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

Volume 4Final Chapter Part 1

With the Remaining Embers in One's Heart Part 1

Translator : PolterGlast

Late afternoon in the Central Park. Under the glorious early summer sun, Irisdina was having lunch in the woods area. She is surrounded by her sister Somia, Mars, Tima, and other friends including Shina.

"So, how was this incident ultimately handled?"

"Because of the nature of the incident, it was kept under wraps."

Irisdina answered Mars' question succinctly.

Three days have passed since the incident. All traces of the battle had already been erased. The City Isolation Barrier, which was triggered by Ken's Predatory Barrier, was also reported to each district simply as an impromptu activation drill, and Arcazam had returned to normal daily life.

"In the end, we were left out in the cold. That fellow Jihad seemed to have figured something out, though."

"Unfortunately, I don't know either. However, there's no doubt that this case is related to a deep-rooted problem in this city."

Ken, who had fused with the Abyss Grief, had its magic stone destroyed with his heart. However, his body has not yet died, and he can still repeat reflex actions, albeit slightly. He is already unable to fight or even move properly. However, if one carelessly touches it, there is no telling how it will react again.

As a result, the Arcazam Parliament decided to physically seal him in a space devoid of any kind of power.

The location was the basement of the Gloaurum Institution. It was originally designed to block all outside forces for all kinds of magic experiments, which is why it was chosen as the sealing place. There was no other suitable location.

Pitiful, one might say. But at the same time, many mysteries remained a mystery.

"Most of those who had conspired against Nozomu-sama had become cripples. According to Jihad, they were originally criminals who infiltrated from outside the city. The same is true of faculty member Caskell, who is unlikely to recover......"

"It is also unlikely that any important information will come out of Bellaluna and the others, who are only at the further end of the line. The only clue that remains is the location mentioned in the paper that Camilla handed to Nozomu......"

The sewage system damaged by the flash floods has not yet been fully restored. As various parts of it have collapsed and are submerged. Ken's supposed hideout was in this same area. They probably haven't been able to investigate it yet.

"Which means it will take some more time to find out who's behind him......"

However, everyone present here was aware of this. This case is quite deep-rooted. After all, there was Ken, who devoured a spirit and transformed into a deformed form.

Irisdina glanced at Shina.

"Shina-kun, during the last battle, you were definitely fused with him, right......?"

"Yeah, it was the deformed demonic beast that we fought together with Nozomu-kun. I could still feel the presence of that beast in the source element that I sensed from Ken."

Abyss Grief. A deformed spirit. It is unknown how it came to take that form, but certainly not a coincidence.

An indescribable sense of uneasiness welled up within Irisdina, and she frowned.

"Irisdina-ojousama, I think it would be difficult for us to find out more than this. I suggest we refresh our minds."

"Yes, I suppose so. Sorry Mena, can you make us some tea?"

Irisdina nodded at her trusted attendant's words, and Mena bowed her head respectfully and left the room.

After a short while, she returned with a pot of tea. Irisdina and the others sipped the tea that had been handed out to them.

The girls exhaled in relief as the aroma tickled their taste buds and the hot liquid sloshed down their throats.

"So, Mena. What about Nozomu.......?"

"I hear he's going to attend the sealing of Ken Notie at the Gloaurum Institution with Lisa-sama......"

"I see.......”

Irisdina looked out of the window as she let out a somewhat lonely sigh. Shina, who was standing next to her, was also looking out the window as if she was observing him from afar.

A sweet pain, different from the one they felt before, runs through their chests. They wondered, how those two resolved things.

The sun, illuminating the cityscape, gazed upon the maidens who were thinking of their love.

‡

Deep in the basement of the Gloaurum Institution. Nozomu and Lisa were descending a long spiral staircase.

In front of them were Jihad, Inda, and Anri. And then there was Fadrey, the head of the Gloaurum Institution.

The magical lamps placed in various places illuminated the pitch-dark vertical shafts, and the light from the lanterns held by each of them swayed and flickered.

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"I didn't know there was a facility this deep down......."

"The institute itself was built before Arcazam was established, and there are various underground facilities that are rarely found above ground. The place we are going to is one of them."

The group continued to descend the stairs as Nozomu and Lisa gasped at Fadrey's explanation.

The sound of Fadrey's cane tapping on the stairs echoed through the spiral staircase.

About 50 meters down the spiral staircase, a heavy, solid door appeared before their eyes.

Four guards were waiting in front of the door.

"Is this the place?"

"Yes, it is. This is one of the magic laboratories of the institute. Because of its intended purpose, it has been sealed off to prevent the leakage of magic power and elements from the surroundings. It's a good enough place to keep him in custody for this particular case."

In response to Fadrey's words, Nozomu and Lissa have a complicated look on their faces.

Ignoring their reactions, Fadrey gestured towards the guards on duty, to which they placed their hands on the door of the magic laboratory. The large door creaked open and Fadrey's group stepped into the laboratory.

The laboratory was dimly lit, with only a handful of candlesticks standing in various places to illuminate the room. Nozomu squinted and looked around. It was circular, about 20 meters in diameter. In the center of the room was a circular stone platform.

On the platform laid Ken. His limbs were bound with steel shackles, and he was crucified on the platform.

His eyes were vacant as he looked up at the ceiling, showing no reaction to Nozomu and the others who had entered the room.

There was a fist-sized hole in his left chest. Clearly, a fatal wound. But even with such a wound, his chest was still quietly rising and falling, and he was breathing repeatedly. Seeing Ken like this, Lisa's expression clouded even more.

"Lisa......."

"I'm... okay......"

While Lisa took several deep breaths to calm herself down, Fadrey approached Ken cautiously, held up the lantern in his hand, and began to examine his condition.

“His respiratory system, circulatory system, and other vital functions are functioning properly. However, there is still no response to light, sound, or other external stimuli."

After cutting off the source elements, magical power, and anything else that could feed the beast, the Abyssal Grief was physically sealed. That was the treatment given to Ken after he fused with the Abyss Grief.

Ken will never be released from this place. He will remain sealed in this place as long as he lives.

That was the decision made by the parliament.

"Nozomu-kun......"

"I'm fine. I have to be firm and see it through......"

Anri called out to Nozomu with concern, but Nozomu didn't avert his gaze and continued to stare at Ken, who was bound on the platform. His determination. He did not turn his eyes away from it.

Perhaps inspired by him, Lisa, who had been looking a little unsteady, recovered, and, like Nozomu, kept her eyes fixed on Ken.

The reason they came here was to see and witness Ken's current condition with their own eyes.

This is their last chance to do so.

"It's done. There is no change in his condition. Alright, let's seal it up."

Saying this, Fadrey walked to the wall of the laboratory and waved his staff in a single motion.

Then, a magic circle was drawn in the air, and with a low rumble, the circular platform in the center of the room began to rise. At the same time, a platform of the same shape descended from the ceiling.

As it was, the two circular platforms merged to sandwich Ken, sealing him inside it.

"This concludes the sealing. From now on, this room will be closed until we find a way to deal with the beast."

"Yes......"

Prompted by Fadrey, Nozomu and the others stepped out of the laboratory, and the doors immediately began to close.

Nozomu and Lisa kept staring at the depths of the door as it closed with a creaking sound.

When the door was completely closed, Jihad opened his mouth.

"All that's left is to deal with the aftermath. You guys can go home now."

As Nozomu and Lisa disappeared up the spiral staircase they had just come from, Jihad turned to face Fadrey once again.

"Oh my, is there anything else?"

Before one knew it, there was a menacing glint in Jihad's eyes. Fadrey was being glared at with a gaze so intense that it might cause one to wince. The old man, however, remained as indifferent as ever.

"Right, there is something important I need to tell you....... Fadrey-dono. You are under arrest. Do you know why?"

"Hmm, I did, indeed, conceal the information about Ken Notice. But aren't you being rather excessive to go that far?”

Without denying anything in particular, Fadrey confessed that he was the one who had supported Ken.

"But that's not all, is it?"

"Well, yeah, I've made a lot of sacrifices for him. Especially preparing pawns that could be expended. It took a lot of effort to bring convicted adventurers sentenced to death into Arcazam in secret."

Jihad was inwardly convinced that it was the case, after all.

Without exception, the detained Starlight's shadows were not regular members of the unit. They were death row prisoners who had been arrested from surrounding countries.

Their minds were also completely destroyed and crippled, and they could only be manipulated by Mefi.

He probably chose those adventurers simply because they could not be traced.

"And the one who took Abyss Grief's magic stone was also......."

"It was me. I needed to confirm the true nature of the magic stone of that demonic beast. The result was as I expected. The magic stone was like an alter ego created by the beast's survival instincts."

In contrast to his previous cold tone, Fadrey's voice grew higher as he talked about his experiments with the Abyss Grief's magic stone and the results.

"That demonic beast not only has the ability to assimilate with other living creatures but also has the ability to parasitize the dragon veins. It synchronizes with the negative emotions of those it assimilates and greatly enhances their abilities. To the extent that a mere human is capable of devouring a spirit. This is a huge breakthrough."

"Breakthrough, you say ......?"

"In that sense, Ken Notice was a good test subject. And the results were very close to perfect."

"Just for something like that, you......!?"

"But you're concealing information as well, aren't you? Nozomu Bountis. Do you think I am unaware of his true identity?"

The expressions on the faces of Jihad, Anri, and Inda turned even more grim.

Apart from Nozomu's close friends, only the three of them here were aware of his status as a legendary Dragonslayer. The reason for this was to prevent Nozomu from being taken advantage of by unscrupulous people, so if anyone else had this information, it was not difficult to imagine what kind of treatment he would receive in the future.

At the very least, he would not be in a good situation.

"Don't get me wrong, I am not an enemy of yours. The proof is that his identity has not been leaked to anyone else, has it?"

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

Sensing Jihad and the others' slight agitation, Fadrey pressed on.

Indeed, after Ken's rampage incident, a decision was made by the parliament to decide on how to deal with him, but at that time there was no mention of Nozomu being a Dragonslayer, and he was simply treated as a student who was able to lift his Ability Suppression.

In light of this, there is no doubt that Fadrey also concealed information about Nozomu.

"But your actions must not be purely out of concern for his future. Neither the concealment of Ken Notice's information nor the taking of the Abyss Grief's magic stone......"

Jihad was on his guard, ready to subdue Fadrey at any moment, glaring at him as he continued his words.

"Although it's hard to believe, you're also involved with the [Six Bad Omens], Cracked-Crown Giant Centipede incident."

"Hou~, what makes you think so?"

“The tunnel that was dug when the [Six Bad Omens] appeared during the Special Comprehensive Exercise. Although the report said it collapsed naturally, there were signs that it had been artificially buried. You were also involved in this, weren't you?"

"That is correct. The reason why that water spirit was able to control the [Six Bad Omens] was also because of me. That demonic beast was discovered during the construction of Arcazam, and I had put it to sleep in secret. Otherwise, not only would the construction have been postponed, but the whole project itself might have been canceled."

Jihad gasped at these words.

Just how many magic techniques did this old man possess, and how long had he been operating secretly?

In the first place, if he could manipulate and put to sleep even one of the [Six Bad Omens], the continent should be free from the threat of demonic beasts by now. Once again, Jihad shuddered at the unfathomableness of this old man.

"Just what are you aiming for with all those magic techniques and research?"

Then a thought flashed through his mind.

"Why did you even dream of compiling magic techniques in the first place? You were originally an archaeologist.

Although you were a nobleman of the Empire, you were the youngest, and your research must have been nothing more than mediocre......"

Compiling magic and constructing Arcazam-style chanting and formation magic. That is the feat that Fadrey has accomplished in the last twenty years. In fact, the establishment of the Gloaurum Institution, Arcazam, and the Solminati Academy would not be possible without the efforts of this man.

However, there were many aspects of his career that did not add up. Even if it was about the Great Invasion.

In response to Jihad's point, Fadrey's cold eyes relaxed slightly.

"Because I wanted a future. Even if I am just a made-up supporting role. Even if I am nothing more than a puppet."

"A made-up role?"

His nonchalant demeanor remained unaffected even when he witnessed Nozomu's Dragon Slayer power. But now it disappeared, revealing the face of an old man who had grown old and decrepit. Jihad and the others couldn't believe their eyes at the sight of the weakest figure they'd ever seen.

"Gafu......"

However, their doubts were blown away by the next sight that greeted their eyes.

Fresh blood gushed out of Fadrey's mouth, and he collapsed to his knees.

"Hmm, I see. So, I'm no longer needed, huh......"

"Call a doctor. Hurry!"

As the guards rushed to the upper floor per Jihad's instructions, Fadrey looked at the red stain that was dripping down and spreading on the ground with eyes filled with resignation.

The next moment, however, his eyes widened with a snap, and he grabbed tightly onto Jihad's arm as he rushed toward him.

"Listen. The wheel of fate has already begun to turn. Sooner or later, a great disaster will come......"

"What are you......"

Jihad's mithril gauntlets creaked as the old man squeezed his arms with an unbelievable force.

His eyes turned bloodshot at the moment of death. Jihad was speechless at the sight of those eyes that desperately sought something while holding an unfathomable darkness that resembled an abyss.

"You must hold them together, human, destiny- ....... Therefore......."

Fadrey was desperately trying to convey something while spewing crimson blood foams from his mouth. But suddenly, the old man's grip slipped, and it fell to the stone floor, where his own blood had spread.

The staff he was holding in his hand dropped to the floor with no effort, making a dry clatter.

When Jihad put his hand on Fadrey's neck, which had stopped moving, there was no pulse, and found that he had died.

"What does that mean......?"

Everyone present was stunned. At that moment, something black appeared at the edge of Jihad's vision.

It fluttered through the air and fell slowly onto Fadrey's collapsed body.

"A feather?"

It was a single feather. A jet-black feather, possibly that of a raven.

Jihad involuntarily looked up the spiral staircase. The pitch-black staircase continued upward, and the top of the staircase was illuminated by a magic light, glowing white. A black dot crept into the light. It looked like a raven.

But this is underground. No bird could possibly have entered this heavily sealed-off area in the first place.

He blinked involuntarily and squinted. But there was no bird to be seen.

When he returned his gaze, he saw that the feather that had fallen on Fadrey's body had also vanished.

Was it just an illusion? Once again, Jihad looked up the spiral staircase. From the top of the spiral staircase, the guards and doctors who had heard the report were rushing toward them.

In the end, he found nothing. Jihad felt an indescribable sense of frustration and a bad aftertaste. Jihad took a deep breath to let it out.

†

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