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

Chapter 6 Part 8

Translator : PolterGlast

Irisdina and the others, who had finished treating the injured girls, were taking a short rest while waiting for Nozomu and Feo who had gone to set up a warning line.

The girl's broken ribs had been treated, and she was now able to sit up somehow.

"Is she all right? I don't want any scars to be left on these lovely ladies. If the wound still hurts, I'll ......".

Zonne, who still set his eyes for the ladies, was talking to a first-year female student.

He was acting like a gentleman, with one hand on his chest and bending down deeply, but the corners of his eyes were drooping and the bridge of his nose was stretched. Frankly, he had his usual pervy geezer expression on his face.

"U-umm ... that..."

"Who is this person?"

The girl who was approached was also completely frightened by Zonne's strange atmosphere. She clung to Irisdina's arm, who was standing beside her, to keep Zonne away from her.

"Old man, although the wounds have healed, she is still injured. If you don't keep your harassment in moderation, you will be punished someday."

"Don't worry! Nothing bad will happen to her. In fact, it will feel really good, it's almost habit-forming..."

Hmph! Hmph!

The old man, who had been snorting, was moving his hands in the air as if rubbing something. In addition, the old man's eyes drifted in the air and his face turned red as he grinned.

The girls screamed as they felt a chill run down their spines.

"Old man, give me a break..."

Irisdina rubbed the girl's back and smiled at the old man in front of her to reassure the junior students. However, she struck Zonne with an intimidating aura that sent chills down his spine.

"Y-yes, I'll behave now..."

Sonne, who was met with Irisdina's dangerous gaze, became dejected and slunk back.

Eldor, who was watching the things happening from the side, called out to Irisdina in confusion.

"U-umm, Irisdina-senpai. Who is this person?"

"He's an old man who does fortune telling in the commercial district. He came into this forest because he was looking for something. We are acquainted... maybe?"

When she thought about it, Irisdina hadn't met the old man that often.

He had sexually harassed her on her first date with Nozomu, approached when they met on the street and held her precious sister's hand without permission .......

"Muu ..."

Irisdina frowned.

When she looked back on what had happened so far, it really wasn't a good thing. To be honest, most of them were things that should be reported to the military police.

However, Irisdina had been exposed to much more malice and carnal desires in the social circles of aristocrats.

She had seen people approaching her with jealousy of her position and good looks, and lust like animals, masked with fake smiles and flattering words.

Compared to the people in that place who didn't even think of people as humans, this old man still looked better.

This was probably because he was not hiding his true feelings. Some people might like the honesty of this old man.

For Irisdina, she definitely didn't want Nozomu to become like Zonne, but at least she felt that the old man wasn't a bad person. But .......

"Hmph, no need to hide it. I am this young lady's future mate ......."

"I'm sorry, I was mistaken. I have no idea who this rude person is."

Irisdina immediately retracted her assessment that Zonne was "probably not a bad person," and took down Zonne's rude remark in a hurry.

Irisdina glared at the old man, who didn't seem to listen to her advice at all. Irisdina's gaze of absolute zero penetrates Zonne, passing through "freezing point".

"I'm an old man who works as a fortune teller. I am very grateful to this lady for helping me when I was lost in the forest."

Zonne, who had been snorting and puffing out his chest, was immediately intimidated by Irisdina and began rubbing his forehead on the ground, begging for forgiveness. It's a very shameful look.

"Ha, ha, ....... You're a very strange old man. ......"

Eldor and the others were stunned to see such a comedic scene unfolding in the forest with such a life-threatening situation.

Eldor and the others' expressions were still not good because they felt the danger of death so close to them, but as they watched the exchange between Zonne and Irisdina, their mouths began to smile again.

"U-um, ....... Thank you very much. Irisdina-senpai."

"Thanks for helping us."

Once again, the juniors bow to Irisdina. She replied with a shake of her head as if to say don't worry about it.

"You don't have to thank me. I just want you to thank Nozomu and Feo when they get back. He was the first one to notice something was wrong and ran off so we can help in time."

"Y-yes ..."

As soon as the girls heard Nozomu's name, Irisdina let out a wry smile as they looked at her as if they were afraid.

But at that moment, Eldor, who was sitting in front of Irisdina, called out to her while looking straight at her face.

"U-um... Irisdina-senpai"

"Hmm? What is it?"

"What about Nozomu-senpai and Feo-senpai...?"

"Oh, they're both keeping an eye on the surroundings. Feo is probably setting up magic barriers, and Nozomu is probably setting up non-magical warning lines and checking to see if any other demon beasts are nearby. His ability to detect presences are as sharp as a beastmen's."

"I-I see..."

A bead of sweat ran down Eldor's forehead when he heard that Nozomu had the ability to detect presences like a beastman. The voice that came out of his mouth also sounded like he was in some kind of daze.

He was probably still in shock that the Nozomu Bountis image he had listened to at school was destroyed.

"Um, ....... Who the hell is this Nozomu-senpai? He was completely different from the rumors..."

The male student next to Eldor asked Irisdina about Nozomu.

Indeed, the image of the man himself that Irisdina felt when she actually came into contact with him was very different from the image of Nozomu in the rumors that were spreading around the school.

"Who is ...... he?

A person who is a benefactor of Somia more than she could ever repay, no matter what she did?

The boy she dated for the first time?

"Well, ..."

When she asked herself once again what kind of person he was, Irisdina was momentarily at a loss for a response. What should she say? There were many things about him that were not easy to say.

But before she could reply, Zonne, who was not aware of the rumors, tilted his head and asked.

"Rumors? What rumors?"

"Umm, ...... something about the worst guy who can't do anything with sword and magic at all, and who cheated and betrayed his childhood friend who supported him..."

“…………”

In response to Zonne's question, a junior student couldn't help but mention the rumors, and the corner of Irisdina's eyes naturally lifted as she listened to the conversation.

"S-sorry."

"... No, I'm sorry. It wasn't my place to be angry with you guys right now."

Irisdina also regretted her lack of maturity and apologized for her rudeness to the junior who slumped her shoulders apologetically.

"But the whole story is a lie. I think you could tell that from the way he saved you earlier."

Eldor and the others nodded slowly at Irisdina's words.

If he was the kind of person who would betray his lover who had supported him, as the rumors said, he would not have tried to help his juniors in a situation like the one that had just occurred.

"Hmm. It's true that brat is sloppy and a bastard without manners, but he certainly doesn't look like the kind of person who would do something like in that rumors..."

Zonne, who had been listening to Irisdina's words, stroked her white beard thoughtfully. The tone of his voice was the same as usual, but his slightly furrowed brow gave him a different atmosphere than the free-spirited, instinct-first old man he usually was.

"Old man?"

As Irisdina looked suspiciously at Zonne, who had changed his behavior, she saw Eldor with a puzzled expression on his face. He was still glancing at Irisdina as if he wanted to ask her something.

"Is there something you want to ask me about him?"

Eldor's eyes widened at Irisdina's question.

He hesitated for a moment and let his gaze drift in the air, but then, as if he had made up his mind, he turned to Irisdina and opened his mouth.

"W-well, umm... I wondered why Nozomu-senpai helped me. I've said a lot of horrible things to him. ......"

He must be feeling guilty about the way he had treated Nozomu.

Eldor lowered his eyes and asked in a low voice as if muttering.

"It is true that your attitude at that time was not admirable. I was offended with it myself, and while I may not have shown it, I don't think he would have any good feelings about you either."

"That's to be expected……"

Due to Irisdina's stern remarks, Eldor looked down with a dark expression on his face. His mind flashed back to his actions in the city.

He had been rude to Nozomu based on rumors about a person he had never met.

At that time, the rumor was the only thing Eldor had to judge Nozomu by.

It is true that people sometimes feel as if they understand others based on the information they have, but there is no way they can understand others only based on that.

As Eldor realized this, he bit his lip regretfully as he recalled his actions in the city.

"But then again, Nozomu himself didn't seem to care much about what was said to him. He can't overlook the situation of the junior students, and I don't think he had any ulterior motive to help you. The rest is up to you, isn't it?"

"Up to me?"

"What did you think of Nozomu after you saw him fight?

"... Honestly, I couldn't find the words. I was wondering how he was able to move like that with the handicap of Ability Suppression. And..."

Eldor recalled the battle that had just taken place between Nozomu and the Orcs.

Nozomu had dared to run into the crowd of Orcs to save them.

His movement itself was not fast, but when the katana in his hand flashed before he knew it, the Orcs had been cut down.

Nozomu's swordplay was so elegant that it can be clearly imagined in every detail even when his eyelids were closed.

The image of Nozomu was vividly etched in Eldor's mind. More than anything else, Nozomu's words were stuck in Eldor's ears.

(Irisdina and Feo will be finished dealing with the orcs soon. Until then, hang in there. Got it?)

Nozomu was caring for him even though he had said many terrible things to him.

(How could I have said such a thing to him?)

A feeling of guilt welled up inside Eldor.

In the face of such Eldor, Irisdina smiled as if it couldn't be helped.

"I'm sorry for telling you all of that, but at least you regret your actions now, right? Now it's up to you to decide how you want to deal with those feelings."

Irisdina is right, what matters is the future.

He can't change the past. If he wanted to do something about what he said to Nozomu, the important thing was to do something about it.

"But what should I do ..."

However, even after all this time, anxiety arose from the depth of his mind.

It's no wonder he's troubled. When we realize our mistakes, which we have no choice but to admit, we are exposed to guilt, incoherent anger, and other negative emotions that we can't control.

And because people realize that they can't or won't take the form of blaming others, they suffer even more.

"......, boy. There are many things that are filling your mind right now. There must be a mixture of self-pity, shame, and guilt towards that boy. It must be a mixture of all of them."

When Irisdina saw Eldor in distress and was about to speak to him, it was Zonne who opened his mouth first.

"The first step is the key to everything, and in this kind of human relationship, if you delay it too long, you'll often become unable to do anything about it."

As Zonne said, many people miss the opportunity to apologize and leave the relationship in an uncomfortable state. The future could be completely different if people had just a little bit of courage to step forward, but it's not easy to find the courage to take that step.

"Of course, you need to prepare your mind for what you are feeling now, and reflect on who you have been and what you want to be in the future. If you don't, you will end up regretting whatever actions you take."

“…………”

However, as well as having the courage to take the first step, Zonne said, one also needs to clear one's mind. Eldor and the others listened to his words.

Although her expression was the same as usual, Irisdina was also surprised to see that Zonne appearance was different from his usual lustful one.

At the same time, the image of Nozomu, who had just gone to take a look around, flashed through her mind.

"It's time to sort my own feelings, isn't it?...."

The words leaked out like a monologue and disappeared into the dimly lit forest.

The same could be said of the current Nozomu.

Irisdina's mind flashed back to Nozomu after he had told her everything about the truth of the rumors.

He was angry at his best friend for setting him up and regretted that he had lost himself in anger, and he felt sad that he could not truly walk with his childhood friends with whom he had made a promise. Nozomu had a complicated smile on his face as if all of these things were mixed up together.

But what would he do once he had sorted out his feelings?

Will he cut ties with his childhood friends once and for all? Or .......

"but, I am……"

It's not like she can give Nozomu the answer. If she were to do anything, it will not be an answer for him.

But she also promised to help him if he needed it.

Feeling an indescribable tingle in her chest, Irisdina gazed at where Nozomu had disappeared to with a promise in her heart.

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

After the injured juniors had been treated and Nozomu and Feo had joined them for a short rest, Irisdina, Nozomu, and Feo were walking through the forest with Eldor and the other first-year students and Zonne.

The destination was a place that was said to have been an orc nest.

After treating the younger students and taking a short break, they discussed what to do with Eldor, Zonne, and the others, and decided to head back to the city, but Zonne objected.

According to him, what he was looking for was very important, and he couldn't go back knowing where it was.

Irisdina and the others tried to persuade him for a while, but he refused to leave. Seeing the old man in such a state, Nozomu and the others ended up giving in.

Irisdina didn't look too happy, but according to Nozomu, "No matter what we say to this kind of old man, it's useless. He will force us to follow him even if we tried to send him home." Probably, he made this decision because he knows that Zonne is like Shino, a person who doesn't listen to others at all.

Irisdina and Feo along with Eldor and the others, after hearing Nozomu's words and the old man's tendency to go ahead even alone, gave up and agreed to go as a result.

Although the wounds they had sustained in the battle with the Orcs had been healed, they still felt uneasy about taking the unreliable junior students with them.

But at the same time, they were also worried about letting them go home alone. There was always the possibility that they would run into other demon beasts on their way back.

As a result, they told Zonne and Eldor to stay close to them, and Irisdina and Feo gradually proceeded while protecting them, with Nozomu leading the way to check out the nest.

The reason why Nozomu took the lead was that he was used to working alone in this forest, and Irisdina and Feo could use magic to protect Eldor and Zonne with barriers.

They were proceeding while paying attention to their surroundings. However, after listening to Nozomu, who was ahead of them, their worries turned out to be unfounded.

When Nozomu arrived at the orc nest, it was already empty.

"No sign of the orcs, huh?"

"There's no sign that they fled in a hurry or that they were attacked by other demon beasts. It seems that the ones we just killed were all that was left."

It seemed that they had finished their request before they knew it. The area was littered with the bones of animals that the orcs had devoured, but there were still small goblins' tents in various places that were about to collapse. In the shadows, they could see the corpses of goblins that had decayed to almost nothing but bones.

"The corpses of the goblins are still here, and the remains of the tent are still intact. The orcs must have settled here very recently."

"What the, did Nozomu know about the goblins that lived here?

Feo asked Nozomu, who sounded somewhat familiar, about the place.

"Well, yeah. I've almost been made into their dinner before..."

Nozomu didn't mention the black demon beast because of Eldor and the others. Instead, he told them about the time he had visited this place before. At the same time, he dug up some unwanted memories.

He had been ordered by his master to get some food for dinner, but the scene when he had almost been used as a side dish came back to his mind.

Countless dwarfs-like figures were chasing him.

The dwarf-like figures came at him with cute groans "Ga-ga", while swinging their clubs instead of sweets.

There were so many of them that the traps he had set were not enough, and after nearly an hour of running away, he managed to shake them off.

When he returned to the hut, he found an old lady with a beautiful Hannya face waiting for him...

Eldor and the others felt an undescribable creepiness as Nozomu laughed in a dry voice with his vacant eyes drifting in the air, and they tried to pull him back as hard as they could.

"Nozomu, Nozomu! Hold yourself together!"

Irisdina grabbed Nozomu by the shoulders and shook him frantically, but there was no sign of him coming back to reality.

Leaving Nozomu to Irisdina for now, Feo took another look around.

Tools that seemed to belong to the Orcs were scattered around. Some of them might have been robbed from the goblins.

"Maybe there's something in here you're looking for. Old man! What the hell are you looking for ..."

"I know, I can feel it! Over here!"

When Feo was about to ask Zonne about the things he was looking for, the old man suddenly started running in a hurry.

"Wait~...!"

Feo chasing after him in a hurry. Irisdina and the others, as well as Nozomu, began to chase after Zonne, who suddenly began to run.

"It's here!"

Zonne suddenly started running and arrived at a pile of rubble that was taller than a man. Among the rubble, which at first glance looked like trash, there were paintings painted with delicate brush strokes and expensive cosmetics for aristocrats.

However, these works of art were probably of no value to the goblins and orcs.

Artifacts that had been painstakingly crafted by numerous artisans and acquired by aristocrats and merchants who lavished precious precious metals and gold coins on them, were being thrown away like garbage in a place like this.

Paintings were torn to pieces, and white porcelain vases were shattered. The value of the other expensive items was probably not much different from the trash that was lumped together on the side.

Nozomu and the others, who had been feeling a bit strange at the sight, heard the cry of an old man jumping on the pile of rubble.

"Where? Where is it?"

Zonne jumped onto the pile of rubble, his eyes bleeding as he dug in single-mindedly. It's not easy to dig through a pile of rubble that's half-buried in moist soil, and the old man's hands and clothes are soon dirtied by the rotting leaves.

Still, Zonne continued to try desperately to get rid of the rubble.

Formerly expensive works of art and jewelry were being dug up one after another by Zonne's hands, flying through the air.

Zonne's current appearance was far from his usual perverted self. And although they may no longer be valuable, Nozomu, Irisdina, and the others watched in dismay as the once priceless works of art were thrown away.

"Fu~u, doryaaaa!"

Zonne lifted up a particularly large wooden box and threw it away with an energy that one wouldn't expect from an old man. It must have been quite heavy inside. The crate fell to the ground and gouged the ground deeply, spreading dirt all around.

What Nozomu and the others saw as they hurriedly avoided the dirt that was falling on them was Zonne, his eyes wide open and frozen.

"O, oo, oo..."

A strange groaning voice escaped from the old man's mouth. Perhaps he had found what he was looking for.

Wondering what it was that the old man was looking for, Nozomu approached Zonne and followed his line of sight.

"This is... eh~?"

What leaked out of Nozomu's mouth was a dumbfounded voice. In front of his eyes, there were nearly a hundred pieces of paper crumpled up in the dirt and mud.

However, what surprised him was what was drawn on the paper. It was .......

"So the thing the old man was looking for was obscene pictures!"

On all of the nearly one hundred sheets of paper, there were drawings of women in their most unbecoming attire.

From ordinary humans to beastmen to demons such as succubus with bat-like wings on their backs, there were sensual drawings of women of various ages.

The women in the paintings send lustful glances to the viewer......, but unfortunately, all of the paintings have been stained and faded by mud and dirt.

"Oh ... Ligurīnaria! Sagini! Yaoyan! Why do you look like this ..."

Irisdina and Eldor who were watching the situation behind Nozomu also looked into something.

Zonne sank to the ground with his hands on the ground, shouting what seemed to be the name of the woman on the drawing.

In front of such an old man, Nozomu put his hand on his forehead and looked up at the sky. Did we go through all this trouble for something like that? When Zonne suddenly appeared in front of the fleeing orcs, the old man might almost die if they weren't good at handling the situation.......

Irisdina, Eldor, and the others who had been watching what was going on behind Nozomu's back peeked over to see what the hell was going on.

"...!"

"Eh~, Uwa~! To such a place..."

The faces of Eldor and the others turned bright red when they saw the nude female body on the paper in their hands. As old as they were, they were new to this kind of thing. Eldor, for example, at first glance looked like a man who would play with women.

In the meantime, Nozomu's face was slightly flushed from embarrassment, but his exhaustion has won over it. Even when he saw pictures of beautiful limbs generously exposed, his vital energy had diminished.

"You should have been together with me forever from now on...... but, why did this happen!"

What were you planning to do together with those, this old man...

Nozomu thought to himself as he looked at Zonne with tired eyes. After that, he yelled, a yell that seemed to echo deep into the forest.

"Iris. Let's go home for now, shall we?"

"Y-yeah, I guess so. I don't see any orcs, so I guess the request is accomplished now."

Irisdina replied to Nozomu's tired voice, sounding a little choked up.

When Nozomu looked at Irisdina, she turned away and put her hand over her mouth, as if she was also disgusted by Zonne. Nozomu couldn't see her, but her cheeks seemed to be flushed.

"In the end, the old man got the better of us..."

"Well, yeah. But it's okay, isn't it? We've cleared out the orc nest we were aiming for."

Certainly, they had been pushed around a lot and it was a bit of a headache. But as she said, the hunters would feel relieved now.

"Certainly, that's true. By the way, Iris, why have you been turning your back on me?"

"N-no, it's nothing. Don't worry about it..."

Nozomu was tilting his head in response to Irisdina's unclear response.

"U-um. Nozomu-senpai, Irisdina-senpai ...... who is that person?"

Hearing Eldor's voice, Nozomu turned his gaze toward Zonne again, and he frowned again.

"Uuu..."

*grumbling*

As Nozomu gazed at him, the old man was digging a hole with his cheeks swollen red. Zonne finished digging a knee-deep hole and covered it with soil, placing his collection of muddy items in it. He even carefully erected a board that looked like a gravestone, on which the names of Ligurīnaria, Sagini, and the woman he had just called out were written in profusion.

"When the hell did you make that? That grave marker..."

While Nozomu stared at him with 30% surprise and 70% dismay, Zonne picked some flowers that were blooming around the area and placed them on the grave of his collection.

He must be very sad that his collection was ruined. He looked up at the sky like a tragic heroine who had just witnessed the end of the world, his face covered with tears, snot, and various other juices.

The scene, combined with the sunlight streaming in through the trees, was like a painting. The model, however, was a pervy geezer and his collection. It was both divine and ridiculous.

"What should we do? ......"

While Eldor and the others looked at them with a mixture of confusion and anxiety, Nozomu and Irisdina already had an answer.

""Leave him alone for now.""

He was thoroughly ignored.

By the way, the request that Eldor and his companions received at the guild turned out to be the one that this pervy geezer requested, and it caused a lot of damage to their spirits.