Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume3 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 3===

By the time that he finished eating Ellis' cooking, it had already turned completely dark outside.

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It was about time he had to make dinner for Claire and the others, who were waiting at the dormitory.

When he informed Ellis about that matter...she made a slightly disappointed face.

After helping Ellis tidy up the tableware, he and Ellis, who changed into her uniform, went outside the dormitory.

The moment Ellis took off her maid uniform, she suddenly seemed to be embarrassed by her recent actions, so as she walked on the path shone by the moonlight, she hung her head down the whole time.

...Naturally, just like her, Kamito was also embarrassed.

"I apologize for overstaying. Your cooking was delicious."

"Yes, I'm glad that I could properly express my gratitude to you. Because today is probably the last chance I can invite you to my room."

"What do you mean?"

"It's about the roommate I talked about just now. She'll be finishing her quest and returning very soon."

"Is your roommate that scary?"

Upon saying that, Ellis' expression slightly darkened.

"Velsaria Eva Fahrengart— She's my older stepsister, by two-years. She's also the former captain of the Sylphid Knights."

"Velsaria..."

Kamito was startled. That name was, if he wasn't mistaken, what Claire was talking—

"The academy's strongest elementalist... is actually your sister, Ellis!?"

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"Yes, it's not like we're blood related. She was once also expected to become a future {{Furigana|Twelve Knight Commander|Numbers|margin=12}} candidate, but— after she was defeated by that Ren Ashbell in the first match at the Blade Dance three years ago, that story had also disappeared."

"...!?"

"What's the matter? Do you know about my sister?"

"...N-No, it's nothing."

Kamito shook his head in a fluster.

(...I see, no wonder I had recalled hearing that name before.)

—He remembered. She was the opponent of the first match of the Blade Dance three years ago.

She was a girl with a beautiful face of ice and beautiful blonde hair.

"...My sister is like the person who embodied the image of the knight that I try to idealize."

Ellis exhaled a white breath as she muttered.

"However, now that person—"

Muttering like in a monologue— Ellis stopped her steps there.

They had arrived before the gate of the Raven Class dormitory.

Kamito looked up, and the window of Claire's room had light.

"Ellis, thank you for today. Well then, see you tomorrow."

"Ah-Ahh, wait—"

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Kamito waved his hand and walked off towards the dormitory.

At that moment, when he walked for a little while on the path leading to the building of the dormitory.

"...Ka-Kamito!"

Ellis called Kamito to a halt from behind.

It wasn't her usual frigid voice. It was the voice like an urgent scream.

"...Ellis?"

Kamito turned around—

"Ah..."

Ellis widened her eyes and was surprised.

Why did she show that expression— even she didn't understand why she called out to him.

"What's the matter?"

"No, err..."

"Um?"

Kamito became concerned and approached—

"...!"

Ellis —as though she had made a resolution of something important— took in a deep breath.

"Th-The truth is I have a favor to ask you, but..."

"A favor?"

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Kamito frowned and asked back.

What came to his mind was— the incident before he received the quest on the Mine Town two weeks ago.

Ellis was trying to scout Kamito into her team.

Kamito, who had already assembled a team with Claire, plainly rejected her, but now that her two comrades became unable to participate in the opposition battles, she might try to scout him once again.

While Kamito scratched his head as he was troubled, he shook his head.

"Ellis, sorry, but I can't join your..."

"Th-That's not it!"

Ellis' face reddened as she shouted. ..It seemed that he had jumped to a wrong conclusion.

"Then..."

"Kamito, err... do you feel like joining the Sylphid Knights?"

"The Knights?"

Kamito spontaneously asked back at those unexpected words.

The Sylphid Knights— An elite student organization that guarded the public order and morals of the academy.

(For me to join it... What on earth does this mean?)

Ellis gazed at Kamito awkwardly.

"Err...it's just until my comrades come back, I would want you to assist the Knights."

Kamito recalled the things he talked with Ellis during this morning's supplementary lecture.

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As a result of the attack incident the other day, including Ellis' two teammates, seven knights were forced to withdraw from the Sylphid Knights. The Sylphid Knights, which had lost a third of its members, was now in a state that it was not functioning normally.

Indeed, as an acquaintance and besides as someone whose ability as an elementalist she also understood, Kamito could understand the reason she wanted to scout him.

"Of course, I won't say it's for free. As a member of the Knights, you'll be paid a proper salary."

"...Why me? If you set up recruitment, won't there be girls applying?"

"We are having a recruitment, but there are practically no applicants. We had gathered people during the period the freshmen came in, but— even so, more than half had resigned immediately."

"Is that so..."

It seemed that the work of the Sylphid Knights was something greater than they had imagined. On top of the dangers, and on top of the so-called work of guarding the academy's public morals, there might also be cases where they were being looked at with hostility from the other academy students.

"Furthermore, due to the attack incident the other day, the trust in the Knights has been greatly falling. Although we got all the casualties out, in the end, we couldn't capture the assailant."

Ellis bit her lips seemingly vexed.

"I applied for the quest of arresting Jio Inzagi with the plan of overturning such assessment towards the Knights but— the result was that sorry plight. If you all didn't help at that time, we would have certainly been annihilated."

Her reddish brown pupils became wet and were slightly quivering.

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Without a doubt, Ellis was enduring the voices of criticism aimed at the Knights all this time.

Surely, she was enduring it just by herself without anyone she could ask for advice.

As that was the duty of the captain, and she was condemning herself.

(...I see. She's insecure. She surely can't help but be frightened as she's insecure.)

It was the responsibility and heavy pressure that came with the position as the captain.

There should be voices of doubts being raised at her, an elementary student, serving as the captain.

She conducted herself strictly for the sake of guarding the order of the academy and might have even made enemies.

She had also been holding back those voices by displaying her ability so far.

However, that trust was swaying now.

Besides, her teammates and comrades who had always kept supporting her.

Rakka and Reishia were also not present now.

(...She is also a girl, who's yet to be sixteen.)

Being covered by her knights shoulder plate was the girl's slender shoulders.

How much of a heavy pressure was she carrying on those shoulders of hers—

"...The truth is I'm afraid."

Ellis looked downwards as she said that.

"Have I been able to do the right thing as a knight? Am I misusing the authority of the Knights and merely repressing the ones whom I should protect, with power?"

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Her blue ponytail hair was swaying in the gentle breeze.

It was almost like it was revealing Ellis' heart.

"I want help" —She didn't say that.

That was surely her last strand of pride.

Kamito—

"...I got it. It's just be until those two come back, right?"

"I-Is that alright? ...Really?"

Ellis opened her reddish brown eyes.

"Ahh."

Kamito firmly nodded once again.

Honestly, he didn't think that he'd be cut out for things like the Knights that guarded the public morals. Besides, if he considered about the Blade Dance coming in a few weeks, he shouldn't have the room to be using his time for such things.

However, upon seeing Ellis reduced to a state where she was going to be crushed at any time—

He wanted to assist this sincere but clumsy girl knight even a little.

"...Y-You have my thanks. Kazehaya Kamito."

Ellis bowed down with an expression like she's going to cry at any moment.

Kamito made a bitter smile at Ellis, who was conscientious even at such a time.

"Ahh, that's right. I have a favor to ask of you."

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"What is it?"

"Err, about the remuneration you mention just now, is it possible for something like an advance?"