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

Chapter 8.4

Translator : PolterGlast

The scene that Nozomu saw as he slept slightly.

Raging cold and heat waves. Conflicting weather conditions were alternately blowing over the land, robbing the few people who lived there of the energy they needed to survive.

The seeds that had been planted froze along with the ground overnight, and the sprouts that finally emerged withered away in the blink of an eye along with the hot winds.

Furthermore, raids by hungry monsters and demon beasts further plunged the devastated humans into hell.

There was no hope. Hunger and resignation drained the humans of their energy.

She watched such a scene from the sky.

(Horrible......)

That was Tiamat's first thought when she saw the scene.

All her possibilities were being seized from her in an environment that she had no control over. And she had been avoided by her own people because of her birth. However, their environment seemed far more miserable than her own.

An ordinary human being would have lamented their own powerlessness and simply surrendered themself to the death that would come.

Fortunately, however, Tiamat had the power. She may be a bottom feeder as a member of the dragon race, but she was far more powerful compared to humans.

So, she extended her hand a little.

Using her own elements, she temporarily changed the direction of the raging nature.

She suppressed the shining sunlight with the power of darkness and transferred her own life force to the withered plants. She also sent the darkness that had stored heat during the day high into the sky during the night, causing rain to fall.

As a result, the withered buds sprang back to life, and the wasteland was transformed into a green meadow in the blink of an eye.

She had miscalculated her power and created forests here and there, but thanks to her, the people living in the area were able to sustain their lives.

For her, it was just a trivial task.

However, the words that people said to her at that time struck her heart strongly.

(Thank you)

It was the first time in her life that she had ever received such words from a small existence. It brought her a feeling she had never experienced before.

A sense of fulfillment, contentment, satisfaction, and accomplishment.

Then little by little, she began to help humans.

She helped the wind to be calm, the sun to be healthy, and the land to be bountiful.

As a black dragon, she could only do so much, but each time she did, the humans expressed deep gratitude to her.

And to her, the people who lived there had turned into irreplaceable beings.

The demon beasts that had been ravaged by hunger became docile, and eventually, some of them began to coexist with humans.

Eventually, her friends joined the land and it grew into a large country.

Alharant. A land where spirits, demon beasts, and humans lived together in an ideal world.

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

"Was that, her memories?..."

Nozomu woke up to the morning sun shining through the window of his room and ruminating on the scene he had just witnessed.

The memory of Tiamat, which he had glimpsed from time to time. However, he had rarely seen it in such a clear form.

Except for when he was in sync with Tiamat in the previous incident...

"Sudden synchronization? But the [Soul-Sealing Chains] have not been broken..."

Nozomu got off the bed to check himself, just to be sure, but he could not feel anything unusual.

There was no pain eroding his entire body, and the invisible chains were still wrapped around him.

"I'll ask Old Master, just in case."

It might not be a problem for now, but it would be better to be sure.

He grabbed the katana he had left by his bed and left his room, heading for the dorm garden.

In the dormitory yard, there were several students who were working out as hard as Nozomu.

They glanced at Nozomu as he came, but immediately focused on their own training afterward.

Nozomu also quietly pulled his katana out of its sheath and began to swing it as if to check it.

From diagonal slash to reverse-diagonal slash, from lateral slash to the right to lateral slash to the left.

He swung his katana slowly and without wasting time as if he was confirming the form.

Demonstration of flowing curves. The blade of the katana danced lightly in the morning sunlight.

For him, it was not even a workout, it was just a confirmation process. However, it was so beautiful that those who saw it could not help but admire it.

In fact, the eyes of the students who had been practicing on their own were once again focused on Nozomu.

"Come to think of it, I really need to do something about the party..."

Meanwhile, Nozomu was still wielding his katana and racking his brains about the opening party.

Yesterday, after realizing that he was a party participant, Nozomu had immediately gone to the office and obtained a participant's guidebook.

He then received some explanation from the office staff and further perused the guidebook he had obtained in his room last night.

Coming from a commoner background, Nozomu was not familiar with the etiquette of the party, but according to the office staff, there was no problem with wearing a uniform to the party.

However, since the impression one makes at a party may directly affect one's future, most students seem to have gotten appropriate attire to attend the party.

The school had secured a number of formal attire for the party, and it was okay to borrow to attend the party.

However, Nozomu did not have to worry too much about that. When Victor invited him to the mansion before, he gave Nozomu formal attire as a gift.

"Perhaps he knew about this and gave me that attire?"

Remembering the look on Victor's face when he told him "you'll need it when the time comes", Nozomu recalled the guidebook he read last night.

"Anyway, there's also dance ....... what should I do?"

Nozomu had never cared about whether he was good at dancing or not. He always thought it was something he had nothing to do with.

However, when he thought about it, those who graduated from the school have a good chance of attaining a high position in society, regardless of status.

If that were to happen, there would inevitably be opportunities to come into contact with the upper class. If this were the case, it would be necessary to acquire the skills necessary to do so.

Nozomu must have never thought that a time would come when he would experience it.

According to the office staff, the teachers would provide special training for students who would be attending the party for the first time, but the application period ended the day before yesterday, so Nozomu could not apply in time to attend.

Meanwhile, Mars, who was the same as Nozomu who had never been to a party before, had already applied.

"I have no experience at all. There's no way I can dance. Is using [Rinne Kaiten] no good? No, of course, it's not good..."

It was only natural. What was he going to do? Beat up his dance partner?

Nozomu still seemed to be in a panic inside his head.

The first thing to do was to take a deep breath and calm his muddled mind.

"I think I'll just become an ornament on the wall..."

For Nozomu, it didn't seem like a bad idea.

He would need time to practice his dance moves.

As Irisdina and the others said, it might be necessary to make connections with influential people. But for Nozomu, he wanted to prioritize training with Zonne above all else for now.

To completely control Tiamat's power. That, he believed, was what needed to be done above all else.

Perhaps because he was so deep in thought, Nozomu did not notice the presence approaching from behind.

"Oi......"

Nozomu turned around as he heard a voice coming from behind him.

There was his classmate, someone of a Silver Wolf Race with his silver hair and tail.

"Kevin, what can I do for you?"

Kevin Ardinal.

A classmate of Irisdina's. He is a student who was considered the best close-quarter combatant in the third year.

However, since the combat training between Nozomu and Jihad, Nozomu's name has been at the top of the list at the school.

Perhaps he was also training early in the morning. His skin was glistening with beads of sweat, and his hair was moist and wet.

"I hear you're going to be at the opening party too..."

"Well, it looks like I have to participate. So, what exactly do you want?"

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

Nozomu sneered at Kevin, who stared at him silently, but his nervousness increased.

Kevin is a prideful man, and in the past, he had one-sidedly scorned Nozomu, who had not performed well. During the special general training, he was overtly hostile toward Nozomu.

Even for Nozomu, it was not a very pleasant situation to be in.

A tense, skin-pricking feeling of intimidation flowed between the two.

Then, at that time, a voice suddenly blew away the tense atmosphere between the two.

"Ah, Nozomu. There you are."

"I-, iris? Why are you here so early in the morning..."

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

Irisdina appeared, dressed in her uniform.

Upon seeing her, Kevin turned his hostility toward Nozomu, silently turned on his heel, and walked away.

Irisdina, who had seen Kevin's back, put on a wondering expression on her face.

"......Did something happen?"

Irisdina, who was familiar with Kevin's personality, asked Nozomu, while squinted her eyes.

"No, he didn't say anything to me... A-, anyway, do you need something? I can't believe you're coming to the boys' dorm this early in the morning."

"Ah, right. I've got some business with you. Would you mind hearing me out?"

Irisdina's sharp gaze faded away, and she began to look at Nozomu's face with a flustered expression.

She looked into Nozomu's face with a flustered gaze, and her cheeks seemed to be slightly tinted with vermilion.

"Well, umm. Nozomu has no dance experience, right? Then why don't you practice a little?"

"Practice?"

"Y-, yeah. I have a place in my house and it's spacious enough that you won't be bothering the people around you. W-, what do you think..."

Irisdina's suggestion made Nozomu's expression turn uncomfortable. He had just been thinking of abandoning his dance practice.

He understood that Irisdina was concerned about him and was making the suggestion. But as far as he was concerned, he was reluctant to appear in front of the stage right now.

"But wouldn't that be a nuisance? Besides, considering the Old Master's training, I think it will be very late in the day. Victor-san might not be too happy about it either..."

"No problem. I'm the owner of that mansion. And even if it's late, there is no curfew in the dormitory, right? I'll at least treat you to dinner. What do you say?"

"I'm glad Iris suggested it, but I'm ......"

He was happy to hear from Irisdina that she was willing to help him practice. But it was too early for him now. Once he thought about it, Nozomu couldn't readily accept her suggestion.

After much consideration, Nozomu decided to refuse Irisdina's suggestion.

Nozomu's heart ached as if it was creaking when he thought about her thinking about him as much as she could. Nozomu swallowed the pain along with his spit.

Controlling Tiamat's power. That was the priority for him now more than anything else, he thought, covering up the pain in his chest.

At the very least, he should refuse her, not with excuses, but with firm and sincere words. Believing that out of respect for her, Nozomu tried to open his mouth.

"I... see..."

But before Nozomu could reply, a shadow appeared on Irisdina's face as she stared at him.

She is a very perceptive woman. She must have immediately realized what Nozomu's response would be.

The ice that had been creaking deep inside Nozomu's chest was cracked by her expression that was filled with a sense of loneliness.

"I'd like to dance ... with you..."

The words she muttered sadly fell with a thud sound into Nozomu's chest.

At that moment, the ice in his chest that had been creaking earlier rattled and crumbled.

At the same time, Nozomu felt indescribable anger at himself.

(What am I doing... I don't want her to make such an expression, that's why I begged Zonne to train me.)

Nozomu slapped his own cheeks with both hands as if to rebuke himself for trying to make excuses.

Irisdina was startled by Nozomu's sudden action, and her eyes were flustered.

"Iris, I need you to help me practice my dance moves, please. Honestly, it's about time I had to do something about it."

While staring her firmly in the eye, Nozomu asked her to help him practice. Her face, which had been frozen in surprise, gradually relaxed and turned into a big smile.

"A-, alright then! I'll be waiting for you at the front gate after school today, and we can go to my place after your training with Zonne is over!"

Irisdina grabbed Nozomu's hands and shook them as if driven by the excitement, and then she started talking rapidly.

Then she let go of Nozomu's hand and ran toward the front gate of the dormitory.

"You hear me! You better promise me! That you'll definitely come!"

"Yeah, it's a promise!"

Irisdina turned around and waved her hand, to which Nozomu also responded with a wave.

It might be bad for him since his training time with Zonne will be reduced. Even so, Nozomu could be sure from the bottom of his heart that this was for the best.

The sun had already risen completely above the horizon. The wind, however, was still biting cold.

Nozomu's body shivered from the cold. But inside his chest, it was warmer than ever.

Incidentally, their conversation was instantly spread throughout the boys' dormitory by the students who were training early in the morning, and Nozomu was subjected to countless murderous stares from morning on.