Volume 8 Finale
1
Lisa Episode＋α
An hour after the City Isolation Barrier disappeared. The battle was finally over, but Arcazam was in turmoil all over, starting with the Administrative District. The sudden appearance of walls of light. The repeated explosions and flashes. It was more than enough to plunge all the residents of the academy city into anxiety and fear. While guards scrambled in all four districts of Arcazam, in a corner of Central Park, a man and a woman stood side-by-side, looking toward the Administrative District where the battle had taken place.
"It's over. I
never thought he would win..."
The woman was Mekuria.
Exposing her alluring limbs wrapped in purple hair and a dress, she looked
genuinely surprised.
"It was
completely unexpected for you, Mekuria-chan. Well, I'm happy about it. So, did
you get the object?"
The man, Corpse Crow, turned his sickly pale
face, which stood out even in the night's darkness, toward Mekuria and held out
his hand expectantly.
"Yes, it was in
his room."
What Mekuria took from
her bosom was a small bag. Corpse Crow
opened the bag, which made a clinking sound
of hard metal, and spread the contents onto his palm. What came out were
broken, jet-black metal fragments. Seeing the broken, shattered pieces that
still reflected a beautiful ripple pattern, Corpse
Crow grinned.
"I see. No doubt
about it. This is the blade that killed Tiamat. Its fragments..."
Corpse Crow picked up the『Fragments of Mumei』from his palm, returned them one by one to the bag,
and cherishedly put it into his pocket.
"The White Dragon
Elder has also been sealed. Now, just as planned..."
"Yes, yes. Well
then..."
Corpse Crow's figure melted into
the night's darkness and vanished. Once the sickly-looking man had completely
disappeared, Mekuria let out a white breath, as if expelling a clog in her
chest.
"With this, our
long-cherished wish will finally be granted. Finally..."
As her breath vanished
in the night wind, she slowly turned around. Feeling a familiar gaze from the
bushes, she smiled and spoke.
"Is there
something you need, Lord Egurodo?"
In response to her
call, a man dressed in noble attire emerged from the bushes. Egurodo Fabran.
Mekuria's lord, and the head of a great house in the Kingdom of Forsina, a
political rival of the Francilt family. Touching her lips with a finger,
Mekuria smiled seductively. A mature woman. Her sex appeal was exceptional,
radiating an intensity that could bewitch not just men, but women too. However,
Egurodo, receiving such a gaze, slowly raised his right hand without changing
his expression in the slightest. The next moment, soldiers in black armor
leaped from behind him, surrounding Mekuria. Egurodo's private army, the Iron Skeleton Knight Order.
"Don't
move..."
Berdik, the commander
of the Iron Skeleton Knight Order,
pointed a dully shining blade at Mekuria.
"My, my,
Commander Berdik. Pointing a blade at a helpless woman is hardly the conduct of
a Kingdom noble, is it?"
"Even if she is a
woman, if she is a witch, there is no helping it."
"I see. Are you
disposing of me out of fear that our intervention will be leaked by the Vampire Princess...?"
"No. That was
something I had also approved. This is to confirm and stop your unauthorized
actions. If you resist, we have no choice but to kill you..."
In the first place,
providing information on Nozomu to Vitora was something Egurodo had approved.
He had no intention of blaming her for that. The problem was her actions other
than that. Acting alongside a highly skilled but mad mercenary, she was clearly
repeating suspicious behavior. What on earth was she trying to do? Egurodo
intended to confirm that. The battle between the Dragonslayer, the Dhampir,
and the Vampire Princess. Because of
this, Arcazam was currently like a poked beehive. Something that would normally
end with a strict warning or expulsion from the city could very well provoke an
excessive reaction now. And it was only a matter of time before the Arcazam
side learned about the information provided to Vitora by Mekuria. That was why
Egurodo had to act. And while he wouldn't blame her, he also had no intention
of being picky about his methods.
"What are you
saying? Saying you won't harm me now sounds like a lie..."
"No. That depends
on you. If you are truly loyal to me, tell me everything you are currently
doing through the Corpse Crow."
"Do you intend to
believe me?"
"I will decide
after I hear it. Despite appearances, I value your achievements. Therefore, in
return for your service, I am giving you this opportunity to explain
yourself."
If it became known
that Mekuria had intervened with Vitora, Egurodo would have to hand her over to
prove his own innocence. If she could be trusted, there would be no problem
handing her over to Arcazam as is. Of course, he would do everything in his
power to ensure her early release. But if she could not be trusted, or if she
was clearly taking actions akin to rebellion, he intended to dispose of her. He
would make it look like an accidental death in this battle, or a disappearance.
However, before Egurodo could give his answer, time ran out. A voice, deeper
and more intimidating than Egurodo's, echoed through the area.
"However, that is
your reasoning. I would ask that you leave her to us, Lord Egurodo Fabran."
A giant of a man in
silver armor, Jihad Raundel, appeared, carrying his trademark giant sword,
"Jaw Dropper," on his back. At the appearance of one of the
continent's strongest swordsmen, the knights of the Iron Skeleton Knight Order let out stifled gasps. Behind him was
Inda. Furthermore, dozens of shadows in black robes appeared, surrounding the Iron Skeleton Knight Order.
"Jihad Raundel.
And... Starlight, huh...?"
Egurodo quietly waved
his hand, dismissing the Iron Skeleton
Knight Order, and faced Jihad. While Inda and the Starlight remained vigilant, Jihad questioned Egurodo.
"There is
suspicion that the Fabran family intervened in the negotiations between the Wajiart
and Francilt families, and even incited internal strife. Would you mind
answering a few questions?"
"That disturbance
was due to the Vampire Princess's own
whims. There is no reason for us to be held accountable."
"Including that,
we would like to hear your story."
Faced with the hero
who had distinguished himself in the Great Invasion, Egurodo raised his voice
without taking a step back. However, Jihad showed not the slightest sign of
backing down. The air, already tense, became even more taut. A tension so high
it seemed it would burst with the slightest added pressure. The surrounding Iron Skeleton Knights and Starlight members also held their breath
at the sparks flying between the two men's pressure. But into that airspace, a
relaxed voice suddenly flowed.
"Well, this is as
far as it goes, huh?"
The one who spoke was
the cause of this atmosphere, Mekuria. She looked around at Jihad, Egurodo, and
the surrounding Iron Skeleton Knights
and Starlight, then took a small,
black, sharp iron shard from her bosom.
"What do you
intend to do with that? If you resist, we will not hesitate to use force."
"That will not be
necessary. It is true that I provided information about the Dragonslayer, Nozomu Bountis, to that Vampire Princess. Everything is due to
my own lack of virtue. Therefore, I shall take responsibility by taking my own
life."
"Wait...!"
Realizing what she
intended to do, Egurodo and the others tried to stop her, but before they
could, Mekuria slit her throat with the iron shard. Blood sprayed, and her
lifeless body collapsed to the ground. Berdik rushed over to press on the
wound, and Inda tried to heal her with recovery magic. However, the blood
flowing from her neck was endless, and eventually, the light faded from her
eyes.
"...She's
dead."
While the Iron Skeleton Knight Order stood
dumbfounded at Mekuria's death, Egurodo bit his lip. Amidst this, a powerful
torrent of ki erupted from beside him.
"Lord Egurodo.
Now that she is dead, we have no choice but to hear the details from you. You
will come with us, by any means necessary."
I will
absolutely not let you escape. A firm will and unparalleled pressure. Faced with
the hero's gaze, which brooked no argument, Egurodo sighed and submitted to
being restrained by the Starlight.
***
A few days after the
battle with Vitora, Arcazam had regained a semblance of peace. However, the
scars were deep, and it was clear to everyone that a quick recovery would be
difficult. To put the damage simply: one-third of the Administrative District.
Everything within the range of the City
Isolation Barrier had been destroyed. Not just buildings, but even small
pieces of furniture were gone; everything had been returned to dirt. And the
pursuit of responsibility for the source of this damage, Vitora and the
Francilt family, would undoubtedly happen. Everyone thought so. However, things
moved in a direction they hadn't expected. There were those who called for a
halt to the pursuit of responsibility. The ones who raised their voices were
the Sumahya Federation, which had received aid from the Francilts, and the Cremazzone
Empire, which was supposed to be in potential conflict with the Kingdom of
Forsina. The Dizard Imperial Kingdom was a country that, while having
single-handedly repelled the invading hordes of magic beasts during the Great
Invasion, had cut ties with all other nations due to its historical background.
And there was one other factor that complicated this situation. The existence
of the Dragonslayer, Nozomu Bountis,
who had become a legend, and Irisdina Francilt, who had awakened as a new race.
Dragonslayer. A synonym for the
strongest, sung of in legends, an existence that had vanished into history.
Now, only traces remained in the bloodline of the Cremazzone Empire's royal
family, but here was a strongman who could fight that monstrous Vitora head-on.
And Irisdina Francilt had awakened to an extremely unique magic characteristic
that unilaterally destroyed the Vampire
Princess's power, and her abilities had greatly improved. Furthermore, she
was a member of the Francilt family, which had concluded trade negotiations
with the Wajiart family, and she was particularly close to Nozomu Bountis.
Thanks to their efforts, the trade negotiations between the Francilt and Wajiart
families were formally concluded. At the same time, the Kingdom of Forsina and
the Dizard Imperial Kingdom would formally establish diplomatic relations. The
damage was immense. But the achievements were also great. Of course,
dissatisfaction that didn't come to the surface was undoubtedly accumulating,
but on the surface, things were quiet, and no faction was loudly calling for
condemnation. The fact that there were zero human casualties also contributed
to settling this matter quietly. As for the treatment of Nozomu and Irisdina
themselves, they were treated as being under protective custody in Arcazam, and
were currently living within the grounds of Solminati Academy. Also, academy
classes were temporarily suspended. They were expected to resume in a few days,
but the academy teachers and staff were running around working all night.
During this time, what
was Nozomu, whose identity as a Dragonslayer
had become public, doing...? He was undergoing tests in a room at the Gloaurum
Institute.
The purpose was to
collect data on his body, now awakened as a Dragonslayer.
In the examination room, a giant black box occupied 60% of the room, and
several tubes extended from it. At the end of one tube was a band wrapped
around his arm, and other tubes extending from the box were connected to a
pedestal placed nearby. On the pedestal, a meaningful magic circle was drawn.
This was apparently a further improved version of the latest device that could
measure not only magic power, but also ki, and even possessed elemental essence. In the examination
room filled with equipment, there were three people besides Nozomu. One was the
Chief Examiner. The attending physician in charge of this examination. Another
was Norn, the academy nurse. She was close to Nozomu, and was here because her
experience in examining his body many times was valued. And the last one was...
"Okay, Nozomu,
give me your arm?"
"Hey, Lisa, why
are you here?"
"Hm? Helping out,
obviously? Come on, hurry up."
It was the red-haired
girl in a white coat, Lisa. She approached Nozomu, holding the band connected
to the device by a tube. The examination device itself was undoubtedly a novelty,
but right now, Nozomu couldn't help but be distracted by his childhood friend
cosplaying in front of him. Why on earth
was she here? Nozomu cast a questioning glance at Norn, who was working
nearby.
"She apparently
heard from Anri that I was helping with your examination, and charged in early
this morning. It's a measure considering your mental state, since you've been
stuck in exams lately."
"In that case,
shouldn't she just be watching nearby...? Why is she helping on the Chief
Examiner's side?"
"Now, now, it's
fine. Come on, Nozomu, arm."
Lisa interrupted him
with a smile as he questioned Norn's explanation, taking Nozomu's arm. As he
was exasperated that she took his hand before he could say anything, Lisa
pulled herself close. Looking closely, the chest of her white coat was
unnaturally open. Unblemished skin and red underwear flickered into view.
"Lisa,
that..."
"Hmm, what's
wrong? Come on, relax your body~~"
Lisa, clearly amused
by Nozomu's reaction, edged closer. Perhaps because she was pressing her arm
against his, her healthy cleavage was emphasized. Nozomu's gaze instinctively
started to drift toward the glimpse of skin, and he reflexively looked away,
but Lisa grinned broadly at his reaction.
"Lisa-kun, this
is an important examination, so do your job properly."
"I know. This is
to help Nozomu relax."
"Stop showing off
your chest so blatantly. It's improper, and Nozomu-kun looks like he's getting
excited in a different way."
"I am not getting
excited!?"
"If you did get
excited, I'd be totally okay with that, though."
Hey! Nozomu shot a
protesting look at Lisa, but she just kept smiling and leaned in even closer.
Of course, still emphasizing her cleavage.
"You. If you're
going to be a hindrance, I'll have you leave immediately."
"Okaa~~ay, I get
it~~"
At the Chief
Examiner's warning, Lisa pulled away. Before he knew it, the examination band
was securely wrapped around his arm. When
had she wrapped it? While Nozomu was stunned, the Chief Examiner and Norn,
exasperated, instructed him to begin.
"You really
understand, right...? Alright then, Nozomu-kun, give it a try."
"Uh... yes."
When Nozomu closed his
eyes, white chains appeared, wrapping around his body. At the same time,
five-colored elemental essence began
to drift around him. Through the band and tube wrapped around his arm, Tiamat's
elemental essence was sent into the
device. The next moment, emitting black smoke, the device exploded
spectacularly.
***
"Um, the device
is now unusable..."
Nozomu's mutter leaked
out in the examination room, where the blast and smoke had settled. The air was
filled with a mix of the pungent smell of chemicals and burning, and Lisa and
Norn, who had been hit by the blast, were passed out on the floor. In a word,
it was a disaster. Meanwhile, the unharmed Chief Examiner was facing the broken
device with a look like he'd chewed a bitter bug.
"The measurement
results are a mess, too. Total elemental
essence amount is unmeasurable, attribute is unidentifiable. I mean, this
just unilaterally overwrote the measurement formula. How are you not dead with
such absurd power?"
"Um... could you
stop saying it like it would be more correct if I were dead?"
The Chief Examiner
looked at Nozomu as if he had found a rare species. He had been stressed from
nothing but exams for the past few days, but he felt a sudden wave of
exhaustion hit him.
"Well, you are a
rare species. A Dragonslayer, the
first in centuries."
"Please don't say
it. I'm just starting to realize it myself."
It was a blunt way of
putting it. Facts were facts, but being told so directly was disheartening.
Faced with the dejected Nozomu, the Chief Examiner also let out a long
sigh—Haaaaaa—at the broken device.
"Broken like
this, repair is impossible. And this device was expensive..."
"Specifically,
how much..."
"Let's see.
Including research costs... enough to bankrupt several lower-class noble
families, I suppose."
"Pfft!"
It was more expensive
than he thought. Even if he became a Dragonslayer,
his sense of money, ingrained as a common farmer, didn't change. Nozomu
sputtered and looked up at the ceiling, escaping reality. Please don't bill me for repairs, he begged in his heart.
"Well, since we
can't even measure it, the conclusion that we currently cannot control
Nozomu-kun's elemental essence—Tiamat's
power—doesn't seem likely to change. I'll compile the results for now, so you
can go home for today."
"Understood."
Thank god, I
wasn't billed. Feeling a strange relief, Nozomu began to prepare to leave. At that
moment, the Chief Examiner pointed to the unconscious Lisa.
"Oh, and take
your childhood friend sleeping there with you. Okay?"
"...Yes."
Trying his best to
remain calm at the skin peeking through her torn clothes and the distinct
softness of a girl, he picked up his childhood friend.
"Well then,
excuse me..."
Glancing at the
sorrowful back of the Chief Examiner in front of the smoke-spewing device,
Nozomu left the examination room. Out in the hallway, he gently shook Lisa in
his arms.
"Lisa, wake
up..."
"Mmm... Hah!?
Where am I!? Where is this!?"
"Are you okay? If
it's tough, maybe I should let you sleep a bit..."
"Sleep!? Here!?
It's a little embarrassing, but if you want to sleep, Nozomu..."
"That's a
different meaning of sleep, and I'm not sleeping! Don't twist my words! And
anyway, you weren't unconscious from the start, were you, Lisa?"
"Ah, you
knew?"
Tehe, Lisa stuck out her
tongue. Nozomu sighed as he tried to help her stand up. Lisa muttered,
"Hold me more..." in his ear, but he ignored her, of course.
Reluctantly standing on her own feet, Lisa approached Nozomu and smiled,
showing off the white coat she was wearing again. Of course, not forgetting to
flash her chest.
"So, Nozomu. Did
this look make your heart pound?"
"It's improper,
stop it. Good grief, what is with you..."
"Because if I'm
not this aggressive, I'll lose."
"Lose...?"
"Actually, the
match is already settled, you know. Well, I don't intend to give up either, though..."
"Eh?"
"Nothing! More
importantly, Nozomu, want to rest a bit? There's a break room nearby."
Suddenly linking her
arm with his, Lisa pointed to a sign for a room. She started pulling him
forcefully, trying to drag him into the room marked "Break Room."
"W-Wait,
Lisa!?"
"Oh, there's a
bed too. I checked before your exam. You know what that means, right?"
You checked!? Nozomu screamed
internally. Just then, a shadow emerged from the examination room and grabbed
Lisa by the scruff of her neck.
"Okay, that's
enough. Lewd acts within the institute are forbidden, you know."
The one who stopped
Lisa was Norn, who had been assisting the Chief Examiner. Perhaps not fully
recovered from fainting, her eyes behind her glasses were still unfocused.
"Sensei, this is
not a lewd act. It is a very serious act!"
However, even stopped
by Norn, the current Lisa showed no sign of stopping. Honestly, why had his
childhood friend become like this? He felt she used to have a little more
modesty... Whether sensing Nozomu's feelings or just the effects of fainting,
Norn shook her head as if enduring a headache.
"Is she desperate,
I wonder...? Anyway, Nozomu-kun. I need to have a talk with her, so I'll be
borrowing her for a bit."
"Yes, I don't
mind. In fact, please do. I don't know how it came to this..."
"I think that's
Nozomu's fault! As punishment, take a break with me in that room..."
"Yes, yes, I'll
keep you company, so let's go together."
"No, no,
Norn-sensei must be busy, so I humbly decline... Ah, Nozomu~~, help me~~"
Before she could
finish, Lisa was dragged off by Norn to the break room. The door to the break
room closed heartlessly with a bang. Left alone, Nozomu let out the biggest
sigh of the day.
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