The carriage bounced long the uneven dirt lane jostling its 3 riders. A deadly silence hung over the interior of the carriage. Sweat was beading at the back of Saito's neck as he looked at Louise who was seated across from him. The cause of this tense atmosphere was none other than the maid siesta who had become increasingly clingy after his runes disappeared. She was currently hugging Saito's arm and giving Louise a smug grin.
This continued for a time, until Louise couldn't take it anymore. "Saito I order you to stop that shameless maid from hugging you right now!" Louise yelled, her outburst dripping with jealousy.
"No, no, no Louise. Do you forget? Saito isn't your servant anymore now that his familiar's runes have disappeared. Meaning he doesn't have to take orders from you anymore," the smug look on Siesta's face never left as she said this. Saito didn't think it was possible but he thinks he saw it look even smugger as she finished.
This was enough to make Louise go over the edge. "Oh, if that's the case then how about you and him both die?" Louise said perfectly calm, perfectly hiding her murderous feelings.
Sensing what Louise was about to do, Saito shoved Siesta off of his arm as Louise let loose an explosion mere inches in front of his chest. If the carriage hadn't been reinforced with magic Saito would have broken the entire back off the carriage as he was blasted backwards by the impact. The impact only managed to crack the seat that Saito was sitting on. Saito just sat there after it happened, dazed and scorched. If he had been totally conscious he would be in extreme pain.
Siesta looked up after she hit the floor to see a blackened Saito. On closer inspection he had unclear eyes. Fear suddenly welled up inside of her as she tried to get to Saito. Succeeding she comes over to him, looking for any sign of life in him. Checking his pulse her heart dropped, but then she felt a faint heartbeat and gave him a hug that if it had been any tighter it would've stopped his heart.
"SHUT UP BACK THERE!" Agnes's stern voice could be heard through the thick walls of the carriage.
All conversation in the carriage abruptly stopped as the trio heard these words. Feelings of anger and worry were replaced by fear and slight embarrassment. None of them made another sound the rest of the trip for fear of what Agnes would do to them. During this time Saito was still unconscious, but his vital signs were improving.
Oblivious to the world Saito couldn't help but think to himself why he was blown up, and why he was even here in the carriage in the first place. Then he remembered the reason why. One week ago, after Saito had seen his runes disappear he had been summoned to the headmaster's office for an emergency meeting. During this meeting he was asked how he had gotten rid of the runes on his hand. He had had no clue as to why they had disappeared so suddenly. But then Delfringer had chosen to speak up saying that during the battle with the 70,000 soldiers his heart had stopped once, so he had technically died. Negating the effects of the familiar's contract binding him to Louise.
He had then been asked how it was that he was still alive if his heart had stopped. Delfringer did not know, but Saito perked up when he heard this question. "A fairy saved me," Saito said with a straight face.
Everyone in the room but him started to laugh loudly as Saito just looked at them confused.
"Oh… You were serious?" Mr. Colbert asked him surprised.
Saito spent the next several minutes telling them all about the "fairy" that had saved his life and had helped him to get better. He told them of where she lived, how she lived, what she looked like, and finally her name Tifffania. The more that Saito told them the more Mr. Colbert came to his conclusion.
"What you are describing is no fairy, but more likely an elf. And if what you said is true and that she bought you back from the dead then we need to meet her and make clear as to where her allegiances lie," was Mr. Colbert's conclusion.
A few days later a summons from the queen arrived, and when they got there the same thing happened. This is how Saito ended up charred and unconscious in the back of a carriage going down a bumpy dirt road.
