Volume 3 Chapter 6.4
Once Again,
The First Step Part 4
Translator : PolterGlast
In her hazy
consciousness, Irisdina woke up due to the weight pressing down on her entire
body and the sensation of something warm hitting her cheek.
"U~, nn
......"
She must have hit her
head, and a sense of weariness enveloped her whole body. She groaned and opened
her eyelids to see Nozomu's face in her blurred vision. He was bleeding from
the head and his whole body was quivering.
The blade that was
supposed to take Irisdina's life has pierced his left arm, grazing the side of
her neck and pinning her to the ground. Nozomu, who had come to his senses,
quickly had his own arm pierced to protect her, forcing the blade's trajectory
to divert.
"No-, zomu
......"
"U-Ugh
......"
Irisdina reached for
his cheek, which was right in front of her.
The fury and hatred
were gone, and his eyes were no longer tinged with crimson.
He has returned. Joy
sprung up in Irisdina's heart.
But Nozomu's face, on
the other hand, was pale.
Assaulted by intense
fear and guilt, his katana, which had pierced his own left arm, began to
clatter and tremble erratically.
He nearly killed them.
It was what he feared the most.
"I-I, almost
...... k-kill everyone ......."
He looked so pale like
a corpse.
And Irisdina, in front
of such seemingly broken Nozomu .......
"Nozomu!"
She sprung up and
embraced him.
"Are you alright?
Can you understand what I said!?"
"I-I, ris
......?"
His blood was flowing
out, making his body sticky and wet, but Irisdina didn't mind that and squeezed
her arms tightly together. As if to hold Nozomu, who was on the verge of
breaking, together.
"T-Thank goodness
....... I-I thought you were going to
disappear, and I thought you might not even be conscious anymore......"
The tears that flowed
unceasingly from the girl's eyes soaked his shoulders.
She, who would always
look so dignified, showed the appearance of a girl appropriate for her age.
Seeing Irisdina like
this, Nozomu felt as if his heart was being poked violently.
"Nozomu-kun!"
"Shina......-san."
Nozomu, who had just
accepted Irisdina, who was sobbing inside his chest, lifted his eyes towards
the voice he heard, and this time, Shina was rushing towards him.
She got down on her
knees in front of Nozomu and touched him all over his body to check his
injuries.
"Are you okay!?
You're conscious!, right?"
Shina's snow-like
fingers were busily caressing Nozomu's body.
There he noticed blood
on her face and all over her fingers. Irisdina's body was also stained bright
red as she hugged him.
"Everyone ......
gotten hurt ......."
"No, we're not.
This is your blood."
Shina held Nozomu's
cheeks between her hands as she spoke while forcing him to turn towards her.
"You didn't hurt
anyone. Even when Tiamat tricked you into seeing illusions, even when you were
consumed by anger, you didn't cross the final line."
"Is everyone
...... safe?"
She nodded slowly but
clearly to Nozomu, who asked her in a dazed manner.
"Yeah. You
properly protected us from Tiamat until the very end. The evidence is that
everyone here is standing on their own two feet, you see?"
Shina's gaze turned to
Mars and the others who were standing behind her.
Although their faces
all showed a uniformly deep fatigue, everyone was still steady on their feet.
"Everyone is
alive ....... but-"
When he found out that
everyone was safe, Nozomu's tense expression finally somewhat softened, but his
smile quickly faded.
Certainly, the worst
did not happen, but the fact that he pointed his blade at them did not change.
There was no way he
could end it with a single word, "thank goodness ......".
The fear and guilt
that welled up in him. The negative emotions that suggested he didn't belong to
be with them were rising up, and his body trembled as he turned his gaze away.
Shina then turned
Nozomu's face towards her again.
"You may have
used your anger to turn your blade against us, but even so, you were resisting,
albeit subconsciously. So, please. Don't blame yourself so much ......"
Following Shina's
words, Irisdina also nodded her head with tears in her eyes.
"Nozomu! Are you
alright!?"
"Nozomu-sa~n!
Ane-sama~! Are you hurt!?"
Mars and others who
were standing behind them rushed to Nozomu and the others.
"Norn~! Hurry up
and heal him~!"
"I know, I know.
Just stop pulling so forcefully! Nozomu-kun, let me heal you now......"
"~......"
"Ah ......"
Norn reached for
Nozomu's wound, but he reflexively withdrew his hand.
A heavy silence
prevailed between them.
While clenching his
teeth as if enduring, Nozomu gently placed his right hand on Irisdina's
shoulder and tried to gently separate her from the embrace.
It was like handling a
treasure that he himself was not allowed to touch.
However, Irisdina did
not let go of Nozomu's clothes.
On the contrary, she
stared at him sharply with tear-filled eyes.
Nozomu tried several
times to pull away, but each time he did, her eyes grew more and more serious.
Still, he persisted in
his attempts to separate from Irisdina. Without being able to face her gaze
head-on.
"Hey, Nozomu.
We're-......."
Mars couldn't bear the
sight and tried to call out to him.
However, at that
moment, a pure white light enveloped the entire area.
*Giiiiii!*
With a screeching
sound that made the air tremble, the [Cracked Crown], which had regained
consciousness, raised its sickle-like arms.
Its former shiny
carapace was now covered in countless cracks, and toxic bodily fluids were
pouring out from all over its body.
[Cracked Crown]
cloaked its wounded body with lightning and concentrated it into its
distinctive crown. A shower of lightning began to rain down towards Nozomu and
the others.
"Oh no
......!"
At this rate, Irisdina
and the others, who are by his side, will be caught in the middle of this.
He lashed his immobile
body, forcing it to shift, and tried to expose himself to the oncoming roaring
lightning, so as to protect them.
But faster than Nozomu
could move, they leaped in front of the rain of purple lightning.
"Shina-kun!"
"I know.
Raz!"
[Yes, leave it to me!]
Countless thunderbolts
collided with Razward's spirit magic, flooding the surroundings with a
nose-tingling metallic odor.
"Guuuu......!"
The magical lightning,
which exceeded even the power of the higher beings called spirits, instantly
shaved away Razward's barrier.
The power that was
exerted with its body full of wounds. It was truly an out-of-this-world demonic
beast.
In an attempt to
reduce the momentum of the lightning, Irisdina released [Intermediate Magic・Javelin of the Abyss].
The jet-black spear
slipped through the net of lightning, and went straight for the crown of the
giant centipede, which glowed pale, but got bounced off by the lightning that the
[Cracked Crown] was clad in.
"No good.
huh!"
*Gigigi ......!*
With a threat similar
to a screeching sound, the pressure of the Thunder Rain increased even more.
[Ugh, damn ......!]
Razward, who was
holding up the barrier, let out a cry of anguish.
Then, with a sound
like shattering glass, the barrier was finally breached. But immediately
afterward, a warm four-colored light enveloped Nozomu and the others with the
shape of a box. The four-colored magic barriers repelled the lightning that had
broken through.
"Are you
okay?"
"Tima-san
......."
[Thank you, you saved
me there.]
It was Tima who
deployed the four-colored magic barrier.
Furthermore, two
shadows leaped out from her side and circled to the side of the [Cracked
Crown].
"Fuu!"
"Touryaah!"
*Giiiuu!*
Mars' greatsword and
Mimuru's dropkick exploded into the [Cracked Crown]'s side of the head. Its
neck shook greatly at the combined blow, and the Thunder Rain that had been
shot at Nozomu and the others was interrupted.
The giant centipede's
anger shifted to the two interrupters who were in its way, and a rain of purple
lightning was unleashed on Mars and Mimuru.
"Hiiii!
Stop-stop, don't shoot me~~! Whole roasted cat doesn't taste good~~!"
"You idiot, move
your feet instead of shouting!"
The two kept running
frantically to avoid the oncoming rain of purple lightning, but there was just
too much lightning.
In the blink of an
eye, the rain of lightning blocked their escape route and turned into a cage
trying to crush the insects it had caught.
"We won't let
you!"
"Hai~hai~, you
two, retreat now~!"
However, then Anri and
Tom's golem intervened. The swinging whip punctured the lightning cage, and
Mars as well as Mimuru retreated while the golem was being struck by numerous
thunderbolts.
If one were to look
closely, one would see that talismans imbued with magic power were attached all
over the golem's body, and a thin magic barrier protected the golem's body from
the roaring lightning.
"Good grief, it
can't be helped. Come on, you two, get out of there!"
"Sorry,
thanks!"
"Uwaaaan, thank
you, Tom~~!"
"Wha, don't, not
now! Get away from me!"
The Golem was
destroyed by the Thunder Rain at the moment they escaped, and Mimuru, who had
escaped from the lightning cage, raised an emotional cry and charged at Tom.
"It's not over yet,
more are coming!"
[Cracked Crown]'s
offensive was not over yet. The follow-up thunderbolts were immediately fired
at them.
"Uooo~~! Whoa,
this is bad!"
"Uu~~n. Sensei
thinks this is a tough one, too~~"
"Leave it to
me!"
While Feo was in a
cold sweat, Tom invoked his [Earth Manipulation] magic. From the ground between
them and the [Cracked Crown], numerous dull green-rust pillars sprang up one
after another.
What rose up were
countless iron stakes. To be precise, they were made of hardened clay pillars
coated with iron.
The iron pillars,
which had become lightning rods, were destroyed, but they managed to direct the
onrushing thunderbolts to the ground.
"A~a, the pillars
are not strong enough to withstand it after all. Nevertheless, it is
effective!"
"Kyaaa! Tom,
you're so amazing~~! Come on fox, do your job properly!"
"The heck! Why
are you treating me like this!?"
Even so, the attack of
the demonic beast did not stop. If it failed once, it would strike again, and
again, and again, like thunderstorms.
In the face of the
oncoming thunderstorm, not only Tom, but also Feo, used their magic spells to
prevent, disperse, and deflect the thunder rain.
"I'll push and
deflect the lightning toward Nozomu as much as I can!"
"Let's go, Raz,
lend me your strength!"
[Haiyo, you can count
on me!]
Irisdina and Shina
also lined up with Feo and the others, using their weapons to intercept the
oncoming thunderstorms.
The mithril rapier,
imbued with magic power, slashed through the lightning swarms, and arrows
imbued with the power of spirits spiraled through the purple lightning hordes.
"I won't let my
students get hurt~~"
Even Anri was not to
be outdone. She swung the whip in her right hand in all directions, slashing
and tearing, and further dissipating the lightning that had been scattered by
the piercing arrows.
However, despite this,
the [Cracked Crown]'s power, which could not be defeated even by the allied
forces of various countries in the great invasion, was way superior to that of
the Solminati Academy's renowned talented students, including even the
teachers.
The lightning storms,
which had increased in frequency and density, now attacked like a wall,
instantly shattering the iron pillars that Tom and Feo had created as lightning
rods. In the blink of an eye, they, who were desperately resisting, were swept
away.
"Guu! This
[Cracked Crown]'s power is way out of our league......!"
Irisdina let out a cry
of anguish as she slashed away the lightning that was coming toward Nozomu.
The power of the
opponent was just too powerful. Its power would easily surpass that of even
Rugato, the vampire she had previously faced. In fact, even just the remnants
of the thunderbolt managed to burn her arm and caused her so much pain that she
almost dropped her rapier.
"Everyone, forget
about me and get out of here! Once you get inside the forest, you should be
able to escape all the way to the town!"
Unable to bear the
sight of Irisdina and the others who keep getting hurt because of him, Nozomu
yelled at them to run away.
Of course, there was
no way for the current Nozomu to win if he were to fight against the [Cracked
Crown].
He suffered
lacerations all over his body and lost a lot of blood. His body was already too
weak to even stand up. If he were to fight in his current state, he would be
killed in an instant, unable to avoid the thunderstorm that [Cracked Crown]
would unleash.
"Good grief, what
a monstrous demonic beast!"
"Are we going to
give up then!?"
"Are you kidding
me!? If I choose to abandon him here, I will never forgive myself for the rest
of my life!"
However, Irisdina and
the others ignored Nozomu's desperate cry. Rather, they wielded their weapons
with even greater enthusiasm.
"Oi, Tima, can't
you manage to land a blow with your magic!?"
"Sorry, Mars-kun,
I got my hands full trying to block all this lightning, so I can't afford to
cast any other spells ......"
"We have no
choice but to endure, then! It would be nice if it'd just go home satisfied
after this rampage!"
While exposing
themselves to the potentially lethal lightning, they voluntarily step forward,
muster up their Qi, and let their magic rage on.
He saved my
precious sister.
I admired his
swordsmanship.
Even though I
had said a lot of terrible things to him, he never abandoned me and helped me,
giving me a chance to get over my trauma.
He gave me a
chance to reconnect with my best friend.
I simply was
curious about him, and when I came to know him, I became even more curious
about him.
I didn't want
to part ways with my first friend like this.
I wanted to
help him in any way I could.
I wished to be
there for him.
The feelings that rose
up in their hearts were complex and intertwined like frayed threads.
However, they all had
this one thought in common:
[I want to protect him who is suffering now, and I walk together with
him once again.]
That's why, no matter
how much pain they feel, there's no way they'd give up here.
"Why!? Why won't
you guys run away!?"
Their desperate
struggle stirred Nozomu's heart.
He clenched his teeth
as his heart was stirred up by the people he cared about who did not want to
run away. His left hand, numb from the loss of blood, was clenched tightly, and
his bones creaked.
The only thing that
welled up within him was a sense of self-pity, frustration, and disappointment.
And then ...... joy.
But such joys further stimulated Nozomu's sense of guilt.
"You should have
just abandoned me and run away ......."
It made him happy, it
made him joyful. And because there was nothing he could do about it, those
positive emotions became sharp arrowheads that pierced through Nozomu's heart.
While his face was
distorted in pain due to the positive and negative emotions that were violently
swirling around like a spiral, Somia came running up to him.
"Somia-chan. Even
if it's just you- ......."
"Norn-sensei,
what can I do to help!?"
At least let her
escape ....... Nozomu tried to persuade Somia to run away, but his weak voice
was drowned out by her loud voice.
"Please hold him
so he doesn't move. If he moves too much, I won't be able to concentrate on the
treatment."
"Yes!"
While giving a clear
reply to Norn's calm instruction, she held Nozomu's left arm, which was
particularly badly injured, with both of her small hands. Somia's young hand was
stained with Nozomu's blood as Norn used healing magic to stop the bleeding
coming from the affected area and bandaged it up.
"Nozomu-san.
Please stay still for now."
"Somia-chan, why
......"
"Even though I've
learned a whole bunch of magic, I'm not at all as good at it as my sister. And
I can't even fight. It's frustrating and makes me sad, but standing next to
everyone will only slow them down. Then I must do what the current me can do
......"
After saying so, Somia
began to invoke a spell in a whispering voice. Then, Somia's hands, which had
been holding his wounds, began to glow faintly.
It was a light of
magic power that indicated the activation of healing magic. Somia's magic,
which was layered on top of Norn's magic, relieved Nozomu of his pain.
The deafening screech
of the demonic beast and the explosion of magics echoed around them, but she
was undaunted, desperately trying to do what she could do.
Is it perhaps because
they are sisters, after all? Her appearance was a mirror image of Irisdina, who
was struggling right in front of him.
Nozomu's heart was
stirred even more by her earnestness as she kept looking straight ahead, not
turning her head down even when times were tough.
A hot drop of tears
streamed down from his eyes, dripping wetly on the ground.
"Kuu!"
"Irisdina-san!
Are you alright!?"
"Yeah! I won't be
defeated so easily!"
Irisdina was about to
let out a scream when she was hit by the remnants of the thunderbolt that she
couldn't handle, but she gritted her teeth and endured it.
"Zuah!"
"Mars-kun!?"
"Come on, you
gotta pull yourself together! There's still more to come!"
"I know! There's
no way I would make a fool of myself here!"
Mimuru assisted Mars,
who was being repelled by the giant sickle-like arm. Next to him, Anri and Feo
were doing the same and kept dispelling the Thunder Rain.
"Feo-ku~n? Are
you okay~?"
"I myself am
fine! But my wallet is getting worse ...... Anri-sensei, please! Take over for
me!"
"Sorry~~. I can't
help you with that at the moment~~. My salary is pretty low, so you'll have to
do something about it yourself~~."
"What are you
saying, Sensei? Sensei's salary is even higher than that of a common knight! I'm even cutting back on my living expenses to pay for
the talismans! Shina, Mars! Please, cover for me! If I spend any more money,
I'll have to live on nothing but water for the rest of the month!"
"Oi, Elf and
Little Bird over there! Are you both doing good!?"
"We're fine for
now. At least we still have plenty of room to help one more person!"
[Oi, you there! I'm
not a little bird! Shi-jou, please say something to him!]
"C'mon, Raz,
focus! You're getting pushed, you know!?"
"Wha!? Ignore?
Are you guys ignoring me!? I'm going to starve to death, you know!? Are you
guys okay with that!? In the first place, I kept overusing magic power to
activate the talismans, so I'm almost at my limit!"
Feo was complaining
about how he was being treated, but the situation was starting to get even
worse.
The movements of
Irisdina and the others were gradually becoming sluggish. They, too, had long
since reached their limits.
Even so, there was not
the slightest intention in their eyes to run away.
"I, I
......"
He felt a warmth deep
within his chest. Such feelings were inspired by their determination.
Whatever the reason,
Irisdina and the others were risking their lives to protect him, the one who
had pointed his blade at them.
Their faces were
stained with dirt and sweat, and their clothes were in tatters from the
constant exposure to the lingering damage of the Thunder Rain. Their bodies
were also battered and bruised, but they still managed to stay on their feet.
It was not out of a
sense of duty or obligation. It was a desperate and single-minded act of caring
for someone from the bottom of their heart.
Even though his heart
ached as if it were tightened with cotton, the earnest efforts of Irisdina and
the others continuously generated a burning heat deep in Nozomu's chest.
His body and mind,
pulled by strong positive and negative emotions, had become rigid. Their
equilibrium began to collapse.
The heat that
continued to build up lit a flame in Nozomu's heart, burning and melting the
chains that bound his mind.
The sight of his
friends who were so earnest to this extent had spoken to Nozomu more eloquently
than a thousand words.
No matter what
you say, you are already our friend .......
That was all he
needed.
"~! Norn-sensei.
Can you make my body move at full power, even if it's just for a moment?"
Norn's expression
froze in surprise upon hearing Nozomu's sudden words. Nozomu's body now has
wounds that would normally require him to be bedridden immediately and rested.
Especially the katana
that pierced his left arm was still stuck in it, and if it was pulled out
carelessly, it might damage an artery and cause massive blood loss.
If he were to lose a
large amount of blood all at once, he would go into shock and die as it is.
It would be impossible
for him to fight any longer, and Norn, who was in charge of keeping him alive,
would never allow him to do so.
"You... do you
even know your own condition!? You have lacerations and muscle injuries all
over your body. The amount of blood you lost due to the katana that pierced your
left arm cannot be ignored! Most of all, if you were to unleash your power
right now, Tiamat would surely try to take advantage of it again!"
If Nozomu were to
release his ability suppression again, Tiamat would once again try to take him
over.
If Tiamat's aim is to
resurrect herself and to achieve this she needs to break Nozomu, then this is
the perfect situation for her.
"Are you going to
waste Irisdina's and the others' efforts!?"
"No, it's
precisely because I don't want it to go to waste, so I have to do it now!"
Nozomu shook his head
at the admonishing rebuke.
Irisdina and the
others who were protecting him despite the fact that he almost killed them.
Determined to answer
their feelings, Nozomu put his hand on the katana that pierced his left arm and
pulled it out.
"Kuh ......
uuugh!"
The katana was pulled
out with a loud "swish " sound, and fresh blood flowed out and spread
over the ground in a crimson color.
Norn and Somia
hurriedly held the wound and applied healing magic.
"I am someone who
has been running away all this time. And I still am. Even though everyone was
willing to reach out to me, I lost myself in anger, and I was so afraid of
myself that I turned away from them because I couldn't believe them......"
While looking at the
wound, which was gradually being closed by magic, Nozomu once again reflected
on himself.
Trying to handle the
situation on his own, he lost himself in anger.
In the end, he even
turned his own blade against them.
Even though he was
such a shitty person, they still called out to him.
Because of that,
Nozomu was able to come back here.
Until now, he had
turned away from his surroundings, and even though he realized that he was
running away, he was unable to move forward even after he tried to move his
feet.
But .......
"But I want that
to end it now. I just want to stand next to everyone again ......"
"Nozomu-san......"
Somia's eyes were
drawn to Nozomu's strong-willed expression, and Norn silently met his gaze.
At that moment, the
voice of someone who was not supposed to be there could be heard from the side.
"Yo, I'm here to
return the favor."
He reflexively turned
his head in the direction of the voice. Nozomu's eyes widened involuntarily
upon seeing the unexpected people there.
◆
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