Chapter 112: Fianna & Ellis Joins the Team

"Because people don't have wings, we look for ways to fly."

— Ikkei Ukai, Haikyuu

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However, Strategic-Class Spirits weren't easy to control.

When the girl who had won the selection tried to form a contract with the Strategic-Class Spirit, she lost control, and the spirit went berserk.

A giant, steel golem rampaged through the arena, wreaking havoc.

This was the Strategic-Class Spirit.

Many other spirits had already been defeated by it.

The army's hasty counterattacks were ineffective against the rampaging golem.

"Roy, shouldn't we stop that thing?" Mitsuri asked, concerned.

If they didn't intervene, the golem might harm the civilians who had come to watch the selection process.

"Don't worry, let the Sylphid Knights handle it," Roy replied, stopping Mitsuri and Makomo from rushing into the fray.

He had already spotted the Sylphid Knights approaching. There was no need for him to get involved.

"It's Ellis!" Roy was surprised to see that it was Ellis leading the Sylphid Knights.

Beside her were Rakka and Reishia.

The Sylphid Knights were responsible for the safety of the academy and its surroundings.

They would definitely send someone to deal with this commotion.

But he hadn't expected only those three to come.

They couldn't possibly stop a Strategic-Class Spirit with just the three of them.

Then, Roy remembered what Rias had told him that morning.

Velsaria had defeated all the Sylphid Knights and only took those who could still stand with her.

That's why the Sylphid Knights were understaffed.

"Those soldiers are so reckless!"

"This is bad. Rakka, Reishia, let's go! If we can hold it off for a while, the instructors will arrive," Ellis said, frowning at the rampaging golem.

Although the Sylphid Knights were renowned, this was beyond their capabilities.

Only the instructors, whose strength rivaled the Empire's Spirit Knights, could handle this.

The three girls charged towards the steel golem.

However, the difference in power was too great. They couldn't even hold it back.

Rakka and Reishia were quickly defeated.

The golem then turned its attention to Ellis, its massive fist slamming down on her.

BOOM!

The ground shook violently.

Although Ellis dodged the attack, the shockwave sent her flying.

Just as she braced herself for a painful landing, someone caught her.

"Are you alright?" a gentle voice asked.

Ellis opened her eyes and saw Roy's handsome face.

She blushed.

"P-Please put me down," she mumbled, embarrassed.

"Okay." Roy chuckled and gently set her down.

Holding Ellis in her armor hadn't been very comfortable.

"Th-Thank you, Roy-san," Ellis stammered, her face still flushed.

"It's no problem. We're classmates, after all," Roy replied with a smile.

"But what are we going to do now?" Ellis asked, looking at the rampaging golem with worry.

"If you don't mind, I can take care of it," Roy offered.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Then please, Roy-san!" Ellis said gratefully.

This was supposed to be the Sylphid Knights' responsibility, but now, she had no choice but to rely on Roy.

She didn't doubt his ability to stop the golem.

She still remembered the duel the other night, where Roy had effortlessly slain the cyclopean giant with a single strike.

Roy turned towards the rampaging Strategic-Class Spirit, a smirk playing on his lips.

He summoned his ice rose sword.

Ellis stared at the beautiful blade, her eyes filled with admiration.

It was an elegant sword, with a hilt and handguard shaped like an ice-blue rose.

The blade itself was adorned with intricate rose carvings.

'What a beautiful sword!' she thought.

Roy, wielding the ice rose sword, didn't even bother using Breathing Styles against this weakling. He simply swung his sword.

An arc of sword pressure shot out.

Slice!

In the blink of an eye, the Strategic-Class Spirit was cut down.

"H-He's so strong!" Ellis gasped, staring at the fallen golem in disbelief.

To think he could defeat such a powerful spirit so easily...

She looked at Roy with admiration.

"That takes care of that," Roy said, turning to Ellis. "Are those two alright?" he asked, pointing at the unconscious Rakka and Reishia.

"Yes, they're just unconscious," Ellis confirmed after checking on them. She was relieved.

But then, her expression turned gloomy.

"What's wrong, Ellis-san?" Roy asked, noticing her change in mood.

"Oh, it's nothing..." Ellis tried to brush it off.

But Roy could easily see through her facade.

She was worried about her teammates and the upcoming Blade Dance.

...

She had been defeated by her adopted sister, Velsaria, that morning.

Fortunately, she and Rakka and Reishia hadn't been injured.

But her other two teammates had been severely injured and wouldn't recover for at least ten days.

And now, with Rakka and Reishia also injured, she was the only one left on her team.

How could she participate in the Blade Dance like this?

"You're worried about your teammates, aren't you?" Roy asked gently.

"Mmm..." Ellis looked at him in surprise. He had seen through her worries.

She no longer tried to hide her concerns. "Rakka and Reishia are injured. Now, I'm the only one left on the team. What am I supposed to do about the tournament?" she lamented with a sigh.

"Since you're the only one left on your team, how about joining mine?" Roy offered without hesitation.

Ellis was surprised, then hesitated.

As a Knight, she couldn't abandon her teammates.

"Captain, accept his offer!" Rakka, who had regained consciousness, suddenly spoke up.

"Rakka..."

"Captain, isn't participating in the Blade Dance your dream? We can't help you anymore. Please join Roy-sama's team!"

"Yes, with Roy-sama, you can definitely win the Blade Dance!" Reishia added, also awake now.

They both urged Ellis to accept Roy's offer.

After much hesitation, Ellis finally agreed.

"Alright, I'll join your team."

"Welcome to Team Scarlet!" Roy said with a grin.

...

Early the next morning, Roy met up with Ellis, Claire, and Rinslet.

Today, they were going to undertake the S-Rank mission to Gedonelune.

"Ellis, why are you here?" Claire asked in surprise.

Ellis had been tending to Rakka and Reishia yesterday, so Roy hadn't had a chance to inform Claire and Rinslet about her joining their team.

"I've invited Ellis to join Team Scarlet. She'll be accompanying us on this mission," Roy explained with a smile.

"Eh?" The three girls were surprised.

"But... but..." Claire started to protest.

"We're still missing a member, and Ellis's teammates are injured," Roy interrupted.

"Fine, I agree," Claire said reluctantly.

Ellis was the captain of the Sylphid Knights. Her strength was undeniable.

She was more than qualified to join their team, but Claire was still a bit unhappy about it.

"Pleased to meet you all. Claire, I apologize for the Sylphid Knights' earlier behavior," Ellis said sincerely, bowing respectfully.

"I-It's okay," Claire stammered, flustered by Ellis's formal apology.

"Actually, we, the Sylphid Knights, also received a mission," Ellis announced, her expression turning serious.

"What mission?" Claire asked curiously.

"Last night, someone stole confidential documents from the library," Ellis explained.

"These documents contained information about the Strategic-Class Elemental sealed in Gedonelune, Jormungandr."

"Whoever stole them is clearly after the Strategic-Class Elemental."

"So your mission is to retrieve the documents?" Rinslet asked.

"Yes." Ellis nodded.

"Since we're both going to Gedonelune, and our missions don't conflict, why don't we complete them together?" Roy suggested.

Claire, Rinslet, and Ellis agreed.

They knew that whoever was after the Strategic-Class Elemental would likely cross paths with them.

Accepting the Sylphid Knights' mission was a simple task.

And it would earn them extra points for the school ranking.

"Alright, since everyone agrees, let's depart!" Roy declared.

They set off for Gedonelune.

...

The mining city wasn't far from the academy.

It would take about a day on horseback to reach it.

The horses were already prepared outside the academy.

"Oh my, my lady is going to such a dangerous place! I'm so worried!" Carol exclaimed, clasping her hands together and praying for Rinslet's safety.

She wasn't an Elemental Spirit Contractor and couldn't participate in the mission.

"Don't worry, Carol. I'm more worried about you," Rinslet replied, hugging her adorable maid and launching into a series of instructions.

"Will you be able to wake up on time without me?"

"Make sure you eat properly every day."

"And don't make a mess with bubbles when you're doing laundry!"

...

The others exchanged amused glances, watching Rinslet fuss over Carol.

It seemed like their roles were reversed.

"Waaah... my lady... I'll do my best even when you're not here!" Carol cried, touched by Rinslet's concern.

"This is so weird," Claire commented, unable to hold back her amusement.

"What are you talking about? A maid's only purpose is to be cute, right?" Rinslet retorted.

"Fine, fine, you're right." Claire decided not to argue.

Just then, Fianna let out a yelp.

"Aah! Stop it! Stop it, I said!"

She had tried to climb onto a horse but was thrown off.

Roy caught her before she could hit the ground.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Fianna replied, her cheeks flushing as she met Roy's gaze.

Having grown up in the Divine Ritual Institute, Fianna was quite innocent.

"If you can't ride a horse, you can ride with me," Roy offered.

"Really? Yay!" Fianna nodded excitedly.

Claire glared at her.

"Honestly, a princess who can't ride a horse? Isn't that a basic skill for nobles?"

"They didn't teach us how to ride horses at the Divine Ritual Institute," Fianna retorted.

"Horse riding is a compulsory subject here. You better get used to it. With your... assets, it might be difficult to maintain balance," Claire taunted.

"Well, I'm not as flat as you. You probably don't experience any air resistance. I, on the other hand, am clearly disadvantaged," Fianna replied calmly, flipping her hair.

Claire fumed.

"You..."

Just as they were about to start another argument, Roy sighed.

"That's enough, you two. Let's just go."

Claire and Fianna immediately stopped arguing.

They mounted their horses.

Seeing Fianna clinging to Roy's back, Claire and Rinslet couldn't help but sneer and exchange sarcastic remarks.

Amidst their bickering, they set off for Gedonelune.

...

After a full day of riding, they finally arrived at the gates of the mining city. It was already late at night.

They were all exhausted from the journey.

"Let's rest and have something to eat," Roy suggested.

He conjured a table laden with food.

"Amazing!"

"Where did you get all this?"

Fianna and Ellis stared at the feast in surprise.

"Damn it! Now I have no use for my preparations!" Rinslet grumbled.

Her spirit, Fenrir, was carrying a large amount of food, and she had been planning to cook for everyone.

But Roy had already taken care of it.

She regretted not preparing the food beforehand.

Claire, however, was simply drooling at the sight of the delicious spread.

"Come on, everyone, let's eat!" Roy said.

He then looked at the spirit seals on his arms. "Est, Ren, do you want to eat too?"

He didn't need to ask. Est and Ren emerged from their seals, drawn by the delicious aroma.

Even Scarlet joined them.

...

After a satisfying meal, Roy and the girls entered Gedonelune.

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