A/N: Well here we are with another chapter. I hope the last one was to your guys' liking, because we are getting further and further into the parts of the story that I'm eager to write about.

This was one tough chapter to write with the extra stuff I put in. Hopefully I won't have too much trouble with the next ones too.

Oh yeah, I've forgotten to do this with the previous chapters, but better late than never, right?

Disclaimer: I do not own Zero no Tsukaima or Cardfight! Vanguard.

Chapter 10

"AUUGGH!" a knight yelled out in pain as the blade cut down through his torso, leaving him for dead. His comrades backed up in fear at the attacker, weapons shaking in their hands. Among them was a tall knight with a helmet that resembled a crown. He had spiky shoulder pauldrons and ornate golden decors on parts of his armor. His cape wavered in the wind as he stared down his current adversary.

"Blaster Blade! Don't you recognize us?! We're your friends, your comrades!" he reasoned. Another knight riding a Pegasus moved forward. His armor was mostly gray with large azure orbs on various areas of his armor. His long gray hair flowed freely out of his helmet.

"My king, it's no use! He's become fully Reversed!" the Pegasus knight said. "We must take him down!"

"No, Gancelot!" The king said. "There has to be another way!"

Blaster Blade let out an angry roar as he charged forward to attack at the king. The Pegasus knight Gancelot intervened and blocked the attack with his sword, struggling under Blaster Blade's power.

"Tch! Even Reversed, he's as strong as ever!" Gancelot muttered. Blaster Blade snarled and delivered a heavy kick to Gancelot's side, knocking him off his Pegasus and causing him to spit out blood on the ground.

"Gancelot!" the king cried out. He clenched the reins on his horse, struggling to come up with a solution. Then, a small blue dog with bat-like wings for ears and pink hair on his head stepped forward.

"Blaster Blade!" the dog spoke. "What happened to your courage?! Were you so weak that you allowed Link Joker to Reverse you?!"

Blaster Blade looked in confusion at the small dog in front of him, trying to comprehend its words.

"The Blaster Blade I looked up to would never give in to evil! I know, because you are braver than anyone else!"

They stood there for what seemed like minutes, staring into each other's eyes. Blaster Blade's cold red eyes gazed deeply in the blue dog's brave, determined eyes.

Blaster Blade's sword arm twitched. The king reached his hand out as if he attempted to reach for the dog.

"Wingal!" he cried out. Wingal looked on in horror as Blaster Blade raised his sword.

The brave canine's world went black.

….

I woke up with a startled yell as I sat up quickly from my slumber drenched in sweat. Gasping heavily, I looked over to Louise's sleeping form, relieved that I didn't wake her up. After I had left the ballroom, I went out to seclude myself from others, waiting for the night to pass. When I returned to the room, Louise was already asleep with her face showing signs that she had been crying. It pained me to see this, but I had no choice but to distance myself from her. I could never forgive myself if I were to harm the friends I made in this world as well. These memories were plaguing me and I felt more and more paranoid just thinking about it.

I am a danger to those around me. That is the harsh truth. No matter where I go or what I do, I can't escape the cries of the innocents that I killed. Not just when I was Reversed, but even back then, so long ago…

Unable to take it anymore, I grabbed Derflinger and left Louise's room to wander into the night.

"Ughhhh… What are you doing up so early, Partner…?" Derflinger asked groggily.

"The only thing I can do right now, Derflinger."

That morning…

The morning sun's rays illuminated through Louise's window and onto her face, causing her eyes to flutter open. Slowly, she got up and rubbed her eyes which were adjusting to the light. When she was fully awake, Louise looked down at the pile of hay at the base of her bed only to find no one there.

"Amos…" she whispered disappointingly. Louise had hoped that she would see him in the morning after taking off last night but her hope was crushed. When Amos had left her alone at the ball, she sulked in a corner of the room, ignoring the offers of the boys who found her evening attire attractive.

Even Kirche had been concerned for her, asking her what's wrong. She too was worried about Amos's sudden coldness to them. It was completely opposite to how he usually acted. He wasn't that talkative even before, but whenever he spoke he had this warmth and safety behind his voice that Kirche adored. No man has ever made her feel this way and it worried her that the same man has suddenly become so cold and demanding, like when he had ordered Louise to leave the Headmaster's office.

Louise got out of her bed and dressed herself in a melancholic manner. Even though today was the day she was to be given a reward by Princess Henrietta, Amos's absence weighed on her heavily and she couldn't bring herself to feel excited. Ever since Amos had arrived, her life had changed dramatically. People made fun of her less and Amos's actions at the exhibition earned her praise from the Princess. He was like a big brother to her, mentoring her in the sword and always encouraging her. Although he was strict at times like her scary eldest sister, he would also treat her with kindness like her middle sister whom she loved greatly.

So why? Why was he so cold to her all of a sudden? Louise thought hard about it, struggling to come up with a logical conclusion. Then she remembered when he started acting like this. It was after he had fired the Staff of Destruction that he had suddenly cried out. Tabitha said that it was 'fear', but that was impossible. Amos was the bravest and most courageous person she knew. He had stood up to Guiche and Count Mott fearlessly despite the odds.

The more she thought about it, the more it became complicated.

"Auggh! It doesn't make sense!" she said frustratingly while ruffling her own hair.

After calming down, she decided to confront Amos himself later. She would get answers if it was the last thing she did. Right now, she needed to see the Princess. Louise slapped both her cheeks, resulting in a resolute expression on her face before she headed out of her room.

She was informed yesterday that a carriage would be waiting to take her to the Palace at the Academy gates, and so she made her way outside. Her eyes widened upon seeing who was waiting for her at the carriage. His eyes were closed as he stood patiently in full armor except for his helmet, allowing his spiky blue hair to flow freely in the morning breeze.

"Amos!" she called out while running over to him. He opened his eyes to look at her upon hearing his name, the expression on his face remaining hard as steel.

"Get on, we'll be late." He said.

"Um, Amos! About yesterday…" she started. Amos ignored her and got on the carriage to take the reins.

"Hurry." He told Louise.

"Eh? Hey, wait!" she said, reaching her hand out in an attempt to stop him. Realizing he wasn't going to comply, she depressingly got onto the carriage before the two took off on the road. Throughout the entire trip, Louise's gaze never left Amos.

"Amos, just what happened to you?"

Henrietta's Throne Room

"I'm glad you two could make it." Henrietta greeted us. Her throne room was rather surprisingly simple with only a few decors on the wall, two statues on both sides, and a red carpet leading up to where she would sit.

Louise had her head down with her eyes clothes as Henrietta approached us. I stood a few feet away from Louise, my head bowed in respect as well.

"I congratulate you on capturing Fouquet. She has caused trouble within the Palace for weeks due to her thefts. Now that she has been caught, you've taken a big burden off of us and for that I thank you." Henrietta told Louise. "It is only right that I reward you and I could not think of a better reward than to knight you, Louise Francoise."

"Oh no, Princess. I am unworthy of a title like Chevalier…" Louise replied modestly.

"Don't belittle yourself and feel proud, Louise Francoise." assured Henrietta. "You are more than deserving of the title."

Henrietta then turned to me.

"I thank you as well, Sir Amos." She thanked. "I trust that you will continue to protect my good friend."

Protect Louise… I swore I would do so and I couldn't allow her to get caught up with my past.

"Of course, your Highness." I replied.

"Then, will you do me the honor of this?"

Henrietta then brought her hand toward me, the back of it face up. The gesture shocked Louise while I recognized it immediately. She was allowing me to kiss her hand, a gesture considered to be highly honored such as swearing loyalty or as thanks by royalty. I did not do it often back on Cray but I was taught to do so nonetheless.

I knelt down on one knee, took her hand, and kissed it. Satisfied, the Princess gave me a warm smile but I thought nothing of it. She appeared to notice this and an expression of confusion formed on her face for an instant, most likely due to the stark contrast with how I was a few days before and now.

Henrietta quickly regained her composure her expression changed to a serious one.

"Now then, I summoned you two here because I have a favor to ask." She said.

"What is it, Princess?" Louise asked.

"Recently, I've heard rumors of more nobles abusing their powers and oppressing the townsfolk. I did not receive any reports regarding this nor complaints by the public. They are most likely being bribed to stay silent just like with Count Mott." Henrietta explained.

More damn corrupt nobles who think they could get away with anything. This was one task I must take up.

"What do you want us to do?" I asked.

"Here." She then handed a scroll over to Louise. "This is a new warrant issued by the Palace that I had approved. Should any nobles be caught abusing their powers similar to how Count Mott did, they will be arrested. Therefore, I'd like to ask you two to live in the town for a while and act as spies."

"If we catch one noble, then the rest will cease any malicious activities." I deduced. It was a good plan. Make an example out of one and the rest will be too scared to continue their actions. This was a good step forward for Tristain and I wished other places would take measures like this as well.

"Right." Henrietta confirmed. "Without proof or an example, these activities will continue among corrupt nobles. It's an insult other nobles as well so I ask that you would please help me in creating a better Tristain, one without strife for the people."

A new determination welled up in Louise's eyes as she smiled confidently.

"Do not worry, Princess! I will make sure that these nobles are brought to justice as if my life depended on it! Right, Amos?"

She looked expectantly at me but I did not meet her gaze. I simply nodded and bowed in confirmation that I would undertake this task.

"Both of you have my gratitude." Henrietta said happily.

"Come Amos, let's go!" Louise said before rushing out the door.

As I turned to leave, Henrietta asked with her voice full of concern, "Are you alright, Sir Amos? You look… troubled."

I didn't turn around to face her as I kept going my way toward the door.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, your Highness." I replied before leaving the room. Back in the throne room, I failed to hear Henrietta say this to herself:

"When I see those empty eyes, I can't help but worry."

In town…

The journey to town was uneventful for both of us. There was awkward silence the whole trip with Louise looking down at the ground and at me repeatedly. I knew she wanted to talk to me about what had happened but even I am struggling to find the right words to say.

Eventually, we made it to the designated town which was the closest one to the Palace. Our first priority was to get Louise plainer clothes with the thousand gold pieces given to us as funds. I had already dematerialized my armor which left me in the modified Academy uniform I usually wore. It was plain enough so there was no need to use money on me.

Louise on the other hand…

"Why do I have to wear something to degrading?!" she fumed. Her current attire was a plain white shirt, a brown skirt, and brown shoes.

"You chose to do this mission so you will do it properly." I told her. "The other clothes you wanted were too expensive and stood out too much from the common folk."

Louise gave me a huff for a response before we began our search for targets as well as a place to stay. During our search she seemed to fidget with her arms behind her back.

"Amos?" she spoke.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Why are you suddenly so cold to me?" she asked. "You acted like this ever since you held the Staff of Destruction. Tabitha said you were scared but…"

I stopped walking which had interrupted her mid-sentence. What was I supposed to say? Would I scare her? I told myself I wouldn't involve her with my past even if I had to distance myself, but was it the right choice? How pathetic. After all those thoughts of being resolute in my decision I was already wavering. If only I had his resolve…

Remembering what my situation was, I quickly came up with an answer.

"Don't worry about it, Louise. I've been a little upset but it's fine now. I'm sorry for how I've been acting." I lied.

Louise looked at me in the eyes with a mixture of surprise, confusion, and suspicion. It was like she was trying to look for any deception in my words.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes, really." I lied again.

Louise remained silent but eventually she nodded her head, seemingly to have bought my lie. How long it would last, I wasn't sure. Guilt formed in my chest from my deception but it was a burden I was willing to bear if it meant protecting her. It was she who brought me to this world and away from the one where I no longer had any place in. All I could do as her familiar was serve her to the best of my ability as thanks.

My right hand twitched, realizing what I was about to do. Was it… still okay for me to this? With this hand stained with blood? But…

I hesitantly raised my hand. Slowly, it made its way to the top of Louise's head and began to lightly ruffle her hair. Her eyes widened in surprise at the familiar motion and she eventually gave me a bright smile.

Unlike what I usually did, I failed to realize that I hadn't smiled back at her.

Several hours later…

Louise and I sat near a fountain in the middle of the town plaza, exhausted from our search. Not only did our search for corrupt nobles yield no results, Louise had refused to stay at every inn in the town. The only one she considered staying at was a luxurious one but I had reminded her of our mission. To make matters worse, Louise had dropped our money pouch at some point. We retraced our steps to find it but to no avail, meaning someone must have stolen it already. Asking the Princess to give us more wasn't an option either. This task was a personal request which means the money she had initially given us was a huge favor. Getting more would be impossible.

I let out a sigh slightly frustrated sigh as I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

"I'm sorry, Amos…" Louise said sadly. She was full of guilt and hugged her knees in depression as she sat.

"Nothing we can do about it now. Let's just focus on finding a place to sleep." I suggested. We may have to beg, but I could at least work for someone in exchange for a room.

"Tres bien~!" A very… strange voice said. Louise and I turned to see a man with neat, glossy black hair with a mustache and beard that covered his chin. He had hair on his chest and on his limbs but what disturbed me the most was his attire. It was a purple tank top clearly designed for women which exposed his abs. His lower body had a skin tight undergarment and feminine white boots. He even had lipstick on his abnormally large lips. Overall, his attire deeply contrasted with his masculine frame.

He approached us in an extremely flamboyant manner.

"Bonjour, bon! You two look very much in need of help!" the flamboyant man pointed out. "As you can obviously see, I am not a suspicious person!"

Saying that before pointing out we need help doesn't help us believe that…

"My name is Scarron, and I run a tavern in this town! I would be happy to lend you two lovely flowers a room!"

"Really?" Louise asked excitedly.

"Yes!" Scarron chirped. "However, I have one condition…"

Scarron's Tavern

Scarron's tavern, called the Dancing Fairy Tavern, was quite large and had a neat exterior with clean walls and polished windows. It had a second floor which was most likely a floor full of rooms to sleep in. Louise and I entered through the back while Scarron went in the front. Apparently, he wanted to introduce us in a dramatic manner. I had no complaints since he was giving us a place to stay along with meals covered by him. His condition was simply to have us work during business hours, just like I had initially planned to do should I had went elsewhere. I would do dishes while Louise would help serve the customers. She was against this idea but was quickly reminded of our situation, leaving her no choice but to agree.

Peeking into the main dining area, there were many girls dressed in short-skirted waitress uniforms of different colors cleaning the tables in preparation for the evening. Even I had to admit that they all looked pretty. Some were around Louise's age while others looked to be in their late teens or early twenties.

Scarron lined them up side by side in the front of the room for a meeting.

"Attention my dear fairies!" Scarron called.

"Yes, Manager Scarron!" said the girls in unison.

"Not like thaaaaat~!" Scarron said giddily. "When we're in the Shoppe, you're to call me 'Mi Mademoiselle', remember?"

"Yes, Mi Mademoiselle!" the girls corrected themselves. Scarron then clapped his hands in delight.

"Now then, I have good news for the fairies! We have a new fairy joining us here this fine evening! Come in, Louise~!" Scarron called. Louise stepped out from hall on the side of the room dressed in a frilly pink version of the uniform the girls wore. She was clearly embarrassed while standing in front of so many others in an outfit she had been refusing to wear mere minutes ago.

"Louise is a poor girl who ran away from home with her older brother right before her father sold her off to pay his gambling debt!" Scarron explained in a sad, yet dramatic manner. This earned Louise several gasps and comments of pity from the girls.

'"Oh my!"

"Poor girl."

Finally mustering enough courage, Louise managed to say nervously, "I'm L-Louise! Nice t-to meet y-you!"

"Tres bien! Applause!" Scarron cheered along with the others girls.

Meanwhile, I was in the kitchen cleaning dishes with another young woman. She looked around eighteen years old with waist length black hair tied with a kerchief and black eyes. Her dress was light green which had a white apron over it. She was one of the taller girls here, reaching up to my chin.

"You have a very cute little sister." She commented.

"Thank you." I replied nonchalantly. This earned me a suspicious look from her, similar to how Louise was trying to find any deception in my words. Should I have said that differently?

"What is it?" I asked her, trying to confirm what exactly she found strange.

"Oh, nothing." She waved off before continuing to wash the dishes. "I'm Jessica. You are?"

"Amos." I answered.

"'Bearer of burden', huh? That's a name you don't hear every day." she noted.

"I get that a lot."

"Anyway, let me know if you need anything. I'll be happy help." Jessica offered.

"Thank you." I replied.

Unbeknownst to me, Louise was looking over at us with an unusual look of jealousy on her face.

Later that night

"I can't believe I have to humiliate myself like this!" Louise stomped angrily. "The nerve of those peasants…! How dare they touch a noble like that!"

I sighed at her feud. The night was going relatively well until Louise was playfully poked in the butt by one of the customers, which lead to her bringing out a horsewhip hidden under her skirt to whip the poor man. Scarron had to intervene and apologize, suggesting that he used his 'loving care' to ease the pain. The man was clearly disgusted but the other customers found the sight very funny, including myself but I didn't show it.

The customers were all peasants from town and most were men. They weren't lecherous people, but rather honest men coming to the tavern to have a good time after a hard day's work. Sure, they may have flirted or played a little with the girls but they never went too far.

Both of us were currently in a spare room upstairs which only had one bed. Louise was changing out of her waitress uniform while I sat down quietly on a chair.

"They don't know you're one and you can't reveal that either. Bear with it." I told her.

"I know that!" she yelled. "I still don't see why I, the daughter of a Duke, has to put up with this!"

"Scarron is giving us food and a place to sleep for free. It's only right that you repay his kindness since we don't have any funds." I berated her. Upon being reminded of her blunder, she stopped her complaints albeit with a sour look on her face.

"Besides, you should work hard. Remember what Scarron said? If you get the largest tip total by the end of the week, you can wear the uniform that will earn you a lot of money." I tried to encourage.

"You're rather well off, getting along with that girl and all…" she muttered.

"You mean Jessica?" I asked.

"Nevermind!" she said with her face red. Why would me working with Jessica bother her? Just what was going on in her head?

"Anyway, are you seriously going to allow a noble like me sleep in this filthy bed?" Louise asked. I was beginning to get annoyed with how spoiled she was.

"Would you rather sleep outside on the ground?" I suggested to her before blowing out the candle. She immediately got under the blanket to hide her face. Honestly, the bed wasn't luxurious but it was clean. Just how much more do you need?

As I lay down on the makeshift bed beside Louise's to sleep, Louis peered out of her blanket to look at me.

"Amos? What is your country like?"

I stiffened at the sudden question. It's not like Cray scared me, in fact I found Cray to be wonderful. My past however…

"The United Sanctuary is a beautiful place. The nobles there treated the peasants well and there's no oppression." I said. "Although, it took a long time in order for it to be that way. Whether you could use magic or not, no one thought any different about you."

"Whether you could use magic or not?" Louise asked with a hint of excitement.

"That's enough, get some sleep." I ordered. "You have work tomorrow."

Louise remained silent for a bit before an inaudible noise came from her as a yes. Slowly, I felt myself drifting to sleep.

…

A young boy with short blue hair and green eyes was running down an alleyway with a girl who was a few years older than him. The girl's resemblance to the boy was noticeable: Her waist-length hair was the same hue of blue as the boy's as well as her green eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. She held the boy's hand tightly as they continued to flee for their lives.

It was raining that night, thunder flashing in the darkness.

"Sister, what's going to happen to us?" the frightened boy asked. "Where are mommy and daddy? They said they'd come too."

The boy's sister gave him a reassuring smile despite the danger they were in.

"Don't worry, Big Sister is here. We'll be fine." she assured with a strained voice. Despite her words, both siblings stiffened at the voices that were heard.

"This way! They went down here!"

"Damn brats! I'm going to kill them like their foolish father!"

"Keep the girl alive. We can have some fun with her before we kill her!"

The two kept running, their bare feet splashing in puddles of muddy water as they gasped heavily with every step. Eventually, they came to a corner and made the turn.

It was a dead end.

"No… No no no…" The sister panicked in horror. Her eyes widened further when she heard their pursuers' footsteps getting louder as well as their angry voices. This couldn't be happening. She had promised her little brother that they would be fine. They were going to make it out of this alive and live like they used to, smiling every day and playing with each other.

Only one would survive.

"Sister…" the little brother whimpered. He tugged on his sister's arm to get her attention since she was still as a statue. Suddenly, her head snapped back and forth, as if she was desperately looking for something. Her eyes eventually landed on a pile of garbage, a large tarp covering and holding the pile in place. She brought her brother over to the tarp and covered as much of his body as she could under it.

"What are you doing, Sister?" the boy asked in between sobs. His sister warmly smiled at him.

"I'm going to go get mommy and daddy. Stay here until I comeback, okay?"

"No!" the brother refused. "I want to go with you! Don't leave me here!"

The voices and footsteps were getting louder every second.

"There's a dead end around that corner!"

"They're dead!"

The boy's sister bit her lip.

"Promise me that you won't come out, okay?"

"But sister-" The boy wasn't stupid. He knew what would happen if his sister went out there but he didn't want to believe it. He wanted to fight, he wanted to protect his beloved sister but he didn't have the strength to do so. All he could do was hide and do as his sister told him to do.

"Promise?" she asked again, starting intensely into her brother's eyes. The young boy hesitated to speak.

"I… promise." He finally said. A warm pressure could be felt on the top of his head. Looking up, he saw his sister's hand on top of his head, ruffling his hair. On her face was the warmest smile he had ever seen his sister make.

And it would be the last one.

"I love you, Amos."

Those were her last words to him before his vision went black and anguished cries filled the air.

…

"Amos! Amos! Wake up!" a familiar voice said. I snapped awake with a startled yell to see Louise in front of me. There were tears that threatened to fall from her eyes and she looked frightened.

"Amos! Thank goodness! You were yelling and turning in your sleep!" she informed.

Another nightmare? And it was… It was… The one thing I never wanted to remember.

I grit my teeth in frustration and quickly got up, shoving Louise aside while picking up Derlfinger. She landed on her butt, letting out a surprised yelp and scrunching her eyes as she landed

"H-Hey! What are you… doing…?" she trailed off when she opened her eyes, only to find me already shutting the door behind me.

Several days later…

Ever since that night, Amos had refused to sleep in the same room as Louise. No matter how much she asked Amos what was wrong, he wouldn't answer and continued his work. It pained Louise to see him like this. Back when he had said nothing was wrong, there was feeling deep down inside her that knew Amos had lied. Her suspicions were proven to be correct but now that she is faced with it, what was she supposed to do?

Work wasn't going well for Louise either. Every day, a customer would say or do something to anger her which led to her attacking the customer in some way. Eventually, Scarron decided to have Louise watch the girls work so that she could use them as reference.

Another interesting thing she learned was that Jessica was actually Scarron's daughter. How an extremely gay man ever managed to have a daughter absolutely baffled her. The two talked with each other more and they soon became friends.

Jessica had noticed the change in Amos's behavior and asked Louise a few times if they had fought. Louise's answers were vague and she refused to go into detail.

Right now, both of them were cleaning up the tables together for the next pair of customers.

"Amos isn't really your brother, is he?" Jessica suddenly asked.

"What? W-what are you talking about?" Louise stammered.

"There's no use hiding it. I can tell just by looking at you two." Jessica stated. Louise hanged her head down in defeat.

"You're a noble too, aren't you?"

This question made Louise nearly choke.

"O-Of course not! Why would I be a noble?" she replied with difficulty, her noble pride getting the best of her.

"I knew it!" Jessica said. "You didn't even know how to hold a plate on your first day. That pride and behavior or yours is unusual too. You're obviously a noble."

"…Yes." Answered Louise.

"So? Is Amos your servant or something?" asked Jessica.

"Y-Yeah, something like that." Replied Louise.

"I thought so. Such a quiet man like him couldn't possibly be your brother."

This set Louise off.

"You're wrong!" she yelled. "Amos is… Amos is… like a brother to me."

"You really think of your servant like that? That sounds interesting! Will you tell me more?" Jessica asked excitedly. Then she gasped in realization. "Oops! We should really get this done first. Tell me later, okay?"

At that moment, all eyes turned to the tavern doors as a very fat man entered. He was physically ugly in every way and the expensive looking clothes he wore only served to make him look more hideous. Following behind him were several men dressed in red uniforms with black boots and black hats. Although they weren't as ugly as the fat man, they weren't pleasing to look at either. They all had the same lecherous looks on their faces as the scanned around the tavern.

"Oh my! If it isn't Lord Chulenne!" Scarron greeted in a forced, polite manner. "How nice of you to stop by tonight!"

"Looks like business is good as usual, Scarron." Chulenne remarked.

"Oh no, today is just a coincidence that we are full." Scarron replied. "Usually, we're so empty that you'd be able to hear a cuckoo cry."

"Enough excuses!" Chulenne silenced Scarron. "I have come today as a customer."

"Unfortunately, we're full…" Scarron stated nervously. Chulenne grinned evilly.

"It doesn't seem that way to me…" he said before snapping his fingers. On que, his guards all took out short staves in preparation to cast magic. All of the customers immediately got up from their seats and ran out of the tavern in fear for their lives.

With no one left, Chulenne took a seat.

"I guess you were right when you said this place was usually empty!" he laughed. "Now, is there no one to serve the serve the Queen's royal tax collector?"

"He's the royal tax collector?!" Louise asked Jessica in a hushed, shocked voice.

"Yeah, his name is Chulenne. We can't do anything against him or else he'll put a huge debt on us. His abuse of the power given to him makes it so no business can last here in the capital. Hen fondles the girls as much as he wants and doesn't pay any tips. One time, it got so bad that one girl was taken and…"

Louise covered her mouth in horror as she realized what Jessica was implying.

"Hey! Hurry up!" Chulenne called impatiently. Realizing that no one would serve him, Louise made her decision. She grabbed the nearest bottle of wine and the nearest cup and put them on a tray before going over to serve Chulenne.

"Oi, Louise! Are you serious?!" Jessica shrieked.

"If no one does it then we're all in danger!" Louise explained before leaving Jessica by herself. She then thought to herself, "Besides, this is what Amos and I have been waiting for!" There was no way she was going to let this chance slip by.

"Here is the wine, sir." Louise notified Chulenne. This grabbed his attention and he turned to Louise only to be disappointed at what he saw.

"Since when were boys allowed to work here?" he sighed.

If one heard closely, they would have heard a glass shatter somewhere at this remark.

"B…Boy…?!" Louise gawked.

"Oh wait," Chulenne said before looking at Louise again. "It's a girl with a flat chest. For a second I really thought you were boy! Now, let me take a closer look at how small they are!"

Before his grimy hands could reach Louise, she kicked him straight in the face.

"DON'T MESS WITH ME!" she screamed, knocking Chulenne off his chair and onto the floor. The other girls screamed at this while Scarron looked pale as a ghost. To raise their hand against this vile man was the same as suicide. They feared which one of them would be the next to be taken away by Chulenne's men.

"You wench, how dare you!" Chulenne growled as he got up.

"Please forgive her, she just started working here!" Scarron said as he got between Chulenne and Louise.

"Shut up! You want my forgiveness? Then hand over one of your girls if you don't want to face my wrath!" he fumed before eyeing the girls lustfully.

"I don't think so!" Louise said before reaching for her wand which she kept hidden under her skirt. A hand grabbed her wrist before she could do so and another took her wand. Louise turned around to see that it was one of Chulenne's men reprimanding her.

"Boss, I saw this under her skirt!" the guard said as he held up Louise's wand.

"What's this? You're a noble? Ha! To think that I'd find a disgraced noble here in this run down tavern! Very well! I'm going to enjoy breaking you!" Chulenne promised dangerously. Louise glared at him but there was nothing she could do without her wand.

The guard restraining Louise yelled in pain as he was struck in his side. Looking over, Louise saw Jessica.

"Jessica!" she cried.

"Enough! Don't involve anymore girls just to satisfy your sick pleasures!" Jessica said while shielding Louise with her body. Chulenne snorted at this.

"A peasant dares to order a noble like me around? Very well, I'll settle for you then! Guards, seize her!"

The guards eagerly rushed over to Jessica, pulling both her arms around her back with sick grins on their faces.

"Jessica!" Scarron shrieked in horror. The other girls could only scream in terror as their best friend was going to be taken away and raped at the hands of the man they detest most.

"Let me go! Let me go I said!" Jessica demanded as she tried to break free.

"Shut up!" the guard restraining her snarled before harshly pinning her to the floor. Jessica cried out in pain at her treatment while Louise could only watch on in horror.

"Jessica!" Louise cried as she tried to go in to help.

"Don't!" Jessica ordered. "You don't have to get involved in this either!"

"But-"

"Just promise me you'll pay him back, okay?" Jessica requested before giving a sad smile, giving in to her impending fate.

"Enough! Let's go boys!" Chulenne commanded. He and his guards turned to leave for the door with Jessica slung over one of their shoulders. Some stayed back to prevent Scarron from reaching for Jessica, his pleas falling on deaf ears.

"JESSICA!" Louise shrieked.

Suddenly, a roar of pure fury rocked the souls of those present.

A few moments ago…

I was in deep thought about my nightmare from a few days before as I cleaned the upper floor of the tavern. The one memory I didn't want to remember… I had remembered it: The day when my life changed forever at a great cost. Ever since I held Radon's rifle, I was being reminded of who I was every night. I couldn't escape it, even in this world. It was as if they're telling me that I was going to pay for my crimes soon.

I didn't want to. I wanted redemption, to make up for my sins. There are people who need me here and I couldn't die just yet. I was summoned here for a reason and I intended to live until I figured it out.

My train of thought was broken when I heard shrieks downstairs. I immediately headed down to the main hall only to find it mostly empty with Scarron, Jessica, the girls, and Louise along with other strange people. They all wore the same red uniform with a black hat and black boots. In the center table sat a person who was one of the ugliest people I've ever seen. He was demanding service and eventually one waitress stepped forward.

Louise?!

When she had served him some wine, he made comments about her flat chest and how he mistook her for a boy. That set her off which lead to the man's face full of the sole of her foot. Scarron and the other girls screamed at this but I didn't know why.

Scarron begged him to forgive Louise but the fat man wouldn't hear it. When he demanded that he be given one of the girls in exchange for forgiveness, I knew right away that this was one of the corrupt nobles we were looking for.

Louise was about to take out her wand to fight but a guard managed to stop her and take her wand. He then claimed he was going to take her away to have his men have their way with her. Anger built up inside me and I was about to step in when Jessica interfered instead, her next action shocking me immensely.

She demanded that they leave Louise and the girls alone while shielding Louise from the men with her own body. The memories of the night began to flash in my head again.

The men seized Jessica and pinned her arms behind her back.

The boy's older sister was pinned down by the much larger men, her arms behind her back.

"Jessica!" I heard Louise cry out. Jessica then told Louise to stay back, not wanting her involved.

"Just promise me you'll pay him back, okay?" I heard Jessica ask.

"Promise me that you won't come out, okay?"

The men then turned to leave as I sat there with the light in my eyes completely gone.

"JESSICA!"

"I love you, Amos."

…

…

…

"RRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"