Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume14 Chapter7 (section)

===Part 2===

Before dawn, on a bed in the nap room, Kamito woke up.

The speed used to shake off the Gargoyle's pursuit was unsustainable after all. Hence, it looked like they were not going to reach the imperial capital until the following afternoon.

Claire and Restia were sleeping in the lower bunks. Probably feeling more reassured by hugging Est, Restia had a blanket wrapped several times around the sword.

...Kamito could not help but feel a smile on his face.

Claire rolled over at this time.

"...Huaahh... Don't, Kamito... How could you... A collar so suddenly... Hyah!"

"...W-What kind of dream is that?"

Muttering, Kamito went outside.

Passing through the narrow passage, he took a gangway ladder on the side of the ship and arrived on deck.

He felt like getting a breeze.

(...I wonder what kind of dream Fianna is having right now?)

She was probably sleeping on a jail cell's cold floor right now.

The blowing wind ruffled his hair. Military ships were supposed to be capable of deploying a wind barrier, but right now, it was apparently not activated, possibly to reduce unnecessary consumption.

After reaching the deck&mdash;

"...Meow."

...He suddenly heard a cat.

He looked and found Scarlet meowing comfortably.

Rubia Elstein was crouching on the floor, stroking Scarlet's throat.

Noticing Kamito, she instantly stood up.

"What, you're playing with Scarlet?"

"...What are you doing here, Ren Ashbell?"

She slowly looked over to him.

The same ruby eyes as Claire were glaring sharply at Kamito.

Her long, blazing, crimson hair was fluttering in the wind.

Kamito could not help but notice how beautiful she looked.

"I'm just out to get some air."

Kamito leaned his back against the deck's railing.

At this feet, Scarlet began to rub herself affectionately against his leg.

"Uh, is your health okay now?"

"It is none of your concern."

"It's not, but it's really important to your sister Claire."

Rubia's eyes of ruby wavered subtly.

"Claire has spent her whole time looking for you. Her dream was to return to Elstein and live with her family again."

"Returning to the past is impossible."

"...Yeah, but what's lost can be retrieved."

"..."

Rubia looked away.

"I have no intention of dying just like that. I am bound by duty to atone."

With a sorrowful expression, she was probably recalling images of the cities destroyed by the Fire Elemental Lord's wrath.

"To this end, Ren Ashbell, I need your power from the Darkness Elemental Lord."

"Sorry, I can't do as you wish."

"It has nothing to do with my wishes. Sooner or later, the power of darkness will become irrepressible."

"...What do you mean? The power of darkness should have vanished already&mdash;"

Kamito could not help but ask but she shook her head.

"Indeed, you have suppressed the Darkness Elemental Lord's power. However, that is ultimately temporary. One day, the power will overflow and destroy you. You must have felt it too."

"...!?"

Kamito came to a sudden realization in alarm.

&mdash;He definitely had some idea of what she was talking about.

(Irrepressible power of darkness... Could it be&mdash;)

He thought of the kissing matter that Rinslet had mentioned when they were leaving Laurenfrost... Also, Ellis had told him something concerning.

"You evidently do have an idea."

"...Yeah, I guess I'd better tell you."

After all, she was precisely the culprit who had forced the Darkness Elemental Lord to awaken within Kamito.

Kamito briefly summarized what had happened with Ellis and Rinslet.

...After listening to him, Rubia thought deeply for a while.

"Have you heard of the legendary 'Princess Maidens of the Demon King'?"

Finally, she spoke.

"Yeah, just legends."

Kamito nodded. The "Princess Maidens of the Demon King" was one out of hundreds of Demon King legends.

A thousand years ago, Demon King Solomon had forcibly wed the princesses of conquered nations, taking them as his own.

Furthermore, he had selected girls with outstanding talent to become elementalist from among the princesses and bestowed his power upon them.

The princesses who received the Demon King's power were known as the "Princess Maidens of the Demon King." Together with the seventy-two spirits, they had wrought terror upon the Sacred Maiden's army of world salvation.

"Like you, Demon King Solomon was a reincarnation of the Darkness Elemental Lord. Presumably, in the same manner as you, he shared his power to his princess maidens through kisses&mdash;"

"...You mean it's the same ability as mine?"

"More than likely. The Darkness Elemental Lord's power enables an explosive increase in divine power. However, there are probably conditions on the princes maiden's side accordingly. Although the Demon King had hundreds of concubines, only a mere nine of them were able to obtain his power&mdash;"

"Is it talent as an elementalist?"

"Indeed, but it is possible that there are additional conditions&mdash;"

Rubia murmured in deep thought.

Kamito looked at his hand.

(...So I shared the Darkness Elemental Lord's power with them?)

Although it was not by choice, he still felt responsible.

"Uh, will they end up devoured by the power of darkness like me?"

"Records of the Demon King's princess maidens are rather vague. Some say that they were defeated by Sacred Maiden Areishia while others say that the power of darkness was purified by the Demon Slayer. Perhaps among them, there were others who ended up devoured by the power of darkness&mdash;"

"...In other words, you don't know."

"Indeed. Perhaps you would like to test it out with me?"

"...What!?"

Hearing Rubia's serious-sounding suggestion, Kamito could not help but panic.

However, he soon realized she was joking.
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"Do not use divine power recklessly unless you want to be devoured by the power of darkness, Ren Ashbell."

"...Yeah, I know."

Kamito averted eye contact and nodded.

(...I guess it's best to avoid using divine power to solve problems.)