CH 5.25

The next day after school, Irisdina and the others were walking in the forest following Shīna's guidance. There were also Anri and Norn following them in the back. Their destination was the hut where Nozomu was. Anri and Norn also accompany them to see the results of their face-to-face meeting with Nozomu.

"...Shīna-kun, how did you know this place?"

Irisdina asked Shīna and her friends.

She always wondered why Shīna, who initially hated Nozomu, was able to get along with him in the end.

She hadn't been told by Nozomu or Shīna until now, and there seemed to be a reason for that.

"Oh, right. I promised to talk about that."

As Shīna walked, she talked about the incident when her party encountered the black demon beast in this forest.

About their battle with the black demon beast. She lost herself due to her hatred for revenge and her impatience. What she did, forced her companions into a corner. Then Nozomu came to help them. Thanks to his help, she was able to defeat the black demon beast and befriend Mimuru and Tom again.

Shīna who was talking about her past mistakes, walked with her chest puffed out while looking straight ahead. It was as if it was an irreplaceable treasure to her and she was proud of it.

Both Mars and Irisdina were overwhelmed by her appearance as she spoke about her past mistakes without hesitation.

"Hm~m. So that's what happened."

"Yes, I think what I did was indeed foolish ..."

“…………”

Mars glanced at Shīna's confident appearance while he continued to listen to her. Perhaps she noticed Mars' appearance, Shīna slowly turned around and looked at him.

"...That's why. I won't blame you anymore for what you did. I don't think I'm qualified to blame you for making the same mistake. But if you want to start over with him, face him again. Otherwise, you won't even be able to talk to him anymore."

"... Yes, I know."

Shīna gave words of encouragement to Mars, who had hurt his companions as much as she did before.

Mars, who received her words, nodded heavily. His face was clouded with guilt for what he did and anxiety about whether he could start over with Nozomu or not.

Marus looked to his side. Tima, who was walking beside him, looked at him. Perhaps she sensed Mars' anxiety, she nodded slowly and smiled to reassure him.

"... Ane-sama, are you alright?"

Somia, who was staring at their conversation, muttered anxiously. It wasn't as much as when she came to her sister's room last night, but it didn't seem like her anxiety had gone away completely.

"It's alright, Somia, it's alright ..."

Irisdina, who heard her sister's thin voice, tried hard to answer with a smile. Her anxiety persisted as well, but more importantly, Irisdina didn't want to lose Nozomu.

Certainly, as Shīna said, there was nothing more that could be done. So let's face him properly this time. Yesterday she kept contemplating about her promise in front of Somia.

Eventually, light began to illuminate the dim forest. They were dazzled by the sudden open field and incoming light that came to their eyes.

In front of them, an open space and a hut standing in the back could be seen. A simple hut made of wood, and a boy stood in front of it.

"……Ah"

Irisdina reflexively raised her voice. Her eyes fell on someone's back before she realized it. The boy, Nozomu, slowly turned his back, perhaps he noticed their presence.

"...You guys have arrived"

Irisdina and the other's gazes locked on Nozomu who slowly turned his back.

"Thank you, Shīna. For bringing everyone here."

"You don't have to worry about that. I want to help you. Didn't I already say so?"

Shīna smiled while saying so. She shrugged her shoulders as if it couldn't be helped.

"Anri-sensei, Norn-sensei. Thank you for coming all the way to this place."

"You don't have to worry about that~"

Anri replied so while smiling and Norn nodded with a smile.

Perhaps encouraged by their smiles, Nozomu's cheeks also loosened.

“This place is……”

His memorable place. The place where he made an important promise. After Irisdina muttered, Nozomu slowly opened his mouth.

"Yes, this is where I was training my katana technique. Here I've been training with my master for about two years."

"Master... according to Shīna's story, it was the one who taught you katana technique?"

"……Yes"

Nozomu nodded at Irisdina's question with an expression as if he was remembering his nostalgic days. His expression was so gentle that Irisdina and the others had never seen it before.

“…………”

Irisdina somehow became fixated on his expression. At the same time, something hot emerged from the depths of her chest. A feeling that felt different, but similar to the feeling that she didn't want to lose him. She gently placed her hand on her chest to feel what it was.

"Nozomu..."

"Mars..."

When Mars stepped forward from Irisdina's side, Nozomu's eyes caught him. Mars' usual unyielding behavior left the place silent and a heavy atmosphere drifted around.

"... Nozomu, I'm sorry. I was..."

Words of apology came out of Mars' mouth. Nozomu just silently listened to his words.

"I was jealous of you. You had such an extraordinary power ..."

Mars admitted the jealousy he felt towards Nozomu.

He wanted power like Nozomu's, so he started using a combination of Qi and magic. He felt he had mastered it, and as a result of his shallow actions, he put his companions in a bind. And since he didn't want to admit his mistakes, he vented it on Nozomu who didn't try to release his power.

Nozomu listened to him in silence.

"...I didn't think you would forgive me just by apologizing... You might as well not want to see my face. Even so... I want to see you again and apologize... I'm sorry."

"...It's alright. Also, I'm not qualified to be angry at Mars. Unlike you, I was just scared and couldn't even do my best ..."

Mars just lowered his head. Nozomu, who was just staring at Mars, began to squeeze out his thoughts while shaking his head.

“…I accidentally obtained this power. I simply fought because I didn't want to die, and as a result, I obtained this power…”

I just got it by chance. He confessed that he had been averting his gaze from Mars all this time, even though there were people like Anri who were on his side at school. His expression was tinged with regret.

"I...I run away all the time. Even though I know I'm running away, I still can't move forward."

"It's the same with me. I know you're suffering and worried about something, but I couldn't step in to ask you..."

Along with Nozomu's confession, Irisdina also began to admit her own mistakes.

"If you're my companion, if you're my friend, I could have done more ... But I was just looking at you. Before I knew it, I was only able to do things that didn't become a hindrance to you ... "

She squeezed her hand on her chest. She was ashamed of herself, who couldn't step in to ask him, even though all she needed was only one step.

"That's why I want to face you one more time"

“…………”

Nozomu, who heard Irisdina's words, stood with his eyes closed. It was only a few seconds. But to Irisdina, it felt very long.

"I... I wonder if everyone would reject me if they knew the nature of my power. It might be even worse.... To be honest, I'm still scared until now..."

While biting his lip tightly, Nozomu tried to stop the anxiety rising from the depth of his chest.

"But I don't think it will work if I continue like this. I can't keep stopping any longer than this. I have to move forward so that I can use this power when it really matters. That's why I have to move forward like Shīna... "

Nozomu enveloped his entire body with Qi to shake off his anxiety, placed his left hand on his chest, and clenched his fist. In his hand was the invisible chain that only he could see.

As Nozomu strengthened his body with his Qi. As fighting spirit overflowed from Nozomu's body, Mars reflexively reached out the greatsword on his back.

"Mars..."

However, Tima gently held his hand. Tima shook her head while wrapping Mars' right hand with both of her hands.

"It's alright...it'll be alright"

With that said, Mars once again looked at Nozomu. Nozomu's gaze in front of him was still harsh, but the warmth of Tima's hand helped him regained his composure.

"Fuh~ ..."

Mars exhaled and calmed himself down.

However, in the meantime, Nozomu's Qi instantly swelled up.

"Kuh~...!"

Nozomu put a lot of power into his left hand. The chains that bound him resisted with a creaking sound as if to symbolize the anxiety and fear that still lingered in his mind.

"Guh~... Ugh"

As Nozomu put more power into it, red stains emerged from under his clothes. Perhaps it was a reaction to forcibly release the Ability Suppression that had been stuck. Blood oozed out like peeling off the lid of a wound. The wounds caused by the battle with the Undead Dragon reopened.

However, Nozomu still did not loosen the power in his hand. He continued to endure the pain that ran through his body while clenching his teeth.

At that moment, Nozomu felt himself being watched. He could feel many warm feelings as if he was being watched over.

When he raised his face, Irisdina and Mars looked straight at him. From behind them, Shīna, Anri, and the others were watching him.

And he could feel a nostalgic feeling from his back. As Nozomu glanced behind him, Shino's katana that was leaning against the entrance of the hut jumped into his eyes.

(What's wrong? Isn't it alright now?)

Such a voice entered Nozomu's ears. It may be a hallucination. It may be a delusion created by his grief. But for Nozomu, that was fine. Everyone who came here did not lower their heads and they didn't leave him. That alone made him ready to face it till the end.

"Guuuu!"

Nozomu concentrated all his remaining Qi onto his left hand. The resisting chains bit his left hand and blood came out, but the current Nozomu didn't even mind such a thing.

A myriad of cracks appeared on the invisible chain with a cracking sound.

"Aaaaaaa!!"

Nozomu tried to tear the chains by squeezing out the last of his strength. The next moment, the chains that bound him were torn with a crushing sound.

In the next moment, a powerful burst of power was released from Nozomu's body as he felt a severe pain running throughout his body.

Tiamat's power, which was suppressed, is now released with his own power. Tiamat's power filled Nozomu's body and tried to break through his body from within. That power easily leaking into the surroundings.

The power leaking out of his body raged like a hurricane, imprinting its majesty on all beings around him.

"Ku~u, it's still a ridiculous feeling of intimidation..."

"What... the hell... is this..."

Mars and the others broke out in cold sweat in front of the intimidating feeling released by Nozomu that surged by an order of magnitude, and Mimuru and the others who were behind them opened their eyes wide and didn't say a word. Even Anri, who was usually smiling, was stunned and speechless.

"……As I thought"

Meanwhile, Irisdina looked at Nozomu with her calm eyes, while being nervous because of the burst of power released by Nozomu. By seeing him release the Ability Suppression again, she was convinced that the discomfort she felt was correct.

"Wha~! Wait! Seriously ... What is this power ..."

Among those who were speechless, Feo finally leaked out the words of disbelief. Everyone was uniformly mesmerized by Nozomu's dramatic change.

"Ugh~..."

"Wha~! Shīna!"

Meanwhile, Shīna suddenly moved backward and collapsed as if losing her strength. As Mimuru hurriedly supported Shīna's body, Shīna's face was deathly pale and her entire body was shaking as if frightened.

"W-wait, Shīna! Are you okay!?"

"What... is that... a spirit? But there's no spirit of that color. That kind of thing is..."

"Shīna! Shīna, hold yourself together!!"

Perhaps she couldn't even hear Mimuru's loud voice, she just stared at Nozomu in fear.

"Inside of him... the power of several extraordinary spirits is swirling inside of him... it's not something a human can possess. If he had such power... he would definitely break..."

Everyone was shocked by Shīna's words and looked at Nozomu. The power that leaked from his body continued to swirl in a rush.

Meanwhile, Irisdina took a step towards the swirling bursts of power.

"... He said he got that power by chance. A forceful fighting style that doesn't match Nozomu's original fighting style. And the power of the spirits inside him that Shīna felt. What the heck is that ... "

"That power ... it's not the power of average spirits... and also ..."

With blue in the face, Shīna muttered to answer the question Irisdina had inadvertently asked. She had the ability to respond to spirits, so her eyes could see the heterogeneity of Nozomu's powers more clearly than Irisdina and the others.

The crimson flame that governs purification, regeneration, and destruction.

The blue water that governs creation and the coldness of life, but sometimes brings impurity and depravity.

The brown earth that gives the blessings of the earth and carved immortality.

The whimsical wind that carries the seeds of life and guides travelers, and sometimes obstructing them of their path.

The pitch-black darkness that rules the night brings peace, anxiety, and conflicting things to all.

A chaotic color that seemed to be a mixture of multiple spirits that couldn't possibly be ordinary spirits. Shīna clearly felt that power raging in Nozomu's body.

At that time, the figure of a giant dragon with 5 colors and 6 wings appeared in her mind.

A tower-like giant that soared into the sky and wings that cover the sky that grew from its back.

The enormous claws and fangs were sharpened to the point that the earth could split open and even diamonds could be torn apart.

And eyes dyed with hatred that would destroy everything in this world.

The spirits that existed in this world sometimes showed their rough side, but compared to that, this one was too terrifying.

"~! No way!"

And there was only one spirit that matched that figure in this Arcmill Continent.

Nozomu's figure in front of her overlapped with the dragon that had once devoured its own race.

When she realized that fact, Shīna's face paled and turned white like a dead person.

"Did you realize it ..."

Nozomu saw Shīna's expression and understood that she realized the true nature of his power.

"This is ... the power of a dragon. I still don't know the reason why I got this power..."

Saying so, Nozomu told the story of when he killed a dragon.

“At that time, I was on my way to this hut to train as usual. And before I knew it, I was in an unknown place. In that place, I was attacked by a dragon with five colors and six wings."

"A dragon with 5 colors and 6 wings..."

Irisdina and the others realized the identity of the dragon that Nozomu defeated, and they were all at a loss for words. While staring at their facial expressions, Nozomu continued to talk about his story.

"During that battle, I was able to release my Ability Suppression and won in a series of miraculous coincidences. At that moment, I lost consciousness, and all I saw was the figure of the defeated dragon became a torrent of light and fell toward me. "

When he thought about it now, it was a miracle that he was able to win. If the gear of fate was misplaced even just one, Nozomu would definitely have been dead.

"...The power is too great to fit on my body. I managed to survive because of my Ability Suppression, but that dragon is still alive inside of me..."

While talking about himself, Nozomu continued to resist Tiamat as it was trying to eat Nozomu up.

He gritted his teeth in an attempt to contain his raging power, but as if it was mocking Nozomu's efforts, the raging power continued to rage within his body.

“Haa, haa… every time I release my Ability Suppression, it goes berserk in my body and may eventually eat my body….. I saw that scene over and over again in my dreams.”

Nozomu desperately persisted while gritting his teeth. There was greasy sweat on his forehead, and his expression was as stiff as it could be.

"I don't know what kind of treatment I will receive if this power is known to the people around me. I might become an experimental subject, a political tool, or a replaceable pawn..."

While desperately enduring, Nozomu confessed that he is a dragonslayer. He explained his anxiety and clearly conveyed it to Irisdina and the others in his own words.

"More importantly, if everyone knew about this power, I don't know what everyone would think of me..."

And Nozomu exposed all of his feelings. He had anxiety and regret as he kept running away. And also because of the tragedy that would happen if he made a mistake.

"~! ...inside me is the power of Tiamat. If I were to be swallowed by this power, I might kill everyone with my own hands... Even if that doesn't happen, if this power is known, everyone may disappear... When I realized it, my mind started to be weighed down about it…… I feel anxious and restless…”

If Shino was still alive, Nozomu wouldn't have been cornered this far.

However, she was no longer there. Nozomu must carry the secrets and worries about the dragon's power alone.

"I am……"

"Finally, you let me know ..."

"Yeah. Thank you, Nozomu. For telling me ..."

Nozomu's loneliness leaked out as he muttered. However, Irisdina and Mars' words gently enveloped his lonely heart. They had expressions of relief as if the weight in the depths of their chests had been removed.

"Both of you ..."

"Nozomu. We asked you to tell us about yourself, and you already told us about your story..."

With her hands on her chest, Irisdina ascertained her own feelings.

"So let me tell you my intentions why I want to hear about your story... I want to know more about you."

Irisdina explained her intention and moved her legs to get closer to him.

"~!!"

However, Nozomu pulled and thrust his katana towards the front of Irisdina. The Qi on its blade has already been extremely compressed and turned into a magic sword. The katana stood between them, like a wall separating Nozomu and Irisdina.

"...If you know more about me, you may not be able to return. If you go deeper, it may be life-threatening. You may even get Somia involved..."

However, the pupils of the person who pointed the katana at Irisdina swayed. His desire to accept her and the joy of being accepted. Even so, her anxiety didn't go away and he wanted to make sure those were her true feelings. Nozomu's heart swayed alternately like a balance. The katana he thrust forward that symbolized his heart swayed slightly.

"...Yes, that's true. Great power attracts a lot of people. Some will try to use you in their own convenient way. Some will take risks and try to eliminate you. Some people may be after those around you, not yourself."

Those who pursue their own interests. Those who are afraid of him. And when they decide that they can't deal with him directly, they will target the people around him.

"...But it's the same for me."

The Francilt Family with their great power. There were many people flocking to her little sister as well as her for being the next head.

Of course, the situation was completely different between the Francilt Family and Nozomu, the dragon slayer.

It wasn't easy to compare Nozomu, who had tremendous strength as an individual but had no organizational backing, with Irisdina, who would be the next head of such a powerful family.

However, Irisdina and Nozomu were the same in the most essential point, which was they attracted people's attention.

"That's why it's not a new story for me. Rather than that, I hate it if you're going to leave me."

(I don't want you to leave me.)

That word pierced Nozomu's chest. Nozomu's eyes swayed even more due to her desire that was directed at him.

As Irisdina advanced her legs further, Nozomu's body moved backward to maintain the distance. Mars, who was behind Iris Dina, also stepped in and lined up next to her.

"If we think about it now, we never opened our hearts to each other. In fact, we might not even have started anything yet..."

Irisdina and Mars advance further. Both of them were already within the range of Nozomu's attack. The katana with *Phantom -Clad-* activated was in front of them. They could reach it as soon as they extended their hards.

"That's why. Once again, let's start it. Right here right now ..."

The two of them extended their hands towards Nozomu's katana.

Nozomu's *Phantom* can easily cut rocks. If a human finger were to touch it, it would be cut off.

However, neither Irisdina nor Mars wanted to withdraw their outstretched hand. The two hands were about to touch Nozomu's katana.

The moment when the outstretched hand touched the blade…….

“…………”

"...Nozomu"

Nozomu's *Phantom -Clad-* had been canceled.

The two hands gently held Nozomu's katana down, which had been thrust out without force, and Nozomu lowered his katana as he was guided by their hands.

"I-I, I am ..."

Nozomu let out a silent sob.

His eyes were swollen red and filled with tears. He desperately pursed his lips to avoid crying in front of the two of them.

"Thank you for telling me your story. Thank you for answering our wish..."

"I'm sorry Nozomu. And also, thank you. Being friends with someone like me..."

"Uuu...."

The eyelids that had been holding on desperately, finally burst open, and hot drops of tears ran down Nozomu's cheeks. A tear or two that fell to the ground were gracefully twinkling in the moonlight.

Because of the overwhelming feeling he felt inside his chest, he couldn't hold it in anymore. Nozomu kept shedding tears while entrusting himself to the warmth that enveloped him.

"~!"

Nozomu who finished shedding tears raised his face.

His eyes turned red and his tears made his face terrible, even so, his expression was so bright it was as if the evil spirit that had possessed him was now gone.

"Me too... once again with everyone..."

Nozomu tried to confess his feelings again.

But the next moment, Nozomu's eyes opened wide, and he suddenly attacked the two people in front of him with a stream of Qi.

A violent shockwave hit Irisdina and Mars, and they were thrown into the air.

(What exactly happened?)

The two, who were blown away without knowing the reason, wondered what had happened. And in the next moment, their eyes saw a huge black mass pass by with a roaring sound in front of them, and Nozomu's figure was blown away by the huge black mass.