"Hard work betrays none, but dreams betray many."
— Hachiman Hikigaya, Oregairu
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Roy was right.
Fianna had initially intended to join Velsaria's team, as Velsaria was the runner-up in the previous Blade Dance.
However, Velsaria hadn't returned to the academy.
And after witnessing Roy's strength, Fianna had decided to join their team instead.
"No way! Absolutely not!" Claire imdiately objected, seeing Fianna flirting with Roy.
"I agree with Claire!" Rinslet, surprisingly, was on the sa side as Claire.
Fianna, seeing their hostility, remained calm and turned her attention to Roy.
"Roy-san, may I join your team?" she asked, seemingly aware that he was the one who made the decisions.
"I understand your intentions. You can join for now," Roy replied, "but to stay on the team, you'll need their approval." He gestured towards Claire and Rinslet.
Fianna's abilities were quite useful. Although she couldn't use her contracted spirit right now, she had learned the "Ritual Dance" during her ti as a Princess Shrine Maiden candidate.
She could act as support for the team.
And once she regained her contracted spirit, she could be their tank.
Fianna's contracted spirit was a high-ranking Light Elental, a knight spirit passed down through the Ordesia royal family.
It possessed incredible defense and high resistance to dark attacks, making it an ideal front-line protector.
Claire and Rinslet were a mage and an ADC, respectively.
They were vulnerable in close combat. Having a tank to absorb damage would allow them to unleash their full power.
Claire pouted, hearing Roy's decision.
Although she was the leader of the team, Roy's words carried more weight.
She couldn't object.
"Fine," she grumbled reluctantly. "For Roy's sake, I'll allow you to join."
Rinslet was also unhappy but couldn't defy Roy's decision.
Fianna, initially worried that her intentions had been exposed, was relieved to hear that she could join the team.
"Thank you! I'll do my best!" she exclaid with a bright smile. "As a token of my sincerity, I have a mission to share with you."
"A mission?"
"Yes. Before coming here, I went to the Headmaster's office and accepted an S-Rank mission," Fianna declared proudly.
She had used her status as a princess to secure this mission.
And Greyworth had only agreed after Fianna ntioned joining Roy's team.
Greyworth had even said that if Fianna hadn't joined Roy's team, she would have assigned the mission to soone else.
"What? An S-Rank mission?" Claire and Rinslet were shocked.
Like team battles, missions were also a way to climb the school rankings.
There were various types of missions: performing spirit dances, suppressing rampaging spirits, investigating sealed spirits, and defeating rogue Elentalists.
Completing missions granted points that contributed to their team's ranking, similar to winning matches.
And S-Rank missions were the most difficult.
If Team Scarlet completed this mission, their ranking would skyrocket.
They might even reach the top spot.
Claire and Rinslet were excited.
They didn't even consider whether they could complete the mission. With Roy on their team, they believed they could overco any challenge.
"Tell us, what's the mission?" Claire urged impatiently.
"Do you know about the mining city, Gedonelune?" Fianna asked with a sly smile.
"Gedenelune? I've heard of it. It's an abandoned mining city, right?" Rinslet recalled.
Gedenelune was once a prosperous mining town, rich in spirit crystals.
But during the Second Rubel War, the mines were depleted.
The mines had been abandoned since then.
Now, Gedonelune was a ghost town filled with ruins.
"Recently, there have been frequent earthquakes in the mines. Our mission is to investigate the cause," Fianna explained.
Earthquakes caused by Earth spirits weren't uncommon.
If a spirit was angered or rampaging, they would perform a ritual dance to appease it or send the Sylphid Knights to subdue it.
The mission seed straightforward enough, but...
"Don't joke with . How can investigating an earthquake be an S-Rank mission?" Claire was skeptical.
There were too many suspicious aspects to this mission.
A simple investigation shouldn't be dangerous enough to warrant an S-Rank difficulty.
"Well... it's not that simple," Fianna admitted. "There's a Strategic-Class Elental, sealed by the forr Ordesia Knights, that slumbers within those mines."
"A Strategic-Class Elental?!" Claire and Rinslet gasped.
Strategic-Class Elentals were incredibly powerful.
They couldn't be controlled by a single person.
It required hundreds of Elentalists performing a ritual dance to barely utilize their power.
They were devastating weapons.
However, all the countries on the continent had signed a treaty to seal these seven Strategic-Class Elentals.
"It's just a spirit. Why are you so scared?" Roy scoffed.
"That's right. A sealed Strategic-Class Elental isn't that scary," Fianna agreed.
"So, the earthquakes are caused by this Elental?" Roy asked.
"That's one possibility. That's why the academy issued this mission," Fianna explained.
"If the seal is indeed weakening, we'll have to perform a ritual dance to reseal it."
Having been trained as a shrine maiden, Fianna was capable of performing such rituals.
"Alright, then Team Scarlet accepts this mission!" Claire declared, slamming her hand on the table.
Completing this mission would guarantee them a spot in the Blade Dance.
Roy and Rinslet nodded in agreent.
...
...
Their conversation drew the attention of the surrounding students.
Seeing Fianna, the princess of the Empire, willingly join Team Scarlet, they erupted in chatter.
"Hey, look! That male Elentalist is hitting on Princess Fianna!"
"The 'Great Demon King' is at it again."
"I'm a bit envious, to be honest."
"Are you crazy?!"
"But... look at his sharp eyes... I can't resist them..."
"Don't you think... it would be fun to be played by him? Just a little bit!"
"Y-Yeah... If he forced himself on ... my heart wouldn't be able to take it!"
"No way! He's the Night Demon King! A Maou who wants to conquer every girl in the world!"
...
Roy overheard their whispers.
The Night Demon King?
'Hmm... not a bad title,' he mused.
It seed the number of girls sending him love letters had increased lately.
His locker was often filled with letters and handmade snacks.
But he was used to this kind of attention.
After all, he was the most popular boy at Kuoh Academy.
...
The mission to Gedonelune was scheduled for three days later, so they didn't have to participate in any ranking matches for now.
One morning, Roy was enjoying his tea and playing gas with Koneko when Rias approached him with a cheerful expression.
"Roy, I have good news!"
"Oh? What is it?" Roy asked, his attention still on his ga with Koneko.
"Velsaria is back!"
"Oh, you saw her? How is she?"
"Well... she's quite a handful, just as you said," Rias replied with a sigh.
She had received news of Velsaria's return and went to et her, hoping to recruit her future Rook.
However, upon arriving at the Sylphid Knights' headquarters, she had witnessed Velsaria brutally defeat all the other Knights, including her own sister, Ellis.
Rias had initially wanted to intervene, but rembering Roy's words, she held back.
Velsaria had then mocked Ellis and chosen four Knights who could still stand after her attacks to form her team.
Throughout the whole ordeal, Velsaria had displayed an arrogant and ruthless deanor.
She was obsessed with power, and Rias could sense a dark aura surrounding her.
"Haha, don't worry, Rias. She'll co around during the ranking matches," Roy reassured her.
"I suppose that's all we can do," Rias sighed.
But then, she smiled.
Thanks to her charm, many girls were willing to follow her.
However, her Evil Pieces were limited. Although she still had all eight Pawn pieces, they weren't mutated pieces.
And the students in this academy generally had high potential.
It would take at least two Pawn pieces to turn one of them into a Devil.
Rias naturally wanted to choose the most talented girls.
...
That afternoon, Roy took Mitsuri and Makomo out for a stroll.
As they passed by a clothing store, the girls' eyes were drawn to the beautiful clothes displayed in the window.
Roy chuckled and led them inside.
"Makomo, do you like this dress?" he asked, pointing at a lovely princess dress with a gem-encrusted necklace.
"Yes..." Makomo replied with a blush.
"Then let's buy it," Roy declared, unconcerned about the price. After all, the money was a gift from Greyworth.
"Mitsuri, you too. Choose whatever you like. Don't hold back."
"Okay!" Mitsuri bead and began browsing through the clothes.
She was currently wearing the academy uniform. She had discarded her Demon Slayer uniform long ago.
The girls soon chose their outfits and went to the fitting rooms.
Makomo erged first, looking adorable in the princess dress and the sparkling necklace.
"Makomo, you're so cute! Co here!" Roy scooped her up and lifted her high in the air.
Makomo, usually expressionless, blushed.
Mitsuri then ca out, wearing a gorgeous evening gown that accentuated her curves.
She looked even more radiant than usual.
"You look stunning!" Roy gave her a thumbs up, still holding Makomo in his other arm.
Mitsuri giggled, pleased with his approval.
"I'll take these two outfits. Please wrap up their school uniforms. They can keep the new clothes on," Roy told the shopkeeper.
Just then...
BOOM!
A loud explosion sounded from the distance.
Smoke billowed into the sky.
"What happened over there?" Roy wondered, looking towards the source of the commotion.
"It must be sothing with the Imperial Army," the shopkeeper replied.
She recognized the direction as the location of the Imperial Army base.
"Let's go check it out. We have so free ti," Roy said to Makomo and Mitsuri.
They nodded in agreent.
The three of them left the store.
"Wait! You haven't paid yet!" the shopkeeper shouted, finally realizing what had happened.
But Roy and the girls were already gone.
Roy, hearing her shout, felt a pang of embarrassnt.
He had forgotten to pay.
But it would be even more awkward to go back now. He would have to pay her another ti.
...
They soon arrived at the scene.
It was the Imperial Army's arena.
Roy stopped a girl who was running away and asked what had happened.
It turned out that today was the day the Empire selected talented Elentalists to join the army.
The winner of this selection process would be granted a contract with a Strategic-Class Elental.
Strategic-Class Elentals were incredibly powerful.
Ordinary Elentalists couldn't control them alone.
That's why this selection process was held, to find soone with the talent to wield such a powerful spirit.
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