Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume13 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 9===

Restia was taken to a certain stone-built shrine some distance from the settlement.

A large group of princess maidens had already gathered in front of the shrine and were in the process of offering prayers.

"Is this temple the shrine of your people?"

"Yes. This place is a historic site that existed before the Empire of the humans was founded."

Rana knelt down before the temple and started to pray like the other princess maidens.

(...The Queen of Ice Blossoms is inside this temple?)

Staring inside the temple, Restia began to feel nervous.

The girl with mysterious powers, capable of controlling ice dragons freely. Also, for reasons unknown she had used the Forest Dwellers to bring Restia here.

(An existence like humans yet unlike humans at the same time...)

The Elfim princess maidens were all focused on chanting their prayers.

(...What will happen after she wakes up?)

...There was an inexplicably foreboding sense.

If the situation allowed, she wanted to escape immediately, but that was most likely impossible. The difficulty of escaping from the magically talented Elfim would be no small feat at all.

"Excuse me..."

"&mdash;Silence. The Queen of Ice Blossoms is appearing."

Rana's crimson eyes stared straight into the pitch-black darkness occupying the inside of the temple.

Suddenly, faint ringing sounds of a bell came from the temple's interior.

Emerging from the darkness was a young girl in ritual attire.

"...!"

Restia could not help but gasp.

The girl was roughly twelve or thirteen in age with a noble appearance and very pretty.

Her eyes were clear and emerald in color. A head of shining platinum blonde hair.

(A beautiful girl...)

"Oh exalted Queen!"  "The Queen of Ice Blossoms has awakened...!"

The princess maidens looked up and gazed with mesmerized expressions at the girl.

Her slender legs moved slowly as she walked down the temple's stone steps. However, her emerald eyes only reflected emptiness instead of looking at the princess maidens.

"O exalted Queen, the human's knights have ravaged this forest. Please lend us your assistance&mdash;"

Rana looked up and pleaded.

At this time...

&mdash;Acknowledged.

The girl's inorganic voice was heard from the depths of the forest.

&mdash;Hence, I shall&mdash;summon the great guardian hither.

"Ohoh, then&mdash;" "Zirnitra will be revived!" "Then we don't need to fear the humans any longer!" "O guardian spirit of ours, destroy all the humans!"

The sincere joy displayed by princess maidens made Restia shudder.

Perhaps the guardian spirit's revival definitely was the Forest Dwellers' long-sought wish.

But this fanaticism felt quite odd.

The blind devotion to this Queen of Ice Blossoms also seemed odd.

Even given the mysterious power of controlling ice dragons, it was still quite difficult to explain why they would worship this human girl whom they have only met for a couple days.

The Queen of Ice Blossoms' hollow gaze was cast in the Kyria Mountain Range's direction.

Instantly, the ground shook violently, causing Restia to lose balance and fall.

"...What?"

"The earthquake is a warning sign of Zirnitra's awakening. See, that peak there&mdash;"

Rana spoke with a dazed expression.

Following her gaze, Restia instantly stared wide-eyed.

Near the peak of the towering Kyria Mountain Range, an astounding number of dragons were circling in the air.

The ice dragons were almost blotting out the night sky.

Where had such a great number of ice dragons been lurking&mdash;?

Just as Restia was staring in shock, a giant tear suddenly appeared out of thin air.

"...What... is that...?"

"A gate to Cocytus, the frozen hell in Astral Zero. That is the magic sealing away the domination ice spirit Zirnitra and its minions the ice dragons. That seal is now being released&mdash;"

The tear in space was gradually expanding. From that tear, a giant claw reached out.

"So that is the forest's guardian spirit, Zirnitra..."

Still kneeling on the ground, Restia was rendered speechless.

For a single claw to be so massive, how large was the entire body&mdash;

&mdash;And not only that.

"...Eh?"

Hearing a faint sound, Restia could not help but turn her head.

The Queen of Ice Blossoms had cast her empty gaze towards the princess maidens.

&mdash;''It'' was seeking more divine power.

Za, zaza, za, zazaza, za&mdash;

The girls' mouths made strange noises.

Suddenly, the ground underfoot gradually froze, shrouded by the cold air surrounding the temple.

"...O exalted Queen? What are you doing&mdash;!?"

Noticing the sudden change, Rana questioned.

But her lower half was instantly covered by the crawling, black, cursed ice.

"Kyahhhh!" "O exalted Queen... Please stop, exalted Queen...!"

The princess maidens could not escape even if they tried.

One after another, their feet were ensnared by the black, cursed ice, turning them into ice sculptures.

Then the magic ice approached Restia&mdash;

"...Noooo...!"

&mdash;Just as she was about to be devoured by the cursed ice, a moment before that could happen...

"Found you, darkness spirit!"

A squadron of knights charged into the forest.

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