Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no “Kokoro”-

Chapter 7.18

A huge wall surrounded Arcazam.

The thick walls, over 10 meters high, were not made of bricks but of natural stone and engraved with magic circles, making them extremely resistant to physical and magical attacks.

The massive wall was far surpassed that of ordinary castles. This wall, built 10 years ago to prevent invasion from outside enemies, showcased Arcazam's sturdiness and at the same time clearly illustrated the importance of this city.

Nevertheless, in the peaceful daily life of the city, it had become a resting place for birds. The messengers of the sky were resting their wings on the corner of the wall, chirping.

On the wall where these birds were resting, a girl in a white robe stood there.

Her hair is white reminiscent of ice. She was probably in her mid-teens. The light red ribbon that tied her hair made the girl look even younger than she was on the outside.

The girl, called Azel, gently stroked the ribbon while leaving herself in the breeze, and staring at a point in the city.

Her eyes were dyed with hatred and rage. Not a single bird was approaching her, perhaps because of the anger oozing out of her body.

"Azel. So you're in a place like this..."

An old man called out from behind Azel, who glared at Arcazam. For some reason, birds were swarming around the old man's shoulders and head.

Zonne smiled at the birds pecking at him with their beaks. He pulled out some bread crumbs from his pocket and started sprinkling them around.

The birds immediately rushed to the crumbs and began to peck at them.

Zonne looked at the happy birds with satisfaction and then turned his attention to Azel, who was still glaring at Arcazam.

"Did you observe that little boy?"

Azel slowly turned around without answering. The birds that had been pecking at the food stopped moving.

Azel's mouth was tightly shut, and her eyes, stained with rage, spoke eloquently of her feelings.

"Do you want to kill that boy? If you do that, Tiamat will be released for sure. If that happens, we'll be right back where we started. In the first place, you are not powerful enough to destroy that black dragon, do you?"

Azel frowned at Zonne's words.

In the first place, the odds of winning against an existence that even a dragon with many years of experience could not beat would be lower than finding a grain of gold from the sandy beach.

"I understand, Grandfather. But I just can't leave that dragon alone."

However, Azel seemed to have no intention of stopping even at such an obvious fact. Her bright, shining eyes reject all other intentions.

Zonne shook his head in resignation.

"If so, it can't be helped. Now is a crucial time, so I won't let you interfere with that brat ..."

Realizing that persuasion was impossible, Zonne stepped forward and held his staff up. It seemed that he intended to stop the girl in front of him even by force.

The tension in the air increased at once. The birds that had been watching Zonne flap their wings in unison and flee from the place.

White light leaked out from the wrinkled body of the old man. A shimmering light rose, and at the same time, Zonne's piercing gaze was directed at Azel.

It was so intimidating that even a hungry demon beast seemed to be silenced. However, even under such a gaze from Zonne, Azel was determined not to back down.

Seeing Azel's figure, Zonne's eyes squinted.

"You can't do it alone, anyway."

"Sure, I can't do it alone. If I'm alone that is..."

She was no match if she were on her own. Azel's words were as if to say that she was aware of such a fact.

In front of Zonne, who was holding his staff with a dubious expression on his face, Azel reached into her pocket.

She took out a white crystal with a shining hair ornament inside. The moment he saw the crystal, Zonne's expression froze.

"~ !? T-, that's!"

Zonne's eyes couldn't have been more wide open and a look of surprise stretched across his face. While Zonne's thoughts were completely rigid, Azel quickly deployed a magic circle.

The crystal in Azel's hand emitted light, and a mandala-patterned magic circle appeared in the air and began to glow. The magic circle was so huge that it was comparable to the circle that Zonne had displayed in front of Nozomu and the others in the previous incident.

The moment Zonne saw the glowing magic circle, he cursed himself for his carelessness and hurriedly deployed a magic circle.

However, he was one step too late.

Azel's magic circle was approaching Zonne. Before Zonne could activate his magic, Azel's magic circle had enveloped the old man and exploded.

A momentary flash. After less than a second, all that was left was grass growing through a gap in the bricks.

The old man who should have been there a moment ago was gone as if he had never been there in the first place.

"Even if it's grandpa, I believe this will at least buy me some time, no matter how experienced grandpa is. Now I just need to go to that detestable dragon..."

Azel's mumbled words echoed on the walls.

She looked down at the crystal in her hand and bit her lip.

The slight awkwardness on her expressionless face was either regret for deceiving her relative or something else.

At that moment, Azel's eyes caught a glimpse of her own hair blowing in the wind.

A light crimson mixed in with the all-white.

She gently stroked her ribbon and clutched the crystal in her hand.

"Father, please help me to fulfill my long-cherished wish ..."

Azel meditated as if in prayer and took a deep breath.

She opened her eyes, put the crystal back in her pocket, and looked at a spot on Arcazam again.

"Today, I will erase your disgrace."

The magic circle deployed again. With a popping sound, she disappeared from the top of the walls.

The feathers left behind by the birds were dancing in the wind on the empty walls.

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

Nozomu and Lisa walked toward the commercial district. There was a subtle gap and a heavy silence between them as they remained silent. Nozomu and Lisa were both concerned about each other. They moved their shoulders unnaturally, glancing sideways at each other.

"So, Lisa, where are we headed to? ..."

It was no use to leave things as they were. Nozomu called out to Lisa on the pretext of confirming the request from Norn.

It was a fact. He was asked to help pick up and transport a package, but he had yet to confirm the details of his destination.

However, Lisa's reply was curt.

"A little further. It's a bit far from the main street, but it's a pretty big store in the commercial district, so you should be able to find it..."

"I see ..."

"............"

Lisa began to go ahead of Nozomu as if to show him the way.

Nozomu opened his mouth to say something, but contrary to his will, no words come out of his throat.

Nozomu had no choice but to watch Lisa's back as she moved ahead without saying a word.

The two of them were unable to measure the distance between each other. No wonder. In the weeks following the incident, the two had not seen each other at all.

But more than that, two years have passed, and a deep feud lies between them.

Nozomu closed his eyes and asked himself once again.

He had been struggling with the purpose of breaking the distorted relationship between Lisa and Ken once and for all. But what kind of future did he envision for himself beyond that?

To tell the truth, he had not thought about it. He just thought that he could not go on like this and acted accordingly.

Perhaps he had unconsciously refused to think about it. In a sense, this was also the result of his own escape, Nozomu thought to himself with a self-mocking smile.

However, the current Nozomu was not bound by such a thing. He was beginning to think about what kind of relationship he wanted with Lisa.

As a lover? As a friend? As a childhood friend? Or as a complete stranger?

The thoughts that came to mind were still unspeakably messy, and he was unable to express them well.

Once again, Nozomu looked at Lisa's back as she moved ahead. Her slender, feminine back. He used to want to protect her back.

Seeing her safe and sound, the chaotic feelings that had been swirling in his chest until a moment ago subsided.

There was still an indescribable knot in his heart, but if she was safe like this, he might have fulfilled a little of the promise that was once lost.

When he thought so, he felt that his heart was a little lighter.

(Have I changed too ... I wonder?)

He gripped the hilt of the katana at his waist tightly. The bond he has with his master, who made him realize his mistakes, supported him even though she was no longer with him.

The first step he was able to take. From there, he was able to gain some really important friends.

If he had only followed Lisa's dream, he would never have become so close to Iris and the others.

The back of the girl he once wanted to protect. He was still confused but happy at the same time to be able to walk like this again, and he could see the friends who had saved him beyond her back.

Stopping, running away, and struggling, he might have changed before he knew it.

His future, his personal goals. He still couldn't envision it. But.......

"......Eh?"

Nozomu, who was sunk in his own thoughts, suddenly noticed that he had deviated from the side of the main street and was walking down a secluded street.

He looked around to see that he had already left the main street, and there were only a handful of small stalls.

Before he knew it, Lisa's legs were leading him further and further away from the center of the commercial district, where houses were beginning to line up all around him.

"Hey Lisa, are you sure this is the way? There doesn't seem to be a store selling goods to the school here..."

Lisa strode ahead without responding to Nozomu's words. Nozomu had no choice but to follow.

They entered a side street and passed through it, which led them to a vast field. Beyond the thick vegetation, huge walls rose up, glistening in the sunlight.

"Well, this is the outer edge of the city, isn't it? Why are we here ..."

They arrived at the outer edge of Arcazam. The vast space between the walls and the city stretched out before Nozomu's eyes.

Nozomu tilted his head in doubt. At that moment, Lisa suddenly turned around.

Nozomu gulped at the expression on her face.

Her eyes were filled with a sense of anguish and her mouth was clenched into a tight line as if she was trying to endure something. With such a pained expression on her face, Lisa looked straight at Nozomu.

"...Actually, the thing about helping Norn-sensei is a lie."

"Eh? What do you mean by a lie? ..."

Nozomu, who did not fully understand the situation, sounded dumbfounded. Lisa looked at Nozomu with an apologetic look as she stared at him.

"It was the excuse Norn-sensei prepared for me..."

"Excuse?"

"Yes, an excuse, so that I can talk to you alone ..."

Nozomu's eyes widened at Lisa's words.

He had been thinking that he needed to have a chance to talk to her. But Nozomu had never imagined that Lisa also felt the same way.

Nozomu's feelings for Lisa and Lisa's feelings for Nozomu were like tangled threads, too complicated to describe in a single word.

Lisa understood the pain that eroded her heart.

It was the regret of not trusting Nozomu and the remorse that she had continued tormenting him.

Thus, having come face to face with Nozomu like this, making something that she had been desperately trying to suppress, dislodged.

"I've been pretending not to see it all along. I kept trying not to notice and kept hurting you, Nozomu ..."

A confession of one's sins and an apology. It was painful as if she was tearing her own heart out with her own hands. But more than that, her heart was burning like a flame.

The pain in her chest increased with each word she uttered. The feelings that had been building up in her heart began to overflow as if a shackle had been removed and she could no longer hold it in.

"I took it for granted when Nozomu was being treated so badly. The truth is, it was all my fault..."

Lisa continued to expose the thoughts swirling deep inside her heart while tearing her own heart.

The remorse that had been building up in her heart could no longer be controlled.

"It's natural for them to hate me and to loathe me, but Nozomu is ..."

She couldn't ask for forgiveness. She felt she didn't deserve it.

But she remembered that Nozomu gritted his teeth in the face of his anger and suppressed it. He didn't direct his abusive words at Lisa, but simply expressed his concern for her wellbeing.

With trembling legs and a mouth about to fall silent, Lisa desperately tried to shape every word.

"T-, that's why. I thought I had to say it properly... B-, but it's too late for me to do that now..."

It was too late to talk about it now. His side felt so far away now, and there were already people who deserved to be where she used to be.

Still, Lisa knew she could not allow herself to rot away.

In Lisa's eyes, two girls were visible behind Nozomu.

One was a dignified girl with black hair. She was torn by the sight of her beloved person not waking up, and she was so concerned about Nozomu's safety. She was a strong woman who was jealous of Lisa, whom he tried to save at all costs, but tried to suppress her jealousy.

The other was an elf girl who took Nozomu's feelings into consideration and reminded Lisa while killing her own feelings.

They would surely support Nozomu to the end.

She envied the girls who could be beside him. Even though such thoughts came to mind, she couldn't stop thinking about Nozomu's feelings...

Therefore, no matter how painful it might be, she had to say it properly. Otherwise, she wouldn't even be allowed to appear before him.

That's why .......

"A-, at that time I didn't believe you ... I-, I'm so- "

"~ !?"

(I'm sorry)

Just as Lisa was about to say those words, Nozomu somehow hardened the expression on his face.

He leaped toward Lisa in an instant, held her body in his arms, and jumped away from the place.

"Eh......?"

Lisa screamed in surprise when she saw Nozomu's expression and the sudden floating sensation spread before her eyes.

However, the next moment, a powerful shock struck Lisa's body along with a flash that burned her eyes.

"Kyaa~!"

"Guu !"

Their bodies were thrown into the air and slammed to the ground.

What in the world was going on?

In front of Lisa, who was confused and did not understand what was going on, Nozomu quickly stood up and pulled out the katana at his waist.

The reflexive action he had acquired naturally prepared his body for battle.

Confused by the situation, Lisa also stood up in a hurry and carefully searched the area.

Who exactly was the attacker? The identity of the attacker immediately became clear.

A girl was staring at Nozomu and Lisa from about 20 meters away. Her eyes were a mixture of boiling magma-like rage and icy murderous intent.

Nozomu involuntarily gulped his spit down at the intense hostility that suddenly assaulted him.

"You are ... if I'm not mistaken, Azel-san, right?"

Meanwhile, Lisa recognized the girl in front of her. It was the girl who had argued with the old man called Zonne who owned the fortune-telling store the other day.

Nozomu asked Lisa, who unintentionally mentioned the girl's name.

"Lisa ... do you know her?"

"Y-yes. She's a girl I saw in an old man's store called Zonne..."

"......Eh?"

Nozomu was dubious at the mention of Zonne's name coming out of Lisa's mouth.

Since the incident that Ken caused, the old man's whereabouts have been unknown for some time.

How did Lisa know Zonne's name in the first place?

As far as Nozomu knew, Lisa and Zonne had never had any contact with each other.

If that were the case, it would make sense to assume that there had been some sort of contact recently, but what was the reason the old man had contacted Lisa in the first place?

Nozomu already knew that Zonne had extraordinary abilities. He had some kind of agenda, and that was why he was in contact with Nozomu.

And Lisa said that the girl who turned hostile in front of them was also with Zonne. If that was the case, then there was no doubt that she was related to the old man.

"That means, that old man was involved in this? But that pervy geezer never showed this kind of hostility toward me before..."

Although the old man seemed to be hiding something, he had never been so clearly hostile.

Then, was this attack an act of this girl's own accord, or was that old man just cleverly hiding his hostility?

"Damn, I don't get it ..."

The sudden turn of events seemed confusing, but for the time being, Nozomu brushed aside the many questions that kept popping up in his head.

The hostility directed at him from the girl in front of him was becoming sharper and sharper as if it was about to pierce through his body. Nozomu, too, naturally prepared his stance while holding his katana at the ready.

Lisa was also watching Azel carefully, but inwardly, she was not so sure.

Lisa herself knew very little about her. The only thing she knew was that she harbored a clear murderous intent toward Nozomu. And that the cause of her anger was related to Nozomu's secret.

Lisa glanced sideways at Nozomu. What in the world was he hiding?

It was precisely because of this situation that Lisa couldn't help but be curious about Nozomu's secret.

"Lisa! She's coming!"

"A~!"

Lisa was caught up in unnecessary thoughts. Nozomu's words forced her to pull back her floating mind.

When she noticed, there were already countless magic circles around Azel.

"W-, what is that !?"

"Kuh~ !?"

A mandala-patterned magic circle was being formed at an unbelievable speed. Lisa involuntarily screamed out at the complex and bizarre magic technique that she had never seen before.

Rushed by the chill running down his spine, Nozomu stepped forward, but Azel's magic technique was taking shape too fast and he obviously couldn't get there in time.

*Flash!*

A flash of light flashed along with an ear-splitting sound.

When the light subsided, there was no one there.