Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume5 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 3===

"– to... Kamito!"

"Mmmhm..."

Kamito opened his eyes to find Fianna looking at him anxiously. 

"Kamito... Are you all right?"

"I-I fainted..?"

"Mmm, but just for a few minutes."

"Is that so..."

He felt as if he had been unconscious for several hours, but it appeared as if that was not the case. 

Reicha, who was breathing heavily by the side, continued by saying:

"I have successfully removed the Brand of Darkness on Kamito-sama."

"... Really?"

"Yes, but..."

Reicha's face fell and she murmured in a low voice.

"I'm afraid Kamito-sama's sword spirit... has not yet..."

"..."

Kamito shifted his gaze towards the spirit mark on his right hand. 

The mark that had just been shining brightly was now completely unresponsive. 

"Est..."

"Kamito-sama... During the period you were unconscious, did you see anything in your mind?"

"In my mind..."

Kamito rubbed his aching temples, then – 

He suddenly seemed to remember something. 

A sword, falling in endless darkness. 

And being sharply rejected when he stretched out his hand towards Est. 

In that moment, Kamito recalled her memories. 

He recalled the memory of Est with a girl – the first one she had made a contract with. 

What he did not understand, though, was why that memory would make Est reject him. 

"Unforgivable sin... was that it?"

... Was that what was trapping Est in the darkness, her unforgivable sin?

"Ooooo.."

Then, Reicha suddenly went limp and fell towards the ground. 

"Are you all right!?"

Kamito quickly rushed to support her. 

Her slim body lay weakly in Kamito's arms. 

"Should we take you to the infirmary?"

"Y-Yes. I'm so sorry, I seem to be a little tired..."

"Ritual magic is very tiring, furthermore just yesterday Reicha had to perform the ritual of listening to the pronouncements of the Elemental Lord."

"I'm sorry... It's all because of me..."

"Don't say that, it's my body that has always been weak..."

As Reicha shook her head in denial, Kamito lay her down on the bed to rest. 

"We should make a move, the princess maiden responsible for attending to the Queens is coming soon."

"Mmmhm, I know."

Kamito nodded in agreement, bowed deeply towards Reicha and said:

"Reicha, thank you for saving me. I won't forget this debt I owe you."

"N-No need to be so..."

"We'll meet next time. Then, I'll meet you as the victor of the Blade Dance."

Fianna and Reicha, the latter still resting on the bed, grasped each other's hands tightly. 

"All right. Although I cannot cheer for teams representing specific countries at the opening ceremony, you can be sure I will be supporting sempai's team in my heart."