Ryuu Kusari no Ori

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 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.

By the way, it seemed that his body parts, which had been cut in two by Nozomu, were healed completely within a few hours.

Rugato himself said that it was precisely because he was cut so cleanly that he himself was surprised at how quickly his body healed.

"Tima and Mars-kun are attending school right now, but they will both be here after school. Ena is safe and sound, too, and she's back at her house. Rugato has explained to me why the Francilt family made the secret agreement with the Waziart family, so I would like to discuss the matter with them as well. Are you all right?"

"Well, somehow ......"

At that moment, Nozomu's stomach rumbled. His body seemed to be craving for nourishment, as he was quite drained of energy.

Nozomu scratched his cheeks in embarrassment, while Irisdina and Somia giggled and chuckled.

"By the looks of it, you seem to be doing all right. I'll bring you some food. Somia, let's go."

"Yes, Ane-sama! Well then, Nozomu-san, please look forward to your meal."

After saying so, the two sisters left the room in high spirits. After Nozomu saw them leave, he sat down on the bed and thought about the nightmare he had just had.

The nightmare he had just experienced flashed through Nozomu's mind.

Unsure of how to explain the secret he had been hiding, Nozomu put aside the uneasiness that remained like a lump in his throat and looked forward to the meal that would satisfy his hunger.

◆

That evening. It was not fully dusk yet, but the sun was slowly beginning to set when the parties involved in yesterday's incident gathered in a room at the Francilt mansion.

To begin things off, Irisdina explained the secret agreement between the Francilt family and the Waziart family, which was the cause of this incident.

It all began three hundred years ago.

At the time, the Kingdom of Forsina was in the midst of a civil war over the succession to the throne, and the country was in a state of disorder.

The conflict was between a faction directly affiliated with the king and a faction of the royal family that had obtained the cooperation of foreign powers, and at that time, the Francilt family belonged to the king's direct lineage faction.

However, the faction with which the Francilt family was cooperating gradually became outnumbered in the conflict, and finally, they could no longer handle the situation on their own.

At that time, the head of the Francilt family sought the help of the Waziart family of the Dizard Empire, a neighboring country with which they had no diplomatic relations, as a means of overturning their disadvantageous situation.

Using the power of their unusual abilities and magic artifacts behind the scenes, the king's faction, the Francilt family, was able to eliminate the hostile forces.

The [Furnace of Spiritual Flame] which was fused to Somia's soul was originally one of the artifacts used in the civil war at that time, and it was a vampire-like magic artifact that used the souls of others as sacrifices and shared its mighty power and life force with the user.

For its achievements, the Francilt family received great trust from the royal family, and its power became absolute.

In exchange for their cooperation, the Francilt family paid the Waziart family a huge sum of money and agreed to lease the magic artifacts to them for 300 years.

As a matter of fact, Rugato was in the service of the past head of the Waziart family 300 years ago when the contract was made and was present when the secret agreement was concluded between the two heads of families.

According to the old gentleman who knew about the matter at that time, the head of the Francilt family, who made the secret agreement, took the time of 300 years because he was concerned about the resurgence of hostile forces.

And since the Waziart family is also a long-lived vampire, they were not so concerned about the 300-year gap because of their different sense of time.

"I guess your ancestors must have been desperate in the face of the impending crisis, albeit it was a royal family crisis."

"What about the [Furnace of the Spiritual Flame] that merged with Somia-chan's soul? ......"

"Ah, about that. It seems that even the current head of the Waziart family is unable to separate the [Furnace of the Spiritual Flame] from Somia's soul."

According to Irisdina, the [Furnace of the Spiritual Flame] was used on Somia quite a long time ago, that was just right after she was born.

"It can't be ......"

Hearing this conversation, Nozomu recalled that the girls' mother, who had given birth to Somia, had passed away.

"Perhaps it was Mother who used the [Furnace of the Spiritual Flame] on Somia. Somia was a rather premature baby right after she was born ......"

With a complicated expression on her face, Irisdina gently stroked Somia's head.

The usual cheerful expression on Somia's face had also faded, and there were hints of tears around her eyes.

"Somia-chan ......"

"Don't worry. I think my mother did this because she wanted me to live."

Somia looked upward with tears filling her clenched eyes.

Her face, while still looking a little gloomy, was holding a strong radiance.

"I immediately contacted the head of the Francilt family regarding this matter. Just as the old butler had said, the rest will come down to some kind of compromise between the Francilt family and the Waziart family."

"...... Irisdina-san, is it really all right for you to tell us all of this?"

These matters should be something that the Francilt family couldn't disclose to others.

However, Irisdina, seemingly unconcerned about Nozomu's doubts, replied.

"I don't mind. This time, even though you got involved in our circumstances, you still helped us. I don't want to hide anything from the people who saved our lives. Even if my family finds out about this, I won't let them mess with you guys."

Irisdina, with her arms folded, assured them that she didn't mind at all. There was no hesitation in her expression.

"Let me express my gratitude once again. Thank you for helping us this time. It's all thanks to you guys that I didn't lose Somia. I'm really ...... grateful for your help ...... Thank you."

"Thank you so much ...... for helping us!"

The Francilt sisters bowed their heads and thanked Nozomu and the others.

Nozomu felt a twinge of embarrassment at the pure feelings of the sisters.

Mars, perhaps feeling the same way, looked at them with a stern red face and an embarrassed look on his face.

Only Tima was smiling, looking at her best friend and her best friend's sister, who were safe.

"Ah, no. It's nothing to be concerned about. ......"

"Of course it is! You were so cool when you saved me from the Grim Reaper, you know!"

"Fufu~, it is just as Somia said."

Somia leaned forward and excitedly closed in on him, and Irisdina also praised him.

"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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