The Elemental Sword Demon King
Episode 116: The Regrets of the Past
"Mia Vialine." Kaizo muttered that name while lying on the bed in a dimly lit room.
(Number two of the Instructional School that has received the title of monster, "Queen.")
(Why is he here?)
He thought that they would never meet again after that day. But they end up meeting in a horrible and inexplicable way.
Mia Vialine is an expert military elementalist. The reason what the girl, an orphan from the Instructional School had to come here was still a mystery.
It's not that he can't guess. Just a few weeks earlier, Kaizo fought with another orphan from the Instructional School, Noah Alnest. The one behind the incident back then seemed to be the same person.
(Does he have any connection with Alicia?)
As he recalled that face, his left hand under the skin glove hurt. At that very moment, there was a knock from the door of his room.
"Yes?" While pressing on his aching ribs, Kaizo got out of bed.
"Who is this?" He opened the door.
"Meow..."
A cute cat was there. No, rather, it was someone wearing cat ears on their head, the second princess of the Empire.
"Um, Tiana, what are you doing?" Kaizo asked, astonished.
"I-I came to serve my master, meow." The air froze as Tiana said that.
"Geez, what did you make me say."
"No, I really don't understand."
Tiana cleared her throat and said, "This is a healing ritual."
"Healing rituals?" Kaizo repeats like a parrot.
"Kaizo, you're hurt, right?"
"Yes, well, it's not something serious."
"That's a lie." Tiana stabbed Kaizo's ribs.
"www!"
"See that. You can't fool me."
It was the wound he received when he was hit by Mia's water spirit. He had hidden it for quite a while, but it seemed that the saint spirit user had seen it.
"Come on, lay on the bed."
"Oh."
Tiana pulled Kaizo's hand. He was pushed into bed that way. The feeling that had pressed down on his chest made his heart throb involuntarily.
"I'm grateful for your concern for my recovery, but why cat ears?"
"Fufuu, this is a tool for ritual, ah, this is a tool for ritual, meow." Tiana quickly changed the end of her sentence.
"Liar! I think there's something weird about that!"
That morning when he packed his luggage, he was sure the cat's ears were there. Other objects including ropes, candles, and whips, he packed them by pretending to be ritual supplies, but there were a lot of suspicious things about it.
"Um, Kaizo, you don't like this kind of thing?" Tiana asked with a nervous expression.
"No, I don't, don't-don't like it." Kaizo quickly shook his head.
Tiana with cat ears is really cute. Seriously funny, enough to make her want to pet it.
"I'm happy, it's so embarrassing." Tiana made a relieved and relaxed expression. The sound of charming clothes. His breath came from near his ears.
"Tiana!? You're pressing me."
"Don't move. We have to touch it or there will be no effect."
"I understand the theory, but..." Kaizo gulps.
"Nnn, ahn..." The princess' lips and fingertips slid over her bruised ribs. His wet tongue running over his wound tickled.
"Fufuu, Kaizo, does it taste good?"
(Even if asked in a situation like this, there is no way I can answer honestly!)
(But it sure works. It was Tiana's ritual magic.)
As expected of the former elite princess of the Divine Ritual Obsession. Although it was not his skill, his ability in that regard was top class.
Not only his injuries, but even his entire exhausted body could be felt slowly improving. Kaizo stopped fighting and left his body in his care.
"But I'm always surprised by that. Your regeneration ability, I mean."
"Yes, that's a mystery to me too."
He did not pay any particular attention to it, but it seemed to happen that way. It seemed like it was thanks to the divine power development of an elementalist flowing within him. But that's at an abnormal level in the Kaizo case.
"Isn't that because you've made a contract with Nyx?"
"I also thought that at first it was so,"
The contracted Spirit Attributes affecting contractors were not something rare.
For example, Victoria's ability to make her hair stand is due to the fire. Since Nyx's attribute was metal as a sword spirit, as a result her body might become strong.
"But it doesn't seem to be just that," Tiana tilted her head.
Another possibility was the Cursed Armament Seal. Among the orphans in the Instructional School who received the Cursed Armament Seal, some possessed regenerative abilities that far surpassed human limits. However, of course, there was no Cursed Armament Seal on Kaizo.
"Your technique is good."
Kaizo shrugged her shoulders while saying that and received a reply, "That's the opposite."
"the reverse?"
"My sacred attribute spirit magic barely works on your body."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know," Tiana shook her head.
"Of course, it wasn't ineffective at all, it was rejected. That's why I have to touch you like this."
"Tiana!?"
"Look at that, your body is very stiff. More relax." Tiana smiled seductively and bit her ear.
"Tu-wait, as expected of this..."
"As I said, I'm not going to do this with just anyone, you know?"
To Tiana who pursed her lips while looking dissatisfied Kaizo interjected, "You should only do this kind of thing to the person you like." She placed her hands on the shoulder straps of her dress-like uniform.
Suddenly the door of the room exploded into pieces. Standing there was Victoria with her Fire Whip lit in her hand.
"Hey, Kaizo, w-what are you doing?"
Kaizo seriously prepared himself for death.
****
"Now, choose! The way you want to bake!"
"That's why I said, it's a healing ritual!"
Five minutes later. Kaizo was told to sit cross-legged on the dusty floor. In front of him was Victoria who was sounding her whip slowly, but it felt cruel.
His red ponytail stood upright like he was quite angry. Victoria looked at Kaizo with a cold gaze and said, "Hmph, with cat ears? And stick to the big chest in that way?"
"Gruah!" Kaizo internally groans.
(It's not good. Regardless of what he said, the cat's ears omitted all credibility.)
"Because whatever you do with that erotic queen is none of my business."
"Why are you angry?"
"Hidden!"
Because of Victoria's gaze, Kaizo was silent.
(After all, he was relieved.)
His mood was still bad, but it seemed like he was going to ignore the situation this time around. But the conversation doesn't end there.
"Kaizo," Victoria suddenly became very serious and asked, "i have something to ask you."
(Well, I guess that's what to expect.)
He had made his determination for this. Or rather, he had been thinking about it since a while ago.
"The girl who attacked me, you know her, right?"
"Yes." Yeah."
"What does he mean by brother? Who's she?"
Victoria's suspicions were well-founded. The killer who had been eyeing his life was his former teammate and friend. Being interrogated is natural.
"What's wrong? Why didn't you say anything?" Victoria's voice had a mixed tone of aggravation. But Kaizo turned her eyes away from her and remained silent.
(I.).
He felt that he should reveal his relationship with Mia Vialine. He knows it's in his head. But if he did that, he also had to reveal that he was an escape from the Instructional School.
His childhood was when he had the necessary battle techniques for an assassin being hammered into him. Something he could never erase, that unpleasant past.
(If she knew the truth about me, Victoria would.).
He might be scorned. Or maybe he will be pitied. Anyway, it'll be different from now. He was afraid of that happening when they knew the truth.
(I became weak probably because of this.) He scoffs at himself while avoiding Victoria's gaze.
Kaizo wouldn't even have thought of this two months ago. He doesn't care how others look at him. If she could get Alicia back, then that was all she needed, that was what she thought.
"Victoria, sorry..."
"Why?" Victoria's a little shaky.
"Is that something you can't even tell me?"
Kaizo just kept quiet not answering the question posed by Victoria.
"Maybe it's a lover of the past."
"Like that." Kaizo replied with half-closed eyes.
"Then why can't you say it?"
"Can you not trust me if I don't tell you?" A cold voice with a hint of irritation that shocked even himself.
He flinched and looked at Victoria whose eyes were wide open in surprise. "Bu-not that, but...."
"But what?"
Victoria's question is clear. He also understood that he was worried for her sake. But 'no', that's the reason, that's why he couldn't tell her.
"But..." Victoria bit her lips and said in a sad tone, "that's because you won't talk about yourself at all."
"That's..."
"And not just this. Even about that dark spirit girl."
"The thing about Alicia has nothing to do with you, Victoria." Kaizo shook his head coldly. That showed his total rejection of his question.
"Is that so." Victoria sighed hesitantly and she turned her back on Kaizo and left the room in silence.
****
"I'm the worst..." Kaizo muttered, sitting on the creaking bed.
He regretted having been angry at Victoria for no apparent reason. That said, he couldn't possibly discuss his past with her.
(If he knows my past, he will.).
At that moment, Eve and the others entered his room.
"Kaizo, did something happen to Victoria?" Eve looked at the room.
"Yes, just something small..." Feeling uncomfortable, Kaizo shifted her gaze.
"You're fighting again?" Aura sighed and Kaizo nodded ambiguously.
"He really can't be helped. Well, he'll be back before the dance."
"Dance?"
"The opening ceremony dance. Of course, Kaizo will also be present, right?" Ask Tiana.
"No, I'm fine here."
"What did you say!?"
"What!?"
"Kaizo!"
As Kaizo shook his head, the three shouted simultaneously.
"Why?"
"I don't like dancing." Kaizo has a bit of trauma about her dance.
The Sword Style Festival that he had participated in three years ago as Rei Assar, considering all the dance invitations he had received during it had left him goosebumps even until now.
Of course, she would not wear female clothes this time so there was no direct connection, but she still could not erase that feeling.
"That's, I don't have any formal clothes."
"They'll lend you formal attire if you ask."
"I said I'm not going to go."
"Hmm, I wonder if that's a good idea?" Tiana laughed lightly.
"What do you mean?"
"The participants of the Sword Style Festival will be performing at the dance, meaning Rei Assar will also be present."
"Fufuu, so what are you going to do?"
To Tiana who was smiling seductively, Kaizo lowered her brows, "Alright then," reluctantly, Kaizo agreed to leave.
(Dancing, yes.)
Victoria would also wear a dress, the thought of it occasionally popping up in her head.
"I have to apologize." Kaizo got off the bed creaking.
"Kaizo, where are you going?"
"To find a lost cat. Maybe he's lost his way."
...
*Connected.....
*Note: This story is fictitious. If there is a similarity in the name of the character, the scene, or the story, it is a mere coincidence and there is no element of intentionality.