Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume19 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 2===

After lunch, Kamito walked over to the windy deck.

"...Phew, I'm really stuffed."

He stroked his belly while climbing the gangway. Nevertheless, he was quite impressed by how much this ship lived up to its name as the possession of a noble lady of the dragon duchy. The cold room contained only steaks of the most expensive quality.

"Leonora would probably able to finish them off by herself."

Kamito recalled the time when the dragon princess maiden had took him on a tour of Dragons Street.

She had ordered three steaks from cows the size of dragons.

Prior to arriving at the capital, Kamito's campanions seem to be in their cabins, either reading or studying.

Especially Ellis, who had fallen far behind on the Academy's supplementary lectures, so the homeroom teacher of Weasel Class had assigned a mountain of homework to her.

Doing homework at a time like this was incomprehensible to Kamito, but the disciplined Ellis still worked hard on her studies, seeing her title of captain of the Sylphid Knights as a role model for other students.

(...She's a thoroughly serious noble young lady no matter where she goes.)

Still, that was one of Ellis' strengths, Kamito supposed.

Climbing the gangway, he arrived on the large deck where flying dragons took off and landed.

Across the barrier guarding against the wind was the endless sky. Down below was a vast plain.

"...!?"

Suddenly, there was pain in his left eye again.

...Did he imagine it?

He was not supposed to be using divine power right now&mdash;

(...Darkness Elemental Lord Ren Ashdoll.)

Kamito understood that the Demon King's power inside him was gradually taking over his body.

As though responding to the Sacred Maiden's revival&mdash;

(...Tsk, who asked you to devour me!)

He gripped the deck railing tightly.

"Kamito&mdash;"

Just then, he heard a voice behind him.

He looked back, only to see Claire and Scarlet ascending the gangway.

"Claire, aren't you tutoring Ellis?"

"It's break time now. Teaching everything all at once would be bad for her."

Claire raised an index finger and shrugged.

Not only were her grades topnotch in the Academy, but Claire's ability to teach was equally high.

Perhaps she might turn out to be a surprisingly good school teacher, Kamito wondered.

Claire came over to Kamito and rested both arms on the railing.

Staring at the vast sky and the mountain range in the distance, she murmured softly to herself.

"...It feels like the days are going by so quickly."

"Yeah."

Rescuing Fianna then going into exile in Dracunia, stopping the rampaging militarized spirit in the Theocracy, crossing the desert to witness the Sacred Maiden's revival in the Demon King's Capital.

...All this happened in a short matter of weeks.

An adventure would be an understatement to describe this densely packed period of time.

"Kamito..."

Mumbling a little, Claire glanced over at Kamito.

"What?"

"Uh, u-umm, nothing!"

Claire waved her hands repeatedly, causing her twintails to shake as well.

However, there was an element of insecurity in her ruby-like eyes.

"...? What's wrong?"

When he stared at her eyes and asked, Claire's face went red immediately.

"K-Kamito!"

"Hmm?"

"I-I am your master!"

"Huh!?"

Hearing that, Kamito could not help but exclaim.

"W-What are you suddenly talking about...?"

"What, did you forget? You're still my contracted spirit!"

Claire extended her finger and pointed at Kamito's nose.

"...!

...''Yeah, I definitely said that''.

Facing her in her despair when Scarlet had turned into a berserk spirit&mdash;

Since you wish to obtain power&mdash;

Then let me be your contracted spirit. Something like that.

"Hmph, looks like you finally remember."

Seeing Kamito's reaction, Claire nodded with satisfaction.

"Don't forget you're my contracted spirit. In other words, I am the contractor, the elementalist and the master!"

"O-Okay?"

"Yes! That's why&mdash;"

Still pointing her index finger at him, Claire stared straight at Kamito and said.

"You are not allowed to become someone else's. You belong to me, forever, okay?"

"..."

Ohhh, Kamito finally understood.

Although she was saying this in an overbearing manner just like the first time they met&mdash;

This time, after hearing about the Darkness Elemental Lord's power, she was worrying about Kamito.

(...What an awkward girl.)

Kamito smiled wryly and placed his hand on Claire's head.

"...! Hwah! W-What are you doing!?"

"Claire, I will always be your contracted spirit."

When he said that, Claire's face instantly went bright red.

"G-Glad you know it!"

She turned her face away forcefully.