CH 5.29

(Ugh~...)

A groan echoed softly in the room. Nozomu who was lying on the bed slowly opened his eyes.

(……w-where is this?)

What jumped into Nozomu's eyes, who had been laid down, was a world dyed in gray and the ceiling made of wood. However, it wasn't the ceiling of his dorm room, and it wasn't as luxurious as the room at Francilt's.

"W-where the hell is this...~!"

(I should have been in the forest in the first place...)

While thinking so, he tried to get up from bed.

However, he couldn't get up due to the pain running throughout his body, and he fell back onto the bed.

If he looked closely, he could see traces of treatment here and there all over his body. Especially his arms, still tightly bandaged so they couldn't be moved carelessly.

The sun shone through the open window, and it was clear that a lot of time had passed since his battle in the forest. Nozomu moved slowly so as not to burden his body and tried to get up again. As before, his body was in dull pain, but he lifted his body little by little and looked at the scenery outside the window.

The room where Nozomu was now was on the 2nd floor of the building, and beyond the window, the view of the birds perched on the roof of the opposite house came into view. Looking downward, he could see people passing by. At that time, Nozomu finally realized something was wrong with his body.

(Eh? It's strange. I can't hear any sound. Also my eyes...)

The scenery beyond the window... no, it was his vision that remained dyed in black and white. Also, he couldn't hear the chirping of the birds perched on the roof of the opposite house or the hustle and bustle of passers-by. He tried to say "ahhh", but as expected, he couldn't hear anything.

(Is it possible, could that be the cause?)

What he could think of as the cause was the release of his Ability Suppression and direct use of the dragon's power. Given that his ears and eyes were normal before using Tiamat's power, no doubt about it.

Nozomu looked up at the sky while exhaling. Anyway, he was glad he was safe. To be honest, it was a situation where he could die.

Tiamat had been trying to take over him along with the Undead Dragon who suddenly revived and attacked him. The Undead Dragon, which should have been defeated, had resurrected and attacked in its transformed form.

(I wonder if everyone is safe...)

Nozomu was worried about their safety.

Given the situation, they should be safe. Because they had brought Nozomu to this place. However, the anxiety stuck in his chest didn't go away because he couldn't see them.

However, the current Nozomu was unable to move.

With his visual and hearing abnormalities, as well as the wounds all over his body have not healed yet. He wasn't quite ready to go out yet.

Even so, he put his hand on the edge of the bed to get up and try to find his friends. At that moment, the door that was visible at the edge of Nozomu's field of view opened, and someone entered the room.

(Ah~……)

Within the gray field of view, the line of sight of Nozomu and the people who entered the room intersected. Two girls with long, flowing hair. One of them has long ears peculiar to an elf. They were Irisdina and Shīna. They were holding bandages and gauze in both hands, probably because they had come to take care of Nozomu. When they saw Nozomu awake, they shouted something in a hurry, rushed to Nozomu's side, and forced him to lie down on the bed. They were very flustered.

Perhaps his wounds still hurt, Nozomu groaned.

When they saw Nozomu's pained expression, they hurriedly released their hands holding Nozomu, and Shīna turned her heels back and went out of the room. She probably went to call everyone else.

Irisdina was still shouting something with her face close to him.

Nozomu himself couldn't hear anything, but she seemed to be scolding him about something. She also occasionally touched Nozomu's body to check the condition of the wounds.

And when she finished examining his wound with a worried expression, she looked at him again and entered preaching mode.

Since Nozomu couldn't hear her voice, her preaching lacked a sense of seriousness or presence, so his cheeks naturally loosened, but Irisdina's eyes grew sharper instead.

Irisdina rushed closer to Nozomu. Perhaps he didn't want to offend her anymore, Nozomu managed to calm Irisdina down. But Nozomu didn't know what she was saying, so he couldn't answer. Irisdina, who was heating up, and Nozomu, who couldn't do anything about it.

At that time, multiple presences came into the room.

Nozomu and Irisdina's eyes were directed at those who come in.

They were friends who were in the forest at that time. No one seemed to be missing, and no one was seriously injured.

Nozomu relievedly stroked his chest. At least, if his friends were able to get out of that predicament, it wasn't in vain that he was the only one injured.

After Norn said something to Irisdina, Irisdia blushed and immediately backed away from Nozomu. Irisdina glanced at Nozomu. She noticed that she had brought her face close enough to feel each other's breath, and Nozomu's face turned red.

At that moment, Norn approached Nozomu, raised her hand while making a surprised gesture.

He didn't know what she was saying, but Irisdina puffed out her cheeks.

Norn, who came by Nozomu's side, said something while examining his wounds. But Nozomu, who was deaf, could only tilt his neck.

At that time, Norn's expression, after she noticed that something was strange, changed to a harsh one for a moment.

Nozomu shook his head as if to clear his drowsy head. He didn't know if it worked, but gradually colors returned to Nozomu's field of vision, and he could hear voices echoing around him.

"I-it's alright. Looks like he's still half-conscious..."

"Well ... I'll check his wounds for the time being, so everyone should get out."

Norn was going to do a medical check-up, so she urged Irisdina and the others to get out. But Irisdina and Shīna, who were worried about Nozomu, looked reluctant.

"Eh? But..."

"Norn-sensei, even if you're here for a medical check-up..."

"I have to take off his clothes it's a medical examination. Irisdina-kun, Shīna-kun, do you want to see Nozomu-kun naked that badly?"

Nozomu naked…….

The faces of the two, who heard those words, turned red.

"Uu~..."

"E-excuse us."

Irisdina and Shīna went out of the room in a hurry.

As prompted by them, everyone else went out of the room and the door was closed. Anri remained in the room, presumably to help Norn, and they faced Nozomu again.

While observing Nozomu's flustered state due to not understanding the situation well, Norn quickly took off Nozomu's coat and started the medical examination.

She palpated Nozomu's body to check his injuries and internal conditions. Magic light shone in her hand, and others could see that she was also using magic for examination.

Norn asked Nozomu while doing palpation.

"Nozomu-kun. Perhaps you couldn't hear us since a while ago?"

"Yes... But, I can hear it now."

Nozomu noded to answer Norn's question.

Upon hearing his words, she continued to examine Nozom while thinking of some of the causes in her head.

“It has been about five days since you passed out. This is Anri's room, and you were brought into this room not long after. Does your body feel any other abnormality?”

Nozomu nodded at Norn's question and informed her that not only his hearing but also his vision remained gray.

His hearing hadn't returned to normal yet. What he heard was echoing sounds like a distant voice, but for the time being, he was able to understand what was going on.

"It's probably because of the release of that power. It causes temporary paralysis of the blood vessels and nervous system in the body."

Blood vessels are an existence that flows within the body of a living being. Organisms use the resources that exist in this world and take them by all means such as breathing and eating.

Roughly speaking, it is the source of the body's strength.

It is divided into magical power, which is the power of one's spirit, and Qi which is used by partially pumping blood vessels.

As long as blood vessels were flowing within the bodies of living beings, if something went wrong, in the worst case, it may directly lead to death like Shino.

"To be honest, it was a serious injury. Your bleeding didn't stop and you didn't regain consciousness. You were saved because we continued to use abundant medicine along with applying healing magic, if left alone, you would definitely have died of blood loss."

Norn carefully examined Nozomu's blood vessel while palpating Nozomu's body with magical power. As she said, Nozomu's body was weakened due to the continuous use of excessive force, and the effect of healing magic was diminished. Healing magic is magic that accelerates the healing ability of an injured person, so if the injured person's vitality declines, the effect will inevitably drop.

"The wound itself got better than when we diagnosed you while you were sleeping, and the blood vessel itself isn't damaged. The loss of senses seems to be temporary and your body is getting better. I think it will heal over time, but now you should rest. "

Norn briefly told Nozomu the results of her examination, but this time she reprimanded him in a slightly scolding tone.

"You're too reckless. You were lucky this time, you would be dead if you did it poorly, and it wouldn't be strange to have a disability that would last a lifetime, do you understand?"

Nozomu nodded at Norn's words and turned his gaze to the door where Irisdina and the others had left. If he had been asleep for five days, they would have been very worried about him.

"Everyone is worried. I was taking turns with Anri on looking after you, but Irisdina and the others also stayed here until late at night to help me."

Norn's words affirmed his thoughts.

He felt troubled. He didn't intend to make them worry...

When Nozomu showed a troubled expression, Norn put Nozomu's coat back on his shoulders, probably because the examination was over.

“But you know, leave that to me and Anri. You should have a good rest now. If you recover, their worries will also disappear.”

"Yes……"

Anri, who was behind Norn, nodded and smiled as usual.

Of course, Nozomu was curious about Irisdina and the others, but as Norn said, Nozomu should focus on healing his own body first. Norn got up from the chair and tried to leave the room.

However, she stopped her feet and turned to Nozomu again.

"Nozomu-kun, about that dragon inside of you..."

Her voice echoed in Nozomu's ears. Nozomu took her words and looked straight into Norn's gaze, who was looking at him with her worried eyes.

"Nozomu-kun. As a doctor, I know you are fully aware of the dangers of that power. But let me tell you as a teacher, using that power is..."

"...I know. It's about whether I keep using it, isn't it? The more I use its power, the more Tiamat will dive into my head."

It would be over if he just died. Because after this time, as it has actually been shown before, that power will be directed to the people around him.

Fortunately, no one died this time, but as long as Nozomu had the power of Tiamat within him, there would always be the possibility of his power going wild. Nozomu himself fully understood it. He knew it better than anyone. That's why he kept his worries inside himself before, but because of that, it resulted in a terrible atmosphere with Irisdina and the others.

"But I can't run away anymore. Even if I run away, my surroundings will end up getting hurt. And the first one to get hurt will be Iris and the others... I'm sorry."

However, currently, there is no way to remove this powerful power from Nozomu. Then, he only had two choices. Will he give up and throw everything away, or will he face this power head-on and completely control Tiamat's power?

And Nozomu can no longer choose the former option.

Irisdina and the others tried to stop him who had been running away even though they might be killed in the process. That's why he couldn't turn his back on those who had accepted him.

"Certainly, the difference in power between Tiamat and I is clear, but I'm not hesitant anymore. Even if I die, I'm not willing to give up."

Nozomu declared so while holding his fist tightly. Above all else, his words were directed at himself.

"Do you think you can do it? Your opponent is a legendary dragon, you know?"

Norn stared at Nozomu and squinted her eyes.

While receiving that gaze, Nozomu said in a clear tone after he took a deep breath.

"I can't do it alone, but it's okay. Now, I have everyone as a place to come home to..."

Yes, he is not alone anymore.

Nozomu said that while his mind was drifting somewhere, reminiscent of a tree rooted in the wilderness, not a cloud that seemed to disappear. It was the bond he got.

It was still small and unreliable, but it was one of the guideposts that could be used as an indicator when he got lost, hesitated, or lose track of his way. It was the moment when the small buds that sprouted in Nozomu's heart began to grow bigger.

"Is that so... then don't you forget about that feeling and take good care of your friends."

Perhaps satisfied with the answer, Norn loosened her tense gaze and turned around with a smile on her mouth. Hearing Norn's words, Nozomu nodded, slowly lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes while recalling the faces of Irisdina and the others in his mind.

Perhaps his body wanted a rest, Nozom immediately began to sleep.

Anri and Norn left the room without making a noise so as not to disturb him.

The other side of the door is a living room with furniture such as a fireplace, table, and chairs. The orange curtains and brightly colored interior matched Anri's bedroom, and there was a warm, feminine scent wafting through the room.

In the living room, Irisdina and the others anxiously glanced at Norn and Anri. As expected, it seemed they were curious about Nozomu's condition.

"Well, regarding Nozomu-kun's condition, it seems that his senses are temporarily lost as a side effect of the power he exerts. It seems he has trouble hearing sounds."

"~!!"

Those words made the faces of Irisdina and the others tense up.

"It's alright, as I said earlier, it's only temporary, and for the time being, he already passed the difficult part. It'll be alright if he takes a rest and heals his body."

"I see……"

“…………”

Norn tried to explain Nozomu's condition in a bright tone.

However, despite her words, the facial expressions on the faces of Irisdina and the others remained dark.

Perhaps, it was inevitable for them to worry about Nozomu, their gazes fixed on the door of the room where Nozomu was sleeping.

"...Are you feeling anxious?"

"Yes……"

Irisdina answered Norn's question in a weak tone.

Norn and Anri smiled slightly, probably because they understood the feelings of Irisdina and the others.

"We're going out for a bit because the medicine is about to run out. He fell asleep as soon as the examination ended, but he's in a stable condition. He'll wake up after a while, so is everyone willing to watch over him?"

"Yes, we understand"

Norn left the room after listening to Irisdina's reply. Feo and Mars accompanied her as luggage holders, and they disappeared into the hustle and bustle of the city.

"Well, I'll make some tea for the time being~. I think there's still some time until Nozomu-kun wakes up, so let's take a break~ "

Anri started preparing teacups and leaves to make tea, and Irisdina and the others tried to help. They kept watch over him while taking turns until Nozomu's consciousness returned, but for sure they couldn't sleep well because they were worried about his condition even when they were resting. It turned out that Nozomu's condition had already gone through the difficult part, so they could relax a bit for the time being.

However, they remained tense, because they still couldn't really feel relieved yet. In anticipation of that, Norn told Irisdina and the others not to worry about him and rest. For a while, while preparing tea, their awareness continued to be directed to the next room separated by a wallboard.

===================================

Irisdina took a break while worrying about Nozomu. As the sun rising in the sky began to set, she was looking at Nozomu's sleeping face by his side.

(What should I say when he wakes up? What should I ask...)

There were many things she couldn't ask because she refrained from doing so. But for sure, she had a lot to talk about.

"...Nozomu"

While muttering the name of the person sleeping in front of her, she gently touched his cheek. Perhaps because Nozomu had not fully healed, the skin she touched was still hot, and that conveyed his throbbing heartbeat to Irisdina's palm.

"It was hard, but... I'm glad you're alright."

His expression sleeping beside her was wrapped in relief, and the light breeze blowing from the window gently caressed his face.

"...Irisdina-san"

Shīna came into the room along with the sound of knocking on the door.

As she came next to Irisdina, she also looked into Nozomu's sleeping face and loosened her cheeks. Beyond her line of sight was Nozomu who slept with a relieved expression on his face. She could feel he was here and alive right now. The thread that had been tense in their hearts was finally unraveled.

"Nn~ ..."

At that time, Nozomu's eyelids slowly opened. His eyes reflected the two's faces watching him with slightly surprised eyes.

"Is he awake...?"

"Y-yes"

Nozomu responded to Irisdina's muttering in a slightly low voice.

"~! Can you hear our voices!?"

"Y-yes. My eyesight doesn't seem to have a problem and my ears can hear properly too."

"I'm relieved……"

Irisdina and Shīna breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that Nozomu was able to hear properly now. At that moment, Mars and the others who were in the next room rushed in after opening the door.

"Nozomu, are you okay?"

"Yahho! Nozomu-kun. Are you still alive?"

"Mimuru, you're being imprudent. I'm relieved, it seems your senses are back."

They must have heard about his condition earlier. Mars and the others called out to Nozomu as they were relieved that Nozomu's senses had returned.

"Everyone ... I'm sorry to make you worry."

"Good grief. It was thanks to me and my big spending. Hey Nozomu. I have a suggestion, regarding that katana, why don't you give it to... Bugh~!"

"What are you saying? How can you say such a shallow thing at a time like this."

Shīna's fist flew towards Feo's nose after he let out a remark that didn't read the atmosphere of the place. Feo painfully pressed his nose and stared at Shīna with teary eyes.

"Why did you hit me! It was a joke! I was just trying to lighten the mood! ...Well, I'd be grateful if you could give it to me."

"I'm relieved you are alright. What you did was really bad for our hearts..."

After complaining to Shīna, Feo continued his negotiations with Nozomu. Of course, the katana stuff was just a joke, and it was just an act to make the atmosphere less awkward, but his concern was completely cut off by Shīna's words.

"Fufu... aren't you and I not that different? Or perhaps you're even more foolish than I was."

Shīna smiled broadly at Nozomu. Her best friend, Mimuru, who was there, also showed a surprised expression at Shīna's smile which was like an affectionate mother. Mimuru couldn't feel the piercing atmosphere Shīna had when she first met Nozomu.

"Umm~. Isn't my jokes become awkward? It's sad that I'm the only one being ignored. At least one of you should respond to my joke..."

"But I'm glad you made it back safely. From this point forward I hope we can get along well."

Shīna reached her hand out and asked Nozomu for a handshake.

Originally it was a moving scene ...

“…………”

The fox-tailed boy had completely lost his nerve. Feo, whose existence was ignored, was just trying to make them laugh. He was so pitiful.

"Y-yes, let's get along, everyone. Speaking of which, about that katana..."

"Here it is"

While Irisdina answered Nozomu's question, Shīna, who was perplexed, immediately retracted her outstretched hand.

Irisdina showed him a katana. There was no decoration, it just had a plain handle and guard, but something in the katana itself attracts others' eyes.

"That is ... Shishō's katana"

"This katana seems to have escaped the flames and was found near the burnt hut. I thought it was important for you and I wonder if you will need it in the future."

While saying so, Irisdina handed the katana over to Nozomu. This katana was placed by leaning against the door of the hut, perhaps due to the impact when the hut was collapsed, it was able to escape from the range of the Undead Dragon's scorching breath

A katana that was given to him by his master together with her feelings and thoughts. Until now, he didn't have the courage to wield it, so he had left it in that hut.

However, even though he had never swung the katana before, Nozomu's hand was mysteriously familiar with it. It was as if the katana had recognized him as its new master.

"Truly, thank you..."

While embracing all the feelings he felt in his heart, Nozomu thanked Irisdina and the others. They accepted Nozomu's gratitude with big smiles on their faces. Then Irsidina sat on the chair beside the bed and looked straight at Nozomu's face.

"Nozomu. Can you tell me more about yourself..."

(I want to know more about him.)

She could feel the heat in the depths of her chest rising.

Finally, Irisdina was able to talk to Nozomu. It was like a lie that she used to be so lost before.

"Well, alright. What should I talk about... My hometown is surrounded by mountains......"

Nozomu slowly started talking about his hometown while looking at her beautiful face and shiny white skin, Nozomu could feel his heart beating faster. Time went by, and the curtain of night fell.

But on that day, the light in the small room never went out, and everyone's laughter resounded.

===================================

He was dreaming. A hellish scene where scorching fire and the voices of people seeking help resounded. Among the collapsed Arcazam, Nozomu was once again the only one standing.

"That bastard..."

The heat that burned his skin and the stench that emanated from the former humans scattered around him. The scene, which seemed almost like reality, spread out before Nozomu's eyes.

However, Nozomu looked at the scene with a different feeling than before. His five senses were telling him that the hellish scene in front of him was real, but he could sense something was wrong as if there was a curtain hanging over him.

“…………”

The current Nozomu could recognize that the scene in front of him was an illusion. Nozomu silently released his Ability Suppression. He released all of Tiamat's power that he had taken, focused it on his right arm, and slammed his fist onto the ground with all his might.

The released power of the five colors once again laid waste to the scorching hell, shattering the fake world and turning it into dust.

The moment the fake Arcazam shattered, Nozomu was standing on the shore of the dark lake. A mountain-like giant loomed in front of him.

(Gururururu ……)

Tiamat glared at Nozomu with disdain. Its gaze was filled with rage. It was furious as if it was ready to burn the little human in front of it.

Tiamat spread its five-colored wings and created countless light bullets in the air. The five-colored light bullets spread and filled the dark sky. As the light bullets twinkled like stars in the night sky, Nozomu just stared straight at the giant dragon in front of him.

Tiamat was unable to make Nozomu fall into despair with its illusions. This time, it tried to destroy Nozomu's spirit by force.

Nozomu lowered his posture and let his energy flow throughout his body. His right arm was still in severe pain due to the full force of the blast he just released, but it didn't matter.

The myriad of light bullets that covered the sky were aimed at Nozomu.

A chill ran down his spine and the pressure seemed to crush him. The next thing Nozomu noticed was that his right hand was quivering slightly.

"~! As usual... This power is no joke"

While feeling cold sweat running down his back, he could hear his beating heartbeat getting faster. Nozomu desperately tried to revive his withered fighting spirit. There was no point in thinking about the difference in strength between them. But he won't give up. Even if he were to be reduced to ashes by the scorching breath, he would never give up. Thinking of the place he should return to. His hands were…… no longer trembled.

The faces of his friends reappeared in his head. Then Nozomu put his hand on the katana around his waist.

"Gaaaaaaaa!"

Along with its roar, the light bullets that filled the sky fell all at once toward Nozomu. It was as if the sky seemed to have collapsed.

As the mass of murderous intent was approaching, Nozomu concentrated and released an equal power as the giant dragon from within him.

"Ugh~!"

His field of vision became pure white due to the severe pain running all over his body. Nozomu desperately tried to maintain his consciousness while gritting his teeth. The light of chaos enveloped Nozomu's body, and his entire body screamed.

Even so, staring at the meteor shower of light that was closing in on him, Nozomu rushed towards the oncoming shower of light while leaving a trail of light shining in five different colors.

His field of vision turned pure white as intense pain ran throughout his body. Nozomu desperately tried to maintain his consciousness while gritting his teeth. The light of chaos enveloped Nozomu's body, and his entire body screamed.

Even so, staring at the meteor shower of light that was closing in on him, Nozomu rushed towards the oncoming shower of light while leaving trails of light shining in five different colors.