To start this off, I'd like to say that the post-chapter notes I forgot to include have now been added, along with correcting a few errors in the writing.
Second, while I've derailed from canon quite a bit in the last few chapters, this is where they'll really leave some changes in the future.
Third, after finishing the last chapter of MGQ, I now officially an AU story due to reasons present in the ending.
Finally, I'd like to point out once more that this story uses a mix of the anime and light novels worlds of ZnT.
MGQ is the property of Torotoro Resistance, and ZnT is the property of the late Noboru Yamaguchi. I do not make any profits through the production of this story and as such, cannot be sued for it.
Chapter IX: New Factors
Louise woke up with a pained moan, rubbing her forehead in hopes of relieving the dull pain that she felt. Her addled mind sought for an explanation to her current state as best as it could, only to come up short. All the pink haired girl knew was that she felt sticky all over from what she could only guess was a mixture of dried sweat and some sort of ointment.
"I see you're awake, Ms. Vallière," a familiar voice called out to her, drawing her attention towards its source. Louise found that the voice was actually that of her familiar, but wasn't really able to notice the pun produced by her inner thoughts.
Further inspection of her and Alexander's surroundings brought unto her the conclusion that she was back in her room. The candle was lit, and the cold night wind blew through the open window, alluding to the time.
The sense of familiarity that came from being on her bed, within her room, at the time when she would most likely already be asleep helped to clear the haze of Louise's mind. The sudden realization which came with her more alert mentality completely defogged it.
She shot up from her bed, asking Alexander the very first questions that came to mind. "What happened in the duel? Did we win?" Louise became a bit nervous when all the prince did was look at her with surprised eyes. The thought of losing to Kirche again didn't please her in the least, even with the defence of her being inexperienced with the situation.
Alexander's amused laughter served to stop her anxiety, making her confused instead. She waited for him to stop and explain himself; an expectation he didn't disappoint. "I'm quite surprised, Ms. Vallière," he started, "of all the people who participated in that fight, I would've thought you to be the calmest about the outcome."
Louise felt herself flushing in embarrassment at his teasing tone. "I... I participated in that battle too. I have a right to know the outcome, and as my first duel, I can be as excited about it as I wish." She crossed her arms and resolutely looked to the side as she spoke her defence, only to get another bout of laughter from her familiar. The pink haired girl grumbled under her breath, "Just tell me whether or not we won already."
Alexander took a few more seconds to calm down before answering her. "Well... we didn't lose..." Louise perked up at that statement; the joy of finally beating Kirche at something almost making her want to shout in celebration. "But then we didn't win either..." At the silver haired teen's sheepish announcement, all of Louise's elation came crashing down.
"Wha... what do you mean 'we didn't win either'? You said that we didn't lose!" she was quick to point out. The combination of her earlier embarrassment, her hopes getting shattered, and the fact that she just woke up made for a very irritated Louise. "What happened?" she repeated her first question with a quieter but sterner tone.
"Hmm... well...to put it as simply as possible, my last minute plan wasn't really as well thought up as I first assumed," Alexander began apologetically, bringing the most recent of Louise's memories to the forefront of her mind. "I didn't really expect that Tabitha and Ms. Zerbst were capable of launching a counterattack that I couldn't dodge without relying on the wind. Ultimately, my attempt to at least make something out of the rather... unfavourable situation I found myself in ended with all three of you passing out. By the rules of engagement, the duel ended in a draw."
The last dregs of her memory came back to her. Anger began to course through Louise's head and she forced her eyes to wander, hoping to find something that would distract her; to give her a diversion that would let her calm down some. Instead, she saw Alexander's left hand, limping by his side, poorly hidden (if the intent was even there) and bandaged half way to the elbow.
Red filled her vision.
"Plan?" Louise asked, as her mind continuously replayed that... reckless and utterly senseless stunt her partner did in the end of their battle, "You mean that stupid attack you did in the end? That wasn't a plan! That was you being an idiot!"
For once since their formal introduction to each other, Louise wasn't just using Alexander as an outlet for her self-loathing. No. This time, she was genuinely angry at the silver haired prince. That he refused to meet her eyes after her accusation only served to fuel Louise's temper.
"I do admit that it was a rather... poorly executed plan," he defended himself weakly, not noticing the way Louise was trembling with every word he said. "In all truth, it was supposed to be a test, and I intended to make it so that the resulting air blast would've been enough to incapacitate Ms. Zerbst and Tabitha. In hindsight, I suppo-"
A loud smack interrupted him. Shocked into silence, Alexander turned his head to better face Louise; his good hand coming up to the cheek she just slapped.
For her part, Louise too had been surprised with her reaction. Never before had she felt so mad at anyone but herself, and in the end, her hand just moved on its own.
That didn't mean she was about to apologize. Alexander had endangered his life. Louise knew she was in the right, and on her pride as a noble and Alexander's... not master, but at least summoner and more importantly, his partner; both in their duel and during his time in her world. Louise could throw away many things, but never her pride.
"I'm not talking about that, you idiot! I'm talking about how you could do something so reckless, dangerous, and harmful and possibly call it a plan!" Louise shouted right in his face, her other hand gripped around the neck of his shirt. "There were fifty meters between me and that fire and I still felt it! You were right next to it!" Her other hand shot downwards, grabbing his bandaged arm by the elbow. She pulled her head away to bring the appendage to his attention. "Look at this!" for the first time, she ordered him. "Didn't you even realize that your hand was burning?! What could have possibly possessed you to do something so... so... suicidal?! You're supposed to be the smarter and more reasonable one here!"
Louise sniffed at the end of her tirade; her tears beginning to fall from her. Both her hands loosened their hold and she idly noted the pain of having gripped something beneath Alexander's shirt; his necklace, probably.
The silver haired boy's eyes were focused intently on the floor; his now free hand slowly moving back to his side. Louise sat back on her bed, still crying. For a while, the only sound in the room was Louise's heavy breathing and her occasional sob.
"Didn't you realize your hand was burning?" Louise repeated, tired of the silence. "Didn't you realize that you could've killed Kirche and Tabitha in that duel? That you could've killed yourself?" She looked down at her lap; both her hands clenched in anger. "I don't even know why you would think to do something so idiotic."
Alexander did not immediately respond. It wasn't until he chanced a glance at her face that he spoke once more.
"I... I'm sorry," he said solemnly. "It's just... human opponents are a rarity for me, and even when I do go up against one, they're usually weak enough for me never to bother much about it. I didn't want to lose and I was in the heat of the moment; it seemed like a good idea at the time. In hindsight, I suppose it was a bit-" a quick, tearful glare from Louise had him revising his words, "okay, really idiotic, and I apologize about that." He sighed, finally turning his full attention to the pink haired girl. "I still don't see why you're so angry about it. No one died, and it's not like I won't recover quickly enough."
Even though he actually saw it this time, the surprise of it still left the silver haired prince open to Louise's slap.
"You... you idiot," she sobbed. "What kind ma-partner would I be if let you immolate yourself? And more importantly, what kind of partner are you if you make me worry this much about you? This wasn't like the duel with Guiche where you knew exactly what you were doing; you said that much yourself. It wasn't even for a relatively good reason this time either. Were the stakes so important that you needed to risk your life to win? I might not want you to get married to Kirche, but I'd rather take that than have you kill yourself. It wasn't worth you doing something that stupid, you idiotic prince!"
Her words visibly bit into him; the way he backed up despite being seated said that much. "I... I'm sorry," he repeated, not knowing any other way to start. "Like I said, I just didn't want to lose. I'm a Fateburn; the first male to be born under that name as well. More than that, my father is regaled as a hero of my world, and my mother is known as the strongest Queen of Hellgondo since our country's founder. I take pride in all of that, and to lose in a real duel without giving it everything I can... it was just something my pride could never allow."
So that was the reason: Pride. Louise almost snorted at that. Her tears still fell but were beginning to dry now. She dearly wished she could will herself to slap Alexander again, but now that she knew he did all that because of pride, she just couldn't find it in her anymore. Louise knew more than anyone else what it meant to act out because of one's own pride.
His pride demanded that he won every challenge, or lose only after fighting with everything he had. Because he was Alexander Fateburn, the son of a hero, and Alicepheeze Fateburn XVI, Queen of Hellgondo.
Louise's pride demanded that she act like a true noble and followed the Rule of Steel, just like her mother. Because she was Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, daughter of the Duc Laurent de la Vallière and Duchesse Karin de la Vallière, the Knight of the Heavy Wind.
Right now, it was her duty as a noble to protect the prince she'd unknowingly taken from his country and world, to make sure that her partner wouldn't endanger himself so needlessly again. Most importantly, it told her to repay the teacher who taught her magic, not out of obligation or pity, but because he wanted to help her. That alone was the only thing she could say was more important than finally teaching her how to cast an actual spell.
Louise wiped her tears and crossed her arms, turning away from him to hide the embarrassed blush on her face. Out of worry or not, she still slapped Alexander, a prince, twice; it caught up to her eventually. Still, it wouldn't do to look weak now, so she huffed at him, "Fine. I forgive you for worrying me this time. But in exchange, you better promise me never to do something that stupid ever again."
She heard Alexander react with confusion, only to laugh silently in amusement. Perhaps he'd seen her blush despite her efforts to hide it? Regardless, the sound still managed to bring a smile to Louise's own lips.
"Alright, fine, you win," the silver haired prince sighed his surrender. "I promise, on my word as Prince Alexander Fateburn, that I will never commit any act of stupidity that will cause you worry without just reasoning."
Louise glanced over her shoulder at him, spying the serious but decidedly more light-hearted look on his face. It wasn't the exact promise that she wanted, but it would do. She sighed. "Well... let's just hope you never actually get a reason to do anything that stupid." With that, she laid down on her bed, facing the window where moonlight shined into her room. "Goodnight, Alexander."
"Goodnight, Ms. Va-"
"Louise," she cut him off. His questioning reaction prompted her to elaborate. "You call Siesta by her first name because she asked you to. You call Tabitha by her first name because you don't have a last name to assign to her. I find it rather unfair that you call me by my family name when I know you more than both of them combined. So you can call me Louise."
He didn't seem to know how to react at first, judging by his silence, but he eventually just laughed it off. "Very well, if that is what you insist. Goodnight, Louise."
Hearing that, the pink haired girl tucked herself into bed, already thinking about what she was going to learn to do tomorrow.
"Oh, before I forget: The headmaster wanted to see you as early as possible tomorrow morning, seeing as you've managed to recover already."
...
She was going to kill Alexander tomorrow, inter-dimensional war be damned.
-X-
An old man in a black robe sat behind his desk, the morning sun providing the light he needed to read through the document on the table. He stroked his long, grey beard as his eyes scanned over the unfolded scroll.
Across from him stood a man who looked to be in his late thirties, wearing a blue and red doublet and a red cape. His blue eyes shifted every which way for the briefest of seconds before coming back to the older man in front; the pattern repeating after each minute.
Neither spoke until the seated mage relaxed in his chair. Lifting up a staff, he levitated the paperweight on top of the paper before rolling it up with his magic and sending it to the messenger. The brown haired man received it wordlessly as the older mage brought paper, ink and quill to the centre of his desk.
"I truly do not see the point of this missive," commented the older man. He shifted his staff gently, willing the quill to write out his reply. "Barring that of the royal palace's own, the Tristain Magic Academy's vaults are the strongest in the country. It wasn't really necessary for you to be sent here just for this, Comte Mott."
The younger man -Mott- snorted at his comment. "With no disrespect Headmaster Osmond, my arrival was under orders. Though I agree with your assessment, Her Majesty, Princesse Henrietta personally instructed me to do this. I am therefore obliged to comply."
"As you were the past five times in the last fifteen months," Osmond quipped back light-heartedly. "Her Majesty has certainly taken quite an interest in our security as of late. For her to send the palace's most trusted messenger every time a message needs to be delivered makes one wonder." Finished with his reply, the wind mage repeated his earlier motions, tidily rolling the paper and levitating it to the comte.
Mott unfurled the parchment as soon as it reached his hands, scanning over it briefly. "Her Majesty has her reasons, I am certain," he said in between his read. Seeing no fault in the reply he hummed in satisfaction, rolled up the paper and kept it in the bag hidden beneath his cloak. "As always, we appreciate the academy's understanding and cooperation."
Osmond barely held back his sarcastic scoff. "The royal palace gave us direct orders. The academy doesn't really have much of a choice," he instead pointed out, inciting an amused laugh from the comte.
"Now, now Headmaster, you know very well that Princesse Henrietta only has what is best for her people in mind."
"I am well aware of that, Comte Mott," Osmond retorted. "While I admit that her concern is heart-warming, Her Majesty should be aware that these frequent missives have dealt quite a blow to academy staff's collective pride." He sighed tiredly, easing into his chair, allowing his old age to become so much more apparent. "Besides that, there is no certainty that Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt will strike here next."
"Perhaps she will and perhaps she won't," the palace messenger shrugged, conceding to the older mage's point. "Regardless, most of Fouquet's targets for the past three and a half months have been no more than a day's travel from here, hence Her Majesty's concern." Mott seemed to continue contemplating the matter, thumbing his chin.
His face seemed to light up all of a sudden, turning his attention back towards the headmaster. "Speaking of the previous months, how has your new secretary been doing?" he asked with big smile on his face. The sudden change of topic wiped all traces of seriousness from the old man's face.
"Ms. Longueville?" Osmond asked, though he didn't really need the confirmation. He only had one assistant in present time. "She's doing quite well, actually. She's only worked here for four months and has been with the students for less than three, yet she already knows all of them by name and doesn't even bat an eye at any of the problem children." He laughed, remembering the first time the green haired young woman had to deal with a certain pink haired mage. "It's hard to imagine why any noble family would disown her. Jacqueline is quite the talented young woman."
"I would imagine that her talents extend to more than just her administration skills," Mott joked back, a lecherous smile plastered across his face. It would have been a perfect mirror of Osmond's own, had his mouth been visible.
"Indeed it does," the wind mage laughed along, wordlessly calling his familiar to the top of his desk. A tiny, white mouse crawled out of his robe's sleeves and made a bee-line towards the tray of fresh bread crumbs and seeds. Osmond gently petted its head with his finger. "ChuChu here is always so descriptive about her underwear, and I must say, Ms. Longueville has yet to disappoint with her choices."
He laughed a final time -remembering all his familiar's past descriptions- before sighing tiredly. "Sadly, Ms. Longueville has also gotten quite skilled at detecting little ChuChu's presence. It's becoming harder and harder to get accurate descriptions."
"Ahh, but she has yet to resign in spite of that," Mott pointed out reassuringly, "she must either really want something, or is very patient."
The headmaster nodded at his point. "It's probably both. She did say that she was working to support her foster sister."
Despite the trace a perverted smile on his face, Mott nodded with genuine appreciation. "A truly valiant cause for such a young woman," he said with all sincerity, "too few young nobles -those stripped of their titles especially- could boast to have such a kind heart."
With a content sigh, the smile on the younger man's face grew more businesslike as he made to address his senior. "As fun as this discussion has been headmaster, I'm afraid I must be going. Her Majesty expects my return within the early afternoon." He turned away with a smirk on his face. "Do keep my request from earlier in mind. I would rather it be processed as early as possible."
Responding with a half-hearted compliance, Old Osmond allowed himself to relax in his chair, waiting for the palace messenger to leave and for his inevitable second meeting to start.
"Ah, one more thing, headmaster."
Osmond was truly losing his touch if someone as young as Mott could so easily surprise him. Startled back to attention, the wind mage sat straight, sending a questioning glance at the younger man in front of the door.
"There was an incident yesterday that I managed to catch word of." The old mage had to keep himself from cursing as Mott began to make his point. There was only one incident worth noting the previous day, and the headmaster rather preferred that it be kept silent until he could finish his next appointment. "Given how close it was to academy grounds, I'm assuming you know of it: The pillar of fire that was seen yesterday. What can you tell me about it?"
Osmond thanked the fact that he had a large amount of facial hair; it helped to hide his severely displeased frown. "That..." he stopped, trying to think of an explanation.
Osmond was no fool; he was the headmaster of Tristain's greatest magic academy for founder's sake. He was well aware of one of his old student's -Karin's- relationship with Queen Marianne, and in turn the relationship between their respective daughters. Even if the possibility of war was low, relations with Germania and Gallia would become strained if the princesse thought that her closest friend was endangered by mages from both countries. Occurrence of such a change in diplomacy at this time would be especially bad.
An idea finally coming to mind, he sighed tiredly to feign resignation. "That, I'm afraid, was a spectacle of a failure by one of our professors. I won't go into specifics, but I assure you that no students were involved, let alone harmed and I plan on dealing the appropriate punishment for not following proper safety procedures during experiments. However, as I was the one who allowed the professor to proceed with his attempt..." he trailed off. Mott kept a sceptical look on his features, but nodded in acceptance all the same.
"I understand," he replied, opening the office's doors. "The academy wishes to take care of its own issues. So long as no student was involved or hurt, I suppose the matter can be dropped." He gave the older mage a parting nod before making his exit.
-X-
"You're finally here Vallière. And I was just beginning to think that you were seriously injured yesterday."
It was Kirche's voice that greeted Louise and Alexander's arrival in the waiting room near the Headmaster's office. Like always, Tabitha was beside the redhead; both of them seated on a couch fit for three. Much like Louise, Alexander noted that the two were tanner in certain areas than in others. The difference in tone wasn't easy to notice, but it was there.
"There was something I decided to brush up on before coming here," the pink haired girl countered, crossed her arms over her chest, her mouth set to a smirk. "Besides, I'm not just some frail little girl who's only good for a political bargaining chip, Zerbst." There was no small amount of vindictiveness behind her words.
"Guess these two have had quite a history before meeting you," Derflinger's amused voice sounded in his head. "Your master over there really sounds like she has a lot she wants to prove."
Alexander averted from telling him that Louise wasn't his master.
Kirche scoffed haughtily. "That's not much of a surprise. You must've been in the middle of over a hundred explosions in your life. I'd be shocked if you weren't as tough as a grown dragon's hide." Louise pulled off a valiant effort in not visibly bristling at having her words turned against her, though it didn't look like Kirche was done.
Indeed, the redhead's grin turned from amused to predatory as she faced the turned her head to completely face the shorter girl. "You know Vallière, tough skin isn't exactly a trait most men look for when it comes to women. With a body like yours, it would be nothing short of a miracle for someone to find you attractive."
Alexander felt that now would be good time to step in. Amongst the women of his world, both humans and monsters, arguments concerning attractiveness were a matter of honour and pride. While this was more akin to a childish squabble, it was quickly becoming apparent that it would soon devolve into violence all the same. That was the last thing they needed, given the current circumstances.
"You know, Ms. Zerbst, back in my homeland, a comment like that could easily put a target on your back." His comment turned the three students' attentions towards him, staring varying degrees of curiosity. He supposed that meant they were waiting for some elaboration. "Many of the women of my homeland pride themselves on how appealing they can make themselves look, if less than a few other qualities. Nonetheless, questioning another woman's attractiveness is typically considered either as an attack towards another's honour, or otherwise a harsh and baseless insult of the highest degree."
The anger in Louise's face and the amusement from Kirche's vanished behind their flabbergasted blinking. "You're... not joking...?" It was, surprisingly enough, Tabitha who asked the question.
Alexander shook his head in reply. "Admittedly, there are some who don't really care. Among them those with... peculiarly special cases; Unfortunate Ones. But no, I'm not joking." The no-nonsense expression on his face must've been enough to convince them; none of them were willing to question the validity of his claim anymore. That didn't mean they were done asking questions.
"How unfortunate are you talking about?" Kirche inquired with uncertain curiosity.
"Unfortunate enough for them to actually be called 'Unfortunate Ones'," the silver haired teen replied, shaking his head. "Beyond that... you really don't want to know. Seeing them could break your view of reality. Something impossible actually existing... it's even said that having just one of them in the same area can prevent even a high powered succubus from seducing a target. More than that and they may very well render a person completely immune to lust."
"Really now? Well, this homeland of yours sounds rather interesting."
The unfamiliar voice reached Alexander's ears, and he turned to face its owner along with everyone else in the room.
Standing by the door of the waiting room was young woman, probably in her mid twenties. She wore a simple, dark blue tunic that was long enough to act like a skirt, and a purple cloak above it. Her glasses, neatly kept green hair and overall demeanour gave her a professional appearance.
Despite her benign appearance, Alexander couldn't help but feel wary. The flow of the wind told him that this person was strong. Not the strongest in the academy by far, but definitely a tougher match than either of his opponents yesterday.
"Ms. Longueville!" Kirche greeted with unmasked relief. "Finally! I was beginning to think we'd be here the whole morning. Is the headmaster ready to see us yet? I'd rather just get this whole thing over with already."
The green haired woman shook her head, the small, amused smile on her face never leaving. "I'm afraid he's still busy as of right now. One of the palace's messengers arrived this morning and Headmaster Osmond is currently speaking with him. Please, do be patient for just little longer." Her reply was evenly toned barring the smallest touch of amusement. Overall, everything about her screamed harmless and helpful. Despite that, she still made Alexander feel uneasy.
Meanwhile, as the angel descendant continued to contemplate the reason why this staff member in particular irked him, Kirche had huffed in disappointment and sat back down on her chair. "This is hardly fair. Old Osmond ordered us to be here as early as possible, and then forces us to wait like this. I might have recovered enough to move about, but I'm still tired from yesterday. There are better things for me to be doing with my morning."
If the older woman was fazed at all by the redhead's annoyed tirade, she managed to hide it well behind her amused titter. "Be that as it may, the message was sent by Princesse Henrietta herself. Any missive given directly by the royal family must be given priority over even matters like this."
Her words were benign in nature; in fact, they were placating. The feeling Alexander received from her spoke otherwise. The closest comparison he could find was the sudden jealousy attacks that monsters of the Lamia family were prone to. Regardless of her reasoning, this Ms. Longueville clearly hated the princesse of Tristain.
Alexander observed her warily as he tried to gauge her. Aside from the minor slip and his own instinct, nothing told him that this woman posed any threat. She was powerful, yes, but there were at least two people in the academy that surpassed her and one other who stood as her equal.
...
...
"Wait, that's not right." His mind went on alert as the realization finally hit him. Alexander himself had only met one of the three strongest faculty members before, and that was the teacher from his summoning. The one in front of him he'd only felt the few times they were in proximity; this was the first time Alexander truly focused on the green haired woman. The last and strongest of them all, he could sense whenever he was near or in the central tower, always focused on the same spot.
But that only accounted for three, and the fourth that he felt was too weak to be the balding teacher. It also happened to be alongside the strongest of them all, within the headmaster's office.
"Wait... so... doesn't that mean this fourth guy is..."
"The palace messenger," Alexander finished the wind spirit's conclusion. That was certainly a curious thought. While it made sense for a royal messenger to be able to defend him or herself, this seemed a little too much, what with the wind alerting Alexander to his presence despite the distance between them. It would make more sense for him to have been a knight to defend the people, or a teacher to try to pass on the skill and knowledge they accumulated.
"Then again, I'm still not too familiar with this world." That was a conceded point. It was very much possible that missives from the palace were simply intercepted so often that they required someone that strong to deliver them, unlikely as that was. "What's your take on this, Derflinger?"
Despite having no corporeal body, he felt as though the sword spirit shrugged. "It's unusual yes. However, it could just be that the messenger is just some old, former knight," the spirit posited a different explanation. It wasn't a conclusion he'd have drawn, but then again, all of the palace messengers he knew personally didn't really have to worry much about age.
"Alexander, is something wrong?"
His head darted towards Louise; the pink haired girl's voice bringing him out of his internal conversation. He looked around to see all four of the young women in the room looking at him questioningly, joined by hints of worry from his summoner and her red haired rival. "Oh no, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking about something is all," he waived off her concern, putting on a casual smile.
Deciding it was better to play the part of the gentleman for now, the silver haired teen faced the green haired woman and spoke. "I don't believe we've been formally introduced. My name is Alexander Fateburn. You probably know me better as Louise's familiar." He only saw it from the edge of his vision, but the casual use of Louise's first name seemed to catch Kirche and Tabitha's attentions; both of their facial features changing ever so slightly. Neither held his attention right now though.
The one who did have his attention smiled back at him; the razor's edge of danger she held prior almost nonexistent by now. "The one who carried his master and her classmates all the way to the infirmary. Yes, I certainly know of you as a familiar; an excellent one at that." Her comment was completely sincere, only adding to her oddity even further. "My name is Jacqueline Longueville. I'm Headmaster Osmond's secretary, in case you didn't already know."
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. And it was Tabitha's familiar who did most of the work," he countered her.
"True though that may be, you still carried all three of them through two floors of the Tower of Water," she argued with a small smile before turning to address his summoner and her classmates. "Pleasantries aside, the headmaster should be about done by now. Please wait for a few more minutes." Her instruction was met by three silent nods, none of them at all enthusiastic.
True to her word, the doors which led to the headmaster's office -although it looked like you needed to go through a hallway first- opened moments later, marking the end of the previous appointment.
Contrary to Derflinger's supposition, the man who emerged from the door looked like he was only nearing middle age. The possibility of being a former knight was still there, but it didn't seem likely. Regardless of the fact, unlike with Ms. Longueville, he didn't feel anything off about him, so he figured he didn't really worry about him.
The old noble paused in front of the entrance as he took notice of all of those in the room with him. His eyes darted from one of the women to another, lingering momentarily on each one; Kirche and Jacqueline in particular. The look on his face was one Alexander was quite familiar with. He'd seen it many times before whenever he visited any of the settlements in his world.
Lastly, the messenger's eyes landed on Alexander. The light in his eyes changed almost instantaneously, carrying a feint gleam of interest in it as he observed the silver haired teen.
The entirety of it all, from the moment he turned around to the end of his observation was over in a span of fifteen seconds.
"Ah, Ms. Longueville; I see you're as lovely today as the last time we met," he greeted the headmaster's secretary with sugary, saccharine voice; his blue eyes noticeably focused much lower than her head. "I'm needed in the palace this afternoon, but if you would be willing to join me, I could return here this evening for dinner."
"It would be my honour, Comte Mott."
The same spike of rage from earlier returned again, perhaps more intense this time as the green haired young woman politely accepted the older man's request. Clearly, she wasn't as willing to partake in the coming event as much as she said she would.
Mott didn't look at all like he'd caught on to her hidden displeasure, nor did it seem like he would care. Instead, the brown haired noble turned his attention towards Louise, managing to keep his focus on her face. "That unique shade of your hair..." he trailed off, tilting his head ever so slightly as though to get a better look at the quality he just pointed out, "you must be the Duc and Duchesse de la Vallière's youngest daughter. You've grown quite a lot from the little child I remembered seeing every once in a while. Certainly not as much as your older sister but..."
Now it was Louise's turn to grow mad, either from the way Mott talked about her sister or him pointing out her lack of development, he wasn't particularly certain. The pink haired girl was nowhere near as good at hiding her emotions as Ms. Longueville though, and the comte clearly noticed.
His attention quickly returned to Ms. Longueville, the same leer in his eyes returning. "Well now, as much as I'd enjoy spending more time with you, I'm afraid I must be going. Her majesty is expecting me, after all." Without another word, he moved across the room, past Alexander's left, and out the other door.
Jacqueline Longueville huffed indignantly as soon as the nobleman was out of sight, putting her hand over her chest as though to wipe off some sort of taint left by his gaze. "Well..." she began, trying to recompose herself, "clearly, Headmaster Osmond is free now. All of you follow me." She walked towards the door as she spoke, leading the way for the four.
-X-
The very first thing that Louise noticed upon entering Old Osmond's office was her familiar's stifled gasp. She glanced askance over her shoulders, questioning silently, to which he shook his head and urged her to continue. Looking at the aged man behind his desk once more, she too began to somewhat understand Alexander's distress.
Her track record of explosions throughout her first year in the academy had warranted many visits to this same office more than once. In all that time, she'd seen Old Osmond look annoyed, amused and tired many times, in that order. Furious, however, was an expression she'd never seen on his face before.
In spite of the distance between Louise and him; despite his mass of hair covering the lower part of his face, it was clear as day that the wind mage was mad. Suddenly, thinking of him as Old Osmond wasn't at all appropriate, and from Kirche and Tabitha's momentary pause, they were thinking the same thing.
Louise continued along with her two classmates, growing more and more nervous with each step. Had the situation been less grim, Louise was certain that she would've found it funny how her opinion about the duet duel changed so drastically in such a small amount of time. At the same time, she wanted to blame someone, but couldn't really find anyone to fault.
On one hand, Alexander had extended the challenge and was the one responsible for the pillar. On the other, the challenge itself was issued because Kirche was just too persistent for her own good; not to mention also held some responsibility for knocking all three of them unconscious. Then of course, neither she nor Tabitha once spoke against the idea. In fact, Tabitha looked like she was just as eager about the fight as she was.
Oh sure, Louise would've loved to just pin all the blame on Kirche, but that would've gone against everything she knew about being a true noble. Thus, it was with the inability to say anything in her defence that she faced the judging eyes of Headmaster Osmond. In her head, she was already imagining how the inevitable wedding she'd be forced into within the next week would be like. Under different circumstances, she would've laughed at how it was so much less romantic than she'd originally imagined as a child.
"I take it all of you know why you've been called here?" the aged wind mage's voice was chilling, if nothing else, and reminded Louise greatly of her mother. In fact, the pink haired girl thought that Osmond actually sounded scarier than her mother when angered; before now, such a concept applying to anyone would've been impossible to Louise.
"Yesterday, I was made aware by the school's medical staff that you three were brought in unconscious from your duel."
The elderly headmaster stood from his desk; a barely audible growl escaping from his lips that may as well have been a storm. "The first rule I introduced as headmaster of the Tristain Magic Academy was the ban against nobles duelling each other," he began in a low tone as he walked around his desk. "Do you know why I created that rule?" he asked them, eyes smouldering with cold fury.
None of the three girls found it in them to answer him back.
He took their silence as his cue to elaborate. "Not too long after I became headmaster, I learned, perhaps too late, the dangers of arrogance and the level of carelessness that many mages are prone to. Keep in mind that this was when I had lived well past half a century. Because of that event, I could not help but imagine the carelessness of those much younger and more emotionally driven than I."
The beginning of Old Osmond's tale did a lot to help Louise's classmates relax, but the petite mage herself felt uneasy. She was familiar with this form of lecture. Her mother would always start off like this whenever she told her about the Rule of Steel. It would start with her seemingly forgetting all about what Louise had done wrong and going on to tell her a story from her youth. Then, she would use it to show her just why her actions had been wrong, and drive home the consequences again and again to ensure that she no longer made the same mistake.
Such sermons were quite rare, and never happened before she'd entered her teen years, but they were also very effective. Louise knew all too well the consequences of breaking rules; yet it looked like it was for that same reason that she would have to face punishment today.
"A soon as I had returned to the academy from my excursion, I collected all records of injuries and fatalities in the academy." There was the opening. The method may have been slower than a more direct lecture, but it was still to the point. From the looks of things, the headmaster had gotten everyone else's undivided attention with his statement too. "In the just the decades prior, fifty-eight students were severely burnt, thirty-one brought to the brink of death through poisons, thirty-six suffering from numerous cuts on their bodies, and forty-seven having suffered near fatal blunt trauma injury; all of that compounded by eighty-three students dead. Those numbers come from a time when we had, at most, one hundred and twenty students at any one time."
The wind mage's grey eyes fell on each of them in turn, and Louise could tell that he could see the fear and guilt building up on each of their faces. Even the normally stoic Tabitha did not seem unfazed.
"That's an average eight deaths and seventeen severe injuries per year." He turned his body to look away from them, gazing up at the morning sky through his window. "Tell me, how many of those do you suppose were due to accidents?"
All of them were hesitant to answer, even if they were certain of the correct one. Ultimately, it was Kirche who was able to gather enough courage to speak. "Uhh... none of them," she gave the obvious response, only to jump back when the Osmond turned around completely and sent her a withering glare.
"Wrong," he said in as loud a voice without shouting outright. "If it was as simple as an intentional death, then at the very least only a little closure would be needed. Instead, each and every single one of those deaths and injuries occurred because a few restless children chose to enter a duel thinking that they knew what they were doing. The only reason a civil war hadn't already occurred was because most of those involved were the children of barons and vicomtes at the highest. The few times that the children of higher ranking nobility had been involved, they had always come out on top, and while this prevented any chances of infighting within the country, it has still led to bad blood between noble families being formed."
He took a deep breath after his lengthy explanation. It looked as though the act calmed him down somewhat, but there was no doubt in Louise's mind that he wasn't done. This wouldn't be over until Headmaster Osmond meted out a proper punishment.
"If that wasn't bad enough, many of those who accidentally killed their opponents were traumatized by what they did; more than one of them swore off magic entirely and were disowned."
"It was to protect the students I was responsible for from suffering the same fate that I banned duels between nobles." Here, his eyes turned to focus intently on Louise, causing a chill to go up her spine. "Ms. Vallière, when your familiar was challenged by Guiche de Gramont, I allowed it on the grounds of a technicality. This time, however, there is no such loophole. You yourself participated in this duel; that and your previous track record give me more than enough reasons to expel you."
Louise winced at hearing that dreadful word. She knew it. She was going to be expelled, and her parents would either marry her off by the end of the month, or disown her. Neither option sounded good to her ears. It was either become nothing but a vicomte's wife, or lose her noble title completely.
Then of course, there was the issue with Alexander, which would only prove to complicate matters either way; especially when he would finally return home.
"By all rights I should expel you already." The headmaster took another heavy breath before sighing. "I should, but as you've never done anything harmful on purpose before, I am willing to at least hear your explanation."
It took a while for the headmaster's words to register in Louise's head, but once they did, she couldn't quite keep her eyes from widening. Her pink eyes looked askance at the old mage, meeting his hardened grey ones. The intent behind them was clear. If what he heard painted Louise in a bad light, she was as good as gone. Given the series of events yesterday, Louise was certain she'd need to pack her bags soon.
Old Osmond's gaze lifted from the pink haired girl and scanned the other two students, allowing Louise to release her breath. "You will all be punished, there is no question behind this. However, as none of you three are dead or severely injured, I am willing to be lenient. It will be better, after all, to show the other students just what will happen to those who break this one golden rule in my academy. What your punishments shall be, however, will depend entirely on you. You will explain to me the events which led to your battle. Then, I will decide."
The three girls were eager to agree, but as time passed on, it was clear that none of them were willing to explain first. It was a true testament of the headmaster's terrifying presence that he was able to scare Tabitha -a girl who remained composed even in front of the maws of a third year's enraged dragon- into a silence. The next few minutes were spent in unpleasant silence; the pressure Louise felt on herself increased with each second until she was ready to confess her involvement.
"It was my fault, sir..."
On the brink of cracking, Louise found her head darting to Kirche in shock. The Germanian girl who stood between her shorter classmates took a half step forward before continuing. "I... began trying to entice Louise's familiar into spending a night with me after his duel with Guiche," she said, her tone, for once was filled with shame, though Louise doubted it was because of her perversity. "I learned from her familiar yesterday that traditions in his homeland said that I had to defeat him in combat to be able to have a relationship with him, so I issued the challenge for the duel."
For once since they entered the office, the pink haired mage was able to completely ignore Old Osmond. Her mind was completely occupied with trying to think up a response to Kirche's statement, and attempting to fathom why the redhead made it to begin with. Unable to decide which to go with, Louise ultimately decided to just answer one with the other.
"Zerbst, what are..."
"Not now, Louise," Kirche interrupted, her head unmoving. A quick glance to the side revealed the headmaster looking straight into her eyes, his own filled with doubt.
"Ms. Vallière's actions throw a lot of doubt to your claim, Ms. Zerbst."
"Louise wasn't there when the challenge was issued," the fire mage was quick to counter the headmaster's claim.
Louise had to -rather begrudgingly- admit to herself that her respect for Kirche grew at that moment. Whatever goal the redhead was aiming for, to be able to stand up to someone who just proved himself as scary as Karin the Heavy Wind was in no way easy.
"Is Ms. Zerbst speaking the truth, Ms. Vallière?" the headmaster's attention went back to Louise. She hesitated for a moment under his searching eyes, but nodded eventually.
"Humph... very well. I shall have to take your word on this for now, Ms. Zerbst," he told the Germanian girl. His expression clearly said that he didn't fully believe her, but was willing to let it go for now. "Moving on further, if you were the one to issue the challenge to Ms. Vallière's familiar, why is it that two of your classmates also participated?"
The question put a quick halt to Kirche's explanation; clearly, she had yet to fully think the whole thing through. Fortunately for all of them, Tabitha decided on that moment to start talking.
"I wanted to fight as well," the Gallian girl announced, her quiet voice grabbing their attention. "I was curious about how he fought. He wanted to make it fair," she continued to explain in her usual manner. Despite not speaking too much, it seemed enough for the headmaster to consider; his scrutinizing gaze now having moved towards the blue haired girl. She stared back with no visible trace of fear that Louise could see.
Old Osmond hummed in as he looked at the shortest of the three girls before sighing in resignation. "Ms. Vallière, am I correct to assume that it was your familiar who accepted the challenge?" She nodded slowly. He sighed again. "I see... and as a representation of the master itself, for your familiar to accept a challenge for you would mean that you yourself accepted the challenge."
He sighed for a third time, rubbing his closed eyelids out of weariness. Before their very eyes, the ancient, terrifying man was replaced by a tired, old mage. When his eyes next opened to look at all of them, they held none of steeliness present before, and looked more like the eyes that Louise attributed to his face.
"Ms. Vallière, I hope you realize that this whole incident could have been prevented if you had asserted more control over your familiar."
Despite lacking the edge that was once in his voice, the headmaster's chastising comment still struck something in Louise. While Old Osmond's statement was logical, it was only so when not taking into account Alexander's status, of which only she was aware.
"But s-"
Weakly, she tried to protest, but was cut off before she could get anywhere.
"No excuses, Ms. Vallière. That you would give your familiar a high level of liberty due to being human is admirable. As it is, the only reason none of you will be expelled is because I'm willing to be lenient this once concerning the academy's rules." His attention shifted, this time to address all three students. "For the next three days, including today, all your time outside of classes between breakfast and dinner will be spent helping the staff."
The announcement of their punishment drew a surprised and none too dignified reaction from Kirche, but the sudden return of the headmaster's steely eyes quelled her complaints quickly. And so, the old wind mage continued with his instructions.
"As you have missed the regular breakfast hours, you will be having breakfast with the rest of the serving staff. After that, you are to attend your second classes for the day and will begin helping the staff during lunch. Further instructions will be given to you by the either the head maid, Emma, or the head chef Marteau. Finally, none of you are to use your magic for the duration of your time with the staff. Am I understood?"
It took a few moments, but eventually, Tabitha sounded her acceptance to the headmaster's conditions, followed soon by Louise, then Kirche. It wasn't ideal, but it was certainly better than being expelled.
-X-
Jacqueline Longueville, as she was known in the academy, watched the three students and one familiar leave the hall to the headmaster's office. From the looks on two of the students' faces, it was clear that they weren't looking forward to what would undoubtedly be a long day; Tabitha, despite her lack of discernible expression, probably shared the same sentiment.
Well, it wasn't like she cared much for it. They had no bearing on her beyond the possibility of the Vallière girl's familiar.
Still, there was one issue that bugged the green haired young woman, and she made sure to question her employer as soon as the three teenagers were out of earshot.
"Old Osmond," she called to the wind mage.
"Yes, what is it Ms. Longueville?"
"Why did you just let them go like that?" she questioned, honestly curious. There was something not quite right here. She could guess the reason behind not expelling the Vallière girl, considering what she 'overheard', but there was no reason behind keeping the other two. "Did you actually believe what they said?"
Old Osmond huffed in response. "As if I ever would. Tabitha may have been able to accomplish it on her own, but her classmates still need some better acting skills to fool me," he raved on. His secretary resisted the urge to smirk. She wasn't one to normally be flattered by compliments, but since the headmaster didn't know he was giving her any, it certainly made her feel good.
"The only reason I'm even allowing those three are because of the possible backlash that could result from expelling them."
Hearing his reasoning, Jacqueline arched an eyebrow. "Backlash?" she parroted, confused and curious. "Well, I suppose Ms. Zerbst and Ms. Vallière being the daughters of two high ranking nobilities on opposite sides of a border might warrant pardon," she said, though it certainly wasn't the reason she knew for the leniency on Louise. "But still, it's not like anyone could have put the blame on you. They violated the academy's rules in a very dangerous manner, after all."
Scoffing, the headmaster replied to her. "Don't underestimate the hurt ego of old nobles, Ms. Longueville; especially when their rival families are involved." The old man reached for his pipe as he spoke, to which the green haired woman responded by raising her wand, bringing the object towards her. The act didn't slow down his speech though. "This is the last magic school that Ms. Zerbst's family is willing to send her to, and Ms. Vallière holds far more complications than I would care to deal with. What's more, I've my suspicions that Tabitha has some form of relations with the Gallian royal family. I don't know what it is specifically, but she shares too many of the physical traits possessed by the current king and princess(1) for it to be a coincidence. It wouldn't do to stir any of those hornet's nests."
The latest bit of recent news only served to sour the young woman's mood. "In other words, you're protecting them due to politics. I thought you were above such things, Old Osmond," she said with no small amount of spite.
Under normal circumstances, this would be the part where the headmaster would try to give her some phony lecture, all the while satisfying his perverted streak. It would seem, though, that the morning was one filled with oddities; the steel in Old Osmond's eyes from both earlier and now being one of them.
"I might not normally allow the rule breakers to go unpunished simply because of political reasons, but there are some issues that simply cannot be ignored. It may only be a gut feeling, but I am certain that expelling any one of those three at this time may very well have great consequences."
Her interest now piqued, Jacqueline Longueville scrutinized her employer with curious and critical eye. "Is there any particular reason you would believe your instinct more than your own rules?" she asked him, unable to perceive anything from the unusually unbending mage.
Old Osmond nodded his head. "Of course," he answered her, "the last time I did so out of hubris, I had nearly lost my life. If it wasn't for that man and his Reaper's Moon, I likely would have."
"Reaper's Moon?" her brow rose at the familiar name, "that sounds rather ominous."
"Indeed it is," Old Osmond agreed wholeheartedly, "and not without good reason. The last two people to try and find out what it does both died of unknown circumstances. For that, the late king of Tristain had ordered it to be locked away. Both for the possible danger it represented, and for the fact that it was I who found it, the decision was to keep it here in the academy's most secure vault."
It was truly a powerful object then if it was able to do that. She really shouldn't have been surprised; her superiors weren't the kind to waste resources for a fruitless endeavour.
"But you said that someone managed to use it to save your life," the green haired woman pointed out; taking the reign of the biggest opening she was given. More information meant an easier target. She made sure to keep her voice as innocently curious as possible without sounding unnatural. "That must mean that at least one person knows how to use it."
Old Osmond's brow twitched ever so slightly, and Jacqueline Longueville could almost swear that she had seen a look of depression and regret flash across his face. "Knew, actually," the wind mage corrected her, inadvertently explaining his reaction. "His last moment was spent saving my life around thirty years; the only time I've ever seen the Reaper's Moon being used in a way that was beneficial to the user."
She mulled over new piece of information she'd learned about her designated target. While she was aware of its location, the history behind it was something that was a complete unknown to her. All she about the artefact in question was its appearance and its supposed function.
With what she learned, the strict order of 'do not try to use it under any circumstances' suddenly made a lot of sense. She was glad for that at least. Honestly, the green haired woman had been very tempted to disobey those orders, if only to learn about its functions.
Still, the conclusion of this particular assignment was drawing near. She knew all about the defences, and while it was a hassle, Jacqueline Longueville was certain that her connections would give her the proper opportunity to procure the dangerous relic. All she needed now were the orders.
-X-
The door to a certain dorm room opened up at night to a moan that could very well have belonged to the walking dead. Through the dim lights produced by candle fire and two moons, the source of the sound shuffled into the abode. The being that entered was stooped over; arms hung to the side with the occasional twitch being the only proof of them not actually being dead.
"Uhhhh..." the entity moaned louder as it approached the bed. Behind it, another figure entered into the dorm, their stance much more like that of a normal person's gate.
"Louise, you're acting more like a stereotypical zombie than the actual undead," the second figure pointed out in equal parts amusement and annoyance. The moonlight that shone through the windows was enough to illuminate the faces of master and familiar; the former of whom having collapsed on her bed while the latter looked at her with mirthful disbelief.
"Oh how would you know?" she retorted with just a touch of venom. The silver haired prince could probably chalk it up to her fatigue of working with the staff all day.
"Well, there aren't any actual zombies as of the current time in my world," Alexander answered, shrugging, though she couldn't see it, "but back when my father went on his journeys, he had to confront a necromancer," Louise visibly shuddered at the word, "who had an entire horde of zombies under her command."
His pink haired summoner rolled onto her back and pushed herself up with her shoulders, staring at him with a disturbed expression. "You're joking about that, right?" she almost pleaded him. A look of fear fell on her features when Alexander shook his head.
"I'm afraid not," he affirmed further, "in fact, one of the most powerful people that my parents had to face in the last war was a necromancer. A Lich technically, as she herself was a zombie. Still, no one practices necromancy anymore," he reassured her, "the only known person who has any form of knowledge concerning necromancy is a doll maker by the name of Chrome, and she's vowed never to use it. That subject was agreed on twenty years ago, and she still hasn't gone back on it."
"O... oh..." Louise breathed out in relief, lying back down on her bed. She looked tired again. "Well, that's good, I guess," she added uncertainly.
Alexander laughed to himself. "Don't worry about it Louise. I know Chrome, if vaguely. She may not be the most moral person, but she's pragmatic. The consequences which await her should she go back on her word are more than enough to keep her from doing so."
Despite his confidence, Louise still didn't look too sure about that. Still, she notably relaxed, breathing out a sigh of relief. "Well, if you say so," she said, looking out at the window to stare at the moon.
They stayed like that for a while; Alexander's eyes eventually being drawn to the same sight as his summoner's. None of the entities in the silver haired teen's mind seemed to want to talk either.
"I should change to my sleepwear," Louise pointed out, breaking the silence as she sat upright.
Alexander's eyes darted to her briefly before he nodded and turned around, "I'll wait outside the door then. Call me in when you're decent." He didn't even wait for her to sound her assent before walking out, already knowing what her answer would be.
As it did every night in this world apart from his first, Louise finished in around two minutes. The angel descendant reinterred the room to find his summoner already tucking herself into bed. She yawned tiredly as she draped her blanket across her body.
"You really are tired, aren't you?" Alexander queried, the mirth in his voice barely contained.
Louise answer was another weary moan. "It could have been worse," she pointed out, her optimism masked by another sleepy yawn, "right now, I'm just happy that Old Osmond decided to be lenient."
"Yeah..." Alexander trailed off, his expression shifting to one of guilt, "sorry again, for getting you in trouble like this."
"Ehh... it's fine," Louise grumbled, "I might still be mad, but there's no reason for you to apologize now. Besides, I wanted to fight just as much as you did, so it's not like I can just put all the blame on you, even if it was your idea."
"I can't help but notice that your answer now is drastically different from earlier," Alexander half joked.
Louise would have shrugged if she could. "I actually had the energy to shout at you earlier," she countered.
The silver haired teen laughed. "I could tell. And in all honesty, I'm glad you did."
She moaned tiredly again, and Alexander was almost certain that she had already closed her eyes to sleep. "I haven't even told her about animism yet," he thought amusedly, "well... I guess I can leave that subject for later."
Seeing as his companion was already on her way to dreamland, the angel descendant lied down on his makeshift bed. For some reason, he felt restless tonight.
-X-
"What the hell is this Marcellus!? Do you know what you're doing!?"
A loud demanding voice reached her in the darkness. Suddenly, Louise found herself in a room; a receding light shown through the windows. With her were two men; both, she somehow knew, were at least as old as her father, despite their faces looking blurred.
"... All we're doing is simple revenge," another voice -Marcellus, Louise assumed- replied, belonging to the shorter of the two, "I don't mean to continue our group's activities any longer."
The first voice's owner reacted with anger. "What about Karen? Or old man Merlin?" he growled out two other names, "If you just turn back on their regrets, how are you ever going to face them again!?"
The shorter man turned away from him, looking out the window. The light from outside was getting dimmer by the minute. "...We can't face them as we are now," he countered. "Do you think those two want us to kill hundreds of monsters in their name?"
He sighed, conveying regret in a way that no expression ever would. "You must have noticed, Lazarus... we're wrong."
"The only thing wrong here is your uncommitted attitude!" the man known as Lazarus roared. In a fit of rage, he drew the sword from his right hip. For reason's she wasn't aware, she felt desperation from the taller man, mixed with a strange confidence. "I won't allow it! You aren't going to waste their deaths! Don't you dare say they were for nothing!"
"Stop this, Lazarus!" Marcellus commanded, whirling around to glare at the incensed man, but he did not listen.
"A traitor..." Lazarus growled quietly; his anger and incredulity all too obvious, even without Louise feeling his emotions, "Not only do you help monsters, but you would even use the gift," he spat out the last word with extreme venom, "that the Monster Lord gave you to accomplish it. I must enforce the rules of Ilias Kreuz!"
His passion and anger boiled their way into Louise's mind as Lazarus swung down his sword. Yet, despite that, she could not help but think that there was a lack of desire in his attack; like it was all a lie. It was as though Lazarus knew an inevitable truth that would ultimately prove his actions useless.
The cry of the shorter man and the scattering of blood shattered that resignation. Marcellus reacted too slowly. Unable to dodge, the blade cut him deep in his left, severing his arm in the process; a surely fatal blow, even to the eyes of someone unused to death.
Louise wanted to vomit. She wanted to wake up from this twisted, lucid dream. Her mind surged for a way to change it, but it was all for naught.
Regret, shock, utter disbelief, panic and fear; all at once, those emotions flooded Lazarus, and through him, Louise. "...Y...You fool! Why didn't you avoid it!?" he screamed, desperately demanding the still groaning man for answers.
Though Louise couldn't see his face properly, she was certain that Lazarus had gone deathly pale; more so when Marcellus collapsed, hitting the ground with an audible thud. Blood flowed from his wound, as if to provide further proof of its fatality.
The little mage could almost feel the taller man demanding questions from inside his head, asking himself why things had just happened the way they did. Why didn't he avoid the blow, or even deflect it?
Realization came afterwards.
"Y...You... It can't be..." Lazarus muttered, his regret rising all the more until it bled away to rage; both at Marcellus and himself. "You're blind in your left eye!?" he accused the other man. From his voice, she could tell that he was holding back tears, in spite of his anger.
In contrast, the dying man on the ground chuckled grimly. "Ah... Yes...From the Monster Lord's Castle incident... " His voice was hoarse as he spoke, muffled further his position on the floor. "I kept quiet about it... My blind spot..."
"You idiot!" the taller man shouted, "Why would you keep something important like that hidden!?" His demand was filled with desperation, trying to cling on to some form of reason as the man before him crept closer to death's door.
Despite his condition, Marcellus smirked up at his companion. "Lazarus... I didn't want you to worry..." he explained himself, groaning silently. Not a second later, he went limp; his eyes, Louise was certain, had just closed for what was likely the final time.
Lazarus sucked in a breath. "Wait, don't die!" he begged desperately, approaching the man. "What am I going to do if you leave me?" he asked desperately, now on his knees; his voice betraying the tears that began to fall.
Rather than answer, Marcellus made a plea: "Lucifina... Forgive me... Please... Luka..."
"Hey, you're joking...!" Lazarus cried, "Don't die... You can't die...!" His right hand flew up and slammed into the ground. "Damn it!" he screamed, looking at Marcellus.
Even knowing nothing about the two, Louise could tell they were as close as brothers.
As the light from outside began to dim, Lazarus stood up. His mind was in a haze of hysteria and denial. "I'm going to go get the doctor," he said, clinging to the last shred of optimistic hope that he had left. "Don't die on me, Marcellus!" He ran out of the room screaming.
The lights from outside the window were now gone, save for a small ray that landed on the fallen body. The floor bellow Marcellus glowed with a faint green light, swirling like a whirlpool. It swallowed him up.
When Lazarus returned, all that was left was Marcellus' severed arm.
-X-
The dream still did not end there, though Louise desperately wished otherwise.
She was whisked away from the room, and now found herself in complete darkness.
At first, all she could hear was the sound of the wind brushing across tree leaves. Then came frantic reverberation of feet running on earth and stone, some distance away, followed by titanic footfalls that made the nothingness underneath Louise.
A loud roar reached her ears next, and finally, light came into the world. The pink haired girl saw Marcellus lying on the grassy ground as the loud stomps from earlier grew louder; closer.
A blue glow by the side of his hips caught Louise's attention as he began to sit up. With his only arm, Marcellus reached into the bag on his hip and pulled out a strange jewel. Though everything but the two men's faces were clear in the pink haired mage's dream, the stone in his hand was nothing in comparison. It was so realistic that she could almost swear it was possible for her to touch it; to bring it back to the waking world.
A blue jewel curved into an elegant arc; its ends rounded. The two ends were uneven in size, with larger one possessing a hole in the middle. It radiated with power that seemed to revitalized the dying man, if only slightly.
"Heh... I guess this thing isn't just useful for fighting, is it?" Marcellus asked himself, his voice rasping.
Another roar rang clear through the forest.
With great effort, the man pulled himself up to his feet, facing the sound's direction. "Well... I suppose... just one more time... I can be the hero I've always wanted to be..."
And so ended Louise's dream...
-X-
(1) In the light novels, King Joseph de Gallia had a daughter by the name of Isabelle de Gallia.