Hello again, everyone! After a long hiatus as I dealt with some health problems, I am back, and better than ever! I'm itching to get back into the swing of things, which means more updates for all of you guys! So hopefully you guys will enjoy this chapter, as we begin to make it towards the heart of the current arc with the road to Albion. Sit back, relax, and enjoy!
- Ketchum Kid
Chapter 10: The Viscount of Tristain
Dawn was met with a light fog, which covered the Academy in the early hours of the morning. Louise, Misaka, and Guiche were each in the stable, preparing their transportation for their mission to Albion. However, while Louise was already on her horse, Misaka was nervously eyeing her horse. Guiche watched with amusement from another stall.
"Horses…why do we have to ride horses…?" muttered Misaka. "Why can't we have a carriage for this?"
"And draw attention to ourselves by going in style?" Guiche replied. "Even I, who would want nothing but luxury in travel, knows that we need to travel a little more discreetly."
"Yeah, well, I don't really work well with horses," the brunette stated. "That AIM field which allowed me to spot you last night also frightens away most animals; they're sensitive to the electric currents it gives off."
"I see...," said Guiche. "Hold a moment. Weren't you riding a horse with Louise the other day, to get into town?" Misaka sweatdropped.
"Well, that was back when Louise was a little more impatient…she wouldn't take no for an answer, so I needed to get a running start to jump on the horse. As soon as I so much as touched it, the horse became hard to handle and manage. I fell off a few times because there wasn't a good grip I could take." She rubbed her shoulder, remembering the failed attempts. "For once, I wish I had an ability like Telekenesis or Aero Hand to make this easier…" Guiche scoffed.
"At least my Familiar won't be bothered by the rigors of this journey," he boasted proudly. "Verdandi is no maintenance in that department!
"Your Familiar…" Misaka thought back to when she saw the blonde's Familiar. "That mole-like thing I saw you coddling with your ex way back when." Guiche grumbled at the mention of Montmorency. "I don't see the creature anywhere."
"He's right here," Guiche stated, pointing to the ground. Misaka looked down, but after a few seconds, it was clear nothing was happening.
"…I'm…confused," she admitted. The blonde noble rolled his eyes, and tapped the ground with his foot twice. Within seconds, the ground opened up, and a large brown mole, about the size of a small bear, popped its head out of the ground.
"Ah, Verdandi!" Guiche said in adoration. "Oh, my cute Verdandi!"
"You call that cute?" Misaka stated, a little startled by the creature's sudden appearance.
"Yes, I do," the blond replied. He then returned his attention to the large mole. "Ahh, my Verdandi! You look so cute from any angle I look at you from! Have you eaten your breakfast of earthworms before you got here?" The gigantic mole cooed happily. "That's wonderful!" Guiche rubbed his cheek against that of his Familiar.
"I think I know why Montmorency broke up with the poor sap now…" the brunette muttered to herself. She then turned back to the noble. "How are you going to bring Verdant-ly along with us, anyway? It seems a little too big for the horses…"
"It's Verdandi!" Guiche corrected.
"She's got a point, Guiche," agreed Louise. The pinkette had walked over to see what the commotion was. "Your creature still moves underground, right?"
"That's right!" Guiche said emphatically. "Even though he is larger than the average mole, Verdandi is still a mole true and true!"
"And a mole isn't really able to ride a horse," stated Derflinger from his place in the sheath. "Even a sword knows that."
"That's all right; Verdanti moves quickly underground," the noble explained.
"But this is Albion we're talking about!" Louise stated. "There's no way we can bring a creature that…why is it looking at me like that?" While the group had been arguing over the mole, Verdandi had been sniffing the air, and had been moving closer and closer to the pinkette. "W-What is this stupid mole trying to do?!"
"Like Master, like Familiar," the talking sword joked Misaka's shoulder.
"That's not funny-YAH!" The giant mole leapt at Louise, knocked her over, and began sniffing her all over. "S-Stop! Stop this right now-Ah, watch where you're sniffing! Stop it!" Louise was poked and prodded by the giant mole's nose, and was being rolled around across the ground.
"Ah, how beautiful is the scene of a giant mole teasing a damsel…" Guiche sighed.
"What crazy fantasies do you have in that head of yours?!" said Misaka, flabbergasted. "Shouldn't we help her?!"
"And risk hurting Louise in the process?" proposed Derflinger. "Aside from that, have you noticed that the mole is not as random as you make it out to be?" The brunette frowned, but watched as Louise was poked and prodded. Louise, trying to avoid another prod by the mole, raised her hands in the air. The ring on her right hand, the one given by Henrietta the other night, glistened in the misty dew. Verdandi began to peck at the right hand with its nose.
"You insolent mole!" the pinkette blasted, hiding the hand behind her. "Don't you daire use that dirty nose to sniff the ring Her Highness has bestowed on me!" The mole ignored her, and continued to pester the noble.
"It's the ring?" Misaka stated.
"Of course," Guiche said. "Verdandi loves jewels. Verdandi can sniff them out from a good distance away, even underground!"
"Then tell your annoying pest to find another jewel to molest!" protested Louise.
"Please don't call Verdandi an irritating pest!" argued Guiche. "It's because of me that Verdandi searches for such precious stones. For an Earth mage –"
"For an Earth mage, you're pretty high-in-the-clouds for standing by while Louise is practically being raped by your Familiar!" Misaka interrupted. She had been getting tired of watching Louise being abused while they had idly watched. The pinkette's clothing was being ripped apart by the mole's frantic sniffing. She was about to send a shock to stop the mole in its tracks, when nature seemed to intervene. A sudden gust of wind was kicked up, and carried the mole off of Louise. The familiar was blown halfway across the courtyard.
"V-Verdandi?!" Guiche shouted in despair, watching his familiar skid across the ground. He then turned around. "Who has done this to my poor Verdandi?!" A low growl was heard through the misty air.
"Up in the sky!" Misaka stated. The two looked up. Coming down through the air was a large, horse-like creature…at least its silhouette gave that impression. Rather, the creature was a massive, four-legged eagle. It was at least half the size of Tabitha's dragon, if not two-thirds its size. Riding the creature was an older man, wearing a blue cloak and a blue hat with a grey feather stuck to its left side. The man had long grey hair, with bangs to match, and a small beard and mustache to on his face.
"It's a griffin!" Guiche stated in surprise. He quickly held out his wand in front of him. "Identify yourself! Who are you to attack my Familiar?!" Before he could do anything more, the rose wand flew behind him. The man in the feathered cap had drawn his own wand and cast a disarming spell in the time it took for the blonde to speak. "So fast!"
"Not as fast as lightning is!" stated Misaka. She readied an electric shock, but was not able to get it out in time. The griffin landed close to the brunette, knocking her back slightly. She prepared another, when the man shouted to them.
"I'm not your enemy!" he stated. "I'm under the orders of Her Highness, Lady Henrietta, to accompany you on your journey!" Misaka stopped charging up an attack.
"Then, you are the one coming with us to Albion?" she asked. The person began to walk up to them.
"The Princess is worried about sending such a small force on this mission, but sending a whole troop of soldiers would be too obvious to enemy forces." The man took off his feather cap, and bowed to the three. "Therefore, I , Viscount Wardes, have been appointed to accompany you all on this journey. As captain of the Griffin Knights, I can assure that you all are in good hands."
"T-The Griffin Knights?!" Guiche exclaimed, his mouth agape.
"What's the Griffin Knights?" Misaka asked.
"It's the most elite of elite task forces in the whole of Tristain!" Guiche whispered back. "It's a prestigious honor for one to be selected to join the Knights."
"Huh…" the brunette stated. "I think I heard that Louise's mother once lead the Knights…" Wardes turned towards the two.
"I apologize for attacking you two, and your familiar," he said apologetically. "I just could not stand to watch as my fiancée was harassed by that creature."
"I think anyone would do the same in your place," Misaka began. She then paused. She looked at Guiche. "…Did he just say fiancée?"
"I think he did, yes," the blonde replied. The two stood in stunned silence for a moment, then turned their heads around, and looked at Louise. They then looked back at Wardes. Finally, after a few seconds the time bomb went off.
"EEEEEHH?!"
"F-F-F-Fiancée?!" Guiche shouted in shock. "This majestic-looking noble is Louise's fiancée?!"
"H-H-He's kidding, right?!" Misaka stated. "Even Henrietta's marriage makes more sense than this!" Louise, who had finally managed to stand up again and dust off the dirt from the ground, was suddenly swept off her feet by Wardes, who picked her up bridal style.
"A-ah, Viscount Wardes…" she stated, blushing slightly. Wardes chuckled.
"It's been such a long time, my dear Louise," he stated, beaming. "Still light as a feather."
"Ah, Viscount, please, not like this now…there are people over here…" Wardes placed her down, and replaced his hat onto his head.
"That just about confirms it…" whispered Guiche. "I wouldn't have expected that the Viscount would decided to have our Zero instead of a pick of his admirers!"
"I didn't know Louise had someone who loved her like that, after what you said at the banquet," Misaka whispered back.
"Care to introduce these two friends of yours?" Wardes asked, looking in the direction of the two.
"Erm…that is Guiche de Gramont, and this is my Familiar, Misaka," she stated, pointing to the two. Guiche dared not to look at Wardes, and lowered his head in respect. Misaka merely nodded at her mention.
"You are Louise's Familiar?" the Viscount said to the brunette, walking up to her. "I've heard from Her Highness that my Louise had summoned a human, but this is the first time seeing it for myself."
"I-It's not like I'm any different from you all," she stated. "Aside from being an Electromaster and all, of course…"
"There is that, but mind you this is something only said in the legends as ever happening," he told her. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you for taking good care of my fiancée. I heard you were the reason she was kept safe through the Fouquet incident."
"Ah, you're welcome," the brunette replied. Looking at him up close, Misaka could tell that Wardes was indeed rather handsome. Forget the flamboyant yet idiotic Guiche or the idiot in Academy City that somehow has a large female following; Wardes was the whole package. Good looks, a muscular, well-built body, keen eyes, and a well-groomed mustache and beard to boot. It even made her blush a little.
"Are you feeling alright, miss?" Wardes asked. "Don't tell me that the girl who took down Fouquet is nervous about going abroad." At this remark, Misaka regained her gusto.
"As if!" she scoffed. "I'll have you know I traveled to Russia in the middle of the Third World War, so this little operation is child's play! I'm just still being amazed at all the wonders this world has to offer. There's you, for instance, being Louise's betrothed, and there's also your creature, that griffin-thing-woah!" The griffin was right up in Misaka's face as she turned to face it. "Hey, bub! Give me some breathing room!"
"How odd," Wardes noted. "I've never seen a griffin act this way towards strangers before. I wonder what's gotten to the creature…"
"It must be that electric field that Misaka creates from her body," Guiche theorized. "Although didn't that drive away the horses?" Wardes chuckled.
"A little electricity wouldn't send a griffin away, young sir!" he stated. "We've ridden through rough weather countless times, and the Griffin Knights have always come out unscathed and unafraid. Perhaps he's just curious as to why electricity would be in such a small package." An idea suddenly ran through Misaka's mind.
"I think you might have solved a difficulty that we've run into," she stated.
Princess Henrietta watched the group depart from Osmond's office.
"Founder Brimir, please grant them protection through their journey…" she prayed. She then turned to the headmaster. "Why have we not gone to see them off?"
"As you can see, I'm busy trimming my nasal hair, your highness," Osmond stated next to her, tweezer in hand. "I'm much too busy."
"That's not having anything to do with it though…" she sighed.
"Also, I'm expecting company in three…" he began, but the doors suddenly burst open.
"Headmaster, apologies for bursting in, but I have bad news!" Professor Colbert stated. Osmond frowned.
"You're early," he stated. "Weren't you gathering information about the Founder?"
"I was, sir," the professor stated. "However, a messenger from the Royal Palace arrived within a short while ago! He said that Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt has escaped from prison!"
"Escaped?!" Henrietta gasped.
"Hrm…" Osmond grunted, simply stroking his beard.
"Y-Yes, Your Highness," Colbert stated. "One of the guards stated that he was knocked out by wind magic. He used the opportunity created by most of the guards being assigned to your protective duty to conduct the escape."
"A spy from Albion, no doubt," Henrietta stated grimly. "And I just sent those three into its deepest clutches…even with Viscount Wardes protecting them, the spy may already know of their departure!"
"Maybe so…OW!" the headmaster said calmly, pulling out a nose hair. "Stubborn little bugger…" Henrietta looked at him indignantly.
"Old Osmond, how can you be so relaxed?!" she said helplessly. "There's a spy in our midst, Fouquet has escaped…the future of Tristain is at stake, and we've left it to my dear friend and her companions!"
"The opponent has already made his move," the old man stated. "We've made ours as well. All we can do now is wait and see, no?" He turned to Colbert. "Anyway, what have you found about the Founder?"
"Y-Yes," Colbert stated, coughing into a clenched fist. "Nothing new has really been found aside from what we know already. I'm afraid our library is almost out of options." Osmond stroked his beard.
"Hrm," he muttered. "We need a new angle at this problem…search for anything related to the mysterious artifacts from other worlds from outside sources. Contact Germania and Romalia for more information if needed."
"Understood, sir," he stated. Colbert bowed, and then left the room. Osmond turned to Henrietta.
"Young Highness, have you heard of the story of the Founder Brimir before?" he asked.
"Yes," she stated. "I have read most of the story as a little child."
"Then you know about Gandálfr, his strongest familiar," he stated.
"The familiar known as Sasha, who travelled with him…" Henrietta trailed off. "Don't tell me that she's - !" Osmond hushed for quiet.
"This is a secret I want to keep between you, me, and Colbert," he informed her. "I don't want the nobles to get any ideas about using her for their own devices. Already Count Mott is spreading rumors about what happened to his manor, and I don't want that concrete information given to them, let alone those thugs in Albion." Henrietta nodded. "This is the first time since the Founder that a human has been chosen as a familiar. We can assume that means that Mikoto Misaka, from the place known as Academy City, is a Gandálfr."
"Academy City?" the princess stated. "Is that a new city in Gallia?" Osmond shook his head.
"It's of a place not on Halkeginia," he stated. "Rather, it's on a world different from Halkeginia. Misaka is just like the artifacts nobles collect and treasure. On top of that, many people in this city have varying powers not on the Pentagram, like instant transport or mental manipulation, which confirms why Misaka has the power of the Elves." Henrietta was amazed by the sudden information dump.
"Another world…" the purplette stated. "I knew that Mikoto was not from around here, but from that far away…"
"She has shown a power that is terrifying, something that nobody in Halkeginia is able to reach in strength," the headmaster stated, stroking his beard. "That is the reason I'm so carefree during these troubled times. I would place my bets on that girl from another world to my grave; I have every belief that she will succeed." Henrietta walked up to the window of Osmond's office. The party for Albion was now on the horizon of the princess's vision.
"Then I, too, will pray for a breeze from another world," Henrietta said, watching as they disappeared from view.
"Hi-CHOO!" Kuroko watched as a second-year student sneezed and accidentally sent several tables in the dining hall into a mess.
"Dear me, there must really be a power discharge cold going around Academy City if the refined Kongou Mitsuko is tearing up the dining hall with her ability," she noted, calmly taking a sip of her morning tea.
"I heard that, Shirai!" the girl shouted back.
"I originally thought that I would have Louise riding with me for this journey," Wardes noted.
"Yeah, well, sometimes necessity rules the day," Misaka stated from behind him. "You got me out of a wild horse ride with this, so you have my thanks." She was holding onto the Viscount's waist as the two flew in the air above the ground. Below them rode Louise and Guiche, each on a horse below them. It would take the better part of two days for the group to reach the port city, La Rochelle, and secure a ship for transport to Albion. "Hey, I know that she is your fiancée and all, but please look ahead at where we're going, not below at Louise."
"My apologies," Wardes stated, returning his gaze forward. "It has been a while since I have seen her. Between my work with the Griffin Knights and Louise's studies at Tristain Academy, it has been ten years since we have seen each other." Misaka could hardly believe her ears.
"T-Ten years?!" she stated in surprise. "You're engaged to Louise, and yet you barely see each other! "How can you love someone from afar for that long?"
"Quite simply, as a matter of fact," he stated. "Even if it does bring up some unsettling memories for myself."
"What do you mean?" the brunette asked. Wardes began his tale with a bit of somber melancholy.
"I first met Louise shortly after my father was killed in the Lancer Campaign," he explained. "My mother had passed away even before that, so I inherited my father's estate, and with it the title of Viscount. With only my butler, Galgann, to call a family, I set off to the Capitol to make my own name for myself. Fortunately, the King had high regard for my father, so I was immediately appointed to the Griffin Knights as a trainee. Those times were tough, and I barely returned to my home.
"At the time, the leader of the Griffin Knights relied heavily on the advice of his predecessor, which was Louise's mother. I accompanied him several times on visits to her mansion. It was on the second visit that I first saw Louise. Her mother had been reprimanding Louise for her studies, and she had run away to a secret garden on the estate. It had a lake, with a small house made of marble sitting on an island in the middle. I was the only one that went to the garden, and I found her climbing into the boat used to get to the island. She was young, maybe five years old, and I managed to calm her down enough to return to her mother. Of course, I did not tell her parents about the garden.
"A year later, I returned and asked for her hand in marriage. We were betrothed then, but I asked it to only be consummated after I made a name for myself." He looked down at Louise again. "Now that I have, I hope that this journey can be one where we can rekindle our feelings for each other, return to what we had when we were young. That is why I have waited so long to see Louise, because I wanted to give her a famous husband she can be proud of."
Misaka had only expected a small explanation, not a long-winded life story. While she still felt that the engagement was wrong (even more so since she know knew how young Louise had been when she had been engaged), the movement to a rather depressing and tragic past had Misaka not wanting to downright denounce the arrangement. The two of them, Wardes and Louise, had met at crossroads of their lives. Even if there had been distance between them, was it wrong of her to break that relationship up over her own cultural norms? Should she break up what looked like true love?
"I…I didn't realize that you had such a vivid backstory on this," she admitted to him.
"I didn't expect you to," he stated. "You were only summoned by Louise recently, after all."
"But still, I had thought that Louise was all alone for her life because of her lack of magic," the brunette continued. "What made you attracted to Louise, if I may ask?" Wardes thought for a moment.
"If I had to pin it on any one thing, I would say that it is her strong willpower, and determination to accomplish her tasks," he answered. "We're seeing that now with this mission of ours, and you've also seen it with the capture of Fouquet." Hearing the name of the captured earth mage made Misaka sigh.
"Don't remind me," she sighed. "She was so engrossed in defeating her golem that I had to save her from being squashed by it."
"Really?" the Viscount said in amazement. "Thank goodness she's alright, otherwise it would be inconvenient."
"Huh?" quizzed Misaka, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Ah, it would be inconvenient if someone as beautiful and strong as Louise would have been seriously hurt, or worse," he explained. "I would have lost a lovely fiancée, you would have lost a strong Master, and the Valliére family would have lost a dear daughter." The brunette was still confused, but decided not to pursue any further.
"Well, when you put it like that, of course it would be a tragedy," she stated. "Although I wouldn't use the word inconvenient is good for that statement…" They proceeded throughout much of the day without incident. At small villages along their route, Louise and Guiche swapped for fresh horses, so that they did not need to stop for rest. By evening, the outskirts of a town became visible to them as they passed through a valley.
"That's La Rochelle," announced Wardes. "We should be there in less than an hour's time." To Misaka's surprise, the town was built on the side of a mountain. Buildings were carved from boulders and caves, with the sprawl spiraling up the mountain towards the top.
"Why's a port built on the mountainside?" she asked Wardes.
"Do you not know where Albion is?" he asked back.
"I still don't really know much about Halkeginia," she admitted. "It was kind of a sudden arrival to – ah!" Suddenly, a shower of torches rained down on the two from the valley gorge. They did not reach Wardes and Misaka, but they did force Louise and Guiche to evade the volley. "An ambush!" As she stated this, a hail of arrows rained down onto the two on the ground. The horses, frightened by the torches, bucked Louise and Guiche, and ran off, leaving the two exposed to the arrows.
"Louise!" Wardes exclaimed. Misaka jumped off of the griffin, and shot out a wave of electricity from her hand. The wave brought the arrows to the ground, harmlessly breaking against the ground away from the others. Misaka landed on the ground, using her Iron Sand Whip to slow her fall.
"Are you two alright?" she asked.
"Peachy, aside from a sore back from being thrown off," groaned Guiche.
"Behind you!" shouted Louise. Misaka looked back. A second volley of arrows was raining down on them. Misaka readied another electric blast, but a strong gust of wind blew from the side, knocking the arrows away. The three looked up, and saw Wardes, wand raised high.
"It's most likely thieves or bandits!" he stated, landing next to them. "Are you all okay?"
"Yes," Misaka stated, unsheathing Derflinger. "But those attackers aren't in a second!"
"Easy there!" he said. "We shouldn't delay from our schedule, especially after this!"
"Do you think they would be from Albion?" Louise asked.
"It wouldn't be nobles," the Viscount said. "They wouldn't use arrows. They could have hired them to ambush us, though." Just then, the sound of flapping wings was heard in the air. Screams echoed through the cliffs, and arrows were shot into the air, but not by them. The arrows were all blown back by a wind gust, however. "Those are wind incantations!" The archers were suddenly blown into the air, and rolled down the cliffside towards them. They came to rest on the flat ground in front of the four, moaning in pain.
"Move and you're toast," Misaka stated, pointing Derflinger at the group, and crackling with electricity.
"She means it literally, men," the sword stated. "She can zap you into a nice burnt loaf."
"What is all this about though?" Guiche stated. The evening moonlight was blocked out by the silhouette of a dragon, one very familiar to the group.
"That's Sylphid!" Louise exclaimed. The wind dragon landed next to the party. Stepping off of the dragon were the familiar red-haired and blue-haired duo.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting!" announced Kirche.
"What do you mean 'sorry to keep you waiting?!'" Louise stated. "What are you and Tabitha even doing here?!"
"Apparently not to help you, in case you feel indebted to us," the Germanian stated. "All the commotion you had in the morning woke me up. When I saw Louise in the arms of that fashionably handsome man, I had no choice but to wake Tabitha and give chase." A quick wake-up was apparent, for Tabitha was still in her pajamas. Unsurprisingly, she was reading a book.
"Listen to me, Zerbst!" Louise said defiantly. "We're on a secret mission given by Her Highness to us alone!"
"Of course it was a secret mission," Kirche stated nonchalantly. "How would I know what it is if you did not tell me about it?" The pinkette puffed her cheeks out in frustration. "Anyway, you should at least thank me, since I apprehended these criminals that were ambushing you." The archers were too hurt to move, and could not try anyway with Misaka so close to them, so they began to hurl abuses at their group. Guiche swapped out with the brunette, and he began to interrogate the bunch.
"Hmph!" Louise stated, crossing her arms. She gave a vicious stare at her adversary.
"So, who's the handsome individual here that has some relation to young Louise here, hmn?" Kirche asked seductively.
"I am Viscount Wardes, captain of the Griffin Knights," the grey-haired man greeted. "I've been assigned to protect these young nobles and Familiar, who include my fiancée, Louise." Hearing that Wardes was engaged to Louise made Kirche's jaw drop.
"F-F-F-Fiancée?!" she exclaimed. "H-How can a man so handsome as this be engaged to such a person like Louise?!"
"You're making it sound like I'm a wallflower!" the pinkette replied indignantly. She would have gone on, but Wardes placed a hand on her shoulder. "V-Viscount…"
"I will admit that you, young miss, are indeed beautiful," Wardes stated to Kirche. "However, I have been betrothed to Louise because I truly love her for who she is. I apologize if this seems like an insult to you." Kirche was shocked. She turned to Misaka, and embraced her in a tight hug.
"Oh, Misaka!" the red-haired girl said to her, crushing the poor brunette in her breasts. "This man rejected me! I've never been rejected by a man before like this!"
"K-Kirche, you're crushing me…" Misaka groaned from her marshmallow prison.
"…stop it, Kirche…" Tabitha urged, not looking up from her book. As Kirche let her captive audience go, Guiche walked back up.
"They admitted to being robbers," the blonde said to Wardes. "What should we do with them?"
"Hmmm…" the Viscount thought. "If they're just robbers, we can let them go. We're almost at La Rochelle. We'll spend the night there, and take the first ship to Albion at the break of dawn." He then mounted back onto his Griffin. "You two are welcome to join us. The more people that we have, the greater chance of success for us."
"This isn't a battle, you know…" Misaka noted, though she was ignored. The party formation had to be changed, as Louise and Guiche had both lost their horses. Louise followed Wardes and Misaka onto the Griffin, and Guiche joined Kirche and Tabitha on the wind dragon. Between the two, they made it to La Rochelle in short order.
It was dark in Academy City. The streets were mostly barren, as students had already gone home to adhere to curfew. The area around the alleyway that Misaka had last been seen in, however, had one occupant: a blond spiky-haired blonde haired teen wearing an unbuttoned green and white Hawaiian shirt and blue shorts. He was looking around the area, taking in every detail of his surroundings. After a few minutes, however, the teen frowned.
"Not as much as a single clue…" he grumbled, and walked away, disappointed. "Looks like I'll have to call them back here..."
"So it's a letter to the Crown Prince of Albion?" Kirche stated. Misaka and Guiche both nodded. The three, along with Tabitha, were discussing the mission at hand inside the dining hall of the fanciest hotel in all of La Rochelle, the Goddess's Temple. All the furniture was made from a glistening marble, that one could see themselves in the reflections off the tables and floor.
"It's a really urgent mission," Guiche stated. "Albion could fall within the week, so we need to get on that next ship."
"Hopefully, Wardes and Louise will return from the port with good news," Misaka stated.
"Then I'm afraid to disappoint you four," a voice stated. Wardes and Louise walked up to them, and took seats at the table. Wardes was hesitant as he continued. "There's no ship departing tomorrow. We'll have to wait until the following day." Hearing this, Misaka and Guiche both sighed in relief.
"Finally, a day to rest…" the brunette sighed.
"A day to rest my sides from the horseback, as well as the horse throw…" the blonde grumbled. Louise, who was sitting next to both, slapped the two.
"Why are you two relaxing?!" she reprimanded. "We are on an urgent mission from Her Highness! There's no time to relax!"
"You can't help it if there's no way to Albion," Kirche reminded the pinkette. "But why wouldn't there be a ship to Albion? I've never been there, so I wouldn't know…"
"The moons are to be overlapping tomorrow," Wardes stated. "The captain's waiting for Albion to be as close to the port as possible."
"Hah?" murmured Misaka. "How would that affect distance?" She was ignored, as Wardes pulled out a set of keys.
"We should rest for now," the Viscount stated. "Tabitha and Kirche take one room, Misaka and Louise in another, and Guiche and I in a third." The five took their keys. "If you do not mind, could the four of you can head on up? There's a matter of importance I would like to discuss with Louise privately." The four looked at him. "It's involving my engagement with Miss Valliére."
"Oh," they all said, understanding his meaning. The four headed up to their rooms. Louise shifted uncomfortably back into the table, as Wardes sat down again.
"Have you kept the letter safe?" he asked. Louise patted her pocket, checking for the letter.
"Yes, the letter is still safe," she stated. "Are you worried about getting the letter over to Albion?"
"Indeed," he stated. "This is not good that we have to be waiting an extra day. We'll certainly run into problems now." Louise arched an eyebrow.
"The Viscount Wardes, worried?" she scoffed. "With you here, it will be fine. Also, I'm with you, so it will be all okay."
"That's right," the Viscount said, rather distantly. "If you're here, there will definitely be no problems. It was always like that…"
"Do you still remember the promise of the day when we were at the lake?" the pinkette asked. The man nodded.
"In the little boat in the middle of the lake?" he said. "You would always go there after being scolded by your parents. You were like an abandoned kitten."
"Jeez…" Louise stated, blushing. "You remember the weirdest things…"
"Of course I remember those things!" Wardes replied happily. "You were always compared to your sisters, who were abounding with potential of magical power. But I always thought that to be wrong. You were worthless and a failure back there –"
"H-Hey!" Louise interjected. "You're so mean!"
"- but now, you have an incredible power nobody else has," the grey-haired man stated. He moved closer into the table. "Have you ever thought about why you always blow up things when you use your magic? Or why you have a human as your Familiar?" Louise paused. She had honestly never much about why Misaka had been chosen as her Familiar, aside from when she initially had the Summon Servant Ceremony.
"Wh…what do you mean?" she asked.
"No normal familiar would pick up a weapon and have total control over it," he told her. "The runes on her hand are legendary."
"Legendary?" Louise said."
"Legendary as in the legendary familiar Gandálfr," Wardes stated. "The familiar that once belonged to the Founder Brimir." He let this set in for a few seconds. "Not just anyone can control Gandálfr. You have the magic to control her. In you, dear Louise, is the makings of a great mage"
"Th-that's a little hard to believe," the pinkette stated. "After all, even I have some problems with controlling her."
"I could help you with controlling and taming that power," Wardes told her. "Being the captain of the Griffin Knights is not enough for me. I wish to be able to move the whole continent one day. And I wish to do it with you, dear Louise." He collected his thoughts. "I'm…sorry that I never came looking for you until now. Marriage is not something to be spoken of lightly, and yet I lost contact with you for so long. But now you are 16, of age to make your own decisions….after this mission, will you please marry me, Louise?"
"Eh?! Ah…" Louise was speechless by the sudden proposal. "I-I still, am not of your caliber yet…"
"That does not matter to me, Louise," the Viscount said. "I want to help you, Louise. When the others cast you aside, I went looking for you. I was the only one that held out and believed in you, and now I see that potential no one thought of. I can help you, Louise."
"Spare me the details of your sappy love song," Misaka stated, making her presence known. Louise's jaw dropped as she saw her familiar, and Wardes looked surprise as the brunette walked up to the two. "I'd like to hear more about this 'legendry familiar' business you've been saying."
"W-W-W-W-What are you doing?!" Louise shrieked. "H-H-How dare you insult Viscount Wardes like that!"
"Calm down, Louise," he stated. "Certainly from your Familiar's angle, it will look like that from how I transitioned. Especially from a Familiar of Gandálfr's caliber."
"I suppose you didn't hear that from that Osmond fellow back in the Academy," the brunette surmised.
"I do like to look up history and warfare in my spare time," Wardes explained. "When I heard that you were the one that captured Fouquet, I wondered 'How could a familiar take down a mage such as Fouquet, who had thus far evaded all means of capture?' I found what I was looking for just before I arrived at Tristain Academy. You, Mikoto Misaka, are the legendary familiar Gandálfr."
"I-Is that so?" she stated. "I don't know about legendary, but where I come from, I'm ranked number three out of everyone in that area in terms of power."
"So I have heard," Wardes said. "The other world that has so many wondrous things also has powers beyond our grasp."
"I-I-I never told you that Misaka was from another world!" Louise stated in shock. "H-How-?"
"A friend at the academy told me about the 'Summon Servant,'" he said. "About how there was a human who was summoned, who spoke a foreign tongue like no other, and had a strange power…I would wish to see this power up close, and against my own power." Misaka smirked.
"Sounds to me like you wanna fight!" she stated.
"Exactly, a duel" he said. The brunette's smirk turned into a grin. She pounded her fists together.
"I haven't had a good challenge since this whole event started," she said. "You seem like you can give me a somewhat fair match. Where and when?"
"This hotel used to be a castle to repel Albion invaders," the Viscount explained. "There's a parade ground in the center of it. Tomorrow, at noon, we shall duel."
"Agreed," she stated. "I'm looking forward to it!"
"Stupid Familiar!" berated Louise. It was late, and she and Misaka had returned to their room after a drink with Wardes. The pinkette was stomping the floor in rage.
"T-There are other people in this hotel, you know," Misaka stated. "She was looking nervously at Louise as she nearly stomped a hole in the floor. "Be a little considerate for their sake-"
"It's your fault!" the noble stated. "Not only have you insulted Viscount Wardes, you've also created this nonsense about dueling –!"
"He suggested it," the brunette interjected.
"– and you're taking this all nonchalantly! I'm telling you to stop this nonsense at once! This isn't like Fouquet! You're talking to high royalty now!" The brunette took a deep breath.
"This is very much like Fouquet," explained Misaka, taking her time and choosing her words carefully. "I heard on the way here about how Wardes first met you." Louise immediately blushed.
"H-H-He did…?" she asked, going from mad to embarrassed at the drop of the hat.
"Good grief, are you that lovestruck with the guy?" the brunette muttered. "Anyway, he told me everything, and also why he wants to get back with you. Strange thing is, it didn't match up with what he told you just now."
"Eh?" Louise was confused.
"Yeah," Misaka stated, changing into her night outfit. "He said it was to get back to where you two were, now that he is so successful as he is. No mention of a strange power or helping you with anything. Why I think he's like Fouquet is that he has something to hide, something he wants to keep away from us. That's why I stayed behind when the others went up to their rooms. I had my suspicions, and they seem to be coming true."
"I-I'm sure Wardes has some good reasons to be withholding information," Louise insisted, albeit faltering. "He's looking after all of us; he just wants us to get through this in one piece." Misaka looked outside, towards the two moons.
"That's what I had said myself once before…" said. Louise was puzzled.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Once, I trusted someone with helping out with a problem, with the same trust you have with Wardes," Misaka explained. "My friends and I were looking into a big problem in Academy City, and she was an expert in the matters we were discussing. Then, we found out otherwise. My friend and many others were in danger, and another was a hostage, because of a product that person had created for her own reasons. It nearly caused the destruction of much of the city." She turned back to Louise. "Look, I'm not insinuating that Wardes is bad. It's just I myself have been burned once before, and considering the circumstances now, I don't want it to happen again."
Silence followed for a few seconds.
Then, Louise began to laugh.
"Eh?" Misaka asked.
"Seriously, you think Wardes is as bad as that low-life or even Fouquet?" she said, smirking. "Give me a break! No way would he double-cross Her Highness! Wardes has pledged his loyalty to her and Tristain!" Misaka facepalmed.
"And you are so blinded in your love for him that he's placed on a pedestal!" she retorted. "Could he not be a double agent? Are you buying into the fact you were arranged to be with this guy when you were young? He didn't even search for you for ten years!"
"He said it himself; he was busy!" the pinkette stated. "Besides, nobody else has cared for me at that time; Wardes was the first person who showed serious interest in me as who I was. You can't say that you've had someone that great in your life." Now it was Misaka's turn to be blushing.
"W-What?!" she exclaimed.
"It's easy to see; you're jealous of me!" Louise stated, shrugging.
"Why, you…!" the brunette stated. "I'll have you know that I don't need your Wardes in shining armor! I already have someone that I like, and he doesn't need to have the fame and fortune your guy has!"
"Ha-CHOO!" In his apartment, a certain boy sneezed. The sneeze made him drop his phone, which was promptly stepped on by a nun.
"Huh?" the nun said, looking down. "Something went 'crack' under my feet…"
"…Just my rotten luck…" the boy sighed.
"...This was a parade ground?" Misaka asked in surprise. The place of Wardes and Misaka's duel looked like a landfill. Empty beer battles and crates littered the courtyard, making it hard to believe it had once been an area of nobility.
"This was a place that often hosted duels between nobility, under the reign of Phillip the Third," noted Wardes. "Seems the hotel manager has had other plans since then…"
"Doesn't matter to me," Misaka said with excitement. "A fight's a fight, and that's all I want to do!"
"A fight is a fight, but a duel is not a fight," Wardes stated. Misaka frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"There are certain rules in a duel between nobles," he stated. "Back when dueling was first around, the king still had the power to duel. It was a time when nobles were truly noble, where magic was used to fight battles of life and death. Now, though, duels are usually had as the climax of a fight for a maiden…"
"Tell me about it," the brunette groaned, remembering her duel with Guiche.
"We will need a witness for this fight," the Viscount stated. "Fortunately, she is coming here now." From the direction the two had come from came a rather-annoyed looking Louise.
"Really?" stated Misaka, looking at Wardes.
"Nobody else was awake," the grey-haired man explained.
"I knew you two were here!" she said angrily. "Tricking me into thinking the time was at noon, when it was actually in the morning!"
"Excuse us for not wanting you to spoil the fun," dismissed Misaka. "Besides, if last night was any indication, you're not willing to change your stance on this duel, are you?" The brunette looked at the pinkette's face, then turned back. "Thought so. But is it all right for her to officiate this?" Louise was
"Officiate?!" Lousie said indignantly. "Why you…stop this now! Misaka, I'm ordering you to stop this stupidity!" Misaka felt a twinge, and briefly turned towards Louise. But it was only for a moment, and she returned back to Wardes. "What? Really?!"
"If the Viscount wants a demonstration, then let the Ace of Tokiwadai give him one!" she stated, pulling out Derflinger. The rune on her left hand flared up. "Besides, I need a little practice with Derf. I can't rely on the Iron Sand or my electricity all the time, when I don't know what is to happen."
"Finally, you're actually using your weapon!" the sword stated. "Not that you don't seem capable, but I'm getting a little lonely in this sheath!" Wardes chuckled.
"Now that the witness is here, let us begin," he stated. The Viscount took out a wand from his belt. It was made of steel. He pointed it at Misaka, and entered a combat stance. "Hit me with everything you got, Railgun."
"Please!" Misaka replied. "I just hope you push me to half that!" The brunette ran up towards Wardes, unsheathing Derflinger. She attempted to slash at the mage with the back of the sword, but connected with the small wand Wardes was using.
"Honestly, do you think that you are showing mercy to me, using the back of the sword?" he asked.
"To be honest, I didn't expect you to be able to parry such a large weapon with that wand," Misaka admitted. The two leapt backwards to prepare for the next strike, but just as Misaka was falling back, Wardes was quickly charging forward with another strike, backed by a strong wind gust. Misaka ducked underneath the strike, taking out the Viscount's legs with a sweeping kick. Wardes stumbled, but used the gust of wind to stay upright. He turned around, and prepared back into his initial stance.
"I have to say, I'm impressed with your handling of yourself," the man stated. "You clearly have a lot of learn in swordplay, but you carry yourself well. But I want to see your true potential, and it's clear that you're holding back.
"I could say the same about you, Wardes," the brunette stated. "Don't tell me you're looking down on me as a girl, and that's why you're not using magic!"
"Heavens no!" Wardes stated, tipping his hat. "In fact, you are reminding me of my sparring matches long ago with Louise's mother! A Magic Knight is not just one who can chant magic the fastest. The way we chant our spells, the way we hold our wands, the motion we use to charge…all of it is specialized for battle. Our wands are our swords, with the addition of spellcraft. This is the basic of basics for Magic Knights!"
"Then show me all your power, Magic Knight!" Misaka shouted. She held out one hand towards the ground, and charged at Wardes, using the other to spin Derflinger like a windmill. Wardes apparently saw through the attack, and readied his wand to parry. What hit the wand was not Derflinger's grey steel, but black vibrating iron sand. With Wardes taken aback, Misaka was able to use the hilt of the talking sword to deliver a gut blow to the Viscount. She then spun around, striking with the Iron Sand Sword, before jumping back. Wardes slid a few feet back at the sudden drive.
"W-Wardes!" Louise shouted in concern.
"I-I'm fine, fear not," he replied. He turned to Misaka, who was dissolving the Iron Sand Sword. "So you are serious about this…"
"To be honest, if I was serious, that strike would have cleanly cut through you," she admitted. "I don't think you had anything for that at the moment, though. My next attack won't have that mercy!" The electromaster tapped her head, and unleashed a wave of electricity at the Viscount. Before the electricity could reach, the Viscount moved himself out of the way with his wind magic. "Ah!"
"Dell yill soll la windy!" Wardes chanted, waving his wand in the air.
"Partner!" Derflinger shouted. "He's getting serious! Magic is incoming!"
"I know!" Misaka yelled back. Again, she sent out a wave of electricity at Wardes. The electricity went half the distance between the two fighters, when it hit an invisible force. Electricity and wind blew everywhere, with the brunt of the blow down the center towards the burnette. "Nngh!" The strong wind felt like a hand pushing her back, and she was pushed back into a pile of wine barrels.
"Kyaah!" Louise screamed, ducking as a bolt of electricity passed over her head, only to be pushed around by winds in all direction. As the spectacle died down, Wardes began another charge at Misaka, chanting as he moved. Misaka, meanwhile, quickly reached into her pocket, pulled out a game token, and flicked it from her outstretched left hand. "S-Stop this now! Aren't you all going too far?! As judge, I call this match off!" Wardes stopped chanting, and soon ground to a halt, stopping a few yards from Misaka. Likewise, Misaka dropped her arm, and let the game token fall to the ground. It clanged on the cobblestone ground, before resting in a crack in the pavement.
"Yeah, she does have a point there," the brunette admitted, picking up the game token off the ground.
"You would have blown the hotel up with that 'Railgun' of yours," Derflinger stated. Wardes sounded impressed by the assessment.
"Really?" he asked. "You have an attack that powerful?"
"Well, it's a good thing I didn't use it then," Misaka sheepishly admitted. "I only have a handful of those tokens left, so for me to use it now, I got caught up in the moment."
"I was caught up as well," Wardes stated. "I would say that it was my loss, though. You had stated that you could have killed me with your black sword if you were serious." Misaka shook his head.
"That would have been blocked if you had been serious yourself," she pointed out. "Besides, that wind magic just now did pack a serious punch. If you were like that from the start, I would have really been on my toes."
"A draw, then?" he asked, offering his hand.
"A draw it is," she replied, returning the handshake. Louise walked over to the two. Her hair was in frizzy and frayed from the wind and lightning attacks.
"Honestly, you two could have blown the whole place up!" she fumed. "Can't you show some restraint?"
"In the spirit of battle, we can let things go to our head," Wardes stated. "Our egos are one of them." He turned towards Misaka. "Still, that was an excellent duel we had. I can see that Louise has summoned a very capable Familiar for her use."
"I wouldn't say 'at her use,' but if there's someone standing in the way, I'll blast them out of here!" the brunette stated, making an impressive display with Derflinger, before placing the sword back into its sheath.
"Idiot Familiar…!" Louise muttered. "It's your fault for all this! Now I need to go and redress all over again!" Misaka rolled her eyes.
"Here we go again," she groaned.
"I'm guessing she does this a lot?" Wardes opined.
"More than you can imagine, the brunette sighed.
"You two go on ahead, then," he said. "I want to do some practicing here in the courtyard."
"You don't want to head back yet?" she asked.
"Sparring with you has put me in a right fighting mood," he said, smiling. "While you're certainly young, and are not keen on the more intricate tactics, you make up for that with that sheer power of your lightning abilities. It's gotten me to want to sharpen myself, so that I may be able to stand with you as you no doubt grow from here." He turned to the barrels and crates in the courtyard. A few of them had become damaged from the sparring match. "I think that the owner won't mind if I use a few boxes to satisfy my desire."
"Alright then…" Misaka stated. "We'll see you later today."
"Of course," the Viscount replied. Misaka then walked over to Louise to return to the hotel.
"Hurry up, Misaka!" Louise urged. "You're helping me with changing into a new outfit!"
"Hah?!" the brunette stated, as she began to walk after her. "What makes you think that I'm going to help you with that? Do it yourself!"
"I can make it that you can go without any of today's lunch!" Louise countered.
"Like I need you to have a good meal; if I needed to, I could probably ask one of the others to help me!"
"What cheek…!" The argument continued down the alleyway. Wardes watched them until they turned a corner, and went out of sight. After a few seconds, his smile dropped, and the Viscount gained a more neutral look.
"I can see why she gave you trouble, but she's too green for her to be a match for me," he stated. Behind him a figure in a green cloak uncovered their hood.
"You would not be saying this if she had not stopped her last attack," Fouquet said matter-of-factly. "That attack was able to cleanly cut through the middle of my golems, something very few spells are able to do. You have not seen the true extent of that girl's terrifying nature, Wardes; if you're too overconfident, you will lose to her."
"I'll have to trust your word, since you've seen the brunt of her attacks firsthand," the Viscount sighed. "In that case, it would be best if we separated her from the letter as soon as possible….We'll have to move up the operation. How soon will your men be ready?" Fouquet grinned slyly.
"They're all chomping at the bit as is," the green-haired woman stated.
"Tell them that we will move this evening," Wardes instructed. "Your top priority is to preoccupy the Familiar and her friends until I can move the letter safely to Albion. Afterwards, remain in the town until you receive further word."
"Understood," Fouquet stated. She bowed, before covering her face again, and moving back into the shadows. Wardes sighed, before walking towards the hotel.
"Still, the only way I see this ending is with the body of that Familiar lying on the cold, hard, floor next to Prince Wales," he murmured to himself. "A shame someone that young will likely be opposed to Reconquista."
To Be Continued…