HOPES and FEARS

I'm half-convinced Kamachi Kazuma just wanted to write a ridiculously over-the-top harem novel, and then decided to add all the magic and science stuff because he found it interesting #NT9.

Chapter 7: The War Games. The_Power_From_Above

Part 1

A boy stood on a crowded ship.

"I hate you! I hate you!"

"Yes, Louise. Yes, I know," he muttered as he tried to get deeper inside the ship. He didn't feel too good standing at the sides. As he brushed past the people trying to escape from Albion, somebody bumped against him and their elbow hit his injured hand. Saito yelled out in pain.

"Watch where you're going, dammit!" he yelled. The man yelled back at him, but thankfully decided to leave it at that instead of coming back to argue or fight with him. Miserably, Saito rubbed his hand tenderly. Louise had given him some medicine the previous night, but it still hurt.

Even more depressingly, not all the pain was physical. He had gotten the wound when a mysterious masked man tried to attack Wardes, Louise and himself when they were boarding the ship to Albion, and he had cast a powerful spell called Lightning Cloud. He had pathetically gotten injured while Wardes protected Louise and drove off the masked man. And the previous night, he had treated it with medication given by Louise.

He did not want to remember.

"Are you alright?" someone asked. It was a guileless voice; sounding concerned, yet carefree. A few seconds passed before Saito realised that the question had been directed at him. He looked in the direction from which it had come – there was a girl who was dressed in a white nun's habit. She had long silvery hair and striking green eyes.

"A…A nun?" he asked blankly, forgetting her question.

"Nun-in-training, actually," the girl smiled, although she looked a little proud at what she had called her. "My name is Index,"

"Index?" Funny name. "I'm Hiraga Saito"

"Hiraga Saito?" To his surprise, she pronounced it properly. But quashing his rising feelings, she said thoughtfully, "That's not a name you hear very often in these parts, is it?"

"I suppose it isn't," he said lifelessly. "What're you doing here? Getting away from the battle?"

"I'm on my way to Gallia. I'm looking for a friend of mine, and Short-Hair told me we should go back to this city of la Rochelle and wait for him there. Truth be told, I wanted to wait for him here, but she insisted I go back,"

Short Hair?

"Uhh...This friend..is he, or she, coming here now?"

"Sure he is. I hear he's on his way to fight in the battle here," the nun looked a little lonely when she said this. "That boy's always like this. Always running off somewhere without saying a single word," she pouted. "Really, he's such a problem child,"

"Huh,"

"He's always getting in fights," she continued on her tirade, without concern for Saito's lack of interest.

"He's got this habit of just jumping in to help when he sees someone in trouble," her expression softened somewhat. "Even though it isn't his battle to fight. Even though there are professionals he could leave it to,"

Yeah…that's right. This isn't my battle to fight...is it? There's a 'professional' who took over already.

"Are you alright? You looked kinda sad just then," the nun asked in concern."It...reminded me of someone I knew," Someone who was almost broken - broken from seeing the torment of a young girl he cared for, but could do nothing about. Someone who was so nice, but could do nothing but fight - a man to whom the gifts of destruction were given in spades, but not the gift to heal.

"Uh. Yeah, I guess I'm fine,"

"Well, I won't pry. But I am a nun, even if my training isn't complete. I will always listen to those who wish to speak to me about what troubles them," She smiled kindly at him. "And remember, God always listens to his flock. Prayers are always heard,"

"God, huh?"

God.

In a few hours, hell, maybe even right now, Louise will swear to love and respect Wardes, in the presence of God.

A sudden rush of emotion overcame him as the thought of Louise marrying Wardes overwhelmed his heart.

"The girl I loved is going to marry someone else," he blurted out. Index looked at him in surprise.

"I'm not a free man," he said silently, his eyes covered by his hair as he hung his head. "I came into this world because she brought me here. By some weird twist of fortune, she brought me, of all people, here to be her familiar - that's how things work here. The magicians here summon familiars, and while most people summon mythical beasts, she summoned me,"

Index remained quiet, listening without judging.

"I thought...I thought there was something special between us. I thought, that even though she's a noble and I'm a commoner who randomly became her familiar...I thought there was something special,"

His shoulders started shaking. "But there isn't,"

He said so with finality.

"I couldn't protect her. Her fiancé could. I have nothing to offer her. Her lover is a powerful noble. I'm a rough teenager who's got no future waiting for me. Her man's a high-flyer even at his young age. He's dignified, elegant, walks with bearing, like a proper noble should. I took one look at him and knew he was much better for Louise than me, but why can't my heart accept it?"

He smiled at her helplessly. "They're probably getting married right now. In the Newcastle Chapel. He invited me along, but I couldn't bear to watch,"

"And that's why I'm here, boarding the first ship back to Tristain. I'm looking for someone too. I plan to travel with that person and find my way back home,"

He finished his tale with that same hopeless smile. Index placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. Closing her eyes, she put herself in his shoes.

"You mustn't give up, Saito," she said gently.

"How can that be? I can hardly go in there and crash the wedding? I already pushed her away so she wouldn't have any regrets! I can't act selfishly now and demand she choose me over him!"

"No, not that," Index murmured. "It is always difficult to lose in love, but that doesn't mean you should lose yourself to bitterness and self-loathing,"

Saito listened to her with wide eyes.

"I can't understand your pain perfectly, let alone advise you on what to do," she shook her head sadly. "But I do know this: you can't let this be your undoing. I have seen people throw themselves deep into the underground world of magic because of love - some do it because they have a lover they want to protect at any cost. But others do it because of darker reasons. There are people who take up magic because it is their way of lashing out at the world because they have been rejected,"

"But I'm just a commoner," he said dejectedly. Index shook her head with a small smile.

"That has nothing to do with this, does it? The feeling of love is universal. God loved everyone equally, didn't he? He sent sunshine and rain on the righteous and the wicked alike. He spoke kindly to those who were rich and had it all, and yet admonished them - and did the same with sinners and those who had nothing. He shared bread and wine with the castaways of society, and conversed freely with those who ruled entire nations and empires,"

"What're you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that you should not consider yourself left out, or excluded from God's kindness. There is always another chance for you to obtain happiness. But if you are stuck in this cycle of self-loathing and this feeling of not being good enough, you won't be able to see these chances,"

Saito nodded slowly, listening to her words. They did not do anything to turn his situation around, but, somehow, he felt better listening to her words. Suddenly, he felt a little strange. He lifted up his hand to his left eye. His vision seemed to be distorting, but it was oddly confined to his left eye.

Without noticing anything, Index continued talking gently. "And this surely isn't the end of your relationship with her either. No matter what people may tell you, a woman's life isn't complete when she marries or gets together with a man in a relationship. She still needs others who care for her. I know it will be painful, and awkward, but I believe with all my heart you could still maintain warm ties with her. After all, she's worth it, isn't she? If you can care for her to this extent, I'm sure you can make it work, Saito!"

Saito barely listened to her. His left eye was showing him something other than what was right in front of him. It was showing him a picture of Wardes - he had a rare look of rage on his face. Saito gasped. He had never seen the dignified nobleman look so wild before. The view shifted to show Prince Wales. The Crown Prince looked worried and seemed to be gently admonishing Wardes. But Wardes simply shouted at him - Saito could not tell what exactly he had shouted - the sound was muffled - but the Viscount's usual politeness and soft-spoken manner seemed to have deserted him.

Is this...could this be Louise's point of view? Saito racked his brains desperately.

A Familiar is to serve as the eyes and ears of its master - that is another one of the abilities held by the familiar of a Halkeginian Noble.

Louise had certainly said something like that to him before.

"So believe in yourself! You are not worthless. How could a person with such an honest heart and the desire to see a girl be happy be worthless? Go, and-"

"She's in danger," he breathed, cutting her off.

"I beg your pardon?"

"She's in danger. I'm not – I'm not 100% sure, but somehow I know," he muttered, looking at her in disbelief. Her eyes widened. "How can you tell?"

"I'm her Familiar. I'm her eyes and ears," he covered his left eye and closed his right. "Magic binds us. I will always know when she is in danger,"

"Where is she?"

"In the Newcastle chapel. It's not too far from here,"

"You pushed her away – for her own good. So that she wouldn't have regrets about marrying her fiancé," Her voice was neutral. Saito understood she was not judging him or his decisions. "Can you find it in yourself to go to her side now? To save her from whatever's threatening her?"

A surge of emotion welled up from the bottom of Saito's heart. Had he really given up on Louise? Had he really resolved to leave her forever?

Maybe, on a surface level, he had. But some part of him hadn't accepted it. Some part of him had held out hope that he could return to Louise's side at some point in time. And listening to the gentle words of the nun-to-be had validated this small belief buried deep within his heart.

"Can I find it in myself to go to her side?" he repeated, feeling light-headed with all the information flowing into his brain too fast for him to follow. He closed his eyes.

Of course I can.

He opened his eyes and looked at Index seriously. "Of course I can." She smiled at him encouragingly.

He took her hands in his. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd have done if I hadn't met you – it's like a great weight was lifted from my heart just by listening to your words,"

Squeezing his hands gently, she smiled at him. "I'm a nun-to-be. To lighten the emotional burden of the fellow people around me and to support their weary souls is the path I have chosen for myself. I wish you all the best, Saito. I hope you find the answer you're looking for, in good time,"

Saito smiled at her one last time, and then released her hands. As the nun watched on kindly, he turned around and ran to the edge of the ship. Drawing his sword, he felt his runes light up. Becoming one with the wind, he jumped off the edge of the ship, much to the shock of the guards coordinating the boarding passengers. As he landed, he smiled freely.

"Somehow, this is different from all the times I've taken you in my hands…partner,"

"I understand the feeling, partner." Derf chirped. "It's almost like I'm being wielded for the right reason now. It feels like my power is being put to the use for which I was made,"

"Louise is in danger,"

"Yeah,"

"Will you lend me your power?"

"Hah. What a silly question to ask, partner,"


Between The Lines 1

"Bride?"

Elsewhere in the Newcastle complex, at that time, a wedding ceremony was taking place. Crown Prince Wales of Albion looked up from his prayer book at the panicking Louise.

She had the expression of one who didn't know what she was doing there. Louise was puzzled. What should she do? What should she do at times like this? No one taught her that. Only her familiar, who was leaving Newcastle at the moment, might know the answer.

"Are you nervous? That's alright. It's your first time, it is normal to be nervous." Wales smiled, while talking. "But we still have to hold to etiquette. That is the only way this ritual would have meaning, my friends.

The Prince smiled at the tightly-smiling Wardes and the stunned Louise, not knowing that one of the parties standing before him had not even been informed of the binding marriage pact until barely minutes prior. He intoned solemnly, "Do you take this man as your husband, and swear to respect and love him in the name of the Holy Founder?"

Why?

I knew this day would come. I knew that eventually I would have to talk to the Viscount seriously about our marriage...but to think it would come this soon!

This...this is happening too fast. Just yesterday, we reached Albion, and then the Prince declared his intention to fight and die…even though the Princess is so in love with him…and then Saito just had to leave…

Oh, right…Saito left.

A low breath escaped her trembling lips. Her familiar had left her, saying he lacked the strength to protect her. In his failure, he had left his mistress. Rage welled up in Louise yet again.

That…that coward!

Wales continued reciting prayers, oblivious to the emotions welling up within the petite pink-haired girl. Louise sighed. She could not ignore the matter with Saito, but what he had said about Wardes still lingered on her mind strongly, and gave the impression of being something more important than anything else.

"I am not a strong mage like the Viscount. I am just a normal person, even if they say I am the legendary familiar 'Gandálfr'. I don't know how to fight. All I can do is just swing a sword around recklessly. I can't protect you."

So, was she to stay with the Viscount now? Just because he was more capable of protecting her than Saito?

Louise closed her eyes. She had to make a decision – for herself.


Part 2

"Damn that Tsuchimikado and Kami-yan...leaving me behind to go off on their own…" A certain blue-haired esper muttered to himself. He was seated at a large round table together with a group of over ten other people.

"What're you talking to yourself about?" This came from the girl sitting next to him at the round table. She wore a light jacket over a pink T-shirt and knee-length trousers. Notably, she had a well-developed chest and a big forehead. "Can't you see you're scaring these children?" she gestured towards some of the younger girls at the table.

"Ah, not at all," one of the girls in question, who happened to be wearing the standard Tokiwadai Middle School winter uniform (there were three others clad in the same attire), said in a very polite manner.

"It's alright, Wannai-san," one of the older girls, dressed in a black blouse and dark blue jeans, sighed. "Anytime this creep puts a toe out of line, just shout out to any of us. You guys as well, Saten, Uiharu,"

"Oh ho ho ho ho!" one of the Tokiwadai girls laughed in a stereotypical upper-class manner, dramatically spreading an oriental fan and covering her mouth with it. "There is no need for concern, Konori-san! If anything were to happen, Kongou Mitsuko will not hesitate to extend a hand to her friends!"

"Hehh…so that's how a Tokiwadai Ojou-sama behaves," a dumb thug with blonde hair, wearing jeans cut off at the knees with a black T-shirt and blue hoodie with a blue hat, whispered to a brown-haired girl next to him, wearing an orange hoodie over a white blouse and black chinos.

"I thought you might change after spending so much time with Takitsubo-san, but in the end, you're just super Hamazura-y," the girl said condescendingly. The man started to protest, but the mention of his girlfriend's name seemed to have dampened his spirits somewhat.

"Tell me again why Takitsubo couldn't come along with us…?"

Kinuhata Saiai simply punched him lightly on the arm. "You know why, so super stop asking! And besides, I'd super prefer having Mugino-san hold the list instead of you!"

Konori Mii started looking at him with suspicion as well, but then simply sighed. At least the diminutive girl had some control over him, she reflected, letting it go. The one who had started the whole thing just ignored the others' chatter and stared at the girls from Tokiwadai.

"Aogami-chan, is everything alright?"

The blue-haired boy grinned stupidly at her. "Ohhhh, is sensei concerned for me? I'm so-"

"Shut up, you paedophile!"

"Fukiyose-chan! That choice of words really offends sensei, you know!"

"Ah ha ha ha! I think it was well-chosen, though!" said the only adult-looking person in the group, a tall woman with long blue hair, dressed in a black and white feminine suit with some minimal markings and decorations on her lapels that identified her as a member of Anti-Skill and indicated her rank as lieutenant. Aogami simply laughed it off.

"Coming here was really a bad idea," one of the Tokiwadai girls complained privately to her two friends. This one had her hair tied in twin tails and was not with the other Tokiwadai girls, but was sitting with two black-haired girls. One of them had long, straight black hair with a single white flower in it as a decoration, and wore a white blouse, black jacket and jeans with white sandals. The other wore a simple flower-patterned dress and had an array of flowers on her head.

The long-haired girl replied cheerfully, "Well, it is true that we were essentially dumped here after that bus trip in the dark, but who cares? It's an adventure! Nobody in Academy City's ever stayed in the middle of a bustling city that was built just to look like a town from an era hundreds of years ago! Don't you think this la Rochelle place is just brimming with possibilities?"

"Do you seriously think this whole thing makes sense?" Shirai Kuroko asked dubiously. "If they built an entire town to resemble a Renaissance-style place, we'd have heard of it in the news. There'd be a lot more tourists, or even students, too, but the only ones out of place are us from Academy City. And besides, this line-up is just too random – here we have 4 Tokiwadai Students and 2 from Sakugawa. There are two others – that brown-haired girl with the thug and the pink-haired girl – so that's 6 middle-schoolers. There's one adult from Anti-Skill, and all the rest are high-schoolers, including that silent girl who looks like she might look good in a shrine maiden getup. They didn't even split us up according to school or age group. It's like somebody on top just took a list and decided he liked some names better than others and put them in the same group,"

"I suppose all of us just applied at the same time? Well, it does seem a little fishy, but there's no reason they absolutely had to split us up neatly. And about the town itself – maybe this whole setup was done secretly? I mean, Academy City does a whole lot of things in total secrecy, so it doesn't seem too odd for other organisations to do the same thing. Uiharu, what'd you think?"

"I'm actually inclined to side with Shirai-san on this one," Uiharu Kazari said apologetically.

"Ehhh? Why?" Saten looked deflated.

"The currency's one clue," Uiharu replied earnestly. "They have some kind of currency based on coins, but there doesn't seem to be any exchange rate. They've never even heard of Yen. Yes, I know it might be due to secrecy, or they're, like, umm, keeping to character by pretending not to know about things like yen – well, if we assume all these people are actors hired to make the setup look real. But how are they going to earn money if they ignore foreign currency altogether?"

Aogami scrunched his eyes, thinking about this. She was right – they had been given 'pocket money' before they went on the trip, but it had oddly come in the form of chips of pure gold and a small pouch of gold dust. Ms. Yomikawa Aiho and Ms. Tsukuyomi Komoe had been given additional 'currency', as the chaperones for this odd bunch of people, which they had used to pay for their rooms at the upscale inn where they had been led. The bus Saten had mentioned had dropped them off a significant distance from the town and they had to walk the rest of the way.

They had been directed towards an inn which was supposedly one of the better ones in town – the trip expenses were all borne by the City – but it had been "closed for repairs". They had quickly made their way to another hotel (where they were staying in currently), but Kuroko had gone back to the closed hotel once they had settled in just to take a look.

The whole place had been destroyed, and in a pretty violent way. The Judgement officer had taken one look at the place and had immediately recognised that it had been the scene of a fight involving esper abilities. Much of the metal had been mangled and there were burn marks everywhere – or rather, the whole place was burned, but there were some small areas that had somehow been left unscathed, probably through pure chance. There was a plain near this hotel, and on this plain, there were massive depressions in the ground, like some heavy object had been dropped from a great height.

All this gave the teleporter a sense of gloom.

At that moment, a girl walked in. She was wearing blue, white and red attire that somewhat resembled a lacrosse uniform, and held a long staff in her hand with a set of claw-like extensions at the top. Strangely, she had a tail. She looked at the large group sitting at the round table, and then went straight for the bar of the hotel. Suddenly, she paused and did a double take, staring at the Academy City crowd – particularly at the Tokiwadai girls.

"Eh? Those clothes...aren't they from…?" everyone turned around simultaneously to look at her.


Part 3

"No,"

"…I beg your pardon?" the Crown Prince asked in surprise.

"No!" Louise said, in a stronger voice. "This marriage…is not something I can consent to. I am truly sorry, Viscount...But I cannot agree to marry you,"

"…You are just nervous, Dear Louise. You cannot be seriously refusing my offer,"

But Louise was firm. "I'm sorry, Viscount. I yearned for you. Maybe… Maybe even loved you once. However, things are different now."

Wardes gripped Louise's shoulder. The expression in his eyes changed. Gone was the usual kindness from his face, replaced with a dark coldness.

"I will rule the world, Louise! You are necessary for that!"

"What do you mean?" Louise cried. Was this the hysteria of a man spurned in love? "I have no magical talent whatsoever! How could I be necessary for any grand scheme like that? And how could you utter such blasphemies?!"

"Viscount, please stand down," Wales tried to mediate. "The bride – nay, the lady clearly wishes for no part in this marriage pact,"

"Shut up!" Wardes grabbed the shoulder of Prince Wales and pushed him aside in his rage. He did not even seem to care that he had just insulted the Prince of the Royal Family, the highest authority in Albion. The Prince stumbled, but quickly recovered from the shock and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword in warning. "Viscount, this is going too far! Step away from de la Vallière at once before I remove you by force!"

Upon hearing those words, Wardes stopped for a moment. Wales and Louise looked at him carefully. Had he come to his senses? The Gryphon Knight simply smiled. Louise gasped. Even as his lips curved in the shape of a smile, his eyes were wild.

"So I have been...rejected,"

"Viscount, calm yourself," the Prince exhorted, cautiously hopeful.

Even after I went through such effort to capture your heart…"

"Viscount, do not be too-" Louise started, but her would-be fiancé carried on speaking as though he had not heard anything.

"Then I shall have to give up on this goal,"

"Goal? What are you talking about, Viscount?"

"I had three goals to accomplish here in Albion, Louise, your Highness,"

He spoke calmly. "The first was you, Louise. I had not forgotten you since the last time we met, all those years ago. I wanted to wed you. But it appears I shall have to give up on that goal,"

Louise listened closely, sensing somehow that it would be dangerous to let her guard down.

"The second, my dear Louise, is that letter. A letter written by Princess Henrietta to Prince Wales, in a moment of foolishness that is sure to cost Tristain its future as an independent sovereign nation,"

Louise trembled as he pointed at her pocket, in which she had stowed away the princess' letter. "Viscount…what are you…?"

"The last…is your damned life, Wales!"

He lashed out with his sword all of a sudden, disarming Prince Wales before the Albionian royal could respond. The Prince's sword went flying, knocked easily out of his grasp.

"What…What is the meaning of this, Viscount?! Explain yourself!" Wales shouted. Then, as if he had realised something, he lowered his body defensively. "Run, Vallière!"

Before Louise, who just stood still in shock, Wardes sneered, "Well, I suppose there's no need to do anything, really. You'll die very soon anyway, protecting your precious nation,"

"Damned Reconquista...So these are your true colours! How much did they pay you for this, you rogue?"

"Payment?" Wardes looked almost surprised. "I am saddened by your opinion of me, your Highness. I did not join Reconquista for a price,"

"Reconquista?!" Louise shouted in shock. "That consortium of noble rebels?!"

"Such harsh words, my dear," Wardes murmured. "We are an organisation bound by conviction. While the royal families of Halkeginia continue to squabble and play their petty games of power, we will continue on our inexorable march towards the future. By our hands, we will reunite the continent, and then we will proceed eastwards,"

"East?"

"East – towards the lands of Brimir. We will restore the Holy Lands of our Founder to Halkeginia,"

Louise looked at him with wide eyes. To reach the Founder Brimir…

But the harsh words of the Crown Prince brought her back to reality. "And you plan to reach this goal by manipulating people? By creating wars involving tens of thousands of brave young men, taken from their families?! By going against the nobility, the highest authority in this kingdom, that rules with the blessing of the Founder himself?"

Wales stood tall and proud. "Men like you have no right to invoke the name of Brimir for your own twisted purposes. You have no right to call yourself a nobleman, Jean-Jacques Francis!"

Wardes' eyes had widened at his outburst. Now he closed them.

"I had hoped you would see reason, my dear Prince Wales. It looks like I hoped in vain," He raised his sword and pointed it at Wales. "Goodbye, your Highness. We will take good care of your kingdom in your absence,"

Wales cursed and looked around. His sword was too far away to grab. There was no way he could hope to evade or block the spell of a square-class mage now. Louise gasped and covered her eyes.

What could she do? She had no magical talent.

But talent was not necessary. Even if she could not cast spells, she could at least create an explosion to throw off Wardes until Wales could recover his sword.

If only.

When Wardes had woken her up that morning, he had done so in haste, probably so that she could not recover her senses sufficiently to figure out what was going on. Obviously, he had not permitted enough time for her to find her wand.

"Get away, Vallière!" Wales urged her. "Even if I die here, you must survive! Go, and tell the Guards about Wardes' treachery! He will see you safely home!"

"A chivalrous gesture, but it is too late, Wales," Wardes whispered. His sword glowed brightly and a beam of light flew out from the tip. It was an advanced wind magic that operated the same way as Air Hammer, but instead of creating a blunt impact with a mass of compressed air, it created a piercingly sharp column of wind much like a long spear. Wind Pike. The column of air shone bright white and flew towards Wales, hitting him squarely in the chest.

"Your Highness!" Louise screamed as the prince's body flew backwards like a leaf in the wind. Wardes quickly turned his sword on her as she turned around, intending to run like the Prince had told her to. The leftover energy from his previous spell was gathered in an instant and turned on her, sending her flying until she hit a wall and stopped suddenly. She screamed out in pain.

"No…Help…"

"Even the smallest bird can't hear you. It seems like you will have to bow your head in defeat, my dearest,"

"Help me…please…"

Louise repeated the words like chanting a spell. Enjoying himself, Wardes slowly started chanting another spell. Lightning Cloud. It was the spell that had hit Saito and burned his hand – the spell he had used to try to kill Louise's familiar.

"It is regrettable…that your life will be taken by this hand,"

Louise squeezed her eyes shut. Was she going to die here? In this foreign land, by the hand of the man she was once promised to as a bride?

But in the midst of despair, a faint light of hope flickered in her heart.

Most important of all... A familiar exists to protect its master! The task of protecting them from any and all enemies is a duty of the highest priority!

"Saito…Saito, help me!"

At that moment, Wardes finished the spell and lowered his sword, aiming towards Louise and...

The wall of the chapel collapsed with a roaring sound, and a strong gust of wind blew in from the outside. Lightning issued from the tip of Wardes' sword and crackled. The beam shot at Louise.

With a loud, high-pitched sound, it hit a metal object, held out like a lightning rod – a rusty metal object. The lightning was redirected upwards.

"Heh…that's not how it's supposed to work. I guess I got lucky against the laws of Physics," the boy holding the sword muttered.

"So you stayed behind after all," Wardes sneered.

Hiraga Saito had arrived to protect his mistress.

"Saito!" Louise shouted in relief.

"Hmph. You came back just in time to save one life, Gandálfr. But this is the end for you both. Even if you rescue Louise, you will not stop us. The Prince is dead. The Albionian royalty is finished. They will die in their pathetic attempt to defend their crown,"

Saito glared at him in fury, his teeth and hands clenched tightly. "You killed…the Prince? He was prepared to die on his feet, defending what he loved!"

"A foolish man!" Wardes gloated. "And what he gets for his bravery is a sword through the chest! You have been defeated. A miracle will not occur twice, common boy!"

But at that moment-

A groan sounded from a corner of the room. Wardes' smile slipped, and Saito gasped. The man lying on his back some distance away got up groggily. Crown Prince Wales looked around the chapel, slowly getting up to his feet. His eyes focused when he saw Saito, holding his sword with tightly-clenched hands, looking at him with wide eyes, his mouth open slightly.

"You…? Vallière…the Viscount…what happened?"

"Why…Why are you still alive?!" Wardes roared. He swung his sword in a fury and fired an impromptu blast of wind at him. Wales gasped, hardly able to react. The blast of wind hit him and sent him stumbling backwards, but it did not leave a scratch on him or his clothes. Louise drew breath sharply – even though Wind Pike should have pierced Wales' chest and killed him, he was living and breathing, with not even a drop of blood on his chest. Even his clothes were perfectly intact.

Wardes' looked almost afraid now. Wales was as confused as everyone else, however. "How…could this be?"

As if sensing something, he reached into his pocket. He stopped short, feeling something, and drew his gloved hand. Opening his closed fist, he looked at his palm. Saito almost dropped his sword when he saw it.

It was the small shield-shaped piece of silver he had pressed into the hands of the Prince just yesterday. It still looked like an ordinary ornament, but the Ruby of Wind Wales wore on his finger was glowing brightly as it contacted the object. As he looked incredulously at his hand, a loud voice rumbled like thunder from above.

"Soldiers! Brave men of Albion!"

"What is that?!"

Wales trembled at that voice and murmured, "Father…?"

"We stood up to fight in our darkest hour. We took up arms, prepared to fight to the death. But the Gods and the Holy Founder have seen our daring resolve, felt the unshakeable will of the people of Albion, and have blessed us with a heavenly strength! See! I, a man on death's door, am able to stand on my own and swing my own sword!"

"The King of Albion...That old man...is standing and fighting on his own?" Saito whispered in wonder.

"Do not let this opportunity go to waste, men! Take up your swords! With this miracle, we will overcome!"

The "announcement" ended, to thunderous shouts of "We will overcome!"

Wardes looked uncertain, but spat on the ground with bravado. "Fools, every last one of them! That king is a smart one, rousing his men with a show of false strength before the battle. But it is too late! Reconquista has amassed an army of 50000! There is no way a mere 300 can defeat them!"

He gripped his sword tightly and pointed it at Louise again. Saito clenched his hands tightly around Derflinger.

"You've hurt Louise enough already! I won't let you do as you please!" the familiar charged forward with his sword.

"Too slow!" Wardes swung his sword upwards. A gust of wind ploughed into Saito and sent him skidding back. "So this is Gandálfr? A far cry from the legends, indeed!"

"Gandálfr? Did he just say Gandálfr?!" Derflinger suddenly asked.

"Yeah, so what?!"

Gandálfr...Oh, right! Gandálfr! I've finally remembered, partner!"

"Remembered what?! Tell me it's a way to defeat this bastard!"

"Gandálfr...the hand that once held me! Gandálfr! The legendary familiar! And I too was legendary for something else - although I forgot what…"

"You good-for-nothing sword!"

"Watch your mouth, partner! I may have forgotten what made me so special, but I know I still have some ability left in this rusty old blade! Hold me up, and I'll help you out!"

At that moment, Wardes had pointed his sword at Saito and prepared to cast another Air Hammer spell. Blindly trusting in his sword's words, Saito held up Derf defensively. As the hammer made of compressed air slammed into the talking sword, Saito closed his eyes, fearing the worst. But, the impact never came.

Derflinger glowed bright white, and started trembling. Saito looked at his blade in amazement. The magic had been completely sucked into Derflinger. The glowing blade intoned, in the most serious voice Saito had thus far heard from his foul mouth, "This is my power, and it is yours to use, Gandálfr. I may not be much, but if you use me well, I will always grant you the power to protect these silly illusions you cherish so much!"

Wardes recited another spell.

"Ubiquitous Wind!" His body suddenly doubled. There were two copies of Wardes. Then, the process repeated once, then one more time. There were four copies of Viscount Wardes, all holding a sword and smirking at Saito.

"Hey...that's not fair now, is it?" Saito grinned savagely.

"You don't fight alone, my friend!" the Prince was on his feet, holding his sword. His hand shook, but his eyes were firm and steely.

"Your highness! Your injuries…?"

"I'm fine," Wales smiled tightly. "My lord father...the King of Albion, an old man past his prime, is standing and fighting in front of all his soldiers. My injuries are nothing. And besides...did you feel it?"

"What…?"

"This surge in power," Wales intoned. He clenched the tiny silver shield tightly. "I don't know what this object you've given me is, but I feel...I feel like it could turn the tide of this entire battle,"

Wardes looked at him in scorn. "That toy? You're deluded, Wales!" Two of the Wardes copies stayed to fight Saito, while the other two charged at Wales.

"Your highness!"

Wales closed his eyes.

A blast of wind issued from the place in which he stood. The two Wardes clones were blown away. Hesitating slightly, the two copies stood up again and made a second attempt. This time, Wales simply held one arm behind his back and used his sword to fight them. With incredible skill, he wove in between each copy and blocked and parried their attacks. Within seconds, he found an opening and stabbed one of the Wardes clones. Taking advantage of the brief few seconds during which his sword was buried in the copy's body, the other copy made his attack - and Wales caught the sword in his hand. Twisting sharply, Wales threw away the sword, then retrieved his own and sent the copy flying with a blast of wind.

Saito shouted out in disbelief, but Derf was calmer.

"You can do such things too, partner."

"But how? That was just unbelievable!"

"That object the Prince has is giving him unbelievable power, and I can feel some of it flowing to you as well. Even that girl is receiving it. Feel the power flowing within you, brave knight! Believe in yourself and take the fight to the enemy!"

Saito decided to trust in his sword's words again. Clenching his teeth tightly, he charged at Wardes again. The noble drew breath sharply, surprised at his speed, and raised his sword to defend himself. Derf hit his sword with a resounding clang, and he was pushed back. The last remaining copy moved in, but Saito swung his sword sideways and cut through him easily. The copy dissipated.

"Tch, so that was just a copy,"

Wardes' eyes widened. This boy was clearly not intending to show any mercy.

Those eyes…he's shed his naivety. He's no longer intending to give me a second chance. It's win or die now.

His blood rushing, he started reciting again.

"This...This is the end, Gandálfr!" the lightning from his Lightning Cloud spell crackled and buzzed, and flew at Saito. He put his all into the spell, making it as powerful as he could. This was his last chance. Even if he couldn't kill the others in the room, he still could escape and make contact with Reconquista.

However, Saito's voice rang out with remarkable calm.

"Haven't you noticed...that spell doesn't work on me!"

"G-Gnn!" Wardes shouted incoherently as Saito redirected the lightning harmlessly, just as before. The square mage's hands trembled so much he dropped his sword. Paying no heed to his shock, Saito walked forward, then broke into a run.

"No...Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

The blunt edge of Derflinger slammed into his abdomen, shocking his body harshly. Saito quickly followed through by slamming the pommel into his head, knocking him out.

"Heh. Looks like I really can't find it in me to kill you," But it didn't matter. The enemy had been defeated. The deed done, he sheathed his sword and ran to Louise's side.

"Louise! Are you injured?" Without replying, Louise embraced him tightly and pressed her face against his chest.

"There, it's alright, Louise. He won't hurt you anymore,"

As they stood, taking comfort in each others' arms, Prince Wales smiled at the touching scene. His face turned serious within seconds, though, and he picked up his sword. Without sheathing it, he started walking towards the door of the chapel.

"Prince? Where are you going?"

Wales turned to smile at him. "To meet my enemies. There is a war to fight, my friend,"

"But...you just escaped narrowly with your life!" Louise protested, looking up at him. "Wardes almost killed you. Do you intend to go back to the battlefield like that?"

"I am grateful for your concern, milady. But I can hardly stand here and wait while my noble father and our courageous men fight outside. I won't desert my country over such a flimsy excuse," he gave a self-effacing smile. "Besides…"

"...Besides?"

"I can feel it, Hiraga,"

"Feel what?"

"The power. What my lord father said earlier was not a lie, nor was it a clever speech meant to rouse the men's fighting spirit. We really have been blessed with a great power - and I believe it is thanks to your gift, Hiraga,"

"Saito's...gift?" Louise asked. She had not heard about this. She looked up curiously at her familiar.

"But...it's not anything special. It's just a small piece of silver…"

"And yet, this ordinary piece of silver protected me," Wales smiled tightly at Saito. "You may not have known its significance - I myself do not know anything about it - but I feel...I feel like we can win the war like this. Even if it is 300 of us against 50000 of them,"

Wales turned towards the altar and walked towards it, picking up the Prayer Book he had held as a religious symbol during the wedding ceremony. "The ship heading back to la Rochelle is still available. Please, do go back to Tristain. I cannot possibly ask you to stay in such a dangerous place any longer, and in any case, you have the mission entrusted to you by Henrietta,"

As he reached the couple, he bowed deeply. "Truly...we are indebted to you. I am indebted to you - to you both. If you had not come to Albion, I would have died at the hands of a traitor - a meaningless death not fit for any proud man. Albion will always remember the great service you have done her," he slipped the Ruby of Wind off his finger and presented it to Louise along with the Prayer Book.

"It's quite impromptu, but I hope you will accept this gift as a token of my appreciation. It may be a mere symbolic item, but it too is an important artefact of the Royal Family - our one and only edition of the Founder's Prayer Book,"

"Your Highness! We cannot possibly accept-"

"Please. I insist. And a small favour - give this ring, the Ruby of Wind, to Henrietta. Let it be a keepsake, if nothing else. Do remind her to keep it a secret though - We can hardly have her future husband discover such an item in her possession," Wales smiled bitterly and gently pressed the ring into her hand, covering her fingers over it. He smiled one last time at the two and turned around to briskly walk towards the doors of the chapel. Louise and Saito could only watch as the Prince walked to his next battlefield.

"Aren't you...aren't you going to stop him?" Louise asked in a small voice.

Saito remained silent, looking at the door through which he had just left. He slowly shook his head. It was nervous, at first, but Louise's eyes widened as she saw the spark in her familiar's expression.

"It's alright. It's alright. He's not going to survive. He's going to live,"

Decisively, he let go of Louise and walked towards the unconscious Wardes. "Even if we're not fighting, there is still something we can do,"

"What...do you mean?" Louise bit her lip nervously.

"I don't know the mechanics of this continent's politics, but I do know something - this bastard and his friends are threatening Tristain - no, not just Tristain, but other countries as well,"

He turned around to look Louise in the eye. "If we can stop them now…"

"That's…" Louise shook her head in disbelief.

"That's...what?"

"That's impossible!"

"Why?" Saito challenged quietly.

"Because…Because I said so!" Louise suddenly became angry. "You and the Prince, you're just the same! Both of you just narrowly escaped with your lives, and you want to wade back into danger!"

"If it helps Tristain, why not? The Prince is fighting for his country. Why can't we take steps to protect Tristain too? If we don't take action now, we'll just run into problems later on!"

Clenching her fists, Louise continued on her tirade. "I held my tongue with the Prince because I hardly have the right to challenge his decisions. But you're my familiar! You've already gone out of line deserting me like that yesterday, and now you want to challenge Reconquista? The Reconquista?! You're crazy if you think I will allow it!"

"Why?! Is it because I'm a commoner?! Is it because I can't do anything but swing my sword?"

"Yes! This isn't your fight, why don't you understand that?! You're just a commoner, and you may have won in your fights against nobles, but that doesn't mean your good luck will last forever-"

"SO WHAT?!"

Louise gasped at the ferocity of his tone.

"I'm a commoner. But so what?! That doesn't give me a free pass to stand by idly while nobles are making plans to wage wars around me! The Princess entrusted this mission to us so that Tristain can avoid a costly war - if my actions can help her achieve that goal, then it doesn't matter if I'm a commoner or a noble, does it?!"

"Saito…"

"Well spoken," another voice cut in. Saito whipped around, a hand on Derf's hilt. The door was ajar, and four young people had walked in. A priest, a professor of Oriental Magical Arts, a girl with a limitless supply of forbidden knowledge, and a boy with the power to break down illusions.


Between The Lines 2

"Whitaker! What's our status?" Lieutenant-Colonel George Abercromby, Commanding Officer of the Newcastle Garrison, called out to his Operations Officer.

Captain Ryan Whitaker, Operations Officer of the Newcastle Garrison, jogged over to his CO and reported in. "The other Officers-Commanding reported 6 minutes ago – our total strength is 300, and our present strength has been reported as 300 altogether - no casualties so far except for 4 men from 1st Company with minor injuries after a cannon misfire on the Eastern wing."

"I see. Make sure they get treated as soon as possible. The battle's barely started; we cannot have too many casualties from trivialities like these. Inform me when there any changes, and keep the other company commanders updated,"

"Yes sir,"

"Is there a problem, Whitaker?" the CO looked closely at his junior officer.

"Well…" the captain looked at the ground, then, seemingly thinking better of it, shook his head vigorously. "No, sir. It's nothing,"

The old senior officer heading the garrison smiled at him. "We've all been shouting patriotic slogans and talking about fighting for Albion, but I hope you're aware that we're not just fighting for our own country,"

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Reconquista plans to expand outwards into other countries – presumably starting with Tristain,"

"I understand…"

"There's no way we can defeat them here. Indeed, this army is just made of puppets being controlled by them. Defeating them hardly holds meaning, in any case,"

"Then why…?"

"'Why do we fight', is it?" the old senior officer turned serious. "We need to set an example to the other nations, captain,"

He looked at the enemy ships flying in from the distance. "We shall show them that true nobles do not run from a fight,"

"Even if we die in the process, sir?"

"Aye, Captain. Even if we die,"

The Commanding Officer smiled and started to say something else, but was cut off by the sound of a ship exploding in the distance. It turned out that it had been hit with a bolt of lightning.


Part 4

"What'd you mean 'we're going to Reconquista HQ!'?!"

"Exactly what it sounds like, Hira-yan! ["Hira-yan?!"]"

"Come on. Weren't you the one all pumped up by the prospect of going after them?" Kamijou asked testily. He and Tsuchimikado both seemed to have changed their clothes – the blonde boy had ditched his pirate clothes for his school uniform with a blue Hawaii shirt and with jewellery and sunglasses for accessories. Kamijou was in khaki jeans, a white long-sleeved, hooded T-shirt with a purple lining and a blue sweater. The boy and girl from the clergy were in their usual clothes.

"Well, that's true…" Saito admitted, in response to Kamijou. "But I didn't think it'd be so soon! And Sister Index! She was actually looking for you?!"

"What, you know her?!"

"Yeah! We met on the ship that was supposed to go back to la Rochelle!"

Index smiled at him. "I see everything worked out for the best, then!"

"Yeah! They sure did, somehow!" he smiled at her. Louise looked at Index incredulously. "A Sister? Are you from…Romalia?" She tightly gripped the Founder's Prayer Book that Wales had given her.

"Romalia? I'm from the Church of England," Index smiled innocently at her, much to her confusion.

"That's a country in our world, Louise," Saito quickly explained. "But Kamijou, what's the plan?"

"Tsuchimikado already pieced together what happened. Now we just have to find their HQ and bring them down! We have transport arranged, so let's hurry!"

Dazed, Saito and Louise followed the group out of the area to the courtyard. Sure enough, there were two blue Wind Dragons there, complete with baskets on their backs to carry a few riders. Stiyl led Index and Louise to one dragon while Tsuchimikado and Kamijou got on the other dragon with Saito.

"Hey. Hey. Hey!" Saito looked at Tsuchimikado in fright. "Do you honestly intend to fly on these to Reconquista HQ?"

"Yeah, what's the problem?"

"I mean…they're behind enemy lines, aren't they? Won't we have to fly past the enemy forces?"

"Oh, don't worry. Kami-yan's got a plan, nya!"

Kamijou scratched the back of his head. "Oh come on, it's nothing that impressive,"

"What are we gonna do?"

"Tsuchimikado heard from the Prince of Albion that this war was being caused by this Reconquista outfit, hiding behind the scenes – isn't it stupid that a whole country has to fight just because some bastards want them to, for their own twisted reasons?"

"But…this isn't even our country," Saito murmured. "We don't have to…"

"You're right," Kamijou said neutrally. "But…Alright, lemme ask you: do you know how World War 3 actually happened?"

"No…I never really followed the news…"

"Then do you know about British Halloween?"

"Damn, Kamijou. You're really making me feel like an idiot stuck behind the times now," Saito complained. Kamijou simply laughed and started to explain what had happened.

"There was a civil war in Britain. One of the Royal Princesses felt that the Queen's foreign policy and her way of governance was weakening the nation – so she took things into her own hands and rose up in a coup d'état. She wasn't wrong, and she wasn't acting out of a desire to cement her own power either – in the end, all she wanted was to restore her beloved country to a state where its citizens could proudly protect their own independence, even as other countries tried to bring her down to the level of a broken country, completely dependent on its neighbours, at their mercy,"

"What? That kind of big event happened, on our world's Britain?!"

"Yeah. And the really stupid thing was that somebody behind the scenes was pulling the strings and playing everyone – the Princess, the Queen, the leader of the Knights of England, the military, the public, even me, like a bunch of puppets. And then this same guy went on to instigate the Third World War,"

"Damn…just who are you, Kamijou?" Saito looked at him in wonder. He had never expected Kamijou to be at the centre of such events. The other boy simply smiled ruefully.

"I'm nobody special. I'm just a guy who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time - or perhaps the right place at the right time - I don't know, but either way, I was hardly in control," He looked up. There was a fierce light in his eyes. "But no more, Hiraga. I don't know much about politics or war, or governance…but I do know this. There are people out there fighting because somebody manipulated them into it. Why should these people have to suffer, die or kill just because somebody wants them to do it? That Princess who led the coup d'état was different – she stood at the forefront of her rebellion. She planned things such that she would hand over power after a while, and she put herself in danger all for the sake of her goal. I could at least respect her for that. But this Reconquista…They've just been hiding in the shadows and having others fight for them,"

He looked out in the distance as Tsuchimikado patted the dragon, urging it up into the air. "That's why I wanna go look for them. Instead of just fighting in this meaningless war, I want to go see these people with my own eyes. I want to see for myself what drives them. It doesn't matter if this isn't my country. If they're out to pursue some selfish goal, without caring about the people they're sending out to the death, I'll destroy their illusions there and then!"

Saito looked at him, wide-eyed.

Damn...just who are you, Kamijou?

But he smiled even as he looked in admiration at the other boy.

"Whatever you say, Kamijou. I'll follow you and fight alongside you!"

"Alright! Let's put an end to this meaningless fight, Hiraga!"

To Be Continued

It was revealed a few chapters before that Halkeginia was mentioned in Viking lore under the name of Alfheim - Home of the Elves. Initially, I wanted it to be Vanaheim instead, but given the status of the Vanir (the denizens of Vanaheim) as Gods who were just as great as the Warrior Gods of Asgard, I decided to step things down a level and make Halkeginia Alfheim instead. But if you do a quick Google search of Alfheim and the Vanir Gods, you'll quickly find there's a strong link between these two worlds, and this link involves a sword too...#WhatCouldHaveBeen.