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Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume6 Chapter3

2013-02-01T19:08:49Z

220.255.2.123:

==Chapter 3 - Nepenthes Lore==

===Part 1===

After making simple preparations, Kamito and Claire set off quickly.

They traveled light, keeping their load to a minimum. Est also transformed back to sword form at Kamito's waist. Entering a dormant state and completely cutting off her consciousness, she could not awaken by her own will without Kamito's infusion of divine power.

The guide spirit hovered lightly in the air -- a mass of weak flame before the two of them.

As long as they followed it, they would not get lost even within the forest.

"H-Hey, Kamito..."

"Hmm?"

Claire tried to start a conversation with Kamito who was walking in front.

"Umm... N-Nothing..."

"Hmm, is that so..."

Then conversation went dead.

...Repeating for who knows how many times. Starting from a while back, her efforts always followed this model.

(...~Seriously, what is going on with me!?)

Claire knew very well the reason was herself. Overly self-conscious about being alone with Kamito, it had become impossible for her to talk casually with him as usual.

(...Kamito, would you think I'm acting strange?)

She gave a quick glance at the figure walking before her--

Kamito looked completely nonchalant... This was slightly maddening.

(However, being able to team up with Kamito, truly is...)

In actual fact, the only time when Claire monopolized Kamito were the first few days after they met.

Disregarding Kamito's contracted spirit Est, there was Fianna who moved in as Claire's roommate in the female dorms not long after that. On top of that, Kamito was also recruited by the «Sylphid Knights» which meant he had to participate in the Knights' work in addition to their morning meetings, further reducing the time he had for Claire.

Furthermore, at dinner time every day, Rinslet would "accidentally cook too much" and bring the food to the room to share with everyone.

--Ever since the «Blade Dance» festival began, Claire and Kamito's time alone was reduced more and more.

(B-But, only now it is different...)

Also, even though the reason was suitability for the negotiation role, Kamito did indeed choose Claire as his partner to venture forth... Simply this fact was enough to make her overjoyed.

(If only I c-could be slightly more honest...)

As they went on their way, she quietly gazed at Kamito's back--

"--Wah!"

Suddenly, she found her foot entangled by something smooth and slippery.

"...Claire!?"

Kamito suddenly looked back.

There was a small snake around her foot.

Kamito swiftly bent down, grabbed the snake by its head and threw it away in the forest.

"You okay? Were you bitten?"

"I-I'm okay... Just had a little fright."

"...You're afraid of snakes?"

"I-I'm not afraid! ...I just don't like them."

Claire diverted her gaze, her face all red.

"...Isn't that the same thing? Anyway, can you stand up?"

Kamito grabbed Claire's hand and helped her up from the ground.

"Ah, yes... Thank you."

Her heart was pounding within her chest. Even without a mirror she knew her face must be burning red like having a fever.

...She felt so embarrassed that she could not look Kamito in the face.

"Then let's continue--"

Kamito released her hand and was about to start walking--

"Ah, w-wait up!"

At this time, Claire chased after Kamito and grabbed his hand, gripping it tightly.

"...Claire?"

"...T-This is better."

"...Eh?"

"...I said this is better. Escorting the master is the slave's duty."

"H-Hey...!"

Holding Kamito's hand, Claire began to run quickly.

Kamito had no choice but to hurry and keep up with her.

(Uwahwah, seriously, what am I doing!?)

Due to her unintentional bold behavior, Claire's face went completely red.

===Part 2===

Taking a short break along the way, Kamito and Claire continued making their way through the forest and finally reached the destination.

The fire spirit guiding them began to circle in ones spot before some decrepit ruins.

These ruins probably dated back to the distant past, legendary times when the mainland and «Astral Zero» were still uniform -- the mythical age when this shrine was still in use. The walls had virtually all collapsed, and the only reason why it still managed to maintain some of its original shape was very likely thanks to those stone pillars embedded in the ground.

The other side of the ruins faced a cliff and one could hear the noisy rumbling of rapids.

"This should be the negotiation site--"

"The ruins of an ancient shrine. With a river nearby, this is quite an ideal environment for a «stronghold»."

"Hurry and look, here are traces of a built barrier."

Following the direction Claire indicated, Kamito found a stone pillar where a pattern resembling a crest was carved.

"...The sacred seal of the Principality of Rossvale. And very new too."

Claire murmured incredulously.

"However, there were no signs of a barrier activating when we entered, right?"

"...That's right. The barrier was destroyed. This place has already lost functionality as a «stronghold»."

"What happened?"

--The «Rupture Division» abandoned this «stronghold»?

Or instead--

"Hmm?"

Icy cold water drops fell upon Kamito's forehead.

"It's raining..."

Sheltering his eyes with one hand, he looked up to find the sky had filled with dark clouds without him noticing.

As raindrops fell pitter patter, it became a pouring shower within the blink of an eye.

"Uwah!"

"Is there no place to shelter from the rain?"

Claire draped her uniform jacket over her head and frantically surveyed the surroundings to find a cave beneath the cliff near the ruins. This was no natural hole but a place someone had dug out using the power of spirits.

"Over there, hurry!"

"Ah yeah..."

The two of them quickly ran towards the cave.

The cave ran deeper than imagined. It was completely dark inside. Claire chanted a spirit language incantation to light a small fire at her fingertip, thereby illuminating the uneven walls of rock.

The remnants of a campfire could be found in the cave.

"The «Rupture Division» apparently had a bonfire here."

"...In that case, let us make good use of it."

The two of them sat down by the campfire.

Claire brought the flame on her fingertip close and immediately lit the campfire.

"I didn't know rain was possible in this place."

Since «Ragna Ys» was above cloud level, one would not expect any rain--

On further thought, it would have been strange to have plants flourishing without rain. Furthermore, there was the existence of rivers and lakes.

"«Ragna Ys» doesn't always float above the clouds. We may not be able to tell while we're on the island but it does move according to a cycle. Currently, it must be beneath cloud level."

"...I see."

The downpour showed no signs of letting up.

Kamito and Claire were completely drenched.

"...Sigh. If the other negotiating party isn't present, it can't be helped."

Untying the ribbons on the ends of her twintails, Claire sighed.

"Even a trap would be a better situation than now."

"...Come to think of it, where would they go after abandoning their «stronghold»?"

Faced with Claire who had untied her ribbons to let down her hair--

"...!?"

Kamito was shocked.

(...T-This girl is too careless!?)

Her red hair looked exceptionally seductive when wet.

Illuminated by the glow of the campfire, her supple body displayed beautiful gentle contours.

As her drenched uniform clung tightly to her skin, the lace patterns of her underwear became vaguely visible.

"...Kamito, what is up with you?"

Claire asked with a puzzled expression, tilting her head.

Clearly she was unaware how attractive and tempting her current appearance was.

"Ah-- ...Umm, how should I put it..."

How on earth could he point it out, just as Kamito agonized--

"...Yah!?"

Claire finally noticed her appearance and frantically curled her drenched body into a ball.

"Ah, mmm, ah..."

Under usual circumstances, surely she would have started whipping him with Flametongue. However, this was not Kamito's fault this time, and Claire simply went into a panic with a blushing expression.

"--Achoo."

Claire sneezed adorably.

"If you remain wet, you're going to catch a cold."

"I-I know! Kamito, turn and face the other way!"

"A-Ah, right..."

Kamito turned and faced the wall, shutting his eyes.

Rustle rustle... Rustle.

Against the background noises of the intense downpour, the seductive sound of clothes sliding off the body seemed unnaturally loud.

...What the heck was with this sound of undressing right now?

Keeping his eyes closed, Kamito found it even harder to stop his imagination from running wild instead.

"I-It's okay now..."

Receiving permission, Kamito turned back towards Claire.

"I can open my eyes?"

"..."

"Claire?"

"Y-You can..."

A hesitant answer.

Kamito opened his eyes--

"...Wha!?"

Appearing before his eyes was a scene far too excessively stimulating for boy of his age.

Stripped of her uniform, Claire was only wearing a single article of underwear.

Furthermore, it was simply a pair of very sheer lace panties. She was almost completely nude.

Her smooth skin, as white as snow, adorned by the bright crimson hair draped over her body, was quite an erotic sight to behold.

The only saving grace was the fiery hell cat she embraced against her chest to hide her topless state.

"Why, why are you looking like that..."

"T-This is the Scarlet Guard maneuver!"

Claire shifted her gaze as she displayed a shy expression.

"Never mind me, you should hurry and strip too!"

"...Me?"

"Do you intend to leave me as the only one in this embarrassing state?"

"A-Ah right, I got it..."

Glared at sharply, Kamito had no choice but nod and agree.

Perhaps due to Claire's seductive appearance, his mind was probably in a total state of shock.

As Kamito took off his wet shirt, Claire's cheeks instantly blushed bright red completely.

Just as he was about to take off his pants--

"Yah--"

...A light scream was heard.

"Y-You're the one who told me to strip!"

"Uh, right... Sorry."

Underneath, Kamito was wearing half-pants that could be used as swimming trunks. Since he was dressed the same way for the purification ritual by the lake, a reason to be so surprised... Should not exist in theory.

"..."

"..."

Then for a period of time after, both were stuck in silence.

There remained only the noise of the campfire crackling away.

(W-What the heck. This embarrassing mood...!)

Gulping down a mouthful of air, Kamito furtively cast a glance towards Claire.

With her ribbons untied and hair down, Claire seemed to possess much more adult charms than usual.

Light reflected off the smooth skin of her neck. As soft as fresh snow, her gorgeous body seemed like it would melt at the mere touch of the finger. Having taken off her kneesocks, her thighs were so dazzling Kamito did not dare stare directly.

The fabric of her panties was also quite sheer and offered a slight glimpse of the luster of the wet skin beneath.

"...!?"

Shocked, Kamito intended to shift his gaze--

"Hey..."

"Hmm?"

"...Say something, find something interesting to talk about."

"That's really putting me at wits' end... How could I find something interesting to talk about, being asked so suddenly?"

Kamito answered in amazement.

For Kamito who had devoted his life to training for battle since childhood, asking him to chat and entertain a girl was a tall order indeed.

"Talk about anything you want. I'll be the one to decide if it's interesting or not."

"...Easier said than done. Oh... Got it, that time when I was patrolling the school grounds with Ellis--"

"Not allowed to talk about other girls. That's not interesting at all."

...Somehow making her displeased, Kamito was cut off as soon as he started.

"...What a willful young lady you are."

Kamito crossed his arms and racked his brains.

(An interesting topic, ah...)

Then -- Suddenly, he recalled.

In the past, when Kamito was still a young boy--

Every night, that person would tell him a bedtime story.

These stories, originating from a distant desert country, were so numerous it would take a thousand and one nights to tell them all.

Night after night, she would tell these stories to him. For Kamito's days as a young boy, this could be considered his only joy. Every time Kamito hassled her to tell these stories he liked, she would patiently recount them to him. Even now, he could still recite some of the content.

(That's all I can think of to talk about...)

Kamito coughed lightly and began to speak.

"A long long time ago, there was a spirit sealed in a lamp at a certain place--"

"Excuse me, Kamito..."

"...Yes?"

"I'm sorry but I already know this story. It's very famous on the mainland, you know?"

"I see..."

Come to think of it, Claire really loved reading... It was only natural for her to know the story.

Finding his treasured story rejected, Kamito could not think of any other tales to tell.

Surely, Claire would be interested in his experiences with that particular girl after escaping from the «Instructional School». But bringing that subject up would inevitably lead to the incident three years ago.

"...Sorry. I'm out of ideas."

Kamito apologized honestly.

However, Claire did not seem particularly displeased, but smiled tenderly.

"A man who is too boring in conversation is no good, you know? Next time, try harder to prepare before your next date."

"Date?"

"...Ooh, n-no that's not it! I-I simply said something wrong by accident!"

Claire hugged Scarlet tightly, causing the cat to cry out in surprise.

"...The rain still hasn't stopped."

"Yeah..."

Claire sighed softly.

"After the Principality of Rossvale's team abandoned this place, where could they have gone?"

"Already eliminated by other teams -- perhaps?"

"Given the level of power of those members of the «Rupture Division», do you really think they can be eliminated so quickly?"

"However, only if that happened would the alliance invitation make perfect sense. Perhaps not completely eliminated, but their team must be half destroyed, in a state where they have no choice but to ally with others--"

"Impossible, right..."

Suddenly, what surfaced in Kamito's mind was--

The image of «Team Inferno»'s black knight mentioned in his group's discussion this morning.

Also, the darkness spirit girl who took action together with the black knight.

(Restia...)

Seeing Kamito's gaze fall upon his left hand, Claire asked observantly.

"Say, Kamito--"

"What?"

"About that girl, could you tell me more?"

"That girl?"

"Your former contracted spirit -- that darkness spirit girl."

"Didn't you say I'm not allowed to talk about other girls?"

"Only now do I allow you."

Kamito sighed lightly.

He shifted his gaze slightly from Claire's bare body that was being illuminated by the campfire's flames--

"She -- Restia was responsible for teaching me back at the «Instructional School»."

"Teaching... Combat skills?"

"No, she taught me everything -- ''Absolutely everything''."

That's right, what she taught me was not limited to battle-related skills.

She also returned to Kamito something precious he had lost.

"Really... Is that all?"

Claire looked pleadingly at Kamito as she asked.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Umm, that is..."

Faced with Kamito's counter question, Claire stammered as if she was at a loss for words--

Resolving herself, she spoke up.

"T-That... K-Kissed, you must have done it with the darkness spirit girl."

"...Huh?"

Kamito's face twitched.

"Did you actually... S-See that!?"

He recalled what happened during the night of the ball held in the castle at «Ragna Ys».

In order to search for Claire who had disappeared after an argument, he met Restia who had suddenly appeared in the garden.

"I wasn't peeking intentionally! I-It was just coincidence, at the courtyard by chance I saw..."

"Don't have strange misunderstandings, okay? I was ambushed by a surprise attack."

Kamito explained desperately... Why did it sound so much like an excuse?

"...However, you're quite obsessed with that girl."

"That's only natural. She is my precious contracted spirit."

"..."

--That's not right. Kamito knew very well himself.

As a spirit contractor, treasuring one's contracted spirit was of course perfectly natural--

But to Kamito, Restia was a special existence not only because she was his contracted spirit.

(She gave me light... Or rather, to me back then, she was the incarnation of light itself.)

Claire did not seem satisfied with Kamito's answer.

Unhappily, she pouted those cute lips of hers.

"So, how many times in total?"

"Eh?"

"...O-Of course I'm referring to kissing. How many names?"

"W-Why are you asking a question like that!?"

"As your master, it is naturally necessary for me to know about the slave's affairs."

Claire replied with her face all red.

"...Answer me honestly. How many times have you kissed?"

"...Who knows."

Kamito replied stiffly.

"What, you're trying to dodge the question?"

"Why must I answer this type of question?"

"T-That is... What, are you actually angry?"

"I am not angry."

"...Clearly you're angry."

Claire pouted, sulking a little.

Apparently, the young lady was displeased.

Speaking of which, Kamito never expected Claire to be so concerned about the matter of Restia.

Just earlier, she seemed so happy -- almost like the weather of this «Ragna Ys».

Kamito sighed and looked out the cave.

Outside conditions were basically a storm. Violent winds were blowing and the rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.

"...Thunder?"

Kamito suddenly looked up.

(--No wait, this isn't the sound of thunder!)

Listening carefully, he could hear the sound of blades clashing amidst the rumbling noises.

"--A blade dance in progress."

"What did you say?"

"The «Rupture Division» might be engaged in battle with others right now -- Hurry!"

Swiftly putting on his uniform that had yet to dry, Kamito grabbed the «Demon Slayer» resting against the wall and rushed out.

===Part 3===

Kamito and Claire equipped their elemental waffe as they ran.

In this storm, the sound of blades clashing was gradually getting closer.

The instant Kamito chopped down the tree before him, his view widened immediately.

An empty clearing in the forest--

"...!?"

A group of spirit contractors were collapsed on the ground.

The three girls' uniforms were very familiar -- that of Areishia Spirit Academy.

"They are «Team Wyvern»!?"

Claire exclaimed loudly as she caught up.

Likewise, they were representatives of Areishia Spirit Academy. A team formed from outstanding upperclassmen.

After Velsaria withdrew from the competition, these girls ascended to the spot of the Academy's top team.

The Ordesia Empire's most anticipated team.

But currently, three of them had fallen in this unusual situation.

Kamito instantly ran to the side of one of the upperclassman girls.

"...Hey, what happened here? Who defeated you?"

"Hmm... You're, that one from Raven Class, the male spirit contractor..."

The girl's lips quivered faintly. She was still conscious apparently.

"On the other side of these woods, our comrades are fighting--"

--Suddenly Kamito felt a terrifying sense of chill from behind.

The girl was pointing to the other side of the trees -- where a most ominous and frightening presence could be sensed.

"Kamito..."

"Yeah."

Kamito nodded lightly.

(...No doubt about it. It's that person's aura!)

The sound of swords clashing could be heard from the other side.

"Let's go... Est!"

Kamito released the power of the «Demon Slayer» all at once.

A dazzling silver-white glow emanated from the sword's blade.

Cutting down all the trees that lay in his path, he exited the forest--

Entering his view was a knight wielding a black sword to attack a girl.

Expressionless, eyes flashing red, the pitch black knight -- Nepenthes Lore.

Kamito rushed forward without hesitation, performing a full-powered attack at the black knight.

A sharp metallic impact. Scattering sparks.

In that very instant, the black knight's sword was deflected slightly, embedding itself into the ground mere inches away from the girl's body.

The afterglow of the black knight's red gaze shifted towards Kamito.

(...I knew it, this is no ordinary spirit contractor!)

In order to protect the collapsed girl, Kamito readied his sword in both hands.

Just behind the black knight, there was another collapsed girl in the same Areishia uniform.

(...To have single-handedly defeated five elite spirit contractors!?)

«Team Wyvern»'s girls were the highest level spirit contractors at the Academy.

Their abilities were definitely no less than Claire and the girls--

"Kamito, stop taking action all on your own!"

Using Flametongue to burn away the tree in the forest, Claire arrived at the battlefield. She shuddered at the the sight of the black knight, but instantly she understood the situation and circled around to a position where she could launch a pincer attack in concert with Kamito.

"Cough... The male spirit contractor, as well as the sister of the Calamity Queen..."

Behind him, the upperclassman girl protected by Kamito was moaning painfully.

Clearly he was here to protect her group, yet her eyes glared hatefully at him.

"This is my affection as a fellow representative of the Academy. I'm here to help your team, Senpai."

Kamito spoke stiffly as he glared at the black knight before him.

Even though the girls were fellow representatives of the Ordesia Empire, this did not imply they were his comrades exactly.

Nevertheless, he could not stand back and watch fellow students from the Academy being tormented so one-sidedly.

"Your help is not needed!"

"...I see. Oh well, think of this as we starting a blade dance on our own then."

As he faced off against the black knight, Kamito calmly assessed the surrounding terrain.

On the right side was the forest Kamito just exited. The left side was a massive cliff.

The thunderous sound of a waterfall could be heard coming from the bottom of the cliff. Although it was impossible to confirm visually from this position, surely falling down the cliff would be fatal.

(...A fight near the cliff would put me at a great disadvantage.)

Although Kamito was highly skilled with sword techniques, his arm strength was clearly inferior to the enemy's.

In a direct confrontation, he would probably be suppressed completely.

(In that case, this next attack will decide the outcome of the battle--)

Pouring divine power into the «Demon Slayer», Kamito leaped from the muddy ground.

"I'm relying on you, Est!"

As Kamito rushed forward, at the same time--

"I'll turn you into charcoal!"

Claire attacked with Flametongue.

Through their training at the Academy, Kamito and Claire's coordination with each other had already improved dramatically.

Infused with scorching flames of conflagration, Flametongue wrapped itself around the black knight's wrist just as the sword was raised.

However, accompanied by a terrifying roar, the black knight easily snapped Flametongue in two.

Even though Claire's elemental waffe was capable of ensnaring first class military-use spirits, under this pouring rain, spirits of with the flame attribute could not unleash their full power here.

Naturally, Claire herself was well aware of that fact. Her efforts were fully intended to play a support role for Kamito.

It was only a tiny opening. But Kamito definitely would not fail to seize the opportunity.

With even faster speed, he swung down the «Demon Slayer» -- !

Infusing the sacred sword with maximum divine power, this strike was not one that could be blocked by just an arm-guard.

(--Success!)

Just as Kamito firmly believed victory was in his grasp, in that very instant.

The black knight vanished. Kamito was almost convinced the knight had sunk into the mud from the impact only to discover his opponent had instead leaped over an unimaginably vast distance.

"...Wha!?"

Kamito was dumbfounded. This was not an action a knight in heavy armor could perform.

(...Impossible!? A human body could not possibly move like that--)

Roaring, the black knight began to charge, producing wind pressure that swept up dust from the ground.

Kamito readied his stance once more and swiftly analyzed the situation.

Even as the strongest class of elemental waffe, «Terminus Est» had her weakness.

Namely, overwhelming consumption -- vast amounts of divine power were depleted from the wielder.

Compared to the very beginning, Kamito was now able to control power consumption much more easily. Nevertheless, he still could only sustain the released state briefly for mere minutes.

(Plus this storm here, this is gonna be tough...)

In the context of blade dancing where split-second actions could decide the victor, the effect of strong winds could not be ignored. Without being blessed with wind protection, it was impossible for a spirit contractor to perform high level sword skills in such conditions.

Kamito felt his uniform clinging heavily against his skin, drenched with rainwater. The muddy ground also confused his sense of balance.

Furthermore, the black knight who had evaded Kamito's attack moved in an extraordinary manner.

These were neither the swordsmanship of a proper knight nor the myriad varied skills of an assassin.

These were motions Kamito had never witnessed before.

(I should be able to evade this attack -- but I can't predict the one afterwards at all!)

With horrifying pressure, the jet black great sword approached.

(--In that case, I have to defeat him directly head on!)

Kamito made his decision. He believed in the power of his most excellent partner, Est.

"--Merciless Queen of Steel, may you crush all enemies before you!"

"What are you trying to do, Kamito!? Hurry and evade!"

Ignoring Claire's scream-like cry, Kamito stepped forward instead.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Swinging the «Demon Slayer» down hard from overhead, he struck the jet black great sword.

With an eruption of light, the shockwave shook the air.

In that instant, with an intense showering of sparks, the jet black blade was completely shattered.

Apparently, the great sword was not an elemental waffe but a sword materialized using spirit magic. That sort of thing could not possibly withstand an attack from the strongest sword spirit.

"The name of the «Demon Slayer» is not just for show!"

He had no idea what kind of moves the black knight was using.

But Kamito believed firmly.

(...It's fine! The way I am now, I cannot lose!)

As he prepared to make a thrust -- at that moment.

Numerous jet black chains sprouted from the gaps in the dark armor, flying towards Kamito to ensnare him.

"Wha!?"

Kamito reacted immediately, crouching down on the ground to evade the attack.

"Kamito!"

Claire swung Flametongue and severed the chains with a crimson flash--

However, the jet black chains swiftly regenerated and targeted the girl collapsed behind Kamito.

"...This is bad!"

Kamito smacked his lips, discovering that he was not the target.

Captured by the chains, the girl screamed briefly.

Her whole body convulsed violently, then went limp as she lost consciousness.

(Chains formed by magic -- was that group from just now also defeated by these chains!?)

The chains slid back to the black knight's side--

In the next instant, black mist spewed out from the crevices of the armor.

"...Wha!?"

Kamito's entire body shuddered.

The unidentified sense of pressure given off by the black knight expanded all at once.

"Could it be, the absorption of divine power...?"

Claire was so shocked her voice trembled. At this moment--

"--Oh my, I never expected to run into the wolf himself while chasing after little rabbits."

"...!?"

The voice coming from the air was--

Kamito's expression instantly froze.

Beside the black knight, dense darkness descended.

The swirling darkness gradually took on the form of a black-winged angel possessing otherworldly beauty.

The darkness spirit who appeared was a girl with lustrous long black hair. Her dusk-colored eyes carried a sense of melancholy.

"Restia...!"

Kamito forgot to raise his sword and called out the name of his past contracted spirit.

"I didn't expect to meet you here... Kamito."

The darkness spirit girl smiled tenderly at Kamito.

This was a pure and innocent smile, exactly the same as in the past.

"...I didn't want to meet you in a place like this!"

Kamito silently shook his head.

During the morning meeting, he had already found out the fact she was acting together with the black knight.

Nevertheless, his heart had not accepted it entirely.

As soon as he pictured her performing a blade dance together with a spirit contractor apart from him--

He felt an intense stabbing pain in his heart.

(...Ah yes, I must be feeling jealousy.)

Calmly admitting to this fact, Kamito secretly laughed wryly at himself.

To think he actually harbored such a childish emotion.

"--That one there is your new contractor?"

Kamito questioned with frustrated impatience he could not hide.

"Let's not joke around. I have always been yours, Kamito... As long as you wish it to be so."

"..."

Kamito tightly gripped his leather gloved left hand.

"This is «Nepenthes Lore» -- the successor to the previous Demon King."

As if deriving pleasure from Kamito's reaction, Restia smiled mischievously.

"...Successor to the Demon King?"

"Or perhaps the ''Demon King's Will'' -- that would be a more appropriate name. That said, just as I expected, the current power is still insufficient. More sacrifices are necessary."

"...What are you talking about?"

Claire interjected with great acuity in her tone of voice.

"Oh my, isn't this Miss Hell Cat? Hello to you there. I'm sorry I didn't get to greet you at the garden the other day."

"Ah, you knew I was there!"

The twintails stood up in surprise.

"Restia, what are your intentions... Why did you enter this «Blade Dance»?"

Kamito asked coldly.

As a result, Restia lightly closed her dusk-colored eyes--

"--I still have a «Wish» that must be realized."

"«Wish»? Your «Wish» three years ago, I already--"

Halfway through -- Kamito cut himself off.

Claire was still present. He could not let her know what happened three years ago.

"Know your place, darkness spirit. I don't care whether you are Kamito's contracted spirit. He is currently a member of «Team Scarlet» and my slave spirit. I will definitely not let you do as you please."

"Oh my, what are you going to do to me? Miss Hell Cat."

Restia glared coldly at Claire.

Lifting an index finger, she pointed straight at Claire's chest.

Her adorable lips began to chant a spirit language incantation--

(That's...!)

Kamito hastily came to his senses and rushed over.

An extremely small pitch black sphere of thunder had formed at Restia's fingertip.

"Claire Rouge, even though ''she'' had said you were not to be attacked under any circumstance--"

The black-winged angel displayed a merciless smile--

"You will surely become a hindrance to his awakening -- Hence, you shall disappear right here."

The expanding ball of thunder was released from her fingertip.

«Hell Blast» -- the strongest class of spirit magic under the darkness attribute.

Let alone a human's mortal body, even mid class spirits would be instantly destroyed on contact.

"Claire--!"

"Kamito!?"

Claire's eyes stared wide in surprise.

Infusing the «Demon Slayer» with maximum divine power, Kamito rushed before the ball of thunder.

Gambling everything upon Terminus Est's trait of magical resistance, he used the blade to block the expanding ball of thunder.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Intense pain attacked his entire body. Unable to endure for but an instant, he lost consciousness in less than a second.

Blown flying by the exploding thunder and lightning, Kamito fell down the waterfall.

"--Kamito!"

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume6 Chapter2|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume6 Chapter4}}</noinclude>

Teh Ping Talk:Projected Translations' Timeline

2012-09-07T11:59:19Z

220.255.2.123: /* Comments to go under here */

Bolded are the ones I've contributed fully.

==2009==

===September 2009===

::*Joined Baka-Tsuki as translator on 9th September 2009.

==2010==

===January 2010===

::*'''Shakugan no Shana Volume 7, completed on 25th January 2010.'''
::*Shakugan no Shana was suspended from Baka-Tsuki on 27th January 2010.
::*Joined Toaru Majutsu no Index translation team on 27th January 2010.

===March 2010===

::*'''Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 7 completed on 13th March 2010.'''

===April 2010===

::*'''Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 9 completed on 14th April 2010.'''

===July 2010===

::*'''Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 10 completed on 2nd July 2010.'''

===August 2010===

::*'''Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 8 completed on 27th August 2010.'''
::*Joined Baka Test translation group on 13th August 2010.

===October 2010===

::*'''Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 11 completed on 31st October 2010.'''

===December 2010===

::*'''Baka Test Volume 2 completed on 8th December 2010.'''

==2011==

===February 2011===

::*Started Infinite Stratos project on 1st February 2011.

===March 2011===

::*Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 16 completed on 1st March 2011.
::*Baka Test Volume 3 completed on 4th March 2011.
::*Shana project reinstated on 10th March 2011.

===May 2011===

::*'''Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 6 completed on 4th May 2011.'''
::*Infinite Stratos Volume 1 completed on 23th May 2011.
::*'''Baka Test Volume 3.5 completed on 29th May 2011.'''

===June 2011===

::*Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 4 completed on 21st June 2011.
::*Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 5 completed on 23rd June 2011.

===July 2011===

::*'''Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 2 completed on 7th July 2011.'''
::*Toaru Majutsu no Index Love Letter SS completed on 13th July 2011.
::*'''Infinite Stratos Volume 2 completed on 28th July 2011.'''

===August 2011===

::*'''Shakugan no Shana Volume 8 completed on 20th August 2011'''
::*Toaru Vending Machine SS completed on 28th August 2011.

===September 2011===

::*'''Infinite Stratos Volume 3 completed on 16th September 2011'''
::*Infinite Stratos Volume 4 completed on 20th September 2011 (With help from Kira0802)
::*'''Baka Test Volume 7 completed on 26th September 2011'''

===October 2011===

::*'''Infinite Stratos Volume 5, completed on 4th October 2011.'''
::*'''Infinite Stratos Volume 7, completed on 10th October 2011.'''
::*Infinite Stratos BD SS, completed on 18th October 2011.
::*Baka Test Volume 7.5, Minami's backstory, completed on 24th October 2011.
::*Baka Test Volume 6.5, Yuuji and Shouko's backstory, completed on 27th October 2011.

===November 2011===

::*'''Shakugan no Shana Volume 16, completed on 15th November 2011.'''
::*Baka Test Volume 7.5, drunk girls and strip poker story, completed on 17th November 2011.
::*Baka Test Volume 7.5, talkative summons story, completed on 19th November 2011.
::*'''Baka Test Volume 7.5, completed on 23th November 2011.'''
::*Haganai Volume 1 Past, completed on 24th November 2011.

===December 2011===

::*Holiday in Hong Kong from 5th to 12th December 2011.
::*Shakugan no Shana Volume 22 Chapter 1, completed on 16th December 2011.
::*Haganai Volume 5 Chapter 3 completed on 25th December 2011.
::*'''SAO volume 6 completed on 30th December 2011'''
::*SAO volume 2 completed on 31th December 2011 (Okay, there were about 20 pages left, so it wasn't much.)

==2012==

===January 2012===

::*TWGOK Volume 1 parts 2-4 completed on 13th January 2012.
::*'''Baka Test Volume 8 completed on 20th January 2012.'''
::*Shakugan no Shana Volume 22, completed on 27th January 2012. (except for chapter 2, which is being done by Cosmic Eagle)

===February 2012===

::*'''TWGOK Volume 2 completed on 14th February 2012.'''
::*DenYuuDen Volume 1 to be completed by 26 February 2012.

===March 2012===

::*Sword Art Online Volume 5 completed on 4th March 2012
::*'''Gundam Unicorn completed on 9th March 2012.'''
::*Index NT 4 completed on 22nd March 2012

===April 2012===

::*Sword Art Online Volume 7 completed on 2nd April 2012. (I just fell asleep before uploading this)
::*Baka Test Volume 5 completed on 18th April 2012.
::*'''Baka Test Volume 9 to be completed by 26th April 2012'''

===May 2012===

::*'''Gundam Unicorn Volume 2 completed on 17th May 2012 '''
::*Sword Art Online Volume 8 completed on 29th May 2012.

===June 2012===

::*Sword Art Online Volume 9 completed on 8th June 2012

===July 2012===

::*'''DenYuuDen v2 completed on 13th July 2012'''
::*'''Baka Test v9.5 completed on 31st July 2012'''

===September 2012===

::*Sword Art Online Volume 10 to be completed on 22th September 2012

===October 2012===

No translations during this time.

===November 2012===

::*Gundam Unicorn 3 to be finished on 15th November 2012.
::*Baka Test 10 to be finished on 29th November 2012

===December 2012===

::*Baka Test 6.5 to be finished on 16th December 2012
::*Baka Test 6 to be finished on 25th December 2012
::*21/22nd December 2012? To heck with that. I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, and that's all that matter.

'''25th December 2012--The disappearance of Teh_ping.'''

'''''Translators never die. They're just missing in action.'''''

==Fan-interested series==

Okay guys, this would be a place where you can add your LN(s) recommendation to make me consider working at Baka Tsuki and cancelling my retirement. This isn't a vote like the last time, but something that you can add for me to consider whether I should work on the series. Rules are simple. More than 20 words to justify why you want me to work on that particular series, and the story should be about the plot synopsis only (which means no comments like 'because this guy's so cool' or whatsoever). Series that are not to be included are the ones I worked on/am working on/will work on (in other words, the ones that were named on my main talk page). After your comment, please add a <nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki> at the back or else it won't be considered.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 07:41, 13 January 2012 (CST)

Let's try it. It's the right section for suggestions, ins't it? Wouldn't stop at this point, though.<br>
Alright, now to the actual business. I suggest translation of Rental Magica. Reasons:
#It focuses solely on magic. Of course, it's about dark side and normal side of things but isn't it more interesting that way?
#It's really big series. I don't ask impossible, and I don't think that you'll agree to work on more than 20 volumes solo. I'd be more than satissfied if you'll agree to translate even one volume of RM. That is, if it'll stop you from retiring.
#I don't want translators to go MIA if there's even a small possibility that you wouldn't retire. Of course, I don't want to force you and it's only your right to decide but it's just my opinion.
#Back on topic. Why only one volume for start? I just want to see if main character won't be just thickheaded idiot who relies only on one specific ability of his. Also, I haven't read yet any series which were focused only on magic. <br>
Phew. Please, consider my suggestion. Retirement is a big thing, after all. --[[User:Rock96|Rock96]] 11:52, 8 February 2012 (CST)

Chaos2Frozen on Animesuki is also asking me for this. Still wondering about this though.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 00:29, 17 February 2012 (CST)

[http://emptyboundaries.wordpress.com/ Kara no Kyoukai has already been fully translated.]

::*http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Kara_no_Kyoukai
But this page isn't complete. Knowing Teh_ping, I think he'll want to complete it somehow.

Should Teh_ping complete this series then? I know there are other series to work on, and that it would be much more efficient to work on other series like Zero no Tsukaima and Aria, runner ups in the last poll, but since Teh_ping says that it'll be his last series, let's not allow him to do so then.

WTF!!!? Enough with taking so many series already, Teh_ping! Get your butt down and just work on SAO already!

What the hell was the last comment? Hey, Teh Ping isn't your dog, you cannot force him to do what he doesn't want to. Alright, enough with ranting, guys, it's irritating. If you wanna Teh Ping to continue translating after KnK, just tell him about that. If you're crazy fan of one series (insert_name_here), then just wait. --[[User:Rock96|Rock96]] 20:44, 13 January 2012 (CST)

You know, I'll just ignore those comments from that SAO 'fan'. My fault for not asking Oni yet. And yeah, I know that other people have completed it. Just want to complete it myself here (unless someone uploads it onto Baka-Tsuki, which I'll be really glad to step aside.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 22:52, 13 January 2012 (CST)

You should take up doing Mahouka because its has a fairly interesting plot about modern day magicians where magic is considered a Technology rather than a figment of lore--[[User:Tachibana|Tachibana]] 03:52. 23 January 2012 (CST)

It will be a topseller, no doubt. The question is whether I would find it interesting, and whether it's against my values (I had been treading on the line for quite some time with Index and IS), because having read it, it's kind of like an incest version of Nanoha.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 04:39, 28 January 2012 (CST)

Hi, i think you should translate Monogatari Series, it is so weird and fascinating the way the novel is written, and nobody really want to translate it, because if i'm not mistaken, it is a very difficult novel to translate, hard lines and all that. -- [[User:Pold10|Pold10]] 12:46 21 January 2012 (UTC -4)

It is a nice read. I'm not that confident in my Japanese though. I'm already struggling with Shana because of the style, and for Monogatari, it's more like 1 hours translating and 2 hours researching. I may pick it up once I have the confidence to do so, but there's no guarantees--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 22:48, 21 January 2012 (CST)

mmm, by your rules, can't you just read the plot synopsis then? anyway, i second monogatari. i bet many people would like to read the novels to see if the anime skipped something. usually, i don't usually care much about details, but monogatari is all in the little things for me + not all are fans of the shafty visuals of the anime. also, it'll probably be interesting to reaearch all the stuff. not to mention you can significantly improve your TL skills.
PS. preferably one of the volumes after nisemonogatari. personally i'm dying for new material.
--[[User:Idiffer|Idiffer]] 07:46, 16 February 2012 (CST)

Well, to me, it's more meaningful to pump out text instead of merely giving summaries since it's like short-changing people. I do like the series, which I rate a 10/10 difficulty. If I can somehow finish Unicorn (9/10), there's a chance that I may do this series. (Again, I'm keeping my options open, even about returning to Shana.)

Papakiki!! Really touching series that has lots of comedy. Please consider working on it!!

If Zephyrus doesn't finish it before I finish my list, maybe.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 21:44, 20 February 2012 (CST)

Since you're working on Sword Art Online, you might want to consider [[Accel World]]. It written by the same author and occurs in the same universe in the future, although the two are not directly connected. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 09:18, 7 April 2012 (CDT)

Taken note here. I do know about Accel World since Xplorer30 once talked to me about it (and wouldn't it be humiliating if I don't know the works of the authors of some series I'm working on?) Of course, I'm suffering from the volumes that's piling up like Tetris, and I do expect some surge in interest after the anime airs. Question is how many translators will join after that.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 09:41, 7 April 2012 (CDT)

Well, as far as I remember you were already asked about the series I'm about to mention in that vote thread (since series were not in your list you simply said «no»), but still… What do you think about Seikai no Senki? Reasons to translate it:
# This is the great space-opera series; were it written in US and filmed in Hollywood I'm quite sure it would become second «Star Wars».
# Very detailed world: it is interesting to read not only about characters' adventures but about «how that world works» too.
# Adventures itself are quite interesting, nearly without repeats usual for some series (let's not tell anything bad about <i>certain</i> series and a lot of other ones)
# anime-version, especially vol. 3 are obviously heavily cut. Sometimes because difficulty of showing characters internal thoughts without author's speech, sometimes due to lack of time (vol.3 is only 2 episodes). So if LN ever be translated it will contain a lot of new material for fans, and will surely be read by a lot of people.

Only one reason not to translate this series: it's incomplete, and there is high probability that Saga of the Stars will never be completed (no info about continuation for many years already). Of course the second possible reason is if you are not interested in this series, and if you're not interested... it can't be helped.
However I hope once to see this series translated... --[[User:Capitan_Nemo|Capitan Nemo]] 20 April, Year 1271 Before Establishment of the Empire (2012 AD).

I do know that Seikai no Senki is licensed by Tokyopop, and as for the other parts that aren't released, I'll consider it. Again, no guarantees.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 04:22, 20 April 2012 (CDT)

I may be late to the party, but I still would like to suggest few novels. If you like Gundam Unicorn so far, I would like to suggest other Universal Century novels. Mainly "Hathaway's Flash", written by Yoshiyuki Tomino. The story is set few years after the Unicorn and revolves around Bright Noah's son Hathaway who joins terrorist organisation that opposes Earth Federation.
Also, there is "Gaia Gear", series of 5 novels also written by Yoshiyuki Tomino. Events of Gaia Gear happen in UC 0203 and revolve around person with memories of Char Asnable who was created to lead Metatron (colony resistance group) against Man Hunting Attachment police of corrupted Earth Federation.
Both "Hathaway's Flash" and "Gaia Gear" are written by the creator of Gundam series Yoshiyuki Tomino, feature interesting plot twists and mecha designs (especially "Gaia Gear") and let readers take a look into obscure events of late Universal Century. --[[User:Rune Sa Riik|Rune Sa Riik]] 04:35, 5 June 2012 (CDT)

Hey Teh ping,What about "Rakuin no Monshou".looks interesting with a serious and good plot with action and romance too!

and,Why do DYD instead of DDYD?I mean didn't the anime cover all 11 volumes of DYD.So I think people'd like it more if you could translate dai densetsu no yuusha no densetsu.
Then again Thank you very much for your translations!XD

Hello, I would like to recomend Tasogare-iro no Uta Tsukai. Kinda guy meets girl, magic is compromised of songs, reagents needed for every color, there are five of them: Keinez(red) - Ruguz(blue) - Surisuz(yellow) - Beorc(green) - Arzus(white), and each can summon things of its respective color. At the begining the guy who wants to master them all, and the girl who wants to make a new color meet. They go separate ways but promise to meet again when they reach their goals. time passes girl dies, her adopted son meets the guy who mastered every color. and a girl who has a strange connection to the red color. Complete series 10 volumes, first almost completely translated [[Tasogare-iro no Uta Tsukai|here]] on Baka-Tsuki. sorry to hear you want to retire, things will get slow here if you are gone. ..::[[User:Gradient|Gradient]]::.. 07:36, 5 September 2012 (CDT)

I would like to recommend Date A Live. It's a pretty good light novel but I noticed that the translation takes too long since they lack so much manpower (or translators?). Anyways, thanks for translating a lot of light novels here in BT. I read IS and SAO and I am very looking forward to your translated works since I always get a good read once in a month when checking BT for updates --[[Special:Contributions/LN reader]] 04:15, 7 September 2012 (CDT).

==Comments to go under here==
Oh my, you look pretty professional. Going to Hong Kong? Say Hi to Oni XD [[User:Kira0802|Kira]] ([[User_talk:Kira0802|Talk]]) 19:20, 27 October 2011 (CDT)

Just a little guideline. Won't be as active once August 2012 comes though, since I would be in university (college)--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 01:31, 31 October 2011 (CDT)

That would make sense, college is quite the pain. Good luck with keeping up with this. We (speaking for all your fans) are looking forward to reading your work! [[User:Hobogunner|Hobogunner]] 04:16, 31 October 2011 (CDT)

I should be able to allocate a novel once a month after that, somehow...--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 07:41, 13 January 2012 (CST)

Ice Milk Tea, I know its kinda unreasonable to ask anything but I do hope that you could accelerate the translation on volume 9 Baka to Test Shokanju. I am dying to know how Yoshi and Himeji relationship developing on. Of course it can wait until after CNY. And Happy Chinese New Year. -- Anon 22:39 21 January 2012

I don't intend to deviate too from my schedule now considering that each plan I have for the month is the bare minimum I expect myself to complete. Of course, if I can finish things faster than what I expect, I'll push the next release earlier.--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 22:48, 21 January 2012 (CST)

Happy CNY Ice Milk Tea, according to your planning, Baka Vol 9 will only be translated on May 2012. This mayb my selfish request but perhaps you could swap the Baka Vol 5 (on March 2012) with Baka Vol 9?
--- Anon 01:11 23 January 2012 (CST)

Well, I was requested earlier to take over vol 5 first before (And I do prefer to go in order).--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 02:35, 23 January 2012 (CST)

Why are you planning to complete baka test 10 twice(May and July 2012)? *Just letting you know* --[[User:Pryun|Pryun]] 23:57, 19 February 2012 (CST)

Done--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 21:44, 20 February 2012 (CST)

A suggestion: you might want to make the years into headings and the months into subheading. [[User:Zero2001|Zero2001]] - [[User_talk:Zero2001|Talk]] - 09:21, 7 April 2012 (CDT)

imho this is a very good idea. like, god-tier idea...[[User: idiffer| idiffer]] - 09:21, 7 April 2012 (CDT)

Mind telling me how to collapse the contents' table as well?--[[User:Teh Ping|Teh Ping]] 09:41, 7 April 2012 (CDT)

[[http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:JSpoiler| here]] i didn't get anything that was written, but apparently, you can somehow implement this shit and voila - spoiler tag get. [[User:idiffer| idiffer]] 09:41, 7 April 2012 (CDT)

actually, fuck that. here
{| class="collapsible collapsed wikitable"
|-
! This is the header cell, which is always shown
|-
| Fuck yeah, collapsable tables FTW!!!.
|}
[[User:idiffer| idiffer]] 09:41, 7 April 2012 (CDT)

IF PING RETIRES, WE RIOT!!

You are the magnificent troll, dear sir. --[[User:Rock96|Rock96]] 11:08, 20 July 2012 (CDT)

OMG.. Does that mean I will be missing Volume 10 of Baka to Tesuto Syokanju? I was waiting patiently for the translation as I dont wanna bug Ice Milk Tea for ealier completion -- Anon205 21 July 2012

Aww I'll miss Ping's translations when/if you retire! I'd beg you not to go, but that'd be selfish and wouldn't make you choose differently. Thanks for doing all these translations! [[User:Swiftelf|Swiftelf]] ([[User talk:Swiftelf|talk]]) 09:47, 5 September 2012 (CDT)

Just dropping in to say thanks for all the translations and effort you have put in for BT. Best of luck with Uni! Just wondering, local U or overseas? --[[Special:Contributions/220.255.2.123|220.255.2.123]] 06:59, 7 September 2012 (CDT)

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume1 Chapter7

2012-06-25T10:19:26Z

220.255.2.123:

== Chapter 7: Contracted Spirit Est ==

=== Part 1 ===

.....He remembered that he was taken into a black room.

A room like a prison cell without windows.

He recalled being taken by people in black, also the day he met '''her''' for the first time ---

It was since eight years ago when the young boy became The Strongest Blade Dancer --- Ren Ashbell.

Before that he was at an orphanage.

It was no ordinary orphanage. It was a so called «Instructional School» of a town that didn't exist on any maps.

From every part of the continent, young girls with talents as a spirit contractor were gathered from orphanages or relief institutions, and received special training in the secret facility. Those were raised there were exceptional assassins. The emotions of the girls were killed by the crazy education, and nothing but massacre techniques using spirits where thoroughly hammered into them.

On that day eight years ago, a young boy who was taken in by the Instructional School was able to communicate with the spirits.

The Demon King's Reincarnation --- called a miracle child by the training instructor, that young boy was trained with highest priority.

He was subjected to assassination training of the highest calibur, handing to him their treasured spirit, one of the most powerful Pillar Spirits.

Formerly, a Sealed Spirit because of the Demon King, the Dark Spirit.

But, four years ago, a freak accident of unknown origins suddenly destroyed the Instructional School.

Thanks to the incident, the hideous truth of the Instructional School was brought to light, and the aristocrat faction in charge of the scheme was purged; its existence was erased from all the records of the Ordesia empire.

The young boy escaped with his contracted spirit.

Running away from his pursuers, he disguised himself as a girl. Originally the young boy had well equipped features; his voice had yet to break, and nobody thought that he was a boy.

Also, three years ago. The strongest blade dancer magnificently debuted.

Winning the 'Blade Dance', in order to fulfill '''her''' one and only 'wish'.

But, it was --- '''something humans must never wish for'''.

=== Part 2 ===

Kamito opened his eyes and found himself lying in bed.

Birds were chirping outside the window. Bright morning light entered into the room.

He strongly felt that he had a very nostalgic dream, but couldn't remember what it was about.

His head hurt. Kamito slowly turned his head and sat up. Then he noticed.

What he was wearing was not the the Areidesia Spirit Academy school uniform. It seemed that someone had helped him into pajamas. The freshly washed clothes were very comfortable.

"By the way... where am I?"

Kamito looked around the room.

The layout of the room was very familiar. This must be the dormitory of academy.

However, this was not Claire's room. It was impossible for her room to be so clean. The furniture and household items looked very upscale and polished spotless. The room was like a luxury hotel. It did feel like a girl's room, but with a different perspective from Claire's.

He moved his arms to get out of bed - but a sharp burning pain shot up from his right hand.

Grimacing from the sharp pain, Kamito finally remembered.

''At that time, I......''

In order to protect Claire, Kamito had surpassed the limit to release the contract spirit's power.

Conjuring up a powerful Elemental Waffe was of course good. But since the spirit was too strong, his divine energy was exhausted all at once, and he had passed out.

''Right, ...How was Claire?''

Kamito was going to get up from bed, but at that moment -

''Hm?''

Something squirmed inside the sheets.

"Wow! What... What the hell!?"

Kamito bounced up and quickly yanked the sheets aside.

Something unbelievable was there.

A silver-haired girl.

And she was naked, stark naked.

No, more precisely she was not completely naked; she had black knee socks on.

A knee socks wearing, nude, silver-haired girl was there.

...Silence for about a full half minute.

"...Who are you?" Asked Kamito. His head was spinning, and he couldn't come up with any other questions.

"Est." The girl expressionlessly replied. It was a cold and mechanical-sounding voice.

"Est... so that's your name?"

"Right. Human vocal organs are incapable of pronouncing my true name, so call me Est."

"Well, Est."

"Yes."

One would blink in amazement at the transparent violet eyes of the beautiful silver-haired girl.

She seemed to be younger than Kamito.

Her body was very petite, maybe even smaller than Claire's.

"Uh... Why... are you... in my bed?"

"Because I belong to you, my master."

The girl answered with no hesitation.

"......"

Cold sweat flowed down from Kamito's forehead.

''...Wait. Calm down.'' He had no memory of such a thing. Wrong, isn't it that he didn't remember anything about it even worse?

''Why am I in bed with a naked girl? Kamito Kazehaya, were you really such a despicable pervert that stripped innocent little girls and then brought them to bed?''

''NO! Absolutely not!''

"Hey, Est."

"Yes, master."

"Why are you calling me master? Please briefly explain."

"Because master is my master. Was there any self-contradiction? "

Est replied expressionless.

"Or would you like me to call you differently?"

"For now, anything other than master."

"Well, Aniue-sama<ref>An extremely respectable way for calling an elder brother in Japanese.</ref>."

"No."

"Daddy."

"Even worse."

"...Onii-chan?"<ref>A casual and cute way of referring to an elder brother in Japanese.</ref>

"...Uh... no!"

Kamito averted his eyes slightly. Involuntarily, he felt that the last one was quite good.

"My bad. Kamito, please call me Kamito."

"Got it. I'll call you Kamito."

The knee-socks wearing nude silver-haired girl nodded.

Kamito... Kamito... my master is Kamito... the girl murmured, as if constantly chewing these words.

Kamito's head gradually started aching. What is with this girl?

"Why are you wearing nothing but knee socks? Isn't it odd?"

"Are you saying that I should take the socks off!?"

Est's normally expressionless face showed a sign of wavering for the first time.

"Actually demanding me to show my bare feet... Kamito is such a pervert."

"No, aren't you naked? What is this mysterious sense of embarrassment?"

Kamito sighed. Oh, well, perhaps it was due to cultural difference.

At this point, suddenly the sound of someone coming up the stairs was heard through the door.

"...Oh, no! Someone is coming!"

It would be bad regardless of whom, seeing this situation.

"Hide somewhere now!"

"Why?"

"No questions! Hurry up!"

"Oui<ref>French for yes or other confirmatory word</ref>, roger that."

Est wiggled deep into the sheets.

"Why there out of all places!"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Snip* -

At this instant, the door opened.

"Kamito, you woke up!"

Rinslet's maid Carol appeared. She was carrying a basin and towels.

"Carol!? That you are here means this is -"

"The room of my lady, Rinslet."

Carol smiled.

I see. Indeed she was a daughter of the Laurenfrost family. No wonder the room was so different from Claire's.

"By the way, why am I in Rinslet's room?"

"My lady was very worried because you fainted and had you carried here. She and I took care of you."

"......So that's why. Thank you."

Kamito felt very grateful. That girl was surprisingly a good person.

Carol walked over towards the bed.

''...Oh, no!''

The moment Kamito put on the alert posture, Est squirmed in the sheets.

Kamito's body suddenly involuntarily froze.

''Hey... Hey! Come on. Please stay still!''

"You woke up, Kamito Kazehaya."

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Snip* - this time the uniformed Rinslet came in.

Although he thought Rinslet would breath a sigh of relief, but she put two hands upon her waist, and glared sharply at Kamito.

"...I was so startled because you suddenly fainted."

"Ah, My bad. I heard that you have been taking care of me. Thank you."

"Humph! Taking care of the servants is also the duty of a master!"

Rinslet's face suddenly became red and she looked away.

"...Besides, you saved my friend..."

"Well?"

"Nothing...!"

Rinslet suddenly folded her arms, and turned her face aside.

Her behavior of not being frank with herself was somehow quite lovely, actually.

"By the way, how is Claire?" Asked Kamito. Back then Claire looked very haggard, and something was obviously wrong.

''...Hopefully she was not thinking something strange.''

"She locked herself in her room the moment she came back to the academy and has stayed there since then. No matter how I provoke her from outside the door, she completely refuses to come out."

"So..."

Kamito sighed. It seemed that even that defiant princess could suffer from depression. Although she acted very tough, she was just an ordinary girl after all.

"My lady is really worried about her childhood friend Miss Claire."

"Carol! what, what are you talking about! " Red faced Rinslet repetitively beat Carol on her back.

Looking at the exchange between the two girls, Kamito smiled bitterly.

''...Ah. That girl, even though she was seemingly convinced that she was alone,''

''She does have good friends.''

"What is it, Kamito Kazehaya? Why are you smiling?"

Rinslet puffed her cheeks and stared at Kamito.

"Since you have woken up, get out already. Men are prohibited in the female dormitory!"

"Ah, Oh. I'll go out now...... uh!"

Just then, Kamito suddenly froze.

''...No way.'' He absolutely could not get out of bed now. Hidden under the sheets was a young, beautiful nude girl who was wearing knee socks.

This was bad. Extremely bad. If she was to be discovered by these two girls, his life will be in danger in all kinds of ways.

''What should I do... right!''

Kamito needed to change from pajamas into uniforms. Using that as an excuse, he could sent Rinslet and Carol away, then take this opportunity to escape with Est from the window.

No, no good. To go out with Est in her current state, they would surely be caught.

If they were to be dragged to that stubborn leader of the Knights, he would end up even more miserable.

That being the case, he had to -

"Uh... right! Can I ask for a favor?"

"What's that? Do you... want to lick my toes?"

"No one asked for such a thing!"

Kamito retorted out of reflex... Why was there an expectation in her tone?

"That's not what I ask. I was thinking... could you lend me some clothes."

"Clothes? Oh, of course, your uniform is right here."

Rinslet snapped her fingers, and Carol immediately brought out the folded uniforms. The ripped uniforms from battle yesterday was mended, even the buttons were sewn back on neatly.

"That's not what I meant. I would like to borrow a girl's uniform. "

"......"

''Eh? I feel like I have made some kind of fatal mistake just now...''

Rinslet stared at Kamito as if looking at a cockroach on the roadside.

"Oh? What do you plan to do with a girl's uniform, Kamito Kazehaya?"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Gogogogo...*

"No... No, not what you think... uh... that..."

Kamito stammered, trying to find excuses to gloss over the question.

"Then it can't be helped. Then although it is a bit embarrassing, I'll lend you my clothes..."

Carol's face turned red, and she started to remove her clothes uneasily.

"Not your clothes! And that's not even a uniform!"

"So that's how it is. What Kamito-sama desires most is a uniform of my lady's."

"What? ...My uniform?"

Rinslet suddenly blushed totally red, and quickly covered her chest.

''Ah ah ah ah! These two are so troublesome!''

Kamito cried in his mind. Just at this time.

From the abdomen of Kamito somehow came a wiggling sensation.

''...! Est! What are you are doing!''

"Hmm? Kamito Kazehaya, what are you doing?"

"No... Nothing..."

[[Image:STnBD V01 207.jpg|thumb]]
"You have been acting strange since earlier. Come to think of it, the sheets seemed to bulge mysteriously."

"My lady, men are the kind of creatures to bulge in the morning."

"Yes... a normal physiological phenomenon, it can't be helped... '''That's not what this is!'''"

"Out with it already, what exactly are you hiding there!"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Paa-tsu* - Rinslet forcefully yanked the sheets off.

"What!" "Ah!"

Rinslet and Carol simultaneously covered their mouths, and opened their eyes widely.

It was no wonder. In the bed, after all, there was one beautiful knee socks wearing naked girl.

"Kamito, we are caught."

Still expressionless, Est suddenly hugged Kamito tightly.

"Wh... Wh... What!"

"Hold on! Rinslet, don't misunderstand! This is because -"

Kamito panically shook his head, trying desperately to explain.

"This is because what?"

"Uh... because... that..."

...Uh, no good. Even Kamito didn't know why the young girl was here.

Having said that, regardless of what excuses that Kamito came up with, he had no confidence to convince these two.

"- I see, that's how it was."

Rinslet grinned, a chilling smile appeared on her face.

An elegant, graceful, and truely aristocratic smile.

"You... You understand?"

"Yes, I completely understand. While I was worried about you, you...you secretly brought such a lovely girl to bed---"

Rinslet's freezing cold stares repeatedly stabbed Kamito.

Or rather... it was really cold, cold enough to freeze one to death.

Unknowingly, the windows were covered with frost. Just as one thought that a blizzard was bursting around in the room, the wolf spirit of magic ice suddenly appeared on top of the bed.

"...Wait! This is no joke - I am really going to die!"

"Then... Then die! You pervert ----!"

The Magic Ice Spirit «Fenrir» let out a terrifying roar, then started attacking Kamito.

"...Wahh! For real!?"

Kamito nimbly jumped out of bed and fled around in the room.

Baring its fangs, the Magic Ice Spirit chased Kamito back and forth.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Bark!* *Bark!*

"......"

At this moment, Est quietly rose up and stood in front of Kamito as if to shield him.

The white wolf bared its sharp fangs fiercely, and then leaped.

Still expressionless, Est thrust her hand in front of the nose of the white wolf.

Fenrir's movement suddenly froze.

"Woo...ong..."

"Stay back! How dare you as a Magic Ice Spirit to defy me, the «Demon Slayer»? "

The moment Est calmly finished her words, Fenrir began to tremble.

And then -

"Sit."

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Chokun*<ref>Sound of sitting down</ref>.

"Hand."

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Pofu*.

"Good boy."

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Rub*. *Rub*.

"......"

Kamito was speechless. Rinslet's mouth also hung wide open.

Even spirits of the rank of Fenrir were lead by the nose. This girl, could she be -

"Might you be a spirit!?"

"Yes, I'm the contract spirit of Kamito."

Stroking the head of the tamed Fenrir, Est nodded expressionlessly.

===Part 3===

"Unbelievable. I never expect you to be the «sealed spirit» of that sword."

Having left the female dormitory and walking in the academy's courtyard, Kamito took a glance at the girl next to him.

Of course, she was not naked. Currently, she was wearing the school uniform of Areishia Spirit Academy.

The spirits that had a human form were the highest rank in Astral Zero. So it is understandable that Kamito did not immediately discover the girl's true identity.

"I mean, you can reconstruct clothes, so why were you naked?"

"I thought you would be pleased that way. Or do I really have to show you my bare feet?"

It seemed that this spirit would be embarrassed if she exposed her bare feet. Such an obscure type of shyness.

Kamito sighed, and tried to sort out what he had talked about with Est.

-- Back then Est resonated to the strong will of Kamito, and was summoned in the form of an Elemental Waffe. However, at the same time when Kamito lost his consciousness, the {{Furigana|Magic Circuit|Path}} was once again closed, and she ended up not being able to return to Astral Zero.

"Why was the {{Furigana|Magic Circuit|Path}} not connected? We did form the contract after all."

"One factor is that my original existence is an overly powerful being, but probably the main cause is from Kamito yourself. Subconsciously, Kamito was ''rejecting the contract with me''."

"......"

Kamito had an idea. His eyes rested on the left hand in the black leather gloves.

Back then to save Claire, Kamito strived to not consider about it.

But it is undeniable, ''her'' presence still haunts the heart of Kamito.

"...Sorry. It is not that I was unwilling to contract with you. That's not how it was."

Not being able to return to Astral Zero put an enormous stress on the Spirits.

However, most of the power of Est was left in Astral Zero, so at the moment she was seemingly unable to display her original strength.

Perhaps because Est took the form of a human girl, Kamito became more distressed.

"It does not matter. Anyway, I'm tired of being sealed inside the sword. It has been hundreds of years since I last came to this world. I decided to enjoy everything here. Say, Kamito-"

Est pulled the sleeve of Kamito's uniform.

"It feels like I have a good impression of you."

"...A good impression?"

"Meaning that I might like you."

"Ah. So... thank you."

Kamito could not help but blush, and averted his eyes.

Despite being a sealed spirit with extraordinary power, her appearance was that of a lovely girl.

To receive such a straight confession... Kamito did not know how to respond.

"But when you were sealed inside the sword, haven't you rejected contracting with all the other spirit contractors?"

"Yes, Kamito. So far, I have rejected 53 spirit contractors."

"Then why has such a high rank spirit like you chosen me?"

"Well, if I had to guess - it might have been an intuition."

Est watched Kamito with the pair of clear violet eyes.

"Because I felt- that the two of us are alike."

"...What do you mean?"

"Kamito."

Est suddenly held out her forefinger and gently pressed it against Kamito's lips.

"Do not snoop about a girl's secrets!"

"...!"

A completely unexpected reaction. Kamito's heart raced at the soft touch of her fingertip.

Then, her skirt twirled as Est quickly turned around. She ran forward lightly.

Going a long way from the dormitory, Kamito finally arrived at the school building of the academy.

''Could Claire be here?'' After being driven out of Rinslet's room, Kamito immediately went to Claire's room to check her out. But she was not in the room.

Maybe she had already recovered, and went to the class to take the lectures.

It was good if that's the case- but somehow his heart jittered anxiously.

While walking together with Est in the corridor, Kamito heard whispers constantly coming from all directions.

"Look. Look. There is that male transfer student."

"As expected, he has already laid his hands on a new girl."

"What a pretty girl... do we have such a student in our academy?"

"Hey. Is it true that Ellis's group engaged in a duel with him?"

"He can't be planing to lay his hands on all the girls of the academy, can he?"

"What a pervert... or rather, a lewd beast?"

"Definitely a lewd beast."

"Yeah, a lewd beast."

"Public enemy of the girls..."

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Twitter twitter*...

...Kamito's heart hurt. The target of this chattering had heard everything.

"Is Kamito really a lewd beast?"

Est dealt a further blow. Well, she meant no harm.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Clink*-- the sound of a sword being drawn came from the back at that moment.

"- Kamito Kazehaya, you nasty man!"

"...!"

With no time to turn around, the blade had come to rest on the back of his neck.

Kamito raised both his hands, and timidly moved nothing but his line of sight -

Standing there was the pony-tailed leader of the Knights, emitting a terrifying murderous intent.

"E...Ellis...?"

"I misjudged you, you sex maniac! How could you lay your hand on such an innocent girl!"

"...Listen."

Kamito sighed, and said with half squinted eyes: "You have made a very rude misunderstanding about other people. She is my contract spirit."

"......What?"

Ellis raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"You are saying this girl is that Sword Spirit that slayed the Magic Spirit with one blow?"

Ellis skeptically stared at Est for a moment, then turned back to Kamito again.

"Stop making lame excuses, Kamito Kazehaya!"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Clang*- the blade came to rest on his neck again.

But the next second, Ellis's startled eyes widened.

The blade that was stabbed towards the back of his neck turned soft and bent down.

"What is going on?"

"{{Furigana|Property Resonance|Howling}}- as a sword spirit, I can freely interfere with various blades. Are you willing to believe us now?"

"...!"

Ellis, with her eyes wide open, examined the bent sword.

Spirit magic could bring about similar phenomenon, but Est bent the sword without even lifting a finger.

"I see. ...Sorry for having doubted you."

Ellis put away the sword, and apologized seriously with a bow.

"No. Originally, even I did not think she was a spirit."

Kamito shrugged and shook his head.

Although there were times where she was overly stubborn, but this candor was also endearing.

"By the way, how are the other two? Hm, from the Knight Brigade-"

"You mean Rakka and Reishia? They regained their consciousness this morning. They were beaten pretty badly by you guys. They need to rest for a while before they can control spirits again."

"Sorry... Once I use Elemental Waffe, it is difficult to calibrate my strength."

"It was a duel. Please do not mind it. For them it was a good lesson."

Ellis deliberately coughed, and then-

"...I'm sorry."

"Hmm?"

"I said, I'm sorry. I disliked you for no other reason except that you are a boy. So I feel compelled to apologize."

With her cheeks blushing red, she stared into the eyes of Kamito.

"When you stood up to the Magic Spirit to save Claire Rouge, you looked really... really cool. To be honest I was petrified with fear."

"I had to deal with frenzied spirits several times before. It was just experience."

Kamito, scratched the back of his head, like he was feeling a bit shy.

"Kamito, I dislike being ignored." Est said, puffing out her cheeks.

"Oh, sorry..."

Then, Kamito suddenly recalled his purpose here.

"Ellis, do you know where Claire is?"

"Isn't Claire Rouge still locking herself in her room? Losing the contract spirit seemed to be a very big blow to her."


"But she doesn't seem to be in her room. Do you have a clue?"

"Well..."

Ellis raised her hand to her chin and pondered a bit.

"Come to think of it, the «Military Spirit» Contract Ceremony will be held in the academic town this afternoon."

"Contract Ceremony?"

"Ah, volunteers are recruited among the students of the academy to form a contract with Military Spirits."

In short, it is scouting from the military - Ellis explained.

In return for the powerful Military Spirit provided by the Ordesia Knights brigade, the academy presents the students. Once the student forged a contract with the military spirit, he or she becomes part of the army, and as a cost for the powerful military spirit, he must obey the orders and be dispatched immediately whenever requested by the brigade.

"Although there are a lot of troubles to become military personnel, there are many voluntary participants seeking to form contracts with powerful spirits. From the very beginning, there are many student who entered the academy aiming to become Spirit Knights."

"With so many participants, how do they pick the candidate?"

"Of course - with a blade dance."

The format of the competition was a free for all battle royal.

Serving also as a demonstration from the Ordesia Knight Brigade to the public, the blade dance would be held in the arena of the academy town, rather than in Astral Zero.


"Having lost her contract spirit, it is possible that she will volunteer to participate in the ceremony."

"However, without her contract spirit, to enter a blade dance is-" Kamito stopped in mid-sentence and swallow the remaining words.

Impossible-- but he was not sure.

To perform blade dance without the contract spirit, that kind of action amounts to nothing but suicide.

Without the power of spirits, there was absolutely no way to beat other spirit contractors. Such a no-brainer simple truth.

But Claire now--

Kamito recalled how she looked like that day when she stood in the rain.

"...Ellis, where is the ceremony going to take place?"

"If I remember correctly, just go straightly along the Olivier Avenue- Kamito?"

"-Got it. Ellis, thank you!"

Kamito took Est's hand and started to run.

''Do not try to shoulder everything by yourself. Idiot!''

===Part 4===

Claire walked alone in the alley within the academic town.


She looked dejected, and her steps were very heavy.

However, she had to go. There is no choice but to move forward.

For the sake of Scarlet who shielded her with its own body, she must obtain an extremely strong spirit---an overwhelming power that will not lose to anyone.

...It could not be reconciled. In front of that terrifying Magic Spirit, she couldn't do anything.

Moreover, because of her own arrogance and stupidity, she had lost Scarlet, her most important partner that had accompanied her since childhood.

Further, had Kamito not come to her rescue, she would surely have been killed.

"...Why do I think about the face of that guy again!"

Claire shook her head, trying to get rid of the image of Kamito in her mind.

"-I do not need that guy. I survived on my own from the past to present."

Yes, she would not stop here. Claire Rouge must face the battle alone.

- I want more power, a strong power that will not lose to anyone.

A strong power so I would never lose anything again. A strong power to take back what I have lost.

For example--- like the power of that girl that I admired on first sight three years ago.

The overwhelming power of the Strongest Blade Dancer, Ren Ashbell.

"-You desire power so much?"

"......?"

Hearing the sudden voice, Claire quickly turned around.

There stood a beautiful girl.

It was a girl in a dark dress with lustrous black hair.

Her refined face exhibited a subtle grace, and a beauty that somehow looked like a dissociation with normal humans.

She had pitch black pupils, as if one will be sucked in with one look.

Claire instantly discarded her alertness, charmed by the beauty of the girl.

"Thank you. Because of you, Kamito has awoken."

"Who are you? What are you talking about?"

"However, this is not enough, his true self is much more than that."

The girl giggled, and slowly approached Claire.

Claire did not move. No, she couldn't move.

"What?"

"If you seek more strength, please accept this."

The girl gracefully stretched out a slender hand.

Above her palm, a mass of ominous fog-like black object floated.

"This is a spirit!?"

"Yes, it can help you draw out your real strength."

"The real strength..."

Claire absentmindedly murmured.

Had it been the usual Claire, surely she would not hesitate to brush that hand away.

The contract spirits were to be gained by one's own hand. They are not something received from others.

However, the flame in Claire's heart was gradually diminishing.

So weak that it would likely extinguish at any time.

Therefore-- Claire took that hand. She accepted the spirit presented by that girl.

The black mist gradually seeped into her hand and disappeared.

Sharp pain instantly shot up from the left hand, an ominous black spirit seal was engraved on it.

"The frenzy spirit «Gespenst» - do you like it?"

The girl in black smiled.

Like a cruel little girl.

Like an innocent demon.

<noinclude>

==Translator's notes and References==
<references/>

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