Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance

Volume 8, Interlude - The Dusk Witch

Volume 8, Interlude - The Dusk Witch

In a room of a high-class hotel built in Ragna Ys' business district.

Greyworth looked down out the window at the night view that stood out against the darkness.

"This might become the last Blade Dance that these eyes see."

She narrowed her eyes and felt slightly sentimental.

She had debuted and won twenty four years ago. She was fifteen at the time.

At that time, the Blade Dance system was still working properly.

Three years ago, an unseen crack had appeared.

And now, the current competition obviously had unusual circumstances arising.

It had been a short cycle of only three years from the last tournament. The participation in battle of a darkness spirit that was not the user's official contracted spirit. The grotesque existence that wasn't an elementalist, let alone human, Nepenthes Lore—

(—Just what exactly is starting here?)

Coming to Ragna Ys had been done under Greyworth's personal judgment. Watching over her pupils' activities was just a public camouflage for the empire's top brass.

(......Although, they'll already have realized something of that degree.)

Greyworth pushed her glasses up and silently moved away from the window.

She was continuing her personal investigation into the other Ren Ashbell that had appeared in the current tournament. When the Murders' merchant, Vivian Melosa, that had been caught behind the scenes was interrogated, her name had come up.

The Murders' merchant was connected to the executive and secret part of Alphas Theocracy's religious organization. Because of that, Vivian Melosa had known a lot of information concerning that Ren Ashbell.

According to her story, the masked girl had appeared at the empire two years ago. It seemed she entered the religious organization's secret agency called Snake, and in a short few months, she had risen to the top of the organization.

The tactical-class militarized spirits that had been bought with the empire's capital amounted to twelve. It seemed that the number of subordinate spirit elementalists, including orphans from the Instructional School, had already surpassed twenty.

(......It's not for terrorism. It's almost like war preparations.)

That kind of girl was leading the elite and participating in the Blade Dance.

What exactly was the Wish that she kept to herself—

(At any rate, it's not world peace.)

She sighed deeply—

"—While this heart still beats, I must pass that on to the lad."

The witch placed her hand softly against her chest.