard to carve into his body somehow faded away,
and all that remained in his mind was a helpless resentment.
He
closed his eyes in an attempt to calm the agitation that was rising up once
again. However, his spiraling mind will not calm down.
In
the past, he was afraid to acknowledge that he had come to a standstill. He
wanted to remain standing still, unaware of his current situation.
But
now, standing still was killing him.
Trying
to suppress the rage swirling in his chest, he suddenly turned his face to the
side and saw a paper bag containing a mithril bell he had made at Wandall's
store.
Bringing
his fatigued body upright, he opened the bag.
It
made a cool chiming sound, revealing a somewhat ugly bell and a colorful piece
of fabric.
The
bell that he promised to Irisdina. But she told him that she didn't want it.
Nozomu
quickly opened his pouch and took out a needle and thread for sewing, which he
always has with him.
He
lighted a fire to provide a source of light, cut the fabric into appropriate
shapes, and began shaping it.
The
image he has in his mind was a small purple flower, Crowea, that he saw today
in central park.
He
then threaded the artificial flower made of purple fabric, and lightly fastened
it temporarily so that it would not lose its shape.
Nozomu
decided to make a hair ornament. He intended to make and combine artificial
flowers with the promised bell, a white ribbon, and flowers that he thought
would go well with both her original black hair and her current white hair, and
hand it to her. It would be impossible to completely make it all up due to the
lack of thread, but as long as he could get it in shape, he could go home and
finish it.
However,
he was not sure if she would accept it or not. But nevertheless, he wanted to
make it so that he could always fulfill his promise.
"Well, I guess
this is how it looks. It looks terrible, even to me though..."
For the time being, he
tried to at least make it in shape, but the initial bell was rather crude, and
the artificial flowers were also deformed. It would not be appropriate for a
beautiful girl like Irisdina to wear.
"Now what shall I
do?"
Untie the thread and
start over again. The artificial flowers that imitate the Crowea were remade,
and the ribbons of the hair ornament were re-shaped.
The hair ornament he
made one more time still looked bad. He unwrapped the threads again and started
over.
If the second attempt
failed, he repeated it a third time, and if the third time failed, he repeated
it a fourth time. Nozomu continued to remake the hair ornament over and over
again, while sitting by the bonfire.
His fingers were numb,
and the fabric he had bought was becoming more and more wrinkled, but he did not
mind.
Forgetting even to add
wood to the fire, he concentrated his attention solely on making the hair
ornament.
The fire was out, and
with only the moonlight to guide him, Nozomu continued to make the hair
ornament.
"It's done...
Uwa, it's already morning."
And by the time Nozomu
realized it, morning had already arrived.
He exhaled heavily and
lay there. Although he temporarily rested, in his hands, he was still holding a
bright purple artificial flower and a hair ornament with a silver mithril bell
in it.
Compared to the almost
perfect artificial flowers, the rather misshapen mithril bell is ridiculous,
but that can't be helped.
"Now I have to
rethread it properly..."
Having overworked not
only his body but also his head, Nozomu was pretty much at the end of his rope.
He had classes at the school, but his body didn't seem to be able to move very
well.
He rolled over to the
side of the extinguished bonfire and looked up at the sky. The dawning sky
gently illuminated the pale blackness.
Slowly, he raised his
hand and laid the hair ornament he had just made on top of the dawning sky. The
hair ornament, finally taking shape, glistened in the light of the morning sun.
The sight of it
quietly filled Nozomu's chest with a warmth that contrasted sharply with the
coldness of his body.
For a moment, he puts
his hand on his chest, intoxicated by the sense of accomplishment. At that
moment, a hard sensation landed on Nozomu's hand.
He pulled it out of
his chest pocket to see what it was.
"This is…"
What came out was a
crystal with a gold ornament inside. It was Mikael who had turned to crystal.
It was the one that
Shina had given to Nozomu before.
"Guhh~!"
As soon as he took out
Mikael, a strong impulse struck Nozomu.
(Crush that crystal,
destroy the traitor!)
Tiamat's voice of
hatred echoed in the depths of Nozomu's ears.
Looking at the crystal
in his hand, a sudden thought came to Nozomu's mind.
Mikael became a
crystal in order to seal Tiamat.
He could neither speak
nor hear. Although he could transmit his will through the elemental power, this
was impossible for Nozomu, who could not communicate with spirits.
However, Mikael is one
of the few people who knows Tiamat. And perhaps the dragon who was closest to
Tiamat. He might be able to tell him something about Tiamat that Nozomu did not
know.
Nozomu began to pour
his magic into Mikael's crystal. If he had no power, he would have to share his
power and make him talk.
While ignoring the
screams of resentment that echoed in his head, Nozomu continued to pour what
little magic power he had into the crystal.
However, Nozomu's
magic power is low to begin with. So, It's not enough to awaken Mikael, who has
lost his power.
"It's not
working, huh..."
Nozomu's shoulders
drooped as Mikael remained silent even after pouring all his magic power into
the crystal.
But just as Nozomu
dropped his gaze, a crumpled up piece of silk bug fabric jumped into his eyes.
Suddenly, the image of
Lisa came to mind. She had caused a commotion with her overflowing sense of
adventure. Nozomu wondered what she was doing with the magical power she lacked
at that time.
"If you don't
have enough, you can make up for it from other sources..."
Unfortunately, Nozomu
has no magic stone on hand. However, it was not as if he had no other options.
Nozomu carefully put
the hair ornament back in the paper bag so that it would not come undone, and
gently hid it behind the rubble of Shino's collapsed hut.
Then, he suddenly took
up a ready stance and thrust out his fist.
"Sei~!"
He stepped forward with
the momentum of his outstretched fist, lowered his hips, and delivered an elbow
strike, which led directly into a kick.
Just like that, Nozomu
continued to perform moves after moves.
Rinne Kaiten. This is
a ritual body technique that gathers the magic power of the surroundings and
multiplies it over the performer to bolster their magic.
In addition, as he
moved, Nozomu intentionally performed the moves to cast the strengthening
magics.
The martial art, which
was originally developed from dances offered to the gods in Shinto rituals,
returned to its former use, and particles of light began to gather on his body
from the surroundings.
Unconsumed magic power
gradually accumulated in Nozomu's body, and the magic power that had nowhere
else to go began to overflow inside Nozomu's body.
(This is ... tough)
Compared to Qi, Nozomu
is not so skilled in handling magic. Although he is better than he used to be,
excessive magic power will surely begin to chip away at his body.
But that magic power
is exactly what Nozomu needs now. While dancing in the Rinne Kaiten, Nozomu
gradually poured the magic power he had gathered into Mikael's crystal.
In addition, Nozomu
also released the [Soul-Sealing Chains]. Even the magic power that was normally
suppressed is now being gathered into the crystal.
(Ooooooooo!)
"Guh~!"
The freed Tiamat came
pounding down on Nozomu, not only with her resentment, but also with her
intense destructive impulses.
Tiamat's hatred and
power further whittled away at Nozomu's consciousness, which was already
struggling to control the magic power he had gathered.
However, Nozomu,
determined not to be outdone, gritted his teeth and held Tiamat at bay.
The dance is already
coming to an end. The enormous amount of magic power converging with the whirlwind
has already become too much for Nozomu's body to contain.
And just before the
end of the dance, Nozomu stopped performing the dance and poured all the magic
power he had gathered into Mikael at once.
"I beg you,
please answer me..."
If even the slightest
bit of his consciousness was consumed by Tiamat, he would crush the crystal.
And the moment he
finished pouring in all of his vast magic power, Mikael's crystal began to emit
a pulsating white light.
"This is,
Uwa~!"
In the next instant,
Nozomu's vision was enveloped in a blank white light.
He quickly re-applied
the [Soul-Sealing Chains] to his body, but Nozomu's consciousness dissolved
into the white light and disappeared.
