Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume6 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 2===

"Guh... Ahhh... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Kamito awoke with the feeling of searing pain as if being burned.

"Hah, hah, hah... Guh..."

Burying his fingernails deep into his skin, he could not stop the exploding pain in his chest.

Enduring the intense pain as he lay on the ground -- finally, his breathing returned to normal.

"This place... Is...?"

Looking up, he surveyed his surroundings.

He could hear the sound of rain in the distance. But nothing could be seen with virtually no light.

This appeared to be the interior of a cave. The sound of water dripping could be heard.

As icy-cold water droplets fell upon his forehead, Kamito was finally able to ponder calmly.

(Right. After being hit by Restia's thunder attack, I fell down the cliff--)

Had it been a direct hit, he would have died instantly on the spot without any doubt. Without the protection of the Demon Slayer's strong magical resistance, his body would have been destroyed before he even hit the water.

"Right -- Where's Est!?"

He frantically searched his surroundings but the cave interior was too dark.

(Could it be that she fell into the river!?)

As soon as this possibility crossed his mind, Kamito's face went pale.

Due to Est and Kamito's contract being in an incomplete state, Kamito was unable to summon her at will from a distance unlike other elementalists.

Just as he was about to take out a spirit crystal from his uniform's pocket for illumination--

"--Did you wake up? Kazehaya Kamito."

"...!?"

A cold indifferent voice sounded out from the depths of the darkness.

Instantly, dazzling light filled the interior of the cave.

Over there was a girl holding a piece of spirit crystal for lighting.

Her knightly uniform was made of white fabric decorated with red linear designs. Her dark brown hair wavered in the wind.

Most striking of all -- were those eyes of hers that glittered like brilliant gemstones on her prim and proper face.

An azure right eye and an amber-colored left eye -- heterochromia.

Watching the mysterious heterochromic eyes of the beautiful girl, Kamito stared at her mesmerized, completely ignoring his lying down posture.

"Did you wake up -- I asked you a question, right?"

The girl walked over to Kamito and crouched down.

He could almost catch a glimpse of her skirt's underside. Kamito frantically averted his gaze.

"...Did you save me?"

The girl nodded.

"You lost consciousness by the river. You were lucky to have made contact with my detection barrier."

"...I see. Thanks for saving me."

Kamito stood up unsteadily and bowed his head to the girl.

The girl looked up and frowned with amazement.

"You're not wary of me? On this stage of the Blade Dance festival, do know that we are elementalists of opposing teams."

"I can't do anything so rude as to act wary towards my savior."

"Perhaps I have ulterior motives for saving you."

"Even so, that doesn't change the fact that you saved me. Also--"

Kamito shrugged as he spoke.

"You don't look like a villain. That's what my instincts tell me."

"..."

The heterochromia girl sighed as if exasperated.

Despite her clearly child-like face, her manner of speaking was very adult.

Wearing a white uniform with red designs, which country's representative is she--

At this moment, Kamito noticed the sword lying against the wall behind the girl.

"..Est!"

No mistake about it. That was Kamito's partner.

"This is your sword. Fallen into the riverbed, I fished it out of the water--"

Before she finished her sentence, Kamito instantly tried to run over--

"Gwaaaaah!"

Intense pain erupted all over his body, forcing him to collapse to the ground.

...Looks like bones were broken in many places.

"Do not move. Kazehaya Kamito, your body has not recovered yet."

"Looks like it... By the way, why do you know my name?"

"Isn't it only natural to remember the names of all the Blade Dance participants? Besides, you are the only male elementalist."

"...I see."

Actually, memorizing all the names of the participants was quite an achievement--

At this time -- Kamito suddenly remembered.

"I recall now, this uniform... You're from the Principality of Rossvale!"

"Correct, I am the leader of the Rupture Division -- Milla Bassett."

The girl with heterochromic eyes announced her name without any change in tone.