"Are you really gonna do what the Pope's asking?" Saito asked later. "Of course I am! A Noble never goes back on their word," said Louise, brushing her hair. "You'd be joining with a man responsible for so much pain!" Saito can't believe what he's hearing. "To Tabitha's family, to Siesta, hell, he's the one who's been trying to kidnap you! We have no idea what he'll try and pull if he comes here!"
"That's true, we don't," she said. "Honestly, you're right. For all we know, he could be planning something as we speak." "Then why-" "Because His Holiness asked me!" Louise replied passionately. "All my life, I've been 'Louise the Zero'. Nobody thought I would amount to anything as a mage, that I was just a talentless girl lucky enough to be born into a Noble family. But now, I have this legendary power! My actions can change the world, help lead it to a more peaceful place!"
"And you'd overlook everything this guy's done in the meantime??" Saito asked angrily. "And what about Tiffa? When you got carried away and answered, you made it harder for her to refuse! It's not like she's some descendant of Brimir, you know!" Louise is taken aback by his words. "Did you think for a second how she's feeling about all this?" He continued. "Tiffa just learned that she's a Void Mage, so she's already dealing with a lot. She doesn't even have a Familiar yet!"
Louise started to get angry herself, "You don't care about my feelings at all, do you? You're worrying about Tiffa!" "That's because unlike some people, I care about more than just myself!!" He snapped. "I thought you were becoming a better person, but you're still the same, selfish Louise I met the day you yanked me into this world! I doubt Tiffa would be so thoughtless."
"Tiffa, Tiffa, Tiffa!" Now Louise was really mad. "If you really care about Tiffa that much, maybe you should just be her Familiar!!!" Saito glared at her, "If that was possible, I'd gladly do it!!!" "Well then, there's no need for you to be here, then get out!!" Louise pointed to the door. "Don't need to tell me twice, you damn brat!!" With that, Saito rushed out, slamming the door behind him.
Saito stormed off in search of alternate lodging away from the girl. "Partner, don't you think ya might've been a bit harsh?" Asked Derf. "Not a chance," Saito replied bitterly. "How can she just turn a blind eye after everything that's happened!?" "She's not," the sword replied. "The only reason she's doing this is because that Pope asked her to do it. I'm positive if anyone else asked, she'd turn them down flat." "Somehow I doubt that," Saito retorted.
"Look, there's something you should know about this world, Partner," Derf continued. "The monarchs have political power and influence, sure. But they can be swayed by greed, ego, or a desire for dominance. As far as trust and piety goes, a sitting Pope has always topped them all. Every choice made has been carefully measured and every action for the overall benefit of his people. I'm sure he knows full well what Joseph's capable of and has a plan in case of trouble."
"He's really that infallible?" An incredulous Saito asked. "To be honest, I can't say for sure about this one. I'm going by my own past experiences," Derf admitted. "But he clearly cares about the people and if he's assembling the Four Bearers, then it was not a decision made lightly. Whatever this crisis he foresees must be, you can be sure the fate of the world is indeed at stake." Saito sighed, "Fine, but I'm not going to let Louise out of my sight if Joseph's around." He grips the handle of his knife, "As soon as this 'crisis' is over, he and Sheffield have a reckoning coming."
"SOMEBODY HELP!!!!!" Saito whirled around upon hear the voice. "Was that... Louise!?" He immediately sprinted over in the direction it came from. Coming upon a hole in the building wall, he saw two men exit. Running on the rooftop and swinging Derf, Saito leapt down to engage them in battle. "Just who are you??" He demanded. From behind him, Louise emerged. "Saito! Those two are thieves!!" Glancing at her quickly, he was shocked to see her clothing torn up and unkempt. Flashbacks to the night Siesta died went through his head.
"What the hell did you do to her!?" Saito roared. "Whoa, calm down!" Said the shorter of the two. "We didn't do what you think!" The other raised a wand, and from around the boy rose four metal Golems. "Take that and run," the man indicated to bundle in the shorter man's arms. "I'll buy you time." "Jeez, quite treating me like a kid," the other replied, as he jumped off the roof and ran off.
"Damn!" Saito grit his teeth as he saw one of the Golems leap at him. Switching Derf to his right hand, Saito pulled his knife out and held it in his left. Dodging a hammer strike, Saito slashed at the Golem's middle, cutting it in half. Another Golem raised a spear and thrust it forward. Saito parried with his knife, spinning around to get closer and smashing its head off.
The third Golem charged with a sword, but Saito caught it between his two blades. Kicking it off balance, he held the sword at bay with his knife, spinning to slash the fourth Golem in the middle before finally stabbing this last one. It crumbled before the boy's eyes. The mage responsible picked up a rock from a Golem's remains, turning it into a Morningstar and narrowly blocking Saito's attack.
"This guy's no pushover, Partner!" said Derf. "It doesn't matter!" Saito yelled, knocking the mage backwards. He quickly rebounded however and swung the Morningstar hard, the spiked ball just barely missing Saito. The boy threw his knife at the mage, who blocked it away with the shaft of his weapon. But this was the opening Saito wanted, surging forward and slicing Derf into the man's side.
The wound wasn't deep enough to kill, but there was no doubt it hurt. "N-not bad, kid..." said the man, clutching his wound to stop the bleeding. "But-" He clenched his fist, which lifted and compressed a piece Golem armor into a smaller rock. It launched through the air and hit Saito in the gut with the force of a bullet. He doubled over, gasping for air, stabbing his sword into the ground for support.
"Don't hold this against me," the man continued, raising his weapon to strike. "Louise, now!!!" Saito yelled, and braced himself. The man turned to see Louise pointing her wand, "Explosion!!!" The force of her spell immediately knocked their enemy away and out of consciousness. Saito gripped Derf, trying to stay in place, but between the explosion and the pain in his stomach, he was unable to hold on and was knocked backwards off the roof.
Saito yelled and shut his eyes, knowing there was no way he could survive a fall from this height. "Levitation!!!" Called out a voice. The next thing he knew, Saito's descent had slowed and he landed head first into something soft. Lifting his head, Saito was surprised to be looking at a very familiar chest. Turning it upwards, he was staring into the slightly embarrassed expression of Tiffania.
"Saito?" "Tiffa?" The two looked at each other in confusion. "Thanks for catching him, Mr. Colbert!" said Louise, running over. "Are you alright, Saito?" The boy stood up, "Yeah, I'm fine. Where's that guy you blew away?" "Still on the roof," she replied. "The guards have already been alerted and are on the way to get him." Saito sighed with relief, "That's good. Just wish I could've got the other guy too." "What happened up there?" Asked a confused Mr. Colbert.
"Honestly, I'm not too sure," the boy replied, staring back up to the sky. There was a sort of nostalgic feeling going through his head, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. For the moment, he was glad simply to still be in one piece.