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Kaze no Stigma:Volume6 Chapter 2

2013-10-26T03:27:52Z

174.107.235.39: /* Part 2 */

== Chapter 2 - Water and earth raiders ==

=== Part 1 ===

Playing with Kokusen with one hand, Kazuma observed the boy struggling under his foot.

It looked pretty painful. The entire body weight of a grown man concentrated in one point on that delicate body - what's more, he was trampled straight above the heart so, that was expected.

He already couldn't resist in a meaningful way.

The movement of his limbs rather that for escape were closer to death agony convulsions.

But even so, the boy didn't gave up yet. Seizing with his hand the foot trampling him, he was almost powerless but he still had light in his eyes, looking up at Kazuma.

''"------how energetic"'', thought Kazuma indifferently.

He did not hate kids with vitality. As long as they're not annoying him, that is.

Adding one thing to another, he believed in being impartial towards all his enemies.

That is, annihilating men and women of all ages if they oppose him.

Therefore, he had no reason to let this boy live.

It would be better to make him spit out why he was aiming at Ayano but that's not something he should pay attention to.

It happened at the time he was putting strength in his leg to quickly kill him.

Some ill-breading intruders disturbed Kazuma's purpose.

"Ayano! "

"-----Eeh? "

Around Ayano's surroundings, blinking at the sudden call, a wind barrier was wrapped up.

Immediately a high speed flying something was repelled and smashed against the wind.

A small sheet of spray glistened in the sunlight.

"------water? "

"You two right there, do you have business here? "

Not minding Ayano's confusion, Kazuma asked in a freezing voice.

A replying voice promptly returned.

"Did you notice? Besides, I wasn't particularly hiding my Kehai, you know"

A clear, beautiful voice resounded on the desolate construction site.

Ayano looked around searching for the owner of the voice. As for Kazuma, he didn't even show he was searching and while stepping and jumping on the boy, lazily he puffed his cigarette.

"I asked about your business"

"How impolite"

A voice containing a smile replied. Together with it, two figures appeared on top of a slightly elevated heap of mud.

Appropriate for the owner of the beautiful voice, one of them was an extremely beautiful young man. His silver hair was glittering in the sun like a waterfall, flowing straight down his back. His eyes were amber colored.

He had flawless white skin and thin, fine shaped red lips that were vibrantly contrasting.

He was naturally perfect.

No matter how much one looked at him, not a flaw could be found.

That face was so beautiful it made one believe it must be without a doubt the a human face organized after a single rule - Golden Rule.

But after only glancing at it, Kazuma gazed steadily at the man standing next to him.

He was very short. He had below a hundred and fifty centimeters at most.

But anyone would hesitate calling that man a small built. Surely his stature was low. But even if he was low the volume of muscle that body was clad in, wasn't common.

When describing a muscular giant it's said ''"That upper arm is thicker than a woman's ass"'' or ''"Those tights are like a woman's waist"''.

If the man were above two meters it will be finished one would call him ''burly'' - but if he's below a hundred and fifty centimeters -

You can only call it birth defect. Even assuming he dedicated all his life to weight training, it doesn't seem likely the human body can become like this.

It could be evaluated to a human's parody or rather a distorted figure (prettiness nonexistent).

The balance of length and width, was perfectly deviating from the contour of the human body. Even the skeleton was wrong.

It could be understood if it were a different species from man.

After staring at that atypical appearance very long, Kazuma coughed once.

"So it's true there are Dwarfs, huh? "

"Wait a second, youngster", the man retorted to Kazuma almost reluctant.

His voice was a deep baritone, which seemed only appropriate.

"Who is a dwarf, huh? "

"It's obviously you, no? Beside that constitution, you're also carrying an ax "

That's right, the man was shouldering a gigantic battle-ax.

Just like in a certain world famous fantasy movie, his physique seemed very similar to that race.

Besides he was also growing a beard.

"If you want to be consistent to that extent, you should wear a helmet with two horns. Can you split into seven and dance around snow white ?"

"Wha.....You bastard...."

At Kazuma's abuse, bringing even fairy tales into this, the man glared at him furiously.

But, his mouth didn't seem very proficient so no comebacks emerged.

"Y-you youngster....."

Understanding he couldn't match him verbally, the man grasped with both his hands the battle ax and stepped forward with short steps.

But, his beautiful neighbor restrained him.

"Well, calm down, *imli"

"Who the heck is G*mli? "

Not minding the short one angry and barring his teeth, the beautiful man turned his gaze to Kazuma - no, to the boy trampled on at his feet.

"----this is a somewhat unexpected development, huh?"

Curbing his lips upward, the man addressed the boy. Those red lips were etched with scorn towards a weak person.

But, even that was beautiful. As a god boasting about the superiority of his existence, ridiculing a fallen angel.

"It's not the time to split among friends, right, young prince of the Fuan family - was it? Or rather, you thought that by presenting us with Enraiha, we'll overlook you?"

"rd....tard......"

With that energy stored somewhere, the boy once again began to act violently underneath Kazuma's foot.

Literally crushing under his foot that resistance, Kazuma looked up at the youth.

"Who are you? "

The young man bowed elegantly and then declared.

"I was slow in saying. I am Christian Roengram - your enemy"

Receiving the young man's - Christian's words, Kazuma's words was etched in a belligerent smile.

"Good vibes easy to understand. I like that"

"I feel grateful. But - "

Cristian finished his sentence there and looked away. Nearby Kazuma. And then, to where Ayano was standing, in a slightly separated place.

"If you obediently hand over your sacred treasure, I promise not to harm you"

"- so he said. What will you do? "

"That's rejected! ", replied Ayano without hesitating for a second.

"Besides I don't like your ''I'll overlook you'' attitude! ''I promise not to harm you''? Do you think you can win against us? "

"Of course"

Chris held out his right hand. On the pointed upwards palm as if trying to receive something, a short pole, thirty centimeters long appeared without notice.

"Why that is, it's because I'm the owner of the Water's sacred treasure, <<Mizuchi>>"

The pole he clasped in his right hand shook. The large amount of water spirits entering through there changed to a whip crossing over ten meters.

"I'll teach you the discrepancy in our status. --- Aah, Gaia, I'm plenty by myself. Don't interfere. "

"......Humph, very well. A powerless Fujutsushi and an Enjutsushi who can't even win against that, there's no worth dealing with them"

The short man - Gaia, instantly made a dissatisfied face but immediately agreed and jerked his chin as if saying ''Go already!''.

Chris bowed to Gaia with a smiling face, and approached Ayano with an air of composure.

"...................."

"...................."

Kazuma and Ayano, none even throwing a sidelong glance to the approaching Chris, looked at each other.

Ayano asked frankly.

"Is is real? "

"Who knows. It's the first time I heard of a Water sacred treasure. "

While answering, Kazuma incorrigibly gridded down the boy acting violently.

"You're persistent. ------Ayano, I leave that weird one to you"

"Okay"

Kazuma's gaze, looking at Ayano lightly running, suddenly turned down.

The boy under his foot, was pulling the cuff of his trousers.

Feeling that was an action meant to attract attention not to escape the trampling, Kazuma loosened the force just a little.

"What? "

"...st..op....her....."

While bearing the pain of having his chest crushed, the boy boy spoke disconnectedly.

"That woman.......can't.....match him.........She'll be....killed......."

"That so? "

Kazuma was thoroughly calm. The gaze with which he looked at those two, about to start fighting, didn't had a fragment of nervousness.

"Well, shut up and look. What you wanted to see, from here on you'll be able to see freely"

Kazuma smiled lightly at the boy who didn't seem to understand.

"The serious Kannagi Ayano"

Intended to be composed, Chris didn't start but waited for Ayano slashing attack.

Matching the moment Ayano raised Enraiha overhead, at that moment he lightly twisted his wrist.

The flame sword swung downward from above her head was ambushed from underneath by the water whip.

The sound of water soaking a heated frying pan reached their ears. Simultaneously, both were covered by white water vapor.

But, the atmosphere turned clear in a moment. Mizuchi absorbed the surplus water in the atmosphere.

The water whip completely stopped the flame blade. Only the surface that touched continued to evaporate. That was almost nothing compared to the entire water volume.

But, successively compensating that loss from the surroundings, the whip couldn't be severed.

Cool-looking while the burning blade was before his eyes, Chris laughed.

"An Enjutsushi tackling a Suijutsushi. Water trumps Fire - do you not know the rivalry between the five elements? "

"Ara, I know it. Wasn't it all about the amount of material resources? "

There was no appearance of impatience in Ayano's eyes. Including even more power in the blade, she made the golden flame erupt.

"Kuh! "

Chris' voice was confused for the first time. The whip was bisected close to the root, and Mizuchi leaped in his hand, nothing more but a stick.

"So- something like this.........."

From those red lips that looked a little pale, a murmur of astonishment leaked out.

It was the ideology of the cosmic dual forces - Ying and Yang and the five elements.

The elements the world was composed of - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, all phenomena became by the interference of those elements, that's what it meant.

There are two types of interference, one that takes advantage of one other and they can work together and the other, where there is a killing rivalry between them.

For example, the Earth is raising Wood (vegetation). Therefore the Earth makes Wood alive. On the contrary, Metal (the metal blade) cuts down Tree. Therefore, Metal trumps Tree.

And then, Water trumps Fire. That is the law derived from Chinese cosmology.

But think about it. Certainly Water makes Fire disappear. In that case, did the brilliant, primitive fire disappeared with just a cup of water?

Water is also stronger than Fire. But that is not something absolute. It was just something relatively favorable.

In the first place, the basic concept of Spirit Jutsushi is the theory of the four elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind.

"Haaaah! "

While it may be true that Ayano's enemy was a Suijutsushi, she is swinging Enraiha without hesitation.

Ayano's way of thinking is always simple. And so, it suited her and made her stronger.

Today is a good example of it.

Water trumps Fire? What about it?

Regarding the energy it's able to release, there's nothing that equals <<Fire>>. No matter how much predominance <<Water>> has -

"How can I loose? To the likes of you! "

"Meeh, kuuh! "

Chris drew to himself the water that was cut off trying to reconstruct the whip once more but that spanned a few seconds.

In front of Enraiha at full power, Mizuchi was literally doing nothing more but pouring water of hot stone.

Torn piece by piece, Mizuchi wasn't even allowed to keep the whip shape.

Overhead Chris, all his power stolen, the blade clad in flame was approaching.

''"I got you! "''

But, together with a hard sound, the certain kill blow was obstructed.

Mizuchi lost the water whip. Pushing out that handle, Chris intercepted he blow.

As expected of a sacred treasure, even by using the red-hot blade, she couldn't smash that handle. But -

"Kuu....uu....."

Even if he stopped the blow of the blade itself, he couldn't protect himself against that calorific value.

The golden flame was scorching and both of Chris' hands gripping the handle at both ends gave off a burned smell.

His flushed face was strained by anguish and closely packed sweat drops were coming loose.

"Me....Ooohh!"

While stopping Enraiha's blow, Chris fired a kick in desperation. Without going to far, Ayano evaded the kick taking her distance.

"Wh.....what's going on? "

Underneath Kazuma's foot, the boy opened his eyes wide in shock.

"Isn't she like a different person from when I faced her? "

"Huh? Yeah"

Kazuma nodded to the boy's shout like it was only natural.

"Because she's not the kind of person to get serious if the opponent has no thirst for blood"

"Did she realize!? "

"........hey"

Kazuma overlooked the boy that was plainly amazed.

"Didn't you say it yourself: ''Show me your power''? "

Which means the boy's purpose wasn't to kill Ayano but to grasp her ability - meaning, trying her ability.

"Well, that Ojou-san may have forgotten about it"

"------? "

"Didn't she notice it with her wildlife sixth sense? Because she's a living thing that moves only on instinct. "

The moment he said that, red hot plasma crashed into the wind barrier. Of course, Ayano fired one of Enraiha's blows without even turning around.

"-------Wah?"

Dumbfounded the boy looked at Kazuma, who shrugged his shoulders like nothing happened.

"Right now.....that was the real deal"

"Hmm, how to say this, she kind of misunderstands it for tsukomi. I'm kind of worried if she'll kill someone before long. "

"You there! Don't say whatever you want! "

This time she made a verbal tsukomi.

Maybe because she was composed enough, while overlooking Chris reconstructing his water whip without interfeering, Ayano glared at kazuma with an angry look.

"There's no need to worry, except you I wouldn't do this to anyone! "

"And I'm Ok? If you hit me I will die, you know? "

"You'll die? I won't stop you"

At Kazuma's unnaturally miserable manner of speaking, Ayano replied eternally indifferent.

Ant then, she looked at Chris as if remembering him and smiled with composure.

"You seem to be in a sort of pinch so is it all right not to beg your fellow's help? Your dramatic pose when you appeared and your words were all detestable but I understand - isn't it important to understand one's place? "

"........tch! "

Those words loaded even with pity, magnificently irritated Chris' pride the wrong way.

The hand grasping Mizuchi trembled and the water whip undulated in a big way.

"Girl.......!"

Flinging off his graceful smile and pointlessly polite words, Chris glared at Ayano with the look of a demon.

"You damaged the sacred treasure because I was going easy on you so don't get carried away! "

"I think excuses are unsightly, I really do"

"Shut up! "

Together with that angry roar, Chris held Mizuchi over his head. The water whip stretched upright, it's volume swelling.

That was like a water chain iron ball. The endless materialization of water spirits, swelled the apex of the whip to a lump of water ball.

It's diameter was a little more than ten meters - forming the huge water ball reaching a volume of a few hundred tones, Chris shouted.

"I'll smash you! There won't remain a trace of you! "

"With only that ?"

Without minding that overwhelming mass swung downward at her Ayano resolutely stepped into his territory.

The several hundreds tons water ball approaching from overhead.

What met it was only a swung brilliant red blade.

That was without a doubt a real spectacle of a courageous but doomed resistance. A different scale from loss or defeat.

"Stop-----!"

[[Image:Kaze no Stigma vol 06 065.jpg|thumb|]]

Including the expectation for the result of the crash, the boy screamed from the bottom of his lungs.

But Ayano, without hesitation, raised the sword overhead with all her power.

Kazuma too, didn't seem like he was going to stop her, and was just looking at her.

The water ball dropped at high speed. Including its mass to the fall velocity, there wasn't any living thing that could bear that kinetic energy of the crash.

Whether it was an African elephant or a grisly bear, they would be squashed in an instant unable to withstand the pressure, unable even to preserve their original form.

But, the sword facing it was called Enraiha.

That mass was equivalent with trash, the quantity of heat it possessed was not something to be outdone by that.

"Yooooooooou! Flyyyyyyyy! "

Together with an outcry not very, or rather excessively - unladylike, as if challenging it, Ayano sliced the sky.

Th golden flame clad on the blade, fiercely sparkled so beautiful striking their eyes.

The gushing out white hot plasma. Similar to a small sun, that hit the huge water mass, pierced it and made all that mass evaporate.

But even so Chris didn't seem disturbed. Rather, he was staring at Ayano holding Enraiha smiling quite sadistically as if he did what he wanted to.

Also, underneath Kazuma's foot, the boy was biting his lips with a regretful expression.

One instant after - a terrific detonation sound roared.

Let's look over the basic science at this point.

When you apply heat to water it undergoes the process of vaporisation and becomes steam.

That volume ratio is 1: 1700 ----the instant it vaporized the volume expanded a thousand and seven hundred times.

It this was a small quantity, or rather vaporized gradually, it doesn't matter that the thousand fold becomes twice ten thousand.

But, if a huge volume of water is super heated, it will vaporize in an instant.

The volcanic eruption is similar to this. The underground water is vaporized by burning magma, it expands, and with that pressure it blows off the rocks on the surface.

It's a phenomenon called water vapor explosion.

Yes, an explosion.

The evaporation of water, only that phenomenon can create so much destructive energy to physically alter the topography.

Right now, what happened in front of their eyes was exactly that.

"......ridiculous.....to go this far........."

Looking at the mist enshrouding the center of explosion, the boy's face was distorted by despair.

With that kind of explosion, there was no way for the humans inside to survive. To say nothing of the fact that this was a water vapour explosion.

A Suijutsushi can can control the water vapor but an Enjutsushi has no way of interfering with an fire-less explosion.

Which means, she lost.

The greatest war potential that could fulfill his dearest wish will turn to nothing and achieve nothing.

The boy turned that unbearable anger against an opponent within reach. Looking up at the man who was yet still trampling him, he shouted full of emotion.

"Why? Why didn't you stopped her? You knew something like this would happen! "

"-------Well, this is the reasonable outcome. "

While smoking his cigar so carefree so late in the game, Kazuma replied in a voice without energy.

Faced with that indifference of not even raising an eyebrow at the death of his friend, the boy glared at him.

"Bas- bastard......bastard! "

"By the way ----- I have a feeling I wanted at least one explanation beforehand, Ojou-san"

"I believe in you, partner♥! "

At that dispirited murmur that didn't seem to appreciate the situation, a bright lively voice replied.

"-----eeh? "

With a look of shock the boy stared inside the mist. Inside his blurry field of vision, two shadows were floating.

Christian Roengram holding Mizuchi who once again became just a handle and a girl setting up a brilliant red blade clad in golden flame.

It was obvious who that was.

It wasn't clear how but Ayano came out of the desperate predicament without even a wound and was appearing calm.

"Wh- why.....", murmured the boy dumbfounded.

For Chris too, that seemed unexpected and stared at the girl's silhouette as if doubting his eyes.

"Absurd.......why, are you alive.......? "

Ayano showed a fearless smile to Chris who murmured so, his certain victory undermined.

At that time, the boy noticed.

That without the enshrouding mist flowing, without the atmosphere moving, the clothes and hair of the girl standing rock still were gently fluttering.

As it was to be expected, in an instant the boy saw through its meaning - and who was behind it.

One moment later, Chris reached the same answer.

The gazes of the two, dyed in shock and shudders turned to Kazuma's disinterested face.

"You son of a bitch.......a wind barrier, in that moment you........", squeezed Chris with eyes covered in hatred.

The Enjutsushi Ayano had no way of escaping from that explosion. Then, there is only on e answer.

"You have no time to look away, lady-killer"

"-------tch! "

Calming down with Kazuma's words, Chris turned to the front.

Making Enraiha shine brilliantly, Ayano was drawing near in front of him.

At once ordering the water spirits, Chris reconstructed Mizuchi's water whip. Luckily, there was a vast amount of water drifting in the atmosphere in the form of water vapors and he could summon them - he was supposed to.

"Wha------? "

The drifting about mist, for some reason didn't listed to Chris's command.

The water whip didn't materialize at all but, Enraiha was already swung downward. He had no Jutsu to escape from that blow.

"Kuu....uuu....!"

With Mizuchi's handle, Chris stopped Enraiha once more.

While moaning with the agony of having his fingers burned, he forced it back with all his strength, and took his distance tumbling in a big way.

While his shoulders trembled with intense pain and his breathing was heavy, Chris glared at Kazuma with a bloody mouth.

He did not know what he did. He didn't know it but he instinctively knew. That what hindered his ability was nothing else but that man's action.

Replying with sneer at the gaze full of hatred, Kazuma declared carelessly.

"Since it's different from the water itself, water vapor is within a Fujutsushi's range. That's because it's vapor. You'd better not think you can manipulate it that easily"

"You bastard......."

"That's why I told you you have no time to look away. "

Although Chris was exasperated by Kazuma's boasting composed facial expression, it certainly wasn't the time to do that.

Using that chance that opened for a moment, Ayano drew near once more.

Enraiha was held aloft. The blade wearing the golden flame increased its brilliance much more, shedding so much light it couldn't be looked at directly.

If he were to block it the same way, even though Mizuchi would be safe, his fingers would probability evaporate.

However, he had no time to summon more water spirits and he already lost the chance to evade.

"Hii......."

Chris' refined good looks became stiff with fear.

He couldn't run, an absolute death was drawing near, and then -

"Fall back! "

"-------tch! "

Reflexively responding to Kazuma's voice, Ayano leapt in a big way. Immediately following, before Chris' eyes, the ground raised and an earth fang with a sharp tip slanted forward - if Ayano were to go right ahead, it was pushed out in a direction she would have intersected.

"Kuh! "

"Gaia!? "

"----------"

Everyone's gaze headed for the man - Gaia, who was supposed to have sightseeing the fight from a separate place.

While striking his shoulder with the ax as if taking its rhythm, Gaia's lips warped and he showed a bitter smile.

"It's very boorish interfering in a honor duel but I cannot abandon my colleague. Don't think bad of me. "

"It's obvious I'll think bad of you, idiot. You said you won't interfere. If you're a warrior even as a joke don't behave so disgraceful as to violate your oath before the fight! "

The moment he understood that his opponent valued things like honor or pride, something that had no importance to Kazuma, he took advantage of that.

"You came out when that man was about to die. So, as a penalty for violating your oath, at least cut one o your arms! "

"..........Don't get exited, youngster", replied Gaia in a crush to death voice.

"Besides, you were to one to excessively meddle in those two's fight."

"What the fuck are you saying? That man of gentle manners and delicate features, didn't he said he'll take all of us by himself? I participated in the battle since the beginning. Don't put me together with your underhanded, cowardly sneak attack! "

"Guu.....meee....."

As expected, if they quarreled, it was Kazuma's complete victory.

Sealing more of the enemy's interfering shielding himself behind the pride of a warrior together with justifying himself and the negation of the opponent's modus operandi, that cajolery could be called brilliant.

""Since it's like that, ignore us and let us continue"

"I won't! "

In accordance with Kazuma's words, the moment Ayano tried to start moving, Gaia swung his battle ax a second time.

That blow literally tore the earth and the pebbles raised from that high speed blow obstructed her path, changing into a wall.

"This time, you'll play with me, Miss "

=== Part 2 ===

Receiving that gaze full of hostility pointed towards him rather comfortably, Gaia announced magnificently.

"As far as it goes, let me name myself. I am Gaia. I have no family name. And then - "

Gaia pushed out the ax he was holding. What was dwelling in the blade with a dull shine was the power of the earth, strong enough to make one shiver.

From the development until now it was easy to guess its true colors.

"This is the sacred treasure of the earth - it's name is Nozuchi. Recognize it "

And then, as expected Gaia said those words.

"Geez........what's up with this, one after another...", murmured Ayano as if mourning.

That reaction was only justified. If Gaia's words were true, the sacred treasures of four elements gathered.

It must have been the first time since the dawn of history.

But clearly, Gaia wasn't affected by that deep emotion. The bright smile plastered to that boorish face was the sigh of great joy when meeting a formidable enemy - belonging to a race of people who found in fighting their reason for existence, without controlling that smile, the man took one step forward.

"Being able to overwhelm Chris in a woman's body - It seems we underestimated you. It was more pleasant that I thought "

And then, while coughing really happy he looked down at the boy held down under Kazuma's foot, turning a clear scorn towards him.

"At the very least, much more so that a certain ostentatious Fujutsushi family"

"-------!!"

The moment he heard those words, the boy squeezed an unbelievable amount of power from that weakened body and escaped Kazuma's restriction.

"Ups "

His balance destroyed, Kazuma staggered. It may perhaps be believable that he made such an unusual error but since even Kokusen was taken from him, that was clearly his intention.

With the regained wind's secret treasure in his hand, the boy turned bloodshot eyes full of hatred to Gaia.

"Otou-sama's enemy! "

"------humph"

With the expression of not being interested, Gaia snorted and expected the boy's rush.

""Aaaaaaaah!!

The jet black spear flashed. The point of the blade that seemed split by the excessive speed was carrying an overflowing killing intent was aiming at its bitter enemy.

"Huh, it's fast"

Maneuvering Nozuchi, Gaia continued handling those high speed thrusts. But, by mature, an ax is not a weapon aimed at defending.

Although avoiding those aiming for his vitals, the attacks he couldn't handle gave his body countless wounds.

"Ooooooooooo! "

The boy continued attacking incessantly without a break.

Accelerating the speed's rotation even more, finally even the afterimage disappeared. But as if disregarding that attack, Gaia raised Nozuchi across his head on a grand scale.

Without minding the spurts of blood that covered all his body, his recognition and muscles expanded.

"Huaa! "

With just one blow, he knocked down the countless thrusts, and eve blown off the boy's body.

"Guh......hah........"

"How worthless"

Staring at the moaning boy knocked to the ground with coldness, Gaia spat out.

"The attacks of you Fujutsushi are certainly fast. But it's only that. Something like an attack without weight it's only a diversion and not the finishing blow.

That's the limit of Fujutsushi -- after all they're not a class made for battle. "

".............."

At the Chijutsushi's reckless words, Ayano instinctively stole a glance at Kazuma's face.

There was nothing particularly strange about that countenance. But -

"........Kazuma? "

With the same aimless manner as always, Kazuma picked up Kokusen, separated from the boy's hand and directly confronted Gaia separated by a few meters.

"Hoo ---- are you motivated, Fujutsushi? "

"Ayano"

Entirely ignoring the mocking tone, Kazuma turned his face only to Ayano.

"You don't have to worry about this. You should finish the small fry on the other side. "

"Ah, yeah----"

"Wa- wait....."

At the time she reflexively nodded, a moan hoarse with agony called Kazuma to a halt.

Turning there, the boy unable to get up yet after being blown off, stretched his hand with a desperate expression.

From his mouth fresh blood was falling out of, a slender voice was released.

"That's.....not something.....you can handle......"

"By the way, that's true", nodded Ayano agreeing.

"Can you use a spear? "

"No, I never touched one"

Kazuma readily replied.

"But-----"

Compared to that he quickly turned around the spear in his hand holding it between his arm and armpit with the same expression full of confidence and composure like always.

The way he handled the spear, without hesitation and openly fluid, was absolutely not amateur-like.

"I used a cane though. If I put that to practical use, well, I should manage somehow. "

"------I see. Well then, do your best"

Ayano sent Kazuma out with a tone that was visibly casual. She wasn't particularly shocked.

More that the fact that this man said he ''should manage somehow'', she understood from the experiences until now that whatever the progress may be he will, one way or another come on top.

"Wa- wait........"

The boy who was the original possessor of the spear, seemed to have a different opinion yet.

He tried to stop him a second time but Kazuma already didn't look back.

As a substitute Ayano looked over the boy and asked.

"Is there something else? "

"Of......of course there is! My family came to inherit Kokusen a long time ago, it can't be suddenly used by an outsider who is just a little bit talented! "

"Ah, I see"

Now that you mention it, it was a justified fear - if you apply common sense to your thinking.

But.

Ayano deliberately spoke, not of the same opinion.

"Well, isn't it fine either way? "

"Of course not! "

The boy who as a matter of course couldn't consent, objected to this.

At the same time, Kazuma carelessly pushed out the spear.

Just by looking it was an unenthusiastic throw. But the wind blade that gushed out from that spearhead, clashed into Nozuchi lightly crossing the speed of sound.

"Meee......."

Having that heavy unendurable power pushed into him, Gaia's upper body was bent backwards. While he immediately planted his feet on the ground he was unable to stop the blow and backed off while staggering.

"--------Eeh? "

"Wow---"

'I see. This ---- is very convenient"

While stared at by the boy who murmured like a mentally slow, Kazuma let out a voice of admiration without accent.

"Wha-----"

''"Well, one would normally be surprised"'', thought Ayano aiming a look of sympathy at the astonished boy.

That's right, if you think about this normally, it was something impossible.

The famous Fuan Family famous as the highest Fujutsushi continued inheriting for a long time the Wind sacred treasure, Kokusen.

An outsider who only managed to get his hands on it couldn't handle it right away.

But, lucky or unlucky, in this time there was a being who was laughing scornfully at that kind of common sense.

The ''''Contractor'''' - the one who contracted with the Spirit Lord of the Wind, the monster who although was was called the weakest, a Fujutsushi, was more than a match for the Enjutsushi from the Kannagi Clan.

"Well then, let's continue, shall we? "

With an outward appearance that didn't look like it in the slightest, that legend came alive, together with that effortless pronouncement, unleashed the spear one after another. While Gaia barely received with Nozuchi, he continued to back off pressed down by that power blow after blow.

"Guu.....meeeh........"

Kazuma's attack, was so swift it didn't seemed the same kind like the boy's, and was heavy.

Although he didn't had a large built, his center of gravity was low and he was very muscular, Gaia stepped firmly into the ground like any Chijutsushi would, but even so it was very unusual he couldn't hold out against him.

"Meeeeaaah........"

Gaia was driven into a one sided defense. He couldn't even grasp a clue on how to attack.

If he were to give up on his defense and brandish his ax, in that moment the wind blades would make a great number of holes in his body.

No - even now, he couldn't defend against his wind blades. The fact that Kazuma's attack was hitting Nozuchi and didn't struck Gaia was because Kazuma was naturally aiming at the ax.

He was being played with - although he understood that, Gaia couldn't do anything.

Those serial attacks he couldn't confirm by sight didn't become abate but on the contrary, raised their frequency even more.

"Kuuh.....wa, so fast"

"No, is that all they're worth? "

Using Gaia's previous words against him, Kazuma cheerfully bragged.

"You......youngster.......! "

At the disgrace of being looked down upon by ''the likes'' of a Fujutsushi, Gaia grounded his teeth. And finally made his decision.

Believing in his own tenaciousness more than in the fact that he was pressed down until now, he cast away his defense and brandished Nozuchi.

He was slightly slow. Or else, together with Gaia's resolution and good fortune, Kazuma stopped the monotonous attack and took another approach.

The aim were Gaia's legs.

Throwing away the daring sharpness, the wind attack pierced the earth like a blunt weapon. That shock similar to an explosion blew up a large quantity of dust.

"Kuuh - Don't underestimate me! "

But, the opponent was a Chijutsushi. A curtain of earth and sand was nothing more but a smoke screen.

Recovering from that moment of surprise, Gaia got rid of all the dust swinging one arm.

"Whaa-- "

The moment his field of vision cleared up, Gaia screamed in shock once again. Suddenly in front of his eyes, he recognized the figure of his opponent separated only by a few centimeters but that was only to be expected.

Gaia understood completely the sneer rising to Kazuma's mouth.

This man, without missing that space of one moment necessary to remove the smoke screen, avoided being sensed by a Chijutsushi by jumping without running on the land and moved closer to him in an instant.

He certainly understood. But, only understanding it is useless - even so, he couldn't react.

"Kuuuuhh! "

"Slow"

Shortly informing Gaia, who was trying to prepare his ax in confusion, Kazuma suddenly rotated the spear.

The end of the black handle - the sharp part, knocked the short man off his feet.

"Meeeh!? "

His feet tripped up in such a skillful manner, Gaia splendidly danced in the air.

The feeling of his body floating horizontally in the sky. But, that feeling that aroused some kind of pleasantness instantly turned to shivers when he recognized Kazuma's silhouette hanging over him from above.

"I managed somehow with a such a weightless attack, huh? "

What dwelt in his voice and attitude was plain mockery. The naked blade glistening in his hand, was already sharply sung down aiming at the rape of his neck.

Rather than capitalizing on its length the true worth of that long-handled spear was the phantasmagoria consecutive attack resembling a circular motion.

To use both ends of the handle to attack it wasn't necessary to slash back like with a sword but to repeat the strike over and over as long as the momentum of the same vector could be maintain.

That speed was obviously more that twice as faster that a sword. At the same time one end of the handle tripped and sprung him up, the blade at the reverse side was swung downwards.

"What kind! "

But, at that moment, Gaia extended his short arm with all his might and seized the ground. Responding to the silent command, the ground transformed to a firm shield and protected him and then, changing to a sharp lance, it attacked Kazuma.

"-------ha"

Laughing at the futile resistance, in one single blow Kazuma pulverized both shield and spear.

Successively turning around Kokusen as if drawing the letter '''S''', he blew off Gaia with the dull point.

"Gaahaah! "

Gaia rolled like a kicked ball and rushed into the building's wall.

And then, at the same time -

"Guubuh! "

As if it was covered by the sound of the crash, from the upper air a dull, heavy moan resounded.

Looking up to search for that voice, in the center of Gaia's field of vision, he recognized the figure of his companion magnificently dancing in midair.

But, judging from that posture with limbs danging loosely and his pushed up chin, it was clear he didn't jump by his own volition.

After the long, long flight passed, Chris landed on his back.

A moment after he made a small bounce. he twitched and stopped moving. As it seemed like he could barely breath, it was impossible for him to continue the battle.

"................"

Slowly, as if looking at something he didn't want to, Gaia turned his eyes in the direction Chris came flying from.

Just like he imagined, carrying Enraiha on her shoulder, her other hand on her hip Ayano was looking down this way.

"................."

Even slower, he turned his head around ninety degrees.

The man who blew him away so far, likewise, was holding Kokusen in one hand.

"Well then"

Noticing that gaze, Kazuma showed a fearless smile.

"This is checkmate", he mercilessly pronounced.

Looking at Gaia who paled at the desperate crisis, Kazuma thought how to deal with them.

Without letting even several seconds pass, the answer came out.

It was ''"They're bothersome so I'll kill them"''

What was their relationship with the boy, why did they wanted to steal Enraiha, it would be a lie to say he really didn't care.

But, in the end, that was someone else's problem.

The boy, the Kannagi, they should all deal with their respective duty so Kazuma set up Kokusen to finish both of them off.

".......do you think you won with this? "

"That so? I think that depends upon you. If you still want to persist, I'll deal with you a little longer. "

Declaring the unexpressed ''<<at any rate the result will be the same>>'' he was about to unleash the sword but this time Gaia finally took the initiative.

[[Image:Kaze no Stigma vol 06 087.jpg|thumb|]]

"Don't get cocky, youngster! "

Together with the angry roar, Gaia knocked his fist into the ground. Immediately following, from that origin cracks ran on the ground freely.

Although they weren't big enough that people would fall into them, naturally the ground was violently shaking.

Unwillingly, Kazuma interrupted his attack.

"Well, as expected you're going to struggle, huh---- "

But even so, he didn't lost his composure and assumed an attack stance a second time while laughing sarcastically but, when he shifted his attention to the ominous sounds coming from overhead - he instantly stopped his movement.

"Tch"

On the outer wall of the building in the middle of construction, several cracks clearly impossible to repair started running.

The outer wall that was originally organized in a straight line was insecurely undulating which was a clear omen of collapse even to inexpert eyes.

"Don't be so rash, you guys-----hey? "

When accidentally looking back, Gaia and Chris were gone. He only heard the voice appearing out of nowhere.

"This was a draw! Next time we won't go easy on you so prepare yourself! "

".......don't exit with such witty words, Ossan"

At that parting threat fully loaded with the taste of the loser so much it was stereotypical, Kazuma let out a cough of admiration.

But, this was not the place to calm down. The destruction of the building was drawing near before his very eyes.

Looking up, the concrete already started peeling off. At this rate, it will hold on only a few seconds more.

Moreover, based on dangerous slanting it won't be smashed right below but blown out - moreover, it's facing this way - it will certainly collapse.

"-------hmmm"

Understanding that much, Kazuma turned around and started running without looking right nor left.

Helping his partner, defend against a secondary calamity, clearly not thinking about any of that, he escaped so fast he deserves admiration.

"Hey, Kazuma!? Wait a minute! "

On the other side, Ayano doesn't have the merit (in a bad way ) of abandonment like Kazuma.

While turning a gaze full of resentment to the partner who doesn't show any sigh of slowing down when calling him, even so she couldn't overlook this calamity.

"Geez..."

It was lucky - it can be said so, that she learned how to practically deal with this kind of situation.

It's already too late to stop the destruction. But, if that huge mass were to crash into the earth, the damage on the surrounding will be significant. Then ----

''"I'll burn everything to nothing ---- "''

Ayano raised Enraiha overhead with all her power. The golden flame that gushed out of the crimson blade spread around the collapsing building as if wrapping it up and made that entire mass evaporate.

A few seconds after, at the time the fire disappeared, the building in bare concrete completely vanished leaving only the foundation.

In other words, the results of a few months of construction work came to nothing.

''"Aah----, but, because of that Chijutsushi's last attack they should have started from soil preparation all over again......it can't be helped"''

And so, when she tried to justify herself from the back the sound of apathetic applause could be heard.

Ayano looked over her shoulder with a dangerous face.

She understood without having to look but as expected, Kazuma was standing there with a frivolous, slack smile.

"Ya, good job "

"-----didn't you ran away? "

"I ran away because it was dangerous. Since it's not dangerous anymore there's no need to run. It's a matter of course. ", replied Kazuma nonchalantly.

Having a thorough knowledge of how meaningless it was to search about something sincere in this man, Ayano changed the conversation without deeply questioning him.

"Those two? "

"They ran away"

"Didn't you let them ran away? "

As expected she investigated this.

The interval he took his eyes off them, preoccupied with the building's destruction, he let them ran away --- it doesn't seem strange but Kazuma is a Fujutsushi.

There wasn't any particular need to specially turn towards the collapsing building but even assuming so for the sake of the argument, he shouldn't have ''taken his eyes off'' those two.

For Kazuma, tuning his senses to wind spirits, looking at two places at the same time was mundane, something he didn't even had to concentrate about.

But, Kazuma persistently played dumb.

"Not really, I didn't let them go. I just didn't felt like pro-actively catching them. "

"Why....? "

"Because it's someone else's problem. "

Those words that for Ayano seemed unbelievable, didn't even had a tiny amount of guilty conscience.

"They're aiming at you and that brat, not me. There's no need to unjustifiably bring them down. "

"You......."

Although Ayano couldn't agree to Kazuma's matter-of-course declaration, she couldn't verbally abuse him -

"Well, leaving that aside, we should leave this place already. It will become noisy"

- because she was forced to be silent by Kazuma's next words.

"........yeah"

Reluctantly Ayano agreed.

The Police and Fire Department will arrive any minute. She could silence them by using the Kannagi name but it is better to have few of that troublesome attention.

"First of all, let's change the location. "

Saying so, Ayano and Kazuma left that place behind.

=== Part 3 ===

Narrowly hiding themselves from the Police, Fire Department and the large number of people that gathered there, those two took a short rest in a small park.

Ayano grumbled, glaring.

"Geez, why do I have to sneak out like some kind of culprit? But since I became familiar to you I kind of got used to it. "

"Hey, wait a minute! You're the main cause of the uproar this time. I was just dragged into it. "

"I'm also a victim! To make matter worse, since you let the enemy escape, I don't know anything about their reason. "

"Now that you mention it, that's right. What are they trying to do, picking a fight with the Kannagi with that level of power - "

While speaking, Kazuma suddenly moved his line of sight. At the same time, he took a small step back.

In front of his eyes, a small figure passed through at a fair amount of speed.

Ayano was faintly surprised and Kazuma, thoroughly indifferent, let the shadow - the retreating figure of the Fujutsushi boy pass.

"Kuuh "

The boy charging in with the intention of a surprise attack nimbly turned around and faced Kazuma.

This time he put himself of guard, his back dropping, as if carefully searching for an opportunity.

"The brat from earlier, huh --- Did you follow us? What a persistent jerk. "

The boy shouted at Kazuma who spoke so like he was disgusted.

"Give it back! "

"------Aah? "

"Give it back! Kokusen is mine! "

That's when he noticed. The boy's gaze wasn't turned towards Kazuma but towards what Kazuma was holding in his hand.

The object that became so familiar to him he actually forgot he was holding it in his hand was, in the end, a borrowed thing.

It was only natural for the boy to chase after it since it was taken away.

"Then say so from the beginning"

While Kazuma spoke even more astounded, he held out Kokusen's handle in front of him. As if leaping, the boy tore it off.

"Your manners are pretty bad - ", grumbled Kazuma blind at his own shortcomings with a backward glance at the boy who hugged Kokusen closely with an expression of relief.

But not later than that, that face had a cramp.

"Eeh......wah......"

Letting out a confused voice, the boy patted the spear all over with both his hands.

Next he pushed it to the sky as if including feeling into it and pressed the handle against his forehead.

In the end he started swinging it as making a pattern.

"What is he doing? "

"Who knows. Th dance of victory handed down in the family? "

"......they're not some kind of aboriginals, right? "

To make matters worse, that didn't have the ''flow'' that could give the impression of a dance, its integrity.

Judging from the way it was nonsensically yielded, it looked like simple confusion.

After a short while, trepidly watching over it, the boy suddenly stopped his (looks like ) dance. And then, he stood rock still in blank amazement.

That sad sight, was like ''the portrait of despair'' came alive.

If a human with an honest heart were to be there, it was impossible not to feel pity.

".........did something happen? ", asked Ayano worried, as expected.

With a dumbfounded expression, perhaps not even understanding who was asking, the boy answered in a small voice.

"Kokusen......is not answering......."

"------Eh? "

Ayano was befuddled, not comprehending what the boy was saying. But, the next moment, understanding the reason of it, she nodded deeply.

"Aah, I see"

In a way, it was to be expected.

Kokusen crossed over to the present day's - no, if it's unlucky possibly the all-time-highest Fujutsushi, the <<Contractor>> who contracted the Spirit Lord of the Wind.

The secret treasure obtained by its highest master -there is plenty of possibility it would refuse to be used by everyone else beside him.

Even in Ayano's case, if Juugo or Genma were to use Enraiha, there is a high possibility it would turn like that.

If something like that were to occur, she should go through a tedious ceremony identical with the inheritance one.

"So, what will you do? "

With a sidelong glance at the boy suffering a heartache, Ayano asked Kazuma.

"Will you take this opportunity to make the sacred treasure of the Wind yours? "

"-----!! "

At those words that seemed to instigate robbery, the boy caught his breath sharply.

He set up Kokusen with open vigilance but the sacred treasure that turned into nothing more but a spear, has no power to drive Kazuma away.

".......you"

Ayano smiled with the feeling of a performer at Kazuma who grumbled at her reproachfully.

She was quite enjoyed.

With one lazy sigh, Kazuma stepped up to the boy. And then, he casually seized Kokusen.

"Le - let go! "

The boy pulled the spear towards himself with a desperate look. It seems that in the middle of the agitation, he even forgot to use Fujutsu.

Understandably, when it comes to physical strength - Kazuma was overwhelmingly superior.

The boy dropped his back and tried to cling to it rather than pull the spear but even so Kazuma's posture wasn't destroyed.

"No, no way.....this is.....only this......tch- "

"You're noisy. Just grasp it tightly then. "

"----Eeh? "

The boy reflexively looked up at Kazuma. But, without paying attention to him, he gently closed his eyes.

And then -

"Wow........"

At the fantastic scene materializing right in front of her, Ayano let out a voice of wonder that couldn't be expressed into words.

The blue, sparkling wind coiled in a whirlpool before her eyes.

At times strong, at times tender, it was blowing through playfully as if dancing.

Fro somewhere, a transparent, refreshing sound could be heard.

Like a song, like a prayer, an exquisite echo permeated her ears.

''"Are the Wind Spirits singing? No, it's not only that--- "''

One more ''<<Voice>>'' responding to the wind's song rose from the jet black spear held by both Kazuma ans the boy.

It was a strong multi-layered low tone. That sound, contrastive with the light and clear wind song melted into it wonderfully without feeling out of place.

Without one side pressing the other, a symbiotic relation matching each other mutually.

The tune spun as a result was the building up of a miraculous chord that could never be reproduced by musical instruments from the human world.

"He is....resonating with, Kokusen......"

Ayano involuntarily stared at Kazuma. It was clear that this miraculous scene was something done by the means of his power.

Probably right now, inside those closed eyelids, those pupils are shedding a blue light.

"Aah----- "

While gazing at it intoxicated, suddenly the blue wind disappeared without any trailing note. At the same time Kazuma opened his eyes.

Those pupils already returned to usual color but even so, she thought she saw a bottomless brilliance dwelling into them - either way, it must have been her imagination.

On the other side, the boy was looking around the surroundings with an irrelevant face.

The contest of he spirits and the spear didn't seemed to bring any change to the surface but that was only reasonable.

But after a few seconds, opening his eyes wide, he looked at Kokusen.

"........eeh? Aah......! "

On the surface nothing changed. But the people found there clearly grasped the change.

The spear that until now was nothing but a lump of metal recovered her overwhelming power.

That power of the spear itself wrapped the boy clasping it and formed one ''field''.

Once more, the sacred treasure recognized the boy as it's master.

The boy, instantly expressing delight on his face, immediately glared at Kazuma stiffening.

"You.....what did you do? "

As for Kazuma, he looked down at him with the smile of a mischievous boy.

"It's secret"

"You! "

"What! If you're dissatisfied I can easily return it to the previous condition. "

"------!!"

Panicking the boy hid Kokusen to his back. Of course, it wasn't something he could hide with his small build.

Ignoring the boy's reaction Kazuma said.

"For the time being, I'll invite you to Kannagi-san's house. There's a lot I want to ask of you --- you also had business with her right? "

"---------------------------------------Aah"

After a short silence, carrying a strong will in his pupil, the boy nodded.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume6_Chapter_1|Chapter 1]]
| Return to [[Kaze_no_Stigma|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Kaze_no_Stigma:Volume6_Chapter_3|Chapter 3]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Kaze no Stigma:Volume6 Chapter 2

2013-10-18T23:52:17Z

174.107.235.39:

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume8 Chapter5

2013-04-17T22:49:43Z

174.107.235.39:

==The Night Before the Decisive Battle==
===Part 1===

Evening. Dusk hung over <Ragna Ys> which was floating in Astral Zero's skies.

Having spent a turbulent day with Leonora, Kamito returned with Ellis and Fianna, who happened to be at the pool, to the castle they were staying at.

After this, the oracle concerning the finals would be delivered by the five spirit princesses at the <Divine Ritual Institute>'s <Grand Shrine>. They would convene once with the entire team to discuss their plans for what was to come.

He showered then went to Claire's room and knocked.

"Claire, it's about time."

"Yes, the preparations are already complete. You may enter."

He opened the door and found Claire and the others sitting atop the bed playing Old Maid.

"I win. That makes 17 wins with 2 losses."

Claire tossed the cards.

"O, One more time!"

"It will be the same no matter how many times we do it. You're an open book."

"......~! H, how frustrating!"

Rinslet cried out with teary eyes.

It seemed the two of them had performed a simple purification in the shower as their hair was wet.

......The hair clinging to their necks was somehow sexy.


"Have you been playing cards the whole time?"

"Yes, it heated up without me noticing!"

"Even though I also thought about inviting you; where have you been all this time?"

"Ah, no, I just went to town for lunch......"

......There was no way he could say he had been out on a date with the ace of an enemy team.

"Jeez, if it's lunch, I would have made it for you."

"E, even I can at least make lunch......!"

"......No, eating cinders for dinner is too heavy on my stomach."

Kamito muttered as he broke out into a cold sweat.

"Kamito, welcome back."

Est who had been playing with Scarlet trotted over.

"Yeah. Sorry for leaving you behind this morning. Here, cake from a night stall."

Kamito presented the cake box and the sword spirit's eyes lit up.

Just then, Ellis opened the door and entered.

"Everyone, what are you doing? We'll be late if we don't hurry."

"......There's still an hour left."

Claire sighed in disbelief.


===Part 2===
The spectating nobles had already gathered at the Grand Shrine.

A magnificent bonfire blazed in front of the massive stone gates and the solemn aria of the <Divine Ritual Institute>'s princess maidens could be heard.

Undoubtedly, the five spirit maidens were receiving the oracle at the deepest reaches of the Grand Shrine.

"......There are many people as usual."

"Claire, if you're scared, do you wanna hold hands?"

"Y, yeah......wait, I'm n, not scared!"

Kamito teased her and Claire averted her face from him.

They walked down the hall extending from the stone gate and,

"Ahh, onee-sama and everyone!"

Rinslet's little sister waved her hand after noticing them.

"Mireille!"

Rinslet hugged her little sister who came running over.

"Since you're not here with father, you'll get lost in these crowds."

"Milla's here so I'm fine."

Milla the maid nodded from behind Mireille.

"That's true but......by the way, you're not here with Carol?"


"......Yeah, we were with her partway, but it seems that we lost her."

"My apologies. I had to accompany Lady Mireille so......"

Milla hung her head as if she had no excuse.

"No, Carol always gets lost."

Rinslet sighed.

"......I've had this question for a while, but how did Carol pass the Laurenfrost employment exam?"

"The foremost criterion of a Laurenfrost maid is that she is cute."

Rinslet said that as if it was extremely obvious.

"......Well, true, Carol and Milla do fulfill that condition."

"......!"

Milla's ears twitched in response to Kamito's words.

"Oh, your ears are red, Milla; what's wrong?"

"......It's nothing. I'm fine."

Milla replied expressionlessly to Mireille's teasing smile.

"Haa, Kamito is truly a natural demon king......"

Fianna sighed in resignation.

And.

"Excuse me, Kazehaya Kamito-dono."


"---?"

All of a sudden, his shoulder was hit from behind.

Turning around, an elderly man with frighteningly good physique was glaring sharply at Kamito.

A fearless face like a falcon. Blue hair that was trimmed short.

......He somehow had the impression that there was a great resemblance to someone he knew well.

"Umm, you are---"

Kamito knit his brows with suspicion and,

"Grandfather!"

Ellis let out a surprised voice beside him.

"Grandfather......wait, no way!"

Kamito realized.

Then this old man was---

(The empire's chief advisor on military matters, Duke Fahrengart---)

A hero of the Ranbal War that had contributed greatly. Honestly speaking, rather than by word of mouth, just seeing him, he was an important noble.

Claire, Rinslet and even Fianna who was from the royalty nodded respectfully.

Kamito, who was staring in blank amazement, was lightly elbowed by Claire and hurriedly nodded respectfully.

"You need not be so rigid. Lift your heads."

Duke Fahrengart nodded in a composed manner and smacked Kamito's shoulder.


"I have heard much about you from Ellis. Your feats in the <Blade Dance> are truly admirable."

"......Umm, it's an honor."

Kamito replied like that while still bewildered. He had imagined someone more fastidious as Ellis' grandfather, but he seemed unexpectedly candid.

"We troubled you with the matter of Velsaria. I am told that you were the one who severed those foolish misguided notions. She said she would like to meet you once again after she has finished atoning for her crime."

"Ah, ane-ue did, to Kamito......?"

Ellis interjected, looking like she was doubtful.

"What, are you interested?"

Duke Fahrengart teasingly patted his granddaughter's head.

"N, no, that's......"

Ellis' face went bright red and she twined her fingers.

Seeing that, Duke Fahrengart nodded like he had reaffirmed something and,

"Kamito-dono."

"Eh?"

He leaned in near Kamito's ear and whispered.

"I leave Ellis to you. She has her overly serious and stubborn points but she's an earnest girl. I trust you have no problems with her heritage?"


"Umm, what do you......"

He tried to ask but his shoulders were grabbed.

"However---"

Duke Fahrengart's voice lowered.

"Affairs are not allowed, they are not. You had best remember this. If you make my granddaughter cry, the full military might of Fahrengart house which stands at the head of the warrior class will become your enemy."

Grind, grind, grind......the old man's fingertips dug into his shoulder.

(......This old man has crazy grip!)

Kamito shuddered......if he were to make Ellis cry, he may really be killed.

"With that, I shall excuse myself here. I will be hoping for your victory."

Duke Fahrengart smiled gently and left quietly.

"......"

"Ka, Kamito, well, what did my grandfather say to you?"

"Ah, no, he entrusted me with you. O, of course he meant as a teammate."

Kamito scratched his head while averting his eyes and,

"I, I see......"

Ellis held a hand to her chest as if relieved.

"---It seems the other teams have also come."

Everyone turned to the stone gates at Claire's words.


The ones who entered were the <Knights of the Dragon Emperor> spearheaded by Leonora Lancaster.

"Leonora---"

Kamito was about to call out but---

He changed his mind when their eyes met.

---The next time we exchange words will be when we blade dance.

He remembered the words she said when they parted.

Exchanging words was unnecessary. What came later would only be serious sword strikes.

Leonora smiled fearlessly and immediately turned her eyes elsewhere and left.

"......I feel amazing kamui. It looks like they've also leveled up."

"Yeah. Leonora now is probably stronger than she was when the <Dragon Blood> was raging. Her eyes had no trace of hesitation."

"......Mu, Kamito observes Leonora-dono quite a bit."

"Truly, you at least tamed her with that date."

"I said that wasn't a date!"

Kamito shook his head in a fluster in response to the unsatisfied glares of Ellis and Fianna.

The next to appear were the <Sacred Spirit Knights> who had advanced through the <Tempest> in second place.

They were wearing a uniform that was like the opposite of the <Rupture Division>'s. Since the Principality of Rossvale had gained its independence from Lugia, it was expected.


Standing at the head was the Paladin --- Luminaris Saint Leisched.

With her brilliant blonde hair was interwoven, a nineteen year old female knight. She was a powerful person that had fought Kamito in the <Blade Dance> for the championship three years prior.

(......She's a powerful holy spirit user. I had a hard battle against her.)

Kamito remembered that time.

A holy attribute spirit had a strong resistance to darkness spirits. Consequently, his darkness Elemental Waffe, <Vorpal Sword>, was completely repelled.

It seemed like she had sought revenge against Ren Ashbell for three years, but decisively suppressed the surrounding weaker teams in the <Tempest>.

(......It's probably something like having a conclusion at the finals.)

To begin with, she thought the commander of <Team Inferno> was the real Ren Ashbell but---

"It's already time. Does <Team Inferno> not plan to appear?"

"Well, as long as they leave a familiar, they can hear the oracle."

Kamito answered Claire's mutter.

And. The hall suddenly became noisy and then fell into silence.

Princess maidens wrapped in white ritual clothes came from the altar's inner door.

The five spirit maidens that directly served the <Five Great Spirit Kings>. Their faces were shrouded by a veil so the audience couldn't see them.


"Reicha's the furthest on the left."

Fianna whispered so that just Kamito could hear.

Even the girl of which he had an unshakeable impression that she was a normal girl when they'd met at the <Grand Shrine> was now wrapped in a solemn atmosphere.

The spirit princess at the center continued out in front of the shrine.

Everyone came to a pause and paid attention to the words that came from those lips.

Then---

"---I will now relay the spirit kings' oracle."

The spirit princess' dignified voice was carried throughout the hall by the power of wind spirits.

"---The stage for the finals is the old abandoned capital, <Megidoa>."

===Part 3===
Parting from Mireille's group, they exited the <Grand Shrine>.

The refreshing night breeze bore the clamor of the large audience.

"---The abandoned capital <Megidoa>, huh."

Kamito muttered as he walked along the gently sloping hill.

"......It was unexpected. To think that a place I've never heard of would come up. At least, it shouldn't have been a stage for the <Blade Dance> until now."


Fianna said with a shrug. Since she who had come from the <Divine Ritual Institute> had no knowledge of it, there was hardly a place most people would know.

Choosing a sacred ground within Astral Zero was the usual for the <Blade Dance>.

Even so, having an abandoned city that wasn't anything like a sacred ground chosen was---

(......As I thought, something's strange about this time's <Blade Dance>.)

It was as if errors had appeared in a perfect system.

(......If that's so, what's the cause?)

The <Blade Dance> three years ago had proceeded normally.

What broke that was---

(......!)

A flashback.

Within the encroaching black <Wish>, the boy reached out a hand for the darkness spirit girl.

"Ah, ku......!"

Assaulted by a sudden dizziness, Kamito held his head.

"Kamito, what's wrong?"

Claire asked in a worried tone.

"......Ahh, I'm fine. I just felt a little dizzy."

Kamito waved his hand to tell her not to worry.


......Those memories seemed to be locked away and could not be recalled.

"---There's also the field, but we also have to consider the blade dance form."

"That's right."

Claire nodded in response to Ellis' mutterings.

The rule decided upon by the spirit kings' oracle was <Cross Fire>.

The duration was three days. It was basically the same as the <Tempest>, survival within the field, but the difference was that each team member would be teleported to a different location.

"To put it bluntly, there is a need to search for one's comrades. If a team gathers quickly, they gain the opportunity to crush every one of the enemy team's contractors."

It seemed Claire had already begun thinking about tactics suited to the rules.

Bang!

At that time, a rainbow-colored flower bloomed in the night sky.

---It was a firework. Kamito stopped in his tracks and was entranced by the blooming fireworks.

The seven-colored lights danced into various forms and entertained the onlookers.

The lights were really spirits being released.

"It's beautiful......"

Claire murmured as she gazed at the fireworks in a trance.

"They're launching spirit ores for that, right? It's ridiculously high up."

"Jeez, your thinking is that of a plebeian."


Claire shrugged her shoulders, sounding a little surprised.

"When you speak of fireworks---"

And Ellis opened her mouth as if she had just remembered something.

"When we return to the academy, we have to prepare for the <Grand Spirit Festival>.

"Grand Spirit Festival?"

"It's an academy festival that is held at Areishia Spirit Academy every year. The Syphid Knights also become so busy we'd even accept the help of a cat, so you had best prepare yourself as well."

"So there's an academy festival. It sounds fun."

"Yeah. But the side that keeps public morals can't say that. The spirits in last year's Raven Class production went wild and became a big problem."

"Th, that brings back memories......"

"Th, there might have been something like that!"

......In order to avoid the issue, the problem children combo from the Raven Class turned towards the future.

"I'm part of the group that was just admitted, so I have Freya-sensei's supplementary lessons after we return."

Fianna sighed a little.

......They were only about ten days ago, but those days at the academy were nostalgic.

Two months ago, <Team Scarlet> consisted of only Claire and Kamito.

But they had gathered five teammates, won through the ranking battles and made it this far.

---There were three days left in the <Blade Dance>.


He wondered if he could regain those which were important to him with his own hands.

(Or possibly lose everything......)

An even more grand firework bloomed in the night sky.

"I wonder if we can win and return to the academy safe and sound."

Maybe from being sentimental, Ellis voiced her anxiety.

"We've come this far. We only need to blade dance with all our strength."

"Yeah, that's right."

"If we combine our strength, we can even defeat that fake Ren Ashbell---"

At that moment, Fianna's face seemed to cloud over.

"Fianna, what's wrong?"

"......I, it's nothing."

Kamito inquired and Fianna averted her eyes as she shook her head.

He was a little interested in her attitude but---

(......That's right. I must win against that other <Strongest Blade Dancer>.)

---In order to discover the truth behind three years ago and save Restia.

Underneath the leather glove on his left hand, the darkness spirit's seal throbbed with a dull pain.

And.

"---That's the spirit. Claire Rouge."

Until she called out, nobody had noticed her presence.


Turning around, a beautiful woman with ash blonde hair was there.

"......Greyworth?"

Drawing the spirit ore's light closer and coming over, it was the <Dusk Witch>.

"Academy director, what are you doing here!?"

Claire said in a surprised voice.

"---Sorry, but I'll be borrowing the boy for now."

"Kamito?"

"For what? Tomorrow is the finals."

Kamito said as if snarling and,

"The night is still long. Improving relations doesn't suffice as a reason?"

"Wha!?"

All the ojou-samas were stirred up at Greyworth's words.

"Ka, Kamito, don't tell me, even up to the academy directory......"

Gogogogogogogo......!

"Haa, the scope of Kamito-kun's defense surprises me sometimes."

"Kamito-san really doesn't have any boundaries!"

"C, curse you, such shameless......"

"W, wait, there's really nothing like that!"

Kamito yelled in a panic.


Seeing the ojou-samas' reactions, Greyworth smiled like she was enjoying herself.

"It was a joke. I'm not stealing the boy, so rest easy."

""""W, we weren't worried!""""

The ojou-samas with red faces gave a collective cry.

"If it's a joke, I'm heading back."

Kamito tried to turn to leave and,

"Well, don't be in such a rush. I have something I'd like to impart to you."

"What?"

"I can't give you it here. It's necessary for your victory."

Greyworth's expression had become serious at some point.

"......"

Kamito thought for a little---

"......Okay. Let's finish this quickly."

"Whether it will be short or not depends on you."

Greyworth shrugged.

Kamito turned to his teammates and,

"Sorry. Please return to the castle ahead of me."

"......Y, yes, we will."

Claire nodded a little sadly.


"Ahh, that's right. Bring along that sword spirit."

"Est?"

"Since the night is dangerous. A means to defend oneself is necessary."

"You need protection? What kind of joke is this......is that okay, Est?"

"Yes. I am Kamito's sword. For as long as you wish."

Est nodded and changed form into her Elemental Waffe, <Terminus Est>.

===Part 4===
Greyworth descended from the hill and walked into the deep forest.

The night spirits floated between trees, giving off mysterious light.

"We'll be there soon. Improving relations has to be done somewhere others can't see."

"Wha......!"

"Don't blush every time. You're really cute."

"Kuu......"

The <Dusk Witch> smiled like she was having fun.

The sound of fireworks still echoed from far away.

"......It's been a long time. Walking through the forest with you like this."


"You tricked me by saying we were going mushroom hunting in the forest and we ended up hunting a demon god class spirit."

Kamito leered at Greyworth who was walking in front of him.

"Ahh, that did happen."

"I really thought I'd die that time."

"But that live combat was the best kind of training, right?"

Greyworth shrugged.

"That was when you grasped the <Bursting Blossom Spiral Blade Dance>."

"If I hadn't, I would have died."

"Sheesh, since when did you become so rebellious. You were more honest and cute three years ago --- and we're here."

Greyworth finally came to a halt.

A large space made by clearing the forest. It was likely for the training of the <Divine Ritual Institute>'s princess maidens.

"So what was it you wanted to give me?"

Greyworth's grey eyes seemed to be piercing Kamito as they gazed at him.

"---Kamito, I will entrust you with the final Absolute Blade Art."

"......Wh......at......?"

Kamito's eyes widened at the unexpected response.

The Absolute Blade Arts of the <Dusk Witch> who was called the strongest spirit contractor on the continent.


That was something that, together with <Vorpal Sword>, had created <Ren Ashbell>.

"......What do you mean? You should have already entrusted me with the secrets three years ago."

Bursting Blossom Spiral Blade Dance --- an anti-spirit destruction sword technique.

The technique that defeated the monster of darkness, Nepenthes Lore.

Anything beyond that technique shouldn't exist---

"Certainly, that technique is the top sword technique. If successful, it will even massacre a demon god class spirit."

Greyworth shook her head.

"But there is a final secret that I didn't teach you."

"Final secret......"

Kamito gulped. The witch wasn't teasing him.

"Why---"

"There is a reason I didn't teach you it three years ago. If someone inexperienced with the Absolute Blade Arts uses it, his or her body will be destroyed."

"......"

Certainly, the Absolute Blade Arts which surpassed the limits of flesh would destroy the user's body.

In actuality, even now, Kamito had not mastered them to a sufficient degree.

"But that technique---"

"That's right. Honestly speaking, you shouldn't use that kind of technique in live combat."

Greyworth assented easily.


"But the you of now cannot win against the <Strongest Blade Dancer>. That is reality."

......He couldn't retort.

That was something that Kamito himself understood best.

"......If I perform that secret successfully, I can beat her?"

"---Possibly. You are weaker than you were then but your matured body is better. Your body now may be able to withstand the secret's recoil."

Greyworth's mouth curled and she placed a hand to the ground.

A beam of light like blood came out and an ominous magic square was drawn.

"---Come forth from the gates of Hell, earl that ascends to greatness, demon spirit <Void>!"

"......!"

From the center of the magic square glowing with red light came a formless lump of darkness.

Kamito's skin stood on end from the dreadful air of intimidation.

Formerly under Demon King Solomon, one of the pillars of his seventy-two spirits.

Greyworth extended her hand out and the lump of darkness became a sword at once, appearing in the witch's hand.

Elemental Waffe --- <Storm Bringer>.

With an appearance greatly resembling Restia's <Vorpal Sword>, it was a jet black sword.

"......"

Kamito unsheathed the <Demon Slayer> wordlessly.

The shining silvery white brilliance lit up the dark forest.


"It's been three years since our last practice. Are you prepared, boy?"

"The you of three years ago wouldn't have asked that to an opponent that has drawn their sword."

He had nothing to worry about.

For the current Kamito, the power to defeat the other Ren Ashbell was required.

In an instant, Greyworth's silhouette disappeared.

Deflecting the blade flash, a harsh metallic sound resounded in the night forest.

"......!"

"Ohh, you withstood the first strike. It seems you've recovered your sense from long ago."

The elemental waffen created sparks as they ground against each other.

(As usual, such monstrous strength......!)

He instinctively shuddered.

If it had been Kamito before the <Blade Dance>, he wouldn't have been able to see through it.

---Yes, this was the blade of the one previously called the strongest on the continent.

The kamui gushing forth from Storm Bringer was overwhelming Terminus Est.

"......Est is losing!?"

"That spirit isn't inferior to mine. There is an inconsistency in your output of kamui. It's been your weak point since before."

Greyworth declared that coldly and increased her sword pressure.


"Kuu --- why, you......!"

Kamito filled Est with all the kamui in his body.

The silvery white sword gave off an oppressive shine and began pushing back against Storm Bringer in an instant.

"Yes, your instantaneous power exceeds me. However---"

Greyworth disappeared from his sight.

And faster than the thirst for blood---

"Absolute Blade Arts, First Form --- <Purple Lightning>!"

A stab like lightning gouged Kamito's abdomen.

"Kahaa!"

A severe impact hit him and Kamito's body hit the ground. The bodily damage from the <Elemental Waffe> was converted to mental damage, causing a severe concussion.

"---Stand. I held back."

"......"

Kamito groaned and shakily got to his feet.

It was true she held back.

Since he had taken an Absolute Blade Art but could still stand.

"......It's been a while since I've taken that sword technique."

While wiping the blood from his lip, Kamito smiled.

"Did that wake you up, boy?"


"Yeah. Thanks."

Once again, he readied the shining <Terminus Est> with both his hands.

He stared directly at Greyworth who stood before him.

He could feel something awakening within himself.

The memories engraved in his body were coming back vividly.

"The ojou-samas are waiting---"

Kamito smiled fearlessly.

"I'll have you pass over the strongest Absolute Blade Art quickly."

"---That's it, those are the eyes. Only those eyes haven't changed from three years ago."

Greyworth's grey eyes stared at Kamito.

The point of the demon sword slowly came to aim at the middle of Kamito's forehead.

It was an oppression that sent goosebumps along his skin.

"Listen well, I won't show you the secret more than once. Grasp its nature in that one strike."

"Just once?"

"What it means is it will be impossible if you cannot grasp it after just once. Simply inheriting as the strongest spirit contractor does not mean you have the qualities to learn the Absolute Blade's secret."

Greyworth informed him in a piercingly cold voice.

Kamito's whole body broke out in a cold sweat.

A momentary silence. Then---


"......Okay. That's enough."

Kamito gave a short nod.

A superficial sword would not pass for Greyworth.

In order to fill his elemental waffe with his thoughts, he closed his eyes and honed his senses.

What came to his mind was---

Claire, Fianna, Ellis, Rinslet --- the faces of his comrades.

And the <Demon Slayer> in his hands, Terminus Est.

(......There's no way I can lose!)

The sword in his hand was one which carried the <Wishes> of all of them.

"---Let's do this, Greyworth."

"Ahh, there's no use holding back. Come at me with the strongest technique you have."

"Has there ever been a time I've held back against you?"

He filled <Terminus Est> with all his kamui.

The silvery white sword shone dazzlingly, wiping away the forest's darkness.

Kamito charged as if to split the wind.

(---The strongest sword technique I can use now.)

He kicked the ground and accelerated. He changed to a reverse grip on the holy sword in his hands.

Then---

"Absolute Blade Arts, Destructive Form --- Bursting Blossom Spiral Blade Dance, 18 Consecutive Strikes!"

With a glint, countless scattered blades flashed.

The slashes' flashes were a destructive blade dance that boasted absolute killing power.

[[File:STnBD V08 232.png|thumbnail|right]]


---Properly speaking, it was a technique for the purpose of defeating a mighty demon god class spirit.

The storm of consecutive attacks resembling the blooming of a flower.

But the strongest witch on the continent --- stopped all of that with her blade.

Putting aside when she was in her golden age, Greyworth right now shouldn't be able to match up to Kamito physically. Then why was she able to take on Kamito's sword---

He came to know the answer soon.

(......!?)

Greyworth's ash blonde hair was giving off a faint luminescence.

It was the glow of the kamui she was expelling. And it was strong enough to be seen with the naked eye.

(While we were exchanging blows, she absorbed my kamui!?)

He wondered if that was the ability of <Void>'s elemental waffe---

(No, that's wrong --- it's not that!)

Greyworth was matching her kamui to Kamito's kamui.

If one were to completely match their opponent's movements and breathing, he or she could make the opponent's kamui which would normally be repelled his or her own --- that was already something not of battle blade dancing but of the <Divine Ritual Institute>'s princess maidens' specialty.

(This is the Absolute Blade's secret---)

The countless repelled sparks --- the concealed surges of the eighteen consecutive strikes that held absolute killing power.

The instant the final sword blow landed.


Kamito understood. The truth of the Absolute Blade's secret.

(......It's coming!)

Kamito had put all his kamui into the eighteen consecutive strikes.

---That enormous power was now infused into Greyworth's sword.

Evasion was impossible. He instinctively understood that.

Greyworth's lips moved slightly---

Then---

"Absolute Blade Arts, Final Form --- <Last Strike>!"

The glinting tip of the sword pierced Kamito's chest.

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume8 Interlude2|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume8 Epilogue}}</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter7

2013-01-27T06:33:36Z

174.107.235.39:

===Chapter 7: Soeur Vanessa===

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

Louise finally reached Gurabir after a three day journey from Sulpice. A quiet coast fishing village, Gurabir was complete with rustic charm. Sanbailey monastery was built on a small hill just beside the port.

Even though Father Marthis looked shocked to meet Jeanette and Louise, he changed his expression after reading the letter from Jack.

"Wh-what the......No, but......"

However, amidst all the troubles, Father Marthis still arranged everything necessary. After preparing the dragon cage, he started to preach Louise, who was still at odds at her decision.

All the women you're going to meet there also have their own unspeakable reasons to live there.

Don't dig too deep.

Also......

Louise lowered her head and looked at the holy cross(T/L:圣具) on her neck. It was a normal looking cross that could be found anywhere but now......something incredible happened. Louise's face and hair colour started to shift.

It seems that it is embedded with a powerful "Face Change" magic.

"Never forget this......" Father Marthis' tone turned serious before telling her never to tell anyone her real name. Seems like the place she's going to live is a place filled with unspeakable secrets. Meh, if it wasn't so it wouldn't do any good to hide there, would it?

Stepping into the dragon cage, Louise thanked Jeanette profusely. She had been in her debt from the start.

"Good bye. Thank you so much."

Even though she said that, Jeanette still shook her head.

"Goodbye. Even though I've got a feeling we'll meet again."

"Isn't it said that it's forbidden to go out again?" Louise asked.

"Yeah, I know, but I've just got that feeling." Jeanette replied, her tone hovering between serious and joking.

After going through so much, Louise really felt that Saint Margerita's is suited for her.

"The sea breeze feels so good......" Louise sighed as she gazed at the silvery waves of the "outer sea". She had been here for two days already.

"I can't believe there's actually such an amazing place in Halkegenia."

"This is really the "Lone Island of the Mainland"(T/L:大陆的孤岛).

The church which stood erected on the steep cliff of the peninsula is completely isolated from the mainland save for a narrow spit of sharp rocks. The treacherous sea cliff forced ships to stay away. If somebody were to come here, they would have to fly here like her. In other words, nobody can come here......

This is really a suitable place for hiding. The winding blowing into her pores, the hair that tickled her face was silky black. Even though she had seen this in the mirror, her deep amber eyes changed to black, her nose the same as all the others.

This were all thanks to the magically enhanced cross. Even her own family can't recognize her as Louise now.

It was as if she completely changed her person. She felt that she gained enlightenment. Until she has completely forgotten how she looked like......only then she could forget about the deep pain in her heart.

"Soeur Vanessa."(T/L:苏尔·瓦妮莎)

Louise turned to the call. She had continued to use the fake name given to her by Jeanette. Here, Louise is called "Sister Vanessa".Apart from that, no other identification is required.

"Yes." Saying that, Louise turned, seeing the abbess looking intently at her. She was a kind woman of near forty years of age. Spying around, after confirming that they were alone, the abbess moved closer to Louise and said softly, "Then, please allow me to remind you again......since you've come here, please forget everything. I won't ask you how you know of this place...... so don't go nosing around for the past of the other sisters."

"Of course. I'm here to forget." Louise said.

When Louise arrived, the abbess did not ask about her past. In other words, she didn't want to know anything extra.

"Also, about the cross on your neck......according to the rules here, you must never take it off. I'm sure you understand why. However, the girls who had been staying here since birth know nothing about the secret of the cross. Thus, the secret about the magic on the cross must never reach anyone else's ears."

Louise nodded.

"Very well. Then I have nothing else to say. Let us serve the Founder here quietly. Until our bodies turn to dust......"

Leaving her words like that, the abbess left. Louise surveyed the place she was going to live in from today, Saint Margarita's monastery. The delicate monastery and the dormitories built on the narrow peninsula. In between the wavy outline of the rocks, there was a reservoir and a few farms.

There were packed into a land about the size of the academy. There were about thirty women living here. Every week, a relief ship will descend from the skies and deliver daily supplies and foodstuff......

"Living in holy prayers everyday."

Twelve days before, she was still living leisurely in Des Onieres, but today she was looking out to the sea in the church at the end of the world.

Fate is really such a strange thing......

Just as she was walking while thinking deeply......

"Miss Vanessa! Miss Vanessa!"

Three young sisters run to her from in front. Louise was surrounded by the three girls in an instant, while they started to make a ruckus.

"Where did Miss Vanessa come from?"

"Hey, that's my line!"

"What were you doing before this?"

The three completely ignored everything that the abbess just said to her. While Louise was toiling with a hurricane of her own in her head, the young sisters continued their barrage of questions.

"Hey!"

A sister angrily yelled from behind.

"Miss Vanessa!"

A girl with long silver hair walked straight to her. The girl, called Josette, placed her hands on her waist, her face serious.

"You guys really......Didn't the abbess always tell us 'not to be interested in earthly things'?"

Just after she finished, a secretive smile surfaced on the faces of the girls.

"Ala. You don't seem to have the reason to say such things to Miss Vanessa. You're the one who's so interested in earthly things."

"What are you talking about. What do you mean, huh?"

"Oh, nothing. Because.....na......"

The girls ran away bickering under Josette's fierce glare.

Facing Louise, who was at a lost of words, Josette hastily apologized.

"Sorry, they aren't bad children. It's just that, well, you know, because living in a place like this for so long......makes one so bored."

"Yeah."

Louise accepted the apology. She slowly realized that there were two kinds of women in the monastery. Women who, like her, came here to forget about everything......

The middle-aged women were like that. They created an untouchable aura around them, only praying everyday.

On the other hand was the younger sisters. Maybe......they came here since young. Being unable to expose themselves publicly, bastard children of nobles......it should be like so. Now that she thought of it, she heard cries of babies in the other room when she had her breakfast.

They don't even know why they lived here since they were young. Thus, they were as lively like the young girls that she has just met.

Just as Louise was once again immersed into her thoughts, Josette stretched out her hand. "I'm Josette. I'm in your care."

"......I'm called Va-vanessa. I'm also in your care, sister Josette.

"Just call me Josette. This way no one have to bother with the troublesome way of calling." Josette smiled.

In the next few days, for unknown reasons, Josette followed Louise around like a puppy dog.

In the monastery, everyday during morning and evening when they took their meals at the fixed time, Josette always sat beside Louise like she was up to something.

Not only that.

Josette also became the caretaker of Louise, who had just arrived. Their beds were even linked together.

Even Louise began to feel irritated. Thinking that she could finally get some peace of mind here, why would that girl be so clingy?

On that night of becoming Louise's roommate, Josette chatted with Louise about nothing and everything in particular.

"Na, Vanessa. I didn't snoop around your past, right? Because that's the rules! But, if it was just about something about the 'outside', there shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"......Outside?"

"Yeah. Na, what do the young girls outside wear?"

"Ask the others about this kind of stuff."

Louise's cold answer did not crush Josette's enthusiasm.

"Then, have you ever dated a boy? You wouldn't mind telling me these things, right?

A familiar's shadow surfaced in Louise's mind. She came here just to forget him! Louise, who unknowingly started to get angry, began to speak in a sharp tone, "......mind what you say! I'm very troubled!"

"What? You don't have to be so angry about that." Saying that, Josette started to slip into her bed.

Next...... every time she reached her "sanctuary", as she started to feel comforted......

Her vision was filled with Saito.

Even though she abandoned everything and come to this hidden place......

If she lived here, she'll never meet Saito.

Thinking back, she has always slept with Saito. If she didn't do so, she couldn't sleep at all. Even though she could have used wine to bring her into dreamland at Sulpice, there's nothing of sorts here. If she had thought of Saito when she was awake......her chest felt as pain as if someone pierced her with sword.

Being unable to link her heart with her familiar......she never thought that it would be so excruciating. She has always thought that even if he strayed a little sometimes, looking at other girls, the one that he really keep in his heart was her.

However......looking at Saito's expression, she doesn't think so anymore.

"The girl that Saito likes......isn't me, but the princess. A girl called Henrietta de Tristian......"

"The most amazing woman in the whole country. A queen above all nobles, the powerful woman......"

Compare to her, she was nothing. Thinking like this made her aware of how small her existence was.

Little Louise. Louise the zero. A girl with a thin body and bad temper......

"......wu. Er......wuwu" After she noticed that, Louise leaked out a sob. She hid her crying sounds with the blanket. She can't let the girls she was going to live with from today see her cry like this.

However, Josette who had been sleeping beside her seemed to have heard it. She got up and crawled into Louise's blanket sneakily.

"What happened?"

"N-nothing......so......wu"

"Sorry, did I say anything I shouldn't have?"

Her caring voice made Louise's emotions surge.

"R-really......it's nothing......wu"

Just then, Josette silently hugged Louise's head.

"Never mind. Just cry it all out."

"I don't want to......"

"Why?"

"I-it'll be embarrassing......wuwu......it'll make me look like a coward. Wuwu."

"There's nothing bad about being a coward anyway. I'm also one."

Josette just kept caressing Louise's head.

The next morning.......Louise opened her red-rimmed eyes and got up from the bed unwillingly. The sound of Josette's soft breathing could be heard beside her.

Seeing her like that, she still had the face of a child. However, her face was also changed by the cross on her neck, right......

"This child......should've been sent here since birth."

That's why she was so curious about the outside world.

Except for the daily activities here, she knew nothing else. Maybe she never even met girls of her age. Louise stared at her. Louise once thought that she was the unluckiest girl in the entire world.

However, Josette and the other girls, who have been living here since birth, didn't even know about their misfortune. She was comforted by such a child.

She then noticed how willful, unthoughtful of her to cry yesterday.

What's so bad about talking about the outside world?

Josette slowly got up.

"Fuaaah......Good morning. Sorry, I fell asleep on your bed."

Louise shook her head.

"Never mind. About yesterday, sorry about that. If you're still willing, I can tell you something about the outside world. I'm bored anyway."

Hearing this, Josette's eyes started to glow.

"Really?"

Louise nodded hard.

Life in Saint Margarita's monastery is bound by a strict timetable. After getting up in the morning, the sisters have to pray in the hall. They had their breakfast after daily cleaning. Farming work and other miscellaneous things will continue until three in the afternoon.

Then it's a period of leisure until the evening, when they'll have their dinner.

After a prayer after dinner, they will go to sleep. It could be said their lives start at dawn and end at dusk. This simple lifestyle was inconceivable to Louise, who had been spoilt by a rich noble lifestyle from birth.

Thus, Louise used her sparse leisure time to tell stories about the outside world to Josette and the girls. Every sister's eyes was sparkling radiantly, it was as if Louise was a heroine from ancient myths.

As usual, the girls gathered on Louise's bed, enchanted by Louise's stories. Four girls wrapped in blankets chatted surreptitiously. They'll have to do that to prevent their excited voices from leaking out.

There wasn't even a candle around. It was pitch black.

"Yup. We 'll go out during days of rest."

"Go out?"

"Yeah. Going around in horse-drawn carriages, to faraway places. It's quite fun."

"Nana, what's a horse?"

Josette, who took lead among the girls didn't even know what was a horse. Come to think of it, there wasn't a horse anywhere in the small monastery.

"How do I put it......an animal for riding?"

"Bigger than a dragon?"

"Of course the dragon's bigger."

"I know what a dog is! I saw one on a ship once."

"A horse, can it......fly?"

"There's some animals that're similar to the dog and can fly, like the Pegasus' and the griffon......"

"What's that! What kind of animal is that?"

Her daily life, food, the streets......things like these were the things that made them excited the most. However, Louise noticed something strange while they were chatting.

Even though they were a bunch of girls who don't know what is a horse, they were unimaginably well aware of the fashion trend between city girls......like shops that sell fabrics and clothes.

Even though they don't even know anything about the street formations in the capital of Gallia, Lutèce, they knew the extreme details of every corner of the streets. This made Louise feel very amazed.

"You do know a whole lot about it. The hats with a wavy rim is really quite popular."

After being praised like that, a girl started to get conceited and said, "The High Priest who comes here sometimes also tells us something about the fashion trends in the outside streets."

There also seem to be visitors in a secretive monastery like this. Thus, for them, except for something like hearing about the outside world, there shouldn't be other forms of entertainment.

"But the High Priest seems to tell Josette more things, you know!" After a girl said so, Josette was so embarrassed that her neck even turned red too.

"What are you all talking about! I hope that you won't say such strange things!" (T/L:exceptionally polite girl, this one.)

"Ah? Isn't it so?" The girls sneered.

"Look, miss Josette turned completely red! As red as an apple!"

"Please get a hold of yourselves! You're really rude!" Josette protested loudly, her face bright red. It seems that Josette has some connection with the High Priest. Louise started to feel a little jealous of Josette.

"So that's why you want to know more about the outside world!"

"No, that's not it!" Josette firmly denied. Louise unconsciously overlapped her shadow with hers. Aah, she has also been teased once, and has once denied just as firmly too.

Sweet memories and an excruciating pain swirling around her heart, Louise sighed. The other girls didn't notice the change in Louise's expression and continued asking their questions.

"Then, Miss Vanessa, have you ever kissed before?"

Because of this casual question, Louise's heart broke cleanly into half. Memories surged into her mind like a tsunami in a sudden, straining her already weak heart.

Louise rolled her eyes and fell. No matter how Josette shook her, she didn't wake up. It seems that she has fainted.

"......damn. Is a kiss between lovers something that intense?"

Hearing this, Louise revived with a "ha!".

"Are you okay? Vanessa."

"I-it's alright." Louise mumbled as she shook her head. "Cough cough." Dry coughs were heard from the other beds. It seems that they were too noisy.

The girls silently left Louise's bed and returned to their own.

Silence returned......Louise closed her eyes.

"Have I kissed before?"

The question just now resurfaced in her mind.

She did, and did so many times.

Thinking so, she noticed that Saito and her, met each other because of a kiss, and left each other because of a kiss. The happiest things in her life, and the saddest things in her life were connected to memories of kisses.

The two kinds of kiss mixed around. Louise didn't know if she started to feel sad, depressed or tired. Louise traced the outline of her lips slowly with her fingers......countless memories of the past resurfaced.

"Will I meet Saito in a dream again today?" Louise spaced out, thinking about this. She hugged her knees and curled into a ball under blanket.

After that happened, Louise always met Saito in her dreams every night.

She came to this lonely island after clearly making the resolution to leave him......Didn't this meant that all of that meant nothing? Louise started to become upset. She wanted to forget everything.....but she hadn't been able to do so.

The Saito in her dreams, has always hugged Louise so very gently. Muttering sweet nothings, oaths of love in her ear......but once she started to focus on Saito, he would disappear. While her in the dreams will attempt to find Saito aimlessly. Sometimes she will search in the academy, sometimes in Tristannia, once she even went to her old home in La Valliere to find him. However, a common thing that happens no matter where she tries to find him.....

No matter where, she can't find Saito.

Thus, a dark atmosphere started to surround Louise. Even the curious girls in the beginning became less inclined to get close to her.

However, even so, only Josette still chats with Lousie like normal.

"Ah, Miss Vanessa, I have something else to ask......" Someday after their relationship became closer, Josette asked Louise embarrassedly.

"What?"

"About my hair......then, what kind of hairstyle would suit me the most?"

"Won't just any hairstyle do?"

Josette was a little angry at Louise's coldness.

"What's so bad about asking you about this?"

"......so this is love." Hearing Louise say this tiredly, Josette shook her exaggeratedly.

"No! Really!"

"I saw through it a long time ago. Hey, maybe it's the high priest who comes here sometimes? However I still have to advise you to give up, this thing about love......"

"Why?"

"Because it's fated, that you'll get betrayed one day."

Hearing Louise say this, Josette raised her hands, shocked.

"Seriously, why are all of you 'saints' the same?"

Suddenly being called as a saint, Louise turned nervous. She was once called "Aquileia's Saint" herself. Why would Josette know about this? Louise became nervous.

"S-saint......? What do you mean?"

"Aah, that, that's a name for people like you who entered this place midway. Always showing a dark face, you all seem like you're carrying the burden of the entire world on your shoulders. Really do hope that you can be more considerate of the other people here."

It seems that the name "saint" is more of a sarcastic metaphor. Louise only got angry to this.

"In the outside world, there're so many things that you don't even know. No matter if it's happy things, or sad things. There are even things that will hurt you so severely that you want to die!" Louise could not control herself.

"Yeah. Yeah, maybe it is so. Like what you say, I know nothing at all. Really, except for the life here, I don't know anything else." Josette replied with a expressionless face.

"......"

"However, this doesn't mean that we don't understand what's happiness or sadness. Maybe my world is small, but even in this small world, many things happen......of course, it isn't love. We cannot fall in love, nor are we in love. Simply because, we're people of cloth. Such things will never be forgiven. But......"

Saying this, Josette place her hands on her chest.

"That person, praised my hair. This colour......because it's almost white, I once hated it so much, but he actually said this hair colour is beautiful." Josette smiled sweetly.

"Here, even if there is no pretty clothes......but at least when he comes, I still want to tie my hair up into a more suitable hairstyle. If I just did that, even the Founder will just leave me aside, don't you think so?

Hearing this, Louise felt embarrassed. It was because, she was jealous.

"I did once." Louise answered, her voice trembling.

"Eh?"

"Kissing."

Josette laughed.

"That's like a dream to me, something like kissing a lover."

Louise slightly tilted Josette's head scarf.

"Even though I don't really care about dressing up and the like, but I think your hair is cute. Nn, how about you separate them from the middle?"

Josette followed Louise advice and separated her hair from the middle with her finger.

"How is it?"

Louise stared for a while......

"It's not so good. The original style was better."

Josette laughed. Louise, influenced, also began to laugh.

That night, Louise and Josette secretly crept out from the dorms. Actually they didn't have anything important to discuss, but just found themselves staring at each other as they could not fall asleep.

As they walked side by side, Louise noticed that Josette was shorter than her by ten Saitongs.(T/L: unit of length, I think, original:赛桐)

Her side profile was also quite child-like......

Walking out of the dorms, two girls walked to the edge of the cliff. The twin moons hovered above the sea, radiating their brilliance. The moonlight scattered onto the ocean surface, turning into thousands of silver scales.

"It's so annoying."

"What's so annoying?"

"Things that are so foolishly beautiful."

"Why do you think it's annoying?"

"Everytime I see something beautiful, memories often pop out of nowhere.."

"Are they sad memories?"

"Nn." Louise nodded.

"Because happy memories, often happen in beautiful places. Like the scenery that we once gazed afar, like the bright moon that we once admired together......"

"With a lover?"

"Nn."

"Fell out?"

"Maybe."

Josette shook her head.

"If you're sad because you fell out of love, I can understand. But, such good memories, why would you get upset over it? If so, those memories aren't memories at all."

"That's because all these memories has become lies. Just because something bad happened, all these precious memories, turned into lies." Gazing at the sea, Louise said. Crystal tears rolled down her cheeks.

"And that's why you came here?"

"Yes."

Hearing that, Josette caressed Louise's cheeks with her hands before staring straight into Louise's eyes.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Me, I don't think there's things like that. "Everything becoming lies" and such. Even though I don't really understand, but I think the things that make you feel that 'it's beautiful' is still very beautiful."

"What do you mean?"

"Happy things. Exciting things. These are surely good things. I think you can't see beyond the lies and that's why you lost your confidence."

Louise bit her lip.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I'm like that. I sometimes think that that guy doesn't like me at all. He's comes to visit me just out of pity. Even though he once said that "I came to see you." ......though I still doubt him sometimes. During those times, I'll get all depressed. Every time I see my silver hair in the mirror......seeing my small body, hearing those bad stuff that my friends say, at those times, I can't stop myself from doubting myself."

Josette stopped for a while. She smiled softly.

"But, even though that guy is just pitying me......I won't give up. Even though it's like that, even if him praising my hair, saying that "I came to see you" is a lie......my feelings that time, are true. With this, I, can continue to live. Unlike you, who chose to escape."

Louise felt as if Josette's words gave her hard head a good hammering.

Seeing as Louise stayed silent, Josette's cheek started to redden with embarrassment.

"Sorry, I was speaking so willfully."

"Wu wu......" Louise shook her head. "What you said was right. I just chose to escape. Yes, what you said was right. Even though I had determined that I'll believe him no matter what he does......but I didn't even give him a chance to explain."

If she heard the explanation, maybe she would be even more shocked, or maybe she would be hurt more deeply. Even so......she didn't even face the truth and simply ran away.

Louise sneaked into her blanket after returning to the dorm with Josette, but she still couldn't sleep. She heard Josette's steady breathing beside her......why did her emotions become that way?......Louise got up again, and took out the Founder's Prayer Book from the private drawer.

She also took out the Water Ruby. Her wand and the Water Ruby. In the end, she still couldn't let go of these two things.

That day, they seemed to have become her shadows, staring at them made her feel as if something was going to happen. Louise opened the Founder's Prayer Book under the blanket.

"......"

Why would it be now, Louise started to ponder.

The pages started to glow slightly, words formed on what was just plain white paper seconds before.

[If the four successors and their familiars have a problem, the successors of "Void" cannot give up. The power of "Void" can only awaken in the blood of the successors. The successors of "Void" , must find the other successors. And then, take back the "Holy land" from the heretics.]

Words will form in times of need, Derflinger once said that. Now when there is the shortage of one Void user, shouldn't the Founder's Prayer Book tell something to the successors of the Void.

"Then......even if the successors of the Void dies, there will be others to inherit this power?"

Louise mumbled as she bit her lip.

If so......what we hope would be lost. If this thing were to be known by Romalia......

"The Holy Crusade will continue."

Louise grasped her fists hard under the blanket.

She must tell this to Saito and the Princess......they felt safe because they had crushed Romalia's wild ambitions.

However, how is she going to tell them?

She was on this lone island away from the mainland......until now there isn't a way to leave this place.

"However,"......Louise nodded in her heart.

She can't determine if Romalia knows about this. If she just keep it a secret from everybody, then she won't be afraid that this will be leaked out. As long as she just sleep forever in this jail-like convent with the Founder's prayer book, she may be able to keep this secret to herself.

"Nn." Louise nodded in her heart again.

But that was just an excuse.

I'm just......thinking that "these doesn't matter me." I just don't want to see Saito and the princess, just don't want to get even more hurt......

"I don't want to know."

Louise nodded. Why did she got chosen. If she wasn't the successor of the Void, she wouldn't have these troubles. Something like the future of Halkegenia, is a terribly heavy burden on her shoulders.

Just then......on the next page, words formed.

Ancient runes.

This, is the new Void spell.

"......"

What did God and the Founder, wanted her to use the "Void" for?

The runes that have emerged, seemed to be scolding her. "You there, such great power has been given to you, but you don't want to do anything with it and wither here forever?!"

She seemed to have been scolded by the Founder's prayer book.

......ah, this. So it's like this.

So she actually escaped from her own decision to "believe in Saito no matter happens", and also from the destiny that has been bestowed to her.

Louise felt that herself being swallowed by a great feeling of restlessness.

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</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter6

2013-01-27T06:28:49Z

174.107.235.39:

===Chapter 6: Damien and Gondrin===

Eleonore sat in her chair in the Research Room, her left hand going back and forth, grasping the papers on the table.

She rubbed her temple with her right finger, a habit that happened every time she met something bad, she would shut her eyes, shape her lips into a へ, and rub her temple vigorously.

Her expression now was the spitting image of her younger sister.

"However, that kid.......still hasn't come back?"

After hearing about Louise's disappearance, Eleonore simply thought, "It really is just a child's play."

After living together for some time, their true selves, along with all their faults, would reveal themselves. She initially thought Louise was just sulking, and that she would return home quickly, right? However, things went contrary to her wishes, and there hadn't been any news about Louise yet.

Eleonore, had started to get a little worried, and had decided to personally visit Des Onieres to get the details from Saito.

"Now is not the time for that."

She casually took the document that she had just ravaged. It was sent this morning.

"The heck?......this time I got hit?"

On the paper was her appointed research topic, which is also quite a peculiar topic.

"'A magical item that could release Alchemy for a substantial period of time' ? What the heck are those people trying to do to ''me'', the one in charge of the Founder's sculpture?"

There must be something behind all this......with that in mind, Eleonore stood up. picking up her cape, which had been hung on the wall, she draped over her slim figure, she put her hat, which was the on the corner of the table, on her head and a majestic Academy researcher was then born.

"Seriously......those guys on top there, I can't stand them anymore......"

While mumbling, Eleonore exited the research office, and locked the door offhandedly.

"Academy", refers to a magic tower of thirty levels. In the outer ring of the towers, a long corridor linked all the rooms.

In the center of the tower, there was a "lifting device", powered by wind stones, to travel between the levels. It looked very similar to the "elevators" of Saito's world, pulling a lever in front on the entrance of the lifting device, a cage will drop in front of them.

Walking into it and then saying her destination, "Top floor", the cage began to rise with the glow of the eyes of the in-cage statue.

Reaching the top, the first thing to enter her sight was a steel door decorated with an pentagram. Sensing the visitor, the eyes of the statue on either side of the door glowed and turned their gaze to Eleonore.

After a brief confirmation of her identity, the door opened.

"......"

No matter how many times she has came here, this place still exudes a powerful pressure. Behind the door was the entrance room to the Academy Head Office......the place where the masterminds behind the administration of Tristian went about their business.

There was a door on either side of the entrance room. Behind the table in the dead center of the entrance room, a woman who had been writing official documents lifted her head after noticing Eleonore's presence.

"Ah, if isn't that Miss Valliere. May I ask what brings you here?

She was the secretary of the Academy President, Miss Valentine. A woman of extreme rationalism and an ice-cold heart. Even though she was about Eleonore's age, they were not really friendly with each other. In other words, she was a troublesome woman.

"I want to meet Gondrin."

Miss Valentine straightened her figure and asked Eleonore, "Did you make an appointment beforehand?"

"No, I didn't."

Hearing this, Miss Valentine showed a difficult face.

"Then, I'm sorry that I cannot arrange for such an unexpected meeting. This is protocol."

Upon hearing this, A few angry veins emerged on Eleonore's forehead. Her brow quivering with agitation, Eleonore stepped maliciously towards the secretary.

"Don't take me as some palace official or some schoolgirl from the country side. Can you send word that the Head Academy Researcher, Miss Eleonore de Valliere is requesting for a meeting?"

"I'm, of course, very clear with this, but even if it were Her Majesty herself to come, my reply will remain the same. 'This is protocol.'"

The angry veins on Eleonore's brow increased exponentially. She moved her face dangerously close to Miss Valentine's and said with a voice, trembling with anger, "You're really thick-headed."

"Until now, the number of academy researchers who try to force an entry through here is one, and that's you, Miss Eleonore. How about you learn a little manners from others. If you had done that, perhaps you would have been much successful with marriage......"

Laughing coldly, Miss Valentine said the taboo words.

Eleonore chuckled coldly while whipping out her wand, pointing it to Miss Valentine's nose. At the same time, Valentine's wand was also whipped out, pointing at Eleonore's nose.

"Anyone in the academy who attacks with magic will be excommunicated......you should know that very well."

"Nobody will use attack magic. I just want to use magic to close that annoying mouth of yours for a while."

In this tense atmosphere, a sharp voice from the crystal transmitter on the table suddenly pierced the air.

"Hey hey, you two, stop it!"

Facing the transmitter, Eleonore yelled, "Gondrin! I'm just giving your secretary a little lesson on social etiquette."

"Yeah, yeah......seriously. Come in then."

Just then, the door on the left opened. Before leaving Eleonore shot a vicious glare at Valentine.

The room was filled with a myriad of magical items and luxurious decorations. In the dead center of the room that looked like a tumbled toy box stood a gaunt old gentleman.

He had a silver crown and a meticulously trimmed mustache under his nose. Even though he looked neat, it's hard to sense a powerful aura around him. This has also caused him to be easily forgotten and underestimated.

And such a man is the president of the "Academy", Mr Gondrin.

"Seriously......what is it this time, Miss Valiere?"

Gondrin who stuttered and mumbled, watched Eleonore slowly stepped closer to him.

"It's not simply a matter of 'what's it this time'!" Eleonore yelled straight to his face. Gondrin who already had a weak aura about him withered.

"Don't yell that loud...... this old man is a bag of old bones you know......"

"Of course I'm yelling! Please give me an reasonable explanation for this research command." Eleonore thrust out the document.

"Aah......about that. Nn, actually, it's regarding a repeated request from a VVIP from the palace......"

"Even though I don't think this is heretical, but it doesn't follows the traditional research topics of the 'Academy'".

"What you're saying isn't wrong, but old man me also have my stand on this subject......"

While wiping away the sweat on his brow, Gondrin took a glance at Eleonore.

"What are those palace guys thinking? Not long ago, Bailey was also commanded to do some strange research......"

"Meh, meh......This old man doesn't know anything......"

Straightening her shoulders, Eleonore squinted angrily at Gondrin.

"Are you hiding something?"

"This old man?! Hiding something from you?! Impossible! This old man has nothing to hide!" Gondrin nervously waved his hands.

"Really?"

"O-of course! Nn, about that, even though I'm not sure what assignment did the palace government gave you, but they should have their own concerns. Helping them out now is not a bad idea. Miss Valliere, this old man remembers that you once placed an order for a high speed magic cauldron, right?"

"Uh huh......"

That was the Achilles's heel of her research. No matter the topic of research, money is always needed. Even with the academic investment of Tristain, the budget allocation here is still quite limited.

"I'll just increase the priority for the research budget of the 'Earth' department, how about that? I'll try my best to convince the board."

Eleonore's brow furrowed again. Even though she was very conflicted, in the end, she still replied with a hesitating voice, "B-but, to start such a unconvincing topic......"

"What are you talking about? You're not a student anymore. Research requires creativity, right? We at the 'Academy' are no different."

"......"

Gondrin rested his hand on Eleonore's shoulders. "As long as I can help impressive researchers like you work in a more comfortable and complete environment, it's nothing for this old man to work a little harder."

".......Two more M-Mandragora fields will do fine." (T/L: Mandragora is the scientific name for "mandrake", which is a herb)

"That's that then."

Certain of her victory, Eleonore happily skipped out of Gondrin's room.

After closing the door, Gondrin heaved a sigh and plopped back to his chair. A small shadow quickly hopped out from the curtains.

It was just a ten year old boy.

With a head of blond hair and a face with a mischievous expression, he looked out of place with the room. The youngster said happily, "Smoothly done, Gray sama."

"That Eleonore de Valliere is certainly a tough nut to crack......even though her skills are extremely proficient."

Gondrin then turned towards the youngster and spoke with a very troubled tone, "Then you must have heard it. Even with your orders, we require a huge amount of monetary investment. Two hundred thousand ecus is impossible. One hundred thousand ecus at most. That's the best we can do."

"Is there no other way to get more investors?"

"Maintaining a tradition also requires money......if we took any more money, then the administration body of the country itself would be in trouble."

"Maintaining tradition is just wishful thinking on the part of Tristian nobles, right?"

Gondrin leaned back on the chair. "Yup. However, we have satisfied all the willful requests you've made from us, so how about we be the ones to make the willful request this time,eh?"

Damien thought about it for a long time.

"One hundred and eighty thousand ecus. Not one less."

"One hundred and twenty thousand ecus.

"Don't be that inconsiderate." Damien shook his head. It was quite unimaginable that such words will come out of a ten year old boy's mouth.

"Can't reach an agreement, eh? I just can't get it through my head what you need that much money for?" Gondrin asked.

"We have a dream."

"A dream?"

"Yes, a dream."

At this moment Damien's face started to show the angelic smile of a ten year old.

Eleonore, who had returned to her research room, threw herself down on the table.

"Why am I always the one to give in.......the person I am......"

The recent "Academy" is getting stranger. Bizarre research topics one after another......Commands from palace? Who will it be? Or, is it really so?

Even so, how does someone like me who's working their heart out in the Academy understand the inside story of these matters?

Right. Eleonore suddenly thought of something.

How about she tried asking Louise about it?

"Ah."

Remembering that Louise just ran away from the house, Eleonore's shoulders drooped again.

"That kid, where and what is she doing......"

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| Back to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume17_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
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</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume17 Chapter5

2013-01-13T04:46:31Z

174.107.235.39:

===Chapter 5 First meeting with Jack===

In the end, Saito, who hadn't slept at all, began to search the hotels. Saito, together with Siesta, Guiche, Malicorne, and Tiffania separated into small groups and began their mission. They searched the hotels in town one by one.

Even though he had gone through 3 hotels, Saito still had not found out anything satisfactory.

"Have we finished searching this street?" Asked Siesta.

"Who knows?"

Saito walked into the fourth hotel. It was a large hotel by the name of "Our Sea". Behind the narrow counter, the hotel owner was smoking a pipe.

Saito asked the hotel owner the question that he had repeated for who knows how many times already.

"Can I ask you if......there was a noble girl, about this tall, staying here? Her age may be seventeen, but she's smaller than she looks. She looks as cute as a human doll......"

After that, the owner, mumbled,"Unnnn", before shaking his head.

"She's not here too......"

Just when Saito was about to leave, he was sent flying by a man wearing a grey cape.

"Uwaa!"

The grey-caped guy, who just knocked down Saito, looked back to the counter.

"Hey! Old man! Is there a mage girl who lives here? She's seventeen, in a black-white dress, and looks doll-like!"

That voice made Saito turn back unconsciously.

The owner at the counter shook his head and said, "In this some kind of fashion trend for noble girls to go on a trip by themselves? The noble just now had also asked the same question, you know!"

The grey-caped man turned his body around. His gaze met Saito's. His face immediately took on a vicious sneer.

Saito simply gaped.

That guy......isn't he the one that destroyed Derflinger and almost killed me nine days ago?!

"You......"

"Saito-san?"

"Siesta, run, run to the other guys. This was the people who targeted me before.

"Y-yes!" Siesta stiffly rushed away.

Saito laid his hand on the sword. The rage and pain of losing Derflinger swiftly speeding his heart, the runes on his left hand began to glow brightly in response to his emotions.

This guy......

Even though he had clearly stabbed his sword through his stomach to the hilt, Bleu was still alive and kicking. Perhaps he was treated by that girl with Water magic. Along with Bleu's "Blade", those two guys are formidable opponents.

While taking note of his immediate surrounding, Saito lowered his center of gravity.

"Hey, I still have tons of things to ask."

However, Bleu shook his hand as if he can't stand the sight of Saito.

"Today's a rest day."

"Killers don't get bloody rest."

The both of them, with their blades drawn, made the owner uneasy.

"Hey you two! Settle this outside!"

That voice made Saito raise his chin.

"Outside."

Just then, Bleu drew his wand and started chanting. "Airhammer."

A huge block of solidified air blew Saito away along with the front door of the hotel. He tumbled on to the main road.

"Dammit!" Saito quickly crawled up but Bleu had already fled like a rabbit down a hole.

"Hold it!" Saito yelled as he tried to chase after him.

Seeing Bleu running from the other side of the street, Jack winced.

"What did he do this time......"

"Big bro! Big bro! Not good!"

"What's not good? Let's hear it."

"That! That is, that guy's here!"

Hah? Jack opened his mouth wide. Not long after that, he saw the swordman charging at Bleu and widened his eyes.

' "What did you do this time?!"

"It's not my fault! It was a coincidence!"

Putting aside spell chanting, Jack reanalyzed the situation. Before negotiations regarding their remuneration, they can not kill this guy. If he was killed, then it was not a matter of money anymore, but rather a trap between the devil and the sea!

"Really! Always so troublesome!"

Jack chanted a short spell incantation. After which, the ground below Saito's feet began to bulge and turn into giant mud hands which grabbed Saito's feet.

However, Saito, whose left hand was holding the hilt of the sword, pulled it out and in the blink of an eye and severed the hands.

Phiu~Jack gently whistled and started to chant another incantation. The earth on the ground rumbled and floated before turning into several golems.

The golems, clad in warrior attire pounced on Saito with an inhuman speed but Saito simply slashed the golems apart effortlessly while charging forward.

"Is that so? Tricks like this won't work, eh?" said Jack.

Jumping on a horse, Bleu asked Jack, "What do we do?"

"There's nothing to do. If we kill him, everything's lost. The only option left is escape." Jack said calmly.

Saito, who had been charging forward, noticed that his number of opponents had increased to two men.

However, no matter the number, it was all the same. These guys......even though I don't know who commissioned them to kill me, but Derflinger was sacrificed because of them!

"Why didn't they kill him". "Why could they use such powerful spells". Such questions had already vanished from Saito's mind.

The strong feelings of hatred, along with the grief of losing Derflinger swirled around in his mind. The combat experience he had garnered, however, turned such emotions into a state of "calm".

Despite this......just as his brain calmed down......a strange feeling seeped into Saito's heart.

"......eh?"

His footsteps slowed down.

The feeling that seeped into Saito's heart......was "fear".

That absurdly large "blade".

Also, that magical power that had managed to crush Derflinger......

Before, he had fought against sheer strength.

Before, he had fought against sheer numbers.

However......these guys, are "different".

Compared to the enemies he had fought in the past, they were different somehow.

"I can't win." The spark of fear in his heart whispered to him.

Saito tried to find reasons to crush his fear.

''What am I thinking?''

''No matter the enemy, I have always won anyway. Come on, Saito, look at the big guy. He's a mage but he looks so big......haha, isn't that a boot!''

Even so, the fear didn't go down at all.

"Why isn't Derflinger here?"

''Damn!'' (T/L: not sure if this a monologue here.)

"Why isn't Louise here?"

''I'm actually......alone.''

"Think, Saito, think. Don't lose out to fear."

The big mage started to chant.

What is it now? An earth wall? Or using "Harden" from "Alchemy" to make his body as hard as stone?

"I'm going to cut you apart."

The sword that Saito was holding, was indeed a gift from the Founder Brimir, a real katana. Compared to the other swords and sabres, this was enhanced with "harden" and "permanence".

If it was held by the Gandalfr himself, there should be nothing he can't cut in Halkegenia.

However, even so, his fear didn't disappear.

His body still shook lightly.

"Dammit!"

When there was just a distance of fifteen meters between them, Saito leapt.

The earth wall in front of Jack that was just formed turned into shiny steel. Saito grabbed the sword with both hands and easily sliced through it.

Just like that, he carried on with the heavy swing and forcefully slammed the sword onto Jack's left hand.

However, Jack's expression did not change one bit. He simply held his hand that way for a while, blocking the sword, before lifting it.

"What the?"

Saito, shocked, was hurled to the ground. In a split second, Jack's fist came flying to Saito. Under the sun, Jack's fist seemed to radiate a glowing brilliance.

That's not a normal fist!

Saito rolled, dodging Jack's fist with barely a hairbreadth left.

Jack's fist, simply sank into the ground.

"Iya, you're quite light on your feet, eh?"

"Bam!". Jack withdrew his fist from the ground and it turned as hard as steel. Bleu had also used this technique before. The skill of hardening one's body seemed to be their forte.

However, his left hand was clearly slashed by the sword......But not a drip of blood leaked out. What the hell happened?

Seeing Saito stand up, Jack smiled.

"You......really have some great stuff there, eh? But then again, I can't fight you now."

Just as Saito prepared to dash forward, Jack started to chant. The ground bulged, and broke down to tiny dust particles instantly. Although this was simply "Alchemy" the effect was completely different.

With Saito and company as the center, the corner of the street was completely hidden in the dust storm.

"Dammit!"

With his vision blocked, Saito had completely and effortlessly lost all his fighting capacity. This is the main street, if one swung his sword blindly in the dark, who knew what he'd cut.

After the dust subsided......Jack and Bleu already disappeared. Saito, who looked like he just stepped out of a cloud, stamped his feet on the ground.

"Damn! Damn! shit!" (T/L: original:「可恶！可恶！该死！」)

Elbowing the gaping passers-bys, Guiche and company rushed to him.

"Saito! Are you okay?!"

"Are those people just now the guys who attacked you before?"

"It seems that they escaped."

Saito slid his sword back into the scabbard before slamming his fist into the ground.

"Don't be so resigned. There will be plenty of chances in the future." Guiche said, trying to console Saito. However, that was just wasn't so.

What's regrettable wasn't that they escaped.

But.

The fact that he let them escape in front of his own eyes.

While he felt relieved that he hadn't battle them.

''Even with vengeance for Derflinger on the line......I escaped.''

What kind of (shitty) hero am I? (T/L: translation of 狗屁)

"Damn......! Derflinger......! My own strength, sure enough, just isn't enough to defeat them!"

From the window of the "White whale of Land inn", Jeanette, who had seen the entire episode, slowly showed a cold smile on her face. Isn't that the guy, who just fought with her brothers, called de Onieres, the guy whose "job" was suspended?

Why would he, run back to this street?

Pondering this, Jeanette smiled.

"......what was that racket about?"

Louise rubbed her eyes while sitting up from the bed. Jeanette told Louise, "Nothing much, it's just some drunkards."

"......Really troublesome. Didn't they wake everybody?"

Looking at the sleepy Louise, the smile on Jeanette grew more pronounced.

Looking back......she would have never thought that this was the girl she had just passed before.

"Then, haven't your brothers come?"

"They came already~"

"Eh? Really?" Louise's eyes glowed.

Just then, the door just opened without much bother for a knock.

It's Jack and Bleu.

"Aiya. You're really late, brothers."

"This guy forgot the name of the inn." Jack poked Bleu's head.

"But, Didn't I remember it!"

"You should have remembered it from the start!"

Not caring for his brother's rebuke, Bleu looked at Louise his eyes widened.

"A girl!"

Jack frowned. "Did you control her heart and make another 'Puppet'?"

Louise looked at Jeanette, surprised.

"Puppet"?

What, are they talking about?

After that, Louise looked at the two men who just appeared. Covered in grey robes, they looked like monks.

However......the aura they have is different. From their wands, they certainly are mages, but they didn't seem to be nobles.

"Hey, Big bro Jack."

"What?"

"Wasn't there once, when we sent one illegitimate noble child to a monastery?"

"Aah, that about, two years ago."

"That place, do you still remember it?"

Jack took a glance at Louise, before returning his gaze to Jeanette. "Yeah, I do."

"That's great. Can you tell me about it?"

"What for?"

Jeanette smiled brilliantly. "This kid, says she wants to go there."

Bleu spread his hands, shocked. "Hey hey Jeanette! What are you talking about? This information is something we got from a job, is it really so good if we reveal it that easily? Anyhow, that monastery is a place so secret that......even only a few Gallian royal nobles know about it......"

"That really doesn't matter at all."

"I'm just saying, don't you always nag me saying that we should preserve the confidentiality of our work?"

This conversation made Louise confused. These guys, what do they do for a living? Although it sounds that, they were secret Gallia spies......

Maa, their identities weren't important.

A place for her to hide herself......isn't that enough?

"Alright, I'll tell you."

"Big bro Jack!" Bleu yelled.

"If Big bro Damien knew about it, he would blow his top! Absolutely!"

"Maa, he should get angry. However, if I don't say it, Jeanette will get even more angry. Right, Jeanette?"

Jeanette's face slightly reddened before laughing happily.

"This kid......it's like that from the start. When she sees someone she likes, she would help them no matter what. That's just great, miss." Jack said while looking at Louise. Louise, frightened by the pressuring aura emanated by Jack, fearfully nodded her head.

Jack took a parchment from his bad and wrote something smoothly.

"Go to the street along the coast of Gallia......Gurabir, find a priest called Marcus in the Saint Baily's monastery there. He should, bring you to where you want to go."
(T/L: not sure with the names.)

The letter, which was handed to Louise, was instead snatched by Jeanette.

"Hey, Jeanette......"

"I'll take her there. This kid, she can't cross the borders alone, right?"

"You......what about the job? What are you planning to do!"

"In any case, the negotiations aren't completed, right? Big Bro Damien isn't here too. Also, even if I weren't here, there won't be much difference, will there?"

"Maa, it really is so."

Jeanette pounced on Jack and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Big bro Jack! Although your face is scary, your heart is the softest!"

After that, Jeanette turned to the gaping Louise.

"Come on. Hurry up and prepare your stuff. We're going immediately. Hurry, hurry, we'll need at least three days to get to Gurabir from here, you know."

"Nn, okay....."

"Aah, right. Wear a large hood too, to cover your face, okay? We don't know who's gonna catch up to us, right?" Jeanette said to Louise, who was nodding furiously.

"Alright. Finally, let me ask you again."

"Eh?"

"From now on, the place I'm gonna bring you is a 'secret place'. Do you know what that means? In other words, once you go in, you're never getting out. Is that okay? You're never, ever going to see him again, you know?"

This sentence, made Louise pale. It was as if someone had speared her head with an icicle. She was frozen from the depths of her soul.

"Never, ever going to see Saito again."

This matter was becoming reality in the blink of an eye, made it that much heavier a burden......

However......she had realized what she had to do and that was why she ran away, wasn't it?

Because, Saito is already......in love with a person who loves him and can protect him more.

She once thought that being at Saito's side was the only place for her. However, now she cannot return to that place.

If she didn't do this......meeting with him would only make her heart ache more. It could be said that, she didn't want to be hurt anymore. That the pain was unbearably excruciating.

The Louise of the past has already died. Now there is just a shell......

''"Never mind." Louise said. The smile on Jeanette's face resurfaced.''

"Sacrificing yourself for 'love'? Good, I like this kind the best."

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| Back to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume17_Chapter4|Chapter4]]
| Return to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume17_Chapter6|Chapter6]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Hidan no Aria:Volume8 Epilogue

2013-01-04T17:38:11Z

174.107.235.39:

==Epilogue: Go for the Next!! The Spiral Sky Tree -Tornado High-==

“Ar, are you a……”Cross-dress Student”……”

As I was too surprise, I blurted out a Butei term.

But Watson just looked down silently.

--The so-called “Cross-dress Students”, although it is rarely used term……it means a boy cross-dressing as a girl, or a girl cross-dressing as a boy in Butei High.

In Butei High, there are one or two students each year in order to investigate a crime under special circumstances, received permission from the Masters, cross-dress as boys.

From the looks of it……this fellow is a cross-dress student.

So to speak, there were some weird parts just now.

She has never taken a look at any of the "cool" photos that Muto brings, and that sense of danger that I felt at first—I guess it was the basic instinct of Hysteria mode.

Willingly wearing a girl’s uniform during the “Cosplay Cafeteria” event, taking into account his personality……it must be one of his tactics.

“The Art of War” that is taught during Inquesta class did say that “All warfare is based on deception, the true may be false, the false may be true.” A so-called fair war, is none other than some excellent criminal trick.

It means that the culprit not only didn’t cover up his own alibi, but made himself known to the victim—then acted a calm attitude in front of the Butei and police.

This way, the police will assume that “the culprit will not let himself become a suspect”, and identify this fellow as innocent.

Watson who faked his gender, did not resist when wearing the girl’s uniform……I guess it must be to prevent others from discovering the fact that she’s a girl cross-dressing as a guy.

(It can’t be true……)

Watson remained silent.

But her silence means that she acknowledges her identity as a female.

The mermaid is still sitting there, sobbing……sobbing……

Ah……she cried.

The way she is crying, no man can do the same. She is really a girl.

“Tohyama……why did you help me. Why did you help a person who intends to kill you……and before in school, made you fall into a dangerous situation……why……”

“……Go and ask the great person who established the nine Butei Law.”

“You must help a person in danger? ……Such……such a humiliation, I can’t stand it anymore……kill me! A Christian can’t commit suicide. It can be treated as an accident even if you killed me. You don’t have to obe the Butei Law!”

“I ran out of bullets.”

The lethargic me laid on the floor spread out.

“I have bullets. They’re down there at the column, I’ve even hidden some blessed silver bullets.”

“Do you really want to die that much? Also, wouldn’t you have beaten me if you had used them just now?”

“Those things aren’t allowed to be used on humans, although you’re half human half demon……”

Don’t say such rude words arbitrary.

So to speak……are there any bullets left?

If so, this time I “won the battle but lost the challenge”?

“I’m a……noble. If I lose, those before……”

Watson wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes with the back of her hand, and spoke while looking at me who was lying on the floor.

“Since I lose, I’ll bear with every consequence willingly. I won’t resist whatever you do to me. Act as you please.”

“You, actually said such dangerous words. To the current me, you are just a girl.”

I flipped over my body with my back towards Watson and asked.

I don’t even have enough strength to climb up and preach.

“……But, why are you cross-dressing as a boy?”

“To get Aria to marry into the Watsons. If Aria can marry me, she’ll become one of the Watsons. This is why I was raised as a boy.”

“…………”

Coincidentally, the problems I’m facing now is of the opposite.

Karma is acting too fast. What happened to Aria finally happened to me.

“The social responsibility of a noble—for the honor of the English nobles, not only we need to succeed at the top of society……we also have to find a way to save the world silently. Where I am is a secret society where we practice for this aim.”

A society that saves the world from an unknown place without any reward.

Why does it sound like a place where the heroes of justice gather?

"But while the Watsons are carrying out this missions, we've been on the decline about 30 years ago. Due to our glorious past achievements, the Watsons have always served as elites. Such a popular household......although we've gain success at the top of the society, but we couldn't gain support from places that are more important. Then......"

"Then they thought of using Aria?"

"…...Yes......the Holmes may not be a member of the society, but they are in favor of our actions. That's why, in order to nurture future elite detectives......or Butei, the previous generation's lord who found out of Aria's birth signed a secret agreement with the Holmes......which is to let me who was going to be born at the winter of the same year be engaged with Aria. Of course, the Holmes didn't know that I was a girl. As the society doesn't allow adopted offspring to succeed it, we're left with the option of marriage. For us Watsons......"

…...It sounds like a case of family feud.

I nearly lost my life due to this, that's really troublesome.

"But......Tohyama. This is not only it. The danger I said just now that threatens Aria does exist. If you're not "Grenada"--if this continues, Aria......"

Watson hesitated on speaking, while I stand up with an indifferent expression and spoke.

"I may not have chosen to join "Deen" at first, but I'll become the target of "Deen" if I join the "Grenada" now. It'll also be regarded as a betrayal, and I'll be frozen by Jeanne, or cast a spell on by Tamamo or Meiya.

"But......Aria......"

"--To me, Aria and I are on the same boat currently. I can be considered as a forced partner. No matter who the opponent is. She'll defend if someone attacks. She'll get something back if it is taken away. It is so......I'll bring you to Aria."

"You won't become one of "Grenada" no matter what? Regardless of how dangerous your position is?"

"I'm already used to it."

Watson looked at me while sitting on the floor--

Although the surrounding were dark, there was something glinting at the corner of her eye......

Her body was emitting a girlish aura and I suddenly had a bad feeling.

"I understand......Tohyama, then I'll help you. As compensation. I'll also withdraw my suggestion of joining "Grenada", and suggest you join "Deen" instead."

After speaking, Watson stood up with her face full of determination.

Then......taking out two magazines from the back of the column, she said.

"Aria is up there."

I've no idea why, but she passed one of the magazines to me.

Then I noticed that the bullets were not made of lead but instead made of silver, but the caliber is 9mm, it is fully compatible with my weapon.

"Why do you still have bullets."

"…...I can't tell. Just take it. I'll bring Aria here alone."

Watson spoke with a doubtless tone, I can only take out the bullets......

*tick*,*clap*, and load them into my weapon.

That moment......

"I envy you a lot."

"Envy me?"

"…...Actually, I knew about it the first time I saw you and Aria together, that the most suitable partner for Aria is you. It's because my lifetime goal was to acquire Aria, I felt unhappy when I saw that scene. And I was really envious. That's why in Butei High, I went overboard. I'm sorry."

"If so, just treat me to grilled beef next time. My revenge for food is strong."

Mentioning that cafeteria issue, Watson chuckled.

This is the first time I've seen it, it's really the first time......She is like a girl, smiling brightly.

She's actually......very cute. She has her own good points.

"I guess I understand Aria's feelings."

"What?"

"This is why I envy you. As I am I girl......I know about it."

"What do you mean?"

"--Aria, likes you."

….........

….........Ah?

What kind of gibberish are you speaking. Aria fires at me average 7.5 rounds per day.

“Impossible.”

Watson raised his eyebrows and said.

“I understand your feelings a little. That’s why I dare say that, you like Aria too.”

Again with this trick.

Reki had said such words before.

I’ve no idea how deeply my relationship with Aria is misunderstood.

“Although your guess was very brave, but you’re completely wrong. Do you know how many times I have to fight with Aria each day……”

Just when my voice ceased to be heard, I suddenly noticed that the surroundings changed.

……………………

The streetlights and other electrical units on the streets suddenly went out.

Our surrounding plunged into darkness in an instant.

The current scene looks like a power shortage. Streetlights, signal lights, even the lights of residential houses are out.

“…………?”

At that moment, the sky faraway above us suddenly lit up.

What a plane……?

450 meters near the Sky Tree. There’s a blinding flash at the edge of the second observatory.

“…………Watch out! High!”

Watson noticed the flash and warned me in English.

The light fell!

What in the world is that?

That radiance fall towards the ground quickly like a lamp.

No, that is not a lamp!

It’s too huge.

A gigantic light ball with a diameter of 2 meters approximately, is flying towards my chest with blinding speed.

“Tohyama……Hurry and leave me!”

*dong*!

I was hit aside.

In front of my eyes—

Is nothing but white.

“…………”

She didn’t even have time to cry out, Watson blocked that white light orb with her body.

Crackles from static electricity discharge are audible to my ear.

Suddenly I felt a jolt of electricity through my body.

This is Hilda’s move!

What happened, it’s more powerful that the one when we last met!

“—Watson—!”

Watson’s last shout is burned into my memory.

The surrounding air has become a spiral flow floating upwards due to the high temperature caused by lightning discharge.

It’s like they’re calling out to us—the air flow is letting us float upwards—upwards.

—Like a tornado, fly upwards.

Go For The NEXT!

Silver Cross and Draculea:Volume01 Chapter2

2013-01-03T23:39:23Z

174.107.235.39:

==Mortal World==

"Why are you so unhappy?"

Rushella lovingly lowered her head and asked, but Kujou did not reply.

He only stared at the sky, cursing the world's change to abnormality and his own life.

Right now is recess time, and the location is the roof.

It is a symbol of high school life, the sweet smell of spring, but Kujou's face is full of confusion.

The nightmarish homeroom class is over, Kujou finally finished the morning class.

Because it is the first day at school, the stuff they teach are the basics, only requiring some light attention and it is over- But Rushella's arrogant performance in front the teachers-completely devastated Kujou's heart.

Even the precious rest time, due to incessant questioning by Rushella regarding school regulation and policies, left him neither peace nor rest.

Not only a transfer student, but also a complete gorgeous beauty, she is popular with both the girls and the boys. But Rushella completely ignored everyone else, only talking to Kujou, thus creating a dangerous aura among the male student population.

Finally recess arrived, but....she still followed over.

"I say....can't you be a bit more merciful....just how deep is your hatred for me?"

"Very deep. I drank your blood and yet you refuse to become my servant, and even sprayed me full of garlic."

"But you struck first right! And why do you pretend to be a student? High school life has nothing to do with my body right?"

Kujou's questions are reasonable suspicions, and Rushella looked away.

"Could it be....you look at these young people as preys?"

Kujou's tone became serious.

Teenagers gather in a high school, in certain ways it would be an ideal hunting ground for a vampire.

The common knowledge that vampires love the blood of a virgin girl the most--there should be plenty here.

"Wrong, I am not the type that leaves a prey half full then run off with someone else."

"Not even one drop, completely dry? I am not going to feel grateful you know, with that kind of logic."

"Isn't it better than abandoning you half transformed?"

"That is vampire logic only."

Kujou sighed, then leaned against the rail fencing.

After being fanged by a vampire, there are usually two possibilities---death, or become a vampire.

Death or servitude, this is all the vampire's choice. In certain rare cases, in the process for a person to become a vampire, the master vanishes.

In a situation like this, the victim that remained behind will be stuck at [Mid-transformation] for the rest of his/her life.

Due to the [Mid-Transformation] the victim may take on certain vampire characteristics, they may have vampiric instincts, longer lifespan compared to average humans---and carry the curse for the rest of their lives.

"I will carefully select the partner I drink blood from. If I want him to become my servant then the criteria are is even more stringent. And in addition, I will not leave until he become my servant. It is a (True Ancestor)'s etiquette from the ancient days."

"Then why did you select me?"

".................."

"Looking at you, who is so serious on making me your servant, why did you target me last night?"

Kujou is still confused about last night.

When they met last night, Rushella really wanted to turn him into her servant.

But his body prevented that transformation, so she even charged into the school.

Thus....why is she so interested in me?

"Don't you feel honored? I became attracted to you. As if I am really attached to you. To look for someone young and handsome, similar in age to me, a boy with a delicious blood flavor to become my servant."

(Translator-Rushella must have read too many shoujo manga.....)

"....similar age? What are you blabbering about? Aren't you a [True ancestor]-sama? Although you can't tell from looks, a vampire's actual age must be ancient compared to me. Speak of that, how old are you?"

(Translator-Female anime character slapping in 3...2...1)

As Kujou asked, Rushella's expression froze.

It is almost as if she isn't feeling offended by having someone asking her age...but as if someone asked her something scary.

"What? Isn't longevity something a vampire should be proud of?"

"I....I don't know."

It is so far the lightest whisper that came from Rushella.

It is the voice of a girl at Kujou's age, feeling totally helpless.

"How old I am....I am really not sure."

"Because you lived so long you forget....apparently not. Then, where are you from...hey, where are your relatives and servants? Why don't you ask them...?"

"I don't have....those people."

"Eh? But..."

"Relative....I should have them, but I can't remember. Servants...I shouldn't have any. Drinking blood...you are my first time."

"Ha----?!"

Completely confusing.

Ok, now Kujou can understand why her blood sucking techniques are so awful, but the mysteries just got deeper.

"But....aren't you a [True Ancestor]? A royal-blooded Ojou-Sama, standing on top of thousands of servants?"

"I don't have...memories."

"Eh?..."

"For example, when was I born, where I was born....I completely don't know. Thus, how old I am...I don't know either."

Rushella held her arms together, withdrawing back.

She looked far away, biting her lips.

"Lost your....memories?"

"Maybe so... The night I met you, I woke up from the coffin. Near the forest outside the city. But, why I was there, or when I was there....I completely don't remember. I only know my name, that I am a true ancestor, other than that...."

"Some average day-to-day knowledge is there, but nothing about myself. But that knowledge...is a bit outdated."

Kujou finally understood.

Strange fashion, a vampire "style" that is rare now-days, idiotic blood drinking technique.

Such a strange existence, because she don't even understand herself.

It looked like Rushella was not lying; besides, there is nothing good to gain by revealing her own weakness to humans. It looks like she really lost all her memories.

"You came to school; does that mean you want to learn about the current era? Is that the idea?"

"....Correct. I want to know how this world is like. But....humanity has definitely changed a lot. Looking at this world during the daytime, really shock me. Such huge buildings, so many people...and if I think carefuly, people work and play in broad daylight. Although it makes me feel uncomfortable, but it is clear that world power is in the hands of humans. But it is so strange....forget about the Vampires, I don't even feel the spirits of any supernatural beasts. Why is it like this?"

"Because this is the world's situation right now. Most of the people, even if they know vampire exists, will not believe it."

"....It appear so. When I spoke my name this morning, no one gave any reaction. My name has significant history in the vampire lore. Anyone with a tiny understanding of our history should know when I am."

"It looks like you considered that too.....so that is why you said your name so loudly. Just to grasp the situation."

Kujou's opinion of this out-dated vampire has improved a little.

Though her her common sense stopped hundreds of years ago, her adaptability is definitely not bad.

"What happened to this world? Why did my race vanish? Why don't the humans know I exist!?"

"Even if you ask this...this 15 years old me, I am still learning the basic common knowledge."

"Tell me quickly. Since you are not surprised of my existence, then you are better knowledgeable than general humans."

She saw through him completely, so Kujou can no longer play dumb.

"I only heard a little from my relative; historically, it should be sometime around the industrial revolution? During that period, humanity's knowledge became more and more advanced. Because of this, Our World and the Monster World's [position] became misaligned."

<ref>'''Relative''': The word used to describe "relative" is "someone close", in here it probably mean "guardian".</ref>

"Please explain in simple words. What is the Industrial Revolution?"

".....So I need to explain from the beginning, huh. I think you should learn about world history. To put it simply, it is like wireless communication. When there is a wireless broadcasting station, TV shows become possible. But most of the audience cannot receive the signal. They were meant to match up together, humanity and monsters, which is now miss-positioned. Thus they weren't aware of each other. But now and then they will link up, and the two world overlaps. Those who are sensitive to high frequency....people who are described as spiritually sensitive, are able receive effects of the other world much more simply."

"I am completely confused....wireless what?"

".....Sorry, my mistake."

Kujou thought his explanation was pretty good, but it appears she isn't understanding the critical point. The boy shakes his head, and rephrase his explanation so this ojou-sama from another world can understand.

"In other words, monsters didn't cease to exist, but humanity could no longer feel their existence....something like that. It is almost as if they are separated into their own world. Thus, even vampires wouldn't be able to find other monsters."

"You should have said this earlier, instead of going around and around."

".....My mistake."

"I understand. But vampires are special. Vampires are different than other monsters; Vampire still exist in this world, they must completely live in the human world. We are corporeal. And it will be troublesome for us if humans don't exist."

"Indeed. It is completely different than specters who have no body and just floats around. Vampire still exists in this world. You could say they are the representative of the monsters. Thus, humanity are still alert of their existence."

Kujou's eyes darken with hesitation, which Rushella did not miss it.

"What are you saying? Are you saying humanity expelled my race?"

"My meaning is, such people do exist. They understand this world's true appearance, and consider monsters who co-exist in the human world to be their enemies. During self introduction---You said, no one had any reaction to your name? On other hand, a few may suspect you are a vampire. You should be careful."

"You don't have to worry, I do not plan to hide my identity. Even if humanity band together against the vampires, it is nothing special."

Rushella puffs up her chest as she replies.

Such an answer completely meeting Kojou's expectations, he simply shrugs his shoulders.

"First I must find my memories; if I manage to, I should be able to find other vampires. I want to ask them things. You seem to have a great understanding of vampires, so help me."

"Don't want to, you can do it alone."

"But you are a servant that's meant to serve me."

"I am not your servant; I am not familiar with your race's organizational makeups, nor am I interested."

"You really are the cheeky type."

Rushella's pride appears to be wounded, she licks her tongue then moves closer.

It is day time, thus her physical capabilities are reduced, but Rushella will definitely win if she decides to play hardball.

The boy is still considering his options when Rushella laughs.

"Although beating you is simple, but in certain ways I would be lost. I want you to surrender by your own free will, kneel before me, then I will bury the hatchet."

"(expletive), but vampires are naturally like this. But you have your fangs and <Magic eyes>, couldn't you subdue anyone easily?"

"Isn't it useless against you!? But in certain ways, it is still effective. For example....you worry about me looking for other prey, right? Those people have no relationship with you, but you still care about them."

"Of course I care. If someone around me dies, or stop being human...I definitely don't want to see it happen. If it becomes like that, even me....I would become a vampire hunter."

To protect his peaceful life, even Kujou would become a cold-heart foe.

Rushella *hum* (sound), then stand up.

"I don't think you could exterminate me. But, let's stop wasting time. you will still come to help me."

"That, I already said..."

"If you agree to help me, I will not suck anyone else's blood. I can promise that with you. If you are willing to sacrifice your body to me, I will guarantee the safety of other people around you. How is that?"

"This sucks..."

This must be feeling of a man staked on altar meant for human sacrifice.

It is the first day at school, and fate of everyone here is on his shoulders.

"So? Decide quickly."

".........I will serve you."

"I can't hear you, speak louder."

Rushella wants to shows off her beautiful ears, moving it next to him.

"Let me help you."

"Did you forget something?"

"Please allow me to help you....mistress."

"Hum, you speak well!"

It is clear he didn't lose his humanity, but Kujou suddenly reached a level lower than average humans.

"Damn it...I never thought I would curse my own body one day..."

"Then you will work hard right. A servant who can move during daytime is precious to me. And one day you will become one of my kind. Then, lets perform today's service?"

"Ha?"

Kujou look confused, suddenly his field of vision turns dark, and Rushella's face came close.

In that instant, he found himself on the floor.

What is blocking the sun is Rushella on top of him holding a parasol.

"Then....Rushella-sama?"

"You went to the 'cafeteria' to buy lunch right? Then I am going to have lunch as well."

Rushella licks her lips, then dove at Kujou's neck.

The boy tried to struggle, to avoid the sweet breathe down his neck.

"Hey, Let go! Didn't you suck me this morning?! It should had been enough right?"

"Be Quiet, I don't feel well, what is the problem? All I want is to suck a little bit!"

"I said it is not allowed....!"

Rushella's lips come closer and closer, while Kujou struggled.

The two struggled, until Rushella's lips reach his neck.

"Making me waste so much energy..!Ok, I am going to take care of you..!"

"Are you a corrupt bureaucrat who steals people's daughters?"

As Kujou prepare his final line of defense, the roof top door suddenly opened.

".....Husui....san?"

Kujou recognize the voice, and freezes.

There were several people standing by the stairs.

Rushella's lips still on his neck, while he turned his sight around.

From the students he barely knows, there was one who has the best relationship with him--- Class Rep Sera Reina.

Judging the lunch box she is carrying, Reina planned to come have lunch with Kujou.

"That.....I am sorry for interrupting!"

Hearing Reina's heartfelt apologize, Kujou begin to sweat uncontrollably.

His own limbs are currently pinned to the spot by Rushella.

It look like they were about to share a passionate kiss.

Even if he pushes the vampire away, there still would be kiss marks left behind.

"I, I say...!"

Before Kujou can explain, the girls all dispersed.

But their harmless gossip still flow into his ear.

"Hum, they are....really together? They already got it done so early?"

"It looks like they weren't going to just kiss..."

"School just start, and it is broad daylight outside, what the heck..."

"Foreign girls...so open."

Even though it is only whispers, but they felt like a painful roar in Kujou's head.

....And a stab in the heart.

Kujou stared at the sky soullessly.

Rushella appears to lose interest as well, brush up her hair and straighten out her clothes that was mussed up by Kujou; she got up from his body.

"Peeking at other people eating lunch, what a bunch of impolite people. Don't you think so?"

"I finally understood what a girl feels like when she is forcefully pushed down...."

Kujou tearfully murmured. His hands become loose, and the plastic bag with the food he brought from the cafeteria fell off.

"Ah yes, what did you buy? Let me look, I want a taste."

"Up to you....in fact, it will be helpful if you help me eat it."

Search through the bag, and finally selecting a strawberry milk.

She studied the container back and forth, and after finally understanding to how to use it, begins to sip its contents.

"What? Such a sweet and pink milk! Perhaps they added blood in it?"

No, the original material is the same thing, no need to mix it...Kujou don't even have the strength to sigh.

Rushella begin to suck the milk, and begin to release a cute sound. Kujou sat nearby with tearful eyes.

The class's final bit of compassion, was swept away by the wind.

Really don't want to go to the afternoon class.

The fair sex's ability to disseminate gossip is faster than the speed of light.

Just lost the ability to have a normal school life.

Now he has to welcome his "being labeled as strange" high school life.

Kujou was considering a school transfer, while Rushella was blissfully sucking away at the milk.

"This is so sweet! It is only secondary to blood..."

"......Just kill me."

Kujou replied with a blood-coughing despair, but someone not far away is observing the two.

She was not part of the group of girls earlier, She stood in the shadows behind the (Not sure what is a good term for the small shack that cover the roof stair case-Translator), and focused at Kujou with a laser like intensity.

"Good male, found <3."

".....Why were you so terrible yesterday? Even if you are hopelessly talent-less you shouldn't be this bad!"

"It is only a physical examination, why do I have to go all out?"

After school, in front of the locker-room <ref>'''Locker room''': The one in Japan where the students put on their shoes</ref> Rushella was criticizing Kujou's results. His results were mediocre at best.

But Rushella refuse to accept the results, and repeatedly critique him.

"It looks like you were not serious. You really didn't pay attention, right?"

"Isn't everyone the same? Also, I shouldn't be criticized by someone who didn't participate."

Because Physical Education took place outside the school, Rushella used her magic eyes to stay indoors.

Even though she was not a teacher, she sat on a chair holding her parasol, while cheering and boosting Kujou.

To be honest, it was extremely embarrassing. And the men/women physic ED was suppose to be separate.

"Why were you looking at my Physical Tests?"

"It is your job to forge your own body so you can protect me. Even though you are strangely unable to become a member of my race, you are able to work under the sun, therefore covering my weakness."

"My principal is not to waste energy, what is so special about physical ed? Just meandering through it will be fine."

"Don't be too proud of yourself; when you were serious earlier, you weren't anything special."

"You really know how to make it hurt, you broke through all of my defensive lines."

"Keep my spirits up. When it is 'class time', you were only half paying attention, right? Why are you so merit-less?"

"It is no big deal. At critical moments, the strength in my body will come out."

"Stop spouting nonsense. You are my servant, in the moments when lives are on the line, you should be willing to die for me!"

Rushella showed her "high class" looks again, and Kojou was not going to argue.

He stopped looking at Rushella, and opened his Shoe-Locker. Reaching his hands for his shoes, he found a slip of paper.

The message was both mysterious and interesting.

"I will be waiting for you on the first floor of the second building, in the empty classroom."

He thought for a moment, then left the shoe-locker and headed back to the school.

"Wait a second, where are you going?!"

"I have something to do. Why don't you go ahead and go home?"

"Why are you angry? Stop spouting nonsense, you are my escort, take me back to that crude residence."

"You still plan to live at my place...? If you are not satisfied then you can go find a different place, Vampire-sama."

As Kujou complained, Rushella realized she has no argument, and became silent.

Thus Kujou escaped and headed for the empty classroom.

He was still unfamiliar with the structure of the school, so he got lost several times before he finally finding the right place.

Kujou opened the door, and it was a mess of chairs and desks.

It looked like the place was unused, because of it being a corner room, there wasn't anyone in sight.

As Kujou stared out the window at the fading sun , he heard a voice from behind.

"Ah, you came."

".....Looks like it was not an wild goose chase, what do you want?"

Kujou turned around, and it was one of the girls from the classroom.

She looked extremely feminine for a girl of their age. Tea colored hair with ponytails, and he could barely recall her name from the self introduction in the morning.

But he could not remember her name.

"You are..."

"Mei, Sodou Mei."

"Ah, right..."

==Translator's Notes and References==
<references/>

{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Silver_Cross_and_Draculea:Volume01_Chapter1|Chapter 1]]
| Return to [[Silver_Cross_and_Draculea|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Silver_Cross_and_Draculea:Volume01_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter2

2012-11-26T23:51:26Z

174.107.235.39:

{{Incomplete|percentage=44}}

== Chapter 2 — Sky Voyage ==


The flying boat filled with ether continued to glide over the clouds.

The destination was a sanctuary in the Elemental Spirit World – Floating Island «Ragna Ys».

It was the venue for the Spirit Blade Dance festival.

Originally, only the shrine princesses from the «Divine Ritual Institute» were permitted to enter the sanctuary to attend the Elemental Lord.

However, this was open to the general public specifically during the Blade Dance festival only.

"Oh, this flying boat is so amazing!"

Overlooking the sea of clouds that extended through the window, Kamito was feeling dizzy.

Anyway, it was his first time riding a flying boat.

But as expected from the ladies of nobility, they were accustomed to it as soon as they unloaded their luggage.

He was relaxing on the sofa in the private room that they were each allotted.

The carpet was very beautiful embroidered in red, with the walls being made of polished marble.

All the built-in furniture on board was of the highest quality.

"Nevertheless, there isn't even a small tremor."

"This is indeed the latest type of flying ship. If all goes as planned we will be arriving at about noon."


That being said, Claire herself laid down on the sofa. But no matter, her posture was....

One could easily see her pink panties. Kamito hurriedly turned his head.

"Come to think of it, I have heard that tonight will be the opening ceremony at the castle. Have you brought your dress for the Formal Ball?"

"No, I didn't bring it. I hate dance parties."

Recalling the Blade Dance Festival three years ago, Kamito groaned bitterly.

Honestly, the ball was nothing if not trivial.

"Is that so...."

For some reason, Claire muttered regretfully.

"....? Don't be embarrassed if you need help with your dress, okay?"

"No no, there's no help required!"

Claire blushed and turned the other way.

"Are you angry......?"

"I― I am not angry...stupid!"

"....Really, both of you, fighting on a ship?"

Rinslet was amazed at this and shrugged her shoulders.

"Rinslet, what are you doing here―?"


Rinslet had arranged a tea set on the table beforehand.

"I'll brew some black tea, so, shall we have some?"

"I have heard that the flavor of tea leaves from the Laurenfrost province is very good."

"Uh huh! It is essential to relax a bit before the Blade Dance festival begins."

Fianna and Ellis too, who were gazing at the scene outside came over to join the table.

It seemed to be an elegant young lady's style to enjoy tea during the evening time.

As Rinslet gracefully poured the tea into the cups with her hands, the steam rose immediately filling the room with a pleasant citrus aroma.

"Oh thank you! This has a really nice flavor."

Claire gave her sincere words of praise.

"This orange tea is a specialty of the Laurenfrost province."

"Heh-heh, the tea brewed by my lady is indeed delicious."

Her maid Carol giggled and smiled.

"Isn't that usually a maid's job?"

Kamito inquired―

"Well, if she did it my adorable Carol would have burns all over herself."

"Ah, sorry..."


For some reason, Rinslet was stark angry.

Incidentally, only those people who were invited were allowed into the sanctuary; however, Carol being the property of Laurenfrost House— was given a special permit as a companion of Rinslet.

That said, Rinslet still seemed dissatisfied with the treatment, towards Carol.

"How many sugars, Kamito-san?

"Ah, I want just one."

"Claire's is two, right?"

"You! How do you know about my taste?"

"Eh, nothing; I merely remembered it by chance."

Rinslet blushed and shouted angrily.

"Well, that's because my lady and Miss Claire had been playing together since the early days—

"Ah, is that right?"

Carol smiled at Kamito's response and said.

"Yes, my lady and Miss Claire were very emotionally attached—"

"Hey, you, when did that happen!?"

""Yes, that's right. I assure you that Claire and I are and have always been rivals!"


Rinslet faced the other way.

"I wonder if I can get it."

"As expected of your Royal Highness, you truly understand the way to enjoy black tea."

Rinslet said nodding with satisfaction.

At that moment Ellis coughed and said in an embarrassed voice—

"I-I would like milk tea with plenty of sugar."

"Hai Hai<ref> '''Hai Hai''': Casually saying ‘yes yes’ in Japanese</ref>, Milk tea it is."

"and also......"

"Yes?"

"If possible, with cream and honey. Moreover I also like a dried marshmallow on it."

"Hey! What is that!"

Rinslet's cheek twitched.

"A tea with such excess, is blasphemy towards tea!"

"I-I always have it that way! In order to endure harsh sword training, it is necessary to take in a lot of sugar."

"Hah... it's because of this that the Military Family of Fahrengart is..."


“Miss Captain is also surprisingly childish,if she doesn’t understand the subtle flavor of tea.”

To Claire’s pitying look Ellis retorted teary-eyed."Ugh, you are so annoying! I have always preferred sweetness in my tea!"

While watching them --

Be it this or that, they were honest with one’s heart, these two people… …

Kamito smiled wryly in mind.

Because of their long time conflict with Sylphid Knights, Claire and the Sylphid Knights Captain Ellis were on bad terms. With Ellis in the team they merely quarreled for two weeks during the entire training sessions.

In order to utilise the battle skills of the neighboring Ellis, Kamito asserted that the duo unite. This raised complaints from Claire for some reason—— And in such a way many evenings passed.

Afterall, they were two people of very different personalities.

Both of them were assuredly honor students; however, Ellis was more of a sincere type: with great endeavor, while Claire was an ill-tempered genius type. At the very least, both were strong willed.

And thus, the first week went by in a very dangerous mood; however---

"Unbelievable!Really, putting honey…"

“Wow, I like this.”

== Translator's notes and References ==

<references/>

<noinclude>{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter1|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter3}}</noinclude>

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter1

2012-11-26T23:21:14Z

174.107.235.39:

{{Incomplete|parts=100%}}
== Chapter 1: Travel Preparation ==

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Chirp, chirp...*

Twitters of birds could be heard coming from the «Spirit Forest» surrounding the academy.

"Mm..."

Opening his eyes and rising up at his bed, his own half-asleep face was being reflected in the window.

His black hair was ruffled after sleeping. He had an insecure look in his eyes.

Compared to the innocent looks in his dream, his impression had changed greatly.

''Four years ago... huh?''

It had been a long time since he last had a dream about that period of time.

It was probably the first time he had one since coming to this academy.

To be frank, it was a memory he didn't even want to recall...

Kamito unintentionally cast his sight down to his left hand, where a spirit seal was engraved.

The seal of the darkness spirit— the left hand which grasped victory at the Blade Dance three years ago.

''Now I am trying to return to that arena once more.''

With the Blade Dance drawing near, he was probably feeling emotionally overwrought without realizing it.

That must have been the cause of him having a dream about that period of time, too.

As he was about to raise his body from the bed―

"......"

Kamito noticed something.

His body felt strangely heavy.

Something soft and pleasant was mounted on top of his waist.

"......?!"

Startled, Kamito flipped his blanket vigorously.

And then.

"Fua... Good morning, Kamito."

"E-Est?!"

A lovely voice that sounds just like a bell.

The one straddling Kamito's waist— was a silver-haired beauty.

She had mysterious violet eyes. Her skin was white like freshly extracted milk.

The figure in question, who was rubbing her drowsy-looking eyelids, was lovely just like a snow fairy.

Sword spirit Est. She was Kamito's contracted spirit, who was entitled the «Demon Slayer».

Apparently she had sneaked into Kamito's bed before he knew it.

On top of that, her attire was—

"What's wrong, Kamito?"

Still straddling on top of his waist, Est looked down on him expressionlessly.

"H-Hey, your attire..."

Est was fully naked― No, she wasn't.

She was dressed up properly.

However.

"Kamito?"

Est tilted her head blankly. Kamito averted his eyes in a fluster.

Est was wearing Kamito's uniform shirt over her naked body.

She's probably not wearing underwear. Her attire was what called a naked-shirt<ref>Similar to Naked-apron, a naked shirt is where the subject wears nothing but a shirt.</ref>.

From the exposed bosom, her slightly exposed white skin was strangely captivating.

The cuffs were big and excessive, but they gave him an unnecessary maniacal feeling nonetheless.

"Wha—? Est, why are you wearing my uniform?"

"Kamito told me that I can't sleep together with you in the nude."

Est replied expressionlessly.

Kamito was spontaneously startled as she tightly grabbed the chest area of the shirt.

"Yeah, I did tell you so."

Being at his wits' end, Kamito groaned.

"Please, at least put on some panties."

"...Pan...ties?"

"Why are you making that wondering look?!"

It might be the case that even if spirits have the habit of wearing knee-socks, they don't have the habit of wearing panties.

''...Nah, Restia did wear underwear properly.''

Just when he was thinking about that―

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Kamito felt something out of place about Est's appearance.

It's not just about her wearing a naked-shirt― There seems to be something very different in Est this morning.

Kamito intently examined Est's whole body.

"Kamito... Um, if you stare at me so much, I'll get embarrassed."

The expressionless Est blushed in an unusual manner, squirmed on top of his waist and rubbed her knees together.

At that moment, Kamito finally realized.

From the shirt-tail, her white thighs slightly came in sight.

And then, came her slender and smooth ankles like sculptures made of marble.

What Est was wearing— wasn't her usual knee-high socks.

She was wearing short socks, of which the length was just about up to her ankles.

"Est, what's with those socks?"

"Well, I thought Kamito would be pleased with these kind of socks."

With her face still red, Est firmly pinned down the shirt-tail.

This was his first time seeing Est making such an expression.

It appears that to her, exposing her bare feet was really embarrassing.

"Kamito, are you turned on by my short socks?"

"Nah, because I don't have such a maniacal fetish, you know?"

"...I see. That means this is still not enough to make you satisfied."

Est dropped her shoulders, seemingly disappointed.

"Still, it is quite impossible for me to show you my bare feet."

"I'm telling you, I don't have such a fetish."

Kamito groaned and shook his head. He really can't understand the spirits' sense of shame.

''Even so―''

It was the truth that his heart pounded at Est's expression of blushing and being bashful in an unusual manner.

The sword spirit was always calm and expressionless.

That was exactly why he wanted to try seeing more of her bashful expression.

''What will happen if I touch them, I wonder?''

Suddenly, Kamito's mind was tempted.

Anyhow, it's because Est, not any other girl, was bashful to this extent.

What would happen if he touches her bare feet? —He wanted to try seeing it.

"......"

Kamito quietly reached out his hand—

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Coochy*.

He tickled Est's small foot.

"...Hyan!"

A sweet voice leaked out from her lips.

Est's body bent with a start.

"...Kamito, what are you doing?!"

"Hm? I'm massaging you."

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Coochy coochy*.

"Hya...a-n..."

Twisting her body, Est was in agony, seemingly tickled.

Such a reaction was so cute that it drove Kamito to―

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Coochy*. *Coochy coochy coochy*.

"...A-n, please... Stop it..."

"No. This is your punishment."

"...Punishment?"

"Because Est is a bad girl for sneaking in my bed as she pleases."

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Coochy coochy*.

"Ann, Kami...to... Forgive... Me."

Tears were shed from Est's limpid eyes as she pleaded while gasping.

...As expected, she now looked a little pitiful.

"Have you reflected on your behavior?"

"Y...es..."

Kamito ceased tickling, and Est fell lying face-down in exhaustion.

Kamito gently held Est back as she flopped onto him.

"...Kamito is so mean."

Est pouted her lips in an unusual manner.

"My bad. Est is just so cute... So I did it without thinking."

He gently stroked Est's silver hair while making a bitter smile.

Just at that moment.

The room temperature rose instantly.

"...?!"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Gogogogogogogo...!*

From behind him, a horrifying killing aura... No, heat was emitted.

When he turned around at the unpleasant premonition―

"Y-Y-You guys... Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you doing?"

With her red pigtails standing on end, the beautiful girl was trembling all over.

Her ruby eyes were imposing. Her lips had the color of cherry blossoms in early blooming. The bulge on her chest was just about the same as that of a kid, but that well-balanced proportion of hers was very charming.

Claire Rouge.

If it was appearance alone, she was exceptionally cute, an ultra beautiful girl without any exaggeration.

However, as she was now, she was more terrifying than any ferocious spirit.

"I-I've misjudged you. I-I didn't know you're such a pervert...!"

"Y-You got it wrong, Claire. This is, well, you see..."

Kamito was attempting to give an excuse while in a fluster, but―

For this particular instance, it was absolutely not a misunderstanding. There was no way to make an excuse.

"Kamito-kun, I think your foot-tickling play is indeed too maniacal."

Appearing from behind Claire, Fianna quietly cast her eyes down, seemingly sad.

It seemed like she saw everything. ...He would rather die now.

"Kamito, how hot would you order me to grill you?"

Claire smiled pleasantly while holding her blazing {{Furigana|Flame Tongue|whip of flame}}.

A smile of an angel that would make one unexpectedly fascinated.

"Medium rare... or so."

"Too bad. I only know roasting to cinders."

Claire raised her whip of flame overhead――

"――Turn into cinders already!"

Kamito was blown off towards the outside of the window.

<center>◇</center>

And so, Kamito greeted another morning just like usual, but――

After eating breakfast, the situation was a little different.

The bell sounding the start of classes had already rung long ago, yet everyone still remained in their room in the dorm.

"This one and this one. This one should be necessary too... Geez, Scarlet. Don't play with the luggage."

"Nyaa?"

The flame spirit in the form of a hell cat is playing by rolling Claire's outfits as if they were a yarn ball.

Seeing a glimpse of white underwear among that lump, Kamito averted his eyes in a hurry.

Claire and Fianna were sitting on each of their beds and packing their stuff in their own bags.

They were preparing to head towards {{Furigana|Astral Zero|Elemental Spirit World}}, the stage of the Blade Dance.

It had been two weeks since «Team Scarlet» defeated the Silent Fortress ― Velsaria Eva, who ranked number one within the academy, and obtained the right to participate in the Blade Dance. Together with the two teams that got into the determined representative trio, they are going to fight to the bitter end during several days from now on as a representative of the Ordesia Empire.

"Claire, did you get enough sleep yesterday?"

"Of course. Keeping your physical condition in control is a basis as a spirit contractor after all."

Claire nodded while holding back from yawning, which she had been doing many times already.

Perhaps it's because of her sense of responsibility as the team leader, Claire had recently been reading a large number of tactical books and documents related to spirits, which she borrowed from the library, until the dead of night.

"Don't push yourself too hard. We won't know the {{Furigana|regulation|battle system}} until an oracle of the Elemental Lords is issued."

"Yes, I know. Still, it's necessary to prepare countermeasures in advance. Those who participate in the Blade Dance are the most elite spirit contractors representing each country―― It won't be so easy that you can win without countermeasures. Besides, that strongest blade dancer is also taking part in this tournament after all."

"...Yeah, you're right."

Kamito nodded with a bitter face.

The strongest blade dancer ― Ren Ashbell.

The winner at the Blade Dance three years ago.

''...Not me, but another Ren Ashbell.''

Who exactly is she? And what is her goal...?

He has to figure that out.

Kamito tightly clenched his left hand, which was covered in a leather glove.

Regardless of what her objective might be, it is no doubt that the transformed Restia is acting together with her.

"And you, are you done with packing already?"

Holding on to the nape of Scarlet, who was struggling and mewing――

This time it was Claire who asked.

In contrast with Claire's traveling bag, which was filled up as if it was about to burst, Kamito's bag was small.

"Yeah, I don't have much stuff to carry after all."

Kamito, who was wandering aimlessly until just two months ago, carried with him almost no personal belongings.

A few daggers used for throwing and, this isn't baggage but―― he had the spiritual magical armament, the sword «Terminus Est», in the sword-belt on his hips. Est was offended by what happened this morning and went to sleep in her sword form. ...It's not likely for her to wake up anytime soon.

But then again, if one was to offend a high-ranking spirit of Est's level, normally one must be ready for the kind of damage like a town being destroyed.

"......"

For those two, it seems that they still need more time to pack.

''...Well, they are girls of noble status after all.''

They probably needed various things that a guy like Kamito would have no idea about.

Claire had been randomly stuffing in a bunch of canned peach for a while, but that made him feel a little uneasy.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Kamito casted his eyes down the floor, where stuff were strewn all over the place.

There were some books that looked like novels getting mixed among tactical books and documents related to spirits.

Having too much time to spare, Kamito casually picked up one of them.

'The wandering prince and the imprisoned princess'―― A romance novel aimed at teens, with many illustrations in it.

(Seriously, it's surprising that Claire likes this kind of stuff.)

When he tried skimming lightly through its first part out of curiosity――

"Wha-?!"

Kamito's face turned red in a flash.

The content of the book was about a beautiful princess getting abducted by a cruel prince and got all sorts of things done to her that can hardly be expressed in words――It was that kind of hardcore stuff.

"Y-You... H-Have you been reading this kind of stuff?!"

"Eh?"

Claire turned around.

And then, when she recognized what Kamito is holding in his hands,

"Fuaaaa, g-g-g-give it back! What the hell are you reading without permission?!"

Thump. Thud.

She hit him with the peach cans in her hands.

"Whoa... Are you planning to kill me?!"

"It's your punishment for peeping into a m-maiden's secret! You deserve to die ten thousand times!"

"Then don't leave your maiden secret on the floor."

"S-Shut up~! Idiot! Pervert!"

Bursting into tears, Claire hit him repeatedly and violently.

...At this rate, he might lose his life before participating in the Blade Dance.

"Hey, you are being annoying."

"B-But Kamito――"

Taking chance when Claire turned towards Fianna――

Kamito opened a page of the book and showed it in front of Claire.

It was a page containing an illustration in which the princess, the heroine of the story, was being tied up with a rope and getting whipped.

"...?!"

"Isn't Claire more of a pervert?"

"...Eh?"

Claire's shoulders turned stiff with a start.

"A noble young lady reading such a vulgar book, don't you feel any shame?"

"W-Well, um..."

The ojou-sama blushed and mumbled in hesitation.

Upon seeing Claire in such a state――

Kamito got a feeling of wanting to play with her a little.

[[File:STnBD V04 031.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

(...Well, there I go wanting to tease her again.)

It was probably because her act of blushing in embarrassment looks strangely cute.

Moving his face close to Claire's ear, he whispered softly.

"I wonder how everyone will think if they learn that the ojou-sama, whose even test results are top-class, enjoys reading this kind of obscene books."

"Fuaa, wh-wh-wh-what are you saying?!"

"Could it be that you want to get things like stuff in this book done to you?"

"Th-That's not true! How could I want to be tied up like this?!"

"You know, this page has a fold on it."

"...~Fuaaan!"

Erupting a tiny cloud of steam from her head, Claire crawled into her bed.

"...Seriously, she's the same green ojou-sama as ever."

Having escaped from his life crisis, Kamito took a sigh of relief, and――

This time he turned towards Fianna.

"Is your preparation going well?"

"...Hmm, it seems that my ritual equipments are going to be bulky no matter what."

Said Fianna while stuffing a large round mirror and a candlestick into her bag.

Fianna Ray Ordesia.

She is the second princess of the Ordesia Empire, and also the princess maiden ranked second at 〈Divine Ritual School〉, a training institution for spirit princesses who serve the {{Furigana|Elemental Lords|Five Great Spirit Kings}}.

A genuine princess, who was once even chosen as a candidate for the spirit princess of the Elemental Lord of Flame.

However, she is by no means any haughty whatsoever, but a girl who is every easy to talk to.

Strictly speaking, she is at a social status where Kamito and the likes are not even allowed to look at her face, though.

"If you don't mind, I'll lend you a hand. Can I pack the stuff around here however I want?"

"Yes, that will be of help."

Kamito sit down on the bed, where stuff are all over the place, and started stuffing in a bag all kinds of equipments that appear to be used in rituals.

Rosaries, royal goblets, folding fans, whips, candles, and even things that look like beast ears and tails――

(Are these really equipments to use in rituals?)

Such a question suddenly flitted through his mind, however,

(Well, I'm also just a beginner when it comes to princess maidens' rituals after all.)

――That was when his hand, which reached out casually, grabbed something.

A smooth and nice touch of cloth.

(...What's this?)

Knitting his eyebrows, he tried holding it up before his eyes, and then――

"...?!"

Kamito turned stiff in that posture.

It was a glossy black piece of cloth.

A thin lace embroidery with a rose pattern on it.

The material was probably silk. There were thin strings attached at both ends of the cloth piece.

"Err..."

Cold sweats gradually emerged on Kamito's forehead.

A high class-looking black pair of underwear.

On top of that――

(Wh-Why is there a hole here?!)

It wasn't torn off. For some reason, there was an unnatural cut at the center.

(This seems to have no meaning as underwear――)

"Ka-Kamito-kun?!"

"Ah――"

Suddenly, his eyes met Fianna's, who raised her face at him.

Kamito was still unfolding the black pair of underwear in front of him.

"......"

"......"

"Um..."

Fianna's face turned bright red――

"D-Do you... hate a princess who would wear this kind of shameful underwear?"

She asked him with upturned eyes.

"N-No, I mean, my bad...!"

With his heart pounding, Kamito hurriedly put the underwear back inside the bag.

"Wh-Why do you have such underwear?"

"I went and bought it on an impulse... b-but it is indeed embarrassing."

She muttered with her face still bright red.

...It seems that she really was embarrassed.

This princess always says shocking things and teases Kamito, but she is actually a green girl, just like Claire.

"...I wonder... if that was a little too daring."

"Y-You're right. A little... yeah."

Ahem, or so Kamito coughed.

What blew away that awkward atmosphere for them was a voice which could be heard coming from outside the room.

"Geez, you're still preparing, Claire Rouge?"

A somewhat high-pitched and elegant voice.

The one who appeared in front of the room was――

Claire's rival and classmate in her Raven classroom.

It was Rinslet Laurenfrost, the demon ice spirit contractor.

She has dazzlingly beautiful platinum blond hair. Her emerald green eyes are topped by lovely eyebrows.

At a glance, she appears to be a proud ojou-sama, but Kamito knows that she is a very kind and caring girl.

"Ojou-sama, I'm sleepy~"

"Geez, Carol is always such a sleepyhead."

The one being dragged by her was Carol the maid.

"Ojou-sama, you know that unlike you, my blood pressure is low... Hwa."

Apparently she was waken up by Rinslet this morning.

...She was the same useless maid as ever.

"Rinslet, what is that thing?"

Claire, having finally revived, asked thus.

Rinslet was carrying a largish wooden box in her hands.

"Hmph, it's a tea set of highest grade. A lady of the Laurenfrost family must stay elegant at all times."

Rinslet proudly combed her platinum blond hair upward.

"You know what, we aren't going out to play."

Claire shrugged her shoulders in amazement.

And then, this time they could hear Ellis' voice coming from outside the window.

"What are you lots doing?! It's already ''one hour'' until the gathering time, you know!"

"You're just too early!"

Claire turned at the overly serious knight captain and yelled.

(...Unifying this team seems to be quite a long-term difficult task.)

Kamito shrugged his shoulders with a sense of irony while putting the baggage in order.

<center>◇</center>

One hour later.

Members of Team Scarlet gathered in front of the〈Stone Circle〉, which is their rally point.

It is a〈gate〉to {{Furigana|Astral Zero|Elemental Spirit World}} located within the premises of Areisia Spirit Academy.

This historic ruin itself is something that had been in existence long before the academy was built, but it is by no means part of the Empire's technology. The status quo is that the technology which preserves the〈gates〉which opened to this world, has been lost completely excluding for such ruins, which remain at various places around the continent.

From now on, representative fighters will be moving to {{Furigana|Astral Zero|Elemental Spirit World}}, and then boarding a ship prepared by〈Divine Ritual School〉, which administer the Blade Dance.

In front of the〈gate〉, the other two teams that were selected from the academy have also gathered already.

〈Team Wyvern〉, ranked first, is a team composed of only upperclassmen.

They gave each member of Team Scarlet a sharp glance, and then suddenly looked away. They have no intention of getting along――That is probably what they are declaring. Their reaction was natural. After all, although both teams were selected from the same academy, when the Blade Dance actually begins, they will become each other's rival.

(Besides――)

With that in mind, Kamito looked at Claire with a side glance.

There is another reason for the glance of the upperclassmen being prickly.

The younger sister of the {{Furigana|Calamity Queen|Spirit Princess of Calamity}}, who brought about the unprecedented disaster to the empire four years ago.

There are still many students in the academy with unpleasant thinking about her existence.

Claire does not seem to particularly care about that, but she probably is suffering in her heart.

"Mu, you guys again――"<ref>Exclamation for expressing an astonishment or showing unexpectedness�</ref>

Thus a blond girl holding a wooden staff started talking to Kamito.

"'Sup, savage girl. It's been a while."

"Muu, I'm not a savage girl!"

The lovely petite girl puffed out her cheeks in anger.

This person is a member of the ranked third〈Team Cernunnos〉, whom they had fought against before.

She's from the {{Furigana|Druid|Wise Men of Evergreen Oaks}} clan, who grow up in the spirit forest and use a powerful〈Beast Swarm Spirit〉.

As an opponent whom they may fight in the future, she is quite a strong rival.

"I will be sure to crush the likes of you guys underfoot with my〈Beast Swarm Spirit〉!"

The druid girl held up her wooden staff as she snickered.

And then, heading over there――

"Hmph, so you three teams have finally gathered?"

Teacher Freya Grandol, the manager of the〈gate〉, came walking briskly.

As she cast a glance up at the clock tower of the academy,

"I'm going to transport all of you to Astral Zero after ten minutes. Now finish saying goodbye to your friends in the meantime."

Saying thus, she starts drawing a magical formation inside the〈Stone Circle〉.

Claire, Rinslet, and Fianna restlessly looked away from each other.

"Th-There's no need to say goodbye or something."

"Th-That's right. We're just leaving the academy for a mere few days after all."

"Y-Yes, that sounds exaggerating."

The three of them simultaneously nodded to one another.

(Come to think of it, all of them had no friends.)

...This ojou-sama group sure had it tough.

(Well, I'm also in no place to say so about people, though――)

Meanwhile, Ellis was surrounded and overwhelmed by a crowd of junior knights.

Her reddish brown eyes were imposing. Her blue ponytail was swaying in the gentle breeze.

Apparently, Ellis will be going to the Blade Dance wearing her knight armor as well.

That is probably her expression of determination of being a representative of the academy and also the {{Furigana|Sylphid|Knight Order of the Wind King}} at the same time.

"Captain, please fight for us as well!"

"We're rooting for you!"

"Yeah, I will definitely claim victory!"

Ellis nodded at the words of Rakka and Reicia, two former teammates of hers.�

They have entrusted Ellis their dream for the Blade Dance championship.�

And then, one more person――

Kamito knows that there is a girl who has entrusted her with a dream.

Kamito whispered to Ellis, who has returned after saying goodbye to her juniors.

"Ellis, that ribbon looks good on you."

"Y-You think so...?"

Ellis blushed and fidgeted with her fingers.

Binding her ponytail was a white ribbon.

It was something which Ellis' elder foster-sister entrusted to her before leaving the academy.

"Now that I'm wearing this, I feel like aneue is watching over me."

Ellis suddenly smiled.

Seeing her defenseless face from the side, Kamito spontaneously felt his heart pound again.

"The time has come. Everyone, get inside the〈Stone Circle〉."

Teacher Freya traced a stone pillar with her fingertips, and blue rays of light gushed forth from the earth's surface.

A〈gate〉connecting this world and {{Furigana|Astral Zero|Elemental Spirit World}} emerged.

Kamito and his group nodded to each other, and then stepped inside the shining〈Stone Circle〉.

<center>◇</center>

A dazzling flash of light. And then a fleeting intoxicating sensation as though heaven and earth were turned upside-down.

"H-m..."

Opening their eyes, what first sprang into their field of vision was――�

All kinds of trees in a dense forest, and a grand lake occupying a large area within it.

A lake that looks like a polished surface of a mirror, which exists only in {{Furigana|Astral Zero|Elemental Spirit World}}. At the lake shore where water plants grow thickly, countless faint, flickering light orbs were floating and creating a wondrous scene.

"I have come to this lake before, during the academy's training camp."

Claire firmly descended on the muddy ground.

Members of other teams were also sent to the site one after another.

"By the way, where's the ship?"

Kamito looked around the surface of the lake.

A ship-like object is nowhere to be found.

"Where are you looking at? Look, over there――"

Claire shrugged her shoulders and pointed at the sky peeking through the gaps of trees.

"Hm?"

When he raised his head――

An outline of a ship floating in the sky casting its huge shadow on the lake.

"That's... the Bellfahle-class flying ship of〈Divine Ritual School〉..."�

Kamito opened his eyes and groaned.

A state-of-the-art flying ship named after the Elemental Lord of Wind.

He has heard about it in the rumors, but this is his first time seeing the real thing.

It has the form like that of a streamlined whale. Apparently its power source is a spirit engine made in the Kingdom of Balstan, and they use an over-6000-year-old sacred tree as material for the exterior.

It is the ship which will lead spirit contractors, who will dedicate their blade dances to the Elemental Lords, to the stage of the〈Blade Dance〉.

"Kamito, we are definitely going to win the grand prize."

"Yeah."

Kamito nodded, and tightly clenched his left hand.

(...We have crawled all the way up for the sake of gaining the qualification to board that ship.)

Claire, for the sake of learning the truth related to the incident that her elder sister caused.

Kamito, for the sake of regaining the contracted spirit that he has lost.�

Then Ellis, Fianna, and Rinslet――

Everyone at this place is joining in the〈Blade Dance〉with their respective wish harbored in mind.

The flying ship caused flashy splashes as it landed on the lake.

<center>◇</center>

"――Looks like the boy has already headed over there."

Areisia Spirit Academy, office room.

Greyworth Shelmice faced the wall of the room and spoke.

There was no response――However, immediately from inside the wall, a person'
s shadow emerges as if it is seeping out.

"Yes ma'am. Just a while ago."

It was teacher Freya Grandol, the shadow spirit contractor.

She approached Greyworth's office desk, and then spoke without hesitation.

"Still, I cannot understand the reason why you, the academy director, go that far to support that boy."

"What do you mean?"

"His fighting skills are certainly overwhelming, but the〈Blade Dance〉isn't something as lenient as to allow someone to win through with just that. You should be the one who knows that best."

"Yeah, it's just as you said. The boy still can't win against the strongest blade dancer as he is now. At the very least, I would like to have him awaken before the real war starts, but――"

"What do you mean?"

"Nah, just random silly talk."

Greyworth shook her head as as if to evade the question.

"More importantly, has the investigation on that matter been completed?"

"Yes. I would like you to be reasonable and stop using me to spy on the army, though."

"I'm feeling sorry about that, you know."

Greyworth shrugged her shoulders, as Freiya rudely threw down the report.

"That's the data about the incident four years ago. After the collapse of the institution in question――〈Instructional School〉, there were 14 orphans taken into protection by the order of imperial knights. Rumors say that five of them were admitted into the special forces of the knight order. The remaining nine died several years later due to the effects of the Cursed Armament Seals given to them by the institution, or so they say."

"Still, that the numbers don't match. It conflicts with the data found at the institution."

"Apparently, not all the orphans were taken into protection by the knight order. Jio Inzaghi, who broke into our academy the other day, was also one of the institution's orphans whom the knight order has little information about. It probably wouldn't be strange if there are still unconfirmed orphans beside him out there."

"I see..."

What came to Greyworth's mind was the eyes of the boy whom she met four years ago.

In the eyes of that boy, who declared indifferently on that day――that he had come to kill the Dusk Witch, there was no hatred, nor was there anger, only an unfathomable nothingness.

(The same kid as the boy back then, huh...)

Young children who had their hearts stolen and raised as battle weapons.

Though they are spirit contractors, they are fundamentally different from the noble girls who grow up at the academy.

"Academy director?"

"It's nothing. You did a good job. Please continue your investigation as is."

"Seriously, my main job isn't being spy, but a teacher, you know."

Teacher Freya complained as she disappeared into the wall once again.

Greyworth gazed outside the window, and suddenly took a deep breath.

"A military-use spirit and an orphan from〈Instructional School〉――Is ''she'' actually planning on inciting a war or something?"

The Dusk Witch was succumbing to impatience.

The strongest blade dancer had yet to awaken.

He is certainly strong.

Even in an academy where first-rate spirit contractors gather, his power is overwhelming.

However, that is at its best, just a story about miniature garden called the academy.

As he is now, it is impossible for him win against her.

Not even the Ren Ashbell three years ago could do that――

"Please, O successor of the "Demon king"――Because even I do not have much time left."

Greyworth suppressed her pounding heart as she curled her lips into an ironic grin.
<noinclude>

==Translation Notes and References==
<references />

{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Prologue|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter2}}</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 3 Chapter 05

2012-11-25T07:23:38Z

174.107.235.39:

==Chapter 05: The Supervisor of the Hidden Room==
[[Image:Horizon3A_0125.jpg|thumb]]

''Even though there is nothing wrong''

''Is feeling that something is wrong''

''From being overly self-absorbed?''

'''Point Allocation (Outside World)'''

<center>●</center>

Mitotsudaira returned home after seeing Horizon and Futayo off from Musashi’s outside entrance.

Her house was a mansion located on the surface section of the second port ship Murayama. As a result of the previous day Armada battle having the fighting concentrated on the starboard side the mansion, which was separated by about four hundred metres, had no damage apart from the spread of some light fire. Nonetheless considering the threat of fire she had, during the last two weeks, changed the outer wall into a stone material and also the roof into western brick which was still rare in Europe.

… It could be said to be a new residence.

In the afternoon, towards the evening, there was no sense of life within the mansion. Neither in the narrow entrance nor in the connected dining room used for guest reception nor in the slightly decorated living room.

The only things in that place were the persisting perfume smell from the curtains and a pale light.

“—”

There were no exclusive servants. The maid model automated doll which had been assigned to her through Musashi’s knight federation attended to household chores during the day. Mitotsudaira’s afternoon schedule included examining the income and expenditure reports from her agriculture and cooperate divisions inside Musashi, granting permission and giving instructions and also sending her ideas,

… There were two perfume bottles which had been placed atop the dining room table.

The corporate enterprise which she owned had created this new product.

She understood that inside the bottles there was a cream type with the smell of flowers. This was a consequence of her wolf sense of smell.

Mitotsudaira while thinking about slightly weakening the smell of the flower perfume entered the bedroom. She hung the case of Silver Chain which she had taken with her to the academy on the wall and then headed for the bed.

After this was the short patrol of her small territory and her work. She had to change into her street clothing equipment.

That is why she removed her shoes, detached her uniforms skirt and the sleeves of her shirt, fell onto the bed and suddenly sighed.

… What were Horizon and the others are doing at the moment.

Kimi and Futayo were with her. As she had gone to hear the story of her mother from Kimi’s grandmother she was achieving something significant.

In the same way,
… Everyone else was as well.

The Tachibana married couple desired a comeback and Mary was aiming for a fulfilling life aboard Musashi.

The rest as well, Masazumi and Tomo, Adele and Naomasa were all on-board Musashi currently doing repairs and strengthening and the like, they were all doings the things that were required of them. However,

“……”

She gazed at the wall.

<center>●</center>

There were two framed documents lined up on the bedroom wall where Mitotsudaira directed her eyes.

The one on the right side, was the verification of Mitotsudaira’s inherited name, a parchment with the country crests of the Far East and Hexagone Française stamped on it. The words which were lined up on the page were about fulfilling her role as both the head of the Mito-Mitotsudaira clan as well as that of a dispatched knight of Hexagone Française.

Lined up in the same manner, on the left side was the certification verifying her affiliation with the Musashi Knight Federation. On this was the purport that Mitotsudaira was the welcomed into the top position of the entire federation.

“However… that was not a result of my actual ability.”

It was something from almost twelve years ago. When she had been dispatched here and obtained this certification.

“… It was because I was dispatched directly from Hexagone Française and I had inherited the name of Mito-Mitotsudaira that they placed a selfish girl in that position and displayed allegiance to the Testament Union.”

In the past she had not realized this fact and had often pushed her selfishness onto the older knights. She was indignant when they did not listen, however they had soothed her because they were adults.

With the passing time she had become one of the members of the Chancellor’s Board which moved Musashi and in reality she should have become an equal to them,

… However at Mikawa she had done it.

She had appeared at the confrontation location as the collective representative of the knights to give the civilian side victory however in the end she had remained as a knight and furthermore became part of the side which had conducted the battle.

Since that time there had been no notifications about the knight federation meetings or anything. When she had been trapped in the cargo vessel for two weeks in England or during the London Tower battle there had been no response at all.

That she was being deprived of her role was something that she understood.

However because of her status there was no possibility of her being publicly stripped of her position.

She also wanted to ask some of the other knights about the current status of the federation. However,

“— That is almost as if I am afraid of the reaction of those who are below me even though I am in the top position.”

While lowering her hips onto the bed she let out a sigh.

… She understood however, that she should not have this type of finalized thinking.

She was distancing herself from them, by arbitrarily deciding that the other side was avoiding her or not taking her seriously.

Thinking about it deeply, it was the same with the case of Mary.

She had also unintentionally started to feel down after wrongly guessing that she would be selected as Horizon’s escort.

During inconvenient times she wanted to be alone or if not that then she wanted to be together with someone.

She was selfish, that was a bad habit.

However she understood quite well when it was that she had become like that.

“It was long time ago… about the fourth year of elementary school.”

She looked outside the window. Far away IZUMO’s Kitsuki-Taisha could be seen in the sky however,

“It was not this IZUMO.… That was at Bizen IZUMO.”

Suddenly she dropped her shoulders and collapsed onto the bed.

She thought that her hair would become horribly disheveled however it would be fine if she set it later. Anyhow, it was because she had abruptly touched a part of herself that she didn’t like. Even though the incident concerning the knight federation should not matter to her after she had decided to follow her King, once again it had come up.
[[Image:Horizon3A_0131.jpg|thumb]]
She thought about sleeping for 30 minutes to refresh herself so while looking out the window she collapsed her body backwards.

Her clothing was partially removed and was in a horrid state however she thought that since she was alone it was fine.

She collapsed.

Immediately following that.

Outside the window in the yard with the high wall an idiot carrying a mountain of eroge was sneakily passing through.

“—!?”

<center>●</center>

Mitotsudaira lifted up the vertical closing window at full speed with and jumped out in the garden.

Looking to the right there was an idiot who with his body drawn back in surprise had turned one leg in this direction. Mitotsudaira faced her entire body towards there and pointed at the total idiot,

“H-Hey! What are you doing in the yard of another person’s mansion!?”

“Eh? W-What, Eh? isn’t that philosophical? That question. Umm, People are already constantly—”

She slammed the opened window down using one finger and with that loud noise the idiot stopped his philosophizing.

Ah, the sighing Mitotsudaira bent her body and looked down on the idiot.

“… Chancellor I will say it once more okay? — What are you doing in the yard of another person’s mansion?”

“Ah? Ahh!? — I’m not doing anything in the yard you know!? I have business with the storehouse around the back, I do!?”

“T-There is no storehouse at the back of my place!? Look!”

Pointing her finger and looking, there the underside of the yard had become a lid and was open.

“Eh? Eeeeeh!? W-What is that!? Why is it that the ground at the back of my yard has become a hidden door and has been opened? Is it an illusion!?”

“Are you stupid, obviously I created it of my own accord okay?”

“It is true that that is the only way that it could have happened however when did you create it!?”

Oi oi oi, the idiot sighed and readjusted his grip on the pile of boxes at his waist.

“When this mansion was remodeled I came to a deal for the master craftsman to work for fifteen married wife genre eroge. In other words this is one of my safe houses. Thank you master craftsmen. Thank you married wives. I’m very blessed right!?”

Mitotsudaira opened a sign frame with a smile.

"Ah, Tomo? I think that you are currently searching for a person at the moment; I get the feeling that that person is here. Will you come?”

『Yeah, I’m coming! I’m super coming! Hey Adele please get the dogs to go ahead!』

『Eh? I don’t understand what is going on but everyone please go on ahead—! Hey Boss, this is an eroge box with the chancellor’s scent so please remember this scent okay?』

『Oh, we will have the remainder after you come back right?』

Over there seemed like a situation of terrible chaos however Mary seemed to be having fun. That’s nice; she hated herself who had thought that for a moment however for the moment the situation in front of her eyes was a priority.

Mitotsudaira dropped her shoulders and looked at the man in front of her eyes.

“So Chancellor. Is there not something that you wish to say?”

“Eh? Will you grant me forgiveness?”

Mitotsudaira thought about that question. She had already made the arrangements for the cannon priestess and the beast tamer to come; however this was a problem concerning her and him. That is why as for the meantime,

“Do you have the intention to apologize?”

“T-That is…”

The idiot shrunk his body and after taking a position of servitude offered a pile of about ten eroge in this direction. Then he placed his hand on his cheek and in a flirtatiously manner,

“Could you forgive me with this?”

<center>●</center>

The following moment. The residents of Musashino’s surface section saw a human shaped object break through the wall of Mitotsudaira’s mansion and tumble onto the road. The blast like wind which was formed together with the blow made several rectangular goods fall from the sky; however the idiot used that as a distraction and attempted to crawl away. However,

“Yeah, Boss it’s your debut!”

The dogs swarmed on the crawling thing, with people ignoring it after a few seconds the situation ended.

<center>●</center>

She had heard some type of noise coming from the direction of Musashino. Masazumi had that feeling.

The place she currently was at was on the ground.

She had descended from Musashi and headed in the direction of IZUMO’s marketplace. The location was the northern side, close to Kitsuki-Taisha the symbol of IZUMO.
In the surroundings were tall fields of greenery which were alternated with shelter-belts.

There accompanying at her side was a broom in the sky,

“Naito, I’m sorry. Even though you were in the middle of work, I just saw you and summoned you.”

“Yeah, Jud Jud, Ga-chan said that she would work in my place and it’s better to have a member of the Chancellor’s Board as an escort. Ga-chan also said that she would do some shopping in IZUMO later so this works out fine to meet up.”

So then, the technohexen said that while a doing leisurely horizontal spin on her broom.

“Seijun, isn’t it about time you let me hear? Why you are going to IZUMO?”

Yeah, Masazumi responded.

“It’s a top secret conference. A bit of a story came in through via Neshinbara.”

“Neshinbara? Bara-yan is not going, but Seijun? Is it alright for me then?”

“Yeah, if by chance anything happens then if it’s you then it will be possible to escape from the scene and in the worst case scenario at least you can escapee on your own. Also Naito — at this top secret conference there seems to be a topic about M.H.R.R.”

Saying that quickly, Naito stopped as if her broom had fallen to the ground.

“I’m however not all that knowledgeable… Did you call the others?”

“Jud, I asked Neshibara and Futayo if they could do some shopping later at the town of IZUMO.”

While she was saying that they entered the area of the final shelter-belt which was close to the town. In front of her eyes where the wind which passed through the shadow of the trees was flowing through the short sleeves of the summer clothing the noises and voices indicating the liveliness of the town gradually could be heard.

Was she who was thinking that it was a different set of noises than Musashi just accustomed to Musashi or was it that she was still observing Musashi as special.

The shadow of the town came into view.

This area which was positioned on the north side had the northern side land harbor, as well as many diplomatic facilities for the diplomatic ships which came from the side of the northern sea. The wooden five story inns which were lined up and creating a massive rectangular shadow was something that you could not normally see in the mainland. Then,

“— They’re there, one of the conference attendees.”

At the entrance to the town there was a giant stone shrine arch which straddled the street. It seemed as if it had become a meeting spot with there being a food stall and people who were doing nothing but waiting around.

Among those people there was a tall man that had noticed over here and raised one of his hands. That person was wearing the clothing of the Far East; he was either following the tradition of the country or using it as a disguise. That shadow simply showed a smile full of teeth,

“It’s been a while Mate, how about a glass?”

“I have no money. — That’s why I am as an invited person.”

Masazumi said the following to the other party who was bitterly smiling.

“Where is the meeting place? The “Trump” Number 9 England’s secretary — Ben Johnson.”

Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter1

2012-11-24T16:46:05Z

174.107.235.39:

{{Incomplete|parts=93%}}
== Chapter 1: Travel Preparation ==

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Chirp, chirp...*

Twitters of birds could be heard coming from the «Spirit Forest» surrounding the academy.

"Mm..."

Opening his eyes and rising up at his bed, his own half-asleep face was being reflected in the window.

His black hair was ruffled after sleeping. He had an insecure look in his eyes.

Compared to the innocent looks in his dream, his impression had changed greatly.

''Four years ago... huh?''

It had been a long time since he last had a dream about that period of time.

It was probably the first time he had one since coming to this academy.

To be frank, it was a memory he didn't even want to recall...

Kamito unintentionally cast his sight down to his left hand, where a spirit seal was engraved.

The seal of the darkness spirit— the left hand which grasped victory at the Blade Dance three years ago.

''Now I am trying to return to that arena once more.''

With the Blade Dance drawing near, he was probably feeling emotionally overwrought without realizing it.

That must have been the cause of him having a dream about that period of time, too.

As he was about to raise his body from the bed―

"......"

Kamito noticed something.

His body felt strangely heavy.

Something soft and pleasant was mounted on top of his waist.

"......?!"

Startled, Kamito flipped his blanket vigorously.

And then.

"Fua... Good morning, Kamito."

"E-Est?!"

A lovely voice that sounds just like a bell.

The one straddling Kamito's waist— was a silver-haired beauty.

She had mysterious violet eyes. Her skin was white like freshly extracted milk.

The figure in question, who was rubbing her drowsy-looking eyelids, was lovely just like a snow fairy.

Sword spirit Est. She was Kamito's contracted spirit, who was entitled the «Demon Slayer».

Apparently she had sneaked into Kamito's bed before he knew it.

On top of that, her attire was—

"What's wrong, Kamito?"

Still straddling on top of his waist, Est looked down on him expressionlessly.

"H-Hey, your attire..."

Est was fully naked― No, she wasn't.

She was dressed up properly.

However.

"Kamito?"

Est tilted her head blankly. Kamito averted his eyes in a fluster.

Est was wearing Kamito's uniform shirt over her naked body.

She's probably not wearing underwear. Her attire was what called a naked-shirt<ref>Similar to Naked-apron, a naked shirt is where the subject wears nothing but a shirt.</ref>.

From the exposed bosom, her slightly exposed white skin was strangely captivating.

The cuffs were big and excessive, but they gave him an unnecessary maniacal feeling nonetheless.

"Wha—? Est, why are you wearing my uniform?"

"Kamito told me that I can't sleep together with you in the nude."

Est replied expressionlessly.

Kamito was spontaneously startled as she tightly grabbed the chest area of the shirt.

"Yeah, I did tell you so."

Being at his wits' end, Kamito groaned.

"Please, at least put on some panties."

"...Pan...ties?"

"Why are you making that wondering look?!"

It might be the case that even if spirits have the habit of wearing knee-socks, they don't have the habit of wearing panties.

''...Nah, Restia did wear underwear properly.''

Just when he was thinking about that―

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Kamito felt something out of place about Est's appearance.

It's not just about her wearing a naked-shirt― There seems to be something very different in Est this morning.

Kamito intently examined Est's whole body.

"Kamito... Um, if you stare at me so much, I'll get embarrassed."

The expressionless Est blushed in an unusual manner, squirmed on top of his waist and rubbed her knees together.

At that moment, Kamito finally realized.

From the shirt-tail, her white thighs slightly came in sight.

And then, came her slender and smooth ankles like sculptures made of marble.

What Est was wearing— wasn't her usual knee-high socks.

She was wearing short socks, of which the length was just about up to her ankles.

"Est, what's with those socks?"

"Well, I thought Kamito would be pleased with these kind of socks."

With her face still red, Est firmly pinned down the shirt-tail.

This was his first time seeing Est making such an expression.

It appears that to her, exposing her bare feet was really embarrassing.

"Kamito, are you turned on by my short socks?"

"Nah, because I don't have such a maniacal fetish, you know?"

"...I see. That means this is still not enough to make you satisfied."

Est dropped her shoulders, seemingly disappointed.

"Still, it is quite impossible for me to show you my bare feet."

"I'm telling you, I don't have such a fetish."

Kamito groaned and shook his head. He really can't understand the spirits' sense of shame.

''Even so―''

It was the truth that his heart pounded at Est's expression of blushing and being bashful in an unusual manner.

The sword spirit was always calm and expressionless.

That was exactly why he wanted to try seeing more of her bashful expression.

''What will happen if I touch them, I wonder?''

Suddenly, Kamito's mind was tempted.

Anyhow, it's because Est, not any other girl, was bashful to this extent.

What would happen if he touches her bare feet? —He wanted to try seeing it.

"......"

Kamito quietly reached out his hand—

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Coochy*.

He tickled Est's small foot.

"...Hyan!"

A sweet voice leaked out from her lips.

Est's body bent with a start.

"...Kamito, what are you doing?!"

"Hm? I'm massaging you."

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Coochy coochy*.

"Hya...a-n..."

Twisting her body, Est was in agony, seemingly tickled.

Such a reaction was so cute that it drove Kamito to―

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Coochy*. *Coochy coochy coochy*.

"...A-n, please... Stop it..."

"No. This is your punishment."

"...Punishment?"

"Because Est is a bad girl for sneaking in my bed as she pleases."

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Coochy coochy*.

"Ann, Kami...to... Forgive... Me."

Tears were shed from Est's limpid eyes as she pleaded while gasping.

...As expected, she now looked a little pitiful.

"Have you reflected on your behavior?"

"Y...es..."

Kamito ceased tickling, and Est fell lying face-down in exhaustion.

Kamito gently held Est back as she flopped onto him.

"...Kamito is so mean."

Est pouted her lips in an unusual manner.

"My bad. Est is just so cute... So I did it without thinking."

He gently stroked Est's silver hair while making a bitter smile.

Just at that moment.

The room temperature rose instantly.

"...?!"

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Gogogogogogogo...!*

From behind him, a horrifying killing aura... No, heat was emitted.

When he turned around at the unpleasant premonition―

"Y-Y-You guys... Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What are you doing?"

With her red pigtails standing on end, the beautiful girl was trembling all over.

Her ruby eyes were imposing. Her lips had the color of cherry blossoms in early blooming. The bulge on her chest was just about the same as that of a kid, but that well-balanced proportion of hers was very charming.

Claire Rouge.

If it was appearance alone, she was exceptionally cute, an ultra beautiful girl without any exaggeration.

However, as she was now, she was more terrifying than any ferocious spirit.

"I-I've misjudged you. I-I didn't know you're such a pervert...!"

"Y-You got it wrong, Claire. This is, well, you see..."

Kamito was attempting to give an excuse while in a fluster, but―

For this particular instance, it was absolutely not a misunderstanding. There was no way to make an excuse.

"Kamito-kun, I think your foot-tickling play is indeed too maniacal."

Appearing from behind Claire, Fianna quietly cast her eyes down, seemingly sad.

It seemed like she saw everything. ...He would rather die now.

"Kamito, how hot would you order me to grill you?"

Claire smiled pleasantly while holding her blazing {{Furigana|Flame Tongue|whip of flame}}.

A smile of an angel that would make one unexpectedly fascinated.

"Medium rare... or so."

"Too bad. I only know roasting to cinders."

Claire raised her whip of flame overhead――

"――Turn into cinders already!"

Kamito was blown off towards the outside of the window.

<center>◇</center>

And so, Kamito greeted another morning just like usual, but――

After eating breakfast, the situation was a little different.

The bell sounding the start of classes had already rung long ago, yet everyone still remained in their room in the dorm.

"This one and this one. This one should be necessary too... Geez, Scarlet. Don't play with the luggage."

"Nyaa?"

The flame spirit in the form of a hell cat is playing by rolling Claire's outfits as if they were a yarn ball.

Seeing a glimpse of white underwear among that lump, Kamito averted his eyes in a hurry.

Claire and Fianna were sitting on each of their beds and packing their stuff in their own bags.

They were preparing to head towards {{Furigana|Astral Zero|Elemental Spirit World}}, the stage of the Blade Dance.

It had been two weeks since «Team Scarlet» defeated the Silent Fortress ― Velsaria Eva, who ranked number one within the academy, and obtained the right to participate in the Blade Dance. Together with the two teams that got into the determined representative trio, they are going to fight to the bitter end during several days from now on as a representative of the Ordesia Empire.

"Claire, did you get enough sleep yesterday?"

"Of course. Keeping your physical condition in control is a basis as a spirit contractor after all."

Claire nodded while holding back from yawning, which she had been doing many times already.

Perhaps it's because of her sense of responsibility as the team leader, Claire had recently been reading a large number of tactical books and documents related to spirits, which she borrowed from the library, until the dead of night.

"Don't push yourself too hard. We won't know the {{Furigana|regulation|battle system}} until an oracle of the Elemental Lords is issued."

"Yes, I know. Still, it's necessary to prepare countermeasures in advance. Those who participate in the Blade Dance are the most elite spirit contractors representing each country―― It won't be so easy that you can win without countermeasures. Besides, that strongest blade dancer is also taking part in this tournament after all."

"...Yeah, you're right."

Kamito nodded with a bitter face.

The strongest blade dancer ― Ren Ashbell.

The winner at the Blade Dance three years ago.

''...Not me, but another Ren Ashbell.''

Who exactly is she? And what is her goal...?

He has to figure that out.

Kamito tightly clenched his left hand, which was covered in a leather glove.

Regardless of what her objective might be, it is no doubt that the transformed Restia is acting together with her.

"And you, are you done with packing already?"

Holding on to the nape of Scarlet, who was struggling and mewing――

This time it was Claire who asked.

In contrast with Claire's traveling bag, which was filled up as if it was about to burst, Kamito's bag was small.

"Yeah, I don't have much stuff to carry after all."

Kamito, who was wandering aimlessly until just two months ago, carried with him almost no personal belongings.

A few daggers used for throwing and, this isn't baggage but―― he had the spiritual magical armament, the sword «Terminus Est», in the sword-belt on his hips. Est was offended by what happened this morning and went to sleep in her sword form. ...It's not likely for her to wake up anytime soon.

But then again, if one was to offend a high-ranking spirit of Est's level, normally one must be ready for the kind of damage like a town being destroyed.

"......"

For those two, it seems that they still need more time to pack.

''...Well, they are girls of noble status after all.''

They probably needed various things that a guy like Kamito would have no idea about.

Claire had been randomly stuffing in a bunch of canned peach for a while, but that made him feel a little uneasy.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Kamito casted his eyes down the floor, where stuff were strewn all over the place.

There were some books that looked like novels getting mixed among tactical books and documents related to spirits.

Having too much time to spare, Kamito casually picked up one of them.

'The wandering prince and the imprisoned princess'―― A romance novel aimed at teens, with many illustrations in it.

(Seriously, it's surprising that Claire likes this kind of stuff.)

When he tried skimming lightly through its first part out of curiosity――

"Wha-?!"

Kamito's face turned red in a flash.

The content of the book was about a beautiful princess getting abducted by a cruel prince and got all sorts of things done to her that can hardly be expressed in words――It was that kind of hardcore stuff.

"Y-You... H-Have you been reading this kind of stuff?!"

"Eh?"

Claire turned around.

And then, when she recognized what Kamito is holding in his hands,

"Fuaaaa, g-g-g-give it back! What the hell are you reading without permission?!"

Thump. Thud.

She hit him with the peach cans in her hands.

"Whoa... Are you planning to kill me?!"

"It's your punishment for peeping into a m-maiden's secret! You deserve to die ten thousand times!"

"Then don't leave your maiden secret on the floor."

"S-Shut up~! Idiot! Pervert!"

Bursting into tears, Claire hit him repeatedly and violently.

...At this rate, he might lose his life before participating in the Blade Dance.

"Hey, you are being annoying."

"B-But Kamito――"

Taking chance when Claire turned towards Fianna――

Kamito opened a page of the book and showed it in front of Claire.

It was a page containing an illustration in which the princess, the heroine of the story, was being tied up with a rope and getting whipped.

"...?!"

"Isn't Claire more of a pervert?"

"...Eh?"

Claire's shoulders turned stiff with a start.

"A noble young lady reading such a vulgar book, don't you feel any shame?"

"W-Well, um..."

The ojou-sama blushed and mumbled in hesitation.

Upon seeing Claire in such a state――

Kamito got a feeling of wanting to play with her a little.

[[File:STnBD V04 031.jpg|thumbnail|right]]

(...Well, there I go wanting to tease her again.)

It was probably because her act of blushing in embarrassment looks strangely cute.

Moving his face close to Claire's ear, he whispered softly.

"I wonder how everyone will think if they learn that the ojou-sama, whose even test results are top-class, enjoys reading this kind of obscene books."

"Fuaa, wh-wh-wh-what are you saying?!"

"Could it be that you want to get things like stuff in this book done to you?"

"Th-That's not true! How could I want to be tied up like this?!"

"You know, this page has a fold on it."

"...~Fuaaan!"

Erupting a tiny cloud of steam from her head, Claire crawled into her bed.

"...Seriously, she's the same green ojou-sama as ever."

Having escaped from his life crisis, Kamito took a sigh of relief, and――

This time he turned towards Fianna.

"Is your preparation going well?"

"...Hmm, it seems that my ritual equipments are going to be bulky no matter what."

Said Fianna while stuffing a large round mirror and a candlestick into her bag.

Fianna Ray Ordesia.

She is the second princess of the Ordesia Empire, and also the princess maiden ranked second at 〈Divine Ritual School〉, a training institution for spirit princesses who serve the {{Furigana|Elemental Lords|Five Great Spirit Kings}}.

A genuine princess, who was once even chosen as a candidate for the spirit princess of the Elemental Lord of Flame.

However, she is by no means any haughty whatsoever, but a girl who is every easy to talk to.

Strictly speaking, she is at a social status where Kamito and the likes are not even allowed to look at her face, though.

"If you don't mind, I'll lend you a hand. Can I pack the stuff around here however I want?"

"Yes, that will be of help."

Kamito sit down on the bed, where stuff are all over the place, and started stuffing in a bag all kinds of equipments that appear to be used in rituals.

Rosaries, royal goblets, folding fans, whips, candles, and even things that look like beast ears and tails――

(Are these really equipments to use in rituals?)

Such a question suddenly flitted through his mind, however,

(Well, I'm also just a beginner when it comes to princess maidens' rituals after all.)

――That was when his hand, which reached out casually, grabbed something.

A smooth and nice touch of cloth.

(...What's this?)

Knitting his eyebrows, he tried holding it up before his eyes, and then――

"...?!"

Kamito turned stiff in that posture.

It was a glossy black piece of cloth.

A thin lace embroidery with a rose pattern on it.

The material was probably silk. There were thin strings attached at both ends of the cloth piece.

"Err..."

Cold sweats gradually emerged on Kamito's forehead.

A high class-looking black pair of underwear.

On top of that――

(Wh-Why is there a hole here?!)

It wasn't torn off. For some reason, there was an unnatural cut at the center.

(This seems to have no meaning as underwear――)

"Ka-Kamito-kun?!"

"Ah――"

Suddenly, his eyes met Fianna's, who raised her face at him.

Kamito was still unfolding the black pair of underwear in front of him.

"......"

"......"

"Um..."

Fianna's face turned bright red――

"D-Do you... hate a princess who would wear this kind of shameful underwear?"

She asked him with upturned eyes.

"N-No, I mean, my bad...!"

With his heart pounding, Kamito hurriedly put the underwear back inside the bag.

"Wh-Why do you have such underwear?"

"I went and bought it on an impulse... b-but it is indeed embarrassing."

She muttered with her face still bright red.

...It seems that she really was embarrassed.

This princess always says shocking things and teases Kamito, but she is actually a green girl, just like Claire.

"...I wonder... if that was a little too daring."

"Y-You're right. A little... yeah."

Ahem, or so Kamito coughed.

What blew away that awkward atmosphere for them was a voice which could be heard coming from outside the room.

"Geez, you're still preparing, Claire Rouge?"

A somewhat high-pitched and elegant voice.

The one who appeared in front of the room was――

Claire's rival and classmate in her Raven classroom.

It was Rinslet Laurenfrost, the demon ice spirit contractor.

She has dazzlingly beautiful platinum blond hair. Her emerald green eyes are topped by lovely eyebrows.

At a glance, she appears to be a proud ojou-sama, but Kamito knows that she is a very kind and caring girl.

"Ojou-sama, I'm sleepy~"

"Geez, Carol is always such a sleepyhead."

The one being dragged by her was Carol the maid.

"Ojou-sama, you know that unlike you, my blood pressure is low... Hwa."

Apparently she was waken up by Rinslet this morning.

...She was the same useless maid as ever.

"Rinslet, what is that thing?"

Claire, having finally revived, asked thus.

Rinslet was carrying a largish wooden box in her hands.

"Hmph, it's a tea set of highest grade. A lady of the Laurenfrost family must stay elegant at all times."

Rinslet proudly combed her platinum blond hair upward.

"You know what, we aren't going out to play."

Claire shrugged her shoulders in amazement.

And then, this time they could hear Ellis' voice coming from outside the window.

"What are you lots doing?! It's already ''one hour'' until the gathering time, you know!"

"You're just too early!"

Claire turned at the overly serious knight captain and yelled.

(...Unifying this team seems to be quite a long-term difficult task.)

Kamito shrugged his shoulders with a sense of irony while putting the baggage in order.

<center>◇</center>

One hour later.

Members of Team Scarlet gathered in front of the〈Stone Circle〉, which is their rally point.

It is a〈gate〉to {{Furigana|Astral Zero|Elemental Spirit World}} located within the premises of Areisia Spirit Academy.

This historic ruin itself is something that had been in existence long before the academy was built, but it is by no means part of the Empire's technology. The status quo is that the technology which preserves the〈gates〉which opened to this world, has been lost completely excluding for such ruins, which remain at various places around the continent.

From now on, representative fighters will be moving to {{Furigana|Astral Zero|Elemental Spirit World}}, and then boarding a ship prepared by〈Divine Ritual School〉, which administer the Blade Dance.

In front of the〈gate〉, the other two teams that were selected from the academy have also gathered already.

〈Team Wyvern〉, ranked first, is a team composed of only upperclassmen.

They gave each member of Team Scarlet a sharp glance, and then suddenly looked away. They have no intention of getting along――That is probably what they are declaring. Their reaction was natural. After all, although both teams were selected from the same academy, when the Blade Dance actually begins, they will become each other's rival.

(Besides――)

With that in mind, Kamito looked at Claire with a side glance.

There is another reason for the glance of the upperclassmen being prickly.

The younger sister of the {{Furigana|Calamity Queen|Spirit Princess of Calamity}}, who brought about the unprecedented disaster to the empire four years ago.

There are still many students in the academy with unpleasant thinking about her existence.

Claire does not seem to particularly care about that, but she probably is suffering in her heart.

"Mu, you guys again――"<ref>Exclamation for expressing an astonishment or showing unexpectedness�</ref>

Thus a blond girl holding a wooden staff started talking to Kamito.

"'Sup, savage girl. It's been a while."

"Muu, I'm not a savage girl!"

The lovely petite girl puffed out her cheeks in anger.

This person is a member of the ranked third〈Team Cernunnos〉, whom they had fought against before.

She's from the {{Furigana|Druid|Wise Men of Evergreen Oaks}} clan, who grow up in the spirit forest and use a powerful〈Beast Swarm Spirit〉.

As an opponent whom they may fight in the future, she is quite a strong rival.

"I will be sure to crush the likes of you guys underfoot with my〈Beast Swarm Spirit〉!"

The druid girl held up her wooden staff as she snickered.

And then, heading over there――

"Hmph, so you three teams have finally gathered?"

Teacher Freya Grandol, the manager of the〈gate〉, came walking briskly.

As she cast a glance up at the clock tower of the academy,

"I'm going to transport all of you to Astral Zero after ten minutes. Now finish saying goodbye to your friends in the meantime."

Saying thus, she starts drawing a magical formation inside the〈Stone Circle〉.

Claire, Rinslet, and Fianna restlessly looked away from each other.

"Th-There's no need to say goodbye or something."

"Th-That's right. We're just leaving the academy for a mere few days after all."

"Y-Yes, that sounds exaggerating."

The three of them simultaneously nodded to one another.

(Come to think of it, all of them had no friends.)

...This ojou-sama group sure had it tough.

(Well, I'm also in no place to say so about people, though――)

Meanwhile, Ellis was surrounded and overwhelmed by a crowd of junior knights.

Her reddish brown eyes were imposing. Her blue ponytail was swaying in the gentle breeze.

Apparently, Ellis will be going to the Blade Dance wearing her knight armor as well.

That is probably her expression of determination of being a representative of the academy and also the {{Furigana|Sylphid|Knight Order of the Wind King}} at the same time.

"Captain, please fight for us as well!"

"We're rooting for you!"

"Yeah, I will definitely claim victory!"

Ellis nodded at the words of Rakka and Reicia, two former teammates of hers.�

They have entrusted Ellis their dream for the Blade Dance championship.�

And then, one more person――

Kamito knows that there is a girl who has entrusted her with a dream.

Kamito whispered to Ellis, who has returned after saying goodbye to her juniors.

"Ellis, that ribbon looks good on you."

"Y-You think so...?"

Ellis blushed and fidgeted with her fingers.

Binding her ponytail was a white ribbon.

It was something which Ellis' elder foster-sister entrusted to her before leaving the academy.

"Now that I'm wearing this, I feel like aneue is watching over me."

Ellis suddenly smiled.

Seeing her defenseless face from the side, Kamito spontaneously felt his heart pound again.

"The time has come. Everyone, get inside the〈Stone Circle〉."

Teacher Freya traced a stone pillar with her fingertips, and blue rays of light gushed forth from the earth's surface.

A〈gate〉connecting this world and {{Furigana|Astral Zero|Elemental Spirit World}} emerged.

Kamito and his group nodded to each other, and then stepped inside the shining〈Stone Circle〉.

<center>◇</center>

A dazzling flash of light, And a fleeting intoxicating sensation as though heaven and earth were turned upside-down.

"H-m..."

Opening their eyes, what first came into their field of vision was――�

A dense forest with a multitude of trees surrounding a grand lake.

A lake that looked like a polished surface of a mirror, which exists only in {{Furigana|Astral Zero|Elemental Spirit World}}. At the lake shore where water plants grow thickly were countless flickering light orbs floated creating a wondrous scene.

"I have been to this lake before, during the academy's training camp."

Said Claire as she firmly descended on the muddy ground.

The members of the other teams were also sent to this site one after another.

"By the way, where's the ship?"

Kamito asked while looking around the lake's surface.

A ship-like object was nowhere to be found.

"Where are you looking? Look, up there――"

Claire shrugged her shoulders and pointed to the sky that was visible through the gap of trees.

"Hm?"

When he raised his head――

The outline of a ship floating in the sky was casting its huge shadow on the lake.

"That's... the Bellfahle-class flying ship of〈Divine Ritual School〉..."�

Kamito opened his eyes and groaned.

A state-of-the-art flying ship named after the Elemental Lord of Wind.

He has heard about it in rumors, but this was his first time seeing the real thing.

It has a form like that of a streamlined whale. Apparently its power source is a spirit engine made in the Kingdom of Balstan, and they used over-6000-year-old sacred tree as material for the exterior.

It is the ship that will lead spirit contractors who will dedicate their blade dances to the Elemental Lords, to the stage of the〈Blade Dance〉.

"Kamito, we are definitely going to win the grand prize."

"Yeah."

Kamito nodded, and tightly clenched his left hand.

(...We have crawled all the way up for the sake of gaining the qualification to board that ship.)

Claire, for the sake of learning the truth related to the incident her elder sister caused.

Kamito, for the sake of regaining the contracted spirit that he lost.

Then Ellis, Fianna, and Rinslet――

Everyone joined the〈Blade Dance〉with their respective wish in mind.

The flying ship caused a flashy splash as it landed on the lake.

<center>◇</center>

"――Looks like the boy has already headed over there."

Areisia Spirit Academy, office room.

Greyworth Shelmice faced the wall of the room and spoke.

There was no response――However, immediately from inside the wall, a person'
s shadow emerged as if it was seeping out.

"Yes ma'am. Just a while ago."

It was teacher Freya Grandol, the shadow spirit contractor.

She approached Greyworth's office desk, and said without hesitation.

"Still, I cannot understand the reason why you, the academy director, go that far to support that boy."

"What do you mean?"

"His fighting skills are certainly overwhelming, but the〈Blade Dance〉isn't something lenient enough to allow someone to win through with just that. You should know that best."

"Yes, it's just as you said. The boy still can't win against the strongest blade dancer as he is now. At the very least, I would like him to awaken before the real war starts, but――"

"What do you mean?"

"Nah, just random silly talk."
<noinclude>

==Translation Notes and References==
<references />

{{SeireiDance Nav|prev=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Prologue|next=Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume4 Chapter2}}</noinclude>