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He had thought he understood her somehow, but he realized that he had not really understood her determination, and he was filled with a sense of shame.

"Hm? That's..."

At that moment, he noticed a light leaking from the hall of the mansion.

The light was leaking through the slightly opened door. Nozomu peeked through the doorway to see what was inside.

"Iris?"

"Nozomu? What are you doing at this hour?

In the hall was Irisdina, dressed in silk clothes that seemed to be easy to move around in. Beads of sweat were sticking on her forehead, and her clothes were damp and wet.

In front of her, a large full-length mirror was placed, candlelight illuminating her alluring limbs through her sweat-stained clothing.

"Well, I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk ....... So you're up this late practicing your dance moves?"

"Yeah. As the daughter of the Francilt family, I can't afford to be seen embarrassing myself at the opening party."

"…………"

Nozomu felt a tingle in his chest as he watched Irisdina working so hard to practice until this late at night, determined not to show any signs of weakness.

For Irisdina, ballroom dancing should be something she is used to. She should be able to handle it with a light wave of her hand.

Even so, she never cut corners. Perhaps it was because she carried something tremendous on her back.

"Ah, right. Nozomu, let's practice a little. We didn't get to practice together much today, so this is our chance, right?"

In today's practice, Nozomu stumbled through the preliminary stages of the dance and barely practiced the dance itself.

He had a little time to practice, but it was more like a frog dance. It was not the kind of dance that could be performed at a social event.

Nozomu was taken aback by Irisdina's sudden suggestion but decided to take the opportunity to practice the dance again.

"Y-yeah, sure."

"Well then, Nozomu, please take care of me..."

Nozomu gently supported Irisdina's hand from below.

Slender and beautiful hands. But in those hands, Nozomu could clearly feel the hard calluses which were the proof of her hard work.

He felt a slight pain in his chest.

"Umm, from here..."

While suppressing the tingling sensation in his chest, Nozomu tried to escort Irisdina as he was taught today. However, the fact that he was doing it while remembering and his body was shaking from the tension must have made his movements awkward.

On the other hand, Irisdina was looking at Nozomu, who was stiff, and her eyes were relaxed as if she was watching something interesting.

"You don't have to be so nervous. Remember what Madam Parline said. A good dance only works if you relax, you know."

"E-, even if you say so..."

Irisdina's expression was happy all the time as she talked to Nozomu in a lighthearted tone.

On the other hand, Nozomu's hands were stiff with nervousness. He put his hands around Irisdina's waist and began to dance, but he seemed to be struggling and his steps were unsteady.

With a smile on her face, the ashen-haired girl let out a sigh as if to say it couldn't be helped, and she put some strength into the hand that was resting on Nozomu's shoulder.

"You're still a little stiff... Nozomu, I'm going to lean in a little closer."

"Eh?"

Irisdina leaned in towards Nozomu, and the distance between the two of them shortened at once.

The distance between them was less than five centimeters. But that was all it took for Nozomu's heart to start beating fast and wildly.

Her sweet fragrance and body heat sent a strong jolt to his head.

At the same time, the heat of his whole body rose at once, and his brain became disorganized, unable to think straight.

"Hmm, that's just right. Nozomu, let's get started."

"Ue~! Ah, yes!"

Oblivious to Nozomu's confusion, Irisdina started moving her body.

Nozomu began to move his feet in a hurry as Irisdina suddenly raised the tempo.

However, by forcing his feet forward while out of tempo, he nearly lost his balance.

"Oops ..."

"Nozomu, your feet are slow. It's already half a beat faster."

"A-, alright... Owaa!"

"Now you're going too fast. Relax your shoulders a little more."

"O-, okay..."

"When you swing your katana, you don't swing it with just your arm, do you? It's the same thing. Use your stomach and back muscles. The rest is your breathing."

"Stomach and back muscles, and then, breathing..."

"That's right. Nozomu, look at me."

Irisdina leaned her body against Nozomu and looked into his eyes.

Jet-black eyes gazed gently at him. Nozomu's body naturally relaxed. At the same time, the tingling sensation in his chest faded.

"Fuh~..."

While exhaling loudly, Nozomu moved Irisdina's body in a flowing motion as he received her weight.

Their feet, flowing naturally, began to trace the exact same movement with perfect timing.

Using the foot as a pivot, Irisdina now decided to make a spinning turn. Her body drew beautiful curves as she changed her body position.

"Oh, it's better now. Let's go a little faster."

"Alright."

Irisdina moved even faster to get closer to the original tempo of the song.

*Tap, tap, tap! Tap, tap, tap!*

And with a lilting rhythm, their bodies continued to glide smoothly across the hall like the flow of a river.

"Is it like this?"

"Good! Just like this..."

Nozomu found himself naturally following her lead.

The tension that had been making his whole body tense somehow disappeared before he knew it, and instead, the excitement that welled up in him became a heat that ran through his whole body.

Their breaths were already in perfect synchronization.

Sweat beads clinging to their bodies danced like drops, and the scenery of the hall was flowing like a line. In the midst of all this, the eyes of Nozomu and Irisdina crossed each other.

Irisdina's smile deepened as she saw the heat in Nozomu's eyes, and she accelerated her movements even more.

"I'm going as fast as the real thing. Follow me."

"Okay!"

The tempo reached its peak here.

However, just as the two of them put their strength on their feet to accelerate, the foot on which their weight was being supported suddenly slipped.

""Ah~""

Perhaps their feet slipped due to the sweat that was flying around them.

They tried to regain their posture, but Nozomu and Irisdina, who were in close proximity to each other, had no time to do so, and their bodies were thrown with a mighty thud onto the marble floor.

The quiet nighttime hall was interrupted by a *thud! sound and their voices echoed through the quiet hall.

"Ouch... Iris, are you okay?"

"Y-, yeah. You're under me, so I don't feel any pain."

Irisdina, who was resting her body on Nozomu's chest, replied somewhat in confusion.

Nozomu had his hands around Irisdina's waist so that his body was naturally protecting her.

The ashen-haired girl gulped as she looked up at Nozomu, who was frowning in pain.

"Iris, is something wrong?"

"N-, no, it's nothing..."

With a nervous expression on her face, Irisdina moved her body off of Nozomu and sat down on her butt next to him.

As Nozomu fell to the ground, he glanced to the side and saw her looking down at him with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Fufu. Aren't you actually can dance too, Nozomu?"

"Though I did have a big fall at the end."

Ha-ha-ha! They both laughed at each other.

It was strangely funny considering themselves dancing so vigorously, but slipped down like a joke at the end.

"Iris, you really are amazing..."

"Hm? What are you saying all of a sudden?

"That dance earlier, you were leading me the whole time, weren't you? And you've also helped me so many times..."

Having said that much, Nozomu gulped his spit down.

The lump in his chest, which he had forgotten about when he was dancing just now, reappeared as if strangling his neck.

"... Nozomu?"

While looking at Irisdina, who had a dubious look on her face, Nozomu recalled what Mazarinette had told him before.

"I heard. About Iris's mother... And the real reason why Iris is trying to join the Silver Rainbow Knight Order."

"I see……"

Irisdina's reason for wanting to join the Silver Rainbow Knight Order. Her vow to her late mother and to protect Somia by becoming the head of the Francilt family.

When Nozomu told her that he had heard about this, Irisdina exhaled heavily, for some reason with a melancholy look on her face.

"Are you disappointed?"

"Eh? Why?"

"I am saying that I am joining the Silver Rainbow Knight Order for the sake of everyone, but in reality, all I am thinking about is Somia. I only think about my own family."

Irisdina's tone of voice was somewhat sad. Her face was tense as if she had been cut by a cutter.

Nozomu was surprised by Irisdina's sudden change in expression, but continued to listen to her next words.

"Actually, I invited Madam Parline here today not only to practice dancing but also to use her name and be one of your backers. I'm not as honorable as you think."

"It's normal to want to protect your family, isn't it? I don't think it's strange at all. I respect it. When I was about six years old, I don't think I had the same sense of responsibility as you..."

While affirming Irisdina's self-deprecating words, Nozomu said that it was normal.

He was sad to see Irisdina calling herself foul, and he did not want her to belittle herself like that.

"If I had confronted Ken and Lisa, we wouldn't have ended up like this. Unlike Iris, I kept running away from myself, from looking at the others, and that's why we all ended up going separate ways."

Nozomu talked while reflecting on the mistakes he had made in the past.

If he had faced Lisa and Ken from the beginning like Irisdina did, Ken might not have met such a tragic end, and he might have had a better outcome.

"But you overcame your hatred of being betrayed and saved Lisa. That's what's amazing about you, Nozomu..."

"……Eh?"

"You are a person who can forgive others. You can swallow the hatred in your heart and become strong, even if you hate the person who betrayed you. I won't be able to do that. I won't be able to forgive someone if they betray me. If someone hurts someone I care about, I won't be able to stop my desire to kill. If I were to snap, I don't think I could recover."

That was definitely Irisdina's true feelings.

It was a fear of herself that she held in her heart as she continued to move forward in a straight line toward her goal.

Nozomu took a breath and closed his eyes.

He needed to show his own sincerity to answer the girl's true feelings.

"I want to stand next to you ....... I don't want to waste everyone's feelings ... "

Nozomu Bountis admired Irisdina Francilt.

The strength to not run away from one's responsibility.

It was different from him who had run away before.

"You look so dazzling to me. Even with that monster in your heart. Even though you've been betrayed. You have the power to swallow your hatred and to hold yourself together..."

Irisdina Francilt admired Nozomu Bountis.

The way he overcame his hatred and tried to move forward.

Even if he was broken, he would stand up again.

"Nozomu ..."

A person who has the strength that she does not have. That's why Irisdina is attracted to Nozomu.

(I'm in love with him...)

In her mind, Irisdina ruminated on her own feelings.

The feelings that sprouted after her beloved sister was rescued by him, and have been nurtured through the continuous overcoming of difficulties.

The love that had already filled her heart to the brim reached its limit the moment she heard of Nozomu's feelings.

The love that leaked out like water overflowing from a bowl was about to reach the person next to her.

"I'm..."

But just as she was about to put her feelings into words, her eyes fell on the wound on Nozomu's right hand.

The freshly dried blood, the brand-new wound, and above all, the faint residue of magic power in the wound dammed up Irisdina's feelings that had leaked out.

"Nozomu,... what's that wound?"

"N-, no. Shina was helping me a little with my training. That's when I got this wound."

Nozomu told her that Shina had just helped him with Tiamat's control training.

A powerful contract through blood. That it allowed him to sense the spirits.

Of course, there were various details that he was afraid to talk about, so he did not say anything about them.

However, when Irisdina heard what Nozomu had to say, her mind raged like a storm.

"So ... what are you going to do about it, Nozomu?"

Irisdina did her best to suppress her inner turmoil.

But when she asked this question, her voice was clearly trembling.

For elves, whose society is built on contracts with spirits, the blood-covenant ceremony, in which they directly connect their own souls, is the most stringent act of all and is tantamount to entrusting one's half body to one's partner.

The weight of this contract may be heavier than that of a marriage between human beings since their souls are connected by a direct contract.

Nozomu and Shina performed the blood covenant ceremony. That is to say, from the elves' perspective, it meant that they had more than just gotten married.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

However, contrary to Irisdina's agitation, Nozomu only tilted his head.

It was clear that he had not been told anything about the meaning of the blood covenant ceremony.

"I see..."

"Iris?"

Understanding that much, Irisdina understood Shina's true intentions.

She was trying her best to support Nozomu without regard to her own circumstances and without asking for anything in return.

She understood the meaning of the contract and swallowed it all up inside herself.

Nozomu's current situation was not one where one could be careless. He has uncontrollable power and a calamity that he carries with him everywhere.

And Nozomu himself was still repeating doing things recklessly because of his remorse for turning his blade on Irisdina and the others in the previous incident. The fact that he was still training despite Zonne's advice to take a rest is proof of this.

(To such him, what the hell was I going to tell him just now……)

She tried to hit him with her one-sided feelings of love. When she thought of this, a fierce sense of defeat and disaster welled up in Irisdina's heart.

She was reminded of Shina's figure who was trying to support Nozomu while swallowing all her thoughts and feelings, and of her own current circumstances.

"No, it's nothing. We have to go back soon. Tomorrow will be tough too, you know."

Irisdina stood up and turned on her heel while doing her best to cover up her feelings of love for Nozomu, which had leaked out.

She didn't know what would happen to her if she stayed next to Nozomu any longer.

"Ah-, right! Nozomu, you owe me more for this dance practice. No, if you include what you've been owing me so far, it'll be quite a lot. I'll be collecting them soon, so be prepared."

"... Please don't ask for expensive jewelry or some kind of gem. I'll be broke if you do."

"Well, let's decide it at that time. I'm still thinking about it right now..."

Seeing the implied smile on Irisdina's mouth, Nozomu looked worried.

"But it's not jewelry or anything similar, is it?"

"... Well, who knows..."

Irisdina, desperately trying to hold back the tears that were about to overflow, tried her best to act cheerful.

For a moment, Nozomu could see her smile through her back, and it looked as if she was crying.

But before Nozomu could ask, Irisdina slid into the back of the door.

"~ !"

As soon as she was out of Nozomu's vision, Irisdina bit her lip in a fit of rage that burst forth from deep within her chest.

Emotions flowed out one after another like a muddy stream. Irisdina suppressed the dull ache in her chest with the pain of biting her lip as she disappeared down the cold corridor. A single tear dripped from her eye.

Even if they confirmed each other's feelings, they still diverged at the fundamental point.

The boy still didn't have a true pillar in his heart.

The elf girl felt guilty for her own actions, and the ashen-haired girl felt guilty for her own feelings.

All three of them had become too accustomed to "enduring", and their paths had diverged.

But from this moment on, their relationship changed like a ripple spreading across the surface of a lake.

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

A group of horse-drawn wagons arrived at Arcazam as snow began to fall.

The knights who were supposed to be escorting them were hardly decorated with excessive ornaments, and only the dull gleam of their armors adorned their appearance.

The carriage escorted by the knights was also unglamorous.

There was one bewitching woman who walked towards the carriage.

She stood in front of the carriage and bent down deeply.

"I have been waiting for you. Egrod-sama."

"Umu ..."

A tall man, nearly two meters, also of military build, stepped out of the carriage. His eyes were sharp and intimidating as he glanced at Mekria, who was kneeling in front of him.

Egrod Fabran.

Combined with his tall stature, he exuded a certain dignity. He looked up at the mansion prepared for him with sharp eyes and disappeared into the mansion with the women under his command.

The season of trials and tribulations begins.