Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume13 Chapter2 (section)

===Part 4===

(...Wind's Protection huh?)

Exiting the hospital, Kamito scratched his face and muttered.

...His heart was beating so fast. The sensation of those gentle lips still seemed to linger.

"&mdash;Kamito has no fidelity."

Worn at his waist, the sacred sword complained unhappily.

"M-Misunderstanding! Ellis was just giving me Wind's Protection."

"Steel's Protection alone is enough for guarding Kamito!"

...Est did not say anything after that, completely in a sulk.

"...Well, anyway, it was a great help."

If going on a journey, being able to lend the power of wind was worth celebrating. Because under the action of wind, there was a dramatic increase in speed.

"Next, I guess I'll go help Rinslet catch spirits."

Saying that, Kamito walked towards the Academy.

"&mdash;The very image of the Demon King of the Night as always. Kazehaya Kamito."

"...!"

A jeering voice. Kamito hastily looked at the voice's direction.

Out from the shadows of the building, a petite girl with a boyish haircut emerged.

"...Ugh, it's you, Virrey Branford!"

Kamito's face was very awkward.

She was number nine of the Empire's elite spirit knights&mdash;Numbers.

A special operative knight who belonged to the Umbra agency that specialized in foreign intelligence operations.

She was under orders from the Empire's top echelons to monitor Kamito. From Kamito's perspective, she was someone whom he wanted to avoid like the plague.

"What do you mean by 'ugh,' Kazehaya Kamito?"

"Oh, umm..."

The special operative knight stared at Kamito, walking in front of him nonchalantly.

"I saw you enter the sickroom of Duke Fahrengart's granddaughter... Could it be that you were engaged in something shameless and immoral?"

"...You've been following me all this time huh."

Nothing less expected from the dark side of Numbers, although she was hiding her presence in the Academy Town, to think that even Kamito had failed to notice her.

"Stop talking about made up things, how could I possibly do something shameless and immoral?"

Kamito denied firmly. Indeed, it was just a ritual necessary for Wind's Protection. Definitely not something shameless and immoral... Probably.

"Your eyes are wavering, Kazehaya Kamito."

...True to her name as a knight of Umbra, she saw with a single look.

"In my view, your getup is even more shameless."

"Wha...!?"

Kamito was forced to retaliate, forcing the Numbers girl to go red with embarrassment.

In actual fact, the highly revealing black leather suit made Kamito at a loss where he should look.

"T-This was developed specially for combat, the combat outfit for special operative knights!"

Virrey drew her handgun from her waist and pointed it at Kamito.

"How dare you look at me with such lewd eyes, you, you bestial king of lust!"

"Hey, pulling out a gun on the streets is very dangerous."

Kamito took Virrey's gun and held it up high.

"G-Give it back. Bad guy!"

It looked like it was really very precious to her. Virrey suddenly burst into tears, jumping up and down trying to snatch her gun back. But very unfortunately, her height was totally not enough.

"Before I do that, let me ask you something... Why are you still in town?"

Holding the gun up high, Kamito asked. According to what Greyworth had said, she should have gone to chase the escaped Lurie.

"...!"

Virrey was speechless for a moment. Then&mdash;

"The mission for apprehending Dame Lurie has been... called off."

With a trembling voice, mixed with regret.

"...What on earth happened?"

Although it was true that she had failed to realize Lurie was a spy, that was not her fault alone. As a special operative knight, there should be no one more suited than her for hunting down Lurie.

"Those are orders from above, demanding Umbra to cease hunting Dame Lurie."

"...No way, how can the culprit who caused such a huge incident be... just like that..."

Kamito could not help but cry out... Suddenly hearing such an unacceptable thing.

"Of course, I have suggested continuing the hunt to the higher-ups. However, totally set aside. 'With the All Nations Conference coming up, do not make a big deal out of this matter.' That was the answer from above. I am very concerned whether the higher-ups are hiding something."

(The Empire's top echelons are shielding Lurie on purpose&mdash;Is that it?)

If the Empire's interior&mdash;in other words, there were traitors in the council&mdash;it made sense how Lurie was able to lurk in the Empire for so long.

Besides, Lurie Lizaldia&mdash;who on earth was that woman?

While Kamito was in deep thought, Virrey finally snatched her gun back.

"It would still be okay if she's still in the area near the Theocracy, but as soon as she crosses the border, there's nothing we can do about her. We have also lost touch with Umbra spies who have infiltrated Murders."

"Is it because of that coup d'etat as well...?"

Under these chaotic conditions, trying to hide one's tracks was probably not a hard thing.

"About her past, did you manage to dig up anything?"

Virrey shook her head.

"Seven years ago, she appeared in the Empire and was called the miraculous healer. But how she infiltrated the Empire, how she was recruited to Numbers, regarding her past, everything is still unknown."

"...I see, come to think of it&mdash;do you have any idea about the name Yggdra?"

"Yggdra?"

Virrey stared at Kamito with a very surprised look.

"...Yeah. During the attack on the Academy, that girl in vestments mentioned the name... Have you heard of it?"

The girl with the eyepatch, host to the Otherworldly Darkness&mdash;Millennia Sanctus. On the day of the Great Festival of the Spirits, she was the main culprit who had summoned the militarized spirits, letting slip of that name in front of Kamito.

"Could it be that Yggdra failed?"&mdash;That was what she said.

That name might be linked to Lurie's true identity perhaps.

"Any idea would be an understatement&mdash;"

Virrey said with a surprised face:

"&mdash;That's the name of the Blade Dance winner fifteen years ago."

"...Huh?"

An unexpected answer&mdash;Kamito could not help but make a weird sound.

Greyworth was the winner of the Blade Dance twenty-four years ago.

Then three years ago, Ren Ashbell was the winner.

But there was also a Blade Dance held fifteen years ago.

The country that had obtained victory fifteen years ago should be&mdash;

(...The Holy Kingdom of Lugia, right?)

In any case, Lurie currently looked about twenty-five years in age right now. Based on that, she could not possibly have competed in the Blade Dance fifteen years earlier... That was probably no relation to her at all.

"Seriously, this is just a deduction based on ordinary common sense. Oh well, compared to the Dusk Witch and Ren Ashbell the Strongest Blade Dancer, Yggdra-sama is not very famous, but that can't be helped either&mdash;"

Virrey shrugged.

"If it bothers you, I could go investigate it. I will be returning to the imperial capital next."

"Back to the capital?"

"My latest mission is to serve as the bodyguard for Dame Greyworth who is participating in the All Nations Conference. Although she has already retired, she is still highly influential."

"...I see. If it's the imperial capital, that would be completely opposite the direction to Laurenfrost."

Saying that, Kamito exhaled deeply.

...In any case, he would not need to be monitored by this girl anymore.

"...Hmm? Could it be that you're going to Laurenfrost?"

Virrey raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Oh, yeah..."

"Are you tired of living? The Kyria Mountain Range is currently being ravaged by a great snowstorm of unknown cause, you know?"

"I know that too. Oh well, since I've got someone reliable to lead the way, there probably won't be a problem, I think."

"...Hmph, not like your life or death is any of my business."

Virrey shrugged with exasperation.

"Oh, speaking of Laurenfrost&mdash;"

Virrey casually thought of something and said:

"Umbra has apparently received reports that the Holy Kingdom's knights have been discovered in the forest near the border."

"...What?"

Kamito's face instantly went livid.

"&mdash;Hold on, please tell me the details about this report."

"Uwah...! Your face is too close, Kazehaya Kamito!"

Kamito suddenly leaned up close, causing Virrey's face to blush bright red.

"I recently heard about the Holy Kingdom's knights appearing near the border. Had it been normal times, the Empire would surely raise objections on grounds of territorial invasion. But since it's the sensitive period of the All Nations Conference right now, to avoid provoking the Holy Kingdom, the higher-ups have apparently decided to just watch for now&mdash;"

"Is it Luminaris Saint Leisched's team?"

"Seems to be&mdash;"

Kamito released Virrey's shoulder.

(...Why are the Holy Kingdom's knights appearing in Laurenfrost now?)

...A foreboding sense. During the Blade Dance, the Sacred Spirit Knights led by Luminaris had taken action to exterminate Restia.

...This was absolutely no coincidence.

(...Now's not the time to be dallying leisurely.)