A message from the author!

I would like to first thank everyone who has read this on the opening week and have dropped off a review. Of course, I also thank those who have favorited and followed the story. I did not expect this story or the main character to be so welcomed.

Having that said, a number of people have told me it would be best if I leave this alone and make it a Oneshot. I will have to decline. As I had said on the previous chapter, this story is for MY benefit. As selfish and rude as it is, it is the truth and I will not deny it. So I say again, whether the story is liked or not is up to the viewers. I like it, so therefore I will continue it.

I also would like to apologize if the first chapter was OC heavy with all of the unexplained lore. As I said, this was all intentional. Certain things will be explained at some point. Others won't be.

I will also be keeping my author notes to a bare minimum. Some chapters won't have them unless something important needs to be addressed. For now, I will say there is no 'epic' battles in this one. This chapter is mostly character development and to progress the story. I will say next chapter for sure will be the Foquette arc.

I thank all of you for reading this story and even more so for continuing.

Now, on with the show!

"Magic has an intricate set of rules, guidelines, restrictions, and countless other laws to define its purpose. Magic isn't really like the kind you find in stories. It's more of a science- everything can be explained and replicated by alternative resources. But Sorcery? Well, take everything you learned- all of your math, your experiments, and the years of practice and experience spent to gain your potential with magic- and throw it out the window. Because Sorcery doesn't need ANY of those things."

Chapter 2

I am Not a Familiar

"You're a Noble?"

Forty-seven minutes of absolute silence from Louise and she chooses to break the silence with that opening question. I'd be a liar if I said I was worried on why she had been quiet for so long. She had followed me out of the Vestry Court like a lost dog— to which I would have laughed at the irony if I wasn't in such a bad mood from the so-called duel.

We were sitting in one of the small white-draped tables placed on the lawn of another section of the castle. This area had a number of similar tables set up with the familiars from yesterday roaming around without supervision. Siesta, having seen the entire duel, had filled me in saying this section was reserved for the second-year students who had summoned their familiars. Their classes had been put on hold so that they may spend the day with their newly acquired pets. I instead found it to the ideal place to talk given the amount of isolation this place had despite its intended use.

Simply, no student dared to come near me after witnessing my match with Guiche. That, and the white Jinni Sentinel sitting on the floor with its massive sword resting on its lap could still intimidate anyone who would come near. Those who had been unable to witness it due to their own reasons still kept their distance. The rumors of 'the Zero's Square Mage' spread like fire, much like how anything ever does in high school. I questioned how word traveled so well without the use of modern communication technologies.

Magic, I told myself.

Still, I didn't quite understand what it meant to be a Square Mage. I had a small theory but had to confirm it with either Louise or a professional magician. Louise said Guiche was a Dot Mage. Therefore, did it mean Dot Mages were the weakest while Square Mages were the strongest? Or were there other shapes in which define the potential of a magician?

Another thing that peeved me… Siesta. She had seen the duel and had witnessed my feats of magic. Not only that, but she had also heard my departing words from the child magicians. Ever since then, there was a great deal of fear in however she addressed me. I had never changed the way in which I spoke to her, but she continued to reply with calling me 'Sir' or 'Your Highness'.

Regardless, I asked her to bring my summoner and I a meal. But Siesta took it like an order and frantically ran to the kitchens with all haste. Louise had yet to have breakfast and I didn't like to curve my appetite with pure sunlight. Not to mention eating cake for breakfast— the snack which was going to be provided for the magicians and their familiars should they have gathered here— would have been terrible in health and appetite.

She had brought back, and this is no pun intended, a meal fit for a king. I held back a groan and stopped her before she was about to pour me a glass of what was obviously their finest wine by the way it sparkled magically in the sunlight. She shrieked and begged for my forgiveness, to which I couldn't hold back the groan any further.

From that started an endless cycle of her begging for forgiveness while I tried to maintain my sanity.

I had never forgotten about the teaching staff who had watched the duel. I had grown agitated they had yet to reveal themselves even as one of their students were about to be killed. There were sure to be a thousand reasons why they did not intervene, an endless amount of possibilities ranging from political to even prophetical, but their lack of presence other than observation irked me.

I unraveled their scry spell and raised a barrier of concealment so that no observation spell could see or hear our conversation. I had hoped by doing this someone would come out of their hiding hole to meet me— at least to hide in the shadows and spy on me personally. But nothing came as my detection weaves did not pick anything up. There was also a possibility the faculty wasn't powerful enough to deal with me and was waiting on officers or special force to deal with me. Just in case, I did not power-down from the duel. No matter how uncomfortable it was to contain such potential, it was a necessary precaution.

I bent three forks, snapped my knife in two, and had split two dishes into thirds as I was unable to maintain my physical control. You try doing everyday tasks with twenty-two times your normal strength. Nonetheless, I refused Siesta's insistence to bring me another plate. I hate wasting food, especially such ludicrously expensive meals.

It was by this point, nearly done with my breakfast, did Louise finally speak.

To which I retorted, "A Noble is one who is blessed by Founder Brimir, given the gift of magic, and has absolute authority over those who do not possess it." I put my fork down only to tap my finger irritably on the table instead. "Is this true, Louise?"

Louise, however, had not touched her meal in the slightest. Her complexion was pale as her eyes were red and puffy. She had not cried, but she had also been trying to hold it in. She looked to be someone who had done a terrible sin and was trying to comfort herself into falsely believing everything was going to be okay. I had seen that look before. In fact, I have experienced those feelings when I took my first life.

However she would expect no sympathy from me. If she can be upset over something as shallow as this, she had yet to learn her lesson.

She gave me one nod.

"Well then," I shrugged as I reached for my cup of tea. I refused any of the wine. One, because it was magically enhanced by a 'Water Mage', as Siesta told me; I have little idea what it would do to my body should I digest it. Two, I was still a few years below the legal drinking age back on Earth. "There you have it. I am not a Noble."

"But…" Louise rose out of her seat but found whatever words she was about to protest were lost. Rather, she didn't have the words to argue against me to begin with. She wanted to, but didn't know how.

I sipped my tea while waiting patiently for her to find those words. A good hardy stare from me seemed more than enough to motivate her. The porcelain cup did not shatter at my intense grip. Rather, perhaps because I was dealing with an object made of porcelain; my body already knew how to handle it. Ever since becoming a King, I had worked with synthesized porcelain countless times.

She fidgeted, sat back down in her seat, and spoke without directly looking at me. "But… You claimed to be a king. That couldn't have been a lie, was it? You performed Square-class magic without a wand. O-Only the Royal Family can perform Hexagon magic and magic without a wand is greatly reduced so I thought…"

Her eyes shifted over towards my idle Sentinel. The white and silver knight did not move in the slightest, though it knew it was being looked at by her.

Oh. So there's a Hexagon in this system now? What's next? Polygon magic?

Before I could put my tea down and provide a response, Louise's body went frigid. If she was pale then, she was ghastly white now as her eyes were wide through some epiphany. Cautiously, ever so slowly as if to not startle me, her gaze shifted from the corner of the table to meet mine. "Unless… Y-You're a F-Firstborn?"

In the corner of my eye I had noticed Siesta had gotten just as still. Her grip on the tray tightened enough for her knuckles to turn white. There was newfound fear coming from both of these two girls, worse than a Commoner would when confronted by a Noble.

"…I have no idea what that is," I dryly replied.

Louise gradually began to recollect herself. It was slow and took a few minutes. However, when she was ready to say more, she continued to keep her guard up. Her eyes narrowed in the slightest with skepticism. "…Firstborns are creatures such as elves and vampires, among other beasts and humanoid things either hiding or outside Halkegenia. Unlike mages like myself, their magic is that of the Firstborn— they control the spirits to do their bidding."

I wanted to snicker, but held it back. Elves and vampires. Among other beasts yatta, yatta, yatta. What a fun world this is. So, from what Louise just said, instead of the magicians of this world who use the planet's natural energies, these 'Firstborns' use some sort of higher being to influence nature rather than making it bend. Such as spirits who maintain the rules of nature such as wind, river flows, volcanic pressure, growth of plants, etc.

So, they were users of Nature magic. Well then…

"Based on your description, I am no such thing," I assured her with a nod.

"…Just like how you're not a Noble?"

I nodded a second time.

Louise shifted in her seat. Her face scrunched up in confusion as I could see the metaphorical gears turn in her head. "You are a mage, but you are not a Noble. You can perform Square-class magic without a wand but you say you are not a Firstborn. And you claim to be a king, yet, again, you claim to be no Noble."

I did not assure her, only rolled my wrist in a gesture for her to continue her thoughts.

To which she slammed her palms on the table and shouted, "Then what in Brimir's name are you?!"

"Different," was my calm answer, but I will not deny my brows furrowed at her tone. I had to remember she was just a child, soon to be a teenager, and didn't know quite well how to control her emotions. Also, my answer had been, quite possibly, the most accurate term I could have called myself.

These magicians use nothing but Lesser, possibly Higher magic. They forced the energies of the planet to fuel their spells— through foci no less! And Louise says magic is tremendously weaker without a wand… It meant these people barely knew anything about magic. I, on the other hand, knew exactly where my magic comes from as well as how to use it to its fullest potential. Their greatest spells could be my fundamentals. And it was from that large gap could I be seen as something so far advanced in spellcraft that I was beyond understanding.

Different was a good word.

I wasn't done. I cut off her retort by raising my left hand and exposing its back. Her eyes quickly moved over and traced the runes I was showing her. "…And apparently your familiar."

I let her swim in her emotions as I took the last bite of my breakfast. Louise fell into her seat as her eyes followed where I rested my hand on the table. Her face lost its complexion once more as she realized we had returned to the crucial point: she had summoned someone of political power.

I had not missed the thousand-yard-stare. She was recollecting the past twenty-four hours from all the things she tried to make me do to how she treated me since being summoned. As the silence stretched out, I saw her eyes gradually widen and jaw go slack.

I leaned forward in my chair. My tone becoming hard, "I'll make a deal with you, Vallière." Her eyes focused on me but she did not perk up. She believed I was going to do unspeakable evils to her to have my vengeance. Tempting as it was, no. "You have questions for me. I know nothing about this place since being summoned save for the building and its purpose. Let us deal with other matters after. For now, I shall ask you a question and I expect you to answer me to your fullest. In exchange, ask what you want and I shall do much the same. We shall do this until both our needs are met. As of this moment, you and I are strangers. We begin with a clean slate. Do you understand?"

"…Y-Yes, Sir—"

"Strangers, Louise," I reminded her as I leaned back for Siesta to clean up my mess and then serve me a piece of shortcake. This time I took a moment to increase the durability of my fork with a minor weave. "My name is Artemis."

She blinked and tilted her head as she thought about my words. She ended up nodding once after a moment.

"Now then," I paused to collect my thoughts. I had finally achieved what I wanted but now that I have it I'll admit I don't know where to begin. I suppose I would have to push all my curiosity aside and ask the absolute crucial questions. "I know what a familiar is— or at least enough. I can also fathom the sealing of the bond was through the incantation and by directly transferring your… whatever you call your magic energy through the kiss." She blushed. I ignored it and concluded, "My question is: what are these…?"

I raised the back of my hand once more. As soon as her kiss had been complete, some spell had used my own energies to fuel itself and etch runes into the back of my hand. By burning my flesh from the inside, no less. A normal spell would have burnt itself out by battling my resistances. However, this seemed like no mediocre spell if my own body had seen it as a part of itself during the inscribing process. Only my consciousness knew it didn't belong and it ended up with me battling my own body.

"Those are the familiar runes," she answered almost immediately. There had only been a small pause as her eyes lingered on what else the back of my hand had. "They're what bind the familiar to the mage, giving full obedience even against the most wild and ferocious of beasts. It is the direct link between them and the mage. Through it, we can command the familiar to perform tasks as though they were trained to do so and the mage can also look through the eyes of the familiar. Also, it compels the familiar to never betray the mage and to defend them from any harm."

Except, I don't do any of that. She couldn't force me to do anything, there was no direct link between us like how there were between the other students and their familiars, and if she so much as tried to look through my eyes I would expel her immediately. However, it would explain those earlier feelings for wanting to do something to the students who mocked Louise. I had felt an urge to smack them, not uncommon but also something I wouldn't do unless it was something serious like what Guiche tried to pull with Siesta.

I frowned. Though nowhere near strong enough for me to become 'obedient', the runes were trying to allure me into be in a good mood for her. It only irritated me further.

She wanted to ask about the winged tattoos on the back of my hand. She really did. I could see her eyes tracing around the geometric knots forming draconic wings around the runes. The marks that made up the Gift of Craft weren't normal tattoos after all. Normal tattoos don't glow in a dim light and move with my pulse.

Instead, she drove off her curiosity and asked something else. "Artemis… What are you? What are you really?"

"I meant it when I said I was a King," I began. My eyes closed as I thought of how to address this further. The explanation would take some time, so I drained the last of my tea to clear my throat. "However, I'm more than sure the concept of what it means to be a King differs from our worlds."

She scowled, almost glaring at me as if I was treating her like a fool.

"You summoned me from another world, Louise," my tone was serious and sharp. I reset my face to neutrality before she misunderstood my intent. "Now, here with the status of Nobility and the Royal Family, there is no doubt you people have a king and queen in your system. Those are monarchs in which rule by blood and because, what was it Siesta, they are direct descendants of Founder Brimir?"

"Y-Yes, sir," Siesta jumped, believing I had forgotten about her this whole time.

I frowned at Siesta's programmed response but went back to the magician in front of me. "Louise, I have a kingdom I rule over and defend its borders, I have… citizens to rule, watch, and guide, and I have a position of power to make the rules and to enforce them however I see fit. However, that does not mean I am the same thing as the Royal Family of your world."

Her brows were so scrunched together they were beginning to twitch. She looked so horrendously confused. I wonder if that's what I looked like when all of this was explained to me.

"I am one of the five Kings of Ilyvander. In my world, the title of King is taken by one who stands highest in the pinnacle of power. They are the absolute most powerful and cannot be challenged by anyone. Those who have obtained such powers hardly care about the matters of the state because they usually ascend to more… otherworldly affairs. However, the lesser tend to flock towards these unfathomable beings and try to be in their best of graces. Kings have been seen as gods, rulers, heroes, and the like since the earliest recordings of Ilyvander. But never once has a King actually been a monarch."

She grimaced. "So you're not really a monarch, just a barbarian conqueror."

I shook my head. "No, Louise. My power is my own and I have earned the title of King, but at the same time it was given to me through a highly complex conspiracy… that went wrong on their end, anyways. Also, no King in my world is a conqueror. To be a conqueror would mean one has conquered something, wouldn't it?"

"Hmph," Louise pressed her lips together. "Because the people 'flock' together like moths to a flame? It's still a position of you having a power that says 'bow to me or else'."

I couldn't hold back the bitter smile. "You see, Louise…" I picked up the teacup once more but never pressed it to my lips. I had also forgotten I had emptied it. I suppose I had done it just to distract myself. "My world is dead. Sure there is life, but it is false. The world consists of homunculi, spirits, abominations, lingering residue of the previous world, and…"

My eyes shifted over to the Sentinel. In return, the faceless Jinni turned its head towards my direction like an eager pup happy to have its master's attention.

It sickened me. Barely born and already it was so desperate for my love. And I had an entire kingdom filled with millions of them. One of the many flaws of this Sorcery.

"I am no ruler like that of your Royal Family," I returned to Louise. "My role is the same, but I don't rule over people with individualities. I program things mimicking human personalities to carry out their duties until they burn out. They have intelligence, if it can be called that, but they lack the core of what makes it a self-thinking being. They can act like you or Siesta, can smile and frown just the same, can react to situations of any sort— but they cannot… imagine. They can only do what they already know. Optimizing, never creating.

"I am a King. But I am not a lawmaker. I am a creator, their foster father to the older generation and real father of the next generation I have crafted since taking the position. I am Godking Dalang, Artemis James Philips; Lord of the Djinn."

Dalang. It was… Arabic, if I remember. It was also the closest Earth language my father spoke before he was a summoned Champion on Ilyvander. That's right… he wasn't originally from Ilyvander. On Earth, it meant Puppeteer. But its meaning from whatever place my father came from wasn't too far off.

Doll Maker.

"…Godking?" Louise asked with obvious distaste in her tone. She wouldn't be the first. Many people back on Earth who participated in the Godking's Rite had condemned the Djinn and my father for being heretical.

I let Louise soak in the information. She had another question on the tip of her tongue, but I raised her hand to cut her off. I could already guess what she was going to ask as she was staring intently at my Sentinel. It was my turn to ask a question, however. At the same time, Siesta refilled my cup and topped it with a fresh lemon slice.

"The Springtime Familiar Ritual is to, obviously, summon one's familiar. Since you doubt I come from another world, I'm assuming most familiars come from all over the globe instead. And, guessing from the way your peers look at you to how you react to them, you were trying to summon something to prove them wrong. I was once your age too, you know, and not that long ago.

"Guessing from how everyone believes you botched the summoning, or perhaps couldn't do it to begin with, and had to hire someone to play the part of your familiar, I'm assuming summoning a human is unheard of. Don't answer— that's not the question. Rather, to get to the point, what will you do with me now that I am bound to you? You were expecting a pet, and treated me like one, but instead ended up with another human being like yourself who has his own opinion and freewill."

I closed my eyes, leaned back, and cupped my hands close to my chest as I awaited her reply. I kept my face neutral so to not influence her answer. I wanted to hear what she really wanted, not to appease to me because I was a magician of higher aptitude.

"I… I don't know…"

I opened my eyes, only to find her head bowed with her bangs covering her eyes. She didn't seem able to respond after that.

I sighed. "I have a follow-up question, then. What will you do if I found a way to remove the bond—"

"You can't!" Louise shrieked, stood, and slammed her hands onto the table before I could finish the second half of my question. She was not outraged, for once. Instead, this was the look of a defeated and desperate girl who had been threatened her last prized possession was about to slip through her grip. Someone who had nothing except the smallest speck of hope— a flame doomed to die out at the smallest disturbance.

"You…" she bowed her head again as she slowly sank back into her chair. "You're… You're my familiar…"

…It would seem I was wrong in my assumptions. Spoiled? Oh, she still was. But she was not rotten. She understood the value of things. Riches and pleasantries of the highest kind were given to her, but there in that was the problem. They were given to her.

Summoning me might have been her crowning achievement. She could have summoned her intended pet, perhaps even something as small and insignificant as a housefly, and Louise would have the same reaction. It was something she had achieved by her own, not something given to her. And by the looks of her desperation, it might have been the only thing she had gained on her own.

Suddenly, her personality made sense to me. There never was a rotten girl who believed she stood higher than everyone else. Here was a girl who flaunted her so-called superiority because she was afraid of losing her moment and didn't know how to hold on to it. And how could she? It was much like chasing a life-long dream. Once you achieve it, what do you do next?

This girl was broken and constantly stepped on. She was at the absolute bottom of the tier. To her peers, she was hardly anything other than something to mock for fun. And she didn't have the means to defend herself against them. She was a pretty face with a pedigree, but nothing to her name. Nothing.

A Zero.

I blinked as now I saw the meaning behind her nickname.

I asked Siesta to leave us. She nodded in understanding and went back to the staff facilities. I also commanded the Sentinel to leave us, though there was no point as it had sentience but no intelligence to hold a conversation. Nonetheless, its presence was similar to a human's. What Louise needed was a moment to be alone.

"Louise… You need to learn to stand on your own," I began. She didn't lift her head. No one would. These were not words of comfort. "At one point I must return home. I could never be your familiar."

"But… I…"

Another sigh, I put down the tea before I could drink it. "Be that as it may, I have no problems taking the time to assist you on your progress."

Slowly, her head rose.

One of the most important rules when Travelling— possibly the most important— was to never influence the affairs of another world. For example, one does not Travel to a world where swords are still used and start handing out guns to one specific country. What I was offering was something similar and just as potentially dangerous. I might have a Guardian on my ass any second now just for proposing it.

My example was spot-on because it was exactly how it was. These people use foci and nothing save for species of the Fae could use wandless magic at full potential. I could do that and more.

Or I could just be full of myself. She could be decent with her magic and her peers might just be putting her down because of her age or some other stupid teenage reason. She might not even need my help and I'm just painting a target on myself for no reason.

"…At least until you learn to stand up for yourself," I concluded after that dreadfully long pause.

"You mean…" hope filled her eyes. "You'll teach me your magic?"

"Oh good God no!" The sheer idea of teaching her how to weave would definitely get a Guardian to appear and kill me where I sat. That was several tiers above her world's magic, even according to those Firstborn's.

Plus, I have no idea if my magic can be taught. I'm not willing to try either.

I coughed to clear my throat as well as to settle my nerves. "I'm saying I know a lot about magic and have leagues of research in several fields. My magic is far too different for you to be able to comprehend and it would mean I would have to teach you things to teach you other things, to teach you other things, to teach you other things and it will go on for about ten more times until you're ready to begin to practice it."

Not necessarily a lie… but it was an extreme exaggeration at the same time.

"My next question," Louise blurted out before I could continue. "How were you able to perform Square-class magic? I don't want to hear the theories. I want to know why you can use such high-level spells without a wand. I don't believe you are from another world. I'm only assuming you come from a far off land unheard of— probably beyond the Rub'al Khali desert and possess heretical magic not of the Brimir faith."

I shouldn't be surprised to be called a heretic (or that she didn't believe me). I was given the title of Godking, after all. But for my magic to be heretical? Now that kinda hurt…

"My magic…?" I couldn't help but look up at the afternoon sun at this question. My Spirit had long replenished itself and was keeping a stable flow as I continued to channel the spells and wards I put up during this little chat. The sun continued to shine, granting me a sort of warmth indescribable. Oh yes, the sun is warm, no duh. Any creature would know that.

But to me, the sun was something more. Its rays filled me with a feeling I could never explain. Love? Hope? Passion? None of these things, but something extremely similar.

I also took the time to ponder on how to address this matter. I knew she was curious. I was just as much regarding this world's magic. I wanted to see how much it had progressed and if there was anything different at all. This seemed to be an entire worldwhich revolved on who had the greater magic, with those leading having the most potent. There was just the matter on how to begin this long-winded elaboration.

"My magic derives from the sun," I began. "The energy from its rays is something we call Spirit…"

And so began a basic thesis lecture on the fundamentals of my magic system to a girl who was more eager to hear about it than I had been. She absorbed everything like a sponge and at times when something was too hard for her to understand she would ask the occasional question or requested for me to specify a little better. She accepted my magic was, indeed, different (but continued to use the word heretical). I could also see the hope in her eyes that she could learn it, though I doubt she ever could.

I talked about Spirit. I talked about weaving. I talked about the different styles of magic and techniques I acquired from my Djinn.

I told her I was an Archmage, one who directly bends the direct world.

And then I told her I was also a Sorcerer, one who directly defies the direct world.

The discussions regarding my two Sorceries— Doll Maker and Reverse— went on as she took in as much knowledge as she possibly could.

*Scene*

Well, I would have to say the last day and a half was… entertaining. Not a single moment was boring. Since the day before, as Louise and I continued to chat at the tables, we learned a lot about each other. I learned she was the third and youngest daughter of Duke and Duchess Vallière. Her mother was once renowned and feared as Karin the Heavy Wind during her service in the Tristain military and is confirmed to be the most powerful Wind mage in all of Tristain's history. Her father… had no such outstanding credentials; but the two had married for love, at least.

Her father was also the previous king's brother, making Louise a princess. However, she fully rejected— blurted out with swinging fists more like— that she was no such thing. Regardless, I pointed out that she did have blood of the Royal Family and should, in theory, be able to cast this so-called Hexagon magic.

Louise was quiet for a while after that.

I also learned her little anti-magic attack from the night before had been an attempted silencing spell. Even I was completely baffled by this. The spell should have made me mute, but instead somehow turned into a high-grade translation spell. Rather than me speaking and understanding the Not-French of Tristanian, Louise's words were in French— the last language I spoke to her with— while she heard I was speaking in her native tongue. I switched out and spoke in English and German. The results were the same; Louise's words were responded in the respective languages without her noticing the difference.

And then there was the anti-magic property of her fluke of a spell. I told her I put up a magic defense barrier and it shattered with no resistance. Anti-magic can't under any circumstances mix itself in with magic. They're like oil and water. Yet, somehow, Louise had been able to do just that when she struck me with an anti-magic brick.

Until I learned more about the magic of this world, I wouldn't be able to give her a proper theory.

The next few hours after that were spent chatting about miscellaneous things. I learned about Tristain, its neighboring countries, the rebellion in the floating isle of Albion, and about the elves across the Rub'al Khali desert. At the same time, I indulged her curiosity by telling her about some of the Djinn families in my kingdom. I told her about the Bladeworks, Tailor, Carnage, Cleric, Baker, Pyro, and Brewer families. When asked if I had any families responsible for the research and development of magic, I told her about the two most prestigious: the Alyse and Rose families.

And it's not because both my Alyse and Rose were members of their respective families. Why, that would insinuate I have favorites.

I don't have such a luxury. My girls would murder my 'favorite' as soon as one popped up and call it an unfortunate accident, even if I was watching them dig their knives into her back.

Moving on, by the time we were satisfied with each other's stories, it was time to have dinner at the Alviss Hall. I wasn't eager to return there, but at the same time was anticipating it. I removed all my wards and powered-down my magic to its bare minimum as soon as I entered the hall. Naturally, the students kept their distance from us. Louise didn't seem to be bothered by this, but instead found this to be a nice change of pace. I couldn't understand as they were isolating her more than usual, but perhaps she was just glad they weren't ridiculing her for once. Things will have to change before this isolation loses its splendor.

My anticipations were crushed. Evening came and still not a single member of the faculty approached me. Surely for being such a prestigious academy for the next generation of those who will rule over Tristain the academy would have some sort of security. But there was nothing. No teachers and no guards.

I did not miss the scrying spell, however. Two times I unraveled it without so much as having to look at it. But by the third time when I was walking Louise back to her room, I had grown tired. I spun and glared directly into the supposedly undetectable spell. It was invisible and carried no traces of magical interference, but my eyes through the String World had picked up pattern changes in the world. I was getting annoyed the only thing those in charge were doing was observing me.

Looking directly through the scrying spell so that the bearded old man knew I was staring back at him, I raised my hand and unraveled his work. It was meant to challenge him to meet me face-to-face.

After that, I left Louise by herself and told her I would return to wake her up, for sure this time, at dawn for her classes. She insisted I stay in her room and would have asked to bring a mat for me to lie in other than the hay. I argued against it, saying it wouldn't be right for me to stay in the same room as her. I would find my own accommodations. But I didn't leave her without protection. I wove a few wards when she wasn't paying attention in the chance the faculty would dare to come to her first before approaching me.

I found Guiche returning from the Alviss Hall to head to his dormitories. I grabbed him by his collar, didn't bother addressing him, and dragged him back down the stairwell. Literally dragged him. He had been furious at someone doing this to him, but then screamed like a little girl when he found out that someone was me. His hand was in a brace and there was a wrapping of bandages around his neck where I had pricked him with Solstice.

I found a random maid, named Clarissa, and told her Guiche was to assist the help in anything they had to do and that he was not to take any breaks or be relieved of his duties until midnight. Guiche protested, spewing some nonsense about how someone like him shouldn't stoop so low as to perform the tasks of the Commoners.

Solstice appeared in my grip. The shimmering blade that had tasted his blood got him to shut up and comply. Good. As extra measures, I told the maid to come to me should Guiche misbehave. The poor girl had been so frightened about instructing a Noble on what to do that she had almost refused my request.

I replied that if he had no use then I might as well kill him. Both Guiche and Clarissa screamed in equally high-pitch tones. They got the picture and hurried away.

I ran into Siesta a bit later, started a small chat with her, and quickly found out the laundry she was carrying in her basket belonged to Louise. It started an argument. I had offered to bring it to Louise's room for Siesta but she insisted she should do it herself because it was her job. And she muttered more nonsense about me being a King and not needing to do this and that. But I insisted, stole the basket out of her grip, and ran off before she could stop me.

It wasn't until I was around the corner of Louise's room did I run into the most obscure and awkward roadblock. I'm not saying the giant red lizard with a flame-lit tail was the roadblock. No, I'm saying the events that followed after this creature tackled me and began to drag me to the den of its master were awkward.

I didn't fight it because I had seen this familiar the day before. Therefore, this was just something one of the students was trying to pull, more than likely one of Guiche's friends who thought they could get the drop on me or whatever. So I went along with it… while still holding on to the laundry basket.

The lizard dragged me to a dark room lit only by candlelight. Before I could so much as stand, the door was shut and the flames of the candles suddenly grew just a little brighter.

Her name was Kirche von Zerbst the Ardent, as she introduced herself while lying in an obscene pose on her bed. Tan skin, neon red hair, cat-like gold eyes, an hourglass figure, a savory smile, and dressed in exotic underwear I didn't think this world knew yet how to make. She gave quite the winded speech about how she was so moved by my feats of strength against Guiche, how she burned for me, how she… so on and so forth.

My brows were twitching the entire time. Her words were cute, but they were shallow, hollow, and would die out by the morning. I had heard all of this in high school. It had been sweet and a boost to my ego, but that was when I was younger. Though I'm not that much older, I have no interest in a one-night-stand like what she was trying to pull. I had something special back home and I didn't want to step on it with things like this.

That, and something like this was something only Lolifor would have gone along with. And I refuse to be anything like the little turd.

I made sure to keep the basket between the two of us.

So before she could finish her still rambling speech, I declined her offer to 'burn our passions together' or whatever it was she said. I told her I wasn't interested. But still she persisted, crossing her arms under her bust to plump them up. She was skilled and knew what to do in order to draw the attention of any warm-blooded male. It only made me more sick. So I tried a little harder and told her she wasn't interesting. She was left in such a state of shock she accused me of swinging for the other team. My only reply was to say I like modesty over… well, I didn't say exactly what it was. One appraising glance at what she was wearing was the only clue.

I left after that.

Dropping off the laundry while Louise was sleeping and checking the status of my wards, I shrugged and decided to spend the rest of the night with the help until I could find accommodations for myself.

Never found them. I ended up helping Siesta until midnight and then napping down by the same tree as before while my Sentinel sat beside me. As instructed, at what could only be assumed to be four in the morning, it stirred me awake with a mental alarm clock.

And then twenty minutes later…

"GET UP GUICHE!" I kicked open the Noble's door, forcing both him and his familiar mole to jump in surprise. It wasn't very hard to find him with a simple weave and plus a drip of his blood had touched Solstice. But let it be known I am considerate. I made a few wards to block off excessive noise so that no one else sleeping in the hall would awake.

I pulled him out of bed, made him get dressed, and dragged him by his collar once more all the way to the staff facilities. I wanted to make this as humiliating as possible.

Without the modern technologies of Earth, meals had to be prepared hours in advance. I had ordered my Sentinel to wake me as soon as it noticed the staff starting to get the day ready. I had no idea they started so damn early though. All the better for Guiche though, I suppose.

We met with the head-chef, a broad shouldered man with a kept beard… with a name I couldn't possibly pronounce despite my fluency in French. He knew exactly who I was by first glance and immediately started to praise me for being someone of worth standing up to Nobles for the Commoners. It would seem Siesta had been talking…

Nonetheless, I requested of Martou— Marthou— Marteau— Matou— fudge it, Martin if Guiche could work in the kitchens and serve breakfast to all of his peers. Guiche argued he didn't want to be seen among the serving staff by his fellow students. I reminded Guiche his opinion didn't hold any value. Martin laughed at this idea and said it would be a splendid idea. He put the boy to work immediately. I like this man already.

I helped them for a few hours, and then left the scene to wake Louise like I promised. There had been no activity from the wards I set up, which meant no one other than I had crossed them. It was both good and bad. Good because no one had tried anything with Louise. Bad because, well, no one had tried anything. I was beginning to wonder if the faculty even cared about their students.

Louise was a difficult child. She tossed and turned a few times, snoozed a few minutes, and then got out of bed grumbling incoherent insults towards me. Still half asleep, her half-open eyes gazed up at me without any recognition. She brushed it off muttering something about me just being her familiar. She then ordered me to dress her while yawning at the same time.

I made sure to make a weave to keep any noise locked inside the room first. Picking up a pair of panties, because Louise is one of those weird ones who sleep with nothing underneath, I held them out for her to slip into. One leg at a time as she held onto my shoulders, and then I slowly lifted them up her legs.

And pulled.

Her scream would have woken the dead had I not silenced the room… but I should have done the same to my ears. I forgot the shrill of a young girl could shatter glass.

"You awake yet, Louise?" I asked with a dead stare as she had been lifted up to my height.

She couldn't say anything as gravity was now her worst enemy.

I put her down and we had a talk about her new morning routine. Rather, I was the one talking, she was the one throwing things at me. We went over from now on I would wake her but she would have to pamper and dress herself. She argued it was the duty of a familiar to obey the master and as such I should dress her when told to. It would seem the events of yesterday had already slipped her mind.

This time I threatened to go to the library and take a leak on some of the more expensive books. Because, as her familiar, I'm just a dog who doesn't know any better. She called my bluff and so I just turned away and started to head for the door. Dread filled her and she grabbed my arm and said she understood.

The idea had reminded me that there wasn't any indoor plumbing installed in the castle. I had to do my business in a room very much like a port-a-potty, where I go inside a waste bin and after a certain amount of time the staff empties it… wherever they dispose of waste. It was gross and very unhygienic. But it also made me wonder how other needs were met, such as washing, brushing teeth, and especially bathing. I could get away with it now and then with a few weaves… but I don't think Louise took a bath yesterday and she didn't seem willing to do so today…

So I asked when her last bath was. Her response was to throw a chair at me and to mind my own business. I pressed further and told her she needed to take a bath; it wasn't healthy for her to go so long without one (especially in these backwater times). She argued with she did take more baths than most of the girls at the academy.

…Once a week.

The sheer grossness made me shiver. I couldn't speak. Instead, I pulled the sheets off her bed, used them to cover her, and turned it into a makeshift sack as I hoisted her over my shoulder. She fought and shouted at me to release her and said taking too many baths so frequently wasn't healthy, that it opened the pores and let disease inside.

Victorian hygiene logic… gross.

A question to Kirche who was starting to leave her room, I quickly found the indoor bathhouse located at the bottom floor in the western wing. And, my God, it was ridiculous in size. It was more like an indoor Olympic pool with hot water pouring out of statues and the floors decked with polish marble.

My brows twitched. These people did have indoor plumbing but only used it for filtering the bath. Which is a good idea. But if only they used it for everything else…

Without warning, I swung the sack, opened it, and used the momentum to fling Louise into the bath. Before she could argue with me, I wove her mouth shut and told her to wash up. I would return with her clothes shortly and I won't remove the weave until she was spotless.

A few hours later, I found the morning's events to be pointless. She and I were coated in soot.

My assumptions on why the students call Louise 'the Zero' had been correct, with more information to add into it. Not only was Louise the bottom of the tier of popularity with her class (possibly the entire school altogether), but she was at the bottom of her performances as well. Louise was brilliant, and had been able to answer any question the professors had in the classes I followed her into. But her spellwork had been lacking.

Case and point: when she had attempted to transmute a simple rock into copper, the rock exploded, sending fragments in every direction, and the concussion force of the spell knocked the observing professor senseless. It was so strong the desk the rock had been on had split into several chunks and the shockwave shattered the glass windows. Louise stood unharmed with the exception of her body coated with soot and her clothes in tatters, barely covering her modesty. Perhaps her own magic couldn't harm her, though I wonder how she had been able to avoid the fragments and splinters of wood flying everywhere.

Even I should have listened to the students who had 'warned' the professor. I say this as I pluck a few fragments of the shattered rock out of my Craven magic hardened skin. At first I thought they were just mocking her and putting her down much like how most bullies do to the unpopular kid. They even ducked for cover behind their desks in unison. My only clue something was about to go wrong was seeing a blue-haired student who had never said a word of ridicule get up and walk out the door.

Mrs. Chevreuse, the professor in charge of the Earth magic lecture, was taken to the healing quarters while Louise was instructed by another professor to clean up the mess she caused. She accepted responsibility without her normal fuss, which meant she had done this more than enough times to fall into a routine. She went straight to the door in the back of the room and pulled out a mop and bucket.

As Louise and I (and Guiche, whom I forced to remain) cleaned up the soot and moved the chunks of wood to a pile for me to weave back together— ugh— I thought about the professors so far. Mrs. Chevreuse knew nothing about me and asked who I was when she first arrived into the classroom. Louise said I was her familiar, the students argued I was some dishonored Noble Louise swindled into her services, Louise argued back, and I just assured the teacher I was someone tutoring Louise and came to the class to inspect how far her studies have gone. The professor accepted my reasons without question— not a trace of doubt. And the professor who had told Louise to stay and clean barely gave me a moment's glance just to notice my presence.

It made me wonder why the faculty was treating the incident with Guiche like it had never happened.

Nothing else happened for the rest of that day. I couldn't give Louise any theories as to why her spell backlashed like that. It wasn't because of too much energy or because she had done the spell incorrectly. From what my eyes could pick up, she had mimicked the professor's actions down to the letter. When asked, Louise provided me with the theory behind the transmutation process, so she obviously knew what she was doing.

I told her to give me some time to study her different magic. And different it was. I had thought since I use Archmagic and they use Lesser and/or Higher magic my techniques were too far advanced and seen as something alien. But no, the magicians of this world rely on a completely different branch of magic I've never thought possible.

Elemental casting, but still relying on the principles of Lesser and Higher categories. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and the mysterious Void. It reminds me of the Wiccan practice back on Earth, but I knew next to nothing of that field so I can't say anything. However, it gets complicated as magicians can stack elements together in order to amplify their spells or create new types. A Dot mage can only use one element. A Line mage can use two. Triangle, three. Square, four. And, from what Louise tells me, Hexagon can cast multiple elements.

But it gets more confusing because a Line mage can stack Fire and Fire together to make an even bigger spell. At the same time they can stack Water and Wind to make Ice. Apparently, the transmutation of dirt into bronze, molding it into a six and a half feet tall soldier, and controlling it like a puppet was only a Dot class spell. In all, it made me want to find the nearest table and flip it.

Louise and I ended up staying late into the night going over what theories we could so that I could understand the limits and potentials of this world's magic. Eventually she fell asleep on her desk while I was distracted with the notes I had been taking. I tucked her into bed and slid out the door, sinking into a chair at the library a few minutes later and going over the several sheets. Several theories and scenarios were written down, but none of them I could confirm without Louise or the knowledge that I can't read surrounding me.

It didn't stop me from coming up with some ideas for Louise to try out though. I stayed there working until it was time to fetch Guiche.

*Scene*

Which finally leads us to the present.

"Day of the Void?" I questioned as Louise and I shared some teatime in the courtyard between the main entrance and the Water tower. My Sentry sat at my side with its sword resting on its lap just like the other day I created it. And much the same way, it eagerly awaited my command.

Louise nodded before sipping her tea. "That's right. There aren't any classes today. Most of the students spend today relaxing or catching up on their studies. However, I want to spend today going to the capital and do some much-needed shopping." Her head bowed as she added with a bitter smile, "I only have two pairs of uniforms left because of yesterday…"

I looked up at the sky and gazed at the still early sun. "Huh. Had I known I'd probably let the fruitcake sleep in this morning. Yes, he's not used to this kind of work so some rest would have been good for him. But at the same time he gets off easily for having to do not as much work with all the other kids sleeping in till the afternoon. He doesn't have to worry about the breakfast rush."

I don't know why, but the tea tasted that much better after saying those words.

"You… are vicious," said Louise.

"I'm not one to forgive his enemies so easily," I replied. "At the same time I'm surprised everyone else is going along with this. The staff tells me he's been compliant other than the occasional complaint and predictable smock. He whines a lot, but does as he's told. But I'm more concerned none of the professors have said anything. A student was almost killed and they pretend nothing happened."

"I think if word gets out that a member of the Gramont house was defeated by a Noble without a house there will be political backlash on the academy itself," said Louise. "And it'll be even worse if the Gramonts learn you are a mage from another country— a very powerful one who has infiltrated Tristain and has made the academy his residence. And who knows what will happen if they find out you're my familiar. Not only would the Gramonts attack the academy but… Mother…"

Louise shivered.

"In the end they're just protecting themselves," I summed up before downing my tea. "Pointless. Sooner or later word will get out. Teenagers talk. The academy might be able to control the flow of mail and edit some of the letters, but eventually the students will return to their families during vacations and holidays. And once that happens, it's only a matter of time."

Louise nodded before finishing her tea. A maid, named Tiffany, had cleared up our table as we were getting ready to depart.

"I'll meet you at the stables," I told Louise as I began to return to the dormitory building. "I've got something I need to do first."

Louise already knew what I was talking about. "Now what are you going to make him do?"

"Feeling worried about him, Louise?" I teased.

Her face flushed as pink as her hair. She crossed her arms, turned her face away, and countered, "Like I would ever be worried over the fop! I just wanted to know!"

I stopped pacing so that I could answer her without having to shout. "Part of the conditions was for him to apologize to everyone he's wronged. I'm going to have him make me a list. And I expect it to be complete by the time we return or I shall have my Sentinel chase him until he finishes it! Run while he writes! Let it be known that I, Artemis James Philips, can be merciful to my enemies!"

Louise said nothing. She was too busy holding her face with her palm.

*Scene*

I hate horses. When growing up, my father taught Iris and I how to ride them. We had done so at least once a month for no reason other than to have this piece of knowledge etched into our skulls. Iris had been good at it. Me? No horse has ever loved me.

Take Mercedes for example, the steed given to me by Louise for the trip to the Tristanian capital city. According to Louise, Mercedes was one of her favorite horses from the stables with her just as loveable counterpart, Edmund. Now, both horses might love Louise but that doesn't mean they love me just the same. And no matter how friendly Louise claimed them to be, dear Mercedes hardly listened to a thing I tried to make it do.

In short, the three hour trip had not been fun. If not for some healing magic, I would have been too sore to walk with how many times Mercedes bucked and threw me off of her. Louise said it was very strange, for even some of the more annoying Noble students who agitated the horses with their ignorance didn't stir as much of a reaction from Mercedes as I had. She also said I knew what I was doing, which she found stranger and couldn't place why Mercedes was misbehaving so badly.

Yeah, well, maybe the problem I have with horses is the same one Louise has with her magic.

I was more than glad we were able to leave them by a caretaker at the front gate. Louise paid the man the fee and we were off to explore the city. I won't miss you Mercedes. Not in the slightest.

The capital city of Tristain… I wasn't sure what to make of it. All of the buildings were elegant and had a sort of sophistication of architecture similar to Napoleon era France. At the same time, there were slight differences here and there, nothing I could ever put into words, but small things my eyes picked up from the way the tiles were laid out, to the doorframes, to the windows, and so on. I was in a different world, I reminded myself.

There were three layers from what I could tell. First, the outer layer of the city consisted of the peasants, traveling merchants with their stands, and plenty of city guards in chain mails and pikes. One would think the best way to draw attention was to have a more… rich environment at the entrance of the city, right? The second layer, which was the one we were going to, consisted of the middle-class individuals who could afford their own housing and businesses. This was a ring which contained restaurants, special services, government offices, entertainments, and a range between bachelor pads, to apartments, to inns, to humble-sized homes.

A few bridges separated this layer from the entrance layer with guards at attention. One look at Louise and her academy pendant and the both of us were let inside. Even I wasn't stopped as the guard gave me the same look. Though my fashion was different than that of a Tristanian, I was still better dressed than anyone else from the first layer.

And up ahead, which was hard to miss at this point, was the final layer of the city. In there was the layer in which I could only assume the Nobility stayed. I could see their towering manors, mansions, and let's not forget the colossal castle over the hill. I'm sure someone like Louise would be able to squeeze through, being a Vallière and all. But I doubt I would be able to get through without her.

The city was also compact with narrow streets and buildings stacking on top of other buildings, giving it the illusion that it was crowded. Well, according to Louise the city was crowded. I could hardly walk down the main road— the largest road in all the city, Louise says— without bumping shoulders with another person.

I caught two children trying to pickpocket me with the excuse of the crowd at fifteen minute intervals. I patted them on the head and told them to try harder next time. Stealing is wrong— not necessarily. Stealing something you don't need is wrong. I can't condemn another person for stealing out of desperation. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything to offer them. I was lucky enough to enter this world with my shoes.

The only things I could come here with were my clothes, my tuning gloves, a strange watch made by the Clockwork family (which I never learned how to read), and a ball-point pen from Earth. And I was very glad for the pen. Having to write with a quill and ink is a pain.

Did I also mention the city was dirty? Garbage littered the street, horse dung as well, and there was no sewage system designed so the smell of liquids lingered the area. And this was coming from the 'cleaner' second-district. But at least the guards were making rounds by sweeping away all the beggars into the alleys or outright arresting them. Can't have people who have lost everything, dirty and hungry from neglect, show up and ask for help now can we?

I was already hating this place.

Eventually we made our way to a small tailor shop with a wooden sign hung by the door with the symbol of a needle with thread and scissors. A nice chime from a small bell hanging by the door rang in announcement of our arrival. There were three clerks present— two of which were already busy with other customers. The third, a young man who moved so slowly from what could be exhaustion but rather was really boredom, approached us and began assisting Louise with her demands of ordering new uniforms. At the mentioning of her name, the clerk perked up and went to the back to fetch the uniforms conveniently already tailored in her size.

I could only imagine Louise must have done this a little too frequently…

"Hm?" my head turned away from one of the suits modeled on a mannequin. "Sorry, Louise. Could you repeat that?"

"I know you heard me," she scowled. Her hands tucked under her chest as she looked away as though I had agitated her greatly. "I said present yourself to the tailor to be fitted. I can't have you running around wearing the same clothes as when I summoned you. They must be filthy by now. Be a good familiar and accept your master's gift."

"…Uh huh…" Instead, I turned back to the suit. It was definitely something no Commoner would be able to afford. Hell, it would have taken me a long while to afford something like this when I was working as a grocer. I don't know the value of the currency of this world, but it was obvious this was pretty expensive by the stitches and the materials used.

When you live as dirt poor as I have, you learn to make your own clothes.

"Um, sir!" the clerk helping us only slightly raised his voice in an attempt to stop me from removing the jacket from the mannequin. But a somewhat louder voice and raised hand wasn't going to do anything. "That's for display purposes only."

"Oh I could have guessed," I mused as my fingers rubbed the tip of the collar. Cotton and polyester. And if I recalled, the cotton gin wouldn't be invented for a few hundred years, which meant cotton was a rather valuable material. But polyester? Polyester is a synthesized material. How in the world—

Magic, Artemis. Magic.

"S-Sir," the clerk stood beside me and began explaining (pleading) as though he were reading my thoughts. "This is one of our finest makes with materials brewed by a Germanian alchemist. It's also one of a kind. So could you please—"

I didn't get to hear the rest of it as he screamed like a little girl. Why? Because I began to slowly tear the coat down the middle. The ripping of its fibers made a lovely sound. Alas, the clerk could not share my appreciation as he had passed out then and there.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Louise wasn't the only one to shout those words. A thin-framed man with spectacles, who I could only assume to be the owner, had shouted those words. I was surprised. I didn't think someone as frail-looking as him had it in him to shout at such roaring levels.

I smiled and feigned innocence, "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a familiar. I'm not responsible for my own actions. If you wish to file a complaint, please speak to my master. She's the one in charge of me."

"A-Artemis, this isn't funny!" Louise shouted as she pulled out her wand and pointed it at me. She tried to threaten me with her magic, but I knew she would never cast a spell without covering all the fabrics with soot or blowing out a few windows. "I can't afford to buy that!"

"Ms. Vallière," the elder man moved away from his clients to approach the girl. "Is this hoodlum your servant?"

I didn't think the word 'hoodlum' was in the vocabulary of the Victorian era. But then again, this wasn't Earth and it might have been the translation spell working its magic. I haven't heard anyone speak in old lingo or sayings yet. Most of the conversations were similar to what I've had in Earth.

Louise turned from me, to the clerk, to me, to the clerk, and so on for a few more times as her eyes got wider and wider by the passing seconds. "H-H-He… I-I… W-Well…"

I sighed and pulled out my pen from my pocket. "Louise, from now on my actions will get worse and worse for each time you call me your familiar. I'm no longer giving you the warning. And to answer your question, good sir, I am an instructor in the service of Louise de la Vallière. I am assisting her in her studies as well as her lessons in politesse. With the lesson learned, I shall repair your merchandise."

The man gave me a skeptical look. I pulled up the coat with one hand while I traced the tear with my pen, keeping two of my fingers placed at the tip. I couldn't possibly use my pen as a catalyst. But I couldn't be seen using wandless magic else be driven out of town by pitchforks and torches for being mistaken as a Firstborn. The effect I wanted was made, regardless. A simple repairing weave placed every fiber that had been torn back together while making it look like my pen (a device I hope they had never seen before) was my wand.

With the deed done, I hung the coat back onto the mannequin, stepped over the fainted young man, and approached the two.

The man still gave me an angry look, which was understandable. He grumbled, "Seeing as you've taken responsibility, and since Ms. Vallière has been a regular client for a while, I will look over this. I should charge you a fee for disrupting my business or making my apprentice faint. Don't do it again."

He turned back around and returned to the customers he was working with prior. Louise gave me what she thought to be a death-glare, but she was far too inexperienced and adorable for me to be frightened by her. I could only give her a light smile and told her the next time I would embarrass her rather than bringing in outsiders like with the stunt I just pulled.

An hour later we were walking down the main road. Despite my actions, Louise was still insistent on purchasing me a set of clothes. Definitely nothing of high quality fitting that of a Noble (as she still called me a barbarian) and I would have refused if she was going to anyways. But instead of obtaining a set of clothes, I bargained with her to purchase the raw materials instead.

Ah, the look she gave me made me laugh.

In my hands were bags of yarn of different fabrics such as cotton, linen, and wool, boxes of threads in various colors, sheets and rolls of premade and already woven fabrics, and tools such as needles, rulers, graphs, pins, and scissors. I was upset none of the more convenient materials such as nylon and polyester was available, but those were both synthetic materials found on Earth. Polyester was, apparently, a signature material of a certain alchemist who refused to sell his secrets in this world. And it was even more unfortunate none of the fabrics of Ilyvander was available.

I will never take the Tailor family for granted ever again. They make the best boxers in existence.

And Louise was stingy and didn't want to pay a little extra for silk. Understandable, as it was an exceedingly rare crafting material only made beyond Rub'al Khali. I'm just tempted to introduce the secret to making silk— no! Denim! Denim wouldn't be invented until several hundred years!

And Louise had the audacity to call me a barbarian. Ha.

"I promise to pay you back and to send money to your parents as well," I said to Louise as soon as we left the shop.

She turned her head to look my way while leading me down the road. "I can understand you thinking of returning the favor to me… but why to my parents as well?"

"Your money comes from your parents, doesn't it? You get an allowance to pay for necessities and for extracurricular activities?" A nod from her. "Then I'm not only spending the money given to you to do as you please, but I am also spending the money of your parents. I was taught to take responsibility. Therefore, I will return what you gave while offering recompense to your parents. They might not be directly offended as it is considered your money. But how would you like it if you gave something to someone who needed it, only for it to be— Oof!"

My lesson was cut off as a sudden weight tackled onto my back. I almost lost my footing and tripped over Louise. But some Craven magic stabled my balance and I didn't have to crush the little girl.

"Darling~" a pair of slender arms wrapped around my neck as Kirche von Zerbst hung on my back. She was on the tips of her toes just to stay upright while she, intently, pressed her breasts against my back while rubbing them around to entice me. "Fancy meeting you here! Are you out shopping as well?"

"Kirche!" Louise stamped her foot down, shook her fists, and shouted unnecessarily. "W-What do you think you're doing?! Don't you dare try to steal him away from me, you harlot! Get off of my fa—"

A good hard glare cut off what Louise was about to say.

"Ms. Zerbst," I sighed, "do you not remember our little chat about modesty? If you are still trying to have your way with me, I'm afraid you're wasting your time. One particular trait about modesty is you don't stalk those you're interested in. I had seen you spying on us from the window of the tailor shop."

She either wasn't listening, had brushed it off, or was just ignorant. Kirche clung to me tighter, breathed into my ear, and whispered, "Oh Darling, I was afraid you had run off with the Zero this morning. Of course I had to follow you in case she got her clutches around you. And a good thing too. You poor thing! A mighty and powerful king like yourself being treated like some lowly servant, carrying the Zero's things like some pack mule."

I was suddenly gaining a migraine. One, she was clinging on to me and invading my personal space. Two, she didn't know when to take a hint. And three, these were my things and I was perfectly fine with carrying them.

"Little chat…?" Louise eyes narrowed as she was the only one paying attention to the conversation apparently. "What do you mean, Artemis? How do you know Kirche?"

Before Kirche could so much as spew some tale about us burning in each other's passion, I pulled her fingers apart and made her get off of me. "The other night she had her familiar escort me to her dorm and tried to seduce me."

"W-W-W-W-W-What?!" Louise blushed like a tomato. I knew she was twelve, but I didn't think she was… sheltered. "K-K-K-Kirche h-how dare y-y-you try to s-s-s-s— assault m-my familiar!"

I didn't even bother trying to correct her this time. I doubt she would have paid attention to me at this point anyways. Too much blood was going to her head and she was probably swimming around in her emotions.

"It's only right I do, Vallière," the red-head magician walked around me, smiled, and put a dainty hand on her bust. She was dressed in the academy uniform, but the first three buttons of her top were undone, revealing a heavy amount of cleavage that drew in the eye of every man on the street. "He is nothing short of a Square mage and if he says he is royalty then I believe him! And I would treat him just as such! Unlike you, who continue to kick him out of the dorm, makes him work with the help, and sleep in the gardens."

…Is that what it looked like? Last I checked I was pretty sure all of those things were of my own doing.

She added more, wrapping her arms around one of mine and pressing her breasts against my body as much as possible. "If it were up to me, I would have him sleep in a nice, warm bed and treat him like royalty every night."

I'll get wrinkles if my scowl could get any deeper. Steadily, I began to pry her fingers off of me and put some space between us. "That's enough. Ms. Zerbst, what happens between Louise and I is of no business of yours. I appreciate your concerns and offers, but I will tell you that you are misinformed. There is something between Louise and I in which the chemistry between you and I lack. That of mutual understanding. This is something you don't seem to understand and so I must refuse you. Perhaps on the day you learn modesty I will look your way. But until then, good day."

Before Louise could add in her last retort, I pushed her down the road.

Kirche jumped in front of us before we could take off, however. She wasn't hurt at all by my words. Rather, she seemed more determined than ever. "Right you are, Your Majesty! Then in order to earn your favor I will have to strive harder. My heart burns for you so if it is not strong enough, then I will make it bright enough to have your attention!"

Oh, it has my attention. Just not good attention.

She went on, "As it is in my runic name, the Ardent, I cannot allow this to go until I have a place in your heart. I already belong to you, Your Majesty. Let me prove my worth. Provide me with any task and I shall see to it that it is fulfilled. Or… if this displeases you then you may punish me— satiate all of your anger and displeasure onto my body."

If I weren't carrying things, my face would be planted into my hands.

This girl couldn't take no for an answer. Much like any Noble teenage child I have met so far, she was spoiled and always had what she wanted one way or another. For me to refuse her didn't mean I wasn't obtainable. No, to her, I was a challenge.

God. It was like a reverse Lolifor.

So if she couldn't take no for an answer, she will do any task I could have offered. Many ideas came to mind. I could have embarrassed her, ruining her reputation for all of time; but, what if on the off chance she actually does it regardless of the cost? She wasn't desperate, no. But she also didn't have anything to lose.

Which meant I had to give her something impossible.

"Fine," I grunted. "If you cannot learn modesty, then I will provide you with a suitable opportunity. Something of equivalent value. Kirche von Zerbst, in order for you to earn my adoration, go on a quest and seek out a magic artifact unlike any other. I do not ask for a weapon of mass destruction. I seek a weapon of subtlety. Go and find me…"

Options, options, options…

"A weapon with intelligence," I eventually came up with. I would have smiled at the wit if I wasn't already annoyed. An object with sentience was easy to find in a magical world like this one. But one with intelligence? In any mythology on Earth, I've never heard of such a thing. And there are no records of such a weapon on Ilyvander. The closest possible things would have to be the Zur D'Gandr, hammer-cleaver of Roix Armadius— now in the hands of Bladeworks. But even then, that cursed blade's 'intelligence' was equivalent to its wielder.

But I wasn't done. Oh no. I had specifics.

"This one is to have a personality. Something one might have a chat with on a fair night in a tavern. Not only shall it have sound wisdom, but it shall have the humor of a vulgar. If you shall obtain such an article and present it in my name, then I, Artemis James Philips, shall learn to love you. Take all the time you want. But until you find such a weapon, you are to leave me in my peace."

"Hmm…" Kirche stopped smiling, her lips thinning into a pressed line as she thought. A thin finger tapped her chin. "An intelligent weapon? There are many enchanted weapons in Tristain. But I don't think there are any in all of Halkegenia. Perhaps beyond Rub'al Khali…"

I noticed Louise didn't say anything. Which meant a good thing. Not only because I didn't have to deal with her shrivel squealing, but also because she had come to the same conclusion as me. My request was impossible. There was no way Kirche could fulfill it. Now it was a question whether she would listen to the part about leaving me alone or not…

"Very well," Kirche eventually nodded, placed her hands on her hips, and stuck her head up high. Somehow, the gesture of raising her head was strong enough to cause her breasts to bounce animatedly. "I will find you your choice weapon. And I'll not stop, cheat, or advance another way for your love until I find it!"

Oh thank God. She was going to leave me alone.

"Then I wish you the best of luck," I said halfheartedly as I began treading back to the front of the capital. Louise was right behind me.

"Come Tabitha!" Kirche walked passed me. Looking behind me, I saw her dragging away the petite blue-haired girl who had been smart enough to leave the classroom yesterday. She did not seem bothered in the slightest about being dragged by her cape. In fact, her emotions were an absolute blank as she was more interested in reading the book in her hands.

Relieved that mess was finally over, I assured my suspicions with Louise— not that I doubt anything but it was more so for my nerves. "There's no such thing as an intelligent weapon in this world, right? Not in any of your stories, lore, mythology, religion and the like?"

"There was the Singing Sword of the Hero of Ivaldi," Louise said after a moment of thought. "But I don't think it actually sang. One version says it was like a flute that played music whenever it was swung and another said it was just the name of his spell. But nothing like what you were suggesting. It sounded like you were asking for a man inside a blade."

"Ah, we have similar legends," I nodded. In both Earth and Ilyvander there were versions of a Singing Sword. "The one I'm most familiar with was a weapon of sound magic that fired hypersonic streams with such high frequencies they couldn't be heard unless at a great distance— when the vibrations began to lose their power. They say when you hear its song was actually the cry of all of those who it killed."

"…Of course a barbarian like you would have such a legend," Louise muttered.

I smiled, feeling in a slightly better mood. I would have loved to have gone into the details of the Singing Blade and the other Sonic Instruments of the Priest. But I believe those are more fitting for another time, if I ever do bother to mention them at all around Louise.

"Then unless she finds something like a talking sword, she's out of our hair for a while, right?"