Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance

Volume 3, Chapter 2 - Team Scarlet's Dash

Part 1

"Kamito, they're coming. Let's break through the middle in one go!"

"Ah, I got it!"

Simultaneously with the match-commencement bell—

Kamito and Claire began running through the forest of Astral Zero.

It was a simulation practice targeting the Blade Dance, and their third battle after Fianna had joined.

They were taking a battle formation where the vanguard were Kamito and Claire, and the rear guard and commander was Fianna.

This time there was no need to incapacitate all five members of the opposing team, they had to defeat one person that was chosen to be the commander. It was Claire's judgment that it would make best use of the team's offensive ability if Fianna was posted as the rear guard and defending as the commander, instead of Claire, who would be fighting as a vanguard.

"Haa, haa... Hey, wait a bit, you two!"

Fianna ran as she gasped. For her, who had not received battle training, running also seemed tough.

"The rate of your breathing is increasing, princess."

"I can't help it, after all, my breasts aren't light like Claire's—"

"Wh-What was that...!"

Seeing Fianna's breasts shake whenever she ran, Claire tightly bit her lips.

"Hey, don't quarrel. —They're coming!"

Upon coming out from the deep forest and into an open area— Kamito shouted.

There were shadows of three elementalists in the front. It seemed like they were going to clash head on.

Claire returned to her serious face, kicked the ground, and further accelerated.

Their opponent, Team Aquans, was ranked seventh in the interschool ranking.

It was a team that mainly constituted of powerful people gathered from the upperclassmen. They couldn't let their guard down.

Looking at the approaching opponents— Claire gasped in surprise.

Out of the approaching three people, she recognized the faces of two.

"Those two, if I recall—"

Kamito also noticed it.

They were the demon mirror elementalist and the adamantine elementalist.

A few weeks ago, they were the same upperclassmen, who had participated in the contract ritual of the militarized spirit in Academy Town.

They were the ones, who had relentlessly tormented Claire, who could not use her contracted spirit.

After that, they had the tables turned on them by Scarlet, who was possessed by the frenzy spirit, but—

Before he knew, they seemed to have joined a champion team.

"...Three from the front, huh? The remaining two should be hiding in the forest."

"I'll gather and take them on. You get the ones in the forest."

"Will you be alright?"

"Don't look down on me."

Kamito returned a wry smile to Claire, who expressed a composed smile.

"I'm going to settle it in 30 seconds."

"I'm counting on you— Scarlet!"

At the same time as Claire shouted, the incandescence hell cat running beside her changed its appearance into Flametounge.

It was—the incarnation of a contracted spirit that transformed into an armament—an elemental waffe. There was no one, who could release this as an elementary student.

Claire swung the Flametounge to the side.

The red hot whip was running as it licked the ground, and a blazing wall of flames appeared.

As the three attackers from the opposite team flinched, Kamito took the chance to quickly dash into the forest.

He cut down many trees with his shiny-silver elemental waffe sword as he ran through.

His field of vision was bad due to the drifting mist. He sharpened his whole body's senses, and sensed the presence of divine power, which was the source of the power of an elementalist— a battle ability driven into him when he was young at the Instructional School.

(—One is coming this way.)

He felt the presence behind him. One of the three seemed to be chasing after Kamito.

He tried to stop and turn around, and at that moment.

*Vun*— A sound like the flapping of a bug's wings skimmed past his earlobes.

The attack he had just barely dodged pulverized the tree behind him.

(What? I didn't see the trajectory of that attack—)

He turned towards the direction of the sound— There was the figure of the furious attacker.

It was a small built girl with chestnut-color hair. She was holding a small harp in her hand.

It was a musical-instrument-type elemental waffe.

The girl strummed the harp— and a slash attack was released again.

The invisible sound blade cut Kamito's leg and the many tree leaves fluttered and scattered in a flash.

It was a rather troublesome elemental waffe. It differed from a normal shooting attack, since he could not observe the shooter's hand movement and gaze to predict the trajectory.

(—In that case, I'll close in and bring her down in one attack!)

He ignored the elementalist chasing him behind. Holding the sword horizontally, Kamito rushed straight in.

The chestnut-colored hair girl violently strummed her harp. Perhaps she was flustered by Kamito's approaching speed, the invisible blades were released towards an almost random direction.

(No, this is—)

Kamito noticed his opponent's aim.

In the following moment, the sound blades that should have been out of range simultaneously rained incessantly on him from behind.

"...!"

The academy's uniform that had stab-proof features was cut and ripped, and intense pain attacked Kamito's whole body.

Even if he received an attack from a spirit in Astral Zero, his physical flesh would never receive damage, but that didn't mean that the sensation of pain completely vanished.

"You've let your guard down, male elementalist!"

There was a scorning-like voice from behind. It was the elementalist that came chasing after Kamito.

Upon turning around, there was the upperclassman smirking with a sphere-shaped spirit floating on her palm.

"I see, you amplified the sound blades and reflected them, huh?..."

The reflection of attribute attacks was the demon mirror spirit's special trait.

It was a combination attack utilizing their spirits' compatibility—as expected, they were accustomed to battle.

"Vit, that guy's elemental waffe is a sword. It's no big deal as long as we keep our distance."

The harp girl silently nodded. They seemed to be planning to pincer attack him and bring him down for sure.

(...They have analyzed my battle strengths, huh?)

Terminus Est was an elemental waffe of the strongest class, but since she was a sword, she could only do close-range attacks.

Also, Kamito couldn't use powerful spirit magic like Claire.

The handling of spirit magic was something necessary for the systematic research relating to the spirit subject, but Kamito was of Instructional School origin and thus he didn't receive practically any training in that area.

However, if they were under the impression that Kamito's long distance attack measures were nonexistent, they were mistaken.

"Est!"

As she heard Kamito's shouting voice, the elemental waffe metamorphosed.

From a single-edged long sword, into a beautiful short sword attached with an ornament.

At that moment, there were the countless sound blades, released from both sides.

The moment he dodged them, Kamito threw the short sword.

Perhaps because she didn't think he would throw his elemental waffe, the sound elementalist had a surprised facial expression.

The short sword hit and was sucked into her chest.

In Astral Zero, a contracted spirit could be used as the incarnation of pure divine power.

There were no injuries on her pierced chest, yet she lost consciousness in an instant and shouldn't even have the time to feel the pain.

At the same time, Kamito was running.

He extracted the short sword from the fainted girl, and at the same time he turned around, he repelled the sound blades that came attacking from behind. He poured divine power into the short sword, and restored Est to the previous long sword— Realizing the failure of that attack, the demon mirror elementalist tried to plot her escape, but that was too late of a reaction.

"Sorry, the short sword is more of my specialty."

The glowing silver sword pierced through the demon mirror spirit all together with the upperclassman.

Upon confirming that the two had fainted, and quickly returning to the location where Claire was fighting—

"You're late, seven seconds late."

"You were counting? You're such a stingy fellow."

Within the whirling crimson flames, Claire was dancing a splendid blade dance.

There were the remains of the melted crag spirit rolling on the ground— She seemed to have already defeated one person.

The one remaining was the adamantine elementalist. As she parried the spirit, which had taken on its gigantic ore form, away with her whip, Claire was making walls of flame to seal her opponent's movement. The blazing flames totally did not weaken. On the contrary, fanned by the thunderous violent-blowing wind, they seemed to be increasingly growing hotter.

It was the assistive effect of the ritual dance performance that Fianna danced. The power of the wind Elemental Lord was fiercely stirring up the flames.

However, the opponent was an adamantine spirit, which possessed resistance against the fire attribute. It was acting as if the walls of flame were nothing.

"Your flame spirit won't work on my Adamantine!"

The adamantine spirit came assaulting straight on. Claire kicked the ground and jumped.

That appearance of her red twintails flying and fluttering seemed almost as if they were scattering sparks.

The crimson killing flash freely tore through the sky. The surrounding trees were cut from their roots.

No. The ones cut weren't just the trees of the forest.

Perhaps it was unable to withstand the accumulation of damage any longer; he thought that he heard a metal-scraping-like sound as the adamantine spirit in its ore form was cleanly split into four and fell to the ground.

"No way, my adamantine spirit!?"

"Certainly, the adamantine spirit has a resistance against the fire attribute. However, it seemed to be brittle against a cutting attack."

Claire landed on the ground, and brushed her red twintails.

Jumping and scattering sparks landed into a puddle and made a sizzling sound.

"...A puddle?"

Kamito, who had been fascinated by Claire's blade dance, suddenly frowned.

It was just behind Fianna, who was performing the ritual dance.

(Just now, there wasn't a puddle at such a—)

At that moment.

"—Kyaa!?"

Fianna screamed.

Suddenly, her body was caught by a giant shadow that appeared from the inside of the puddle.

It had a big slimy transparent frame and ominously shiny red eyes.

And then, it had a large spread out chin.

That was a water spirit in a giant serpent form.

"Fianna!"

"Ah, hn... What are you doing?!"

Its wet shiny semi-transparent body turned over Fianna's skirt, and was tightly twining around her slender body. Her tender breasts were squeezed out and a gasping-like breath leaked out from her throat.

Fianna was suspended in midair as she writhed, but she was helpless against the spirit opponent.

"No, no, don't touch anywhere, eh... n-noooooo!"

"Why you, release Fianna!"

Aiming at the slimy coiling serpent's body, Claire launched her Flametounge.

However, the Flametounge made a sizzling noise and slipped though the semi-transparent body.

It was a water spirit, which had the worst compatibility with Scarlet, which was a flame spirit. Even within the five grand elemental spirits, it was the spirit that Claire wanted to not deal with the most. Furthermore, a spirit that took on a beast form was a high ranking spirit. That was probably the commander's contracted spirit— but there were no signs of the elementalist using it around.

"Damn—"

Kamito was about to run to her side, and at that moment.

The water spirit raised its head, aimed at Claire and released a strong Aqua Breath.

Claire knocked down the water bullets with her Flametounge, but she simply couldn't defend against all of them—

"Claire!"

Kamito quickly changed his direction, grabbed Claire's body, and jumped.

Immediately after that, countless water bullets had made their impact. Large explosions, as if turning the ground inside out, occurred in succession.

"..., An attack-type water spirit? What power."

"Fuaa, Ka-Kamito, what are you doing?!"

*Don*, they landed on the ground, and Claire turned bright red and shouted.

It seems that being carried in his arms made her embarrassed.

"I-I got it! I got it, so don't scratch my face!"

The moment Claire was softly let off onto the ground, the water spirit turned around.

Raising its head, it tried to release its strong Aqua Breath again.

At that moment, a dazzling flash surged out from the serpent's body.

——Thou, servant of the king of the child of man, knight and master swordsman!

——By the contract of the old blood, become the sword that protects me, please hurry and come to my side!

In the instant when the tightening jolted, Fianna took the chance to recite the spirit summoning incantation.

Immediately, the gigantic water spirit's body swelled up and exploded in one go from the inside.

The one appearing from within the flash was—

An armored knight, carrying Fianna in one hand.

It had a rigid silver heavy-armor. Its red eyes were glaringly shining in its helmet.

It was the knight spirit Georgios— The contracted spirit that served the Ordesia royal family for generations.

It was power that Fianna, who was once called the Lost Queen, had regained.

Fianna was gently let down and collapsed on the ground since she had exhausted all her strength.

"Checkmate"

Kamito calmly informed, and pointed the tip of the sword at the middle of the puddle.

"...It seems this is it."

The commander water elementalist, who was hiding, admitted defeat, seemingly vexed.

Part 2

Kamito and the others, who returned from the forest of Astral Zero, were walking in a line in the academy's corridor.

Fianna, who had been caught and twined up by the water spirit, had a dead-tired expression.

Est, who turned back into her human form, was slightly pinching on the cuffs of Kamito's uniform.

"This makes it our third consecutive victory in our battles, this is all thanks to my wonderful commands."

Brushing her red twintails, Claire muttered in a good mood.

"I won't deny it, but... today's match was a little too much of a close call."

Kamito shrugged his shoulders and pointed out.

Although, winning against the seventh ranking team was great. With this, they should have come within reach of the top three, who were able to get the participating qualification of the Blade Dance.

"That's right, we can't feel relieved yet. As far as the top ranking team we have not yet fought with is concerned, the possibility that we'll get Ellis' third ranking team next is high."

"Ellis?... I'll want to seriously cross swords with her once."

Ellis' blade dance was, completely without things like tricks, a fair and square knight's blade dance.

If it was her, he was sure that he could surely fight feeling good.

Claire somehow pouted her lips, seemingly displeased, at Kamito muttering such things.

"Wh-What, you want to see Ellis' breasts shaking so much?"

"What... Well, certainly, Ellis' breasts are big, but— Ah, no."

As Claire was sternly glaring, Kamito averted the topic in a fluster.

"Although, if I recall Ellis' team had two comrades who're still injured, right?"

They were the Sylphid Knights' Rakka and Reishia. They, who were also Ellis' teammate, fought Jio Inzagi in the quest the other day and were injured.

It was certain to take fair amount of time for the two of them to return to the academy.

"Yeah, in the case that Ellis defaults— we may have to fight against the second ranking team, or the first ranking's Velsaria. Honestly, it's not very appealing."

"Velsaria?"

"A knight of the Fahrengart duke family. Taking on the nickname of Silent Fortress, she's the academy's strongest elementalist."

The instant Claire spoke of that nickname, her voice slightly trembled.

"The academy's strongest..."

She was first in the inter-school rankings. She was the academy's strongest elementalist that even Claire feared.

What kind of opponent was she?—

(Hn? However, the Fahrengart duke family was certainly...)

Suddenly, Kamito seemed to have recalled something, but—

"Well, in any case—"

To shake off the heavy atmosphere, Claire tightly thrust out her index finger.

"Let's have lunch or something. A victory celebration party to celebrate our consecutive victories."

"It's still before noon. You'll grow fat if you overeat."

"An elementalist, who exhausted her divine power in battle, would not grow fat."

Placing her hands at her waist, Claire swelled out her cheeks sullenly.

"So, the nutrition that should go to your breasts were all taken by your contracted spirit. How pitiful."

"Eh?"

Hearing Fianna's murmuring—

Claire was taken aback, and looked down at the hell cat spirit near her feet.

"...Hey, Scarlet."

"Nya?"

"By any chance, are you burning my breasts' fat?"

*Gogogogogogogo...!*

"Nya,nya,nyaa, nyaaa!"

"Ah, hey, wait up!"

Scarlet shook its head, and escaped at full speed through the corridor.

(...Umm, I somewhat feel a sense of affinity to Scarlet.)

Kamito was thinking of such things, when—

*Kuikui*. The sleeve of his uniform was pulled from behind.

Turning around, Est was gazing at Kamito with her clear violet pupils.

"Kamito, Est is hungry."

"Ahh, Est, as you have really done your best, you can eat the things you like."

"Okay, Kamito. Please praise Est more."

"...It can't be helped."

*Surisuri*. *Nadenade*.

He made a wry smile as he gave her head a pat, and Est partly closed her eyes, seemingly feeling good.

"... Y-You, why are you soft on Est?"

"What, Claire, do you also want to be patted?"

"Wh... There's no... Fuan"

Kamito placed his other hand on Claire's head, and she made a somewhat cute voice.

Upon patting her head, she became docile almost like a cat, which was fondled at its throat.

(Th-This is a little cute...)

Kamito was also unconsciously startled at the hell cat girl's unexpected weak point.

"Mmm, Kamito-kun, are you not going to pat me?"

Holding her index finger at her mouth, Fianna muttered seemingly lonely.

Then.

"—Hmm, you seem to be having fun. Sister of the Calamity Queen."

A cold voice was heard from behind.

"...?"

Upon turning around—

"Even though, the truth is you don't have things like the qualifications to be in this academy."

"Do you get what your sister did to the empire?"

It was the upperclassman from the match a while ago— those two, the adamantine elementalist and the demon mirror elementalist.

"What did you—"

Kamito grabbed and stopped Claire's arm, who was enraged.

"Claire, calm down. Don't easily fall for their provocations."

"..., But Nee-sama was insulted.!"

"If you cause a dueling uproar here, our participation in the Blade Dance will also be in jeopardy."

Kamito whispered, and Claire thoroughly bit her lips, seemingly frustrated.

If they receive a punishment for a dueling uproar, the ranking that they raised with great trouble would end up being drastically reduced.

The two of them in front of him also knew that and were provoking Claire on purpose.

(Those two...)

Although, even Kamito also couldn't stay composed.

It was for only an instant, but Kamito didn't miss Claire's hurt expression. The matter about her sister, Rubia Elstein, had been a great emotional scar to her.

"This is really sickening. For the sister of a felon, who did that much, to be boldly attending the academy, what on earth are your nerves made of—"

"Hey, you better—"

Kamito tried to complain, and at that moment.

*Katsun*— Elegant footsteps were heard in the corridor.

"Hmm, how disgraceful, seniors. We, the academy students, are empire nobles with pride. If you have a pretext, it is manners to settle it with an official duel."

Her extravagant platinum-blonde hair fluttered up.

She had the conduct of a noble that was perfectly in order up to her fingertips.

"...Rinslet?"

Yes—

The one, who was slowly walking from the other side of the corridor, was a blonde haired beautiful girl overflowing with elegance.

She was the eldest daughter with the lineage of the honorable Laurenfrost family, and also the self-declared rival of Claire.

She was Miss Rinslet Laurenfrost.

Her emerald green pupils, which hid faint brilliance, were fearlessly glaring at the two upperclassman.

"Or perhaps, rural nobles, like you seniors, do not even happen to have that extent of pride?"

"..., What was that!?"

Being provoked, one of the enraged upperclassmen summoned her adamantine spirit.

(Danger—)

Kamito rushed out in front to try to protect Rinslet, but—

"—You're slow."

"Wh!?"

The upperclassman distorted her face in shock.

Rinslet's nocked demon bow of ice was certainly aimed at the place between her eyebrows.

It was the high ranking demon ice spirit Fenrir's elemental waffe— Freezing Arrow.

"The one, who moved first, was you seniors. Therefore, this is a proper self-defense. Although, it seemed that I, who moved later, was somehow faster."

"..., Ridiculous, you released your elemental waffe in an instant!?"

The upperclassman stiffened as the aim was kept affixed between her eyebrows.

Honestly, the releasing speed just now astonished even Kamito.

"It is wiser for you to give up. It is faster for me to release my arrow— Or perhaps, you planned on competing with this ice demon Rinslet here?"

"...Y-You'll remember this."

Seemingly frustrated, the two upperclassmen said disdainfully and glared at Claire before running in the end.

"Hmm, a wise judgment."

Rinslet proudly brushed her hair, and kept her elemental waffe bow.

"Rinslet, you..."

"Oh, this is not something you have to feel indebted for, Claire Rouge. I really hate those sort of prideless nobles."

"I-It's not like I feel indebted or something!"

"Claire, don't be bothered by those kind of people."

"I-I'm not... That sort of thing is normal."

Claire rubbed her eyes, and quickly turned away.

"B-By the way, everyone—"

"Ahem", Rinslet coughed.

"Um?"

"E-Err... Just now, I heard something about a victory celebration party."

Her face was slightly red. Her appearance, where she was frigid, suddenly changed, and she entwined her fingers bashfully, as her line of sight was wandering about in a really un-composed manner.

"What, you were listening to our conversation?"

"I-It was by chance, it was just that it entered my ears by chance!"

Rinslet shook her head and denied.

"Although you're having a victory celebration party, since it's you guys, you would be having it in the academy's dining hall, right?"

"...Hn, yeah."

Kamito articulated poorly and nodded.

Kamito wasn't even a noble, and Claire also had her territory and property seized. Fianna was the former princess, but at the point of time she decided to admit into the academy, she was practically disinherited.

It didn't mean that they were short on money, but they didn't have the surplus to squander it.

"How about having lunch at a high-class restaurant in Academy Town once in a while?"

"Err, we don't have..."

Kamito staggered in his words—

"Hmm, to settle that, I will be treating. This is a small expense for my Laurenfrost family. Claire Rouge, your Highness, and the spirit over there, there is no need to hold back."

The high-class yound lady brushed her platinum-blonde hair.

"No." "I decline."

However, Claire and Fianna mercilessly rejected her.

"Wh-Why?!"

"Because I don't want to be indebted to you."

"Speaking of which, why is Rinslet coming to Team Scarlet's victory celebration party?"

"Th-That's... err... u..."

Rinslet became teary at the merciless retorts by the two young ladies.

There was no longer any fragment of her braveness from just now.

At that point.

"In other words, Milady wants to have a meal with everyone ? "

Maid Carol suddenly appeared from somewhere.

"Carol!? Wh-What are you saying? This girl is just...!"

*Pokapokapokapoka*.

Turning bright red, Rinslet hits Carol's shoulder.

It was a splendid interpretation as usual.

"...What, if that was the case, all you had to do was say so at the beginning."

Claire shrugged her shoulders as she was astounded.

"Eh? I-It's alright... for me to also come together?"

"I don't do such spiteful things. It's just the right time, because Kamito was hospitalized due to his injuries, we didn't celebrate the completion of the quest the other day. You come too."

Rinslet's face shone in a flash.

"Kamito, I want to eat parfait."

"Ahh, now that you mentioned it, I promised you that a while ago."

*Tug-tug*. His sleeves were pulled by Est, and Kamito nodded.

"Well, putting aside the high class restaurant, it might also be nice to eat in Academy Town."

They always settled lunch at the salon café with all-you-can-eat bread, as it was troublesome to specially get permission to go out, there was hardly any time they went outside the academy.

To try to go out to Academy Town once in a while was because it might be a good change of mood.

"Well then, it's decided. I'll go get the permission to go out of the academy right now."

"Ah, wait."

Kamito called Claire, who walked off, to stop.

"What?"

"I have a supplementary class for the fundamental subject after this."

"...Huh? Don't tell me you failed the fundamental subject?"

"...Sorry."

Kamito nodded, being discouraged.

"I can't believe it. Why did you fail such an easy lecture?"

"Gu..."

...He couldn't answer back. To begin with, Kamito, who was from the Instructional School, had not received education on the systematic spirit subjects so far, so if he couldn't help it, he couldn't help it.

On the other hand, the results of Claire's lecture subjects were unexpectedly top-class even in the Academy.

If it was just by her results, she was a super honor student. The superior problem child was something often said about her.

"...It can't be helped. Well then, we'll wait till Kamito's supplementary class ends. It'll be a slightly late lunch, but is it alright if we meet in front of the main gate at two?"