Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume13 Chapter5 (section)

===Part 4===

Several minutes later, the two of them were sitting back to back in order to avoid eye contact.

...The exceptionally awkward atmosphere hung in the air.

"U-Umm..."

Already dressed properly, Rinslet spoke up.

"I-I, umm... just now, did something so shameful."

"N-Not at all. You did it for the sake of healing. Thanks to you, I've recovered much of my stamina."

Kamito shook his right arm. Although it was still hurting to some extent, it no longer hindered his movements.

"...The blizzard doesn't look like it'll stop any time soon, so let's rest here a bit for now."

"You're right..."

Rinslet nodded and started activating a fire spirit crystal. After placing the red-glowing mineral on the ground and pouring in divine power, a warm light of fire illuminated the ice cave.

Fenrir opened his great jaws and spat out cooking utensils.

Rinslet poured milk into a small pot which she then placed on top of the burning mineral.

"That said&mdash;"

Kamito turned towards Rinslet.

"What's up with that group of ice dragons?"

"...I have no idea either."

Rinslet shook her head.

"Besides, the ice dragons of Laurenfrost were supposed to have gone extinct several centuries earlier. Why would they suddenly appear in this place&mdash;"

"So in the end, it's still related to the current abnormal weather, right&mdash;?"

Supporting his chin with a hand, Kamito entered deep thought.

"Could it be that the blizzard on the mountain is actually those ice dragons' doing?"

According to legend, dragons possessed incredible powers different from spirit magic. Furthermore, when the six ice dragons appeared at the same time, Kamito clearly felt the blizzard increasing in strength.

"That possibility cannot be ruled out. There are still many unknown areas in research on dragon ecology."

Rinslet nodded in agreement.

After a short while, the milk in the pot boiled.

"...Okay, what should we do next?"

Taking a sip of steaming hot milk, Kamito sighed. Rather than staying here and waiting to be frozen to death, he would prefer to simply take a gamble with the ice cave's labyrinth&mdash;

"Let us wait a little and see, shall we? The blizzard is not going to stop and we have no idea if it might let up a little. What I'll do now is prepare a portion of special pancakes first."

Holding a frying pan, Rinslet smiled nonchalantly.

"...I'm really sorry. It's my willfulness that got you caught up in all this."

"There is no need to feel guilty. I was the one who insisted on leading the way for you."

Rinslet flipped the pan that was being heated over the fire.

Fresh hot pancakes were served on a plate with a generous helping of butter and honey.

As the sweet aroma filled the air, Kamito's stomach rumbled and growled.

"Come, please enjoy&mdash;"

With the steaming plate brought before his eyes, Kamito instantly picked up a piece with his fork.

...Munch munch.

"...This is great!"

The soft and spongy texture, with honey absorbed in it, melted in his mouth. Not only that, but the edges were crunchy like a biscuit's.

Kamito finished a pancake within the blink of an eye.

"Kamito-san, you look like you are quite enjoying it."

"...Yeah, because it's really tasty."

Kamito made a thumbs up. Rinslet smiled radiantly.

Nevertheless, her face was soon shrouded in gloom.

"...For some reason I do not know why, I am suddenly reminded of her."

Rinslet murmured softly.

"...Her?"

"Yes, this pancake was her favorite."

Kamito suddenly remembered what Rinslet had said in her dreams the previous night.

"...That's your little sister, right...? The one who got sealed in cursed ice by the Elemental Lord."

Rinslet nodded.

"That was four years ago. Back then, she was only nine..."

Watching the sparks erupting from the spirit crystal, Rinslet continued.

&mdash;It was roughly several months before the incident of the Calamity Queen's betrayal. That year, the Laurenfrost region was holding a traditional Great Snow Festival.

In past years, Rinslet had always performed the princess maiden's kagura dance offering as the eldest daughter. But that year, it happened to be Judia's debut as a princess maiden on her ninth birthday, standing before the Laurenfrost subjects.

Just having turned nine, she was entering this kind of stage for the first time.

"Judia is a very endearing child and naturally gifted. However--"

The kagura dance she performed had incurred the Water Elemental Lord's ire. Rather, the Water Elemental Lord back then was corrupted by the Otherworldly Darkness and already in a complete state of insanity.

Judia's ritual had angered the mad elemental lord by chance.

"Of course, my father exhausted all possible solutions. He gathered all the princess maidens in Laurenfrost to offer kagura, trying to appease the elemental lord's wrath. However, no matter what they tried, they still could not melt the cursed ice..."

Hence, Rinslet had decided to participate in the Blade Dance tournament. Just like how Ren Ashbell, that Strongest Blade Dancer, had offered blade dances to the Elemental Lords three years ago, successfully placating their wrath&mdash;

"Hence, Kamito-san, I can understand your feelings for wanting to seek someone precious to you."

Rinslet looked at Kamito's left hand, the back of the hand where the spirit seal had vanished.

"I too, shall absolutely not abandon Judia."

"Yes, well said."

Kamito clenched his fist.

(...That's right, I must bring her back.)

Even if it meant chasing to the farthest ends of the world&mdash;

...Tug. Tug tug.

Feeling a sudden tugging at his sleeve, Kamito looked back.

"&mdash;Kamito, I am hungry too."

Materializing, Est was demanding food again.

"Est, you've been working hard too."

"Yes!"

Kamito caressed Est's head, causing her to half-close her eyes from the pleasure.

"There's Rinslet's special pancakes here and canned peaches."

"No beancurd?"

"Uh, that's a bit too..."

"Yes, we do&mdash;"

"Really!?"

With a snap of her finger, Rinslet took out a white object from Fenrir's mouth... Beancurd that was frozen solid.

"Can this be eaten directly?"

"No, I have to boil it again first."

Placing a pot on the burning spirit crystal, she added a large amount of snow.

As soon as the water boiled, she threw the frozen beancurd into the pot.

"Beancurd, beancurd♪"

Est's mysterious violet eyes flashed with the light of excitement while she was humming a strange song.

"This is the dish known as boiled beancurd."

"Boiled beancurd, boiled beancurd♪"

Humming a song expressionlessly, Est kept staring at the pot intently.

Seeing Est like that, Kamito smiled&mdash;

"...K-Kamito-san!"

Rinslet suddenly stood up and pointed outside the ice cave.

"Hmm?"

Kamito turned to look&mdash;

In the next instant, he was so shocked that his mouth gaped wide open and said the same thing as Rinslet.

"...The blizzard stopped?"