Zeroes of Two Worlds
Chapter 10
The dawn of the morning sun greeted the waking people of the kingdom with its light as the cool morning breeze swept across the lands. The inhabitants enjoyed the morning as they began to prepare their work for the day.
Back in the academy, Kirche didn't share the morning merriments that the other inhabitants of were partaking in. Worries clouded her thoughts as she paced around her room, trying to think of a way to rectify her current problem.
Things had gone badly yesterday when Flame accidentally destroyed the little prince's sword after his strange behavior. She still couldn't understand why Flame had done so after failing to hatch the sword. She scolded her familiar after that incident but she doubted it even understood her, or maybe it didn't care.
She stopped her pacing to look at the fire salamander that is currently slumbering at the center of her room. It slept through the entire time she was pacing, ignorant of the world around it. She sighed as she didn't know what to do with Flame. She can't exactly punish it since she knew how temperamental fire salamanders can be, and she wouldn't risk herself for that.
So that left her with thinking how to make up to Jaune who was devastated by the destruction of his sword. She is determined to win him back and she won't lose because of this setback.
Jaune Arc had been quite a peculiar person since he arrived through the Valliere's botched summoning attempt. He had carried himself like those squires back in Germania, proud but naive. He was also easy on the eyes which is what got her attention in the first place.
Then the duel happened.
That changed her view about him, and the way he faced Gramont in such a manner made her heart throb. She saw a bloodied warrior with an unyielding heart. His declaration of his own lineage only made him a even better in her eyes. It reminded her of the houses of Imperial Knights back in Germania whose valor and service had granted them great stature over landed lords.
The burning passion in her heart demanded that she must take him as her future husband. He would make a great addition to her House, and he would be hers. But this hinged on her getting back into his good graces.
She snapped her fingers when remembered that today is the Day of the Void, and there are no classes for today. That meant she could take Jaune out of the academy and spend the entire day with just the two of them.
With a start of a plan in mind, she quickly left her room and strode down the hallway before she climbed up the staircase. Upon reaching Louise's dorm, she knocked on the door and waited as she thought of how to approach the little prince. If he is the one that answered the door, she could use the old pillow hug which had worked wonderfully to him.
He's so cute when he squirmed in my bosom. He may be resistant but he's definitely not against it.
She began tapping her foot when no one has yet to answer the door. In fact, she didn't even hear anyone from inside the room. She knocked on the door again and listened closely. Again, no one answered. Not even hear even a creak of wood.
Undeterred, she reached into her exposed cleavage and took out her wand. She muttered a simple cantrip and pointed it at the door lock. She heard a click from the door lock and, most importantly, still no reaction.
The use of unlocking spells is forbidden within the academy, but she didn't care for that. The rule of her House is Passion above All.
She grasped the door handle and opened the door as she let herself in, only to find no one inside. She looked around the room curiously, not having seen Louise's room for a long time.
"Still the same old tasteless room... I'm not sure why I'm surprised." She remarked with bemusement.
She could see a cot near Louise's bed which she surmised to be Jaune's bed.
The poor thing must be suffering with having to sleep in that kind of bed. She thought to herself before looking around again. She found also Jaune's armor set that is nearly stacked in a basket beside the cot.
She looked around the room further, finding nothing to indicate where they could have been, until she looked out the window. Down by the academy gate, she could see Jaune and Louise leaving the academy atop a horse.
Tsk. Kirche chastised herself for being bested and that she acted too late to enact her scheme. She quickly left Louise's room, locking the door behind her, and headed to another room to recruit a friend to her cause.
The Day of Void is her favorite day since this is one of the few days she could truly indulge in her hobby of exploring the worlds in the pages of her books. There are no classes and no classmates to disturb her day. She already had stacks of books beside her bed ready for her to pick up.
She laid comfortably on her bed as she read the book she had on her hand. There would be nothing to deter her from enjoying her day off.
Knock. Knock.
She ignored it and instead reached for her staff before she waved it a little to cast silence in her room. The insistent knocking on her door ceased, and a calming bliss filled her room. She returned to reading her book, and for that person outside to leave her alone.
She continued reading in silence that she didn't notice her door opening and a distressed tanned redhead entering her room. She remained unaware until slender hands reached from behind her book and started shaking her shoulders.
She calmly looked over her book to see Kirche babbling about something but she couldn't hear anything. With calm stoic, she grabbed her staff and gave it a little shake to cancel the spell. Sound soon returned to her world and she could hear Kirche speaking.
"This is horrible, Tabitha. If Zero got her hands on him, it would be a stain to my reputation and a lose to my family name. I must get to my little prince before it's too late."
The petite girl with short sky blue hair merely listened to more of her friend's rantings as she returned to reading her book. This sounded like another one of her passion missions, and it would be best to let her air them out rather than stopping her.
"So please, Tabitha. Can I borrow your familiar so I can catch up to them?" Kirche asked sweetly to Tabitha.
Tabitha gently closed her book and gave her a small nod, much to Kirche's delight who gave her a tight hug.
"I'll come." The petite girl softly said as she got off her bed.
"You don't have to go as well, Tabitha. I know how important the Day of Void is for you. I only need help from your familiar." Kirche said to her friend.
"It's easier. And safer." Tabitha calmly replied.
"Aww... You're such a good friend, Tabitha." Kirche happily remarked to her. "If you need any help in future, just tell me. I owe you for this." She told her.
Tabitha opened her window and whistled loudly to call for her familiar. Her familiar currently lived in a forest near the academy because she's too big for the school to feed properly. In the forest, her familiar could hunt local games and beasts to sate her hunger, and also located far from human settlements.
She soon saw her familiar's silhouette flying towards the academy, and a blue dragon with white underbelly came into clear view. Tabitha put on her cape over her shoulders with practiced ease before she grabbed her staff. She climbed on to the ledge of her window and then jumped off.
The dragon flew underneath her and easily caught her fall as she landed on its back between the neck and shoulder. Kirche followed after her but she used levitation to slowly land behind Tabitha.
"I am still astounded by your familiar, Tabitha. Nothing could really match it. Even my precious Flame." Kirche remarked as she admired the blue dragon she is currently riding on.
"Where to?" Tabitha asked her.
"Ummm... I don't know. I only know that they were heading out from the main gate and following the road out." Kirche answered sheepishly with an embarrassed look on her face.
They soon took off into the air and easily reached around two hundred mails from the ground, way above the top of the main tower. The dragon stopped and hovered in place as Tabitha leaned down to whisper to her familiar.
"Two persons on horse along the road. One is with shining soul. Don't eat them." Tabitha told the dragon.
The dragon trilled and nodded before they flew through the air as they followed the main road out of the academy.
Earlier
"Where are we going again?" Jaune asked as they headed towards the stables while he carried some of her belongings in his backpack.
"We're going to the capital for purchase a new sword for you like what I told you last night." Louise informed him after speaking with the stable boy. The stable boy nodded and headed to one of stables.
"Oh!" Jaune perked up. "I thought that you'll just ask the academy to requisition a sword like with the healing potion." He replied.
Louise shook her head. "I don't plan to just give you a simple sword. Since I still have much of my stipends, we could afford to make additional purchase." She looked him over, noting how strange Jaune's clothes are. She was told that this is common clothing back in Vale, but he looked out of place. "You could also use some additional clothes beside the ones you still have."
Jaune thanked her for that, and assured her that the sword didn't really hold sentimental value to him. He is more relieved that he could get new clothes. Most of the clothes he packed are for outdoor anyway, he lacked more casual clothes that he could use while in the academy.
The stable boy returned with a horse, and Louise gave him a few coins as payment. Louise grabbed on to the saddle and skillfully pulled herself atop the saddle before she comfortably sat on it.
"Ride behind me, familiar." She told Jaune as she gestured to the back saddle.
Jaune hesitantly looked at the horse and the back saddle before sighing. He then muttered to himself. "It should be easy enough. Just like the movies."
He grabbed the saddle and pulled himself up but ended up falling over to the other side. "Ow..."
"What the hell was that? Don't you know how to ride a saddle?" Louise chastised him, feeling embarrassed by his failure to do a simple task.
"Ow... Eh.. He... Sorry about that." Jaune replied sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head while he sat on the ground he fell on. "This is my first time to ride a horse to be honest."
Louise couldn't believe what she had just heard as she stared at him incredulously. "What? How come you didn't know how to ride a horse? I thought you travelled the wilderness."
"I did." Jaune quickly replied as he stood up and dusted the dirt off him. "I just walked for the most part or hitched a ride on a truck."
"A truck?" Louise asked before she shook her head. "Never mind that. Get up here or we'll be late." She told him, urging him to hurry up.
"I'll try." Jaune replied nervously as he approached the horse. He grabbed the saddle once against and hoisted himself up. He got up but landed on his stomach, much to Louise's irritation. He adjusted his body a few times before he managed to get himself seated.
"Uggh... Finally..." Louise groused with a shake of her head. She swung the reins and urged the horse forward. The horse neighed and huffed before it started trotting away from the stables and towards the gate.
The horse started increase its gait as they got further away from the academy, making Jaune bounce even more on his saddle. He tried to hold on to the saddle until he found better balance when he held onto Louise's waist.
"Sorry..." He apologized to her, expecting an outburst from her, but only got a grunt in response. This confused him a bit but didn't question this good grace. He just hoped his motion sickness doesn't act up.
Louise, for her part, internally sighed at how naive her familiar could be sometimes. She could have told him that it's alright to hold on to her waist but she decided to let him figure it out. It's not like she would berate him for holding on to her for balance.
They travelled for few hours and Jaune passed the time watching the surrounding place. It's been some time since he arrived here, and this is the first time he had gone outside the academy.
They passed by some villages and farmlands as they travelled down the road. In one of those farms, Jaune got to watch an Earth Mage at work. He watched the ground ripple like water and began to darken as the ground changed color. After that, the mage spoke to a man who then called out to a group of waiting men. The men carried their tools and began their work on the farmland.
Jaune is quite impressed and he could definitely see how mages made alot of work easier. They travelled further down the road, and they soon reached the outskirts of the city and he was treated to quite a sight.
"Wow..."
He had visited old forts that still lined the borders of the Kingdom of Vale, but those looked dull in comparison to the wall that is surrounding the city ahead of him.
Great white stone walls stretched across his view, and tall gleaming towers lined walls at equal distances. Large colorful banners hanged from the towers as they fluttered in the wind. A river flowed along the city walls, and separated this piece of land from the city, likely serving as another line of defense.
The city gate is located within a large barbican and is flanked by two larger towers, and is linked by a long stone bridge that is lined with iron lamps along the sides, allowing for safe crossing over the river.
They crossed the bridge and joined the crowd of people and wagons that are entering the city. Armored men stood guard by the city gate, carrying spears and polearms, and Jaune could see archers and musketeers watching the crowd from atop the barbican. He had no doubt that there are other soldiers are just hidden away and stationed within the barbican.
They soon got checked by the guards before they are finally allowed to pass through the gate. Louise thanked the guard and urged the horse forward. They soon passed through the gatehouse and finally entering the capital city.
Jaune looked around in amazement as they walked along the sidewalk, passing by different houses and shops. Horses and wagons occupied the main road that travelled along the center of the avenue.
"Where does this road lead to, Louise?" Jaune asked her.
"It's the Bourdonne Avenue and its the main road that travels from the main city gate to city center. Pass that, the road leads to the Royal Palace." Louise answered as she pointed to a distant white building atop a hill further down the road.
"I see." He replied as he looked at the Royal Palace that seemed to shine under sunlight. But it's too far for him to see any detail without a scope. He turned to Louise and asked. "So, where do we go first?"
"We'll head to a weapon shop in the trading district first so that we could get you a new sword. After that, we'll visit a tailor I frequented to get you some clothes." Louise told him. "Are you sure you've secured my purse properly?" Louise sternly asked him.
Jaune nodded as he tugged at his own jacket. He had kept the heavy purse inside his jacket and had kept the zipper closed so no one could just grab it.
"It's safe. I doubt anyone could just take it from me." Jaune replied back. Besides, he also had his dagger with him in case someone tried to rob them.
"You'd be surprised. Some thieves could just use magic to steal it from you in a second." Louise told him as a warning.
"Huh?" Jaune looked at her with confusion. "Why would a mage need to steal? Aren't they all nobles and are rich enough to have their own money?"
"That's because while all nobles are mages, not all mages are nobles." She informed him. "Nobles can be disowned by their family, or leave the family on their own accord. Their titles and status are stripped from them and their name. Many would turn to being a mercenary or enter the life of crime."
"That makes sense, I guess. I've heard of bandits and criminals back home who were former huntsmen or had huntsman training." Jaune remarked, but still confused how that could happen. "But that's rare since being a huntsman means that there are plenty of people willing to hire them. Isn't it the same here? I assume being a mage makes them very valuable."
"You would be right but no self-respecting noble would lower themselves to being a mere hireling." Louise countered. "They would strive to regain the wealth and status they had lost, and thus many took to such professions since it's easier for them to gain riches."
Jaune grimaced and felt a little naked since he only had his dagger to protect himself. If they're going to be mugged by an older mage, that would trouble. He hoped they didn't encounter trouble while they're here.
"Just how many mages are there across Tristain?" Jaune asked curiously.
"Hmm..." Louise hummed as she tried to think of an answer. "I can't give you an approximate number of mages but I can tell you that a tenth of the kingdom's population are nobles."
"That's... Quite alot." Jaune remarked after trying wrap his head around the figure. That is way more than he anticipated as even the number of huntsmen and huntresses didn't even reached that high. And these are just nobles, not even counting the non-noble mages.
They continued to walk down the sidewalk and observed his surrounding when started to notice something peculiar with some of the carriages that passed by. He looked at them more closer and was taken aback by what he saw
"I didn't know you have cars here?" Jaune asked in surprise, catching Louise's attention.
"What do you mean by car?" Louise asked, and Jaune responded by merely pointing at something across the road. She looked at where he is pointing and saw horseless open-air carriage, with passengers aboard, as it travelled down the road. "That's just a carriage, familiar. I don't see why you're so surprised by it. I'm sure you've seen such things back in your world."
"We do have carriages. But they're usually pulled by horses, not moving on its own." Jaune quickly responded as he watched another carriage passed by them. "A car is a self-powered vehicle like that, and that has an engine. I don't see any kind of engine on those carriages." He explained to her.
"An engine?" Louise raised an eyebrow at him, and confused by his statement. "If you're referring if it has a mechanical device that powers it, then yes it has an engine." She told him.
"But where was it placed? I didn't where an engine could be." Jaune asked again as he scrunched his face, trying to think where else it could be.
Louise sighed at his questions but answered back, just to sate his curiosity.
"It's located under the carriage, familiar." She told him and then explained. "I can't tell you much but it uses a system of gears and springs that are powered by a Prime Mover. The Prime Mover then gets its power from ether crystals."
"Huh..." Jaune uttered as he accepted her answer. "I must say I was not expecting to find magitech here." He remarked to her. "Magitech is a term we have referring to fictional technology and machines that are powered by magic." He explained for her benefit. "Honestly, I was not expecting such level of technology here."
"Why is that? It's not so surprising since our kingdom had been developing these inventions for over a century." Louise asked, curious by what he meant.
"Well..." Jaune looked hesitant before saying. "Please don't take this the wrong way... But everything I've seen so far back in the academy showed that there are little ways of technology here. Pretty medieval compared to Remnant."
"So you think that we're primitive compared to your world?" She inquired. She should be insulted but she could at least understand where he is coming from. His devices and what little he could show about his world, she could see how civilization would try to develop machines to fight the Grimm better beyond mere forts and swords.
"Yeah..." Jaune agreed, if hesitantly as he didn't want to offend her. "I just assumed that magic is used here to make things easier and didn't need to invent machines."
"I do agree that we used magic for the most things." She told him with a nod. "But I disagree that our use of magic doesn't lead to inventions. I did tell you about the Institute of Magic right?" She reminded him.
"I do. It's some kind of research facility right?"
"Correct." Louise replied approvingly. "It is the home of Tristain's brightest minds and has been instrumental in developing machines for the kingdom based on Master Zeke's designs." She told him with a hint of pride.
"Cool." Jaune remarked as he continued to look around the city.
They soon entered what seemed to be the trading district since there are even more shops and stalls lining the street. They could hear merchants and traders shouting their wears and heckling prices with their costumers.
They stepped away from the main district road and entered one of the alleyways. They then passed through four intersection before Louise stopped to look around.
"It should be near Peyman's Potion Shop... I remember passing it when I was last visited." She muttered loudly as she looked around the area. She then saw a bronze sword-shaped sign hanging under an iron bar, and happily cried out. "Aha! Found it!"
Louise briskly walked towards it, and Jaune followed after her. Jaune and Louise climbed up the stone steps and opened the door before they entered the shop. It was a little dark inside, despite the light coming through the windows, but there's a gas lamp providing additional light from the ceiling.
The place isn't much to look at in Jaune's opinion as he looked around the place. The walls and shelves are filled with unorganized bunches of weapons, some are even stuffed in barrels. There are also suits of armor, placed on stands, around the room.
Waiting by the large counter across the room, an old man eyed the both of them suspiciously while smoking his pipe. He must have recognized something when he got a good look at Louise. His eyes widened upon seeing the star pentagram on her bronze brooch, and hastily extinguished his pipe before hiding it under the counter.
"My lady! Welcome to my humble shop! All my wares here are authentic and are reasonably priced!" He greeted Louise with a lively tone, if sounding a little nasal. "What can this humble shopkeeper do for you, noble one?"
"I wish to purchase a sword." Louise answered him.
"Oh?" The shady looking shopkeeper raised an eyebrow. "Quite strange. A noble buying a sword." He remarked.
"It's not for me but for my familiar." Louise replied as he gestured for Jaune to come over. Jaune nodded and quickly moved to her side.
"Hmmm..." The shopkeeper eyed the young boy, and he looked a little lanky in his eyes. "Aren't you a little too young to be the lady's personal guard?"
Jaune merely shrugged and said. "I was summoned to be her familiar through a magical ceremony. So I worked for her until my service is not needed."
"I see." The shopkeeper replied, not really understanding what he meant. He turned to Louise and asked. "Do you have any preference for what kind of sword you are looking for?"
Louise shook her head and said. "I am not very knowledgeable about swords, so I will defer to my familiar since he would know more."
"Alright." The shopkeeper nodded before he turned back to Jaune. "What kind of sword are you looking for?"
"Well... I'm looking for a sword about this long." Jaune showed his hands that are far apart, showing the length. "And it would be preferable if it has a long handle to allow me to use it with one hand or two hands."
"I believe I have just the thing." The shopkeeper replied as he walked into his warehouse behind the counter. "Hmmmm... I wonder if I could sell them this." He muttered to himself as he picked up an exquisite and very decorated sword. He returned to the counter and presented the sword to the boy. "How about this one?"
"Whoa..." Jaune uttered in surprise as he looked at the sword presented to him.
"Here... Hold it. See how it feel in your hands." The shopkeeper held it out to him with a glint in his eyes.
"Thanks." Jaune nodded and accepted the sword. The sword is well made with its silvery glimmer and the golden inlays along with a few jewels embedded into the crossguard. He gave it a few swings to test the weight and handling. "So cooool..."
Louise looked on with approval as she saw Jaune liking the sword presented to him.
"You know, there seems to be a trend lately where nobles are letting their servants to bear swords." The shopkeeper spoke up, catching her attention. "The last time one entourage came to pick a sword, they picked that one."
"Oh? Is there a reason for that?"
"There is. There's a recent increase of thievery on Tristain's city streets lately." He told her.
"That's expected. But is there something different this time?" Louise questioned him.
"Yes. Very." The shopkeep answered back. "A mage thief who called himself Fouquet the Crumbling Sand who had stolen alot of treasures from the nobles. The other nobles are getting really rattled by the news and started arming their servants."
"That is concerning." Louise replied with a slow nod. She's not too worried since Jaune is skilled enough to fight and win against Guiche and his Valkyries.
Jaune cocked his head when he noticed something engraved on the blade that he didn't notice earlier. He looked closer and he recognized them to be some kind of lettering that he didn't recognize.
He turned back to the shopkeep and asked as he pointed at the letterings. "Hey. What are these?"
The shopkeep looked it over and smiled before answering. "Ah! You found the inscriptions that allows this sword to hold magic which allows it to cut through metal like butter."
"Really?" Jaune asked with excitement. He knew that some aura-infused weapons does allow them to cut through metal, but that required more aura training. Since magic is more prevalent here, he could believe it and he is excited to own his first magic weapon.
"It's true, my good man. I swear to the Founder." The shopkeeper swore. "This sword is made by the famous Germanian alchemist, Lord Shupei. And he's known for his great works with enchanted steelcrafts."
Louise nodded in agreement, having heard of the alchemist in her own research about magic. She tried to study magical inscriptions but she haven't made progress in regards to that.
"Hmmm... Is it alright if I test it?" Jaune asked.
"Sure." The shopkeeper shrugged back. He was sure that this sword can pass simple tests since he checked it himself. So he's not worried about anyone finding out.
Jaune closed his eyes and started to working to draw out his aura. It felt easier now since he knew more how to draw it out, and he started to feel his aura responding.
"Errr... What's he doing with his eyes closed?" The shopkeeper asked the young lady as he stared at the boy with a confused look on his face.
"Oh he's just drawing out his magic." Louise answered nonchalantly.
"Huh?" The shopkeeper uttered in surprise. "What?"
The sword flashed for a moment, much to the shopkeeper's surprise, and there was also a rattle of metal that echoed loudly across the room. It then dimmed down and settled with a faint glow that covered the entire weapon.
Jaune slowly opened his eyes, which had a faint dot of light shining within, and examined how his aura is interacting with the sword. The aura flow looked alright but it didn't feel any different when his tested his own sword and the other sword he borrowed. He then checked the inscriptions and found it inert despite his aura flowing through it.
He frowned at that and looked at the shopkeeper, who started to look nervous. He showed the inert inscriptions to him and asked. "Is it supposed to be like this? This sword doesn't feel to be any different from a normal sword."
"Errmmm..." The shopkeeper was panicking as his product got outed. He would have to think fast and divert blame. "It must be defective." He tried to explain.
"Really? Are you accusing Lord Shupei of crafting a defective sword?" Louise testily questioned his reasoning. The academy had some of Lord Shupei's works, so she had seen how his inscriptions function. This one is clearly a fake one.
"Errmmmm..." The shopkeeper started to sweat profusely, and he didn't know how to get out of this situation. He was saved from further scrutiny when laughter filled the room.
"Hahahahahahaha! You sure got yourself in a pooch! Serves you right!"
Jaune and Louise jumped at the voice and looked around to see who it is but they found no one else in the room.
"Shut it, Derf! Keep quiet or I'll melt you down to scrap!" The shopkeeper angrily shouted.
"Ha! Do it! It would be a blessing compared to being stuck here watching you sell swords to hapless fools." The voice replied back with a cackle.
The shopkeeper growled and forgot about the other two in the shop until Jaune spoke up.
"Uuuhhhh... Who's that? And where is he?" He asked the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper blanched as he forgot about him, and Jaune still had the defective sword in his hands.
"I'm over here." Something rattled in one of the barrels of weapons along the wall.
Curious, Jaune walked towards the barrel and looked inside. But all he could find are some old weapons that are covered in dust and rust like they haven't been used in a long while. He looked confused as he didn't see anything particular that stand out.
"What are you staring at, kid? Are you blind?" The voice spoke up again, chastising Jaune, and something rattled in the pile.
Jaune saw where the movement came from and reached down to grab a handle. He pulled out the weapon and got a rusty broadsword with a single edge blade. Jaune stared at it with a confused look on his face, uncertain if he got the wrong one.
"Huh... Didn't expect someone like you to be my user this early." The voice emanated from sword as part of the guard moved like a mouth.
"Woooow... Cooool... You're a real talking sword." Jaune said with childish awe.
"I'm not just a talking sword, kid. I'm a powerful magic sword!" The sword stated with a scoff.
Jaune looked the rust and dust that covered much of its form and said. "You don't look that magical. How old are you anyway?"
"Very old, kid. Very old. So old in fact that I've been alive way before the kingdoms have formed. All these rust on me..." The sword wiggled in Jaune's hands for emphasis. "They all grew over me since I haven't been used for a long time."
"That so cool... So you're some kind of sage spirit sword." Jaune remarked.
"Sage Spirit Sword, aye. I like the sound of that." The sword said with a hint of approval. "Speaking of spirit. Was that you who suddenly flashed this whole room with aura?"
Jaune blinked and his mind shut down as soon as he heard that. He then answered with a confused tone. "Y-yeah... I did. I was testing this other sword when I overdid it a little... I'm still new with using my aura."
"Really? That's quite impressive. Your aura must be pretty massive if you can generate that much on accident without being winded." The sword remarked.
"So do you have a name? I don't think I've asked. My name's Jaune Arc. What's yours?" Jaune introduced himself.
"You don't know who I am? The maesters must have gotten sloppy if you didn't know about me." The sword said, sounding offended at the apparent lack of recognition. "I am the Legendary Derflinger! The Sacred Sword of the Guardian!"
"Derflinger? That's a nice name." Jaune said before turning to Louise. "Hey, Louise! Looks like we hit the jackpot. It's a legendary sword!" He said with excitement.
Louise clearly disagreed as she stared at both Jaune and the sword with dismay and glum. "Why did you have to choose something so weird? Couldn't you have chosen another sword."
"But it's a real magic sword. Plus it knew about aura." Jaune told her. "Could we buy this instead of this fake one?" He asked asked as he raised the more pristine but clearly non-magical sword in his other hand.
Louise sighed forlornly but she couldn't fault his decision. This talking sword has clear magical properties and it knew about aura that Jaune can use himself. Jaune would need more help to use his aura so that he could perform his tasks better. She glared at the shopkeeper with a side glance as she had not forgotten at this attempt to pass a false sword on them.
The shopkeeper flinched at her glare, knowing the trouble he's in for being outed in front of a noble. He would have to salvage the situation to save himself and his shop.
"How much for the talking sword?" Louise asked. "And I expect a fair price for this purchase." She added insistently.
"I-It will be about 100 ecu, milady. I'll also toss in a scabbard and cleaning kit for it." The shopkeeper quickly replied. "Just take it out my shop. Good riddance for me."
A/N: Derflinger has entered the stage, and it seems he knew more things than expected. And it turns out that the blue dragon is someone's familiar. Who knows what secrets the dragon held?
