Volume 8
Chapter 3
In her room, Shina was staring intently at the crystal she held in her hand.
The light from the
lamp on the desk illuminated the crystal, which held a golden earring.
Michael. The soul of
an ancient white dragon who had come to this land to seal Tiamat.
Shina closed her eyes
and began to let her magic power flow into the crystal.
"Answer me. What
do you intend to do with him now..."
Shina connected her
path to Michael and spoke to the crystal.
However, Michael, as
always, said nothing and only reflected the dull light of the lamp in silence.
For a while, Shina
continued to connect the magic channel.
Michael showed no
signs of answering Shina's voice.
However, she felt that
Michael's state was different from two weeks ago.
It was a sensation as
if ripples were spreading on the surface of the water.
It seemed as if a
slight wind had lulled in the darkness where an abyss and stagnation drifted.
"Could it be that
you are hesitating?"
"..."
Shina raised her magic
power to try and make further contact with the silent Michael's spirit.
But before her spirit
could connect more deeply with Michael, Mimuru suddenly jumped on her from
behind.
"Shina, what are
you doing!?"
"Kyaa!"
At the sudden impact
on her back, the Michael that Shina had been holding in her hand slipped and
fell.
The crystal was about
to hit the floor, and Shina hurriedly reached out her hand and caught the
crystal.
Fortunately, the
crystal did not crash to the floor and was firmly caught in Shina's hand.
"Mimuru, that was
dangerous... hey."
Shina, who had let out
a sigh of relief, narrowed her eyes and turned around to scold Mimuru, who had
suddenly bumped into her.
And seeing the figure
of Mimuru that had jumped into her eyes, Shina couldn't help but widen her
eyes.
"What's with that
outfit?"
"Hmm? It's my new
underwear, does it suit me?"
Mimuru, with her hands
on her hips, struck a seductive pose.
But the underwear she
was wearing had so little fabric that it was doubtful whether it even
functioned as underwear.
Her chest and crotch
were only barely covered, and it seemed that something that shouldn't be seen
might be seen at the slightest movement.
At her best friend's
overly bold attire, Shina couldn't help but feel a headache and pressed her
temples.
"Rather than
suiting you, it's shameless. Why on earth did you choose underwear that looks
like nothing but strings?"
"It's for Tom, of
course! If I approach him with this, he'll be a goner in a flash!"
It seemed she had
bought this string underwear with the intention of seducing Tom.
The way she
deliberately drew out the end of her words made Shina feel a strange coyness.
"Considering
Tom's personality, I think he'd be put off instead... Aren't you
embarrassed?"
"What are you
talking about? A woman needs guts! Walking three steps behind my husband is not
my style!"
Mimuru declared with
her chest puffed out, but for Shina, who had been pondering serious thoughts
until just before, she couldn't quite keep up with her tension.
The fact that Mimuru
was wearing nothing but string underwear was also a factor that was draining
her spirit.
And although she
wasn't even married yet, she had called Tom her husband, but Shina did not
pursue it deeply.
"I see. Anyway,
if you're going to approach Tom, try not to bother those around you too
much."
While letting out a
sigh, Shina left Mimuru and once again tried to have a conversation with
Michael.
Although there was still
no reply from Michael, she still continued to connect her path with the
crystal.
On the other hand, at
Shina's unenthusiastic appearance, Mimuru pouted with a dissatisfied look.
But the next moment,
she had a grin on her face and was leaning on her from behind.
"Don't you think
you could make Nozomu-kun a goner if you wanted to, Shina? You have such a
beautiful body, you should make more effective use of it."
"Hey! What are
you doing!"
Mimuru, who had hugged
Shina from behind, slid her hands under Shina's armpits and enveloped her chest
as if to lift it.
"Hmm, it's a
little modest, but the shape is perfect. And on top of that..."
"Hya! H-Hey! Stop
it!"
Furthermore, Mimuru
began to stroke Shina's chest with her slipped-in hands.
A shiver ran through Shina's
body as if an electric current had passed through it.
"Your sensitivity
is also outstanding. This is irresistible for the one doing the teasing."
Mimuru, getting
carried away, put her hand inside Shina's shirt and began to caress her
directly.
"Ah. Mmph! You,
enough... is... enough..."
At this, even Shina
began to get angry.
She was about to raise
her hand to give her a punishment with physical force, but...
"Shina, just
imagine. If this hand were Nozomu-kun's..."
"Fwah!"
However, the moment Mimuru
whispered Nozomu's name in Shina's ear, her entire body jumped up as if she had
been struck by lightning.
Furthermore, for a
moment, it seemed as if the strength had left Shina's body, and then her entire
body stiffened like a stone, and she began to be assaulted by a tremor even
more intense than before.
At her sensual shiver,
which was clearly different from her trembling in anger until just before, the
hand of Mimuru, who was kneading her chest, gained strength.
"Ngh!
Guuuuuuh!"
Every time Mimuru's
hand moved, an indescribable moan escaped from Shina's mouth.
Upon closer
inspection, Shina's characteristic long ears were dyed bright red, and a
powerful, alluring scent began to drift from her white neck.
She was clearly
feeling pleasure.
Still, Shina, while
writhing in the pleasure and shame that ran through her entire body, was biting
her lip and desperately trying to suppress her voice.
"Oh crap, this
elf is super cute..."
Although she had only
intended to tease her, a strange switch had been flipped in Mimuru.
The moment the excited
Mimuru was about to continue teasing Shina, the window glass was knocked on and
then slid open.
"Sorry to bother
you so late at night. Young lady, I have something to talk to you about...
huh!"
"Eh?"
The one who had peeked
in from the window was Zonne.
The wildcat girl and
the old man, who had frozen at the unexpected situation and were at a loss for
words.
From the side, Shina
and Mimuru were female students who were making a yuri flower bloom in their
own room. As for Zonne, he was a suspicious person who had illegally entered
the girls' dormitory.
After a brief silence
flowed between the two,
"Veeeeery
good!!"
"Swift divine
punishment!"
"Ajapaah!"
As if in a natural
retaliation, the fist of Mimuru, who had jumped at him in her string underwear,
deeply gouged Zonne's stomach.
The body of Zonne, who
had collapsed forward, went over the window frame and collapsed on the floor of
the room like a corpse.
"Good grief, to
come to a woman's room at this time of night, what an inconsiderate lecherous
dragon..."
Although Mimuru was
furious with her arms crossed, the only clothes she was wearing now were string
underwear.
And to add to that,
she was also the one who had been driven by lust until just a moment ago, so
there was no persuasiveness at all.
"Shina, the evil
has been destroyed, so... huh? Why are you clenching your fists?"
And naturally, the
consequences of her actions also returned to her.
Shina's hand, which
was reminiscent of a white fish, was raised, and it was swung with a force that
was unimaginable from her slender appearance.
"Mimuru... you
idiot!"
"Ginyaaaaaaah!"
Shina's hand, which
had caught Mimuru's cheek, made a sound that echoed to the core, and Mimuru's
body, while adding a beautiful three-and-a-half-turn twist, was thrown out of
the window.
Shina, who had
forcibly thrown Mimuru out of the window, slammed the open window shut and
roughly closed the curtains.
She calmed her ragged
breathing and turned her gaze to Zonne, who had collapsed on the floor.
"So, what is your
business?"
"N-No, nothing, I
just had some business with the elf young lady and Michael..."
As Zonne raised his
gaze while writhing in the dull pain in his abdomen, what was there was an elf
girl who was exuding an angry aura from her entire body, her hair standing on
end in rage.
In the depths of her
eyes, which were so cold that even a blizzard would seem warm, an angry aura
that could make even that Abyss Grief's knees buckle in fear was seeping out.
"To come at this
time of night means that it is a rather important matter, right?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Understood. I
will prepare some tea, so please sit down and wait."
Shina turned on her
heel and began to prepare the tea.
Her back was emitting
a silent pressure that said, "Don't pursue this any further!"
As expected, even
Zonne did not have the courage to meddle with the current Shina, and he quietly
sat down on a nearby chair and waited for her to finish making the tea.
A few minutes later,
Zonne slowly sipped the handed-over tea and began to state his business
concisely.
"For a while,
won't you entrust Michael to the brat?"
"Him, to
Nozomu-kun?"
At the names of both
Nozomu and Michael being mentioned, Shina's face showed a suspicious look.
"The brat is now,
due to the influence of his synchronization with Tiamat, gradually beginning to
get a glimpse of her past.
The brat also seems to
be curious about Tiamat's past. I could talk about it, but I thought it would
be better to hear it from the person himself..."
It seemed Zonne was
thinking of having Michael tell Tiamat's past directly.
Hearing Zonne's words,
Shina's expression clouded over like a rainy sky.
"He is still not
saying anything..."
"I see..."
Michael, who still
continued to be silent.
Zonne, who had been
told that, also let out a sigh as if disappointed.
"Now that I've
seen the brat and the others trying to overcome their anger and hatred, I
thought he might have changed a little..."
For the sake of taking
responsibility for Azel's rampage, and for the sake of sealing Tiamat, Michael
was staying with Nozomu and the others.
But as for Zonne,
perhaps by seeing the actions of the current Nozomu and the others, he had been
hoping that the Michael who was bound by despair and resignation would change
even a little.
"However, I felt
that Michael-dono was also harboring a little hesitation. Although it is only
my subjective view..."
"I see..."
Zonne had a
complicated smile, a mixture of joy and sorrow.
To Shina, that face
looked weaker than his accumulated years.
"Is Nozomu-kun's
training not going well?"
This time, Shina threw
a question at the old man. The content was the progress of Nozomu's training.
It was out of concern
for the state of Nozomu, who had been visibly exhausted since the training had
begun.
"The training
itself is neither good nor bad. The problem is the brat's impatience. You also
know that, don't you, young lady?"
The harsh training
that Nozomu had imposed on himself. Precisely because she knew the reason,
Shina also nodded at Zonne's words.
"Our dragon's
power is the power of the spirits. However, despite the brat having become a
dragonslayer, there is no sign at all that he can sense the spirits. He is a
human through and through.
As for his unique
ability, it's a stretch to say that he has it completely under control.
Although he can seal it, he is not in a state where he can control it."
A dragonslayer who had
taken in the power of the royalty of the spirits would, to varying degrees, be
able to converse with the spirits.
However, despite
Nozomu having become a dragonslayer, he was a human through and through.
As for his unique
ability, it was a stretch to say that he had it under control, and although he
could seal Tiamat's power, he was not in a state where he could completely
control it.
Both a unique ability
and spirit magic are not things that can be mastered overnight.
Still, Shina fully
understood that Nozomu was feeling impatient, thinking that he had to do
something about it.
"The control of
his unique ability and the inability to sense the spirits, these two are the
problems, aren't they?"
"If even one of
them can be solved, it might become a breakthrough..."
At Zonne's words,
Shina put her hand to her mouth as if thinking.
For Nozomu, who was a
human, it was difficult to even sense the spirits that existed in the
surroundings. However, he had used the power of Tiamat that he had taken in.
In fact, Shina had
seen Nozomu use Tiamat's elemental essence several times.
Then, what the current
Nozomu was lacking would naturally come into view.
"If so, then
Nozomu-kun too... But..."
While showing a
somewhat bewildered expression, Shina continued to turn her thoughts.
Zonne was silently
watching her.
"...Understood.
Old man, would you entrust the matter of the spirit magic to me?"
"Hmm, it seems
you have some idea. I can guess what you're trying to do, but you are more
suitable than me, young lady. I'll be counting on you."
At Shina's words,
Zonne narrowed his eyes for a moment, but he soon broke into a smile as if he
had realized something.
Zonne then stood up,
opened the window, and put his foot on the sill.
"U-Um. About
Michael-dono..."
"Please, pass it
on to the brat, young lady.
I'll have the brat
take a break from training tomorrow, so if you're planning on doing something
to the brat, you should do it then."
At that moment, for
some reason, a blush appeared on Shina's cheeks.
Zonne smiled at
Shina's state.
"That's right,
about what the young lady is thinking, could it be that..."
"That's right,
there's no other way, is there? B-but..."
When Zonne suddenly
turned around, Shina had her arms crossed and was lost in thought with her hand
to her mouth.
I wonder what she had
come up with?
Her cheeks, as she was
lost in thought, were even redder than when she had been teased by Mimuru just
before, and she looked like a boiled octopus.
"Good grief. I'm
envious of the brat."
Zonne shrugged his
shoulders with an exasperated look at Shina, who showed no sign of noticing his
call, and then disappeared out of the window.
What was left was only
a single cute elf, writhing in shame.
Incidentally, the
wildcat girl who had been thrown out of the window had, in fact, been left
unconscious from the impact of the fall until the morning, but that is a huge
digression.
***
The administrative
district, established in the northern part of Arcazam.
The special room for
the dignitaries of each country was filled with a gloomy atmosphere, as if at
the bottom of a swamp.
In this place, where
the curtain of night had fallen, there was no sign of people at all.
In that darkness, two
figures were facing each other.
"So, you've
decided to call the head of the family?"
"Yes. I have
learned the details of the 'source of trouble' that the Francilt family is
harboring. After our forces were crushed by 'Starlight,' we were put on the
defensive, but now that the information has been gathered, it is time to make a
move."
Mekuria and Corpse
Crow.
The combination of an
alluring beautiful woman and a gaunt man who reeked of death stood out in its
eeriness even in the dark of night.
"To go to such
lengths as to send a letter to 'that country' using your kin, it must be
important~. It'll be a big deal if the head of the family finds out, you
know?"
"It doesn't
matter. As for him, if he can make that head of the Francilt family sweat, he
should be on board with this story, even if he is indignant."
"The head of the
family has hated that old man since way back~. It seems his beloved was also
taken. So, how do you plan on bringing down the opponent's stronghold?"
While having an
unpleasant grin,
"For now, let's
try throwing one of our hands at them."
"Just one? Isn't
it a bad idea to hold back carelessly?"
"There is no way
that Victor has not taken any countermeasures. If we play our cards too much,
we will run out of breath."
Although she said she
would move, Mekuria made it clear that she would use a cautious hand.
That was nothing other
than the fact that she had recognized Victor as a clear threat.
Although he had a side
that was prone to going on a rampage when it came to his family, his skill in
being involved in the establishment of this Solminati Academy was not just for
show.
"More
importantly, how is 'he' doing?"
And the topic shifted
to the young man who was now attracting Victor's attention.
Nozomu Bountis.
From the fact that he
had fought a spectacular battle with that Jihad Raundel in the Martial Arts
Garden, he was a katana technique user who was now beginning to attract
attention from various countries.
But the point about
this young man that should be truly noted was also the point that he was a
"dragonslayer" who had appeared for the first time in several hundred
years.
"As always, for
the past two weeks or so, he's been in the forest with the white dragon old
man. Since that old man is by his side, it's difficult to keep him under
surveillance for a long time, though~"
Since she had found
out that he was a dragonslayer, Mekuria had ordered Corpse Crow to keep Nozomu
Bountis under surveillance.
"He's amazing
lately~. He's updated the time limit for controlling that power by ten seconds.
And he's still not satisfied with that. He might just transform..."
Corpse Crow spoke of Nozomu's
state, who was being taught by the powerful existence of a white dragon, with a
smile.
At Corpse Crow's
joy-filled smile, Mekuria couldn't help but widen her eyes.
"You seem to be
interested."
"At least more
than you, Mekuria-chan~"
"Keep it within a
range that won't affect the plan.
He is a key person. It
is a chance that has finally come. You understand, right..."
"I know, I know.
You don't have to make such a scary face, it'll be fine~"
At the waving Corpse
Crow, Mekuria directed a strong, questioning gaze.
"I wonder. You
have, since long ago, thrown away self-restraint when you see a subject that
interests you."
"Good grief, for
such a long acquaintance, you have no faith in me~. But you see, that's just
how I am. This is something I can't change~"
"Even in the last
job, you disposed of someone other than the target without any need, didn't
you?"
"It seemed a
little interesting, you know~. To be honest, it was a letdown, it broke so
easily."
At Corpse Crow's
state, which was like pushing against a curtain, Mekuria let out a sigh.
"The opportunity
will come soon. Be patient until then."
"Yes, yes~. I
understand~"
Whether she believed
Corpse Crow's words, or whether she had realized that it was useless to say
anything, Mekuria turned on her heel and left the room.
Corpse Crow saw her
back as she disappeared beyond the door, then pulled back the nearby curtain
and opened the closed window with all his might.
The cold winter wind
rushed into the room from the window at once.
While feeling the wind
hit his entire body, he raised both his hands. His attire, which was
reminiscent of black wings, fluttered in the blowing wind.
"Yes, I
know..."
A voice that felt
heavy, different from the light, playful tone from before.
Corpse Crow then
jumped out of the window with great force and disappeared into the darkness of
the new moon.
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