Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

Kenshin no Keishousha:Volume 1 Chapter1

2013-07-26T17:17:19Z

130.212.195.162:

Tokyo Swordia————

Formerly this city was known as the Tokyo metropolis, but currently in the 21st century, the otherworldly Swordies have ruled over the city since the Great War seventy years ago.

Tokyo Swordia was divided into two regions. In other words, the Swordies resided within the Specialized Central Region while humans inhabited the Outer Human Region.

Being the dominant social class, the Specialized Central Region where all the Swordies lived controlled all political and economic functions. To everyone else in the world, they had the most elegant districts. In contrast, the Outer Human Region felt quite unbalanced with the quality among the districts being starkly different.

It was already past ten in the evening, yet it was quite rambunctious on this particular bustling street in the Outer Human Region which had rows upon rows of bars lined up for construction.

Slightly away from the ruckus within the corner of this region sits an old-fashioned hotel.

Located underneath the hotel was a parking garage. Parked within its depths was a van with its engine running and the shadows of multiple figures gathered around the vehicle. There were five of them in total and all of them were wearing what appeared to be white robes.

One of the members, who was currently breathing heavily, appears to have been wounded. Although medical aid was being received from a friend, it seems the bleeding could not be stopped.

"Looks like I’ve already caught up."

For some reason, these words startled the others as they turned towards sound of the approaching footsteps.

These robe wearing people all reacted in unison, directing their gaze towards the figure that showed up.

"If you want to escape you should be giving it everything you have, not dilly-dallying around this sort of place."

A young teenager wearing a red long coat appeared within the parking garage.

From the opening in the front of the long coat, one could see that the somewhat short teenager possessed a slender figure.

Along with his disheveled black hair, there remained a childish facial complexion. However, under the fringe of his hair, his eyes carried an exceptionally sharp expression.

"Well, if you guys were to scatter in disarray you would all be interrogated. That said, you guys also killed four police officers which is quite unacceptable to be honest. Those bastards, I am pretty strict when comes to losing my comrades. I will keep on pursuing you all even if you were to run to the ends of the earth."

"Are you one of the Sabers?"

One of the robed members shouted in a sharp tone. Unwavered, the teenager wryly smiled in response.

"As you can see."

The teenager————Kurou, pointed to the silver sword insignia on his long coat with his index finger.

The so-called Sabers were Tokyo Swordia's public security force. They were a separate entity from the police force.

"I'd appreciate it if you guys would allow me to make a peaceful arrest. However, if there is any resistance————"

Kurou placed his hand on the hilt of the katana strapped to his waist. Just by looking at its composition, one could tell it was definitely not an ornament or a counterfeit. Instead, it was a thoroughly used and authentic blade.

"This is the end for all of you, followers of the sun."

Even without inquiring, Kurou already knew their true identity.

The so-called sun cult was just as its name indicated. The religious organization was comprised of followers who worshipped the teachings of the sun.

In the last couple of years, these thugs would frequently engage in terrorist activities. The number of victims from these terrorist activities have already reached triple digits. These Sabers, who were part of the public security force, have made the sun cult their number one priority.

Because the van of the sun cult followers arrived at a police checkpoint tonight, they decided to forcefully break through. During their escape, they killed four police officers and are currently still fleeing.

Since the Sabers sent out a dispatch request, Kurou, being a member, caught up to them here.

"Hey——, what is this, it hasn't started yet? Fortunately I leisurely walked over here."

Unexpectedly, an extremely clear voice sounded.

Behind Kurou came another guy that entered the parking garage. He too kept a sword by his waist and also wore the exact same long coat marked with the silver insignia.

"Are you an idiot? You’re currently on the job, you better get over here quickly Lars."

"Yeah yeah, you're so stringent as usual Kurou."

He elatedly smiled. Lars was also a member of the Sabers.

Within the Sabers, he and Kurou worked together as a pair. Although he was about five centimeters taller than the short-statured Kurou, his face also seems to have retained a puerile complexion. In fact, he was only a teenager who was fifteen years of age.

His appearance was well-kept and his hair was practically white. However, he claims the color was “platinum”.

Even though Lars followed an alternate path when chasing the criminals, the two pretty much found them at the same time.

"Despite being Sabers, there are only two of you against the five of us! We have complete control here!"

One of the cultists, who was tending to a comrade of his, spoke up in an acute voice. In response, the other cultists all whipped out their katanas.

In Japan, it was to be expected that ordinary people were prohibited from carrying firearms. In fact, the Sabers, police, and even the military's main weaponry was the sword. Likewise, the weapons of the terrorists were no exception.

It was very hard to see clearly into the shadow of the van, but it was without a doubt the voice of a female cultist————she was a very young teenage girl. Upon closer inspection, she was the only one who wasn't wearing a robe. Instead, she wore a white veil along with a blue nun getup.

Her eyes were filled with tears, yet she unyieldingly glared at Lars.

"Hey Kurou, is this the opponent you’re responsible for?"

"It's not really a responsibility......"

Kurou wryly smiled and advanced forward.

He knew this girl, her name was Kido Akari.

She was a member of the sun cult's combat forces. However, for some reason they encountered each other numerous times during Kurou's missions. Even though those encounters have all been due to chance, it was true that there did exist some underlying reason for this.

"Akari, every time......we seem to encounter each other. Gradually I'm starting to believe this isn't an ill-fated relationship but rather destiny at work here."

"That seems to be the case. Why does it have to turn out like this......"

Akari lowered her gaze as she spoke————

"Hmm? What's wrong? You seem to have some deeply mixed emotions."

"There's no such thing!"

Inadvertently, her piercing glare fixated on Kurou.

"If it is destiny, then that destiny would also include me slaughtering you, you Swordie dog!"

"A dog......"

"Plus, you Swordies are not even part of this world, how could we accept a nation inhabited with you people!"

Akari pulled out her katana and got into her stance. Despite having a bit of flair to it, Kurou understood Akari's strength. Based on her technique, she was probably incapable of defeating any of the Sabers.

"Akari, you can choose to fight, however if this wounded person is left unattended to like this then he will die. This kind of emergency care right now is just prolonging his pain."

"Guh......!"

Akari tightly bit her lips.

Perhaps she realized that Kurou wasn’t just trying to complicate matters.

"Hey, you guys can withdraw. Sorry for arriving late."

"Hmm......?"

Kurou slightly tilted his head at the sound of this sudden voice.

With her presence was pretty much undetected. At some point a female figure appeared alongside the followers of the sun.

She wasn't wearing the white robe of the sun cult. Instead, her attire consisted of a skimpy mini-skirt, a tightly fitted suit, and there was a bizarre sword suspended along her waist.

"Allowing me to deal with these Sabers idiots should be fine. Let me take care of the cargo and that one other thing in the van. The streets are filled with police checkpoints so you'll be instantly caught if you escape by car."

"......Understood, we are counting on you."

After Akari finished speaking, the rest of the sun cultists nodded. From the looks of it, they had no intention to continue causing trouble. Akari and the others glanced back at the van every so often before running away.

Both Kurou and Lars had already lost interest in the sun cultists who already fled.

Kurou once again inspected the woman.

The woman's age was probably between twenty and twenty-five years old. She had gleaming short brown hair and although she was quite an attractive person, this was not the appropriate time to be taking note of these sort of things.

"Are you a Swordie?"

"Just like the ones you've seen."

The woman nodded in response to Kurou's question. She then retrieved the sword by her waist in one swift motion.

It was a slender double-edged longsword. The sight of this type of sword wasn’t rare, but————

"Ho, is this the light blade?"

Kurou muttered in admiration.

Known as the light blade, the drawn out sword was enveloped by a faint white light. When the light blade was activated, the sword becomes incredibly hard to bend, break, and furthermore it was very keen-edged.

"Ah so you are a Swordie, and a pretty powerful one as well."

Kurou once again muttered.

The Swordies are considered to be residents from the mystifying world of Swordia.

These otherworldly people and earth's human beings practically look the same. Even though many of them possessed hair and eye colors not found in normal humans, but other than that they were essentially alike.

Despite Swordies and humans having nearly identical physique, the Swordies' physical capabilities were quite outstanding. Their strength and speed were both exceptional.

Furthermore, the most frightening thing was their overwhelming natural disposition to the ways of the sword. Hence, all Swordies were inherently sword specialists.

To add to that, if one becomes a first-class user they could engage in battle with a light blade empowered sword like this woman.

"It ends right here wanted criminal number FZ405333!"

Suddenly a voice rang.

Just like Kurou and Lars, these guys were also wearing red long coats. There were six of them and each held a sword in their hands.

They were all Swordies and members of the Sabers————in other words, they were also Kurou's colleagues. Presumably they too arrived by tracking the followers of the sun.

"This woman is a wanted criminal. In the past she killed two of our members. Clearly a Swordie, she's actually a lunatic for helping out the sun cult."

The one member with the beard spoke up. Kurou also recognized this man. He was one of the older members of the Sabers and possessed excellent finesse.

"You guys can step down. It's too much of a burden for newcomers to face a light blade user."

The man with the beard stated without even looking at Kurou. He then raised his sword and the other five members followed suit.

From the looks of it, they wanted to steal all the glory. Whether it was the bearded man or the other members, it seemed none of them could utilize the light blade. Even so, with it being six to one perhaps they could win.

"Well, it doesn't matter to me how many people I face. Bring it on."

The Swordie woman brazenly smiled as she replied.

Haa——. The bearded man yelled out and charged towards the Swordie woman with the other five members.

The majority of the Sabers members were adept at fighting. The bearded man and the other members probably had numerous experiences fighting enemies with swords. The six of them stormed in simultaneously and while doing so, they had to avoid slicing their own allies in battle.

No one should ever take the enemy lightly due to superiority in numbers. For the sake of killing this one woman, the six men all risked their lives in the attack.

"Haha."

However, the woman was unfazed.

After the woman had saw through the incoming attack from the group of six, she slashed at the bearded man who led the attack, cutting his head off with just one swing of the sword. In quick succession, her sword sliced through a person's torso and then the face of another person.

From the perspective of a normal person, the three of them would seem to have been simultaneously killed. It would be hard for anyone to discern such a high caliber technique.

There was blood vigorously spraying out of the bodies of the men. The part of the body that suffered the violent hit had been greatly carved out.

The woman hardly stopped there. She then slashed at two others diagonally from the shoulders and pierced the last person in the heart————the group of six were now all dead.

Her abilities were indeed extremely impeccable.

"What was that? That was way too easy. Battling against men isn't fun after all."

The woman muttered with an ennui expression. Actually, she probably felt extremely bored. Even though six people attacked her, she still eliminated them instantly. It really was way too easy for her. The difference in their abilities was profoundly visible.

"Hey, that's pretty impressive."

Lars apathetically spoke. At some point in time he retrieved his cellphone in order to look something up.

"Hmm, that woman has a very high bounty, it's at one million. If we were to consider the six members of our group that were killed, the bounty will probably continue to rise."

"Lars, you should have said something earlier!"

"What are you getting all tensed up over. You don't need to worry about anyone stealing your glory now. Oh, by the way, the million is only if you capture her alive. If you captured her dead you would only get three hundred thousand. Well then, good luck."

Lars wryly smiled as he turned off his cellphone.

"Understood. Hence, let me be your opponent. I'll be in your care."

Kurou joyously spoke and proceeded to swiftly pull out the katana by his waist.

"......A katana? You rascal, you're clearly one of the Sabers, why would you still use that kind of thing?"

Having said that, the criminal ringleader’s eyes opened widely, staring intently at Kurou.

"You bastard......could it be, you are a human?"

"Even if I were to say 'just like the ones you’ve seen', you probably wouldn't understand. Well, I guess only humans would use katanas anyways."

Kurou calmly stated as he motioned his katana.

"Hahaha! Originally I had thought the Sabers were just a group of idiotic men. I never would've thought that a human would also be accepted as member. Has the lack of talent already reached this extent?"

"Jeez, it really annoys me that you would call it a group of idiotic men. I really can't tolerate this abuse towards humans like me."

The Sabers included non-combative members as well. This tiny organization didn't even have a thousand members yet.

The composition of the Sabers consisted entirely of Swordies except for Kurou. On the flip side, the police were practically all humans. It probably would have been more natural if Kurou were part of the police.

There was some reason behind Kurou's recruitment into the Sabers. It wasn't because of a lack of talent, however Kurou wasn't about to kindly explain to that extent.

"Nevertheless, from the looks of it you are clearly a Swordie assisting these humans."

"If I were to be on the Swordies' side, most likely I’d only be able to face the boring swordsmanship of the humans. I want to battle the powerful Swordies. Is that white-haired boy a Swordie? If you don't battle, this human is going to die."

"I'll consider it, but I'm not too worried over my financial situation."

Lars pretended to joke around, even deliberately shrugging while he was at it.

"......Well, forget it. In the end, both of you will die. Before that happens though, please entertain me for a bit."

"Oh trust me you won’t be bored at all."

Kurou faintly smiled and prepared his stance. Although it was rather mundane, the sword was held straight and centered in his stance.

The criminal ringleader also smiled in the same manner. It was a smile of mockery. She never thought she would ever have to battle against a human.

Kurou inched around trying to maintain his distance. He would never underestimate his opponent. From now on, it will be the relentless pursuit of survive and kill.

"Hey human, I got something to say first. You better not bring your human values into this."

"You mean just because you're a woman? Haha, of course I won’t."

This was the monster who instantly killed six people. Even so, this human boy was still able to think in such a manner.

These sorts of things were only humanity's fallacious logic after all.

From the Swordies' point of view, it was considered utter nonsense.

Basically for the Swordies, when comparing the athletic abilities of men to women, women were vastly superior, even in swordsmanship.

From the perspective of the swordswomen, Swordie males were existences of a lower class. Although the Sabers members who were easily eliminated by her had received training and had numerous combat experiences, for this outstanding swordswoman who was also the criminal ringleader, it could hardly be called a fight against the six of them.

Stored within the Swordies was something known as light energy. In terms of physical strength, light was a much superior energy source than what humans were capable of using.

In general, a woman's light quantity was vastly plentiful. The greater the quantity, the more physical power one possessed. Precisely due to this, Swordie women were able to utilize far greater combat strength.

Members of the Sabers were practically all male Swordies. If they were up against human terrorists, the male members would be enough to deal with them. However, if the criminal was a female Swordie, many times the situation would develop into a grim battle.

Humans wouldn't even stand a chance. Regardless of gender, it was impossible to overcome a female Swordie. This knowledge was one that everyone knew. Because of this, the male members didn't want the Sabers to delegate this task to Kurou, a diminutive human.

"I am knowledgeable in some matters regarding the Swordies. You don't need to worry."

"Well then, try to put on a frightened expression as best as you can, human."

The criminal ringleader calmly waved around the sword with her hand, perhaps to add psychological pressure. The intensity of the light blade appeared to have increased. The so-called light blade technique was the emittance of light out of the body and transferring it to the sword. If a person didn't have the appropriate levels of light, it would be impossible to use this move.

The criminal ringleader casually walked towards Kurou. Even though this was underestimating her enemy, she still did not leave any openings exposed. Her eyes were brimming with murderous intent as the tip of her sword flashed by.

A gust of wind blew over————causing a roaring sound.

The criminal ringleader’s wielding of the sword violently stirred up the air————which caused a nearby concrete pillar to be splendidly sliced into two chunks.

Cutting this pillar, whose girth needed two arms to wrap around it, could never be accomplished by humans. She used superlative force, demonstrating the power and skill of the Swordies.

The criminal ringleader smiled. By deliberately chopping down the pillar, she probably wanted Kurou to coward in fear.

"......"

However, Kurou didn't flinch at all. He still maintained his sword in an upright position and never even move his body.

"Hmph, what a grotesque little kid you are."

The criminal ringleader then shot out like an arrow, raising her sword once again.

Simply put, the Swordie's sword was both swift and thunderous as it came down at him. This blazing attack could slash apart anyone involved in the organization, crushing them into pieces. Then in a gruesome scene, that corpse would be turned into fine powder.

A Swordie's sword literally meant a one hit kill.

However, that was only if————they hit.

"......!?"

An impatient expression was clearly visible on the face of the criminal ringleader.

From the very first attempt, the criminal ringleader’s one hit killer sword strikes were completely evaded by Kurou.

In rapid succession, the blade, which was so sharp it easily cut through the air, came at Kurou's neck and chest at full force.

He did not initiate an attack, he only kept continuously dodging her attacks. Their blades never clashed either.

If a Swordie's sword were to clash with that of a human's, the human’s sword would be sent flying or perhaps the blade would be sundered. Which would it be......

However, to be capable of continuously evading a Swordie's sword strikes and such, this was practically unbelievable for a human. Human eyes were unable to capture a Swordie's sword maneuvers, thus being unable to completely elude the strikes.

"What the heck you bastard! Just how can a human evade my sword!"

"Hehe, I'm not an alien though. Don't be holding any doubts during battle."

Kurou even wryly smiled. Even though the swings barely brushed past, to be able to see through those strikes that could cut through his entire flesh numerous times without giving off even a single drop of sweat was really quite exceptional.

"I think it's about time......to make my move!"

For the first time Kurou took the initiative. Even though he went at blinding speed from a human's perspective, to a Swordie's dynamic strength it was ridiculously slow.

"Idiot......!"

A smile even surfaced on the face of the criminal ringleader. Regardless if he were to cock the blade over his head or slash downwards, in her eyes it would all seem like a slow motion reflection.

However————

"What......!?"

The moment Kurou swung his sword with all his might————

“W-What......!?”

Her right hand was cut off from the base and blood began spurting out everywhere. The hand which had held the sword, fell to the ground. The shine of the light blade also vanished.

From the looks of it, her shock seemed to have surpassed her pain. She stared at Kurou without even covering her hand which was spraying out blood.

Compared to humans, a Swordie's physical capabilities were vastly superior. Even an injury of this extent wouldn't kill them. As long as a competent medic diagnosed them, the hand could be reattached.

"How could a human's sword......I, that sword, what in the world was that!?"

"Starting from now, you'll have plenty of time to contemplate over this."

This criminal ringleader had slaughtered numerous Sabers and police members. Whether or not she should ever be allowed to step foot in this world again was questionable. There was probably plenty of time to ponder over this later.

"Eh?"

Kurou inadvertently tilted his head.

The right cuff of his long coat was severed. His expression indicated that this must have been the first time he failed in such a manner.

"Haha, this long coat is quite expensive. If they have to replace this long coat again, the boss will surely take a dig at me."

"......You bastard, that bracelet is——"

Due to Kurou's shirt cuffs being cut, the criminal ringleader directed her vision towards his wrist. Looped on there was a white metallic bracelet.

Engraved on the bracelet was an emblem consisting of a sword and the markings of a plant's vines.

"A Sword God's engraving! That's right, you are——it was mentioned that the Sword Saint accepted a disciple, that person is......!"

"Sounds like you have a pretty good understanding. Well, this thing is just a decoration."

Kurou lightly stroked the bracelet.

Blademaster Hyouka————was the Swordie's strongest swordswoman and the mentor who taught Kurou his sword skills.

To Kurou, the fact he will become the successor wasn't really a big deal.

"Kurou, it isn't over yet. This criminal ringleader is an extremely important battle asset to the sun cult. Since the sun cult intentionally sent her here, that must mean......"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Perhaps they even have a lot of accumulated treasure on them."

Kurou directed his vision to the van which still had its engine running. If only he had heard the conversation between the sun cult followers and the criminal ringleader, then he would have known what was stowed away in the van.

"Hey, one-million, what kind of cargo is in the van?"

"Do you think I'd give a damn about that?"

"I suppose so."

Even if the van was stuffed with suitcases full of money, the criminal ringleader probably couldn't care less. She was a being who only showed interest in a sword fight against Swordies.

Lars slowly approached the van.

Gripping the hilt of his sword, he suddenly pulled out his sword in a surprise attack. The sword struck countless times, leaving the backdoor of the van in pieces which were carried away by the wind. Even though he was a boy, a maneuver of this caliber was still extremely simple for any Swordie.

"Goodness gracious, can't you open it through normal means?"

"You never know what might be inside......eh?"

Lars replied to Kurou's frustrated tone while gazing suspiciously at the inside of the van.

"What the heck, there's a person inside. Hey, please come out, we'll just let you go."

Lars stated something beyond expectations. It appears not only was there luggage, there seemed to be a sun cult follower sitting there as well. In actuality, tonight's results with just the one criminal ringleader was more than enough."

"Hey, are you listening? You wouldn't want to be slaughtered by him."

In that instant————

The back of the van overflowed with a radiant light, blocking Kurou's vision.

This was different compared to the white light rays from a Swordie's light blade. What was emitted was a glorious golden color————

"Lars!"

When Kurou yelled out, Lars had already backed off from the van by a couple of meters. Since he was a Swordie and a member of the Sabers, he was extremely agile when dealing with abnormal situations.

Kurou redirected his gaze from Lars back to the van. Because the light pouring from the van was so overwhelming, it was impossible to keep your eyes open. Despite this, having not felt any degree of heat was rather strange.

"What in the world......?"

Under the glare, Kurou saw something unbelievable.

Coming out of the blinding light was a girl.

No wait, the girl was enveloped by the rays of light————

She was about the same age as Kurou, somewhere between fifteen or sixteen years old.

She had long black hair, thoroughly pale skin, and a thin white dress.

Was she not wearing any undergarments? Those ample mounds that was her chest shook substantially with every step she took.

Furthermore, there was an awfully tacky set of handcuffs worn around those snappable looking thin hands.
[[File:Kenshin v01 032.jpg|thumbnail|right]]
The girl walked in front of Kurou without even a second thought.

"......"

The girl remained silent, extended her hands which were handcuffed, and unwaveringly stared into Kurou's eyes. Her expression never changed.

Without warning, the light vanished.

As he recovered his vision, the girl————gradually revealed a smile.

Kurou pretty much reflexively swung down with the sword he had drawn out from before.

A snapping sound was produced when the handcuffs lock got cut by the blade and was sent flying. Her arms, which now have regained its freedom, powerlessly drooped down.

"Ah......"

Just when the girl was about to say something, she trembled and collapsed. It happened so abruptly, like the severing of a thread.

Kurou instantly reacted by supporting her fallen over body. He carried her by her surprisingly skinny shoulders and hips which felt like they could be broken with the slightest impact.

What in the world was going on? What is the best course of action to take? Who is this teenage girl?

At his wit's end while holding on to the girl, Kurou was at a loss over what to do————

The Sabers' headquarters was constructed near the center of Tokyo Swordia within the Specialized Central Region.

In this center region, there were rows upon rows of towering ministry buildings and large businesses.

Situated within that area was the plainly designed ten-story building that was the Sabers' headquarters. The Sabers was established five years ago when the terrorist activities of the sun cult started. Since the organization had not been around that long, unfortunately the headquarters could only be constructed in this unadorned style due to the insufficient budget assigned.

A teenage figure showed up at the headquarter's entrance early in the morning. It was Kurou.

Only a few hours had passed since battling against the criminal ringleader. After the mission was over and the report documents were submitted, he went to a certain office in the Outer Human Region. Just when he was about to take a nap there, he was called over by headquarters.

As Kurou suppressed a yawn, he entered through the front doors.

Located in the main hall was the front desk with a female receptionist sitting idly by. There were also employees holding books while conversing and the cleaning staff tidying up.

Everyone in here was a Swordie. Not every Swordie made a living off wielding a sword. In fact, far more of them took on normal jobs instead.

Kurou, who was the only human within the building, was currently taking the elevator to the highest floor.

After Kurou stepped out of the elevator, he took a detour to the lounge before going to his destination. Inside there were numerous benches set side by side and a vending machine that dispensed drinks.

Once Kurou bought some juice from the vending machine, he stood in front of a window. All of the walls within the lounge were made into windows, allowing him to clearly see the situation outside the building. He was really fond of the scenery here.

Tokyo Swordia was established seventy years ago by the Swordies after the Great War.

The place was integrated as district 23 after the war——and was one of the eight districts of the Chiyoda ward. It was then changed once again into its current Specialized Central Region, a place that encompassed all political and economic functions.

There were also high-rise building areas within the Outer Human Region, but here the greenery was in copious amounts. It even felt like regardless where you were, there would be an obsession to grow greenery in any bit of space that was present.

What could be considered as a thirst for forestation, appears to be some sort of homesickness.

The lush, beautiful, and vast world that was Swordia, was located in another world, one different from Earth. It was the homeworld of the Swordies.

It happened during the Second World War on Earth seventy years ago. At the time of the deadlock, right when each country's military strength began to dwindle————the door was opened.

Within this world, who knows how many of those massive, bizarre doors, or portals rather, linking Earth and Swordia were opened. Swordia's massive army rushed through with one goal in mind and that was to invade.

Following that, the Great War changed in a way that humanity could never have predicted.

For the Swordies whose main weapon was the sword, everyone thought for sure they would be instantly slaughtered by the firearm equipped infantry, tanks, battleships, and aircraft.

However————that wasn't the case.

An abnormal atmosphere arose due to the influence of the massive portals. The earth's environment immediately turned chaotic as the skies and seas became turbulent. Not only were aircraft and battleships unable to move, each individual nation's front lines collapsed since sea, air, and ground transportation abilities were lost.

The Swordies were able to receive supplies from Swordia using their portals which spanned all over the world. Moreover, the elite Swordie troops were unfazed by this abnormal atmosphere.

What ensued was a wondrous sight————

The Swordie army achieved victory and every nation had no choice but to retreat their deployed armies.

The unthinkable had finally become a reality after the conclusion of the war. Although the reasons were quite unclear, after the Swordies claimed victory they instantly shut down all of their portals. Despite inhibiting the disruptive climate, the Swordies did lose their means of returning home.

The place that the Swordies then decided to settle on was————Japan.

When Swordie troops first appeared, it was during the end of the Great War. However, in the past there would be an extremely few number of Swordies who would occasionally arrive in Japan through tiny portals and associate with the people there.

They wanted to turn this country which they were familiar with into their new homeworld.

Following that, the Swordies were successful in placing Japan under their control after the country was weakened by the Great War. The Swordies then implemented a sweeping reform of the government structure and gained a foothold within the country.

Of course, it was an extremely chaotic period throughout this. The Japanese would revolt from time to time. There was even civil strife among the Swordies before the new government was established. However, this was quickly resolved within a short time frame————

Upon achieving dominance over the country, the Swordies added the name of their already forsaken homeworld as their capital.

That was how Tokyo Swordia came to be.

Nevertheless, these facts were quite irrelevant to Kurou who was born in a distant time period from the war.

"Alright, time to go."

He left the lounge after he finished drinking his juice. Standing in front of the door that had the "head director" office sign hanging on it, he casually knocked on the door and stepped in without even waiting for a response.

"Pardon me."

There was already a guest in the head director's office.

Kurou apparently noticed the young female member as well. While sitting in front of the director's desk by the window, she was holding on to the report records while discussing some matters.

Kurou instantly noticed something.

The woman's hand was slightly shaking as she held on to the report. A dreaded look clearly surfaced on her face and even the sword by her waist was clattering. It was truly a pitiful sight.

In addition, leaning against the director's desk was a young woman. She was the boss of the public security force, although that title of hers didn't really match her ten year-old or so complexion. She continued to listen to the report without interrupting.

"————That's all for my report, Director."

"Very well, thank you."

The female member was startled upon hearing the director speak. She proceeded to deeply lower her head and rushed out of the room as if she was trying to escape. Moreover, she ran right past Kurou like she didn't even notice him.

"......What's going on."

"Ah, you're here Kurou-kun, please come this way."

"Alright."

Kurou replied as such and stood in front of the desk.

At this time, a huge wave of pressure assaulted him.

It was as if his body was about to collapse from this sensation that seemed to be binded to his body. He was under the false perception that if this were to continue, his body would probably be crushed into pieces.

If the user was powerful, a Swordie's light could manifest in other physical forms instead of just the light blade.

The woman in front of him possessed light that had overwhelming power. The force could be felt just by standing around her. No one would blame them for being petrified in front of this female member.

Kurou gritted his teeth, stood up straight, and braced himself in face of this impalpable strength.

"You seem to have calmed down. Are you able to speak?"

Kurou lightly nodded.

Whenever anyone stood in front of the director it always turned out like this. For Kurou, as long as he readied himself he could retract the intimidation to a more manageable level.

"Anyhow, it's like people make me out to be a demonic boss considering how I cause everyone to tremble."

The director of the Sabers, Manaka, wryly smiled.

Manaka was a young woman who was twenty-four years-old.

Although the life span of a Swordie was quite similar to that of a human, they were able to delay the effects of aging since they were existences of light. There were many individuals capable of continuously maintaining a youthful appearance of around the age of twenty or so despite being already fifty years-old. Manaka looked like she was only a teenager. This was most likely due to her powerful light force.

Her long blue hair was a rare occurrence even as a Swordie. Tied on both sides of her head were two delicate and inconspicuous ribbons, which suited her quite nicely.

She was wearing the female uniform of the Sabers. It was a black shirt paired with a tight-fitting mini-skirt and a simple suit. Under the suit, her white blouse stuck out at the chest region. As it turns out, her ample bosom was quite noticeable.

A strong willpower could be felt in her green eyes, neat appearance, and her well-proportioned stature. It would be fitting to say that Manaka was a splendid beauty.

However, if you were to judge her based on her appearance it could end up to be quite catastrophic.

Among the Swordies, there exists the Seven Swords who were deemed to be the strongest sword users.

Headed by the Sword Saint, the titles of the other members were the Sword Emperor, Kingsbrand, Dragonblade, General's Sword, Sword of Heaven, and Absolute Blade. The Swordies possessed these seven individuals.

Manaka was the director of the Sabers as well as the one who held the title of the General's Sword out of the Seven Swords.

The overwhelming combat strength of the Seven Swords was capable of matching an entire army. In fact, the activity displayed by the Seven Swords during the Great War was incomparable. Even until now with the Seven Swords symbolizing the Swordie race, they were also authoritative figures reigning over all swordsmen.

"That said, there wasn't really anything that needed reporting early in the morning besides that tsujigiri<ref> Tsujigiri (辻斬り): is a Japanese term for a practice when a samurai, after receiving a new katana sword or developing a new fighting style or weapon, tests its effectiveness by attacking a human opponent, usually a random defenseless passer-by, in many cases during nighttime.</ref> incident from before in the Outer Human Region."

"Yeah, I heard the rumors. It appears five or six people were already murdered."

Those murdered from the tsujigiri incident were all humans, therefore the criminal was most likely a Swordie. The Sabers had to take care of this incident, which was classified under terrorist activities. From the looks of it, they have already dispatched many female members who were highly skilled in using a sword.

"Yes, that's exactly the incident's report. However, the full story still isn't clear to me————well that seems to be it. It's really troublesome to have made no progress in the middle of a case."

Manaka stated as such. She leaned her entire body against the back of a chair and remained silent.

"......Ummm Director, was there something you needed me to do?"

Kurou reluctantly spoke. To have called over someone specifically and then not say a word, this would be quite troubling to any recipient.

"You don't need to speak in such a reserved manner. It's quite displeasing."

"Even if you say so, you are still my superior."

"No need to worry. To me, you are just the disciple of my older sister."

"......"

Kurou's master was the Sword Saint and the General's Sword was her younger sister.

In other words, the sisters ascended to the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Even though they were among Swordies, it was an exceedingly rare occurrence to see such an extraordinary sister pair.

"Kurou-kun, how's the job treating you? Have you already gotten the hang of things around here?"

"Just barely. It's still the same as before, just me working individually."

Kurou nonchalantly stated.

Just a moment ago, the female member's attitude exemplified Kurou's position within the Sabers.

What should be a constituted as a Swordie-only public security force had a foreigner mixed in. Clearly a human, they felt awkward battling alongside someone like him, plus they were highly pretentious.

It wouldn't be wrong for Kurou to assume that all Sabers members were like this.

"Other than during a mission, no one will even talk to me except Lars."

"Well, Lars is the same. He would be perceived as unusual within this organization as well."

Manaka wryly smiled and shrugged.

"Even though it has been over a year, you still feel the same. Well, there are many Swordies with big egos around here."

Aren't you one of those Swordies too? Kurou snarkily thought to himself.

However, Manaka was also a pretty bizarre individual among the Swordies. She would have an indifferent expression in regards to her delicate position when dealing with Kurou. It was mainly due to her informal attitude, not just because she was his master's sister.

"That said, it's been a year......starting from when my sister left here, a year has already passed."

"......"

Sword Saint Hyouka————her whereabouts became unknown a year ago.

Manaka became Kurou's new guardian after the Sword Saint left. Although he was within Swordie society, a minor still needed a guardian.

Except, Kurou never easily accepted having another person being his guardian. He decided to join the Sabers with Manaka for the sake of earning money to buy food.

No matter how capable a person was, there would be many obstacles for a human entering a Swordie organization. Because the Sabers was a young organization, there was enough flexibility to let Kurou enter the team. Of course, Manaka's mediation played a huge role as well.

"Well, regardless of what's going on with my sister, if it's her, she wouldn't lose her life to any accidents or things of that nature. Aside from that, let's get right to the main issue at hand."

"There's an issue?"

Kurou had just begun to think Manaka had called him over just to converse.

"Ah right, does it have anything to do with the girl from yesterday's situation?"

"Girl? What are you talking about?"

"......You should read the report once more. Although it's a hassle, I clearly documented it in there."

Yesterday night, a peculiar girl appeared from the sun cult's van.

After that, she was handed off to the other Sabers members that came over. Once the criminal ringleader was handed over as well, there was probably going to be a not so pleasant interrogation session awaiting her after she received treatment. However, the Sabers probably wouldn't do anything rash towards a defenseless girl.

"There was no way I was going to read the report that was just submitted yesterday. It's not my duty. Furthermore, I'm speaking to you as your guardian rather than as your superior. In other words, it's about your Dagger."

"The Dagger!"

The so-called Dagger was another name for a Swordie's ID. On the hilt, a special household emblem would be engraved on it. Until a Swordie was ready to assume personal responsibility, the Dagger would be entrusted to a guardian for the time being.

Out of Tokyo Swordia's ten million population, Swordies only make up ten percent of it. Although there was a degree of discrepancy among the Swordies, anyone could attain "nobility". This meant an increase in various privileges with respect to status and property. The Dagger symbolized this privileged social class.

"Kurou-kun is a Sabers member who records these incidents. Moreover, you possess the mark of being the Sword Saint's successor, something no one could have ever imagined. I would think the prerequisites for receiving the Dagger are more than fulfilled......"

"Is there still a problem then?"

Despite being a human, there was still the possibility of him obtaining a Swordie ID. Many decide to pay the huge sum of money to those who oversee the handling of Daggers at the Emblem Management Institution, however there were exceptions.

Kurou, who displayed his mastery in swordsmanship and submitted an ID application form, was currently one of the exceptions.

"After all Kurou-kun, you haven't even received any formal compulsory education. For you to have received the basic rights of a city resident is already quite the accomplishment."

"......I suppose so."

It was pretty much a given that his master Hyouka's abilities in swordsmanship carried safeguards. Even within the Sword Saint's history, she was particularly outstanding.

However, her temperament was a bit of an issue. "Speaking of practice, we should live in seclusion deep in the mountains", she harbored these types of outdated methods. Just like that, she took her pupil away from the village and into the mountains to train. During that time, Kurou couldn't attend primary school or middle school.

"I understand where you're coming from......ultimately, this is the course of action they want me to take."

"The Emblem Management Institution's verdict was very simple. They just want you to attain a Swordie's education."

"What!?"

"Today is April 25th. Even though the new school year has already begun, it should be no problem for the institution to turn a blind eye towards something of this magnitude. Starting today you'll be enrolled in a Swordie academy to attain your diploma."

"......!"

"Well, that's all I have to say. Good luck!"

Looks like there won't be any room for rebuttals.

However, Kurou's had always aspired to attain his Dagger.

The nation was under Swordie control, that was the reality.

If he were to continue living here, Kurou would want to live a comfortable lifestyle.

Because of this, he decided to resume life among the Swordies.

The Sword Academy————

Although it was an academy for Swordie children, it had received much praise as a higher education institution by prestigious individuals.

Despite humans and Swordies being segregated into separate schools, the difference in their education system was quite minimal.

The Sword Academy was the equivalent of a high school in human society.

However, only those who were highly adaptable with a sword could enroll in the academy since there was more to the school than just academics.

For the sake of honing their swordsmanship, an optimal environment was created. This environment was known as the Sword Academy.

The academy was situated in the northwest section of Tokyo Swordia's Specialized Central Region, near the border to the Outer Human Region. There was a forest and numerous parks and such nearby. Plus, it was an extremely tranquil location.

The students were walking along the road to school quietly as they headed towards the school gates.

"Haa......"

Kurou sighed deeply as he arrived at the school gates.

Today he was not wearing his intimidating Sabers long coat, instead he was wearing a school uniform.

He wore a red tie at the collar of his beige suit.

Along with that, he also carried a heavy backpack filled with textbooks.

The tie hung all the way down to his waist and he also kept the scabbard to his sword suspended from his belt. However, there were no other students who carried a katana on them.

On the second day when Manaka called him over to headquarters, Kurou woke up early in the morning and hurriedly made his way to school.

Ever since yesterday, the days of fighting off terrorists were long gone. Now he was just a student. Although it was for obtaining his Dagger, to the working civilian, it did feel like a step backwards.

It was quite beyond expectations to be forced to enroll in the prestigious Sword Academy for his studies.

Even though Kurou felt he was being made a fool of by the people around him, there was no escape.

“Come on Kurou, put away that gloomy expression. Let’s get a move on.”

“......Jeez.”

Kurou couldn’t help but direct his focus onto Lars who patted him on the shoulders.

He was also the same, wearing the same Sword Academy uniform as Kurou. What was he thinking enrolling into the academy as well.

However, both of them were teenagers who would turn sixteen this year. It could be said that compared to getting in street fights every night, it would be more ordinary to go to school.

“The Sabers work wasn’t so bad, but for it to be filled with so much killing is really quite a bummer————, if we’re here, at least there are plenty of girls. You must actively look towards the future Kurou.”

The Sword Academy was the Swordies' highest educational system standard. There were many outstanding fledgling swordswomen. A female becoming a swordswoman would of course be more outstanding so the student body was practically all girls. Despite there being a small population of guys studying there, they haven’t seen a trace of their existence yet.

“You’re right......we should monopolize all the girls.”

“You’re getting way too ahead of yourself!”

Lars habitually replied with a snark remark towards Kurou’s statement which completely revealed his desires. However, this portion of the conversation was clearly heard by the girls passing by.

The girls whispered amongst each other while coldly eyeing Kurou and Lars as they walked past them.

“Kurou, looks like we’re not really welcomed here.”

“That’s always been the case for me.”

Kurou referred to himself in this manner. It was true though, it has always been like this for him. Because of that, there was no point in minding such matters.

Moreover, it was just as Lars said, it probably felt pretty exciting to be in an environment filled with cute girls.

A commonly passed around rumor in Tokyo Swordia was that the female students of the Sword Academy were all beautiful individuals. Although Kurou had never put in any effort to confirm this, it would seem the rumor was true.

The uniforms for the girls were the same as the guys in terms of the suit and tie. There was a discrepancy between grades though. The ties were split into three colors, red, green, and blue.

There were also some people who chose to wear a belt. However, since their swords were all kept away, none of the students carried a sword on them. It seems that even though it was a prestigious sword academy, most of the times the students would avoid carrying their sword within the school.

Kurou had visited other Swordie schools before. Seeing these otherworldly girls wear a tie to school was quite intriguing.

It was said that the other world where Swordies lived resembled medieval Europe.

The people would live in wood constructed houses and wear clothes made out of silk and linen. Their diet was comprised of bread and soup and their means transportation consisted of walking and horseback riding. Those in the upper class would ride in carriages.

Compared to earth, this kind of civilization lagged way behind.

However, after the Great War and gaining control of Japan, the Swordies adapted to and absorbed the cultures of earth at an alarming pace. In a sense, there was no moral integrity in the way they handled things.

The Swordies now live in reinforced concrete houses and wear clothes woven from chemical fibres. Whether it was Western food, Chinese food, or sushi, they would eat it all. Of course, they now drive cars, fly planes, and shop at convenience stores as well.

The girls at the Sword Academy wore beautiful ties. Their fair, succulent thighs were moderately exposed from the miniskirt.

Ignoring the rights or wrongs of the drastic cultural changes to the Swordies for now, to Kurou, he had no reason to shun Swordie girls.

“Alright Kurou, stop gazing and let’s go. There will be countless girls for you to gaze at in the future.”

“Alright.”

Kurou nodded and walked through the school gates alongside Lars.

At the same time he offered a prayer in hopes that there will be much exhilaration awaiting him.

The classroom was silent.

“My name is Kurou. Although I transferred into this class at an odd time, please take good care of me.”

In front of the blackboard, Kurou did his best to maintain a smile as he greeted the other students.

“......”

There was no response. All the students within the classroom remained quiet.

Kurou was not disheartened either. He sustained his smile and proceeded towards the designated seat the teacher assigned.

How troublesome, Kurou was seated in the middle of the classroom.

There were only girls around him. Furthermore, all the girls within his line of sight did not wish to even look in his direction. Rather, it felt as if the surrounding area was saturated with a subtle sense of tension.

Judging from the looks of it, everyone held a firm resolve to ignore Kurou.

Class immediately started as soon as the extracurricular activities ended.

The first period was mathematics. Even though Kurou had not gone to school before, he had at least learned basic math skills and such from his master. Despite this, he lacked confidence in himself when it came to understanding any mathematics related topics.

With this kind of tense environment, how could anyone even consider going to class.

“Haa——......”

In order to prevent anyone from hearing him sigh, he suddenly turned towards his side. Sitting alongside the window was the other male student, Lars.

Lars introduced himself in front of Kurou and the others. He did not receive any reactions either but he completely brushed that matter aside. Even right now he maintained that apathetic expression of his during this tense atmosphere as he looked out the window.

There was nothing Kurou could do about it. He could only try to bear through this sort of abnormal atmosphere.

Kurou understood that within the Sword Academy, which was comprised of many capable swordswomen, the other students would definitely not be receptive to the idea of a human being weaved in. That was because they already find Swordie men to be intolerable, yet Kurou was actually a notch lower than that————a human.

However, Kurou was already used to this type of response. He had been treated similarly while he was with the Sabers. That was why he showed hardly any interest for this current predicament.

With that said......

“Ah.”

The girl sitting in front of him dropped her eraser and the eraser bounced towards Kurou’s seat.

“Hey, you dropped your————”

The moment Kurou was about to bend over to pick up the eraser, the girl sitting in front of him moved at a blinding speed. After she swiftly picked up her eraser, she returned her attention to the blackboard as if nothing happened.

“......”

Typical of Swordie girls————from the moment she took action to her expressionless demeanor, it was all done with breakneck speed.

Although Kurou was quite accepting of things up until now, he did feel a bit crestfallen.

To be openly rejected by girls of the same age clearly vexed him a great deal.

Moreover, the Sabers female members were practically all older than Kurou. Since he held little interest in older women, he was callous towards being ignored by them.

However, his interest spiked when it came to girls around his age. Plus, the girls in his class were all beauties. If possible, he wished to improve relations with them.

In spite of that, seeing the attitude the girl sitting in front of him had, he knew his chances of improving relations were slim.

Kurou once again heaved a sigh as he pondered.

At the very least, he felt that living a type of school life where he would not be shunned was pretty much out of the question.

“Haa~Haa”

Kurou had already lost count of how many times he sighed today.

Currently it was period three, sword class, during the first day of his transfer.

During the morning, the extracurricular activities along with period one mathematics and period two language class all came to a stagnant end. At the end of it all, Kurou became thoroughly isolated by the girls around him.

The Swordie students wouldn’t even look him in the eye, even the teachers would only engage in formal conversations with him the entire time. Of course, the teachers were all Swordies.

All the girls would evade him as he walked along the hallways. Regardless of where he was, he always heard derisive words being spoken behind his back.

Apparently there was a large barrier between Swordies and humans.

“Oh my god.”

As for his options, he could do nothing besides bemoan to himself as such. Since the class did not involve lectures, he figured there might be a change of pace during sword training. However, nothing exciting really came to fruition.

Sword training took place in a special classroom that differed from a gymnasium.

The girls wore an ordinary yet easily maneuverable attire that consisted of a t-shirt along with tight purple ballet pants while the guys wore t-shirts and shorts.

“However, the equipment we use is surprisingly rough.”

Kurou calmly waved the wooden blade around.

Sword training utilized wooden blades instead of the safer bamboo blades. It was known as a wooden sword to the Swordies.

A Swordie’s physique wasn’t as hard as iron but their light reinforced bodies practically received no damage from bamboo swords. It seemed that wooden swords were incapable of delivering a fatal wound to them as well.

As a result, the students would use wooden swords in class......

“I really wish they would step in the shoes of a human and rethink this. If I were to be struck by a heavy blow with a wooden sword I’d be dead.”

“Well, isn’t this for the sake of your goals? You can probably just endure that kind of thing for now.”

Lars, who had his wooden sword rested on his shoulders, laughed as he spoke. He was unlike Kurou. Being a Swordie, he probably would not die from an attack by a wooden sword. Because of that, he appeared to be completely carefree.

“However, having this number of people wielding swords at once is really quite a sight.”

Lars commented while looking at his surroundings.

Sword training comprised of two conjoined classes with about sixty students in total. The teacher who was instructing everyone only occasionally stepped in. This training appeared to be just letting the students find their own mistakes while at the same time honing their own techniques. Besides Kurou and Lars, the other students found suitable sparring partners as they engaged in practice.

There was no one who feared practicing with a wooden sword. Every student gradually became well-versed in swordsmanship. This was quite understandable considering how outstanding the students who gathered at this school were.

“Hey, that kid doesn’t seem to have a sparring partner.”

“......!”

He searched left and right amongst the girls walking by. As soon as the girl realizes the person she was about to greet was Kurou, she would definitely make a lightning fast escape.

“......That’s quite hurtful of you. That being said, do you think I’d be easily thrashed by her?”

“I’m not quite sure myself. However, your situation seems to have been spread around the school.”

“What are you talking about? Where did you hear this news?”

Kurou sharply glared at Lars. Lars was always like this, doing this kind of stuff behind his back.

“From an active Sabers member. That’s all that needs to be said right? However, these overconfident Swordie girls would probably hesitate as well if they knew you were the Sword Saint’s pupil......”

“So you’re saying there’s no way they’d underestimate me.”

Kurou directed his vision towards the Sword Saint’s successor marking carved onto his bracelet.

Well, that was to be expected. Although he was a student, a human would just be seen as a weak existence in the eyes of the other students. However, if he was the Sword Saint’s disciple, then it would be uncertain as to what his strength would be. Even if he were to lose, there would be nothing shameful about that.

“Even if you have no partners, as long as you come to class you will certainly find one eventually. Furthermore, the top five ranked first year students have the same Swordsman title as us. As for the upperclassmen, there seems to be a Sword Princess. Additionally, there appears to be classes where we combine with the upperclassmen. Perhaps we may get a chance to battle against the Sword Princess.”

“The Sword Princess......”

As soon as a Swordie could assume responsibility in taking care of certain things, they would be able to attain the title of Swordsman. This was on record and was a qualification acknowledged by the country. It was pretty much all given at the discretion of the school teachers or mentors. There were many who attained the title by the age of 18. As long as you were a Swordie, this title was pretty much a given. With just the swordsman qualification, you could enlist in the army, become part of the Sabers, or qualify for any position that required wielding a sword.

The rank above a Swordsman was a Sword Princess. Only one out of ten thousand people could attain this title. They were guaranteed to be powerful. If it were one of them, perhaps the Sword Saint’s disciple would not instill any fear at all.

“That’s right, it’d be pretty interesting if we could battle someone with the rank of Sword Princess!”

“I apologize for not being a Sword Princess, but if you’d be willing, I would like to be your opponent.”

The class hushed down immediately.

A girl who wasn’t in Kurou’s classroom walked straight towards him. It must have been someone from a nearby class.

Her long and glamorous blonde hair was tied towards the left of her head, resembling what was known as a ponytail. Her facial features were extremely well-kept and those substantial eyes of hers exuded a fearsome willpower. The color of her eyes was sort of a blend between blue and emerald green————which formed a very lovely halcyon green hue.

This unimaginably cute and slender beauty was practically fairy-like.

The swells on her chest were enormous and their shape was quite satisfactory. She was snappily thin at the waist. Those legs of hers that were encased by those tight ballet pants were extremely soft, also her feet seemed pretty tiny......

“Alright, very nice.”

“What are you talking about?”

Towards Kurou thinking aloud to himself, the blonde girl sharply snapped back.

The girl’s speech patterns possessed boy-like qualities.

“Ah, it’s nothing. You want to be my opponent? In that case————

“P-Please hold a sec Sefi-sama.”

Between the girl known as Sefi and Kurou, another girl came between them.

With an audaciously short haircut that practically left her forehead exposed, she was a truly vivacious girl.

“To think Sefi-sama would actually consider this thing as her opponent! This guy is a male human you know!”

“Referring to me as “this thing” is really disrespectful! I even feel like I’d turn into a coddling father!”

“As if I would care over such a thing!”

Kurou’s rebuttal was instantly shot down by her one line.

“Y-Yeah that’s right, no good will come out of this if your opponent is him......”

Another girl came forward and spoke with a weak voice. For Swordies, it was uncommon to see them wearing glasses like she was, plus she also kept her hair free flowing. However, this girl seemed to be a very well-behaved person.

“Let me take care of my own business. The two of you are to stay back.”

“B-But Sefi-sama......for the princess of the four generals and a human......”

“Quit your squabbling Neena. I won’t forgive anyone who interferes, even if it’s you.”

Once she had reached this point, the one known as Neena finally backed off. At the same time, the girl with the short hair also parted a step back.

The so-called four generals referred to the four that commanded the Swordie army back during the Great War as well as their descendants.

These people became the ones with the most power within the Swordie government. Their positions only alternated with hereditary supercedings.

To sum it all up————Sefi, who was known as the princess of the four generals, could be considered as the one closest to the nation’s highest status. Although she was only a student, her position did not allow her to play around with humans.

“I believe you said your name was Kurou. For now, I’m a Swordsman just like you. Perhaps it may be inadequate, but would you accept my battle invitation?”

“I’d be honored Princess-sama.”

Kurou smiled as he nodded.

He placed his wooden sword in an upright position as he faced Sefi.

Sefi did the same and centered her sword upright as she attentively gazed at Kurou’s eyes.

As soon as their sights were locked on to each other————

Sefi suddenly made the first move. Without any hesitation, she ferociously charged in.

During a Swordie competition, there did not exist a starting signal such as “ready, set, go”. As soon as both felt the other was prepared, the competition would start right away. Before then, neither side would make a surprise attack.

Sefi swung her wooden sword straight down from above her head. Woosh, the sound of ruffled winds could be heard. The wooden sword winded forth with enormous momentum. Kurou only slightly stepped aside to avoid Sefi’s threatening first strike. That strike appeared to have enough power to blow someone away with just the ensuing wind pressure.

Sefi once again slightly readjusted the hilt of the sword, this time for a horizontal slice. Even this maneuver was dodged by Kurou as he leaned back. A fierce gale violently blew towards Kurou, kicking his hair up.

“Tch......!”

A click of the tongue came from the girl’s cute lips.

Sefi’s sword once again whizzed by. Faced with this diagonal attack to his right, Kurou evaded with dance-esque movements. Afterwards, he readjusted his sword upright as if nothing happened.

"You're very capable Princess-sama."

"Are you taunting me?"

Sefi ruthlessly glanced over. Even that menacing expression was captivatingly cute. It was said that Swordie women were at the peak of their beauty during combat. The situation right now made that saying quite understandable.

"......!"

Confronted with another one of Sefi's attacks, Kurou once again dodged it.

There was already no leeway to be leisurely admiring her. Although he could maneuver around the lithe wooden sword like he had learned from practice, if a Swordie's force happened to impact him in the head for example, his skull would probably be shattered.

"How scary."

Kurou slightly grinned.

The sound of whispering by the other students around them could be heard.

"What do you think will happen?" "Sefi-sama is really giving it her all......" "That person would never take it easy on anyone." "Is that guy really a human?"

How frightening, Sefi’s abilities must be among the highest here yet she was unable to score a direct hit on a diminutive human. The students being at a loss for words was to be expected.

“......Hey, why aren’t you attacking?”

Sefi muttered her obvious suspicion.

“I’m not looking down on you. As for my methods————I don’t think I’m required to say.”

Kurou had positioned both his hands on the wooden sword before, but now he only had his right hand hold on to it.

Using an unhurried pace, he shifted around as he closed in on Sefi.

“......!”

Sefi shuffled back as if she was a little kid startled by the bark of a dog.

Regardless of that, once Kurou was at the appropriate distance, he firmly gripped the wooden sword and swung downwards. The people around him could clearly see the path of the sword.

However————

“Guah!”

Sefi’s wooden sword met Kurou’s on impact————snap, the portion of the wooden sword that came apart fell on the ground following that snapping sound.

“......I guess that’s it. Thank you for your time Princess-sama.”

“Wait, please wait a sec!”

Kurou did not respond to Sefi’s holler. He turned around and marched off.

In front of him, Lars folded his arms and silently smiled. He saw through the whole thing.

“Princess-sama.”

“W-What?”

Kurou suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around.

Sefi was still holding on to the broken wooden sword, but for some reason her face was completely flushed red.

“Please battle with me again next time. No one else is willing to battle me.”

“......I don't want to.”

Sefi suddenly turned around. Her attitude was different compared to her threatening demeanor from before. This time she displayed a rather cute expression.

From the looks of things, regardless if she was the princess of the four generals or a wielder of a sword, she was still just a fifteen or sixteen year-old girl.

Kurou once again smiled as he walked off.

Within the showers, the sound of running water could be heard.

The scalding water ran down Sefi’s fair skin.

This was one of the girls dormitories within the Sword Academy. All of the dorms within the Sword Academy’s grounds were outfitted with showers, bathrooms, and even kitchens.

At the end of every day, Sefi would take a shower within the immaculate shower room. She seemed to enjoy the temperature of the burning hot water greatly.

However, despite taking a hot shower at the moment, she was not in the least jubilant. She was really down in the dumps right now.

“......”

As the warm water trickled down Sefi’s head, she tightly bit her lips.

Everyone must have noticed————

Sefi recalled today’s sword training.

“There’s nothing you can do about the wooden swords breaking occasionally”, her friends responded in this fashion.

However, despite everyone being a student, she was one of the select Swordie girls. There was no way she could have miscomprehended the situation.

The break in Sefi’s wooden sword was definitely not by chance. It was purposefully fractured by that transfer student named Kurou.

But that wasn’t all.

Sefi gave it her all in each of her sword maneuvers. The way she wielded her sword could have even killed Kurou. However, he completely dodged her moves with little difficulty————furthermore, she spared no effort in using her wooden sword to defend against a human’s exceedingly torpid attack.

There was no doubt that the surrounding spectators viewed it like this.

Can’t I win against him, it looks like————

Sefi clenched her first. She wanted to forcefully punch the wall within the shower room......but she stopped herself right there.

Even if she destroyed the wall, the facts would still stay the same.

The fact that she had already lost.

“Haha, really now.”

Sefi turned off the running water and walked out of the shower. Her long blonde hair swayed as she moved.

She boorishly wiped her hair and body with a towel and after putting on her white colored panties, she walked out of the shower room.

Despite the beads of water dripping onto the ground, Sefi did not mind in the least bit. She hurriedly marched off with just a towel wrapped around her shoulders. Due to her wealthy background, she would have servants waiting upon her at home. As a result, she wasn’t too concerned with what she did.

Oh right, I guess I should do that.

Sefi suddenly recalled something.

Sefi had a routine of reading books for an hour before she went to sleep every day. Today should be no different. If there was the leisure time for it, her mood will most certainly improve. It would be best to go to sleep with a better state of mind.

With that said, time to make the preparations————

“Eh......?”

After opening the door at the end of the hallway and entering the living room————Sefi became speechless.

“Oh......Eh?”

“W-W-W-W-W-Wh......Why are you......”

Kurou, who was sitting on the living room couch nonchalantly, caught sight of Sefi.
[[File:Kenshin v01 002.jpg|thumbnail|right]]
His mouth was wide open and his eyes were locked in a stare. He seemed to be completely in shock.

As Sefi was rendered speechless, her eyes flickered as she gazed at Kurou————suddenly, she realized the current state of her body.

Other than the towel wrapped around her shoulders and her panties, she wasn’t wearing anything else. Her naked appearance was completely exposed right in front of a boy————

“Kya————”

She wanted to lament but Sefi tried her best to endure this. She was absolutely prohibited from screaming at this time of day.

Sefi used her two hands to cover her body as she glared at the completely rigid Kurou.

“P-Please turn away! Can’t you at least do that Rou!”

After Sefi walked out of the living room to change into her clothes in another room, she immediately came back.

This girl’s dorm was pretty much like a high-scale apartment with additional rooms in it. It was very luxurious.

Sefi took a seat next to Kurou on the couch.

“Well Rou, what are you doing?”

“Trying to sneak into a girl’s dorm!”

“Don’t be so arrogant you pervert!”

Sefi glared at Kurou with an indignant expression. Kurou on the other hand merely spoke honestly knowing that whatever he was going to say couldn’t distort the truth.

“Haa......jeez, someone like you ought to……”

Sefi heavily sighed.

Her hair was tied into a ponytail. She wore a light pink sweater along with a black miniskirt.

“Why weren’t you in your sleepwear? Then you wouldn’t be all exposed.”

“I don’t have anything of the sort. Even if I did, I wouldn’t wear it in front of outsiders!”

It was quite regrettable. Who would have thought that after taking a shower, someone would change back into daily attire and have people expect this sort of development.

“After seeing me like that......you still wish to humiliate me!?”

“Wasn’t it Princess-sama who provided me with this fanservice without my permission when I came here by chance?"

“It wasn’t by chance! You clearly went overboard and snuck in, yet you’re still saying things like that! Furthermore, please don’t call me ‘Princess-sama.’”

“......Understood, Sefi.”

Kurou smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

After glaring at Kurou for a bit————Sefi chuckled.

“How many years has it been......the last time we met was two years ago right?”

“It was 1 year, 311 days ago.”

“That’s way too accurately remembered! How despicable!”

Kurou thought to himself, “With that said, Sefi isn’t the type to joke around with.”

“You’re always messing with people......you were like this in the past as well.”

“No, I’d say this aspect has taken a turn for the worse.”

“Up to no good as usual!”

What Sefi had said was accurate.

Despite being the princess of the four generals, she was also a prestigious swordswoman————in fact, she was Kurou’s friend from quite some time ago as well.

Ever since Kurou was a child, he would follow the Sword Saint deep into the mountains for days upon days of training. At times there would be guests visiting and Sefi was one of them.

More accurately, the one who had business with the Sword Saint was actually her sister. Sefi’s sister, Silfi, was a friend of the Sword Saint and Sefi would follow her sister into the mountains in order to battle against Kurou.

Although there would only be a few encounters between them each year, Kurou and Sefi could be described as childhood friends. She probably felt the same way as well.

People would address the princess by honorific only. However, Kurou felt that their relationship was quite close considering she would call him by a pet name.

Even though someone had snuck into her room and despite being seen completely naked, she didn’t alert anyone. From this vantage, the friendship between him and Sefi was clearly visible. A friendship that hasn’t withered away even with the two year separation.

Of course, the two of them pretended not to know each other during class, but this was because they took each others’ standing into consideration.

“Ha, I have so many things I want to say. However, you are really quite capable to be able to sneak in here. Tentatively, this dorm has security installations.”

“I came in properly through the entrance as well as came into this room through the door. However, things like security cameras and locks don’t really count as safety features to me. Sneaking into a dorm filled with fledgling Swordie swordswomen isn’t really that hard.”

“That’s because you came to my place......other than swordsmanship, you still have this despicable skill.”

Confronted with Sefi, who was at wit’s end, Kurou only lightly chuckled and then stayed silent.

Sneaking into buildings was something taught to him while he was with the Sabers. Because that wasn’t an ability to be proud of, Kurou wished to put an end to this topic.

“Anyways, why did you come to our school Rou————”

“Umm.”

As Sefi underwent a change of mood when she asked, Kurou’s tummy growled.

“Ah hehe, it’s because i needed to test my intrusion plan. That’s why I haven’t eaten anything today.”

“......You’re really a handful. What am I supposed to do with you.”

With a hopeless expression, Sefi shook her head. Ever since just a moment ago, she had maintained a despairing look.

“Oh yeah, now is the perfect time to do that.”

“That?”

“Yup, doing this for just one person isn’t really feasible but if it’s Rou then it’d be perfect. After sneaking inside a girl’s room, you don’t really have the right to complain."

“H-Ha......”

That, what was she referring to?

While Kurou was distressing over this, there was nothing he could do against Sefi inching her face closer to him, perhaps due to his fear.

“Ah Sefi......surely it isn’t, who would have thought you could do this kind of thing.”

Kurou sighed.

Although it was said that girls could undergo drastic changes within a short time frame, who would have known that Sefi had reached techniques of this magnitude.

“Oh it’s nothing really, but I suppose it isn’t too shabby right? Oh, what’s with that gratified expression of yours......”

Sefi revealed a flirtatious smile.

Even though that typical stern expression of hers was quite nice, the expression just now really suited Sefi. Normally, there would definitely be somewhat of a childish complexion on her but right now she possessed the look of a mature adult. Women were really quite intimidating because of this.

“But you’re really capable......Sefi. For it to be this tasty, it really is quite unbelieveable.”

“Oh really, the ingredients are of the highest quality.”

“Haha, highest quality eh.”

Kuro smiled as he stuffed two onigiris into his mouth.

There was a table by the couch where the two were sitting. On top of it were some onigiris, a full bowl of minced meat soup made out of pork and vegetables, soft and sweet scrambled eggs, as well as cold vegetables topped with dressing.

These were all prepared by Sefi. Ever since she was young, she had always shown interest in cooking. Kurou couldn’t even keep count how many times she would treat him to her cooking. Compared to two years ago, her technique had improved substantially.

“However, I’d be screwed if people here found out that I was cooking. People associated with the four generals shouldn’t be cooking and such. This is supposedly a servant’s task————getting taught in these matters was particularly troublesome. In my old house, although I would secretly discuss cooking topics with the maids I had good relations with, we would never touch upon actual cooking. Rather, we would use “that” as a secret signal for substituting out words.”

So this secret signal really did have some sort of profound meaning behind it. Kurou snarked to himself.

“Hmm? In that case, you didn’t bring any servants with you? If it’s just one person living within a dorm, you should be permitted to bring servants right?”

The children of many prestigious households were within the Sword Academy. As a result, there was this rule in place.

The people who worked the kitchens here were most likely servants brought along from the student’s household.

“It’d be much more peaceful if I stayed here by myself. I’d only have the household maids bring over some ingredients since I can’t even go out to buy that kind of stuff.”

“What a troublesome life.”

The life of the princess of the four generals seems to be filled with hardship.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about this. You can’t change a person’s background no matter what you do. With that said, what about you Kurou? Let me hear about the details of your circumstance.”

“I have already mentioned it before though.”

Kurou gulped down some of the minced meat soup.

When Sefi was preparing her dishes, Kurou practically recounted the entire process of enrolling into the Sword Academy. However, beyond that he didn’t give much of an explanation for it.

“During this two year period I haven’t heard anything about you. Although I do know that the Sword Saint’s whereabouts became unknown......you holding up ok?”

“It’s been fine for the most part. Even though master was a strange person, she is very famous. To have accepted a human as a disciple and along with her disappearance, no one should be too surprised.”

“Ah, I see......”

“I don’t have a problem with it either. The training was pretty much over anyways.”

Kuro gently rubbed the bracelet under the cuff of his uniform. Since the continual training, he had received the mark of a successor after being confirmed as one of the candidates to be the next Sword Saint.

“However, is that fine with you? As long as Kurou still has the successor’s mark, there probably isn’t many people who can take responsibility for you.”

“To become one of the symbolic Seven Swords of the Swordies, and having the most powerful throne being passed down to a human? Most of those with power would find it inconceivable. If only I could carefully request my master once she comes back to remove the successor’s mark.”

“Does Rou feel as if this is the best solution?”

“There’s nothing good or bad about it.”

Kurou revealed an anguished smile.

“My hope is to receive my Dagger after graduation and work for the Sabers or some place like that. Then I want to construct my own house and settle down with a family. That’s all there is to it.”

“.......Kurou, you haven’t changed one bit. Always so down-to-earth.”

Sefi revealed an unspeakably subtle expression.

She understood Kurou didn’t have any wild ambitions. She also knew he wasn’t really obsessed with swords. Although that wasn’t really a positive thing in her opinion......

“However, I can’t say for sure that is my path either.”

“......”

Once again, Sefi clearly revealed a dejected expression.

The so-called princess of the four generals was Tokyo Swordia’s highest position, which belonged to Sefi.

Despite being a human, Kurou decided to live among the Swordies.

Therefore the two of them being depressed was sort of understandable. However, at least Sefi had a decent amount of freedom and she seemed to feel guilty about this.

“I’m sorry Sefi.”

“Eh?”

Sefi was surprised at what Kurou said.

“I shouldn’t be going easy during sword training anymore. However, I can’t really say I was just playing around but perhaps there was the intention to mess around for a bit at the time. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten the chance to fight against Sefi, I almost didn’t want it to end. No wait, this description doesn’t quite suit it either......”

“......You——idiot, I know I can’t win against Kurou. We battled together countless times before, I already knew there was no way to catch up to you during that two year gap.”

Sefi was very strong, but she was also quite straightforward.

Although she wasn’t willing to admit defeat, she did possess an objective reasoning in understanding the truth. Regardless of it being from a swordsman or a normal person, this was a positive quality to have. Kurou really liked this about her.

“Could it be that you came here just to talk about this? Even after you teased me like that, you still wish to disgrace me......”

“Based on your attitude, you must be extremely angry right?”

“Of course. In my mind, I’ve already killed Kurou ten times.”

“At the very least control that number.”

“However, the wooden sword broke because I was weaker than Rou. I’m angry mostly at myself having easily lost like that.”

Sefi tightly clenched her fist.

Seeing her like this, Kurou suddenly got in front of her.

When Kurou and Sefi first met, they were only ten years-old. By that time Kurou had already been training with the Sword Saint for four years.

If it was a Swordie girl of the same age, there was no way he would lose. Due to the Sword Saint’s nightmarish training, he had already attained such finesse.

Every time Sefi lost to Kurou, she would clench her fists and pound the ground. Despite being just a kid, attacking the ground with the arm strength of a Swordie resulted in the ground caving in which led to Kurou shaking in fear. As a human, if he was hit with that kind of force then he would probably die with one hit.

Kurou would put his life at stake during training and the primary reason for that was probably because of Sefi.

“......What are you doing staring at me with such a stupid expression?”

“Ah, no......”

Kurou dubiously smiled and extended his hand towards Sefi————

“Sefi has grown up quite a bit.”

“......!?”
[[File:Kenshin v01 070.jpg|thumbnail|right]]
Sefi, whose breasts were suddenly groped by Kurou, trembled all over. Following that she scooted to the edge of the couch.

“W-What are you trying to do......!?”

“W-What’s going on......!?”

Due to the soft texture coming from within the sweater, Kurou could not help but feel astonished.

No way, this kind of thing was......

“Why would Rou be surprised!? What the heck are you trying to do to me!?”

“It’s just that it felt bigger than it looked......perhaps it’s because the way I touch them is different from before.”

“What in the world are you calmly analysing!?”

Sefi shouted as she used her hands to cover her chest.

“However, it appears that you are wearing something underneath your sweater. If you were to wear even less, that’d be much more exciting.”

“You’ve already felt a girl’s chest, yet you still complain!”

“Didn’t Sefi mention this before? ‘If there is a weakness then go all out fufufu.’”

“That’s something I said when I was young! There was no intention to have my body felt! And what’s with the “fufufu”, no way I would’ve said something like that.”

“No, you did say it before.”

“Eh, really?”

Sefi was dumbfounded.

Her tone actually felt quite languid. At times she would even speak in a frivolous manner but she would never notice it herself. Perhaps the latter might have influenced Kurou.

“Nevertheless, Sefi’s all grown up. Perhaps your figure will turn out to be quite splendid.”

“This conversation is quite obscene, please stop. Although, that means Kurou hasn’t matured yet......this kind of sexual harassment.....we aren’t at the age where we can just joke around like that anymore.”

“Yes I know.”

Kurou smiled as he nodded. He ate an onigiri, finished up the minced meat soup, and after he finished up the rest of the cooked dishes, he lifted Sefi’s skirt.

“Didn’t I just say this before? What are you trying to do now!?”

Kurou nimbly ran away from Sefi who stood up in anger. The glimpse of her white panties was now deeply ingrained in his mind.

“Ah, I’m sorry. It’s just that when I see Sefi I start boiling with lust.”

“Eh, um, so it’s like that. If that’s the case then I guess it can’t be helped......”

“......”

Quite an unexpected reaction.

Of course, Kurou had planned on joking around a bit but who would have thought that this would become a reason for forgiveness......it was probably because he showed admiration towards her charms by saying it excited him.

“Eh, hold on a sec! I had just told you to stop openly engaging in sexual harassment! That said, your insanity is already on another level!”

Sefi seems to have finally caught on to Kurou’s false reasoning. If that wasn’t the case then perhaps even Kurou would have felt there was a bit of wrongdoing.

“If it’s here then it doesn’t matter, just don’t do this type of thing outside. As the number three ranked student in swordsmanship, if my skirt were to be lifted in front of everyone then————”

“Haha, compared to your family history, Sefi is even more into swords.....eh, did you say number three?”

“Yup, but that’s just my placement during the entrance exam. There are still two students placed above me.”

“Ah.”

He had guessed that among the people he saw during sword training, none of them possessed swordsmanship that surpassed Sefi’s. Although two classes were conjoined, since there were only ten class groups for year one students they must have been in the other grades.

“However, for Sefi’s abilities to only be placed as third!”

“For the time being......”

Kurou tilted his head slightly.

Sefi’s tone of voice was a bit ambiguous as if she harbored some sort of grudge.

“What’s wrong? Was there some favoritism during the examination?”

“N-No it’s not like that. To lose means I was weak. Since next time there will be an elimination tournament for the school, I’ll avenge myself then.”

“Hoho, an elimination tournament?”

Having heard some explanations regarding the school activities from the schoolteachers, there seems to be multiple elimination tournaments held to determine the standings for the Sword Academy.

“So what you’re saying is I have to participate as well?”

“Of course. All of the students are forced to participate. Even though there is a test, a poor result in the elimination tournament will get you removed from school.”

This was probably Sefi warning him not to take it easy. Because Kurou only wanted to graduate, he wasn’t really too focused on earning a high grade.

“However, Rou will probably win. At the very least, I can’t beat you.”

“......”

Sefi displayed a subtle sign of dispiritedness.

“Even though you are just joking around, other than you, no other boy would be able to sexually harass me since I’d be able to snap their arms off before they could even touch me.”

“That sounds quite scary.”

“Humans seem to think that all Swordies can do is just put their strength behind wielding a sword, but that isn’t the case. The sword is a much finer piece of equipment.”

Sefi swiftly extended out her right hand.

“The enemy’s vision along with the minute quivering of their body, their breathing motion, and the sound of their joints, all of the five senses must be used to respond to the enemy and judge their movements. However, I can’t predict Rou’s movements. By the time I notice them, I’ve already been sexually harassed.”

“Very powerful words there.”

“There’s probably no other way to put it. For now, Rou can do whatever he wants since I can’t stop you. From lifting up my skirt to wielding that wooden sword against me, it’s almost as if you could do it in your sleep.”

“These are old-school techniques, haven’t you already seen them multiple times?”

“No matter how many times I see them, even after having you explain to me I still can’t prevent it from happening. It’s really quite unbelievable.”

Sefi did not seem to be reprimanding Kurou, nor was she unwilling.

She simply believed that Kurou was an inconceivable person.

“......No, there’s no point in even interrogating Rou in regards to this aspect. Oh well.”

Sefi wryly smiled as she shook her head.

“It would be really helpful if you could manage that. Well then, I should probably get going. Thanks for your hospitality, the taste was delicious.”

“Umm, Rou.”

Just as Kurou was about to step out of the window, he stopped.

“Be careful. There’s going to be a lot of trouble awaiting you in the future since there are maniacs encamped here who put their lives on the line wielding their swords. Even though you are prohibited from pulling out your sword within the school————everyone still carries their sword regardless.”

Other than sword training, there was no need to carry a sword within school. However, since there was also class practice with real swords, the students would leave their swords in their rooms or a cabinet within school. If a sword was required, it seems they would carry their swords on them.

“No matter what, in here you are considered an outsider Rou. Although no one would blindly attack you, within this blood boiling age group, there will be times where you’ll be rendered helpless in some situations if it’s just you by yourself regardless how strong you are.”

“Well, I’ll keep that in mind.”

He already clearly understood that his own school completely rejected him. There were many who were spiteful towards him just because he was a human and thus it’s understandable that some of them might try to do something provocative.

“Then I guess I’ll have to try my best to protect my life during these three years. As compensation, I’ll have to take Sefi’s bra or panties......would that be alright......”

“No......”

“Is that so......”

Although they were childhood friends, there appears to be limits as to how far one can go.

From another person’s perspective, this kind of conversation would probably seem way too puerile.

“Goodnight Sefi.”

“Goodnight.”

Sefi gently smiled after replying to Kurou.

Kurou exited through the window. Even though Sefi’s room was on the third floor, it was easy to descend from for someone as capable as Kurou.

He climbed down the walls in a manner akin to that of a ninja and having witnessed Sefi’s gentle smile, he felt a warm feeling in his chest.

It was currently the early morning of the next day.

Kurou yawned as he passed through the school gates.

By the way, the academy did not require all students to live within the dormitories. As a result, Kurou came to school from his house.

Although it was mentioned as his house, it was actually just the Sabers’s lounge that he had moved into without permission. Since the head director was his guardian, there were no complaints over this. He only had a bed within the narrow room, but at least the time it takes for him to walk from his workplace did not even add up to a minute. In addition, he saves himself from paying for room and board which made Kurou extremely jubilant.

Actually, Kurou kept himself as a Sabers member even up till now. Despite his pay being reduced, he was at least making money. Manaka did let Kurou go to school, however she probably didn’t plan on him continuing to work. Although Kurou did need to pay for living expenses, he was rarely seen staying with the group.

Kurou paid no heed to his surroundings as he leisurely entered the campus.

“Let me help you carry your backpack.”

“Haha, there’s no need.”

Just as he was about to head to the stair entrance on his way to class after putting away his backpack......

“......Hold on!”

“Hmmm?”

The girl tilted her head slightly.

The girl who offered to help carry Kurou’s backpack closely tailed him.

“What’s wrong with you? Why did you suddenly take my backpack!?”

“It’s because this is my job.”

The girl was expressionless in her reply.

She wore a black and green maid outfit along with a white katyusha on her long hair. Even though her outfit was extremely gorgeous, she did give off an impression of being very delicate.

“Hey, are you.....”

“Hmm?”

“Aren’t you the girl who appeared from the back of the sun cult’s vehicle.....?

“That’s right. What about it?”

The girl still showed no expression at all.

“What do you mean what about it! This can’t be right, why are you here!?”

“Haha, I forgot. I should have said this from the start.”
[[File:Kenshin v01 079.jpg|thumbnail|right]]
The girl remained stoic as she spoke and when she was done speaking, she kneeled down.

Kurou didn’t even have time to stop her. The girl placed both her hands on the floor and deeply bowed her head.

“My name is Sakurai Hinako. Starting today————I’ll be serving you.”

Since she lowered her head so deeply, her expression wasn’t visible.

However, if she was joking around, this would be quite over the top. For a girl to be wearing such an eye-catching outfit, there was no way she should have been permitted to enter school grounds.

Kurou gazed intently at the black hair of the girl who still had her head lowered like this.

It appears that she wasn’t going to lift her head up unless Kurou told her to. The girl remained motionless.

Turning a blind eye towards this would seem optimal, even Kurou was contemplating this unfavorable course of action.

However, Kurou already realized that there was no way he could brush aside this girl. He also recognized that this was just the beginning of his troubles.
==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

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|-
| Back to [[Kenshin no Keishousha:Volume_1_Prologue|Prologue]]
| Return to [[Kenshin no Keishousha|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Kenshin no Keishousha:Volume_1_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume03 Chapter4

2013-07-24T21:38:20Z

130.212.195.162: /* Chapter 4 - Nightmare First Thing in the Morning */

==Chapter 4 - Nightmare First Thing in the Morning==

After Hisui left, he found Rushella much easier than he imagined.

Having left the inn, Rushella was on the main road, walking towards the beach.

However, she was not wearing the yukata she had worn after coming out of the bath. Instead, she had gone somewhere to change into the swimsuit she had worn during the daytime.

By the time Hisui caught up to her, she had already crossed the beach and reached the edge of the waves.

"Dressed like that, are you thinking of swimming? Be careful or you'll just repeat what happened to Kariya. Stop making a fuss."

"...You're so noisy."

"Although it's already night, it's fine if you want to wear your swimsuit... But if you drown, I'm not gonna save you. I'm not a particularly good swimmer either."

"...Shut up."

As the sound of the waves vaguely filled the air, spontaneously... The two of them started taking a stroll.

"Oh... By the way."

"What?"

"Uh... I admit I was wrong."

"What did you do wrong?"

"Well... Umm, I'm not too sure either."

This terrible answer made Rushella even more displeased.

"Does this even count as an apology? Didn't that foster parent of yours teach you properly?"

"That's really harsh, you know......"

Hisui noticed it vaguely.

Every time his foster parent was mentioned, his arrogant master would throw a temper tantrum.

Seeing as they were both vampires, especially 'True Ancestors' as well, clearly conversations related to Miraluka might lead somewhere related to Rushella's lost memories—However, she always sulked.

"About what happened during the day."

"Huh?"

"About that... sunscreen."

"Thank Senpai if you wanna thank someone. She made it specially for you, busy as she is."

"......!"

Instantly, Hisui suffered another beating.

Rushella did not use her full strength, but this lukewarm level of force actually expressed her inner displeasure even more clearly.

"Why are you hitting me?"

"You're being noisy so shut up. Besides, I don't care even if I can't sunbathe during the daytime. The way humans worship sunlight, treating the sun's blessings as a supreme existence, that's such a narrow viewpoint. Vampires are unable to live under sunlight, neither do we appreciate how precious the sun may be, but because of that—"

"They understand the beauty of the night, right?"

Rushella turned around.

A simple and ordinary motion. However, Hisui could not help but stop walking.

That beautiful face, illuminated by the lighting known as moonlight; that gorgeous body, clad in flimsy fabric; that clear, snow-white skin—Everything was so perfect and flawless.

Rather than Rushella serving as a foil to the beauty of the night, it would be better to say that night existed for her sake—That was the kind of illusion he felt.

This was the vampire—no, Rushella—under the night sky.

Whether a vampire under the night sky or an exceptionally beautiful vampire, Hisui should have been used to these sights already despite his relatively young life. However, the sight of Rushella at night, from the very first night they met till now—She has always been so breathtaking.

"I never thought that you'd still be so cute."

"What did you just say?"

Rushella asked suspiciously.

Her crimson gaze was not burning with the light of the mystic eyes. Although the mystic eyes had no effect on Hisui, he could see her eyes glimmering from a magical power different from the mystic eyes.

Speaking of a vampire's charm at night, it was a seductive quality that drew mortals into a demonic realm.

Hence, Hisui did not stare directly.

"You came chasing after me, yet you refuse to look me in the eye. What an incomprehensible guy you are. Who knows how your parents taught you."

"How unfortunate, I was raised by a vampire."

"It's not like I hate her."

"......?"

"I simply hate the fact... that it seems like I'm always one step behind."

"......"

"No matter what's being said, what's being done, that woman's name always comes up."

Rushella spoke with chagrin as she started walking again.

Hisui had no words to answer and could only follow behind her.

'That's normal since I've lived with her for so long.' 'I know very clearly you're not her.'—These kinds of explanations were very legitimate and anyone could easily say them. But for some reason, Hisui could not bring himself to voice them.

Hence he only chose to escape this mood.

"...Why did you believe Touko-san?"

"......"

"She's probably not lying. Perhaps she's a little obsessive. Maybe she died a wrongful death. But still, you decided to help her. She's just a human. And a dead human at that, yet you've gone out of your way to fulfill her long-cherished wish, why is that?"

"You actually know already, right?"

Rushella answered with a question, not even looking back.

Hisui answered affirmatively through silence while deducing her true intentions.

Indeed, in the classroom at the very beginning, when Rushella had proposed helping Touko, he had already sensed it vaguely.

Why would Rushella specifically go out of her way to help a mere human?

Because—

"It's because... I resonated with her. Having no memories is quite painful, yes?"

"I think so too."

Fellow sufferers of the same affliction... Applying such a description would be too simple.

The pain brought about by amnesia that Rushella occasionally expressed was something that Hisui could never comprehend.

On that day, suddenly waking up to a surprise in a strange and unfamiliar world, without any kin by her side, not even knowing her own identity—Touko's situation was actually much better than hers.

"So that's why... You decided to help her?"

"That's not the sole reason, you know? Umm... That vampire who bit her, he offends me."

"......"

"Drinking blood is understandable, yes...... But etiquette cannot be ignored, right? Whether taking victims as servants or simply killing them, umm... But to keep them bound even after death, that's unacceptable..."

Rushella sounded as though she were making excuses.

Hisui could also gather a slight hint that she was trying to test the way he felt.

Rushella herself was probably self-aware of this, hence she did not face Hisui when talking to him.

"About Touko-san, I think she can't let go because of her own obsession. Not passing onto the next life is because of that. The wound on her neck is a reminder to herself not to forget... That's my feeling."

"......Even if that's the case, the cause still lies with that member of my kin, right? Being bitten by a vampire is a serious matter."

"To think you'd say that so shamelessly when you keep drinking my blood all the time."

"Y-You're a separate matter, okay!? Drinking your blood doesn't cause you any problems. More importantly, you belong to me!"

Rushella turned around and snarled.

Coincidentally, a wave crashed down by her feet, causing Rushella to lose balance.

Although it was a calm wave that did not rise above the ankles, "living water" was a major threat to vampires, especially seawater which contained salt with its exorcising and purifying properties. Once splattered, seawater caused local paralysis.

"Ah......!"

Hisui was unable to catch her in time. Rushella fell and landed on her bottom.

Her body was also splashed with seawater.

"Ooh, ooooooooooh......"

Her delicate body trembling, Rushella could not help but hug herself tightly.

She felt chilled to the bone and a sense of paralysis spreading throughout her entire body.

As a pure vampire, she was even more sensitive to living water than Eruru.

Even if it was not fatal, in the worst case, it could render her in a temporary state of suspended animation.

"This has happened before, right. The second day we met, you were drenched in heavy rain."

"Y-You're being noisy, shut up......!"

Hisui smiled wryly and covered her with the jacket he had taken when he left the inn.

It should help her stay warm to some extent.

"Here, can you stand up?"

"......Yeah."

Rushella obediently held Hisui's outstretched hand and left the seawater.

"I-I'm not going to thank you, okay!"

"I'm not expecting it in the first place."

"Y-You are in charge of serving me, showing utmost attentive care is only natural!"

"Got it."

"H-How much longer are you going to hold my hand!?"

"......"

Indeed, Hisui had been holding Rushella's hand all this time.

And in a fairly forceful grip.

"Why... are you holding my hand? C-Could it be, that... You want to... hold hands with me?"

Rushella spoke with an expression that was not altogether displeased.

For a vampire, especially at night, shaking Hisui's slender hand off would be a piece of cake.

But she did not do so.

"L-Let me say this to you...... As a reward for your everyday efforts... I'll allow you slightly... Umm... To touch a little. In the future when I attend balls, it's also your responsibility to accompany me as my escort..."

Finding a legitimate reason, Rushella did not release her hand.

Seeing her shy appearance, Hisui spoke up.

But his voice sounded a bit awkward.

"I can touch?"

"S-Sure..."

Immediately, Hisui's empty left hand grabbed Rushella's breast.

"Eh......?"

Cries of shock were emitted from both Rushella and Hisui's mouths.

"H-How dare you!?"

Before she could stop him... Hisui's left hand was already squeezing Rushella's bulging breast, his five fingers sinking deeply into her supple flesh.

"W-What are you doing!? Th-This behavior......!"

"Because you said I could touch."

That awkward tone of voice again, but unmistakably, it was Hisui's voice.

However, Rushella did not notice these suspicious signs but simply blushed and twisted her body.

"R-Release me now... This......!"

"......"

Hisui's left hand moved.

Without causing Rushella any pain, but firm enough to hurt if she tried to escape—Using this amazingly fine-tuned level of force, he held her... Or rather, he was groping her.

"S-Stop it... This kind of thing... Unacceptable...... This......"

The bikini top was already very skimpy. Currently, it could be said that Hisui's hand was touching her skin directly.

Who knew if it was because her unguarded breast was being groped by him, or for some other reason—Rushella was pleading in a sweet tone of voice.
[[image:Draculea V03 - BW07.PNG|thumb]]

"L-Let go now! This... No......"

Tears appeared in the corners of Rushella's eyes.

But Hisui's attention was directed elsewhere.

He was desperately grabbing his left hand with his right, trying to pull his left hand away from Rushella's breast.

"Y-You... what on earth are you doing? Hurry, let go......!"

"...I'm trying very hard right now......! My hand just moved on its own......!!"

"Huh......?"

"My mouth didn't listen to me either and said strange things on its own! What the heck is going on...!?"

Indeed... He was not joking. His left hand really did move on its own.

Not some kind of uncontrollable impulse of puberty... But it truly moved on its own.

And his mouth spoke words contrary to his will.

In a state of panic over this body that did not belong to him, Hisui did not have the leisure to enjoy the soft sensations experienced by his left hand.

"Hey hey, this whatever situation is really quite serious!?"

"How would I know!? Hurry and let go! S-Stop it... Don't use your nails to scratch through the fabric!"

Rushella finally reached the limits of her embarrassment and swung her fist at Hisui's face.

Nevertheless, his stubborn left hand continued to grip Rushella's breast firmly, refusing to let go.

"Looks like you're not faking it... What on earth is going on!?"

"As if I would know! Hey, you'd better hurry and help think of a way too! A bit of violence is fine, just get my hand away!"

"Don't give me orders while you're having your way with my breast! But if this continues, it's definitely unforgivable!"

Rushella grabbed Hisui's left hand with both hands.

Given the situation, she intended to use her full strength—Just as she was about to pull, she discovered another hand overlapping Hisui's left hand.

With even whiter skin than Hisui—more accurately, it was translucent, beyond the realm of "white."

The translucent hand and Hisui's hand were overlapping and Rushella recognized it.

Exchanging glances with Hisui, the two figured out the truth.

"What are you doing, Touko-san!?"

Hisui directed his question beside him where Touko was smiling with a mischievous expression.

"Oh dear, I'm caught red-handed now?"

"Did you really think you won't get caught!? What kind of performance are you trying to pull here?"

"This is what's called 'possession.' I tried it and it worked. Although it doesn't work on girls, it seems to be fine with Hisui-kun."

"What... How thoroughly are you going to possess my body!?"

"Hmm... It looks like the limit is controlling the left side of your body and saying a few words. I will practice more and try harder❤"

"Could you not say such dark things with such a cute face!? Why are you doing this!?"

"That's right, I don't care if you control this guy, but why did you make him grope my breast!?"

"Watching you two just makes me so impatient. Two people walking on the beach with no one else... Can't you try harder given this wonderful background? Especially you, Hisui-kun..."

"No no, I only came to bring her back......"

"Look, you're both alive and have bodies, why not have a passionate romance? Once you're dead, it'll be too late, right?"

"Uh, well......."

Her words sounded so convincing no matter what.

As expected of a dead person's speech.

"...Hey, don't change the subject! Could you stop deciding on your own to control someone else's body, okay!?"

"That's right, I'm a vampire, this guy is a human... We are master and servant! Not... Not that kind of... relationship......"

Despite words of refutation, Rushella's voice grew softer and softer, her tone also became hesitant.

Touko crossed her arms and examined the two of them, finally shrugging in exasperation.

"Well, whatever. To be honest, rather than worrying about your relationship, I'd rather taste the bittersweet springtime of youth personally."

"Besides, since I'm haunting Hisui-kun's body anyway, whatever you do, I'll follow you automatically."

"Wah, this is so troublesome!"

"Seriously, not only am I getting stared at all day, even my body gets snatched away......"

Wouldn't it be better to hurry and hold a service to help her pass on—Rushella and Hisui communicated through their eyes. Touko began to smile mischievously again.

"Say... Umm, since I can converse normally with you two, that means that Hisui-kun has regained his freedom, you know? Besides, I can't control him for long periods of time."

"What!?"

Only prompted by her did he realize.

Indeed, since Touko was no longer in Hisui's body, his control should no longer be affected.

Clearly not under influenced by someone else—Yet Hisui's left hand continued to grab Rushella's breast.

"Ah."

Hisui finally regained his senses.

Then preparing himself for the worst, he closed his eyes.

Farewell, cruel world.

"You great big idiot!!"

A completely merciless fist of iron crashed into his face, sending Hisui pitifully falling into the sand.

Although he collapsed, his left hand still maintained its posture in the shape of Rushella's breast.

"How did it feel?"

Touko approached and asked. In a hazy state of mind, Hisui left his last words.

"A perfect combination of volume and softness......"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it❤ Originally, I should use my own body to thank you, but it's a shame that not even my bones remain."

Touko smiled tenderly and made a joke with dark humor. Hisui did not know if he should laugh or cry.

But the next sentence he heard caused all his nerves to tense up.

"Flirting with a vampire, my, what a hobby you have there eh?"

"It's you......"

Hisui stood up.

A tall woman was standing with her back to the moonlight.

Oogami Rangetsu.

"Going out with a vampire at night isn't really commendable. You should be a little more vigilant."

"Who is this?"

Not recognizing her, Rushella asked Hisui.

"Kariya's colleague. She's supposed to be an official detective. So...... What business do you have here?"

"I came to warn you. It seems like you're assisting Kariya Eruru, so I'd like to advise you to mind your own business. There was no vampire in the coffin. That's the entire situation, yes?"

"Even so, isn't assistance voluntary?"

"Let me remind you that it's smarter not to go against the nation's interests, okay? If this sort of unofficial investigation goes wrong, your personal safety is not guaranteed. Besides, you probably have no idea, but she is actually—"

"A dhampir. Is there a problem?"

Hisui cut her off.

Rangetsu showed surprise but immediately regained her composure and mocked sarcastically.

"So you actually knew... Yet you can still hang around her all the time. Plus this vampire as well. Are you really human?"

"Who knows......"

Rangetsu did not know about Hisui's constitution.

Hence, despite mocking him, she was actually worrying for Hisui's safety.

"If you want to investigate me, I welcome you any time. But that will really be a waste of taxpayers' money."

"...What an arrogant brat. Fine, I'll pass. If you were no longer human, Kariya Eruru would surely execute you instantly. However, I never would have expected her to reveal her identity to you... From my observation, she has always hidden it quite well."

"She doesn't trust me that much. I discovered it on my own."

"Oh dear... How unexpected. Looks like you have a few talents of your own. She probably allowed you to accompany her because she appreciates your smarts? And that ghost beside you, you really must have a taste for the supernatural, eh?"

(...She can see her?)

Rangetsu's words clearly indicated that she could see Touko.

After all, as a member of the Supernatural Investigations Section, this level of ability was apparently standard.

"Although I'm not sure why she's possessing you, do you need an exorcism? I have professionals in my team."

"Not necessary. Although the chill troubled me for a while, I'm already used to it now."

"Really...... If you ever part ways with Kariya Eruru, feel free to contact me any time. I wish to talk to you."

Saying that, she threw her name card straight towards Hisui, flying through the dark night.

Her motion was like throwing a poker card, but before it could reach Hisui, Rushella had already thrown her short sword to strike it down onto the sand.

"...What are you doing?"

"If you want to recruit my servant, you'll have to go through me first. How displeasing you are."

Rushella spoke unhappily.

Rangetsu laughed lightly and nimbly leapt off the sand.

Within the blink of an eye, her stern and cold face had already appeared right before Rushella's face.

Despite the unfavorable mobility on a beach's sandy surface, she had closed their distance in by a simple leap.

"......!"

Rushella reacted reflexively.

Because she instinctively judged this woman as a threat.

She reached straight for the target's heart.

Given the length and sharpness of Rushella's fingers, combined with her speed and sturdiness, penetrating a body of flesh would be a piece of cake.

"...Ha?"

After laughing derisively, only then did Rangetsu react.

No, more accurately, she only started moving after confirming Rushella's movements.

Her counterattack was a very simple sweeping kick delivered at mid level.

She first withdrew and folded her long and slender leg, then shot it out like a spring.

The exchange only happened within the blink of an eye, resulting in an instant, decisive victory.

The loser—was Rushella.

Her attack missed and she suffered a kick to her abdomen, sending her flying into the air, finally landing in the shallows.

"You...!!"

"This is nothing to a vampire, right? No actual harm done. Besides, it's even nighttime as well. Oh right, but isn't the seaside rather troublesome? There's the danger of drowning."

Rangetsu simply spoke indifferently, completely unconcerned with Rushella's safety.

"I hate vampires the most. Naturally, dhampirs are not exempted. If the higher-ups make the decision, I will destroy them any time."

"......!"

Hisui glared at Rangetsu without saying a word.

His eyes were burning with distinct hostility, a rare occasion. But Rangetsu turned around, unfazed.

"I would advise you not to get any funny ideas. The only reason why this vampire lives is because there are no concrete records of her attacking any human... That's all. No matter what the reason is, once she makes a move, she'll be added to our extermination list. Please pass that onto her."

Saying that, Rangetsu departed leisurely.

"Hisui-kun......"

"I know."

Hearing Touko's sad voice, Hisui nodded. Instead of chasing after Rangetsu, rescuing Rushella was more important.

Rangetsu was not lying. A simple blunt attack could not kill a vampire at night.

Instead of causing direct damage, her kick was intended to send Rushella falling into the sea.

What was surprising was her speed that surpassed a vampire at night.

"Are you okay......?"

At Rushella's location, the seawater was at waist-level.

Hisui picked her up in his arms. Rushella was already completely pale, her lips blue, having lost all strength in her body.

After retrieving her short sword that was embedded in the sand, Hisui silently carried Rushella on his back and started returning to the inn.

Touko followed behind him, gazing solemnly at Hisui's back.

For some reason, she did not circle around in front of them.

Touko did not want to see Hisui's face at this time.

"I was thinking of fetching you but this happened? What on earth took place to develop into this situation?"

As soon as Hisui stepped into the inn, Eruru asked him in surprise.

After all, it was only natural to be surprised at the sight of Rushella completely drenched, carried on Hisui's back.

"It's all your colleague's fault. That Rangetsu person."

"Oogami-san...? Why!?"

"I'd like to know too."

After handing Rushella over to Mei and Kirika to take care of her, Hisui told Eruru about everything that happened on the beach just now.

"...I see. Looks like she is tracking down the vampire too."

"Didn't she conclude herself that there was no vampire in the coffin? Why would she come here then?"

"I am guessing it is what the higher-ups wanted. There was definitely no vampire in the coffin but there could be other coffins. Or perhaps there were some other vampire-related clues. Putting aside the truth, someone in the higher-ups with a close relation with her must have decided and sent her here to investigate. Then following the obvious trail, she found us—Probably something like that."

"Competing factions, struggles for power, everyone is secretly vying for domination. When she disparaged you in that underground facility last time, was she taunting the opposing faction?"

"It probably does carry that level of significance. After all, it is true that no vampire was found. There is nothing the opposing faction could say. The ones holding power in the organization basically understand very well."

Looks like that Rangetsu woman's social skills were quite smooth and slick, in a different way from Eruru.

Furthermore, in terms of dealing with vampires, she also possessed the corresponding capability.

Hisui really did not want to make an enemy out of someone like her.

"She looks like she really hates vampires. Are the hardliners intending to catch the vampire first then secretly destroy him?"

"Although it's public knowledge that she hates vampires, her boss is actually a conservative. Perhaps the orders are to prioritize capture over extermination."

"That doesn't sound too conservative actually. Instead of advocating coexistence with vampires... Catching them and conducting research... Is that what it means to be conservative?"

"Indeed. In contrast, the hardliners advocate instant execution of everything harmful to humans, no matter what. As a compromise of these two camps, the current policy prescribes tolerance for vampires that have not attacked humans."

"So... Which side do you belong to?"

Eruru did not answer.

When they first met, surely she would have declared herself in the hardliner camp without hesitation.

Then what about... now?

"Your room is apparently prepared already. I'll take you there, follow me."

"Yes—"

Hisui did not press the issue further. He followed her.

"But I feel kind of bad. A single room for me alone? You girls don't have a huge room but you need to squeeze four people there?"

"Genders need to sleep in separate rooms, right? It's not like we can't split the group in half. Obviously this is the only way."

"That's true."

"We're there."

Eruru stopped and opened the door.

Appearing before their eyes was a dimly lit Japanese style room. The floor was entirely filled with blankets.

"This is... Perhaps?"

"The bedding storage."

Eruru stated simply.

The bedding storage—Just as its name implied, it was the store room for keeping blankets and other bedding supplies.

Despite serving various purposes in different inns, they always had a common function as a storeroom for miscellaneous items, and they were not supposed to be rented out for customers to stay in.

"Eh——What kind of joke is this!? Why would they open this for customers!?"

"Originally, I was the only one planning to stay at this inn. Now that our numbers increased all at once, but their rooms are already fully booked, this cannot be helped... So that is the situation."

"You can't be serious... There's no place to lie down here. The room is completely occupied by blankets."

"This cannot be helped. It is the bedding storage."

"...I see."

"Also, the rent does not come cheap. The part I paid for you already, you need to fully reimburse me later."

"Eh, I need to pay for it out of my own pocket!? And so expensive!? Living in the bedding storage!?"

"After all, we're not on an official investigation. Besides, this is originally unavailable for guests. They only allowed you to live in it after I negotiated with them. Expensive is only normal."

"Uh, this... Fine......"

Although Eruru's explanation made sense, Hisui could not accept it entirely.

Clearly, a room's price should be in direct proportion with its quality.

Although he had many more complaints, Hisui could only swallow them, fearful of the risk that Eruru might simply kick him out. In any case, he decided to first make sure he had a place to sleep. Hisui entered the room.

"This is so dark... Where's the light switch?"

"I think it would be better to keep the lights off, yes? There might be spattered bloodstains... Rather, because this room was not meant for people to live in, there might be many filthy stains. What you do not see will not bother you."

"Hey, did you just say spattered bloodstains? You did say that, right!?"

"I said it."

"Eh, now you admit it directly!? I was thinking you might deny it a bit first!?"

"Hurry up and get rid of those fantasies."

"Why are you counseling me... Speaking of which, this room is that type of room you mentioned, isn't it!?"

"Because it is the bedding storage."

"Bedding storage = a room with an unspeakable past, does such an equation exist!? And so expensive too, what the heck is going on!?"

"It is all because no one normally lives in this room. Besides, the inn consented only because I negotiated. Please be understanding."

Eruru's expression looked as though she was listening to a raving madman.

Her adorable face did not show any emotion while she simply spoke severe words in an indifferent tone of voice.

"B-But, isn't it serious with spattered bloodstains...? Shouldn't there be some exorcism charms?"

"Do not worry, they have been ripped off already."

"That's a great cause for worry! Don't go unsealing the charms!!"

"Having exorcism charms in a room where someone is living in would not be very appropriate, right? Are you trying to express your dissatisfaction with my thoughtful service?"

"What are you getting angry for!? This inn has a problem if it's got a bloodstained room in the first place, doesn't it!?"

"Although the inn was not too willing, they finally agreed. Well, in fact, renting this room out in itself was quite a stretch. In the end, I forced the issue by requesting repeatedly that 'This person insists on living here' so the inn finally relented."

"Now even the inn hates me!! Don't go making use of your negotiation skills in this kind of area!!"

"Do not worry. Even though I tried, the exorcism charms are not entirely ripped out. After all, they are perfectly intact on the underside of the tatami."

"Of course I'm worrying!! Doesn't that make it even more terrifying!!"

It looked like things had gone beyond the issue of whether he could sleep or not.

Whether he could leave this room alive in the morning, that would be a serious question.

"Is it really okay...? I really feel like there's a huge problem, okay?"

"You have been possessed already, right? What difference does it make, one more or one less? Isn't there an old saying, 'being haunted by one ghost is as bad as being haunted by two,' right?"

"The difference is huge...... Jeez, whatever, I'm not gonna turn on the light then. I'll just not think about anything and sleep directly!!"

Hisui sighed with complete self-abandon and entered the dark room.

In order to stay oblivious of his surroundings, he casually covered his head with a blanket.

"Then a goodnight to you. Sweet dreams."

"...I won't forget this."

Grumbling from beneath a blanket, Hisui closed his eyes and headed off to the land of dreams.

Who knew if it were a blessing or a curse, but Hisui rapidly fell asleep.

He was probably exhausted from this and that happening.

There were no nightmares. Neither did he wake up in the middle of the night. He slept through the night and morning arrived directly.

Although he had not set an alarm on his cellphone, he still woke up at the usual time.

And just as usual, a warm and soft sensation was pressing on his chest.

A sweet fragrance.

The feeling of his neck bitten.

As well as—Sharp pain.

Opening his eyes, he found Rushella lying on top of him, slurping as she drank blood from his neck.

"......You're even doing this during a trip!!"

"Stop being so noisy, you're making a ruckus early in the morning!!"

Probably recovered after a night's rest, Rushella's expression revealed nothing about the injuries she suffered the night prior.

Just as usual, she was embracing him tightly, having her daily meal.

"Ouch——!! Damn it, you're sucking too much at once!!"

"You're being noisy so shut up! I got kicked by that woman and fell into the sea, right!? So right now, I need to drink to my fill! Just lie still and don't make a fuss!"

"I don't wanna~!!"

"Watch me put you in your place......!!"

A boy and a girl, both dressed in yukatas, were wrestling with each other.

This sort of clothing was very susceptible to getting pulled open.

In actual fact, Hisui's collar was already messed up by Rushella's hand, leaving his chest open wide, almost half naked.

And as a result of Hisui's struggles, Rushella's clothing had become a bit... Disheveled.

Also because this was her first time wearing Japanese style clothing, the sash was not tied securely.

Hence, when Hisui struggled with his arms and legs, he reached for the collar and caused the chest portion of Rushella's yukata to slide off.

"Ah...... Sorry."

A bountiful bosom jumped right in front of his eyes.

Perhaps because they were staying outside overnight, or maybe because she was not wearing Hisui's shirt as usual like at home, it was fortunate that Rushella was wearing a bra properly.

Even so—wrapped in a white and lacy bra, her breasts were drawing Hisui's full and complete attention through their sheer overwhelming volume.

"Not allowed to look——!!"

Her left and right hands alternated to deliver a series of slaps, turning Hisui's head into a rattle drum.

Naturally, Rushella's intense exertion also caused her bosom to wobble and shake from side to side, nonstop.

A man's instincts conferred Hisui with astounding vision despite the high-speed motion of his head. Wobbling intensely in all directions, his eyes captured clear images of the dangling fruit.

"I already said, not allowed to look!!"

"Then cover it up yourself!"

"You're noisy so shut up!!"

In an attempt to hide her exposed bosom, Rushella directly pressed her chest against Hisui's chest.

Yes, it was hidden now, but this caused new problems.

"Hey hey, Rushella-san... Could you stop that? Pressed like this together, it's really... Although there was a bath towel separating us last time... I'm half naked with my chest bare today, even with your bra in between, it's really disastrous......"

"What's so disastrous!? Apart from the blood in your entire body rushing down and concentrating in your lower body!?"

Rushella was able to read the bloodflow of a person she was touching. Hence she retorted after analyzing.

Indeed, all the blood in his body was converging there.

Even if that was not his intention, it was also morning.

And there was even someone pressing her breasts against him.

Oh the woes of a man.

"Umm, sorry... Let's talk about blood drinking and apologies another time. Could you stop locking me down with your legs? With your lovely skin, it's very disastrous for me to be caught in between those smooth, beautiful legs......"
[[image:Draculea V03 - BW08.PNG|thumb]]

"What kind of nonsense are you babbling about!? Blood drinking must come first!! After I'm done with your blood, cover up your eyes, then I'll fix my clothes and leave!!"

"Can we discuss this sequence a little more...?"

"So noisy, shut up!!"

Thinking about nothing but biting his neck and drinking blood, Rushella pressed her weight down harder to prevent Hisui from escaping.

The two were entangled tightly together, with only a soft bosom in between them.

"Hey, seriously... This is very bad......"

Rushella licked her lips and approached.

Hisui closed his eyes, fallen into despair, focusing his thoughts on trying to get his disobedient lower body to calm down at least.

Just at this moment, a savior suddenly descended.

The blanket covering Hisui and Rushella's lower bodies was actually bulging with something the two had not noticed.

" "Eh—!?" "

Under their surprised gaze, the bulge squirmed like a giant caterpillar—Then Mei popped out.

"Eh—!? When did you get here!?"

"I arrived earlier than this girl here! I was actually planning for a nocturnal assault when the time was ripe, but ended up oversleeping. So now it's dawn❤ That would make it a 'morning assault', right?"

"You and your damn assaults! What are you planning now!?"

"Oh dear, isn't it obvious? Let's. Make. Babies."

Mei smiled seductively and joined in intimate state between the two people.

Rather than a yukata, she was wearing a babydoll nightgown. This translucent underwear naturally held true to its excellent tradition of skimpy and erotic design.

"...So, could you move aside?"

"Who are you asking to move aside!? This guy's mine!!"

On top of Hisui's body, a battle between a vampire and an artificial human was about to start.

But before the battle could officially begin, Mei surprisingly offered a compromise.

"Or how about this, after all, since our goals are different, let's just split things up. You go ahead and suck blood from Hi-kun's neck while I enjoy his lower half properly..."

"I see... That's right, I want to get to fixing up my clothes faster. If we do it together, subduing this guy will be much easier!!"

"How could you two ally together!? Hey, stop it!!"

"No problem, just relax......"

Mei readily took off the outer layer of her babydoll and threw it aside.

Her well-developed figure was displayed before Hisui's eyes.

A massive bust on Rushella's level. Voluptuous thighs and buttocks.

Hisui had clearly seen all this before, but the stimulating nature of her attire was too potent.

In addition, hunting his lower body, Mei was crawling around on all fours... Like a female leopard ready to pounce on her prey.

But that was not all there was to it.

If it were just visual stimulation, Hisui could still manage and suppress.

But Mei had brought out an even more devastating weapon.

Hisui did not know if it was by chance or by design.

Perhaps God's gift or the Devil's sacrifice.

Her voluptuous butt was pointed straight at Hisui's face.

Fine, even so, he could still manage to maintain a shred of sanity. Desperately mustering his final strength, he resolved to turn his face away.

However, perhaps because she was spending a night away from home or because she was always thinking about having babies every moment... On her butt was what one would call victory underwear.

It was a pink thong.

The tiny scrap of fabric, buried in the valley of her posterior, completely failed to cover up the overwhelming presence of those childbearing hips.

Storing a thick layer of fat, that luxuriant butt was smooth and glistening.

Seeing the fatal object swaying before his eyes, Hisui's brain short circuited. It was a miracle that blood did not spurt out from his nose.

He could not endure any longer.

Abandoning a human's dignity and chastity, Hisui closed his eyes.

"...You girls should behave yourselves!!"

A cold voice made Hisui open his eyes.

It was... Kirika.

Indeed, he was not fighting a losing battle in isolation.

Isn't the vice-president here as well?

"Senpai, I'm so glad you're here... Hurry and pull these two away......"

As Hisui relayed a message for help, he instantly realized something was amiss.

Kirika's voice came from within the room, not from the door.

"...Where are you?"

"No, umm...... You see, you don't have a window, so I was thinking it must be quite stuffy in here, and wondered if you would feel thirsty, so I made some herbal tea... Cold tea. But I found you still sleeping... So before I knew it, I was waiting in a corner of the room......"

Kirika shyly raised a cup and explained.

She was dressed in a proper yukata with her hair coiled up behind her head, a great match for her Japanese attire and very feminine.

But what she had done was on the same level as Rushella and Mei's actions.

In other words... She had arrived even earlier than those two.

And was admiring the scene of his sleeping face all this time.

Hiding her presence completely.

Despite harboring no malice, she was even worse.

A so-called innocent stalker.

"No no no, that's terrifying! Then couldn't you have just put down the cup and left!? Just leave a note or something!"

"Oh right......"

Only upon hearing Hisui's reminder did she realize. Looks like the prim, proper and smart girl was a little slow in this area.

"...That makes sense too. Hey, look at yourselves, you two, what is with that attire!? A-Anyway, hurry and get away from Kujou-kun......!"

"Hey... Senpai, wouldn't you like to join us?"

Mei shook her seductive ass as she spoke.

In a situation like this, recruiting Kirika as an ally would be more convenient.

"J-Join you...... It's not like... I also......"

"Rushella wants blood, I want his lower body, and Hi-kun's face... is still free, you know?"

Kirika gulped after hearing her then looked at Hisui's face.

Her eyes looked a bit dangerous.

"Uh, umm... Senpai?"

"Th-That's right... This kind of thing, shouldn't be too direct...... One should follow a natural sequence..."

"You don't need to go mouth-to-mouth directly. How about the cheeks or the forehead? Senpai, you're a quarter British... This would only count as a greeting, right?"

"Th-That's right. It would be just a morning greeting......"

Kirika convinced herself and took up her position next to Hisui's face.

Then lifting his face in her hands, her lips—

"Hey hey Senpai, this is a bit... Clearly you were the only one I could trust!!"

"D-Don't move...... This is just, umm... A British greeting, just a greeting!"

"Does the British Empire really have this kind of tradition...?"

"Becuase you're struggling, you touched my lips accidentally, it's just an accident...!!"

"You did it on purpose!! Arghhh—I've had enough!!"

Hisui mustered all his might, trying to push the three girls away.

But he was powerless.

In particular—His left half.

"......Eh?"

A translucent arm was overlapping his left arm.

More accurately... His entire body was overlapping with a translucent body.

"T-Touko-san!?"

"Yes, good morning."

From inside his body, the ghost smiled innocently.

She was happily engaged in his possessed state.

"W-What are you pulling again?"

"Hisui-kun... I died before I got a chance to savor romance. Before I died, I thought I had met a good man, but ended up getting killed by a vampire."

"Yeah, my condolences... We're all doing our best for your sake."

"So what is love, what does it mean to grow up into an adult...? I'd like to experience that. Using your body."

"That's too weird, this is a male body!? Even if you experienced it, it won't be right!? Besides, what sort of love is this, it's clearly lust! Although Rushella's isn't even lust!!"

"I... want to become an adult!"

"Find someone else!!"

Hisui's pleas fell upon deaf ears. Touko continued to occupy his body.

Since his left side was not listening to him, further struggles were hopeless.

The sharp fangs buried deeply in his neck.

The lustful hand reaching between his legs.

The lips approaching his face.

The ghost sneaking in his body.

Farewell, my various precious things.

Before a drop of tear could slide down Hisui's face, a certain person entered through the door, accompanied by a familiar, cold tone of voice.

"You guys are too noisy. What are you doing early in the morning? Breakfast is ready......"

Seeing the scene inside the room, Eruru's face froze.

A group of girls surrounding a half-naked Hisui.

Rushella was also half-naked while pressing her giant bust against him, sucking on his neck.

Mei, dressed in kinky and depraved underwear, was invading his crotch.

Holding his face in her hands, Kirika was bringing her lips closer and closer.

Touko was leaning closely against Hisui's side. The sight was akin to lying in bed with a lover.

This hellish composition of a scene was completely incomprehensible to Eruru, plunging her mind into a crashed state.

However, her mind quickly recovered. Picking up a nearby pillow, she took out her favorite sacred gun "Argentum" from her yukata and aimed the muzzle at Hisui.

"U-Umm... Kariya-san, so you really keep your gun close no matter what you're wearing... That pillow you're holding, is it meant to be a silencer?"

"Farewell."

"Hey, w-wait, I'm the victim......!"

Before he could explain himself, Eruru had already pulled the trigger.

With the bullet shot through the pillow, the true story was hidden from the other guests at the inn.

Several minutes later, a female server came over to move some bedding and discovered a zombie-like boy, beaten up beyond recognition. Hence, new anecdotes were born regarding this room with its shady past.

This is not right, I didn't do anything wrong, they forced me and pushed me down... The zombie, or rather, the boy kept muttering incomprehensibly, seeking help from others.

Scared out of her mind by his appearance, the female server rushed out of the room. Reportedly, henceforth, the room was used only as bedding storage and no other guest ever stayed there.

"This is great, this food here! Eating this 'Jap food' once in a while is not bad!"

Rushella essentially followed a western diet, especially with eating bread in the mornings. Currently, she was happily taking large bites and enjoying a purely Japanese style breakfast.

"Hmm, although it's very simple, they pay a lot of attention to the details. The miso soup is also tasty."

Mei was tasting the miso soup in small sips.

The breakfast location was in the reception hall. Apart from Touko, everyone was sitting on cushions in ''seiza'' posture, savoring the simple but exquisite breakfast.

"I guess I should make miso soup from time to time. It looks like men tend to like that sort of cooking."

Kirika savored the miso soup carefully.

Because her cooking skills were quite advanced, she spoke with a very serious expression.

"Breakfast has always been a casual affair for me. It has been a while since I last ate so sumptuously."

Eruru was enjoying her food with satisfaction.

On first glance, a harmonious atmosphere seemed to be hanging over the breakfast table.

However, a certain boy was far removed from harmonious atmosphere, sitting on the side solitarily, having his breakfast.

".........I'm never going to stay overnight outside with you crazy girls ever again."

Hisui swore with resolution in his heart and silently ate his rice.

Thanks to his constitution, his internal bleeding had stopped and his wounds were healed. However, the injuries from Eruru's brutal beating still lingered in his heart.

With a stiff face, he prepared to go home, walking towards the bus station nearby with everyone.

The bus was roughly half an hour from arriving, so they all sat on the bench and stared at the sky with nothing to do.

"It ended up fruitless..."

Mei broke the silence, sighing and hanging her head dejectedly.

Although Rushella and Kirika's emotions were not shown on their faces, one could still see some sense of disheartening from returning emptyhanded.

"Sorry, it's my fault for not remembering..."

Touko bowed her head and spoke with an apologetic expression.

Because she was already intangible and fleeting, she looked even more transparent when she said those words.

"No, this is not your fault, Touko-san. However... What's the actual situation, Kariya? You must have found out something behind my back, right? You chose this inn because it was already in business since a long time ago, right?"

Hearing Hisui speak, everyone looked to Eruru.

Eruru shrugged and glared at Hisui sharply.

"You are keen as ever. Yes, apart from the cheap price, I did pick the inn because of the reason you outlined."

"If you told us earlier, then we could have helped by asking around? This sort of thing is easier with more people."

"That's right, Eruru-chan, Senpai and Hi-kun aside, I would've helped you if you asked. It definitely would have helped."

Mei tried to help out, but Eruru did not appreciate the gesture.

"This was not an official investigation to begin with, so I shouldn't get others involved. You guys should just treat it as a chance to stay out overnight and take a breather."

"You may think it's appropriate but it's not fair to Touko-san. Fine, what are your results? Did you get anything?"

"...It's regrettable. I asked if there were any strange guests or weird happenings around the time of Touko-san's death... But it seems like they had no idea. Furthermore, there was a sudden bout of heavy rain lasting a few days back then. The sea was very turbulent so the inn did not have much business."

"Heavy rain......?"

Touko closed her eyes then and frowned.

With a complicated expression, she seemed to be concentrating and searching for some sort of memory.

"What's the matter? Did you recall something?"

"......"

Touko did not answer.

She remained silent, desperately thinking back, thinking back to the instant when she lost her life ten years ago.

No one tried to ask her anything more and simply turned to watch her.

What exactly had she seen or heard?

This was what everyone wanted desperately to know.

Finally, Touko spoke up gravely.

"Heavy rain... That's right, it was raining. That day... The day when I died...... On the boat, facing off against the vampire, it suddenly rained! The sea became turbulent and a storm came, the boat also... Rocked violently. That vampire hid inside the coffin... Probably because of that. Then the boat lost balance and ended up...!"

"Oh I see. A storm huh... An unexpected bout of heavy rain... But to be honest, this point......"

Mei crossed her arms and pondered.

All the others did the same. A moment later, Eruru brought up her viewpoint.

"Indeed, perhaps this point is not a decisive fact, but more or less, it gives us a clear idea of the situation back then. Touko-san herself has no memories of locking the vampire in the coffin and sinking it into the sea. Because she had already died before that. However, the coffin and her remains were found at the bottom of the sea. Most likely after her death, the waves swallowed the boat and swept it down under the sea. With that, even if Touko-san did not do it herself, the boat and the coffin would still sink in the sea."

Hearing her logical analysis, everyone nodded in agreement.

However, these deductions did not clear up the root of the mystery.

"Suddenly swept away by waves... In that case, the vampire should still be in the coffin, but the fact was he was not. Also, the coffin couldn't be opened from inside. If Touko-san's memories are correct, then the coffin suddenly fell into the sea and he didn't get a chance to escape. What actually happened......"

Hisui pondered the puzzling mystery.

Beside him, Rushella spoke as though she was looking at a fool.

"Speaking of that vampire, what a guy who has no idea how to take precautions. Not only did he have a boat but he also sailed out to sea, but he didn't think of enhancing his coffin?"

"By enhancing... You mean adding waterproof features or making float... Those kinds of enhancements?"

Rushella nodded in response to Kirika's question.

As the only "coffin" user present, Rushella seemed to have her own ideas on coffin construction.

"When we vampires sleep, although futons or beds will suffice, in order to obtain truly restful sleep, a 'coffin' is necessary. Especially when tired. Conversely, lacking a coffin would be quite a troubling problem for us. Combined with the loss of a supply of fresh blood, it greatly diminishes our power."

"After all, to vampires, 'coffins' are a device for recovering spiritual powers. Precisely because of that, they would pour in great amounts of time and money into coffin construction to produce a masterpiece to their liking. In order to handle enemies attacking them in their sleep, some even go as far as to install various traps and mechanisms."

Eruru nonchalantly displayed her great knowledge.

For the purpose of exterminating vampires, she had thoroughly understood these areas.

"Indeed, take my coffin for example. Not only can it float on water, but if you close it shut, it can also stop water from entering. As a vampire, one must insist on such basic requirements in our coffins. But to think that vampire would use something without enhancements and even bring it out to sea, how utterly foolish."

Rushella mocked proudly to display her own superiority.

Probably offended by the expression on her face, Mei shot her down.

"Yeah, perhaps your coffin is fine even if it falls into water... But what's the point if you don't enter it before you go into the sea? Clearly you got kicked into the sea by that Oogami person last night, yet here you go boasting."

"Grrrrr...!"

Struck in a sore spot, Rushella had no choice but to shut up.

"He's vampire at least. Wouldn't he have special powers? Like... In legends, they can turn to mist or a swarm of bats. Even if someone kicks them, they won't fly like a dead fish and end up in such a pitiful state, right?"

"Y-You're really noisy so shut up! What you say, can't be done!"

"Eh~~ Are you really a 'True Ancestor'?"

"Sob, sob sob......."

Defeated in the verbal battle, Rushella began to cry.

Hisui could not bear the sight and extended a helping hand.

"The special powers of vampires are inherited from their parents, or passed down from master to servant. Although there are standard issue abilities like physical strength and the mystic eyes shared by all vampires, other kinds of special powers must come from the 'True Ancestor' at the root of their lineage. Furthermore, each True Ancestor has their own distinct powers. As for Rushella, well, she's just a 'True Ancestor' without the powers you mentioned."

"Th-That's right! We vampires have different strengths and specialties!"

"Fine. Ah, but that means there's more than one 'True Ancestor,' right? I was thinking, wouldn't all vampires descend ultimately from a single vampire?"

"That hypothesis exists. But if that were the case, all vampires would possess the same powers, although differing in strength, so that doesn't fly. The entity known as the 'True Ancestor' is definitely more than one. Of course, you can probably count them on one hand."

"Well, that's true. If she really were the root ancestor of all the vampires, then wouldn't she be a married woman who have sucked the blood of countless humans, with tons of descendants?"

"W-What nonsense are you spouting...!? I-I have never......"

Rushella grumbled softly, sneaking furtive glances at Hisui.

Obviously, her face was all red.

"Didn't I say it was a hypothesis? Servants aside, I never got the impression you were a vampire who had a husband, went through the motions of baby making, or given birth to a 'pure-blooded' child. It's inconceivable."

"Th-That's right, even without memories, that kind of thing... I never did it!!"

"How would you know? Even a lover would be perfectly normal......"

"N-No, no, never!!"

Rushella refuted loudly then fell silent. She sneaked glances at Hisui again but he was just stretching in a bored manner.

"Okay okay, I get it now. So it's like this, apart from standard abilities, whether those various powers of legend are usable depends on a vampire's lineage... Master or parents, ultimately decided by the 'True Ancestor,' is that right?"

"That's correct. So perhaps there are vampires who can turn into mist or bats......"

As soon as he said this, Hisui fell silent.

A thought flashed across his mind.

An empty coffin.

A sudden storm.

Special powers.

A calm and composed vampire.

Also... Also—Hurry and remember.

Think carefully.

Recall everything that had happened till now.

Pick out the unusual.

There must be something, a clue missed.

From the beginning of the incident, search everything—From Touko's encounter, everything that had happened.

"W-What's with you?"

Rushella asked with concern.

At this moment, Hisui met gazes with her.

Then Hisui brought his face close, almost touching each other's lips.

"W-What are you doing!?"

"—I get it now."

Hisui muttered an answer that did not answer her question and stood up.

The bus happened to arrive.

"Let's hurry and get back. Otherwise it might be too late."

"What have you figured out?"

Eruru asked solemnly. Hisui had these special flashes of inspiration from time to time, she knew them better than anyone else.

But Hisui simply shook his head lightly.

"It's all speculation at this stage. I have a theory but no evidence. Perhaps I'm worrying too much, although it'd be best if I'm wrong and there's nothing. But looking at how unlucky I was this morning, I hope the ill fortune doesn't spread over here."

"...What on earth are you trying to say?"

"Let's talk on the bus. Before I explain, hurry and contact the Supernatural Investigations Section, anyone there is fine."

"Contacting them now. But what instructions should I give?"

"Very simple. Quarantine the 'coffin' immediately."

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume03 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Silver Cross and Draculea|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume03 Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume03 Chapter4

2013-07-24T21:36:40Z

130.212.195.162: /* Chapter 4 - Nightmare First Thing in the Morning */

==Chapter 4 - Nightmare First Thing in the Morning==

After Hisui left, he found Rushella much easier than he imagined.

Having left the inn, Rushella was on the main road, walking towards the beach.

However, she was not wearing the yukata she had worn after coming out of the bath. Instead, she had gone somewhere to change into the swimsuit she had worn during the daytime.

By the time Hisui caught up to her, she had already crossed the beach and reached the edge of the waves.

"Dressed like that, are you thinking of swimming? Be careful or you'll just repeat what happened to Kariya. Stop making a fuss."

"...You're so noisy."

"Although it's already night, it's fine if you want to wear your swimsuit... But if you drown, I'm not gonna save you. I'm not a particularly good swimmer either."

"...Shut up."

As the sound of the waves vaguely filled the air, spontaneously... The two of them started taking a stroll.

"Oh... By the way."

"What?"

"Uh... I admit I was wrong."

"What did you do wrong?"

"Well... Umm, I'm not too sure either."

This terrible answer made Rushella even more displeased.

"Does this even count as an apology? Didn't that foster parent of yours teach you properly?"

"That's really harsh, you know......"

Hisui noticed it vaguely.

Every time his foster parent was mentioned, his arrogant master would throw a temper tantrum.

Seeing as they were both vampires, especially 'True Ancestors' as well, clearly conversations related to Miraluka might lead somewhere related to Rushella's lost memories—However, she always sulked.

"About what happened during the day."

"Huh?"

"About that... sunscreen."

"Thank Senpai if you wanna thank someone. She made it specially for you, busy as she is."

"......!"

Instantly, Hisui suffered another beating.

Rushella did not use her full strength, but this lukewarm level of force actually expressed her inner displeasure even more clearly.

"Why are you hitting me?"

"You're being noisy so shut up. Besides, I don't care even if I can't sunbathe during the daytime. The way humans worship sunlight, treating the sun's blessings as a supreme existence, that's such a narrow viewpoint. Vampires are unable to live under sunlight, neither do we appreciate how precious the sun may be, but because of that—"

"They understand the beauty of the night, right?"

Rushella turned around.

A simple and ordinary motion. However, Hisui could not help but stop walking.

That beautiful face, illuminated by the lighting known as moonlight; that gorgeous body, clad in flimsy fabric; that clear, snow-white skin—Everything was so perfect and flawless.

Rather than Rushella serving as a foil to the beauty of the night, it would be better to say that night existed for her sake—That was the kind of illusion he felt.

This was the vampire—no, Rushella—under the night sky.

Whether a vampire under the night sky or an exceptionally beautiful vampire, Hisui should have been used to these sights already despite his relatively young life. However, the sight of Rushella at night, from the very first night they met till now—She has always been so breathtaking.

"I never thought that you'd still be so cute."

"What did you just say?"

Rushella asked suspiciously.

Her crimson gaze was not burning with the light of the mystic eyes. Although the mystic eyes had no effect on Hisui, he could see her eyes glimmering from a magical power different from the mystic eyes.

Speaking of a vampire's charm at night, it was a seductive quality that drew mortals into a demonic realm.

Hence, Hisui did not stare directly.

"You came chasing after me, yet you refuse to look me in the eye. What an incomprehensible guy you are. Who knows how your parents taught you."

"How unfortunate, I was raised by a vampire."

"It's not like I hate her."

"......?"

"I simply hate the fact... that it seems like I'm always one step behind."

"......"

"No matter what's being said, what's being done, that woman's name always comes up."

Rushella spoke with chagrin as she started walking again.

Hisui had no words to answer and could only follow behind her.

'That's normal since I've lived with her for so long.' 'I know very clearly you're not her.'—These kinds of explanations were very legitimate and anyone could easily say them. But for some reason, Hisui could not bring himself to voice them.

Hence he only chose to escape this mood.

"...Why did you believe Touko-san?"

"......"

"She's probably not lying. Perhaps she's a little obsessive. Maybe she died a wrongful death. But still, you decided to help her. She's just a human. And a dead human at that, yet you've gone out of your way to fulfill her long-cherished wish, why is that?"

"You actually know already, right?"

Rushella answered with a question, not even looking back.

Hisui answered affirmatively through silence while deducing her true intentions.

Indeed, in the classroom at the very beginning, when Rushella had proposed helping Touko, he had already sensed it vaguely.

Why would Rushella specifically go out of her way to help a mere human?

Because—

"It's because... I resonated with her. Having no memories is quite painful, yes?"

"I think so too."

Fellow sufferers of the same affliction... Applying such a description would be too simple.

The pain brought about by amnesia that Rushella occasionally expressed was something that Hisui could never comprehend.

On that day, suddenly waking up to a surprise in a strange and unfamiliar world, without any kin by her side, not even knowing her own identity—Touko's situation was actually much better than hers.

"So that's why... You decided to help her?"

"That's not the sole reason, you know? Umm... That vampire who bit her, he offends me."

"......"

"Drinking blood is understandable, yes...... But etiquette cannot be ignored, right? Whether taking victims as servants or simply killing them, umm... But to keep them bound even after death, that's unacceptable..."

Rushella sounded as though she were making excuses.

Hisui could also gather a slight hint that she was trying to test the way he felt.

Rushella herself was probably self-aware of this, hence she did not face Hisui when talking to him.

"About Touko-san, I think she can't let go because of her own obsession. Not passing onto the next life is because of that. The wound on her neck is a reminder to herself not to forget... That's my feeling."

"......Even if that's the case, the cause still lies with that member of my kin, right? Being bitten by a vampire is a serious matter."

"To think you'd say that so shamelessly when you keep drinking my blood all the time."

"Y-You're a separate matter, okay!? Drinking your blood doesn't cause you any problems. More importantly, you belong to me!"

Rushella turned around and snarled.

Coincidentally, a wave crashed down by her feet, causing Rushella to lose balance.

Although it was a calm wave that did not rise above the ankles, "living water" was a major threat to vampires, especially seawater which contained salt with its exorcising and purifying properties. Once splattered, seawater caused local paralysis.

"Ah......!"

Hisui was unable to catch her in time. Rushella fell and landed on her bottom.

Her body was also splashed with seawater.

"Ooh, ooooooooooh......"

Her delicate body trembling, Rushella could not help but hug herself tightly.

She felt chilled to the bone and a sense of paralysis spreading throughout her entire body.

As a pure vampire, she was even more sensitive to living water than Eruru.

Even if it was not fatal, in the worst case, it could render her in a temporary state of suspended animation.

"This has happened before, right. The second day we met, you were drenched in heavy rain."

"Y-You're being noisy, shut up......!"

Hisui smiled wryly and covered her with the jacket he had taken when he left the inn.

It should help her stay warm to some extent.

"Here, can you stand up?"

"......Yeah."

Rushella obediently held Hisui's outstretched hand and left the seawater.

"I-I'm not going to thank you, okay!"

"I'm not expecting it in the first place."

"Y-You are in charge of serving me, showing utmost attentive care is only natural!"

"Got it."

"H-How much longer are you going to hold my hand!?"

"......"

Indeed, Hisui had been holding Rushella's hand all this time.

And in a fairly forceful grip.

"Why... are you holding my hand? C-Could it be, that... You want to... hold hands with me?"

Rushella spoke with an expression that was not altogether displeased.

For a vampire, especially at night, shaking Hisui's slender hand off would be a piece of cake.

But she did not do so.

"L-Let me say this to you...... As a reward for your everyday efforts... I'll allow you slightly... Umm... To touch a little. In the future when I attend balls, it's also your responsibility to accompany me as my escort..."

Finding a legitimate reason, Rushella did not release her hand.

Seeing her shy appearance, Hisui spoke up.

But his voice sounded a bit awkward.

"I can touch?"

"S-Sure..."

Immediately, Hisui's empty left hand grabbed Rushella's breast.

"Eh......?"

Cries of shock were emitted from both Rushella and Hisui's mouths.

"H-How dare you!?"

Before she could stop him... Hisui's left hand was already squeezing Rushella's bulging breast, his five fingers sinking deeply into her supple flesh.

"W-What are you doing!? Th-This behavior......!"

"Because you said I could touch."

That awkward tone of voice again, but unmistakably, it was Hisui's voice.

However, Rushella did not notice these suspicious signs but simply blushed and twisted her body.

"R-Release me now... This......!"

"......"

Hisui's left hand moved.

Without causing Rushella any pain, but firm enough to hurt if she tried to escape—Using this amazingly fine-tuned level of force, he held her... Or rather, he was groping her.

"S-Stop it... This kind of thing... Unacceptable...... This......"

The bikini top was already very skimpy. Currently, it could be said that Hisui's hand was touching her skin directly.

Who knew if it was because her unguarded breast was being groped by him, or for some other reason—Rushella was pleading in a sweet tone of voice.
[[image:Draculea V03 - BW07.PNG|thumb]]

"L-Let go now! This... No......"

Tears appeared in the corners of Rushella's eyes.

But Hisui's attention was directed elsewhere.

He was desperately grabbing his left hand with his right, trying to pull his left hand away from Rushella's breast.

"Y-You... what on earth are you doing? Hurry, let go......!"

"...I'm trying very hard right now......! My hand just moved on its own......!!"

"Huh......?"

"My mouth didn't listen to me either and said strange things on its own! What the heck is going on...!?"

Indeed... He was not joking. His left hand really did move on its own.

Not some kind of uncontrollable impulse of puberty... But it truly moved on its own.

And his mouth spoke words contrary to his will.

In a state of panic over this body that did not belong to him, Hisui did not have the leisure to enjoy the soft sensations experienced by his left hand.

"Hey hey, this whatever situation is really quite serious!?"

"How would I know!? Hurry and let go! S-Stop it... Don't use your nails to scratch through the fabric!"

Rushella finally reached the limits of her embarrassment and swung her fist at Hisui's face.

Nevertheless, his stubborn left hand continued to grip Rushella's breast firmly, refusing to let go.

"Looks like you're not faking it... What on earth is going on!?"

"As if I would know! Hey, you'd better hurry and help think of a way too! A bit of violence is fine, just get my hand away!"

"Don't give me orders while you're having your way with my breast! But if this continues, it's definitely unforgivable!"

Rushella grabbed Hisui's left hand with both hands.

Given the situation, she intended to use her full strength—Just as she was about to pull, she discovered another hand overlapping Hisui's left hand.

With even whiter skin than Hisui—more accurately, it was translucent, beyond the realm of "white."

The translucent hand and Hisui's hand were overlapping and Rushella recognized it.

Exchanging glances with Hisui, the two figured out the truth.

"What are you doing, Touko-san!?"

Hisui directed his question beside him where Touko was smiling with a mischievous expression.

"Oh dear, I'm caught red-handed now?"

"Did you really think you won't get caught!? What kind of performance are you trying to pull here?"

"This is what's called 'possession.' I tried it and it worked. Although it doesn't work on girls, it seems to be fine with Hisui-kun."

"What... How thoroughly are you going to possess my body!?"

"Hmm... It looks like the limit is controlling the left side of your body and saying a few words. I will practice more and try harder❤"

"Could you not say such dark things with such a cute face!? Why are you doing this!?"

"That's right, I don't care if you control this guy, but why did you make him grope my breast!?"

"Watching you two just makes me so impatient. Two people walking on the beach with no one else... Can't you try harder given this wonderful background? Especially you, Hisui-kun..."

"No no, I only came to bring her back......"

"Look, you're both alive and have bodies, why not have a passionate romance? Once you're dead, it'll be too late, right?"

"Uh, well......."

Her words sounded so convincing no matter what.

As expected of a dead person's speech.

"...Hey, don't change the subject! Could you stop deciding on your own to control someone else's body, okay!?"

"That's right, I'm a vampire, this guy is a human... We are master and servant! Not... Not that kind of... relationship......"

Despite words of refutation, Rushella's voice grew softer and softer, her tone also became hesitant.

Touko crossed her arms and examined the two of them, finally shrugging in exasperation.

"Well, whatever. To be honest, rather than worrying about your relationship, I'd rather taste the bittersweet springtime of youth personally."

"Besides, since I'm haunting Hisui-kun's body anyway, whatever you do, I'll follow you automatically."

"Wah, this is so troublesome!"

"Seriously, not only am I getting stared at all day, even my body gets snatched away......"

Wouldn't it be better to hurry and hold a service to help her pass on—Rushella and Hisui communicated through their eyes. Touko began to smile mischievously again.

"Say... Umm, since I can converse normally with you two, that means that Hisui-kun has regained his freedom, you know? Besides, I can't control him for long periods of time."

"What!?"

Only prompted by her did he realize.

Indeed, since Touko was no longer in Hisui's body, his control should no longer be affected.

Clearly not under influenced by someone else—Yet Hisui's left hand continued to grab Rushella's breast.

"Ah."

Hisui finally regained his senses.

Then preparing himself for the worst, he closed his eyes.

Farewell, cruel world.

"You great big idiot!!"

A completely merciless fist of iron crashed into his face, sending Hisui pitifully falling into the sand.

Although he collapsed, his left hand still maintained its posture in the shape of Rushella's breast.

"How did it feel?"

Touko approached and asked. In a hazy state of mind, Hisui left his last words.

"A perfect combination of volume and softness......"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it❤ Originally, I should use my own body to thank you, but it's a shame that not even my bones remain."

Touko smiled tenderly and made a joke with dark humor. Hisui did not know if he should laugh or cry.

But the next sentence he heard caused all his nerves to tense up.

"Flirting with a vampire, my, what a hobby you have there eh?"

"It's you......"

Hisui stood up.

A tall woman was standing with her back to the moonlight.

Oogami Rangetsu.

"Going out with a vampire at night isn't really commendable. You should be a little more vigilant."

"Who is this?"

Not recognizing her, Rushella asked Hisui.

"Kariya's colleague. She's supposed to be an official detective. So...... What business do you have here?"

"I came to warn you. It seems like you're assisting Kariya Eruru, so I'd like to advise you to mind your own business. There was no vampire in the coffin. That's the entire situation, yes?"

"Even so, isn't assistance voluntary?"

"Let me remind you that it's smarter not to go against the nation's interests, okay? If this sort of unofficial investigation goes wrong, your personal safety is not guaranteed. Besides, you probably have no idea, but she is actually—"

"A dhampir. Is there a problem?"

Hisui cut her off.

Rangetsu showed surprise but immediately regained her composure and mocked sarcastically.

"So you actually knew... Yet you can still hang around her all the time. Plus this vampire as well. Are you really human?"

"Who knows......"

Rangetsu did not know about Hisui's constitution.

Hence, despite mocking him, she was actually worrying for Hisui's safety.

"If you want to investigate me, I welcome you any time. But that will really be a waste of taxpayers' money."

"...What an arrogant brat. Fine, I'll pass. If you were no longer human, Kariya Eruru would surely execute you instantly. However, I never would have expected her to reveal her identity to you... From my observation, she has always hidden it quite well."

"She doesn't trust me that much. I discovered it on my own."

"Oh dear... How unexpected. Looks like you have a few talents of your own. She probably allowed you to accompany her because she appreciates your smarts? And that ghost beside you, you really must have a taste for the supernatural, eh?"

(...She can see her?)

Rangetsu's words clearly indicated that she could see Touko.

After all, as a member of the Supernatural Investigations Section, this level of ability was apparently standard.

"Although I'm not sure why she's possessing you, do you need an exorcism? I have professionals in my team."

"Not necessary. Although the chill troubled me for a while, I'm already used to it now."

"Really...... If you ever part ways with Kariya Eruru, feel free to contact me any time. I wish to talk to you."

Saying that, she threw her name card straight towards Hisui, flying through the dark night.

Her motion was like throwing a poker card, but before it could reach Hisui, Rushella had already thrown her short sword to strike it down onto the sand.

"...What are you doing?"

"If you want to recruit my servant, you'll have to go through me first. How displeasing you are."

Rushella spoke unhappily.

Rangetsu laughed lightly and nimbly leapt off the sand.

Within the blink of an eye, her stern and cold face had already appeared right before Rushella's face.

Despite the unfavorable mobility on a beach's sandy surface, she had closed their distance in by a simple leap.

"......!"

Rushella reacted reflexively.

Because she instinctively judged this woman as a threat.

She reached straight for the target's heart.

Given the length and sharpness of Rushella's fingers, combined with her speed and sturdiness, penetrating a body of flesh would be a piece of cake.

"...Ha?"

After laughing derisively, only then did Rangetsu react.

No, more accurately, she only started moving after confirming Rushella's movements.

Her counterattack was a very simple sweeping kick delivered at mid level.

She first withdrew and folded her long and slender leg, then shot it out like a spring.

The exchange only happened within the blink of an eye, resulting in an instant, decisive victory.

The loser—was Rushella.

Her attack missed and she suffered a kick to her abdomen, sending her flying into the air, finally landing in the shallows.

"You...!!"

"This is nothing to a vampire, right? No actual harm done. Besides, it's even nighttime as well. Oh right, but isn't the seaside rather troublesome? There's the danger of drowning."

Rangetsu simply spoke indifferent, completely concerned with Rushella's safety.

"I hate vampires the most. Naturally, dhampirs are not exempted. If the higher-ups make the decision, I will destroy them any time."

"......!"

Hisui glared at Rangetsu without saying a word.

His eyes were burning with distinct hostility, a rare occasion. But Rangetsu turned around, unfazed.

"I would advise you not to get any funny ideas. The only reason why this vampire lives is because there are no concrete records of her attacking any human... That's all. No matter what the reason is, once she makes a move, she'll be added to our extermination list. Please pass that onto her."

Saying that, Rangetsu departed leisurely.

"Hisui-kun......"

"I know."

Hearing Touko's sad voice, Hisui nodded. Instead of chasing after Rangetsu, rescuing Rushella was more important.

Rangetsu was not lying. A simple blunt attack could not kill a vampire at night.

Instead of causing direct damage, her kick was intended to send Rushella falling into the sea.

What was surprising was her speed that surpassed a vampire at night.

"Are you okay......?"

At Rushella's location, the seawater was at waist-level.

Hisui picked her up in his arms. Rushella was already completely pale, her lips blue, having lost all strength in her body.

After retrieving her short sword that was embedded in the sand, Hisui silently carried Rushella on his back and started returning to the inn.

Touko followed behind him, gazing solemnly at Hisui's back.

For some reason, she did not circle around in front of them.

Touko did not want to see Hisui's face at this time.

"I was thinking of fetching you but this happened? What on earth took place to develop into this situation?"

As soon as Hisui stepped into the inn, Eruru asked him in surprise.

After all, it was only natural to be surprised at the sight of Rushella completely drenched, carried on Hisui's back.

"It's all your colleague's fault. That Rangetsu person."

"Oogami-san...? Why!?"

"I'd like to know too."

After handing Rushella over to Mei and Kirika to take care of her, Hisui told Eruru about everything that happened on the beach just now.

"...I see. Looks like she is tracking down the vampire too."

"Didn't she conclude herself that there was no vampire in the coffin? Why would she come here then?"

"I am guessing it is what the higher-ups wanted. There was definitely no vampire in the coffin but there could be other coffins. Or perhaps there were some other vampire-related clues. Putting aside the truth, someone in the higher-ups with a close relation with her must have decided and sent her here to investigate. Then following the obvious trail, she found us—Probably something like that."

"Competing factions, struggles for power, everyone is secretly vying for domination. When she disparaged you in that underground facility last time, was she taunting the opposing faction?"

"It probably does carry that level of significance. After all, it is true that no vampire was found. There is nothing the opposing faction could say. The ones holding power in the organization basically understand very well."

Looks like that Rangetsu woman's social skills were quite smooth and slick, in a different way from Eruru.

Furthermore, in terms of dealing with vampires, she also possessed the corresponding capability.

Hisui really did not want to make an enemy out of someone like her.

"She looks like she really hates vampires. Are the hardliners intending to catch the vampire first then secretly destroy him?"

"Although it's public knowledge that she hates vampires, her boss is actually a conservative. Perhaps the orders are to prioritize capture over extermination."

"That doesn't sound too conservative actually. Instead of advocating coexistence with vampires... Catching them and conducting research... Is that what it means to be conservative?"

"Indeed. In contrast, the hardliners advocate instant execution of everything harmful to humans, no matter what. As a compromise of these two camps, the current policy prescribes tolerance for vampires that have not attacked humans."

"So... Which side do you belong to?"

Eruru did not answer.

When they first met, surely she would have declared herself in the hardliner camp without hesitation.

Then what about... now?

"Your room is apparently prepared already. I'll take you there, follow me."

"Yes—"

Hisui did not press the issue further. He followed her.

"But I feel kind of bad. A single room for me alone? You girls don't have a huge room but you need to squeeze four people there?"

"Genders need to sleep in separate rooms, right? It's not like we can't split the group in half. Obviously this is the only way."

"That's true."

"We're there."

Eruru stopped and opened the door.

Appearing before their eyes was a dimly lit Japanese style room. The floor was entirely filled with blankets.

"This is... Perhaps?"

"The bedding storage."

Eruru stated simply.

The bedding storage—Just as its name implied, it was the store room for keeping blankets and other bedding supplies.

Despite serving various purposes in different inns, they always had a common function as a storeroom for miscellaneous items, and they were not supposed to be rented out for customers to stay in.

"Eh——What kind of joke is this!? Why would they open this for customers!?"

"Originally, I was the only one planning to stay at this inn. Now that our numbers increased all at once, but their rooms are already fully booked, this cannot be helped... So that is the situation."

"You can't be serious... There's no place to lie down here. The room is completely occupied by blankets."

"This cannot be helped. It is the bedding storage."

"...I see."

"Also, the rent does not come cheap. The part I paid for you already, you need to fully reimburse me later."

"Eh, I need to pay for it out of my own pocket!? And so expensive!? Living in the bedding storage!?"

"After all, we're not on an official investigation. Besides, this is originally unavailable for guests. They only allowed you to live in it after I negotiated with them. Expensive is only normal."

"Uh, this... Fine......"

Although Eruru's explanation made sense, Hisui could not accept it entirely.

Clearly, a room's price should be in direct proportion with its quality.

Although he had many more complaints, Hisui could only swallow them, fearful of the risk that Eruru might simply kick him out. In any case, he decided to first make sure he had a place to sleep. Hisui entered the room.

"This is so dark... Where's the light switch?"

"I think it would be better to keep the lights off, yes? There might be spattered bloodstains... Rather, because this room was not meant for people to live in, there might be many filthy stains. What you do not see will not bother you."

"Hey, did you just say spattered bloodstains? You did say that, right!?"

"I said it."

"Eh, now you admit it directly!? I was thinking you might deny it a bit first!?"

"Hurry up and get rid of those fantasies."

"Why are you counseling me... Speaking of which, this room is that type of room you mentioned, isn't it!?"

"Because it is the bedding storage."

"Bedding storage = a room with an unspeakable past, does such an equation exist!? And so expensive too, what the heck is going on!?"

"It is all because no one normally lives in this room. Besides, the inn consented only because I negotiated. Please be understanding."

Eruru's expression looked as though she was listening to a raving madman.

Her adorable face did not show any emotion while she simply spoke severe words in an indifferent tone of voice.

"B-But, isn't it serious with spattered bloodstains...? Shouldn't there be some exorcism charms?"

"Do not worry, they have been ripped off already."

"That's a great cause for worry! Don't go unsealing the charms!!"

"Having exorcism charms in a room where someone is living in would not be very appropriate, right? Are you trying to express your dissatisfaction with my thoughtful service?"

"What are you getting angry for!? This inn has a problem if it's got a bloodstained room in the first place, doesn't it!?"

"Although the inn was not too willing, they finally agreed. Well, in fact, renting this room out in itself was quite a stretch. In the end, I forced the issue by requesting repeatedly that 'This person insists on living here' so the inn finally relented."

"Now even the inn hates me!! Don't go making use of your negotiation skills in this kind of area!!"

"Do not worry. Even though I tried, the exorcism charms are not entirely ripped out. After all, they are perfectly intact on the underside of the tatami."

"Of course I'm worrying!! Doesn't that make it even more terrifying!!"

It looked like things had gone beyond the issue of whether he could sleep or not.

Whether he could leave this room alive in the morning, that would be a serious question.

"Is it really okay...? I really feel like there's a huge problem, okay?"

"You have been possessed already, right? What difference does it make, one more or one less? Isn't there an old saying, 'being haunted by one ghost is as bad as being haunted by two,' right?"

"The difference is huge...... Jeez, whatever, I'm not gonna turn on the light then. I'll just not think about anything and sleep directly!!"

Hisui sighed with complete self-abandon and entered the dark room.

In order to stay oblivious of his surroundings, he casually covered his head with a blanket.

"Then a goodnight to you. Sweet dreams."

"...I won't forget this."

Grumbling from beneath a blanket, Hisui closed his eyes and headed off to the land of dreams.

Who knew if it were a blessing or a curse, but Hisui rapidly fell asleep.

He was probably exhausted from this and that happening.

There were no nightmares. Neither did he wake up in the middle of the night. He slept through the night and morning arrived directly.

Although he had not set an alarm on his cellphone, he still woke up at the usual time.

And just as usual, a warm and soft sensation was pressing on his chest.

A sweet fragrance.

The feeling of his neck bitten.

As well as—Sharp pain.

Opening his eyes, he found Rushella lying on top of him, slurping as she drank blood from his neck.

"......You're even doing this during a trip!!"

"Stop being so noisy, you're making a ruckus early in the morning!!"

Probably recovered after a night's rest, Rushella's expression revealed nothing about the injuries she suffered the night prior.

Just as usual, she was embracing him tightly, having her daily meal.

"Ouch——!! Damn it, you're sucking too much at once!!"

"You're being noisy so shut up! I got kicked by that woman and fell into the sea, right!? So right now, I need to drink to my fill! Just lie still and don't make a fuss!"

"I don't wanna~!!"

"Watch me put you in your place......!!"

A boy and a girl, both dressed in yukatas, were wrestling with each other.

This sort of clothing was very susceptible to getting pulled open.

In actual fact, Hisui's collar was already messed up by Rushella's hand, leaving his chest open wide, almost half naked.

And as a result of Hisui's struggles, Rushella's clothing had become a bit... Disheveled.

Also because this was her first time wearing Japanese style clothing, the sash was not tied securely.

Hence, when Hisui struggled with his arms and legs, he reached for the collar and caused the chest portion of Rushella's yukata to slide off.

"Ah...... Sorry."

A bountiful bosom jumped right in front of his eyes.

Perhaps because they were staying outside overnight, or maybe because she was not wearing Hisui's shirt as usual like at home, it was fortunate that Rushella was wearing a bra properly.

Even so—wrapped in a white and lacy bra, her breasts were drawing Hisui's full and complete attention through their sheer overwhelming volume.

"Not allowed to look——!!"

Her left and right hands alternated to deliver a series of slaps, turning Hisui's head into a rattle drum.

Naturally, Rushella's intense exertion also caused her bosom to wobble and shake from side to side, nonstop.

A man's instincts conferred Hisui with astounding vision despite the high-speed motion of his head. Wobbling intensely in all directions, his eyes captured clear images of the dangling fruit.

"I already said, not allowed to look!!"

"Then cover it up yourself!"

"You're noisy so shut up!!"

In an attempt to hide her exposed bosom, Rushella directly pressed her chest against Hisui's chest.

Yes, it was hidden now, but this caused new problems.

"Hey hey, Rushella-san... Could you stop that? Pressed like this together, it's really... Although there was a bath towel separating us last time... I'm half naked with my chest bare today, even with your bra in between, it's really disastrous......"

"What's so disastrous!? Apart from the blood in your entire body rushing down and concentrating in your lower body!?"

Rushella was able to read the bloodflow of a person she was touching. Hence she retorted after analyzing.

Indeed, all the blood in his body was converging there.

Even if that was not his intention, it was also morning.

And there was even someone pressing her breasts against him.

Oh the woes of a man.

"Umm, sorry... Let's talk about blood drinking and apologies another time. Could you stop locking me down with your legs? With your lovely skin, it's very disastrous for me to be caught in between those smooth, beautiful legs......"
[[image:Draculea V03 - BW08.PNG|thumb]]

"What kind of nonsense are you babbling about!? Blood drinking must come first!! After I'm done with your blood, cover up your eyes, then I'll fix my clothes and leave!!"

"Can we discuss this sequence a little more...?"

"So noisy, shut up!!"

Thinking about nothing but biting his neck and drinking blood, Rushella pressed her weight down harder to prevent Hisui from escaping.

The two were entangled tightly together, with only a soft bosom in between them.

"Hey, seriously... This is very bad......"

Rushella licked her lips and approached.

Hisui closed his eyes, fallen into despair, focusing his thoughts on trying to get his disobedient lower body to calm down at least.

Just at this moment, a savior suddenly descended.

The blanket covering Hisui and Rushella's lower bodies was actually bulging with something the two had not noticed.

" "Eh—!?" "

Under their surprised gaze, the bulge squirmed like a giant caterpillar—Then Mei popped out.

"Eh—!? When did you get here!?"

"I arrived earlier than this girl here! I was actually planning for a nocturnal assault when the time was ripe, but ended up oversleeping. So now it's dawn❤ That would make it a 'morning assault', right?"

"You and your damn assaults! What are you planning now!?"

"Oh dear, isn't it obvious? Let's. Make. Babies."

Mei smiled seductively and joined in intimate state between the two people.

Rather than a yukata, she was wearing a babydoll nightgown. This translucent underwear naturally held true to its excellent tradition of skimpy and erotic design.

"...So, could you move aside?"

"Who are you asking to move aside!? This guy's mine!!"

On top of Hisui's body, a battle between a vampire and an artificial human was about to start.

But before the battle could officially begin, Mei surprising offered a compromise.

"Or how about this, after all, since our goals are different, let's just split things up. You go ahead and suck blood from Hi-kun's neck while I enjoy his lower half properly..."

"I see... That's right, I want to get to fixing up my clothes faster. If we do it together, subduing this guy will be much easier!!"

"How could you two ally together!? Hey, stop it!!"

"No problem, just relax......"

Mei readily took off the outer layer of her babydoll and threw it aside.

Her well-developed figure was displayed before Hisui's eyes.

A massive bust on Rushella's level. Voluptuous thighs and buttocks.

Hisui had clearly seen all this before, but the stimulating nature of her attire was too potent.

In addition, hunting his lower body, Mei was crawling around on all fours... Like a female leopard ready to pounce on her prey.

But that was not all there was to it.

If it were just visual stimulation, Hisui could still manage and suppress.

But Mei had brought out an even more devastating weapon.

Hisui did not know if it was by chance or by design.

Perhaps God's gift or the Devil's sacrifice.

Her voluptuous butt was pointed straight at Hisui's face.

Fine, even so, he could still manage to maintain a shred of sanity. Desperately mustering his final strength, he resolved to turn his face away.

However, perhaps because she was spending a night away from home or because she was always thinking about having babies every moment... On her butt was what one would call victory underwear.

It was a pink thong.

The tiny scrap of fabric, buried in the valley of her posterior, completely failed to cover up the overwhelming presence of those childbearing hips.

Storing a thick layer of fat, that luxuriant butt was smooth and glistening.

Seeing the fatal object swaying before his eyes, Hisui's brain short circuited. It was a miracle that blood did not spurt out from his nose.

He could not endure any longer.

Abandoning a human's dignity and chastity, Hisui closed his eyes.

"...You girls should behave yourselves!!"

A cold voice made Hisui open his eyes.

It was... Kirika.

Indeed, he was not fighting a losing battle in isolation.

Isn't the vice-president here as well?

"Senpai, I'm so glad you're here... Hurry and pull these two away......"

As Hisui relayed a message for help, he instantly realized something was amiss.

Kirika's voice came from within the room, not from the door.

"...Where are you?"

"No, umm...... You see, you don't have a window, so I was thinking it must be quite stuff here, and wondered if you would feel thirsty, so I made some herbal tea... Cold tea. But I found you still sleeping... So before I knew it, I was waiting in a corner of the room......"

Kirika shyly raised a cup and explained.

She was dressed in a proper yukata with her hair coiled up behind her head, a great match for her Japanese attire and very feminine.

But what she had done was on the same level as Rushella and Mei's actions.

In other words... She had arrived even earlier than those two.

And was admiring the scene of his sleeping face all this time.

Hiding her presence completely.

Despite harboring no malice, she was even worse.

A so-called innocent stalker.

"No no no, that's terrifying! Then couldn't you have just put down the cup and left!? Just leave a note or something!"

"Oh right......"

Only upon hearing Hisui's reminder did she realize. Looks like the prim, proper and smart girl was a little slow in this area.

"...That makes sense too. Hey, look at yourselves, you two, what is with that attire!? A-Anyway, hurry and get away from Kujou-kun......!"

"Hey... Senpai, wouldn't you like to join us?"

Mei shook her seductive ass as she spoke.

In a situation like this, recruiting Kirika as an ally would be more convenient.

"J-Join you...... It's not like... I also......"

"Rushella wants blood, I want his lower body, and Hi-kun's face... is still free, you know?"

Kirika gulped after hearing her then looked at Hisui's face.

Her eyes looked a bit dangerous.

"Uh, umm... Senpai?"

"Th-That's right... This kind of thing, shouldn't be too direct...... One should follow a natural sequence..."

"You don't need to go mouth-to-mouth directly. How about the cheeks or the forehead? Senpai, you're a quarter British... This would only count as a greeting, right?"

"Th-That's right. It would be just a morning greeting......"

Kirika convinced herself and took up her position next to Hisui's face.

Then lifting his face in her hands, her lips—

"Hey hey Senpai, this is a bit... Clearly you were the only one I could trust!!"

"D-Don't move...... This is just, umm... A British greeting, just a greeting!"

"Does the British Empire really have this kind of tradition...?"

"Becuase you're struggling, you touched my lips accidentally, it's just an accident...!!"

"You did it on purpose!! Arghhh—I've had enough!!"

Hisui mustered all his might, trying to push the three girls away.

But he was powerless.

In particular—His left half.

"......Eh?"

A translucent arm was overlapping his left arm.

More accurately... His entire body was overlapping with a translucent body.

"T-Touko-san!?"

"Yes, good morning."

From inside his body, the ghost smiled innocently.

She was happily engaged in his possessed state.

"W-What are you pulling again?"

"Hisui-kun... I died before I got a chance to savor romance. Before I died, I thought I had met a good man, but ended up getting killed by a vampire."

"Yeah, my condolences... We're all doing our best for your sake."

"So what is love, what does it mean to grow up into an adult...? I'd like to experience that. Using your body."

"That's too weird, this is a male body!? Even if you experienced it, it won't be right!? Besides, what sort of love is this, it's clearly lust! Although Rushella's isn't even lust!!"

"I... want to become an adult!"

"Find someone else!!"

Hisui's pleas fell upon deaf ears. Touko continued to occupy his body.

Since his left side was not listening to him, further struggles were hopeless.

The sharp fangs buried deeply in his neck.

The lustful hand reaching between his legs.

The lips approaching his face.

The ghost sneaking in his body.

Farewell, my various precious things.

Before a drop of tear could slide down Hisui's face, a certain person entered through the door, accompanied by a familiar, cold tone of voice.

"You guys are too noisy. What are you doing early in the morning? Breakfast is ready......"

Seeing the scene inside the room, Eruru's face froze.

A group of girls surrounding a half-naked Hisui.

Rushella was also half-naked while pressing her giant bust against him, sucking on his neck.

Mei, dressed in kinky and depraved underwear, was invading his crotch.

Holding his face in her hands, Kirika was bringing her lips closer and closer.

Touko was leaning closely against Hisui's side. The sight was akin to lying in bed with a lover.

This hellish composition of a scene was completely incomprehensible to Eruru, plunging her mind into a crashed state.

However, her mind quickly recovered. Picking up a nearby pillow, she took out her favorite sacred gun "Argentum" from her yukata and aimed the muzzle at Hisui.

"U-Umm... Kariya-san, so you really keep your gun close no matter what you're wearing... That pillow you're holding, is it meant to be a silencer?"

"Farewell."

"Hey, w-wait, I'm the victim......!"

Before he could explain himself, Eruru had already pulled the trigger.

With the bullet shot through the pillow, the true story was hidden from the other guests at the inn.

Several minutes later, a female server came over to move some bedding and discovered a zombie-like boy, beaten up beyond recognition. Hence, new anecdotes were born regarding this room with its shady past.

This is not right, I didn't do anything wrong, they forced me and pushed me down... The zombie, or rather, the boy kept muttering incomprehensibly, seeking help from others.

Scared out of her mind by his appearance, the female server rushed out of the room. Reportedly, henceforth, the room was used only as bedding storage and no other guest ever stayed there.

"This is great, this food here! Eating this 'Jap food' once in a while is not bad!"

Rushella essentially followed a western diet, especially with eating bread in the mornings. Currently, she was happily taking large bites and enjoying a purely Japanese style breakfast.

"Hmm, although it's very simple, they pay a lot of attention to the details. The miso soup is also tasty."

Mei was tasting the miso soup in small sips.

The breakfast location was in the reception hall. Apart from Touko, everyone was sitting on cushions in ''seiza'' posture, savoring the simple but exquisite breakfast.

"I guess I should make miso soup from time to time. It looks like men tend to like that sort of cooking."

Kirika savored the miso soup carefully.

Because her cooking skills were quite advanced, she spoke with a very serious expression.

"Breakfast has always been a casual affair for me. It has been a while since I last ate so sumptuously."

Eruru was enjoying her food with satisfaction.

On first glance, a harmonious atmosphere seemed to be hanging over the breakfast table.

However, a certain boy was far removed from harmonious atmosphere, sitting on the side solitarily, having his breakfast.

".........I'm never going to stay overnight outside with you crazy girls ever again."

Hisui swore with resolution in his heart and silently ate his rice.

Thanks to his constitution, his internal bleeding had stopped and his wounds were healed. However, the injuries from Eruru's brutal beating still lingered in his heart.

With a stiff face, he prepared to go home, walking towards the bus station nearby with everyone.

The bus was roughly half an hour from arriving, so they all sat on the bench and stared at the sky with nothing to do.

"It ended up fruitless..."

Mei broke the silence, sighing and hanging her head dejectedly.

Although Rushella and Kirika's emotions were not shown on their faces, one could still see some sense of disheartening from returning emptyhanded.

"Sorry, it's my fault for not remembering..."

Touko bowed her head and spoke with an apologetic expression.

Because she was already intangible and fleeting, she looked even more transparent when she said those words.

"No, this is not your fault, Touko-san. However... What's the actual situation, Kariya? You must have found out something behind my back, right? You chose this inn because it was already in business since a long time ago, right?"

Hearing Hisui speak, everyone looked to Eruru.

Eruru shrugged and glared at Hisui sharply.

"You are keen as ever. Yes, apart from the cheap price, I did pick the inn because of the reason you outlined."

"If you told us earlier, then we could have helped by asking around? This sort of thing is easier with more people."

"That's right, Eruru-chan, Senpai and Hi-kun aside, I would've helped you if you asked. It definitely would have helped."

Mei tried to help out, but Eruru did not appreciate the gesture.

"This was not an official investigation to begin with, so I shouldn't get others involved. You guys should just treat it as a chance to stay out overnight and take a breather."

"You may think it's appropriate but it's not fair to Touko-san. Fine, what are your results? Did you get anything?"

"...It's regrettable. I asked if there were any strange guests or weird happenings around the time of Touko-san's death... But it seems like they had no idea. Furthermore, there was a sudden bout of heavy rain lasting a few days back then. The sea was very turbulent so the inn did not have much business."

"Heavy rain......?"

Touko closed her eyes then and frowned.

With a complicated expression, she seemed to be concentrating and searching for some sort of memory.

"What's the matter? Did you recall something?"

"......"

Touko did not answer.

She remained silent, desperately thinking back, thinking back to the instant when she lost her life ten years ago.

No one tried to ask her anything more and simply turned to watch her.

What exactly had she seen or heard?

This was what everyone wanted desperately to know.

Finally, Touko spoke up gravely.

"Heavy rain... That's right, it was raining. That day... The day when I died...... On the boat, facing off against the vampire, it suddenly rained! The sea became turbulent and a storm came, the boat also... Rocked violently. That vampire hid inside the coffin... Probably because of that. Then the boat lost balance and ended up...!"

"Oh I see. A storm huh... An unexpected bout of heavy rain... But to be honest, this point......"

Mei crossed her arms and pondered.

All the others did the same. A moment later, Eruru brought up her viewpoint.

"Indeed, perhaps this point is not a decisive fact, but more or less, it gives us a clear idea of the situation back then. Touko-san herself has no memories of locking the vampire in the coffin and sinking it into the sea. Because she had already died before that. However, the coffin and her remains were found at the bottom of the sea. Most likely after her death, the waves swallowed the boat and swept it down under the sea. With that, even if Touko-san did not do it herself, the boat and the coffin would still sink in the sea."

Hearing her logical analysis, everyone nodded in agreement.

However, these deductions did not clear up the root of the mystery.

"Suddenly swept away by waves... In that case, the vampire should still be in the coffin, but the fact was he was not. Also, the coffin couldn't be opened from inside. If Touko-san's memories are correct, then the coffin suddenly fell into the sea and he didn't get a chance to escape. What actually happened......"

Hisui pondered the puzzling mystery.

Beside him, Rushella spoke as though she was looking at a fool.

"Speaking of that vampire, what a guy who has no idea how to take precautions. Not only did he have a boat but he also sailed out to sea, but he didn't think of enhancing his coffin?"

"By enhancing... You mean adding waterproof features or making float... Those kinds of enhancements?"

Rushella nodded in response to Kirika's question.

As the only "coffin" user present, Rushella seemed to have her own ideas on coffin construction.

"When we vampires sleep, although futons or beds will suffice, in order to obtain truly restful sleep, a 'coffin' is necessary. Especially when tired. Conversely, lacking a coffin would be quite a troubling problem for us. Combined with the loss of a supply of fresh blood, it greatly diminishes our power."

"After all, to vampires, 'coffins' are a device for recovering spiritual powers. Precisely because of that, they would pour in great amounts of time and money into coffin construction to produce a masterpiece to their liking. In order to handle enemies attacking them in their sleep, some even go as far as to install various traps and mechanisms."

Eruru nonchalantly displayed her great knowledge.

For the purpose of exterminating vampires, she had thoroughly understood these areas.

"Indeed, that my coffin for example. Not only can it float on water, but if you close it shut, it can also stop water from entering. As a vampire, one must insist on such basic requirements in our coffins. But to think that vampire would use something without enhancements and even bring it out to sea, how utterly foolish."

Rushella mocked proudly to display her own superiority.

Probably offended by the expression on her face, Mei shot her down.

"Yeah, perhaps your coffin is fine even if it falls into water... But what's the point if you don't enter it before you go into the sea? Clearly you got kicked into the sea by that Oogami person last night, yet here you go boasting."

"Grrrrr...!"

Struck in a sore spot, Rushella had no choice but to shut up.

"He's vampire at least. Wouldn't he have special powers? Like... In legends, they can turn to mist or a swarm of bats. Even if someone kicks them, they won't fly like a dead fish and end up in such a pitiful state, right?"

"Y-You're really noisy so shut up! What you say, can't be done!"

"Eh~~ Are you really a 'True Ancestor'?"

"Sob, sob sob......."

Defeated in the verbal battle, Rushella began to cry.

Hisui could not bear the sight and extended a helping hand.

"The special powers of vampires are inherited from their parents, or passed down from master to servant. Although there are standard issue abilities like physical strength and the mystic eyes shared by all vampires, other kinds of special powers must come from the 'True Ancestor' at the root of their lineage. Furthermore, each True Ancestor has their own distinct powers. As for Rushella, well, she's just a 'True Ancestor' without the powers you mentioned."

"Th-That's right! We vampires have different strengths and specialties!"

"Fine. Ah, but that means there's more than one 'True Ancestor,' right? I was thinking, wouldn't all vampires descend ultimately from a single vampire?"

"That hypothesis exists. But if that were the case, all vampires would possess the same powers, although differing in strength, so that doesn't fly. The entity known as the 'True Ancestor' is definitely more than one. Of course, you can probably count them on one hand."

"Well, that's true. If she really were the root ancestor of all the vampires, then wouldn't she be a married woman who have sucked the blood of countless humans, with tons of descendants?"

"W-What nonsense are you spouting...!? I-I have never......"

Rushella grumbled softly, sneaking furtive glances at Hisui.

Obviously, her face was all red.

"Didn't I say it was a hypothesis? Servants aside, I never got the impression you were a vampire who had a husband, went through the motions of baby making, or given birth to a 'pure-blooded' child. It's inconceivable."

"Th-That's right, even without memories, that kind of thing... I never did it!!"

"How would you know? Even a lover would be perfectly normal......"

"N-No, no, never!!"

Rushella refuted loudly then fell silent. She sneaked glances at Hisui again but he was just stretching in a bored manner.

"Okay okay, I get it now. So it's like this, apart from standard abilities, whether those various powers of legend are usable depends on a vampire's lineage... Master or parents, ultimately decided by the 'True Ancestor,' is that right?"

"That's correct. So perhaps there are vampires who can turn into mist or bats......"

As soon as he said this, Hisui fell silent.

A thought flashed across his mind.

An empty coffin.

A sudden storm.

Special powers.

A calm and composed vampire.

Also... Also—Hurry and remember.

Think carefully.

Recall everything that had happened till now.

Pick out the unusual.

There must be something, a clue missed.

From the beginning of the incident, search everything—From Touko's encounter, everything that had happened.

"W-What's with you?"

Rushella asked with concern.

At this moment, Hisui met gazes with her.

Then Hisui brought his face close, almost touching each other's lips.

"W-What are you doing!?"

"—I get it now."

Hisui muttered an answer that did not answer her question and stood up.

The bus happened to arrive.

"Let's hurry and get back. Otherwise it might be too late."

"What have you figured out?"

Eruru asked solemnly. Hisui had these special flashes of inspiration from time to time, she knew them better than anyone else.

But Hisui simply shook his head lightly.

"It's all speculation at this stage. I have a theory but no evidence. Perhaps I'm worrying too much, although it'd be best if I'm wrong and there's nothing. But looking at how unlucky I was this morning, I hope the ill fortune doesn't spread over here."

"...What on earth are you trying to say?"

"Let's talk on the bus. Before I explain, hurry and contact the Supernatural Investigations Section, anyone there is fine."

"Contacting them now. But what instructions should I give?"

"Very simple. Quarantine the 'coffin' immediately."

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume03 Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Silver Cross and Draculea|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume03 Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume01 Chapter6

2013-07-24T20:12:21Z

130.212.195.162: /* Chapter 6 - {{furigana|Anti-Vampire|Anti-Drac}} */

==Chapter 6 - {{furigana|Anti-Vampire|Anti-Drac}}==

"This place is...?"

Rushella woke up and looked in all directions, finding herself in a dim location.

This looked like a warehouse, with cardboard boxes scattered all around. The warehouse was quite spacious with faint sounds of ocean waves and the smell of the tide. This was probably a corner somwhere in the harbor.

Chasing after hazy memories, she then flew into a rage.

Back when the pungent smell of garlic hit her, she could not bear it no matter what.

Right, I fainted and lost consciousness, then...

Rushella recalled her mistake and could not help but gnash her teeth. Then immediately she discovered that her arms and legs were immobilized.

"...!?"

She could not move naturally. Because her limbs were bound tightly by silver chains then tied to the wall. These chains were apparently prepared in advance and already installed into the wall, extremely secure.

But as a vampire, if Rushella used her full strength, breaking the wall should not be that hard—But she could not do it.

"Silver huh..."

Because touching the chains produced a scorching pain akin to being burned, only then did she realize the chain's material. Vampires were afraid of silver itself. These chains were most likely designed specially for vampires, making escape even harder.

"You woke, Your Highness the True Ancestor?"

"You...!"

Although Rushella did not know him, the man before her was Kishida whom Hisui and Eruru were well acquainted with.

"Who are you...? You should be my kin. But how are you able to use this contemptible thing."

Just as Rushella pointed out, no matter how effective anti-vampire equipment was against other vampires, a vampire would find them difficult to use. But this man was making perfect use of them.

"Please call me the Baron. Although it differs from the West, I have received an official title of nobility in this country."

"Really... I heard from my servant already, this country no longer has a system of nobles. Judging from that fact, you must have lived here since a long time ago."

"Compared to a True Ancestor, I'm nothing. But living in the human world, I have learned knowledge. Although using these kinds of tools to bind my kin is difficult for myself, a person in the process of turning does not have this inconvenience."

Behind the Baron, a girl in a patient's gown was standing at his service.

"The class rep...!? You bit her!?"

"Exactly. A young virgin... Especially a saint, how could I resist? Well done. These chains I'm unable to touch, by ordering her who is still in the middle of turning, she helped me to tie you up."

"I see... You sucked her blood to approach but not reach full vampirization in order to create a more loyal servant who can perform tasks you cannot. What a lowly man you are."

"Very unfortunately, I am not as noble a vampire as a True Ancestor."

Mixed with self-mockery and anger, the Baron smiled in a complicated manner, twisting his lips.

Rushella went "hmph" and asked arrogantly:

"Then why would you perpetrate such rude behavior against one so far above you as I am? Have you been smitten by my charm?"

"Charm... That is true in a way. I have spent so much effort searching for a True Ancestor-class vampire."

"How so?"

"I became a vampire out of my own volition. I asked my 'master' to suck my blood, thereby abandoning my human identity. I originally looked forward to eternal life, but once I got my wish I discovered there were so many inconveniences."

"My race's weaknesses are common knowledge. You should have known beforehand, right? Don't complain after the fact."

"Indeed... Light, crosses and the like cannot be helped. But not only that, for those of us who became a vampire through a master's bite, we must live in fear of death every moment of our lives, do you know why?"

"Like I would know."

Rushella replied arrogantly.

These troubles of lowly commoners did not concern her.

The Baron's face twisted in resentment after hearing her.

"How arrogant of you. For us 'servants,' when the 'masters' are destroyed, we also perish in a chain reaction. Do you understand? Immortality is just an empty label when we 'servants' must fear destruction through chain reaction every second. Can you understand these troubles!?"

"I don't want to understand. You're just mentally weak. If you want to preserve your existence, just leave descendants behind. The master-servant chain reaction does not spread to blood relatives. It's only an issue between the biter and the bitten. Since your descendants won't be killed, your bloodline continues to be passed down."

"Utterly inane. I only want myself to survive eternally. Not just that, I can't even surpass my 'master' in power ever. All I can do is fear the chain destruction. No matter how many people's blood I suck, this fact cannot be changed. Who wants such a fate?"

The Baron discarded his earlier calm and gestured with his arms and legs in an exaggerated manner.

"Precisely because of that, I have made my decision. I will achieve the taboo that no vampire has achieved so far: surpassing the master! Hence, I have sought the 'True Ancestor'... But perhaps you are a fake?"

The Baron extended his finger towards the neckline of Rushella's dress. His sharp claws scratched her large bosom, leaving a red trail over her skin.

"Bastard...!"

Embarassement and slight pain made Rushella roar. Blood seeped out where her chest was scratched, then dripped to the floor.

Rushella suddenly realized his intent and looked down.

So did the Baron.

This was the method Hisui described to identify a True Ancestor and the result was right there.

A rose-like elegant emblem appeared on the floor. Despite falling naturally due to gravity, the droplets of blood produced an extremely complicated and intricate pattern, carved distinctively on the fllor even though a skilled craftsman would find it difficult to trace out.

"A real 'True Ancestor'...!! Looks like I've finally found one."

Clenching his fists, the Baron spoke emotionally.

Rushella was also relieved that her memory was not forged. However, she immediately felt gloomy.

"Now that you've verified I'm a True Ancestor... What are you going to do? Even if it's me, I have no way to release you from a vampire's fate, right!?"

"Hard to say. If your body is researched and completely understood, perhaps I can find the answer? Also, True Ancestors themselves are unknown mysteries. If humans are the race that were born through evolution, then what's their method of turning into a vampire without biting humans? If they're like apes, where branch species arose aside from humans, what is the reason for those branch splits? If they're like aliens, xenomorphs completely unrelated to humans, then where did vampires come from? No matter what the truth is, a True Ancestor's body must hide the secrets to 'surpassing the master'!!"

The Baron's eyes shone with dangerously cold light. An evil crimson brightness.

His way of licking his lips made Rushella feel chills down her spine.

Rushella wondered if she made such a hateful face whenever she sucked blood as well?

"Although I've been thinking many things... But first, let me taste the 'blood' as the source of power."

Face twisted uglyly, exhaling breath that reeked of blood, he approached Rushella's pale white neck.

"S-Stop it... Get away from me!!"

"What's to be afraid of? So many years in passing, you must have sucked countless people's blood already."

No! She wanted to say. At least in her memory, she had only sucked Hisui's blood.

The face before her was filled with gluttony or lust, one could not tell them apart, his bloodshot eyes looked frightening.

Only when placed in a situation of her blood about to be sucked did Rushella finally experience the fear and revulsion felt by the victims. Standing there with hollow eyes on the side, did the class rep feel the same back then?

Rushella felt lustful breath on her neck.

Long sharp fangs were about to pierce her skin.

"NO...!"

Tears appeared in her eyes as she screamed feebly, matching her appearance of a girl.

Just at this time.

"What kind of R-rated show are you performing, old guy?"

The Baron looked back in surprise. Rushella was also dumbfounded.

Neck wrapped heavily in bandages, Hisui stood there, smiling fearlessly.

"Let's put aside the fact of her physical age. Her mental age is clearly a teenager's no matter how you cut it. Making a move on a minor, that's a crime even if the girl consents. Isn't that common sense?"

"How did you...!"

Rushella could not help but cry out with joy.

Hisui shrugged to hide his embarrassment and said indifferently.

"I will save you so you owe me one. So... Old guy, did you hear my warning?"

"Who would heed you...!! Why can you oppose me!? I sucked your blood!?"

"Unfortunately for you, my constitution is a bit strange. If negotiations don't work, only force remains."

At this time, Rushella and the Baron finally noticed the silver chain wrapped around Hisui.

As well as carried on his back: a giant cross!

The two vampires relexively closed their eyes and turned their faces away.

Hisui stabbed the Tzara Blade into the ground and crashed with all his might into the cross.

"Uruaaaaaaaaaaa!!"

A blunt sound resulted from the cross, stabbed into the ground. The heavy noises echoed in the warehouse like a bell. This vibration, resembling a tuning fork's, immediately produced an effect that drove off vampires.

"Ah—!"

The Baron roared and covered his ears. Tied up, Rushella could only twist her face in pain, shaking her head. Even in the process of turning, Reina had to cover her ears and crouch down.

The only one here completely unaffected was Hisui.

Using the Tzara Blade as a tuning fork to producee sonic waves, this was just a bell's noisy racket for humans. But the sound produced by a holy cross was equivalent to a choir singing hymns to a vampire.

Hisui took this opportunity to get past the Baron and rush towards Rushella.

"You look really kinky here... Are you okay?"

"S-Shut up... Why didn't you come earlier... Also, what's with that noise..."

To a vampire, this noise would be like scratching fingernails on a blackboard or noisy rock and roll.

Hisui ignored the panting Rushella and helped release her from the chains' restraints.

"Fucking brat... Getting in my way everywhere!!"

"You woke up huh? Excuse me, I'm a bit busy right now. So... I'm leaving things to you, Sudou."

"Coming coming~❤"

With a seductive reply, Mei stepped into the warehouse.

As soon as the Baron discovered her, she grabbed him by the neck with her slender arms and threw his entire body into the air!

"What—!?"

"Not to the extent of my ancestor, but I'm still quite strong, you know❤"

Mei winked seductively at the Baron flying through the air as she spoke.

She widened her right eye and light began to concentrate—Then she fired a heat beam.

The focused beam of light scorched the Baron's face, lighting up the warehouse instantly as bright as daytime. The burned Baron rolled on the floor with unsightliness.

"Okay, mission accomplished... Is that okay?"

Mei was about to turn towards Hisui proudly but in the end, she stared at the Baron with a severe expression.

She also expected it. Since the enemy was a vampire—immortal—he was tough to handle.

"Not too bad... Little girl!!"

The Baron's face was badly burned but the burns were recovering at an astounding rate.

Even if scorched by a nuclear weapon's shockwave, they can revive—That was the vampire.

"You're dead meat!!"

The Baron bared his fangs and attacked Mei. Using his claws, sharp enought to serve as weapons, he swung at Mei with full force.

"Oh dear, you want a contest of strength?"

Mei entered a combat stance and met the Baron's arms with her own, smiling fearlessly.

The delicate looking girl vs the vampire—Who would have expected Mei to win a contest of strength? With brute force completely unmatching her figure, she pushed the Baron back.

"Hmph... As expected of Frankenstein's creature..."

"Compared to the first, my strength is already adjusted much lower, you know? But still, much stronger than you, that's all."

"Perhaps. But you're just as stupid as your ancestor."

"What did you say!?"

Mei roared angrily and went all out. Despite his disadvantage, the Baron remained composed.

"Say, artificial human... What is going to happen to this girl in the process of turning?"

Mei realized she was careless.

Inside the warehouse... There was one more person. Although infinitely approaching a vampire, she was still human.

Reina stood behind the Baron.

She held a knife... To her own throat.

"If you continue to hinder me, she's dead. You should know that someone who is turning will obey the master who bit them, right? Besides, her blood is almost completely sucked dry so she'll listen to me unconditionally. I turned her like this just in case of something like this."

"Bastard—!!"

Unforgivable.

But even the laser could not give him a fatal wound. Unless he was completely destroyed, the current situation remained unchanged.

Mei was stuck in stalemate.

Hisui and Rushella were also on the side, watching the impasse.

Although finally free of the chains, due to the chain's holy property, Rushella's strength had not yet recovered.

"What should we wo...? If this continues, that fake, even the class rep will...!"

"I know. So... Hurry and suck my blood."

Hisui said softly. Taking off the first aid bandages, he exposed his neck. Although this was the most effective way to let Rushella recover her combat strength, she shook her head.

"No... You're already pale from blood loss. Already... lots had been sucked, right!?"

"...Not that much. It's nothing."

Hisui tried to act tough but blood-related matters could not deceive Rushella.

With a caring expression, she said solemnly.

"In fact, you're finding it hard to move your body, right? I can tell that. If you get your blood sucked even more...!"

"It's fine. You don't need to worry about that."

"If I sucked enough to recover my energy, you'll...!!"

"Stop saying nonsense and drink."

Hisui did not allow any objections. Rushella fell silent.

Trying to persuade her, he continued:

"If this continues, me, Sudou and the class rep are all dead. And who knows what treatment you'll get. But if you use your full strength, that kind of third-rate garbage can be handled easily, right? In the worst, the only sacrifice is me."

"You...!!"

"Fine, don't worry, just drink enough to recover your energy. But you must destroy that old guy."

Hisui looked into Rushella's eyes as he spoke.

There was no time to hesitate.

"But...!"

As if interrupting their argument that was about to start up again, Mei was thrown to the ground beside them.

"Sudou...! Are you okay!?"

"Probably... Not."

Saying that, Mei closed her eyes and stopped moving.

Hisui pulled Rushella towards his neck and said again:

"Suck it right now."

Silently, Rushella sank her fangs into Hisui's neck as a reply.

"Hmph... Finally acting a little like a True Ancestor. However, although that brat's blood is tasty, its 'quality' is terrible. Even though I sucked so much, I didn't feel any power at all."

"..."

"At least suck him dry. That way there might a little feeling."

"Shut up!!"

Rushella roared and jumped into the air.

At her feet lay Hisui who had fallen powerless.

Like Reina and the rest, his entire body lost all color of blood and his pale white face looked like a corpse.

All the blood was drained from him.

"Bastard... I won't forgive you!!"

Rushella drew her short swords from the sheaths on her thighs and slashed at the Baron backhanded.

This strange dual-wielding was swift as lightning, so fast that even the Baron could not handle it.

However, he smiled fearlessly and chose to retreat.

"Don't think you can flee!!"

"I'm not fleeing, just finding my hostage."

The Baron escaped towards the collapsed Hisui.

As he sank his claws into Hisui's neck, Rushella's face went livid.

"I knew it. Your speed is definitely fast but still too far from True Ancestor-class in power. You probably tried to leave him some blood in an attempt to spare this brat's life? You didn't think I'd notice?"

"Shut up... Get away from him!!"

"You're so persistent. Well then... Offer yourself obediently to me."

Helpless with Hisui as the hostage, Rushella had no choice but to silently throw down her twin swords.

The Baron immediately grabbed Rushella and pushed her down on the floor.

"My servant. If this girl resists in any way, immediately kill the brat."

Hearing the Baron's orders, Reina stumbled over to Hisui.

Seeing her last hope dashed, Rushella lost the will to resists.

The Baron gloated proudly, approaching Rushella's neck with his fangs.

Rushella tearfully turned her face away.

Only to see Hisui sprawled on the ground like her in front of her eyes.

"...Eh?"

His completely bloodless looking body suddenly moved.

Dissatisfied.

Not enough blood.

This feeling was like life itself was draining from his entire body.

Yes. This is the moment I'm waiting for.

Blood loss—Over 2L. Almost half of the entire body's blood.

In other words—The critical value for fatality.

Blood pressure dropping rapidly, entering circulatory shock, heart beats weakening.

As his consciousness gradually grew hazy, rejected memories were awakening.

On that battlefield full of blood and screams, a certain person had desperately tried to save his life.

"You will live on."

Trying to call him back from the boundary of life and death, she desperately performed chest compressions. That vampire had said that.

It's enough, he wanted to tell her.

It's already enough. Don't continue—He wanted to tell her that.

Clearly a vampire but being exposed out in bright daylight.

For saving, doing this kind of thing...

Her skin was more white and pristine than anyone's. Raven black hair. Beautiful face. All turned into dust and ashes.

Collapse had already started. Every time her hands pressed on my chest, more 'ash' fell and scattered.

Enough, it's already enough, Miraluka.

But that woman did not stop.

Until I woke up.

In order to stop me from dying, in order to make me revive.

Even with my blood sucked by a vampire—she made me continue living as a human.

Even when I was about to be killed by a vampire—she made me continue living.

The awakening was imminent.

Hisui slowly stood up.

As though to show everyone present, he took off the bandage from his neck.

Then solemnly, he whispered the words of an oath.

"...Eli Eli lama sabachthani. Your blood is my blood; my blood is your blood. Blood entering the body to slake my thirst; Yonder God of the heavens, liberate me from this cross; The time for atonement is about to arrive!"

{{furigana|Anti-Vampire|Anti-Drac}} mode, activate.

Instantly, everyone present heard a noise, one that everyone was familiar with, yet normally not aware of.

The especially loud sound of a heart beating endlessly.

"Get away."

By the time the Baron realized this was Hisui's voice behind him, he was already flying.

Only when his body struck the wall violently did he realize he was kicked flying.

Impossible.

Not an artificial human but a normal human, and even a human on the verge of death at that.

But reality was harsh and merciless.

"Stand back, Rushella."

Hearing him call her name, Rushella looked up blankly at Hisui. His face was still completely devoid of color. But he was not his usual self.

The exposed neck with the bandages off, let alone traces of blood sucking, even the flesh torn by fangs was regenerating.

But around the white neck there was a pitch black crest that resembled thorns in shape.

Surrounded by thorns, the neck looked like it forbid all contact and rejected the act of blood sucking itself.

The scar marking the center of his chest was glowing with crimson light through his clothing!

"Who are you!?"

Faced with the Baron's question, Hisui lightly caressed the scar on his chest.

"This constitution of mine... Not turning into a vampire no matter how much blood is sucked, if I died from blood sucking, it'd be meaningless. Hence, on the verge of death from blood loss, it automatically becomes like this."
[[image:Draculea V01 - 236.PNG|thumb]]　

Indeed—It became like this. For protecting oneself from the fangs of vampires.

Although born as a mortal, the existence capable of opposing vampires.

Rapid recovery of wounds, immunity to vampires, this sort of constitution.

Namely, the Anti-Drac.

The existence diametrically opposed to vampires. A vampire's nemesis.

Existing beyond the crimson fate.

Iscariot.

Precisely due to this constitution, he was afraid that Rushella might suck too much blood.

Because he did not want to hurt her.

"Could it be, you asked me to drink your blood to turn into this...!?"

"Blood loss is difficult to control. If I did it myself, who knows how much effort it'd take so I had you suck it. I believe in you, that you'd stop before I died from blood loss."

"Idiot...!!"

Rushella tearfully poked him but her face was smiling.

"I said it before. In a critical moment, a certain power will awaken in my body."

Hisui looked at the Baron again.

He was glaring back at Hisui, teeth gnashing.

Humans could not possibly have such a body—He kept repeating in his mind.

But reality was harsh, the human who overturned vampires' common sense was standing before him definitely.

He was currently at disadvantage—Hence, he decided to make use of Reina whom he had prepared for this kind of situation.

When he looked at Reina, he found standing beside Reina another person he had been using.

Kariya Eruru.

Hisui's earlier plan was to have Eruru prioritize protecting the ordinary human Reina.

When Hisui's awakening drew the Baron's attention away from Reina, only then did Eruru enter the warehouse.

"You...!"

"You know my marksmanship, right? Missing is impossible. Apart from this poor victim here, please go ahead and find a meatshield. After all, you will not die from one or two bullets."

Eruru spoke coldly, took out the weapon that did not match her petite physique, and aimed the sacred gun Argentum towards her former subordinate.

"...You're putting up a tough front, Miss Consultant. You're not as experienced as you think. Even if you can be utterly merciless towards vampires, you can't do it to a human. Oh well... After all, you're just a dirty counterfeit, no surprise there."

"..."

Eruru did not waver. However, her finger's force on the trigger was increasing.

"So... You're unable to shoot that damn brat, right!?"

The Baron moved.

Eruru pulled the trigger without any hesitation.

The sound of gunshot. Just as she warned, the bullet pierced the Baron's right shoulder unerringly.

The Baron endured the scorching sensation of sacred pain, feeling there was a chance of victory.

This is fine. As long as my heart and brain are not hit, it doesn't matter at all.

Although having his body pierced hurt a lot, having the silver bullet remain inside the body would produce even more damage.

He forced his body to move. Once I reach that damn brat, if only I can get near that human!!

The Baron displayed a vampire's full capabilities at night and quickly grabbed Hisui, using him as a shield facing Eruru.

"How's that, you can't shoot now, right!? Although you're acting tough, you can't kill humans!"

As if affirming his words, Eruru made a troubled expression and lowered her gun.

The Baron smiled proudly and attacked Hisui's neck with his fangs again!

"Will not turn into a vampire...!? How could something so ridiculous be possible!? I'll suck again and make you my servant!!"

With this, I have a chance of winning. Make him my meatshield, use him as bait, there are any number of ways to use him.

Although the True Ancestor is right here, it's a shame to let her escape, but I can just bide my time for a comeback—

"Idiot~"

"...Eh?"

He was unable to suck blood.

Fangs—could not move. For sure, he had torn through skin, pierced flesh and reached the blood vessel.

However, a strong pressure prevented him from going any further. On further examination, not a single drop of blood flowed out from Hisui's wound.

"Impossible... You!?"

Hisui had not moved.

All that moved were the platysma and sternocleidomastoid muscles.

In other words, simply through muscular power, just by contracting his muscle, he had blocked the Baron's teeth.

"What—!?"

"You forgot about my constitution?"

The neck with the crest of thorns was physically rejecting blood sucking.

The Anti-Drac.

True to its name, this completely rendered blood sucking ineffective.

"Kishida, let me tell you this. All your actions have occurred within our calculations. We already planned ahead of time what a vampire would do when cornered. Too easy to guess. You are the one who fell into a trap."

Eruru mocked.

The Baron's mobility was sealed, his face turned pale.

Then Hisui counterattacked.

"Rushella!!"

Hearing her name called, Rushella understood Hisui's intent.

"Hurry and get your filthy mouth away from my servant!!"

Rushella roared angrily, picked up a sword from the floor and threw it at the Baron's heart.

"Ah—!!"

The Baron spewed fresh blood. Due to the intense pain of his heart piereced, he stopped for a few short seconds.

Hisui did not miss the chance, relaxing his neck muscles, he released the Baron and kicked backwards, creating some distance in order to unleash the final terminating move.

"Hi-kun!!"

Struck down by the Baron earlier, Mei called out.

After she recovered, she had secretly moved over to the Tzara Blade embedded in the floor.

Her original mission was to pin down the Baron as well as move Hisui's heavy weapon.

"Catch!"

Uprooting the magnificient giant cross, she used her unnaturally strong might to throw it at Hisui.

"Nice."

The circular portion at the center of the Tzara Blade was a perfect fit for Hisui's right arm. Instantly, the thorny crest appeared over Hisui's right arm and temporarily raised his strength.

As if equipped with a cross shaped shield, used as a bladed weapon it would be like a shuriken, Hisui's right arm was transformed into an anti-vampire armament combining offense and defense.

Simply the sight of the brilliant silver luster was enough to make the Baron lose his will to fight.

The cross's image seared into his eyes, stopping all his bodily functions including regeneration.

Everything was for this current moment—In order to use the most effective anti-vampire weapon to exterminate him for good.

"Stop it...!! I was wrong..."

"Oh~ Whatever."

Hisui spoke completely unenthusiastically.

He felt bored to death from the bottom of his heart and declared coldly.

"Everything will be repaid by your blood."

With a flash of silver, he gracefully severed the Baron's neck.

The sharp blade then turned towards the decapitated body and pierced the heart without hesitation!

Chopping off the head, piercing the heart, faithfully recreating this ancient legend, the Baron's entire body instantly turned to ash.

The body quickly collapsed and perished forever without trace.

"Well done!!"

Rushella ran over and cheered with joy.

Then Hisui collapsed in her bosom.

"Ah, hey, what are you doing!?"

Hisui did not move. Just like before he awakened... No, his face was even more pale than that, he was in a complete coma.

"No good... Complete shock has occurred. He needs a transfusion quickly..."

Eruru noticed Hisui's state and immediately took action.

"Can he be saved!?"

"We must move him immediately. Please help me!"

Then Hisui was moved out of the warehouse.

Dawn was about to arrive soon.

The time of the day belonging to humans had finally arrived, but the boy watched over by the girls was still lingering on the boundary of life and death.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume01 Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
| Return to [[Silver Cross and Draculea|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume01 Epilogue|Epilogue]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume01 Epilogue

2013-07-24T20:10:45Z

130.212.195.162: /* Epilogue */

==Epilogue==
"....I am still alive"

Hisui, lying on the bed, murmurs to himself.

He gets up from the sick bed, and looks out of the window; it look like daylight outside.

"Are you awake?"

Looking over, Eruru sat on the chair by the bed, operating a notebook computer.

"Eh..."

"Please say thank you to that..."

Eruru looks at Rushella, who is sleeping by Hisui's bedside.

Looks like she is keeping Hisui company, her face is a bit pallid.

"You are AB/Rh- type, which the Blood Bank doesn't have much in storage, so she decided to donate her blood to you. The two of you are the same type."

"But...receiving a vampire's blood, you know what will happen right? It is likely you will become an undead abomination."

"True...we have considered the situation, but she refused to listen...all she wanted is to save your life. Also, [Your body] shouldn't have any problems, right? In reality there is no issue?"

"What do you think I am?"

"Your body is interesting, your physical attributes...appears not to be something you were born with, how was it changed?"

"I am not sure..."

"The scar on your chest---is that a mark from surgery? Where is your heart from?"

"...................."

"Blood is source of life, so the organ that regulates blood flow is the one that controls life itself. Thus, against a vampire, striking through the heart with a stake is fatal. The source of your strength...Isn't just flowing from that mysterious heart?"

"I don't know..."

"But?"

Holding his chest, Hisui smiles.

"Miraluka paid with her life, to make my heart beat again. To let a heart beat again after it stopped, letting herself turn into ash."

"It is so mysterious. It is disappointing I could not dissect you."

Eruru whispers without any expression. To be honest, she could do something that frightening.

"I investigated that Holy Sword of yours, it seem to be a treasure. One could say it is the Bane of all Vampires. The relative who left it with you..."

"It's the Vampire who took care of me."

"Why did she give you something like this?...Is it to protect you? And about your physical attributes, is everything for your survival as a human?"

"I think I was an experiment. How could vampires co-exist with humans-She always considered this question. But even when she succeeded she still died, what was the point?"

Hisui felt crushed by his guilt, balling his fists together.

"Just to save me, she didn't have to make things so complicated, all she had to do was suck my blood and turn me into a vampire. Then she could have been saved too. The so-called eternity she hated, I could have accompanied her, it would let me live with her forever."

In front of Hisui's eyes were his beloved caretaker's final moments.

Bathed in sunlight, turned into ash. In the instant he picked her up, the remaining body was scattered by the wind. No matter how tightly he held on, in the end, he held on to nothing.

Her beautiful face, dark hair, red lips, all vanished as if they never existed.

Couldn't even hold her in my arms.

"That person...didn't turn you into her race. She wanted you to be in your original state. To be human, to live as a human. Am I wrong?"

"What's so good to be a human? Also, I am not a human but a mon..." <ref> Intentionally cut off</ref>

"You are a Human."

Eruru answers expressionlessly. Regarding Hisui's question, the girl did not back away from a straight answer this time.

"You are human, there are no better answers."

"...That is good."

"But sleeping next to you is definitely an authentic vampire--a [TRUE ANCESTOR]. I heard the story from her, it appear Kishida's goal was the powers within her. If that is the case, I am afraid there will be more people targeting her in the future. Extremist factions amongst the vampires might also betray her, even so, you still want to protect her?"

"She will protect herself. Also, I can't believe her to be a [True Ancestor]. The one at my home should be the last [True ancestor], Miraluka said so herself."

Hisui's words made Eruru's eyes glow. His body, and the vampire who made him this way, all made her very excited.

"Regarding her losing her memories, I did some investigation. Right now, there are no vampires related to her. She apparently just appeared one day, She may be the first True Ancestor in modern day society. It is so mysterious. Right now all we want to do is observe her."

"....Please be merciful. Also...why not exterminate her? Right now the sun is up, all you have to do is open the window, and she is doomed right?"

"Because she is exonerated from the crime. There is no reason to exterminate her, since there is no difference between me and her. And cut to the chase, it is only because she committed no crime right now. Even if she sucked your blood, it is not a crime right now. So because she is innocent, we won't take action."

"True True..."

Looking at Hisui staring at her, Eruru gets up and begin to walk away.

"I have to go. Also..."

"Also...?"

"Thank you."

The half vampire's face turned red and left the sickroom. At the same time, Rushella wakes up.

"You...are you ok?"

"Ah, um...should be..."

Hisui mumbles, and Rushella flip herself on to the bed, sitting right next to him.

"Really...no problem? It is clear you lost so much blood."

"Eh, why are you worrying so much?"

"Of course I am worried. You are my property after all."

"......."

"You are not allowed to do anything crazy from now on. After all...you are human."

"I was able to protect the mistress, right?"

"Even if...unacceptable. Protecting me is your duty....but...."

"But...?"

"Not allowed to die."

She spit those out, word by word. Her scarlet eyes piercing his.

"Without my permission, you are not allowed to die. Even your death belongs to me."

"But I cannot become a vampire."

"I have not given up! Someday, your body, and your soul, everything will belong to me. You will kneel before me!"

"Ok Ok..."

Even though he gives a perfunctory reply, but Rushella still comes close with a hug, then brings her eyes to meet Hisui's.

"You don't want to?"

It is not like I don't want to...that thought came unbidden. But Hisui still manages to swallow it down. One cannot just easily stop being human.

Because Rushella refused to move her gaze away, Hisui could only give her a conscious and honest answer.

"I will help you, find out who you are....investigate your past; I will definitely help."

"Also have to add my dietary requirement as well. We did agree, right?"

"....Yes yes, ah, but you have to hold your end of the bargain as well, don't suck anyone else's blood."

"I know. I...know what is like to have your blood sucked out. I can understand."

"....It is so."

"Also, you address me by name right? Even though you are a servant."

"That...that was forced by the situation."

Hisui wanted to just gloss over the situation, but Rushella did not appear to be angry, but only lightly replied: "I will give you special permission to do so."

"Eh?"

"I will also call you Hisui, No problem?"

".....Yes."

Watching Hisui nod in acceptance, the Vampire smiled faintly, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Then, Hisui."

"What, what are you doing?"

Ignoring the helpless Hisui, Rushella brought her lips close.

The two are in danger of touching each other.

But...her lips did not reach for his, but instead reached for his neck.

A lover's kiss is suppose to aim for the neck and not the lips.

"OUCH!!!! What are you doing so suddenly? I am still recovering from a great ordeal!"

"So what? I am only drinking a little bit! They were my blood anyway! I've been holding back for so long!"

Rushella licked her lips, pushing Kujou down.

Twin eyes blazing scarlet, No one can stop her anymore.

"HEY...DON'T....at least be gentle"

"So noisy, Behave yourself!"

Resistance is futile, Hisui thus gets pinned to the bed, and having his blood and pleas dissolved into oblivion.

"Hmm....So delicious<3"

"...Are you a Demon? Ah, clearly you are a blood sucking [DEMON]! Ahh...."<ref>In Chinese, and I also assume in Japanese as well, the literal translation for vampire is "blood sucking demon" or "blood sucking monster", in here, Hisui is trying to highlight how Rushella is truly a "monster", but I couldn't exactly break it into something like VAMP-ire and have the same effect</ref>

Kujou is feeling Rushella's body and temperature as she cozied up on him, while mumbled in tears.

After that, each day at the hospital meant at least one such take down.

After many days, Hisui was able to recover and return to school.

Reina appeared to be fine, and even returned to school before Kujou.

She could not recall her memories before being bitten, but something remained in her heart. After Hisui returned to school, she said: "....Thank you."

She looked extremely shy, and for some reason kept staring at him during class, and tries to start a conversation whenever possible.

It look like a return to normal life--But Rushella- enemy of normal day life--Still smile and chatter non-stop with him every day after school.

"You started a club?"

"Correct! If I can't find a club I want to join, I will just create my own club! Isn't it a great idea?"

"Sorry, don't be too proud of yourself. This is just a total whim of yours."

"Shut up and come with me."

Rushella dragged Hisui toward an empty classroom, it is the same place where Mei pushed him over.

There is always a dreadful feeling when he comes here.

"I brought someone over!"

The vampire pushed the door open and dragged him in.

An emotionless voice greets the two.

"You are so slow."

Without raising her head, the girl pounded away at the laptop. It was Eruru in a school uniform.

"What are you doing here!?"

"Club activity, what else?"

"Then what I should be saying is, why did you have to come here?"

"I am here to observe you. Because we don't have enough people on hand, to be able to maintain day to day contact, I decide to come to school. Do you have any questions?"

"Of course, there is the main question ahead. However, back up a bit, I understand your other words, but what do you mean club activity?"

"Unlike a carefree student like you, I still have work to do. To be able to create an area after school where I can focus my attention and energy, so I decide to use this club activity to be it."

"Is that so..."

This girl's thinking is clearly not simple. It is better to be alert to her dissection wishes.

"Then, why are you in this club?"

Thus Kujou asked Rushella, and of course she proudly replied,

"She said as long as I don't interrupt her work, I can do whatever I want."

"Hmm, probably just to keep an eye on you. Then, why did you create this club? What is even the name of this club?"

"How bout [Blood Sucking Club]? To research better blood sucking techniques!"

"REJECTED"

"How bout dedicated to investigating my past, a [Servant's club] that also completely dedicate itself to my day-to-day life!"

"No. I don't think the goals are bad, but the name is awful. Also, the goals ''are'' bad."

"How about child-birth club? Or a euphemism name like [Egg laying club] isn't bad idea."

".....Why are you here?"

Kujou just realized Sudou was nearby. And grabbed on to his arm, even her chest pressured in.

As much as Hisui wanted to maintain the same posture, he could not dispel the fear of getting ravished any given moment, so he was unable to enjoy the soft sensation of her bosom.

"I am Rushella's collaborator. And also I receive a contract salary, so it is natural to be around her right?"

"Is that so?"
[[image:Draculea V01 - 254.PNG|thumb]]

"Hi-kun doesn't have any idea? Regarding the club name?"

"Let's call it the Slacker's Club? Activities include [''Abesh'']<ref>'''Abesh'''(あべしっ): a sound effect, famously used in the ''Fist of the North Star'' manga when an opponent dies.</ref>, or the After School Electromagnetic Wave Club?"<ref>'''After School Electromagnetic Wave Club'''(放課後電磁波クラブ): the Hōkago Denshiha Kurabu is a comedy sketch in a Japanese variety show, involving two characters, "North Pole" and "South Pole," dressed outrageously in nothing but helmets and revealing thongs while holding giant U-shaped magnets.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_no_Gottsu_Ee_Kanji]</ref>

"Kids these days are not going to catch your reference. Heh, clearly this is an occult research club, with four monsters here."

"Don't lump me in this, I am clearly human!?"

"Eruru worked hard so you can have a normal life right? And also accepted responsibility for the Kishida incident....thus, her department is under-staffed right now. Why can't you help her?"

Hisui pouted, and sat on a nearby chair.

"Ok, all the members are here, let's start discussing the upcoming activities!"

Rushella spoke with a leader like posture.

Mei looked as if she is watching a show.

Eruru silently pounded away at her keyboard.

And there was Kujou without a bit of motivation.

Surrounded by a vampire, an artificial human and a half vampire, the boy motionlessly mumbled,

"Come back quick, my normal life."

<noinclude>

== Translator's Notes and References ==
<references/>

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|-
| Back to [[Silver_Cross_and_Draculea:Volume01_Chapter 6|Chapter 6]]
| Return to [[Silver_Cross_and_Draculea|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Silver_Cross_and_Draculea:Volume02_Illustrations|Volume 2]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Kenshin no Keishousha:Volume 1 Chapter1

2013-07-23T22:44:26Z

130.212.195.162:

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume10 Prologue

2013-07-12T00:05:35Z

130.212.195.162: /* Prologue */

==Prologue==
===Part 1===
—That was the worst fated encounter.

Under the pale moonlight, a scarlet mask had fallen and made a solid sound.

Her glamorous black hair blazed up like flames, turning burning-rouge.

“Rubia-sama…”

Fianna gulped and muttered her name.

That was the name of the 2-year-senior princess maiden, who she had most respected and admired before.

«Fire Queen»—Rubia Elstein.

Her real face beneath the mask appeared to be mostly unchanged from what she remembered in the past.

It was the same as that day when she parted with Fianna at the «Divine Ritual Institute’s» grand shrine that was blazing up in flames.

Her ruby eyes were not looking at Fianna.

Her line of sight was directly pointing at Claire, who was sitting down behind Fianna.

“U….g…”

Fianna turned around in surprise at that delicate groan.

With her back leaning on the stone wall, Claire had opened her ruby-coloured eyes.

“Claire, no—!“

“Nee…sama…?”

Claire muttered with a dazed expression.

“—Now, let’s end everything.”

Rubia Elstein gently opened her mouth.

“—It's time for the awakening of the demon king.”

===Part 2===

“T-This can’t be true, right…?”

Claire muttered with a quivering voice.

“…After all, Nee-sama... wouldn’t do such….”

“The last time we met was the «Spirit Festival» day held in the capital.”

“…N-No way… This can’t be it…. This can’t be it!”

As if Claire was denying the reality before her eyes, she violently shook her head.

“You’re not Nee-sama. You’re just mimicking her appearance and trying to confuse me—“

Her clear ruby pupils glared at Rubia before her eyes.

“Stop the worthless farce, just reveal your true self, Witch of Theocracy!”

In that instant, a crimson flame was produced on Claire’s right hand.

Placing her hand on the wall, she stood up and released her elemental waffe.

While she wasn’t left with sufficient divine power or stamina, just the strength of her will had moved her.

(She thinks that Rubia-sama is the appearance that Sjora Kahn has transformed into.)

Fianna muttered in her heart.

Before, Sjora Kahn had shown herself using the power of demon spirit «Baldanders» and freely changing her appearance. She came to bring unrest to Claire’s heart by taking Rubia’s appearance. –That was the impression Claire had, and it wasn’t unreasonable.

(Preferably, it’ll good if she continues this misunderstanding but…)

While she bit her thumbnail, she ended up unintentionally wanting to rely on such convenient thinking.

(…If Claire knew the truth, her heart will surely be unable to bear it.)

On the other side of her strong heart and unyielding spirit, she was a very delicate girl. It wasn’t like she had socialized with her for a long time like her childhood friend Rinslet, but she at least understood that.

The moment when the cruel truth was thrust before her and her heart was broken, she might end up losing the power of her spirit contract.

—Like herself, who was once called the «Lost Queen».

(I won’t let you, never…!)

Fianna scolded her shaky legs.

She had to lead Claire and escape from here.

(…But how?)

Fianna had no ways of stopping Rubia. Even her Knight Spirit «Georgios» had already been annihilated by her flames—

“Turn into cinders!”

Claire released her Flametongue, aiming at Rubia.

It was a crimson flash that cut opened the night darkness. However, Rubia didn’t even display any behavior of dodging. She directly held up her fingertip,

“Just confirm it with your eyes whether this is an imitation flame.”

Freezing even time, the absolute-zero conflagration—«Frost Blaze».

“…Those flames!?”

Claire widened her eyes.

Immediately following her words, clear sound like glassing shattering was heard—

The blazing Flametongue was erased by the blue flames Rubia released.

—Correction, it wasn’t erased.

“…The flames froze!?”

Fianna shouted in a manner like she couldn’t believe it.

That was a phenomenon that was remote from the common knowledge she learned from the «Divine Ritual Institute».

Spirit magic—which borrowed and used the power of a spirit—should be a physical phenomenon that followed the laws of nature to the upmost, no matter how bizarre that power was.

In other words, '''flames freezing flames'''—was a phenomenon that was impossible naturally.

(…That isn’t spirit magic? Then, what on earth is that pow…)

“…A-Ah…Ah…”

“…Claire?”

Upon turning behind, she saw Claire had fallen on her knees on the ground with a shocked expression.

“…Are you really… Nee-sama?”

Seeing Claire’s pale expression, Fianna understood.

That freezing flame was something that not even Sjora Kahn could imitate. Claire grasped that in an instant and was convinced.

—That she was her real sister.

“…W…hy-Why, Nee-sama…?”

Rubia Elstein didn’t not reply.

Passing by at Fianna’s side, she was approaching Claire.

Fianna couldn’t move. Her body instinctively recalled the fear from four years ago.

Her legs cramped. Her throat cramped, and she couldn’t even let out any sound.

Rubia continued walking in front of absent-minded Claire.

“Claire—“

She called her sister’s name in a surprisingly peaceful voice.

“Nee-sama…”

“Come with me. To overthrow this world ruled by mad lords.”

“What…What are you saying, Nee-sama…!”

Claire looked up at her sister and shouted.

“I’ll have you be the «Darkness Queen» that serves the demon king.”

“Serve the demon king…?”

“That’s right. It’s the reincarnated body of the «Darkness Elemental Lord» that was once sealed by the «Five Great Elemental Lords». I need a princess maiden to control it.”

“…I don’t understand… I completely don’t understand what you are saying, Nee-sama!”

“That’s all right for now. The time when you’re able to understand will come eventually.”

Rubia gently reached out her hand before Claire, who was plugging her ears.

“Claire, '''take my hand.'''”

“…N-No…No, Nee-sama…”

“'''Take my hand. '''”

“…Ug…!”

The moment she repeated herself once more time with a strong tone.

Claire had taken her sister’s hand as she was told.

She looked at her face with somewhat unfocused pupils, and staggeringly stood up.

“Claire.”

Fianna shouted but Claire couldn’t hear her.

(…I see, she put «word of power» in her words.)

It was one type of mind manipulation that was the forte of the Elfim species and high-ranking princess maidens.

Loading and releasing magical powers into their words, they could control the thoughts of their target.

Elementalists of the academy should have received training to resist mind manipulation, but when the «word of power» of the «Queen» a top-ranking princess maiden was concerned, it wasn’t something one could resist for long.

All the more when one was in an unstable mental state.

(…So, this was what she was aiming for from the start.)

Fianna ground her teeth in her mind.

The reason she removed her mask and revealed her identity was to bring unrest to Claire’s heart.

Wavering under the violent shock, her heart was more fragile than delicate glassworks. No matter how strong willed the person was, it was possible to easily steal her will with «word of power».

“Nee…sa…ma…”

Light slowly parted from Claire’s ruby pupils.

(…I won’t let you!)

Encouraging her heart, she suppressed her fearful heart.

Fianna turned towards the direction the two of them were at and stepped forward.

Whether her movements were not noticed or she was not significant enough to be concerned about, Rubia didn’t even turn around. —It was probably the latter.

(…I can’t call «Georgios» anymore.)

It barely avoided being completely annihilated, but it would take at least a day for it to recover.

She was hiding a distraction «spirit crystal» in her breasts, but with that Rubia as her opponent, she didn’t think that it would have much effect.

(Something I could use as a weapon…)

She quickly moved her eyes to the top of the rubble illuminated by the blazing flames.

“…!”

—Then, that was there like it was melted into the darkness of the night.

Darkness shining in the darkness—A jet-black blade, reflecting no moonlight.

It was the darkness demon sword that Claire had been in possession of for some reason.

«Vorpal Sword»—The shape of its hilt and blade was certainly but subtly different but that was without a doubt the elemental waffe that was even called the synonym of the «Strongest Blade Dancer» Ren Ashbell.

Fianna continued walking like she was drawn in, and grabbed the demon sword that was laid on the ground.

Contrary to its appearance, it was surprisingly light. On that subject, she recalled Ren Ashbell—Kamito—swinging this sword with one hand three years ago.

“You do plan on fighting me with that demon sword.”

“…”

Like Fianna thought, her movements had been noticed.

With her hand kept held onto blank-looking Claire’s, she turned towards her.

“I wouldn’t know if I don’t try it, right?”

She planned on acting tough with all her might, but her voice might have turned messed up.

While she prayed that her hand holding the sword at least didn’t quiver, she took a stance with both hands on the demon sword of darkness.

Due to the fact that she had her knight spirit give her training before, only her stance looked somewhat right. At least it wasn’t like the time she remembered when she cut her finger.

(At any rate, why is there such a difference…?)

While she gripped the sword with her shaky hands, she casually thought in doubt.

When Rubia was in the «Divine Ritual Institute», she should have been an amateur like Fianna in relation to swords.

(Despite that, she had overwhelmed Kamito once with a sword…)

Was it possible to acquire such sword techniques in merely four years?

No, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about such things.

“Let go of Claire.”

Fianna discreetly opened her mouth.

“In exchange, I’ll be the «Darkness Queen». Sjora Kahn had said that I also have the disposition of the «Darkness Queen».”

“You certainly have the disposition of the «Darkness Queen».”

Rubia coldly nodded.

“The disposition required for the «Darkness Queen» is having a strong bond with the «Demon King». Although, with that meaning, it also means that there’s the possibility for the Fahrengart girl and the Laurenfrost girl and so on to be the «Darkness Queen».”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Since, it concerned the bonds with the «Demon King»—Kamito— she had no intention of losing to any of her teammates.

And then, if the «Darkness Queen» existence held the same meaning as the «Queens» serving the Five Great Elemental Lords, there should be no reason to disqualify Fianna, who was the former Queen candidate.

…She didn’t understand the reason that Rubia was particular over her sister.

“It’s simple. Claire’s latent quick-wittedness as a «Queen» surpasses mine.”

“…!?”

Fianna widened her dim-colored eyes.

(…A disposition greater that Rubia-sama, who’s famed as a once in hundreds of years outstanding talent?)

It wasn’t a story she could believe out of a sudden. However, Rubia calmly continued.

“The truth is that Elstein’s contracted spirit didn’t choose me but my sister. If her original talent had matured, the one chosen to be the «Fire Queen» would be her.”

“That’s…”

Certainly, the fact that Elstein’s contracted spirit «Scarlet» chose Claire and not her sister Rubia did not agree with the theory. It wasn’t like there weren’t also personality affinity problems but spirits normally contracted princess maidens with great ability as an elementalist.

“There isn’t anyone more suitable as the «Darkness Queen».”

Rubia pulled blank-looking Claire to her chest.

Claire practically didn’t put up any resistance and had given her body to her.

“Rubia-sama!”

Fianna frantically shouted.

“Claire had always lived for the sake of meeting with you. Even participating in this «Blade Dance» was just to meet you—“

“I know that.”

“…You!”

Succumbing to her fury, Fianna stepped forth with the demon sword in her hands.

Immediately following a sword slash cutting air, her light feet were swept and she fell to the ground.

“Guu…!”

“You'll have to work on your basics before even picking a up sword.”

Rubia coldly looked down at Fianna, who had fallen.

Then, that gaze of hers turned towards the demon sword of darkness she was holding.

And—

“—Darkness spirit «Restia Ashdoll».”

She muttered, and produced that absolute-zero flame on her palm.

“…What are you planning to do?”

Fianna was in chaos.

This darkness spirit should have had an alliance relation with Rubia. Whether they had a relation like comrades do was questionable, but at least the fact that they had joined forces with the goal of awaking Kamito as the «Demon King» was certain.

“Now that the awakening of the «Demon King» is drawing near, this darkness spirit is a hindrance to my plans. Therefore, I shall annihilate it here and now—“

Cutting off with a dispassionate tone, she pointed her right hand with the blue flame dwelling on it straight down.

In its current state, the darkness spirit wasn’t the elemental waffe «Vorpal Sword», it was no more than an embodiment bearing the shape of a sword.

The absolute-zero flame she released would annihilate the darkness spirit’s existence without leaving a trace.

—Permanently from this world.

Then.

“…N-No…”

Claire weakly opened her mouth.

“…Claire?”

Fianna raised her head in surprise.

Claire had clung onto Rubia’s arm in her state of clouded consciousness.

“…S-Stop…Nee-sama…!”

“She broke my mind control—?”

Rubia showed a surprised expression for the first time.

“That sword is…Kamito’s…precious person… therefore—!”

Claire’s «spirit seal» emitted a flash, and violent flames were produced in her hand.

The flames coiled into an eddy, blazed up, and transformed into a hellcat before attacking Rubia.
Rubia let go of Claire’s hand, and jumped back.

Releasing a growl, Scarlet pursued Rubia. It should have been kitten-sized when it guided Fianna here, but it had now returned to its original size.

(…Why? Claire should have run out of divine power.)

Normally, the power of a contracted spirit should not have been able to recover this quickly but—

Then, Fianna noticed it. The flames that were blazing in the surroundings till a while ago—Rubia’s flames that annihilated «Georgios» had disappeared before she knew it.

(…I see, it absorbed Rubia-sama’s flames.)

With its blazing red-hot claws, Scarlet began its fierce attack.

It seemed like it was in a condition where it lost control and was rampaging about.

“This power…You released the true name of the «Scarlet Valkyrie».”

While dodging the attacks of the rampaging hellcat, Rubia opened her mouth.

“Damn you darkness spirit, doing such unnecessary—“

Seemingly having sensed the presence of a blade dance, light-ball-like spirits had gathered in the surroundings. It was a spirit that «Divine Ritual Institute» released into the field to broadcast the state of the «Blade Dance».

Rubia clicked her tongue and then she picked up the crimson mask and put it on once more.

“…A…guu…”

An agonizing voice leaked out and could be heard above Fianna’s head.

Looking up, she saw Claire raising her breathing with a pale expression. The «spirit seal» on her right hand took on a bizarre glow, and her scarlet hair had bristled up like blazing flames.

…She was in a dangerous condition. If she continued using her contracted spirit in its rampaging condition, her divine power would be thoroughly taken and exhausted, in the worst case, it was possible that it would bring about death.

“H-Hey Claire!”

Fianna stood up in a fluster and held up Claire’s body which seemed like it was going to fall at any time.

“Hn… Fia….na…?”

Claire tilted her head to the side in her clouded state.

…She was in a so-called half-awakened state. However, as Rubia was away from her, it seemed like the light of sense was beginning to return to her eyes again.

“Claire, get yourself together!”

Fianna strongly struck Claire’s cheek. It was a violent method but it was most effective at undoing the mind control by the «word of power».

The effect was immediate. Claire widened her eyes in a snap,

“…Fianna, Nee-sama—!”

“Leave the talk for later. Our first priority is to escape from here now.”

Fianna shook her head, and grabbed Claire’s hand. Scarlet’s fierce attacks probably also wouldn’t last that long. While they had the chance, they should get as far as possible—

However, when Fianna pulled her hand, Claire ended up collapsing to the ground just like that.

“Claire!”

“…My legs… can’t move anymore—!”

Claire looked up at Fianna with a bitter expression.

…When she thought about it, it was natural.

When Fianna came here, Claire had already run out of stamina. Not to mention, in the condition where she was using the rampaging Scarlet, it was honestly impossible that she could move.

If only she could at least summon «Georgios», she would be able to carry Claire.

Transforming giant-sized, Scarlet gulped down the absolute-zero flames Rubia released.

The hellcat spirit's do-or-die spirited restraining probably also wouldn’t last for another ten seconds.

(There’s nothing more that can be done, huh…)

Fianna closed her eyes in despair, and at the moment.

“…Fianna, I have a request for you.”

Claire gazed at Fianna’s eyes, and let out a voice.

“…A request?”

“Hold on to that demon sword, and go to Kamito.”

“…!”

Fianna was lost for words, and widened her eyes.

“T-There’s definitely no way I can do that, you know!”

…There’s no way she could do that. If she forsook Claire here, she would have failed as a teammate.

“—Listen to me.”

However, Claire interrupted those negation words of hers with a strong tone.

“In any case, I can’t escape anymore. Honestly, I’m barely holding onto my consciousness. However, if it’s just you, you are still able to escape—“

“I won’t escape!”

“Escape. —'''Together with this kid.'''”

“Eh?”

Claire reached out her right hand that held her glowing «spirit seal» before Fianna. She held out Scarlet’s seal that was engraved with blazing flames.

“I’ll entrust Scarlet to you. Your Highness.”

“…? Entrust Scarlet?”

For a moment, she failed to catch the meaning, and titled her head to the side but—

“… You don’t mean a contract transfer?”

Your Highness. She intuitively knew it with that way of addressing that she normally didn’t use.

“Yes. It should be possible between me from the Elsteins and you from the legitimate Ordesia royal family.”

“That’s just in theory…”

«Spirit transfer»—That was a unique «pledge» that came into existence in relation of lord to retainer between the royal family and the nobles.

The six great nobles of the empire including the Elsteins had pledged allegiance to the Ordesia Empire for a long time of several hundred years. To prove their loyalty, they practiced something more anciently traditional, and that was the spirit transfer pledge.

For example, in the case where there’s a demand from the Ordesia royal family, the empire’s six great nobles had to immediately give up the contracted spirit that served their family. This meant that the ownership of the six great nobles’ spirit originally belonged to the royal family.

However, there were almost no records of this system being used in the history of the empire. In other words, it was a system that became a mere shell for the sake of symbolizing the lord-retainer relations of the rulers and the princes.

However, even that system that became a mere shell had at least left behind a framework.

Therefore, this meant that although Fianna was the «Lost Queen» who lost the rights to the inheritance of the throne, it was possible for her, who had inherited the bloodline of the royal family, to transfer the spirit of the Elsteins.

“If we continue to do nothing, Scarlet will be annihilated by Nee-sama.”

While Claire took a breath painfully, she said that.

She didn’t mean that it’d lose the power to manifest in this world.

She meant that it’ll be completely annihilated from this world.

“So, please. Escape together with Scarlet.”

“…”

Fianna gulped at Claire’s ghastly face.

She had merely several seconds of hesitation. However, those several seconds were extremely precious currently.

—There was no time to hesitate. Fianna made her resolution and nodded.

“I got it. Elsteins loyalist—“

Grasping the right hand that Claire reached out, she recited from memory the words of the pledge.

“By my name Fianna Ray Ordesia, second princess of the Ordesia Empire, I humbly order you. Thou, by the pledge exchanged by our great ancestors, offer up thy sword to me—“

The Spirit Language words were strung out like a song. In response, Claire also made her lips quiver.

[[Image:STnBD V10 029.jpg|thumb]]
“Our sword is our lord’s sword, we shall offer up the undying, eternal flame to thou—“

The fire spirit seal emitted a flash that even dazzled one’s eyes, and Claire’s blood dripped down onto the ground.

In that instant, a sharp pain like that of a burn ran through Fianna’s right hand.

“…Guuu…!”

Fianna frowned like she was bearing with the pain, and grasped her hand.

Moving her hand timidly, a fire seal, glowing scarlet-red, had been engraved on the back of her right hand.

—The transfer of the contracted spirit succeeded.

“…Thank you. Now, quickly get away.”

Claire smiled and collapsed once more like she had used up all her strength.

Rubia noticed the unusualness of Scarlet’s sudden disappearance, and turned around towards them.

“After I meet up with Kamito-kun and the others, I’ll definitely come to help!”

After somehow leaving just those words to her, Fianna ran off with the demon sword of darkness in her hand.

<noinclude>
{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume10 Illustrations|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume10 Chapter1}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume10 Chapter2

2013-07-12T00:04:35Z

130.212.195.162: /* Chapter 2 - The Darkness Beckons Invitingly */

==Chapter 2 - The Darkness Beckons Invitingly==

===Part 1===

—This person is the Demon King's successor.

—We of the «Snake» have, for a very long time now, looked forward to the child of destiny.

In a dark prison, the young Kamito was surrounded heavily by a group of old men wearing faceless masks.

His arms and legs were completely immobile. Even trying to speak or shift his gaze was impossible.

...He realized he was in a dream.

A dream where one was aware of being in a dream—A lucid dream.

However, Kamito could not wake himself up.

It was as if someone had reached out and dragged him into an abyss of his consciousness.

—Once the plan comes to fruition, our tragic wish shall be realized.

—But it is still slightly too early for him to make contact with ''her''.

—First, the heart of this child of destiny must be obliterated first.

The old men's words reverberated in the prison.

(Stop... it... Stop it immediately!)

Countless arms reached out from the darkness, obscuring Kamito's vision.

His view went dark. As soon as he opened his eyes again, Kamito found himself suspended in endless darkness.

His arms and legs were tightly entangled and restrained by darkness that felt like mud.

(...What the heck is this?)

It was not the first time for him to be having nightmares about his time at the «Instructional School» but none of them were like this one.

—You are the child of darkness, our successor.

An astounding voice sounded within his mind.

(...Who... is it...?)

The voice did not belong to the old men. More alien in quality—an inhuman voice.

—We are the past reincarnations of the «Demon King». Our past existences were identical to yours.

Amidst the pitch black mud, numerous skeletons surfaced.

(You are—«Nepenthes Lore»!?)

That was how the ominous black knight looked, the one whom Restia led around.

(...Saying that I am the same existence as you, what on earth is that about?)

This was a dream. The monster before his eyes was nothing but an illusion in Kamito's mind.

Even so, it was imperative to question the monster.

—Sleeping within you, the «Demon King» is about to awaken.

—You will likely fall to become an existence equal to ours, to become the most terrible «Demon King» in history.

(...Complete rubbish! I'm neither going to become the Demon King nor will I become like you guys!)

Squeezing out a voice that could not be described as a voice, Kamito yelled as hard as he could.

Numerous Nepenthes Lores were restless in the darkness, laughing loudly as they disappeared.

At the same time, Kamito's consciousness sank into the pitch black mud.

—By the way, Kamito.

Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he heard her voice.

—when I have changed so much that I am myself no longer...

—Kill me.

(Res... tia...!)

===Part 2===

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Feeling an unpleasant feeling like he had fallen somewhere, Kamito woke up.

His heart was racing abnormally quickly. His body also felt quite heavy with sweat.

The sense of terror from falling into the darkness was still lingered vividly in his mind.

"...A nightmare? Those have been rare ever since I came to the Academy."

Kamito wiped the sweat off his brow and sighed.

Probably due to the series of intense battles, his nerves had become over excited.

At this moment.

"—Kamito, are you okay?"

He heard a cute voice coming from above.

"...!?"

Kamito frantically jumped up.

Turning around, he found a cute little rabbit.

Long lustrous silver-white hair. Clad over her milky-white skin was a tight-fitting, erotic, enameled outfit. Over her legs she was wearing fishnet tights with high heel boots. Behind her was a round fluffy tail.

Most striking of all was the pair of rabbit ears on top of her head.

The legendary sword spirit, who had vanquished the Demon King, was now gazing at Kamito with her mysterious violet eyes.

"Umm..."

Despite Kamito's ignorance in worldly matters, he still knew this much.

...This was commonly known as the bunny girl.

The question was why would his contracted spirit be dressed up in this manner—

"...Est, what on earth are you doing?"

"Yes. I am acting as Kamito's pillow."

Est nodded expressionlessly.

"Pillow?"

Dressed in her bunny girl outfit, Est was sitting formally in a kneeling position.

...Come to think of it, I was sleeping on the ground and yet my head didn't hurt at all.

"Est, were you providing me with a lap pillow?"

"Yes, Kamito. You seemed like you were having a nightmare."

Est must have been quite worried as she watched Kamito experiencing a nightmare. However, rather than wake up Kamito who was exhausted, she chose to give him a lap pillow instead.

"Thank you, Est."

As Kamito stroked her head, Est half-closed her eyes in enjoyment.

"...But why are you dressed as a bunny girl?"

"Even if it's you, Kamito, I feel embarrassed if someone touches my bare legs."

Est remained expressionless despite the blush on her face, answering in a whisper.

...I see. For some reason, this sword spirit was immensely ashamed of exposing her legs. Even though it was just her lap, letting Kamito rest upon them must have been quite embarrassing for her. Hence, instead of wearing her usual kneesocks she chose fishnet tights instead.

"...Then what about the rabbit ears?"

"Yes. A rare opportunity."

"...I see, a rare opportunity."

"Yes."

...Oh well, if she simply wore fishnet tights with nothing else, it would be rather troubling after all.

"Kamito, are you unhappy with this getup?"

The rabbit ears she wore on her head were swaying slightly apprehensively.

"No, umm... I-It's very cute!"

Kamito frantically followed up with a compliment.

"..."

The rabbit ears jumped in joy.

Although Est remained expressionless as always, it was much easier to read her emotions from the rabbit ears on her head.

(...Hmm, this is quite convenient. Wouldn't it be nice if she wore them all the time?)

Just as this joking thought crossed his mind—

"...Strange?"

Kamito suddenly realized.

...Muir was missing.

"Est, where did Muir go?"

"When I woke up, she was already gone."

"...?"

Kamito surveyed his surroundings.

The fire of the spirit crystal still provided lighting within the shrine.

Kamito could not have slept for too long a duration.

"Where did that girl go?"

She could not have left the shrine alone, right? Even for Muir, without a militarized spirit for her to command, wandering alone in this «Abandoned City» was too dangerous.

—At this moment, Kamito's searching gaze stopped at a certain spot.

Beside where Kamito had been sleeping, for an instant, something flashed.

"This is..."

Approaching for a closer look, Kamito found a tiny red stone rolling there.

As the symbol of «Team Inferno», it was a «Magic Stone» carved with an emblem of snakes and flames.

«Magic Stones» had to be kept on one's person. Once separated from the body for a certain length of time, «Leap» magic would be forcibly triggered.

The placement of the stone implied that Muir had retired from the «Blade Dance» by her own volition.

"Muir..."

Muttering softly, Kamito picked up the «Magic Stone».

Clearly he still had so much more to chat with her about—

"Kamito?"

"...Oh, it's nothing."

Nodding, Kamito placed the «Magic Stone» into his uniform pocket.

(...Muir, you're not some kind of «Monster» but a noble elementalist.)

At this moment, the sound of frantic footsteps came from outside.

"...What's going on?"

Kamito instantly readied his stance and looked towards the entrance.

However, as soon as he recognized the girl's figure in the darkness, he relaxed his guard.

"K-Kamito-san!"

Rinslet rushed into the shrine.

She was probably in the middle of purification when she made her way back, for her platinum-blonde hair was still wet.

'Rinslet, what happened?"

"Her Highness the imperial princess is nearby... Hey, w-what are you two doing there?"

Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble...!

Rinslet's gaze was cast behind Kamito's back.

Obviously, that was where bunny girl Est was located.

"A-A misunderstanding... B-By the way, what happened actually?"

Kamito inquired hastily, prompting Rinslet to recall all of a sudden.

"Her Highness the imperial princess is currently engaged in battle nearby against the «Knights of the Dragon Emperor»."

"...Fianna? I got it, let's go immediately."

Kamito stood up, holding Est's hand.

"Est, I'm sorry we have to do this so soon after recovering, but I'm relying on you."

"Yes, I am your sword, your wish is my command."

The pair of rabbit ears quivered slightly.

Next, Est transformed into a massive sword shining with silver-white light.

===Part 3===

"Huff, huff... I hate this, such a hassle!"

As fireballs rained down upon the roads in the ruins, Fianna was panting as she ran away.

Hiding herself amongst the shadows in the collapsed wasteland, she kept diving into blind spots in the flying dragon spirit's overhead view.

"...!"

Suddenly, the nearby ground shook, forcing Fianna to stop running.

The wall in the ruins she was using to hide herself began to crumble, producing a cloud of dust and dirt.

"...W-What?"

Peering at the road from behind a stone pillar, she found a large earth dragon appearing out of the darkness.

Like the flying dragon elementalist in the sky, this was also one of Dracunia's dragon knights.

(A terrible situation...)

Fianna hid behind the stone pillar once more and bit her thumb.

Although an earth type tyrant dragon spirit was unable to fly, it possessed excellent sensing abilities.

It would most likely discover Fianna if she continued to hide like this. But as soon as she left the ruins she would be found by the flying dragon spirit from the air.

Unable to summon her contracted spirit, Fianna was currently a sitting duck.

(...I still have three of those blinding flash stones.)

It was quite inconceivable that the renowned «Knights of the Dragon Emperor» could be shaken off her trail using little tools like these.

(How could I allow myself to be eliminated in a place like this...)

Fianna reached her hand towards the sword hanging at her waist.

The demon sword of darkness that Claire had entrusted to her—The «Vorpal Sword».

(...I promised her, I will hand this sword to Kamito.)

Walking carefully to avoid making a sound, Fianna cautiously bided her time for an escape opportunity.

Surprisingly, this opportunity arrived quite quickly.

The sound of wind tearing through the atmosphere apart was heard.

Instantly, the wings of the flying dragon spirit circling above were sliced apart!

The flying dragon spirit spun as it fell.

The tyrant dragon elementalist's attention was drawn to that direction.

(Now...!)

Fianna had no idea what was going on, but undoubtedly this was a rare opportunity.

She instantly jumped out from behind the stone pillar and ran along the road.

"You—!"

The tyrant dragon elementalist sensed Fianna's presence.

At the same time, Fianna tossed out two blindingly bright «Spirit Crystals» in one go.

An explosive flash instantly dyed the pitch black night into white.

"Guh...!"

Taking advantage of the opening, Fianna hid behind the pillar again.

Looking up, she found two knights engaged in an intense blade dance with sparks flying and scattering.

The clashing weapons rang out acutely. A girl familiar to Fianna was enveloped in strong winds as she engaged the single-winged flying dragon spirit in an aerial battle.

"...Ellis!"

The ponytail fluttering in the wind and that stern figure undeniably belonged to no one but her.

Wielding «Ray Hawk» in her hands, she intended to follow up the surprise attack just now with a ferocious offensive.

This was no coincidence. She must have arrived as reinforcements, knowing Fianna was near.

ROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!

"...!?"

At this moment, an angry dragon's roars shook the land.

The tyrant dragon spirit on the ground had started to destroy the wall of the ruins where Fianna was hiding.

(...If this continues, these ruins will collapse!)

Fianna produced from her palm a magical glow and jumped out from behind the pillar.

Possessing night vision, the dragon spirit instantly spotted Fianna and charged with a great rumbling.

However, Fianna calmly chanted spirit magic—

"Those of small stature, go forth and dance in the moonlit night! —«Fairy Flare»!"

Fianna released numerous spheres of light towards the charging tyrant dragon spirit.

Being the only light source in the darkness would of course make one the perfect prey, but it was a completely different matter when numerous glowing objects were present.

Mixed amongst the irregularly dancing little spheres of light, Fianna's figure once again disappeared into a back alley.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Weaving through the winding path, she reached a place surrounded by a gloomy and creepy forest.

Once here, even the flying dragon spirit would find it difficult to spot her from the air.

(...!?)

A sudden chilling sense of terror caused Fianna to halt in her steps.

Immediately, a massive object flew past, right before her.

Crash—A heavy shattering sound was heard.

As the stone tiled cracked open, a huge hole was opened up in the ground ahead.

"...!"

Fianna was instantly scared frozen.

The object that had opened up a hole in the ground—a massive wrecking ball connected to a chain.

"...Hey, your instincts are not bad. To be able to escape this «Morningstar»."

Clack—Accompanied by a heavy sound, the iron ball and chain were pulled back.

Fianna turned to find a girl standing on top of a collapsed stone wall.

A petite girl with her dark brown hair trimmed neat and short.

Wielding a massive wrecking ball in one hand, she looked down at Fianna.

She was dressed in a red uniform with white trimmings.

"The Sacred Spirit Knights..."

Fianna groaned with despair.

...Backed into a corner, only to find herself targeted by yet another team.

"Belonging to team «Stahl Loewe» of the Sacred Spirit Knights—Alda Reed."

The girl announced her name loudly and swung the chain nimbly.

"—Hand over the «Demon Sword of Darkness» in your possession immediately."

The giant wrecking ball was launched again—!

(...!)

Just as Fianna closed her eyes, in that very instant—

Clang——!

A clear metallic sound rang out through the dark night.

"...Eh?"

A voice of surprise escaped from Fianna's lips.

"At least I made it."

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

Only to find ''him'' standing before her.

The young man wielding the «Demon Slayer» with dazzling brilliance.

"Kamito-kun!"

Fianna opened her dusk-colored eyes.

===Part 4===

"...Sorry for my delay."

Shielding the collapsed Fianna behind his back, Kamito turned around and said to her.

Due to his forced entrance, the arm he used to deflect the wrecking ball was now slightly numb.

"Kamito-kun... How did you know I was here?"

Surprised rather than relieved, Fianna asked with astonishment.

"Rinslet and Ellis told me. Also, I saw the flash from the spirit crystal."

Rushing to the battlefield, Kamito and Rinslet had separated to look for Fianna.

Seeing the intense burst of light, he tried to rush over here and succeeded in finding her as expected.

"...Kazehaya Kamito. The elementalist who defeated our second squad «Stahl Wölfe» huh."

The wrecking ball-wielding girl glared at Kamito with contempt.

"Are you a member of the «Sacred Spirit Knights»?"

"Alda Reed. Luminaris-sama's right hand."

The iron ball and chain rattled loudly.

"If you retreat instantly, I'll let you off for now. I'm sorry but you're no match for me alone."

Kamito shrugged and declared.

Although his divine power had not recovered completely from the battle against Valaraukar, a single opponent was no problem at all. So long as he restricted Est's power, he should be able to blade dance for several minutes.

"I appreciate your goodwill, but the «Sacred Spirit Knights» never let prey get away from them!"

"...!"

Alda Reed yelled as she launched the wrecking ball at Kamito.

Kamito jumped and dodged. Like a dance, he leaped continuously in the forest.

The shining «Terminus Est» traced out a trail of light in the darkness.

Against the background of the night, the chain twisted and turned like a snake. In this forest with poor visibility, trying to read its changing trajectories would be challenging—''Indeed, that would be the case for a typical elementalist''.

(Compared to Claire's whip, these trajectories are way too crude.)

Jumping between the trees, Kamito instantly read the chain's path.

Dodging the endlessly swinging chain by a paper-thin margin, he engaged the girl on the wall in close quarters—

Only to see Alda Reed's lips twist slightly.

(—Oh no, I made a mistake!)

Kamito suddenly realized.

Her target was not Kamito—

"This is your weakness. Male elementalist."

The chain's trajectory changed dramatically in midair, making its way to behind Kamito, towards Fianna who was watching the blade dance from the ground.

"—Fianna!"

Fianna had not even noticed the incoming attack. There was simply no time to dodge—!

Kamito threw his sword towards the air, stepped on a tree to perform a somersault, instantly squeezing the most out of his leg muscles—jumping over.

The «Instructional School»'s combat skill «Thunderclap»—making use of god-like speed, Kamito rushed before Fianna and blocked the wrecking ball's attack with his arms crossed.

"...Guh, ahh...!"

The impact made his body feel like it was about to fall apart. The sound of bone shattering rang out.

"Cough...!"

"—Kamito-kun!"

Fianna frantically embraced Kamito from behind as he collapsed on one knee.

Although he had enveloped his body in divine power beforehand, blocking an elemental waffe barehanded was too excessive.

(...That wrecking ball is completely materialized.)

The «Blade Dance» was not about mutual slaughtering without rules. Under normal conditions, elemental waffen were required to be kept in an astralized state, unable to cause physical damage to the body—

The thrown sword fell before Kamito after spinning several rounds in the air.

Spitting bloody froth, Kamito clutched the «Demon Slayer» with a trembling hand.

"...I misjudged you. To think the Holy Kingdom's knight would resort to such underhanded means."

"I am not so arrogant as to think I could defeat you in direct combat."

Playing with the «Morningstar» which had returned to her hand, the female knight spoke coldly.

"Besides, Luminaris-sama's instructions were to destroy the demon sword of darkness—"

"Demon sword...? What on earth is that about—Guh...!"

Kamito coughed blood again.

(...This is bad.)

Sweat appeared on his forehead. The impact just now probably damaged his internal organs.

"Kamito-kun, let me perform healing magic right now."

"Don't, it's unfortunate but the enemy won't give me time—"

"Of course!"

Alda Reed yelled as she threw the «Morningstar».

Dodging was not possible. The target was not Kamito but Fianna.

"You...!"

Still about to move the «Demon Slayer» with one hand, Kamito swung it upwards in one breath.

The sword's edge deflected the heavy iron ball. If used at full strength, Est would probably have sliced the wrecking ball into halves. But currently, simply deflecting the attacks was already taking all of Kamito's strength.

"Hmph, how much longer can you last with one arm!?"

"Tsk...!"

Kamito clicked his tongue as he deflected the wrecking ball again.

...Indeed, he could not last long like this. Since the enemy's target was Fianna, he could not leave this spot.

"Fianna, hurry and summon «Georgios»—"

"I am unable to summon at this time."

Fianna shook her head at Kamito's call.

(...Well, that makes sense on further thought.)

The fact that she had not summoned her contracted spirit in a situation like this already indicated her inability to summon.

Did she exhaust her divine power or did the spirit suffer too much damage and had to recover?

In order to break out of the current situation, their only hope was waiting for reinforcements from Ellis and Rinslet who were fighting the dragon knight in the air—

(...They're in a desperate struggle too.)

The faint sounds of weapons clashing could be heard from afar.

The enemy was a member of the «Knights of the Dragon Emperor», a regular competitor at the «Blade Dance». Furthermore, they were fighting a flying dragon elementalist whose top specialty was aerial combat. Only through teamwork were the two girls barely able to keep up with the dragon knight.

From the way it looked, Kamito could not expect any reinforcements within short time.

—At this moment, the sound of trees falling could be heard from behind.

"...What now!?"

Turning back, Kamito found amidst the collapsed trees a massive ground dragon!

"A tyrant dragon spirit...!"

"You are the «Knights of the Dragon Emperor»'s prey!"

Riding the viciously roaring dragon was a girl in a military uniform who looked down at him.

"Kazehaya Kamito. Deceiving Leonora-sama is a severe crime!"

"What are you talking about!?"

"Talking is useless, prepare to die!"

The ground dragon roared viciously and swung its massive front limbs.

Kamito hastily used his sword to block the attack, but—

(...W-What is with this monstrous strength!)

Tyrant dragon spirits were unable to fly, but instead possessed overwhelming strength.

Even someone like Kamito could hardly block its attack with one hand.

"...Take—This!"

Even so, Kamito released divine power in his legs and endured forcibly.

However, if this continued, Fianna would be crushed behind him—

"How foolish. To even dare try beating a combat-type tyrant dragon spirit in a contest of strength!"

"Guh... Oooh..."

With a frightening roar, the tyrant dragon spirit concentrated all its weight on its claws.

Kamito's feet sank deeply into the ground as he fell upon his knees.

(...Guh, if she wants a battle of strength—)

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Kamito infused the «Demon Slayer» with maximum divine power.

Releasing dazzling brilliance, the sword sliced through the tyrant dragon spirit's hard claws.

"What!?"

The female dragon knight faltered.

(Success—!)

Continuing the momentum from slicing the claws, Kamito chopped towards the tyrant dragon spirit's neck—

"...Kamito-kun!"

In that instant, Kamito was struck in the flank, sending his entire body tumbling to the side.

"Cough...!"

His vision began to spin. His body struck a stone wall.

"Fufu, how helpful of you to seal his movements."

"You... Bitch...!"

The massive wrecking ball pierced Kamito's abdomen deeply.

"...How shocking to think he managed to take on the «Morningstar»'s attack."

"Kazehaya Kamito is my prey. Stop interfering!"

"Ara, the one who started making a move on other people's prey is clearly you."

Faced with the furious dragon knight, Alda Reed shrugged.

"Kamito-kun, pull yourself together, Kamito-kun...!"

...He could hear Fianna's cries. The voice was getting more and more distant and vague.

Color swiftly faded from his face. Many ribs were broken—

(...Damn it, my consciousness... is..."

Warm light enveloped Kamito's entire body.

Fianna was probably casting healing spirit magic. But its effects hardly amounted to a drop in the bucket. Kamito's body repelled holy spirit magic.

"Fianna... Hurry... Flee...!"

"I won't let you have your way—"

Alda sent Kamito flying with the wrecking ball again.

Sparks flickered. As his body was struck into the air, Kamito's consciousness suddenly dimmed.

(...D-Damn it... In this kind of place...)

Just as Kamito fainted, he reached out involuntarily.

—Hurry and awaken, Kamito.

He heard the voice of ''her'' whom he longed for.

===Part 5===

(...Eh?)

Resounding in his mind was a comforting voice—

(...Could it be Restia?)

Opening his eyes slightly, Kamito felt intense pain all over his body.

"...-kun, Kamito-kun...!"

Thrown on the ground, Kamito could hear Fianna's desperate cries.

Then did the voice Kamito heard just now belong to Fianna instead of Restia—?

(...No, that's not right. I couldn't possibly have recognized her voice wrongly.)

Kamito searched for signs of Restia in his view.

—Then he noticed for the first time.

A one-handed sword hanging by Fianna's waist.

(Could that be the «Vorpal Sword»!?)

There was a reason why it took him this long to notice.

The sword's body was blacker than night, seeming as if it melded into the darkness.

Although there were slight differences in its shape, it was without a doubt the demon sword of darkness Kamito once wielded in the past.

(...Why would Fianna be carrying Restia?)

Just as this question struck Kamito.

—Clang. A sudden intense pain.

This was not the result of external injuries. Instead, this was intense pain coming from inside as if his head was being torn apart.

Then—

—If you wish to obtain enough power to protect what is precious to you, Kamito, then go on and awaken.

Once again, he heard that voice.

Coming from inside his skull, her whispers—Rather it is ''a voice very similar to hers''.

Bathump, bathump—Kamito felt his heart beating intensely. It was as if all the blood in his entire body was boiling.

—A great power lies dormant within you. I can release this power.

(...Wha...t... Who on earth, are you...?)

Bathump. Bathump. Bathump. Bathump. Bathump. Bathump.

His blood was boiling. All the muscles of his body began to convulse. His bones creaked noisily.

"Ah... Guh, ah, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Kamito-kun, what's the matter—uwah!"

Kamito roared and suddenly knocked Fianna away from his side.

"Fian...na... Stay away from me, fur... ther...!"

"Kamito... -kun...?"

Bathump. Bathump. Bathump. Bathump. Bathump. Bathump.

As the heart beat drove his sanity mad, Kamito's consciousness was consumed by darkness.

—Very well, the time to awaken has arrived. «Demon King» Ren Ashbell.

Then, ''it'' awakened.

===Part 6===

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—!"

Out from Kamito's throat came a roar like a beast's.

"What!?" "What is going on!?"

Kamito suddenly stood up, causing the two elementalists to widen their eyes.

Wielding the «Demon Slayer», he stared at the tyrant dragon spirit ahead of him with a hollow gaze.

Instantly, the massive spirit stepped back as if fearful of Kamito despite its greater size.

"Impossible! That body should not be able to move—"

The female dragon knight yelled with an expression of disbelief.

However, her sentence which resembled a scream was not finished.

Instantly closing in, Kamito swung the «Demon Slayer».

The tyrant dragon spirit's massive body was instantly sliced into two.

Its body cut into halves, the tyrant dragon spirit dissipated into the air.

"...Eh?"

The dragon knight who had been riding it fell to the ground, immobilized in shock.

She seemed like she had not understood what just happened.

"...No way... Right? With one hit, a «Tyrant Dragon»..."

Raising his great sword, Kamito ignored her and continued.

Dangling one broken arm, he advanced forward like a specter.

(...What is this power?)

The calm part of his mind puzzled.

Chopping apart the tyrant dragon spirit just now came undoubtedly out of his own will.

Driven by the impulse to destroy, he had swung the «Demon Slayer».

(What on earth, am I... Guh...)

In opposition to his lingering shred of rationality, his boiling blood yearned for battle.

"...W-What... What on earth is going on!?"

Standing on the wall, Alda Reed could not help but waver, her voice trembling.

Clear signs of fear appeared on her face.

Kamito slowly turned towards her and leaped from the ground.

"Yee—"

Alda's face distorted out of fear—

"Y-You... Go and diiiiiiiiiiiiieee!"

She launched her elemental waffe, the «Morningstar».

The iron chain flew haphazardly through the night sky.

However, its complicated motion looked as though it was standing still in Kamito's eyes.

Releasing divine power from his toes, he accelerated—''Running on the wildly dancing chains themselves''.

Alda's face was consumed with disbelief. As if she were saying how could this be possible—!

"Ah, ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

Entering a complete state of fearful panic, she swung the chain randomly.

But it was merely a futile struggle. Kamito ran as if his feet were attracted to the chain.

The «Instructional School»'s special combat steps, the «Demon Spider»—a technique that allowed one to stick to a surface by wrapping the soles of the feet in divine power.

However, this was a technique intended for moving through narrow passages and was not supposed to work on a wildly dancing chain. Truly god-like in execution.

Kamito jumped and landed lightly on the wall where Alda was standing.

"Ah, ahhh... Ahhhhh..."

Alda Reed loosened her grip and dropped her elemental waffe, falling to her knees.

The tip of the sacred sword pointed to the girl as her mouth opened and closed.

—Indeed, the sword was thrust towards the enemy.

Her voice resounded in his mind nonstop.

Unable to resist the impulse, Kamito raised the sword with his trembling hand.

"O-Oh... Ohhhh, oh...!"

(...No, I can't...!)

Freezing his posture with the sword raised, Kamito stopped his movements.

The opponent had already dropped her weapon and stopped resisting. Swinging his sword at an opponent like that was not allowed. However—

—No need to hesitate. You are the «Demon King».

—Commit atrocities as you desire, violate as you desire, destroy as you desire.

(...I am the... Demon... King..."

...Clang. Clang clang clang clang.

His head began to hurt again.

Every time her voice resounded in his mind, his rationality was gradually swallowed by the darkness.

"I... must... Ah, ahhh, ah... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Just as Kamito was about to swing down the «Demon Slayer»—

—Kamito!

The weight suddenly disappeared from his hands.

"...!?"

Losing balance, Kamito fell over forwards.

Poof—The one who caught him was a girl with silver-white hair.

Her petite body embraced his injured body tenderly.

Her fine hair bushed against his face.

"Es...t...?"

Kamito muttered hoarsely.

His sanity recovered just as it was about to be devoured by the darkness.

"It's okay now, Kamito?"

Est embraced Kamito's back lightly as she whispered.

Alda Reed of the «Sacred Spirit Knights» had completely lost all will to fight by this point.

===Part 7===

Enshrouded by the silence of endless darkness—

The darkness spirit girl could feel a slight pulsation.

(Kamito, are you there?)

—Indeed, he was by her side.

However, her words could not reach him.

The connection of the spirit contract had already been severed. Even if Kamito were to take up the demon sword that Restia had transformed into, it was already too late.

(Kamito, do not listen to my voice, ''I have already''—)

But her voice could not be transmitted no matter what.

Thus her lamentations were devoured by darkness, disappearing into space.

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Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume9 Epilogue

2013-07-11T23:26:41Z

130.212.195.162: /* Epilogue */

==Epilogue==

“Haa, haa…”

—Kamito and the others had fought with «Valaraukar», and at that moment.

Fianna felt a strange sense of uneasiness, and went towards the heart of the abandoned city «Megidoa».

Her perception at times like this was often right. She, who held unparalleled talent as a princess maiden, would never neglect her intuition.

(It’ll be good if this was just needless anxiety…)

She was running on a path covered by countless trees and shrubs in the darkness of the night, and at that moment.

“Kyaa!”

Suddenly, something small came flying in front of her.

The instant she stopped her footsteps, she ended up tripping and falling over. Unfortunately, she did not happen to have the reflexes like her female teammates.

“Ouch… W-What…?”

While she rubbed her twisted foot, she looked up and—

“Meow…”


“…Scarlet!?”

What was there was Claire’s hellcat spirit.

She noticed that it somewhat seemed smaller than usual.

…It might have been exhausting its power.

“…Why are you here? Could it be that Claire is near here?”

Fianna asked in rapid succession.

However, Scarlet turned around, and instantly disappeared into the rows of ruins.

“W-Wait…!”

Fianna stood up in a fluster.

Her twisted foot hurt, but now wasn’t the time for that.

Finally, she might have discovered the whereabouts of her teammates.

Chasing after Scarlet’s swinging tail, she ran on the pathway, and finally exited at an opened-up area, where large amount of rubble had accumulated.

“This is…!?”

Fianna widely opened her dim-colored eyes.

The sight expanded before her eyes, that was—


The ground had been gouged out in a big way into the shape of a bowl. There were flames blazing everywhere.

The historic ruins in the surroundings melted into something like lava, and no longer contain their original shape.

…Just how extra-high of heat did it basked in to end up like this?

“What happened here?”

She muttered in a daze, at that time.

“…Hn…”

She heard a gasping-like groan coming from somewhere.

“…!?”

Fianna looked around in a fluster.

Then, she saw Scarlet’s tail swaying at the other side of a crumpled wall.

She hurriedly went around to the other side of the wall.

“…Claire!?”

She discovered Claire lying dead tired at the wall.

“Claire, hey, get yourself together!”

“...Hn…Uu…”

It seemed like her consciousness was hazy and it also seemed like she didn’t noticed Fianna.


Seemingly worried, the hellcat spirit was going in circles around her.

Upon taking a spirit ore from her uniform pocket, Fianna pressed it onto Claire's chest.

The sacred light, possessing healing powers, faintly shone.

"Claire, it's me. ...Can you speak?"

"...Hn... Fia...nna...?"

Within the empty ruby eyes of hers, a small flame of consciousness lit.

"What on earth happened?"

"...Quickly, the demon sword... to... Kamito..."

"...Demon sword?"

Fianna frowned dubiously.

Then, Claire placed her shaky hand behind her back, and took out one sword.

"...! Don't tell me, this is..."

It was a familiar demon sword of darkness. ...Even its appearance was subtly different, but there wasn't a doubt, it was Ren Ashbell's elemental waffe, the «Vorpal Sword».

"Claire, why do you have...?"

Fianna asked back, and at that moment.

"I should have had already warned you not to appear in front of me again, Fianna Ray Ordesia."


"...!"

In an instant, her heart was grabbed by that voice.

"..."

She calmly gulped.

While feeling cold sweat spouting out from her whole body, Fianna turned behind.

There was a crimson flame violently blazing.

She appeared from within that flame.

She had glamorous long black hair and a deep-crimson-red mask that was like scraped out of a burning flame.

She wore a military uniform of the Empire, and her body was clad in sparks fluttering down.

Leader of «Team Inferno». Strongest Blade Dancer—Ren Ashbell.

...No. Fianna already knew her true identity.

(Rubia-sama...)

She had been secretly maneuvering in the shadows so far, so why did she show herself at this timing?

—Her motive was obvious.

(...«The Darkness Queen».)

Fianna stood up to protect Claire who had fallen.

"...I will not hand over Claire."
[[Image:STnBD V09 253.jpg|thumb]]

She knew it was a futile resistance.

Nevertheless, she couldn't leave Claire, who was vaguely conscious, behind and escape.

"—Don't interfere. You'll understand it one day."

"Rubia-sama, I don't understand what beliefs you have. However, if you're going to hurt my friends—I'll... stop you!"

Agilely drawing a magic formation in the air, she summoned «Georgios».

Instantly unsheathing its sword, the knight spirit rushed at her.

"It's futile. Your resolution will never reach me."

—The flames throbbed. There was a flame that was clearly different from the surrounding flames, a freezing blue flame.

The moment that flame touched its armor, the whole body of the knight spirit collapsed instantly.

"...!"

The overwhelming difference in power was displayed.

Ren Ashbell was clad in the freezing flame, and her black hair was violently fluttering.

"—Your time is up. I shall welcome the «Darkness Queen» into my hands."

Then, she—

Removed the deep-crimson mask that concealed her face.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Crack* The mask landed on the ground and broke.



"...!"

Fianna was petrified at that spot and couldn't move.

She had extremely beautiful eyes of ruby that harbored blazing flames.

The glamorous black hair that was a trait of Ren Ashbell gently flared up.

As if the flames were painting over the darkness—

That was the color of her hair during the time she was once called the «Fire Queen».

Elstein red.

At that time—

"...U...g..."

"...!"

There was a groaning voice from behind.

"Claire, no—!"

"...Nee...sama?"

Within her hazy consciousness, Claire muttered, seemingly puzzled.

Both pairs of flame-harboring ruby eyes met, and then—

"Now, let's end everything."

Rubia Elstein opened her mouth.

"—It's time for the awakening of the Demon King."

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Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume3 Chapter7

2013-07-10T20:59:46Z

130.212.195.162: /* Chapter 7 - Valentia Holy Festival */

==Chapter 7 - Valentia Holy Festival==
=== Part 1 ===
It was evening. The plaza of Academy Town was bustling with crowds of people.

Sweet smells tickled his nostrils. At the shrine, delicious-looking baked sweets were piled up like a mountain and princess maidens dispatched from the academy were showcasing a blade dance that entertained the spirits.

"However, where did that girl go?”

As his gaze fell towards the chocolate that Claire had thrown aside—

Kamito breathed a sigh, exasperated.

Together with Ellis and the other two, they had given chase after Claire. But halfway through, the time for the change of patrols came and they had to give up. With that, they started their rounds around the «Wind» area.

"....."

Ellis, walking right beside him with a complicated expression, stared at the chocolate that Kamito was carrying.

"What is it, Ellis?"

"N-No, it's nothing.... It looks like there's no problem in this area."

Ellis coughed, and looked away.

Indeed, there did not seem to be any signs of suspicious activity in this area.

Although there might have been brawls between drunkards and pickpockets, those kinds of troubles were left for the town's vigilante corps to deal with. Rather, what Kamito and the others needed to look out for were the matters that the townspeople, who were not used to interaction with spirits, incurred the anger of the spirits unknowingly.

During the rituals of worshiping the spirits, those kinds of incidents occurred frequently.

"This is almost like.... a da-date."

"Hm, did you say something?"

"Nothing at all, concentrate more on patrolling!"

Ellis' face was flushed a deep red as she got angry.

"So-Sorry...."

Kamito apologized.

(.....Wait a second, isn't Ellis the one who isn't concentrating?)

Since awhile ago Ellis, who was not able to calm down, was stealing glances at Kamito's face from the side now and then.

Somehow, her manner of walking seemed unsteady and uncertain.

Their shoulders coming so close together that he was not sure whether they were touching, and then her screaming "Fuwaa", once again moving away from him — that kind of thing was repeated over and over.

Because of that, they bumped into the people that they passed by, many times.

"Ellis, walking like that is dangerous."

Unable to watch any longer, Kamito grabbed Ellis' hand,

"......W-W-What are you doing, you insolent person!"


"No, since a while ago, you were somewhat unsteady, and it got dangerous... Your hand is also a little hot. Would you happen to have a fever or something?"

"...～Wh-Whose fault do you think it is?!"

As Ellis' hand was joined with Kamito's, she hit his shoulder.

"I'll have you bear responsibility for taking my first time!"

"Wh...!?"

At those words of Ellis, whose face was colored in bright red,—

The people, going back and forth on the street, turned around with their faces lighted up.

They glared at Kamito with a scornful-like look and murmured in a soft voice together.

"Ellis, don't utter something that would invite misunderstandings!"

"I-It isn't a misunderstanding! Really, I-it's my first time joining hands with a man!"

"...!?"

That was it— Kamito suddenly understood.

Thinking about it, Ellis was also an ojou-sama with a prestigious noble background.

Now that he thought about it, Claire and the others seemed like they were hesitating about joining hands with him when they were departing yesterday. To them who were the daughters of nobles, joining hands with a boy might be an act more embarrassing than he imagined.

"...Sorry. My bad."


Just as Kamito was about to release her hand—

"Ah, no, I don't mind, and I didn't mean to scare you."

As Ellis embarrassedly looked away, she tightly squeezed his hand back.

It was the soft feeling of a girl's hands. The reason hard calluses were formed here-and-there was surely the proof that she seriously practised her martial arts.

Just like that, Ellis walked on stiffly like a spring-action toy.

"I-It's... a guy's hand"

"Of course, it is."

Upon hearing Kamito's reply, Ellis giggled, seemingly happy, for some reason.

He was instantly startled by that facial expression of the usually dignified Ellis.

"It's more embarrassing than I thought... to hold hands."

"Ahh, that is true."

Scratching his cheek with one hand, Kamito vaguely nodded.

To be honest, he was a little absent-minded.

From a moment ago, Ellis' large busts were pressing on his arm.

Although, he didn't directly touch them because her Knights breastplate was there, the sensation of their elasticity was being transmitted whether he liked it or not. The reason his eyes unconsciously moved to her willful body beneath her armour was something that couldn't be helped for a boy in puberty.


(W-With such a stiff personality, her body sure is soft...)

With his heart beating hard and full of excitement, the two walked down the main street filled with the hustle-and-bustle of the festival for a while.

The beautiful stone-made street was lit up by the illumination of the spirit crystals.

Pointing at the soft-toy bear ornamented at the display window, Ellis' eyes had sparkled, and she was gazing at a gorgeous party dress in front of a clothing shop.

When Kamito brought up yesterday's maid's outfit incident to tease her, her face turned bright red as she flared up.

"Hmph! After all, I'm not suited for those sort of beautiful clothings!"

"There's no such thing. Ellis in her usual knight clothing is also attractive but I also want to see Ellis wearing clothes like these."

"...What-What are you talking about?"

Pouting her lips, Ellis bashfully looked downwards.

Those actions were not of the usually dignified knight, they seemed to be those of an ordinary girl.

Looking at her like that——

Kamito suddenly had something he wanted to try asking.

"Hey, Ellis, why did you plan on becoming a knight?"

While she was the daughter of the top military families, the Fahrengart family, he had felt that her obsession towards the way of life of a knight wasn't just because of that reason.

"......"


Ellis slowly turned her face toward him.

"At first, it was because of the admiration towards Aneue."

"That Velsaria Eva?"

"That's right. Aneue was a splendid knight. She was a person who was disciplined with herself, hated injustice, was earnestly polishing her sword skills, and was always aiming for a way of life like attaining the objectives of the people."

As if gazing at somewhere far away, she looked up at the sky that was dyed by the faint sunset.

"From when I was a child, I had always been thinking of wanting to be a knight like Aneue. As the successor of the Fahrengart family, I want to be a spirit knight that protects many people. So, when I joined the academy, I immediately made an application to the Sylphid Knights that Aneue was serving as Captain."

Suddenly, Ellis's reddish-brown pupils darkened.

However— She continued.

"When I joined the academy, Aneue had already changed. As if she was spurred on by something, she had turned into someone merely pursuing power. Of course, I can't say that way of life is absolutely wrong. Pursuing for superior power is also the proper way of life as an elementalist. However, at the very least, that person now isn't the knight I admired."

"What had changed her like that?"

Kamito asked—

Ellis tightly bit her lips,


"It's probably '''the match with Ren Ashbell three years ago'''."

"...!?"

Without thinking, Kamito had raised his voice.

"I'm also not sure what happened. However, with that match, it is a fact that Aneue had changed."

"..."

Kamito dropped his sight onto his left hand tucked into a leather glove.

The spirit seal, which tied him with his former contracted spirit, was engraved over there.

It was the left hand that defeated Velsaria and won through the Blade Dance three years ago.

It was the left hand that had cut down many «wishes» for the sake of victory.

(—The me three years ago had not been looking at anything.)

He was just merely fighting for her sake.

He had earnestly accumulated victories and brought down many opponents with a pure heart.

There were practically no opponents whose faces he remembered. At that time, he didn't have the leisure of thinking about things like what kind of thoughts the opponents defeated by Ren Ashbell had when participating in the Blade Dance

He recalled Velsaria Eva's icy-like pupils.

(...Was it me who changed Ellis' respected knight?)

Ellis dropped her line of sight from the madder-red sky, and turned towards Kamito.


Her reddish-brown pupils harboured strong will.

"I want to show Aneue it, the way of the knight I believe in. Although I am still inexperienced now, I am thinking of wanting to seize the thing that lies beyond power someday. For that reason, I'm participating in the Blade Dance."

For the sake of the way of the knight I believe in—

Ellis, who said that in a dignified manner, was dazzling to Kamito.

"Ellis, don't you hate Ren Ashbell?"

Kamito had inquired spontaneously.

If the occasion that changed Velsaria was assumed to be the match from three years ago—

It couldn't be helped that she was hated by Ellis— So, he thought.

However, Ellis lightly shook her head.

"Of course, I also had resented her when Aneue was defeated. However, while looking at Ren Ashbell winning and winning, I noticed that I was getting captivated by her."

"I don't get it. She should be similar to the other elementalists, merely dancing a blade dance for the «wish». It's not like she has a splendid goal like Ellis—"

"Wrong"

Ellis interrupted with a harsh voice.

"...?"

"Her blade dance was a blade dance more noble than anyone's. If that was not the case, it would be impossible for her to satisfy the Elemental Lords, and above all, why do you think the girls, who were watching her at that venue, are now still attracted to her."

"..."

Kamito spontaneously gulped at the threatening look of Ellis who was like scolding him harshly.

"It was precisely because the appearance of her dancing the blade dance was noble that I was charmed and attracted to her. Surely, she wasn't swinging her sword for herself— but for someone."

"For someone..."

Kamito—

Stared motionlessly at his left hand that exchanged a contract with the darkness spirit girl.

He felt like he was saved a little with Ellis' words.

For someone— That was correct. The reason Kamito participated the Blade Dance was for her.

Losing himself, he swung his sword for the sake of granting her one and only desired «wish».

Even if, for example, that result was something disgusting.

Performing a blade dance for his precious her— at least that was certain.

The girl in front of him had said so.

"Ellis, thank you."

"...? What is this about?"

Ellis frowned suspiciously.


"No, nothing."

Kamito laughed bitterly as he looked away from Ellis.

—Then, his gaze stopped at one store.

"Ellis, could you accompany me to buy a little something?"

"W-We're on duty, you know."

"I have decided on what to buy. It shouldn't take more than a minute."

"...It can't be helped. What are you buying?"

"Um, something..."

As Kamito scratched the back of his ear, he walked towards the store.

=== Part 2 ===

Claire was walking through the Spirit Forest on the outskirts with a dejected expression.

The lively noise from the plaza far away could be heard.

The day was almost over, but it was somewhat vexing for her to return just like that and she also felt that she didn't want to meet Fianna and Rinslet.

"...Euph! What's with the work of the Knights? D-Despite that I was planning to forgive him."


Claire rubbed her eyes briskly with her uniform sleeves.

The cold evening wind blew her red twin-tailed hair like it was making fun of her.

Claire bit her lips tightly and dropped her sight onto her leather loafers.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Potaa*<ref>sound of waterdrops</ref> A drop of tear spilled over and fell.

"...It's my birthday and yet..."

Upon voicing it out, she suddenly became unbearably lonely.

Every year, both her parents, her sister and the locals would gather in great numbers in their castle and a grand birthday party would be held. She would wear a beautiful dress, the table would be fully lined up with her favourite cakes and feasts, and she would be sleeping in a warm bed together with her sister, who would return from the «Divine Ritual Institute» only on that day— that would be the most enjoyable day of the year.

However, four years ago— on that day when her sister Rubia Elstein betrayed the Elemental Lord of Fire.

Young Claire lost everything.

(...That's right, I still have my goals.)

Shaking off her sentiments, Claire sharply raised her face from the ground.

It was not the time to be having fun with such things like her birthday or the Valentia Holy Festival.

(My goals are to win through the Blade Dance and know the truth of four years ago. For that objective, I have to become even stronger—)

Her red twin-tailed hair bristled up like flames.


(Even if someone like Kamito isn't there, I'll—)

"Fufu, you seem to be harbouring a lot of stress, hellcat ojou-sama."

"...!?"

Towards the voice from behind—

Claire quickly turned around.

A girl was giggling as she was standing at the opposite of the grove of trees.

She had jade-green hair that grew till her waist and ears with sharp tips.

She had recollections of her.

She was the waitress, who came carrying the gigantic parfait, at the restaurant yesterday.

(When did she get close?!)

Claire got cautious and readied herself. To approach Claire, an elementalist, without being noticed, she couldn't be a normal person.

Her intuition was telling her that this lady was dangerous.

"Who... are you? I am sorry but I am now in a terribly bad mood."

"Ah, what a cute face you're making, what a very scary cat."

Vivian Melosa swung both her hands to show her.

"Despite that I took great pains on planning to lend you power.”

"...Power?"


Claire's eyebrows twitched.

"Yes, it's the thing that you now desire the most."

"You... could you be...?"

Clare glared at the lady before her.

"The Cursed Armament Seal smuggler!"

"Correct! However, to be more accurate, it would be researcher, you know♪"

As Vivian Melosa was swinging her index finger, she was slowly walking towards her.

Her red glaringly shiny pupils were peering motionlessly into Claire's eyes.

It was like she saw through till the innermost depths of her heart.

"—Hmm, kitty, don't you want that splendid power?"

Her words roaringly reverberated.

Claire couldn't move like her feet were binded.

(This is domination magic?!)

It was a type of mind manipulation magic.

Her words echoed many times in her head and penetrated the innermost part of her mind.

"... You"

"If you implanted my «Cursed Armament Seal», your hellcat-chan will become an even mightier spirit."

It hurt like her head was splitting. Even if she plugged her ears with both hands, the words penetrated through.


—Hey, don't you want power?

—The power to overwhelm everything— The power to achieve your «wish».

(...It's obvious that I want something like that!)

She had wanted power. She had needed power at any cost for the sake of her goals.

For that reason, she would do anything— She had prepared herself like that since that day four years ago.

Thus, she had even risked the danger to her life to reach her hand out to a powerful sealed spirit.

She had made a contract with that darkness spirit's presented frenzy spirit.

However.

"Don't look down on me!"

In an instant, Claire's blazing Flame Tongue manifested in her hand, and mowed down the space before her.

"...My domination magic was broken?"

"My apologies but I'll reject your forceful sale."

As Claire raised her breathing, she swung her Flame Tongue with a snap as if to shake off the temptation.

"How disappointing. I thought you had the qualifications but it looks like I miscalculated."

Vivian Melosa shrugged her shoulders looking bored.

If it was Claire from a few weeks ago, she probably wouldn't have been able to oppose the temptation.

She might have sought for easy power and laid her hands on the Cursed Armament Seal.

(But I'm now different.)


If you want power— I will become your contract spirit.

(...After all, he had promised me)

"So, I don't need such phony powers!"

At the same time Claire shouted, she released a fireball of spirit magic.

She didn't go easy on the merchant opponent of the Cursed Armament Seal. She attacked with the intention of turning her completely into cinders.

A terrifying shock and explosion resounded in the quiet forest.

The trees in the surroundings were blown off at one go and had fallen down in a straight line.

The trees burned up. However, Vivian Melosa wasn't there.

"Fufu, please don't be in such a hurry. There is someone else who wants to meet you without fail."

A bewitching voice sounded from within the forest.

Claire was startled and turned around—

From deep within the forest, a tall girl appeared.

"You are..."

She was the adamantine elementalist upperclassman, who provoked Claire yesterday.

There was completely no expression on that face of hers.

She came over, walking unsteadily like a ghost.

"Don't tell me... the Cursed Armament Seal?"

"Ah, please don't be mistaken. The one who wanted power was her. Although, it looks like her mind couldn't bear my Cursed Armament Seal."

The sound of chuckling scorns reverberated within the forest.

"...Wa...a...laire...Rouge...Aaaahhh!"

The adamantine elementalist girl released a ear-splitting wail.

In that instant, a violent wind swept over, and a huge beast appeared from nowhere.

Over there— There was large deer of the metal attribute, which easily surpassed Claire's height.

It had two horns that extended out radically and black pupils that harboured signs of atrocity.

It had a terrifying air of intimidation that caused her skin to tremble.

"What? Isn't this... the adamantine spirit!?"

Claire raised her voice in shock.

Her contracted spirit shouldn't be a powerful high-ranking spirit of this level.

"No, that is without doubt her spirit. It evolved with my Cursed Armament Seal, you know♪"

Vivian Melosa chuckled.

"So, would you please cooperate with my experiment, hellcat ojou-sama."

"...!?"

The frenzied large deer released a repulsive roar and came charging over.



=== Part 3 ===
What Kamito bought was the cat pendant that Claire was looking at.

After getting the box wrapped with a red ribbon, Kamito placed it into his chest pocket as he embarrassedly scratched his face.

"Today is her birthday."

"I see. The reason you asked for the remuneration in advance was for the sake of buying that."

"Hn, you could say that... but, I ended up having a quarrel with her."

The moment Kamito shrugged his shoulders, Ellis coughed.

"I think reconciling is not going to be that hard. Wasn't that chocolate from just now Claire Rouge's handmade item?"

"Ah, it looks like it. It also looks like she practised yesterday."

"For her to give that on the day of the Valentia Holy Festival means that, err, she doesn't even hate you, I think... I mean, I think that she wants to reconcile, right?"

"If it was like that, it would be great."

"A-Although, in the case where the recipient is of the opposite sex, there is also a slight chance that that's not just it but..."

Ellis coughed again—

She stared at Kamito's face.


"Hn? What's the matter?"

"E-Err, u-um... Actually, I-I also have chocolates—"

Ellis was almost going to take out something from the pocket of her uniform, and at that moment.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Dooooon—!*

An earth-shaking-like thunderous roar reverberated from the direction of the plaza.

"...Ellis!?"

"Ah, lets go Kamito!"

Ellis instantly changed back to her knight face, and started running vigorously.

=== Part 4 ===

Pushing their way through the chaotic crowds and arriving at the plaza—

"What is that!?"

A gigantic beast had been rampaging about in the middle of the plaza.

It was a beast like a wild boar, with two sharp tusks.

Its whole body was covered by a shell that was like thoroughly polished mirror.

That was not a beast. That was a spirit.

Furthermore, it was a frenzied high level spirit.


The crowd in the plaza had already fallen into panic.

In trying to escape simultaneously in the same direction, they ended up falling one after another all over the place.

There also seemed to be a great number of old people and young children amongst the crowd.

"Did someone make the spirit run wild?"

"Ah, there might be an elementalist somewhere but that thing has completely lost control."

As expected of being used to these sort of situations, Ellis was very calm.

She had already armed her elemental waffe «Ray Hawk» in her hand.

"The investigation of the cause will be done later. I've concluded this situation to be a level five spirit disaster. Let's exterminate it, Kamito."

"Understood!"

Giving a nod, Kamito unsheathed Terminus Est from the sword belt on his hip.

Driving divine power to the sword, he woke up the sleeping {{Furigana|Demon King Killing Sacred Sword|Demon Slayer|margin=13}}.

"Est, lend me your power!"

Responding to the presence of the elemental waffen, the frenzied spirit turned towards the two.

Releasing an atmosphere-shaking giant roar, it kicked the ground and charged forward.

There was a terrifying tremor. The buildings around collapsed one by one.

"—Ha!"

Ellis swung Ray Hawk horizontally.

Countless wind blades that could even rip steel apart were produced and were released simultaneously towards the spirit.


Even if a high level spirit took on that directly, it would not get away fine.

But—

At that moment, the shell of the mirror-like spirit glowed with rainbow colors.

"What!?"

Beams of light burst forth— And at the same time, the blades of wind that should have hit it directly were all reflected at once.

The wind blades that were bounced back slashed the surrounding buildings right in half. The upper half of the buildings slowly fell down, and raised up a thunderous roar and a large dancing cloud of sand.

"My wind blades were repelled!?"

"No— It amplified and reflected them."

Kamito sharply glared at the spirit in front of him.

(...A spirit that reflects attribute attacks, eh?)

What came to Kamito's mind was the match yesterday.

(...Don't tell me, that's the mirror spirit?)

"It's coming, Kamito!"

Ellis shouted out. After blasting off the scattered rubble, the frenzied spirit started charging.

Kamito took a stance with Terminus Est and stood in the way of the spirit.

It would be easy to dodge— But, that couldn't be done.

There was a great crowd, who was late in getting away, behind him. He had to protect them at that point.


Its huge tusks were approaching. That intense blow— was stopped by Kamito using the edge of his sword.

A metallic sound resounded. He could barely stop the large beast but Terminus Est, who could only bring forth less than a tenth of her power, couldn't even chip its skin.

(...This thing's divine power is in a different league.)

Cold sweat surfaced on Kamito's forehead.

As Kamito held back the giant tusks with the sword, he was gradually getting pinned down.

(Damn, if we're in Astral Zero, I'll be able to manage somehow but—)

It was a frenzied high level spirit. It might be a threat to ordinary elementalists, but for Kamito who was titled the Strongest Blade Dancer, it was not an opponent that would give him a hard fight.

However, the problem was the fact that the crowd, whom were late in getting away, was there in his surroundings.

What would happen if he released this beast onto them would be plainly obvious.

Discerning that attribute attacks were ineffective, Ellis landed behind Kamito and went on guiding people to take refuge. It was a Sylphid Knights Captain-like calm and reasonable decision.

The demon mirror spirit started to howl wildly.

It smashed the ground with that shock and sent Kamito, who was holding back the tusks, flying.

And like that, he plunged into a mountain of rubble.

"Gah, what crazy strength..."

Groaning, Kamito tried to stand up as he was wavering, and—


"—Kamito!"

Hearing Ellis' shout, Kamito quickly turned his head around.

The demonic mirror spirit was stampeding its feet violent on the ground.

In its path, there was a small girl who was petrified.

It was probably the first time she had seen a rampaging spirit, so it seemed that she got scared and her feet wouldn't move.

The spirit released a loud roar and charged.

(Damn, I can't make it!)

Upon standing up, Kamito kicked the ground and leaped.

With that timing, grabbing the girl and dodging was impossible.

Making a quick judgement, he pushed the girl to the side.

A spray of red blood danced out.

The strong attack gouged the side of Kamito's abdomen.

"Gwah!"

It was hot. His vision turned pure white at that burning-like pain.

The demonic mirror spirit swung its tusks and Kamito's body was slammed onto the ground.

"...! Kamito!!"

Ellis instantly dashed towards him.


The white school uniform was slowly dyed with the color of blood.

(... What about that girl?)

Enduring the pain, he encircled his surroundings with his line of sight—

The girl he thrust aside was unable to stand up and was sitting on the ground.

The moment he took a breath of relief, he coughed violently.

Red blood surged out onto the ground.

"Kamito! Are you alright?! Kamito—!!"

Ellis cried out loud.

"Ah... Somehow."

Like he sustained a concussion, his consciousness was slipping away.

The face of Ellis worriedly looking at him became blurry,

Cold sweat gushed out from his whole body. He knew that he was turning pale.

Pressing the side of his abdomen with one hand, Kamito slowly stood up.

He glared at the demonic mirror spirit that was covered in his own blood.

"E-Ellis, cover me. I'll take care of that guy."

"But, your injury—"

"The affinity between your elemental waffe and this guy is too incompatible. Only I can do this."

Presented with an irrefutable truth, Ellis vexingly bit her lips


Kamito clenched Terminus Est with both hands, and put in all the divine power he had.

(...I have to finish it at the next strike...)

The {{Furigana|Demon King Killing Sacred Sword|Demon Slayer|margin=13}} was the strongest class of elemental waffe, but its output was very unstable.

Without driving enough divine power into it and controlling it, most of its power couldn't be manifested.

With the Kamito's current state, he could only bet on that one strike.

The demonic mirror spirit raised its tusk, and charged again.

"Ellis, I'm counting on you!"

"Ah!"

Kamito jumped— no, flew just above it.

Ellis had used her wind spirit magic.

Flying over the demonic mirror spirit, Kamito swung his sword downwards on the huge beast's head.

However.

(...! It didn't go through!?)

The Demon King Killing Sacred Sword only slightly pierced the demonic spirit's forehead.

Because of his serious injury, his control over Est was unstable.

The raging demonic mirror spirit shook his head violently and threw Kamito on the ground.

The behemoth slowly approached the fallen Kamito from just above his head—

At that moment, a deep crimson slash ripped the skies apart.


Flame Tongue was twined around the demonic mirror spirit, making it trip and that behemoth toppled sideways .

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Dooon!*

There was terrifying tremor. Dust instantly flew up.

"What!?"

From the shroud of dust— her voice could be heard.

"That person is my slave spirit... don't touch him without my permission!"

"Claire!?"

Kamito's eyes widened in surprise.

Holding Flame Tongue, Claire got down from the second floor of a building.

"Y-You, why—"

"We'll talk afterwards. Let's defeat them first."

"Them?"

Kamito suspiciously frowned— and followed after what was before Claire's glaring line of sight.

Then, buildings were destroyed and, from the opposite side of the plaza, another spirit appeared.

It was a large deer of metal with huge horns hung high on its head.

"...! There's another one?!"

"What on earth is happening, Claire Rouge?"

Ellis rushed over and asked with a sharp expression.


"Their masters are the demonic mirror elementalist and the adamantine elementalist students. I've already defeated the elementalists, but these two spirits have completely lost control and gone into a frenzy."

"Don't tell me, it's the two people from yesterday... B-But their contract spirits don't have that kind of form—"

Stopping his sentence midway— Kamito suddenly realized. Ellis also seemed to get it.

"Don't tell me..."

"Uh, they made use of the Cursed Armament Seals."

"...!"

Ellis bit her lips vexingly.

She was lamenting about the fact that she couldn't stop the students from reaching out to the Cursed Armament Seals.

Cursed Armament Seal allowed mid level spirits to evolve into a high level spirit. There's no way they'll be all right transplanting such things. The result was the rampaging of their spirits.

"By the way, what's with those injures of yours!?"

Noticing the blood stains on his uniform, Claire widened her eyes.

"...Ah, I made a blunder. You too, aren't you also covered in injuries?"

"...S-Such a thing is not a big deal."

Claire quickly turned her face away, holding up a strong front.

But, even her uniform was torn everywhere, and her limbs were full of injuries.

"Putting that aside, Ellis, where's the Sylphid Knights reinforcements?"


"They should already be on their way. However, it's just that the ones policing this area were Kamito and I... amongst this crowd, it will take time for them to come from the other areas."

Ellis bit her lips and looked down. As the battle strength of the Sylphid Knights were almost cut by half, they couldn't help but disperse their security forces.

Releasing a loud roar that shook the earth, the fallen demonic mirror spirit got up.

The adamantine spirit with the form of a large deer was also slowly walking to the center of the plaza.

"There are two high level spirits running wild, —As expected, this is really intense."

Claire nervously groaned.

There were still large groups of people, who failed to escaped outside the plaza. Waiting leisurely for the reinforcement from the Sylphid Knights and the Academy would only end up in irreparable results.

"I could probably at least stall for time?"

"Apologies, Claire Rouge, lend me your strength until reinforcements arrive."

Respectively clenching their own elemental waffen, Claire and Ellis confronted the two spirits.

And at that instant, a bright flash exploded.

There was a ear-splitting thunderous sound. The rubble was smashed up.

"...! What was that!?"

As Kamito protected his eyes from the flying stone fragments, he yelled out.

That was rain.


That was a rain of bombardment that mercilessly fired at the two spirits.

The ground violently shook, and countless pillars of fire shot up to the sky.

"..."

The moment the bombardment stopped—

There was only the completely destroyed plaza left behind.

The two high level spirits were completely annihilated.

(...What on earth happened!?)

While coughing violently, Kamito looked high up— at the direction of the bombardment.

Over there— a giant fortress was floating!

It was an aerial fortress that was equipped with several layers of composite armor and a countless amount of cannons.

A pair of frozen ice-blue pupils were glaring onto the ground.

"The Silent Fortress—"

The Academy's strongest elementalist, who destroyed the plaza in an instant, slowly landed on the ground.

"Strength will be trampled by greater strength. Half-baked strengths are the same as nothing."

"Velsaria..."

Kamito pressed down on the side his abdomen that was oozing blood as he glared at Velsaria.

There were buildings of the plaza that were destroyed in every way possible by the bombardment.

The fragments of rubble, which was smashed up, were merciless raining onto the crowd that had not fled.


"Why did you open fire! You should know that using such an elemental waffe would end out like—"

"I only exterminated the rampaging spirits. Those that were involved were unlucky— no, for it to end with this level of damage was instead lucky of them."

"Aneue! Do you seriously think like—"

Velsaria coldly looked down at the enraged Ellis.

"Ellis, it looks like it was a mistake to entrust you as the captain. It seems like you can't even deal with a situation of this level. You're free to spit out your ideals of a knight or something— but ideals without power are just thoughtless words. You don't have the qualifications to call yourself a knight."

"...!?"

Pushing away Ellis, Velsaria was about to leave.

At that moment.

"Take it back."

"What?"

"Take it back, those words you just said! And apologize to Ellis!"

With his faint consciousness, Kamito dragged his feet forward with wobbly footsteps and approached Velsaria.

It was unacceptable that she spouted out such words without even knowing Ellis' feelings.

It was the fact that the one who spouted such words was the knight that Ellis had once admired.

"Whatever belief you hold onto is your freedom. However, you know, I'll just never forgive you who doesn't know anything, for stepping on Ellis' ideals."

"I'm just saying the truth. The Fahrengart knights would never twist their words."

"Don't mess around, you do not have the qualifications to call yourself a knight."

"...!?"

There were ripples of emotions rising in Velsaria's pupils.

It was neither irritation, nor anger— but some different emotion.

"Disappear, male elementalist. Your existence is an eyesore."

"Wait—"

Just when he was going to try chase her further, Kamito's vision violently shook.

Blood gushed out of his throat. The vision in front of his eyes suddenly began to fade like there was a haze.

"Damn...!"

"—Kamito!"

Claire quickly held and stopped Kamito's body that was falling to the ground.

<noinclude>

== Translator's Notes and Reference ==
<references/>

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