This is the longest gap I've had to take between chapters. I won't make any excuses, the past year has been a bit difficult to deal with, but ultimately, my reason for taking so long was a lack of inspiration. But I have no plans of discontinuing this story any time soon, and now that I'm a bit better adjusted, I think I've found all the inspiration I need to keep going.

Originally, I planned to have a Side B here as well, but as the next Side A will be an interlude to explain the ending of this chapter, and would be decidedly shorter, I'm going to delay that instead. But don't worry on when that will come out. I intend to have it done within two weeks.

Keep note that I don't really recall much in the way of reference concerning how knowledgeable Halkegenian's are with their magic, as the anime had very little in that regard and the Light Novels only touch up on certain more prominent bits. That said, I find the thought that these people, who are so reliant on magic, would just go with the 'it's magic, ain't gotta explain shit' attitude towards it, and the mention of researchers in the LN sort of hint that they have a more well analyzed system than is explicitly shown.

A bit of that will come into play here and in the future, though I'll try to keep the number of info-dumps in the main story proper very rare and will usually just summarize them, unless of course they a part in character development. For those who are more interested in the full explanation, I'll usually give a more detailed outtake after the chapter ends. Consider it a sort of omake; its main purpose will be to serve as an info-dump for those who aren't satisfied with the abridged version in the main story proper. Though they will be considered canon to the story, they won't offer much to the story as whole. Anything they explain in detail which will play a part in the story will be summarized.

Also, before I forget: Huge thanks to Feng Lengshun for helping me work out the more difficult parts of writing this chapter. Also a big thanks to Genocide Heart/Lucifeller, who's update to Monster Girl Saga a few months back finally inspired me to take this up again, as well as for giving his own input on the chapter.

With that out of the way, the disclaimer is as usual: I own neither ZnT nor MGQ.

Chapter XI Side A: Day After

"Today, we'll be going over the theories of Barrier Magic."

Louise barely suppressed a tired groan as the teacher, Professor Dufort, began her lecture. The debacle the previous night at the Comte de la Mott's mansion had gone on well past midnight. Comte Mott had been… kind enough (and she used that word to describe him very loosely) to allow them to stay in his mansion's guest rooms, so they didn't have to make a return trip immediately.

Not that it helped, especially in Louise's case. She'd waited until Alexander had finished his business with Comte Mott –which had taken a good twenty minutes at least– before retiring herself. Combined with how early they had to wake up, travelling back to the academy atop a flying dragon through the cold morning air, getting dressed in fresh clothes and just barely making it to breakfast on time, the day had thus left Louise with a sour mood and more than a little tired. Her only consolation was that she wasn't the only one in her class with that condition.

Montmorency and Guiche both looked like they were in even worse condition than she was, having all but fallen asleep on their desks. Kirche was doing just about as well as her, using her hand to keep her head up and face forward. For once, she wasn't spending her time entertaining her various suitors or trying to seduce Alexander.

Speaking of the prince, he and Tabitha were the only ones amongst them who didn't seem to be too bothered by the lack of sleep. Although given that Siesta wasn't able to return with them and without something to distract him like the Fouquet incident, Alexander was understandably unhappy. He hid it well, but she could tell, somehow, that he wasn't as fine as he showed.

"At least we only have magic theory for now," she thought, covering her mouth when she failed to fight back a yawn, "Bad enough that we still have one day of punishment left. I don't think I can pay attention to anything right now."

"Ms. Vallière!"

The pink haired girl sat up straighter as she heard the professor's call. The wrinkle-faced woman was directing a none-too-pleased look at Louise, gripping her short staff –which also doubled as a walking stick– tightly atop its head.

It was a universal reaction amongst students, with few exceptions, to feel like prey in front of a predator when one of their teachers glared at them in class. Louise –for all the trouble she'd caused in the past year– had yet to join the ranks of those few. Her thought process ground to a halt as the much older mage kept glaring at her. That

It seemed like an eternity before Professor Dufort spoke again, by which point, Louise's mind had gained enough cognitive function to let her curse inside her head.

"Your reputation is quite well known to me, Ms. Vallière," she began, getting more than a few snorts and snide remarks from her classmates; though strangely none from Kirche. "Now, I've little interest in your skills with practical magic," another wave of amusement washed over her classmates, all of which she pointedly ignored, "your knowledge in the theories behind it, however, is."

The elder woman paused, letting her students' amusement pass, even as she continued to stare the pink haired girl right in the eyes.

"I'm told that there has not been a student in Tristain Academy as well studied as you for the past few decades. Given your… apparent disinterest in today's topic, I take it you are already well versed enough in the workings of barrier to explain some of its aspects for us."

Louise, by now having calmed and fully awakened, replied, "Of course, professor," and stood up. She didn't know why she was being singled-out in particular; she wasn't exactly the only one who was clearly not paying attention (in fact, Guiche and Montmorency were far worse off than her), but it didn't matter, ultimately. At the very least, it didn't matter at the moment.

If 'The Flowing Mirror' wanted her to test her knowledge, then she would oblige as best as she could. "Aside from that," she glanced briefly towards her familiar, noting the glint of interest which now shone in his eyes, replacing his once impassive face, "Alexander has shown himself to be a good teacher. I could hardly say that I was truly worthy of summoning him if I couldn't explain something simple like this. And perhaps it will get his mind off of worrying for Siesta for the time being."

"Very well, you may continue where I had left off," Professor Dufort's instructions brought Louise's attention back to the front of the class. "Explain to everyone the four qualities of barrier spells."

Louise nodded curtly, accepting the subtle challenge and quickly recalling all she knew about the subject to the fore.

It wasn't really difficult, even in her sleep deprived state. The four qualities of all barriers could be summarised thusly:

Like all continuously active spells, barriers needed a large amount of Willpower to start and a relatively small per second to maintain.

Barriers required an anchor point to act as the focus of the energy, preferably on something immovable to keep the barrier from just being pushed away, if it was wall-like in nature.

Every barrier's greatest weakness was an attack of the same nature as its method of defence –often called Homogenous Vulnerability– which could be mitigated by layering one barrier atop another.

Finally, was that the integrity of a barrier could best be described as 'all or nothing'; that the slightest hole in a barrier would collapse at the slightest pressure at best, or cause it to break down immediately at worst.

There were far more complications to it, of course. The relationship between the area size of a barrier and the Willpower required to create and maintain it, the use of sub-anchors to change a barrier's shape and the implementation of the principal to create enchanted armours and shields, how certain barriers were more resistant to their weakness than others, and so on and so forth.

Louise explained it as much of it in as concise a way as precision would allow, omitting only the parts which she felt weren't relevant. She simplified most of the concepts so as to make them easily understandable, though it was more for her benefit than her classmates. The thought was selfish, but the results spoke for themselves when the only ones who didn't seem to understand at least a majority of it had either fell asleep mid-way or was trying very hard not to.

The pink haired girl took all this in as she finished her lecture. Taking a deep breath to regain what she'd lost after a particularly long part, she remained standing, waiting for her teacher's evaluation.

Adelaide Dufort didn't respond right away, instead looking at Louise impassively, mulling over the younger mage's answer. Despite that, Louise felt better about meeting her teacher's eyes, certain that she'd managed to cover everything she needed to.

Again, she took the moment to observe everyone else in class as subtly as she could. Some now had notebooks and quills in hand, writing as swiftly as they could to retain as much of what she'd said; most still just continued to look confused. To her right and a little below, Montmorency looked to have awakened a bit more, attempting to nudge Guiche into the same state without alerting anyone.

She couldn't see Alexander, Tabitha or Kirche, as they were all in a position where she'd have to move her head too far to the side to be polite, but she could probably guess as to her classmates' reactions. Kirche probably wouldn't have changed much now than when the class started; that she hadn't started teasing her yet probably meant that the Germanian had no plans for it today. Tabitha likely knew about as much as her on the subject and wouldn't have taken much interest in what she said anyway.

Alexander, hopefully, would've become interested enough to stop feeling disappointed or angry, or whatever it is he felt about the results of the previous night. She'd talk to him about it later, but for now, it was probably best if he didn't think on it too much. Well, Louise hoped it was for the best, at least. The pinkette knew from experience that wallowing in disappointment when you couldn't do anything about it wasn't a good feeling, and talking to her older sister, Cattleya, about what was bothering her had always helped.

… Although, she wasn't exactly Cattleya either; she was nowhere close, to be honest, but maybe it would be enough.

"I hope you are not planning to keep ignoring my lesson today, Ms. Vallière." The scolding voice of Professor Dufort brought Louise's attention back to the front of the class where the older mage was giving her a disapproving stare. "You are here to learn; if not knowledge of magical arts, then the proper etiquettes of being in class. Answering a single question is no excuse to stop paying attention."

Face going red in embarrassment, Louise could only nod weakly in acknowledgement of the older mage's reprimand.

The teacher's expression noticeably softened. "That aside, I must commend how thorough you were. Though not what I would call a complete explanation, you've nonetheless covered more than I originally planned." She turned her attention away from the pinkette and scanned the rest of the room, "You would all do well to keep the lessons here in mind," she said sternly, "while I understand that the practice of magic is more engaging than its theory, learning of the inner mechanics of the spells you use can be of great importance if you wish to craft your own in the future."

As Professor Dufort continued to roam her eyes around the rest of the students, they eventually came to focus on another spot among them. Her frown returned as she looked at Guiche and Montmorency, the latter still trying (and failing) to wake the former; the blonde girl's patience now too far gone to remember being subtle.

Wordlessly, the teacher raised her staff, a drop of quicksilver falling from the tip. The floor lit up where it landed, protruding to form a metallic bowl, a mirror of it forming at the bottom of the staff. Louise recognized them as instruments introduced by some of the nomadic human tribes from Rub' Al Khali. Though she couldn't remember what they were called, Louise knew enough to cover her ears.

The clang caused by the two plates hitting each other still managed to sound loud despite that. It proved to succeed where Montmorency had failed, the two blondes –the only ones who hadn't taken notice of the transmutation– jumping up in surprise.

"I certainly hope you enjoyed your nap, Mr. Gramont," the teacher scolded as she made the improvised cymbals disappear. "Considering that you and Ms. Montmorency have the time to sleep and play around in my class, I take it you are both at least well versed in the subject at hand enough to afford it."

Through it all, even though she knew she shouldn't be taking any pleasure from this, Louise felt vindicated. At least this teacher didn't look down on her or pity her because of her lack of success.

It was annoying how so few of the teachers in the academy were like that. The condescension she could take in stride; it only served to make Louise try harder. But the pity –the thought that someone would feel sad for her lack of magical talent– the pity they felt for her, her pride just couldn't stand.

-X-

"It's interesting, you know," said Alexander as the class dispersed. Louise gave him a questioning look in reply. "This continent's knowledge on magical theories I mean," He clarified, "they're very similar to those thought in different schools where I come from, but most of the modern ones were only formed after multiple schools started exchanging information. From everything I've seen, Halkegenia follows only one system but still has a similar level of comprehension… or at least as far as barriers go."

"Ah… I see," Louise sounded her understanding quietly. She did understand what he was talking about, but what he said wasn't at the forefront of her mind right now. It was how he said it. He was still more subdued now than yesterday when he was helping her with her punishment, or even when they met at the Comte de la Mott's mansion as Fouquet escaped.

He would normally have a small smile on his face, taking everything in stride despite his displacement. Now… well, he hadn't exactly been sad or angry, just less emotive. Louise wanted to talk to him about it but there were just too many people who could overhear them, and she didn't exactly want knowledge of their little midnight trip to go around the academy; they were in enough trouble as it is.

"Actually there is another form of magic we have some knowledge on, although humans can't use it," Louise pointed out, deciding to continue the current line of conversation until a more opportune moment presented itself, as well as to keep his mind off of the obviously sensitive subject. The slight rise of his brow proved it to have some success. "We call it Firstborn magic," she provided, "it's primarily used by the elves that live at the edge of Halkegenia, although there are others."

Louise kept her eyes forward after her last comment, wanting to get to the kitchen and finish her last day of work as fast as possible. As such, she managed to take another half dozen steps before she noticed that Alexander wasn't keeping pace with her anymore. She looked back at him askance.

He looked back at her with an unsure expression. "There are elves here, you say?" Alexander asked, half way between surprised and intrigued, though still not as enthusiastic as Louise would've liked.

"Not 'here' per se; elves aren't known to like humans very much –well… humans on this side of the desert anyway– but they do exist."

It wasn't Louise who answered this time, and the pink haired girl looked sourly behind Alexander to find that Kirche had caught up to them, Tabitha in tow. The prince looked over his shoulders at them, giving them the same curious expression. Louise grumbled silently and walked back towards the three.

"Like Louise said, the elves live in cities at the border of Halkegenia, right before the Rub' Al Khali desert." said Kirche, a satisfied smile on her face at what she likely considered a victory. "Until a few decades ago, no one really knew much about their magic beyond the fact that it was far above anything humans are capable of except The Founder himself."

His curiosity evidently piqued, Alexander turned to address her completely. "What happened then?" he asked.

A smile appeared on Kirche's face as she answered, "A former slave ran away to Germania." The Germanian girl had waited to stand right beside Alexander before continuing, seeming to swell with pride; whether because of her country's accomplishment or just getting Alexander to stop, Louise couldn't tell, though she wouldn't be surprised if it was just the latter. "He didn't even have a name at the time, but he was taken in by the house of Mondstein after some incident in their territory. From what I'm told, his former masters had regular trade route with some of the lesser elven cities, including some written materials on Firstborn magic. He stole pretty much everything they had after killing them."

Alexander mulled the information in his head; a distasteful frown on his face. "Maybe it was the slavery part," Louise surmised. It was a distasteful subject, and being made a slave wasn't something she'd wish on her worst enemy.

"But wasn't that exactly how I first planned to treat Alexander?"

The thought that popped into her head wasn't a comforting one. Nor was the thought of excusing it by saying she hadn't known of his status at the time. "I suppose I have much more to apologize for," She thought to herself before glancing at her two classmates, "at a later time though, when no one would ask questions about it."

"So I guess those rumours about you aren't true after all, are they?"

Alexander's turned his head up to give Kirche a questioning glance, "rumours?" he asked, "What rumours?"

Louise looked at Kirche with a similar expression on her face, wondering the same thing as her summon. Thinking back, the other students –most of whom usually avid rumourmongers– hadn't spoken much about her familiar around him or her since… since Alexander defeated Guiche.

"I know Alexander might have been a little scary given the circumstance, but this much? Especially with his revelation after fighting Guiche, there should have at least been something about him going around."

"You really haven't heard?" Kirche asked, blinking away the last of her surprise. Beside her, Tabitha raised her eyes from her book to look at them in subtle incredulity. "Well, I guess it makes some sense. No one wants to bring it up for one reason or another. I had my doubts about it, but…" she paused, eyeing Alexander with something other than lust, "after our little fight, I'm now certain that there's no truth to it."

"And what exactly is 'it'?" Alexander inquired, this time with more force in his tone. It seemed –Louise noted– that he hadn't forgotten his frustrations.

If the harsher tone surprised Kirche, she didn't show it. "A lot of the students –especially the other Germanians, few as they are– came to the conclusion that you were a slave from beyond Rub' Al Khali too, before Louise summoned you; not that it would've made much of a difference," she explained quietly, so only the four could hear, and baiting Louise with a sly smile near the end. The pink haired girl's eyes narrowed in response, but otherwise kept silent. "They still believe you to be a commoner you see; owing your clearly magical abilities to some kind of repurposed slavery device."

Alexander looked at her with a confused expression on his face. "I don't recall ever saying I wasn't a commoner," he pointed out before turning around and continuing his walk to the kitchen. "That aside, I don't really understand how they could possibly mistake me for a slave just from that. It seems rather stupid to me."

Louise too began to walk back the way she came, her eyes darting towards the prince worryingly. Now it seemed there was another thing to add to the list of abnormalities in the way Alexander acted. That was just far too dismissive and crass, even for him. That Kirche seemed taken aback enough to not want to continue or re-start the conversation said quite a lot about that.

Alexander never carried himself in the same manner she'd normally expect from a prince. He didn't bother with most forms of proper noble or royal conduct. He fought in a way most nobles would claim was beneath them and knew different forms of magic she'd never even heard of. He conversed with nobility and commoners alike as though they were equal peers; the only time she'd heard him speak in a formal manner was when he spoke with Comte Mott the previous night.

Despite that he was always polite, even when he'd inadvertently insulted Kirche through her familiar there was a sense of courtesy in the way he spoke; and whenever he learned anything at all about her world, there was always a spark of joy in his tone. Even when he was angry, there was always a strong sense of emotion coming from him. Now, Alexander was just being subdued and dismissive. Most might not have noticed the fact; Louise wasn't even sure how she noticed it so easily, even despite their usual proximity to each other, but he was no doubt acting differently.

The first time he'd woken up after the summoning and the duel with Guiche; Kirche's constant flirting and even his few admonishments during her studies in Onmyōdō never brought out this side of him.

Quite frankly, Louise had had enough. She continued to follow her familiar, building up her courage while waiting for the proper time to strike. What she was about to do, Louise knew went against everything she'd been taught about treating royalty, but it had to be done. It helped that Alexander had insisted she treat him more like a peer than a superior as well.

Finally, after they'd separated from the rest of the students who were flocking to the dining hall's main entrance, Louise made her move. Kirche and Tabitha's presence would just have to be a minor sacrifice for now.

With a resolute intake of breath, the pink haired girl hurried her pace to overtake her familiar and stomped as hard as she could, putting herself in his way. Alexander's face was equal parts surprised and confused as Louise leaned in glared up at him, her hands on her waist.

"Is… there a problem, Louise?"

Louise growled under her breath in response. "Does it really bother you that much? That Siesta is still working for Comte Mott?" she asked demandingly.

He blinked down at her in surprise. A scowl formed on his face soon after, but he didn't say anything, opting to meet Louise's eyes challengingly.

And Louise knew exactly what those eyes could do, by Alexander's command or otherwise. Like the first time she'd gazed into them, it felt like everything around them had faded away, the image of a silver serpent imposing itself on top of the prince.

This time she didn't flinch.

"Alexander, you're not acting like your normal self at all," she pointed out frankly, "you don't talk as much, and when you do, you're either aloof or irritated." The look on her face softened somewhat as she stood up straight. "When I summoned you and made you my familiar, I had all but kidnapped and enslaved you, and despite that, you shrugged it all off as soon as you learned everything. Now you're just… I don't even know how to say it..."

Still, Alexander didn't answer, breaking their stare-off as he looked to the side.

"Alexander, what happened last night?" Louise pressed on, emboldened by his reaction. "I can understand being upset about Siesta working for Comte Mott. I barely know Siesta and even I'm unsettled by the thought, especially with how Comte Mott is known to treat his maids."

"I'm not worried about any of that," Alexander cut her off, meeting her gaze once more. It was her turn to look confusedly at him. "Comte Mott… he might not be someone I would call a good person, but I've come to doubt the rumours spread about him."

Louise's frown deepened at that, unsure of exactly why Alexander could come to such a conclusion. There were more than enough maids who were –for the lack of a better term– sold away by the Comte de la Mott to other nobles. None ever spoke enough to provide testimony about the matter, but all had given hints of him profiting off of them only after he'd had his fun and grown bored.

Still, it was progress. Though she didn't like the fact that she would be dismissing Siesta's inevitable plight, Louise cared more about Alexander than a maid she barely knew. If letting him believe that would get him back to normal, then she wouldn't comment on it.

"That man is far more intelligent than others give him credit for," the prince continued thoughtfully, turning a meaningful glance towards Louise, "he was able to figure out what I told you on the night you summoned me."

It took a while for Alexander's words to take meaning in Louise's head, but once they did–

"He figured out what!?" Louise shouted indignantly in equal parts shock and fear. "Wha… bu… HOW!?"

A small smile of amusement found its way to Alexander's face; it would have been a minor victory in Louise's books if the subject at hand hadn't gotten her full attention.

"We're a bit more interested in the 'what?' ourselves, if you two don't mind," Kirche's voice piped up from behind Alexander, reminding the pinkette that they weren't the only ones in the relatively deserted halls.

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Louise retorted acidly, completely ignoring the taller girl's reaction as she homed in on the source of her worry. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" she shouted in his face as her mind raced from all the possible repercussions what she'd just learned.

Alexander –inexplicably to her– remained calm by contrast, even raising his hands up in a placating gesture. "Nothing. I did nothing that I hadn't already been doing before," he assured her, as little effect as his attempt produced, "It's just as I said earlier: Comte Mott is smarter and sharper than most believe."

His explanation didn't do much to alleviate Louise's worry. In fact, Alexander managed to make it worse. The only deterrent to those who would abuse their power in the way the Comte de la Mott was known to do was that they were too busy indulging in their vices that they grew incompetent in their jobs.

Given the look on his face, the prince clearly didn't think about any of that. Louise couldn't help but ask the obvious, "Aren't you even the slightest bit worried about what he could do with that knowledge?"

He took up a thoughtful expression for a few moments before meeting her gaze again and shaking his head in the negative. "Comte Mott is far from a nice person," he said, "I can tell that there's some truth to the rumours regarding him, those concerning his intelligence and competence–or lack thereof– aside. But I can also tell that he's a man of his word. And because of that, I'm neither concerned of his knowledge about me, or the fact that Siesta is under his employ."

The surety in his voice stopped any further argument that Louise had readied. It was the first time since last night that she'd heard him speak in a tone even resembling his normal one. Her opinion of the Comte de la Mott remained unchanged, but if Alexander was this certain… well, she'd just have to keep her ears to the ground. Hopefully, any new rumours about him that would crop up would reach her faster.

With that decision, she closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath, releasing it out in a prolonged sigh. When Louise next opened her eyes, she found herself glad to see that, at the very least, Alexander's expression had regained some of its vigour. She shifted her gaze to his right, where she found Kirche and Tabitha still standing there, evidently wanting to listen in.

It hadn't crossed her mind at first, but now that she'd calmed down, Louise realized just how much of a detriment their presence was. The pink haired girl hadn't forgotten what she'd learned two nights prior. Though he showed it in a different manner, Alexander was every bit as prideful as her; maybe even moreso. Speaking from experience, someone like that wouldn't let themselves show weakness to others they weren't familiar with.

"Kirche, Tabitha," she called out to get the pairs attention, being more polite now than she'd ever been to the Zerbst heiress. It was perhaps that which had gotten their attention, more than anything else. "Could you two go ahead of us?" she requested, not quite able to keep a frown on her face, but her tone managed well enough.

The look of surprise on Kirche's face melted quickly as she glanced at Alexander, then back to Louise, before a teasing smile crept up on her face. "I suppose I wouldn't mind, this time," she half laughed, moving past Alexander with her taciturn companion. Before passing Louise though, she saw fit to lean into her ear and whispered suggestively, "I'll tell the head chef that Alexander had something to take care of, and that the two of you will be on clean-up duty instead. That should buy you some time. Just don't take too long making him feel better, mm'kay?"

A flush of red spread across the smaller girl's face, though her face remained set in her scowl. Louise managed to say a small 'thank you' before the pair left them behind. Still, the pinkette waited until they turned the corner before addressing her partner again.

No one else was around, and for that, she was glad. Lunch had started quite a while ago; keeping the staff busy, and they were near enough to the kitchen that none of the other students or faculty was likely to appear. It was perhaps not an ideal place to speak about the subject she planned on broaching, but as there were no empty rooms nearby, it would have to do.

"You're disappointed in yourself, I can tell; it's something I have a lot of experience with. And speaking from experience, I know that it won't help to just wallow in your own self pity. So… could you just tell me what's wrong?" Louise asked, gentler now and trying to hide her reservations.

Perhaps it was because he chose to stay as her familiar despite his status, even temporarily, or perhaps it was the fact that he managed to successfully teach her magic she could actually use. Either way, despite their short time together, the pinkette already felt comfortable with sharing a number of her insecurities with Alexander. Not all; even she could admit, if only to herself, that there were certain things she wasn't ready to share with anyone yet. Still, she hoped that, at the very least, Alexander was the same with her. Prince or no, Alexander was the one she summoned and who bore her familiar runes. If he couldn't look to her for some support, then what did that say about her?

"Heh…"

She wouldn't have to find out, it would seem. Alexander still looked a downtrodden, but there was a small smile on his face; resigned, but also… relieved? Louise wasn't quite certain, but she considered it a good sign.

"You know, you're the fifth one to ask me that today," he said, confusing the pink haired girl. She'd been with him for most of the day since they woke and couldn't recall anyone else who'd said anything similar… or really, anyone who knew him enough to notice. Alexander couldn't help but chuckle at the look on Louise's face, "I'll tell you about it later tonight; it'll be related to your Onmyōdō lesson tomorrow, anyway," he assured her.

Louise nodded slowly, accepting the answer; still unsure, but willing to wait. More important matters were at hand. "So…" she began, eyes going to the floor and trying to think of a way to re-broach the topic without making it awkward, "if isn't because of Siesta… or that Comte Mott found out that you are a prince…".

"I didn't say it wasn't either of those," Alexander pointed out, drawing her gaze back to him. The silver haired teen's head was turned sideways when he'd spoken, looking at the scene beyond one of the windows. "I don't think Comte Mott would… well… rape Siesta like how everyone says he does to all his maids."

Louise held back a grimace when he'd mentioned the Comte's suspected pastime. The thought of murder and death didn't appeal to her, but she would rather have death than be violated.

"How can you be so sure?" she asked, just as an idea popped into her head, "Did you use your Eyes of Obedience on him?" Those eyes of his… though Louise knew Alexander wouldn't use them for ill gain they still disturbed her on some level; but… if he'd used them to keep the Comte de la Mott from committing further crimes…

Alexander shook his head negatively, halting her train of thought. "I told you before; I can't give long-term commands with my Eyes," he reminded her, emphasizing his point by tapping his temple right behind his eye. "Besides that, it wouldn't have been right."

Louise sounded her confusion with a short hum, her brow rising in curiosity. Instead of responding, Alexander walked instead walked over to the window, leaning slightly outwards with his arms resting crossed on the sill. The pink haired girl followed shortly after, taking the window next to him. It crossed her mind only now that they were looking in the same direction as where the Comté de la Mott was located.

"When I reached the Comte de la Mott's mansion, he granted me an audience," Alexander began, recounting the events of the previous night, up until Fouquet's interruption and the continuation of their game after she and her classmates had retired to the guest rooms. "That man's more dangerous than he lets on, obviously," He concluded.

Louise didn't quite know what to think about the Comte de la Mott afterwards. Alexander's description of his meeting with the Royal Messenger didn't fit anything at all she'd heard about the man; the incompetent fool who could be distracted so easily by any pretty face. Of course, it wasn't unheard of for nobles to hide who they truly were from the public; Louise's mother had even pretended to be a man for her entire career as a knight. But to mask your own personality so well… the pink haired girl had to wonder to what end the Comte de la Mott could possibly be acting for. He'd mentioned being loyal to Tristain, but that could mean more than most would think; and that would take into assumption that Comte Mott hadn't been lying.

"No," Louise mentally chastised herself, shaking her head slightly, "I can think about whatever Mott could be planning later. It would be best to inform Hen- Her Majesty about the matter as well. If I make it a personal letter from me, I'm sure she'll give it some level of urgency, if for the wrong reason. I don't like relying on my relationship with Her Majesty when we were children to my advantage, but this is an imperative matter. I can't do that now though, and I still have something I need to see through beforehand."

The pink haired girl pushed off her window and turned to examine Alexander, her mind trying to sift through what it was in his story that had gotten him so down. It was surprisingly easy, if she had to admit to herself. Putting herself in Alexander's shoes, there was only really one thing Louise could see as the source of his mood.

"So… you're disappointed in yourself, not because Siesta still has to work for Comte Mott, but because you lost?" she stated more than asked, though Alexander nodded all the same, if with some reluctance. The pink haired girl blinked. "That…is one of the most FOOLISH things I've ever heard!"

Inwardly, Louise was quick to point to herself that her own shout was one of the most hypocritical things she'd ever heard. Looking at it from the outside made it seem like a horrible reason, but she knew that if she'd been in Alexander's shoes, her reaction would've been exactly like his.

"Alexander, I know that you're a prince, and that Siesta is a descendant of one of your people, but you can't be expected to solve every problem they have! Bad things happen to people all the time, and even though you shouldn't just let it happen, it doesn't mean that you should expect to succeed whenever you try! So what if you couldn't help her now?! Find some other way to help her! Or make it so you won't… have to…"

Louise's tirade trailed off as she finally took notice of Alexander very clearly trying not to laugh.

"Heh… ahahaha."

He was also failing rather miserably. Louise wasn't sure if she was happy about his reaction or indignant. She was very certain that she was confused though, as she continued looking at the silver haired teen. He looked back at her sideways, his face once more turned in the general direction of the window, having used the sill to lean on during his bout of laughter.

"That… I can't say I expected that," said Alexander, chuckling a bit, "Although, in hindsight, I probably should have."

When he began laughing to himself again, Louise decided that she was most definitely angrier at his reaction than glad; a fact she quickly made known with another stomp, "And just what are you laughing about?" she demanded, unknowingly pouting at the prince.

Glancing at the sight only managed to worsen the prince's amusement; "I thought you wanted me to start laughing again?" he countered jokingly, completely ignoring his summoner's question.

Louise snorted in response. "I wanted you to stop moping," she replied, "I certainly did not intend to make you laugh. And even if that is an improvement, I certainly don't want you laughing at me."

Another chuckle from the prince was met with further bemusement, which persisted until Alexander had finally calmed down enough to face her completely with a small smile.

"I'm not laughing at you," he countered placatingly, "it's just…"Alexander trailed off, laughing in a more wistful manner and capping off with a sigh, "You remind me of my mother." He paused again, turning his face towards her completely now, "The two of you are a lot alike; in a many ways, in fact."

Louise blinked, her indignation ebbing away to curiosity, a slight flush dusting her cheeks in delight. Coming from most people, being likened to royalty would likely be nothing but undue adulation; a way to curry favour. From Alexander, who was both a prince and someone who'd proven himself to be honest with everything he said, it was rather flattering. Though how he'd been lead to thinking that from her practically insulting him… it was confusing to say the least.

"From the look on your face, I guess you're wondering about that huh?" Alexander posited. His small smile turned to a smirk after she answered with a slow nod. "The two of you are both quite proud to start. You're also as sharp-tongued as she can be, and aren't afraid to let your thoughts be heard when you feel it's needed. Surprisingly short tempered under many circumstances and overly critical of yourself; not to mention often trying to hide the fact that you're angry in the first place. You have little tolerance for what you believe is stupid. …Typical Tsundere traits, really; though the similarity in degree with which you express each of it is pretty surprising."

"… I'm not feeling at all as flattered as I was when this started," Louise internally deadpanned, trying to hold back her frustration. "I should have expected this, really. He's so unlike what a prince should be, it should not be a surprise that his mother isn't what one would expect a queen to be like. And what even is a 'Tsundere' anyway?"

"Hold on, Alexander is comparing me to his mother!" The ramification of her final thought finally caught onto the pink haired girl, bringing her anger out to the fore-

"What really comes to mind though is that despite how you normally show it… I can tell you're just as kind and caring as my mother as well."

-and just like that, it was brought down to barely even a brisk simmer, and all the pink haired girl could do was observe her familiar.

"You… think I'm a kind and caring person?" Louise asked disbelievingly.

Alexander raised a brow questioningly. "More than you seem to believe you are," he observed, "which only adds to the 'overly critical of yourself' bit I said earlier."

Louise pouted up at Alexander for his last comment, looking very like he was about to start laughing again as he'd said it. "As much as I'd like to say that about myself, even I know it isn't true," she replied sourly. Cattleya was a kind and caring person after all; always gentle and willing to lend an ear to someone else's problem regardless of who they were and never had anything bad to say about anyone else. Louise was none of that.

The young prince shrugged resignedly at her comment. "I suppose it would be too much to expect you to think that about yourself," He countered, "but consider this: After my first night here, you've always treated me with some level of courtesy; even now, when I could easily consider you a close friend."

A gentle warmth grew in Louise's chest on Alexander's last comment. There were precious few people whom the youngest Vallière could consider a friend; in fact, not counting family, there was only really one, and that relationship was strained due to their status. Even counting family, she would only have one more.

True, Louise never put much thought into the topic; most nobles were more allies than friends anyway, if they weren't neutral at best or hiding hostilities at worst. But it felt good to know that Alexander thought of her in such a way, even if he shared the same problem of status.

Still…

"What's your point?" The pink haired girl shot back snippily, trying hard not to show just how pleased she was.

Alexander just laughed her tone off, like water off a duck's back. "I was getting to that," he pointed out amusedly. As the prince went through another bout of mirth, a thoughtful look flashed across his face before transforming into a wily grin. "Actually, here's a better idea," he muttered, though clearly directing the statement at his summoner, "tell me, Louise, do you remember all the times you've actually raised your voice at me, or demanded something from me?"

The pink haired girl didn't respond verbally and just gave him a confused look in return. This didn't mean that she wasn't considering what he'd said; Louise could easily recall a few key moments: When he'd been challenged by Guiche, the time she'd seen his hand after their duel against Kirche and Tabitha, when he'd first found out about Siesta, and, of course, what led to their current conversation all came to mind. Even the time they'd met at Comté de la Mott was prominent, because even if she hadn't had the chance, Louise was still very ready to tear into him verbally back then.

But despite remembering all that, she couldn't quite get what it was Alexander was trying to say.

This hadn't gone unnoticed; when it became apparent that Louise hadn't been able to connect the dots herself, Alexander was very quick to point it out. "All those times, Louise, you've raised your voice because I had, or was likely to put myself in harm's way," he said with a gentle smile, "you might not show it conventionally, but I've lived with others like that for most of my life. It gets easy to tell."

Louise didn't respond immediately, instead ruminated over what Alexander had said. It certainly felt good to think about herself in that way, but she still had her doubts. Looking back, Alexader was correct in his assessment, but there was one thing he hadn't really taken into account.

"I only started treating you properly after I found out that you're a prince."

That was the most glaring argument she could think of; a very good one, to be fair. If Alexander had really been a commoner, as Louise had originally assumed, she'd likely have treated him as a glorified page or butler at best and a slave at worst.

"Hmm… maybe so," the silver haired boy responded, nodding in acceptance of the possibility, "but even then, I doubt you would have just left me on my own if I were to get in trouble." He raised a hand as Louise opened her mouth, killing her counterargument before it began. "You could probably say that the only reason for that would have been because I was your familiar. But why would that matter?"

"Whether I'm a prince or just your familiar, it wouldn't have. You can disguise it anyway you want, and maybe you would have treated me very differently, but I know that that kindness and compassion would still have been there."

Louise furrowed her brow at Alexander. The assurance in his tone was heartening to hear, but she still wasn't fully convinced. Maybe he was just seeing things differently; different values from a different culture. Or maybe she was just depreciating herself. Either way, it didn't look like he'd let it go.

The pink haired girl sighed with tired resignation. "I still think that you're giving me too much credit," she said, "but I suppose if my familiar had any expectations I had to live up to, I guess being a good person wouldn't be so bad."

The silence that followed was spent with the two of them looking out their windows at the noon sky. Internally, Louise noted that they would need to get to the kitchens soon if they were to avoid further punishment. Still, there was some satisfaction she couldn't quite tell the reason for in just looking at the clouds like this. It would mean needing to run to their destination later, but it was good conclusion to the talk… they…

"Wait a minute…"

The sudden bout of clarity hit Louise like a rampaging minotaur, her eyes widening before furrowing into an angry scowl. With repressed growl, she whirled on Alexander, "how in the Founder's Name did this become about me?!" she demanded, quickly getting the silver haired teen's attention.

The prince, for his part, just blinked at her for a few moments; moments where Louise wasn't quite sure whether she was getting angrier or calmer. Then, with an almost pathetically sheepish smile, Alexander rubbed the back of his head and forced out a laugh.

"Heh… uhh… guess you caught me on that, huh?"

Louise continued to glare at him disapprovingly, not allowing herself to be bothered by the awkward silence that ensued.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for Alexander to bend under pressure. Accepting defeat with a sigh, the silver haired teen stood straight up and faced his summoner completely.

"In all fairness, I didn't intend to change topics like that, it just kind of happened," he excused himself to little effect. In fact, it only made Louise's scowl worsen. The boy laughed nervously in response.

"Either way, you're probably right," he admitted, slumping slightly, "About me having a stupid reason, I mean. It's just…" a look of frustration fell on Alexander's features as he trailed off, glancing outside towards the direction of Comté de la Mott once more, "My father is a hero, one recognized by nearly everyone on my world; I'm sure I've told you that before."

Louise nodded in confirmation, though her own features didn't shift.

"Right… well…" he paused again, seeming to struggle with what to say next. It gave Louise enough of a hint to guess what he was having trouble with, but she decided to remain silent; in equal parts so that he'd admit it himself and to keep him from switching topics again, like earlier.

"I've always wanted to be the same," he finally admitted, unknowingly confirming the pink haired girl's suspicion. "Thing is… there just isn't much of an opportunity for that in my world." Oddly, Alexander's lips formed a slight smile after he'd paused, a familiar glint of pride shone in his eyes.

"Our world is in a time of great peace, with most wars –regardless of kind or scale– having ended twenty years ago. The disastrous events of that time fostered an egalitarian attitude amongst the people of all the kingdoms. Dissenters of the peace –those who are still mistrustful of each factions' stance or outright wanting the tense environment from before– still exist on all sides, true, but they are far and few in between. Crime is at an all time low, and with nature of things, even attacks from wild beasts are extremely rare."

Alexander looked up at her, the hint of pride from before had grown, and it was apparent that the source of it stemmed from the things he'd said. "And how could he not take pride in that?" Louise thought to herself. Twenty years of peace that spanned an entire world? Halkegenia couldn't accomplish that for half that time. There was always some manner of war cropping up every five years or so, and though most were just small rebellions that would barely be called such, the number of casualties remained the same. "And if I understand where Alexander is going, then I think I know who played a big part in its formation."

Again, the silver haired prince quickly proved Louise's notion correct as he continued.

"The peace we have now only became possible because of my father, even if the maintenance of the peace now falls on the shoulders of the kingdoms' rulers. In fact, out of all those who present at the birth of the kingdoms' alliance, my father is probably the only one who can disappear without causing some kind of problem. But he still made it all possible. He helped hundreds of people and saved twice –maybe thrice– as many lives."

"And you admire your father so much that you want to follow in his footsteps," Louise concluded for him.

Alexander nodded resolutely.

"My father… both my parents, really– had a hand in making that world; a world that they worked even harder on for me and my sisters, and still work to maintain even now." He pursed his lips after trailing off, his gaze breaking away from meeting hers and falling to the floor beside his feet. "I couldn't be more thankful… but at the same time, it leaves me wanting. I've always wanted to be just like my father, but I've never really had a chance to help someone when it really mattered before. But when I did get the chance… well…"

He didn't bother to finish his sentence, and the pink haired girl suspected that he wouldn't continue even if she urged him to.

Louise sighed and eased her posture, the harsh look on her face growing softer as she thought about how to continue. Well, really, there wasn't much to think about on the subject. As someone who was intimately familiar with failure, Louise could only think of two pieces of advice that had helped her before, though the irony of saying one now didn't escape her.

"So you failed once," the pinkette said dismissively. Alexander perked up at her statement, eyeing her with what was partly annoyance and mostly curiosity. "I've failed to use magic more times than I can remember," she reminded him, "it hurts to know that I keep failing at something I should be able to do so easily, and even I have to admit that it has made me very easy to frustrate."

She stopped for a moment, taking the time to observe Alexander's reaction before marching up directly in front of him. The silver haired prince raised a brow in curiosity at her actions but didn't say a word, even as she grabbed his left hand and pulled it towards her.

"There were times when I even thought about quitting altogether; to just stop trying to learn something I obviously cannot accomplish, but I never did. My older sister always told me that I should never focus on my failures and to always keep trying. And do you know what that led to?"

Louise didn't even give him time to answer. As soon as she'd asked, the pinkette tightened her grip on Alexander's wrist and pushed the appendage up so that he could see the back of his palm. The runes that marked Alexander as her familiar greeted the prince's eyes.

"I summoned you and you became my familiar," she continued, "You being a prince might complicate things. And even up to this day, I still can't cast any spell that the teachers here have tried to teach or anything found in the library. But I still summoned you and still contracted you. For the first time, I managed to cast a proper spell."

She let go of his hand then, stopping to catch her breath. Alexander kept his hand up on his own for a few seconds before slowly lowering it. He was smiling again; a small smile that looked nothing like what he had earlier. It was looked a little sad, but accepting as well; a smile of closure.

"Heh… so… basically I should just try my best to help the next time some kind of trouble crops up instead of focusing on this one?" he asked with short, quiet laugh.

Louise nodded, her own lips upturned ever so slightly.

"I will concede that there are more things at stake in being a hero than being a mage. But even a hero is not perfect, and their failings are ultimately part of what makes them so great and inspiring. But if they just gave up after the first time… well then there wouldn't be any heroes, would there? So yes, that is exactly what I'm trying to say. …That and one other thing," she replied, halting to let the prince inquire her on the subject.

He did so non-verbally, but the pinkette understood the look Alexander gave her easily enough.

"It isn't something I can give a direct example of, I will admit; after all, even hearing it second-hand means that you might have omitted a few things, even if by accident. This is the first time you ever had a chance to try and save someone, and even if you failed, you know now not to underestimate Comte Mott, so…" Louise trailed off, trying to look as though she was searching for the right words to say.

"I suppose what I'm trying to tell you here is that, whether or not you succeed in doing something, you can always learn from it, and use what you've learned to improve yourself."

There was silence as she finished reciting the last line.

Louise looked straight into Alexander's eyes, watching as he blinked once… twice… three times before what she'd said finally seemed to get to him.

Then he began laughing, and this time, Louise joined in too, though she was far more controlled about it.

"I suppose I should really start practicing what I preach, shouldn't I?" asked Alexander between one laugh and the next. Louise shook her head positively to show her agreement.

For a time, the two just stood there, calming down from their bout of mirth and trying to get their thoughts into order.

It was Louise who spoke next, looking out at the sky again.

"I have to admit: I'm still not completely sure about what you said about Comte Mott," she said with a small frown, "but if you are right, then… I guess there isn't as much to worry about as I first thought."

Alexander sighed in response; thankfully with nowhere near as sad as earlier. "I would imagine she still won't be happy about the result, not for a while anyway. But at least I managed to reassure her that Comte Mott wouldn't actually try what she thought he would."

Louise's head perked up at that, and she turned to give Alexander a questioning look.

"You did?" she asked, "I don't recall you saying that earlier."

The silver haired prince shrugged in response. "I didn't think it was important at the time," he reasoned. "I actually talked to her before going to the guest rooms. She was, well, sad obviously, and a bit scared but… also happy, oddly enough. And that was before I told her that she didn't need to worry about refusing Comte Mott's advances."

"Is that so?"

Alexander might've thought that the maid's reaction was odd, but Louise could think of a few reasons for her happiness, even if she would still have needed to keep working for Comte Mott.

Her familiar, who didn't seem to catch onto her thoughts at all, merely nodded in response to her question. "It was," he reconfirmed, "It actually makes me being sad kind of more pathetic in a way, I guess." Despite the self-depreciating comment, Alexander looked more amused than sad.

"Why do you say that?" Louise inquired curiously.

"Because the reason I decided to try and rescue Siesta –for a lack of better term– was when she said that his reputation was the reason she didn't want to work there. If that was false –and I'm almost certain it is– then working there will actually be better for her. Plus, I did manage to ease her worries in the end. I was just being more selfish with how disappointed I was earlier."

"Ah… I see," Louise nodded in understanding, noting the wistful smile on her familiar's face. "If it helps, I admit that I likely would have reacted similarly, if I was in your shoes."

Silver eyebrows rose up in surprised interest.

"Oh? But I thought you said I was being stupid?"

"I did," the pinkette deadpanned her reply, making the other teen blink down at her.

Then he chuckled again.

"Well I guess that just makes us a pair of hypocritical fools then, doesn't it?"

Louise, to her own surprise, didn't feel affronted by Alexander's comment at all. In fact, she actually found herself smiling back with a quip of her own.

"I did summon you, after all," she noted, "It would stand to reason that we're compatible in some form; even if it is just our bad habits."

They likely would have continued their conversation for a little longer if a scene from the courtyards hadn't caught Alexander's eyes; a fact which he was quick to note Louise about.

"I'm afraid we'll end up having to add bad punctuality to that list if we don't get moving soon enough," he said, directing the pinkette's eyes to the few students now making their way into the courtyard.

Louise's eyes widened at the scene. "It's been that long already!?" she shouted in alarm, "they'll start washing up soon! We have to get to the kitchen now!"

So saying, the pink haired mage made to start running as fast as she could, lest she be given even more punishment than she already had now. This was put to an abrupt stop by Alexander pulling her back by the arm.

"Calm down. The kitchen is too far away to make it on time just by running," he said calmly. "I know a much faster way," he followed up, smirking as he nudged her to turn around, "I suggest you hold your skirt down and keep it tight around your legs."

Before the pink haired girl could voice her confusion, she felt herself get picked up off the ground and positioned into a bridal carry, causing a huge blush to explode on her cheeks.

"A-Alexander! What are you-!"

A strong gust of wind emanating from all around her cut off Louise's protests, though the pink on her cheeks stayed just as strong. If anything, they actually grew more pronounced when her summon looked down at her face.

"I would also suggest holding on tightly," he added to his previous instruction.

Louise tried to regain control from her embarrassed state. Though she had to admit that being carried like this by her familiar felt somewhat nice, she also didn't think it was very appropriate. However, suspecting that nothing she could say would actually convince Alexander to stop, the pinkette instead decided to just comply with his instructions and promptly tucked herself tightly to the prince.

The sudden rush of wind and scenery made her very glad for this, regardless of what their position may have looked like.

-X-

"Ah! Good afternoon Alexander! … And Miss. Vallière, you're finally here as well," the head chef and their current 'boss' greeted the two semi-jovially as they entered through the kitchen's back door. Louise didn't exactly like the fact that the large man had greeted her in such a lacklustre manner, but opted to let it go on the grounds that they were nearly late for her punishment and that she had just spent the last few minutes fixing her dishevelled appearance; a result of travelling far too fast for her liking.

Alexander, in contrast to Louise's slightly annoyed demeanour, had a friendly smile on his face. "Good afternoon to you too, Chef Marteau," the prince returned the larger man's greeting, "I hope we're not too late. I… had an issue of sorts, and Louise decided to help me sort through it."

The chef laughed loudly as thought Alexander had just said one of the funniest things he'd ever heard.

"Don't mind it too much Our Fist," he assured the younger man, "Miss. Zerbst already informed me earlier." A toothy grin spread across the chef's face, replacing his already large smile. "Even if she didn't, I wouldn't have minded much if the two of you were a little late. We still have to thank you quite a lot for your valiant effort to save Siesta from that Mott yesterday."

Both Louise's and Alexander's eyes widened in surprise at his declaration. No one other than the two of them and those who joined Louise knew of their excursion. "Did that stupid Zerbst actually tell him that?" Louise wondered in a slight panic, "I don't think Tabitha would just spread word like that around for no reason. Or was it Guiche just trying to get attention? Montmorency? "

Her train of thought was cut off as the head chef spoke again.

"Don't worry about anybody finding out about what you did either," he assured younger man with a mischievous smile, "We promised her that we wouldn't talk about what you did."

Louise sighed at that, which was echoed by Alexander. "So it was Zerbst then," the pinkette concluded, still somewhat annoyed despite the redhead assuring the staff's silence, "What was she thinking?"

The pinkette shook her head at the thought and decided to just get down to business. The faster they finished their job, the sooner they could eat, and while Louise's didn't like the staff's food as much as what was served to students normally, it was still always good enough for her to consider it a welcome relief for her now even more tired state.

"Right," the pinkette nodded to herself, steeling her will for the laborious task at hand. "We'll just start with cleaning the dishes then. Come, Alexander," playing the role of a familiar's master, she instructed the prince, leading him towards the still growing pile of porcelain and metal.

The two began their work in earnest, both donning an apron –in Louise's case, replacing her cape with it– provided for each of them and occupying the vacant sink. As Louise was the one actually being disciplined, she elected to do the much more demanding task of lathering the dishes. Alexander would then rinse them off and wipe them dry before placing them on a rack.

The pinkette was glad that, at the very least, they didn't have to clean the silverware as well. The pair of apprentice chefs occupying the other sink saw to that.

They were unusually quiet though, having spoken thus far when Alexander had greeted the two of them.

"Perhaps it's because there are so few people here right now?" Louise wondered to herself. It certainly seemed the most logical reason for the uncharacteristic, if somewhat relaxing quiet.

With the rest of the students and faculty finishing their luncheon, most of the staff had begun eating their own lunch in the staff's dining room next door. The only ones who seemed to still have work now were those responsible for collecting the plates in the Alvíss Dining Hall after the students and teachers were done eating.

Occasionally, one such person would enter area to add more plates to their pile and silverware to the other pair's. Each time, they would greet Alexander and he would greet them by name in return, his tone, oddly, both welcoming and absent-minded at once.

Judging by the fact that none of them corrected him, she assumed he'd gotten each one correct; a remarkable feat as she was fairly certain the prince hadn't even turned his head to look at them.

Brigitte, Florent, Enzo, Eve, the list went on and on, Josseline, Léone, Siesta, Olivier-

The sound a plate shattering rang through the kitchen just a few fractions of a second before Louise's eyes practically popped out of her head.

As one, mage and familiar whirled around, coming face to face with a girl who most definitely should not have been back the academy.

The black haired maid –and that rare hair colour in itself proved that it really was the same person– for her part, smiled awkwardly at the two.

"Hello Alexander, Ms. Vallière. How has your day been?" she asked in the most nonchalant voice she could feign… or at least, that was what Louise thought she was trying to feign, because the maid was, quite frankly, horrible at it.

Despite that and the fact that the two of them should really be reacting to Siesta's unexpected presence in the academy with something other than dumbfounded blinking, Louise and Alexander stuck with exactly that activity, producing an even more awkward silence.

This was only broken by a sudden, very ignoble comment popping inside of Louise head at a time when she was too surprised to stop herself from verbalizing it.

"Well… now I just feel stupid…"

-X-

And that's it for this chapter!

Once again, sorry to all those who followed this for the extremely long wait. Getting adjusted to living in a different country turned out to be tougher than I'd thought it would be, but with me having properly settled now, I'll be able to write some more, even with college. I doubt I'll be able to update too regularly, but at the very least I'll try to publish two or three chapters during my vacations and one or two during the semester.

No promises on that, but I do promise to get the next chapter out (hopefully) by the eighteenth of January or, failing that, before the end of the month. As I said in the author's note prior to the chapter, it will be an interlude with very few Alexander and/or Louise moments, focusing instead on explaining the ending of this chapter for the side A, and the final preparations for Alexander's 'rescue' on side B.

Now, for those who want to see Louise's full explanation during the classroom portion earlier, just continue on below. Keep mind, however, that this is around one thousand words of info-dump, as is many others of its kind. These are mostly for those curious of how certain minor things might work later in the story, as well as for some foreshadowing about future events. None of these will actually be needed for to learn anything important though, so feel free to skip it.

-X-

"Very well, you may continue where I had left off," Professor Dufort's instructions brought Louise's attention back to the front of the class. "Explain to everyone the four qualities of barrier spells."

Louise nodded curtly, accepting the subtle challenge and quickly recalling all she knew about the subject to the fore.

"First and foremost, every barrier requires energy to cast and maintain, differentiating it from many defence oriented spells. Mages solely use their Willpower for this purpose for short term barriers such as those used in combat. For barriers meant to last a long time, such as those used to protect castles and fortresses, other sources of power are employed. As an example, being an area where magic is used regularly and constantly, the academy's barriers can be maintained simply by using runes to gather ambient magic. Most important structures, however, rely on magic stones as power sources. This is possible largely because the amount of energy required to maintain a barrier spell is very small compared to the amount needed to initially cast it."

Louise paused to catch her breath, using the same time to run through her own explanation. It was as concise as she could make it without leaving any important details out. Such things as the exact energy difference between casting and maintaining barriers and the 'Energy by Area' law were usually only learned by experts on the subject at hand so they probably weren't necessary.

Professor Dufort didn't seem to contest her respite, merely humming to herself, judging what she'd just heard. The slight nod of her head showed her approval and simultaneously signalled Louise to move on. The pink haired girl, already having planned the next –much longer– part, took a deep breath before continuing.

"The second trait shared by all barriers is the need for an 'Anchor', which is its main focus point. This second quality differentiates barriers from other defensive spells which also require constant energy. An anchor allows barrier spells to be maintained with a relatively small amount of energy, as it focuses all of that energy on defence. By the same token, however, the utility of barrier spells for anything other than their intended purpose is heavily limited."

"For barriers which completely enclose an area, the anchor is always within equidistance from its outer perimeter, which is why such barriers are always domed or circular. Those which only cover one side will always have the anchor as being equidistance to its corners. Most barrier spells are designed to target a particular object as its anchor, typically the wand or body of the caster. For this reason, few mages are capable of casting barrier spells away from their person without ample preparation."

The pinkette stopped again, once more reviewing her summarization. The subject of barrier anchors was surprisingly vast as far as magical theory went. Louise posited its level of comprehension as being rooted in the ever evolving desire for better security amongst the nobility. Still, she couldn't help but think that there were a few… "Ah! Of course! I can't believe I forgot about those!" she mentally reprimanded herself upon remembering just what it was she'd yet to mention.

"Additionally, while simpler barrier spells only have one anchor, more complex barriers can simultaneously have multiple sub-anchors. These not only allow for more complex shapes, but, if arranged correctly, can also greatly strengthen a barrier's effectiveness. To again use the academy's defences as an example, each of the five corner towers holds a sub-anchor, placed in such a way that the barrier lies right on the surface of the walls, giving them more stability by using the walls as further support."

"Also, as they are the focus points for both location and energy, moving the anchor will also move the connected barrier –the basis for enchanted shields and armour– while its destruction will, understandably, also destroy the barrier."

Louise nodded to herself, almost imperceptively, at what she considered a job-well-done. She almost couldn't believe that she'd forgotten to say such important details about barrier anchors, "probably because of how little I slept," she reasoned, taking a moment to view the reaction of her class. The befuddled looks on most of their faces, coupled with the satisfied hum of her teacher nearly put a victorious smirk onto her face, but she held it back. A bit of humility was needed in this situation.

"The third quality of all barrier spells is often called 'Homogeneous Vulnerability'. That is to say, every barrier's greatest weakness is an attack of the same nature as the barrier's method of defence. For example, the best way to get past a barrier which utilizes razor winds to defend a target is using an offensive spell which also utilizes razor winds, such as Gale Sword or Storm Fang. There are various theories as to why this is the case, but there is currently no widely accepted view of it."

Louise took a moment to think to herself, before adding, "This principle, however, is not an insurmountable obstacle to defending oneself, or one's property. Complex barrier matrices where multiple barriers are layered and overlap with each other can, if done correctly, cover each other's weaknesses. Others still work in tandem by having the multiple natures of each barrier obscure the others within the matrix, making it difficult to determine their weaknesses."

Upon reflection, Louise admitted that the concept of barrier matrices probably wasn't something she needed to talk about, but she found it interesting nonetheless. She didn't know enough about the practice to give a proper example though; she hoped that that, at least, was excusable.

"Lastly, no barrier can retain its integrity if even the smallest gap exists in its intended design. In most cases, making the smallest hole in a barrier will shatter it completely, but stronger ones can usually stay active. In such cases, however, the barrier itself becomes far easier to break the closer it is to the gap. Essentially, this small hole becomes the barrier's weak point."

Louise finished with a slight upturn at the edge of her lips. She'd made sure to simplify her explanation as much as she could without leaving out anything she considered important; admittedly more for the purpose of shortening the time needed to finish than so that her classmates could understand better. The thought was selfish, but the results spoke for themselves when the only ones who didn't seem to understand at least a majority of it had either fell asleep mid-way or was trying very hard not to.

The pink haired girl took all this in as she finished her lecture. Taking a deep breath to regain what she'd lost after a particularly long part, she remained standing, waiting for her teacher's evaluation.

-End Chapter-