Thank you for the positive reviews and other feedbacks, Yuri-Hime-Chan and Xalverius for the correction about and Brimir, I corrected it in the preceding chapter as well as this one.
For the others who read this story I hope you enjoy it. If you have any remarks don't hesitate to write it.
A disclaimer : I do not own ZnT/Foz .Neither do I own Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha.
The Book of Void
Chapter 3:
Academy of Tristain
Void's Tower central Bedroom
Inside Louise's room, Shamal had heard what their fellow protector had said and it got her worried. Things were too different this time around.
Nevertheless, it wouldn't change what was their duty. Like usual, she would adapt and observe for every danger that could come to them.
She would also wait for her missing comrades to be up and kicking. While she waited, she had to train using of Signum's blade. It seemed it could do much if the ideas she had while touching its stored form proved to be true.
First, though, she had to learn everything she could about this world even if their Master's briefing had given her clues. She had to gather information on her own. After all, it seemed they would be around for a while this time.
Reaching for the books on her master's table, she contacted Louise
'Master?'
'Owah... Ah, Shamal it's you?'
'Yes, is there a problem?'
'No, I just … I'm not used to the whole telepathy thing. You surprised me'
'I see. So master, can I read some of the books on your desk?'
'I don't see why not, just be careful with them.'
'Ok, I will. I'd also like to inform you I'll probably head out later to survey the land around and find somewhere to train'
'I see no problem with it, but be sure no one sees you. No one should know you are around before you're officially introduced.'
'Understood.' Cutting the link, Shamal mentally nudged Signum.
'Yes?' the falcon-shaped familiar asked.
'Take care of Master. She seems to be bothered by something.'
'Understood. You were always sharper than me on those things.' Pausing for a second, she continued. 'And from what I'm seeing, I think I already know one thing. Anyways, take care of yourself Shamal.'
'I will'
...
Shamal cut the link and Signum placed her full attention back to the hall where she was flying just behind her Master.
She was not the only one to look around. Her Master's friend was always on the lookout while on the mean time clinging to Louise.
It was quite understandable as everyone seemed to look at them when they passed. Some were looking at them with the respect due to their rank but most were either shooting them mocking looks or glaring with outright hostility.
Those Signum made sure to remember their faces.
There were also those who looked at them with disdain or even pity - at least some measure of it. Some were simply trying to avoid them.
One thing was sure. No one was indifferent to either of them and most of the time, they didn't look at Louise or Henrietta the same way.
One of the conversations she heard went like this:
"Hey, look, the freak princess really is a mage after all." said a boy with obvious weight problems.
"Are you sure? Isn't it just a bird she bought? After all, no one saw what she summoned with all the dust that came with her usual explosion." answered a tall one with brown hair. That remark got her attention and she slowed down to hear more. She was also upset someone could doubt her master - it was something she just wasn't used to.
"Are you all blind? There is that big rune on its chest." said the one with glasses. He seemed to be brighter than the previous muscle-head at least.
"Ah, you're right." The boy narrowed his eyes. "Hey, it's looking in our direction. Does it want something?" the big one asked. He was nervous at her attentive stare.
"Surely tell you to shut up." The brighter one snarled at the other before they turned and left the hall.
Seeing they wouldn't talk anymore, she got back on Louise shoulder.
"You shouldn't get angry at them. I really am a freak with magic after all. They just don't understand what it really means." Louise whispered to her while petting her head.
"Kwah" 'I wasn't angry Master, I just wanted to hear more of what they thought about you' Signum said.
'Ha, well you seem to be at least a teeniest bit ruffled, both figuratively and literally. I could feel it from over here'
'Do you mean I leaked on the telepathy? That could be a problem.' Signum said displeased.
'No, nothing of the sort. It's just that we have a link' the pinkette assured her.
Signum saw that they were nearly at the door and took flight once more. Her instinct was screaming to see the sky with a side of wanted to see if anything dangerous was outside.
...
"Ouch" Louise said wincing. 'You should take care with your talons.' she told Signum.
"Are you alright Louise?" Henrietta asked her worried eyes searching if anyone had attacked her friend.
'Sorry, this is all new to me.' Signum apologized while passing the door
"Don't worry. I'm just not used to the bird clawing at my shoulder. I'll have to buy a reinforced shoulder and a falconer's glove." Louise said examining the small tears on her robes' shoulder and the small trickles of blood flowing out of the cuts. She looked up and, seeing Henrietta's slightly panicked expression, quickly worked to calm the girl down and, at the same time, Signum. Her reassurances, however, were mainly for NachtWal.
Louise had felt her start to move and didn't want the familiar to show up just yet. She still had those images in her mind and wasn't in a hurry to see what it was live.
'Do you intend to move each time I get hurt?' Louise asked her familiar.
'That is how I was made. If you do not wish me to come, do not get hurt.' There was some dark humor in the snake's voice. 'I wish only for your safety for that is the sole reason for my existence.'
Louise knew that was true and that was what frightened her. She had to make thing clear. 'I wish for the safety of my friends so don't come out unless I call you or I am really hurt. That's an order.'
"As you wish Master." She answered with her normal calm before retreating back into her mind.
"There, that should do it." Henrietta's voice snapped her back to the reality. It seemed while she was talking to NachtWal, her friend had taken care of the cut she had got from Signum's claw.
"Thank you Henrietta." She smiled to her friend, unknowingly making her blush slightly. "Let's go to our usual place outside."
"As you wish Princess" Henrietta said coming after her.
"Mou, I already said to not call me that." She complained. The less someone reminded her of it, the better she felt and she was sure Henrietta knew it all too well.
She was about to start on with other conversation with her friend when Signum interrupted once more
'So, Master, what is this 'link' you mentioned earlier?' It seemed she was really bothered by that.
Massaging her shoulder, Louise explained. She would have to train having a mental conversation while still doing thing outside or people would look at her even funnier than they did now. 'One of the things we can as mages is feeling through our familiar and it seems it extend to you'
'So it is just you. If that's all then everything is good.' The Knight was appeased by that news.
'Yes, just me. Is there anything outside?'
There was a pause before Signum replied. 'Nothing strange. Just a red-haired girl that seems to be waiting for someone even though her friend wants to go. She seems to be angry at that fact that they're waiting.'
'Kirche… That cow is the only one who would do that.' Louise thought to herself before opening the link back to Signum. 'Thank you. Could you come back around for me now?'
'Understood' the stern voice assured Louise once more that the Falcon was really a Knight.
...
"Well, look at that. Her majesty finally decided to grace us with her presence."
When Louise and Henrietta passed the door, they immediately heard the habitual taunt of their old foe.
Louise tried to ignore her but the girl did not let go. "I just said good day to you, Vallière. Didn't you hear?"
And so Louise was forced to answer. "Good day to you too, Zerbst. Did you miss me?" Henrietta and Kirche's petite blue-haired friend, meanwhile, just gave each other a light bow of acknowledgment. Henrietta bared the embarrassed and resigned smile of someone who knew what was about to happen.
"Me, missing you? On the contrary, your highness." Kirche said haughty. "I would be the happiest woman in Halkeginia if you were to disappear." Kirche said countering Louise's taunt. The two of them squabbled so many times that you could calibrate their time.
"Ah, is that true? Why would you be waiting for me if you didn't miss me?" But, unlike their other encounters, this time it looked like Louise was the one on the offensive
"I wasn't waiting you. I was just going to the inside dining hall when you just so happen to pass by." Kirche denied. Henrietta noticed the slight reddening on Kirche tanned face. It wasn't the first time she had seen that reddened face and she was starting to doubt the Germanian's real intentions. After all, Louise was hers.
For her part, Louise hadn't noticed it at all, but she was still suspicious of the woman's action "Don't try that with me. I saw you waiting."
"Busted" her blue hair friend said while pointing to the falcon that had landed upside down on the doorframe.
"Uh... So," Kirche said in an attempt to change the subject, "you really were a Wind mage. Your summoning looked quite good for an untalented mage like you."
Louise, like usual, went along. She knew it was a taunt but she could not stop herself from reacting to it when it came from her old rival. That and she did not wish to know why Zerbst liked teasing her to the point of waiting at the door so the change was welcomed.
"I am not untalented. I believe you will see it for yourself soon, and she has a lot of surprises." Louise grinned, thinking back on what had happened in her room during the last couple of hours.
'Like the fact that I could restrain her if she even tried to hurt you' Signum said in her head.
'No violence please; not unless it is justifiable' Louise sent back
'I know'
"Surprise? Tsk. That's just a plain falcon, a good looking I admit, but it is no magical beast like my Flame"
As if on cue a flame burst from the corner of the wall and Louise saw a strange red lizard.
"A Salamander, well I suppose it fits you." Louise said while smiling at her own joke. The barbarian would surely not get it but it still felt good.
"Yes. Beautiful isn't it? I know it's still not like Tabitha's wind dragon but he is a beautiful specimen directly from the Fire Mountain. Look at his magnificent tail." the Germanian said during the praising of her familiar she had knelt and was now stroking said appendage.
Louise took that opportunity to escape with Henrietta but the redhead saw through it and called her back.
"Does my company inconvenience you, Vallière? Or are you in so much hurry to be alone with your puppet."
That last remark made Henrietta cringe and she almost vaulted over and slap Zerbst in the face.
The sole reason she didn't was that it would bring trouble to Louise. Her restraint was something Louise was grateful for.
"Who are you calling a puppet for I see none here." Louise coldly replied, taking the defense of her friend.
"You know who I am talking about. That little doll that your family stole the country from." Zerbst would not let go of that specific subject Louise and Henrietta had managed to evade with her till now.
"They stole nothing from me. They took care of me when they had no obligation to after my parents were betrayed," Henrietta's hot rage had already past but not the cold anger that was seeping from her mouth while she clung to Louise hand. She still wasn't over the death of her parents.
"Says the girl who should have been queen. They totally bypassed their rights, skipping over the rightful heir." said a blonde girl that was passing by with a blonde boy in tow
"That way I would truly have been a doll just like she said." Henrietta almost shouted, tears slowly filling her eyes.
"And we were not talking to you Flood so please don't get in the conversation of others." Louise bursted, her uncharacteristically hard and cold voice stunning everyone around her and leaving the courtyard void of any sounds safe the flapping of Signum's wings.
The newcomer finally broke the silence and redirected her taunt to Louise. "I get into any conversations I want and it won't change the fact that she fled from her honor and duty to be nothing more than a dog to you, the useless princess"
"Well said, Momonrency" Kirche said approvingly.
"Don't say that Monmon. She is stronger than you, and Louise is …uh, the daughter of the king."
Most people would take Guiche's hesitation as the fact he had nothing good to say about Louise but Louise knew he was just restraining to not say she was a Void mage. As the son of the current General of the Army, Guiche had heard about what had caused the attack that led to Henrietta's parents' death, and so, he knew how important Louise herself was to the country.
That in turn was the reason he passed some time with Henrietta to train him and make sure he said nothing.
"Shut it." Henrietta snapped, sensing trouble might come on that line. "I do not care what you think about me Flood but do not dare to insult Louise again or I will make you pay." She said coldly.
The blonde cowered and retreated into the building, It was clear for any present that they were in front of Henrietta the Princess's Personal Bodyguard and not just some upperclassmen.
Louise had to calm her. She cupped her mouth next to her ear and whispered some words. "Henrietta, it's showing again."
At the same time, she tapped gently on her friend's elbow. It was surprisingly easy but Henrietta always listened to her to a point that it sometimes it worried Louise.
"Ha, sorry." she said sheepishly. "I just can't stand when people insult you without knowing anything." She had gone back to the kind girl she usually was but Louise could see the shadow of sadness in her friends' eyes.
"And yet you let the fat cow do it every day." Louise deadpanned, pointing to the still present Zerbst.
"Oh, so we are back to physical attacks. Well, it is true that you will never be as well-endowed as me." She retorted while showing once-more her jugs to emphasis her point. One thing was sure for Louise, there was no risk that she would ever feel betrayed by that stupid woman,
And men were the least of her problems so her physical appeal did not matter to her.
"I do not care about that and you know it very well. Contrary to you, my family did not raise to power solely thanks to charm." Louise hated to add that statement but she had no choice for truths' sake.
"Still, the onetime your family used said charm, they succeeded far more than us right 'Your Majesty'." The red-haired seductress remarked bitingly.
"Proving once more that we are superior to you even in method we do not like to use." Louise wasn't proud of that fact but without it she wouldn't be alive so she would have to take it.
"When I think that my mother was once in love with your father… To this day, she still can't pardon herself for it." It was left unsaid that that was one more reason among many others why the two families were at each other's throats constantly.
The rivalry was as old as the first Germanian invasion. Of course there was still the competing-countries factor in there but it had become a personal matter when a Zerbst had stolen the fiancé of the la Vallière heir at the time.
"And I never understood why everyone thought the la Vallière had stolen my country. Isn't it the reverse?" Henrietta once again cut into the conversation, genuinely puzzled.
"What?" Zerbst couldn't believe what she had heard.
"True." the blue-haired confirmed as monotone as usual.
"Even you Tabitha? Could I have an explanation?" Zerbst asked, feeling that was something important going on and, that for once, should listen for once.
"The details are not well known but to be short, you know that what is Germania today was once Tristain's land, right?" Louise started the explanation, checking that Kirche at least knew the basics.
"Yes, so?" Kirche Von Anhalt Zerbst couldn't comprehend what it had to do with the subject at hand.
The answer came from Henrietta "All that remained after your barbarian ancestor invaded was only one Duchy."
Comprehension started draw onto the Germanian."So you mean that The whole Tristain is ..." She was now wide eyed, gazing intensely to the words flowing out of the two childhood friends.
Louise and Henrietta nodded together and Henrietta said, "The La Vallière Duchy yes. My ancestor used his Kingship to cut the Duchy in the smaller duchies."
"But it was still law according to the savior of Tristain that the la Valière would remain the principle owner of the land." Louise said cutting off Henrietta.
"When you put that and the fact that Louise's grandfather was the son of my great grandfather..." She let the conclusion unsaid, knowing that Zerbst had reached the conclusion herself.
"The la Vallière... does own Tristain." The shock had made her fall on her ass as she couldn't understand why she wasn't aware of that fact.
"And that make Louise the one who holds more power in Tristain." Henrietta said proudly much to Louise's displeasure at remembering it once more. "Sometimes I am jealous of Zerbst for that exact reason."
The purple-haired guardian knew it and had done it on purpose. The childish innocent smile she bore a proof if she ever needed one.
Meanwhile, Louise was boiling at her friend for pulling that prank again. Zerbst was once more lost "Why?" She asked.
This time it was Tabitha who answered with the longest phrase either of them had heard her vocalize. "Duchess DE la Vallière ... Official daughter of the King, Ex-Duke DE la Vallière"
"AH" It was all Kirche could utter, losing her voice at the implication, blacking out soon.
"Not that most people care." Louise added. The pinkette turned to her friend. "Henrietta could you go search for some to bring her at the infirmary?"
"Yes," The princess' first knight answered, bowing her head before going.
"Still, I am surprised you know Tabitha." Louise tilted her head in the short girl's direction.
"Gallian, Well informed." was the only answer she got. Tabitha once more her head in her book.
That explained it to Louise. After all, there was that issue as well, not that she would say it. Still it was interesting that Tabitha had touched her blue hair while saying it. Her classmate had her own power struggle it seemed even if she doubted she was the Galian heiress.
'That girl is at least as well trained as you Master, maybe more. You should be aware of that fact for she is the friend of that unlikable girl' Signum took advantage of the break in the conversation to talk to her.
'Thank you. I suspected as much but I don't think she will try anything, and besides, she at least is friendly.'
'That does not mean she isn't dangerous' Signum did not seem to be paranoid type of person so Louise had to assume she had seen something that she couldn't.
'You have more experience than I do so do what you think must be done. Just don't raise any suspicion, ok?'
'Understood' Signum said, cutting the link.
"Have you eaten already?" Louise asked by pure politeness. The silence between them starting to get awkward.
Tabitha shook her head.
"Well, I won't keep you any longer. Keep that little tidbit to yourself please. I already have enough problems to deal with."
"You were trying to keep that a secret?" Tabitha said incredulously.
'I managed to surprise her with that?' She didn't know how to take it.
"So I really am bad at it, hm?" It was not even a question as she knew she was for long now.
Tabitha nodded before going into the hall as two servants came to pick Zerbst up.
Still, it was discouraging. Well, at least she had three more people to talk too and they most likely wouldn't betray her.
With the servants having come back Henrietta and them dragging the Red-haired body away, the purple hair asked, "Is everything alright Louise?"
"Yes. So where do we eat today?" Louise answered back to her childhood friend.
Dissatisfied with her reply, Henrietta pursed her lips. Pondering whether or not to answer, she sighed in defeat. "Outside like usual, Siesta must still be waiting for us" Henrietta said with a small charming smile, leading her ahead.
And, so they sat at their usual table where the black-haired classmate of Henrietta was waiting.
...
"Ann, Louise, Good morning. I was worried you might not come today." The black haired girl said as she saw them, her tiger familiar on her lap.
"We just got ambushed by a cow, like usual." Louise answered. "I hope you were not too hungry."
"Not at all, but you should not call people like that. It can be vexing for the others you know." Siesta pouted, looking in her eyes.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it. They are pretty on you uh… I mean you are alright, it's just that…" Louise was a little embarrassed as she did not wish to endanger one of the few friendships she had and struggled to dig herself out of the hole she dug herself into. Although Siesta was more Henrietta's friend, she liked the girl even though she was from the lower nobility.
"I will call the maid for the dinner, don't talk bad behind me please" Henrietta said as she left the table.
Minutes later, Henrietta was back with one of the staff with their dinner.
While eating, they talked about the actual state of Tristain, how it was becoming harder to get some good tea but mostly they talked about their bad experience with magic.
Henrietta was a very good battle water mage, being trained by the best of them along with Louise but it had some minor setbacks with more day to day things, like alchemy, so she did not really have any big complaints.
It was not the same with Siesta and Louise. That was probably why Louise liked her so much.
Louise, with the problem of being a Void mage, could only manage small can trips like the silencing spell or creating small light. Sure she could also teleport and enhance her speed that would allow her to pass as a Wind mage, but if she tried anything else, she got varying degree of boom and smoke.
Hit and Run princess; that was what people called her behind her back when they didn't call her useless.
As for Siesta, rune name "The Thunder", she could create borderline square level Lighting spells in a quantity that she had seen only once when Viscount Wardes, captain of the guard, and her own Mother had a rather heated spar.
But apart from that, she couldn't do much more than Louise herself, and she almost entirely owed her remaining here to her Tiger, Raikou.
The tiger had won last year's familiar's fair over Henrietta own river dragon thanks to its incredible speed and agility.
While the third years continued their talk, she was holding a conversation with Shamal and Nachtwal. She had found traces of something from another world and was asking if it was normal.
'Master, your world as no knowledge about advanced devices right?' Shamal asked.
'Device? You mean like NachtWal or Laevatein?' She made sure trying to not lose the flow of her other conversation.
'Yes.'
'At least not in Tristain as far as I know. Why?'
'Because I found traces of a Belkan-made device inside your school in what I believe is the vault." She answered.
'The vault? I went there once. The only thing that didn't seem it was made in Halkegina was the Staff of destruction. Could that be it NachtWal?'
'I think it is. Maybe we could take it. Signum is in need of a blade after all.'
'NO! It is not mine, nor is it the country's property, sadly. It belongs to the academy and I don't think the headmaster would give it away, even on my request.'
'Yes, yes. We should be lying low for now plus I don't think I can break into the vault without triggering the trap layered in it. But it makes me curious. I know we came through a summoning spell but how is that staff here?' Shamal seemed genuinely interested.
'I don't know. I heard that strange thing appears from time to time in the desert of the elves or near its border. Maybe there is something there.'
'... Interesting. Maybe we should go there once.'
'I advise against that. Memory from Master says that we'd require a large group of at least A+ ground mages.'
'And the desert is far too big anyway.' Louise nodded in acknowledgment.
'Not with a wide area search but you're probably right. I don't know how to handle Laevatein yet' Shamal said, 'but we have to do research on possible other Belkan era artifacts or some from other eras even. From what I feel here, most mages aren't really a threat to us but that's mostly due to lack of proper training and inefficient use of magic.'
'What do you mean inefficient?' Louise was obfuscated 'I know your magic is quite powerful, that's part of why I want to learn it, but that magic was given us by god through the founder. It cannot be inefficient.'
'Master, I do not say that the elemental system is inefficient. I meant that the way you take it for granted without trying to improve the way of use is." Shamal said trying to explain.
'Humpf, I still do not see how it is a problem.'
'You see, Elven Magic is not inherently stronger than yours. They just developed spells more complex than yours and use it to develop technology for their society.'
'And how do you know that? That doesn't come from my memory.' Louise said suspiciously.
'It is written in the Book. You should read it. There is a lot of information in it so I can give them to you whenever you need but memorizing them yourself is better. Well, though I am part of you, you will eventually learn them even without but who knows how much time that will take.'
'I will read it. After all, it seems other Void spells appeared since you fused with it.' Louise answered, glossing over the fact that she was one with that strange entity.
'I would advise the same. You can count on us for anything you need to learn for the Belkan one. You will have lessons in the two so it will take time'
'Well, I know all the theoretical magic up to colege level so I don't really need it.' Louise said with pride. She had passed years learning everything she could on magic when she was not training with Henrietta or her mother in something or another. She had even developed a slight insomnia because of it so she was pretty sure she knew anything one could ask about it.
'That will let you time, yes, but I fear master there are a lot of things you need to know to use me correctly. I can use spell but if you do not know the basic of their working there is a real risk of backfire. Don't worry too much. One of Shamal's functions is to help teach you the use of magic.' NachtWal said as Louise start to feel a lot of headache coming on.
'OK, we will see that later. I am staring to get lost and having you talk in front of me will be easier. Or maybe I will start by the void spell.' She heard a hiss when she said that and remembered that those spells seemed to follow their own rule. At least she could read some of them now.
'Understood Master. I will continue to look around and maybe see if I can find something in the library.'
'Master." That was the stern voice of Signum and it seemed she was calling her for some time now. She really had to learn to divide her attention better.
'What is it Signum?' She answered looking for the falcon.
'There is a professor who is calling for you.' Yes it was really urgent.
"Princess, do you hear me? Ah! Dame Henrietta, Miss de Tarbes, is she sleeping?" The professor asked worryingly.
"I don't know. She had been quiet for some time now but I believed it was because we were talking about our third year studies." Siesta answered.
"Ah, sorry professor. I was lost in my thought; you know with my familiar." She said, soothing their unfounded worries as best she could.
"Well, if it's just that then it's okay. In fact, the headmaster would like to talk about that with you along with a few other things." He looked at the bird quizzically "Yes, your familiar seem really fascinating."
'If only you knew.' Louise thought to herself. " I understand, but when will it be?"
"Hehe. Well, there are quite a few things that have to be seen before, like the list of the new familiar and particular curses, but tomorrow morning if it's possible. You have the day free if I remember correctly." The teacher said, still stealing glances at Signum.
"I understand." She then saw the pleading look on Henrietta's face and decided she couldn't withhold information from her anymore. "I will come with my bodyguard if you don't see any problem with it. We may disclose … sensible subject so..."
The professor seemed surprised by the request, even a little obfuscated, but after some time thinking the real reason probably came to him as a small smile found its way on the bald teacher. "Of course Dame Henrietta can come but you could have asked in a more direct manner. After all, we can't imagine having you without her."
Both Louise and Henrietta blushed slightly as Siesta laughed softly.
"Thank you." Louise said smiling.
"No problem, see you tomorrow your highness, Miss Henrietta." The teacher bowed slightly before going back in the direction of the central tower.
...
The rest of the day passed normally. Persuading Henrietta to wait for the next day to get explanation was a little hard but Louise managed to do it.
She rested outside quite some time to be sure everyone saw Signum before she got enough of the constant nagging of her peers and went back to her room, calling back Shamal on the road and informing her of tomorrow's plans.
She still wondered what she would tell them as it mainly depended on what the other party knew. She asked her three new protectors what she should do.
"You are the one to choose Master, and whatever happens, we will go along with you. As you pointed out, it is a sensitive matter." Signum said
"You will have to tell all the truth to your parent, the King and Queen however, but not on paper. Sadly you do not have any telepathy connection with them so you will have to go to them shortly." Shamal continued.
"I know, I was already planning on getting to the castle one the next Void day but I don't know if they will be there with all the negotiations due to the trouble with Albion."
"But really, a magic that belongs only to the founder of your civilization and the Tome for familiar? You are an unlucky one, Master" Signum noted.
"I know, and I still have problem mastering the little power I have." Louise pouted. Had it not been for that fateful day, she would have still been searching for her affinity.
"Do not fear a lack of power master. Your real problem would be more that you have too much power. On raw power alone you are, without me , a S+ mage along with the Void affinity that taints any of your spells, even the Knights are tainted by it in the form of the familiar Rune."
"And you know that because..?" Louise asked. That particular bit of knowledge about her seemed too big to be true, even if it came from a millennia old worlds crushing abomination. Now that she thought about it, she should be far more scared but for now it wasn't important.
"It is written in the Book, You should really read it, it as information that would change your view" That new part of her answered matter of factly. As she thought, there was something fishy about her, other than being what she was.
"I don't know. I am afraid I will learn thing I don't want to know." That much was very true. It was the founder's Journal after all; they might be shocking truth in it and as much as she was wary of the church, she still wanted to believe in their teaching.
"You will know it eventually, but I repeat myself," She really had a strange way of thinking.
"Still, S+ rank, the first thing I will teach you will probably be restraint." Shamal was quite amazed at her master possibility and light of hope seemed too bright in the scholar looking knight.
"As for me, I will help you better your magic-less capacity and melee fighting with those two swords." The image of the longs red spears came back in Louise mind.
"So, heavy and hurtful training right?" Signum nodded. Yes, if she was to rein in NachtWal, she had to know how to use those. She knew a little of sword fight thank to her mother, enough to know she was better than the new recruit of the guard by a lot in fact.
By the way, now that she had time to take a look at both Signum and Shamal they looked like people she knew all too well. They look like her own parents as they were depicted on the wall painting back at the house. Taking that Shamal was a lot more feminine that her father, but the stature was almost the same in both cases.
"And talking about a fight, I think it is time you give us our armor."
"Armor, Well you are Knight so I suppose I do have to give you one, but I don't have any here." Louise said, a little ashamed she had not thought about it before. Those revealing black clothes weren't fit at all for them now that they were hers.
"That won't be a problem; our clothes and armor are like your Barrier Jacket." Shamal tentatively explained but Louise didn't see what she meant.
"Just think about them, their power will make the rest "NachtWal clarified for them.
"Ah, I understand, just wait... That should be good" She had sent the latter on the telepathic link along with her ideas.
"Very well master" The Pink-haired general bowed. Like that, she really reminded her of her mother in her younger days.
"Uh... If I may, could I have less plate on it? You may be used to it, Signum. It suits your style but I think it's too heavy for me." The blond asked, visibly disturbed.
"If you say so. You know better than me what suit you I suppose. I just thought that with a sword you might need something on the heavier side ... Here would that be okay?" Louise sent her new plan of what should be a proper light armor.
"Yes, very much. I will bear it with pride."
This chapter was Beta'd By AlphaWolf45m Thank to him
Note: what's right and what's wrong if I want to get better. And if I get better you get better stories
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Fragment of Ring.