Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no 'Kokoro'-

The next day, after Jihad, Mauzu and the others had discussed the details, Nozomu was officially released.

When Nozomu went to school, his classmates asked him a lot of questions, but he had no choice but to explain that he had been taken away and released without knowing why.

Students who did not know the details constantly visited Irisdina and the others and asked what the truth was, but they could not disclose the truth because they were still investigating to find the real culprit.

In response to this, Ken, who was the one who had framed Nozomu, could only bite his lips.

"Tch~, so that wasn't enough."

In the empty back of the school building, Ken clicked his tongue and kicked a stone away with his feet.

The sound of bouncing rocks hitting the school building further irritated him, and once again, he thought about how to get rid of Nozomu.

"So it's not enough to have an incident like that in the city. I have to do something bigger. Then......"

Ken didn't realize that his means and purpose had already strayed so far away from the original.

At first, he did it out of pure love for Lisa Hounds. The means were neither humanly nor morally commendable, but at least at the root of his actions were his feelings for the woman he loved and his concern for her safety.

However, his heart began to wane once his plan succeeded, and Ken completely lost sight of his purpose in the two years that passed.

And even though it was meant to break Nozomu's heart completely, the final restraint was completely removed when he exposed his entire scheme to Nozomu,

His unavoidably bloated self-consciousness and narrow-mindedness have already blinded him to the point where he can no longer see.

"What are you doing in a place like this?"

"...... Camilla, what do you want?"

A familiar voice struck on his back when he was sullenly angry that his plan had not worked.

He turned around and saw Camilla staring at him with cold eyes.

"That's my line. What are you going to do this time?

"You already know what I'm thinking, aren't you? Don't ask me what you already know."

Camilla stared at Ken, who spoke as if to spit at her.

The two of them were silent as they looked at each other, and it was clear that there was a rift between them that was beyond repair.

Both were glaring at each other, but there was no sign of regret or guilt in Ken's eyes.

Camilla turned her eyes away as if she had given up on Ken, who considered his actions justified without end.

"I won't say anything. Well, you're the same as me. I'll do anything for Lisa. Wouldn't you?"

Perhaps mistaking Camilla's gesture as his victory, Ken smiled distortedly.

Camilla smiled as she felt a pang of anger and pity towards Ken.

It was true that Camilla was willing to do anything for Lisa.

It was definitely thanks to Lisa that she was able to change herself, who had come to this academy alone and still remained lonely and unchanged.

She was socially awkward, wasn't lovable by nature, and could only snap at the person who approached her. Lisa was the person who changed her.

However, no matter how it all started, as Ken said before, Camilla helped him to bring down Nozomu. And considering the fact that Lisa's heart was still injured until now, exposing the truth will probably cause irreparable damage to her heart.

The act of betraying one's benefactor for the second time. That was why Ken was telling her so much because he knew it was impossible for Camilla to tell Lisa. There were only very few people who can imagine the condemnation that will surely fall on them and still believe in the path they were taking. That was why Ken was willing to take advantage of everything around him and never doubted himself.

Even though Ken's ugly smile made her feel helplessly angry and disgusted, Camilla desperately swallowed her anger and opened her mouth to fulfill her duty.

"I know that telling her the truth will only hurt her. But I don't see you as one of us anymore."

Camilla endured her inner rage by digging her nails into her palms. By telling Ken that she was on Lisa's side, her words were exactly what Ken had expected. Ken's distorted smile deepened further.

"I don't care. As long as I can protect Lisa."

After she said so, he whispered in Camilla's ear, "I have my next move planned."

As she watched him walk away, Camilla tried her best to suppress the anger that was about to erupt.

"Do you really think you can protect Lisa from something like this? What you're doing is messed up."

"So you wouldn't mind Nozomu being left alone? He may have gotten stronger, but his weaknesses have not changed at all."

Ken remembered Nozomu's figure who exchanged blows with Jihad.

Certainly, Nozomu had acquired extraordinary skills. He had refined his Qi techniques to the point where it could penetrate Jihad's shield, and he had developed his skills to the point where he could fight opponents even though he was at a disadvantage in terms of strength so overwhelmingly.

However, Ken insisted that Nozomu hadn't completely removed his Ability Suppression, nor has he changed his constitution itself, which was fatally unsuitable for endurance battle. If the weakness itself had not changed, he believed that he should do everything he could to get rid of Nozomu now.

However, the more he thought about it, the more images of Nozomu fighting Jihad flashed through his mind.

"As long as he still has Ability Suppression, he is not someone who can protect Lisa!"

Ken spat out as he shook off the scene in his mind. At the same time, he gritted his teeth, perhaps because of the discomfort that made him want to scratch the inside of his chest.

Ken's tone of voice, which should have been flat, turned rough, and his handsome face became ugly and distorted.

As she watched such Ken, Camilla gave a small snort.

"At least I'm pretty sure that you, who's acting like her lover, and I, who's acting like her best friend, are not the ones who should be with Lisa until the end..."

"So what's your take on all this? If you're on Lisa's side...... I think you'll understand what I mean."

Perhaps because of his hatred towards Nozomu, Ken turned his bloodshot eyes to Camilla and pressed her for a reply.

Camilla was about to explode, but when she looked deep into Ken's bloodshot eyes, she was speechless.

There was a glimpse of filthy color just like a lake that was dying and reeking of decay. It was a matured hatred and murderous intent.

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Ken's murderous intent enveloped and tightened Camilla's entire body like a giant squeezing a small bird.

"~ ! ..."

Despite the chills that run down her spine, her heart was pounding and beating so hard that her blood vessels were about to burst.

Being hit by such a pure killing intent, Camilla desperately tried to keep her voice from escaping from her throat.

She needed to catch Ken off guard here and make it look like she was giving in. But the killing intent that seemed to pierce through her entire body was so fierce that it really seemed like it would break Camilla's heart.

The nails in her palms dug into her skin, and while enduring the blood and pain that flowed out, Camilla gritted her teeth desperately, hoping that her heart would not be broken in the least.

"... Lisa couldn't take any more of these facts. So, even though I hate it so much to the point of vomiting, I'm going to go along with your plan. I have no other choice but to do so..."

Her voice, which was squeezed out with a feeling of resistance, was surprisingly sounded harsh even to Camilla herself.

However, Ken, who was watching Camilla, smiled with satisfaction. It may have been a good thing that she was losing her composure earlier.

Ken's intimidation faded and Camilla let out a ragged breath.

"Haa, haa ... what are you going to do?"

"...... Causing a ruckus in the city isn't enough to get rid of Nozomu. Then we'll have to do something bigger, won't we?"

He was going to cause another incident. Even though he announced that he would involve even more people this time, the smile on Ken's face showed no sign of hesitation.

Camilla's whole body froze. She realized that the man in front of her had already lost his way to the point where he couldn't return.

"Well, leave it to me. I've already thought of my next move..."

Confidently, Ken turned on his heel and started walking towards the main gate. Camilla followed him while keeping her silence.

The main gate was beginning to turn red due to the setting sun. To Camilla, it seemed as if it was a gate to hell.

However, they didn't notice. At this moment, someone's eyes were staring at them from the window of the school building.

And the wind blowing in through the open window made her crimson hair flutter.

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

When Camilla made contact with Ken, Nozomu was sitting on a chair in his dorm room, doing nothing in particular.

Outside the window, the sun was beginning to set, and the light shining through the curtains was gradually fading.

"Sorry. I apologize for the inconvenience."

A somewhat apologetic voice, clearly not Nozomu's voice, echoed in his room.

When he turned to look at where the voice came from, he saw a kind-looking young man standing there. Behind him was a stubble-bearded middle-aged man.

They were the military police officers that Mauzu had assigned to watch over Nozomu, and although they had taken off their armor, they were good soldiers who protected the city.

At the same time, they were the ones who could prove Nozomu's alibi in case something happened, because even though there were other suspects, it did not mean that Nozomu was completely cleared of suspicion.

"No, I understand that this is necessary, so don't worry about it."

"It makes me feel better to hear you say that..."

"Well, it won't be long, so please bear with us."

Nozomu also fully understood his current situation, so he was not particularly concerned about this treatment.

The young man in front of him, a soldier named Jibin, dropped his shoulders in relief with a smile on his mouth.

Barozza, the middle-aged soldier behind him, was also scratching his head with a wry smile.

If Ken was going to make a move, it would be when Nozomu was alone. Right now, Nozomu was under orders not to go outside after school, and the two military police officers in front of him have been holed up in this room unnoticed since before Nozomu was released.

In a corner of the room, there were sleeping bags and smoked meat and dried bread that they seem to have brought with them. In fact, they have been staying in this room since the day before Nozomu was released.

"Would you like a drink?"

While saying so, Nozomu raised a pot containing herbal water.

It was made by decocting a strong fragrant herb, and although it was not particularly expensive, the steam rising from the beak of the pot gave off a comforting scent.

"Don't worry about us. Just do what you normally do as usual."

"On the contrary, it would be bad if you didn't. We don't want to make people out there suspicious. But I'll take on your offer..."

"Senior……"

The junior soldier was making a dismayed expression at his senior, who was showing an imposing figure but still carelessly shared herbal water with Nozomu.

Barozza smiled at him as if to say, "it's fine". Nozomu poured the herbal water into Jibin's cup as well.

As the steam, infused with the flavor of herbs, tickled his nose, the tension in his shoulders naturally relaxed.

The situation must have naturally made him tense up.

The two military police officers were also enjoying the warmth of the herbal water and the aroma that spread to their mouths.

"Well, it's a bit astringent, but it's not bad."

"It's a fragrant herb that grew wild in the forest, so it's a little different from something that came from outside the city.

Nozomu used to drink this herbal water when he was training in the forest with Shino.

It had a nice scent but was a bit astringent, so Nozomu remembered he choked a bit when he drank it for the first time.

"Goho-goho ...!"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, goho-goho! Sorry, I'm a little choked up... Hmm!"

Jibin, who was choked up, thumped his chest a little exaggeratedly.

He coughed for a while, but eventually calmed down, calmed his ragged breathing, and began to taste the herbal water again.

The three of them slowly sipped their cups and surrendered themselves to the temporary peace. For a while, the only sound in the room was the sound of sipping the herbal water.

"Speaking of which, what are Irisdina and the others doing now?"

Nozomu asked Jibin a question that suddenly popped into his head.

Irisdina and the others had decided to cooperate with the investigation, but he hadn't heard how they had come to cooperate.

"They've been given [Communication Magic Stone] and placed in different positions. Your homeroom teacher is one of them. They are mainly located in the administrative and commercial districts, as well as the investigation headquarters set up at the school. The Curbstone was also placed in the headquarters."

"Well, if it weren't for them, this investigation would have been a lot more difficult."

Barozza was muttering and playing with a blue magic stone in his hand by twirling it around.

The communication network that connects the military police personnel scattered throughout the city, including Nozomu's friends. It was centralized by a single Curbstone.

Originally, a single Curbstone would not have been able to cover such a large area.

However, what made this possible was the help of Shīna and the others' "unique talents".

Tima's enormous magical power and Shīna's spirit magic.

Tima gathered a large number of spirits with her immense magical power, and Shīna controlled the gathered spirits, reinforcing the magical connection between the [Communication Magic Stone] and the Curbstones. This made it possible to build a communication network that covered the entire Arcazam.

"Well, it'll be alright. Every student assigned to the city is accompanied by at least one military police officer, and there are also Jihad-dono and the others at the headquarters."

"Furthermore, "collaborators" ready to jump into the scene anytime."

"I see……"

It seemed that not only Nozomu but also Irisdina and the others were accompanied by military police officers. It was an arrangement that took into account the fact that they were students as well as collaborators.

"However, due to some circumstances, it's difficult to keep the military police officers near that student named Camilla, but it seems that Jihad-dono will take care of that"

If Ken were to find out about the reconnaissance she did, Camilla's life would be in danger.

So Jihad decided to have a few of the school's most skilled trackers take [Communication Magic Stone] and follow them at a distance.

The trackers were, of course, specialized in stealth, and had enough skills that even the school's teachers could not easily detect them.

"If that's the case, then it's fine."

The mention of Camilla's name brought Nozomu's mind back to the image of her when he was released from prison.

Her eyes were red and swollen, and she bowed her head deeply, without trying to wipe away the tears. And the time when they talked at the outer edge of the city on their way home after that.

Nozomu and Camilla talked to each other while being illuminated by the same sunset light. In fact, it was the first proper conversation they had in two years.

"Nozomu ... what do you want to do with Lisa?"

Nozomu recalled Camilla's words. When he had talked to her at the outer edge, all he had said was that he wanted Lisa to get back on her feet.

What was important to Nozomu now was to move Lisa and the others out of their stagnant time.

With this determination in his heart, Nozomu was moving forward.

Of course, it was not that Nozomu himself didn't care about Lisa. He still couldn't express his feelings for her. The emotions were complicated, and there was always something clashing in his heart.

"That's why I could only tell her the feelings I felt right now..."

With a wry smile on his face, Nozomu scratched his head and drank the remaining herbal water in the cup in one gulp, as if to shake off his own anguish. A strong bitterness spread in his mouth, and Nozomu's forehead wrinkled involuntarily.

"H-hey, are you okay?"

When Nozomu turned his head at the source of the voice, he saw Barozza looking into him.

"Koho~ ... Y-yeah. I'm fine."

Unlike Barozza, who seemed to be in a panic, Nozomu's reply was light-hearted. His expression was also clear.

Even though he used it as a reason to run away, the fact remained that his feelings for Lisa were one of the things that supported him.

It was something that cannot be denied and should not be denied.

He would not be swept away by anger, nor would he throw it away, but he would move forward with it. That's what he decided.

"...Well, you've been through a lot of hardships, haven't you?"

Whether he knew about Nozomu's feelings or not, Barozza shrugged his shoulders and drank the remaining herbal water in one gulp and he opened his mouth.

"Well, as a senior in life, I can only tell you not to have any regrets and to concentrate on what's in front of you right now, regardless of what the future holds."

Barozza and Jibin understood the situation to some extent, but they had not heard the details from the person in question himself, and they were strangers who had only met each other a few days ago.

Perhaps because of this, he chose to say something that wasn't particularly offending.

"When things start to go wrong, they will go wrong regardless of your worries, and if the culprit is your childhood friend, he's already crossed a line he shouldn't have. The only thing left for such a person to do is to roll down the hill towards the abyss while hurting those around him along the way."

Nevertheless, Barozza and Jibin have seen a lot of criminals in this city, and even if those people don't end up committing crimes, they have caught glimpses of trouble between people.

For them, people who were crossing the line were the worst. Such people didn't doubt that they were always right, and they didn't care about the victims due to their actions.

The only thing that mattered to them was their existence within their own closed world, and the outside of their world was like food for ants.

The military police officers in front of Nozomu, who were part of the guardians of this city, won't acknowledge people like them

"Yes, I understand."

Barozza's words were sharp, but Nozom accepted the words without showing any signs of dejection.

Nozomu knew exactly what Barozza meant. As he said, Ken had to be stopped.

It was because of this that Nozomu chose to act. He could not believe that Lisa and the others would be able to continue as they were.

He wanted Lisa and the others to move forward, no matter what it took.

(It's fine to run away. But I don't want you to turn away from what you're running from.)

Lisa and Ken were both important people to Nozomu. Just like Shino was to Nozomu.

Therefore, Nozomu continued to actively get in touch with Lisa and others.

In the combat training with Jihad, he exposed all of his Qi techniques. All in order for Lisa and the others to see him as he was now.

And now, Ken, who once again regarded Nozomu as a threat, has started to follow the same path he took two years ago.

Ken had already gone too far down the wrong path. If left alone, he would do something truly irreversible.

The passing of time did not care about such personal circumstances. Then he had no other choice but to move, even if he hadn't been able to give a complete answer. It's now or never.

"Yes, I understand. This time, I'll stop him..."

That's what he had to do now. He put his strong will into his words and eyes and looked straight at the middle-aged military police officer in front of him.

Perhaps surprised, Barozza's eyes widened at the sight of Nozomu's eyes. However, he was satisfied with Nozomu's answer, and a smile soon appeared on his lips.

At that moment, Jibin noticed something and reached into his pocket.

What he took out was the magic stone that was given to the people involved in this investigation. The color of the stone had turned red, probably because a voice message had already been delivered.

He put his ear to the stone and listened to the voices.

The red glow of the stone returned to blue, and Jibin slowly lowered the hand that was holding the stone.

"What's wrong?"

"We just got a call from Jihad-dono. He said that the suspect and the scout have gone out into the city."

When Jibin sent his magic power to the magic stone he was holding, Inda and Jihad's voices could be heard from the magic stone with an even stronger red light.

"Target is currently moving along the main road in the west district. Teams A and B in the commercial district and teams C and D in the north section are moving to the border of the west district. We will set up a net to track the target."

"The target has the ability to change his form at will. Each of you, keep an eye out for any changes in the magic stones. Operation begins."

Operation begins. The moment those words were heard, a clear sense of tension took over the entire room.

In this tense atmosphere, Nozomu slowly gripped the hilt of thekatana at his waist.

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

Ken and Camilla walk through the civic area on the west side of Arcazam.

It was already dusk and the streets were crowded with people who had finished their work for the day and were rushing home.

Camilla followed Ken from behind. They walked unhurriedly through the crowd.

They were walking in silence, not saying a word to each other, then suddenly Ken, who was walking in front of her, turned around.

"Camilla, let's part ways here."

"……Why is that?"

Camilla's eyes squinted at Ken's sudden words.

"We'll split up, go our separate ways, and then meet up again. Considering what we're going to do this time, if we act together, my traces can be detected."

“…………”

(Could it be that our reconnaissance has been discovered?)

A cold sweat ran down Camilla's spine.

Camilla tried to keep her face as expressionless as possible so that he wouldn't notice her inner turmoil, but Ken didn't care as he continued with his words.

"Camilla, wait here and I'll come back soon."

With no expression on his face at all, Ken handed Camilla a piece of paper folded in two and stepped into the hustle and bustle without waiting for her reply.

(What should I do?)

A hesitation crossed Camilla's mind.

But if she were to lose him, it would be difficult to find him again on her own.

A moment of anguish. In the meantime, Ken's figure was almost completely hidden by the crowd.

Frustrated and unable to make a decision, Camilla found herself stepping out to follow Ken.

"Camilla-kun, can you hear me?"

"~!"

However, when Camilla was about to step forward, Jihad's voice, coming from the magic stonei, stopped her.

"He's got a tracker on him. You'll go to your assigned location once."

Camilla's eyes widened at Jihad's use of the word "tracker". She hadn't been told that such a person was attached to her, and she hadn't felt the slightest hint that she was being tracked.

It was true that Camilla's skills and rank were inferior to Ken and Lisa's, but she was good enough to reach the highest class of the third year.

She had also been involved in the Guild's requests to defeat demon beasts, so she was more than a little shocked by what Jihad had just told her.

However, when he thought about it, the abilities of the teachers he saw in the special training were opponents he and his party could barely go toe-to-toe with. Considering the fact that the school had secured such a person, it was not surprising that she had not been aware of the tracker's existence until now.

"……I understand"

(Could it be that I'm not actually needed?)

Camilla shook her head as if to shake herself out of such a thought.

There were only limited things she could do due to her lack of experience. If a skilled tracker was to follow Ken, she would have no choice but to head to Ken's designated location.

She changed her mind and gently opened the paper Ken had handed her.

"Central Park ..."

On it was written the name of a place in the center of the city.