Chapter 8 Part 40
Translator : PolterGlast
The reception room of
the Francilt mansion was quiet, as if time had come to a stop.
Victor and the others
looked surprised, and Vitora smiled meaningfully, as if to say, "They have
finally arrived".
Following this,
Victor's face, which had been filled with surprise, turned grim all at once.
Irisdina took a step
forward while passing the indignant glare directed at her from her own father.
"I am very sorry
for the sudden intrusion of your meeting, but we sisters would like to join you
here."
"This place is
off limits to anyone other than those who are authorized to be here. Mena, take
these girls outside now."
Despite his anger, he
did not raise his voice, which could be said to be a good thing.
However, his low
voice, which sounded as if he was trying to stifle his anger, was filled with
heaviness and anger that seemed to resonate in the pit of his stomach.
"Isn't it fine?
The girls were originally involved in this. And those determined eyes. Very
much to my liking."
The vampire princess
stopped Victor and the others as she smiled with amusement.
Her gaze was already
on the two girls who had interrupted this meeting, not on Victor.
Perhaps under the
influence of Vitora's magic, the fire in the reception room's fireplace had
already gone out, and it was as cold as it had been outside.
"Hmm, I probably
don't need to ask this now, but I will in case I do. Why did you come
here?"
"We're here
because of the new agreement between our family and Vitora-dono."
"I see you have
been listening to what we've been talking about. I understand what it
means."
"Wait! I refuse
to approve this!"
Victor's mask, which
he had been desperately trying to wear, came off.
"Yeah, your
resolve is good, but unfortunately, your importance dropped when these girls
arrived here."
Victor's rage was so
intense that it seemed as if it would blow away the freezing cold. But even his
anger was being brushed off by the vampire princess with a thin smile and a
grin.
Her gaze was fixed on
Irisdina and Somia. But they both noticed that Vitora's gaze was fixed on
another human being through them.
"And I assume you
are aware of this, young girl?"
"Yes, you are not
looking at us either. He is the only one you are looking at."
"Yes. My main
interest is that Dragon Slayer. I honestly don't care about anything
else."
At the mention of the
word "Dragon Slayer" clearly from Vitora's mouth, Irisdina's
expression turned grim.
"... As I
thought, you knew he is a Dragon Slayer."
"Yeah, your
political enemy, ...... or whatever it's called, well, his aide, a woman named
Mekria, told me about it using a familiar."
"So, what did she
want from you, in exchange for that?"
"None. She only
told me that Nozomu Bountis is a Dragon Slayer and that he was the one who had
defeated my best retainer."
The vampire princess
easily disclosed the information regarding the one who informed her about the
existence Dragon Slayer.
Vitora glanced at
Rugato, and the old butler bowed his head in affirmation of his master's words.
"Dragon Slayer.
If such a being exists, I can't help but want to confirm it ... fu, fufu."
Wind-like magic power
blew out from the Demon Princess's body, causing her beautiful, lustrous silver
hair to flutter in waves. Glittering ice particles clung to her wavy silver
hair as they floated through the air.
"Oh, no. I can't
help but get excited when I think about Nozomu Bountis. It has been hundreds of
years since I've had such an uncontrollable feeling."
Vitora soliloquized
with deep emotion. Her white skin, reminiscent of a dead person, has turned into
an ecstatic shade of vermilion, and her empty eyes trembled like those of a
girl who has fallen in love for the first time.
"Well, this is my
first time. The "real" Dragon Slayer, like the legend says. It's
impossible not to have expectations..."
"Ggh!"
The next moment, a
particularly violent gust of magical power blew. The furnishings in the
reception room were blown away, and the wind, imbued with power, scraped away
the wallpaper.
The peeled wallpaper
instantly froze and broke into pieces, scattering like powdered snow.
"Ah, pardon me,
I'm not doing this on purpose. This is normal for me. It seems I've been
thinking about him so much that my shackles came off."
Even though she said
she was sorry, Vitora did not try to suppress her power.
No, she no longer has
any desire to suppress her power. When Irisdina and Somia arrived here, there
was already no need to do so.
"I was born with
a power unmatched by any vampire in history. Just by being alive, I can affect
my surroundings in an uncontrolled way. You see the snow still falling outside?
That too is the effect of my power."
An overwhelming
presence. From Irisdina's point of view, the intimidating presence of Vitora
was comparable to that of Zonne and Azel of the dragon race.
A raging, extremely
cold magic power. But Irisdina sensed the presence of another force in the
storm, one that was not magic.
"This is not just
magic power..."
"Yeah, it's the
power you call elements. My late father used to tell me, 'You are a
progenitor'."
"Just like..."
"A monster, isn't
it? Fufufu..."
Her red mouth
distorted as if it were about to split open, and Vitora laughed in a sinister
manner.
A crimson crescent
moon was engraved on her doll-like face. Her appearance was both terrifying and
beautiful, so much so that one could not take one's eyes off of her.
"Well, let's
begin then."
"Mena, help me
get them out of here!"
As Vitora was about to
step toward Irisdina, Victor rushed toward the Demon Princess of Death in a
leaping motion.
Mena followed his
actions and moved as well.
But even in the face
of such a father and attendant's actions, Vitora would not even give a glance.
"Rugato."
"Yes."
Rugato moved in
response to the calm call that echoed from the devilishly beautiful form.
With swiftness and precision
like flowing water, he quickly drew up a formation and activated his magic. He
restrained Victor and Mena, forcing them to crouch down on the spot.
"Guh~!"
"With this, we
won't be disturbed. Then, let's begin."
Finally, Vitora stood
before Irisdina and Somia.
The vampire princess
looked into the eyes of the sacrificial daughters once again, and then
contorted her upturned mouth even further, as if in amusement.
"Hmm,
interesting. I see no fear or resentment. Even those of my own people harbor no
small amount of awe and fear..."
"For we have made
up our minds. We have decided how we are going to live our lives, how we are
going to use our lives."
"Hou~..."
Even in the face of
being confronted with Vitora's true nature, Irisdina remained resolute.
The fear should have
been so intense that her legs could have collapsed, but the voice coming from
her mouth was surprisingly clear.
"In the end, I
can't bend my way of life, because if I do, I won't be myself. That would
probably be worse than death for me."
Irisdina's hand
reached up and scooped up a strand of her own hair, which had turned completely
white. It was the link between her and the man she thought of.
A smile of contentment
and relief appeared on her mouth, so calm that it was hard to believe that she
was in such a precarious situation.
The suddenness and
unexpectedness of this expression made Vitora's eyes widen and she momentarily
lost herself.
Irisdina continued
speaking, regardless of Vitora's turmoil.
"There were ways
to escape. But I decided not to run away. So whatever happens from now on, I
will accept it."
"...~, alright.
If that's the case, then I have nothing to say."
While inwardly
admiring the human girl who had taken away her sense of self, even if only for
a moment, Vitora did as her impulses urged and plunged her own fangs into her
neck.
=================================
A space of nothing but
white-tinted light. In this strange place, where neither above nor below is
known, Nozomu let out a bewildered voice.
"Where is
this..."
"Nice to meet
you. Nozomu Bountis."
Nozomu turned his eyes
to the direction from where he heard the sudden voice. What he saw there was a
hair ornament that shone brightly.
The ornament shone
brightly, and the intensity of its light increased, forming a large ball of
light that eventually transformed into the shape of a human being. And when the
light subsided, there stood a handsome man.
"You are..."
"Mikael. I'm a
former companion of Tiamat's that you took in. And thank you for taking care of
my daughter-in-law."
Prince of the White
Dragon. With a resolute bearing and a soft tone of voice, Mikael introduced
himself to Nozomu.
"It may be a
little late for this, but I wanted to talk to you. You, who carried her in your
body, and who, while holding the flame of retribution in your heart, took a
different path than we did."
Mikael. The white
dragon that appeared in Tiamat's memory. The one she hates the most.
It was Nozomu's own
wish to talk with him, but when they actually met, Nozomu felt an indescribable
emotion welling up from deep within his chest.
"Talk,
huh..."
"You wanted to
know about her, about Tet and her powers, didn't you?"
"Yes ... how can
I control Tiamat's power?"
"... First of
all, no matter how much that elf girl may support you, it will be almost
impossible for you to use Tet's power as spirit magic as we do. Perhaps it
might be possible after a long time, but the fact is that you don't have the
necessary skills to do so."
In response to
Nozomu's request, Mikael paused for a moment in thought, and then said,
"The possibility of you being able to use spirit magic is absolutely
nil."
"That's why, you
have no choice but to use Tet's power as it is, as your own power. Her pure
power, stained with the screams and hatred of the spirit of destruction, has
become the bane that destroys all things."
In response to
Mikael's words, Nozomu gave a small nod. The fact that he himself had no
aptitude for this kind of contracted magic was something that Nozomu
understood.
However, the fact that
it was not totally impossible meant that there was a slight chance that it was
possible.
At the same time, he
also said that this was due in part to the efforts of the elf girl.
"Therefore, you
should be the one to control her power."
Nozomu took a deep
breath upon hearing Mikael's statement.
Shina's shy smile came
back to his mind. And then Irisdina's smile as she danced happily.
Looking at his hands,
he saw the hair ornament he had prepared for Irisdina and the mithril bell that
was left as a spare.
A slightly pretentious
ornament with artificial purple Crowea flowers, a white ribbon, and the
promised bell. A renewed sense of determination welled up in Nozomu's chest.
"So why does
Tiamat consider you as an enemy? As I recall, you and Tiamat were friends,
weren't you?"
"Yes, indeed it
was. But our country was destroyed. The cause, well, ... in a nutshell, we all
had pushed the wrong buttons."
Mikael then proceeded
to tell his story.
"Alharant did
indeed become prosperous, an ideal country where man, beast, and spirit were in
harmony. But at the same time, it became a great threat to others, because
there were other human countries besides the one we had created."
And Mikael went on.
"The people of
Alharant became drunk with the power they had acquired, too."
"But they were in
harmony with spirits and beasts, weren't they? How did everything go
wrong?"
"In the
beginning, we were really in harmony. We shared each other's perceptions and
respected each other. But it was nothing more than harmony within
Alharant."
Aside from Dragons and
other powerful spirits in fairy tales, ordinary spirits are often weak-willed
and tend to be easily influenced by others.
Those of their own
kind who are not in harmony with the spirits and beasts. The humans' animosity
turned to contempt, and the beasts and spirits who were in harmony with them
gradually became influenced.
And before long, the
three who were in harmony came to believe that their own values were absolute.
"Within their own
small community, humans, beasts, and spirits made the world smaller by
separating themselves. They became independent of each other, intoxicated with
power, and came to believe that their values were all that mattered."
Nozomu gulped as he
listened to Mikael's story, which he told with a wry smile, as if it were the
penitence of a sinner.
"From the very
beginning, perfect harmony was impossible. Rather, what we created was
chaos..."
Mikael continued his
story, gazing up over his head, unable to see what lies ahead.
And with time, the
smoldering embers grew, and more and more people in Alharant became obstinate
in their thinking.
"And then, in the
face of these children running amok, we too were divided. Some began to say
that we should not interfere with humans anymore, and our unity slowly began to
fray. Then the four dragons, except for Tet and I, decided to destroy
Alharant."
"You abandoned
the people you saved?"
"Yes, some of the
obstinate ones were clearly harboring a desire to harm us dragons. Some of them
were so powerful that even the dragons could not ignore them. Yet, Alharant was
still a country where we were able to maintain harmony with our power..."
Remembering from
Tiamat's memory, Alharant was originally a land under the influence of multiple
dragon veins. It was built on a land where the power of dragons subdued the
raging nature. If their help disappears, Alharant will once again become a
place where calamity rages.
In other words, the
other dragons, with the exception of Mikael and Tiamat, thought that they
should deal with their own people while they still had the power to kill them.
From the point of view
of the humans, this would no doubt have infuriated them.
"Arrogant..."
"Yes, perhaps it
was arrogance. But nevertheless, we are Dragons. The pinnacle of the spirits
who bear the reason of this world.
Alharant had already harbored that much distortion in its
potential."
Therefore, dragons
other than Tiamat decided to bring their own country to ruin.
"But Tet was the
only one who didn't give up. While the others who helped build Alharant were
abandoning their own country, Tet was still determined to hold on to it."
In Nozomu's mind,
scenes from Tiamat's past came back to him.
She had tried
desperately to save the helpless people who were being struck down by an
irrational disaster, and she had compared herself to them.
The words of gratitude
she received from the people she saved.
What a relief it must
have been for her to hear those words.
Nozomu could
understand Tiamat's feelings because he himself had been devastated and was
able to recover thanks to Irisdina, Shina, and the others.
"Tied to her
grief-stricken cries, I decided to lend my strength to Tet to the utmost limit.
For Tet, who was ostracized by her own people, Alharant was her identity."
Nozomu involuntarily
gritted his teeth in sympathy for Tiamat and the tightening sensation in his
chest.
"And then that
incident happened."
"Incident?"
"One of our
friends tried to stop Tet by force. And he died."
Died. Nozomu's eyes
widen upon hearing these words.
Despite Nozomu's
surprise, Mikael's story continued.
"When he died,
his elemental power was absorbed by Tet, which then led to ... she began to go
out of control. Tet's power went out of control and killed the others who tried
to stop her, causing Tet to absorb an even more extreme and excessive amount of
power."
Those who tried to
stop her died, and the elemental power within her grew more powerful. It was
the worst kind of dominoes falling.
"We dragons are
pure beings. By nature, we cannot inherit the power of another dragon who
controls the element of different attributes. But Tet was special. She was able
to absorb different elements and make them her own. It was probably her innate
talent."
However, no matter how
good her innate talents was, the foreign power she had absorbed in large
quantities was taking its toll on her body and spirit.
A power she could not
control and her spirit that was beginning to crack. Nozomu, who had also
absorbed the power of the said dragon, could understand the sensation of having
his body and spirit torn apart by that power.
"Even so, she
managed to keep her ego intact at the last minute. But I shattered that last
remaining strand."
Mikael's face was
distorted with regret.
"At that time, I
was on my last trip to the land of dragons and humans to negotiate with them.
When I returned, I found Tet had taken the souls of my friends and gone
berserk, destroying most of the country they held most dear."
In other words, she
had laid her hands on those she wanted to protect against her own will.
"She said she
didn't mean to kill them. But I didn't believe her, and instead, I said,
"You're a traitor" to her."
The rest of the story,
just as the legend told, was true.
Tiamat's reason was
completely consumed by anger, and she turned her hatred toward the dragons who
had denied her, the humans who had betrayed her, and the world itself.
With her power, she
destroyed Alharant, destroyed all the human countries that had been in conflict
with her, and even turned her fangs against the dragon race.
Mikael took
responsibility and became the key of the seal, sealing her along with the
entire Alharant, which had been destroyed by Tiamat.
After Mikael finished
telling his story, an indescribable silence fell between the two of them.
"Well, that's the
end of our past story."
For a moment, Nozomu
was taken aback by Mikael's abrupt change of subject, but he shook his head to
refocus his attention.
He had always been
curious about Tiamat's past, but what he wanted more than anything was a way to
control the power he had taken in.
"There are two
ways to control her power that you have taken in. One is to control her power
with your own unique ability. But I don't know when this will be possible.
Besides, it seems that things are quite serious out there right now."
"~ !"
Mikael waved his hand
and a circular mirror-like object appeared behind him.
There, Nozomu could
clearly see Shina with a vacant expression, surrounded by guards, and Irisdina
convulsing, having been bitten on the neck by Vitora.
What in the world is
going on!?
As if sensing the turmoil,
bewilderment, and frustration that were welling up, Mikael continued to speak.
"That old elf
tried to separate his great-granddaughter from you because he thought you were
a danger to their existence. He forcibly sealed his great-granddaughter's mind."
Even as she was being
pulled by her great-grandfather, who had sealed her heart, Shina's doll-like
expression remained unchanged.
In the mirror floating
in the air, Mimuru rushed up to her and grabbed her shoulders, desperately
calling out to her, but the girl was still staring into the void with empty
eyes.
"The gray-haired
girl decided to sacrifice herself so that she would not cause you to worry. She
was a martyr to her noble but fragile beliefs."
Irisdina, who had been
injected with blood by Vitora, collapsed to her knees on the spot and began to
tremble while holding her shoulders.
Black vein-like
streaks emerged from the bite marks on her neck and stood out on her white
skin.
"Both of them
have strong bonds with you. Just as I and Tet once did."
One after another,
Mikael revealed the secrets of Irisdina, Shina, and the others which they had
been desperately trying to keep hidden.
As the facts hit him
like a raging torrent, they stirred up Nozomu's thoughts like a whirlpool.
"The ritual that
the elf girl performed for you was in essence their marriage ceremony, a
ceremony to connect souls in a deeper place and create a bond that will last
until death do they part. And for you, she gave up the power to fulfill her own
dreams."
A blood covenant
ritual. The most sacred ritual for elves, and originally supposed to be a
marriage ceremony.
It was a form of the
elf girl's desire for him and her wish to help him.
"The gray-haired
girl decided to separate you, who are essentially unrelated, from a bad
situation. She believed it was the best she could do for you now."
It was a thought that
she, a noble woman, could not compromise. It was the strength that he had
admired in her.
At the same time, it
was also a form in which she had suppressed another of her own feelings.
"~ !"
Nozomu's thoughts,
having been knocked into a whirlpool of confusion, quickly turn to anger. It
was anger at himself for not knowing, or not realizing, what was going on.
Mikael looked at
Nozomu somewhat enviously as Nozomu bit his lip and stifled the urge to scream.
For him, even such
feelings of anger had long since ceased to be felt.
In this white space
where he could not feel anything, he merely existed as a vital part of sealing
Tiamat.
"Now, I will show
you another way to control Tet's power that you really want. That's how you
kill me here and absorb me."
"... Eh?"
"The current me
is the key to sealing Tet. If you kill me and absorb me, it will be easier for
you to control her power. Father must have had that in mind when he handed me
to you."
Even if his form has
changed, he is still a dragon. Therefore, if Nozomu were to kill him, the
transfer of his power and memories would take place without any problem.
In the face of
Mikael's resignation, Nozomu's hot head cooled down at once.
Confused, Mikhail
spread out his hands and looked downward at Nozomu with eyes that had given up
on everything.
"Come on, break
me, so you can control her power. Then you will be able to help them."
Nozomu found himself
holding his beloved katana in his hand.
The blade that paved
the way to his enemies and the path that had been closed to him. The dull gleam
of the blade posed a question to Nozomu.
He looked at Mikael
once, then looked down again at the blade in his hand.
Then he closed his
eyes, exhaled, and spoke to Mikael.
"Tell me ... how
do I get back to Arcazam?"
"You won't crush
me?"
"Certainly, I've
been dying to do something about this power. I have always wanted to do
something about it. But I didn't pick up this katana because I wanted to kill,
nor did I acquire this power because I wanted to take revenge."
Once again, Nozomu
looked back on his life.
Despite wishing to
support Lisa's dream, he was kicked down by his best friend and spent unhappy
days.
He spent his days
running away from his life, unable to change anything, and still he did not
leave this city.
He met and parted with
his master, met and was supported by Irisdina and others, and finally managed
to get back on his feet.
Because he has been
supported by others and encouraged by others, he has been able to stand up even
when he was broken.
That was the reason
why Nozomu thought:
"My dream can't
be obtained by killing you here. That's what I think."
"Is that so
..."
Slowly, he put the
katana back into its scabbard. Seeing Nozomu, Mikael smiled a gentle smile that
was different from the resigned smile he had on his face a moment ago.
"Thank you for
telling me about Tiamat."
"The same goes
for me. Thank you for listening to me. I've been keeping my mouth shut, but
maybe I just needed to talk to someone..."
"Yeah, I know
that feeling. I used to think that way too."
The stagnation
accumulates and sinks deep into one's chest as one keeps silent. Everyone has times
when they want to let it out. This is true whether it is a dragon or a human
being. Nozomu smiled wryly at the surprisingly human-like spirit.
"To go back, you
have to break this mirror. It connects this space we are in with the outside
world, so if you shatter it, even if only temporarily, you open the way to the
place it reflects."
"I see ..."
Following Mikael's
words, Nozomu stood in front of the mirror.
"Well then…"
"I wish you good
luck."
Nozomu put his hand on
the hilt of his katana, which he had once sheathed, closed his eyes, and
repeatedly took deep breaths. Over and over again, he exhaled and exerted
himself to the utmost limit.
As he exhaled and
relaxed, his mind became clearer and clearer.
All the distractions
faded away, and what remained were three scenes from the past.
Lisa, with whom he had
made a promise in his home village; Irisdina, weeping before the death of her
sister,; and Shina, devastated in the face of a demon beast.
And underneath it all,
there was a certain feeling.
"Oh, I see ...
It's just as Anri-sensei said, it was there all along."
It was the first
feeling he ever had.
A signpost, which he
was able to find because he had overcome the present by facing the past that he
had been running away from.
He had no more doubts.
"Let's go
..."
He pulled his katana.
The mirror in front of
him was slashed and shattered, and Nozomu threw himself into the vanishing
fragments.
