Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume15 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 5===

"...Hmm?"

Sitting on a rock, Kamito suddenly looked up.

He was secretly acting as Fianna's bodyguard some distance away from the bath.

Although this place was under the jurisdiction of Winter Gulf Castle, which was safe, with a celebration banquet about to start, the nearby residents would be coming to the castle. It was a real possibility that spies from the Holy Kingdom or the pro-Arneus faction might be mixed among them.

He prepared himself to take instant action if anyone suspicious approached the vicinity.

(...Just now, I think I heard Fianna's voice.)

If Fianna screamed, he could instantly rush over from this instant. However, her voice just now was far too quiet to be considered a scream. The sound would have been impossible to hear had Kamito's hearing not been trained at the Instructional School.

Picking up the Demon Slayer by the hilt, he quietly stood up.

Next, he made his way to the rocky area where Fianna was bathing and listened carefully.

...Ah, mmmm... Kami... to-kun, help... me...

"...!"

Instantly, Kamito ran over on reflex.

Kicking against a rock, he instantly jumped up and used divine power to enhance his leg strength to clear the wall of rock.

"Fianna, are you okay!?"

Landing on a rock in the bath, he swung his sword to create wind for sweeping steam away.

&mdash;He saw Fianna's figure, curled up in the hot water.

"&mdash;Ah, mm, huff, huff, huff..."

"Fianna!"

Kamito hastily rushed over, picked up Fianna in his arms and placed her outside the hot water bath.

Although it was his first time to witness her naked body and he could not help but blush, now was not the time to be concerned about such things&mdash;

"Huff, huff... Kamito... -kun...?"

Fianna blinked, her mind in a daze.

"What's wrong? Did you get dizzy from soaking for too long?"

Kamito took off his jacket and covered up her body.

Fianna slowly reached out and held Kamito's arm.

Her seductive dusk-colored eyes stared at Kamito intently...

"Sor, ry... Suddenly, my body heated up... Ah, mm...♪ "

Instantly, her body shook violently as though having a convulsion.

Just then, Kamito saw it.

On Fianna's neck, a birthmark resembling a seal was appearing&mdash;

(...This is!?)

It was a pattern sharing some similarity with Restia's ''spirit seal''. However, this one was far more complicated and ominous&mdash;

"Could it be the seal of Ren Ashdoll, the Darkness Elemental Lord...!?"

Kamito gasped forcefully. He recalled the conversation he had had with Rubia on the flying ship's deck prior to sneaking into the imperial capital.

&mdash;The Demon King's princess maidens. Reportedly a thousand years ago, Demon King Solomon had taken princess maidens from conquered nations and made them his concubines, sharing the Darkness Elemental Lord's power with them. The power that Kamito had given Fianna through a kiss was probably eating away at Fianna's body, tormenting her right now...

"...Mm, ah, ooh... Huff, huff..."

Held in Kamito's arms, Fianna panted painfully.

Ellis and Rinslet probably had not experienced such a strong reaction in their instances... But after all, back when he kissed Fianna, Kamito was almost about to be devoured by the power of darkness within him. Most likely, that was what caused more direct effects on her.

(...Hmm, what should I do?)

Kamito bit his lip. Taking her back to the castle's healers would probably not help. Was sitting here, waiting for the power of darkness to subside on its own the only option...?

Fianna gripped Kamito's arm tightly, opened her mouth and bit him. With that, her irregular breathing seemed to calm down slightly.

"...Mm, Kamito-kun, sorry... This... Ahhh!"

"...It's okay. Until you settle down, carry on like this."

With his jacket between them, Kamito hugged Fianna.

After keeping this up for some time... Fianna's breathing gradually turned steady.

A couple of red bite marks had been added to Kamito's shoulder and arm.

"Has it calmed down?"

"Y-Yes..."

Held in Kamito's arms, Fianna lowered her head shyly.

"...Sorry, it's my fault."

"...Huh?"

"Uh, I kissed you once in the imperial capital, right? Back then, I think part of the Darkness Elemental Lord's power inside me transferred to you, Fianna."

"So... that power is the Darkness Elemental Lord's..."

Fianna looked like she had guessed this to some extent too. She nodded gently.

"B-Back, I think I lost my mind a bit... Uh, sorry."

"I understand, Kamito-kun. You were clearly behaving oddly at the time."

Confronted with Kamito bowing his head in apology, Fianna smiled with a chuckle.

Then she blushed to her ears.

"Uh... Keep what happened a secret, okay?"

"Y-Yeah, of course..."

After hearing Fianna's quiet whisper, Kamito nodded repeatedly.

&mdash;At that moment, Kamito suddenly recalled a certain matter.

"Speaking of secrets, about Greyworth&mdash;"

"...Yes."

"I think it'd be best not to tell Claire and the others for now. From their perspective, the Dusk Witch is someone they idolize. Telling them right now would be a big shock."

"I agree that this would be more appropriate. After all, this is a rare day of celebration."

"Yeah, let's wait until after we meet up with Rubia before deciding the timing to let them know."