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

Chapter 8.16

"Fuh~..."

While the women's group was in a strange atmosphere, Nozomu was maintaining his posture in front of his opponent, who was falling to the ground.

There was no problem with his consumption of Qi or physical strength. The stares of spectators around him were somewhat unnerving, but when the fight was underway, they did not bother him at all.

It seemed as if he could go a few more rounds at this point.

As he continued to maintain his stance, Nozomu was aware of his surroundings.

He was looking for the presence of something distinctly different from the human presence he had felt before while feeling the multiple stares and the heat of the combat training on his skin.

The presence of wind on the training ground, the scent of earth slightly tickling his nose, and the presence of the spirits he had felt that night.

He needed to be able to sense the power of the spirits and control it as soon as possible.

Despite his determination, the spirits' presence was as vague as ever, and he could not perceive their presence.

This fact agitated Nozomu's frustration.

But the fact that a mere human being was able to sense the spirits is in itself a miraculous progress...

"~!"

The next split second, a fist thrust into Nozomu's back along with a powerful Qi.

Nozomu reflexively swung his katana, parried the fist, and moved away from the attacker who had taken him by surprise.

"Kevin huh..."

There he was, a schoolmate who belonged to the Silver Wolf clan.

He stared at Nozomu with his fists ready, making no attempt to hide his seething hostility.

"Your next opponent will be me. Get ready."

Kevin brought the left half of his body forward and took a stance.

As if encouraged, Nozomu also raised his katana to his right shoulder.

Nozomu's body and thoughts, which had been in standby mode, instantly turned into battle mode.

At the same time that Nozomu took up his stance, Kevin immediately moved.

"~!"

He instantly closed the distance and launched a single strike with his fist. The target was the center of Nozomu's body, the solar plexus.

Nozomu calmly aligned his katana with the thrusting fist.

With a deafening sound, the Qi which was enveloped to the back of Kevin's hand began to disperse.

Nozomu and Kevin crossed and passed each other as they swapped their standing positions, then turned around to face each other again.

"Tch~ ..."

Kevin involuntarily clicked his tongue.

If one were to look closely, one could see a small scratch on the back of the gauntlet that he had just thrust into. It was a sign that Nozomu's Qi blade had penetrated Kevin's Qi.

Kevin Ardinal is a proud beastman with a lot of pride in his veins, and his A-ranked prowess is no joke.

The martial techniques and combat experience he had acquired, and above all, his instincts as a Silver Wolf clan member, kept ringing alarm bells against Nozomu, whom he was facing.

He had seen with his own eyes the entirety of the combat training that Nozomu and Jihad did in their joint class.

He no longer harbored any feelings of contempt for Nozomu Bountis.

But instead, what dominated his mind was the emotion that he didn't particularly like the man in front of him.

"I fucking hate him. I swear I really hate him..."

Kevin turned his emotions of frustration into a fighting spirit and struck at the opponent in front of him.

His Qi was flowing through his entire body, and each muscle was agitated to the point of screaming.

Nozomu's eyes squinted as if he too sensed Kevin's fighting spirit.

A moment later, Kevin's body was shot forward like an arrow.

He transformed himself into a single fang and sprinted toward Nozomu in a straight line.

On the other hand, Nozomu also raised his katana to intercept Kevin.

He poured more Qi than ever into the blade of his wooden katana and activated his instantaneous movement. He then swung his katana down in time with Kevin's charge.

"Stop right there!"

However, the fang and the blade did not collide.

The signal for the end of the lesson was heard in the training grounds.

Nozomu's blade was stopped just before it sliced through Kevin's shoulder and torso, and Kevin's fist was stopped just before it struck Nozomu's left chest.

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

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

Nozomu and Kevin. The two of them looked at each other at close range for a few seconds, and then both of them moved away and turned their backs to each other and began to walk away.

"... Next time."

Kevin declared so to Nozomu as he turned his back on him.

"The next time we fight, I will surely crush you."

A clear yet one-sided declaration of war.

Nozomu kept walking, despite Kevin's declaration behind his back.

Kevin's declaration also caught his attention, but it was quickly overshadowed by the frustration smoldering in his chest.

"I still don't feel like I can control it well at all ......."

Nozomu's mind was still occupied with the bomb inside him.

As he moved to the edge of the training ground, stowed away his wooden katana and placed his own katana back on his hip, Nozomu swallowed down the words that were about to come out of his throat.

There was nothing wrong with his Qi control. His physical condition was also good, thanks to the one-day off from training with Zonne. His swordsmanship wasn't bad either.

However, the frustration in his chest was still not going away.

When he looked around, he saw that the students had finished their classes and were leaving the training grounds.

The spectators who had been watching began to noisily turn their feet toward their next destinations.

At that moment, Nozomu was suddenly called out by someone.

"Excuse me. You are Nozomu Bountis, I presume?"

When Nozomu looked in the direction of the intimidating low voice, he saw a large man in front of him who appeared to be a nobleman.

He seemed to be in his forties, perhaps. Despite the small wrinkles running across his cheeks, his muscular physique and sharp eyes radiated an air of dignity that would make an ordinary person shudder.

It was Egrod Fabran, one of the leading figures of the Kingdom of Forsina.

However, Nozomu had never met him before. Moreover, he was obviously a nobleman.

Nozomu was alarmed by the sudden appearance of this suspicious person.

"Who are you?"

"Hm, you don't know me? I am ......."

Before Egrod could say his name, someone interrupted their conversation.

It was Irisdina, a young lady with long gray hair.

She interrupted Egrode in a rather confrontational manner, and she was looking at him with a wary gaze.

"Iris?"

"It's been a while, Egrod-sama. May I ask how can I help you?"

"It's been a while, Irisdina Francilt. I am sorry, but I have no business with you. I have business with the swordsman there."

The word "Egrod" came out of Irisdina's mouth, and Nozomu finally realized the identity of the nobleman in front of him.

"Egrod?..."

"Egrod Fabran, a nobleman from the Kingdom of Forsina. You could say that my household and Francilt there are political enemies."

Egrod's words, which sounded like a provocation, made Nozomu tense up.

"... What can I do for you?"

"I'll cut right to the chase and ask, what are you going to do with all that power?"

The question was so abrupt that Nozomu couldn't give an immediate answer.

What in the world does this nobleman know about Nozomu, and to what extent?

The sudden approach and the intimidating tone of voice. Furthermore, hearing ambiguous words such as "that power" plunged Nozomu's thoughts into deep suspicion.

"……What do you possibly mean?"

He did not think it was necessary to answer such a meaningful question from someone he did not even know.

Egrod, on the other hand, was glaring at Nozomu.

Nozomu frowned at him as if he was trying to forcefully probe the depths of his eyes.

Egrod stared at Nozomu for a while and then let out a deep sigh of disappointment.

"Answering a question with a question ... Apparently you aren't as much of a man as I thought you were."

"What are you implying?"

"I mean that you are not the man I expected you to be."

The furrow on Nozomu's forehead deepened further at the dismissive tone in his words.

It was only natural for Nozomu to feel uncomfortable when someone appeared out of nowhere and asked him such an impolite question in a blunt tone of voice.

"Egrod-sama, you are very rude to someone you have never met before. This is Arcazam, and we are in the middle of the opening festival. In the presence of other countries, a person who fails to show even the bare minimum of courtesy is ......"

Irisdina expressed her complaint on behalf of Nozomu's feelings.

On the other hand, Egrod, who had just spoken harsh words to Nozomu, dismissed Irisdina's words before she could finish speaking.

"Silence! Women will never understand what it means to be a man. No matter what the time, what could a man do if he could not answer with his chest out when asked about his own intentions?"

Egrod's gaze was already on Irisdina, not on Nozomu.

It was as if to say that he was no longer worth paying attention to.

"Irisdina, the same goes for you too. Stop carrying your household on your back with your slender arms. You will only be played with and destroy yourself. Behave yourself as a noble lady should be..."

"Egrod-sama, I am already the next head of the Francilt household. Besides, I've already set my path. I have no desire to turn back now."

Even in the face of the intimidating Egrod, Irisdina remained the same. With her dignified appearance intact, she declared that she would go her own way without hesitation.

"Hmph, what a fool ... In the end, you can never expect much from a man who has no integrity. No matter how great his talents and background may be, he will never make it to the top. Neither you nor your friends are much of a person to devote yourself to such a man..."

"What a very selfish thing to say..."

Hence, Nozomu could not stand Egrode's words that seemed to humiliate the girls.

Nozomu found himself in front of Irisdina and glared at Egrod again.

"…… What did you say?"

"Why should I answer a question from someone who comes out of the blue to pick a fight with us?"

His tone of voice was rough, not like his usual self. To put it simply, he was pissed.

His words were extremely disrespectful to a nobleman. Moreover, he was now in the presence of dignitaries from other countries for the opening festival, so it would have been more problematic if he had not said anything despite the rude words and actions directed at him.

After all, this is Arcazam, a place where the power of the various nations cannot reach.

Even though he had an excuse in the corner of his mind that this level of disrespect was no big deal, Nozomu returned Egrod's gaze, which had become even more intimidating.

"Hmph, what can a man protected by a woman do…"

"I don't care what you say about me. However, if you insult them any further, I'll ..."

"Hou~, what are you going to do? ... ~!"

The next moment, a dense killing intent enveloped the training ground. At the same time, countless silver flashes ran across Egrod's eyes.

Egrod swallowed his words as the silver flashes cut his neck and limbs in half in an instant, and then split his torso into four parts with a vertical and horizontal slash.

"…………"

After a few seconds of being frozen, Egrod checked his neck, which had been struck by silver flashes.

Egrod's head was still firmly attached to his body, and there was not the slightest sign that he had been cut. Nozomu's katana, which he was facing, was still in its original place and was not even in Nozomu's hand.

The silver flashes that Egrod saw were the sword Qi that Nozomu had released along with his killing intent. It was an imaginary sword strike with the clear intention of "cutting through that spot".

The sword Qi was so dense that not only Egrod, but also Irisdina and the other dignitaries who were watching the situation from the distance could see the imaginary sword strike.

"No-, Nozomu ..."

Irisdina, who was exposed to Nozomu's intense sword Qi, let out an involuntary yelp.

Egrod, who was on the other side of her, squinted his rigid eyes and raised his mouth.

"I see ...... you are not a cowardly rabbit, but a dog that wags its tail for its master. Then, make sure your owner doesn't abandon you. Francilt is not as innocent as you think."

Egrod turned on his heel and walked away from the training ground, as if he had nothing more to say to them.

As Egrod disappeared into the shadows of the school building, the tense atmosphere that had enveloped the training ground finally eased.

The students and dignitaries, having been released from the tense atmosphere, glanced at Nozomu and the others as they hurriedly left the training grounds.

"Nozomu ..."

"I'm sorry, Iris. I made a bad move."

"No, it's okay. I knew that the Fabrans would make a contact with you during this opening festival. Besides, he's always been that way."

Therefore, there would be no point in worrying about it.

Irisdina smiled as she added those words.

Judging from the fact that she did not seem to be particularly bothered by it, Nozomu concluded that this was not the first time that the nobleman had acted that way.

However, there was still a slight shadow on Nozomu's face.

(You have no integrity)

Those words, which were once said to him in the same way as Victor, tingled like a lump deep in Nozomu's chest.

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

Egrod left the training grounds and returned to the Solminnati Academy, followed by Mekria, Egrod's trusted confidant.

"Mekria ..."

"So, how was it? How was that Dragon Slayer?......"

"As you say, even if he were a Dragon Slayer, as he is now, he is neither poison nor medicine. But ......"

What came to his mind was that last sword Qi that was unleashed.

Even for Egrod, who had faced many swordsmen, noblemen, and royalty, it was the densest killing intent that he had ever experienced. If it had been aimed directly at an ordinary person, the mere illusion of being "slashed" would have been enough to make one so afraid that one could commit suicide.

Although he did not show his expression out of his natural stoutness, pride as a nobleman, and above all, pride as a man, to tell the truth, Egrod also felt nervous on the inside.

At the same time, he thought that it was not a bad thing.

"It was obvious that he had a bad impression of us ..."

"Haa~. In our kingdom, with the Dizzard Empire to the north and the Cremazzone Empire to the south, a single Dragon Slayer will not be enough. Besides, it is better for him to stay with the Francilt household under the current circumstances."

As a matter of fact, the current situation in the Kingdom of Forsina is quite severe. The country is sandwiched between a powerful hetero-species nation to the north and a military superpower to the south. If Forsina were to adopt a Dragon Slayer, the Cremazzone Empire, which was founded by the Dragon Slayer, might become a problem for the country.

Furthermore, there had been no diplomatic relations at all with the Dizzard Empire in the north, but recently there had been a talk of establishing conditional diplomatic relations, which caused some tension both domestically and internationally.

If a bomb like a Dragon Slayer were to explode in such a situation, the family that would suffer the most would be the one most closely associated with the Dragon Slayer, in other words, the Francilt household.

"I'll let that 'opportunist' take the risk for me."

"Is that all right with you?"

"Don't make me repeat myself."

After saying so to his aide, Egrod started walking, ignoring his aide who was standing by.

As if to pretend that this academy, which had been an abomination to him, was shaken out of his sight.