And I've finally gotten this chapter done.
I apologize for the long wait but it simply wasn't coming for me until recently.
I would also like to mention that I have a forum for discussing my stories... or any other random thing that pops into my head, so feel free to pop over there if you want to ask anything.
Anyway, time to answer some reviews:
SilverIceRing: if you play the PS2 version, the as long as you have the appropriate Persona and enough mp, you can use Fusion Spells as much as you want (one of the most famous examples is having Lucifer/Helel (depending on the version) with Victory Cry... instant Armageddon with full mp restore upon victory).
Windraider: actually the thing is that right now Minato doesn't have the complete picture of Halkeginia so he is underestimating them, I myself know how the duel will go about and that is what is important.
tsun: from what I know, Shiva has Enduring Soul as a base skill, victory cry however isn't a base skill for any persona and since Minato doesn't have leveled up persona anymore, none of them can use victory cry.
Zikarn Krais: The problem you are ignoring is that Minato's personae can COMPLETELY NULLIFY attacks against him and from what I've seen wand swords are blunt and designed to channel magic, Beelzebub alone nulls blunt force trauma and wind attacks, her two main methods of offence. And another thing, so far all the differences in power that have been mentioned are from Minato's point of view despite not being said in first person... because I write in second person, I focus on a single character and their thought process, not everyones. As far as battles are concerned, so far there has only be Guiche... aka, that guy that a complete novice with the Gandalfr runes managed to pwn once he got his hands on a sword... that isn't a fair comparison. And as for 'fixing', the simple fact is that the story is a work of fiction, nothing in it matters in reality, so what is there to fix? This is a fic about a character who is essentially trying to bring an industrial revolution to a country that doesn't want it while dealing with the fact that he is half assing it while everyone else is taking it full throttle... and in the political arena, that is a very dangerous situation to find yourself in.
And that is pretty much all I have to answer right now so let's get on with the story.
The days seemed to pass by far too slowly as far as Louise was concerned.
The date of the duel had been announced and it was also explained that political figures from all over the continent would be attending, including the queen, the Emperor of Germania and the Pope of Romalia.
And she was terrified. Her mother wouldn't hold back and beyond that, she was known as one of the most powerful warriors in modern history for a reason.
And yet Minato was just so damned confident about his chances of victory.
It just wasn't fair!
If he was scared, if he worried then she wouldn't feel so bad about being terrified for him but as it stood right now, it felt like she was the only one that had any sense and that she was failing to make him understand the real horror of facing her mother in combat.
She gritted her teeth as she thought about it, she needed to clear her mind of those thoughts, they would just make her feel even worse than before… so she shook her head and tried to focus on the book of notes in front of her.
How he could be so calm at the prospect of facing her mother, that he didn't even slow down the lesson plan for Science was beyond her…
Dammit! She was thinking about it AGAIN!
Why couldn't she get those thoughts out of her mind?
Why was she so concerned about his death?
It wasn't like it was her fault the idiot decided to protect a murderer!
And now he was wanting to show off before the world?
She once again gritted her teeth so hard they might've broken if they weren't so durable.
It just wasn't fair that she was the only person to get such a troublesome familiar.
"Hello Vallière," oh, that's great, just great.
"What do you want Zerbst?" she gritted out, seriously, why did the girl always show up at the most inopportune of times?
"Oh, what's with the cold welcome?" she knew the buxom redhead was being rhetorical but it only made her ire for the tanned Germanian grow, "after all, I came to tell you something interesting."
She grit her teeth as she wondered just what her greatest enemy was planning on distracting her with.
"Professor Arisato just had a practice match with three professors," her blood froze at that statement, "and he won."
She found herself releasing a sigh of annoyance at that… sure he may be capable of defeating three professors at the same time but it didn't mean a thing against her mother.
Her mother was capable of slaughtering an entire army single-handedly, so defeating a few minor mages didn't mean much at all.
"You just don't get it do you…" she ground out in irritation, "the Heavy Wind is one of the most feared square class wind mages in the world… even if he can beat a few minor mages it doesn't change the fact she is too much."
"Louise… one of those professors was Professor Colbert," so what? It didn't matter who it was that sparred with him, they were all at the most triangle class mages, "during that match, the Headmaster told us something… Professor Colbert was known as the Flame Snake when he was in the military."
Louise found herself about to snap at the Germanian before her words pierced her mind.
Flame Snake.
Professor Colbert was the Flame Snake?
That was impossible.
Her mother had spoken highly of the Flame Snakes skill, power and ruthlessness… there was no way that the kindest of the Professors could possibly be that monster.
"No, that's impossible," she finally stated as she looked back at her book.
"I know… but you didn't see his magic in action," the red head stated with a blank expression, "I've never seen fire magic anywhere near that powerful before."
Louise simply disregarded that point, after all, it wasn't like Kirche had seen that much when it came down to magic.
"Besides, I've heard stories about the Flame Snake and he was supposed to be ruthless… Professor Colbert most certainly isn't," she stated bluntly as she returned to her book.
"So you've never heard about the many soldiers who are haunted by their past?" those words struck a chord with her… and thinking about it she realised that it wasn't from anything her mother had ever said.
It was from something her father said.
She shivered at that thought… that she would constantly think of everything her mother told her and forget what her father did… it was just more proof that the Heavy Wind controlled her life in every way outside of her talent in magic.
"It looks like you have heard about it," the tanned girls voice cut through, "you know, according to the headmaster, Professor Colbert is probably the single most powerful mage in this school and it is only because of the atrocities he committed in his youth that he hates war and violence as much as he does right now."
"If he hates violence so much then why did he fight against Minato?" she asked before noticing that she had called him by his first name instead of his title… yet again.
"Apparently Professor Arisato was able to convince him into showing off a few square class spells… and managed to get it to escalate from there," the busty Germanian stated with an amused grin tugging at her lips.
Louise was really beginning to wonder… had she actually been wrong about him?
From what she had just been told, the youngest Teacher was actually doing some work towards the duel… even if she felt it would be pointless in the end.
The only thing known to stand a chance against her mother was an Elf and Minato was most certainly not an elf.
"Still… I guess only time will tell," the girl with an affinity for fire stated bluntly as she turned away from her, "though I will admit, I am looking forward to seeing the Heavy Wind in action… especially after all the stories I've heard about his prowess."
Louise couldn't stop herself.
She snorted in amusement, drawing the attention of her greatest rival.
"What's so funny?" the talented fire mage asked with narrowed eyes.
"Nothing, nothing," she quickly dismissed, earning even more suspicious looks from the much taller girl.
"Really, then you shouldn't have a problem telling me why you're laughing," she found herself cursing her self-control… if only she hadn't started to laugh at the other girl assuming her mother was a man then she wouldn't be in this situation.
"Like I said, it was nothing," the blank stare she received in response told her that she wasn't going to get out of the interrogation quite that easily.
"I find that hard to believe," the statement made it perfectly clear that the red head wouldn't give up and so Louise did the only thing she could in that situation.
"Fine, if you're going to keep interrupting my studying then I'm leaving," and without saying another word she got up and started to pack her bags.
"So… what is it that you're embarrassed about?" she found herself freezing at that question, "you wouldn't be so obsessed with me not knowing unless you were embarrassed about it."
The pink haired girl could do nothing more than find herself dreading the possibility that her rival might find out about the link between her and the Heavy Wind, after all, having such a famous and feared mother would only make her own incompetence shine even brighter than it already did.
After several seconds, she simply left the library and made her way to her room, silently praying that the busty Zerbst didn't follow her.
XXX XXX XXX
Kirche couldn't stop herself from frowning.
What was it that embarrassed Louise so much that she refused to talk about it at all?
Then again, if the pinkette was that embarrassed about it then she was obviously going to be the last person she would talk about it to… the Vallière just didn't seem to realise that her small jabs at her weren't serious.
Honestly, that fact simply made her easier to tease.
But she really wanted to learn why the other girl had gotten so worked up about it, what was there about the Heavy Wind that made her so uncomfortable?
And more importantly who would know?
Well, there really weren't that many people in the know about the personal life of the youngest Vallière, most people just laughed at how she always failed to do anything except make explosions.
Except… there was one person who may know, the question was how to go about asking him about it.
She pursed her lips at that thought, would he tell her at all? And if so, how much would he tell her?
Oh well, she didn't have anything to lose by asking him did she?
And so it was with a confident stride that she made her way to the room of the academy's most notorious teacher.
Honestly it would've made more sense for his room to be closer to the library given how much time he seemed to spend in it but it was the headmaster that assigned him the room so there wasn't really much anyone else could do about it.
Eventually though she found the door and lightly rapped on the wooden plank that separated the room from the corridor.
"Come in," the call was clearly bored, much like the dark haired boy usually sounded and without further prompting she opened the door and stalled slightly.
What was Ms Longueville doing there? And why were there two beds in the room?
"Uh?" she didn't know what to say upon seeing that.
"Is there something you want Ms Zerbst?" his voice cut through and she looked towards him.
He didn't look like he had just come out of a sparring session with three powerful mages that much was for certain, though there was some dirt on his clothes… which was rather unusual given how close he had been to some of Professor Colberts fire spells… his clothes at least should be a little singed.
"Ah… I spoke with Louise earlier," she stated as easily as she could despite still being a little off guard due to the green haired secretary being in the room, "we spoke about the Heavy Wind and then she started to laugh… and wouldn't tell me why."
"And you came to me why?" he was clearly not impressed with her decision and she understood why.
"Because you're the one person I could think of that might know what she found so amusing… and embarrassing," she stated clearly, it wasn't worth trying to dance around the youngest teacher, he was too composed to fall for her usual tricks.
"And you think I would share that information with you why?" it was a valid question and she knew he had the whole teacher student confidentiality thing to think about on top of technically being her familiar… but she wanted to know and there was also more to it than just that.
"Because despite what Louise seems to think, I'm the only person in this school that wants to be her friend," she didn't want to admit it but in the end, it was true.
It was just like Tabitha all over again, a small girl with no friends, always alone, always mocked either for their lack of social skills or their lack of talent… she didn't like it when something like that happened and so she started to tease Louise, never meaning any of it, always saying everything with just enough cheekiness to incite the girl to try harder instead of give in to the taunts of the rest.
But in the end, the pinkette simply didn't seem to realize what she was doing and instead took it that she was mocking her just like the rest.
Their families rivalry didn't help any either.
The blunt look she received from him was actually rather unnerving… not because he was looking down on her, or glaring, or anything else… rather he was simply staring at her without any noticeable emotions playing on his face.
She idly noted that he would be an excellent poker player if he ever put his mind to it.
"What was it you said that made her laugh?" she almost sighed in relief upon hearing that question.
"I had just said that I had heard lots of stories about the Heavy Wind and looked forward to seeing him in action," she admitted, only to blink in surprise at how quickly he answered.
"The Heavy Wind is a woman," she had to do a double take at that, she had never heard that particular part about the legendary soldier, "more specifically, she is Louise's mother."
Kirche froze.
She couldn't stop herself from staring into space as everything dropped into place, why Louise laughed at her statement about the Heavy Wind, why she refused to tell her the reason why she was amused and most importantly, why she would be embarrassed.
After all, if her mother was such a feared mage, then clearly she would be expected to excel as well, even if she wouldn't be expected to live up to her mother's legend.
Instead she failed at every type of magic she tried.
"I see…" she muttered as she finally understood exactly where the pinkette's inferiority complex stemmed from.
"What do you plan on doing with that knowledge?" his question was clear and she found herself thinking hard about the reality of what the knowledge changed.
"I don't know," honestly she didn't really know what it changed… Louise was still Louise but in the end she now had a better idea of just how serious her inability to use standard magic actually was to her.
All she really knew was that she wasn't going to spread that knowledge about… doing so would just make the tormenting from the rest of the school significantly worse by including the fact that she wasn't living up to her mother's expectations.
"Is that everything Miss Zerbst?" he asked her with his typical calmness.
"Yes, thank you Professor Arisato," and with that, she proceeded to leave the room, idly noting that he made no requests of her to keep what he told her a secret.
Idly she wondered why he didn't.
XXX XXX XXX
It was finally time.
The day of the duel.
And Matilda found herself unsure of how she felt.
On one hand Minato was so confident in his ability to defeat the Heavy Wind after using most of his strength to show off an anti-army attack but on the other, the Heavy Wind was no slouch.
Honestly she didn't know what to expect that day, especially not with Minato claiming he would show them Armageddon.
She still remembered his description of what it could do… though she was silently wondering just how much he decided to hype up the spell.
At least she would finally learn just how honest his words were that day.
"Miss Longueville, are you ready?" she started at the voice of the maid that Minato owned the contract for.
"Yes Siesta, thank you for coming to escort me," she responded towards the young woman that she had managed to gain a certain rapport with over her time under the Science teachers watchful gaze.
The young girl simply smiled before waiting for her to leave the room, which she did with her heart beating rapidly and her breath hitching at the thought of what was about to occur.
This was a fight between Minato and the rest of the continent with her as the prize.
Honestly she knew she was stupid to stay, that she should have run when she had the chance but… something stopped her.
Was it the knowledge of the teen's power? Was it the thought of Old Osmond keeping a close enough eye on her to catch her if she ever tried to make a break for it?
She didn't know, all she knew as that she just knew she had to stay.
And so she was led towards the main entrance of the school, the area where all the gathered nobles would be located… she just hoped that no pot shots were taken against her otherwise she was sure she wouldn't be able to defend herself without dooming both herself and the blue haired boy.
The walk was painfully slow and felt like she was being led to the guillotine, that she was soon to lose her head to the jeering masses that demanded retribution for her crime of killing Count Mott.
In the end all she could do was silently pray to whatever gods there were that she would live past this day.
Eventually she saw the doors leading out to the main gate and almost stopped right there, her feet refusing to obey her before he reasserted her control over them and followed the young maid outside and into the bright light of the near midday sun.
She blinked a couple of times before noting that indeed, there were dozens, if not hundreds of nobles from all across the continent seated for the show that would occur that very day.
What surprised her however was how none of them seemed to pay her any more attention than a single glance… it was as if…
They hadn't been told yet.
She had to admit that she was expecting the gathered crowd to jeer at her, to pelt her with spells, to try and end her life… she had never considered the possibility that they wouldn't even know it was her that had killed a noble.
And honestly, that only made her even more terrified.
She was going to be introduced as the person that killed a noble in front of them all and she wouldn't have a clue as to how they would react in the spur of the moment… for all she knew they could all very well attack her at the same time and given just how many high class mages there were in this gathering, that would guarantee her death.
She found herself being taken over to the podium that had been set up at the other end of the court that consumed nearly half of the school grounds near the main gate before being shown to a single seat that was directly between The Flame Snake and the boy that had decided to protect her.
"How are you feeling?" she heard the navy haired boy ask in his usual near monotone, honestly she would've expected him to be at least a little nervous, even if not about the match then at least about standing before so many aristocrats.
"Nervous," she admitted before worrying her lip… she was regretting not running away when she had the chance but even now, she still felt that staying would be the safer option.
"Don't be, everything will work out," he sounded so sure of himself and that was when it finally hit her.
The reason she hadn't run was because of him.
There was simply something about him, some unmentionable quality that drew her in… he had an innate charisma that made her believe in him even if her head kept telling her that it was foolish.
In the end, he was a natural born leader and the only reason he wouldn't rise through the ranks of Tristain nobility was because he chose to try and push everyone away.
The fact that he was always so calm and collected only made that point stand out even more.
She idly thought that he was probably what this world needed… they needed someone who was capable of keeping their cool, making rational decisions and who was prepared to allow creativity and equality among all the people, both those with and without magic.
But she knew that he didn't plan on staying in this world. He wanted to return home, to go back to his place in the universe and complete what he felt was his duty.
She just didn't agree with his decision.
He had explained everything to her, how he had used his own soul as a seal to keep an ancient destructive force at bay, that he had sacrificed himself to protect his friends and loved ones and most importantly… that he didn't even know if he was needed or if the destructive force had already wiped them out.
It was like he was ignoring the possibility that he had been brought to this world for a reason, that his role in his home world was complete and that some type of divine intervention had placed him in this world filled with prejudice and oppression.
The fact that he was trying to stop himself from bonding with the people here was only making it worse because if he did manage to make bonds here then it was possible that he would start to acknowledge the possibility that he didn't need to return.
And then Old Osmond finally moved over to the podium.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Rulers and Priests," his voice was far firmer than she had ever heard before, something she was sure he was only doing to address the nobility among them, "I have gathered you all here today for two reasons."
"Not two weeks ago there was a murder within this schools halls," the lack of reaction from the crowd was proof that the school had not covered up the death and she found herself growing more nervous as the speech continued.
"And have you investigated this crime?" the Princess of Tristain, a young woman who would still be of the correct age to attend the academy if she wasn't privately tutored, asked with a serious tone and a firm expression.
"No, the culprit has stepped forward… though there is a complication," she could tell that that explanation was not going over well given the restlessness of the crowd, even some of the gathered students were shifting nervously at that declaration.
"And what are these complications that are preventing you from administering justice for Count Mott's death?" it was barely noticeable, almost completely hidden but Matilda heard it… the distaste in the princess's tone at the usage of the word justice.
It clearly seemed that the future Queen of the country didn't consider the punishments inflicted for the harm of a Noble justice.
Then again, neither did she.
The so called justice cast for causing harm to nobility was never truly justice, it was always a matter of making an example or exacting vengeance… but it was never about justice.
"That would be me," everyone in the crowd looked over to the newest teacher in the academy as he rose from his seat and made his way to the podium himself.
Confusion seemed to be the most prominent emotion displayed from the group… that is until she noted the Romalia contingent that included the Pope himself, a young man with long blonde hair.
The calculating look that she could see in the man's eyes was the single most unnerving thing she had seen about this conference and that was saying something.
"And why are you a complication in dispensing justice for Count Mott's murder?" the princess was clearly digging for information on why that was the case and she had a feeling he would tell her almost everything.
"Because that murder may have very well saved thousands of lives," that blunt statement seemed to catch them all off guard, "it wasn't long ago that I found myself summoned by a student here during the recent springtime familiar summoning ritual."
She noted the complete lack of surprise on the Pope's face at that declaration… in fact none of the high ranking members of the Church seemed even remotely surprised at that statement.
"That is impossible, the summoning ritual cannot summon humans," the princess seemed to be rather angry at his claim however it was not Minato that responded.
"That is a common misconception about the ritual," the voice was soft, melodic and one that held a shocking amount of warmth… she had honestly not expected to hear such a thing from the Pope himself, "while it is uncommon, requiring very specific attributes in order to achieve, summoning a human familiar is not impossible… merely incredibly rare."
"Forgive my rudeness your holiness," the Princess was bowing before the man and was clearly uncertain of what to say now but she was clearly brave enough to barrel on regardless, "but what makes you so certain such a thing is possible?"
The blond haired man simply gave a soft smile before saying something that caused shocked gasps to erupt from the rest of the gathered nobles.
"Because I did so myself," Matilda herself found that admission hard to accept but pushed those thoughts down, she knew tha Minato had been summoned so the fact that someone else had been summoned should not be such a big surprise, "is that enough for you to accept or will you accuse me of being a liar?"
The Princess simply returned to her seat, clearly backing down and she honestly couldn't blame the girl.
To decry the Pope as a liar was political suicide.
"Now that that is over with," the blue haired boy stated with boredom clear in his tone, "I was summoned here not long ago, however the important part of that is that I am not from this world."
The boy waited for a few seconds, clearly waiting for the gathered crowd to ask questions before moving on.
"in my own world, magic is a rare, almost unheard of craft," his statement was met with glances between nobles who seemed to think he was a nutcase… except for the Pope once again, "however because of the lack of magic in my world… we found ways around it with a subject we call science."
"Excuse me but what does this have to do with the death of a royal messenger?" the Princess seemed to be getting irritated that the speech didn't seem to be going anywhere.
"It is simple," the youngest teacher stated calmly, "I started teaching that subject here."
The tensing of all the nobles was noticeable to the green haired secretary as she watched the event continue with her nerves starting to run higher than before.
"Count Mott came to witness one of my classes and I showed him what I usually do to maintain order among the students… he didn't like it," she found herself cringing at that simple declaration that the Count hadn't liked how he kept order… though she also noted how everyone else that lived at the academy followed suit.
"And what method do you use to keep order in your class that made Count Mott displeased?" there was a definite edge to the princesses voice as she once again took command of the questioning before freezing in abject terror.
She couldn't blame the girl or anyone else in the gathering… she was used to the apparition that appeared behind the boy and she found herself shrinking back into her seat.
"Oh just this," the casual way he made that claim was far too calm given that he had just terrified the most important people on the continent.
And then the apparition vanished.
"So because I could do that, Mott decided he wanted to try and send the Church after me," it was a simple statement and one that was said with such a blasé tone that she could barely comprehend just how little cared about the thought of facing the most powerful religious organisation on the continent, "he told the culprit and they acted out of desperation… because they are quite the firm supporter of the concept of science."
Everyone that had been caught off guard by his summoning of such an evil spectre was finally beginning to recover from their shock.
However they didn't get enough time to question him on that point.
"And in doing so possibly saved thousands of lives," his statement was so confident that she was left believing that he really did expect it to take thousands of soldiers to take him down… or rather, that he could take down thousands of soldiers.
"From your wording, is it correct for me to assume you are claiming to possess a method of wiping out an entire army?" the Pope spoke out easily, having already regained his bearings and further proving to the professional thief that he was probably the single most dangerous person at the gathering… probably not the most powerful but certainly the most dangerous.
"That is correct," the easy manner in which the teen made that confirmation made her feel uneasy, "and that is one of the reasons you were brought here today… I intend on showing you just how powerful I really am."
"Very well, please, lead on," she found herself once again feeling unease at the ease with which the Pope was taking this event… it was as if he was already incorporating the science teacher into his plans.
The rabble of nobility was impressively organised, then again, it was only natural for it to be as such when not only the Queen, but also the Pope himself was present… no one wanted to make a bad impression on the man after all.
She herself found it easy to move in front of the crowd, since it was being led by the staff and towards an open plain behind the academy… one that stretched for miles around before hitting one of the vastest mountain ranges in Halkeginia.
It was a rather unusual situation if she was honest, the thought that the plain that was basically there to make sure that if there was ever a problem with the structural integrity of the mountain range then they wouldn't have to worry as it would be too far away for it to make any difference to the building itself.
"Is everyone here?" the headmaster spoke clearly above everyone else before nodding his head, "very well, Mr Arisato, please continue what it was that you were planning."
The bored expression the boy gave and the nod was all the confirmation that the man received before the boy crossed his arms over his chest and a bright blue light surrounded him.
"Armageddon," his call was quiet and firm and upon speaking it two presences appeared floating behind him.
One was a beautiful man with six white wings and a pair of horns that looked like they belonged on a goat, while the other was something straight out of a nightmare with dark blue skin, sharp teeth, three pairs of arms, a pair of tentacles that looked like white snakes, six massive shell like wings, an elongated head and the body of a snake.
And then they both pointed a hand towards the empty plain before she was forced to look away.
A wall of purple flames so bright had erupted before them, blinding anyone foolish enough to stare at the spell… before it quickly died down and she found herself looking to see the result of this spell he called Armageddon.
Her breath hitched.
Her heart beat soared.
Her mind froze.
Her eyes became transfixed by the scene before her.
Where before there had been a wide open plain, filled with lush grass and flowers for miles, now there was only a desolate wasteland stretching all the way to the mountain range and for miles to either side… it truly was a spell designed to wipe out everything before him… leaving not even a single blade of grass or root of a tree in its wake.
Now she understood why he was so confident… a spell like that was far beyond anything she had ever heard of outside of perhaps the founder himself.
Looking around it seemed that she wasn't the only person to pale at the devastation caused by that one attack… but once again she noted that the Pope seemed more contemplative than shocked.
That man truly unnerved her.
"So… do you now understand why I said Mott's death may have saved thousands of lives?" she couldn't blame him for that rhetorical question.
"That may be the case, however you made an important mistake by doing this display," a firm, female voice called out causing the crowd to split as a heavily armoured individual stepped forward, "you didn't wait until after your duel with me to perform it… and I will not permit those that pervert the law of this country to live."
"Oh don't worry, I plan on beating you anyway," that statement caused almost as much shock as the display of power itself.
For the Heavy Wind had finally taken the stage.
And that is all for now.
I was originally planning on writing out the whole day, including the duel but I have to admit, I don't have much experience writing fight scenes so I've decided to separate it from the rest.
Hopefully I will do the match justice.
Anyway, that is all for now so until next time...
Shadow out.