Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume19 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 2===

Twenty-four years ago, the month of the white lion...

It was the day when Greyworth Ciel Mais had emerged victorious in the Blade Dance as the Empire's representative.

She had gone to the Elemental Lords' altar to present her longtime ''wish''.

Back then, the wish she had made was a young girl's naive fantasy.

"...What did you wish for?"

Hearing Kamito's question, Greyworth smiled wryly in self-mockery.

"&mdash;A world without war."

"That foolish little girl wished for such a dream to come true."

"..."

Kamito could not help but stay silent.

A foolish wish&mdash;The witch's words were excessively heavy.

The Ranbal War. Before Kamito and his companions were born, two great wars had broken out on the continent.

It was said that war had started due to squabbling over mining rights of spirit crystals, but there was no definitive narrative of the true reason.

With the entire continent gripped in war, the ultimate witch had applied herself to the battlefield, earning the title of hero in her homeland.

However, what the girl known as the witch sought was not fame or praise.

On the battlefield where numerous comrade-in-arms and contracted spirits perished constantly&mdash;

With a singlehearted wish to put an end to armed conflict, she plunged into the midst of war.

Hence, ''that'' was the first wish the girl made.

It was precisely for the sake of achieving that wish, the girl had won every fight throughout her Blade Dance tournament.

However, that ''wish''&mdash;

That pure ''wish'' was absolutely impossible to achieve exactly because it was too pure.

Kamito knew this already.

(...Fifteen years ago, there was another girl who made the same wish.)

Lurie Lizaldia&mdash;That girl's wish did not come true.

"The Elemental Lords said that it was a wish beyond the power of miracles. At that moment, I realized for the first time that the Elemental Lords were not omnipotent."

In front of the Elemental Lords' altar, the girl fell into the abyss of disappointment.

From the beginning, she was uninterested in any other wish.

''I might as well leave without making any wish'', she thought.

It would serve as a tiny "take that" directed at the powerless Elemental Lords&mdash;

But just then...

"&mdash;A voice appeared in my mind and spoke to me."

"Was it Holy Lord Alexandros...?"

Greyworth quietly nodded when Kamito spoke that name.

Three years ago, the Holy Lord was absent when Kamito was granted an audience with the Elemental Lords.

What had the Holy Lord said to Greyworth twenty-four years ago?

"The Holy Lord proposed a certain deal to me."

"...A deal?"

"The Holy Lord told me this. I can make your wish come true. I can create a world without war, a world where conflict between people will no longer exist&mdash;"

&mdash;Become my right arm to achieve that world.

"Was that the ''covenant''? Between you and the Holy Lord&mdash;"

"...Indeed."

Greyworth's gray eyes darkened.

"Having witnessed too much death, the little lass was dealt a serious blow by despair. She believed those words that were filled with hope. Or rather, she entrusted everything to that sliver of hope&mdash;"

Hence, the Holy Lord and the Witch established a covenant.

The Holy Lord granted a portion of the power of miracles to the maiden. Completely unaware that true identity of the miracle was the darkness corrupting the Elemental Lords, the maiden accepted the power.

"It was thanks to the power of miracles shared by the Holy Lord that my appearance remained unchanged over so many years. And also because of that, my divine power did not wane until now&mdash;"

"I see, so that's what happened..."

Claire held her breath, unable to hide the surprise on her face.

(...Speaking of which, Lurie Lizaldia also kept her youthful appearance.)

Just then, Kamito recalled that.

However, Lurie apparently had the ability to alter her appearance using spirit magic as well..

"On that day, I became the Holy Lord's right arm. While serving my homeland Ordesia as the first of the Empire's Numbers, I waited for the right time."

"The right time?"

Greyworth's sharp gaze shot straight at Kamito's face.

"Yes. I was waiting for one who had inherited the Demon King's power to show up."

"...What!?"

Kamito widened his eyes in surprise.

The one who had inherited the Demon King's power. In other words...

"You, Kazehaya Kamito."

Greyworth exhaled gravely.

"All this time, I have been waiting for you to appear, lad."