Chapter 8.18

Chapter 8.18

When Nozomu entered the party venue, it was so luxurious and extravagant that the only word that came to his mind was a simple, "It's too amazing ......."

The hall of Irisdina's mansion was spacious, but what Nozomu saw before his eyes was a hall that surpassed even that.

In the hall, which was both huge and luxurious, dignitaries dressed in various outfits were chatting and laughing with glasses in their hands.

The party was a standing buffet, with a variety of elaborate dishes from the East and West, and each person was feasting their palate on a variety of dishes.

Students who were already used to parties were greeting the dignitaries with whom they seemed to be related.

On the other hand, students who were not used to parties reacted in various ways.

There were those who looked around nervously, those who made formal greetings to nearby dignitaries, those who reached for the nearest bottle of wine in hopes of getting a little help from the alcohol, and those who were so nervous that they couldn't move at all.

Among them, Nozomu was none of the above. That's because .......

"Nice to meet you, Nozomu Bountis-kun. I am the head of the Erdoil family of Forsina Kingdom. I have been watching your performance at the martial arts garden."

"T-, thank you very much."

"I am Baron Milharun of the Cremazone Empire. I reside in the southern part of the empire."

"I-, It is a pleasure to meet you. I believe that's where the Mithril comes from..."

"Oh, so you know about it?"

"Y-, yeah. Though I've only heard of it in class."

"Is that so? It's an honor to have you know my name. Recently......"

This was because upon entering the venue, he was suddenly surrounded by a large number of dignitaries.

The majority of the dignitaries were from the Kingdom of Forsina and the Cremazone Empire, followed by the Sumahya Union.

Perhaps because of his close relationship with Irisdina, many of them were related to Forsina.

These include important figures of the country, the feudal lord of a city, and a great merchant who travels among various countries. All of them are much more prestigious and wealthy than Nozomu, and can be called successful people.

On the other hand, in contrast to the combat training in the morning, Nozomu's response was tense and stiff.

He was clearly not used to being on the receiving end of such a situation, and this was reflected in his mannerisms.

Nozomu was originally a commoner who had never been to such a social party. He was trying to remember what he had learned about the geography and magic theories in class, but he was too occupied to respond to every word.

"Have you decided what you're going to do after you graduate?"

"Ah, no, I mean..."

"If you haven't decided what you're going to do after graduation, by all means, come and work for me ....... I can offer you a good salary."

The head of the Erdoil family, who spoke to him first, was blatantly trying to recruit him.

As for Nozomu, he could not just nod his head in agreement.

"I am sorry. I haven't decided on my future plans yet..."

"Is that so? I thought you had a goal in mind since you reached that level of ability."

"That's right. Besides, how did you manage to learn such a remarkable katana technique? I've never heard of anyone using that kind of weapon in this academy."

"Is it possible that you have already decided to serve the Francilt household? I hear that you are close with the young lady of that family..."

He thought about how he could get out of it and leave the place, but the dignitaries who were trying to recruit him kept asking questions and saying things one after another, refusing to give Nozomu any time to think about it.

In fact, that was their goal. They bombard Nozomu, who was still not used to the situation, with countless questions, depriving him of his ability to think, and looking for an opportunity to get some kind of answer.

But then someone came to his rescue.

"Nozomu-kun, there you are."

A calm voice wafted through the air between Nozomu and the dignitaries.

"Shina?"

The one who came to talk to him was an elf girl, a schoolmate of Nozomu's.

She was also wearing a blue dress that Victor had sent to her before. The semi-transparent see-through skirt that hid her short skirt and the shawl draped over her shoulders, as usual, enhanced her charm as an elf.

In fact, the dignitaries who had been trying to recruit Nozomu just a few minutes earlier were also mesmerized by Shina's charms and were rendered speechless.

"I've been looking for you. Come with me for a minute."

"Eh? W-, wait!"

While the dignitaries were frozen in place, Shina quickly took Nozomu's hand and started walking.

Nozomu was surprised when she suddenly took his hand, but Shina, walking in front of him, glanced at him and muttered.

"It's all right, let's go somewhere quieter."

Hearing these words, Nozomu realized that Shina was concerned about his situation being surrounded by dignitaries, and he moved to the edge of the hall as she urged him to do.

Once they settled into a less conspicuous spot by the curtains, Nozomu let out a big sigh.

“Thank you, Shina. You saved me"

"Don't worry about it. I also wanted to get away from those pesky people for a bit."

"Pesky people?"

"Yeah, the same people who are trying to solicit me regarding my future plans after graduation, just like you."

Nozomu briefly checked his surroundings and found a group of people other than the group of dignitaries surrounding Nozomu earlier.

They were probably the dignitaries who had been soliciting Shina.

There were about ten of them.

The number of people in the group was about the same as the number of people surrounding Nozomu earlier.

“Was it that terrible?”

"Yes. Elven spirit magic is rare after all, and we're rarely seen in public to begin with."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. In this situation, I don't have much of a choice. Besides, I'm not the only one having such a hard time."

Shina glanced at a corner of the venue.

Nozomu followed her line of sight and saw Irisdina dressed in a glamorous white party dress and Victor in a luxurious outfit.

The color of Irisdina's dress was white, perhaps to match her hair, which had turned ashen-white due to excessive use of magic power.

Around the two of them, dignitaries wearing similarly beautiful and luxuriously ornamented outfits gathered, calling out to Victor and Irisdina one after another.

The number of people was even larger than the dignitaries gathered around Nozomu and Shina, and they completely occupied a corner of the party venue.

Nozomu was stunned by the sheer number of dignitaries gathered.

"Irisdina-san seems to be greeting people together with her father. She'll be busy for a while."

"It seems so..."

Dignitaries gathered around them and called out to them one after another. Irisdina and Victor responded to each of these numerous calls with a smile.

It would be impossible for Nozomu to act like Irisdina did now, as he was so nervous at the mere mention of his name that he was unable to respond properly.

(It's just so impossible for the current me...)

Irisdina shining in the center of the crowd was just like the moon shining in the night sky.

Her outfit, which matched her hair, which had turned ashen-white due to excessive use of magic power, also helped to overturn the dignified image she had previously portrayed.

Furthermore, if one looked closely, the dress was decorated with silver ornaments, which further enhanced the image of "pure white" that she had now.

Perhaps it was because of this that the dignitaries who were talking to Irisdina seemed to be younger than the people Victor was talking to.

Nozomu was amazed to see Irisdina smiling at the dignitaries, but at the same time, he felt a pain deep in his chest.

"What about Mars and the others?"

As if to hide the pain running through his chest, Nozomu turned his gaze back to Shina.

"Mars-kun, Feo, Tima-san, Tom, and the others are in the same situation as you. Mars-kun, Tima-san, and Tom are talking with people related to the empire, and Feo is talking with people from the Sumahya Union. If you go there now, you will definitely be surrounded along with them."

"Ugh……"

The expression on Nozomu's face clouded as he imagined the scene.

As if to push him even further, the next words came from Shina's mouth.

"Besides, they'll surround you if you're alone. And it wouldn't be just the people who solicited you earlier..."

"Eh……?"

Shina sighed ... and pointed to one of the tables prepared in the party venue.

There were ladies dressed in colorful dresses and ornaments gathered there.

The ladies looked to be of the same race as Nozomu. However, Nozomu did not recognize any of the ladies' faces.

"……Who are they?"

"Those are the daughters of the dignitaries who accompanied them. Once the dignitaries had finished their greetings, we would have had to deal with them."

Apparently, these ladies were not originally from Arcazam, but were ladies who had come from outside the city for this opening festival.

Upon closer observation, all of the ladies' gazes were fixed on Nozomu.

When their gazes met Nozomu's, the ladies all turned lively at once.

Young noble daughters tend to yearn for brilliant heroes and heroic men.

Perhaps they were looking at Nozomu, who had fought a tight battle with Jihad, as a future hero.

In fact, their reactions were varied, with some trembling with excitement, some looking at him seductively, and others shyly hiding their faces with fans in their hands, but all were tinged with curiosity and infatuation.

"You sure are so popular."

"P-, please stop..."

Nozomu, who was still not used to being the center of attention, felt his cheeks twitching and his shoulders slumped.

Although it was only recently that Nozomu had been receiving a lot of positive attention at the school, he was still forced to deal with unfamiliar situations, and now the aristocratic daughters were giving him very intense, passionate gazes.

It was enough to discourage Nozomu.

"Ugh... I really want to be a flower on the wall."

"Fufu~, flower, you say. You're a man, aren't you?"

Shina couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Nozomu's shoulder slumping.

Nozomu's lips twitched involuntarily upon being laughed at by the elf girl.

"Isn't it fine? You could just shut down your presence and hide..."

"Looks like I won't just be a flower on the wall, but the wall itself..."

Shina involuntarily winced at the presence of Nozomu, who seemed to be planning to hide rather seriously.

Not only is Nozomu's skill in swordsmanship literally extraordinary, but he is also skilled at detecting presences.

Not only that, but through his master's training (torture, according to him), he had experience chasing after numerous demon beasts in the forest.

Naturally, he knew how to hide from foreign enemies.

In fact, Nozomu had a record of successfully escaping from Abyss Grief when it chased after him in the forest.

If Nozomu really tried to hide, he might really be hard to find.

(This is going to be okay, right? This isn't in the forest, and his clothes do stand out...)

Since Nozomu is not in the forest but in a party venue, and since he is dressed in formal attire that is hardly suitable for hiding, he would probably be found even if he hid.

While thinking so, Shina, who had witnessed Nozomu's irrationality up to now, could not shake off a trace of uneasiness that floated around in her mind.

"Hmm?"

Just as Shina began to worry about Nozomu's escape, two distinctive figures came into the corner of Nozomu's vision.

One was an old man of considerable age. The other was a handsome young man who looked like a theatrical actor, and both men were dressed in traditional clothes based on green and white color.

The most distinctive feature of the two was their long ears. They were exactly the same as the ears of the girl next to Nozomu.

"Elves?"

The old man did not even try to hide his probing gaze and turned his glare toward Nozomu and Shina.

Although the handsome young man was smiling calmly, his gaze was clearly tinged with a hint of suspicion.

Hearing Nozomu's words, Shina also looked to see what he was staring at.

Then she let out a big sigh with a resigned look on her face for some reason.

"...... Yes, he is one of the Elven Elders. He was here during the combat training today."

Nozomu wasn't sure, but apparently the old man was a very important figure among the elves.

"Your acquaintance?"

"Well, yeah. He'd be my great-grandfather."

"……Eh?"

Not just acquaintances, but they were blood relatives.

Nozomu was surprised at this unexpected fact.

"Did I not tell you? My sister was a priestess in the service of the great tree of our homeland. Even among the elves, only a very few of the elves are truly qualified for that position."

"You had told me that you had a sister, but..."

Nozomu knew that Shina had a sister. And he also knew that her sister had died along with her parents during the Great Invasion in order to help Shina escape.

However, he did not know that Shina's relatives actually had such an important role to play.

"Could it be that Shina, just like Iris…”

"It's a little different from Irisdina-san. In the human world, lineage is considered important, however, what a great tree priestess needs is excellent sensing and contracting abilities with the spirits."

The priestess of the Great Tree is one of the most important positions for the elves.

By contracting and communicating with the Great Tree that resides at the center of the Foskia Forest, the Foskia Forest became an impregnable fortress, protecting the Elven race.

[The Divine Reciter] [The Exalted One] [High Elves]

In a sense, they held a higher authority than the elders.

"When I was in my hometown, I was a candidate for the priestess position. But I was only a candidate. At one time I couldn't even perform spirit contracts, and even now I couldn't possibly hold a candle to my sister, who was a priestess."

Hearing Shina's words, Nozomu took a deep breath.

Nozomu was well aware of the power of her spirit magic after the Abyss Grief incident. In fact, she had almost completely suppressed the Abyss Grief's movements with her spirit magic.

He wondered how high her sister's level was and what kind of person she was.

"Even so, I was one of the few candidates who survived. Naturally, the elders were very opposed to me coming to Arcazam."

Despite the loss of the Foskia Forest, the elves managed to survive, establishing a hidden village near the border between the Cremazzone Empire and the Suimahya Union, where they have survived until now.

However, they could not easily change their natural disposition toward exclusion.

Many of the elders still refuse to associate with other races, even though they yearn to reclaim their homeland.

"What a ridiculous way of thinking. In the first place, that's the reason why we ended up losing our homeland..."

Indeed, it could be said that one of the reasons for the fall of the Foskia Forest was due to the elves' exclusionary nature.

Even until the fall of the great tree, the elves did not permit other races to enter the forest.

Because of this, even now the position of the elves within the Union was not favorable.

(Could it be that the elder has come to bring Shina back?)

Such thoughts crossed Nozomu's mind.

However, Shina smiled as if to blow Nozomu's worries away.

"Don't worry. My great-grandfather can't take me back. And he has no reason to."

"……Eh?"

"My great-grandfather was very much against it because I couldn't use spirit magic. He wanted me to stay away from going out there because I had no way to protect myself."

Shina had been unable to perform spirit contracts since losing her homeland until she met Nozomu.

This was due to the trauma of losing her family, which was resolved with the help of Nozomu, Mimuru, and the others.

"But that is no longer the case. I can use spirit magic properly now."

"I see……"

"Yes, it was thanks to you."

Shina turned her radiant smile toward Nozomu.

To Nozomu, her white skin seemed to be flushed red, as if she were bathed in a fever.

A pure and gentle smile, filled with trust, affection, and love.

Combined with her fairy-like appearance and dress, it was a smile filled with a kind of mystical charm that seemed out of this world.

“…………”

Nozomu's cheeks turned vermilion, regardless of his own will.

Their cheeks were dyed red as if they were mirror images, and for a while, the two of them were silent in a sweet and sour atmosphere.

Eventually, Shina's eyes, which had been watching the embarrassed Nozomu, showed a color like that of a child who had come up with a mischievous idea.

"Fufu~, are you embarrassed?

"Not really..."

Nozomu could only turn his head away from Shina, who was teasing him with a relaxed look in her eyes.

To put it bluntly, Nozomu was embarrassed.

Many of the elves, both male and female, are good-looking.

Shina, a member of the elf race, was also much better looking than the other well-dressed ladies in the party venue.

Any man would fall in love with her if she smiled at him at such a close distance.

Perhaps reading Nozomu's thoughts, Shina's cheeks flushed vermilion and she continued to tease him with a mischievous smile on her face.

“You don't have to be embarrassed. Even I'm a little embarrassed to say these words in public, too, you know?"

"If that's the case, why are you saying such things here?..."

"Cause you didn't seem to be pleased by it..."

"Pardon?"

As she muttered this in a quiet voice that Nozomu could not hear, Shina turned her charming smile into a serious expression for a moment and looked at the ladies who had been looking at them.

Even if they were not as well dressed as Shina, the daughters of the influential people were certainly glamorous and eye-catching in appearance.

The ladies' gazes turned to Nozomu with the same infatuation as if they had just met a famous idol.

But that was all.

Shina's excellent hearing and eyesight, trained in the forest, and above all, her female intuition, picked up the words of the ladies throughout this bustling party venue.

What wonderful power did he possess, how great was his prospect, and what could they offer him that would make his heart captivated?

The ladies' eyes were not looking at the very essence of the young man, Nozomu Bountis.

Isn't he as strong as Jihad? The ladies were merely driven by the reputation and rumors that Nozomu Bountis is a strong young man comparable to Jihad.

That was why Shina found the ladies who were paying attention to Nozomu not interesting.

Shina knew this because she was deeply connected to him.

Nozomu Bountis is not one of those flimsy, scribbled-on-paper, heroes of stories.

He is never perfect; he is by no means strong.

His heart, which has faltered, broken, and yet still rose up, is the very essence of Nozomu Bountis, the man the fastidious elf girl wanted to support, even to the point of hiding the sacred blood-covenant ceremony from him herself.

(Ah, I see……)

A little jealousy leaked out of her.

And when she reaffirmed her decision, she came to realize the true nature of the heat that dwelled in her heart.

(I want to stay by Nozomu-kun's side forever...)

It was exactly the same wish as her friend's wish.

To stay next to Nozomu Bountis, to be close to him. A passionate and deep affection to stay by his side for as long as time permits, even if it meant not being in the same place as him.

The ceremony of the blood covenant was the form of such a wish of hers.

"Can you still sense the spirits properly?"

"Yes, but it's still vague like usual, and I have no idea about their intentions..."

As he said so, Nozomu pointed to the chandelier that illuminated the venue.

Nozomu's eyes could only see that something was vaguely clinging around the chandelier, but Shina's eyes could see the spirits of fire and light there, twirling around the candle flames and playing happily.

(But, I'm...)

The fact that she even used the blood covenant ceremony, a sacred ritual for elves, to try to help Nozomu, was all due to her longing, respect, and love for him.

At the same time, however, the sacred ritual of the blood covenant became a chain that bound Shina's heart.

The blood covenant ceremony is the one and only ritual that is equivalent to the sharing of souls for the elves.

It can only be performed by those who have placed their complete trust in each other, and it cannot be performed if there is even the slightest hesitation or distrust.

This ritual was originally performed between elves, and the contract would remain in effect until the death of either one of them.

The fact that Nozomu and Shina were able to make this contract proves that they are bound by a strong relationship of trust.

Being an elf who can understand others' intentions through a contract, Shina is able to sense the clear and unclouded gratitude and trust from Nozomu, with whom she is connected through the contract, more than Nozomu can feel it himself.

(To such a person, I did not tell him the true meaning of the blood covenant ceremony...)

Although she was happy to have such trust from Nozomu, at the same time, it made Shina's heart tighten helplessly.

As if to cover up the dull ache in her chest, Shina glanced at a section of the party venue.

Shina's great-grandfather and his attendant, who had grim expressions on their faces, were still observing Nozomu and Shina.

"Is it okay if we don't greet them?"

"It's okay. I know the elders were going to check on me and take this opportunity to bring me back, but to no avail."

Nozomu Bountis had no idea what the blood covenant ceremony meant. He knew only part of its effects.

Because Shina deliberately did not tell him, in order to provide him with training in the control of Tiamat's power.

That was why the presence of relatives who knew the meaning of the ritual was such a headache for Shina.

If she could, she would prefer not to talk to them.

But apart from her true intentions, her great-grandfather approached Nozomu and Shina accompanied by his aide.

"Fuh~, it can't be helped. I'm sorry. Excuse me for a moment."

"Ah~, wait..."

(I have to get out of here as soon as possible.)

Shina, in such a hurry, tried to leave the place quickly, but Nozomu stopped her.

"What?"

"Shina, you have helped me move forward, albeit a little. Although I'm not quite there yet, I want to say my gratitude again. Thank you ......."

When Shina turned around, she saw Nozomu looking straight at her and thanking her.

His eyes were filled with the same sincere trust and affection that she could sense through the contract.

Even if she had only felt it with her heart, the power of the gratitude that was expressed in words was tremendous.

Shina's face turned red like a boiled octopus.

(He surprised me, that's not fair!)

Shina quickly turned her eyes away and turned her back to him.

She took several deep breaths while holding her chest.

"... Don't worry about it. Thanks to you, I wouldn't have had to give up on my dream."

"Is it about your homeland?"

"Yes, to take my homeland back. That's my dream."

Shina strongly stated the goal she had vowed to achieve, but she could not say her other wish. The guilt that lingered in her heart like a lump would not allow her to do so.

"Well then, see you next time. Be careful, don't let anyone strange follow you, okay?"

"Am I a child!?"

"They might take you away, though, right?"

The daughters of the dignitaries were still paying attention to Nozomu.

However, perhaps because Shina's enjoyable conversation with Nozomu had aroused their envy, their gazes began to take on a rather fierce color.

"Ugh~..."

"Well then, see ya."

"Hey~! Wait..."

While shrugging off the pleading eyes behind her back, Shina turned her feet towards her relatives.

She felt both the joy of being able to help her beloved and a guilty feeling that stirred in her heart.

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