Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 4===
Entering the castle, they arrived at a large entry hall.

Beautiful arches with a high ceiling. A carpet was spread on the ground through a pillared corridor up to a door that led further in.

The lighting was provided not by lamps or spirit stones, but by small floating light spirits.

<!--99-->
Even if it was called a relic of the mythical age, several thousand years of repeated reconstruction and remodeling had left few traces of things from that time long ago. The sole remaining traces were sculptures hidden by stone pillars.

Along the pillared corridor's walls were colorful illustrations. These were at best the remnants of a few hundred years and the motifs were Queens that had left their name in history as well as Blade Dance winners.

"Hm?"

Kamito stopped before a large set of pictures.

Depicted there was the winner of the Blade Dance from three years ago.

The strongest blade dancer – Ren Ashbell.

Wrapped in the strange garments of a foreign country, with an ominous demonic blade of darkness in her left hand.

That blade in her left hand was the darkness spirit, Restia's elemental waffe, Vorpal Sword.

Bewitching black hair. Pearly white cheeks.

That girl's profile, drawn with a delicate touch, viewed as a goal, was very beautiful.

"......This is overdone. The work of a painter without a discerning eye."

Kamito muttered that and Ellis who had walked around turned towards him.

"It's you who lacks appreciation. Her beauty wasn't like that."

"That's right. Even though we're the same gender, she made my heart throb."

<!--100-->
Claire also nodded in agreement.

"Ah–, I see......"

Kamito made a sour expression and groaned.

"Fufu, aren't you glad, Kamito-kun."

"You......"

Fianna teasingly laughed and looked at Kamito through half-opened eyes.

Following the princess maidens through the large castle, they finally arrived at their rooms.

"Empire representatives Team Scarlet, your room is over here. If you would like to eat, use something or anything else, please do not hesitate to do so."

"Wait a second, am I in the same room?"

Kamito quickly asked the princess maiden and,

"Th-th-th-there's no way, what are you thinking!"

Claire refuted it with a panicked expression.

"Y-Yeah, as expected, staying in the same room as a gentleman is difficult."

Said Ellis as she cleared her throat.

"That's right, as expected......right."

"B-But, it can't be helped if there are no open rooms, right?"

<!--101-->
Fianna and Rinslet also exchanged nervous glances.

"......? Of course, we have prepared a separate room for the gentleman."

To the guiding princess maiden's words,

"Th-That's right, of course!"

"Y-Yes, it is an obvious requirement!"

The young ladies said in high-pitched voices.

"Fufu, that's a pity."

"Like that would happen. Having just a lone male in a room of girls, what kind of torture is that?"

Kamito said that to the laughing and smiling Carol with half-opened eyes.

"Then, I'll be going straight to bed. See you later."

"Kamito, wait a moment."

His collar was grabbed as he turned to head for his room.

"What?"

"We are going to purify ourselves now."

<!--102-->
"Purify?"

Purification meant the act of washing one's body with water in a purifying ceremony. Maidens that were not pure could not use spirits. For that reason, elementalists had to constantly maintain a pure mind and body.

"That's why, that is......y-you get changed and come to the lake as well!"

"Nah, I'm fine. I'll do it alone later."

Kamito shook his head in a troubled manner.

"Or rather, you don't want me to see you in swimsuits, right?"

"Th-That is......"

Claire's cheeks flushed and she averted her gaze,

"No, not really, i-it's not that I don't want it......it's fine if it's Kamito."

"......?"

"N-Nothing!"

Unfortunately, Claire's voice had been too quiet and he couldn't hear it well.

......He wondered what that was. Recently, Claire had become rather inarticulate.

"A-Anyway, we're a team so we'll be doing the purification together as well!"

This was a command to her slave spirit – Claire said this as her red twintails stood on end.

"Th-That's right, breaking the team's unity isn't good!"

<!--103-->
"Kamito-san doesn't have enough self-recognition as part of a team!"

"Being able to do the purification ceremony together is a sign of trust!"

The three young ladies all agreed with each other.

"No, you guys are exaggerating......"

......He wondered why they were fussing over the purification so much.

The maid Carol cleared her throat with furrowed brows.

"To be clear, the ladies simply want to show Kamito their new swimsuits–"

""""Carol!""""

The collective voice of the young ladies.

"What is it, exactly......"

Kamito felt troubled–

A tug.

His cuff was being pulled.

"......Est?"

Est, who had returned to human form at some point, looked up at Kamito.

"Kamito, I want to play with Kamito at the lake."

"......"

<!--104-->
Being looked at by Est's mysterious pupils, Kamito gulped.

(I did something bad to Est this morning so......)

It seemed like Est wasn't mad anymore but–

He felt that he had to do something to compensate her.

Kamito placed his hand on Est's head and caressed it.

"Got it. Let's play at the lake together."

"Yes, Kamito. I'm happy."

Est nodded expressionlessly.

Kamito turned towards Est and the others.

"With that, I'll also be doing the purification – hey, Owaa!"

""""Why are you so soft on Est!""""

Four people's luggage flew to his face.

......It seems like we have no problems with teamwork.