Volume 3 Chapter 7.2
Intermission,
Harbinger of Bankruptcy Part 2
Translator : PolterGlast
After a short rest, as
the sun that had been rising in the sky began to set, Irisdina, feeling
uncomfortable, sat beside Nozomu's bed and watched his sleeping face.
What shall we
talk about when he wakes up? What shall I ask him? ......
There were many things
she had been too shy to ask. There were many things she wanted to talk about.
"......Nozomu."
She gently touched his
cheek while muttering the name of the person sleeping in front of her.
Maybe it's because the
wounds have not healed yet. His skin is still feverish to the touch.
The pulsating
heartbeat could be heard beating in the back of her ears.
"It was a
critical situation, ...... thank god it's over."
A voice of relief leaked
out. The gentle breeze blowing in through the window gently brushes their
faces.
"......Irisdina-san."
Shina entered the room
after she knocked on the door.
She came over next to
Irisdina and looked into Nozomu's sleeping face and relaxed her cheeks in the
same way.
They could feel under
their skin that he was properly present and alive right here and now.
The tension that had
been building up in the depths of their hearts was finally lifted.
"Nnnn......."
At that moment,
Nozomu's eyelids slowly opened.
His somewhat dazed
eyes reflected the faces of Irisdina and Shina who were watching him.
"Iris,
Shina-san......?"
"~! Can you hear
us?"
"Y-yeah. My
vision seems to be okay, and I can hear just fine."
"Thank
goodness......"
Irisdina and Shina
breathed a sigh of relief as they found out that he was able to hear properly.
"Nozomu, are you
okay now?"
"Yahho ――!
Nozomu-kun. Are you still alive?"
"Mimuru, that's
inappropriate. Thank God, you seem to have regained your senses."
Perhaps hearing the
conversation between the three of them, Mars and the others who were in the
next room opened the door and rushed in.
They, too, looked
relieved to learn that Nozomu had regained his senses.
"Everyone ......
I'm sorry for making you worry."
"I'm glad you're
okay. Gosh, the things you did are really bad for my heart."
"But, you've done
the same thing before, remember?"
"Fufu...... Not
as bad as you did though. You do realize that you've done more foolish things
than I have, don't you?"
"Well, yeah......."
Seeing Shina smiling
at him, Nozomu scratched his head in embarrassment.
Even Mimuru, her best
friend who was present, was surprised to see her smile, which was filled with
affection, and had not the slightest hint of the prickliness that she had
displayed when she first met him.
"But I'm glad
you're back. I'm looking forward to working with you in the future."
Shina's slender, white
hand was held out to him. Although embarrassed by the affectionate gaze of the
beautiful elf in front of him, Nozomu gently responded to the handshake.
"Speaking of
which, where is Razward?"
When he learned that
you were safe, he was sure you'd be all right, and he left. He's a bit of a
whimsical fellow, so I'm sure he'll be back soon ......"
"I...see."
"Nozomu, here."
Irisdina, who was by
his side, presented his treasured katana to him.
The blade peeked out
from the scabbard, and a chain-like pattern could be seen on the blade.
"This katana's
name is Mumei. According to Mena, it is a special katana that adapts to the
characteristics of its wielder's heart."
"I see...... So,
I was saved by Shishō once again."
The katana that was
given to him by his master along with her feelings. A memento of his master who
had kept him alive until the very last moment.
The katana that was
handed to him seemed more fit in Nozomu's hand than ever before. Perhaps it had
completely accepted him as its owner.
"Thank you,
everyone. Truly, thank you......."
With sincere
gratitude, Nozomu thanked his friends.
Irisdina gave a small
nod with a big smile on her face and sat down on a chair by the bed.
She then leaned
forward and peered into Nozomu's face.
"Nozomu. Could
you please tell me more about yourself......?"
I want to know
more about him.
With such emotion
growing inside her heart, and with a tingling heat rising within her chest,
Irisdina begged him to tell her his stories. The lump in her chest that had
been there before was washed away surprisingly clean.
"Let's see, where
do I start....... My hometown is surrounded by mountains......"
With a smile of deep
affection directed at him and with his heart beating rapidly as she called out
to him, Nozomu slowly began to tell his friends about his hometown.
That night. The lights
in the room never cease to shine, and a peaceful moment passed by.
◆
Ken, who was walking
with Lisa through the commercial district, opened his eyes wide in response to
a thought sent to him by Mefi under the light of the lanterns illuminating the
street.
"It failed, you
say?"
An impossible outcome.
He let out an uncontrollable groan from the hatred and fear that welled up
inside him.
"Ken, what's
wrong?"
Lisa, who was standing
next to him, looked at him and asked him what was wrong. He put away the
negative emotions swirling deep in his heart and replied with a smile that he
always wore.
It's something he's
used to. Since a long time ago. It's the mask he's been wearing since he first
fell in love with Lisa.
"It's nothing,
Lisa. Anyway, thank you for staying with me until this late at night."
"......Huh?"
But Lisa's reaction
was different from what Ken had expected.
"Is there
something wrong, Lisa?"
"U-uh, no, i-its
nothing. I just had a weird imagination. I saw Ken in the forest with that
guy......."
Hearing her words, Ken
couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Is her memory
coming back......?
"It's weird,
isn't it? There's no way that could've happened."
It can't be. It's a
memory manipulation done by Mefi. The magic exercised by a spirit could not possibly
be broken in just a few days.
However, the
uneasiness that had once welled up in him quickly swelled, and he found himself
gripping Lisa's hand.
"K-Ken, what's
wrong?"
"Hey, isn't it
time for our relationship to move forward, as well?"
"Eh?"
He pulled Lisa's soft
hand and brought her body so close to his that she could feel his breath on
hers.
And then, he was about
to place his own lips on hers, but ......
"......No!"
She rejected him with
a piercing scream. Ken gasped at the impact on his chest.
The distance between
them widened, and after a moment of silence, Lisa's face turned blue and she
began to panic.
"Sorry, I'm
sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry ......"
"~, it's okay,
nothing to worry about."
Despite his mending
smile, Ken couldn't help but mentally sink into disappointment that it wasn't
working yet again.
Ever since she and
Nozomu had broken up, Lisa had been unable to have an intimate relationship
with anyone.
This was especially
true for romantic relationships, and it had become difficult for her to even
have physical contact with the opposite sex.
Ironically, as a
result of framing Nozomu and making him fall, he also inflicted great trauma on
the heart of the girl he wanted to protect.
And thus, he could not
truly be Lisa's partner anymore.
(Nozomu...... you're
always getting in my way ......!)
It was his very own
karma. But, blinded by his jealousy of Nozomu, he did not reflect on his own
wrongdoings, but instead kept the flames of his misplaced anger burning.
The clouds that shroud
the dark night began to rumble and crack thunder.
After taking Lisa, who
has become emotionally unstable, back to the women's dormitory, Ken, with his
eyes gleaming with distorted hatred, began to walk toward the school, the exact
opposite of the men's dormitory.
Camilla was watching
his back from the window of the dormitory, glaring at him.
Her hair, which had
turned a dusky, reddish hue, was fluttering.
◆
With Feo in tow, Anri
walked through the streets of Arcazam, which was still in a state of high
alert, with only a few pedestrians on the streets.
"So, Anri-sensei,
which store are we going to? We've already walked past the general store since
a while ago......"
"It's not that
far away~~. It's just around the corner, so please be patient for a bit
longer~~. The peeping tom, Starlight-kun."
Anri took out a small
vial from her pocket. Inside it was a blackened piece of charred paper.
It was the remnant of
a talisman that Feo had used when he was spying on Nozomu. Anri had gone to the
site and retrieved it after Nozomu consulted with her.
"......What the,
so you noticed after all?"
Feo, who was referred
to as a secret agent of Arcazam, called [Starlight], easily admitted the fact,
though inwardly he was surprised.
"It was because
of my investigation of this wreckage, you see~~. It was Jihad-sensei who asked
you to investigate Nozomu-kun, wasn't it~~? Are you going to report back now~~?"
"Well, it's my
job, after all. I mean, you even aware of my client, huh?"
Anri nodded with a
smile in response to Feo's words.
Even in the Abyss
Grief case, Nozomu had released the ability suppression, and it was Jihad who
received the report and handled the cleanup afterwards. It's easy to figure out
when one puts some thought into it.
"I'm sorry, but
can you keep Nozomu-kun's secret to yourself for a little bit longer~~?"
"Why is
that?"
"Because
Nozomu-kun doesn't want it yet, and if things go badly, he could get caught up
in an inter-organizational war regardless of his willingness~~."
Regardless of whether
or not he is a Dragonslayer, which is an extraordinarily irregular existence,
Nozomu is one of Anri's most important students. Therefore, she couldn't allow
the people around him to move against his wishes.
"Do you
understand what you just asked of me? I may look like this, but I'm an
informant for the Starlight".
"But you're not
completely affiliated with the organization, are you?"
"......What makes
you think so?"
"If you were, you
wouldn't have kept the information to yourself for the past five days~~."
There are different
types of intelligence agents, from those who actually engage in illegal
activities to those who simply provide information. And Feo is the latter. As
an employee, he is guaranteed to be free to pursue any career path after
graduation. Of course, he is obliged to maintain confidentiality.
"Well, you are
right. I am just someone who provides information on whether or not there are
spies who enter the school. To tell the truth, I'm just someone at the end of
the line, so that's about all I do."
"Were you perhaps
approaching Nozomu-kun just out of curiosity then?"
"Well, I was
instructed to investigate him for the possibility of releasing ability
suppression, and my curiosity was more than 80%. However, I never would have
thought he would be possessing something so outrageous~~. Haa ......"
To be honest, Nozomu's
existence was beyond Feo's capabilities. A legendary Dragonslayer, for one, was
not something that a mere end member of the organization could do anything
about.
If Feo had been a
secret agent loyal to his mission, he might have immediately reported it to
Jihad.
However, for him, the
Starlight business is one that pays well, for which he has no intention of
sticking firmly to.
This is the result of
a combination of his personal character and the temperament of the fox-tailed
race, but that is precisely why this matter caused him such a headache.
(Extraordinarily
powerful hidden power. Moreover, his connections are also not less impressive.
If I messed with him, there is no telling what the consequences would be.)
In addition to his
power, the connections that Nozomu has are also something that Feo cannot
ignore. Given that a member of the Franilt family, a prominent family in the
kingdom of Forsina, is a close friend of Nozomu, Feo cannot take any rash
action.
"Then, just leave
everything to me~~. I won't let anything bad happen to you~~."
"I don't know
about that. You really make me anxious......"
After being encouraged
by Anri, whose tone was not quite reassuring, Feo was brought to a part of the
academy's instructor's building.
In front of a
particularly large and magnificent doorway was the office of the academy's director,
Jihad Roundel.
"Anri-sensei,
this place is......"
"Jihad-sensei,
I'm coming in~~"
After knocking, Anri
opened the door with a rattle, not waiting for a response from inside.
Behind the door were
Jihad with a heavy atmosphere and Inda with a frown on her brow.
(Huh? Could it be that
I'm in a pinch already?)
Feo, with cold sweat
running down his spine, began to curse his own fate even before it became clear
that he was really in trouble.
◆
He was dreaming. A
hellish scenery of scorching fires and people calling for help.
Nozomu was once again
the only one standing in the collapsed Arcazam.
"That dragon is
at it again......"
The heat scorched his
skin and the foul stench that emanated from the once-human beings scattered all
around him. The hellish scene that made one want to turn away was spread out
before his eyes.
However, at the same
time, it was accompanied by a sensation as if a barrier was covering it.
Yes, Nozomu was now
able to recognize that the scene before him was an illusion.
He silently released
his ability suppression. He released all the power of Tiamat he had taken in,
concentrated it in his right arm, and slammed his fist into the ground with all
his might.
The released
five-colored power once again laid waste to the scorching hell, crushing the
fake world back to dust.
After the illusionary
Arcazam was shattered, Nozomu stood by that dark lakeside. In front of him,
instead of a hellish scene, a mountainous monster towered over him.
[Grrrrrrrr......]
The giant dragon
glared at Nozomu with a gaze of searing rage as it roared abominably.
Tiamat spread her
five-colored wings to create countless balls of light in the air.
They spread out to
fill the darkened sky, twinkling like stars in the night sky.
Tiamat, who had failed
to make Nozomu despair through the illusion, was now trying to destroy Nozomu's
spirit by force.
Nozomu just gazed
straight at the giant dragon and lowered his waist down, letting his whole body
be filled with Qi.
His right arm was in
extreme pain from the full force of the [Qi-jutsu・Light of Annihilation] he had just unleashed, but he
didn't give heed to the pain.
The heavenly sky was
covered with countless balls of murderous intent aimed at Nozomu.
A chilling sensation
ran down his spine, and he felt as if he were going to be crushed by the
pressure alone. Before he knew it, Nozomu's right hand was trembling slightly.
"~! What a
ridiculous power ...... as usual, huh!?"
As the cold sweats ran
down his back and as he listened to his own heartbeat beating at a breakneck
pace, Nozomu desperately tried to muster up the spirit that was about to
falter.
The difference in
power between the two of them was too great. But he won't give up.
Even if his soul was
reduced to ashes by the breath of that extreme flame, he would never give up.
While recalling the
place where he would return to. His hands... were no longer shaking.
With their faces
burned into his mind once again, Nozomu placed his hand on the katana at his
waist.
[Gaaaaaaa!]
With a roaring voice,
the ball of lights that filled the sky fell on Nozomu all at once.
Nozomu concentrated
his mind as the mass of killing intent closed in on him, and he once again
called forth the same power as the giant dragon inside of him.
Intense pain ran through
his entire body, and his vision went completely white. He gritted his teeth to
the point of shattering them, but even so, he struggled to keep himself
conscious and kept his eyes fixed on the oncoming meteor shower of chaos.
And then he rushed
toward the oncoming murderous intent of the giant dragon with a trail of
five-colored light in his wake.
End of Chapter 7
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