Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume7 Chapter7 (section)

===Part 2===

...Drip.

Fianna woke and opened her eyes as result of the icy cold sensation of falling water droplets.

"Hmm, this place... is...?"

Still in a hazy state of consciousness, she swept her gaze back and forth across her surroundings.

This was a space enclosed by sturdy walls of rock. It seemed to be a natural cave.

Massive spirit crystals were arranged all around. The cave was illuminated by dim light.

"Why am I in a place like this..."

Fianna felt her head hurting sharply. Only when she tried to move her body did she notice.

Her hands could not move away from the wall of rock.

Fianna looked up in surprise to find her hands cuffed by metal shackles, pinned securely to the rock face.

"...Wait, what on earth is going on!?"

She struggled hard but achieved nothing except for ear-splitting noise from the shackles.

"R-Right, all I need to do is summon Georgios..."

Thinking that, she began to summon her knight spirit.

As the spirit seal on her chest shone with light, a magic circle's glow appeared by her feet--

"--Eh?"

But the magic circle suddenly disappeared.

As a sense of total exhaustion filled her body, the summoning Gate also closed.

"Why...?"

"Fufu, you have awakened, Your Highness the imperial princess."

Suddenly a voice was heard in the darkness.

"...!?"

"Although unfortunate, summoning your contracted spirit is indeed impossible. Because a sealing barrier has been erected in this place."

"You are..."

Appearing out of the darkness was the girl who had transformed herself into Kamito's form.

"Second-in-command of Team Inferno representing the Alphas Theocracy -- Sjora Kahn."

"Sjora..."

The elementalist who had sent out her familiar into Team Scarlet's barrier yesterday.

...Clearly, Fianna had become her captive.

"...!"

Fianna bit her lip hard.

(I became a burden to my teammates again...)

As Fianna's lower jaw shook out of chagrin, Sjora lifted it lightly.
[[image:STnBD V07 173.JPG|thumb]]

"Fufu, what a great expression. It excites me so."

"...How regrettable, I have no value as a hostage. Sjora Kahn."

As tears appeared in her dusk-colored eyes, Fianna resolutely glared back at Sjora.

"Ara, then you are surely selling yourself short. As the Calamity Queen's successor, you were chosen as the Fire Queen candidate."

Sjora jeered as if greatly amused as she drew her face near Fianna's ear.

"Be proud of yourself. You are the top candidate for the Darkness Queen who will be serving the Demon King, you know?"

"...Darkness... Queen...?"

The unfamiliar term caused Fianna to frown.

...It was an ominous sound which was sufficient to cause one to feel revulsion instinctively.

"Yes, Kazehaya Kamito -- the Demon King's successor awakened in this world. And then there is the Darkness Queen in charge of controlling him. Although little miss hell cat is also qualified as a candidate, ''that woman'' seems to prefer choosing you."

"...Kamito-kun is the Demon King's successor?"

"That's right. The savior our great Hierarch has been awaiting for over a thousand years."

--What on earth was she talking about? Fianna could not comprehend at all.

Even so, her instincts as a princess maiden alerted her that these were not simply delusional dreams.

(...Hell cat, that refers to Claire, right?)

"Hey, imperial princess. For the sake of our great Hierarch, I will bring the Demon King under my control. Neither that woman's, nor the darkness spirit's. Hence--"

With a rapturous expression, Sjora's tongue crept over Fianna's neck.

"...Yah!"

"...Whether your mind or your body, let them all become mine."

Sjora Kahn's fingertip slid across Fianna's neck to touch her forehead.

Instantly, Fianna felt her consciousness being eroded with a sense of being completely overwritten.

"...Ah... Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

If this continued, most likely she would be completely dominated from the core depths of her mind--

Hastily, Fianna severed her consciousness by her own willpower.

After all, training to protect one's mind was a required subject for all princess maidens at the Divine Ritual Institute.

"Eh, as befitted the original Queen candidate. I knew it wouldn't be that easy to succeed."

Sjora distorted her lips cruelly as she muttered.

"--However, how long can you endure?"