Elise stared intently at her lower abdomen. If the spirit seal truly appeared there, she'd feel like dying!
How could she continue being a saintess like that?
A succubus saintess?
That… might sound a little interesting?
Cough cough! No! That was absolutely impossible!
Perhaps readers would love to see such a thing, but Elise firmly rejected it!
As she pulled aside the fabric covering her, Elise nervously shut her eyes, only opening them after a few seconds of mental preparation.
No… impossible…
How could a saintess ever be linked with something like a succubus?
Her heart waged a fierce battle, but there was no escaping. She had to check.
Alright then… open eyes!
"Nothing! Haha!"
Elise hadn't felt this excited in a long time. For the moment, even her saintess demeanor was cast aside.
Before her was pure white—smooth and flawless, untouched by the slightest blemish.
Thankfully, the spirit seal wasn't there. Otherwise, she really would've become a laughingstock among saintesses.
Outside of certain hidden circles, where else would anyone ever see such a saintess?
"But if not there… then where is it?"
At that moment, a voice echoed in Elise's mind.
"I'm sorry, Master. The contract just now was only half complete. The spirit seal had not yet manifested on your body. Now it's finished—you should be able to feel it."
The childish voice rang within her heart. Elise immediately realized—it was Est speaking to her internally!
"What? You mean it wasn't done earlier?"
For some reason, Elise felt an odd sense of relief. She let out a long breath.
Forget it. Whatever.
As long as it wasn't on her lower abdomen, she didn't care where it appeared! No matter how bad the placement, could it really be worse than that?
Suddenly, a burning sensation spread through her body, then shrank to the size of a palm, settling somewhere near her heart…
Elise: %$?!?
Silently, she removed her coat and unfastened her blouse, standing expressionless before the mirror.
The snow-white saintess gazed at her reflection—her eyes fixed especially on her chest.
It was as though a temple had been built atop a mountain peak…
Who in the world would place a contract seal there?
Even Black Butler had better ideas—putting it in an eye or mouth looked so much cooler!
But here… what was she supposed to do?
"Hey!"
"Est, I have a question for you…"
"What is it, Master?" Est's childish voice echoed, free of any detectable emotion.
"Why is the spirit seal in that place?"
"Hm? What?"
"Why there?" Elise pressed again.
"Uh… because it's close to your heart?"
Admittedly, that was…
Pretty reasonable!
"But even if it's close to the heart, couldn't it have been a little higher? With so much blocking it, is it really that close to the heart?"
"I think the collarbone area would've been just fine, don't you?"
"At that moment, I wanted to pull out of Master's body, but you stopped me. Since the hilt touched there, I chose it," Est answered, sounding as though she had truly considered Elise's words, yet still confused.
Why would choosing that spot displease her master?
Unbelievable! Unbelievable!
This sword spirit was nothing like the harmless, innocent character she had seen in the anime!
And her way of speaking was problematic! Had no one ever taught her how to phrase things properly?
It was far too easy to misunderstand!
Inside, Elise's thoughts raced like wild horses. But now, she had begun to calm down and accept it.
By Est's logic… wasn't this all her own fault?
"The contract is already formed… Master, are you going to abandon me?" Est's calm voice rang out, putting an end to the discussion.
"Forget it, let it stay there for now," Elise sighed. "After all, the seal won't normally be visible, and I won't let anyone see it anyway."
Abandon Est?
She had come to this world for Est in the first place!
How could she possibly abandon her?
Still, she would remember this grudge! One day, she would make sure Est truly felt the depth of her affection!
For now though, it was time to leave. Nearly twenty minutes had passed since Elise shattered the barrier. Surely someone would come investigate.
She had to leave before they arrived, or else she might cause unnecessary trouble.
Sacred Speech!
"Teleportation!"
Elise's figure vanished from the heavily damaged shrine. Just seconds later, a striking figure entered from outside.
"I didn't expect the barrier here to actually be broken…"
A mature woman with long gray hair and a monocle surveyed the shattered walls, pressing a hand to her forehead with exasperation.
"Judging from the lingering aura, whoever it was must have left just before I arrived. But there's no scent at all…"
"Could it be a space-related ability? That complicates things."
As one of the few insiders, and also a former winner of the Blade Dance Festival, the headmistress of Areishia Spirit Academy knew exactly what spirit had been sealed here, and what power it possessed.
"Honestly, with the upcoming Blade Dance, this is the last kind of trouble we need!"
Clearly frustrated, the woman kicked a stone on the floor. It shot forward at an incredible speed, punching through the wall and leaving a deep gouge in the ground.
"And why hasn't Kamito shown up yet? Do I really have to drag him here myself?"
Irritated by recent troubles, she stomped her foot in anger, venting her displeasure.
But then, her movements froze.
"Hm? Someone dares come looking for trouble at a time like this?"
Her brow furrowed, her expression turning cold.
She had only sensed the barrier's collapse a moment ago and rushed from the academy—but now…
"To time your approach so precisely… you're certainly better than the usual trash, little brat."
Her icy gaze shifted to the corner of the shrine, where the shadows trembled.
In a flash, a masked black-haired girl emerged from the darkness, only to vanish again—relocating elsewhere.
An assassin!
But the woman showed no sign of fear.
"I've survived more assassins than the number of contracted spirits that have graduated from this academy!"
"Besides, with the shrine's treasure already taken, this place is worthless now."
A surge of overwhelming Divine Power erupted from her body, covering the entire shrine in the blink of an eye.
The spreading aura stripped the masked assassin of any place to hide.
Sweat formed on the girl's brow as she watched her target.
"Too bad. I'm in a foul mood today…"
"You'll be buried with this ancient shrine, beneath the earth spirit's rubble!"
The mature woman swept her right hand, unleashing an explosion of power!
Boom—
In an instant, the shrine collapsed into fragments—
And so too did the assassin girl.