Ryuu Kusari no Ori

Volume 3 Chapter 1.1

The Fierce Emotion of Betrayal Part 1

Translator : PolterGlast

Once again, the chains that bound me were released. Although the chains were tied up again, the restraints were slowly beginning to loosen. The creaking sound of the chains foreshadowed my resurrection. There is no way that a mere human being can keep me restrained. It is as if this outcome had already been decided.

Perhaps it was because I had lost some of my power to this human. Compared to when I was in the sealed world, now I can think somewhat more clearly. I also looked into his memory. This person himself was not aware of it, but I can see. He is harboring a very small but not insignificant emotion. If that is the case, let me at least make him relieve his anger. Be grateful for it, and may you return to the heavens with satisfaction.

◆

Blurred vision.

In his nightmare, Nozomu witnessed a hellish scene. The searing heat and a single emotion tinged his thoughts. The only thing that surged up inside him was one single emotion. It was intense anger. He looked down at his own hands, and noticed that he had claws and his hands were covered in jet-black scales and stained red.

(This hand is that dragon's ......)

He wondered why he was looking down at Tiamat's hand. Before his question could be answered, the dragon's hand, stained with blood, somehow transformed into a human hand holding a drawn katana.

Now he wondered if he had cut something.

Blood stuck to the blade of the katana, and his whole body felt sticky and uncomfortable, as if glue had stuck to them.

(What the hell is happening? ......)

Amidst the confusion, he looked up to grasp what had happened. And what was there was .......

◆

"~ !"

In a bounce, Nozomu raised himself up. The sun had already risen, and the morning sun shining through the window partially illuminated his body.

"....... Morning?"

While shivering from the cold, Nozomu checked his surroundings. He is in his room. It seemed that he had fallen asleep at his study desk until morning. On the desk, there were a number of scribbled letters crossed out in black ink and left discarded.

"Ah, I see. That reminds me ........."

After he had done some checking, he remembered what he had been doing yesterday. He was writing a letter, but he didn't know how to write it, so he fell asleep.

"But still, what was that dream about?......"

He thought back to the dream he had just had. Although he knew it was a dream, it felt strangely real. *Thump - thump*. His heart was beating fast, and an indescribable feeling of uneasiness was rising up in his neck.

Before he knew it, his hand clenched and the letter he was halfway finished writing was crumpled in his hand.

"Oh no ........!"

He hastily unfolded the letter, but the paper was wrinkled and completely useless. He had no choice but to take out a new piece of paper that he had not yet used.

He put a dry quill pen into the opened ink pot and stirred the ink, which had begun to harden. With the scent of ink wafting through his nose, he looked outside and saw that the sun was already peeking over the horizon.

"Come to think of it, I had an early morning training appointment with Iris and the others today･･････"

The location is on the outer edge of the town. Considering the time to go, there was no more time. He had to write it down quickly. After taking a deep breath to refresh his mind, he returned his gaze to the letter on his desk and readied his pen. But no words came to mind. The contents of the letter that he had just ruined no longer seemed to make sense to him.

[As it turns out, she's not lying. Lisa-kun is serious and recognizes that you have betrayed her.]

[And there is one more thing I have to tell you. It's about Lisa and the others that I saw. There's something I realize now......]

Irisdina and Shina's words came back to his mind.

Nozomu involuntarily bit his lip as he drew the conclusion he had deduced from this. It was something he was able to imagine if he thought about it carefully. Considering what had happened after he and Lisa had parted ways ......

"I didn't notice. No, I didn't want to notice it･･････"

The dark emotions that welled up in him made his cheeks tense up even more. For a moment, Nozomu's lips contorted and he froze, but then he ran his pen and wrote a single sentence on the letter, which he sealed and put in his pocket without checking it. He then picked up his beloved katana and his bag and left his room to go to the appointed place. On the desk, he left an open ink pot and a quill pen that spread a black stain on the crumpled-up letter.

◆

On the outskirts of Arcazam. In a field leading to the outer rim of the town, Nozomu was engaged in an exchange of blows with a black-haired girl.

The girl's name is Irisdina Francilt. She is the daughter of a prestigious nobleman from the kingdom of Forsina, a large country, and is the top student in her third year at Solminati Academy.

The magical light overflows from her well-proportioned limbs and fills even the rapier she holds in her hand. Irisdina, who has gained further acceleration through precise enhancement magic, swings her weapon while dancing gracefully like a butterfly darting about in the field.

"Haaa~!"

Her speed is just like a flash of light. The barrage of blows, unleashed in all directions, struck Nozomu like a dense net.

"Phew~!"

Nozomu, while retreating backward on his feet, uses his katana poised at the ready to deal with the oncoming barrage of flashing blows. At first glance, it looks as if Irisdina is pressing in on him. However, she noticed. She noticed that there was hardly any sense of urgency in Nozomu's eyes as he dealt with the approaching blows. In other words, this proves that no matter how much pressure he seems to be under, it is all within his expectations.

(As expected. It's amazing how he can surpass my blows, which are overwhelming him, so perfectly with his abilities......).

Irisdina genuinely respects and admires him for the truth that she can't push through even if she seriously swings her rapier.

Ability Suppression.

Nozomu has been subjected to this ability, which places restrictions on his own abilities. Despite this handicap, his attack is swift and powerful. The heat rising from deep within her chest makes her mouth relax involuntarily.

(How about this?)

She activates the magic she had prepared. The next moment, the ground beneath Nozomu's feet rose like a mountain.

Soil Manipulation. It is a basic-level magic that manipulates the soil. Irisdina did not perform the chanting required to activate the magic. The reason why the magic was activated in spite of this was due to her ability, [Instant Deployment].

However, her magic had no significant effect. Despite being suddenly caught in the rising soil, Nozomu calmly responded to the situation.

Instead of forcibly resisting, he conversely let gravity take over, rolling on the ground and escaping from Irisdina's range of attack.

She fired follow-up magic bullets at the destination of Nozomu's evasive maneuver, but he dexterously unsheathed his scabbard from his sword belt as he rolled and repelled only the magic bullet that would hit him directly.

(Just how in the world was he able to do that?)

Even with his vision spinning around and around, he accurately intercepted the magic bullets that were approaching him. While being shocked by Nozomu's ability to sense danger, Irisfina continued to invoke her magic.

[Restraining Magic・Chain of Darkness]

The moment a magic circle appeared under Nozomu's feet, four black chains shot out and intertwined with his limbs. After confirming that her opponent's movement was completely restrained, Irisdina leaped while releasing a magic bullet for a follow-up attack. At the same time, she further strengthened her mithril rapier, [Silver Wings of Evening Star], by infusing it with magic power.

[Magic Sword・Lunar Eclipse]

It is the most powerful magic Irisdina possessed. It is the most powerful magic Irisdina possessed. Even the strongest A rank person would find it difficult to block it.

"Phew~......"

However, Nozomu slashed all of them off. He focused his Qi on the katana in his right hand and turned it around with just his wrist. With that, the chains of darkness that touched the blade of the katana were cut in half. He then slammed the butt of the sheath against the magic circle on the ground while sheathing the katana.

[Mikagura-style・Breaking Strike]

An internal destructive technique that combined bursts of Qi and a heavy blow shattered the magic circle underneath his feet, completely erasing the remaining chains of darkness with a bursting sound. Nozomu, who had freed himself from the restraints, once again enveloped the katana he had just sheathed in Qi and drew it at once.

"~ !"

[Mikagura-style・One Billion Severance]

A flash of light bursts forth. Countless blades of Qi collided with the oncoming swarm of magic bullets and whittled them away. Then for the third time in a row, he poured Qi into the blade of the katana, and with a returning strike, he intercepted Irisdina's all-out attack.

"Ugh ........!"

"Mmh ........!"

The two blades collided and competed against each other. Sparks were flying and the smell of burning air hit their noses.

Irisdina expressed her admiration for the situation for the umpteenth time today. It was understandable. This magic sword she had managed to create amidst the battle would still be able to slice through even the scales of a dragon race. On the other hand, Nozomu's Qi-blade was made in less than half a second. Despite this, his Qi-blade boasted the same strength and sharpness in terms of density and quality as the magic sword that Irisdina had struggled so hard to create.

"As usual, you are a man who is capable of doing extraordinary things without difficulty ......!"

"No, honestly, I'm reaching my limit. This is my last ･･････!"

The two leaped backward as a sort of mutual signal. Then each of them took the stance they were best at.

Irisdina thrust out her left hand and calmly raised the tip of the rapier to a thrusting posture, and Nozomu lowered his hips and sheathed his katana. Displaying the Quick-draw technique stance.

A slight pause was generated in the midst of this. A tense atmosphere engulfed the area・・・・・・ and it erupted.

"~, haaaaa!"

Irisdina was the first to move. She boosted her magic power all at once and successively invoked strengthening magic on her own body. Instantly raising her physical capabilities, she stepped forward with all her might. At the same time, she generated five magic bullets. While matching the movement of the rapier, she released a thrust with even greater penetrating power by intertwining the five magic bullets with the [Lunar Eclipse] in a spiral motion.

[Magic Sword・Black Comet]

A new technique she developed after her battle against Rugato. Magic power converged at the tip of the thrust and pierced the atmosphere in a spiral, hurtling toward Nozomu. Her figure resembled a black star slicing through the moonlit night.

"~ !".

A black comet was closing in. Nozomu focused all his concentration within a second. His vision turned gray, and all movement in his eyes came to a standstill. In the slow world, he took a step with his right foot and drew his katana while strengthening it with all his might.

*Clang!*

With a high-pitched metallic sound, the two shadows collided. The clash lasted only a moment. The result was obvious.

"Hmm, looks like it's my loss..."

Irisdina gently ran her fingers over her own abdomen. A single scar was shallowly etched on her uniform.

"Phew~ ........ -sorry, your clothes, ah-･･････."

Following Irisdina's dispersed magic, Nozomu also released his stance, but then something unexpected caught his eye. What glimpsed through the gap in her uniform, which had been slit open, was Irisdina's white belly. Her lovely navel was peeking out from her silky skin without a single stain.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"No, umm......."

Irisdina, who had noticed Nozomu's gaze, began to tug up the edges of her cut uniform with a grin on her face.

Nozomu turned away in a panic, blushing in response to seeing the white porcelain skin being exposed. Seeing him like this, she chuckled and smiled.

"Hahaha, you're fun to tease after all~~"

"Ojōsama, you are being immodest."

As Irisdina was enjoying Nozomu's reaction, a middle-aged maid with neatly combed light-purple hair came over to admonish her.

Mena Manat. She is a maid who used to be a close attendant of Irisdina's father, the head of the Francilt family, and is regarded as a skilled swordsman who now takes care of and guards Irisdina's younger sister, Somia.

She had a spare uniform in her hand, and a curtain had somehow been hung over a nearby tree to create a simple changing room.

"I know. I wouldn't do that to anyone else."

Irisdina picked up her spare uniform in a lighthearted manner and followed Mena's lead to the simple changing room.

When she disappeared behind the curtains, Nozomu slumped his shoulders tiredly and sat down on the ground.

"Haa, Gosh........"

"Fufu~, Ane-sama must be enjoying herself when she hangs out with you, Nozomu-san."

Somiriana, Irisdina's younger sister, approached Nozomu.

She looked into Nozomu's face and smiled at him, her glossy black hair fluttering just like her sister's.

"Should I feel honored, or should I lament that I'm always being made fun of?・・・・・・ Ah, right, Somia-chan, where's Mars and the others?"

"If it's the two of them, they're over there ........."

Somia pointed toward where Mars and Tima were practicing magic.

"Just a little more, almost there ....."

In both of Mars' hands, two wind masses are being formed, and they are gradually growing in size.

It is a rather advanced training, using multiple magics to change its scale. However, it seems that he is still not able to control it. The shape of the wind mass in his hands is gradually becoming unstable.

"No, no, Mars, suppress your magic power!"

"Mu, guu, muuu ........"

Tima tried to calm Mars, but perhaps because he tried to suppress it by force, the turbulence of the magic power did not subside.

On the contrary, the excess supply of magic power caused the distorted wind mass to expand at once.

"Oh no!"

"O wind, up you soar!"

However, just before the wind mass burst, Tima moved.

She enveloped the wind mass, which was about to burst instantly, with her own magic power and released the raging wind into the sky.

A strong updraft was generated, but without causing any damage to the surroundings, and almost all the magic power dissipated into the sky.

"Ah-......"

At that moment, Tima's skirt suddenly lifted up.

Nozomu, sensing what was about to happen, reflexively tried to avert his gaze ・・・・・・

"Nozomu-san, don't!"

"Ummph."

Somia, who was standing next to him, twisted his neck as hard as she could.

The sound of bone cracking resounded, and Nozomu winced at the intense pain that ran through his body.

"Ah, I'm sorry!"

Somia, in a panic, clung to Nozomu, while Tima, who had finished dispersing the magic power that had nearly exploded, came up to Mars with puffed cheeks and a pout.

"Did I not already tell you, Mars-kun? I told you, you can't control magic by force!"

"I-, I thought it could work......"

"Gosh, I've been thinking about it for a while now, but you're being a little too tactless, you know that!? You understand, don't you!? Magic is a very dangerous thing!"

Apparently, Tima was quite upset with Mars for wanting to proceed with things so hastily.

This was a very unusual reaction from her, who was usually quiet and not very good with men.

"I-, I do understand that much......"

Mars awkwardly averted his gaze and responded in a weak tone of voice.

Did he feel bad about his recklessness, or was he perturbed by the sight he had just seen?

Perhaps it was both. If one looked closely, one could see that Mars' cheeks were slightly tinted with red.

"Really? Then why are you looking away from me?"

"W-, well, now is a bit-......"

"What are you- ......"

Tima raised her eyebrows in response to Mars' stuttering, but then she finally noticed where his eyes were looking at.

Beyond his glancing gaze, there was her own skirt. Her face turned bright red.

"~, D-, did, did, did you see it?"

"N-, no, I didn't see it! Only a little- ......"

"～～～～!"

The next moment, an inaudible scream erupted from Tima's mouth. At the same time, the magic power that reacted to her overflowing shame exploded. *Boom!* and with a roaring sound, it exploded, blowing Mars away like leaves from a tree. It seemed that the continent's most powerful magic power was enough to send a single adult flying through the air, even without any chanting or other techniques.

"Fuwaaa ....... Is Mars-san going to be alright?"

"Well, he has reflexively clad himself in Qi, so I think he'll be fine....... Hm?"

At that moment, Nozomu's eyes turned toward the city.

"Nozomu-san, is something wrong?"

"No, I felt like someone was watching me ......"

Beyond Nozomu's gaze is the border between the outer edge of the city and the downtown area. There lies a place where miscellaneous packages, including wooden boxes and faded wood, are placed.

He stood up abruptly, approached the luggage, and began to remove the rotting wood planks.

As the fine pieces of wood danced around and the dust tickled his nose, a stone wall hidden beneath the wood soon emerged.

Nozomu puts his hand on the cool, damp stone wall.

A slight smell of burning wood mingled with the scent of rotting wood.

"Nothing, huh ...... no, there's a trace of magic power here."

A faint heat of magic power blended with the cold feel of the stone. Upon closer inspection, one of the stone walls is blackened and charred.

When he ran his finger over it, a film of charcoals fell off.

"What in the world is this? ......"

With a frown, Nozomu picked up a piece of charcoal that had fallen to the ground.

The remnants of magic power that had been floating around were no longer there, and the pieces of charcoal shattered and disappeared into the late spring winds.

◆

"That was dangerous!"

An oval mirror floating in midair. The moment his gaze met the person reflected in the mirror, he released the magic he was casting.

At the same time, he ordered the medium that was receiving the image to destroy itself.

Having finished destroying the medium in the nick of time, the person who had been spying on the reflection was heaving with relief and exhaled deeply.

"Whew, that was close. Just what kind of presence-sensing abilities does he have? Even though that Mena Manat didn't notice me ......"

However, what followed on his face was pure interest.

While being surprised by Nozomu's abilities beyond his imagination, at the same time his curiosity about the subject of his investigation accelerated.

"Nozomu Bountis. I see. He seems like an interesting guy. I've been doing this part-time job for a while now, so I've had to deal with a lot of troublesome things, but it looks like I hit the jackpot this time. Heh heh~!"

With his golden ears and tail wagging, he quickly picked up his bag and walked out of his room.

The Solminati Academy uniform he wore had a blue nameplate on it, indicating that he belonged to the second class of the third grade.

◆

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