Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume6 Chapter3 (section)

===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 one 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 beautifully 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 a 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<!--スカーレットガード--> 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 to 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 could 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 an elementalist, 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 very 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 times?"

"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.