Author's Notes:

Hey guys, I'm keeping my promise to release a chapter per day for a week. This one is coming out a little later than planned, but I'm glad I managed to get it out. Anyway, enjoy chapter 29!

Chapter 29: Westwood

Louise stared up at the ceiling of her room in Helen's palace. It had been nearly one month since Saito had left to 'train with Sasha'. For the entire time, she hadn't seen either of them, so she assumed that they must be training really hard, somewhere far away.

Over the past few weeks, ever since Saito left, Helen had been adamant that whenever Louise was going to leave the building, she must be informed beforehand. Helen explained that it was for her safety, as she was a human in a world where the majority of people despised humanity.

Still, Louise began to feel claustrophobic in her current circumstances. She also began to feel guilty because she felt like she was doing nothing for the past few weeks. She knew that at any point, Germania could launch an attack on its formerly allied nations. However, any time she asked Helen or one of her messengers about how the human world fared, they would assure her that for the time being, there was peace.

Quickly becoming irritated with having to be with someone other than Saito wherever she went, she rose out of bed and put on some inconspicuous clothes. Quietly, she snuck downstairs and quickly ran out of the door.

With a long hooded coat covering her hair, she made her way to the closest town. The streets were crowded with happy people who were enjoying the sight of falling snow through the tall, variously designed buildings. The smell of different foods filled the air.

As she wandered around, she had to try her best to avoid the massive, winged people, as well as those who were shorter than they were. She noticed that some people seemed to be of mixed race, which fascinated her.

She was having a good time. However, through the crowd she saw a face that she thought was familiar. Shoulder length, white hair gingerly bounced as the person walked through the crowd. Louise walked hastily towards them.

When she was within an arm's length, she pulled on their coat for them to notice her. The person turned around and, just as Louise thought, it was Sasha, looking down at her with her signature bored looking face.

"You're supposed to be with Saito…" Louise said.

"Damn that Helen." Sasha said to herself. "She was supposed to alert me if the girl came out."

Without addressing what Louise had just said, she dragged her out of the city towards her small cabin in the woods. For several minutes, she dragged Louise by her arm, ignoring her countless pleas to be let go. After about an hour, they reached her cabin. Sasha sat down Louise down in a chair and poured them both tea, after which, Louise immediately began to question her.

"Where is Saito?" She asked.

"In the human world." Sasha said, honestly.

"Why?!" Louise asked. "He said he'd be training with you!"

"The day before he left, the humans went to war. He insisted on going." Sasha said as she sipped her tea.

"War?! And he didn't tell me?!" Louise said, enraged.

"He said he didn't want to risk his family." Sasha said. "However, he did give me permission to train you in your void magic."

"I don't have time for that!" Louise said as she got up to leave. "I have to go right now!"

"I'm afraid I cannot let that happen. He asked me to train you and I accepted. Therefore, I will train you." Sasha replied. "As a void mage, you are extremely valuable, so you must be able to fend for yourself."

"I don't care if he asked that of you!" Louise exclaimed. "What if he dies?!"

Sasha sighed, clearly not enjoying this experience. "The ring on your finger indicates your devotion to him, does it not?" She said.

Louise looked at the ring, rubbing it lightly as she nodded.

"The crown on your head indicates your willingness to work with him as well." Sasha said. "Sometimes, you must trust his word and his actions. Leaving you here was a noble act from him. Of course he knows that you possess an immense amount of power, but he had you remain here so you may hone this power to further protect yourself if he is not available. He knows, of course, that he may die in the process, but he believes this to be insignificant as long as you remain safe. Do not insult his wishes by running after him, possibly to both of your deaths."

Louise remained silent as she thought about Sasha's words. According to Saito, he had left her before to fight an army and was later killed. The very thought of having to attend his funeral pulled at her heart more than anything else did.

"The choice is yours." Sasha continued. "If you really wish to stand next to him instead of behind him, and fight alongside him as not only his wife, but his equal and his partner, then you need to stay and train with me."

Louise, defeated by Sasha's words, sat back down in her chair.

"What do you want me to do?" Louise asked.

"For now, just rest. Since you will be training with me, you will be staying here for now. I will inform Helen of this." Sasha replied.

"I understand." Louise said.

She looked down at her ring finger, remembering the day that Saito proposed to her. Countless times, he told her that he would protect her. Whenever he said things like that, it made her feel happy. But now, when she looked back, it made her feel helpless. This feeling of weakness gave her the willpower to stand behind her decision and train with Sasha.

In North-Western Gallia

Saito ran through the forest with Derflinger in his hand. There were no enemies in this region, but he was here looking for someone. Earlier in the month, Saito had explained to Josette that it was imperative that she ask Vittorio of Romalia for his assistance, after which he left in search of the void mage who saved him before, Tiffania.

He was aware that Tiffania was from Albion, but he remembered that when he met her in the forest, she was on the Halkeginian continent rather than the floating island of Albion. From what Derf had told him, when Saito almost died after his fight with the army of 70,000, Derf had teleported him to a forest in western Albion, near the port town of La Rochelle.

He had been searching for weeks, but to no avail. It was a cold, snowy night, and he had been searching for the whole day. Not wanting to risk going into any towns and being spotted, he laid on the ground underneath a large pine tree. Because his body produced a very large amount of heat, he didn't feel cold at all.

He wrapped himself in his clothes, which were now entirely black. He had left his coronation clothes with Tabitha for safekeeping, but refused to take off his crown, as he treasured the fact that Henrietta and the other leaders entrusted him with it. He wore long baggy pants and a matching shirt. Over these clothes, he wore a long, black, fur cloak.

After a few moments, he closed his eyes to rest. Although his eyes were closed, he could not sleep. He sat there for hours, thinking about the war, Louise, and the family he would soon have. As he thought, he felt himself being poked by something.

He instantly opened his eyes, suspecting a soldier. However, instead of the heavily armored man he was expecting to see, he instead saw a beautiful, young, blonde girl with a generous bust. When she saw how his eyes glowed, she stepped back a little in fear.

"You'll freeze if you remain out here." The girl said.

"Tiffa..?" Saito said, confused at first.

She looked at him with a confused expression.

"Tiffania!" Saito finally said when his senses came back to him.

"Y-You know my name?" She asked.

"I need you to come with me to Lutéce quickly!" He said.

"W-Why?" She asked.

"Right now, there is a war going on. You could be really helpful to me and millions of other people." Saito said. "I know this is sudden, but I know you. In fact, I owe my life to you. If you come with me, I can explain everything. I promise that I won't hurt you."

"Why would you want the help of me?" She asked, removing her hat to reveal her ears.

"I don't care that you're a half Elf. I'm not exactly normal, either." Saito said, revealing his fangs and letting his tail fall from its previous position of being wrapped around his waist.

She was extremely surprised to see his long tail, snaking around on the ground behind him. She seemed to be mesmerized by its bright orange glow, which matched the glow of his eyes. However, he soon wrapped back around his waist.

"Do you trust me now?" He asked.

She thought about what options were before her. Her life was not exactly entertaining as it was. If she helped the royal family of Gallia, then perhaps she could return to Albion and live a happy life. With her mind made up, she looked back into Saito's eyes with determination.

"I trust you." She said.

"Great." Saito said.

He picked her up in his arms and looked at the moons, figuring out which way the capital city was. When he figured it out, he began to run in that direction. The speed surprised Tiffania, so much that she quickly became unconscious.

As he ran through the Gallian countryside, he suddenly stopped and looked towards Tristain. With his eyes, he could see a Germanian army of about five thousand slowly making their way into the country. With this dire piece of news, he quickened his pace towards Lutéce.

Within twelve hours, he arrived at the palace, gasping for air. As he walked towards the palace, Tiffania woke up. She was slightly confused as to what was happening, but soon came back to her senses. She looked at her surroundings, noticing how although the city was quite beautiful with its large stone buildings, there was a panic in the air. Soldiers ran through the streets, while civilians were forced to perform drills in case of attack.

As they walked into and through the palace, Tiffania noticed that several of the guards and officers saluted Saito as he walked by them. However, at the same time, they stared at Tiffania. She wondered why, but then realized that her hat was taken off.

"They seem to respect you." She said to Saito.

"I helped a lot of soldiers in the east since I came back from…nevermind." He said. "Don't worry about how they look at you."

"Why are you fighting in this war?" She asked.

"I was wronged by the Germanians." Saito said. "They attempted to kill me, my fiancé, and my friends."

"You are engaged?" She said with surprise. "Even with your oddities?"

"I remained devoted to her from the beginning." Saito said as he came closer to Tabitha's door. "Eventually, I couldn't help but propose to her. I didn't look like this when I proposed, but she still loves me and I love her."

"She sounds like a wonderful person." She replied.

"It must be nice to have so many people who love you and care for you…" Tiffania said, just as Saito was about to open the door to Tabitha's throne room.

He stopped in his tracks when he heard her. A feeling of sadness overcame him, so he turned around and gave her a hug. She was very surprised, but didn't say anything, as she finally felt like someone cared for her for the first time in years.

"I care about you." He said. "I know you've been through a lot, but once this war is over, you can come to me or any of my friends for anything you need."

"Thank you…" She said, happily. "I have one more question though. Why do you wear a crown?"

"Oh." Saito said, looking at the jewel embedded crown on his head. "Shortly before the war, I was made the King of a small country."

"Why is a King fighting on the front lines like you?" She asked him.

"Well, I'm not a normal human. I'll explain all of that to you later. For now, we have to meet Queen Charlotte." He said.

She nodded and looked straight ahead as he pushed the massive doors to the throne room open. Charlotte was with her sister, looking out of a window. When they turned and noticed Saito, they walked towards him to greet the two.

"Hello. I am Queen Charlotte." She said to Tiffania, bowing towards her.

"I am Charlotte's sister, Queen Josette." Josette said, bowing with her sister.

"I-I'm Tiffania Westwood. Pleased to meet you." Tiffa said, bowing low.

Saito thought he noticed a look of jealousy cross the sister's faces as they noticed her tremendous bust. Just as soon as it appeared, their faces returned to normal. When they got up, they examined Tiffa more closely.

"Has Saito informed you of why you were brought here?" Josette asked.

Tiffa shook her head, prompting Josette to look at Saito, wanting him to explain.

"Tiffa, you are capable of using a special kind of magic called Void. You are one of the very few people in the world who are capable of using it. The others being Vittorio of Romalia, Queen Josette who stands before you, and my fiancé, Louise." Saito said.

"Void..?" She said, bewildered.

"Yes." Saito said. "I am the familiar of Louise known as Gandalfr, the Left Hand of God. That's part of the reason why I look the way I do."

"What does Void magic do?" She asked.

"It can do several things." Saito said. "It can open portals, read minds, see into the past. But most importantly for this war, it can cause massive explosions which do a large amount of damage. Among all of the other Void powers, Explosion is the one that can help the most at the moment."

"Why is your fiancé not helping you in this war?" Tiffa asked Saito.

"I left her with…never mind." He said, realizing that he couldn't tell them about the Elves.

"Left her with what?" Tabitha asked. "She is my friend. I want to know of her well being."

"Fine. I will tell you, but you cannot let this be heard by anyone else." Saito said, swayed by the fact that she was Louise's friend. "I left her in the Kingdom of Elves."

Everyone in the room stared at him. "Kingdom of…Elves?" Tiffa said. "The Elves have their own Kingdom?!"

Saito nodded.

"Where is it?" Tabitha asked, calmly.

"I cannot tell you." Saito said. "The Elves and the other races there have no wish to make contact with humanity."

"Other races?" Josette asked.

"I'll explain all of that after the war." Saito said.

"So, why did you leave Louise there?" Tabitha asked.

Saito took a deep breath. "While we were there, I found out that she was pregnant." He said, turning bright red.

Tabitha's eyes widened. Suddenly, she seemed more conniving and childish. She smiled mischievously at Saito, and her voice changed to be more 'normal'.

"So that means you must have…you know?" She said.

"Sylphid must be getting to her…" Saito thought to himself.

"So how many times?" She asked.

"That's beside the point!" Saito said. "The point is, I couldn't let her fight knowing that she was carrying a baby with her. So I didn't tell her that I was leaving. I told her I'd be training elsewhere."

"So that's why you required other Void mage." Josette said.

"I was going to gather them all for…a different reason, but right now, I can't let Louise fight." He said.

"How many Elves were there?!" Tiffa suddenly said.

"Um, a lot, I guess." Saito said.

"I have to see them!" She said.

"Well, I guess I could take you once everything is over." He conceded.

At this moment, Sylphid ran into the room. She was in her human form so that she could easily get into the building.

"Older Sister!" She said, panting. "More enemy forces arriving from Tristain!"

When she spotted Saito, she seemed to take a liking to him, like a dog wood to its master. She was intrigued by his body, but was preoccupied with the invading forces from Tristain as well as the ones invading from the east.

"Have you figured out a way to make weapons like theirs?" Saito asked.

"We have." Josette said. "But we do not have the raw materials to make enough for our military."

"I see." Saito said. "Send a large army to deal with the military in the east. I will find a way to deal with those from Tristain."

"How are you going to fight them?" Tabitha asked, returning to her normally reserved demeanor.

"I'll figure something out." He said as he began to leave the room. "Make sure Tiffa stays comfortable."

He left the room, wondering even to himself what he was going to do. He thought about his options and decided that a direct confrontation was too risky. He had guessed that at least 5,000 enemy soldiers all armed with guns were slowly making their way towards the capital, so the best solution was to take them down indirectly.

However, he faced the dilemma of not having the power to take out that many enemies at once. Perhaps if Louise was with him, it could be possible. But as it was, he would have to find another way.

In Sasha's Cabin

Louise opened her eyes. Daylight was beginning to shine on the snow covered ground outside. Today was the day she would have to begin her training with Sasha, who was outside chopping wood with an axe.

Louise got dressed in a long sleeved shirt, long white pants, and quite heavy boots. They seemed to be clothes meant for a man, but they would serve their purpose. She walked outside to Sasha, who looked up at her, waiting for her to speak.

"I am ready to begin my training." Louise said, boldly.

"I see." Sasha replied.

She got up and dusted the snow off of her clothing. "The first thing you must do is strengthen your fragile body." She said. "If your body is strong, it will be able to handle the strain that void magic places on it."

"I understand." Louise said.

She was slightly frightened at the prospect of doing harsh training with someone as seemingly cold as Sasha, but she remained steadfast and waited for her instructions.

"You seem mentally prepared, at the very least." Sasha said. "For as long as your fiancé remains at war, we will continue our training. Are you ready?"

"I am ready." Louise said.

"Very well." Sasha replied. "Follow me into the woods. We will not be staying in a warm home for a very long time, so prepare yourself."

Only picking up her axe, which Louise noticed Sasha always carried on her back, and a long green cloak, Sasha began walking into the dense forest. Louise was very hesitant at first. If she started walking, there would be no turning back if it became too difficult. However, spurred on by the thought of how hard Saito must be working at the moment, she stepped forward with Sasha.

"Just wait Saito." She thought to herself. "I'll be much stronger when you return."

Author's Notes:

First off, I know there was no chapter yesterday, and the simple reason is…I just forgot to post it (this was supposed to come out yesterday). Sorry about that. Anyway, I'm really happy with the support I've been getting. Whether it be views, visitors, or reviews, it really helps me keep going, so thank you! I promise I'll get a chapter out tomorrow, so just hold on until then. Thanks for reading guys! Until next time!