Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume16 Chapter8 (section)

===Part 1===

Amid the fervor in the plaza swept with destruction&mdash;

The Demon King and his four concubines vanished amid rising black smoke.

"...I never thought they'd use a militarized spirit in this kind of place&mdash;"

Using the same elevator he had used to make his appearance, now returning underground, Kamito remarked.

"Yes, but I suppose the silver lining is that there were no deaths in the crowd."

Hearing him, Ellis nodded.

"Is Kamito-kun the target?"

"No, news of our arrival here shouldn't have reached them yet. They were most likely targeting Rubia&mdash;"

A mysterious princess maiden who had taken control of the rebel army within mere days would unavoidably incur Sjora's wariness. Sjora must have calculated that the rebel army would fall apart once she was eliminated.

"By the way, you really got into the performance just now..."

"Yes, it did not seem like acting at all. Or perhaps, that is your true nature, Kamito-kun?"

"N-No, it was all an act!"

Kamito retorted.

The "floating stone" carrying Kamito and company stopped underground.

What came into view&mdash;

Rubia Elstein, wearing a crimson mask, was waiting for them.

"For starters, allow me to offer praise of well done. Tonight, the rebel army has finally come together as a cohesive whole from the refugee collective it used to be&mdash;"

"Don't tell me you arranged for the attack just now?"

Kamito questioned in a harsh tone of voice. Setting up an attack then quelling it to win the crowd's trust was a method frequently employed by rulers but would be crossing the line if Rubia actually did that. Any misstep and there could have been deaths&mdash;

"I concede it has not escaped my notice that Zohar personnel infiltrated the Demon's Fist."

"...What!?"

Hearing Rubia's answer, Claire and the others showed anger on their faces.

"&mdash;That being said, I did not expect the assassins to bring a tactical-class militarized spirit. This insufficient gathering of intelligence was a failing on my part."

Trying to use that kind of militarized spirit with merely two people was definitely reckless to the extreme. Only someone like Muir Alenstarl with her unusual ability would be capable of completing such a crazy mission successfully.

"You allowed them freedom of movement on purpose?"

"Indeed. Instead of capturing enemy spies, it would be better to make good use of them."

(How bold...)

Even though it was a failure on her part, everything including the attack just now had been used to increase the Demon King's prestige.

She had essentially taken practical control of the rebel army gathered at Mordis here.

"The true war has yet to come. You should all rest properly."

Saying that, dressed in ritual attire, Rubia turned around and vanished into the shadows in the passage.

Once she had receded out of sight, Rinslet sighed.

"...Unavoidably exhausting."

"Anyway, let us purify ourselves."

"Yes, th-this embarrassing outfit, I need to take it off as quickly as possible."

Hearing Fianna's suggestion, everyone nodded.

"Fufu, my lord Demon King, would you like to join us?"

"W-What are you talking about!?"

Kamito hastily shook his head in response to Fianna's mischievous smile.