Volume 5
Chapter 25
The day after the special comprehensive exercise, Irisdina and the others walked through the forest, guided by Shina and her team. Anri and Norn were also with them. Their destination was the cabin where Nozomu was said to be. Anri and the others had decided to accompany them, wanting to witness the outcome of their meeting with Nozomu.
"Shina-kun, why
did you all know about this place?"
Irisdina asked Shina
and her team. Irisdina herself had been curious about why Shina, who initially
disliked Nozomu vehemently, had become friendly with him. Neither Nozomu nor
Shina had spoken of it until now, but Irisdina suspected the reason lay there.
"Ah, now that you
mention it, we did promise to talk about that."
As she walked, Shina
recounted her and Mimuru's encounter with the black beast in the forest. She
spoke of the battle with the black beast, how she had lost herself to vengeful
desire and impatience, and put her friends in dire situations. She then spoke
about Nozomu, who saved them, and how, thanks to his help, they defeated the
black beast and reconciled with Mimuru and Tom again. Shina spoke of her past
mistakes with her head held high, walking straight forward, as if it were an
irreplaceable treasure she was proud of. Both Mars and Irisdina were
overwhelmed by her courage in openly discussing her past errors.
"Hmm, so that's
what happened."
"Yes, I really do
think I acted foolishly..."
"............"
Mars stared wide-eyed
at Shina's dignified demeanor, continuing to listen intently. Noticing Mars's
expression, Shina slowly turned and looked at him.
"Therefore, I
won't blame you any further for your apology. I made the same mistake, so I
don't think I have the right to blame you. But if you truly want to make amends
with him, then face him properly once more. Otherwise, you may never be able to
speak with him again."
"…Yeah, I
know."
Shina offered her own
words of encouragement to Mars, who had hurt his friends just as she once had.
Mars received her words with a heavy nod. His face was clouded with guilt over
his actions and anxiety about whether he could truly reconcile with Nozomu. As
Mars glanced to his side, he saw Tima, who was walking beside him, looking at
him. Sensing his anxiety, she smiled reassuringly and nodded slowly.
"Sister, will it
be okay?"
Somia, watching the
scene unfold, murmured worriedly. Though not as anxious as when she came to her
sister's room last night, her uneasiness hadn't completely disappeared.
"It'll be alright,
Somia. It'll be alright..."
Irisdina replied,
forcing a smile, to her sister's frail voice. She shared the same lingering
anxiety, but more than that, Irisdina didn't want to lose Nozomu. Indeed, as
Shina said, there was no turning back now. So, this time, she would truly face
him. Irisdina kept replaying the promise she made before Somia yesterday.
Eventually, light
began to pierce the dim forest. The group squinted against the sudden open view
and the incoming light. Before them was an open space, as if an entire section
of the forest had been cut out, and a lone cabin stood quietly in the distance.
It was a simple cabin made of wood, and a boy stood there.
"Ah."
Irisdina involuntarily
gasped. It was the back of the person she had unknowingly been following with
her eyes. Perhaps sensing their presence, the boy, Nozomu, slowly turned
around.
"...You
came."
Irisdina and the
others couldn't take their eyes off Nozomu as he turned around.
"Shina, thank you
for bringing everyone here."
"You don't need
to worry about it. I said I wanted to be your strength, didn't I?"
Shina said, smiling
and shrugging her shoulders as if to say it was nothing.
"Anri-sensei,
Norn-sensei. Thank you for coming all this way."
"Don't worry
about it."
Anri replied with a
cheerful smile, and Norn also nodded with a smile. Perhaps encouraged by
Shina's and Anri's smiles, Nozomu's cheeks also relaxed.
"This is..."
His place of memories.
The place where it all began for him, and where he made an important vow. As
Irisdina murmured, Nozomu slowly opened his mouth.
"Yes, this is
where I trained in katana techniques. I trained here with my master for about
two years."
"Master... From
Shina-kun's story, is that the person who taught you katana techniques?"
"...Yeah."
Nozomu nodded in
response to Irisdina's soft question, a nostalgic expression on his face as he
seemed to savor the old days. His expression was calmer than Irisdina and the
others had ever seen.
"............"
Irisdina was
captivated by his face. At the same time, something warm welled up from deep
within her chest. A feeling similar to her desire not to lose him, yet somehow
different. She gently placed a hand on her chest, as if to confirm what it was.
"Nozomu..."
"Mars,
huh..."
Mars stepped forward
from Irisdina's side, and Nozomu's eyes caught his figure. His usually
assertive demeanor was subdued, and a heavy atmosphere hung around him.
"...Nozomu, I'm
sorry. I..."
Words of apology came
from Mars's mouth. Nozomu just listened in silence.
"I was envious of
you. You, who had obtained extraordinary power..."
Mars began to confess
the jealousy he felt towards Nozomu. He spoke of how he reached for the
combined technique of ki and magic because he craved power like Nozomu's. How
he became overconfident and acted foolishly, ultimately putting Nozomu and the
others in a dire situation. And how, unwilling to admit his own inadequacy, he
lashed out at Nozomu for not unleashing his power. Nozomu listened in silence.
"...I don't
expect you to forgive me for apologizing now. You might even want nothing to do
with me. Still... I wanted to meet you again and apologize... I'm sorry."
"...It's alright.
Besides, I have no right to be angry at Mars. Unlike you, I just cowered and
couldn't even muster my full effort..."
Mars simply bowed his
head. Nozomu, who had just been staring at Mars, shook his head and began to
express his feelings, as if squeezing them out.
"...I didn't
acquire this power intentionally. I simply fought because I didn't want to die,
and as a result, I gained it..."
He confessed that he
had obtained it merely by chance. He also confessed that despite having allies
like Anri at the academy, he had continuously averted his eyes from them. His
expression was filled with regret.
"I... I've been
running away all this time. Even when I knew I was running, I couldn't move
forward."
"I'm the same.
Even though I knew you were troubled and suffering, I couldn't bring myself to
step in..."
As if echoing Nozomu's
confession, Irisdina also began to confess her own mistakes.
"If we were
comrades, if we were friends, there should have been more we could have done...
But all I did was watch. Before I knew it, I was only doing things that were
safe and non-committal..."
She was ashamed of
herself for not being able to take that single step. She tightly clenched the
hand she had placed on her chest.
"That's why, I
want to face you once more."
"............"
Nozomu, hearing
Irisdina's words, stood with his eyes closed. Just a few seconds passed. But
for Irisdina and the others, it felt like an eternity.
"I... I worry
that if everyone knew what this power is, I might be rejected. Maybe things
could get even worse. ...Honestly, I'm still scared..."
Biting his lip
tightly, Nozomu tried to suppress the anxiety welling up from deep within his
chest.
"But I also think
this can't go on like this. I can't keep standing still. As a result, I
hesitated when this power was truly needed. So, it's about time I, too, move
forward like Shina and the others."
Nozomu filled his
entire body with ki as if shaking off his anxiety, then slowly placed his left
hand on his chest and clenched his fist. In that hand, he held an invisible
chain that only he could see.
Nozomu strengthened
his body with ki. Sensing the overflowing fighting spirit from his body, Mars
instinctively reached for the greatsword on his back.
"Mars-kun..."
However, Tima gently
stopped his hand. Tima shook her head, enveloping Mars's right hand with both
of hers.
"It's alright...
It's alright."
At those words, Mars
looked at Nozomu again. Nozomu's gaze, standing before him, was still stern,
but the warmth of Tima's hand brought him back to his senses.
"Phew..."
Mars exhaled deeply,
calming his mind. However, even as he did so, Nozomu's aura continued to swell.
"Kuh...!"
Nozomu put more
strength into his left hand. The chains binding him resisted with a creaking
sound, as if symbolizing the anxiety and fear that still lingered in his heart.
"Guh!...
Ugh."
As Nozomu put more
force into it, a red stain appeared from under his clothes. Perhaps it was a
reaction from trying to forcibly remove the ability suppression that had become
stuck, as blood oozed out as if tearing off a scab. The wound he sustained
during the Corpse Dragon battle had reopened. However, Nozomu still didn't
loosen the force in his hand. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain that ran
through his body.
At that moment, Nozomu
suddenly felt as if someone was watching him. It wasn't a chilling, watchful
gaze, but a warm sensation, as if he was being watched over by many. He
suddenly looked up, and saw Irisdina, Mars, and the others staring straight at
him. Behind them, Shina and Anri were watching over Nozomu, Irisdina, and the
others. And he also felt a familiar presence from behind him. When Nozomu
glanced back, Shino's katana, leaning against the entrance of the cabin, caught
his eye.
What's wrong?
You're fine now, aren't you?
Such a voice entered
Nozomu's ears. It might be a hallucination. It might be a delusion created by
his longing. But for Nozomu, that was fine. Everyone had come for him, not
despising him or abandoning him for not being able to use his power. That alone
solidified his final resolve.
"Guuuaaaaaah!"
Nozomu concentrated
all his remaining ki into his left hand. The resisting chains dug into his left
hand, and blood flowed, but Nozomu didn't care about such things now. With a
cracking sound, countless cracks appeared in the invisible chains.
"Aaaaaaaah!!"
Nozomu exerted his
last strength to tear the chains. The next moment, with a shattering sound, the
chains binding him were torn apart. The next moment, with intense pain running
through his entire body, a furious torrent of power erupted from Nozomu's body.
Tiamat's power, released along with his own suppressed inherent power, filled
Nozomu's body, easily leaking out and trying to tear his body apart from the
inside. The power that couldn't be contained within his body raged like a
storm, imprinting its majesty on everything around it.
"Kuh, still such
tremendous pressure..."
"Wh-what... is
this..."
Mars and the others
broke out in a cold sweat before Nozomu's overwhelmingly heightened aura, and
Mimuru and the others behind them widened their eyes, speechless. Even Anri,
who was usually cheerful, was dumbfounded and speechless.
"...As
expected."
Amidst this, Irisdina,
while tensing against the striking torrent of ki, stared at Nozomu with calm
eyes. Seeing him release his ability suppression again, she was convinced that
the incongruity she had felt was correct.
"H-hey!
Seriously...? What is this power...?"
Among those who were
speechless, Feo finally managed to utter some words. Everyone was uniformly
captivated by Nozomu's dramatic transformation.
"Ugh..."
"H-hey!
Shina!"
Just then, Shina seemed
to recoil, then collapsed as if all her strength had left her. Mimuru hastily
supported Shina, her face was pale, and her whole body trembled as if in fear.
"H-hey, Shina!
Are you alright!?"
"Wh-what... is
that.... A spirit? But there's no spirit with that color. That, that
thing..."
"Shina! Shina,
pull yourself together!"
Mimuru's loud voice
didn't even seem to reach her, as she stared at Nozomu in fear.
"His, within him,
some immense spirit power is swirling... That's not something a human can possess.
If he has such power... he'll definitely break..."
At Shina's words,
everyone widened their eyes and stared at Nozomu. From his body, the leaked
power continued to surge in a torrent. Amidst this, Irisdina took a step
towards the swirling torrent of power.
"...He said he
acquired that power by chance. A power-based fighting style that doesn't suit
Nozomu's original way of fighting. And the spirit power within him that
Shina-kun felt. He... what in the world...?"
"That power...
it's not the power of an ordinary spirit... And..."
Shina, her face still
pale, murmured a reply to Irisdina's unintentional question. From her
perspective, with her ability to perceive spirits, the anomaly of his power was
more evident than it was to Irisdina and the others.
Crimson flames that
governed purification, regeneration, and destruction.
Blue water that
governed the birth of life and purity, but sometimes brought defilement and
decay.
Brown earth that
bestowed the blessings of the land and carved the passage of time.
The capricious wind of
the sky that sometimes carried the seeds of life and travelers, and sometimes
blocked their path.
And the jet-black
darkness that governed the night, bringing both peace and anxiety, opposites,
to everything.
Nozomu was... a chaotic
color, as if multiple spirits that couldn't possibly exist normally were mixed
together. Shina could clearly feel that power raging within Nozomu's body. At
that moment, the image of a gigantic dragon with five colors and six wings
spread across the sky appeared in her mind. Its enormous body, like a tower
reaching the heavens, and its wings, large enough to cover the sky, growing
from its back. Its gigantic claws and fangs, sharpened to a degree that seemed
capable of tearing apart even the earth and severing diamonds. And its eyes,
stained with hatred and malice so profound they seemed to want to destroy
everything in this world. The spirits that existed in this world sometimes
showed a ferocious side, but even compared to that, this form was too ominous.
"! It can't
be!"
And there was only one
spirit species on the Arkmel continent that matched that description. The
abhorrent dragon that once devoured its own kind overlapped with Nozomu's
figure in front of her. When she realized that fact, Shina's face turned beyond
pale, becoming utterly white like a corpse.
"You noticed,
huh..."
Nozomu looked at
Shina's expression and understood that she had realized the true nature of his
power.
"This is... the
power of a dragon. I still don't know why I came to possess this power
myself."
Nozomu said, then
began to tell the story of how he became a Dragon Slayer.
"On my way to
this cabin for training as usual, I suddenly found myself in an unfamiliar
place. In that place, I was attacked by a five-colored, six-winged
dragon."
"A five-colored,
six-winged dragon..."
Irisdina and the
others also realized the true identity of the dragon Nozomu had defeated, and
everyone was uniformly speechless. Even as he looked at their expressions,
Nozomu continued to talk about himself.
"During that
battle, I became able to unleash my ability suppression, and by a series of
miraculous coincidences, I managed to win. At that time, what I saw as I was
losing consciousness was the defeated dragon's form turning into a torrent of
light and falling towards me."
Even now, recalling
it, it was a battle where it was a miracle he won. If fate had misaligned even
slightly, it would undoubtedly have been Nozomu who died.
"...Its power is
too vast to be contained within my body. I'm barely alive thanks to ability
suppression, but it itself is still alive within me..."
Even as he spoke,
Nozomu continued to resist Tiamat, who was trying to consume him. He gritted
his teeth, trying to somehow suppress the raging power, but it continued to
rampage happily within Nozomu's body, as if mocking his efforts.
"Haa, haa...
Every time I unleash my ability suppression, it rages within my body, and it
might eventually break through and devour me. ...I've seen that scene in my
dreams countless times."
Nozomu gritted his
teeth, desperately enduring. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his face was
more rigid than ever before.
"If those around
me found out about this power, I didn't know how I would be treated. Would I be
used as an experimental subject, a political tool, or treated as a convenient
pawn...?"
Nozomu, who confessed
that he was a Dragon Slayer while desperately enduring, conveyed the anxiety he
carried to Irisdina and the others, clearly and in his own words.
"More than that,
if everyone found out about this power, I didn't know what everyone would think
of me..."
And then, Nozomu laid
bare his entire heart. The overly complex anxieties he had carried and his
regret for continuously running away. And the tragedy that would have occurred
if he had made even one wrong step.
"Ugh! ...The
power of Tiamat within me. If I'm swallowed by this power, I might kill
everyone with my own hands... Even if that doesn't happen, if this power
becomes known, everyone might disappear... Before I knew it, I started thinking
such things. ...I was just so anxious, I couldn't bear it..."
If Shino had been
alive, Nozomu wouldn't have been pushed so far. But she was gone now. Nozomu
had to bear the secret and anxiety of this giant dragon alone.
"I..."
"You finally told
us..."
"Yeah. Thank you,
Nozomu. For telling us..."
Nozomu's monologue,
murmured softly. Irisdina's and Mars's words gently enveloped it. Their
expressions were relieved, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from their
chests.
"Both of you..."
"Nozomu. We asked
you to tell us about yourself. And you told us..."
Irisdina placed a hand
on her chest, confirming her feelings.
"So, I'll tell
you my intention after hearing your story. ...I want to know more about
you."
Irisdina clearly
conveyed her intention to Nozomu again and stepped forward to approach him.
"!"
However, what was
thrust before Irisdina was a drawn katana. Its blade, already extremely
compressed with ki, had become a demonic blade. That katana stood between the
two of them, like a wall separating Nozomu and Irisdina's group.
"...If you know
more, you might not be able to turn back. If you delve too deeply, your life
might be at risk. You might even drag precious Somia-chan into it..."
However, the eyes of
the one who held the katana were visibly trembling. The desire to be accepted
and the joy of being accepted. Yet, the persistent anxiety and the desire to
confirm their feelings. Nozomu's heart swayed back and forth like a scale. His
katana, thrust forward, trembled slightly, as if symbolizing his wavering
heart.
"...Ah, that's
true. Great power attracts many things. Some will try to use you for their own
convenience. Some might view you as a danger and try to eliminate you. Some
might even target those around you instead of you yourself."
Those who cunningly
pursue their own gain, those who fear the heterodox. And when they judge that
they cannot deal with the problem itself, it is the people around them who
become the targets.
"...But, that's
what I went through too."
The Francilt family,
possessing great power. Many people flocked not only to its next head, but also
to her sister. Of course, the situation between the Francilt family and Nozomu,
a Dragon Slayer, was completely different. Nozomu, who possessed immense personal
power but had no organizational backing whatsoever, and Irisdina, who had a
long tradition and the title of next head, could not be easily compared.
However, in essence, in attracting people's attention, Irisdina and Nozomu were
the same, regardless of the form.
"So, for me,
that's old news. More than such trivial matters, I don't want you to
disappear."
She didn't want Nozomu
to disappear. Those words permeated Nozomu's chest. Nozomu's eyes trembled even
more as he heard the voice of the one who sought him directly. As Irisdina took
another step, Nozomu's body flowed backward to match her movement. Irisdina,
directly seeking Nozomu, and Nozomu, pushed back by the intensity in her eyes.
Mars, who was behind Irisdina, also stepped forward, standing beside her.
"Now that I think
about it, we never really confided in each other. In reality, we might not have
even started yet..."
Irisdina and Mars took
another step forward. The two were already within Nozomu's range. The katana,
imbued with Phantom Void - Clad -, was within arm's reach.
"So, let's start
over. Right here, right now..."
The two reached out
for Nozomu's outstretched katana. Nozomu's Phantom Void could easily cut even
rocks in two. It would surely sever human fingers with just a touch. However,
neither Irisdina nor Mars retracted their outstretched hands. Their hands were
about to touch Nozomu's katana. The moment their outstretched hands touched the
blade...
"............"
"...Nozomu."
Nozomu's Phantom Void
- Clad - was deactivated. The two gently pressed down on Nozomu's weakly
extended katana, and guided by their hands, Nozomu lowered his katana.
"I-I, I..."
Nozomu let out an
inarticulate sob. His eyes, swollen red and brimming with tears, and his
tightly bitten lips, desperately trying not to cry, met their gaze.
"Thank you for
telling us. Thank you for answering our feelings..."
"I'm sorry,
Nozomu. And thank you. For being friends with someone like me..."
"U-uh..."
His desperately held
eyelids broke, and hot tears flowed down Nozomu's cheeks. One by one, the tears
falling to the ground gently shimmered in the moonlight. He couldn't hold back,
his chest was just too full... Nozomu continued to shed tears, surrendering
himself to the warmth that enveloped him.
"!"
Nozomu looked up after
he had finished shedding tears. His eyes were red, and his face was a mess from
the tears, but his expression was clear, as if he had been freed from a curse.
"I, too, want
to... with everyone, once more..."
Nozomu tried to
confess his feelings again.
But the next moment,
Nozomu's eyes seemed to widen considerably, and he suddenly slammed a torrent
of ki into the two in front of him. A powerful shockwave assaulted Irisdina and
Mars, throwing them into the air. What in the world had happened? Blown away in
confusion, what appeared in their eyes was a massive black mass passing by with
a roar, and Nozomu, who had been flung away by that enormous mass.
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