Editing Hyouketsu Kyoukai no Eden:Volume 4 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 3===

“……It’s nostalgic.”

Continuing down the path that could fit five full-grown adults standing side-to-side, he looked around at the spread-out rooms.

The tower’s 28th floor was prepared for the guards’ training. The Cadet Guards were assigned the outdoor training grounds so there wasn’t much of a chance to visit here but he remembered from his time as an Elite Guard three years ago.

“The fourth room, so it’s this one……”

He placed his badge to the card reader as Leon had said.

—Authenticated—

“Oh.”

Immediately after the door opened, his eyes were seared by the strong brilliance that imitated the sun.

The room was modeled after a canyon — with the floor as a gigantic boulder and the four walls made of rock that rose perpendicular to the ground, it had been faithfully reproduced.

At the center of that room was a young man in a white longcoat who was standing still.

Upon the white that would make a woman take a second look without thinking was long silver hair which evoked the image of a lion. His burly and well-trained body would remind one of a steel blade.

“I’m here.”

“Jeez, while I was out on official business, what were you doing?”

Leon Nestorius Ova. The man recognized as the greatest great sword wielder on the floating continent. He had been his friend for ten years and his sole rival in peerless swordsmanship.

“What do you mean, I was applying for a mission.”

“Not that. What I wanted to talk about was the mission that I just mentioned.”

……The one you just mentioned?

Let’s see, was there a mission that Leon had told me about.

“It’s the Governmental Sector case. We went on a confidential mission, remember.”

“Ahh, if it’s that one, there’s no way I could forget.”

It had happened three weeks ago. He had been invited by Leon who had received a direct order from Queen Salah to the {{furigana|floating archipelago|Lagoon}}. There, they had discovered a peculiar facility hidden within an island.

Then they had found a hidden Yuugenshu cultivation water tank. It was within the {{furigana|floating archipelago|Lagoon}} which was Governmental Sector territory, so the possibility of it being related to the Governmental Sector was high. Based on that judgment by the executives of {{furigana|Tenketsu Palace|Sophia}}, a meeting had been arranged between {{furigana|Tenketsu Palace|Sophia}} and the Governmental Sector.

“The meeting is pretty soon, right?”

“It’s in exactly two weeks. And you’ll also be slipping into that meeting.”

……Slipping into?

That almost sounded like he was going to secretly attend the meeting.

“Secretly, you mean? We’re the ones who found the Yuugenshu water tank. I thought we might be called to the meeting as witnesses.”

“It’s the executive office’s job to report that. Discussions aren’t our specialty, after all. It’ll be a complex exchange about that facility behind the scenes, so it’s best to leave that to the experts.

“Ah, well……that’s kind of self-explanatory.”

The Yuungenshu that was sleeping underground was the problem. They had only discovered one, but if there were more by any chance, it would be much too dangerous. The executive office should be able to explain that well.

“The executive office doesn’t specialize in Yuugenshu, so the Yuugenshu’s water tank is”

“Being investigated by those suited to it.”

Leon nodded slightly with his arms crossed.

“The Priestesses are doing it.”

“The Priestesses? The Priestesses are travelling outside the tower?”

He doubted his ears upon hearing the words Leon spoke. That the Priestesses, of which only five existed, would leave the floating continent was unheard of even if they were attending a meeting.

“It just means this is that serious of a matter.”

Perhaps he had thought the same thing as Leon nodded once again with a sigh.

“No matter what the goal, cultivating a Yuugenshu is outrageous. No, to begin with, there is a necessity to obtain confirmation about whether that’s truly possible. If the Priestesses personally set out, then even the Governmental Sector will show some movement. And that role will likely fall to Ymy.”

“Ymy?”

Ymy Ele Soufflenictole — Sheltis’ childhood friend. She had become the fifth Priestess at the age of seventeen and also become able to choose a Sennenshi.

“But Ymy doesn’t have a Sennenshi, so going outside is……”

“None of the other Priestesses are free. The one most suited to discussions is Meimel, but it’ll be right after she finishes maintaining Hyouketsu Kyoukai in place of the Queen. She’ll be fatigued.”

Of the five Priestesses, the first and third are currently patrolling outside the tower.

The three remaining are the second Priestess, Meimel, the fifth Priestess, Ymy and the fourth Priestess, Syun-rei. If Meimel can’t, then Ymy and Syun-rei are the next candidates but—

“……I see, it’s difficult for Syun-rei.”

Thinking upon the black-haired Priestess, he agreed with Leon.

Syun-rei became a Priestess the youngest and was an outstanding Shinryoku practitioner but she was also burdened with extreme anthropophobia. If it was Syun-rei who couldn’t even walk around the tower without Leon, there was no way she could go to the distant {{furigana|floating archipelago|Lagoon}} on business.

“So by process of elimination, it falls to Ymy?”

“That’s how it is. It seems the third Priestess was going to come back instead of having Ymy travel far but……that’s a waste. I’m going to change back to the original topic, about the mission.”

A Priestess and the upper echelons of {{furigana|Tenketsu Palace|Sophia}} would be setting off for the Governmental Sector. There was only one thing he could think of as a mission for a guard following along.

“An escort?”

“That’s right. Those attending from the Governmental Sector haven’t been announced, but the Chiefs of the General Affairs Bureau and the Office of Management Affairs will be attending from {{furigana|Tenketsu Palace|Sophia}} with two secretaries. Together with the Priestess, that makes five people.

As an escort, five people was a small group, but with a Priestess included, the responsibility was heavy. At any rate, they were the protectors of the floating continent, so there could not even be the chance of an accident.

“Wait, are Cadet Guards like us even allowed to escort Ymy?”

Escorting the Priestesses was entrusted to Sennenshi. Not to mentioned Elite Guards or Regular Guards, but having Cadet Guards as the escort had never been done.

“As you expected, that much is impossible. Considering the tower’s rules and precedents, in all probability, the escorting will be temporarily left with the Cadre Guard.”

The Cadre Guard — out of the Elite Guards who possess superior true ability and repeat the severe ranking competition, this was the person whose skills stand at the summit of that.

……If Ymy were to choose her Sennenshi without waiting for me.

……The guard who would definitely become a Sennenshi, huh.

“Be careful. They’re someone who’ll figure out your true identity if you act carelessly.”

“Eh?”

Sheltis opened his eyes wide at Leon’s abrupt words.

“You also know the person who’s the Cadre Guard right now. You’ll understand if I say it’s ‘Jelshuvessa’ whom you’ve competed with countless times.” <ref>[T/N: Accepting suggestions for her name (ジェルシュヴェッサー / jerushuvessa-)! Just leave them in the comments.]</ref>

“Jelshuvessa……no way, it can’t be.”

“It’s her.“

“Uaa……wa-wait a second! That’s no joke!”

He yelled out while holding his head.

“I’m bad at dealing with that person. I really can’t tell what they’re thinking.”

The opponent he had competed with countless times as fellow Elite Guards three years ago.

‘She’ stood out from even amongst the Elite Guards. It was such that it was strange that she hadn’t become a Sennenshi up until three years later.

“Even I’m bad at dealing with her. Anyway, I’ve warned you.”

“Yeah……well, it can’t be helped. If it’s her, then there’s no mistaking her skill.”

“Aren’t you honest?”

“It’s because it’s much better than having some random Elite Guard I don’t know escorting Ymy. ……I know I can’t be the one escorting her.”

He had no right to escort a Priestess, being a Cadet Guard. There was still a need for somebody to defend Ymy.

“……To be honest, it’s a little frustrating but there’s no point in bluffing.”

“That’s some admirable attitude. At any rate, that Cadre Guard should temporarily become Ymy’s escort. It’ll be fine if you go along to the Governmental Sector as the escort of the other VIPs.”

“I see, understood.”

He calmly stopped breathing and looked towards the ceiling.

……I wonder why, my heart is pounding.

……Even though my goal of becoming a Sennenshi hasn’t been fulfilled yet. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this tension.

If he was chosen for this mission, he could travel together with Ymy.

It wouldn’t be him protecting her but it felt like the first great step in that direction.

“The first thing is to win that mission. Chances for a Cadet Guard to travel together with a Priestess are rare so the corresponding merit points for the mission are also high. You should keep in mind that other units will also be aiming for it.”

“I’ll do my best. Since the first thing is to win the mission.”

“You do that. Well then, I should be going, I’m keeping Syun-rei waiting.”

“Ah, Leon. Hold up.”

Flapping his coat, he turned towards his back.

“What is it?”

“……Tell Ymy something. We’ll definitely be going together.”

“If I don’t forget.”

Replying with a blunt manner of speech, the silver-haired young man left towards the elevator.