Demon Sword Master of the Holy Sword Academy - Volume 7 - Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

THE MYSTIC-EYED GIRL

“Oh, Lady Selia, what are we going to do? This is horrible; just look at Sakuya—”

“Shhh. Just leave her be for now.”

“Huh…? B-but, I can’t help worrying…” Anxiety and confusion showed plainly on Regina’s face as she whispered.

The girls were in the common room on the Hræsvelgr dorm’s first floor. A variety of dishes covered the table: pancakes, a fresh vegetable salad, corn cream soup, ham and eggs, and yogurt with strawberry jam. Regina had prepared each selection, guaranteeing they would be delicious.

It was an ordinary breakfast for the eighteenth platoon, save one unusual problem.

“…Kuh… It hurts… My eye hurts…” Sakuya was mumbling to herself from a spot at the end of the table. She had the palm of one hand pressed over her left eye, and her brow was knit in pain. “…I…I can’t suppress it… Kuh… Calm down…”

A fashionable black patch covered the girl’s left eye. Although an unusual accessory, it suited Sakuya nonetheless. A pretty girl like her might have looked good in anything, but that didn’t make the unusual adornment any less conspicuous.

“Why an eye patch, though? Do you think Sakuya’s gotten into trends?” Regina whispered into Riselia’s ear.

“Hmm… It must be that syndrome. You know, the one unique to fourteen-year-olds,” Riselia whispered back.

“Syndrome?”

“You know what I mean. It happened to me, too. Remember when I wrapped my arm in bandages for no reason, modified my uniform a little, and started putting on colored contact lenses?”

“Oh, right! You did act kind of weird!” Regina answered, recalling her mistress’s old strange behavior.

“I tried to come up with all sorts of cool names for my Holy Sword for when it would manifest, too.”

“Yeah, I kind of remember a few from that notebook I found when cleaning your room…”

“A-anyway! This behavior is a pretty typical phase for young teenagers. Let’s just watch over her as she works through it.”

“Ahhh. Understood, I suppose…”

Leonis listened to the exchange and cast a glance at Sakuya.

It seems she’s adapting to the mystic eye I gave her.

The girl still struggled to control it properly, but her body hadn’t rejected the eye outright, and that was a good sign. Once Sakuya fully acclimated to the mystic eye of time, it would take on her original eye color, too.

Though whether she fully masters its power depends on her natural talents…

Static crackled as a voice blared from Excalibur Academy’s PA system.

“The Seventh Assault Garden is currently sailing through the waters of the Former Archipelago of Weiria.”

Following the announcement, Leonis felt the ground tremble noisily beneath his legs.

“The former Archipelago of Weiria… It should be around here,” Elfiné said, calling up a map of the sea on her terminal.

The Seventh Assault Garden had moved away from the continent’s shores and was sailing northward. Its destination was the heart of the Human Integrated Empire, the First Assault Garden that served as humankind’s greatest bastion—the Imperial Capital, Camelot.

Under normal conditions, the Seventh Assault Garden wouldn’t be due to return to the capital for another seven months. However, the Sakura Orchid god sealed beneath the city had been stolen during a recent attack, robbing the mana furnace of most of its output.

In its present state, the Seventh Assault Garden was incapable of fulfilling its duties as a weapon meant to locate and destroy Void Hives. Its date for return was moved up so the weakened mana furnace could be replaced, but also so the city could undergo maintenance.

The Seventh Assault Garden moved only because it was still docked with the Sixth Assault Garden, Alexandria, which was effectively towing it. Also, to reduce power consumption, the Seventh’s production facilities and large commercial buildings had been shut down. Excalibur Academy’s training field, which was normally capable of changing terrain, was also inoperable.

Naturally this extended to creature comforts such as the Hræsvelgr dorm’s air-conditioning, too.

“…We’re taking quite the long way around,” Leonis remarked, puzzled as he observed the chart on the terminal screen.

Elfiné nodded. “Yes, we have to avoid running into Void Reefs.” Several red points dotted the map of the ocean. These marks denoted areas called Void Zones, locations of probable Void activity. The two Assault Gardens sailed a course that bypassed the Void Zones. “At our current speed, we should reach the capital in about four days.”

“And if we get there in time, we’ll be able to attend the Holy Sword Dance Festival,” Riselia added.

“Oh, right. Last year we had to watch it via a relay drone, and the image quality was almost unwatchable. But this year, we’ll be able to see it live. I’m looking forward to it!” Regina pumped her fists, eyes glistening.

Hmm. The Holy Sword Dance Festival. A fascinating ritual.

The Holy Sword Dance Festival was a combat tournament held once a year in the capital, with participating representatives from every Assault Garden. The capital’s students came from the illustrious Elysion Academy, while the Fifth Assault Garden’s entrants hailed from the Anti-Void Research Institute. The Fourth Assault Garden dispatched contestants from the Academia, the Second Assault Garden’s hailed from the Military Instruction School, and the Human Church’s came from St. Eluminas Monastery.

However, the largest Holy Swordsman–rearing facility was unquestionably the Seventh Assault Garden’s own Excalibur Academy.

Each educational establishment selected only the most accomplished from among its ranks to participate in the Holy Sword Dance Festival. And while the members of the eighteenth platoon hoped to compete one day, they couldn’t at their present rank. Regrettably, they’d have to wait at least another year for the right.

Leonis thought it for the best. He didn’t want to draw undue attention to himself; thus, involvement in a highly publicized event was not something he longed for.

Still, he did enjoy watching displays of martial prowess. During his reign as the Undead King, Necrozoa’s colosseum hosted tournaments in the name of the goddess Roselia Ishtaris.

While Leonis reminisced upon days long past…

“Riselia! The eighteenth platoon captain, Riselia Crystalia!”

…a girl with platinum blond hair suddenly burst into room.

“Wh-what…? Fenris?” Riselia turned around, eyeing the arrival suspiciously.

Standing there, glaring with hands on her waist, was Fenris Edelritz of the executive committee.

Looking a bit on guard, Riselia asked, “What do you want…?”

“Come with me now. The president of the executive committee is calling for you!” Fenris insisted, pointing a finger at Riselia’s face.

“…Huuuh? Th-the president?!” Riselia’s ice-blue eyes widened in disbelief.

“Lady Selia, did you do something to get yourself in trouble?” Regina whispered.

The leader of the eighteenth platoon shook her head. “N-not that I know of…”

“Maybe it’s because you added watercresses to the school’s vegetable garden without permission?”

“Or maybe it’s because you broke a Void Simulator during training?”

“Th-that was an accident!” Riselia countered. “Ah, perhaps it’s because I took a milk bath a while back…”

“Right, that must be it, for sure!” Regina agreed. “Maybe it clogged or ruined the dorm’s plumbing!”

“No, it’s none of those!” Fenris shrieked.

“Then why…?” Riselia questioned.

“I don’t know the details. Look, just come with me to the executive committee!”

“…Fine.” Riselia stood after a sigh.

“Ah, Miss Selia, what about morning training…?” Leonis asked.

“You’re right, Leo. Why don’t you come with me?”

“I don’t mind.” Although his external response was calm, Leonis celebrated internally.

The president of the executive committee was effectively the top authority in Excalibur Academy.

Taking this chance to gain influence over him isn’t a bad idea.

The Dark Lord smirked wickedly, already working at a calculated scheme.

With Fenris leading them, Riselia and Leonis entered the Central Tactical Tower, where the executive committee was located. Excalibur Academy’s premises were so vast that the three had had to travel the distance between the dorms and the headquarters in small vehicles rather than by foot.

“Hang on tight, Leo.”

“O-okay…”

Sitting in the vehicle’s back seat, Leonis had wrapped his arms around Riselia’s waist. Her flowing silver hair had tickled his cheek.

“Oh my. You haven’t gotten a vehicle license yet?” Fenris inquired from her own vehicle.

“I haven’t had the opportunity,” Leonis replied.

“Well, I won’t claim it’s a necessity, but it does make getting around the city much easier.”

“…”

Leonis not having an opportunity to seek a license was only half true. The other issue was that, at his present height, the Dark Lord was too short.

Riselia, who was aware of that issue, giggled. “You’ll be able to drive one soon, Leo. You’re still growing,” she assured him, then she kicked against the ground and took off. “In a year or two…you might be taller than me.”

“Yes, maybe…”

Being an Undead Minion, Riselia would never age or physically mature. Perhaps Leonis was imagining things, but the girl’s voice sounded a bit lonely.

After about fifteen minutes, the group arrived at the Central Tactical Tower. They boarded an elevator and went up to the twenty-ninth floor, where the executive committee’s headquarters was stationed. The elevator’s open window offered an aerial view of the Seventh Assault Garden.

“I’ll call the president now.” Fenris rang the doorbell.

A voice from inside beckoned the three to enter.

Leonis’s eyes narrowed. They speak with a friendlier tone than I expected.

The automatic doors opened, and a young man greeted Leonis, Riselia, and Fenris.

“Ah, well met, Lady Riselia—oh, and I believe it’s my first time meeting you.” The young man made sure to squat a bit before bowing to Leonis.

The president wore an Excalibur Academy uniform and an executive committee armband on his sleeve, just like Fenris. Most eye-catching of all was the visor he wore over his eyes. Leonis detected some trace amount of mana emanating from it. Evidently, it was a kind of magical apparatus.

“I am the president of the executive committee, Oberth Baldanders.”

“Leonis Magnus.” The former Undead King returned Oberth’s bow.

The leader of the executive committee stood above all other Excalibur Academy students. Compared to a Dark Lord like Leonis, his position was quite trifling, but as an underclassman, Leonis figured it wouldn’t hurt to show due respect.

“My eyes are a bit bad, you understand,” Oberth explained, tapping on his visor. “I can’t take this off. My apologies.”

“Oh, no offense taken at all.” Leonis shook his head. Since Oberth was the president of the executive committee, he surely wielded a powerful Holy Sword, but Leonis didn’t recall ever seeing him fighting Voids.

Does this mean his Holy Sword isn’t suited for direct combat?

It was possible his Holy Sword was focused on data analysis, like Elfiné’s Eye of the Witch.

If that’s the case, I can’t afford to be careless around this man.

Leonis’s mana obfuscation should have been undetectable, but there was no telling what Holy Swords were capable of. It wasn’t beyond imagining that one might discover Leonis’s true identity regardless of his attempts to disguise it.

“Now, come on in, and take a seat.” Oberth got to his feet and motioned for his guests to enter.

“We ended up laying a great deal of trouble on your shoulders, what with the Liat incident. As president of the executive committee, I extend my apologies to you.” Oberth bowed his head while seated in a meeting room chair.

“You don’t have to apologize, sir,” Fenris said, brow furrowed.

Oberth shook his head. “I can’t claim to be completely unrelated. He was a member of my executive committee, after all.”

“What’s Mr. Liat’s condition…?” Riselia inquired.

“The Demon Sword doesn’t seem to have had any long-lasting effects on him. You can rest easy.”

That relaxed the worry on Riselia’s face. “I see…”

“Let’s move on to the reason you’re here,” Oberth stated, his eyes glinting behind his visor.

Riselia fixed her posture, looking a bit nervous.

“We’ve received a directive from the capital’s senate. Your eighteenth platoon is invited to participate in the Holy Sword Dance Festival as a special entry in the tournament.”

“Huhhhh?!” Riselia’s ice-blue eyes shot wide with shock. “U-us? In the Holy Sword Dance Festival?!”

“…?” Leonis, meanwhile, raised an eyebrow, suspicious.

The Holy Sword Dance Festival. The very same elite tournament that they had discussed earlier this morning. Only the highest-ranking platoons were chosen to participate. What did “special entry” mean?

“Hmm. Why us…?” Riselia asked hesitantly.

“Well, I wouldn’t know. But if I had to guess…,” Oberth said, raising an index finger. “Lady Riselia, your recent awakening to your Holy Sword has sent quite a stir through the capital’s rumor mill. Especially your involvement with the fourth princess’s rescue aboard the Hyperion.”

“R-really?”

“Yes, that, and your upbringing as Edward Crystalia’s daughter, a miraculous survivor of the Void Stampede six years ago. Your father was a great hero to the empire, and your awakening to your Holy Sword drew a lot of attention.”

“I…see.” Riselia nodded, her expression conflicted.

A wise girl like her surely realized the implications of this right away. She was being used as a symbol to raise morale.

That does feels like something humans would do.

Long ago, the Rognas Kingdom had celebrated Leonis and his comrades as heroes and saviors. It was a practice to unite people under a single banner, and it seemed that centuries had not buried that tactic.

A hero’s daughter, who overcame tragedy to find her Holy Sword. What’s more, Riselia was beautiful, even setting Leonis’s bias aside. Her looks were certainly another factor that couldn’t be discounted.

“Of course, the executive committee doesn’t intend to force you,” Oberth stated. “Should you refuse, we’ll inform the administration bureau of your decision. What do you say?”

Riselia considered her choices for a moment.

“Hmm, I’m very honored by the offer, but I need to consult with my other platoon members first,” she said.

“Oh, by all means. Go ahead and do so. However, please remember that we don’t have much time.”

“I will, thank you.” Riselia bowed deeply.

Leonis automatically lowered his head, too, but upon realizing that a Dark Lord should not give a show of submission so easily, he straightened back up.

Fenris gave a doubtful look.

“This is all very sudden,” Riselia confessed. “If I’d been informed sooner, we would’ve had more time to prepare.”

“Well, your entry was decided very late in the game. The Seventh Assault Garden wasn’t scheduled to return to the capital this time of year, after all.”

“…I see.”

“That’s all I had to tell you. Think it over and return when you have an answer. Fenris?”

“Yes, I will escort them downstairs.” At Oberth’s prompting, Fenris led the way out, her gait utterly prim.

After leaving the executive committee building and parting from Fenris, Leonis and Riselia headed for an indoor training facility. Riselia had her minion training.

“So, Miss Riselia, what do you intend to do?” Leonis questioned as he held up his student ID to the door’s scanner.

“Participating in the Holy Sword Dance Festival is a great honor,” Riselia answered. “Even if it is just an excuse to show me off.”

“You want to compete, then?”

“Assuming everyone else agrees. What about you, Leo?”

“I don’t mind, but…” Leonis trailed off. Truth be told, he didn’t want to be in the public eye. However, Riselia would surely be disappointed if he didn’t participate.

Besides, involvement isn’t without merit.

On the way to the training facility, Riselia had told him that the winning platoon would receive a large sum of prize money, as well as an audience with the royal family the following day. The former was trivial to Leonis, but being able to freely meet the royal family was appealing.

I suppose I’ll just support the others in a way that won’t stand out too much.

“I’ll go get changed,” Riselia said, heading off into the locker room to don her training outfit.

Left alone, Leonis looked around. This space was smaller than their usual training facility, and its walls looked more fragile. Substantial practice using sorcery and Holy Swords would be impossible here.

Well, we can just stick to basic training. Fundamentals are always important.

It reminded Leonis of his younger days, when he practiced with a sword day and night. Back then, the man who’d rescued Leonis from an alley in the Rognas Kingdom’s refugee sector had inducted him into the knight order and worked him nonstop.

“…Hmph.” Leonis frowned at this unpleasant recollection.

What’s the use in remembering him? I’ve mostly forgotten my human life by now… Maybe it’s because I fought him.

It was a bitter conclusion, but one Leonis couldn’t deny. The Swordmaster of the Six Heroes, Shardark Shin Ignis, had been a hero and Leonis’s teacher a thousand years ago. In the present age, however, he’d returned as a Void Lord, and Leonis had been forced to fight him.

Shardark’s power was still grand, perhaps even more so than before. He’d overwhelmed Leonis. By fusing with Dizolf, one of Leonis’s fellow Dark Lords, Shardark became immune to the Demon Sword Dáinsleif’s power. This left Leonis incapable of defeating him.

But then, I awakened to the power of my own Holy Sword.

A Holy Sword. Leonis looked at his own hands. With eyes narrowed, he parted his lips.

“Activate.”

The word was spoken in vain. Nothing happened.

…Why?

Leonis hadn’t been able to summon the weapon since its first appearance. He’d asked Riselia if there was a trick to it, but…

“Hmm… Well, you need to imagine it in your head. The shape of the Holy Sword and the way you’ll look holding it. Like, aiyah!”

…all he got was a vague answer.

Leonis had trouble visualizing his Holy Sword because it was a gun, an armament that hadn’t existed during his time. The first time he saw one was in the Grand Mausoleum, when he met Riselia. She’d used a weapon fashioned after a Holy Sword—the Ray Hawk.

During his lectures at the academy, Leonis learned that a Holy Sword was the manifestation of one’s soul. So why would Leonis’s take such a foreign shape? His body was human, but his spirit was still that of the Undead King…

Just what are the Holy Swords…? Leonis furrowed his brow while leaning against the training room’s wall.

“—ord, my lord—”

Leonis felt a tug on his sleeve and was very nearly yanked to the floor. Looking down, he saw a girl in a maid’s outfit peering up at him. She was submerged in his shadow from the neck down.

“…What is it, Shary?” he asked.

“I come bearing a report, my lord!”

Leonis nodded, and Shary rose from within his shadow with a hiss.

“Hmm. Is it urgent?”

“It concerns the matter you ordered me to investigate: the imperial capital’s underground organizations. I could tell you later if now’s a bad time.”

Leonis glanced at the locker room door. Beyond, Riselia was still getting ready. Surely he had enough time for a report.

“No, I’ll hear it now. Just keep it brief.”

“Understood.” Shary began to read from the document in her hands. “There are currently countless underground enterprises operating in Camelot, but the most well known among them are the demi-human organization known as the Sovereign Wolves; the Old Imperial Alliance, which opposes the three royal houses’ control; the Apocalyptic Cult and the Void Salvation Gospel, both of which follow doctrines claiming that the Voids are saviors of humankind; and the Isha Weapons Firm, a secret society that’s existed since the former empire period, but its true identity is uncertain.”

“Hmm. It seems the empire possesses many internal enemies.”

Despite having a common foe in the Voids, true unity evaded humanity. In that regard, humankind hadn’t changed in the last thousand years. During Leonis’s era, people had come together only because of the Six Heroes’ strong leadership.

“And you said that some view the Voids as saviors?”

“A thousand years ago, some humans saw their deliverance in you and asked to become undead, my lord.”

“…Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

Every age had its eccentrics. As Leonis thought about it, he remembered that Zemein, the Mad Alchemist, and Schteizer, the Underworld Knight, were both humans who betrayed their kind to become undead.

“For now, leave those Void worshippers for later. I doubt there’s any point in talking to them.”

“Very well, my lord.”

“Begin by trying to incorporate all those anti-imperialist armed organizations into the Dark Lords’ Armies. If they swear allegiance to me, good. Those who resist are to be purged without exception. Use them to set an example and instill terror in Zol Vadis’s name.”

“Yes, as you will.” Shary bowed her head.

“Allow Lena Darkleaf to act as mediator and handle preliminary negotiations.” The dark elf girl was clever. Leonis believed she was the right fit for the job. “As for her bodyguards, have Arle Kirlesio accompany her… And send Sakuya, too.”

“…You mean the swordswoman you gave the mystic eye of time to?” Shary asked, watching Leonis peevishly.

“Is there a problem?” Leonis cocked an eyebrow.

“Oh, not at all. I was merely thinking that you’re very indiscriminate when it comes to creating minions, my lord!” Shary puffed up her cheeks and looked away, pouting.

“Sakuya is not a minion, but an ally,” Leonis corrected. He hadn’t branded Sakuya with the seal of a minion as he’d done with Riselia. Rather, Leonis had merely called upon her strength as an ally.

“Hmmm. I see. So the Vampire Queen is special in that regard,” Shary shot back, her voice prickly.

“Well… Yes, I suppose so.”

Leonis wouldn’t have gifted her with the True Ancestor’s Dress if she weren’t unique among his servants.

Shary puffed up her cheeks again. “Hmph. So she is special… I see…”

“Is that all for your report?” Leonis asked, glancing in the direction of the door to Riselia’s locker room.

“Yes, for the time being. Ah, there’s one more thing I need to confirm. Are we still going to let that elf hero do as she pleases?”

“Mm? Oh, well…”

Arle Kirlesio. Like Leonis, she was a disciple of the Swordmaster Shardark Shin Ignis. She’d infiltrated the Demon Wolf Pack to assassinate the Dark Lord Zol Vadis. And since she wielded Crozax, one of the Arc Seven—the Dark Lord–slaying weapons created by the gods—Leonis couldn’t afford to be careless around her. However, at her current strength, she was no threat to Leonis.

He was curious about her, though. Leonis had tried to access her memories using sorcery, only to find himself rebuked by another’s presence. Leonis believed Arle had found her way to the present era via the Spirit Forest’s Elder Tree, but it seemed another faction was connected to her presence here.

And Arle herself is ignorant to that fact.

“Should you order it, I could assassinate her,” Shary offered.

Leonis shook his head. “There’s no need for that. Just maintain a close eye on her. Incidentally, how is Blackas doing?”

“He’s recovering at a good pace and devouring the shadows,” Shary replied.

During the battle with Shardark, Leonis had overworked Blackas, so the great wolf was resting in the Realm of Shadows for the time being. He would need to consume many shadows to regain his full strength.

“I see. I’ll go visit him later.”

“He mentioned that he’d like to eat some fish for a change,” the assassin maid appended.

“Understood. I’ll ask Sakuya for some dried fish.” Leonis nodded. “Shary, remember that, with Blackas away, you are my only pair of eyes out there. I’ll need you to work even harder than ever in the capital. I’ll be counting on you.”

“You can count on me, my lord.” Shary bowed her head respectfully. “I’ve already begun gathering information on the capital.”

“Excellent. I’d expect nothing less from you.”

“My primary focus has been checking out all the popular sweet shops!” Shary pumped her fists enthusiastically, eyes glittering.

“…I’d expect nothing less from you,” Leonis repeated, far more deflated this time.

Suddenly, he felt unusually anxious.

Maybe I should consider bringing that Sakura Orchid intelligence unit, Murakumo, over to my side.

“…Leo? Are you talking to someone?”

The door to the locker room opened, and Riselia stepped out, clad in her training outfit.

“No,” the Undead King replied nonchalantly, as though nothing had happened. “Let’s begin our practice.”

Shary had already disappeared into Leonis’s shadow.

Those Sakura Orchid mercenaries… Finzel hired them, didn’t he?

The Astral Garden—a virtual Assault Garden made up of mana data. Elfiné, manifesting within that artificial space as her black-winged angel avatar, glared at the barrier set before her.

If she was so inclined, Elfiné could access military secrets with nothing but an academy terminal, but the Phillet Company’s defensive systems were firmer than the government’s.

The D Project… My research still hasn’t turned up anything concrete.

An experiment to transform Holy Swords into Demon Swords. The military had abandoned the idea, only for the Phillet Company to pick it up. Holy Swordsmen with Demon Swords developed mental instabilities. Liat Guinness, captain of the seventh platoon, was one such example. He’d gone wild and attacked his friends with his Demon Sword.

Worse yet, when his Demon Sword went berserk, Liat took on a form similar to that of a Void. The Holy Swords meant to combat the Voids were being polluted by the power of emptiness.

Why would the Phillet Company pursue such dangerous experiments?

Elfiné had managed to uncover only a few slim pieces of substantial information. She knew that the Sakura Orchid mercenary unit known as the Kenki Gathering was involved in the Demon Sword Project’s experiments, and that her older brother, Finzel Phillet, had hired the group.

It felt unlikely that Finzel had done so of his own initiative. An undertaking of this scale undoubtedly involved the head of the Phillet Company. The Seventh Assault Garden’s return to the capital was a stroke of luck for Elfiné, in a way.

Things are progressing swifter than expected, but I was stuck in a stalemate anyhow.

Regardless, she had to settle the score with her two older brothers and her father. The noble house of Count Phillet was a huge enterprise, however. Could she really stand up to it all on her own?

I can’t trust Clauvia. At least not for now.

And Elfiné couldn’t get Riselia and the other girls involved in her personal battle.

What do I do…?

The girl stood before the barrier, lost in anxious thoughts. After a while, a boy’s face surfaced in her mind. He looked no older than ten, but Elfiné understood he was immensely powerful and had a great secret.

Would he side with her against this menacing opponent?

“Huuuh?! W-we can enter the Holy Sword Dance Festival?!” Regina exclaimed in shock.

That evening, Riselia had gathered the members of the eighteenth platoon in the meeting room and relayed what President Oberth had said earlier.

“Yes. I told him I’d hold off on giving the answer until I had a chance to discuss it with you all. So how does everyone feel about the idea?” Riselia’s eyes moved between her assembled platoon mates.

Leonis sat next to her, munching on a doughnut.

“I want nothing else,” Sakuya replied immediately. “I want to demonstrate the Sakura Orchid’s sword style to everyone. Plus, the prize money is tempting.”

Riselia nodded, and her attention shifted to Elfiné.

“What about you, Miss Finé?”

“…Well,” Elfiné began, placing a hand on her chin pensively. “I agree that it would be a tremendous honor, but…are you sure about this, Selia?”

“Me…?” Riselia seemed baffled by Elfiné’s concern.

“Yes. The Senate wants to use you as Duke Crystalia’s daughter to raise morale, right? However, we don’t know what will come of that.”

If the eighteenth platoon’s achievements in the Holy Sword Dance Festival weren’t satisfactory, many would hold its members in contempt. But if they did make a good impression, it could draw unwanted attention to Riselia.

The girl in question shook her head. “Thank you, Miss Finé, but I want to participate for the honor of my father and the Crystalia Knights. Besides, since it took me so long to awaken to the power of my Holy Sword, I want nothing more than to inspire hope in those without a means to fight the Voids.”

At Riselia’s resolute statement, Elfiné, Regina, and Sakuya all nodded.

“…All right. If you feel prepared, then I have no problem participating.”

“And I’ll follow you anywhere, Lady Selia. I mean, I am your maid,” Regina said with a shrug.

“Thank you, everyone.” Riselia bowed her head. “And since that’s decided, we start a special training regimen tomorrow!”

“S-special training regimen?” Regina parroted.

“Yes. We don’t have long until the Holy Sword Dance Festival. We need to gather data on the participating units and their members, and put our team training plan together accordingly!”

“The date for this year’s festival is…after the twelfth, I think?” Elfiné checked the schedule on her terminal.

“Practice is fine, but until the mana furnace is exchanged, Excalibur Academy’s primary facilities are off-line, right?” Regina pointed out.

Riselia frowned. “Yes…I suppose that’s true.”

The large combat field capable of simulating different terrains was inoperable, which meant sparring matches between platoons weren’t possible. They could use the outdoor grounds, but Holy Sword usage had to be kept to a minimum, since the weapons were capable of large-scale destruction. Basic exercise was doable, but the grounds weren’t suited to practical combat training.

As for other academy facilities, other platoons were already scrambling for the right to use them. Most of the finest equipment was relegated to the elite, high-ranking platoons participating in the Holy Sword Dance Festival. As special entrants, the eighteenth platoon’s members would have difficulty securing anything for themselves.

In other words, it was unlikely they’d be able to get sufficient training in before the day of the tournament.

“Can’t we practice in the woods behind the dorm?” Sakuya proposed.

“Sorry, Sakuya, but I don’t think any of us can mimic your crazy regimen,” Regina replied.

Sakuya’s methods were too unique for other people to replicate.

And we can’t exactly use my Realm of Shadows as a training ground, Leonis mused.

Quietly, Elfiné offered, “I might be able to get us a place to train.”

“Really, Miss Finé?!” Riselia asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

“But it would only be after we reach the capital. The Phillet Company has a testing ground for weapon development trials. It’s not quite on the same level as Excalibur Academy’s facilities, but it should be spacious enough for us to practice. And we won’t have to worry about getting permission to use our Holy Swords.”

“…C-can we? But, Miss Finé, you…” Riselia trailed off.

Elfiné’s relationship with her family and the Phillet Company wasn’t good.

“It’s fine,” Elfiné assured her, although her expression looked a bit troubled. “I won’t be able to avoid them in Camelot, so I might as well use my position as the company head’s daughter for the good of the team, right?” She smiled impishly and then added, “Oh, and I’ll book us rooms in a Phillet Company hotel near the training grounds.”

“Huh?! We can’t have you do all that for us,” Riselia responded, flustered.

Elfiné shook her head, however, insisting it was all right, and she started tapping on her terminal.

“Hmm… Well, I guess we’ll take you up on that offer, then… Thank you!” Cheeks still a bit flushed, Riselia bobbed her head politely.

Elfiné giggled. “This kind of feels like a field trip. It’s exciting.”

…?

Leonis sensed something strange about her expression. Yet it was so subtle that he couldn’t deduce the meaning behind it.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding, Altiria.”

“Ah, big sister Chatres!”

In one corner of a vast garden, where beautiful flowers bloomed, a girl sat on a small bench. A familiar voice pulled her jade eyes from her book, and her golden hair, the color of a stewartia flower, bounched gently.

She was twelve years old, and her fair features still held the cherubic qualities of youth. It was clear that she would soon mature and blossom, though.

Three royal houses governed the Integrated Human Empire, and of those three, the emperor had been selected from House O’ltriese. This girl was House O’ltriese’s youngest daughter—the fourth princess, Altiria Ray O’ltriese.

“You’re back so soon?” Altiria asked.

“Yes, I need to have my Holy Sword tuned for the Holy Sword Dance Festival.”

The one speaking to the girl as an equal was her older sister, Chatres Ray O’ltriese—the third princess. If Altiria’s loveliness was that of a white lily, then Chatres’s matched a rose. Her rich, golden locks reached down to her waist, and she was clad in something resembling a military uniform and armed with a saber. Despite being a royal, this seventeen-year-old girl was a Holy Swordsman who led an anti-Void unit on the front lines.

“Are you feeling better already?” Chatres inquired.

“Yes, I’m all better now,” her younger sister replied.

The older sibling grinned. “That’s good.” Chatres would never show such gentleness to her subordinates.

Since the Hyperion seajacking incident at the Seventh Assault Garden, Altiria hadn’t been in the best of health. She seemed to be recovering well now, though.

“I’ll get to see you perform in the tournament this year, right?” Altiria asked excitedly.

“Yeah, so look forward to it. I only hope there’s good competition this time around…” Chatres doubted such an opponent would appear, however.

Known as the Silver-Blooded Sword Princess, Chatres Ray O’ltriese was the strongest Holy Swordswoman.

“Oh, there should be,” Altiria replied, smiling suggestively.

“…?” Chatres regarded her sister questioningly.

“The Seventh Assault Garden is sending a special entry unit along with their standard representatives.”

“A special entry?” Chatres scowled. “It’s the first I’ve heard of that.” She imagined this was her little sister’s idea of a joke.

To Altiria, however, it was anything but. She knew who’d come to her rescue on the Hyperion. She’d seen it aboard the deck of the ship. When that terrible witch tried to take her away, a ten-year-old boy had struck down the gigantic Void.

It wouldn’t be long before the Seventh Assault Garden arrived.

And then, I’ll be able to see him again.

This young girl of twelve felt her heart throb.