Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume17 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 4===

Everyone returned to their room to make travel preparations.

That being said, there was not much to pack. At most an amulet for protection against sand and ice spirit crystals for warding off the heat.

Well, Kamito had some experience with desert survival outdoors too. Although it would be quite a trial for the young ladies with their sheltered upbringings, it would be a useful experience.

Just as Kamito was thinking these things and packing food and water into his backpack...

"Kamito, spirit crystals are useless in Ghul-a-val."

A voice from behind.

He looked back to see a girl in a dress the color of night, quietly sitting on the bed.

Her clear eyes, the color of dusk, were staring mischievously at Kamito.

"Restia... What do you mean, useless?"

"Low level spirits, the kind that are sealed in spirit crystals like these, won't be able to obtain enough divine power when in Ghul-a-val, which means they'll disappear."

"I-I see..."

A bit disheartened, Kamito put down the spirit crystals he had taken effort to prepare and placed them on the floor.

It looked like Ghul-a-val was a much harsher place than ordinary deserts.

Just then, Kamito suddenly realized something.

"Could it be that you're very familiar with Ghul-a-val?"

"At least it's not unfamiliar to me, I suppose&mdash;"

She tossed her gorgeous lustrous black hair and said.

"After all, I was at the Demon King's capital during the Demon King War a thousand years ago."

"...That's right, now that you mention it."

Even though he had not thought of this during the meeting&mdash;

Restia had been employed as the Demon King's weapon in the past.

"Maybe you know something about the Demon King's Tomb too?"

"Demon King's Tomb?"

Seeing her look of puzzlement, Kamito told her about the Tomb's legend.

...After listening, Restia went "hmm" and rested her chin on her hand.

"I have heard a little about it. A legend circulating in the Demon King Cult since ancient times. In a city at the far end of the desert, there is a coffin where the Demon King's remains are sealed&mdash;"

"The Demon King's remains? That kind of thing&mdash;"

It was hard to imagine something like that surviving till now, a thousand years later. However, it was definitely a mystery what had happened to the Demon King after his defeat at the hands of the Sacred Maiden.

Kamito thought of something just then.

Rubia had previously used a taboo spell for calling souls, resurrecting Nepenthes Lore underground of Ragna Ys. Although it was a Demon King "failure" but the terrifying powers of darkness it wielded still gave Team Scarlet a hard time.

(If the Demon King's remains are still in that tomb...)

Then it was possible that people would try to resurrect him somehow.

Or perhaps, those remains were precisely the "Demon King's power" recorded in ancient texts?

"In any case..."

Restia plucked a feather and threw it to the ground.

"There is no doubt that the Demon King's capital, destroyed by Sacred Maiden Areishia, is located in Ghul-a-val. Once we go there, perhaps we can clear up the matter of the tomb."

"...Yeah."

Suddenly realizing something, Kamito looked up.

"Say, by the way, do you know the location of the Demon King's capital?"

"Yes. I should be able to offer some pointers if you are fine with the approximate location."

Restia replied nonchalantly.

"Really...!"

Hearing that, Kamito could not help but stand up.

"Oh my, that'll be such a great help. If we had to wander aimlessly in that big desert, it'd be torture."

"Fufu, you could praise me more."

"Amazing, amazing."

"Sheesh, put some effort into it..."

On the bed, Restia crossed her legs the other way and pouted unhappily.

"However, even with knowledge of the location, you're still not guaranteed to reach the Demon King's capital."

"What do you mean?"

"After all, no one has been able to find it for the past thousand years, right? For a city of such prosperity, yet not even any ruins have been found, is that even possible?"

"Then..."

&mdash;Indeed, she was right.

No matter how terrible a desert of death, one would expect many fearless adventurers and grave robbers to have attempted to locate the ruins. Then there was the Demon King Cult that sought the Demon King's revival, surely they must have tried everything to find the location of legend.

However, there had never been any rumors of the city's ruins being found.

"Kamito, do you remember the village where I woke up last time?"

"...The Forest of Ice Blossoms?"

"Yes. Similarly, that forest village eluded discovery, right?"

Located in Laurenfrost territory was the Forest of Ice Blossoms, where the village of an Elfim tribe had kept the amnesiac Restia hidden. The forest had been shrouded in thick mist generated by an ancient magic device, keeping outside invaders out the whole time.

"In other words, the Demon King's capital has a similar barrier, is that it?"

"Highly likely."

It definitely made sense. Going that far would be perfectly logical if someone was going to seal away the Demon King's remains. Or perhaps it was the Demon King himself who had activated this type of barrier magic ahead of time to prevent people from desecrating his remains after his death.

"&mdash;If that's the case, we're helpless."

Dispelling a barrier, capable of hiding the site of an entire city, would be no easy task even for Fianna, an expert in barrier magic.

(...Speaking of which, did Saladia Kahn head to the desert because she knew there's a way to lift the barrier?)

Otherwise, she probably would not do something so rash&mdash;

"Restia, any other clues?"

Restia slowly shook her head in response to Kamito's question.

"...Sorry, Kamito. It was a thousand years ago when I was there last. Back then, my self-awareness as a spirit was also sealed away by the Demon King, who used me as just a weapon. Completely unconscious&mdash;like during the time when I was sealed in that ring."

"...I see, fair point. Then I'm sorry for asking you so many questions&mdash;"

"But perhaps&mdash;"

"Yeah?"

Hearing her murmurs, Kamito looked up.

"&mdash;By the Demon King's side the whole time, ''she'' might know something&mdash;"

"She?"

"Yes, you remember, right? Demon King Solomon's one and only contracted spirit&mdash;"

"Uh... I think so&mdash;"

Kamito searched the depths of his memories. It was something he had unintentionally heard while preparing his impostor Demon King costume.

The Demon King only used spirits as tools and had never opened his heart to anyone else, entering a contract with only one spirit&mdash;

"Where is that spirit now?"

Kamito asked.

"I don't know."

Restia shook her head.

"But according to an old legend&mdash;"

As though staring off into the distance, she spoke softly.

"And so it goes, she disappeared somewhere in Astral Zero after the Demon King's death."