The Immortal of Zero

Chapter IX: To Albion!

At the Germania Main Castle, Wardes was seen bowing to a man hidden in the shadow. Ever since his encounter with the Immortal familiar of Louise, he had doubts on how to utilize her hidden powers.

"I have good news, Viscount Wardes. My spies told me that the Princess of Tristain will send a messenger to Albion's Prince Wales. And the assigned messenger is none other than your 'Fiancée', Ms. Valliére." said the man in shadow. He had a regal tone in his voice, meaning he's a high-class noble or a member of a Royal Family.

"I...see." replied Wardes warily.

"I sensed hesitance in your voice."

"The Valliére brat is no problem. The problem is her damn familiar!" The Viscount said.

"Ah... that..monster... He calls himself Kaizer von Deathstone, was it?"

"Yes."

"I see. Well THIS will be good. Why don't we prove that even a God can't stop us? To kill an Immortal, we just make him fight another Immortal." The man smirked. On cue, the doors opened, and three people went to the man in shadow, hiding their faces from the Viscount.

"I never thought I would get to fight the Descendant of Deathstone once again!" growled a young man's voice. His eyes glowed fire-red in the dark.

"That man must pay for all the sins he did to us!" said a woman's voice icily. The very tone of her voice sent chills up to the Viscount's neck.

"So he is here. Don't worry about him. We'll make sure to kill him this time." said another woman's voice quietly, but the room's temperature dropped several degrees.

"These three will accompany you to Tristain Academy. You'll be assisting the messengers towards Albion. And when that brat would give the letter to Wales, execute him. Your companions will eliminate her familiar for you." said the man in shadow.

"Now go!" and the three, plus Wardes, vanished from his presence.

"Why do we have to go to the Castle? If this is a secret mission, then the Princess should've given it to us directly" said Louise, annoyed for the past few minutes, as the walked towards Tristain Castle with her familiar. Even though she's a close friend of Henrietta and respects her, she hated walking too far.

"My apologies Mistress, but she mentioned in the letter that we have to get here as subtle and fast as possible." said Kai. He could've used the Shadow Teleportation skill, but it would be rude and sudden if the people of the throne room would see them emerged from the shadow inside the castle. "And she didn't mention the contents of the Mission itself."

"And you call this subtle?" she retorted, as they were now past the gates of the castle.

"Appearing in the middle of the throne room full of people would hardly call... refreshing, Mistress." he sighed. "I imagine that our entrance would cause panic, and the Princess doesn't seemed to know most of my abilities."

"Fair enough."

As they arrived at the Castle Doors, they were greeted by Wardes, who had just landed by the nearby patch of grass, and accompanied by three of his subordinates. Wardes looked like he had just rushed from his mission, though the look from his armored Knights doubted that.

"Wardes! What are you doing here?" asked Louise, looking at the Gryphins behind the Knights.

"I heard about the mission as well. I came here to verify that." said Wardes, wary of Kai.

But Kai was busy looking at the three Knights behind the Captain. He had a shrewd suspicion about these three, though he can't place what it is. He also felt some kind of power emanating from the three of them, but what's but unnerving for him is that they have the same power as him.

"Kai!" The familiar snapped out of his stupor, gazing away from Wardes' subordinates, a little pale. Seeing this, Louise added "Are you alright?" with concern.

"I...I'm fine Mistress." he managed to speak weakly, before he and his Master went inside first.

'It seems that he's intimidated by the appearance of these three. Hahahaha I can't wait! This will be the end of your familiar, and you will be mine!' Wardes sneered to himself, clearly anticipating the grim events waiting to happen.

"This bites! How the hell are we going to get there faster?" Louise complained again, while in the middle of their journey. She was on Wardes' Gryffin, as it's owner had an arm to keep the petite Mage from falling of the beast. Kai was flying in a different way: He had summoned a sword that negates his gravity, in order for him to fly without support. The three Knights were following them, riding their own Gryffins.

"I apologize for the slow transport, Milady, but if I were to go faster, you would accidentally fall of my Gryffin, and I can't let my wife-to-be get killed by mistake." Wardes laughed heartily. Louise fumed at this, while looking at her familiar, recalling the Princess' request.

Flashback

"You want us to travel to the Kingdom of Albion, for us to deliver your letter to Prince Wales?" asked Louise, curious why the Princess Henrietta would ask her best friend about this.

"Yes. It pains me to ask you of this, but this is an important diplomatic mission for our negotiation with Albion." said Henrietta sadly.

"Why? What happened?"

"Our previous attempts were...failures. We do not know why our messengers wouldn't reach Albion. So I decided to let you deliver it for me. I am certain that you will succeed were others have failed in this task." the Princess sighed.

"Very well. It would be my honor to fulfill your Highness' request." bowed Louise, her head lowered as a sign of respect.

"Thank you. Viscount Wardes and three of his men shall accompany you there. Even though you have your familiar, it would be wise to travel in numbers." said Henrietta, smiling. At this, Wardes stepped forward.

"It would be my honor to accompany her to the Country of Albion." he bowed down.

Kai has been silent during the whole briefing, as he analyze the three Knights behind Wardes. The three have been an enigma, totally unmoving from their positions the moment they have arrived inside the throne room. He also notice one of them looking directly at him, as he sensed malice and killer intent.

'This could be a problem.. If these three are who I think they are...Even I can't handle them at once.' thought the familiar. He had almost twitched his hand to his Zatetsuken, but held himself; If he were to attack three members of the Gryffin Knights, there would be trouble, and Louise would be banished from Tristain, and that's the least of his Master's worries.

Flashback End

"This is so boring!" yawned one of the three guards. Kai narrowed his eyes at the three.

"I agree. Uneventful travels are dull." replied another. This Knight had a light-girlish voice.

"Would you two shut up? We have a mission here! If Captain Wardes were to-" began the third Knight angrily, but Wardes cleared his throat. The three Knight immediately silenced, but Kai didn't stop getting suspicious at them.

"I apologize for my subordinates' bickering, my fiancé.. But they have a tendency to argue over the most unusual of times." smiled the Viscount. "But to say I am most curious.. Is it true that your familiar defeated Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt? Even after he have demonstrated his power to me when we first clashed swords, I find it very hard to believe that a mage like him is beaten by your familiar."

"If you must know Viscount Wardes, he had defeated Guiche the Bronze in a light duel, and I can assure you that he had no trouble beating Fouquet, though at the Spear of Destruction's expense.." said Louise, looking forward. She didn't want to turn her head around, and risk vomiting in the air.

"I hear that the Spear of Destruction was taken by Fouquet, as the reports say. Is it true?" asked the third Knight.

"Yes, but it was destroyed during Kai and Fouquet's battle."

"I see."

Kai on the other hand, was talking to his Armory through Derflinger.

"You know Master... Even though those three following the traitor has the same aura as the one who backstabbed you, doesn't mean they are the same." said Artemis, the Laser rifle.

'I know that! But I can't shake this feeling of foreboding.' thought Kai, holding a long Nodachi called Yasutsuna, while flying through the air with his Master and her companions. 'And you two! If I hear another word of your damned bickering, I'll toss you to Hades' flames!' he added sternly, referring to the scimitars.

"But what if they are who you think they are?" asked Agni.

"And somehow found out that you were going to be summoned here?" continued Rudra.

"Yeah partner.. I don't know what you all are talking about, but I can sense similar aura like yours... and it ain't coming from you, but from those three Knight that pansy of a Viscount has" Derflinger finished, earning a roar of laughter from the Armory. Kai sighed.

'For once in our lifetime, I agree with you two knuckleheads.' he thought, as they started to descend in what looked like a bunch of floating islands, with a large fortress-like city in the middle.

"Well, after what your Master Gilgamesh had said, if you die, then the Gate of Babylon would remained sealed. After all, Gilgamesh already transferred this ability to you before he died, right? We wouldn't allow you to die." said Nevan, sounding sad.

'Where's the fun in that anyway? If there's no challenge, then I wouldn't be worthy of being Evangeline's husband.' he shrugged, then they landed of Albion's ground.

"We are here. Welcome to Albion, my hometown." exclaimed Wardes, opening his arms like he's expecting an embrace.

"This is your hometown? I thought you live at Tristain?" asked Louise, looking at her fiance in confusion.

"I was born here, but my allegiance is with Tristain." The Viscount smiled in reply, which Kai narrowed his eyes a bit.

'So he lives here huh? Well, the History of this World says that all the best Wind Mages came from here.' thought Kai, as he sheathed his anti-gravity sword, which vanished into the Gate afterwards.

They walked towards the castle of Albion, hoping for an audience with the Prince of Albion, when Kai spoke to the Viscount.

"Viscount Wardes, I apologize for the other day back at the Academy."

"What for?"

"I have doubted you. I am protective of my Master, and as her Familiar, it is my duty to shield her from all kinds of opposing forces."

"Hahaha. It is fine. I know you meant no harm. And I thank you for protecting my dear Louise so admirably." laughed Wardes warmly. "I already forgotten about the incident already, so don't worry about it, my good man."

'Forgotten my ass. I''m sure he just wants revenge for harrassing him in front of the Mistress.' Kai snorted at this, but didn't reply.

'Master, be careful. I sense malice in the Viscount and his Knights. All of them directed to you.' said Nevan.

'I know. Thanks for the warning, Nevan. The Viscount maybe weak, but he has the might of politics backing him up. And if that's not enough, he has three people who have the same aura as me with him.. This is so troublesome indeed.' the familiar sighed.

'If I may, Master, can we test him? As the Embodiment of the King of Heroes, I can determine if they are a threat, or a nuisance.' grinned Enuma Eish.

Kai flinched at this. The "Key" to the Gate of Babylon wishes to fight the Griffin Knights. Even if his opponents are strong, using that weapon is overkill, even for his standards.

'D-don't be an idiot! This world can't handle your power alone.. Even if this place is overflowing with Mana, I cannot let you destroy it.' stuttered Kai.

'But I haven't had an exercise since the last time Gilgamesh had used me.' the 'key' whined.

Kai flinched again. He remembered Gilgamesh used Enuma Eish during his role as 'Archer' during the 4th and 5th Holy Grail War.

'No!' this puts the sword whining loud... until Cerberus shut him up by encasing him on ice. 'thanks Cerberus.'

'You're welcome, Master. He's almost as annoying as the Demon Elemental Brothers. You just gave me an excuse to silence him.'
the tri-poled nunchakus snickered. Kai sweatdropped.

"Anyway, let's look for an Inn, while me and Louise go on a stroll inside the city?" said Wardes, looking at the village square, a few meters away from where they have landed.

"I must stay by my Mistress' side." Kai replied stoically. He will make sure attempts like this are thwarted.

"Well then.. We can take a leisurely walk around, while my Knights find us an Inn to spend the night." laughed the Viscount, ignoring the hint of venom hidden in Kai's words.