Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume2 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 4===

During that time, Kamito and Fianna had gone deep into the Spirit Forest.

<!--158-->
At night, it was a forest of darkness with the squirming of nasty spirits, but during the day, it gave off the same feeling as a sacred shrine. Such was the Spirit Forest: a place with a two-faced nature.

(That reminds me, I met Claire here...)

...That was, in many ways, the worst kind of meeting, though.

"To walk in the middle of the trees with just the two of us, it's just like a date."

"This isn't a place suited for a date. There are spirits that the eyes can't see drifting all over the place."

"It's fine. If I had to say so, then I'm more the type that gets fired up being seen."

"...Wh... Pr-Princesses don't say such a thing!"

"It's a joke. What are you getting red for?"

While having such a conversation, the two of them emerged into a clearing in the middle of the forest.

He didn't have to worry about anyone hearing about their chat.

"Well then, I have one thing I want to ask—"

"My underwear's color is black."

"Don't go ahead and answer. That's not it, I don't plan to ask such a question."

Kamito retorted with deadpan eyes. It was not good for him to be dragged into the princess's pace.

"Ahem", he coughed and gazed straight into Fianna's eyes—

"Why do you know my true identity?"

"..."

<!--159-->
There were a few seconds of silence.

And then, she calmly sighed.

The color of disappointment that she couldn't conceal surfaced on her face.

"...Hey, are you really unable to remember?"

"Sorry, but I don't have a princess acquaintance."

Fianna sighed again at Kamito's reply.

She puffed her cheeks, rather than being shocked, he felt like she was angry.

"Hint one, do you remember anything looking at this forest?"

"The forest?"

"Yes, Astral Zero's forest."

Astral Zero... There was something stuck in Kamito's mind.

"Hint two, the Blade Dance."

"Blade Dance, you mean the one three years ago? ...Don't tell me, you're an opponent from one of the blade dances!?"

"Hint three, hair style!"

Shouting in an irritated voice, Fianna tied up her hair with both hands.

She wore her glamorous black hair on both sides, that face—

"Ah!"

Kamito spontaneously raised his voice.

<!--160-->
"...I-I remember!"

Three years ago, she was the girl he saved when she was being attacked by a spirit in the Astral Zero forest.

Certainly, Kamito got seen when he wasn't wearing his female clothing at that time.

"The girl from that day was you, Fianna!"

"...Yes, jeez."

Fianna pouted her lips as though she was peevish.

"Err, but, your atmosphere is greatly different..."

Kamito spoke ambiguously. It was not that he remembered it that vividly, but at least she wasn't such a grown-up girl.

"What, Kamito-kun, you too have changed pretty much."

"Various things happened."

Kamito awkwardly averted his eyes.

His line of sight unconsciously fixed on his left hand covered by leather glove.

—Three years ago was when just about everything changed.

After all, it was that day he lost her, reaching his hand out to the Wish that should have never been wished for.

"Despite promising to meet again, despite me waiting all this time. You disappeared."

"...Sorry."

Kamito honestly apologized.

<!--161-->
Fianna placed her hands on her waist, and sighed in disappointment.

"It's fine, I'll forgive you. I'm offended that you completely forgot about me, but well, that's it. To you, it was only one girl you saved by chance."

"But hey—", she desolately muttered.

Suddenly, she pushed her soft fingertip gently onto Kamito's lips.

"You're really my first love."

"Wh...!?"

"It's a joke."

"...Wh-Why you."

Kamito glared with a deadpan look and Fianna giggled.

"I see, you're the girl from that time..."

However, even if—

Why on earth did she come approaching Kamito? That reason was not clear.

"Fianna, why did you come to this academy?"

"Of course, it's to kiss my beloved Kamito-kun."

"...Don't you feel embarrassed saying that?"

"Y-Yes...that just now was a little embarrassing."

Fianna turned red and looked downwards. ...Well, she'll do it.<!-- ......じゃあやるなよ。-->

<!--162-->
"I came here because I heard about Kamito-kun."

"About me?"

"Yeah, a few days ago, I heard a rumor from my castle-serving butler. That there was a male elementalist, who defeated a rampaging militarized spirit. After investigating, that name—"

"Was my name, the one, who disappeared three years ago."

"That's it. Although, I knew intuitively just from the male elementalist part."

"Then, why did you come to meet me?"

"Th-That's to kiss with Kamito-kun—"

"No, that's enough."

Kamito interrupted and Fianna was a little sullen as she kept silent.

And then, she calmly opened her mouth.

"I thought of threatening you with the secret of your past and forcibly getting to join your team."

"What do you mean?"

"If I was in the same team as {{Furigana|Strongest Blade Dancer|Ren Ashbell|margin=13}}, the strongest blade dancer, I thought that I could win this time's Blade Dance."

"...I see. That means that those unnatural seductive methods were also part of your plan?"

"Err... I-I got exposed."

"Your acting was too unnatural. Well, I think you did your best."

At any rate, she was a real princess and through rigid ways, she was a famous Divine Ritual Institute princess maiden. In relation to such a field, in a certain way, she was a girl more innocent than this academy's high-class young ladies.

"However, don't misunderstand! D-Doing such a thing is something I've only done to you, Kamito-kun!"

"No, such a follow-up is troubling..."

Kamito moaned with a deadpan look and sighed.

"However, why do you plan on entering the Blade Dance?"

"That's..."

Fianna made a perplexed-like expression—

"Isn't it obvious? If I win the Blade Dance, I'll have all the status and honor I desire. Everyone, who was ridiculing me —The Lost Queen, useless princess— will have to recognize me."

"...I see."

—That was a lie. Kamito had a hunch. That was not the true reason.

Her cold pupils were similar to Claire's, carrying a strong will towards their goal.

With such a reason, she shouldn't be able to have such eyes.

"Hey, Kamito-kun. You aren't angry?"

"Hn, why?"

"After all, I'm trying to use you."

Kamito shrugged his shoulders at the princess, who became serious at a strange time.

"It's nothing, Greyworth always uses me. On top of that, Claire gives me the slave treatment. Even if such people increase by one or two, it makes no difference."

"It seems even that {{Furigana|Strongest Blade Dancer|Ren Ashbell|margin=13}} has it hard in various things."

Fianna bitterly smiled, at that moment—

"You guys, what are you doing there?!"

The thicket rustled and a cold voice resounded.

He turned around and a girl, whose face he recognized, appeared from the other side of the thicket.

"Ellis?"

"...Oh, it's Kamito."

Ellis took a breath of relief and sheathed her sword. Then, she pushed through the thicket and walked towards his direction.

Immediately from behind, Rakka and Reishia from the Knights appeared.

"Ellis, what's the matter? Why are you in the middle of the forest?"

"Those are our words. Because of yesterday's intruder, the Knights are being strained. I'll want you to be discreet with your own actions."

Immediately, Ellis's line of sight moved towards Fianna, who stood behind Kamito.

Her expression immediately turned stern.

"Y-You guys, what are you doing at such a place with just the two of you!"

Before Kamito knew it, a sword was pressing near his throat.

...As always, it was a god-speed sword draw.

<!--165-->
"No way, you guys—"

"How dumb, isn't there only one thing a boy and a girl of age could do in the middle of the forest."

"Wh-What was that!?"

Ellis's face got dyed bright red at Fianna's words.

The sword's edge was raised with a jerk.

"Oi, Fianna!?"

Kamito shouted, but Fianna feigned ignorance.

"Th-The academy doesn't have a rule that prohibits illicit sexual relationships. At any rate, the opposite sex isn't here, after all. However, even if the rules allow it, the Knights won't! What were you doing, say it!"

"Well, what did we do? However, isn't it generally like your imagination?"

Fianna pressed her breasts tightly onto Kamito's arm.

Ellis's eyes increasingly rose with danger.

"Fianna, why do you always make pretenses, which is like pouring oil onto the fire!?"

"Ev-Even though I'd gotten a slightly better opinion of you..., you insolent person!"

She swung her sword.

Kamito jumped back in a fluster to avoid that merciless attack.

"Wa-Wait, Ellis! Knights, please come, there's a murdering demon here!"

"You fool, I ''am'' a Knight!"

<!--166-->
"I said it in irony!"

Kamito shouted.

"Captain, you're wasting your time."

Rakka placed her hand on Ellis's shoulder.

"Apologies, whenever our captain is before you, she gets emotionally unstable."

"...Th-That's not true!"

Ellis's face turned bright red and she snarled at Reishia, who chuckled.

For the time being, it seemed the danger to his life had subsided. Kamito took a breath of relief.

"Jeez, Ellis, what's the matter since this morning?"

"Ah, it has been decided that we are departing to a mine for a quest. To use a light source inside the tunnel, we came to capture light attribute spirits."

The one who answered was Rakka.

That's right. They were holding lanterns inserted with small spirit crystals in their hands.

"A mine? Could it be, by any chance, the same Mine Town Gado investigation quest as us?"

"Ah, that's right. Although, we didn't have the investigation quest."

"What do you mean?"

"It is a quest newly added this morning. The details were the arrest of the assailant and the recovery of the stolen highly classified materials."

"The assailant— that Jio Inzagi brat."

<!--167-->
He was a male elementalist, who used several contracted spirits.

He seemed to know something about that boy's goal.

"That's right. We haven't gotten hold of the brat's true identity, but the highly classified material stolen from the library was something that had recordings about the strategic-class militarized spirit, Jormungandr, sealed in the postwar period in Mine Town Gado. It seems that there are people secretly maneuvering at the outskirts of Mine Town."

Ellis held her temper, seemingly vexed.

"It's because of Jio Inzagi —that brat— that the confidence in the Sylphid Knights fell to the ground. To restore the Knights' honor I, as the Captain, have to arrest him."

Rakka and Reishia strongly nodded to Ellis's words.

(...It seemed like it won't end as an ordinary earthquake investigation.)

A premonition passed through Kamito's mind.

There was the stolen strategic-class militarized spirit's highly classified material.

And then, there was the assailant, who somehow knew Kamito's true identity.

(Wasn't Greyworth holding on to the information regarding that assailant?)

Kamito honestly did not understand what that Dusk Witch was making him do. However, he thought about it, for Greyworth to present an S rank quest at this timing, he felt something intentional behind her actions.

(That witch...)

<!--168-->
Kamito groaned loathsomely.

After that, he faced Ellis—

"...Hey, Ellis. Since our goals are the same, why don't you cooperate with us?"

That Jio Inzagi assailant wasn't a common opponent.

He, of course, knew about Ellis's ability, but he wasn't an opponent that could be managed with her skills.

However, Ellis decisively shook her head.

"Kamito, I appreciate your feelings, but I just can't borrow your help. This is something that the Sylphid Knights should settle."

"Well, you may think like that, but don't overdo it."

"A-Ah... you too."

Ellis turned red and faced away.

Fianna, who saw that situation, pouted her lips seemingly sullen for some reason.