Volume 4 Chapter 7.5
Seeds of Rekindling Part 5
Translator : PolterGlast
She just kept running.
As if to escape the urge to rip out her own chest.
With her ragged
breathing, she headed for the medical facility of the Gloaurum Institute, where
he slept.
She opened the front
door with a force that could have destroyed it and dashed into the white
corridor.
"Oi, stop right
there!"
"Irisdina-kun?
Wha, wait!"
The facility's staff
members widened their eyes upon seeing the beautiful dark-haired girl running
at such a high speed, but Irisdina paid no attention to them. She ignored the
guards who tried to stop her, and even Inda's voice as she passed by.
When she reached
Nozomu's hospital room, she opened the door violently.
The room was shrouded
in silence. On the bed, Nozomu was still sleeping peacefully.
He was breathing
softly as usual.
"Haa, haa, haa,
haa... Nozomu."
Irisdina walked over
to the bed, not bothering to calm her rough breathing.
As his name leaked out
of her mouth, it melted away into the quiet of the hospital room.
*Creak, creak* .......
Her heart was creaking. She squeezed her chest and bit her lip as if to endure
the pain that ran through her. The white hands turned even whiter and wrinkles
were carved into the clean uniform.
"Come on, wake
up. You've been sleeping a little too much, you know? If you don't get up soon,
you'll have a hard time keeping up with the class."
The aching did not
subside. Instead, it seeped out of her chest like a leaking rain.
With a hoarse voice,
she shook Nozomu, who was lying on the bed. But there's no reply......
"Somia, Shina,
and the others are worried about you, too. And, and......."
The smile that she
managed to put on her face was distorted into an ugly smile. Trying to escape
the pain that stirred in her chest, she kept rocking the sleeping Nozomu.
Although she tried to hold back her tears, her uncontrollable emotions
continued to overflow.
"Wake up, please
wake up......! Let me hear your voice......!"
Her mind replayed the
memory of her childhood, when she clung to her mother, who had passed away and
become a mere husk.
The image of her
mother on her deathbed and the image of Nozomu sleeping overlapped. Exceeding
her limits, Irisdina's eyes became moist and a single tear trickled down her
cheek. She could not suppress it anymore.
"Gu~. Uu.......
Uuu......!"
Tears flowed like a
broken dam, and Irisdina clung to Nozomu's chest. She squeezed the futon so
hard that she could almost tear it off, buried her face in it, and sobbed
incessantly.
With a dry clicking
sound, the hair ornament Nozomu had bought for her detached, and tears streamed
down to wet Nozomu's chest. When she raised her face, she saw his sleeping face
right beside her.
His face has no
particular distinguishing features. But when he smiled, she felt warmth from
the bottom of her heart. But now.......
"Hic, hic .......
Nozomu......."
Bringing her face
closer and gently touching Nozomu's cheek, she pressed her own lips against
Nozomu's.
First kiss.
She recalled the time
when they fought the Cracked-Crown Giant Centipede. Shina kissed Nozomu to calm
him down when he went out of control.
Just wanting Nozomu to
wake up, Irisdina kept pressing her lips against his.
However, her wish was
in vain, and Nozomu's eyelids did not open.
The hair ornament that
fell on his chest caught her attention.
It was the gift he had
bought her the first time they walked the streets together.
The pain that was just
welling up deep within her chest suddenly disappeared. All that remained was a
gaping hole and a fierce chill.
"............"
Irisdina gently raised
herself up and left the hospital room in a daze.
She walked through the
corridor with unsteady steps and went straight outside.
It was already dark
outside. A chilly breeze caressed her cheeks.
"Ai!"
"Tima......?"
Suddenly, she was
hugged from behind. The familiar voice of her best friend was calling out
Irisdina's name.
Even though the name
was being shouted in her ear, the voice sounded somewhat distant.
"Why are you
here......?"
A question came out of
reflex amid her not-so-well thought process. Tima did not answer but kept
hugging her as if wrapping her from behind.
"I'm okay. I'm
...... perfectly okay."
She repeated the same
words as if parroting them back, but her choked voice had no power, no
persuasive power at all. Tima's arms tightened as if to comfort Irisdina, who
looked as if she would break at any moment.
"Don't worry,
everything is fine .......uu~"
The warmth rekindled
Irisdina's frozen emotions.
At the same time, the
tears that should have dried up began to well up again. Tima shifted her body
and wrapped Irisdina's face in her chest as if to hide the sobs that were
beginning to leak out.
"Uuu~, aaa~
......"
Wrapped in the warmth
of her best friend, Irisdina began to weep again.
The surrounding people
cast their eyes at her to see what was going on, but she was no longer bothered
by such things.
"Guu~, uu~!
Hic......aaa~!"
"Ai......."
Tima just kept hugging
the weakened Irisdina and accepting her raging emotions.
How anxious had she
been? How much vexation had she been holding back?
Her heart was nearly
breaking at the thought of the person she loved not waking up, and she was
jealous of that person's former girlfriend. She tried desperately to suppress
those emotions ...... but failed.
Her best friend, the
one she could always count on. The only time she showed such weakness was when
the butler of the Waziart family almost took her sister's soul, which was
dearer to her than her own life.
She must be so
attracted to him that she felt so stirred emotionally like this.
(Ah......)
In the midst of all
this, the sound of footsteps rushing toward them came from the end of the
hallway.
When Tima turned her
eyes toward the direction of the sound to see what was going on, Inda, who
should be observing Nozomu's condition, came running toward them. As Tima
tilted her head at the somewhat desperate figure of Inda, she was hit by a
strong chill.
"W-What!?"
A powerful surge of
source elements. It was coming from the forest area of the central park. It was
originating from the place where Lisa and the others had just been.
A chill went through
their entire body. They looked at each other and ran toward the source of the
power.
†
"U-Umm......."
"............"
Lisa and Camilla. The
two cousins remained silent as they faced each other.
Camilla's gaze wavered
as she searched for the right words to say, and Lisa remained downcast, not
even looking at the other party's face. In the silence, the only sound was the
night wind rustling the trees. Camilla was the first to speak.
"I'm
sorry......."
The words of apology
were so faint that they were drowned out by the sound of the wind, but they
carried a heavy toll as though she was squeezing them out of her mouth.
The moment Lisa heard
it, she became furious.
"~! Why, Why
now......!"
Her face turned bright
red and she reflexively grabbed Camilla by the collar.
For two years she had
been deceived, and as a result, she kept humiliating the person she loved with
her own hands.
Her guilt and remorse
toward Nozomu whom she had hurt indelibly. Lisa went straight to slam Camilla's
body into a nearby tree with all her might.
"Ugh ....... I
know that no matter how much I apologize, I will never be forgiven. I did
something that cannot be undone. To you, Lisa, and to Nozomu, as
well......."
"It's too late,
everything, everything is ruined! Everything!"
Camilla choked up at
the impact on her back, but continued to speak.
Lisa, on the other
hand, couldn't have been more devastated, her eyes widening and filling with
tears as she pushed Camilla further into the tree. The magic power in response
to Lisa's fury envelops her body, naturally enhancing her physical abilities.
Camilla's body began to creak and scream.
At that moment, a
cold, sticky sensation spread across her abdomen.
"Ah......."
Lisa dropped her gaze
and saw a red stain that had seeped out from under Camilla's clothes and stuck to
Lisa's uniform.
That was where Lisa
had stabbed her. The disgusting sensation of her hand piercing flesh came back
to her and she reflexively pulled her hand away.
Camilla crumpled to
her knees. But her face was still firmly facing forward, looking up at Lisa.
"Hey Lisa, do you
remember? The first time we met at this school. At first, I used to give
everyone I met the cold shoulder. I came to this city to hide myself after
all......"
Fear has imprinted on
her since childhood. The only person she could rely on was her mother. Because
she grew up in such an environment, Camilla has always been lonely.
Fortunately, her
mother gave her letters and the necessary knowledge. However, her loneliness
became even stronger when she came to Arcazam. Although her grades were high,
she was naturally isolated from the other students in her class.
In this situation, it
was only Lisa who approached her.
"I recognized you
right away. You're uncle's daughter. You had eyes just like his. Kind, strong,
and full of curiosity......"
From then on, the two
became close enough to be called best friends.
Because Lisa did not
know her father's origins, Camilla could not tell her that she was her cousin.
But how much support did she receive from Lisa, who had the same eyes as her beloved
uncle and had no hesitation in becoming an adventurer?
Her personality has
not changed, as she is inevitably wary of strangers. She has always been afraid
to talk about her origins. Still, thanks to Lisa, Camilla's world has gradually
grown. But .......
"I'm the one who
blinded you. If it helps you get back on your feet, I'll do anything.
So......"
Camilla, sitting on
the ground, stared at Lisa with pleading, yet strong-willed eyes. Lisa averted
her eyes away from such a gaze.
Camilla had the resolve
and strength to do so, which scared Lisa, and at the same time, she felt
miserable about herself for being so shaken up.
"Lisa,
wait......"
"Stay away from
me!"
Camilla reached out
for her, but Lisa unintentionally shoved her away. The impact further opened up
the wound in Camilla's abdomen. The crimson color spreads. The sensation of
stabbing someone is getting worse.
Lisa's face froze and
her body trembled upon seeing Camilla involuntarily hold her lower abdomen. She
then tried to turn on her heel as if to run away .......
"Please, don't
run away. It's fine if you want to hurt me. But please. Don't run
away......"
Camilla's fading plea
stopped her in her tracks. When Lisa turned around fearfully, Camilla stood up
on shaky legs and slowly walked over to her. Then she extended her hand and
hugged Lisa.
"Ah......"
"It's okay,
everything will be okay......"
Camilla hugged Lisa
with her weak hands and slowly, really slowly, began to stroke Lisa's hair. Her
gentle movements were like a mother comforting her daughter. Lisa's eyes
widened and her trembling body slowly began to relax.
"I'm so sorry.
And thank you......"
Upon hearing these
quiet, gentle words in her ear, Lisa finally reached her limit, and tears
trickled down from her eyes. Emotions overflowing like a raging stream. She
began to weep in an inarticulate voice.
"U~,
~......"
No matter how hard she
clenched her teeth and tried to suppress the tears, they wouldn't stop. The
pent-up emotions that had accumulated in the depths of her chest were being
washed away. For a while, Lisa just kept crying.
However, at that
moment, a low, raspy third-party voice drifted into their ears.
"Found, you
......."
The voice made them
turn around reflexively. From the depths of the darkness peeking through the
trees, a figure emerged.
It was a blonde-haired
young man wearing the uniform of the Solminati Academy. His entire body was
drenched with water, and his face was downcast with no expression visible.
However, there was a strange aura emanating from his entire body.
A black shadow like a
mirage. It covered Ken's entire body and swayed like a mirage every time he
took a step forward.
"Ken......"
As Lisa was stunned by
the appearance of her childhood friend, who appeared with a strange aura, a jet
of pitch black source element suddenly erupted from Ken's body. The murky
source element, reminiscent of the muddy stream of sewage, swirled and rose
into the sky.
Ken, who had been
downcast, raised his face. His wide, crimson eyes fixed on the two of them.
Then, an arrow flew
from the sky. Shina, who had been waiting nearby, rushed to their aid.
The arrow was easily
knocked down by Ken's arm, which was swung carelessly.
Meanwhile, Shina's
eyes widened at the strange presence that Ken was giving off. It was the
presence of an abominable being that she herself knew very well.
"This is that
evil beast's...... both of you, run!"
Camilla, reacting to
Shina's voice, took Lisa's hand and ran away.
However, as if to
block their way, a huge white wall of light rose up from the ground.
The translucent wall
towered in a circle, trapping Ken, Camilla, and the others inside.
"This is, a
barrier!? (Raz, can you hear me!?)"
(Shi-jou, what the
hell is going on?......)
Suddenly, black source
elements erupted from Ken's body and swallowed the three of them in an instant.
End of Chapter 7
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
Aiden Elliott
Edgar M
Elite
Konstantinos Frietchen
Max Kneifel
Swagaraga
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
[Silver]
blue shooting
CoolmanMTD
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Matzar1
Pristia
Sơn Hồ
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Hikigaya Hachiman
Matias Soto Ramirez
XXX Demon Hunter XXX
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
