Chapter 2
Louise's first three days at the Academy went by quicker than she had thought possible. Between the new unexplored buildings, the never read before books and the contact with new people Louise barely managed to pay attention to the passage of time, but eventually time passed and the day before the start of classes Professor Colbert appeared at Louise's room to discuss a few issues concerning the school.
In the end what the balding teacher wanted to tell her wasn't something of great importance, just some basic rules of the Academy that she would have been told had she ever attended the first year of the Academy. Only one of these rules inconvenienced her a little and that was the fact that, after the classes official start the students were required to make their meals at the Alvíss dining hall, something she had been skirting so far. Fortunately the professor told her James would be able to eat with her, despite the fact he was basically a guest at the Academy.
It wasn't that she was scared of the other Academy students, but she knew how famous her family was, adding to that the fact she was a student that would enter directly to the second year of learning at the school and her fellow students would naturally be interested in her. She already heard some rumors about herself at the library, where for once in her life her small frame was useful and the rest of the students present believed she was a first year.
So far the only student in school to find out her identity was that damned Germanian Kirche and fortunately, for now at least, she seemed intent of keeping her findings to herself.
Louise didn't trust her. After their meeting Louise had taken all possible precautions to evade the redhead and at the end day she believed she had gotten rid of her. That had been the moment she crossed paths with the redhead again, when she discovered that the damned girl's room was right across from hers. She didn't imagine what the redhead saw on her face that made her laugh like that, but she didn't let it affect her and entered her room not deigning to talk to the other girl.
Louise knew the girl was planning something, she was sure about it, you couldn't trust the Von Zerbst's, especially not that one with those things in her chest. Those just weren't natural. For now though Louise couldn't do anything about it.
Putting those thoughts out of her mind, Louise continued walking towards the Alvíss dining hall, arriving a few minutes later. Looking inside Louise managed to see several rows of seated students eating breakfast.
Entering the room she saw James eating alone in one of the tables. "Good day." She said seating at his side.
"Hey. Sleep well?" James asked her.
"More or less," Louise started. "I was a little nervous about class, but I eventually I fell asleep."
"Good." He replied. "A good sleep is essential for a growing teenager."
"You always say that." Louise grumbled.
"I'm always right." He shot back with a smile.
"As if!" Louise scoffed.
They continued conversing with one another while they ate breakfast, talking about Louise's classes and several other subjects that crossed their minds. During the conversation Louise started to feel the eyes of her colleagues on her and a moment later she figured out why. James was the only adult eating with the students, seeing as the academy teaching staff was reunited in one of the tables present on a raised dais near the end of the room.
Louise could almost groan. She had managed to remain anonymous so far, only to attract the other student's attention simply by eating breakfast with her familiar.
James realized what Louise had figured out and was going to ask her if she wanted to leave, when something else happened too. A stunning redhead teenager appeared at Louise's side, almost as if by magic and seated herself at Louise's left hand. Accompanying her was a blue-haired haired girl.
"Hello Little Louise," Kirche said. "Sleep well?"
Louise closed her eyes and breathed for a few seconds before replying. "What do you want?"
Kirche looked at Louise before slowly pointing at the food on the table. "Isn't it obvious?" She said widening her eyes purposely.
"Why here?" Louise questioned coldly. "There are a lot of free tables around."
"Well I saw you here and I thought 'Hey isn't that my good friend Louise? Tabitha let's go eat with her.' and as you can see where we are." Kirche replied starting to pick up food from the table.
"We're not friends."
"Ah don't be like that Little Louise," Kirche said putting her arm over Louise's shoulders. "I know you love me."
"Why don't you go die somewhere?" Louise asked teeth clenching.
"Louise behave…" James interrupted.
Louise opened her mouth to say something, but seeing James's face she grumbled, closed her mouth and looked to the side.
Kirche seeing this reaction wondered. "Tell me Louise, who is this?"
"Why do you care?" The pink haired girl asked.
"I don't." Kirche replied shrugging. "I knew you were the third daughter, I just never thought your family would do this to you."
"Do what?" Louise asked confused.
"Well you know …"
"No I don't." Louise shot back.
"I never thought they would saddle you with someone so … old." Kirche replied with an apologizing look at James.
"What are you … y-you pervert. How can you t-think that you … pervert." Louise screamed at Kirche.
"Ah good," Kirche said with a false look of relief. "I wouldn't want to see your passion stifled so cruelly."
James looked confusedly at both young women as they continued speaking back and forth. Hesitantly he moved his head forward towards the redhead's companion. "Miss … what the hell is going on?" He asked gesturing toward Louise ongoing discussion.
The blue haired girl turned towards him and shrugged her shoulders.
James nodded; it was as good an answer as any could be given. The young girl also didn't know.
Eventually the girls' discussion died on and silence reigned for a few seconds on the table. Slowly, as if fearing any noise might restart the discussion between both girls, James spoke.
"Uh … Miss …?" He said questionably at Kirche.
Kirche preened looking at him. "I'm Kirche Augusta…"
"She's a Zerbst." Louise interrupted.
Kirche pouted. "Louise you make me sound so … dirty."
"As well as I should."
Kirche looked at Louise for a second before darting forward. "So cute!"
"Ah!" Louise scrambled backwards, ending up falling off her chair.
Kirche moved back towards her seat, trying to look as regal as possible even as Louise grumbled and was forced to rise up from the ground. She glared at the redhead before slowly seating herself once more.
"Ah I understand." James said looking from one girl to the other. He knew all about the Zerbst-Vallière rivalry.
"So who are you?" Kirche asked James.
"Um … I'm one of the servants of the Vallière family, Miss Zerbst. My name is James Alistair Williams."
"Ah. I see it…" Kirche replied.
"What. Now." Louise pronounced each word furiously.
"He's your babysitter." The redhead clarified.
"No he isn't."
"Yes he is."
"No he isn't."
"Oh admit it Louise, your family feared you would be thought of as a twelve year old girl and sent him as your guardian. It's quite understandable, after all you really look … petite." Kirche shot back with a significant look at Louise's chest region.
"Why y-you …"
"Louise …" James spoke warningly, shooting a look at the pink haired girl. He then turned towards Kirche. "Miss Zerbst, could you please stop teasing my little mistress? Otherwise I fear we will not manage to finish breakfast today."
Kirche shrugged and didn't answer but turned towards her food once again.
A few more moments of silence passed before someone spoke again.
"You did not present us to your friend, Miss Zerbst." James said.
Kirche shot a somewhat guilty glance at the blue-haired girl before she turned towards him. "I apologize for that," She started before turning to Louise. "But when I saw Louise I couldn't control myself." She said with a sigh. She then tuned towards James and continued. "This is my good friend Tabitha of Gallia."
Louise and James greeted Tabitha who greeted them back.
Eventually conversation resumed once again. The three girls started talking about school and Louise used the opportunity to ask some questions about the school and the classes the two other girls had the year before. From time to time Louise and Kirche would try to provoke the other, but they behaved for the most part under James's watchful gaze.
Seeing Louise's interaction with both girls James couldn't help but feel happy for Louise; he knew she had been somewhat afraid about how the other students would receive her, but seeing her with Tabitha and Kirche he believed she had found her first friends at the Academy, even if she wouldn't think so.
Sometime later they finished the breakfast and after some more riling between the pink and red haired girls, both groups went on their respective ways, after all later in the day they would have to be present at the summoning familiar ceremony and both groups had preparations to make.
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Louise joined the second year students when there were still some minutes left to the beginning of the ceremony. James had stayed behind arguing that his presence here would only serve to make her peers more curious about her, seeing as they didn't know he was her familiar. Louise had to agree with him; still she would have liked to have him here.
The other students present looked at her curiously and after seeing she wasn't moving away from the place where they were waiting in the Vestri Court, they started realizing who she was. Louise started hearing their whispers and even if she didn't know what they were saying to each other she knew she was the topic of conversation.
This continued for a few more minutes. During that time Louise got more and more nervous. At least she did, until a pair of hands grabbed and turned her around, before plunging her face into a monstrous pair of breasts.
"Louise!" Kirche said loudly.
"Ah! Unhand me Zerbst." Louise replied, or at least tried to. From those seeing the scene from the outside her answer was more like "Ahh uhh mhmhm".
"Miss Zerbst, please stop that." Professor Colbert said after arriving at the scene.
Kirche released Louise. The pink haired girl for her part glared at the taller girl, before turning aside ignoring her.
"Well then" Colbert started. "Seeing as everyone is here we can start with the ceremony. Follow me."
The students followed the professor for a few minutes before they arrived at the summoning ritual site. The professor waited for a few moments while the students arranged themselves before speaking.
"We all know why we are where today. We are where so that one more class, one more group of students may summon their familiars. I hope all of you show yourselves to be respectable masters for your familiars, as is befitting of nobility."
The students hung over every word.
"Let's start." The professor said, before he saw Louise between the students. "Ah! It's true. Miss Vallière of you could come here …"
The students' attention focused once again on Louise. She blushed seeing her fellow colleagues' stares, but squaring her shoulders she marched forward to the professor.
"Class, Miss Vallière here won't be realizing the summoning ritual with the rest of us …"
"What?" "Why?" Several of the students' voices interrupted the balding teacher.
"… And that's because she already summoned a familiar." Colbert said loudly.
The students quieted down.
"As such she won't participate. The reason why Miss Vallière familiar isn't present is because unfortunately it got sick and had to remain in the Vallière estate in order to recover. I hope you'll not importunate Miss Vallière with questions about her familiar."
The professor gestured for Louise to return to the students' side and, face burning due to everyone's looks, she did.
The ritual started shortly and in no time the students started having their own familiars to pay attention. The first few summoned familiars were pretty common, such as owls, ravens, snakes etc.
Tabitha was the first student to summon a more distinctive familiar, a young looking blue dragon, but not the last. A male student had a Bugbear as a familiar, which was basically a giant floating eyeball. The last rare familiar to be summoned was, much to Louise's consternation, a fire salamander summoned by Kirche.
Eventually every student had summoned their familiar and after some more small words from the balding professor class was dismissed and most of the people simply levitated back to the castle.
Louise started walking back when she noticed that Kirche and Tabitha where still there. The redhead looked at Louise and then at the departing students before speaking.
"So let's go?" She asked Louise signaling the rapid moving dots of the flying students.
Louise grumbled a little before replaying. "I … I can't do levitation right."
"Oh?" Kirche said arching her brow.
"I just… I just can't alright? Now shoo." Louise shot back before she turned and continued walking. Suddenly she screamed as the ground disappeared from beneath her feet. "What are you doing?"
Kirche smirked at Louise even as both of them floated up. "Oh come on little Louise, you didn't think I would let you walk on your own to the castle did you?"
"Put me down Zerbst." Louise ordered loudly.
Kirche said with a sniff and turned her head. "No."
"Now."
"No." Kirche repeated. Tabitha joined both girls on the air, mounted in her dragon with Kirche's familiar at her side. Seeing this, the redhead nodded at the Gallian girl and suddenly shot forward, flying towards the castle dragging Louise in her levitation spell.
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"Again?" James asked sighing.
"Yes." Louise replied.
Slowly James reached with his right hand once again towards Derflinger. The moment he touched the sword the Gandalfr runes in his left hand blazed to life. Louise didn't take her eyes from the runes, memorizing every detail she could see. She picked James hand and traced the runes with her fingers.
"Put it down!" She said. James obeyed and poised Derflinger once again, only to pick him up a few moments later at Louise's command.
The odd scene repeated itself a few more times before Louise was satisfied and then she moved towards her desk where several tomes where open. She nodded to herself and then made some small annotations in a piece of paper.
"Is that all?" James asked.
"For now." Louise muttered concentrated on her writing.
"Haven't you studied my runes enough?" He asked Louise in a weary tone.
"Yeah," Derflinger interceded. "Why not find someone for us to fight, if you want to see the runes in action so much?"
"Derflinger," James started in a suffering tone. "I already told you I don't want to fight anyone."
Louise responded to their questions after Derflinger did his obligatory grumblings about James non-aggression tendencies.
"I just want to figure out something about the runes, something that I am really close to doing, by the way."
"Uhm?" James hummed questionably. "What exactly?"
"I will tell you after I finish it."
James grumbled good-naturedly, he knew how Louise got when she was studying her favorite subject, he wouldn't get an answer out of her until she finished. Sighing he sat down on the bed and started conversing with Derflinger.
A few minutes later he got up. "Well seeing as you don't need me here, I am going for a walk."
Louise didn't move her sight from what she was reading, but she did wave goodbye at him. Slowly he left the room and started walking the hallways.
Yesterday had been the day when the second years had summoned their familiars and as such there weren't any classes today. This pause was intended so that masters and familiars got to know each other better. In James's case though that wasn't necessary, after all Louise summoned him several years ago, they already knew almost everything about one another. Besides that most of the school didn't know James was Louise's familiar, thinking him a servant of the Vallière family.
After breakfast, where once again Louise and Kirche were at odds with one another, Louise had almost dragged him into her room and ordered him to help her with her research. She had found out something in a book the day before and once the worry about the summoning ceremony passed, she insisted in trying whatever it was she had found.
Sighing once again James continued walking around.
A few minutes later he crossed a familiar face, the maid Siesta.
"Hello Miss Siesta." He said to the young dark haired woman.
The young woman looked at him for a moment before recognizing him and replying. "Hello Mister…" She said hesitantly.
"Oh that's true. I didn't introduce myself last time we met, I apologize for the oversight. I am James Alistair Williams, Louise de la Vallière … servant or perhaps butler for the lack of a better word." James said with a flourish and a smile at the young girl.
Siesta relaxed somewhat after learning that James wasn't a noble and with a smile replied him. "Hello Mister James."
James noticed the cleaning supplies at the young maid's feet. "Very busy I take it?"
"Not so much, I already finished. I was just about to pack things up" Siesta replied happily.
"Then let me help."
"Oh no, I couldn't …" Siesta replied.
"Nonsense," James interrupted. "I have nothing to do and you look like you can use the help. Come on!" He said picking some of Siesta's tools.
Siesta tried once more to stop him, before giving up and picking up what remained. They started conversing and a few minutes later they arrived at one of the Academy's storage rooms. After sorting things out in the correct compartments they left the room.
James spent a few more minutes talking to the black haired girl, learning several things about her and her work at the Academy, before he noticed she started shooting nervous looks over his shoulder at one of the Academy towers.
"It's something going on?" He asked worried.
"No, no," Siesta answered. "It's just that I have to help in the kitchens…"
"Ah! Of course, I apologize for detaining you here."
"No! I should thank you for helping me, you don't need to apologize" Siesta replied.
James smiled. "Let's just go our ways then, I shan't apologize and you don't need to thank me, agreed?"
Siesta nodded blushing "Yes sir."
"Nothing of that, call me James. Well then until next time Miss Siesta." James said.
"Goodbye then Mister James." Siesta said before turning around and leaving.
James waited for a few moments, looking at the leaving girl, before turning around and looking at the tower Siesta had saw before getting nervous. Not seeing anything he shrugged, putting his paranoia aside and with renewed vigor set forth towards the library, after all those books wouldn't read themselves would they?
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Louise woke up the next day very much like she used to wake up every day. That is she opened her eyes, looked around and decided to get under the covers once again and wake up again a few minutes later.
When she finally got up from bed, she dressed quickly and after brushing her hair a bit she left her room, walking towards the Alvíss dining hall.
Her breakfast with James was once again interrupted by that germanian menace that was Kirche and her friend the shy gallian Tabitha. A few minutes later another couple of students, seemly friends of Kirche, arrived at the table and asked to join them. After some introductions they seated themselves and started eating.
The new arrivals were named Guiche and Montmorency. They were both blond and fair-skinned and for what Louise managed to infer of their relationship they seemed to be a couple.
Conversation at breakfast was light and faster than she would have liked breakfast finished. Louise got up, said her goodbye's to James and together with the remaining student's left the room. After a few minutes they arrived at the first class localization, the earth tower.
Louise paid some attention to the room layout after entering; the front was the lowest point of the room, being the place where the teacher would lecture the students, students who were arrayed in seats arranged upwards like stairs, from the lowest level to the highest point of the room.
Louise picked up a desk and sat on its chair, grumbling a bit when she noticed that Kirche choose the place right next to her.
A few minutes later the teacher arrived at the classroom. She was a middle aged woman, dressed in a voluminous purple robe and wearing a hat. She had a plump, round face with a friendly expression on it. Louise knew her; the teacher was Mrs. Chevreuse, the same woman that had been responsible for evaluating her, before she managed to enter the Academy.
Despite the fact that it was the woman's good evaluation of Louise that allowed her to enter the Academy, Louise didn't like her. It wasn't for anything the professor did exactly, but she simply didn't inspire any confidence in Louise. Nonetheless Louise would do her upmost in this class.
Chevreuse looked around at the students before speaking. "Well it seems the Springtime Familiar Summoning was a success. I'm very happy for all of you."
The teacher then proceeded to introduce herself as Chevreuse of the Red Clay and afterwards gave a small explanation about the several elements of magic. After that she questioned the students about how the classification of a mage was determined and seeing that no student volunteered an answer she looked around and seeing Louise repeated.
"Miss Vallière how is it that the potential of a mage is measured?"
"A mage's capabilities are determined by the number of elements a mage is capable of stacking in the execution of a spell."
Mrs. Chevreuse nodded at Louise for her to continue.
"A mage can be considered a dot mage if he can stack an element in a spell, a line mage if he can stack two, a triangle for three elements and a square mage if he can stack four elements. For example a spell that stacks water and a wind element is a line spell, meaning the mage is at least a line-class mage. If a spell stacks one water, one earth and another earth element it is considered a triangle-class spell, meaning the mage that used it is at least a triangle-class mage."
Louise paused for a second before continuing.
"Mages have affinities for determined elements. Usually when someone refers to a mage as a fire-mage it doesn't mean that that mage can only cast fire magic, it just means that he is naturally better at it. That mage can for example be capable of casting a triangle-class spell if it only stack's fire elements, but only capable of dot-level spells if he utilizes any other element. In some rare cases some mages will demonstrate affinities for two elements, or at least incredibly advanced understandings of a second element beyond their first element, but those are rare cases."
Mrs. Chevreuse nodded at Louise. "Very well said Miss Vallière, anything else you might want to add?"
Louise that about it for a second and then nodded. "Yes. Even 'inside' the mages' element, or better said their affinities, mages will sometimes show a connection to certain aspects of that affinity, like for example healing or lightning."
"Correct, and might I say very well explained Miss Vallière." The teacher congratulated. "That is in fact the reason why I am called the Red Clay, besides the fact that my affinity is earth, I have another 'affinity' inside my element, being that affinity for Clay. The runic names of mages sometimes offer clues about their affinities or techniques for which those mages are known, so you should all pay attention to them."
The professor looked around for a moment and after seeing Guiche continued. "You even have an example of this in this class; Mister Gramont over there is called 'The Bronze', a name that reflects an affinity that he has shown with bronze."
At this the students looked at Guiche who seemed to preen under the attention.
"You already are capable of certain spells that are outside your affinity," Chevreuse continued. "After all most of the class is already capable of casting levitation, which is an air spell, element most of you do not possess."
Some students could be seen nodding at this.
"Well then, continuing we will be talking about transfiguration …"
The rest of the class progressed without incident, with the students reviewing most of the previous year curriculum and soon enough the class came to an end.
The other morning classes went by very much like Mrs. Chevreuse class, mostly reviewing the previous year curriculums. Soon enough Louise's morning classes finished and the pink haired girl was once again moving towards the Alvíss dining hall with Kirche, Tabitha, Guiche and Montmorency.
Once she arrived she looked inside and seeing James went to sit by his side, the rest of the group following after her.
"So how was it?" James asked after she sat down.
"It was alright." Louise answered.
"I should say." Kirche interrupted. "I didn't know Little Louise was such an … intellectual."
"Leave me alone Zerbst."
"Ah don't take things the wrong way Little Louise." Kirche replied smirking, patting Louise on the head.
Louise twitched.
"Girls please stop." James asked them. "Let us just eat, so you can get to your classes."
Both of them grumbled but started eating. After a while James spoke again.
"I am going with you to Professor Colbert class."
Louise perched up. "Really? Why?"
"Yesterday I met your professor at the library and after some talk he spoke about some inventions of his. I got interested and he asked me if I wanted to see them, I said yes. He will show them to me at the end of class."
"So he's an inventor then?" Louise questioned.
"Seems so." James replied.
They continued eating the delicious food the Academy provides its students and after some sweet desert they left the hall, once again moving towards one of the surrounding towers. Soon enough they arrived at Professor Colbert's classroom.
The class wasn't much different from the ones realized in the morning, with the small exception that this time Louise was called to demonstrate a spell.
Louise understood way the professor asked her to do it, she could see it in his face, he was curious about her magic and her self-confessed failures in properly casting spells. Louise squared her shoulders, walked forward and after arriving near the professor, cast her spell.
Louise's mother had gone to extreme lengths to make Louise control her explosions. She figured that if Louise couldn't do any other spell, she could at least give a proper use to her explosions. So after years of training Louise was capable of controlling her explosions somewhat, reason why when her spell failed once again, only a small explosion occurred, just enough to destroy the small block of wood the professor had put as a target for the fire spell.
The rest of the class was surprised at the development, but they didn't think much on it, after all who hadn't miscast a spell before?
Soon enough class came to an end and the students started leaving the room. Louise stayed behind for a second looking at James, but then he signaled Louise to go ahead.
Louise nodded at him and left the room, a dark mood enveloping her thoughts. Suddenly someone grabbed her in a one-armed hug and Louise's face turned around to see Kirche hugging her.
"Louise I never figured you had such … passion on you."
"W-what are you on about you redheaded breast monster?" Louise said though gritted teeth.
"Only that I never had seen such fire, with such potency in anyone ever before, enough to simply obliterate its target like you did."
Louise paused for a moment. Was Kirche actually congratulating her? Louise thought about it for a moment. Her explosion were powerful, anyone could see that right? Louise started feeling a little better about things...
"Although that may be because of your pent up sexual tension."
… Wait, what?
"What did you say?" Louise asked gritting her teeth, hand moving towards her wand.
"I only said that you might have a lot of pent up sexual tension, it's the only reason that I figure out someone would miscast a fire spell in such an explosive manner."
Louise grabbed her wand.
"But don't worry." Kirche continued smirking, slowly moving away from the pink haired girl. "I'm sure we can find some young boy to … pound it out of you."
Louise brandished her wand, but the redhead germanian was already running away.
"Get back here Kirche." Louise shouted running after her. "Get back here you damned…" Louise paused for a second to find an adequate insult before settling for "… you damned Zerbst."
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A cloaked figure could be seen outside the Academy's main tower walls, walking around from one side to the other. The black cloak concealed its features, not allowing for anyone to know if the one who was wearing it was male or female. The only distinctive mark that could be seen was the figure's long green hair.
This figure was Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt, one of the most dangerous and sought out thieves of Halkeginia.
If someone of the Academy saw the figure without its cloak, they would recognize her as the headmaster's secretary, Miss Longueville, but not even that was her true name. Her true name, Matilda de Saschen-Gotha was one she hadn't used in years.
Right now Matilda was testing the Academy's main vault defenses, trying to find some weak spot she could use. A week had already passed from the beginning of the classes and she wasn't anywhere near enough ready to breach the Academy's vault. Earlier today she had managed to find out some information about the Vault's security from Professor Colbert, but even that wasn't enough for her to find a weak spot.
From what I can see, Colbert was right, the wards are weaker against physical force, but even then they are more than strong enough to stop me. Fouquet thought. I am going to have to find a way around that.
With that thought in mind Fouquet turned around and disappeared into the night.
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It was without any great tumult that the rest of Louise's first month at the Academy drew close to an end. She still didn't manage to successfully cast a spell and most of the students started noticing this about the pink haired girl. There were some comments about that from some of them, but most of them remained quiet about the fact, both out of respect or fear of Louise's family or maybe because Kirche burnt one of the students who laughed at the pink haired girl.
Kirche's and Louise's relationship remained more or less the same, with the taller girl constantly taking potshots at the shorter one, but theirs was a growing friendship.
Louise also started to become friends with some of the other students. She already considered Tabitha, Montmorency and even the annoying skirt-chasing Guiche as friends.
James also made a few friendships of his own. First with Professor Colbert, a friendship started after their discussions about Colbert's inventions, and then he befriended the shy maid Siesta, who James considered a very sweet young girl.
Louise's classes were progressing well for the most part, with her having shown excellent knowledge about magic and spells, even if her magical spell casting was severely lacking.
Soon enough the first month came to an end and things remained the same, Louise's classes, her meals and even her discussions with Kirche became routine and soon enough what once was strange for Louise became the norm.
Things remained like that until the day the Princess came.
