Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume6 Chapter5 (section)

===Part 2===

Kamito and Milla left the cave and walked through the forest in the night.

The area was completely dark. Without the spirit crystal for illumination, he would not have been able to see even his feet.

Terrifying spirits of the night were beginning to become active, and the cries of beasts could be heard from the distance.

"Kamito."

"...Hmm?"

Noticing a tug on his sleeve, Kamito turned his head.

"It is already late night. Trying to march in haste would be dangerous."

Indeed, night was the time when beasts and hated demon spirits became active.

Walking in the forest at this time was not a wise decision.

"No problem. I am already used to blade dancing at night."

Kamito tried to reassure her.

In reality, he had undergone combat training in a zero visibility space during his time at the Instructional School. To a professional assassin, this could be considered a basic combat skill.

"Blade dancing at night..."

Milla suddenly turned her gaze to Kamito with eyes of despise.

"Wait a minute, I'm not talking about some kind of nuanced euphemism for nocturnal activities!"

"I did not say anything of that sort."

Milla answered softly with mild surprise.

"Let's walk a bit further. After all, there's no way to camp in a forest like this."

"Understood."

Milla nodded.

"Are you afraid? ...If that's the case, would you like to hold hands?"

"Holding a girl's hand in a dark forest... That is completely the action of a kidnapping criminal."

"You..."

Kamito sighed with his eyes half-closed--

"Duck down quickly!"

Suddenly sensing something unusual, he hurriedly pushed her down onto the grass.

"...Kamito."

"Be quiet."

Kamito whispered by Milla's ear.

Above their heads, a blue-white fireball flew past.

The fireball constantly changed its shape as it flickered, circling around in the forest nonstop.

Probably a scouting spirit released by some team... It would be troublesome if Kamito and Milla were discovered.

The spirit circled for a while before disappearing into the depths of the forest.

"Hoo..."

Kamito wiped the sweat off his head. Although scouting spirits could be eliminated instantly, that act would be akin to exposing his position to the elementalist sharing vision with the spirit.

He was still suffering from wounds from falling off the cliff and his body had also accumulated quite a lot of fatigue.

To be honest, in his current condition it would be best to avoid enemy attacks.

"Kamito--"

"Hmm?"

"It's probably time for you to move."

"...S-Sorry!?"

His hand happened to be positioned on her chest.

Kamito frantically got up... The soft sensation still lingering on his hand.

"Since it was an emergency situation, I will let it slide."

Milla did not seem to mind. Patting the dust away from her skirt, she stood up.

Even though she was only thirteen years old, did she not feel even a bit embarrassed -- ?

Heightening their alertness, they continued their way through the forest.

"By the way--"

Kamito asked as they walked along the muddy ground.

"What kind of spirit did you contract with, Milla?"

Even though he knew it was a spirit with the holy attribute, there were still myriad forms. In terms of tendency, those that specialized in defense like Fianna's knight spirit Georgios were more common, but ultimately that was simply a tendency.

Variations in spirit type resulted in dramatic changes to the way they were used.

However, Milla quietly bowed her head.

"Even though our teams are allied, I cannot tell you. Because my spirit is a state secret."

"I see..."

Reaching a dead end, Kamito changed the subject.

"--So, is there a Wish you are trying to realize through this Blade Dance festival?"

Under normal conditions, this was a retarded question.

An elementalist who wanted to participate in the Blade Dance festival without her own wish could not possibly exist.

However, from this Milla Bassett girl--

Incredibly, Kamito could not sense that kind of motive.

Hence he was curious.

However.

"--There is none."

Milla replied.

"No? Without a Wish, then why--"

Why was she resorting to allying with another team, desperately trying to survive--

"I exist as a tool. As a tool, one must finish one's mission."

"...Tool?"

"...!?"

Kamito frowned with surprise.

If she called it a knight's loyalty it would have been fine -- but he felt that it was different from that.

Or rather, the impression he got from her, was a person who only lived to complete a certain goal -- in that case, tool was not an analogy but was meant literally.

(This girl...)

Kamito knew a boy who resembled this girl.

Having lost all hope, a boy who even forgot the feeling of despair in the end.

Abandoning everything that made him human, a boy who was cultivated as a tool.

(In that case, this girl is very similar to the orphan at the Instructional School -- 'my past self.' )

Perhaps this was one reason why he felt he could not abandon her no matter what.

"..."

"...What is it?"

The heterochromic eyes stared coldly at Kamito.

Her emotionless gaze was very similar to Kamito's before having met Restia.

"No, nothing... Let's go."

Kamito quietly shook his head and continued trudging through the mud.