Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume17 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 3===

"Now then, where should I start?"

Sweeping his gaze across Kamito's group, Safian slowly began to speak.

"...You're not a resident of this city, right?"

Claire was the first to ask a question.

"Correct, I am not from here. Besides, it is debatable whether the residents in this city are human or not."

Recalling the residents who vanished as soon as they left the city gate, Kamito and the girls looked at one another.

Sure enough, were they something like a hallucination instead of real people..?

"How did you get here? Ordinary people can't possibly come here, right?"

Hearing Kamito's question...

"Yes, I find it quite incredible too&mdash;"

Safian looked up at the ceiling and started to recount his story.

"It was a couple of months ago. My companions and I had set off from Zohar with a caravan headed to the Quina Empire. Along the way, we suddenly encountered a violent sandstorm&mdash;"

According to him, he had accepted a job from the guild to transport spirit crystals to the Quina Empire's Sparkling Capital and the incident happened during the journey.

While sailing through the desert, they were caught up in chaotic leylines, taking them far from their course. Such accidents would occur in the desert region once in a while.

By the time he realized, his ship was lost in Ghul-a-val, finally shipwrecked and eaten by giant beasts.

Although he had fled in desperation, he ended separated from his companions on the ship, wandering in the desert for many days.

Several days later, having exhausted all his food and water, on the verge of death&mdash;

"...That spirit appeared."

"Spirit?"

"Yes, the spirit that is a giant with a bull's face."

Kamito and the girls looked at one another.

...Naturally, they remembered that spirit too.

It was presumably the Sphinx that Kamito had fought in the desert.

"The spirit healed my almost dying body and took me to this strange city. After that, I have lived here for more than half a year and even started doing business. How unbelievable. While living here, I gradually became able to understand the langauge."

Safian smiled wryly and shrugged.

"...Really? You've suffered a lot too."

Concurring, Kamito still could not relax completely.

The Sphinx&mdash;the spirit calling itself the judge.

Would a spirit that attacked indiscriminately, caring about nothing except Demon King eligibility, actually help someone altruistically?

(Oh well, it's impossible for humans to understand spirits, who do whatever they like...)

Suddenly, he looked at the spirit seal on the left hand, recalling a certain darkness spirit who did whatever she liked. Was she still investigating the pyramid?

"Are there others like you?"

This time, it was Fianna's turn to ask a question.

"Uh, that is, people brought here by spirits&mdash;"

"Yes, I have already encountered a few. From what they told me, they were brought here after getting stranded in Ghul-a-val like me."

"Can they not leave?"

"Don't tell me something like you'll disappear as soon as you exit the city gate&mdash;"

Claire murmured nervously, but Safian smiled and shook his head.

"No need to worry about that. You can exit the gate any time, but&mdash;"

"But?"

"There are terrifying beasts living in Ghul-a-val outside. There are no sand ships here, so any attempt to leave would probably turn you into a mummified corpse out in the desert."

"...I see."

Indeed, it was hard to imagine ordinary people walking out of the desert unless they were elementalists. The merchants on sand ships were truly risking their lives for business.

"Then you plan on living in this city indefinitely?"

"That might not be half bad. After living here for a while, I have found it rather comfortable, actually."

Safian shrugged slightly.

...''Well, I suppose he might be telling the truth.''

"We are elementalists. We could help you if you wish to leave."

"Thank you for the kind offer. I shall consider it."

Hearing the suggestion from Ellis, who was driven by a strong sense of responsibility, Safian nodded ambiguously.

"By the way, have you recently come across a girl who came from outside like us? It should be during the past few days&mdash;"

At this moment, Kamito casually tried to ask about Princess Saladia&mdash;

"...No, the only outsiders I met recently are you."

However, Safian only shook his head gently.

He did not seem to be lying.

In that case, perhaps the princess had yet to arrive?

During this time, their food and drinks were brought to the table.

"Wow, it looks delicious..."

Claire's stomach rumbled adorably.

"Well, let us continue our conversation later. Time to eat."

Safian raised his wine glass and smiled generously.

Rose-scented beer. Freshly baked bread. Smoked lamb made with plenty of spices. Several types of pickles. Stir-fried meat and eggs...

Although there were a few vegetables they had never seen before, the food served was not too different from what they had eaten in the Theocracy.

"Looks quite tasty."

"Y-Yes... Wait, is it really safe to eat?"

Claire seemed somewhat worried. Indeed, Kamito had his own doubts whether the food cooked in this town were the same as normal food.

"The taste is not bad."

"Hmm... A knight is bound by duty to eat what ought to be eaten."

...Presumably famished from their walk in the desert, Rinslet and Ellis immediately started on a meat dish.

(...Sigh, I guess it's fine. This merchant guy is eating too.)

Before the young ladies finished it all, Kamito took some meat and inserted it into his bread to eat.

"What is this skewered barbecued meat?"

Picking up a skewer of black meat, Rinslet asked in puzzlement.

"Meat of the sand whale. You can catch them in these parts."

"No way. The sand whale went extinct long ago."

Hearing that, the knowledgeable Claire murmured softly.

Kamito tried a bite of sand whale meat too.

"...This doesn't taste that great."

Not only was the meat tough but it also had a kind of flavor that even spices could not cover up.

"Hmm, this texture is more similar to the ground dragon meat I ate in Dracunia..."

"Kamito, you've had dragon meat before?"

"Yeah, in a restaurant in Dracunia, with Leonora... Owww!"

Sitting next to him, Claire stomped his foot hard.

"W-What are you doing!?"

"W-While we were putting our lives on the line, training on Dragon's Peak, h-how dare you go on a date!?"

Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble...!

Claire's twintails were standing up on end like flames.

"T-To think I respected Leonora-dono as an honorable knight&mdash;"

"How I mustn't lower my guard!"

Ellis and Rinslet glared at Kamito angrily as well.

"&mdash;Thanks for the food."

Soon the meal ended and the table was piled with empty dishes.

Seeing the mountains of empty dishes, people from surrounding tables made astonished noises.

Elementalist girls were usually big eaters. They ate with impunity because using spirits consumed divine power.

"Let this be my treat."

Saying that, Safian took out his purse.

Hearing that, Rinslet stood up and tossed her hair glamorously.

"Hmph, do know that we are nobles. We have not fallen so low as to need charity from commoners."

"Even though we are in exile."

"P-Putting that aside, this meal shall be paid for by the courtesy of the Laurenfrost margraviate. Would you be so kind as to convert these imperial gold coins for me?"

"Yes, as you wish."

Safian laughed awkwardly and exchanged the city's coins for the imperial gold coins.

What he handed over were slightly deformed coins bearing the image of a young man.

"I have never seen such currency in the continent."

"Surely they are coins from a thousand years ago."

"..."

Suddenly, Kamito felt a strange sense of dissonance and kept staring at the coins.

"What's wrong, Kamito?"

"Oh, nothing..."

The face on the coin seemed somehow familiar&mdash;

(...Am I worrying too much?)

"Is there a purification facility here suitable for body cleansing?"

Just then, Fianna asked Safian.

"A purification bath for princess maidens is located not far from here."

"Wonderful. I can finally take a normal bath."

Claire exhaled with relief.

"What are your plans, Kamito-kun? Would you like to take a bath with us?"

Fianna bent forward, exposing her cleavage, teasing Kamito.

"I-I'll head to the room to put down our luggage, then check out the pyramid."

Kamito instantly blushed and looked away.

"Eh, are you going to the pyramid alone?"

"I'm just taking a walk to check out the neighborhood. Also, Restia might be around there."

Saying that, Kamito turned to face Safian again.

"...By the way, do you know anything about that pyramid?"

"Hmm, I can't say I do."

Safian shook his head sadly.

"Even the locals don't know who built it or why. I tried investigating before but could not even find anything resembling an entrance&mdash;"

"...I see. Looks like we'll just have to investigate patiently."

"Very well, we shall finish purifying ourselves before converging with you."

"Okay."

"Allow me to take you to your lodgings, if you don't mind. To avoid getting lost in Quseir Amra."

"...Thanks."

Nodding a little, Kamito picked up the Demon Slayer and stood up.

In fact, the suggestion was perfect for Kamito.

There was something he wanted to verify.