, also written as Blade Dance of Elementalers, is a Japanese light novel series written by Yū Shimizu with illustrations by Hanpen Sakura (volumes 1–13), Yuuji Nimura (volumes 14–16) and Kohada Shimesaba (volumes 17–20). A manga adaptation illustrated by Hyōju Issei was serialized from June 27, 2012, to January 27, 2017, in Media Factory's Monthly Comic Alive and compiled in six volumes. The first volume was released on February 23, 2013. An anime television series adaptation by TNK aired from July 14 to September 29, 2014. The last volume of the novel was released on March 25, 2019.
Plot The story takes place in a world where spirits exist and only pure maidens have the privilege of contracting with the spirits. These maidens hail from noble families and gather at the Areishia Spirit Academy, a specialized school where they are trained to become elementalists.
However, a male teenager named Kamito Kazehaya changes everything. After receiving an invitation from the Academy's director, Greyworth Ciel Mais to come to Areisha Spirit Academy, he loses his way in the spirit forest and stumbles upon a girl named Claire Rouge purifying herself in a lake. She is, understandably, upset and embarrassed and attacks him. He is able to avoid the worst of her wrath and finds out that she intends to contract with a sealed sword spirit. He accompanies her so that she can guide him out of the forest once she has accomplished her goal. Claire attempts to contract with the sealed sword spirit but fails causing it to go berserk. In order to save her life and much to Claire's chagrin, Kamito forms a contract with the sword spirit himself, turning him into the only male elementalist in the world (he also becomes the second male elementalist in 1000 years). Disregarding the fact that he saved her life, she accuses him of stealing her spirit and insists that he atone for it by becoming her contracted spirit.
Characters
Team Scarlet
The world's only known male elementalist. He forms an incomplete contract with the sealed sword spirit, Est, while responding to a summon from the director of Areishia Spirit Academy. Before being summoned to the Academy he was raised as an elite assassin by the Institutional School where he was conditioned to become an emotionless shell in order to make him a more controllable (and disposable) tool. However, his life changed after meeting the spirit, Restia. She taught him about the world outside of the school, and, in the process, rekindled his emotions. The Institutional School was attacked and destroyed by a rampant fire spirit which allowed him to escape, along with the sealed artifact, a special ring that belonged to the first "Demon King", imprisoning Restia. An encounter with Greyworth, further changed his life.
Three years before, Kamito participated in the Blade Dance in drag under the name and won the title of the Strongest Blade Dancer. He had long hair at the time, and an outfit (for girls) from what is believed to be his homeland as his disguise. Since Ren Ashbell is such a prominent role model to many of the maidens at the Academy, Kamito tries to avoid using his better-known techniques to avoid revealing that everyone's favorite idol is really a boy, usually unsuccessfully. His attempts at subterfuge are aided by the fact that, as Ren, he wielded Restia (a black sword) with his left hand (now covered with a glove), and he now wields Est (a white sword) with his right hand. Kamito's life at the Academy is rather taxing because of The girls' feelings for him, coupled with wildly exaggerated rumors and misconceptions about him. The result of these hijinks is that Kamito becomes known as the 'Demon King of the Night' (and eventually daylight and noon). The irony of the situation is that if Kamito had actually done even a fraction of the perverted stuff he is rumored to, neither he or the girls he 'soiled' would be pure enough to use their contracted Spirits. Despite this inconsistency, the rumors about him are considered fact by numerous Intelligence agencies including the Duchy of Dracunia who first wanted to castrate him to protect innocent maidens, and then later changed their minds to wanting to seduce him, with the hope that the resulting children would inherit his abilities.
Claire is the younger daughter of Duke Elstein. She inherited the Elstein fire-red hair and eyes as well as the family aptitude for Fire magic. The Elsteins were grand nobles who had served the royal family for generations ever since the founding of the Ordesian Empire. Four years ago her elder sister, Rubia, the Queen serving under the Fire Elemental Lord, snatched the strongest flame spirit, Laevateinn, and disappeared. Outraged by this betrayal, the Fire Elemental Lord burned parts of the Empire and would not allow any fires other than those of Flame Spirits to exist within the Empire. Ren Ashbell's Blade Dance the following year appeased the Fire Lord's anger enough that he stopped randomly burning the Empire. As the result of that incident, the Elstein duchy and fortune were seized and the duke and his wife were imprisoned in Balsas's prison. Although Claire was not sent to prison, the Imperial family demanded the return of Scarlet, her elemental spirit. However, Greyworth interceded on her behalf, saying that Claire would become an excellent elementalist at her Academy. After Claire accepted Greyworth's offer, she dropped the Elstein family name and attends Areishia Spirit Academy under the alias Claire Rouge. Initially a meek and shy child Claire has strengthened herself in order to win the Blade Dance and find out the reasons for her sister's actions. Due to being ostracized as the sister of the "Calamity Queen", she has little trust in anybody other than Scarlet. Claire has studied intensely to become one of the top students of the school and become an able strategist. Her contract symbol with Scarlet is on the back of her right hand and looks like a white/red whirling mass of flames.
Although she treats Kamito as her 'slave spirit' as punishment for contracting Est in her place, she seems to enjoy books where the male character enslaves the female protagonist and even has dreams of being Kamito's slave. Like many other maidens, she was inspired by Ren Ashbell's Blade Dance three years ago. She has suspicions of Kamito being Ren Ashbell after observing him fight using the same moves as Ren and seeing him cross-dress during the current Blade Dance.
A daughter of Duke Fahrengart who's the head of the militant Fahrengart family. She has contracted with Simurgh, a wind spirit who appears as a large hawk with a waffe form of a spear. Her contract symbol is on the back of her right hand and resembles the view of a tornado seen from directly above in white/green. The Duke Fahrengart is Ellis' father, who wants her to marry Kamito and raise kids. Ellis also has a two years-elder adopted sister, Velsaria Eva Fahrengart. Ellis is also the captain of the Sylphid Knights; a group of students, who help protect the Academy, enforce discipline and morals, handle wild spirits and the recently opened Astral Gates in the forest. Although initially vehemently against Kamito's presence at the Academy (as the only other known male elementalist was the demon king) she gradually warms up to and falls in love with him. Ellis has a strict and firm personality, but has the heart of an innocent maiden which her close friends and comrades in the Sylphid Knights take advantage of;– she was once tricked her into believing a risqué outfit was the new dress uniform. It's unknown if she had a specific wish for the Blade Dance, although she may have entered to save her sister Velsaria as well as to bring honor to her family and country.
After seeing Kamito fight numerous times she is suspicious of how similar his fighting style is to Ren Ashbell's, but is fooled by an article listing Ashbell's believed "preferences" which are different from his due to him giving vague yes/no answers back then to cover his voice cracking. In Volume 13, she gets a big boost to her divine power and recovery ability after kissing Kamito on the lips. The boost was powerful enough to heal several days' worth of injuries in one day and enlarged Sigmurgh enough to enable him to carry two people instead of just one.
She is one of the daughters of the Laurenfrost family. While a prominent family it was slightly lesser to that of the Elsteins before their fall. Rinslet's personality is that of a showoff that enjoys the spotlight chance permitting, but not at the expense of doing her duty. Despite that is still a shy girl who hides her concern for others and unlike many never treated Claire any differently from when they were friends to Rubia becoming the Calamity Queen. She was chosen by the Laurenfrost guardian spirit Fenrir to be his contractor. Due to being contracted with him she is very skilled in Ice magic and an accomplished sniper with his Waffe form of a bow. Like the others has the heart of an innocent maiden who falls deeply for Kamito. Also like the others this does not stop her from striking hard with magic (and holding him completely at fault) if she catches him in an embarrassing situation with another girl. She is an expert in domestic matter due to her maid Carol being completely lacking in skills of being a Laurenfrost maid except for being cute (and able to trick Rinslet easily). Rinslet enters the Blade Dance with the wish for the Water Lord to forgive her sister Judia and break the eternal ice curse cast upon her for what was thought to be a mistake during a kagura dance to the Water Lord. Similar to Ellis she gets a boost to her divine power after kissing Kamito in Volume 13. Position in team is that of Sniper/Support as her Ice Magic and Bow attacks are best suited for mid/long range battle while extremely disadvantageous at close melee range. Contract symbol is on back of her right hand and resembles a white/blue complex snowflake with two sides cropped off by the edge of the symbol. While trying to save a spirit after the Blade Dance she gets another contract symbol on the back of her left hand that looks like a white/blue ice rose.
She is the second princess of the Ordesian Empire and the chosen contractor of the family guardian spirit, Georgios. Her contract symbol is white/gold in color and located just above her cleavage. It is discovered later that she was using pads and the family bloodstone she stole to appear bigger. Fianna has a playful personality with a risque sense of humour that earned her the nickname Perverted Princess. She is aware that Kamito is Ren Ashbell due to him having saved her from a rogue spirit while wielding Restia three years previously. She demanded his true name and made a promise to meet him again. When she enrolls in the Academy, Greyworth asks Kamito's team to act as Fianna's bodyguard and Kamito does not recognize her at first due to trauma and Restia's magic clouding his memories around the time of his wish.