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

Chapter 8.3

Shina was at her desk in her room, staring at the crystal in her hand.

The light from the lamp on the table illuminated a crystal with gold ornament inside it.

Mikael. The soul of an old white dragon who came to this place to seal Tiamat.

Shina closed her eyes and began to pour her magic power into the crystal.

"Answer me. What are you going to do with him now?..."

Shina connected the path to Mikael and spoke to the crystal.

However, Mikael still didn’t say anything, only reflecting back the dim light of the lamp in silence.

Shina continued to connect the path for a while.

Mikael didn’t seem to respond to Shina’s voice as usual.

However, she felt that Mikael was somehow different from two weeks ago.

It was as if ripples were rising on the surface of the water.

It was as if a slight breeze had calmed the darkness, where abyss and stagnation drifted.

"Perhaps, you lost your way?"

(............)

Shina increased her magic power in an attempt to make further contact with Mikael’s spirit, which remained silent.

However, before her spirit could connect any deeper with Mikael, Mimuru suddenly jumped from behind her.

"Shina, what are you doing !?"

"Kyaa~!"

The sudden shock on her back caused the Mikael in Shina’s hand to slip out of her hand. As the crystal almost hit the floor, Shina hurriedly reached out to catch it. Fortunately, the crystal did not hit the floor and settled firmly in Shina’s hand.

"Mimuru, that was dangerous..."

Shina exhaled in relief, but then turned around with squinted eyes to blame Mimuru for suddenly bumping into her.

However, Shina’s eyes widened involuntarily when she saw Mimuru’s appearance.

"W-, what are you wearing?"

"Hmm? It’s my new underwear. Does it look good?

Mimuru put her hands on her hips and posed in a glamorous pose.

However, the underwear she was wearing had such a small amount of fabric that it was doubtful whether it functioned as underwear.

Her breasts and groin were only modestly hidden, and it seemed as if something that should not be visible could be seen at the slightest moment.

Shina felt a headache and pressed her temples due to her best friend’s too daring attire.

"It’s more like a rip-off than looking good on you. Why did you choose to wear those stringy-looking underwear again?"

"Of course, it’s for Tom! If I approach him with this, he’ll, knock-, me-, down, nyan~...!"

Apparently, she had bought this string-like underwear with the intention of seducing Tom.

Shina felt a strange sense of cunning in the way Mimuru went out of her way to tell her something like that.

"Given Tom’s personality, I think he’s going to pull back instead... Aren’t you embarrassed?"

"What are you talking about? Women must be courageous! It’s not my style to walk three steps behind my husband!"

Mimuru proudly declared so, but Shina, who had been thinking seriously earlier, couldn’t keep up with her at the moment.

The fact that Mimuru was only wearing underwear was also a factor that dampened Shina’s spirits.

In addition, she called Tom her husband even though they were not yet married, but Shina didn’t pursue it any further.

"Is that so? Anyway, if you’re going to get close to Tom, try not to bother him too much."

While sighing, Shina left Mimuru alone and tried to talk to Mikael again.

As usual, there was no response from Mikael, but she still continued to connect the path with the crystal.

On the other hand, Mimuru’s mouth twitched in frustration at the sight of Shina’s flippant behavior.

The next moment, however, she smiled and leaned in from behind her.

"Shina, too. You could make Nozomu’s heart throb if you wanted to, couldn’t you? You have such a beautiful body. You should make better use of it."

"Wha~! What are you doing!"

While hugging Shina from behind, Mimuru slipped her hands under Shina’s armpits and wrapped them around her breasts as if to lift them up.

"H~mm, it’s a little modest, but the shape is perfect. And, as a bonus..."

"Hya~! H-, hey! Stop it!"

In addition, Mimuru began caressing Shina’s breasts with her hands.

Shina’s body trembled as if an electric current had run through it.

"Excellent sensitivity. I can’t stop myself from playing with it."

Mimuru, who was in a good mood, put her hands inside Shina’s shirt and began to caress her body directly.

"Ah~! Nn~! Hey, s-, stop, it ..."

Shina started to get angry at this.

However, Just as Shina was about to raise her hand to smack Mimuru...

"Imagine it, Shina, if these hands were Nozomu-kun’s..."

"Fuwa~!"

However, the moment Mimuru muttered Nozomu’s name in Shina’s ear, her entire body bounced as if struck by lightning.

Then, as if her strength had been drained from her body for a moment, her whole body stiffened like a stone, and she began to tremble more violently than before.

Mimuru’s hands, which were squeezing Shina’s breasts, felt a glamorous tremor in Shina’s body which was clearly different from the angry tremor she had just experienced earlier.

"Nnn~! ~~~~~!"

Every time Mimuru’s hands moved, Shina’s mouth let out a charming, inexpressible moan.

Looking closely, Shina’s long, distinctive ears were stained bright red, and a powerful scent began to waft from her white neck.

She was clearly experiencing pleasure.

Still, Shina was writhing between the pleasure and shame running through her body, biting her lips and desperately trying to stifle her voice.

"Oh no. This elf is super cute..."

Mimuru was just going to tease her at first, but a strange switch flipped inside her.

Just when Mimuru, who seemed to be excited, was about to knock Shina down, the windowpane was knocked and rattled open.

"I’m sorry for coming so late at night. Miss, I need to talk to you about something... fuo~!"

"Eh?"

It was Zonne who peeked out of the window.

The Wildcat girl and the old man were speechless, stiffening involuntarily at the unexpected situation.

Seen from the side, Shina and Mimuru were female students who were having fun doing something in their room. As for Zonne, he was a suspicious person who had trespassed into the girls’ dormitory.

After a moment of silence passed between them...

"Ve~ry ~~ Good !!"

"Divine punishment!"

"It figu~ gaaah~!"

Mimuru leaped at Zonne in her underwear, and her fist gouged deeply into Zonne’s stomach.

Zonne’s body crumpled forward, over the window frame, and fell like a corpse to the floor of the room.

"Good grief, what an insane lustful dragon to barge into a woman’s room on a night like this..."

Mimuru angrily crossed her arms, but the only clothes she was wearing right now were her underwear.

Moreover, because she was also driven by her lust just a moment ago, so she has no power of persuasion.

"Shina, the evil has been destroyed... Eh? Why are you clenching your fists?"

And, of course, she would reap what she sowed.

Shina’s hand was raised and swung out with a force that could not be imagined from her slender appearance.

And, of course, the bill for her deeds would come home to her.

"Mimuru ... you fooooool~!"

"Gaaah~!"

Shina’s hand struck Mimuru’s cheek, and with a sound, *Smack!*, that resonated to the core, Mimuru’s body flew out of the window with a clean three-and-a-half-turn twist.

After forcibly dumping Mimuru out the window, Shina snapped the open window shut and roughly closed the curtains.

Shina, who had been huffing and puffing and breathing wildly, turned her attention to Zonne, who had collapsed to the floor.

"So, what can I do for you?"

"N, no, it’s just... I have business with you and Mikael...."

While wincing in agony from the dull pain in his abdomen, Zonne looked up only to see a furious elf girl with a rage seeping from her entire body.

Behind the elf’s eyes was a blizzard, so cold that even Abyss Grief would be scared to death.

"The fact that you are here at this hour means that your business is very important, doesn’t it?"

"Y, yes..."

"I understand. Please sit down and wait while I prepare some tea."

Shina turned on her heel and began to prepare the tea.

Her back was radiating a silent pressure, "Don’t pursue any further!".

Zonne, who was not daring enough to mess with Shina, sat quietly in a nearby chair and waited for her to finish making the tea.

After a few minutes, Zonne slowly sipped the tea she handed him and began to briefly state his business.

"Could you leave Mikael with the boy for a while?"

"With Nozomu-kun?"

Nozomu and Mikael. The mention of both of their names caused Shina to look at Zonne suspiciously.

"The boy is now gradually in sync with Tiamat, and he’s beginning to get a glimpse of her past. Also, he seems to be curious about Tiamat’s past. I could tell him, but it would be best to hear it from Mikael himself...”

Apparently, Zonne was thinking of having Mikael tell Nozomu directly from his mouth about Tiamat’s past.

Upon hearing Zonne’s words, Shina’s expression clouded over like a rainy sky.

"He’s still..."

"I see......"

Mikael was still silent.

When Zonne heard of this, he also let out a disappointed sigh.

"I thought that now that he’s seen that boy trying to overcome his anger and hatred, things might be a little different..."

Mikael had been with Nozomu and the others due to his responsibility for Azel’s outburst and the sealing of Tiamat.

But for Zonne, he probably hoped that by seeing the actions of Nozomu and the others now, Mikael, who had been bound by despair and resignation, would change, even if only a little.

"But I feel that Mikael-dono seems a bit lost. Though, that’s just my subjective view..."

"I see..."

Zonne smiled a complicated smile, a mixture of joy and sorrow.

To Shina, his face looked even weaker than the years he had accumulated.

"Has Nozomu-kun’s training been going well?"

This time Shina asked a question to the old man. The content of the question was about the progress of Nozomu’s training.

She was concerned about Nozomu, who had been visibly worn out since he began training.

"The training itself is not good, but it is not bad either. The problem is the boy’s impatience. You know that, don’t you, miss?"

Nozomu imposed on himself a rigorous training regimen. Knowing the reason, Shina nodded to Zonne’s words.

"The power of dragons is the power of spirits. However, even though that brat has become a Dragon Slayer, he shows no signs of being able to sense spirits. No matter how I look at him, he really is just a human. Even I can’t say that he has complete control over his power either. He might be able to contain it, but he’s not in a state to control it."

A Dragon Slayer who had taken in the power of a dragon should be able to communicate with spirits to varying degrees.

However, despite being a Dragon Slayer, Nozomu remained a human being to this day.

He was able to contain Tiamat’s power, but he was not able to control it completely.

Unique skill and spirit magic. Neither can be learned overnight.

Shina fully understood Nozomu’s frustration that he still had to do something about it.

"So his problems are the control of his unique skill and the inability to sense the spirits?"

"If we can solve either of them, he might make a breakthrough..."

In response to Zonne’s words, Shina put her hand over her mouth as if in thought.

As a human, Nozomu had difficulty even sensing the spirits that exist around him. However, he had used Tiamat’s power he had taken in. In fact, Shina had seen Nozomu use Tiamat’s elements several times.

Then, naturally, she could see what Nozomu lacked.

"Mmm... Maybe Nozomu-kun can also... But..."

Shina was thinking with a somewhat puzzled expression on her face.

Zonne watched in silence.

"...... I understand. Old man, can you leave the matter of spirit magic to me?"

"Hmm, looks like you have an idea. I have a good guess as to what you’re trying to do, but I think you’re better suited for the job than I am. I’ll be counting on you then."

Zonne’s eyes narrowed for a moment at Shina’s words, but his expression immediately changed as if he had realized something.

Zonne stood up, opened the window, and put his feet on the edge of the window.

"U-, umm. About Mikael-dono..."

"You can give it directly to that brat. I’ll give him a day off from his training tomorrow, so if you intend to do something to him, you may do it then."

At that moment, for some reason, Shina’s cheeks turned vermillion.

Zonne smiled at Shina’s appearance.

"Ah, by the way, Miss, regarding the matter of spirit magic, perhaps..."

"I know. There’s no other way. B-, but......"

When Zonne looked back, he saw that Shina had her arms crossed. Then she put her hand over her mouth and was mumbling something while immersed in her own thoughts.

What on earth had she come up with?

Her cheeks were even redder than when she was being teased by Mimuru, and she looked like a boiled octopus.

"Good grief. I’m so jealous of that brat."

Zonne slumped his shoulders as if he was amazed by Shina, who did not seem to notice his call and disappeared straight out the window.

All that was left was a single cute elf writhing in shame.

By the way, the wildcat girl who was dumped outside the window was left unconscious from the impact of the fall and ended up being left there until morning.

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

An administrative district was established in the northern part of Arcazam.

Inside a special room for dignitaries of various countries, the atmosphere was as gloomy as the bottom of a swamp.

There was no sign of people at all in this place where the night had fallen.

In the darkness, two figures were facing each other.

"So, have you decided to call the head of the household?"

"Yes. I have found out the details of the "fire" that the Francilt Household is holding. We’ve been on the back foot ever since the Starlight destroyed our forces, but now that we have more information, it’s time to make our move."

Mekria and the Corpse Raven.

The combination of a bewitching beauty and a skinny man who reeked of death was still eerie even in the dark of night.

"For that reason, you have to send a letter to "that country". Since it’s a serious matter, isn’t it~? That’s why, the head of the household needs to know about this, right?"

"I don’t see why not. If he could deal a blow to the head of the Francilt Household, I’m sure he would be willing to go along with it, even if he feels indignant about it.."

"The head of the household seems to have hated the old man for a long time~. It’s as if his loved ones were taken away from him. So, how do you plan to break their stronghold?"

He asked with a smirk and an unpleasant smile on his face

"For now, let’s just play one of our hands."

"Just one? Isn’t it a bad idea to take it easy on him?"

"This is to check whether Victor has any countermeasures or not. Besides, if we play our cards poorly, we’ll be the ones out of breath."

While she says she will move, Mekria makes it clear that she will only use a cautious approach.

This is because she recognizes Victor as a clear threat.

He had a tendency to go wild when it came to his family members, but he was not putting on air when it came to the fact that he was involved in the founding of the Solminati Academy.

"Leaving that aside, what about "him" ?"

The topic then shifted to a young man who was now the focus of Victor’s attention.

Nozomu Bountis.

A swordsman who is now beginning to attract attention from various countries after his epic battle against Jihad Raundel at the martial arts garden.

But what was truly remarkable about this young man was that he was the first "Dragon Slayer" to appear in several hundred years.

"As usual, he went to the forest with the old white dragon for the past two weeks. It’s difficult to keep an eye on him for a long time, though, because the old man is always by his side~."

After discovering that he was a Dragon Slayer, Mekria had ordered the Corpse Raven to keep an eye on Nozomu Bountis.

"He’s been amazing lately~. He has improved the control limit time of that power by ten seconds. Moreover, he still seems to be dissatisfied with it. Maybe he’s a dragon in disguise... "

The Corpse Raven smiled and talked about how Nozomu was being mentored by the mighty White Dragon.

Mekria’s eyes widened involuntarily when she saw his happy smile.

"You seem to be interested in him."

"At least, more than Mecria-chan~."

"Keep it within the range that it doesn’t affect our plans. He is the key. This is an opportunity that has finally come to us. You do understand that, don’t you?..."

"I know. You don’t have to look scary like that~."

Mekria gave a strong questioning gaze to Corpse Raven who was waving his hand.

"I’m not sure about that. You always lose control whenever you’re interested in something."

"Good grief. You’ve known me for a long time, but why don’t you trust me~. But you know, that’s the way I am. I can’t change that, can I~?"

"I heard you took the liberty of disposing of non-targets at your last job, even though you didn’t need to."

"I thought it was going to be fun, but to be honest, I was disappointed. They broke down easily."

Mekria sighed at the sight of Corpse Raven.

"You’ll get your chance soon. Until then, be patient."

"Yes, yes~. I know~."

Whether she believed the Corpse Raven’s words or whether she realized that there was no point in saying anything further, Mekria turned on her heel and left the room.

The Raven watched her back as she disappeared through the door, then he rolled back the curtains beside him and opened the closed window with all his might.

A cold winter wind rushed into the room through the window.

Feeling the wind hit his entire body, he raised his hands. His black-winged costume fluttered in the breeze.

"Yes, I know..."

A voice that made anyone who heard it feel heavy, different from the playful and light tone he usually used.

The Corpse Raven rushed out of the window as it was, and disappeared into the darkness of the new moon.