Volume 4
Final Chapter Part 1
With the Remaining Embers in One's
Heart Part 1
Translator : PolterGlast
Late afternoon in the
Central Park. Under the glorious early summer sun, Irisdina was having lunch in
the woods area. She is surrounded by her sister Somia, Mars, Tima, and other
friends including Shina.
"So, how was this
incident ultimately handled?"
"Because of the
nature of the incident, it was kept under wraps."
Irisdina answered
Mars' question succinctly.
Three days have passed
since the incident. All traces of the battle had already been erased. The City
Isolation Barrier, which was triggered by Ken's Predatory Barrier, was also
reported to each district simply as an impromptu activation drill, and Arcazam
had returned to normal daily life.
"In the end, we
were left out in the cold. That fellow Jihad seemed to have figured something
out, though."
"Mena......"
"Unfortunately, I
don't know either. However, there's no doubt that this case is related to a deep-rooted
problem in this city."
Ken, who had fused
with the Abyss Grief, had its magic stone destroyed with his heart. However,
his body has not yet died, and he can still repeat reflex actions, albeit
slightly. He is already unable to fight or even move properly. However, if one
carelessly touches it, there is no telling how it will react again.
As a result, the
Arcazam Parliament decided to physically seal him in a space devoid of any kind
of power.
The location was the
basement of the Gloaurum Institution. It was originally designed to block all
outside forces for all kinds of magic experiments, which is why it was chosen
as the sealing place. There was no other suitable location.
Pitiful, one might
say. But at the same time, many mysteries remained a mystery.
"Most of those
who had conspired against Nozomu-sama had become cripples. According to Jihad,
they were originally criminals who infiltrated from outside the city. The same
is true of faculty member Caskell, who is unlikely to recover......"
"It is also
unlikely that any important information will come out of Bellaluna and the
others, who are only at the further end of the line. The only clue that remains
is the location mentioned in the paper that Camilla handed to
Nozomu......"
The sewage system
damaged by the flash floods has not yet been fully restored. As various parts
of it have collapsed and are submerged. Ken's supposed hideout was in this same
area. They probably haven't been able to investigate it yet.
"Which means it
will take some more time to find out who's behind him......"
However, everyone
present here was aware of this. This case is quite deep-rooted. After all,
there was Ken, who devoured a spirit and transformed into a deformed form.
Irisdina glanced at
Shina.
"Shina-kun,
during the last battle, you were definitely fused with him, right......?"
"Yeah, it was the
deformed demonic beast that we fought together with Nozomu-kun. I could still
feel the presence of that beast in the source element that I sensed from
Ken."
Abyss Grief. A
deformed spirit. It is unknown how it came to take that form, but certainly not
a coincidence.
An indescribable sense
of uneasiness welled up within Irisdina, and she frowned.
"Irisdina-ojousama,
I think it would be difficult for us to find out more than this. I suggest we
refresh our minds."
"Yes, I suppose
so. Sorry Mena, can you make us some tea?"
Irisdina nodded at her
trusted attendant's words, and Mena bowed her head respectfully and left the
room.
After a short while,
she returned with a pot of tea. Irisdina and the others sipped the tea that had
been handed out to them.
The girls exhaled in
relief as the aroma tickled their taste buds and the hot liquid sloshed down
their throats.
"So, Mena. What
about Nozomu.......?"
"I hear he's
going to attend the sealing of Ken Notie at the Gloaurum Institution with
Lisa-sama......"
"I see.......”
Irisdina looked out of
the window as she let out a somewhat lonely sigh. Shina, who was standing next
to her, was also looking out the window as if she was observing him from afar.
A sweet pain, different
from the one they felt before, runs through their chests. They wondered, how
those two resolved things.
The sun, illuminating
the cityscape, gazed upon the maidens who were thinking of their love.
‡
Deep in the basement
of the Gloaurum Institution. Nozomu and Lisa were descending a long spiral
staircase.
In front of them were
Jihad, Inda, and Anri. And then there was Fadrey, the head of the Gloaurum
Institution.
The magical lamps
placed in various places illuminated the pitch-dark vertical shafts, and the
light from the lanterns held by each of them swayed and flickered.
"I didn't know
there was a facility this deep down......."
"The institute
itself was built before Arcazam was established, and there are various
underground facilities that are rarely found above ground. The place we are
going to is one of them."
The group continued to
descend the stairs as Nozomu and Lisa gasped at Fadrey's explanation.
The sound of Fadrey's
cane tapping on the stairs echoed through the spiral staircase.
About 50 meters down
the spiral staircase, a heavy, solid door appeared before their eyes.
Four guards were
waiting in front of the door.
"Is this the
place?"
"Yes, it is. This
is one of the magic laboratories of the institute. Because of its intended
purpose, it has been sealed off to prevent the leakage of magic power and
elements from the surroundings. It's a good enough place to keep him in custody
for this particular case."
In response to
Fadrey's words, Nozomu and Lissa have a complicated look on their faces.
Ignoring their
reactions, Fadrey gestured towards the guards on duty, to which they placed
their hands on the door of the magic laboratory. The large door creaked open
and Fadrey's group stepped into the laboratory.
The laboratory was
dimly lit, with only a handful of candlesticks standing in various places to
illuminate the room. Nozomu squinted and looked around. It was circular, about
20 meters in diameter. In the center of the room was a circular stone platform.
On the platform laid
Ken. His limbs were bound with steel shackles, and he was crucified on the
platform.
His eyes were vacant
as he looked up at the ceiling, showing no reaction to Nozomu and the others
who had entered the room.
There was a fist-sized
hole in his left chest. Clearly, a fatal wound. But even with such a wound, his
chest was still quietly rising and falling, and he was breathing repeatedly.
Seeing Ken like this, Lisa's expression clouded even more.
"Lisa......."
"I'm...
okay......"
While Lisa took
several deep breaths to calm herself down, Fadrey approached Ken cautiously,
held up the lantern in his hand, and began to examine his condition.
“His respiratory system, circulatory system, and other
vital functions are functioning properly. However, there is still no response
to light, sound, or other external stimuli."
After cutting off the
source elements, magical power, and anything else that could feed the beast,
the Abyssal Grief was physically sealed. That was the treatment given to Ken
after he fused with the Abyss Grief.
Ken will never be
released from this place. He will remain sealed in this place as long as he
lives.
That was the decision
made by the parliament.
"Nozomu-kun......"
"I'm fine. I have
to be firm and see it through......"
Anri called out to
Nozomu with concern, but Nozomu didn't avert his gaze and continued to stare at
Ken, who was bound on the platform. His determination. He did not turn his eyes
away from it.
Perhaps inspired by
him, Lisa, who had been looking a little unsteady, recovered, and, like Nozomu,
kept her eyes fixed on Ken.
The reason they came
here was to see and witness Ken's current condition with their own eyes.
This is their last
chance to do so.
"It's done. There
is no change in his condition. Alright, let's seal it up."
Saying this, Fadrey
walked to the wall of the laboratory and waved his staff in a single motion.
Then, a magic circle
was drawn in the air, and with a low rumble, the circular platform in the
center of the room began to rise. At the same time, a platform of the same
shape descended from the ceiling.
As it was, the two
circular platforms merged to sandwich Ken, sealing him inside it.
"This concludes
the sealing. From now on, this room will be closed until we find a way to deal
with the beast."
"Yes......"
Prompted by Fadrey,
Nozomu and the others stepped out of the laboratory, and the doors immediately
began to close.
Nozomu and Lisa kept
staring at the depths of the door as it closed with a creaking sound.
When the door was
completely closed, Jihad opened his mouth.
"All that's left
is to deal with the aftermath. You guys can go home now."
As Nozomu and Lisa
disappeared up the spiral staircase they had just come from, Jihad turned to
face Fadrey once again.
"Oh my, is there
anything else?"
Before one knew it,
there was a menacing glint in Jihad's eyes. Fadrey was being glared at with a
gaze so intense that it might cause one to wince. The old man, however,
remained as indifferent as ever.
"Right, there is
something important I need to tell you....... Fadrey-dono. You are under
arrest. Do you know why?"
"Hmm, I did,
indeed, conceal the information about Ken Notice. But aren't you being rather
excessive to go that far?”
Without denying
anything in particular, Fadrey confessed that he was the one who had supported
Ken.
"But that's not
all, is it?"
"Well, yeah, I've
made a lot of sacrifices for him. Especially preparing pawns that could be
expended. It took a lot of effort to bring convicted adventurers sentenced to
death into Arcazam in secret."
Jihad was inwardly
convinced that it was the case, after all.
Without exception, the
detained Starlight's shadows were not regular members of the unit. They were
death row prisoners who had been arrested from surrounding countries.
Their minds were also
completely destroyed and crippled, and they could only be manipulated by Mefi.
He probably chose
those adventurers simply because they could not be traced.
"And the one who
took Abyss Grief's magic stone was also......."
"It was me. I
needed to confirm the true nature of the magic stone of that demonic beast. The
result was as I expected. The magic stone was like an alter ego created by the
beast's survival instincts."
In contrast to his
previous cold tone, Fadrey's voice grew higher as he talked about his
experiments with the Abyss Grief's magic stone and the results.
"That demonic
beast not only has the ability to assimilate with other living creatures but
also has the ability to parasitize the dragon veins. It synchronizes with the
negative emotions of those it assimilates and greatly enhances their abilities.
To the extent that a mere human is capable of devouring a spirit. This is a
huge breakthrough."
"Breakthrough,
you say ......?"
"In that sense,
Ken Notice was a good test subject. And the results were very close to
perfect."
"Just for
something like that, you......!?"
"But you're
concealing information as well, aren't you? Nozomu Bountis. Do you think I am
unaware of his true identity?"
The expressions on the
faces of Jihad, Anri, and Inda turned even more grim.
Apart from Nozomu's
close friends, only the three of them here were aware of his status as a
legendary Dragonslayer. The reason for this was to prevent Nozomu from being
taken advantage of by unscrupulous people, so if anyone else had this
information, it was not difficult to imagine what kind of treatment he would
receive in the future.
At the very least, he
would not be in a good situation.
"Don't get me wrong,
I am not an enemy of yours. The proof is that his identity has not been leaked
to anyone else, has it?"
"............"
Sensing Jihad and the
others' slight agitation, Fadrey pressed on.
Indeed, after Ken's
rampage incident, a decision was made by the parliament to decide on how to
deal with him, but at that time there was no mention of Nozomu being a
Dragonslayer, and he was simply treated as a student who was able to lift his
Ability Suppression.
In light of this,
there is no doubt that Fadrey also concealed information about Nozomu.
"But your actions
must not be purely out of concern for his future. Neither the concealment of
Ken Notice's information nor the taking of the Abyss Grief's magic
stone......"
Jihad was on his
guard, ready to subdue Fadrey at any moment, glaring at him as he continued his
words.
"Although it's
hard to believe, you're also involved with the [Six Bad Omens], Cracked-Crown
Giant Centipede incident."
"Hou~, what makes
you think so?"
“The tunnel that was dug when the [Six Bad Omens]
appeared during the Special Comprehensive Exercise. Although the report said it
collapsed naturally, there were signs that it had been artificially buried. You
were also involved in this, weren't you?"
"That is correct.
The reason why that water spirit was able to control the [Six Bad Omens] was
also because of me. That demonic beast was discovered during the construction
of Arcazam, and I had put it to sleep in secret. Otherwise, not only would the
construction have been postponed, but the whole project itself might have been
canceled."
Jihad gasped at these
words.
Just how many magic
techniques did this old man possess, and how long had he been operating
secretly?
In the first place, if
he could manipulate and put to sleep even one of the [Six Bad Omens], the
continent should be free from the threat of demonic beasts by now. Once again,
Jihad shuddered at the unfathomableness of this old man.
"Just what are
you aiming for with all those magic techniques and research?"
Then a thought flashed
through his mind.
"Why did you even
dream of compiling magic techniques in the first place? You were originally an
archaeologist.
Although you were a
nobleman of the Empire, you were the youngest, and your research must have been
nothing more than mediocre......"
Compiling magic and
constructing Arcazam-style chanting and formation magic. That is the feat that
Fadrey has accomplished in the last twenty years. In fact, the establishment of
the Gloaurum Institution, Arcazam, and the Solminati Academy would not be
possible without the efforts of this man.
However, there were
many aspects of his career that did not add up. Even if it was about the Great
Invasion.
In response to Jihad's
point, Fadrey's cold eyes relaxed slightly.
"Because I wanted
a future. Even if I am just a made-up supporting role. Even if I am nothing
more than a puppet."
"A made-up
role?"
His nonchalant
demeanor remained unaffected even when he witnessed Nozomu's Dragon Slayer
power. But now it disappeared, revealing the face of an old man who had grown
old and decrepit. Jihad and the others couldn't believe their eyes at the sight
of the weakest figure they'd ever seen.
"Gafu......"
However, their doubts
were blown away by the next sight that greeted their eyes.
Fresh blood gushed out
of Fadrey's mouth, and he collapsed to his knees.
"Hmm, I see. So,
I'm no longer needed, huh......"
"Call a doctor.
Hurry!"
As the guards rushed
to the upper floor per Jihad's instructions, Fadrey looked at the red stain
that was dripping down and spreading on the ground with eyes filled with
resignation.
The next moment,
however, his eyes widened with a snap, and he grabbed tightly onto Jihad's arm
as he rushed toward him.
"Listen. The
wheel of fate has already begun to turn. Sooner or later, a great disaster will
come......"
"What are
you......"
Jihad's mithril
gauntlets creaked as the old man squeezed his arms with an unbelievable force.
His eyes turned
bloodshot at the moment of death. Jihad was speechless at the sight of those
eyes that desperately sought something while holding an unfathomable darkness
that resembled an abyss.
"You must hold
them together, human, destiny- ....... Therefore......."
Fadrey was desperately
trying to convey something while spewing crimson blood foams from his mouth.
But suddenly, the old man's grip slipped, and it fell to the stone floor, where
his own blood had spread.
The staff he was
holding in his hand dropped to the floor with no effort, making a dry clatter.
When Jihad put his
hand on Fadrey's neck, which had stopped moving, there was no pulse, and found
that he had died.
"What does that
mean......?"
Everyone present was
stunned. At that moment, something black appeared at the edge of Jihad's
vision.
It fluttered through
the air and fell slowly onto Fadrey's collapsed body.
"A feather?"
It was a single
feather. A jet-black feather, possibly that of a raven.
Jihad involuntarily
looked up the spiral staircase. The pitch-black staircase continued upward, and
the top of the staircase was illuminated by a magic light, glowing white. A
black dot crept into the light. It looked like a raven.
But this is
underground. No bird could possibly have entered this heavily sealed-off area
in the first place.
He blinked
involuntarily and squinted. But there was no bird to be seen.
When he returned his
gaze, he saw that the feather that had fallen on Fadrey's body had also
vanished.
Was it just an
illusion? Once again, Jihad looked up the spiral staircase. From the top of the
spiral staircase, the guards and doctors who had heard the report were rushing
toward them.
In the end, he found
nothing. Jihad felt an indescribable sense of frustration and a bad aftertaste.
Jihad took a deep breath to let it out.
†
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