Zero no Tsukaima {x} Monster Girl Quest : Hero of the Two Worlds
Zero no Tsukaima probably has one of the most flexible settings for writing cross-over. There are so many single points that a slight adjustment would create great diversion in story, the most obvious one being, of course, the very first summoning. One could get a whole different piece out of just changing who Louise summoned. That is very convenient. Praise the late Yamaguchi-sensei.
And then there is Monster Girl Quest which is 'just right' for me (henceforth referred to as 'The Author'), as per the intention of the creator, Torotoro Resistance, who made it to target very specific group of people ('Soumen lover' by their words).
In short, The Author just loves the heck out of ZnT settings and MGQ whole existence. Especially Luka. Definitely Luka.
By the way, the above was supposed to be a disclaimer; The Author simply cannot bring himself to slap on a disclaimer like it is a chore.
*Notice* (Revised)
A fair warning to all readers. This story was originally written for the sake of personal enjoyment; The Author had not planned to release it to public eyes, and so had paid no mind to making it enjoyable to anyone else. The story is only posted on a whim, that if there indeed exists someone who could enjoy what The Author had written, then it might save them some trouble of having to write it themselves. The disturbing aspects (which there will definitely be) will likely remain unchanged throughout the story. For that, there are a few crucial points of note for this story.
1. This story will mainly be told in First Person Point of View, and will employ the infamous Speaker:"Speech" format. If you are against stories with such format, turn back now and save yourself (and The Author) the trouble.
2. Some names and titles will be different from the most popular fan-translation (Roguetranslation). There is no reasons other than The Author's own opinion on what would be the appropriate names/terms in this story. As the most notable example, Alice's title will be 'Demon Lord' to fit more with the traditional 'Maou', because that's what the original script used. And also because it is kind of important to a certain aspect of the story.
3. By the time this is posted, over thirty chapters have already been written, and the general outline of the story decided. Any criticism or suggestion will very likely has no effect on the story.
4. As The Author grew up, The Author was exposed to a lot of South-Eastern Asian and Japanese medias, and very little western/American culture. So, western readers should expect A LOT of value dissonances. What is absolutely immoral and disgusting for a lot of readers might be very normal for The Author. What would be considered favorable by a lot of cultures will have no appeal at all to The Author.
(The next one is rather long and personal, and can be skipped to 'Skip Here' if you cannot be bothered to read it.)
5. (This one was later added) On the subject of the characterization of the characters in this story, which the Author got so much heat about; The Author will not deny any of the accusations, simply because The Author realy could not see where they were coming from, so the dissonance between our perception must be very deeply rooted. On this topic, The Author would like to state the following: The Author was, is, and will forever be very particular about OOC. Thus, in The Author's mind, every major character in this story are in-character, unless stated otherwise or if the story showed/implied circumstances by which the character might be different from how they were portrayed in the original material.
As a prime example, Luka in this story is how The Author imagine he would be if he were to spent four to five years in the post-trilogy, peaceful world as imagined by The Author. He would be shaped by experience very different from the days he spent fighting enemies, and had parts of his personality changed in a way readers might not expect, while some parts would stubbornly remain where readers might expect them to go away. However, the core part of what makes Luka himself still remains very much alive in The Author's mind.
To summarize the point The Author would like to make: Those who believe the portrayal of the characters here is wrong and want to rant to The Author, are free to do so, but please do not expect The Author to see where you are coming from without some very detailed explanation. The Author had already done his damnedest to portray every major character as true as he can. For those who have a very clear picture of what was wrong and what should be right, you are welcomed to present your opinion to The Author. The Author will most likely reply with his own, and, in an unlikely, but still possible, case, The Author might decide to believe you over his own view, and will do whatever is necessary to implement that into the stories, even modifying the past chapters in severe cases.
The Author knows that something like this really should not be discussed outright, or be made like a challenge toward readers, but The Author felt bad for every comment that said they had a bad time reading this story. The Author felt especially guilty because, as stated, The Author put his own enjoyment over quality when writing this story.
If, at any point, you have a feeling you wouldn't like where this is going, The Author would suggest you drop this one immediately, because things most likely won't get better down the line. Save yourself the frustration. The Author knows the feeling very well.
(Skip Here)
Note that when the Final Part of Paradox comes out, if there is canon information that conflicts with this story, The Author will modify this entire piece to fit it, even if he has to change the whole damn plot, the beginning, ending, and everything in-between. In that case, The Author will put out a notice.
And, if it wasn't already clear enough, The Author had nothing to do with the ownership of Zero no Tsukaima and Monster Girl Quest. Any credits to the series should go to their respective creators who actually cared about their readers' opinions.
And so it begins, beyond the veil of Chaos.
Symbols Explanations:
[...] = Changing scenes
[...] +[...][...] = Changing scenes with a lot of time passed
[...][...] + [...] = Back to earlier timeframe
Replacing [...] with {...} = Same functions + Changing POV
Italic = Remembering past events without changing the timeframe.
*FanFiction doesn't allow many of the symbols used in the original docx files of this story, so The Author had to improvise. Many apologies for weird symbols.
Prologue: Prelude to Chaos
Chapter 1: Training Accident
(*Many apologies to how Tamamo speaks; The Author is incapable of reproducing the Kansai/archaic feel her speech originally possessed.)
Louise's head blanked out.
Things were going normally at first, with no signs that anything unsual could happen.
She cast Summon Servant for the umpteenth time, things exploded for the umpteenth time. Just when it seemed the cycle would go on forever, her spell generated something besides smokes and burnt grass for the very first time. Louise shouted victoriously in her mind as she excitedly, and a bit later nervously, walked toward her very own familiar summoned by her very own spell.
And then stopped in her tracks as a confused pair of blue eyes stared back at her. Before her is a face that could be seen anywhere, on a normal size, two-arms-two-legs body, wearing unremarkably plain clothes.
It tooke a while for Louise's brain to process what exactly happened.
[...][...]
[...]
Footsteps and slither sounded lightly against the grass of the courtyard.
Both stopped, and not a moment later a lighter, similar pair of sounds rapidly moved toward them from across the courtyard.
"Papaaaa~~!"
A small body crashed against a bigger one, sending both sprawling on the grass.
A hand in a leather glove was laid on a tiny head and lightly stroked its silvery-white hair.
"I'm back, Neris. Were you a good girl while I was away?"
"I was! Just like you told me to!"
Another pair of feet stepped in, and stopped in front of a large tail covered in scales.
"Mother, Father, welcome back."
A small head with short silvery-white hair bowed lightly to the taller figure.
"Nero, have your lessons been going well?"
"They were. We learned about the physiology, biology, and symbiotic relationship between plants and insects monsters, and was just starting on slimes."
A hand in a thin black glove lightly touched the lowered head.
"Very well done. Though I am sure Neris probably just complained all the time like always."
"She did."
"Nero! You snitch!"
The little girl raised her head from the father's shoulder and yell at the little boy, who sternly stared back.
"I was just teilling the truth. Neris should take studying more seriously. You're always being scolded by our teacher."
"But studying's so booooring!"
"You have to. You will be the next Demon Lord."
"Boo~ I don't want to be it. Nero should be Demon Lord instead since you are a bore too, like mother, like son. ...And I will go on an adventure with Papa~! Please, Papa! Take me with you this time~!"
The girl pouted at the boy, before becoming all smiles and nuzzled against the violet-haired, teenager-looking man; her golden eyes flashed impishly where no one could see. The girl then pulled on the father's shoulders to raise herself up to his eye level, smiled innocently, and leaned forward.
A large, scaly tail wrapped itself around tiny stomach exposing its light-blue skinned, and pulled the girl out of the father.
"Put me down!" The girl wrapped her own scaly tail around the violet-haired teen in an act of defiance and anchoring, and tried to free herself from the larger tail with her small hands, to no avail.
"How long do you plan to be spoiled by your father? You're embarrassing yourself." A woman with similar hair and skin as the girl said disapprovingly.
"Why can't I be spoiled by Papa! And what kind of Demon Lord uses force with kids?!" The girl cried back.
"It's a mother's responsibility to manage her unruly daughter."
"Liar! You're just scared I'll steal Papa from you!" The girl taunted.
"Nonsense. I have no reason to be afraid of a little girl who couldn't even study." The woman said a bit forcefully.
"Alice, no need to be so uptight. Neris is only four." The violet-haired teen tried to mediate.
"You're underestimating monsters. More than half of young monsters already had their first taste of men at this age. And in a world where most men had to be hunted, do you think being father and daughter had any meaning? You should've realized that since long ago."
"That's all in the past. And you didn't have your first experience until twenty-two. Don't tell me you forgot?"
"You know I'm a special case. This girl's intention is as clear as day. Only a dimwit like you would be blind to it."
"And I'm telling you you're overthinking it."
Having someone taking her side, the girl stuck her tongue out at the woman, who glared back.
A chuckle interrupted the chaos on the courtyard.
"Kukuku~ Such an entertaining family, as always~"
A girl with fox ears and tails covered her mouth with a folding fan and laugh.
"Tamamo, what kind of education have you been doing? How did my daughter become this lump of mischief?"
"I taught her the same way I did you. Kuku, the fruit of a tree really falls to its root. Any lecture lasting longer than three minutes and she—Aff!"
A brown, round object fly through the air and struck against the fox girl's mouth and just stuck there.
"Your Majesty, please don't throw things around; you are not a child anymore." The girl took the mysterious object out of her fang and inspected it.
"...A potato?" A very ordinary looking one.
"A souvenir from Succubus Village. Would you like a few more? I have a lot." The woman picked up another one from a waist-high sack; her golden eyes gleamed with mischief.
"No need to trouble yourself." The girl look at the potato in her hand, and, not knowing what to do with it, throw it over her shoulder and wrapped it in one of her many tails. She then spoke to the girl who still had her tail wrapped around the father.
"Neris, do you really hate being a Demon Lord that much?"
"Being a Demon Lord's so boring. I don't see why anyone'd want to be it. Once I grew up I'm going to be Papa's mistress. That's much better!"
"!" "!" "!?"
All eyes were on the little girl as if she suddenly grew legs.
"N—Neris...Wh—Why...How do you know that kind of word...?" The father could not keep his voices still.
The girl puffed out her tiny chest and gave a proud smile, but promptly dropped it once she was finally pulled away from the father.
"...Tamamo, what is the meaning of this?..." The mother half-growled at the fox-eared girl, not paying any heed to the daughter thrashing about at the end of her tail.
"I do not know either..."
"Alma Elma"
The fourth voice answered as a woman approached, a wide-bladed sword sheathed at her hips, wearing a metal armor on her green-scaled body.
"She came here two days ago while Tamamo was away, and took the princess and the prince out to train them in barehanded combat.
Snake-tailed woman frowned at her two servants.
"You left my children with that succubus whose brain was filled with nothing but obscenity, without a watch?"
Neither the snake-tailed woman nor anyone else here held real hatred for the Queen Succubus. That she was able say such things without reservation was because she knew if the person herself overheard it, said person would simply wink and stick her tongue out playfully.
"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. Yao notified me of troubles in Yamatai that needed me to be the mediator..." Fox-eared girl bowed apologetically.
"I...couldn't stop her. I will gladly take any punishment you see fit." Dragon-scaled woman bowed deeply, but more of it was to hide her blushing face.
Meanwhile, the violet-haired teen was holding the girl's shoulders and tried to carefully explained to her.
"I—I think you should put more effort in your study, so you would grow to be a smart and beautiful lady like your mom, okay?"
"I'm going to be even smarter and more beautiful. Then Papa will let me be his woman!"
"Uh...That...I probably can't." The teen refused his daughter's sparkled eyes with much difficulty.
"Why can't you?!"
"Why...Well...Th—There are various reasons..."
The girl looked at him with pleading eyes, while the violet-haired teen deflected them awkwardly.
"The most important being I shan't allow it."
A bigger snake tail snatched the violet-haired teen from the girl before she could react.
"I shall not allow Luka to have mistresses or any other word that mean the same thing. And while we are on the subject, 'Bedmate' and 'Rival' are forbidden as well. There shall be no cheap drama like in those sickening romantic novels in my house. Am I clear?"
During the latter part, the woman moved her gaze from the girl to fox-eared girl and dragon-scaled swordswoman, both of whom turned their faces away meaningfully.
"What right do you have?! Papa can have as many women as he likes! Even John has a tarantula, a moth, and a silkworm!"
"I am the Demon Lord; I have the right! And who the heck is this John?! Why is he so obssesed with insects?!"
For reference, John is a soldier stationed in this Grangold Castle, and a father with three wives and twenty children.
"Well then how about this, Neris?" Tamamo said with a sly grin. "First you become a Demon Lord."
The girl showed interest unlike the first time.
"If I'm a Demon Lord, I can order Papa to do anything?!"
"Hmm...Rules are still rules so marriage is out. But anything else is a fair game."
The girl instantly beamed.
"Then I will become a Demon Lord and keep Papa to myself!"
"Over my dead body! Tamamo, what are you trying to do!?"
"Just a little incentive, Your Majesty. Kukuku~" Fox girl chuckled.
During that time, the teen left the scene of chaos and went to speak with the more well-bahaved son.
"Nero, are you well? Not lonely, were you?"
"Father doesn't have to worry. I have both Teacher and Granberia-san with me. Everyone in Grangold are very kind." The boy said sincerely.
"That's great. And remember, guys have to protect girls, and, well...hold them back...when needed."
"I will try..."
The only two men in the family consoled each other.
"Luka..." The swordswoman approached, a bit hesitantly.
"Granberia, how did Nero and Neris do?"
"Talented, as anyone would expect from you and Her Majesty's children. The prince attended every lessions attentively. The princess seemed to like moving her body and was very eager to learn swordsmanship."
"Wow~ He must've been pretty amazing, to have Granberia say that about him."
The teen looked back down and stroked the boy's head. The boy tried to keep his expression in check, but anyone who looked would know from his reddened cheeks he was happy and embarrassed at the attention.
"...Luka, I'm really sorry I couldn't stop Alma Elma." The swordswoman bowed lightly, but sincerely.
"No need to fret about it so much! I know how hard dealing with Alma Elma is, especially since you—ah, nothing. But though she acted like that, she actually thinks things through before doing a lot of things. She probably didn't teach anything too bad."
Meanwhile, the voices from the women side was still going on.
"So what if you're married!? It's just a chance for me do the N-T-R! Alma told me that!"
"Wha—!? That damned fly...! Tamamo! Find that thing! It's time she has common sense beaten in to her!"
"Ah...your wish is my command, Your Majesty."
"Don't try to hide it! Alma told me everything! Tamamo tried to make Papa her lover once! Granberia secretly likes him! And Erbetie is still aiming for him! I know it all!"
The violet-haired teen set his mouth in a straight line. The swordswoman sucked in her lips nervously and tried not to look away. The boy politely remained silent.
Finally, the teen went back to the girl and squatted down to her eye level, placing one of his hand on her silvery-white head.
"Neris, your mom does it for me."
"Papa...?" The girl met the father's eyes; her defiance disappeared.
"Ever since I was born, until I met your mom, I was told love must only be between two person. Men who had women other than their wives were scorned by everyone. Now the world is changing; the way people think about things, what is and isn't necessary, what is right and what is wrong, they're all changing. But something we're told since we're kids can't be rid off that easily. If I do as you said and take others as...well...'mistresses', I'd feel like I've betrayed your mom. But I'm kinda easy to push around, so your mom had to be tough for me."
At the end, the teen raised his head to look at his wife. The woman crossed her arms and closed her eyes. Everyone that knew her knew that was to hide embarassment.
"Really? Are you sure it's not because that woman just wants to keep you to herself?" The girl narrowed her eyes disbelievingly.
"W—Well..." The teen just wasn't good at lying.
"Ahem."
A cough from the dragon-scaled swordswoman interrupted the talk.
"Luka, it's been a long time since we last sparred. Why don't we go for a round?"
"N—Now that I think about it, you're right! I hope I haven't gotten rusty!"
Two warriors who could not stand anymore awkwardness cooperated to diffuse the situation.
"Papa and Granberia are gonna fight?" The girl instantly shifted her attention.
"Are father and Granberia-san going to spar?" Even the boy who had been silent thus far showed interest.
"Yeah. We don't do it as often nowadays, but we used to spar pretty frequently."
"Aside from your father, only Valkyries and Knightroid could actually fight me head-on. But the only one to have defeated me in a sword duel when I got serious was Luka...and another proud warrior who is not here anymore." The swordswoman said all that with calm voice, showing her already battle-ready state of mind.
"But before that I got soundly beaten numerous times, and after that one time I never managed to win even once." The teen gave a wry smile.
"Eh~ Then this time Papa has to win! I'm going to cheer you on!"
"Haha. I guess I can't lose now, can I." The teen smiled vigorously, a reaction that did not escaped the swordswoman.
"Interesting. This time there is a push to make you want to win. I hope I can finally fight you at full power again."
The swordswoman smirked; her eyes glimmered excitedly. The awkwardness that was previously there had all disappeared. Everyone could see how eager she was.
The recent mishap was temporarily put aside as the violet-haired teen and the dragon-scaled swordswoman stepped out into the middle of the courtyard, each with a wooden sword in hands.
Normally, they could spar with real swords without problems, but the snake-tailed woman confiscated their respective signature weapons and forced them to use training ones to avoid blood in front of the children. She did not want to risk instilling a taste for blood and destructive violence in their young minds.
The restriction limited one of them more than the other. Because only one of them could light their sword on fire.
People around the courtyard, soldiers in the middle of practice, workers just happened to pass by, nobles coming to the castle on business, many faces stopped by and looked on in interest. A duel between the hero who had saved the world and the strongest swordsfighter is not something one could see often.
Each entered their preferred stance, holding their swords with two hands, pointing it forward.
"Are you ready?"
"Anytime!"
The fox-eared girl stand at the edge of the courtyard between two contestants, her right arm raised high.
"Both fighters seems to be set. Three...Two...One...Begin!"
A sounds of woods clashing started almost at the same time as the signal, both rushing at each other at superhuman speed..
After the first clack, many more followed in rapid succession, each one fast and powerful, so much that many had to wonder how had the swords not broken yet. As each fighter adjusted their strength so their swords could just barely withstand the force, the difference in physical strength was nearly meaningless. It became a contest of skill and technique.
The original audience's reactions were varied. The adults already knew of their strength and was just observing normally. The children however was seeing a spar between the two for the first time and kept their eyes on almost to the point of not blinking. The girl showed her thrill clearly through her expression and words of encouragement. The boy was more reserved, but his eyes and his hands that are firmly planted on his knees indicated equal excitement.
The contestants devoted all of their concentration to the opponents and their weapons. Each attack was the culmination of all the strength and technique they had. The 'friendly spar' air they had at the start had vanished completely.
Amidst the clacking of woods and whisking of winds, the fire that the swordswoman had long since kept silent as an ember in her soul started cracking into life once more, as she smiled without realizing it.
'If this was like all the other times Luka would have been lying on the ground minutes ago. So he was really serious about not losing in front of his children.'
She thought of the teen's family, then of herself. And once she thought of herself, she couldn't help but thought of the teen in front of her. And so it went on from there. The slight bitterness that she had all but forgotten about resurfaced in a quick manner.
The invading thought distracted her for only a breath-long moment, but still enough for her to commit the mistake she had tried to avoid the entire fight: using her only real advantage against the teen, that is her weight.
The swordswoman squatted low and lunged forward, putting her superior weight on the strike, all on her instinct. The teen saw it but could not dodge it in time, so he reacted the best he could, guarding against the attack with his own sword, and got flung away.
"Ah!"
The swordswoman regained her sense too late. The teen was thrown in the air higher than a full-grown adult's height, lost his balance, and fell back on the ground, rolling on the grass.
Once he managed to stopped himself, the teen thought of the children's fallen expression and immediately picked himself up.
But then the only thing he could do was blink.
[...]
[...][...]
Luka sat on the grass, looking up and meeting eyes with a girl with pinkish hair standing just a bit from where his feet pointed toward.
The girl had her eyes widened for a moment, befor regaining her sense and change expressions to that of a grimace.
"Who are you?"
"Eh?"
Luka blinked.
"Don't you understand human language? I asked: who are you?"
"...Me?"
"Who else!?"
Luka did not know the girl in front of him, but she might be one of the onlookers at the edge of the courtyard, a daughter of someone related to the castle who had never seen Luka's face, so she did not know who he was.
Luka hurried to his feet to explain, but his voice disappeared in his throat.
'Wait...What is this place?'
Underneath his feet was still grass, surrounding the courtyard was still stonewall, but it was not his and Granberia's make-shift dueling ground. He saw neither the dragon-scaled swordswoman, nor Alice, Tamamo, Nero and Neris, who had been watching from the sideline. Instead they were replaced with teenagers, boys and girls, whom Luka was unfamiliar with, along with odd-looking animals.
Luka assumed the clothes they were wearing to be some kind of uniform. And from how obviously not-defensive-oriented they were, in addition to them also wearing cape and holding some kind of stick, he surmised them to be students of Grangold Magic Academy.
'Eh? Did I really flew all the way over here? That was some crazy strength even for Granberia...'
Having deduced his current situation, Luka spoke with the pink-haired girl who stood with her hands on her hips, looking very impatient.
"Uh, could you tell me where the exit is? I'm kind of in—"
"I asked: who are you?! Answer me, right now!"
Luka unintentionally took a step back, surprised by the girl's temper.
"I'm...My name's Luka"
Luka left some time for the girl to think. Even if his face was not known, the name of the hero who saved the world five years ago should have been a common enough knowledge. Luka waited for the reaction when she finally remembered that.
"...And?"
"...Huh?"
"...And what? How am I supposed know anything from just your name? Your homeland, which region and which country, your job, anything! Don't you know how to introduce yourself!?"
Luka did not imagine such a reaction, and almost asked, in reflex, 'Don't you know me?', but realized such question would simply rile up someone who was already irritated. And so Luka answered honestly.
"My name is Luka. I was born in the village of Iliasville, on Illias continent, but I'm living in the Demon Lord Castle in Hellgondo continent. My job is...being a hero."
Now it was the girl's turn to blink. Some more time passed in which Luka had nothing but foreboding, before the girl asked, in an incredulous voice as if they were speaking entirely different language.
"What are you babbling about? Where in the world is that country? And what Demon Lord? Are you still daydreaming?"
"Eh? Why are...Eh? Wh—What are you—What is this place?..." Luka pressed his hand on his forehead to see if he felt anything, which he did, which means he was not dreaming.
Luka so badly wanted that not be true. Because how else could the things the girl had been saying make sense.
"This is Tristain Magic School, in the Kingdom of Tristain. Even someone from some backwoods settlement should at least have heard of the name of an entire country, haven't you?"
"To-Ri-Su...Te-I-N..."
"Well? Are you awake yet?"
Luka looked down at his two hands, as if hoping to see someone else's, but they really were familiar-sized hands wearing a familiar pair of leather gloves.
"...Not yet"
"Ha?"
"I'm not awake yet...I have to be dreaming."
"What are you mumbling now..."
The girl stepped back cautiously, possibly thinking of Luka as deranged. But Luka did not care about that. There was but one thing he was thinking about.
'What...What about Alice? Nero and Neris? I...Where am I?'
Luka grew increasingly panicked as he slowly came to realize the situation he was in. It was at that moment when another voice entered the conversation.
"Ms. Vallière, is something wrong?"
It was a voice of a middle-age man, with the top of his head going bald, leaving only black hair at the side and the back. He wore a pair of round glasses and a long grey robe.
A new presence halt Luka's panicking thought, and his mind switched back to information gathering.
"Something IS wrong! Very wrong! This guy here is a commoner from some backwood village! Even worse, something's wrong with his head. We should send him away as soon as possible!"
Luka raised his gaze at the pink-haired girl who was pointing at him, half still being in voluntarily numb, half thinking 'This girl is so rude.'.
"I am sorry but we cannot do that. Ms. Vallière, the boy here appeared once your Summon Servant was completed. According to the rules, he will have to be your familiar."
Luka did not know what 'Familiar' meant, but the girl became even more distressed and angry.
"But...no one has ever taken a commoner as a familiar!"
After the girl said that, laughters were heard from the boys and girls just on the side. Luke did not understand anything, including the reason for their amusement.
"However, this is a long established practice, a sacred ritual which importance overtakes all other rules. A commoner or not, this boy will be your familiar." The man with glasses said solemnly.
"Is this some kind of sick joke..." The girl's her shoulders fell.
"Now that we are clear, you may proceed with the ritual."
"You mean, with this guy?!"
"That is right. And you should hurry it up; it is almost time for the next class. How long do you think your summoning had taken? After many failures, you have finally succeeded. So, hurry up and form a contract with him." The man with glasses rushed her, his voice leaving no room for arguments. The jeers from sidelines were of similar message.
The girl turned her disgusted expression toward Luka, before slowly approaching him.
"Hey."
"...What is it?" Luka asked hesitantly, his instinct told him something bad was about to happen.
"Consider yourself very lucky. Normally someone like you would never have a noble do this to you in your lifetime."
The word 'noble' helped Luka understand some of the girl's mannerism, but nothing at all beyond that.
The girl closed her eyes, sighed, raised the wooden stick in her right hand and mumbled something.
"My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de La Vallière. O, the pentagon governing the five forces, bless this being, and mark it as my familiar."
Once she finished, the girl tapped the wooden stick on Luka's forehead. Through prior knowledge, Luka realized the wooden stick was a magic wand.
However, no knowledge prepared him for when the girl leaned her face toward his.
"Wh—What are you doing?!"
Luka hurriedly stepped back. The girl angrily stepped forward.
"Stay still, will you!"
"Then tell me what are you going do!"
"Forming a familiar contract, what else?"
The girl leaned in again, this time also holding Luka's face with her left hand.
"...!"
Luka brushed her hand away and quickly stepped back; experiences fighting opponents who used such tactics allowed him to react without having to think.
Luka cautiously stared at the girl whose face reddened in anger.
"How dare you slapped my hand away!? You're just a commoner!"
Luka almost shot back with equal fervent, but remembered in the last second his standing and the need to retain his image, especially to nobles, even of an unknown country.
"...I'm sorry. But if some girl you don't know suddenly tried to kiss you, anyone would've reacted the same way!" The instant Luka said that he had another thought 'Well, not really. There's a lot that won't just not escape but also take it with open arms', but knew this is not the time to mind such trivialities.
"Y—You don't have say it aloud! Do you think I wanted to do this?!" The girl wavered but still retained her temper and shouts.
"Then don't do it!"
"I won't if I have the choice!"
The girl closed in a step. And Luka pulled back a similar length one.
"Don't run!"
"Then don't chase after me!"
The troubles for Luka and the girl seemed to be quality amusement for others, as Luka heard laughters and jeers from the sideline.
"Hahaha! As expected fo Louise the Zero! Nothing's ever normal with you!"
"No one else but you would be avoided by their own familiar!"
"Shut up! Don't you people know how to be quiet!?
While the girl turned to shout at the group of boys and girls of similar age, Luka quickly assessed his situation.
He was sparring with Granberia. Suddenly he was in a place he did not know of, with people he had never seen before who kept saying things he did not understand.
'Even at the edge of some far off island, there's no way there would be an entire country that haven't at least heard of Ilias' name. Which means...'
This place is far, far away from any land Luka had known. A place where there was absolutely no connections to what Luka knew.
The place where Alice, Nero and Neris as good as did not exist at all.
Luka felt both chill and burn at the same time.
'I have to go back...! I have to, no matter what!'
Alice, the one who had braved all the dangers alongside him, and the person he decided to never part with until the end of his time. Nero and Neris, the hope of the future humans and monsters shared, and the son and daughter Luka had never thought he would ever have at the start of his journey.
To go back to the family nothing could ever replace, Luka would do anything.
"Hey." This time it was Luka who called out to the girl.
"You're a commoner; don't speak like that to a noble. And what? Are you going to stop running?"
"If I do as you told me to, will you help me get home?" Luka asked with serious expression.
"Ha? I guess...? Shouldn't be too hard." The girl did not seem to pay much attention, but Luka did not have any other choice but to trust this girl he met for the first time.
"Then do whatever you want."
The girl looked at Luka with narrowed eyes, seemingly unsure of his sudden change.
"...If you get it, that's good."
The girl walked toward Luka and stopped just in front of him, before chanting the same words once more.
"My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc..."
Luka stood still, trying not to show his worry through his expressions. Even as the girl finished the chant and leaned her face in, Luka just held his breath and stayed still.
The girl's lips were quite soft: The thought flashed for a moment before Lukas chased it away.
Once the girl pulled back Luka raised his hand and wiped away at his mouth almost automatically. The girl saw and seemed angry, but held back her words.
'...Not any kind of bewitching spell. That's a relief...' Luka couldn't help but thought of that. The possibility that the girl was actually a high-class monster concealing her real form and all this was an illusion was always at the back of his mind. But if nothing happened even after kissing her then she was most likely a normal human.
But his relief was short-lived. It was only but a breath later that Luka felt unbearable heat erupted from inside his body.
"Arrrrggghhh...!"
The feeling was similar to when he used the power of Salamander, the Spirit of Fire. But instead of filling him with vigor, it was more like being burned from the inside.
Even after some time had passed, the flame did not calm down at all; instead it grew even stronger.
"Arrrrgggggghhhh!"
"Wh—What's happening?! Hey, what's wrong with you! It's not that hot!"
Luka held his left hand and took off his glove. At the back of his left hand appeared strange lines forming some kind of symbols he did not recall. Amidst the torture he was being put throught, he could not even think.
"Ms. Vallière, what happened?"
"I—I don't know! Isn't this just the carving of familiar runes? The other familiars didn't look this p—painful!?"
"I've never seen a carving that took so much time either. Maybe it's because he's human. There has never been a case like him so I would not know."
Luka was not conscious enough to care about what the girl and the man was saying. The fire that was burning inside him was not like anything he had experience before.
'Is this how Lazzaro felt...when he was burned by Salamander's flame...?'
Luka could not help but thought of that. That time Lazzaro was charred black by Salamander's fire and died a moment later. Was he going to meet the same fate?
Luka did not get the answer before his knees gave and he lost consciousness.
Evaluation 1
PBW: "And thus begins the grandest, most epic, and most exciting adventure any ZnT crossover fanfiction could ever be!"
Illias: "Will this really be that amazing a piece?"
PBW: "Of course I exaggerated it by a lot. Like, A LOT. Oh! Goddess Ilias, so this is where you went after you were put out of commission."
Illias: "Please refrain from referring to me with such brutish terms. Unless you fancied being charred black."
PBW: "Destroying my avatar won't do anything to me. Anyhow, I'd like to half-force, half-invite you to be the evaluator of this space. Think of it as the usual evaluation meetings you used to do."
Illias: "Conversing with a fictional character formed from your own imagination must be quite satisfying indeed."
PBW: "...Ahem. Anyway, The Author is very excited to be writing this."
Illias: "Now you are resorting to ignoring me to avoid losing arguments."
PBW: "These two series have some of the highest crossover compatibility in The Author's opinion. The Author felt as if he could churned out ideas after ideas easily...And there's less danger of this getting chafted than at the original posting place."
Illias: "This lump of dark and disgusting substance sopping wet with desire you dare called 'work'? I would be surprised if it is not either bombarded with criticism with in a week, or be absolutely devoid of attention even after a year."
PBW: "...We're just starting and I'm already regretting this."
*About Lazarus' name, the katakana is 'ra-za-ro'. Going by sounds alone that would be Lazaro. However, the name is an obvious reference to Lazarus. Since Christianity and English obviously don't exist in Monster Girl Quest's world, there is no real reason to stick to any particular form. So there are two options: either keep the reference or stick to pure pronunciation.*
*Now, the most popular fan translation keep the reference and The Author could do that, but then for consistency's sake The Author would have to change Luka to Luke as well, since his name is also an obvious reference to 'Gospel of Luke', (like Lazarus, Luke's katakana is 'ru-ka', thus Luka). So, either Lazarus-Luke, or Lazaro-Luka. The Author chose the latter, and changed it a bit. At least Paradox gave just the perfect excuse to use the Italian version of the name (his occupation, you know). Actually, The Author thinks Torotoro Resistance was also aware of this point and intentionally did THAT in Paradox.*
*Edit: The Author had done some search (which he should have done in the first place), and had found that, indeed, Torotoro did give Alice's name in English on one occasion: The Battle Window when we play as her in the Nabe fight. This held true for all Four Heavenly Knight which we also got to play as.
Luka: RUKA
Alice: ALICEFEEZE
Alma Elma: ARUMAERUMA
Erubetie: ERBETIE
Tamamo: TAMAMO
Granberia: GRANBERIA
The Author...concedes to Roguetranslator's reasoning that Alice's English name's spelling does look weird. Also Alma Elma's. Though The Author could also understand the appeal of making their names look weird to instill a feeling of foreignness. Arumaeruma IS a good name, in The Author's opinion. After three hours of deliberation, The Author had decided to screw it all and choose the names that will be used in this story on his own. The Author shall take all responsibility for this decision, dammit. The names will be as followed.
Luka: Luka
Alice: Alisfiez
Alma Elma: Alma Elma
Erubetie: Erbetie
Tamamo: Tamamo
Granberia: Granberia
On another note, Alice's family name: フェイタルベルン (hopefully) has no official English equivalent, so The Author will go by his own version of it.
