Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume16 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 2===

"...Good grief, if only those two could get along better."

After ending his training with his two contracted spirits and having a shower at the purification site to wash off his sweat, Kamito made his way to the Knights' medical facility where Leonora was hospitalized.

Wounded by Greyworth's cursed blade, Leonora was in need of convalescence. She finally regained consciousness this morning and Kamito heard that she had recovered to the point where visits were allowed.

Arriving at the treatment room, Kamito knocked on the door.

"It's me, Leonora. Can I come in?"

"Kamito? Y-Yes, no problem&mdash;"

Hearing the reply, Kamito pushed the door open gently.

At that instant...

"...What the heck!?"

Kamito could not help but raise his voice in surprise.

Before his eyes was a completely unexpected scene.

Sitting up on the bed, Leonora was tenderly caressing her massively bulging abdomen that was under the bedsheets.

"W-What, what what..."

"...? Is there a problem, Kamito?"

"Y-Y-You, that..."

Seeing Kamito's mouth opening and closing&mdash;

"Ohh, ''you mean this child''?"
[[image:STnBD V16 048.jpg|thumb]]

Leonora smiled with a chuckle.

"It grew big, thanks to your seed&mdash;"

She said that extremely naturally.

"...!?"

The shocking words turned Kamito's mind blank for a moment.

"...H-Hold on a second! I didn't do anything!"

Kamito cried out in a panic.

...It had happened on the day when Kamito and company arrived in Dracunia. Taking Kamito on a tour of the dragon capital, Leonora had invited him to ride in a flying private room, a Dragondola, and even asked for his seed while they were there.

"W-What the hell is going on..."

Seeing Kamito still in a fluster...

"...My oh my, Kamito, couldn't you just play along?"

"Huh?"

Leonora shrugged and smiled wryly before lifting the sheets over her abdomen lightly.

What was revealed underneath was&mdash;

Big enough for a person to wrap their arms around, a giant egg whose surface was the color of lapis lazuli.

"Oh&mdash;"

Kamito had some recollection of this type of egg. It was a drake egg that he had seen in the dragon capital, at a shop that sold local specialties.

"This was given to me by a friend from the Knights of the Dragon Emperor, because an ancient legend says that drake eggs have the ability to heal wounds and relieve pain."

"Y-You..."

Muttering in exasperation, Kamito breathed a sigh of relief.

"...Well, you look like you're in better health than I imagined. I'm so glad."

Stepping into the treatment room, he sat down on a chair by the bed.

"Are your wounds okay now?"

"Yes, essentially. It had been dangerous for a while, but apparently that stage has passed."

Nothing less expected from someone contracted to a dragon spirit whose blessings included physical enhancement. Her recovery ability far surpassed that of ordinary people even though inferior to Kamito, who was protected by the power of Darkness Elemental Lord Ren Ashdoll.

"Are you able to eat normally now?"

"Yes, no problem... But I now have a craving for steak."

"...No, I think steak'd be a bad idea."

While making an incisive remark, Kamito took out a few fruits from a bag. Known as dragonfruits, these were shaped like dragon scales and were said to contain high-quality divine power.

Just as Kamito used a fruit knife to cut open the hard skin&mdash;

"Kamito&mdash;"

"Hmm?"

"You kept your promise with me."

Thus spoke Leonora.

The promise she mentioned was probably referring to her request to Kamito just before she lost consciousness.

''Protect the Dragon King, protect Dracunia''—Those had been her words to Kamito.

"...The one who saved the Dragon King was Restia, not me."

Kamito shook his head in response. If anything, he considered himself the one at fault for leaving the Dragon King's side because he had failed to realize that Greyworth's attack was a diversion.

"No, you did protect Dracunia. I express our gratitude to you on behalf of the Knights of the Dragon Emperor. Thank you, Kamito."

Gazing at Kamito's face, Leonora smiled tenderly. To see such an innocent smile on her, in contrast to her usual ways that resembled a carnivorous dragon's, Kamito could not help but stare, mesmerized.

"Uh, how should I put this, that doesn't count..."

While taking care not to expose his internal loss of composure, Kamito tried his best to speak as calmly as possible.

"Uh, is there anything else I can do?"

In return for Leonora's assistance at Ordesia's capital, he had promised to perform one favor for her.

Something like protecting the Dragon King was something he would have done even without Leonora asking him. Taking that as fulfilling his promise was not something Kamito could personally accept.

"Then, a child&mdash;"

"Anything but that."

"...Hmm, choosing something other than a child, now that is quite a difficult choice."

Resting a finger on her lovely lips, Leonora began to deliberate seriously... What the heck.

After a while, she slowly lifted her face&mdash;

"Th-Then, c-could you help wipe down my body?"

"Huh?"

"Uh, due to resting in bed for so long, I have gotten quite sweaty."

"Uh, isn't it better to ask ladies in the facility for that kind of thing?"

"Kamito, did you not say you would do anything?"

Leonora pouted with displeasure.

"Well, uh..."

"I am simply asking for your help to wipe off the sweat that is causing me discomfort. Or are you admitting to harboring impure thoughts?"

"F-Fine..."

Kamito shook his head in a panic when she glared at him.

(...Sigh, I made a promise after all.)

Kamito soaked a towel in a bucket of water that was on a bedside table, then wrung it dry.

Leonora turned her back to Kamito and slid her loose robe down her shoulders. The elegant curves of her back were evocative of smooth white porcelain.

Kamito nervously held his breath but quickly mustered his determination and pressed the towel against her back.

"...Hyah... Mmmm♪"

In that instant, Leonora's body shook slightly.

Kamito exhaled a little and began to wipe her pale back carefully.

While averting his gaze and trying not to look at her massive bust, Kamito meticulously wiped the sweat off her back. Despite the supple muscles on her body, her skin was very smooth and delicate in contrast to her image of wielding a massive sword. Presumably, this was due to the physical enhancement effects from dragon attribute magic, which eschewed the need for increasing unnecessary muscles.

"...Ah... Ahhhh♪"

When he touched her lower back, Leonora made a strange sound.

"W-What the heck!?"

"Th-The way you touched me felt a bit erotic..."

Leonora spoke with a troubled look.

"Y-You're getting the wrong idea!"

"Y-Yes, I know... But, there... Ah♪"

"That's way too sensitive of you!"

"S-Sorry, this actually, the first time, for my skin, t-to be touched by a man..."

Blushing, Leonora explained awkwardly.

"I-I see..."

Told something like that straight to his face, Kamito was starting to feel his heart start pounding too.

"Oh, uh, I can wipe the front on my own, do not worry."

"Yeah, please do that..."

Recalling the sight of her breasts in the Dragondola, Kamito could not help but blush.

While his heart continued to pound uncontrollably, Kamito finished the job of wiping her back, dipped the towel in the water and wrung it dry again.

Putting on her loose robe again, Leonora lowered her head shyly. Flushed slightly red, her necked looked especially sexy.

"Thank you very much, Kamito. It felt wonderful."

With a demure expression, Leonora thanked him.

"...O-Okay."

Kamito nodded ambiguously in response then coughed lightly and stood up from his seat.

"Th-Then it's time for me to go. I'll be a bother if I stay too long."

"R-Really? I do not consider you a bother..."

Leonora murmured with slight disappointment. Then she switched to a serious expression.

"You will be heading to the Theocracy next. Please be extra careful. During the Blade Dance, there was one time when I fought the witch named Sjora Kahn and sensed a dangerous aura from her."

"...Yeah, I know."

Kamito nodded.

"I really would like to go assist you, but unfortunately, I still need to recuperate for a while before I can move around freely. Furthermore, if I were to help out, public opinion might start saying that Legitimate Ordesia relies on Dracunia's power, so&mdash;"

"It's the sentiment that counts. Thank you, Leonora."

Kamito extended his right hand and Leonora gripped it firmly.

"May you and your companions be blessed by Dragon's Protection. Let us have another blade dance together after I recover."

"Yeah, I look forward to it."

"Of course, I am not referring to a ''blade dance of the night''."

"No duh!"

Confronted with Leonora whose cheeks went red all at once, Kamito could not help but retort.

(...Hoo boy, the way she thinks is always like a dragon, that Leonora.)

Leaving the treatment room, Kamito shrugged in exasperation while walking along the corridor.

However, that side of Leonora was also part of her charm.

At that moment&mdash;

"Hey, hold it right there, Demon King of the Night!"

"...?"

Hearing a sudden roar of fury, Kamito looked back.

At the far end of the corridor was Leonora's adjutant, Yuri El Cid. Glaring at Kamito with a scary gaze, she was approaching rapidly.

Idolizing Leonora, Yuri had treated Kamito with hostility ever since the Blade Dance due to his rumored reputation as the Demon King of the Night.

"...C-Can I help you?"

Intimidated by her forceful voice, Kamito asked.

"We just received word via flying dragon. Your friends are returning from Dragon's Peak."