Behold, the long awaited continuation of the token fight scene!

But first, a short interlude.

EDIT NOTE (04/16/2020): Special thanks to Croniklerx for providing helpful criticism that helped make major revisions in this chapter! Including an extension of the fight scene!


The echoes of hurried footsteps resounded down the Academy halls. Students stepped aside as they watched a typically calm Professor raced through the Academy and up the stairs to the Headmaster's office. He heard muffled discussion from behind the solid oak door, but he was in too much of a hurry to knock. "Miss Valliere's familiar and Mr. Gramont are dueling in the Vestri Court!" Professor Colbert announced, throwing open the door to the Headmaster's office.

He stopped cold as he observed a red-faced Longueville stamping her boots into the Headmaster Osmond's back. The silver-haired man was lying on the floor, strangely not resisting despite his groans. The two slowly turned in Colbert's direction with unreadable expressions on their faces.

"Am I… interrupting?" Colbert asked politely.

"Oh, no," the secretary replied. She gave the professor a polite smile as she tucked a few stray strands of her long green hair behind her ears. One particularly stubborn strand fell along the side of her nose, completing her usual appearance. "Old Osmond was complaining about his back pain, so I decided to give him a massage. After all, my duty as his secretary is to manage all aspects of his life, including his health. Isn't that right, Headmaster?" She asked as she dug her heal into the lower part of Osmond's back.

"Yes," the old man wheezed. "Oh! My back! Ahem, never felt better. Thank you for your service, Mrs. Longueville."

The bespectacled secretary gave a polite smile that did not reach her eyes as she stepped off of her superior's back. "I'll be sure to continue your treatment whenever I see you in need of a reminder," she said pleasantly.

Osmond rose to his feet as Longueville returned to her desk. "Yes, Colbert, you were saying something about a duel?" the old man asked.

"Yes," Colbert said slowly as he watched the old man return to his seat. Whatever massage Longueville gave him seemed to be working wonders. The Headmaster didn't hunch over, stumble, or slow down in the slightest as he passed the desk of his young secretary to reach his own workstation. "Mr. Gramont apparently challenged Mrs. Valliere's familiar to a duel, and the familiar accepted. They're in the Vestri Court now."

"Oh? And why did you have to come to me?" Osmond asked. "I thought I made it clear dueling was illegal on academy grounds."

"Well," Colbert replied hesitantly. "There is a loophole to that."

"Loophole?" Osmond scoffed. "Preposterous! I put clauses for all ranks of students and nobility! All situations and circumstance are covered, often redundantly, even in triplicate! Do you know how many years it took to make sure that none of these students would be able to weasel their way around that rule? Tell me, what 'loophole' is there for this duel?"

"The academy rules state that no nobles may fight in duels, but it is my understanding that such restrictions do not apply to duels between nobles and familiars," Longueville supplied. "Under the wording in place, it seems that a noble is perfectly allowed to challenge any commoner or familiar they wish."

"Indeed," said Colbert, with a grateful nod to the woman. "And since Mrs. Valliere's familiar accepted the duel, it is no official. Or as official as duel of these circumstances can be."

"And what familiar is even capable of accepting a duel from a noble?" Osmond scoffed.

The two younger adults in the room exchanged glances behind their respective glasses. "Sir, Miss Valliere summoned a human familiar," Colbert reminded the old man.

Old Osmond raised his eyebrows. "Ah, yes, human familiar!" he said in recollection. "Colbert, about what we discussed last night—" The Headmaster paused as he gave a sidelong glance to his secretary. "Mrs. Longueville, would you please excuse us for a moment."

"Of course, Headmaster." The secretary rose from her seat and headed out the door. As soon as the door closed, she felt the magic of a sound proofing charm cover the room. Her golden-brown eyes narrowed, but she wouldn't waste her time trying to eavesdrop. With those two preoccupied, the woman had other business to attend to.

Colbert stowed his wand into his robes. While it was unlikely that Mrs. Longueville or any of the other staff would try to listen in to a private conversation, it was better to be safe than sorry. Especially regarding a matter as serious as this. "Louise's familiar is probably the Gandalfr."

"Which means Mrs. Valliere is probably a Void mage like the founder," Osmond said with a nod. "Yes, you said as much last night. What news to bring to a man in his bed chamber. I hardly slept a wink thinking about it!"

"My apologies, Headmaster," said Colbert sincerely. "But if this information is correct, shouldn't you use your authority as headmaster to cancel the duel? The Gandalfr is described to be the Left Hand of God, a peerless warrior that no man could hope to match. If the duel goes too far—"

"But this is also the best way to discreetly observe whether the familiar is the Gandalfr," Osmond countered. "Do not worry, Mr. Colbert, I am not planning to let this go out of control." The man pulled out a drawer of his desk and dug his hand inside it. "I think I have it," he said as he rummaged around. "No, that's not it. Ow, now why is that down there?"

"Sir?"

"Hold on, I think, yes! Here it is!" Osmond drew out a small artefact that neatly fit into the palm of his hand. It had the arrow markings of a compass, but its central part was as clear as the lense of a spyglass.

"And what is that sir?" Colbert asked.

"A fancy trinket," Osmond replied. "Using wind magic, I can get a birds eye view of a nearby area. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a good lower view." Osmond looked particularly somber about that weakness of the device. "But with this, I can observe the lads' duel from the comfort of this office!"

"But if the duel gets out of hand—"

"Bah! Remember that I'm the one who maintains the wards of the castle," Osmond reminded his younger subordinate. "I can easily raise a wall of earth or a summon strong gale if it looks like the lads take it too far."

While the Headmaster's confidence was well founded, as he was a renown square class mage, Colbert still wasn't convinced. "A fraction of a second is all it takes for something to go wrong," Colbert warned.

The headmaster waved a hand dismissively. "Hush now, it's starting!"


Louise was worried.

Very worried.

Contrary to her expectations, her familiar had not lost in the first sixty seconds of the duel. In fact, he had managed to avoid getting hit early in the duel. But every time he pulled out a new trick, Guiche pulled out a better one. Now her stupid familiar was surrounded by Guiche's Valkyries. In such a situation, he should be surrendering—ideally—or finding a way to retreat.

But what was he doing instead?

Standing still with his eyes shut like an incompetent moron!

"Open your eyes!" Louise shouted. "You can't beat them with your eyes closed!"

Her familiar made no response. His face didn't even twitch. It didn't look like he heard her and brushed off her advice, but rather he couldn't hear her at all.

"I'd rather you kept your eyes open in your defeat, but I suppose that would be too much for a child like you," Guiche taunted.

No response. A gentle breeze rippled through the courtyard grass.

Guiche's disappointment was evident on his face. "Tch, you were doing so well," he said despondently. "No matter, your defeat was inevitable! Allow me to show you why commoners never fight nobility. Valkyries, attack!"

"Move!" Louise shouted desperately.

Another breeze, stronger than before, rushed through the courtyard. To most of the students, it added a nice dramatic effect to the fight. The wind fluttered the Valkyries' skirts and blew back everyone's hair. It provided the ideal atmosphere – one you would expect from a legendary duel. But one talented wind mage noticed something peculiar. Instead of the wind flowing in a particular direction, it originated from a central source.

Louise's familiar.

The Valkyries charged forward, covering the ground with moderate haste. Guiche couldn't control all seven with the same coordination he gave a single one, but with Ash surrounded on all sides, there wasn't much the noble had to do. In fact, the hardest part would be leaving the boy in good enough condition to voice his surrender.

As the Valkyrie's weapons came within a foot of Ash, a surge of sheer force erupted from the familiar's body, knocking the golems back. Covering Ash's body was a blue glow, not unlike an ethereal flame. It wavered and flickered, dancing to the same wind that filled the courtyard. The grass by Ash's feet was bowed by the invisible waves of power emanating from his stationary form.

"What's that?" Guiche said in surprise. It looked like fire and wind magic, but that was impossible. Not only was Louise's familiar a commoner, but he also didn't have a wand.

"Just like when I made the contract," said Louise in awe. "How? How is he doing this?"

Ash's eyes snapped open. His normal warm brown irises were no more, replaced by a vibrant blue that seemed to carry their own glow. He looked down at the light and wind coming from his body. "My Aura?" he said in wonder. "Amazing!"

"What kind of magic is that?" Guiche asked, unconsciously take a step backwards.

A confident smile came over Ash's face. "It's not really magic," he replied. "And to be honest, I'm a bit rusty in using it. But now I have a chance to win this, so I'm still going to give this my best shot!" Ash turned the bill of his cap so it covered the back of his neck. He lowered his stance and put one leg behind his torso, imitating a sprinter's stance. "Here I come!"

He pushed off with his foot and shot forward like rocket, ramming into the closest Valkyrie. As his shoulder made contact with the golem's breastplate, a sharp crack was heard. This time, however, Ash felt no pain. Instead, the Valkyrie was sent flying away with a sharp indent in its armor.

"Tabitha, how is this possible?" Kirche asked in shock. She had been hoping for the fight to get interesting, but this had far surpassed her expectations.

"Uncertain," Tabitha replied. "Not magic."

"Really?"

"No wand," Tabitha said with certainty. Mages may have been blessed by the Founder with the gift of magic, but they needed a wand as a foci to cast any spells. There was no way to use the four elements without a foci of some sort, such as Guiche's rose-wand. The only creatures who could break this law of magic were the terrifying elves. Tabitha's eyes zeroed in on Ash's perfectly human ears. Not an elf then, which left the origin of his power a mystery.

Guiche frantically commanded his Valkyrie's to strike Ash. No longer was he concerned about containing their speed and avoiding a killing blow. Ash was much faster than before, and strong enough punch and kick the golems away with surprising ease. His only struggle was the reach of the Valkyrie's weapons, specifically the whip and the spear. Frowning, Guiche let the golems fight on automated commands, and focused his attentions on the two most advantageous golems.

Automated commands were an easy way to have a golem complete a simple task without needing to be supervised or manually controlled. Guiche, while skilled in golem creation, was far from the level of skill needed to have his golems fight properly without his input. There was a reason golem creation was considered at least a line mage skill. The ability to craft a sturdy, functioning golem, and give it basic automatic function was much more than what a typical dot mage could produce. Guiche's gift in golem creation gave him an edge over any other dot mage, but their automated efficiency left much to be desired.

Ash had a smile on his face as he danced around the Valkyries' attacks and retaliated whenever he found an opening. He could feel the Aura flowing out of his body. Even if a strike came from behind him, he could sense the movement and react accordingly. He was faster and stronger than before, allowing him to slowly but surely whittle away at the golems' armor.

However, it wasn't enough. The golems had clustered closer to Guiche once Ash revealed that he now had the ability to defeat a Valkyrie in single combat. While Ash could knock one or two aside, he couldn't punch down all seven before making his way to Guiche. Ash could take a chance jumping over their heads, but if he was attacked before he hit the ground, he'd have nowhere to dodge. He needed an opportunity.

Suddenly, two of the golems stepped out of formation to flank him, while the others maintained their defensive stance around Guiche. The armored constructs readied their weapons, a lance and a whip, and approached Ash cautiously.

Ash snuck a brief glance at Guiche, who seemed entirely focused on the two golems advancing towards Ash. While the trainer didn't completely understand how the golems worked, it was easy to assume that Guiche had some level of direct control. Ash figured that with Guiche's attention diverted, it would be easier to plow through the five golems on standby. Still, there was five of them. Aura or not, he didn't like his odds of dodging five different attacks. He would need to force an opening or catch Guiche off guard long enough to break through the Valkyries' defensive line.

The whip-wielding golem struck first. The braided whip lashed through the air, but only connected with air as Ash stepped out of the way of the attack. The other golem thrust its spear towards Ash, but he ducked and twisted away from that attack as well. Ash tried to strike the golem before it could recover its stance, but the braided coil of a whip forced him to dive to the side.

Ash refocused his attention on the spear wielding golem, predicting the pattern of the golems' alternating attacks would force him to dodge the spear next. However, this prediction left him unaware for what happened next. To Ash's surprise, the whip suddenly twisted in mid-air, changing it flight path, and snagging his arm in a tight bind.

"What?" Ash exclaimed. He tried to pull his arm back. The Valkyire holding the whip was dragged forward inch by inch, but Ash wasn't strong enough to pull it off its feet from this position.

Guiche smirked. "You underestimate my power," he said theatrically. "Finish him, Valkyrie!"

The spear-wielding golem charged forward; the point of its spear leveled at Ash's chest. Ash's eyes widened in panic. This was too far for a harmless duel. A spear to the chest could kill him! His eyes brightened, glowing like twin stars, as he saw the Valkyrie approach as if in slow motion. His focus shifted to his bound arm. The whip that held his arm didn't seem to be affected by gravity. It resisted his movements while remaining as rigid as metal pipe, leaving him with very little room to maneuver. With dodging looking improbable and blocking completely impossible, Ash had to resort to something crazy.

The crowd gasped as the Valkyrie's attack was halted.

"Did he just grab the spear to deflect it?" Kirche said, dumbfounded.

"Good reflexes," Tabitha commented, though she knew that was an understatement. The Valkyrie's whip was holding Ash's entangled arm in one position, leaving him with almost no space to maneuver. To be able to grab the Valkyrie's spear and twist his body while deflecting the attack required an absurd amount of strength and coordination. Whatever he was using to empower himself was breaking the abilities of a normal human.

Louise was equally flabbergasted. She was relieved that Ash had not been shishkabobed by the Valkyrie's lance, but this duel was making it hard for her to believe her eyes. She looked in shock as the runes on Ash's left hand glowed as he held the Valkyrie's spear.

Ash was also looking at his hand in surprise. He had honestly expected to be skewered by the spear. His plan had a very narrow window of opportunity, and he knew that he had seen the spear approaching his chest faster than he could push it out of the way. But once he touched the spear, the symbols on his hand had glowed white. Before he could even process his movements, he had managed to push aside the Valkyrie's spear while twisting his body into a narrow dodge that ripped his shirt and jacket, but left his skin unmarred. All without losing his grip on the weapon. And as he held it, he felt better, calmer, faster, and stronger than before.

"This is not Aura," he said in wonder and with certainty. He could feel and see the Aura emanating from his body, but the strength he felt now was radically different. If Aura was a warm feeling, this was solid force that flowed in tandem. Like a stream of steel running parallel to a river of fire. The power he felt was something new, and it was coming from those symbols on his hand.

He really needed to ask Louise about those funny looking marks.

As if in a daze, Ash pulled the spear out of the Valkyrie's hands. While the motion looked borderline lazily, he pulled with enough force to send the golem flying over his head, causing students to scurry away to avoid being crushed by its falling body. Next, Ash pulled on his whip-bound arm. The whip was pulled from the Valkyrie's grip and quickly lost its rigidness. It fell to the ground limp, just like any normal whip. Ash didn't even have to think as he closed the distance on the now disarmed golem and swung the spear through its midsection.

With the two lead Valkyries disabled, it was now down to the five in reserve. Guiche, despite shaking like leaf in an autumn gale, was committed to finishing the fight. He made three of his golems step forward to meet Ash head on, while the other two were held back in reserve. While Ash was able to dispatch two golems with ease, Guiche found it unlikely that he would be able to replicate that feat with five opponents. The three in front would force Ash to divide his attention between more targets than he had hands. And if one of the front golems fell, a replacement golem would be ready to take its place instantly. The plan was simple, but effective.

Unfortunately, the plan did not survive contact with the enemy.

Louise watched with a gob-smacked expression on her face as her familiar plowed through the remaining Valkyries as if they were straw dummies.

An axe came down to cleave to Ash in two, but it was easily sidestepped. Ash swung the spear through the Axe's handle and the hand that held it. Sensing an attack from behind, he ducked underneath a swing of a mace. A jab from the butt of his spear smashed into the attacking golem's head, knocking it clean off the body. Despite the fact that the golem did not seem to have a brain or any vital components in its cranium, its body collapsed once its head was detached. Ash could only suppose that it was design flaw, but he had little time to wonder about it.

The falling Valkyrie was quickly replaced by another that slammed down its halberd. Ash shifted his grip on the spear so he could hold it comfortably with two hands. In an impressive show of strength and dexterity, he used the shaft of the spear push the head of the halberd aside. The polearm cleaved into the delicate rapier of another golem that had tried to flank Ash while he was preoccupied. Unfortunately for that golem, it was unable to recover quickly enough after its weapon had been shattered. Ash stepped on the halberd to keep it in the ground while he swung the spear down on the Valkyrie's extended arm.

Ash felt a prickle on the back of his neck, prompting him to duck once again. Even without turning to his attacker, he could sense the shape and direction of the weapon being swung. The trainer stabbed the spear into a gap in the halberd's head as he ducked as low as he could. A broadsword struck the shaft of the spear and slid off, making Ash relieved that the entire spear was made of metal instead of just the head. The golem halted its attack in an effort to not overextend, but its fate was already sealed. Ash pulled the spear free while kicking the halberd away. A swift thrust into the sword-wielding golem's waist ended it.

As if consumed in a fit of vengeance, though more likely in Guiche's panic, the once-axe-wielding Valkyrie tried to punch Ash with its remaining arm. Ash easily sidestepped the blow. A jab with the butt of his spear smashed into Valkyrie's kneecap. Twirling the spear in his hands, he stabbed a gap in the Valkyrie's helmet.

The remaining two golems fought valiantly, but at this point, the fight was already over. The halberd Valkyrie's swing was too slow. Ash ducked underneath the attack and smashed off both its arms with one swipe of his spear. The butt of the spear was driven into the armored golem's waist, snapping it in half like its broadsword-wielding sister. The former rapier wielder now had a mace in its remaining hand, but before it could even strike, Ash had shifted his grip on the spear to make a one-armed lunge. The spear traveled straight through the Valkyrie's neck, appearing on the other side in a silhouette that would have been beyond brutal if he had been fighting a human opponent.

When the final golem hit the ground, the courtyard was silent. Everyone couldn't bring themselves to make a sound that would break the hush that had overcome them. Some students were scared that they could be breathing too loud. What they had witnessed was not a mage disciplining a commoner, but a commoner ripping through a mage's golems with the grace and might of a griffon knight.

Ash, for his part, took little heed for the crowd's silent reaction. He briefly glanced at Louise, who was staring at him with her mouth agape. Quickly deciding to deal with her later, he turned his attention back to his supposed opponent. Making eye contact with Guiche, Ash casually strolled towards him.

Guiche looked back into the shining blue eyes of his opponent. Each step Ash took was filled with confident ease. The ethereal blue still coated his form, and the shining white runes on his spear-wielding hand was on equally clear display. Ash radiated raw power and authority, rivaling some of the greatest generals Guiche had ever seen. And despite the intensity of the fight, Ash wasn't even breathing heavily. The sweat on his brow was that of routine work out, not a fight that defied every conceivable expectation!

Guiche, trembling, took a half-step back, and tripped over his robe. He watched with eyes wide in terror as Ash leveled his spear towards his face. The smaller boy's face was stoic, but the intensity of his eyes was terrifying. "I surrender," Guiche managed to choke out.

At once, the pressuring blue aura faded away, and Ash's eyes regained their warm brown color. He planted the butt of the spear into the ground, but, seeing as he didn't want to hold on to it any longer, moved to turn it upside down. Before he did so, he noticed something peculiar about the spearhead. He examined it for a long moment, before a small smile broke out on his face. Then he spun with with a flourish and stuck it into the ground. Once his hand released the weapon, the runes on his left hand also faded away.

Then, Ash stuck a hand towards Guiche. The blond looked at the hand in surprise, then looked up to Ash's assuring smile. Hesitantly, Guiche reached out to meet Ash's outstretched hand. The smaller boy hauled him to his feet with surprising ease. "You're good," Ash complimented him

"You were far more impressive," Guiche confessed. "I've never seen nor heard of any power such as yours."

"It's a bit of a rarity," Ash admitted. "But it looks like it saved me this time."

"You were terrifying."

"You almost skewered me."

Guiche started to sweat as the smile dropped from Ash's face. "My bad?" he said hesitantly.

Ash's eyes narrowed in just the slightest glare, but Guiche felt like he was being stared down by a terrifying predator.

"It won't happen again; you have my word!" the mage swore.

Ash gave him a scrutinizing look. "I guess I'll take your word then," he said, knowing that Guiche's word was dubious at best. "Which means you won't have any trouble with Siesta, right?"

"No, of course! I will treat her most courteously!"

"And you won't try to get her fired."

"I will give her glowing praise for her excellent service!"

A clever grin crept onto Ash's face, though to Guiche, it looked terrifyingly diabolical. "And you will apologize for scaring her."

"And I will apologize for scaring her!" Guiche vowed. "Wait, what?"

"You did something wrong and took it out on her. That means you should apologize, right?"

Despite the pleasant smile on Ash's face, Guiche felt a shiver go down his spine. "You are most certainly right. I will do that right now." He practically barreled into the line of students to reach Siesta.

Ash shook his head with an amused smile as he watched Guiche rush away. While he did want Guiche to correct his behavior, he hadn't expected the mage to look at him like he was a rampaging Tyrannitar. Ash didn't even come up to his chin! "Am I really that intimidating?" the trainer wondered.

Unintentional or not, Ash felt Guiche deserved a little scare. Ash was still feeling bitter about almost being stabbed. Though, when he had examined the spear after the fight, he did notice something peculiar. While the spear's shaft was perfectly smooth and its head gleamed in the sunlight, it was much blunter than he had expected. It wasn't smooth, as it did look sharp from a distance and while in motion, but it was noticeably duller than a weapon should be. While the impact would have been painful, it was more likely to crack a rib than run him through.

Perhaps Guiche had made it dull on purpose for the duel, or maybe he prioritized the appearance of the golem over the quality of its weapon. Neither option would surprise Ash. Still, he was glad he had managed to avoid that hit. Perhaps that was the reason dueling was banned at the school; it was way too easy for things to get lethal.

"How?"

Louise's voice, despite how soft it was, easily caught Ash's ear. He turned to his supposed master, who was staring at him with an interesting mix of confusion, relief, and annoyance. "How what?" he asked.

"How did you do that?" Louise screeched.

"Which part?"

"All of it!"

Ash blinked as he thought back to everything that had happened in the fight. "Experience, Aura, and luck?" he guessed. "Oh, and these new symbols on my hand. They were a huge help."

"That doesn't tell me anything!"

Ash winced as he took a step back and rubbed his ears. "Can we talk about it later?" he asked with a tired sigh. While he had been running on a hyper-adrenaline rush for the fight, fatigue was creeping into his body. The weariness was starting to creep into his voice as he had to force his eyes to stay open. "I'm kinda tired right now."

Louise finally realized that they were still surrounded by many prying eyes. "Come with me," she said, dragging him by the arm.

As he was dragged away Ash saw Siesta blushing furiously as Guiche stood in front of her with a hanging head. He couldn't catch what was being said, but given the expressions on everyone's faces, it seemed the mage was being true to his word.

Good, it looked like Guiche wasn't a complete jerk.

And now that Ash thought about it, he could say the same about Louise. While she was stuck in whatever messed up culture this time period had, she seemed to genuinely care about his well-being. Her warning about the duel hadn't just been about social power, but magical power. Ash had several years of experience as a trainer, and had observed the techniques of Pokemon rangers, martial artists, and even ninja. But even with all of that, he had almost lost to a measly one of Guiche's golems. And even with his Aura, he had barely held his own against Guiche once the mage went all out. If it wasn't for the runes, he might have lost the fight then and there.

Louise was loud, fussy, demeaning, and incredibly annoying, but she wasn't a terrible person. She just needed some help working out her problems. And Ash figured that since he was going to be stuck with her anyway…

Why couldn't they be friends?


"That was unexpected," said Old Osmond as the image on the magic device faded away.

"Louise's familiar could have been killed," said Professor Colbert.

"That is why we banned duels in the first place," Osmond huffed. "Too many nobles fighting over family conflicts and rivalries, ending up with young mages being maimed or killed before they could even reach adulthood. If Louise's familiar was a violent young man, Guiche himself could have been killed in response."

"But you could have stopped the fight."

"Yes," Osmond said readily. "I could have."

"Then why didn't you when Louise's familiar was almost run through?" Colbert wasn't quite yelling, but his voice was raised to a volume that most of his students had yet to hear. Louise's familiar wasn't one of his students, but he was still a child. The professor couldn't stomach the apathetic way Osmond was acting.

"Because I saw the look in his eyes," Osmond replied calmly as he observed into Colbert's passionate expression. "That was the look of a man who would not stop at anything to accomplish his goal. You saw it to, didn't you?"

Colbert looked aside as he gave a solemn nod. He had seen it before, but it was far more frequent in matters of life and death.

Osmond nodded as he continued, "If any moment in that duel would reveal the power of the Gandalfr, I knew that would be it. And if not, well, the school healers exist for a reason."

"Hadn't he used the Gandalfr powers when he was surrounded?" Colbert asked.

While a river of white hair covered Osmond's face, Colbert could trace the amused smile on it. "Is that what you think that was?"

"He had no wand, so it was obviously not magic," Colbert said logically. "And I have no other explanation for his increase in physical ability, the fire on his body that didn't burn his clothes or the grass, or the winds that managed to knock stone golems off their feet."

"That was a curiosity," Osmond admitted. "But remember, his runes didn't glow until after he touched the Valkyrie's spear."

"But if that power doesn't come from the runes, where did it come from?"

"Who knows?"

Colbert looked at Osmond incredulously.

The old man snorted. "I'm old and wise, but I don't know everything. Look in our library, order some books from the capital, or something. I'm not paying you to let me do all the thinking."

"Yes, sir," Colbert replied with professional recovery to his composure. "I'll get to it right away."

Osmond waved a hand to dismiss him. Colbert disabled the soundproofing charm and exiting the room.

After Colbert's footsteps faded down the hall Osmond slapped his forehead. "I forgot to have him bring back Longueville," he lamented. "What shall I ever do without my beautiful young secretary?"

Sighing remorsefully, he looked down, his eyes passing over the circular object still sitting on his deck. While it wasn't as useful as he had hoped when it came to peeping on beautiful young women—a dreadful design flaw—it did have its uses. After a moment's consideration, he reactivated the spying device. The image of Ash and Louise was displayed on the face of the device. While Louise kept a tight grip on Ash's arm, they were walking side by side instead of Ash being dragged around like a wayward pet. The two weren't speaking, Louise had a light in her eyes that showed that her heart was slowly starting to thaw.

"This boy is good for her," the old man said thoughtfully. "Maybe now she'll finally have someone to talk to in the academy." He was well aware of the difficulty Louise had been suffering, but there was little he could do without showing too much favoritism. His constant dismissal of her punishments already had too many people scrutinizing him. "Hm… but Miss Valliere is a bit of a handful, and rather lacking in feminine charm. Absolutely no curves to speak of. No hot-blooded youth would be able to handle her for too long."

The headmaster scratched his beard thoughtfully. "I need some way to make sure he doesn't get tired of his master before he manages to unlock her guarded heart. Make her more likeable? Impossible, she's as stubborn as her mother. Slip him a love potion? No, Miss Valliere is too smart. She would know something's wrong. Perhaps give him a break from her from time to time? That could work, but how?"

He pondered this for several moments before his eyes lit up. "Oh! I've got it!" The old man rubbed his hands gleefully. "Mrs. Longueville!"

Hearing no response, he glanced at his secretary's empty desk. "Looks like I'll have to wait," he grumbled. "But all good things come with time! Operation Honey Pot is a go!"


Yes, the "official" term in Honey Trap. I have my reasons.

This chapter was another headache. Not so much in the fight scene (except when I had to go back and finish it) but I needed to make sure not to skip crucial information for teachers' interlude. Hopefully, this fight was satisfying for everyone. I know some people will want Ash to beat up Guiche, and others will probably complain about Ash almost getting shishkabobed, but I felt this fight went as true to Ash's character and current skills as I could make it. Still, I'll take suggestions. If I missed something crucial, I'm not too proud to make an edit. Edit

Questions from reviews:

Q: How is Ash's Aura going to work with FoZ magic mechanics?

A: No one asked this question as I worded it, but I feel like it was being implied. Next chapter I'll put more information since they'll be down time before the next plot point, but basically, Aura and Magic are different. Magic runs on Willpower, Aura is closer to Willpower itself, but Aura =/= Willpower. As you can probably guess, this will create misunderstandings due to Tristan being a magiocracy.

And now for the first noticeable change from Anime timeline. I'm not sending Ash to rescue Siesta from a perverted noble. He needs at least a chapter's worth of a break before he gets involved in another set of crazy. Also, that episode was convoluted and kinda disturbing. I'll move onto the next plot point from there.

Also, I just realized that this story is going as slow as the Manga, which means I'm falling way behind the anime. Tell me if you guys want me to skip minor details and just move on with the plot, or if you like the pace I've set so far.

One more thing! I think I'm going to slow down the rate of updates from every three weeks to every month or so. Thanks to corona I'm getting a new job, so my writing schedule is going to be affected. By my next update I'll try to get an official writing schedule. Also, if you want to see more of this series, check out my profile! I also just got an AO3 account, so you can find me there too!

Alright, this A/N has gone long enough. Please, leave a review! I've loved the response this story has been getting! Reviews are are food for a writer's soul!