After finishing their bath, Nozomu and his friends were taken to the room that had been prepared for them after they finished their meal.
The room was a guest room where Nozomu had once stayed, and he and his friends were greeted by a clean white room with calm and tasteful furnishings.
Nozomu, for the time being, sat down on the bed that had been prepared for him, took a deep breath, and began to meditate while trying to feel the presence of his surroundings with a sense of calmness.
It was the spirit magic that Nozomu was trying to learn. To sense the presence of spirits around him.
Nozomu was told by Zonne to take a break, but he could not feel at ease without doing anything.
"...... Not good. I guess I really have to release the [Soul-Sealing Chains] first."
Nozomu meditated for about 20 minutes, but the results were not good.
He could sense the presence of Mars and the others next door, and even the birds resting on a tree in the garden, but he could not sense the slightest hint of presence that he believed to be a spirit.
According to Zonne, the strong binding power of the [Soul-Sealing Chains] also bound Nozomu’s soul, shutting it off from the outside world.
Therefore, in order to sense the surrounding spirits, it was essential for him to release the [Soul-Sealing Chains].
However, once the [Soul-Sealing Chains] were released, he would be too occupied with controlling the drastically increased Qi.
With that in mind, he tried to sense the spirits without releasing the [Soul-Sealing Chains], but he still couldn’t sense anything.
A sigh escaped from Nozomu’s mouth.
At that moment, a knocking sound on the door echoed.
"Nozomu-kun, may I have a word with you?"
"Hmm? Shina, do you need something?"
He could hear Shina’s voice through the door.
Nozomu was wondering what she needed so late at night? He tilted his head and opened the door. He involuntarily gulped when he saw Shina’s figure standing in front of the door.
Shina was standing in the dimly lit corridor, wearing a light blue nightgown.
Her cheeks were slightly dyed in vermilion. Perhaps because she had just finished bathing, her long, smooth azure hair was moist and wet, and her bosom, peeking out from her nightgown, smelled sweet.
She was gripping her arms as if to hide herself, and while she was looking down in some kind of fidgety, shy way, her gaze was glancing up at Nozomu.
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"I need to talk to you... May I come into your room?"
"Y-, yeah, sure."
Nozomu was at a loss for a response to Shina’s meaningful words, but he urged her to enter the room.
Shina walked around the room for a while, her eyes darting in the air, and then she sat down on the edge of the bed by the window.
Nozomu, for the time being, pulled a nearby chair close at hand and tried to sit down.
"Nozomu-kun, sit here..."
"Eh?"
However, Shina patted the bed on which she was sitting, urging Nozomu to come closer.
Nozomu’s eyes fluttered, and then he understood Shina’s words and started to get flustered.
However, prompted by Shina’s staring eyes, Nozomu scratched his cheeks in embarrassment and sat down next to Shina.
The distance between the two of them sitting next to each other was about the size of a person’s seat.
Her presence near his shoulder and her sweet scent tickled his nose. Nozomu’s heart was pounding fast.
"S-, so, what do you need to talk about?"
"Nozomu-kun, have you been having strange dreams lately? Specifically, a dream in which a black dragon appears."
Nozomu’s expression turned surprised and his eyes widened.
"How did you know that?"
"Here ......"
"Is this Michael’s crystal?"
Shina suddenly took out a crystal with a gold ornament in it. It was the crystal of Michael’s soul.
"Yes, I have heard about your situation from Zonne-dono. I’ve been holding this crystal for a while now, but since you want to know more about Tiamat, you should have it."
Shina gently handed the crystal to Nozomu.
The moment he touched Mikael, Nozomu’s heart pulsated. And the urge to crush the crystal in his hand welled up like hot magma.
It was obvious interference from Tiamat. Nozomu took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled it as if trying to suppress the rapid beating of his heartbeat.
After a few more deep breaths, his heartbeat calmed down, and the hatred that had been rising in him subsided.
"And one more thing, Nozomu-kun, you want to be able to use spirit magic, right?"
"Yeah, maybe I can do it if I can learn to control Tiamat’s power..."
Nozomu stared straight at Shina, holding his chest, which had just heated up.
There was neither confusion nor fear of Tiamat in his eyes. They were eyes of determination, focused on what he must do now.
"Even if you already become a Dragon Slayer, there is almost no chance that you, who are mostly human, will be able to use spirit magic. But you may be able to sense spirits."
Shina gulped and silence enveloped them for a moment.
With the same determination in her eyes as Nozomu, Shina slowly opened her mouth.
"I’ll help you."
Shina quickly got up on her knees on the bed and slid behind Nozomu.
"Take off your clothes and show me your back."
"Eh?"
Shina’s sudden words took Nozomu’s breath away for a moment.
Nozomu’s mind wondered what she was going to do, but the seriousness of Shina’s words, which he could feel through her back, made him slowly roll up the hem of his clothes.
"Like this?"
"You and I are connected through a contract. If you and I connect more deeply, you may be able to share my senses and may be able to sense the spirits."
Shina put her hand on Nozomu’s back. Nozomu’s body jerked at the cool sensation on his back.
Shina’s words were not wrong.
Contract magic is the specialty of species related to fairies and spirits, including elves. The question is whether it is possible to build such a strong path with Nozomu, who has not yet released the [Soul-Sealing Chains].
“............”
"Nhh~"
Blue magic power oozed out of Shina’s body and slowly flowed to Nozomu through her hands.
Nozomu also felt a warm sensation entering his body while he concentrated his attention on sensing the spirit.
"... How is it?"
"... It’s no use, I don’t feel anything."
Nozomu shook his head in disappointment as he could not sense anything.
Shina let go of her hand on Nozomu’s back and folded her arms in thought.
"Could it be, it’s because of the strong influence of the [Soul-Sealing Chains]..."
"Shall I release it?"
Shina shook her head at Nozomu’s suggestion.
"No, if we break the [Soul-Sealing Chains] in a place like this without setting up any barriers, there will be a big commotion. Wait a minute..."
"? Shina, what in the world... are you doing !?"
Nozomu turned around and saw Shina, who had stripped off the pajamas she was wearing. Shina’s modest yet beautiful twin hills were illuminated by the moonlight shining through the windows.
Furthermore, Shina suddenly put the index finger of her left hand in her mouth and bit it off. A drop of blood fell from Shina’s finger, which was as white as deep snow.
Shina then took Nozomu’s left hand, put his thumb in her mouth, and bit it in the same way.
With a stinging pain, blood oozed from Nozomu’s finger.
Shina laid her own index finger, which was dripping with blood, on Nozomu’s thumb, which she had bitten off, and slid it across her palm, then hugged Nozomu from behind.
“............”
"W-, what are you doing?"
"Don’t look over here. Please concentrate."
"U-, um, umm ..."
Nozomu was surprised by Shina’s sudden action. He quivered and rattled like a broken clock.
Shina, on the other hand, remained clinging to Nozomu’s back, refusing to move. Then, Shina squeezed their overlapping hands together.
"I’m temporarily strengthening the contract, so please be quiet. I-, I’m embarrassed too, you know..."
Nozomu’s whole body turned red like hot iron at the sound of Shina’s voice and the soft touch on his back.
And in the palms of their joined hands, the blood of the two of them was mixed.
The feeling of sticky blood mixing and spreading, along with the lewd scent, melted away Nozomu’s rationality.
"W-, was there no other way?"
"A-, another way, you say? T-, there’s no way I can do that..."
There seemed to be another method, but apparently, it would be more embarrassing than this one.
Shina’s cool body heated up, and her hands, which had been clasped with Nozomu’s, tightened.
Nozomu was also writhing inwardly at the sight of her figure.
"U-, ugh..."
"Calm your mind and concentrate. If you get distracted, I won’t be able to share my senses properly."
"I-, I understand..."
Nozomu exhaled deeply once, closed his eyes, and switched his consciousness.
His vision went completely dark, and at the same time, Nozomu felt as if he was falling into himself. However, the sensation rapidly changed its direction once it crossed a certain point.
The sensation that should have been sinking turned into a jumping sensation, and his consciousness rapidly expanded from the inside out.
At the same time, he could sense the presence of something everywhere in his expanding consciousness.
The presence of something large next door, the presence of several small animals under the eaves, the presence of birds sleeping in the trees outside.
The presence of life. But then Nozomu felt something completely new, something he had never felt before.
Something like a fog was drifting in the corner of the room.
"......Ah"
"Did you sense it?"
"I felt something there..."
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Nozomu pointed to the corner of the room where he felt the presence. Seeing this, Shina’s cheeks relaxed.
"Yes, the spirit of darkness is looking at us. Because you are an odd one. Over there is the spirit of light, illuminated by the moonlight. Outside the window, in the trees, there is a spirit of wind resting. Do you sense them?"
Once again, Nozomu’s attention was drawn outside the room.
Then he felt the presence of something fluttering through the lavish garden, illuminated by the moonlight, and something twirling around the branches of a tree where a small bird was resting.
"Umm... Somehow, I know they’re there. But I have no idea what they’re thinking or doing......"
"I see, I guess that’s my limit."
"Still, I was able to sense the presence of the spirits. That’s a tremendous improvement. Thank you."
"Is that so ... Thank goodness."
Shina’s eyes were downcast with disappointment, but her mouth relaxed at Nozomu’s words of thanks.
Letting out a breath of relief, Shina gently pulled herself away from Nozomu and adjusted her pajamas.
Shina, who had finished adjusting her disordered clothes, suddenly put on a mysterious expression as she held her hands over her breasts, which were touching Nozomu earlier.
The air was filled with a different kind of heat and a heavy atmosphere, and Nozomu’s expression tightened as well.
"Nozomu-kun, now that you can sense the spirits and have Mikael-dono at your side, I think you will have a much better chance of glimpsing into Tiamat’s past."
“............”
Nozomu nodded to Shina’s words.
Sensing the spirits and the existence of Mikael. Both stimulated Tiamat, and perhaps because of the ritual he had just performed, Nozomu felt that his own connection with the dragon had become stronger.
At the same time, the danger of Nozomu being controlled by Tiamat had also increased. The danger of this was so ingrained in both of their bodies that there was no need to explain it.
"But I beg you. Don’t be consumed by these memories. Don’t let it consume you. You are who you are..."
"Yes, I know. Thank you, Shina."
Nozomu nodded firmly to Shina’s plea. Shina smiled at the strong will in Nozomu’s eyes.
"Well then......"
Shina stood up quickly and quietly left the room.
Nozomu watched Shina leave the room and then looked down at his palm.
The blood that had flowed out was almost dry and had turned into a slippery, sticky substance.
The thought of Shina’s blood mixed in with his own blood was unsettling to Nozomu.
"Let’s take a little walk..."
He needed to calm his mind. Nozomu slowly got up from the bed where he was sitting and put his hand on the door that Shina had just left.
=================================
After leaving Nozomu’s room, Shina walked down the long white corridor at a quick pace.
When she came to the front of the room assigned to her, she sighed deeply.
Shina’s chest was filled with joy, relief, and remorse.
Why did she feel remorse? The truth is that there was something she had not told Nozomu in the ritual she had just performed on him.
"As I thought, it was cowardly of me..."
"What do you mean by cowardly?"
"Eh?"
Shina’s leaked soliloquy was returned, and when Shina involuntarily turned around, she saw Mimuru, dressed in her nightgown, somehow holding a pillow and tilting her neck.
Shina, trying her best to suppress her inner turmoil, maintained her expressionless face.
"Mi-, Mimuru, what are you doing?"
"Well, I was just going to the bathroom for a bit..."
"Even though it’s provided in the room? Also, with a pillow?"
"A-, ahahaha..."
Mimuru smiled bitterly as she hid the pillow in her hand behind her back.
Shina knew exactly where she was going and what she was going to do.
"You too, Shina, what are you doing here at this hour? And what’s that smell ...... blood?"
Shina involuntarily put her left hand behind her back when she saw Mimuru’s nose sniffing.
"I-, it’s nothing. I’m going to bed, good night."
"Ah, wait!"
Quickly opening the door, Shina slipped herself into her bedroom before Mimuru could pursue her.
Shina exhaled with relief as she closed the door behind her.
The name of the ritual she had just performed was the blood covenant ceremony.
It was a contract ritual that was much more powerful than simple contract magic through magic power.
Those who have gone through such a contract can sense the other’s presence without the intermediary of magic power, no matter how far apart they are.
Naturally, such a strong contract couldn’t possibly be a "temporary" contract. It was a soul contract that could never be terminated unless the other party died.
Furthermore, that soul connection had a special meaning for the elves.
Shina performed the ritual without telling Nozomu what it meant.
Her reason was that simple contract magic was not enough to further strengthen the connection with Nozomu, whose soul was bound by the Soul-Sealing Chains].
There was no other way to make such a strong contract possible except through the blood covenant ritual.
"If I tell him the true meaning of this ritual, Nozomu might feel responsible and kill himself to make up for it."
That meant denying the words she had said to Nozomu just a few moments earlier.
"I am an elf and he is a human. This connection alone is enough......"
As she fell onto the bed, Shina looked at her left hand, which had been overlapping with his hand until a few minutes ago.
The blood from her bitten index finger had dried up.
While gently touching the scar with her lips, she arched her back on the bed and drifted off to sleep.
Deep in her chest, she felt a sense of joy and guilt as if she was "dragging a chain".
==================================
Nozomu was strolling around the Francilt mansion, trying to distract himself, when he suddenly noticed a light on in the kitchen.
When he peeked in to see what was going on, he found that the maid, Mena, was cutting up citrus fruits and arranging them on a plate.
Noticing Nozomu’s presence, Mena raised her face up.
"Nozomu-sama, is there something wrong?"
"No, I just couldn’t sleep... What are you doing, Mena-san?"
"Master and Mazarinette-sama are having drinks in their room, so I have prepared something to refresh their palates."
Mena returned to cooking again. This time she put cheese and smoked meat on thinly sliced bread.
Mena concentrated on cooking for a while, but then she looked at Nozomu as if she suddenly come up with something.
"Nozomu-sama, I am very sorry to trouble you, but if you don’t mind, I would like you to help me carry the dishes."
The two plates on which the snacks were placed were quite large. They were probably big enough to be held in Nozomu’s arms.
The amount of food on the plates was also quite large. It would have been too heavy for a woman to carry alone.
"Sure. I’ll carry it."
"Thank you very much. Let’s bring them in."
The two of them each carry a plate and headed to Victor’s office.
The weight on Nozomu’s arms was as heavy as they looked, but this was no problem for Nozomu, who worked out on a regular basis.
Nozomu glanced sideways at Mena, who was walking next to him, and saw that she, too, was carrying the plate in a calm manner.
Eventually, they arrived in front of Victor’s office.
Nozomu had been questioned by Victor in this room before, and as he stood there, he remembered the time when Victor harshly described him as a wrecked ship.
(I wonder, what about now...)
When he was attacked by Azel, he learned from his own experience that he must become strong and that his friends would be in danger if he could not improve himself enough to control Tiamat.
That was why he had continuously trained himself to master the [Soul Sealing Chain] with all his might.
With the support of his friend, he had just recently become able to sense the spirits.
However, deep in his heart, Nozomu felt that something was missing.
(Also, there’s the matter about Irisdina...)
The fact that Irisdina’s glossy black hair had turned ashen white was, in a sense, due to Nozomu’s carelessness.
Victor, who loved his daughter more than anyone else, must be furious at Irisdina’s current state.
Nozomu thought that the reason he had not been reprimanded until now was because of Irisdina and the others.
However, they were not with Nozomu right now, and if he were to face Victor now, he might be torn to shreds like rags.
However, in a way, Nozomu decided that this was something he should accept, and when he was about to knock on the door .......
"Oooooo!"
A thick and deep voice echoed from behind the door.
"Eh?"
Nozomu’s hand, which was about to knock, stopped involuntarily.
"Nozomu-sama, is something wrong?"
"N-, no. It’s just, I heard a crying voice..."
"No need to worry about it. Let’s go in."
Leaving the stiff Nozomu behind, Mena knocked and opened the door with a bang.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Welcome back, Mena. Oya, you came here too?"
Victor’s office was illuminated by candlelight.
On a sofa in a corner of the room, Madam Parline was sitting with a glass of wine in her hand.
But what caught Nozomu’s attention more than anything else were the dozens of liquor bottles lying on the floor, and the books and furnishings scattered about. And then there was the owner of the room, who was crouching and sobbing in front of Madam Parline.
The room was as miserable as the ruins of a battlefield. In the midst of all this, the sight of the lady sipping her drink with a strangely graceful gesture was more disconcerting than ever.
"Just the right time, you come over here and have a drink too."
Madam Parline beckoned to Nozomu as if to say, "Come here and have a drink". Nozomu’s back broke out in a cold sweat.
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