DxD: Scion of Lucifuge

Chapter 126: The Teams Gather and the Blade Dance Commences

"Don't be so quick to throw away your life. No matter how disgraceful or embarrassing it may be, you need to keep struggling to find your way out until the very end."

— Clare, Claymore

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"Who are those people?" Roy asked, noticing a group of girls glaring at them.

"Those girls are royal guards," Claire explained.

"Why are they glaring at us?"

"Well... I think they're the ones we rejected at the ball," Claire said sheepishly.

"I see." Roy understood.

Those must be the noblemen whose advances they had rebuffed at the ball, and now they were using their country's representatives to get back at them.

"They're probably here to take revenge on behalf of the prince. I'm sorry... I seem to have made some unnecessary enemies," Claire apologized.

"It's alright. You did the right thing," Roy reassured her, patting her head.

Claire blushed.

'' Roy thought.

He scanned the audience and spotted the prince.

With a glint in his eyes, he cast a curse on the prince.

The prince, who had been chatting with other nobles, suddenly turned red-eyed.

He roared and lunged at a nearby nobleman, tearing at his clothes.

It seemed he was trying to... well, let's just say he was behaving inappropriately.

Fortunately, he was just an ordinary human and was quickly restrained.

But the commotion attracted the attention of the shrine maidens, who promptly escorted the prince away.

Roy smirked. Unless someone was stronger than him, they couldn't remove his curse.

And the curse would slowly drain the prince's life force until he died.

Roy then turned his attention back to the main event.

A commotion arose from the entrance of the hall.

"She's here!"

As the Crimson Princess entered, the hall fell silent.

She was accompanied by four Elementalists, their faces and bodies hidden beneath long robes.

"Are those the members of the Inferno?" Fianna whispered, observing them discreetly.

"Yes, that's Muir Alenstarl, the Military Elementalist, walking behind Ren. She's a monster from the Instructional School."

Rubia had mentioned giving him her team members, so Roy had re

"No, not yet. I don't want to attract attention with spirit magic," Claire replied, shaking her head.

"You're right." Ellis readily agreed.

As the battle began, Roy took a backseat, leaving the fighting to the girls.

This was the best way to test their abilities.

"I'll summon Fenrir to carry our luggage," Rinslet said, summoning her ice spirit, which materialized as a white wolf.

Fenrir howled, and with a gaping maw, it inhaled their luggage, making it disappear.

"That's so convenient!"

"In the Laurenfrost territory, people often get lost in the snow. We sometimes use Fenrir to transport supplies and rescue them," Rinslet explained, petting Fenrir's head. The wolf nuzzled her affectionately.

"But Roy's magic is more convenient," Fianna commented.

"That's true."

They all agreed that Roy's Storage magic was indeed more practical than Fenrir's carrying capacity.

"Scarlet is so cute, and so is your Fenrir..." Ellis said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the two spirits.

She had a weakness for adorable creatures.

If she saw Roy's Pokémon, she would be ecstatic.

"Hey, are you sure you want to keep chatting?" Roy interjected, his eye twitching.

They were in the middle of a crucial competition, yet they were leisurely chatting. He couldn't help but admire their carefree attitude.

If this were a MOBA game, they would be flooded with pings for not leaving the base.

"Ah, right. We need to find a safe place to set up camp," Claire said, snapping out of her daze and regaining her focus as the team leader.

This area seemed to be on the outskirts of the Wind Elemental Lord's territory. The divine power here was weak, and the air was chilly.

Although their academy uniforms were enchanted with cold-resistance spells, it probably wouldn't be enough to withstand the night's chill.

"We also need to consider the water source. It would be best to set up camp near a river or lake," Claire added.

She wasn't just referring to drinking water. As Elementalists, they had to cleanse themselves frequently to purify their bodies.

"Anyway, our priority is to scout the area. Ellis and I will take the lead, with Rinslet and Fianna in the middle."

Claire's formation was sound.

And with Roy at the rear, they didn't have to worry about being ambushed from behind.

This formation also allowed them to protect Fianna, who wasn't a strong fighter.

And Rinslet's position allowed her to snipe enemies from afar.

They adjusted their formation and cautiously ventured deeper into the forest.

...

They had been traveling for about an hour.

Small, glowing orbs, like fireflies, flitted around them.

These were messenger spirits, tasked with transmitting images of the Blade Dance to the main hall.

They were trained not to intrude on anyone's privacy.

But Roy knew that their movements were being projected onto the screen in the hall.

"We can't find any water sources... How big is this place?" Ellis complained, growing impatient.

"This floating island is as large as a small country, so the arena must be quite vast as well," Claire explained.

"We should make a map," Rinslet suggested, brushing a branch away from her face.

"My feet are starting to hurt..." Fianna whined, unused to walking through such rough terrain.

As a transfer student, she hadn't received the same wilderness training as Claire and the others.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Roy offered.

"R-Really?" Fianna looked at him with surprise and hope.

"Of course. I did say I wouldn't interfere in your battles, but this shouldn't be considered cheating, right?" Roy chuckled.

"Yay!" Fianna cheered, hopping onto his back and wrapping her arms around his neck.

Roy could feel her slender form against his back.

"Damn it!"

"That's so sly!"

"I need to think of something too!"

...

Claire and the others glared at Fianna jealously.

"Ow, my feet hurt too!" Rinslet feigned pain, approaching Roy.

"Really?" Roy raised an eyebrow. Was she serious?

"Yes, so... could I lean on your shoulder?"

"Sure."

"Thank you! Then... I'll take you up on that offer." Rinslet smiled and leaned against Roy's shoulder.

"Rinslet, you're so cunning! Roy, I want to lean on your shoulder too!" Ellis exclaimed, grabbing Roy's arm.

"Hey, hey, hey! Look at our formation!" Claire protested.

"Claire, you're so dishonest. You can just say your feet hurt too," Rinslet teased.

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm perfectly fine. I can walk on my own!" Claire retorted, her face flushed.

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