Volume 7
Chapter 18
The massive city wall surrounding Arcazam.
A thick wall, over 10
meters high, made not of bricks but of natural heavy stone, was embedded with
magic circles, boasting extraordinary resistance to both physical and magical
attacks.
A massive, imposing
wall that far surpassed an ordinary castle. This wall, built 10 years ago to
prevent invasion from external enemies, simultaneously demonstrated the
robustness of Arcazam and clearly told the story of this city's importance.
However, in the
peaceful daily life, it had become a resting place for birds. The messengers of
the sky were resting their wings on a corner of the city wall, chirping.
On the city wall where
such birds were gathered, a girl dressed in white was standing.
White hair,
reminiscent of ice. She was probably in her mid-teens. In the midst of the
solid white, a light pink ribbon that tied up a lock of her hair made the girl
seem somehow younger than her appearance.
That girl, called
Azel, gently stroked her ribbon while surrendering her body to the blowing
wind, and was staring at a certain point in the city.
Eyes dyed with hatred
and rage. Perhaps because of the angry aura seeping from her body, not a single
bird was approaching her.
"Azel. So you
were here..."
From behind Azel, who
was glaring at Arcazam, an old man called out. For some reason, birds were
flocking on the old man's shoulders and head, making him look as if he were
wearing a cotton hat.
Zonne, while giving a
wry smile at the birds that were pecking him with their beaks, took out bread
crumbs from his pocket and began to scatter them around.
The birds immediately
swarmed the scattered bread crumbs and began to peck at them single-mindedly.
Zonne looked at the
happy birds with satisfaction and then turned his gaze to Azel, who was still
glaring at Arcazam.
"Were you
watching that brat?"
Azel did not answer
and slowly turned around. The birds that had been pecking at the bait stopped
moving in a flash.
Azel's lips were
tightly closed, and her eyes, dyed with rage, eloquently told of what was in
her heart.
"Are you going to
kill the brat? If you do that, Tiamat will surely be released. If that happens,
it's all back to square one. In the first place, you don't have enough power to
destroy that black dragon, do you?"
At Zonne's words, Azel
frowned.
In the first place,
the odds of winning against an existence that even an aged dragon could not
defeat would be lower than finding a single grain of gold on a sandy beach.
"I understand,
Grandfather. But I cannot just leave that detestable dragon alone."
But such a
common-sense fact did not seem to be enough to stop Azel. Her brilliantly
shining eyes were rejecting all other intentions.
Zonne shook his head
as if he had given up.
"Then it can't be
helped. This is an important time, I can't let you interfere with that
brat..."
Zonne, who had
realized that persuasion was impossible, took a step forward and readied his
staff. It seemed he intended to stop the girl in front of him even by force.
The tension increased
at once. The birds that had been observing the situation around Zonne all
flapped their wings at once and fled from the scene.
A white light leaked
from the wrinkled old man's body. A shimmering light like a heat haze rose, and
at the same time, Zonne's piercing gaze was directed at Azel.
An intimidating
pressure that would make even a hungry demonic beast fall silent. However, even
receiving such a gaze from Zonne head-on, Azel puffed out her chest, as if to
say that she had no intention of backing down.
Seeing Azel's state,
Zonne's eyes narrowed.
"Either way, you
can't do anything by yourself."
"Yes, it would
probably be impossible for me alone, wouldn't it? For me alone..."
She couldn't win on
her own. Azel's words were as if to say that she was aware of that.
In front of the
suspicious-looking Zonne, who was still holding his staff without any openings,
Azel casually reached into her pocket.
What she took out was
a white crystal with a shining hair ornament inside. The moment he saw that
crystal, Zonne's expression froze.
"!?
Th-That's!"
Zonne, whose eyes were
wide open as much as they could be, had an expression of astonishment plastered
on his face. In the gap where his thoughts were completely frozen, Azel had quickly
deployed a magic circle.
The crystal that Azel
held in her hand began to glow, and a mandala-patterned magic circle appeared
in the air and began to shine. That magic circle was as huge as the one Zonne
had shown in front of Nozomu and the others in the previous incident.
The moment he
confirmed the shining magic circle, Zonne, while cursing his own carelessness,
hurriedly deployed his own magic circle.
But he was one step
too late.
Azel's magic circle,
which was closing in on Zonne. Faster than Zonne could activate his formula,
Azel's formation enveloped the old man and exploded.
A momentary flash.
What was left after the light that lasted less than a second was only the grass
that grew from the gap in the bricks.
The figure of the old
man who should have been there until just before had vanished, as if he had
never been there from the beginning.
"Even for
Grandfather, this should at least buy me some time. All that's left is, that
detestable dragon..."
Azel's murmuring words
echoed on the city wall.
She looked down at the
crystal she held in her hand and bit her lip tightly.
The slight awkwardness
that floated on her expressionless, mask-like face, was it regret for having
deceived a family member, or something else?
At that moment, her
own hair, fluttering in the wind, came into Azel's view.
A light pink mixed in
with the solid white.
She gently stroked her
own ribbon and then tightly hugged the crystal she held in her hand.
"Father, to
fulfill our long-cherished wish, please lend me your strength..."
Azel closed her eyes
as if in prayer and took a deep breath.
Eventually, when she
opened her eyes, she carefully put the crystal in her pocket and once again
stared at a certain point in Arcazam.
"Today, I will
clear your name."
A magic circle was deployed
again. Along with a popping sound, she disappeared from the top of the city
wall.
On the now-empty city
wall, the feathers left behind by the birds were dancing in the wind.
***
Nozomu and Lisa,
walking towards the commercial district. Between the two of them, who were both
silent, a subtle distance and a heavy silence flowed.
It seemed both Nozomu
and Lisa were concerned about the person next to them, as they would both
unnaturally shift their shoulders or furtively peek at each other from the side.
"S-So, Lisa, the
place we're heading to is..."
There's no point in
leaving things as they are. Nozomu, for the time being, called out to Lisa
under the pretext of confirming the request from Norn.
In reality, although
he had heard that he was to help with the receiving and transportation of
luggage, he had not confirmed the detailed destination.
But Lisa's reply was
curt.
"A little further
ahead. It's a bit far from the main street, but it's a pretty big shop in the
commercial district, so I think you'll know it..."
"I-I see..."
"..."
As if to guide him,
Lisa went in front of Nozomu and began to walk ahead.
Nozomu opened his
mouth to say something, but contrary to his intention, no words came out of his
throat at all.
Nozomu had no choice
but to silently watch Lisa's back as she walked ahead.
The two of them,
unable to measure the distance between each other. It couldn't be helped. For
several weeks since the previous incident, the two of them had not met at all.
But more than that,
the two years and the deep feud lay between them.
Nozomu closed his eyes
and once again questioned his heart.
He had struggled until
now with the goal of breaking and settling the distorted relationship with Lisa
and Ken once. But beyond that, what kind of future had he been envisioning for
himself?
In reality, he hadn't
been thinking about anything. He had just been acting on the thought that he
couldn't stay like this.
Perhaps he had been
unconsciously refusing to think deeply. In a sense, this was also the result of
his own escapism, Nozomu smiled self-deprecatingly.
But the current Nozomu
was not bound by such a self. He was accepting his own sin as a sin and was
beginning to think about what kind of relationship he wanted with Lisa.
As a lover? As a
friend? As a childhood friend? Or as a complete stranger?
The thoughts that came
to mind were, as always, indescribably jumbled, and he couldn't express them
well.
Once again, Nozomu
looked at Lisa's back as she walked ahead. A slender back, befitting a woman.
He had once thought that he wanted to protect that back.
Seeing her safe like
this, the chaotic emotions that had been swirling in his chest until just
before subsided somewhat.
Although there was
still a knot in his heart that he couldn't put into words, if she was safe like
this, then perhaps that promise, which had once been lost and faded, had been
fulfilled a little.
When he thought so, he
felt as if his heart had become a little lighter.
(Have I changed too...
I wonder?)
He gripped the hilt of
the katana at his waist. The bond with his master, who had made him realize his
own mistake, was supporting him even after she was gone.
And the one step he
had been able to take. From there, he had been able to gain truly precious
comrades.
If he had only been
chasing Lisa's dream, he probably wouldn't have become so close to Irisdina and
the others.
The back of the woman
he had once wanted to protect. While being bewildered at being able to walk
like this again, at the same time, he was happy, and he could also see the
figures of the comrades who had saved him beyond that back.
Stopping, continuing
to run away, struggling, but at some point, he might have changed.
His own future, his
own goal. It was still not in sight. But...
"...Huh?"
Nozomu, who had been
lost in thought, at that moment, noticed that he had at some point strayed from
the side of the main street and was walking down a deserted street.
When he looked around
while tilting his head, Nozomu and Lisa had already left the main street, and
there were only a few small stalls here and there.
At some point, Lisa's
feet had been steadily moving away from the center of the commercial district,
and houses had begun to line the street.
"Hey Lisa, is
this the right way? It doesn't really feel like there would be a shop that
supplies goods to the academy here..."
Without answering
Nozomu's words, Lisa walked ahead briskly. Nozomu had no choice but to follow
her.
They entered a side
street of the stalls, and after passing through it, they came out to a vast
open field. Beyond the lush grass and flowers, a giant city wall towered,
shining in the sunlight.
"Umm, this is the
outer district, right? Why are we here..."
They had arrived at
the outer district of Arcazam. The vast space between the city wall and the
city spread before Nozomu's eyes.
Nozomu twisting his
neck with a suspicious look. At that moment, Lisa suddenly turned around.
At her expression,
Nozomu couldn't help but hold his breath.
Eyes as if she had
made up her mind, and lips bitten as if to endure. While wearing an expression
so painful it seemed as if her body would be torn apart, Lisa was looking
straight at Nozomu.
"...Actually, the
story about helping out was a lie."
"Eh? A
lie..."
Nozomu, who couldn't
understand the situation well, let out a dazed voice. Lisa looked at such a
Nozomu and dropped her gaze apologetically.
"Norn-sensei made
an excuse for me..."
"An excuse?"
"Yeah, an excuse
to talk with you alone, just the two of us..."
To talk alone, just
the two of them. At those words from Lisa, Nozomu's eyes widened.
He had thought that
they had to have a chance to talk. However, Nozomu had not imagined that Lisa
was also thinking the same.
Nozomu's feelings for
Lisa, and Lisa's feelings for Nozomu, were as complex as an entangled thread,
and could not be expressed in a single word.
But Lisa understood
the pain that was eating away at the depths of her chest.
It was the regret of
not being able to believe in Nozomu, and the self-reproach of having continued
to hurt him.
By facing the safe Nozomu
like this, something that Lisa had been desperately suppressing within herself
had broken with a snap.
"I've been
pretending not to see all this time. I kept pretending not to notice, and I
kept hurting you, Nozomu..."
A confession of her
own sins and an apology. It was accompanied by a pain as if she were tearing
her own chest apart with her own hands. But more than that, a heat like a flame
was scorching Lisa's chest.
With each and every
word she formed, the pain in her chest increased. However, the feelings that
had been building up had easily overflowed as if a dam had broken with just one
shackle removed.
"Even when you
were going through a hard time, I thought you deserved it. Even though it was
actually my fault..."
The feelings that were
swirling in the depths of her heart, Lisa continued to expose while tearing her
own chest apart.
The self-reproach that
she had continued to build up could no longer be controlled.
"It's natural to
be hated, it's natural to be disliked, but you, Nozomu..."
She couldn't ask for
forgiveness. She no longer had that right.
But Nozomu had gritted
his teeth and suppressed that rage. Without directing a stream of insults at
her, he had just been concerned for Lisa's well-being.
Putting strength into
her trembling feet and her mouth that was on the verge of falling silent, Lisa
formed her words one by one.
"S-So, I thought
I had to say it properly... b-but for someone like me to say it now..."
It was too late. His
side was far away, and in the place where she had once been, there were already
suitable people.
Still, Lisa thought
that she was not allowed to just rot away like this.
In Lisa's eyes, behind
the surprised-looking Nozomu, she could see the figures of two girls.
One was a dignified
black-haired girl. While her heart was being torn apart at the sight of her
beloved not waking up, she had been concerned for Nozomu's well-being.
And a strong woman
who, while being jealous of the Lisa he had tried to save at the risk of his
own life, had been trying to suppress that jealousy.
The other was an elf
girl who had understood Nozomu's feelings until the end and had killed her own
feelings to admonish Lisa.
They would surely
support Nozomu until the end.
Although such a
thought came to mind, she was envious of them who could be by his side, and her
feelings for Nozomu still wouldn't disappear...
That's why, no matter
how painful it was, she had to put it into words properly. If she didn't, she
wouldn't even be allowed to show her face before him.
That's why...
"F-For not being
able to believe in you, I'm sor..."
"!"
"I'm sorry."
The moment Lisa was
about to say those words, for some reason, Nozomu's face twisted in a pained
expression.
He leaped at Lisa as
if he had been shot, caught her body, and jumped away from that spot.
"Eh...?"
At the suddenly
expanding face of Nozomu and the feeling of floating, Lisa let out a dazed
voice.
But the next moment,
along with a blinding flash of light, a strong impact assaulted Lisa's body.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Guuuuh!"
The bodies of the two,
who had been thrown into the air, were slammed to the ground.
What in the world? In
front of the confused Lisa, Nozomu quickly stood up and drew the katana he had
at his waist.
His ingrained,
reflexive actions naturally prepared his body for battle.
Lisa, who had been
confused, not understanding the situation well, also hurriedly stood up and
carefully scanned the area.
Who was the attacker?
Their identity was quickly revealed.
A single girl was
glaring at Nozomu and Lisa from about 20 meters away... no, just at Nozomu.
Eyes that were a mixture of boiling magma-like rage and a freezing killing
intent.
At the sudden, dense
hostility that was slammed into him, Nozomu couldn't help but hold his breath.
"You're...
Azel-san, I believe?"
On the other hand,
Lisa recognized the girl in front of her. The girl who had been arguing with
the old man shopkeeper at the fortune-telling shop the other day.
At Lisa, who had
unintentionally said the girl's name, Nozomu questioned her.
"Lisa... you know
her?"
"N-No. She's a
girl I saw at an old man's shop called Zonne..."
"...Eh?"
At the name of Zonne
coming from Lisa's mouth, Nozomu's face showed a suspicious look.
Since the incident
caused by Ken before, the whereabouts of that old man were unknown.
In the first place,
why did Lisa know Zonne's name?
As far as Nozomu knew,
he didn't think there had ever been any contact between Lisa and Zonne.
If so, it was logical
to think that there had been some kind of contact recently, but what was the
reason that old man had contacted Lisa in the first place?
Nozomu already knew
that Zonne possessed extraordinary abilities. And also that he had contacted
Nozomu with some kind of intention.
And Lisa had said that
the girl who was directing hostility at them in front of him had also been with
Zonne. Then there was no doubt that she was related to that old man.
"So, 'he' is
involved after all? But that pervy old geezer didn't direct such hostility at
me..."
Although he was an old
man who seemed to be hiding something, he had not been shown such a clear
hostile act.
If so, was this attack
the girl's own arbitrary act, or had that old man just been skillfully hiding
his hostility?
"Damn, I don't
get it..."
Although he was on the
verge of being confused by the sudden development, Nozomu for the time being
pushed the numerous questions that were welling up to the corner of his mind.
The hostility directed
at him from the girl in front of him was increasing in its sharpness, as if to
pierce Nozomu's body. Nozomu also, while readying his katana, had naturally
dropped his hips.
Lisa was also
carefully observing Azel, but inwardly she was on edge.
Lisa herself knew
almost nothing about her. All she knew was that she held a clear killing intent
towards Nozomu. And that the cause of her anger was related to Nozomu's secret.
Lisa peeked at
Nozomu's state from the side. What in the world was he shouldering?
Precisely because of
this situation, Lisa couldn't help but be curious about Nozomu's secret.
"Lisa! Here she
comes!"
"Ah!"
Lisa, who had been
caught up in unnecessary thoughts. Her flighty spirit was forcibly pulled back
by Nozomu's single shout.
When she came to,
countless magic circles had been deployed around Azel.
"Wh-What is
that!?"
"Kuh!?"
A mandala-patterned
magic circle, being constructed at an unbelievable speed. At the complex and
bizarre formula she had never seen before, Lisa couldn't help but let out a
scream.
Nozomu, spurred on by
the chill that ran down his spine, stepped in, but Azel's formula deployment
was too fast, and he was clearly not going to make it in time.
With an ear-piercing
bang, a flash of light streaked past.
When the light
subsided, there was no one there.
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