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

[LN] Volume 2: Chapter 2.1

This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.

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Volume 2 Chapter 2.1

Off-Street [Rivalry] Tune Part 1

Translator : PolterGlast

After reporting to the guild, Nozomu and his group parted ways with Shina and the others and headed directly for the Ox-head Pavilion, which is the home of Mars' parents.

Normally, it would be just Nozomu, but this time Irisdina and Tima were with him.

The reason for this was to celebrate the completion of their first mission as a party.

Also, although no one said it, it was to get rid of the bad feeling at the time of reporting the completion of the request.

"All right, cheers!"

"C-, Cheers!"

"Ooh......."

Nozomu also raised his cup to Irisdina's prompting. What was in the cup was not sake, but juice. When Mars was about to order sake, his sister, Ena, the tavern's signature girl, stopped him.

"Absolutely no sake for you, Onīchan!"

Apparently, Mars had once confronted a customer who had complained all kinds of things about the restaurant's food when he was drunk, and since then he had been forbidden to drink sake at home. Of course, he was also not allowed to return home drunk.

"Come to think of it, Irisdina-san. I wanted to ask you, what happened to that butler's case?"

"Although I've covered it up as a magic tool malfunction to the outside world, I can't keep it completely under wraps. Well, I've explained it to the academy to some extent."

"...... Is that really alright?"

"To be honest, it's not looking good. However, it's fortunate that Jihad-sensei told me that he doesn't blame Somia and me."

"Thank goodness......"

Nozomu was relieved to hear Irisdina's words.

When Rugato attacked, barrier magic was cast on the Francilte mansion, and the battle took place inside the mansion, which was only on the premises of the Francilt mansion.

Therefore, in Irisdina's opinion, the battle was probably tolerated because no damage was inflicted on the town.

"By the way, Nozomu, you didn't release your [Ability Suppression], huh?"

Nozomu's heart thumped loudly in response to Mars' abrupt words.

"Well, yeah. I didn't have the opportunity or need to do that...... Like I said before, I'm still couldn't control it yet."

"But you could have used it. I mean, it's not like it's going to take long, and once you use it, the people who make fun of you will shut up, right?"

"That's ......."

Certainly, by showing Tiamat's power once released, he would be able to silence the students who made fun of him. But at the same time, Nozomu will definitely be asked to explain this power in detail.

If that were to happen, they might also find out about the existence of the giant dragon that Nozomu had come to host.

A sense of fear and agitation ran down Nozomu's spine.

What would they look at him if they were to find out? How would he be treated?

The return of a Dragonslayer for the first time in hundreds of years. Nozomu could not be so optimistic as to think that everything would be smooth sailing as a result.

What's more, Tiamat still lived inside Nozomu's body, and he could still sense its mighty presence if he were to focus his attention on it.

Even after his battle against Rugato, Tiamat has even tried to intrude on his consciousness in the form of dreams.

Therefore, Nozomu had a strong premonition that after becoming a Dragonslayer, he would face all sorts of troubles, troublesome situations, political disputes, and international issues.

"He has the ability to control his Qi with such precision that it's no wonder he doesn't like to feel differently than he normally does."

"Well, besides, it seems that Nozomu-kun is under a great deal of strain...... You remember how he slept for more than a day and a half before, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, that's true......."

Mars seemed to have a slight second thought about it, but he nodded at Irisdina and Tima's words and did not pursue Nozomu any further.

A moment of silence. Trying to cover up the slightly awkward atmosphere, Nozomu opened his mouth.

"Speaking of which, I was curious about something....... Why were Kevin and his party members so mad at her?"

"By her, do you mean Shina Juliel-kun?"

Upon Irisdina's confirmation of his question, Nozomu gave a small nod.

"What, you don't know?"

Nozomu tilted his head at Mars, who looked a little surprised. Mars let out a sigh of exasperation at Nozomu, who really didn't understand.

"Most of the students who had been harboring hostility toward Shina-kun were beastmen. They are all from the Sumahya Union."

"Sumahya Union....... ah-."

Irisdina's words sparked a connection between the questions that Nozomu had in his mind.

Sumahya Union is a country in the southern part of the Arkmel continent, a new nation founded by those who lost their country due to the Great Invasion of the demonic beasts that took place 20 years ago.

Therefore, it is a melting pot of races, not only human, but also many demihuman races live here.

Elves are also a member of the Sumahya Union, but what caused problems was the behavior of the elves at the time of the Great Invasion.

Basically, elves do not get involved with other races. In particular, only elves were allowed to enter the Nebula Forest, their former homeland.

The Nebula Forest was originally created by the spirits that dwelled in the Great Tree that stood at the center of the forest. Elves made a contract with the spirits of the Great Tree in ancient times, and have coexisted with them for thousands of years since then.

The forest's defenses, protected by the elves, who have an extremely high affinity with spirits, combined with the spirits of the Great Tree, can truly be called an iron wall.

Furthermore, Nebula forest is always shrouded in thick fog, and only elves who can communicate with spirits can reside in it.

Therefore, even during the Great Invasion, the elves did not heed the warnings of other races and did not accept help from them because it was their sanctuary as it has always been.

The other nations also believed that the Nebula Forest would be able to withstand the invasion of the demonic beasts for half a year.

"But, if I'm not mistaken, the Nebula Forest fell just within a week or so......."

However, the forest of elves fell earlier than expected. The reason seemed to be that the Great Tree, the heart of the forest, was attacked by demonic beasts that came out of nowhere, and the "High Elves" who could establish communication with the Great Tree were annihilated.

After the fall of the Nebula Forest, the monsters invaded the neighboring countries, which had not yet finished their defense preparations, and caused them to collapse as well.

Naturally, the refugees who had warned the elves beforehand were among them, and many were killed.

"Of course, a country's inadequate defense system is the responsibility of its government. But those who lost their families and hometowns didn't care. Moreover, after the fall of the Nebula Forest, the speed of the demonic beast invasion increased, and many countries collapsed as a result."

The early fall of Nebula Forest. This confusion created further chaos and triggered the chain reaction collapse of many countries.

Although consequential, this decisively worsened the standing of the elves.

"After the Great Invasion, the surviving elves fled to territories within the current Sumahya Union, but many in the Union still harbor animosity toward the elves because they ignored reinforcements and warnings from other races. Kevin is also one of those people."

Irisdina kept telling the story while moistening her mouth with the juice in front of her.

"However, it is not as if the elves are completely ostracized within the Union. In fact, the elves' spirit magic was of great help in the recapture of territories after the invasion."

[Operation Fructus]

It was the greatest counterattack operation of mankind, which took place over a duration of four years beginning right after the Great Invasion.

Thanks to this operation, which lasted from the first to the fourth stages, the invasion of the demonic beasts was successfully stopped, albeit at the cost of many casualties, and the territory was subsequently recaptured to a certain extent.

However, it was not possible to recapture all the territories occupied by the monsters, and this operation has now been postponed indefinitely in the middle of the fifth stage due to the exhaustion of the various countries.

"Umm ...... about Tom-kun and Mimuru-san. As I recall, they are both from the Sumahya Union, just like Kevin-kun. Moreover, the homeland of the Wolfmen hasn't been liberated yet......"

On one hand, they were hated, yet on the other hand, they could be friends. The relationships between them seemed to reflect the chaotic situation of the Sumahya Union.

"If I remember correctly, the recapture of territories occupied by demonic beasts after the Great Invasion was- ......"

"Yeah, it stopped right near the Nebula Forest. And despite the destruction of their homeland, it was the Wolfmen, Kevin's parents' generation, who warned the elves about the oncoming Great Invasion. That's why it's become such a complicated issue."

"Sorry to keep you waiting! Here you go! A hole rabbit steak, a whole roasted chicken, a salad, and some bread!"

Meanwhile, Ena, Mars' younger sister, brought in the dishes one after another.

The dishes were served on a large platter, as one would expect from a tavern, with steam rising from the dishes and an appetizing aroma wafting through the air.

"Now that the food is here, let's enjoy it."

As if prompted by Irisdina and as if to change their mood, each of them began to reach for their food.

At first, the group was a bit reserved as they tucked into their food, but after the battle with the demonic beasts and a fair amount of walking, they gradually picked up the pace.

Before they knew it, they were fighting over the remaining dishes.

"Oi, Mars, that's my steak!"

"Hmph, the fastest one gets it."

"I'll take it then. Yeah, it's delicious!"

""Ahh!""

"A- awawawa......"

The two boys who were in the middle of eating fought over the food, but Irisdina took advantage of their dispute and snatched the food from the side. Tima, who was watching the three of them fight, laughed wryly.

Before they knew it, their table had become the noisiest seat in the Ox-head Pavilion.

"Hahaha! They're sure having fun, aren't they!?"

"Gosh, Onīchan, you're such an embarrassment......"

Hanna, who was watching Nozomu and his group from a distance, chuckled broadly, and Ena let out a sigh while holding the tray.

Before he knew it, Nozomu had forgotten the tightness in the back of his throat, and he, Mars, and Irisdina were all fighting over the food.

A long-lost smile appeared on his mouth.

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After the dinner at the Ox-head Pavilion, the four of them headed back to their respective homes.

The commercial district, which plays an important role in Arcazam's economy, is always lit up even after the sun goes down.

The four of them walked down the street, illuminated by the lanterns hung in the stores.

Although Mars, whose home is in Ox-head Pavilion, did not have to follow them, he was forced to by Hanna, who was furious with him for sending the two women home without escorting them.

"Ugh~, I ate too much......."

It was Nozomu who appeared groggy. His stomach was on strike as a result of eating too much. His digestive system was warning him that he was in danger, and he was desperately trying to push the contents out through repeated expansion and contraction.

But Nozomu, whose life would be a disaster if he listened to it, was holding his mouth and rubbing his stomach to appease his stomach, which was on the verge of going out of control and trying his best to hold it together.

"Well, our food is basically about quantity. That's why some people tend to eat too much."

"The taste was good, too. Unlike the food at home, the seasoning was strong, but it was good for a change."

On the other hand, Mars and Irisdina, who should have eaten as much as Nozomu, seemed to be fine.

He could understand if it were Mars because he is big by nature, but he wondered what was going on with Irisdina, who has a slender figure.

"Well, actually, I was secretly using magic. I was lightly applying body enhancement magic to my internal organs."

Irisdina smiled lightly as if to answer Nozomu's question.

Strengthening magic, as the name implies, raises the level of various bodily functions. She had apparently improved the function of her digestive system with it. Moreover, seeing that she was not chanting, she must have been using her ability [Immediate Deployment] as well. What a waste.

"Oh gosh, Ai. If you do, though, the food you eat won't necessarily disappear......"

"Yeah. The more you eat, the more you have to move later......"

With a dry smile, Irisdina looked into the distance.

She was the one who was most affected later on. This is a big problem, especially for women.

"You had it coming!"

Irisdina, staring off into the distance with a gloomy expression on her face, was given a precise rebuke by Tima.

Tima was surprisingly taking the lead in giving a rebuke to her best friend's thoughtless behavior. It was a very unusual sight for the usually dignified and mature Irisdina.

"Ehem! Well, it's getting late, let's go home as soon as possible. Somia is waiting for me."

Irisdina coughed deliberately to cover up her own disgraceful behavior, and then she walked ahead of the others.

The three of them let out a sigh in response to her behavior and followed after her.

"It's always lively here. Even at night, there are always a lot of people around."

"Well, it's a commercial district after all."

Irisdina spoke so in a whisper, and while Nozomu agreed with her, the four of them walked down the street side by side.

After a while, Nozomu's stomach began to feel a little better, but as they walked down the street, Irisdina, who was walking next to him, suddenly pulled him by the arm.

"Nozomu-kun, come here for a sec......"

"Eh? Whoa!"

Nozomu was taken directly into the shadows of the alleyway. Nozomu was perplexed, wondering what was going on when the face of a beautiful, dark-haired girl suddenly jumped in front of him.

"W-, what's wrong?"

"I wanted to leave Tima and Mars-kun alone for a moment."

"...... Eh?"

"As you know, Tima is not very good with men. So I thought it would be a good opportunity for her to get used to it."

Look. Irisdina pointed to Tima, who was staggering around left and right with her eyes wide open. It seemed that she was in a state of panic because she was suddenly alone with Mars.

"She looks pretty flustered......"

"Fufu~, isn't she cute?"

It was hard to tell based on her tone of voice whether it was revenge on the earlier tsukkomi or whether she was really concerned about her best friend, but to Nozomu, it sounded somewhat like the former.

"Irisdina-san, you have bad taste in the weirdest ways."

"Hmm, that's not true. Ah, look at her, she's so scary when she's angry."

Nozomu wondered if he had ever offended her, but he didn't say anything more. He knew that if he said it out loud, she would turn her anger away from Tima and toward him.

Nozomu let out an involuntary sigh at the intuition working in an odd place.

"Anyway, why are you still addressing me with honorific?"

"Eh?"

Upon hearing Irisdina's dissatisfied voice, he raised his face and caught a glimpse of her face coming closer and closer to his vision.

Even though their distance was already close, her beautiful face approached him so close that he could almost feel her breath on his face. Nozomu's cheeks turned bright red.

"I'd like you to call me by my first name. And I will address you as Nozomu, as well."

"Eh?"

"Right, you can also address Tima by nickname."

"N-, no, that's a bit......."

"Come on."

Nozomu was at a loss for words under Irisdina's relentless attacks.

He was so embarrassed that he felt the urge to run away from the place, but unfortunately, Irisdina was holding his arm tightly now, and he was not going to be able to run away.

"T-, then, I-......ris."

"Hmm~, I think it's still too stiff. Oh well, I guess that can't be helped.

"Maybe we can work it out later. Then ...... let's go on a date night."

"...... Pardon?"

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(W-, where did both of them go -----!?)

While Nozomu was being dragged on a date by Irisdina, Tima, who was left alone with Mars by her best friend's scheme, was screaming inaudibly with her face turning red.

(W-, why am I alone with Mars-kun -----!? Ai and Nozomu-kun, who were next to me, were gone before I knew it! Why? How!?)

As if in response to her agitation, her heart was pounding wildly.

Unsure of what to do, Tima, who had reached the peak of her nervousness, was drenched in sweat from her forehead, her eyes wide open, her gaze darting to and fro as if looking for help.

"Huh? Where are Nozomu and Irisdina? When did they disappear...... did they lose their way?"

"Y-, yeah, I-, I think so......"

When Mars spoke to her, Tima's reply was not even a coherent speech.

It could have been said that a bird or a monkey was mimicking a human voice.

(W-, what should I talk about!? I've never talked to a boy alone like this before! Ai, help me ------!)

In her mind, she asked for help from her best friend who wasn't there, but unfortunately, the culprit behind the situation was her best friend.

Naturally, she would not come to her rescue.

"Tch, that's not good. The roads are so complicated around here that it will be difficult to find them once they deviate from the original route...... It can't be helped. We'll just keep walking for a little bit and if we still can't find them, we'll go on ahead. Is that okay?"

"U-, un. Please......"

After saying so, Mars began to walk, and Tima followed, taking a few steps away behind to stay behind him.

Time passed in silence.

Tima kept her face down and stared at his back as he went on ahead.

When she first met him, he was a very scary man. He suddenly glared at her, intimidating her. Her legs were wobbling and shaking, and if her best friend had not been by her side at that moment, she might have been hunched over.

However, she noticed that the feeling of fear was slowly fading away.

She is still nervous. In fact, she couldn't even look him in the face and talked to him face-to-face.

But, she was able to walk with him like this.

(If this were happening a year ago, I would have run away immediately......)

From the outside, Mars is infamous as a tough-looking, untouchable delinquent. When did the fear of him fade away? She realized it as soon as she thought about it.

(Since I saw him with Ena-chan ...... and also, the fight against Rugato-san......)

Ena, Mars' younger sister, was a solid girl in Tima's eyes.

Mars, who quarreled with her, had no hostility like the thorns that he usually exuded from his whole body, even though he raised his voice.

And what was decisive was that assault incident involving Rugato.

Tima, who was struggling to protect Somia and was about to be defeated due to her lack of power, was saved by Mars, who should have disliked her. Naturally, Tima didn't expect him to save her.

[...... What are you stupefied for? Just concentrate on your magic. I'll take care of that old man's magic.]

Mars who stood facing the vampire butler with his back turned to Tima, who was completely taken aback, said those words to her.

The moment Tima heard them, she felt her and his feelings, for certain, becoming one.

"What's wrong?"

"U-, umm, no, nothing!"

"...... Is that so?"

Noticing Tima's gaze, Mars turned around.

Mars could not say anything more to Tima, who seemed to be unable to relax, and a silence prevailed between the two of them.

"...... I'm sorry for what I said to you at that time."

"Eh?"

"Um...... The first time we met, I put a gun to your head, didn't I? I hadn't properly apologized yet......."

Mars scratched his cheek and apologized for glaring at her the first time they met.

Perhaps he was still bothered by what had happened, his expression a little darker and he awkwardly turned his gaze away.

"I-, it's fine! I don't mind it anymore. Besides, you saved me that time......"

Tima was a little surprised to see him without his usual intimidating air, albeit different from the dignity that her best friend had. She had always thought of him as someone who would never regret or apologize for his actions.

Such an unexpected behavior of Mars opened Tima's heart, which had been tightly closed with a sense of tension, a little.

"A-, and I haven't thanked you properly yet, have I?......"

She was scared of him when she first met him, but he still helped her when it mattered most.

"At that time, I don't think I would have been able to save Somia-chan if you hadn't covered for me back then, Mars-kun."

In fact, if Mars had not protected Tima, Nozomu would not have been able to rescue her in time.

Her heart, which had been trembling in agitation, throbbed with sweetness before she knew it.

It was a different, numbing sensation than before. Her face, which she had been unable to raise, naturally turned upward.

"That's why ...... umm ............ thank you ........."

Tima's mouth spontaneously began to weave words of gratitude along with the feelings that welled up in her.

Mars seemed speechless when he heard these words, which were directed only at him, and then he turned away, his face flushed red.

His eyes wandered around, chewing on air as if he were a fish on the verge of choking.

"Mars-kun?"

Tima's expression gradually darkened upon seeing Mars' lack of response.

I have to say something!

Driven by that feeling, Mars desperately squeezed the air out of his lungs and shook his throat.

"O-, oh, I see. .................."

What came out of his mouth, however, was a curt response.

As Mars was fretting over his own reply, which sounded as if his voice had been drained of alcohol, Tima smiled with relief.

"I'm glad I could finally say it properly......"

Seeing Tima's sincere smile for the first time, even Mars' thoughts stopped altogether.

A shock shot through his entire body, and not only his face but also the depths of his chest began to heat up.

Mars himself had noticed that he was acting strangely, but not wanting to let it be noticed, he now turned his back on Tima, as if to run away from her.

However, contrary to his own actions, he couldn't help but be curious about the girl behind him.

"Is something wrong?"

"N-, no. It's nothing...... L-, let's get going."

"Ah, u-, un......"

As Mars began walking, Tima followed him in a flustered manner.

Once again, they continued to walk in silence. However, unlike before, the two silhouettes found themselves walking side by side.

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