Author's Note: Yo. Chapter 12 here.
Some people have been saying that Saito is too powerful. That he can easily defeat anyone that he goes up against.
Bzzt! Wrong.
True, his magic is powerful, but so is Halkeginian magic. He may be using an unknown system of magic, but most of Saito's opponents will be highly experienced mages, so they will be a very good match for him, even with his Familiars.
Question: should I include Kirche? A lot of you want me to add her, so just let me know in a review as to whether I should or not. Enjoy.
Read, Review and check out my other stories!
Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero.
"Saito" -Talking
'Louise' -Thinking/ Human-Human Telepathy
"Explosion!" -Spell
:Master: -Master/Familiar Telepathy
Chapter 12: Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt
The Next Day
Saito and Louise's Suite
"Oh, my poor hand!" Louise moaned as she cradled her writing hand. The petit pinkette was sat upon her bed and switching between glaring at Saito and looking piteously at her hand.
"You'll get used to it." Saito said in amusement. The Onmyōji was likewise seated on his bed and was sorting through the attempts at writing kanji that Louise had made the previous day, "Still, you didn't do badly yesterday…I had a harder time when I started at the age of five. Chubby fingers aren't best suited for holding thin brushes."
"Devil." Louise accused.
"That would be me, girl." Emereldas retorted as she appeared in a puff of smoke. She was in her usual form and had her wings, horns and tail on display.
"Emereldas, what have I told you about summoning yourself?" Saito asked in exasperation.
"But master, you did want me to examine that runic shackle of yours, correct?" the succubus pouted.
"And you couldn't have done that last night?" Saito asked.
"I forgot." the demoness admitted with a rare blush.
"…can't be helped, as I did too." the Japanese boy sighed, "Have at it."
Emereldas clicked her fingers three times and Saito was surrounded in several magic circles bearing Enochian and Demonic script. They pulsed and glowed red.
"Hmmm…damn, this is a powerful shackle." the succubus muttered as she sent her fingers dancing through the air as if she were playing a large harp, "Never have I seen such a powerful binding. At a guess, the binding ritual that the girl used was merely a catalyst to invoke this runic shackle from a magical device using a pre-existing pattern. It has no holes in its spell work, no flaws to use as leverage and no release mechanism aside from the death of the bearer."
Dejectedly, Emereldas allowed her arms to drop as the magic circles faded. "I cannot remove the shackle without overwhelming it…meaning that you would likely be badly hurt in the attempt, my master."
"Well that's irritating." Saito sighed, "Investigate, if you can, any contract breaking magical devices or spells that harm neither party. I really do not want to have to use the one I know."
"Understood, my master." Emereldas bowed. "How goes your pupil's lessons?"
"She is an apt pupil and has learned how to write four kanji with passable skill." the Onmyōji replied, ignoring Louise's flush of pride, "The kanji for power, manipulation, direction and concentration. It will be a while before she finishes even one full talisman, so to give her hand a rest, I'll be tutoring her in how to channel magic into the talismans."
"My, my…I certainly hope she does not disappoint your expectations, master." the succubus said in amusement, "To move on, you are aware that there is not long left before you must fulfil your part of the contract, correct?"
Saito grimaced as Louise looked on in confusion. "Yes, I am aware. Which method will you want?"
"Considering the brat would kick up a fuss with my…preferred method…I would say that this time, raw magic transferral is what we shall use, master." Emereldas replied with a smug look at Louise.
"…understood." Saito grumbled, "You may return to your realm, Emereldas."
"By your command." with those words, Emereldas bowed and faded out of sight.
"What was that about?" Louise asked as soon as the demoness left.
"My contract with Emereldas." Saito replied wearily, "As payment for her service, I have to regularly give up a tithe of magic to her. As she's a succubus, how do you think she would prefer to harvest said magic?"
This made Louise flush scarlet.
"As I doubt you want to hear or see that kind of thing, as long as we're sleeping in the same room, it'll be a raw magic transfer between Emereldas and me." Saito reassured her.
"I-Is that kind of thing…the usual thing to happen with your familiars?" Louise squeaked out.
"I wouldn't say it's ordinary by any means, considering that summoning humanoid familiars is relatively rare." Saito replied after a moment, "But when succubae are summoned, the records show that they always demand a tithe of magic in such a manner. Emereldas is actually being very considerate of you and me by letting a basic power transfer be used instead."
"What about the other one?" Louise asked, not to happy she owed the succubus a favour for not demanding Saito bed her.
"Kaede, you mean?" Saito asked, "No, nothing like that. It isn't unusual for Oni to get into a relationship with their master though. They are naturally attracted to strong Onmyōji and the female ones act similarly to…well, you won't know them, but the word is kunoichi, a female spy/assassin from my land. One supposed duty of a kunoichi is to 'service' their masters at night, and Kaede is so serious about her duties."
Louise felt jealousy run through her veins strongly at this. So, not only was he unintentionally seducing her maid, he also had a genuine succubus demanding his skills in the bedroom and an all-too serious Oni who would willingly bed him if he so desired it.
She looked down at her all too flat chest. Siesta was very well endowed, and the Oni was bigger than Louise was in the chest department as well. Emereldas was a shape shifter, so she could make herself look like anyone she had seen or touched, so her current appearance was irrelevant.
"Pervert." she accused him.
"Hey, I wouldn't have asked them to do this." Saito argued back immediately, "Succubae never make a contract until you agree to that specific condition and Oni only do 'night service' once they serve their master or mistress for at least a year, and that's IF they don't have a mate."
"Does she?" Louise challenged.
"How in the name of magic could a half-blood Oni get a mate when they are seen as being less than dirt by other Oni?" Saito asked, "Besides, she's only two-hundred years old. Oni aren't considered adults until they're at least three-hundred, so she can't find a mate until then."
"I should be so lucky as to look that good at fifty, let alone two-hundred." the pinkette grumbled.
"Don't compare yourself to supernatural beings in terms of looks." Saito advised her dryly, "They're bred to be superior to human women in almost every aspect. Oni live for centuries before aging and succubae never age at all."
Louise sighed and changed the subject. "Anyway, how are the preparations for your first class?"
"All done." Saito gave her a tired smile, "Professor Colbert looked over my plans and gave me the go-ahead yesterday after you turned in for the night."
"It'll be interesting to see what you have planned." Louise said, "But for now, breakfast."
As he followed his master to the cafeteria (and wasn't it odd how he wasn't mentally rebelling against calling her that?), Saito pondered his Familiar's words regarding the Familiar Runes he bore. She'd never seen as powerful a binding rune as the one he currently bore. This wasn't really a surprise as a succubus as young as Emereldas had had little to do with binding and unbinding magic.
Yes, she was young. Compared to some of the succubae who had been created in the dawn of creation, she was definitely young by the standards of succubae.
What she hadn't mentioned was the mind-altering section of the runes, which was highly suspicious. Had it affected her somehow? If it had, then it was a cause for concern. Emereldas had an astonishingly high resistance to mind magic as a succubus. Most high-level spells of that nature would just wash off her like water off a duck's back, completely ineffective.
'Assuming that the mind altering part of the Familiar Runes didn't affect her, it must mean that that portion of the runes concealed itself from Emereldas' scan.' he concluded. Saito made a note to ask Emereldas to scan it again with a far more powerful and subtle spells.
"Écu for your thoughts?" Louise asked as she slowed down to walk next to him.
"Nothing. Just lost in thought." Saito replied with a shake of his head.
Neither of the teenagers noticed the slight glow coming from the Gandálfr runes on Saito's left hand.
Later
Classroom
"Hey, Louise." Kirche called. She had stopped calling her 'Zero' ever since the fact that Louise had had her magic sealed became known.
"What do you want, Von Zerbst?" the pinkette asked. Louise was organising her notes from her other classes as she spoke. As Saito had suggested, she couldn't cast any elemental spells, not even a basic alchemic transmutation, but the non-elemental spells were easy. She had been tested on every one of the first year spells and had passed with flying colours.
"What is your Familiar planning for this new class?" the busty redhead asked.
"I don't know." Louise shrugged, "Looking at a teacher's notes would get me punished, Familiar or not, and I respect his privacy enough to not demand that he tells me everything."
"Surprisingly hands off for a Master dealing with a Familiar." Montmorency remarked.
"Unlike you, Mon-Mon, I have a human for a Familiar." Louise replied waspishly, using the girl's hated nickname to make a point, "Unlike a frog or a Salamander, a human can't simply be ordered around."
"He's a commoner!" the blond Mage protested, glaring at Louise for using that nickname.
"He is a sentient being, Mon-Mon." Louise shot back, "Ordering him around when he isn't used to it would just make us get angry with each other."
"Don't call me Mon-Mon!"
"Alright, that's more than enough." Saito said as he entered the room, "Miss Montmorency, prying into the affairs of other people's Familiars is rude. Louise, don't give in to provocations."
"Yes Professor." Louise said humbly.
"Why should I address a commoner with respect?" the blond Noble grumbled.
"Because otherwise you will be punished?" Saito suggested mildly.
Montmorency grumbled, but fell silent.
"Good. Now, welcome to your first class on Magical Morals." the Onmyōji said with a smile, "I, as you are all aware, am Hiiraga Saito, Louise Vallière's Familiar."
"Isn't there a conflict of interest when your Master is in the class?" Guiche asked lazily as he fiddled with his rose wand.
"As there is no mental domination aspect to the Familiar Runes, that won't happen." Saito said dryly, "Besides of that, Louise would be angry if I favoured her unfairly."
Louise nodded seriously in agreement.
"Moving on, this class will cover the Nobles Code which you are all bound by, as well as other situations that might cause you to check your moral compass when it comes to magic." Saito continued, "For example...my own situation."
"Huh?" Montmorency said in confusion.
"Like you I am a human mage." Saito said, "And I was summoned to be Louise's Familiar. Logically, this means it could happen to anyone present in this room, or even anyone in your families. Even the royalty of your countries might not be an exception."
Privately, Saito had to wince at his melodramatizing. The only human Familiar before him had been whoever had been the Gandálfr of Founder Brimir and so it was theorised that only Void Mages could summon humans as Familiars. Still, it could happen if there were other Void Mages other than Louise out there, so a word of caution wouldn't go amiss.
"Preposterous!" Guiche scoffed, "Lightning doesn't strike twice."
"It does, but that's not the point." Saito replied, "The point is that any of you could be summoned and bound to another person without so much as a by-your-leave for the rest of your life. Imagine the situation for a moment. How would you all feel?"
Looks of fear and revulsion appeared on every face around him, aside from Tabitha and Louise. Saito noted this and decided to take a survey.
"Just for the sake of curiosity, can you raise your hand if you summoned a Familiar that is as intelligent as a human?" Saito asked, "Aside from Louise that is."
The only one to raise their hand was Tabitha.
"Ah, miss…Tabitha, correct?" Saito asked, getting a nod as an answer, "Can you tell me what your Familiar is?"
"…Rhyme Dragon." Tabitha said softly.
This made Saito's eyes shoot up in surprise. Rhyme Dragons were mid-level dragons that controlled ice, wind and water. Dragons were even rarer to summon than devils and Oni in his world and most of those who were summoned were usually Wyverns or some other form of Lesser Dragon, as True Dragons were too prideful to submit to another's control, even one as mutually beneficial as a Familiar Contract.
Still, Mid-Level Dragons, known as Nature Dragons due to their control over the elements, had been summoned by particularly puissant Onmyōji…but not on the first try!
'This girl is more than she seems if she has the skill to summon a Rhyme Dragon, which is in the top tier of Mid Level Dragons.' Saito thought. Very few dragons could control three elements. The majority were born to control one and only one, such as Wind Dragons and Flame Dragons, with a few able to control two, such as Lava Dragons and Ice Dragons. Only four or five other species could control three and those were as rare as Hen's Teeth.
"Congratulations." Saito said sincerely, "Have you chosen a name?"
"…she's called Slypheed." Tabitha replied with a nod.
"Very appropriate." the Onmyōji nodded, "Did you ask for her input with the name?"
"Yes."
Evidently, getting Tabitha to talk was like getting blood from a stone.
"This is something to take into account." Saito said evenly, looking around at the rest of the class, "A Familiar, in your culture, represents not only your Primary Elemental Affinity, but a part of you. Although they may not be able to talk, they can give their opinion on the morality of what you are doing. Ignore them at your peril."
"What does it say about the Zero if she has a commoner for a Familiar?" Montmorency muttered.
"That is enough, Miss Montmorency." Saito said severely, "This makes your second warning. A third will earn you a detention."
Once again quietening down, the blond Tristainian Noble glared at Saito for the humiliation.
"Now then." Saito returned his attention to the class, "I would like you all to write an essay about why your Familiar is best suited for you and why you chose the name for them that you did. Don't just use the magical affinity as a reason; state why they reflect your personalities so well. Any who are not finished by the end of class are to finish the essay before the next time this class rolls around, which is two days."
Thus it was that the concept of 'homework' was created in Halkeginia.
After Classes
Saito and Louise's Suite
"Demon!" Louise growled as she stomped into the room.
Saito, looking up from the few essays that had been handed in during his class, winced as the enmity Louise was holding for him was practically corporeal.
"I take it this is about the essay?" he asked.
"Yes!"
"Oh…I forgot to say that you didn't have to write it." Saito apologised with a sheepish look, "Oops!"
"Why?" Louise asked, calming down now she wouldn't have to write something so embarrassing and have to give it to Saito.
"People still don't know that you are a Void Mage and I'd like to keep it that way." Saito replied, "The more people that know, the more likely the Church will find out and send someone to investigate and the more likely it is that the fact that my Familiars are a devil and an Oni will come to light, meaning I'll have to run."
"Why would you have to run?" Louise asked in confusion.
"Doesn't your church have anything against demons or devils?" Saito asked in confusion.
"I told you before that they did, but I wasn't actually certain." Louise confessed, "I had a look at the Books of the Founder, but most of them are to do with how humans were on the edge of extinction before the Founder came along and saved them with his powerful Void magic."
"Saved them? From what?" Saito asked with a frown.
"I don't know; the Books are very, very vague about it." Louise shook her head, "The last part of the final book is a prophecy that Founder Brimir's successors will one day gather together and awaken 'Brimir's Void', whatever that is, and save the human race from extinction once again."
"Ah-ha." Saito whispered triumphantly, "Now I understand. So that's it."
"I don't follow." Louise said in bewilderment.
"Why would Founder Brimir create a magic artefact that purposefully sealed the power of those who were also Void Mages, the same element as he was?" Saito asked, "Why bother with such a thing? It makes no sense…until you put the little prophecy you just spoke of into place along with it. Only those who had the drive and ambition to break Brimir's Alignment Binding were worthy to become one of his successors…someone he intended to take his place and save the human race from whatever enemy or disaster he perceived would return after his death."
Louise gaped at Saito with a white face. "Bu-But…there's no indication of who or what Founder Brimir faced!"
"Not in a Book of the Founder, certainly." Saito said knowingly, "But I would imagine that the Church has access to this knowledge. It was they who spread your Founder's Summon Servant Spell, correct? One they just so happened to have different spells for each individual country rather than one for all of them."
"It wasn't the church; it was Founder Brimir's Apprentice, the one who founded the Holy Empire of Romalia and then…the Church of Brimir…" Louise said, trailing off as she realised what Saito was getting at.
"Exactly. Who better to entrust an emergency plan to than his apprentice?" Saito asked rhetorically, "At a guess, Brimir died unexpectedly, but his apprentice followed his orders, distributing the Summon Servant Spell and then started up a method to discretely control the other kingdoms founded by Brimir's sons; the Church, which became ever-present in the kingdoms. All so that eventually, Brimir's successors would eventually arise. Probably one for each country."
"But why not just have the first five mages from those countries activate whatever 'Brimir's Void' is?" Louise asked.
"Another Magical Artefact, I'd guess." Saito replied absently, "As to why…I have no idea. The way it has been set up implies that time wasn't a concern, but still…it doesn't make any sense."
His inability to join the dots frustrated him immensely, but it was to be expected. This was a plan five thousand years in the making. The nigh-static advancement of technology was explained by the influence of the Church, as Theocracies were infamous for stifling anything that would change the status quo.
However, what kind of threat would make someone as powerful as Founder Brimir was reputed to have been create a plan like this just in case he died? It boggled the mind.
"Anyway, we'd better not talk about it with others." Saito continued after shaking his head to rip himself from his musings, "I think it likely that the Church has spies or informants in Mage Academies so they can locate any possible candidates for Void Mages, so keep quiet about it."
"I'm not stupid." Louise barked irritably. The conversation had divested her of any politeness she had upon Saito listing his suspicions about the Founder's religion.
"I never said that." Saito replied calmly, "I just wanted to make sure I said it at least once so there could be no miscommunication or misunderstandings between us. I am sorry if I implied anything that offended you."
"No, it's not your fault." Louise sighed, "Anyway, let's go for dinner."
Taking the olive branch being offered, Saito agreed and followed her out.
After Dinner
"Louise, who is Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt?" Saito asked as they headed back to their suite, "I heard the students chattering about that name in the dining hall."
"A thief." Louise replied, "No one knows who he or she is or even what gender Fouquet is, but there have been several dozen high-profile robberies over the past few months…all committed by someone who uses Earth magic and leaving a calling card behind saying 'I have indeed taken your family's treasures. Signed, Fouquet the Sculptor.' Everyone calls the thief 'Crumbling Dirt' rather than 'Sculptor' because she uses the Earth magic Spell Crumbling Dirt to commit the crimes."
"Ohh? Quite the impudent thief." Saito said in amusement, "What's the usual method of this thief?"
"The perpetrator transmuted the walls and roofs of her target buildings into loosely packed dirt." Louise replied, "That isn't easy, especially since the walls and roofs in question were spelled against transmutation. This means that Fouquet is at least a Triangle-Class Mage, as the enchantments were cast by a Line-Class Mage."
"Why bother to use such weak protections?" Saito asked as they entered their suite. He understood the implications. A Line-Class mage could combine two elements together or even double up the same element, to create a powerful protection spell in this case. Due to the brute-force casting methods of Halkeginian magic, the usual counter-method was to overpower it with a stronger spell, meaning a Triangle-Class Mage using a triple-Earth stacked spell to destroy the protection spell and have the Crumbling Dirt spell take effect.
"So as to narrow the suspects down." Louise replied, "Generally speaking, only the military and high-noble families have Square-Class Mages. The few who aren't either of those are the most suspicious in a case like this."
"As the military have to be in certain places at certain times and can be tracked, just as nobles are highly visible and can be tracked." Saito nodded in understanding, "But Fouquet hasn't been caught yet despite this?"
"Yes and the nobles have been pestering Her Highness about it." Louise sighed as she sat on her bed, "Everything I just told you, she told me just yesterday. Honestly, people bothering the Princess like that…"
As Louise grumbled, Saito had to smile. It was obvious that she was very protective of her childhood playmate, despite the fact that Henrietta had her mother and a bevy of guards to protect her.
"Wh-what? What's with the creepy grin?" Louise asked and Saito realised he had been staring at her with an odd smile on his face.
"Sorry. I was just thinking that you really seem to care a lot about Princess Henrietta." Saito replied.
"Well of course I do!" Louise huffed, "She was one of the only people to be nice to me even after it was discovered I was a magical flop. I trust her with my life and I would do anything for her."
"Good friends are hard to find." Saito smiled, "If nothing else, this last year and a half has shown you who your true friends are, rather than those who want to hang on the lustre of a Duke's daughter. Every cloud has a silver lining, so it is said."
"What does that mean?" Louise asked in confusion.
"It means that for every bad happenstance, there is usually something good to inadvertently come of it." Saito replied, "It might sometimes be hard to tell that it is a good thing, but it will be there."
"I see." Louise nodded.
"So about Fouquet." Saito said after a moment, "What has the target list been like?"
"The first to be struck was a baron's townhouse." Louise replied, "Every robbery since then has followed the pattern of three victims of the same rank before advancing to the next. Just two weeks ago, the third holder of a princedom was struck, which means that the next target will be a ducal house."
"So now your family's in Fouquet's sights." Saito mused, "Does your family have a townhouse or something in the capital?"
"No, we are lucky to have a suite inside the Royal Castle for when the de Vallière has to stay in Tristainia." Louise replied, "Aside from there, the closest we have to a private residence in the capital is the various mercantile factors that belong to our family."
"What about you? Doesn't this count as something like a private residence?" Saito asked.
"Hardly. We are using the Academy's room." Louise scoffed, "If Fouquet did indeed break in here, for the mere Third Daughter of a Duke's possessions, he or she would be dismissed as a fool, considering all those places robbed were the primary residences in town of the Noble families in question. No, we're safe."
"OK…what about what was taken?" Saito asked.
"Rare magic tools." Louise replied, "Wands, staffs, staves, grimoires, jewellery, enchanted armour…the list goes on. The thing is, you can't sell those in Tristain because they'd be recognised in an instant. Germania has strong links with Tristain, so they would also recognise them. Gallia…is an odd country, but King Joseph would offer to return them 'for a price' if he found them, so likely not there either."
"What about Romalia and Albion?" Saito asked.
"The Holy Land? Only a fool would peddle stolen goods there." Louise's answer was automatic, "The Papal Guard is vigilant against such things."
"To play devil's advocate, that would logically make it a good place to peddle stolen goods because no one would think to look there." Saito pointed out.
"It's impossible." Louise dismissed the notion immediately, "No, it cannot happen. The streets of the Holy Land are famous for their good public order and vigilant guardsmen."
"If the light is strong in the daylight, then those who work best in shadows retreat to the nighttime." Saito said seriously, "You're assuming that those in power have not been bribed or coerced to turn a blind eye to Fouquet's activities, even in Gallia and Germania. What about Albion?"
"Ordinarily, I would say that it is impossible there." Louise replied, "The ruling family of Albion is closely related to the Tristainian Royal Family. Sadly, there is a civil war being fought there as we speak, so the chaos would make good cover for underhanded deals to take place."
"True enough." Saito allowed, "But I think that I have divined Fouquet's next target."
"Who? Where?" Louise asked.
"The Academy…the so-called Staff of Destruction." Saito replied, "The rank of the nobles was merely for the sake of convenience in acquiring the items. If you think about it, the various residences would have different levels of defences, correct? A Baron's house would have fewer defences than a Counts' home, wouldn't it?"
"Y-yes…so you're saying that Fouquet was practicing their skills with each robbery?" Louise asked.
"I would guess so, yes." the Onmyōji replied with a thoughtful expression on his face, "I would guess that this Academy has defences on par with the Royal Castle?"
"Pretty much." Louise confirmed, "The castle walls were enchanted by Hexagram-Class Protective Magic."
"Hexagram-Class?" Saito asked sceptically.
"It's something unique to the Royal Families of Tristain and Albion." Louise replied, "If the casters are both Triangle-Class, it is referred to as Hexagram-Class Royal Magic, and if the casters are both Square-Class, it is referred to as Octagon-Class Royal Magic."
"Ah! Unison Magic, you mean." Saito nodded.
"You…know about it?" Louise asked in surprise.
"Of course." Saito scoffed, "Any B-Class Onmyōji can use Unison magic. Twice in my country's history, over a hundred Onmyōji joined their powers to create storms to destroy invading fleets that threatened to invade us. Of course, that was during the period following Seimei's death that Void Magic could still be used. Nowadays, such large-scale spells are impossible."
"Wow…" Louise breathed, "A hundred at once? Incredible…"
"Like I said, without Void magic, such powerful spells can't be used anymore." Saito said dismissively, "In addition, only up to ten people can use Unison Magic at once now. Truly, Void Magic was a great loss for my world."
"You've said that before…that your world has no Void Magic anymore." the pinkette frowned, "Why is that?"
"We have no idea." Saito shrugged, "Ironically, the only way to track Void Magic is WITH Void Magic. As best as we can tell, all of it is being siphoned off to another world somehow. As fast as it is generated, all the magic is siphoned off without mages being able to use any of it. What a troublesome situation, really."
Later
Mr Colbert's Office
"That's quite the deduction, Professor Saito." Colbert said with a tired smile, "As it so happens, you are correct. Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt has sent an advance warning that she plans on stealing the Staff of Destruction from the Academy."
"Who is Fouquet, Kaitō Kid 1412?" Saito muttered.
"Pardon?" Colbert asked.
"A famous thief from my world," Saito replied, deciding to not bother explaining about Anime at this point, "He sends advance warning of his thefts and then breaks through all defences using trickery and deceit to swipe the target out from under the nose of the owner."
"My, he sounds troublesome."
"The local authorities practically tear their hair out whenever he strikes." Saito replied wryly. Leaving Inspector Nakamori to one side, the Japanese boy continued, "What did Fouquet's notice say exactly?"
"'By your leave, I shall retrieve the Staff of Destruction and make it my own. Signed, Fouquet the Sculptor.'" Colbert quoted, "It was sent on the night after the Princess visited the Academy, so Fouquet will strike within the next two days at the latest. Fortunately, Fouquet stands no chance of getting into the vault due to the Square-Class protections woven into the Staff of Destruction's Vault and door."
"Do you mind if I inspect them?" Saito asked.
"Certainly. I would love to see more of your 'mysticism' in action." Colbert said with a smile, "Follow me."
After Colbert retrieved his stave, he led the Onmyōji to the Vault door, which was massive. It was four times Colbert's height and five times as wide as the Fire mage was. A solid wooden bar with a metal lock sealed the door firmly shut and Saito could feel the door practically vibrating with the power of magic.
"That…is one impressive seal." Saito said sincerely, "I'm actually amazed that the door hasn't exploded from the amount of magic that has been cast on it."
"I cast it, so it's alright, Professor Saito." Colbert assured me, "A Square-Class Mage isn't just about power, control is also necessary. Although sadly, most do just focus on power. I, and Karin of the Heavy Wind, are exceptions."
"I see." Saito muttered. It does make sense, most people would think something along the lines of 'Powerful Mage = Strong Mage = Increase Strength of Magic' or something like that and completely ignore control aside from the bare minimum.
Idiots.
"From what I hear, Fouquet uses the Triangle Class spell Crumbling Dirt, which coined the nickname they have." he said after a moment, "Are the walls, floor and ceiling of the vault proof against it?"
"Certainly. After the fifth robbery took place, I specifically added to the protections to make them resistant against such a spell." Colbert assured him.
"And pure physical impact?" Saito continued.
"You mean from a battering ram?" Colbert frowned, "There is no room for such a thing here. Besides, there will be two of the Mage Guard here to prevent anyone from entering the Vault."
"The Mage Guard?" the Onmyōji asked in curiosity.
"They are an order of Knights that specialise in defensive magic and wear heavy armour." Colbert explained, "Mostly Triangle-Class Earth Mages like Fouquet. The Kingdom assigns them to guard locations of vital importance, such as the Academy's Vault. Two of them should be able to handle a thief like Fouquet with no trouble."
"I see." Saito nodded, "I take it the Academy's external security will be beefed up as well?"
"Indeed. All combat-capable members of the teaching staff will be walking patrols at night for the next two nights." the Fire Mage replied, "Naturally, that includes me."
"Me as well?" Saito asked.
"You are only an Assistant teacher on the payroll, so you do not have to." Colbert answered, "But it would reassure me if you did, as only one teacher is available tomorrow night."
"I'm happy to help." Saito agreed.
"Ah, my thanks." the other man looked relieved, "I shall inform the Headmaster after this."
After exchanging a few more words, the two parted, Colbert heading to the Headmaster's Office and Saito to his Suite.
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The Night of Saito's Patrol
"Haaah…nothing's happening." Saito grumbled.
He was walking around the Academy in a counter-clockwise direction and he was getting bored. Fouquet hadn't shown up the previous night, so Saito had been fully expecting the thief to make an entrance tonight.
In preparation for this, he was wearing his Onmyōji robes. They were imbued with modest defensive enchantments that reduced damage from magical attacks and physical attacks by a certain margin. Adding into that the power of his Seiman Talisman, which automatically raised a small magical shield if he was attacked magically.
He hadn't worn the talisman against Colbert during his duel, as that would have been unfair, but against a criminal who abused their magic, Saito wouldn't hold back. He had the best talismans he could make on him right now and he was confident that he could at least stall whoever this thief was until the other teacher, Miss Longville, arrived.
As he continued to walk, Saito thought about the spells at his disposal. As expected, there hadn't been enough time (or ink) to make a full set of talismans, so he had had to make do with tooling himself up with a set to completely counter an Earth Mage. Metal, Wood, Fire and Water were the weapons of choice for tonight.
Metal to turn the ground from earth to metal, cutting off Fouquet's source of power, Wood to bind the thief with vines and the like, Fire to distract and attack and Water to defend and manoeuvre. These would do rather nicely.
The rest of the talismans he had were general purpose ones for defence, such as the one he had used against Colbert. As a precaution, he also had a Shikigami on standby to go and wake up Professor Colbert if he needed any emergency backup.
[STOMP!]
A shudder made Saito stumble. "What the…?!"
[STOMP!]
[STOMP!]
[STOMP!]
Out of the darkness, a massive Earth Golem advanced slowly towards the Academy, a cowled figure standing atop the massive construct's shoulder.
"Shit." Saito cursed mildly. He had NOT been expecting a Golem of that size. With its immense strength, even the protections on the Vault would be useless as they were designed to prevent magical attack, not a physical strike by a Golem almost as tall as the Academy!
Granted, it would take more than one blow to break through the wall, due to the magical protections warring against the magical nature of the Earth Golem, but not more than three.
Reinforcements are needed here.
"Shikigami, go now and do your duty." Saito ordered tersely. A small swallow-shaped Shikigami sped from the sleeve of his robes and headed towards Colbert's suite. Out of all of his messenger-class Shikigami, the swallow was the fastest and most manoeuvrable he could make, which had pleased Tsubame-sensei.
"Now then…what to do here…?" the Onmyōji muttered. At the rate that the Golem was advancing, it would be here within the next couple of minutes or so. There was no barrier to prevent the Golem from entering the academy, curse this primitive system of magic, so if Saito wanted to stop it, he'd have to do something himself.
Using the Wu Xing, Earth was superior to Water, but weak against Wood. So a Wood Talisman it would have to be.
"Talisman of Wood, come to my aid!" Saito commanded as he withdrew the appropriate talisman from his sleeve, "Mokujin no Guntai! (Army of Wood Golems!)"
With that, he threw the talisman onto the ground.
Instantly, the ground around him shuddered and rippled as over a hundred human-shaped wooden figures sprouted from the ground. They only vaguely resembled humans in shape, being made out of logs of various sized attached together via magic. Saito would have been a bit tired from casting that spell before he came to Halkeginia, but now he was barely winded. The increase to his magical reserves was more than slightly ridiculous.
"Talisman of Wood, come to my aid!" he called out again, wielding a fresh talisman, "Hyaku no Gattai: Kyojin Mokujin! (Coalescence of One-Hundred: Giant Wood Golem!)"
He threw the talisman at one Golem in front of him. Upon touching the bark on the back of the Mokujin, the talisman sank into it, whereupon the hundred golems around Saito shot up to five meters in height before turning into a liquid-like substance and flowing together. Even as the hundred golems combined though, they still grew.
After a minute, the combination of the hundred golems was complete and a massive golem the same size as Fouquet's Giant Earth Golem stood in the courtyard of the Academy. Unlike the hundred that made it up, however, it was not a haphazard series of logs held together by magic.
In his heart, Saito had always wanted to use this particular spell and had thus researched in depth. Doing so had revealed to him that he could alter the shape of the end product by strongly holding the desired image in his mind while casting the spell.
Saito had made his look like a fully armed and armoured Samurai warrior. He had admired the warrior class since he was a child and so quite few of his spells that required imagination to create, such as the fire spell Hiotoko, resemble samurai.
"Lift me to your shoulder." Saito ordered his golem.
Silently, the Mokujin did so. Saito silently adhered his feet to the shoulder of his golem so he wouldn't fall off when the golem started walking.
"Oh? Little mage, that's a rather impressive toy you have there." a sultry female voice called to him as the Earth Golem stepped over the perimeter wall without breaking its stride. So Fouquet was female?
"Likewise, Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt." Saito replied steadily.
"It's Fouquet 'le Sculpteur' (the Sculptor)." the cowled woman replied testily.
"Crumbling Dirt or Sculptor, you will be captured today." the Onmyōji stated, "Dismiss your golem and surrender now, otherwise I'll be forced to get rough with you."
"My, my…quite the gentleman, aren't we?" Fouquet said in condescending amusement, "Boy, I am a far more experienced mage than you. I do not know what that golem is made of, but you cannot hope to stand against my Earth Golem!"
With that, the large Golem drew back one arm and sent a punch at Saito's Mokujin. Saito made a gesture and the Samurai Golem intercepted the other golem's fist with an open palm. Even so, the impact destroyed several nearby windows from the displaced air pressure.
"Eiyōso Shōkyo (Nutrient Erasure)." Saito stated calmly.
In seconds, the earthen fist held by the Samurai golem crumbles to dust and falls to the ground in a shower.
"Wha…?" Fouquet gasped, even as her golem regenerated the hand as it drew its arm back.
"My golem here has the ability to drain the nutrients from the earth and render it useless." Saito told her casually, "So much so that the earth isn't considered 'earth' or 'dirt' anymore, thus not able to be controlled by your magic. Rather, it becomes 'dust' or 'ash' comparatively."
"Such a magic…is it Elven? It has to be!" the woman barked desperately, "No human could wield such horrific magic!"
"Sadly, it isn't. It's called Mysticism." Saito replied with a sardonic grin, "Now please, surrender. This is your last chance."
"Tch."
With a click of displeasure, Fouquet leapt to the ground and created another large Earth golem, which surprised Saito. Normally one can only maintain one golem of that size at a time…ah.
"I see. Your title 'the Sculptor' refers to your skill with Golem magic, correct?" Saito asked with certainty.
"Correct." Fouquet nodded, "I'll have one of these children entertain you while I break through to the Vault!"
The new golem stated punching at the Academy building roughly where the Vault was located, which raised a warning flag to Saito. How did she know so precisely where the Vault was located? The Academy's plans were a national secret, according to Colbert anyway.
Speaking of, where is he?!
The first golem charged at Saito's golem and started sending some fairly swift punches at it, each not doing much damage, but also not staying in contact with the surface of the Mokujin long enough for its Eiyōso Shōkyo ability to do more that erode the topsoil of the golem's fists, which is restored in the time it takes for the other fist to strike the Mokujin.
No a bad delaying tactic, but it assumed all the Samurai Mokujin will be doing is standing around doing nothing. Time to correct Fouquet of her misassumption.
"Cut it down to size." Saito ordered.
Silently, the Samurai Mokujin drew its katana from the sheath at its hip. Saito was thankful that he had bothered to imagine the Nihontō as being able to be drawn and also sharp enough to be called usable.
"Men-giri!" the Onmyōji ordered the Samurai to perform one of the nine basic strikes in kendo, a basic vertical cut aimed at the head. Hopefully, this would destroy the golem, allowing Saito to deal with the other one, then Fouquet herself.
No matter how powerful she was, summoning two Giant Earth Golems at once must be a great drain on her reserves. (Or willpower as these backwater mages refer to it. Really.) So she has to be straining by now.
The Samurai Mokujin raised its sword in a standard double-handed grip, raised it above its head and brought it down on the Earth Golem with a strong slash that rent the massive construct in twain as easily as a hot knife would cut through butter. Sadly, that slash destroyed yet more windows.
'Great. Osmond is so going to take that out of my paycheck.' Saito thought irritably as the two halves of the Earth Golem slammed onto the ground…breaking even more windows
Fouquet was glaring at him upon the destruction of her golem, but grinned in triumph as her only remaining golem finally broke through the protective magic on the Academy and smashed through into the Vault.
She sprinted along her golem's arm and through the hole her golem created. Turning she pointed at Saito and ordered, "Crush him!"
"Oh for…is she for real?" Saito groused, "I crush one golem and she thinks she can oppose me with one of the same type? Get real. Throw the stupid thing out of the Academy grounds then destroy it. Standby for orders after that."
With that, he unstuck his feet from his golem and held up another talisman.
"Talisman of Light and Dark, come to my aid!" he incanted, "Shirotsubasa! (White Wings!)"
The talisman dissolved into light in his hand and he sprouted wings from his back. With a step, Saito glided to the hole in the wall. Sadly, that's all the Shirotsubasa spell could do; create wings that the Onmyōji could use to glide from place to place. True flight magic other than levitation had been lost with Void Magic.
Alighting onto the jagged stone floor, Saito dismissed the white wings and stood ready to cast at Fouquet, who was standing with a heavy-looking red case in her arms.
'How the hell? The so-called 'Staff of Destruction' was under tight seals that should take hours for someone to unseal it…unless they know the exact counter-spells.' Saito thought as he glared at the female thief, 'That clinches it. Fouquet is either a member of the Academy Staff or she has someone spying for her.'
"Little mage, you are becoming a pest!" Fouquet snarled as she saw her Giant Earth Golem being thrown outside of the Academy by Saito's Samurai Mokujin. She staggered as the impact made the ground shudder.
"Thank you." Saito said grimly, "Now who are you? The fact that you knew the exact location of the Vault is one thing, but knowing the counter-spells for the Staff of Destruction is quite another. You infiltrated the Academy Staff in order to plan this robbery, didn't you?"
"Oh? That's quite the leap in logic." the woman replied as she smirked.
"Not really. Here at the Academy, you have access to all the Line-Class protection spells, so you knew exactly how much magic to use against any given spell." Saito replied, "In addition, it would take more than a few months to discover the precise spells used to seal the Staff of Destruction and what the Counter-Spells were. You used that time to practice your skills on the various levels of the nobility, perfecting your Crumbling Dirt Spell to the point that you can use it without incantations, just like your Earth Golem Spell. Very admirable skill, with less than admirable objectives."
The growing tension in her body language as he spoke told Saito that he had hit the nail square on the head. He did honestly admire her skill. From what he had gathered from Colbert, the Crumbling Dirt spell was tricky to use even with an incantation and Golem spells were never easy. Still, her objective was nothing more than profit by misusing her powers. As an Onmyōji, this was intolerable and Saito would stop her from continuing to abuse her powers.
"Ert Ra Cu!" the woman yelled as she pointed a wand at Saito.
Saito dodged to the side as several spears of stone erupted from in front of her and sailed through the space where he had been seconds before.
"Talisman of Metal, come to my aid!" Saito spat out, "Yōtetsu no Kawa! (River of Molten Iron!)"
He threw the talisman into the air and it glowed silver before vanishing. A ball of blisteringly hot metal appeared floating where the talisman had been before it sent a stream of metal across the stones towards Fouquet, who slammed her hand onto the floor, summoning a Golem to block the hit.
"Tch. Your skill with golem spells is becoming irritating." Saito said irritably as the metal coated the entire front of the golem, which stood there stolidly enduring the attack until it ended. Then, the Onmyōji realised what Fouquet summoning the Golem meant.
She had deactivated the protections in the Vault.
"Damn!" Saito ran forwards and drew another talisman, "Talisman of Water, come to my aid! Sōsuiryū!"
The twin streams of water struck the still-hot metal, cooling it down instantly and paralyzing Fouquet's golem. Saito could see it trying to move, but it was held in place by the metal. Darting around the golem, Saito cursed as he saw the hole in the floor.
"I'm not letting you escape!"
With those words, Saito leapt after Fouquet.
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Next Chapter: Staff of Destruction
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