Hey there~
Sorry for the long delay. Gonna warn readers first that my updates are very irregular, but I tend to write with any free moments I have.
So here's your Chapter 4, enjoy~
The next morning, Chocolat dressed prepared for school. She pinned her signature love heart pin on her hair, taking one last look at her appearance before she headed to the dining room. Berry followed behind her closely along with Cerunnos, cautious to take a step's distance away from Chocolat.
After the previous incident, she felt guilty in putting Chocolat in trouble. That wasn't all – even Pierre-sama had to step out to liquidate the one-sided fight between the two Ogres. Albeit grateful for his interference, she couldn't cover what has happened. Most of the Ogres weren't delighted to hear the announcement of her new title as the Ogre princess.
In spite of this, as one of the lowest ranking Ogres, she was liking her time spent with Chocolat. The brunet helped her better in understanding the outside world. She never dared to step a foot out of the mansion as ordered by her superiors, so part of her curiosity was quenched by answers given by Chocolat.
She supposed that the meek and weak girl had formed a bond with Chocolat, the first friend she made, apart from Cerunnos the cat. She silently vowed to prevent herself from getting into situations like that again, when her thoughts snapped out of focus when it was met with the dining room's door.
Berry knocked on the door a couple of times and pushed lightly on the door, allowing Chocolat to enter before she did and shut the door behind them. Pierre and Juliet were already there. Pierre dressed in his uniform, sat at the head of the table, drinking a goblet wine. He glanced at their entrance before his attention return to his drink. Juliet stood, standing stiffly by his side, ready to take orders from his master anytime.
Chocolat remembered the events that happened the previous day. Not that she forgot as it had bugged her the entire night. She remembered sealing her feelings into the chocolate, and she hoped for the spell to last. Getting into the usual habit of tossing in her bed when she was unable to sleep, it rendered her useless when she woke up groggier than before. Remembering her magic spells, Chocolat quickly cast a spell to make the blackeyes and pale complexion disappeared, altering her appearance to look like her usual self.
She snapped back into reality when she felt Berry gently nudging her forward. She took a deep breath before joining Pierre at the other side of the table. They started their breakfast in silence until Pierre's voice pierced through it.
"Did you have a good rest?"
Startled, she calmed down her heart before proceeding to smile at Pierre. Emerald green met with deep sea blue eyes. "I did, thank you for asking."
Pierre placed his unfinished goblet on the table, not breaking eye contact. "I remember mentioning about collecting Noir at a nearer date and I believe that we can put that into action today. Juliet here," the said Ogre bowed at the mention of his name, "has a preposition."
Juliet adjusted his glasses before snapping his fingers, making an image of what appeared to be a spice shaker to appear in the air. Covered all in purple with a yellow tip sprinkler, it was hard to determine the content within the bottle. "This is called the 'Void Spice'. It enhances food flavouring and also reduces calories down to zero."
He smirked, his eyes glinted and he pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose. "In actuality, by adding this into food, it causes them to lack a sense of satiety, they will eat and eat without ever be satisfied, producing hatred within their heart, and that's the time when our princess," he eyed Chocolat with a knowing look, "collects the Noir hearts."
Chocolat looked at him with mixed feelings, collecting the Noir would normally hurt a typical ordinary witch, but after implanting her with a Noir, she hadn't tried to do so knowing the uncertainties. Doing so would mean gambling with her Noir heart but it would also mean a source of life sources for Ogres such as Berry. Hesitating slightly, she made a quick decision to take the risk. What's a person's life compared to hundreds?
She nodded in approval. Pierre noted this and proclaimed. "Then let's put this into plan today."
At lunch, Juliet proceeded with the plan. He disguised himself as a salesperson who was merely promoting a spice. Everyone was delighted in discovering the new food enhancer and entered the trap easily, all except Vanilla, Houx and Saule, who looked at the mysterious spice in worry.
With jet black hair and black eyes, Juliet chose an appearance that literally screamed 'danger'. It was an irony as to how he selected that appearance for the purpose of blending in with the humans.
When the bell rang to signify the start of the new class, Chocolat stood near the school entrance, waiting for a horde of students to appear. Not long after, they appeared bearing hearts of Noir. Chocolat could feel her heart thumping hard within her chest, her right hand reached out to even out her breathing before she readied herself to cast the spell.
A black orb enveloped her as her outfit changed into a black dress that spanned out into her two sides, leaving her legs bare with a simple, pointed black heels. Black gloves covered the entire length of her hand until it barely touched the elbow. A crown decorated by simple white diamond pattern fitted perfectly on her head whereas her long red hair was fully braided before twisting itself onto her right shoulder. Her wand remains the same as she cast the spell.
"Sugar Sugar Rune, Choco Rune!"
The Noirs grew brightly in colour before detaching themselves from the bodies of the humans. They flew together in large sums before heading to Chocolat's direction. The Noirs lightly touched her pendant before it opened to allow entrance, integrating into the small space. The pendant snapped shut the moment the last Noir entered and a sudden, crashing pain weighed down against Chocolat.
Chocolat collapsed and writhed in pain on the ground, her hand clenched into a fist which rested on her heart. It felt as though gravity was against her very own being, her energy was rapidly depleting. Her eyes were shut closed and tears threatened to escape from the sealed lids. She heard voices around her and she could feel someone was shaking her shoulders back and forth.
Blinking a few times, she wiped off the corner of her eyes with her long sleeves to remove the tears staining her cheeks. Her view was met with a worried pair of diamond blue eyes. When she noticed it, the worry faded away into a poker face, and she wondered afterwards whether it was a figment of her imagination.
Chocolat glanced around and found Pierre kneeling with one knee on the ground beside her. They were floating in an orb, similar to the one Pierre casted on her in their disastrous aquarium date. Hollow and dark, it looked like a confinement from the outside world.
Outside knocking on the orb, she recognised the worried faces of her friends. All of them were desperately casting magic spells to break the orb but failed. Their worried look turned into relief when she woke up.
Glancing up to Pierre, she said, "What-"
He shushed her immediately. "Talk later. Rest now."
With a small nod, she went into an oblivion slumber.
A loud crash woke her up.
Pierre was by her side when she stirred. The crash didn't divert his attention away from her as his diamond blue eyes remain fixated on hers. Any hints of concern and unease faded away into a poker face.
Chocolat would have thought of the loud disturbance as a figment of her imagination if it weren't because of the worried looks passed around by the Ogres that were present in her room.
"W-What happened?" Chocolat managed to choke out, coughing after the syllabus were spoken.
Pierre reached out to pat gently on her back, offering her a cup of water which she devoured thirstily. "Don't worry, your room is protected with a charm that protects this room from harm."
"But why?"
"Chocolat!" Pierre hissed at her, shocking her with his change of tone.
She bolted upright, demanding answers. "Tell me." Her hand reached up to shake him gently, before her consciousness returned completely and her anxiousness returned in full bloom. "Pierre, tell me."
This time, Pierre looked away.
Chocolat used her hand to gently touched his cheek, surprising Pierre as he tilted his head to meet hers. "Tell me." She said, with unrelenting eyes.
"Everyone leaves."
The Ogres hesitated for a moment before teleporting to somewhere else. Berry sent another worried glance before doing the same. Standing to his full height, he tucked both his hands into his pockets.
Letting out a tired sigh, Pierre spoke, "Your mentors are searching for you."
"Mentors?" she questioned, before she realised. "You mean Robin?"
He nodded. "And Captain Glacier of Le Royaume." He swiped his hand onto the dressing mirror and an image appeared. Both of them were rapidly flying and attacking creatures made up of stones.
Examining it further, she recognised the background of the scene and she gasped in surprise. "They are here now?!"
Pierre turned to face her. "Yes, hence the noise. You were still unwell from collecting Noir so I suggest that you rest while I deal with them."
Walking to the exit, he gave her one last look before leaving. "I will make it quick." And the door slammed behind him.
Chocolat's eyes widened to the size of a saucer before she leapt out of bed, heading for the door. But the door wouldn't bulge an inch and she realised that she was locked in there until the two mages are dead.
Her thoughts started to scramble before she heard a small mew under her bed covers. She flung them open to reveal the yawning heterochromia violet cat. Cerunnos stopped yawning the moment the covers were flung, she looked up at the young witch curiously before she jumped down to stand beside her.
Looking at Cerunnos, she remembered her first visit to the mansion. The feline had repelled any danger headed to her direction and led her to Pierre.
All by herself.
She grinned knowingly at the cat. "Cerunnos, do me a favour?"
The cat purred at her.
"Grand Lumierre!"
"Charrue Bris!"
At another location, Robin and Glacier had been trying to escape the stone animals that seemed to be endless without an escape route. They flew around aimlessly until they recognised a familiar scent.
This way. Escape through here. A voice shouted out.
The end of the corridor flashed brightly, and the double windows opened to the key to their exit.
They flew out of the window, the animals that followed closely behind them perished into flames and the window snapped shut.
That fragrance, they thought before they shook off the thought as their imagination and flew away, ready to report to the Magical World about the situation.
Behind the shut windows, Cerunnos looked at their departure with a desolate look.
Meanwhile, at another corridor, Pierre eyed the two mages' departure through the window, his face hardened with a knowing look.
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