"It's kind of scary, isn't it? To see sothing change so suddenly before your eyes."
— Shiori Asagiri, Tamako Market
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Roy and the girls returned to the castle.
Just like the previous night, a ball was being held in the main hall.
However, this one wasn't related to the Blade Dance. It was simply a social event for the nobles.
Hardly any Elentalists were present.
Those participating in the main tournant tomorrow weren't in the mood for parties.
Just as Roy returned to his room, he heard the voices of young girls coming from the hallway.
"Your hair is so beautiful, Onee-sama!"
"M-Mirelle, don't pull my hair!"
That was Rinslet's voice.
"What's going on?" Roy opened his door and stepped into the hallway.
He saw a little girl playing with Rinslet's hair.
"Rinslet, what are you doing?"
"Aah! Roy?!" Rinslet turned around in surprise.
"Roy?" The little girl also looked at him.
She had the sa beautiful blonde hair as Rinslet and wore a white dress that complented her erald eyes.
She was around seven or eight years old, and although still young, she was adorable and bore a striking resemblance to Rinslet.
"Wow! It's Roy-onii-chan! I finally t you!" The girl ran towards Roy and hugged him tightly.
"Uh... what's going on?" Roy was surprised by the sudden hug.
"Mirelle, that's not proper! A lady of the Laurenfrost family shouldn't behave like that!" Rinslet scolded her.
"It's okay. Roy-onii-chan will be my brother-in-law soday, right?"
Roy chuckled. She was quite a character.
"M-Mirelle! What are you saying?!"
"Eh? But you always write in your letters... Mmm!" Rinslet quickly covered her sister's mouth.
"Is this the little sister you ntioned, Rinslet? She's adorable," Roy said with a smile, patting the girl's head.
"Yes, I'm Mirelle Laurenfrost, the third daughter of the Laurenfrost family," Mirelle introduced herself with a curtsy.
Her lively erald eyes sparkled with mischief.
She would surely grow up to be a beautiful young lady like Rinslet.
"I'm Roy, Rinslet's teammate."
"I know, I know. You're Onee-chan's boyfriend, right?" Mirelle teased.
"N-No! That's not true! How could he be my boyfriend..." Rinslet stamred, her face as red as a tomato.
"Oh, Onee-chan is shy. How cute!"
"Hmph, stop teasing !" Rinslet lightly swatted Mirelle's back.
Roy was amused by their interaction.
Rinslet, the usually proud and stubborn older sister, was completely flustered in front of her little sister.
He gently patted Mirelle's head.
"Mmm!" Mirelle let out a happy sigh.
"Although I am your sister's boyfriend, you shouldn't tease her so much," Roy said gently.
"Okay, Roy-onii-chan, I understand," Mirelle replied with a nod.
She seed to be a straightforward and kind child, just like her sister.
Rinslet blushed but didn't deny his words.
"As expected of Roy-san. Even our third young lady has been captivated by your charm," Carol suddenly appeared, giggling.
"Carol?! When did you get here?" Rinslet exclaid, surprised.
But then, she seed to realize sothing and turned to Roy with a flustered expression.
"Roy, no! I won't allow you to have a threeso with my sisters!"
"Rinslet, what are you thinking?!" Roy asked, bewildered by her sudden outburst.
"I-I think... if it's with Onee-chan... even if I'm deflowered... it's okay..."
'What is she saying?' Roy thought, speechless.
Carol cleared her throat and grabbed Mirelle's collar. "Mirelle-sama, Lady Rinslet and the others have important matters to attend to. Let's go back to our room."
"But I want to play with Onee-chan and Roy-onii-chan!"
Seeing Mirelle's stubborn refusal, Carol whispered in her ear, "Be a good girl. Don't disturb their private ti."
"Oh, that's right. I understand, Carol."
Mirelle suddenly stopped protesting and grabbed Rinslet's arm.
"Onee-chan, I'll cheer for you tomorrow! You have to save Judia-neesan!" she said with a serious expression.
Rinslet nodded, her gaze filled with determination.
"I will."
Mirelle let go of her sister's arm and turned to Roy with a bright smile.
"Roy-onii-chan, you have to visit our Laurenfrost territory after the Blade Dance!"
"Of course, I promise," Roy assured her.
"I'm so glad you'll be my brother-in-law!" Mirelle declared happily, then skipped away with Carol.
"That little sister of mine... she's quite a handful," Rinslet sighed.
"You're a good sister, Rinslet," Roy said with a smile.
"W-Well, of course. I'm the eldest, after all," Rinslet replied, blushing slightly.
Roy was curious about the na Mirelle had ntioned.
"By the way, who's Judia?" he asked.
"..." Rinslet's expression turned somber.
"Sorry... did I ask sothing I shouldn't have?"
"No, not at all," Rinslet shook her head.
"Judia is also my sister, the second daughter of the Laurenfrost family."
Roy finally understood. The ani had only covered the first part of the story, so he wasn't familiar with the later events.
"What happened to her?"
"She's currently in a deep sleep at the Laurenfrost castle," Rinslet replied, her voice filled with sadness as she explained the situation.
...
...
Judia Laurenfrost, the second daughter of the Laurenfrost family, was once a promising Princess Shrine Maiden candidate.
But a few years ago, during a ritual to appease the Wind Elental Lord, she made a mistake.
The enraged Elental Lord imprisoned her within a seal.
Count Laurenfrost had hired many renowned Elentalists to try and break the seal.
But even with the help of powerful spirits, they couldn't break it.
Judia remained trapped, her body frozen in ti.
"A seal created by the Wind Elental Lord?" Roy frowned, his anger rising.
"Don't worry, Rinslet. I'll save Judia after the Blade Dance," he promised.
"Really?" Rinslet looked at him with hope in her eyes.
"Of course. I won't let you down." Roy placed a hand on her shoulder, his gaze sincere.
Rinslet's eyes filled with tears as she threw her arms around him.
She had initially planned to win the Blade Dance and use the reward, the blessing of the Elental Lords, to plead with the Wind Elental Lord to release Judia.
But she trusted Roy more than the Elental Lords.
To her, Roy was capable of anything.
"Thank you, Roy," she whispered, her cheeks flushed.
Roy found her genuine smile incredibly cute. She usually had such a stubborn and competitive deanor.
"Well then, Roy... I'll go back to my room and prepare for tomorrow," Rinslet said, then hurried away.
...
The next day, the Blade Dance officially began.
The grand hall was filled with excitent and anticipation.
A massive crowd of spectators from various countries had gathered.
There were nobles, influential figures, and shrine maidens from different Elental Spirit Contractor training institutions.
Even so students from Areishia Spirit Academy were among the crowd.
The participating teams were gathered on the altar in the center of the hall.
Since the audience consisted mostly of nobles and dignitaries, there were no jeers or boos.
So of the more famous Elentalists even had their own fan clubs.
Whenever a team appeared, the hall would erupt in cheers and screams from their supporters.
"Go, Roy!"
"Go, my lady! Go, Roy!"
"Onee-sama, I'll be waiting for your triumphant return! May glory be with the Laurenfrost!"
Carol and Mirelle, waving flags with the Laurenfrost family crest, were at the forefront of the crowd, cheering for their sister and Roy.
Rias and the other girls were also there to support them.
"Those two... they're so embarrassing!" Rinslet grumbled, hiding behind Roy with a blush.
"I think it's cute," Roy chuckled.
"Roy, be careful... it seems many people are watching you," Ellis warned, noticing the nurous gazes directed at them.
"Yes, I know."
Roy scanned the crowd and indeed felt many eyes on him.
Perhaps they saw him as a threat, or maybe his actions on the airship had been reported.
Either way, those staring at them were likely not friendly.
...
All twenty-three teams, except for Rubia's team, the Inferno, were now assembled in the hall.
These teams were all composed of elite Elentalists carefully selected from their respective countries.
Among them, the Dracunia Dragon Knights, led by Leonora, exuded the most formidable aura.
They were all top-class Elentalists, disciplined and focused, like a well-trained army.
Roy and Leonora exchanged glances.
Leonora blushed, clearly still embarrassed about their encounter in the library.
She might even target their team during the tournant.
"The Dracunia Dragon Knights are well-trained. Even those besides Leonora are formidable," Ellis comnted, observing their opponents.
"Yes, if we don't consider the Inferno, the Dragon Knights are definitely one of the favorites to win. But we have to be wary of other teams as well," Claire added.
"First, there are the other teams representing our academy: 'Silent Fortress' and 'Lux'," she continued.
"Just dealing with my sister alone will be tough," Ellis said with a worried frown.
"Don't worry, they won't target us first," Roy reassured her with a smile.
"That's true." The girls nodded in agreent.
This was a competition between nations. It wouldn't be wise to target a team from the sa country.
And with Roy on their team, Velsaria wouldn't be foolish enough to attack them directly.
Claire then noticed a group dressed in exotic attire.
They were from the Quina Empire, a powerful nation in the east.
Their eastern culture was vastly different from the western countries, like the Ordesia Empire.
"That's the Quina Empire's 'Four Gods' team, known for their teamwork and powerful spirits," Claire explained.
"That girl with white hair and a qipao is their ace, Shao Fu. She wields the Sacred Beast, 'White Tiger'."
"Four Gods? But there are five of them," Rinslet pointed out.
"That girl at the front must be their strategist," Roy replied, referring to the petite girl standing before Shao Fu.
"Yes, her na is Linfa. She's the commander of the Four Gods."
"Wow, she's so small! She looks about the sa age as Mirelle," Rinslet comnted in surprise.
Claire then turned her attention to another team dressed in white robes.
"They're the Holy Spirit Knights from the Holy Kingdom of Lugia. Their leader is Luminaris Saint-Leisched, one of the top four in the previous tournant. They're a strong opponent."
"Finally, there's the 'Rupture Division' from the Principality of Rossvale. Their leader, Milla Bassett, is the youngest participant this year, only thirteen years old. But she's incredibly powerful."
"Rossvale gained independence from Lugia a few decades ago. It's a relatively new nation."
"Although they don't have a long history, their Elentalists are said to be top-class. Well, those are the main teams to watch out for."
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