Chapter 2
The maid stood before her new employer in a royal blue maids dress. She fidgeted with the hem of the apron. 'At least the headmaster believed me…'
"I'll be attending class with her. But if anyone gives you any crap, tell me and I'll handle it."
She gave a quick nod as she looked down. Tiffania noted the blank look in her eyes and sighed. 'I'll have to talk to her later.'
"I'll have your lunch ready for you by noon."
"What's your name?" Saito looked to her.
"Siesta." She flinched and left their room.
"She's scared of you."
"I know." He hung his head.
"She'll need to get to know you."
"I know."
"She'll see how sweet you can be." She lead him by the hand to her class.
The teacher for this one was a man in his late twenties early thirties with glasses. His robes were a dark green and his focus was a ring on his right hand.
"Greetings class, I'm Mr. Andros. I'll be substituting for Mrs. Green. Now I know she would've gotten to this anyway. But I'll teach you. A sub sect of earth magic is plant control. With it You can make a living wall or an extra set of hands. Case in point." His ring glowed and a small sapling grew very quickly into a bookstand.
"Can you make a golem with it?" A random student looked at him.
"Yes, and for those whose element is earth, it will be easy to create. Like so." The bookstand grew arms and legs, the face was formed from knots.
"And for those whose main element isn't?" The boy looked to Louise smirking.
"It will be harder, but it can be done. Do I have a volunteer?"
Louise raised her hand. He nodded to her and she got up. The rest of the students backed away to the walls.
She concentrated and a plant grew slowly, it was also pulsing red as it got bigger and hardened. She poured all of her power and knowledge into the spell, it then was glowing bright red. A boy that had a rose flicked it and a earthen wall appeared to shield the students, which came just in time as the bookstand exploded, sending wooden shrapnel everywhere. The wood golem protected Mr. Andros, Saito protected Tiffania and Louise by kicking a desk to shield the small pinkette and used his body to shield his mistress.
"Hey asshole, ya could've shielded us as well." Saito glared at the boy with the rose.
"Oops, I forgot-"
"The next time you forget about the princess here, it may be bad for you." Saito started pulling splinters out of his right arm.
"That's a threat, I could have you killed-"
"Bad idea there, I hope your a light sleeper." Saito pulled more out of his side.
"Why did you help me?" Louise looked at Saito.
"Numbnuts here was trying to show off. It was also the right thing to do." Tiffania casted a healing spell and the rest of the splinters fell out of him. She then casted a mend spell on him and his clothes were as good as new.
"That sounded insulting…" The blonde boy looked at him angrily.
"Gee whiz, looks like you're not the stereotypical blonde." Saito had enough sarcasm in his tone you could cut it with a butter knife.
Tiffania looked like she knew what he was talking about.
The boy took off his glove and threw it, hitting Saito. The class went silent as the teacher went around his tree golem.
"Are you brave enough to face Guiche de Gramont?"
Saito smiled, no fear in his eyes.
"Duels are forbidden." Mr. Andros looked to Guiche.
"Between students, yes. But not between nobles and commoners."
"I need the exercise anyway. I'll play with the pretty boy. First blood or death?"
"I'll go easy on you, first blood." The blonde nobleman had an air of superiority.
"First blood it is."
"Out in the courtyard." Mr. Andros lead the way.
When the class was out there the contenders faced each other.
Guiche summoned a steel golem that was in the shape of a very attractive woman, 36-24-36, but size 'D', and angelic facial features. She also wielded a shortsword.
"I have a good guess on how you see women. She's naked." Saito looked like he was going to draw his sword, but then pulled his knife. "I thought I was fighting you, not your walking sex toy."
The quiet could be cut with a knife.
"Insolent whelp!" With a wave of his rose the golem lunged forward.
Saito ditched his sword and slid in between the golem's legs. He noted that the golem was a full reproduction of a woman. He then rolled and took a slash at Guiche. Guiche jumped back and moved his rose to the left.
Saito dodged to the right and the golems blade barely missed him. He then backflipped into the golems shoulders and then jumped behind the arrogant noble, his blade pressed against his throat.
"I win." Saito knicked his throat and the noble was shaking. "First blood taken."
"First blood indeed." Mr. Andros nodded.
"But...m-my golem-"
"Can't bleed you idiot." Saito gave him a withering glare.
"And it was between you and him Gramont."
"B-But a noble has never lost to a mere commoner-"
"And that's what you don't get numbnuts. I'm a familiar. Even in the fantasy books back home the familiars were were better than the average beast, and in my case, human. They are gifted with power. With me it seems like I can use my knife better. Learn from your teachers instead of trying to pick up a one night stand moron." Saito walked back to Tiffania. "I learned in a much rougher school that if you show weakness, people will walk all over you."
Guiche looked angrily at the familiars back and summoned a fireball the size of a golf ball and threw it.
"Look out!" Tiffania made to pull him out of the way, but he pulled his sword and slashed at the fireball. The sword glowed as it drank in the energy.
"I was having a wonderful nap. Now I'm awake." The sword spoke and even got Saito to stare in awe at the blade.
"W-What?!" Guiche stared at the sword.
"Ok class, back into the room, self study." Mr. Andros herded the children back into the building.
"May I be excused?" Tiffania look to him.
"May I ask why?"
"I need to talk to the headmaster about something."
"You may go."
"Thank you." She pulled Saito along while he stared at the sword.
No one noticed Louise going in a different direction.
xXx
Osmond looked to the spot he had been staring at for the last half hour. 'The maid-'
There was a knock at the door and he looked up. "Come in."
Tiffania walked in and bowed her head. "Headmaster Osmond, I wish to discuss with you the maid Siesta of Tarbes. I want to hire her."
"A maid by name...I see...very well then, she was making fifteen gold a month."
"I'll double it. Saito, please get her and escort her here." She nodded to him.
"I'll be nice." He left and then Osmand looked to her.
"There's a nasty rumor going around."
"Oh really?" Tiffania looked at Osmond innocently.
"There's been two students that have failed to appear in class today."
"They could've been sick."
"Strange, they can't be found anywhere."
"I don't know where they could be then."
What she didn't know was he was using a special monocle. This monocle let the bearer see if the truth was being told. Her aura through the lens grey. It was the first time that the aura was neither black nor white.
"You have your suspicions, but no proof...will anything bad happen to Siesta?"
"I swear by my crown, no."
"Tell me about him."
"He does what he thinks is right." This time the monocle showed a white aura.
"I'll look into those students…"
The door opened and a afraid Siesta and a blase Saito entered.
"You have been hired by Tiffania of Albion." He waited to see her reaction.
"Yes sir." She was subdued.
"Has anyone done anything to you?" Osmond looked at her.
"No sir." Her aura was black. He mulled over the withdrawn look on her face.
"How many times?" He spoke like he knew.
She looked up at him terrified.
"It's ok. You can tell us." Tiffania walked up to Siesta with a caring look.
"I can't-"
"You can. And you can say who as well." Saito looked at her as nicely as he could, but Tiffania could tell he was boiling inside.
"I'll end up dead-"
"Over my dead body." Saito backed away from the scared girl. "You're under my protection now. And they will get justice for what they've done to you."
"I...I can't…"
"Is this how you allow your staff to be treated?" Saito looked hotly at Osmond.
"Not typically...no…" Osmond looked ashamed.
"Then there must be more cases." Tiffania looked at the headmaster.
"I'll ask around-"
"They won't answer you. They'll fear being fired." Saito looked to Siesta.
"How would you know that?"
"Think about it. If they're told they won't be believed, then they won't even talk about it. How many maids have you gone through?"
This got the old man thinking. "Many."
"Siesta. How many times." Tiffania pulled the shaking girl into a hug.
"I...I…"
"You will be believed." Saito gave her a serious look.
Siesta then broke down sobbing as she related an incident. And it didn't stop at one.
When Osmond heard the girl out his face held a caring look, but his eyes held anger.
"I will do something about this."
There was a knock at the door, but before anyone could open it, a man in rich red silk barged in and saw the scene.
"I'm sorry sir-"
"I'm here for Siesta of Tarbes-"
"She's been hired by Tiffania of Albion." Osmond turned his anger filled eyes to the man.
"I'm Count Mott and I come with orders from the Queen-"
"I don't care if your God herself. She's been hired by my master and is under my protection. Come near her and pay the price." Saito had a dark edge in his tone.
Tiffania held onto the girl in question.
"I am a royal advisor-"
"Did I stutter?"
"Here is the decree." Mott had a smug look as he handed it over to Saito, then turned to horror as he seen him tear it to pieces.
"I can't read your language. So it means absolutely nothing to me." Saito looked to Osmond.
"And I didn't see it."
"You will-"
"You will listen to me. Siesta of Tarbes is now my maid. If you have a problem with that, take that up with my father. King Arthur of Albion." This made the Count speechless.
The reputation of said King was of very good stature. He had taken an elven maiden as his Queen much to the distaste of the Albion court of nobles because she had saved his life. The discontent was the reason Tiffania had been sent away.
"I'd take what's left of your ego and leave." Saito had his hand on the hilt of the sword.
"Here I am master, but I agree with the familiar. Have a safe journey." Osmond dismissed the Count like he was a student.
"I will be back." The count left, anger in his stride.
"It has been a month, I would suggest a vacation." Osmond looked to Tiffania.
"I'll see my cousin in the capital." Tiffania bowed her head and then looked to Saito.
"...have a safe journey." Osmond nodded.
xXx
Louise had found her familiar quickly enough.
"Yes my Mistress?"
"I...I need to have you in class."
"Why my Mistress?"
"...The commoner familiar saved me. We owe him."
He looked down in thought. 'She was saved by someone other than me. We do owe him.'
"Then we shall find a way to pay him back."
"A noble must pay a debt."
"That means befriending the half breed."
Louise shuddered. "I'll do it...may Brimir forgive me."
"Is there anything we can help them with?"
"I'll ask."
'The void user's will be my way of controlling this world...so I need to help them so they'll help me.'
"I'll see what he needs help with as well. Divining isn't always a sure thing."
"You can do that?"
"Let me show you. Is there anyone that you hate?"
"W-Why?"
"To do this type of magic you need a special type of life force."
"If it'll kill them then no."
"You are the mistress." He bowed.
"I will ask questions."
"And what would you like me to do?"
"Look after him and his master. If something comes up that he can't handle, handle it."
"Yes mistress."
xXx
Tiffania comforted the scared girl as Saito packed for them all.
"I'm...I'm just a commoner…"
"Yes you are, but you're also worth more in his eyes."
"How long will we be gone?" Saito looked to her.
"A week."
"Sounds good."
"I've sent a message to my father, he said he'll be there anyway."
"Your father?" Siesta looked to her.
"I've explained the situation, and he said he'll take care of it."
"From what I saw, your dad loves you." Saito finished with one of the bags and started on another.
"A-Are you from her homeland?"
He looked to the maid and shook his head.
"I'm from a different dimension. Where I'm from I was living in the streets. My father delved so deep into his work that he never noticed me not being home."
"His family situation is...complicated."
"Not that complicated...after mom died, he did to...his body has to catch up though."
This got the maid thinking.
"He's not alone anymore, and you're not either." Tiffania looked to her.
"Imagine being a half blood. Tiffa has had to deal with that everyday since she was born." Saito looked to her. "She's a true noble. She knows hardship. It's why I respect her. These children that come here aren't noble. They may have the blood ties, but they don't know what she knows."
Siesta looked to Tiffania.
"All I wanted was for you to be able to defend yourself. I'm sorry for scaring you." He was done with the trunk and then left the room.
"He means well. But him putting it into action…"
"Needs work." Siesta giggled.
xXx
A/n: Yes, Saito has a dark side, don't we all?