Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no “Kokoro”

[LN] Volume 1: Chapter 7

This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.

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Volume 1 Chapter 7

Smoldering Embers, Chained Together

Translator : PolterGlast

He was having a dream. A dream in which both the sky and the ground were dyed bright red. However, Nozomu had a hard time believing that it was a dream.

The location was probably Soluminati Academy. The school buildings reminiscent of a chalk fortress have collapsed, and the surrounding area has been reduced to a burnt field littered with rubble.

"Ugh......"

The surrounding area was littered with objects that had once been humans.

The objects were already so charred that it was impossible to tell who they once were.

The smell of burning flesh filled his nose, and he was unable to stop himself from vomiting up the contents of his stomach.

A clear and distinct sense unlike that of a dream clearly told Nozomu that this was something that could only happen in reality.

Within this hell-like place, there was a dragon. It had a jet-black body and six wings of five colors. There was no way he could possibly be mistaken for the giant dragon that was supposed to be inside him. It was Tiamat.

Its mouth was moving as if it were chewing something.

"Haa, haa, haa, haa......"

He had a bad premonition upon seeing it. His breath became ragged and his heart was beating faster. His instincts told him, "Don't look!". But by the time he thought so, it was already too late.

"A-, aa ...... aaaaaaaahh!!"

What was peeking out of its mouth was something with long hair. The moment the owner of that hair crossed his mind, he screamed and lunged toward the dragon.

Then, suddenly, a huge jet-black flame burst forth. His consciousness was engulfed by the flames of chaos.

◆

He raised his body as if bouncing.

The futon which had been covering him was thrown off and fell to the floor.

"Whoa~! Haa-haa-haa......"

Nozomu checked his body with a panicked expression as he was breathing roughly.

The scene was so real that he couldn't help but confirm whether or not he was still alive.

"...... A dream, huh?"

He was bandaged in various places and there were traces of medical treatment, but he seemed to be in good physical condition.

Nozomu let out a sigh of relief and slumped back to the bed.

(I see, I must have passed out after that fight ......)

The feeling of the soft bed as he sank into it finally reminded Nozomu of what had happened after the fight against Rugato.

At that time, when Irisdina and Somia came toward him, he was so happy and relieved that he lost all strength and his vision went completely blank. Perhaps it was at that moment that he fainted.

"I wonder how long I've fainted ......"

Nozomu finally remembered his situation and looked around again.

The room in which he was laid down was designed to resemble a guest bedroom.

The room, which seemed to be a room in the Francilte mansion, was painted white without a single stain, and there was a fireplace in one corner of the room.

The furnishings, including a wardrobe, a desk, and a chair, were all simple, yet strangely elegant.

Outside the window, a large garden could be seen, where gardeners and maids were carrying out broken furniture and dishware.

Perhaps they were broken during the battle.

"I guess that means Rugato-san has retreated for the time being ......"

As he watched the maids cleaning up, he remembered the last thing he heard from Rugato.

As Nozomu was gazing outside, there was a tap, and then a knock at the door of the room. The door opened and two dark-haired girls entered the room.

"Thank God. You woke up ......"

"Nozomu-san, are you alright?"

Irisdina and Somia entered the room and saw that Nozomu had regained consciousness, and a flowery smile appeared on their faces.

Nozomu nodded to the two approaching girls as if to confirm that he was okay.

"Umm, how long was I unconscious?"

"About half a day. But thank God. We were worried about you because you suddenly fainted."

The reason why Nozomu fainted was due to the release of his [Ability Suppression], but even prior to that, he was also affected by the severe drain on his Qi as a result of using [Qi-jutsu・Light of Annihilation].

The sudden depletion of Qi has a serious impact on one's vital activities.

In fact, it was a blessing that he didn't die from the same severe depletion like Shino did.

"Also ...... what about Rugato-san?"

Nozomu inquired as to what happened after that.

According to Irisdina, Rugato was unable to retrieve Somia's soul because the contract was destroyed.

After that, he went back to the Dizard Empire to report this matter to the Lord he served.

"I-, it's troubling to be praised so highly. Besides, I- ......"

Nozomu was bothered by the fact that he had been so lost in that battle until the very end. His expression naturally turned stiff.

"Nozomu, can I ask you something? What the hell did you do at the end of that battle?"

Mars, who had been standing by watching Nozomu, asked with a serious expression on his face.

Irisdina and the others also fell silent upon hearing Mars' words.

This is because they were also concerned inwardly about Nozomu's unusual power that he had shown in the previous battle.

All eyes in the room were on Nozomu.

"I knew you were a lot stronger than the guys at the academy said you were. However, at that time, you were just insanely strong."

Silence reigned as Nozomu gradually opened his mouth.

"Because of my ability, I'm severely limited in terms of my Qi capacity, physical abilities, and magic power, but at the end of the second year, I was able to release this ability."

"Could it be? The reason why you were absent from school and injured so much at that time was ......"

"Well, yeah. Various things happened at that time, and I became able to release my [Ability Suppression]."

"Then why didn't you use it until now?"

"That's- ............"

He had a flashback to the scene of today's dream. The smell of the scorched Arcazam and the charred people of the city. The resurrected Tiamat. And a girl who was eaten by it.

"...... Nozomu-kun?"

"Ah, no, sorry. I was in a daze. Indeed, I could release my [Ability Suppression], but I can't fully control it. I'm always in a state of full throttle, and it's very difficult for me to adjust the power, so I didn't use it."

Nozomu replied, trying to cover up the anxiety inside of him.

He did not tell the whole truth. Neither about him nor about Tiamat.

"I've tried to use it on a boulder, and the boulder shattered. That's why I would never use it against people."

"Certainly, that makes it not so easy to use. ......, or rather, all of your techniques are like that."

"...... I'm aware of it."

In the end, Nozomu could not tell them that he is a Dragon Slayer after all.

After that, as time passed and twilight began to tint the sky, Nozomu and the others decided to head home.

Irisdina and the others followed them to the gate of the mansion to see them off.

"We're going home, then."

"See you."

"Yeah, see you at school ......"

"Un, see you later."

After saying goodbye, Nozomu was about to return to the student dormitory for the first time in two days.

However, Somia, who was by Irisdina's side, grabbed Nozomu's hand.

"W-, what's wrong? Somia-chan."

"Nozomu-san, thank you for saving my life! At that time, I thought I would never see my sister again, ...... but now I'm so happy to be with her again!"

Somia thanked Nozomu again as he flustered, wondering what was going on. Irisdina also held the other hand and thanked him once again.

"Yeah, if you hadn't saved her at that time, he would have definitely taken Somia away from me. I ...... surely would not have been able to bear it ...... Thank you so much."

Nozomu's heart felt a little lighter at the words of gratitude presented to him once again by the two of them.

There were many things he could not talk about, and there was a great deal of anxiety in his heart. A small lump still remained deep in his heart, but at least he felt that he had not made a mistake in releasing his [Ability Suppression] at that time.

"...... Ah, come to think of it, I haven't given this to Somia-chan yet, have I?"

"Eh?"

Somia tilted her head upon hearing Nozomu's words. Nozomu took something out of his pocket and presented it to Somia.

"I know I'm a bit late, but happy birthday."

What he took out was a birthday present he had made with the intention of giving it to Somia. It was made by tying an indigo-colored strap into a loop, attaching a string to the loop, and attaching a bell used in the East to the end of the loop. It was made to resemble a bracelet that she had treasured as a family bond.

"I used the bracelet as a reference, and to be honest, it was my first time making a bell, so I can't say I did a particularly good job......"

"I'm very happy! Thank you Nozomu-san!"

The unfashionable bracelet was certainly not appropriate for someone of such a high status as Somia to wear.

But that did not matter to Somia.

She could sense Nozomu's feelings behind the clumsy shape of the bell, who had made many attempts to make it good enough for her.

She put Nozomu's bracelet on her right wrist, which was now free.

When she shook it, the bell still made the same languid sound, but Somia's face broke out in joy and she was excited to ring it over and over again.

Irisdina, too, watched her sister with a smile.

Tima was in tears of joy, and Mars was looking away, but his mouth was relaxing.

A turbulent day. A smile that once seemed like it would never be seen again.

The scene they wanted to protect was indeed still there.

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