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

Volume 4Final Chapter Part 2

With the Remaining Embers in One's Heart Part 2

Translator : PolterGlast

After witnessing Ken's sealing, Nozomu invited Lisa to join him for a walk. After walking around the central park, they sat down on a park bench. Then they gazed at the chalk-white school building of Solminati Academy in silence. It was Nozomu who opened his mouth first.

"Umm, sorry."

"It's not something Nozomu should apologize for, is it? Besides, it was I......"

These words also made Lisa's face cloud over.

Even though she was deceived by Ken's scheming, it was undoubtedly she who hurled abusive slurs at Nozomu.

And her words were the decisive factor in plummeting his position at the academy to the bottom of the barrel.

Turning to Nozomu, Lisa bowed deeply. She herself never intended to be forgiven. Still, she felt she had to apologize properly here.

"No, I should have confronted you and Ken in the first place. The only reason I didn't was because I ran away from you both."

Nozomu looked at her as she lowered her head and slowly stated his true feelings.

His words were colored by regret. Indeed, Nozomu was rejected by Lisa. On top of being deceived by Ken's scheme, he was also impatient with his own ability, which was not growing at all at the time.

However, Nozomu was also responsible for the situation getting so complicated.

He thought that if he became stronger, it would be for Lisa's sake. He had never faced them, escaping under the delusion that they would understand him. This was definitely Nozomu's mistake.

"In the end, we were saying that we were doing it for each other's sake, but we were not truly thinking about each other's feelings. We imagined our own convenient stories and kept turning our backs on each other because it didn't work out. That's why, I should apologize as well."

Once again, Nozomu turned toward Lisa and bowed deeply.

And then both of them raised their heads at the same time, and smiled at each other.

"Fufu~, we're doing something weird, aren't we?"

"Haha, you could say that again. If people saw us sitting on a park bench in the afternoon with our heads bowed to each other, they would tilt their heads and wonder what we were doing."

They smiled and chuckled at each other for a while. The stagnation that had settled in the depths of their hearts over the past two years began to wash away. It has been a long time since they laughed from the bottom of their hearts.

Although they both said they were doing it for the other, their relationship was distorted in that they were still dependent on each other. The rusty cogs in their relationship have finally begun to turn.

"What are you going to do from here on out, Lisa?"

Nozomu asked after they had laughed for a while.

In response, Lisa looked upward to the sky and closed her eyes, as if to check something in her heart.

Then she smiled, turned to Nozomu, and slowly opened her mouth.

"I don't know. I've always wanted to be an adventurer like my father, but I've come to think that there's more to it than that, and I still want to study many things here, besides......."

After hanging up her words without finishing them, Lisa quickly closed the distance between herself and Nozomu. Her moist eyes were staring at him from close range, and she looked as if she was about to cry.

"Hey. Nozomu....... If I decide to leave the academy, would you come with me?"

A confirming plea. She knew she wasn't qualified to ask this, but she couldn't help but confirm it.

Her eyes, moist as rubies in the rain, and her mouth trembling, spoke eloquently of her feelings.

Nozomu closed his eyes as if to confirm his own feelings as Lisa stared at him.

Then he slowly opened his eyes and faced Lisa's wish.......

"I'm sorry, but I can't fulfill my promise to you right now."

He flatly rejected it.

"I see. I thought so......"

As if she had known it was coming, Lisa pulled herself away from Nozomu.

Nozomu bit his lip as she moved away with a lonely expression on her face.

"Sorry. I couldn't keep my promise."

"No, that's not true. Nozomu, you did keep your promise to me. You supported me so that I could face my dream properly."

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I couldn't keep my promise. Although Nozomu said so, Lisa smiled gently, but clearly denied what he said. Nozomu had fulfilled his promise.

It may have taken some time. Still, it was definitely thanks to Nozomu that Lisa was able to wake up after running away and averting her eyes.

Lisa is truly glad that she fell in love with such a man.

The result may not be a happy ending. However, for Lisa, this feeling was a gift from the love of her life, more important than anything else.

"I have a soft spot for you, Nozomu. I invited you to this academy, probably because I was worried. Life as an adventurer is fraught with danger. I thought that you might suddenly disappear, so I invited you to this academy......"

If all she wanted was to become an adventurer, there was no need for her to go all the way to the Solminati Academy. She could have joined a guild or other organization near her hometown and started as an adventurer from there.

The reason she did not do so was because of her own fears.

But now, she felt that it was no good to keep dwelling on her regrets and being frightened by her fears.

"That's why, I need to move on from you too."

With that, she rose to her feet and stood before Nozomu.

"Nozomu, can I borrow that katana?"

What in the world is she planning to do with it?

Nozomu tilted his head, but her straight gaze prompted him to remove his treasured katana from the sword belt at his waist and hand it over to her.

Lisa drew the [Mumei] blade she received. The chain-shaped patterns shine in the sunlight.

She then held it in a reverse grip, and slowly placed the blade against her own hair, which was tied up in a bundle.

"Ah......."

With a light slashing sound, the blade was swung and her long crimson hair was sliced off.

Lisa shook her head while Nozomu was surprised. Her shoulder-length short hair bounced around cheerfully.

"Un, I feel refreshed!"

She sheathed the katana and handed it back to Nozomu, smiling as radiantly as a clear sky.

It was the same smile that Nozomu had seen when he first fell in love with her as a young boy.

"Short hair suits you too."

"Really? Thanks!"

The last remaining lump in their chests melted away.

While Nozomu was relieved that they had truly settled their old scores, Lisa stretched out her arms widely, “Nn~~~!".

"Are you heading back?"

"Yeah. I guess this is where I say goodbye. There's one more person I have to face, after all."

"Hmm...... I see.”

"You also still have things to do, don't you, Nozomu?"

"You can tell?"

"How many years do you think we've been together? I can tell that much right away."

Nozomu nodded at Lisa's point. Apparently, his childhood friend in front of him could see right through what he was thinking. Nozomu returned a wry smile to Lisa, who smiled sadly, and slowly got up from the bench.

"Well, see you around......."

"Un, goodbye......."

He gave a small nod to Lisa who waved him goodbye, turned around, and walked toward the park's exit.

Lisa watched his back and let out a big sigh as if expressing all her feelings.

"In two years, we've grown so far apart..."

Reaching out towards his shrinking back, Lisa couldn't help but mutter these words.

"But that's okay. Let's start over again. starting now..."

With that thought in mind, Lisa turned away from Nozomu and began to walk. In front of her stood a girl with hair of mixed gray and pale red, standing with an anxious expression.

"Lisa... umm, I..."

Seeing her cousin's still tense expression, Lisa naturally took a deep breath and gulped hard.

(Do  your best...)

A voice that seemed to push her back echoed in the back of her ears, and she couldn't help but look back.

Nozomu's back was no longer visible. But somehow, her heart felt lighter.

Their paths will part here.

But that was okay. Deep in her heart, she still had the feelings that her beloved had left her.

With those feelings in her heart, she would try again. She wanted to become strong enough to stand beside that person.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Camila. Shall we walk together?"

With one last hot drop spilling from her eyes, the red-haired girl took a new step forward.

†

After parting with Lisa, Nozomu headed straight for the Francilt mansion.

However, just as he exited the central park, a voice came to his ears like a distant echo.

[Looks like you've managed to clear up a lot of things.]

It was Zonne's voice, drifting into his ear. Perhaps he was using his power as a dragon to deliver his voice, as there was no sign of the old man in the vicinity. He probably knew that everything was over and decided to contact him. Nozomu's forehead broke out in cold sweat.

[You have shown me your potential. Seeing that you're still alive, there seems to be hope for you.]

While holding back a shiver from the cold sweat, Nozomu listened intently to Sonne's words.

[Also, that katana you are carrying. It is beginning to have a will of its own. It seems to have the ability to absorb and seal the power of the spirits. If you use it wisely, you might be able to reduce the burden from Tiamat.]

Nozomu reflexively reached for the [Mumei] at his waist and gently touched the hilt. An indescribable warmth welled up from deep within his chest.

[But it's still extremely dangerous. As I said before, know your limits. If you don't want to endanger your friends, don't use her power again. Never again...]

With those words, Zonne's presence faded into the distance.

Whether he had decided that there was no need to intervene here or if he had other intentions was unclear, but at least he seemed to have given Nozomu a reprieve. Nozomu let out a sigh, releasing his tension, and finally continued on his way.

Arriving at the Francilt mansion, the sweat had dried, and the remnants of his tension had faded. At the main gate, he was granted immediate entry by the mansion's maid. Recalling how he'd been treated as a complete stranger on his first visit, he couldn't help but let out a wry smile.

Passing the side of the mansion, he headed towards the garden, where he found Irisdina standing alone. When their eyes met, she looked a little surprised.

"Nozomu...... why are you here?"

"Here......."

Saying this, Nozomu pulled out a small hair ornament from his pocket.

It was the one he'd given her when they had walked through the city together. Seeing this, her eyes widen even more.

"You came to my hospital room, right?"

"Well, yeah. I must have left it where I dropped it and then just forgot about it..."

Her response was hesitant and vague.

He gently placed the hair ornament on the palm of her hand, which she helplessly held out to him.

Irisdina stared at it with unfocused eyes, feeling how heavy it was.

"I said goodbye to Lisa... I finally managed to say it."

Nozomu's face, though tinged with sadness, held a sense of relief after settling his complicated relationship with Lisa.

"Is that so..."

"Thank you, Iris."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Because if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to properly say goodbye to Lisa."

Recalling the strange series of events that had brought them together, Irisdina chuckled.

"The first time we had lunch together, I seem to have asked some pretty rude questions, huh..."

"It's fine. Thinking about it now, you were the first person to do so. To someone with nothing but a bad reputation, you asked me directly and without prejudice. If you hadn't, I might have continued to be stuck in my own mistakes, even while being aware of them."

Indeed, thanks to his master, Nozomu was able to become aware of his own escapism. But that was all his master could do. It was undoubtedly Irisdina who had pushed him to truly face his past.

"...That's why, I'll say it as many times I can. Truly, thank you."

His repeated words of gratitude seemed to dissolve the stagnation in Irisdina's heart, and the weight in her palm began to lighten. Instead, her cheeks were rapidly heating up.

"N-Nozomu, can you help wear this hair ornament on me?"

"Eh?"

As if to hide her blushing cheeks, Irisdina placed the hair ornament in Nozomu's hand and took a half step closer. Her heart pounded in her chest.

Looking up, she saw surprise and a similar blush on his face. She couldn't take her eyes away from him.

He picked up the hair ornament and his fingers brushed against her glossy hair. A sweet numbness spread through her body.

Then, with a pleasant click, the hair ornament was returned to where it belonged.

(Ah, I really do love him after all...)

Irisdina was also forced to be aware of her feelings at this point.

But at the same time, she couldn't put those feelings into words.

A small lump remained deep in her heart. She didn't have the courage to expose it yet.

(But, for now, it's okay...)

Right now, she just wanted to be filled with this comfort.

"Nozomu, if you don't mind. Why don't you enjoy your time here? Everyone is here too."

"Oh, with pleasure."

Side by side, they walked back to join the others.

A surge of joy welled up within her, every time their shoulders brushed against each other.

There were still some feelings she hadn't conveyed to him yet.

But for now, she was simply happy that he was alive and by her side.

‡

一A lone raven was looking down on a city built in a sea of trees.

一It has a pair of crimson eyes and an eerie aura.

Contrary to the eerie and unnerving color of its eyes, one can certainly see a glint of intelligence behind them.

The raven focused its eyes on a section of the city. There, it saw the figure of a Dragon Slayer returning to his companions.

Its temporary master has completed his role. With his death, this raven's mission had also come to an end.

Yet, another mission awaited. With a loud caw, the crow took flight, heading south.

End of Final Chapter

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