Zero no Tsukaima x Monster Girl Quest : Hero of Two Worlds

by Pea Brain Writer

The adventure has ended; the History has turned its last page. The destiny has been fulfilled; The world has reached its conclusion. That is how it should be. And yet sprung an alternative possibility; worlds that should not exist, conjured by a playful mind. Where will a history taken off-course lead to; not a living soul could tell. [Note: Guest's reviews can't be replied to.]

7. Chapter 6: Blade of Sigurd

Chapter 6: Blade of Sigurd

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Louise has her hands on her hips and is scowling.

Louise: "What are you doing here, Zerbst?"

Kirche also has her hands on her hips and is smiling fearlessly.

Kirche: "To visit Luka, of course."

Louise: "I'm his master, and I deny your visit."

Kirche: "And I'm already here. Ah! I almost forgot. Luka, this is the girl I wanted to introduce you to."

Kiche walks to the girl reading a book on Louise's bed and put her hands on the girl's shoulders as she says to me.

Kirche: "This is my friend; her name is Tabitha. See, you both looks the same age~."

...Alright. Let's review the situation. I need it.

Not long after I and Louise came back from the city, Kirche came knocking on our door. Then she let herself in and even dragged another girl with her; the one she's trying to introduce to me right now.

Speaking of the new girl, if we go by appearances alone, I and this girl would look about the same age. This girl is much smaller than Kirche is, even smaller than Louise is, which also means she's smaller than I am by default, since my height is very close to Louise's.

Short blue hair, glasses, a staff longer than her height placing on her side, completely flat expressions in a direct contrast to Kirche's excitement. Ever since she entered the room her eyes never left the book. She isn't even paying attention to me right now.

"Ahem. My name is Luka, nice to meet you."

Anyway, I'll just greet her first. The girl looks up.

Tabitha: "Tabitha."

Just one word.

"S—So your name is Tabitha?"

...No answer.

Kirche: "I'm sorry, Luka. This girl is just shy; just like a small, cute animal, don't you think?"

Louise: "Zerbst, your friend's glaring at you."

Kirche: "Alright, alright, I'll let you go~" Kirche chirps as she releases her friend's shoulders.

This girl, Tabitha, doesn't show expression, but her eyes are pretty expressive with her disagreement to Kirche's words. At the same time Kirche doesn't seem fazed at all by that. They must be pretty close, like how Sylph and Gnome are, but with the sizes reversed.

Louise: "If you're done then shoo! I need my sleep; we have classes tomorrow in case you forgot!"

Kirche: "Not yet. There's still a very important business left."

Kirche pulls out her wand and points it at Louise, who widens her eyes.

Louise: "Zerbst, you...Don't tell me..."

Kirche: "That is right, Louise de La Vallière. I challenge you to a duel. If I win, you will lend me Luka for a full week, and you will be forbidden from using master's privileges on him during that time."

Louise: "Zerbst, how dare you...!"

I furrow my brows at Kirche to let her know I disagree. Just last night she said something about doing something for Louise.

Kirche: "Just one week. Shouldn't be a big deal." Kirche is looking at Louise, but those words feel like they're directed at me as well.

Louise: "Zerbst...What are you trying to do? You already have a salamander that you were so boastful of; why are you still trying to take mine? Do you just want to pick a fight with me?" Louise looks seriously angry now.

Kirche: "Don't be ridiculous, Vallière. Why would I go to so much trouble just to pick a fight with you; I just want Luka that much."

Kirche meets my eyes, sending me a signal she's being serious.

This is starting to get confusing. Kirche isn't a monster; what would she need me for?

"Wait. I thought Louise said a duel is against the school's rules?"

When she tried to intervene my duel with Guiche. Yeah, I remember she said that.

Louise: "Th—That's right Zerbst, I don't go around breaking rules after rules like you do."

Kirche: "You're just using rules as a cover, when in fact you know you can't win against me. Am I right, Louise the Zero?"

Louise: "Wh—What did you say?! S—Someone like you...!"

Louise says loudly but unconfidently; looks like she's thinking the same thing but doesn't want to accept it.

This isn't good. That reaction, it shows Louise doesn't have a way to fight Kirche. If they really duel, Kirche's probably going to win. And with Louise's personality, once she accepted a challenge she definitely wouldn't go back on it. I've finally gotten used to the life now; suddenly changing environment again is going to be a bother.

"Uh, I think I'm good staying with Louise."

Kirche: "I'm sorry Luka, but this is between me and Louise." Kirche and Louise locks eyes.

Even though this is about my life, for some reason I have no say in it at all.

"But if you duel you both are going to get hurt; badly if you're unlucky."

That works. Louise and Kirche seem to rethink.

Kirche: "That's true. If I get serious I could burn people to death. And Louise's explosion is probably even deadlier than Guiche's golems. If we actually get hurt from this we'll just look stupid."

That could count as a compliment, but Louise clenches her teeth, looking very displeased with how Kirche described her magic.

The girl, Tabitha, stands up from Louise's bed—looking away from her book for the first time since she came into the room—and whispers something to Kirche.

Kirche: "Hm. Hmm...I see!"

Then Kirche whispers something to Louise.

Louise: "I see."

Kirche: "How about it? Or are you still afraid of losing?"

Louise: "In your dreams! I accept your challenge!"

"Eh?"

Suddenly those two completed a deal. I'm involved in this too, you know? I want to know what this is about.

[...]

"I don't want to know anymore! Just let me down!"

Not good. My voice definitely isn't reaching them.

Being as high up here on the tower, I can't hear what they're talking about at all. Even with light from two moons, I could barely make out figures of Louise and Kirche; that's how high up I am.

Up here, aside from me, tied and hanged by ropes from the top of the central tower, there's only Tabitha and her dragon keeping their altitude close to me.

That dragon looks really similar to the one I saw at the city. Or maybe there are some differences; I can't really tell. Same species maybe?

"Hey...Is that dragon your familiar?" Since I can't talk to people on the ground, the nearest one will have to do.

A nod is the only answer I got.

According to Louise, a familiar can be used to gauge how good the summoner was. Then Tabitha, who has a dragon as a familiar, must be pretty powerful; maybe even more so than Kirche.

"Another question; what did I ever do to you?" For you to thought this up.

She just looks back down on her book.

I didn't get anything out of her. Those two on the ground are going to start anytime now, then—

*boom!*

"Wahhhh!"

An explosion. Really close. So close I felt the heat and my ears rang.

And very dangerous too. Part of the wall of the tower hit by that explosion looks ready to crumble. If I take one like that head on, even with Enrikan Shirt, it's definitely going to hurt more than a punch from Guiche's golems.

! What is it this time? Something flies up—a fire ball, hitting the rope, and successfully burns it until it snaps. That means Kirche's the winner.

And also means I'm falling!

"Wahhh—Eh?"

Actually, more like slowly floating downward.

Tabitha flies down with me, her hand holding her staff, probably casting the spell slowing down my fall from the dragon's back.

I'm back on the ground safely. Kirche is puffing out her chest, smiling proudly, while Louise's hangs her head.

Kirche: "Too bad for you Vallière! I will return him in a week! Though by that point Luka might've already changed his mind."

I'm pretty sure I'm not that fickle of a guy.

But the way Kirche smiles as she casts a spell untying the ropes is making me very nervous.

Kirche: "From now on, for a week, I'm your master. Let's get along, Luka."

Kirche hugs me from behind, her hands coming over my shoulders and groping my shirt.

"I haven't agreed to anything."

Kirche: "Then where are you going to sleep? For a week starting today she isn't going to let you into her room. A noble doesn't go back on her words after all. Am I right, Vallière?"

Louise turned her back to us.

Louise: "...Do whatever you want."

I definitely can't say this to her face, but she sounded so miserable just now.

She's walking away; what do I do?

"Hey, Kirche, didn't you just tell me to be there for Louise last night?!"

Kirche: "I also told you I hate the girl, didn't I? This and that are two different things."

As I thought, Kirche is that type of person: the type that only acts according to some unknown rules she sets herself and largely ignores others' opinion when it doesn't suit her. Alma Elma is more or less like that too, so I can tell.

Well, what now. How am I supposed to act while living with Kirche. I don't even know how Kirche treats her familiar.

*thump!*

! What is it now? Rather, what's with today? Can't I take a break?

"What's that sound?"

*thump!*

Again, and this time it comes with the shaking of the earth, as if something very big is striking the ground. It's not just me; all of us seem to be hearing the sound from the same direction, which is to our left.

...

...Something tall, so tall it goes well over my view, is in front of us. We all look up at the top of...a pile of earth? No, those seems like they could be limbs.

A giant earthen doll, as big as Grangold's golem.

Eh? Where did it come from all of a sudden?

Kirche: "Kyaaaaaa~~!"

Kirche lets go of me and runs away screaming. Tabitha hurries on to the dragon's back and also flies off.

For some reason, Louise is just standing there, not moving an inch.

"Louise! Let's run!"

Louise seems to regain her sense when I grab her hand, and runs after me.

Kirche is already waiting for us on another courtyard, looking at the giant earthen statue approaching the central tower.

"What is that thing?"

Louise: "An earth golem...Ha...One that big has to have been created by...Ha...at least a Triangle mage." Louise explains as she tries to catch a breath.

Kirche: "Probably that one." Kirche points up to the earth golem.

On its shoulder stands a person completely covered in black cloak. Some distance away, the blue dragon and Tabitha are flying while keeping distance, as if observing the situation.

The golem raises its right and punches the tower's wall; the spot damaged by Louise's explosion earlier, opening a big hole in it. The master of the golem gets on its another hand, which reaches forward and send its master into the hole.

"What's that person doing? Why did they go in there?"

Louise: "Why did...That's right! On the central tower there's a school's treasury; it should be around that floor!" Louise's eyes widen.

The person carries something with them as they come back out. The golem steps back from the central tower and heads toward the school's walls.

"Is it going already?"

I thought it was going to crush the walls, but it jumped instead. Something that massive jumped. Unbelievable.

*crash!*

It lands on the ground like a massive bomb going off. The quake from that has to have woken up the entire school. Then it runs off toward the plain.

"Aren't you going after it?"

Louise: "That's a Triangle mage capable of creating thirty mails tall golem. What can we do?"

Mail. From what Louise described when I asked, it's a unit of length very close to a meter I know. Which would mean Louise is saying that golem is thirty meters tall. That seems pretty close to my estimation. That's a size ordinary monsters can't hope to fight, not to mention me as I am right now.

The golem crumbles down to a large pile of dirt. Everything is quiet again.

Tabitha and her dragon land in front of us.

Kirche: "Tabitha, what did you see?"

Tabitha: "A cloak. Can't see their face. Carried a long box out of the room."

Louise: "So they really came to steal something."

Kirche: "But does our school even have something worth stealing? Never heard of it."

Louise: "Our school possesses many magic items. There could be some rare ones in the treasury."

Rare treasures, from that tower.

...

This feeling: watching the big hole on the central tower, something familiar stirs within me.

Because these last four years have been relatively peaceful, I had forgotten about it; but before that I felt it almost every week.

"That, is going to be an uproar, isn't it?"

Louise: "Obviously."

A time to brave a danger is coming.

[...]

[...][...]

Teacher (M) A: "Fouquet Crumbling Dirt! The thief that had caused chaos all over the Halkeginia! How bold of them to lay their hands on even this school!"

Teacher (M) B: "What were the guards doing?!"

Teacher (M) C: "What could they do! They're just commoners! What we should be asking is which noble was on duty last night?!"

Things seem to be pretty heated up over there.

I, Louise, Kirche, Tabitha: four of us are standing behind the teacher who is mostly bald and wears glasses, looking at adults in capes—probably teachers—arguing back and forth in the room the thief broke into last night.

We're probably going to be asked some things soon, though. No one asked us anything after the bald teacher found us after the incident last night; they only told us not to say anything to other students and to just go back to our rooms.

At least nothing happened while I slept last night. I was a bit worried what was going to be done to me when I was dragged to Kirche's room as per the deal. But other than some innuendos here and there and using me as a hug pillow, Kirche was out like a light almost immediately, probably from exhaustion.

Probably none of us is even thinking about the duel last night, with all this chaos.

One of the male teachers is being expressive with his argument, blaming a female teacher who was on duty last night; some of the others nod along with him. Finally, the more cool-headed principal breaks the conversation and ask a question hitting the sore spot of all the teachers, making them all to go quiet. Pretty standard fare.

I see something like this frequently whenever there's a discussion involving a lot of people: human and monsters' living space management, creating rules necessary for living together, something of that sort. Right now I'm doing the same thing as I did during those times, which is keeping to myself until someone calls for me. I used to try speaking up myself, which made things worse. I'm not going to do that again.

Teacher (F) A: "Oh! Old Osman! I will be forever grateful for your merciful heart! From this day I will regard you as I would my father!"

Osman: "Do calm down. You have nothing to worry, Miss Chevreuse..." The principal rubs the female teacher in a consoling way, just not by her head.

Chevreuse: "If my bottom satisfies you then please, touch it to your heart content!"

Osman: "...Uh, ahem."

Ah...Yeah, that too. That happened sometimes.

Osman: "Well, who were the witness of the theft last night?"

The bald teacher, Colbert-sensei, steps forward and gestures with his hand toward us.

Colbert: "It was these three."

I guess, since I'm like an extra to Louise, I wasn't counted.

The principal looks at us with interest.

Osman: "So it's you girls. Please describe what happened in details."

Louise steps forward and speaks in serious tone.

Louise: "Well, a large earth golem appeared and destroyed part of the wall over there. A mage wearing a black cloak came into the treasury and carried something out...probably the [Blade of Sigurd] you mentioned. Then the golem crossed over the school's walls and ran away. Finally, it down."

Osman: "What happened after that?"

Louise: "After that there was only the pile of dirt left. The mage in a black cloak disappeared without a trace."

Osman: "Hmm..."

The principal stroke his beard.

Osman: "So there is no lead...Oh, by the way, Mr. Colbert, do you happen to know where Ms. Longueville is?"

Colbert: "Oh...I haven't seen her since morning."

Osman: "Where could she have gone to at a time like this."

Colbert: "I wonder as well."

Almost as soon as Colbert-sensei finished, footsteps echoes down the hall outside, and the green-haired woman usually sitting in front of the principal's room comes in. Colbert-sensei speaks up immediately.

Colbert: "Ms. Longueville! Where have you been! We have a very serious problem on our hands right now!"

But the woman, Longueville only turns to speak with the principal calmly.

Longueville: "My apologize, but I had been on an investigation since morning."

Osman: "An investigation?"

Longueville: "Yes. This morning I woke up only to find there was a commotion. Once I arrived at this treasury, I saw the message engraved on the wall."

Right. On a part of the wall there's a message that I can't read; but supposedly it was a message from a famous thief.

Longueville: "Once I knew it was the doing of the famous thief Fouquet that has struck fear into nobles throughout the land, I immediately went on gathering information."

Osman: "How efficient you are, Ms. Longueville."

Colbert: "And, have you found anything?"

Longueville: "I did. I believe I have a lead on Fouquet's whereabouts."

Colbert: "Wh—What did you say!?"

Osman: "Where have you gotten that piece of information from?"

Longueville: "I asked around commoners in surrounding areas, and some have indeed seen a man wearing a black cloak entering an abandoned cabin in a forest. I believe that man might be Fouquet and the cabin in question is his hideout."

Louise: "A black cloak? That has to be Fouquet!"

Louise blurts out. I saw that too, but I'm not so sure.

"Hey Louise, are you sure? It's just a cloak. Anyone could be wearing it."

Louise: "You really don't know anything, do you? Most commoners can't afford a cloak like that, even more so when there's no reason to. And they don't have the free time to make one either; or a reason to walk around wearing it in daylight. Anyone wearing that kind of cloak has to have something to hide."

Well, that reason is...reasonable, I guess. So cloaks are also a luxury just like mattresses. It's like half the things here are luxuries only affordable by nobles.

Osman: "Is it close?"

Longueville: "By foot it would take half a day. By horse it should take no more than four hours."

Colbert: "Let's report this to the royal palace! We should ask the royal army to send reinforcement!"

There are murmurs of agreements. Then the principal shakes his head and narrow his eyes.

Osman: "Use your head before you speak, you dolt!"

The principal says in a booming voice.

Osman: "Waiting around for royal army is just asking for Fouquet to escape! More than that...asking others to solve your own problems, can you honestly call yourself nobles! It is our school's treasure that was stolen; we should be the one to retake it!"

His voice is powerful unlike his elderly appearance, but fitting his position.

While other teachers are in shock, the principal clears his throat.

Osman: "All right, we will now organize a search team. If you wish to participate, raise your wand."

...No one does; they only look at each other uncertainly.

Osman: "No one? Does no noble here wish to adorn their name with the glorious achievement of having captured Fouquet?!"

This is unexpected. From what I have seen of the students here, I thought they would be clawing at each other for a chance like this.

In reality. I guess how nobles think probably isn't all that different from how ordinary people do. Once they became adults, facing adult's responsibilities, their thinking would turn out similarly; unlike people who are still young. I myself have started to feel that same change in the last three years.

But I'm not there yet. Inside, I'm still the same person. That is why I am raising my hand.

Every pair of eyes in the room turns toward me. Some stare curiously; some incredulously. But all change to surprise once I say what I mean.

"I will go."

The familiar urge last night, the feeling of approaching danger; it was the call for a hero.

The room is silent.

Teacher (M) A: "Um, Old Osman, who is this young man? From what I can see, he is but a commoner..."

Osman: "You are correct. He is the familiar of the good Ms. Vallière there." The principal gestures toward Louise, who's still staring at me wide-eyed.

Teachers: "The one that won a duel with a student, that commoner!?" "Isn't that just a rumour?" "No, a teacher saw it happened."

The commotion is stirred, and I'm given many unfriendly glares.

Teacher (M) C: "Who allowed you to speak!? You're just a commoner! Just a familiar! How dare you open your mouth in an important meeting! Know your place!"

It's the male teacher that was blaming the female teacher just now. Now he's targeting me instead.

Teacher (M) C: "Ms. Vallière! You should have educated your familiar better! Don't let it get the wrong idea about its significance! If you don't, I will be the one to do it!"

The male teacher takes out his wand threateningly.

When the principal asked for volunteer just now he's quiet as a mouse, but now when it's about me he's really quick to wave that around, isn't he.

Louise: "I—I am sorry, Mr. Giteau! Hey! What the heck are you doing! Take that back, quickly!"

"Well, no one volunteered, so this should be a hero's job."

Louise: "What hero! This isn't a time to play around like a kid!"

"I'm not playing around. I'm serious."

Louise: "You! Don't be cocky just because you won against Guiche! Guiche's golems are just toothpicks compared to Fouquet's!"

"I know that just by looking. But daring to do what others do not is the heroes' job, or they wouldn't be called that."

Osman: "Hohoho, that was quite an interesting thing to say, my boy." The principal says as he meets my eyes.

Teacher (M) C: "Please don't misunderstand, Old Osman! This isn't bravery, but foolery! This commoner is simply too stupid to know the difference in strength despite having witnessed Fouquet's golem firsthand!"

The principal turns back to the male teacher, looking at him along with other teachers.

Osman: "Then why do you all, who understood Fouquet's strength well, still hold your words?"

Teacher (M) C: "Eh? W—Well, about that..."

Osman: "Fouquet used golem to destroy the tower's wall from outside, causing so much ruckus despite our lax security. That points toward the inability to overpower the strengthening spell cast on this tower through their alchemy. If they are a powerful Square mage, something like that should be very feasible. That alone shows the limit of Fouquet's ability."

The principal furrows his brows as he looks at the teachers.

Osman: "Even so, you, great mages in their own right, all at least Triangle, show nothing but hesitation. If this young man is a fool for not knowing Fouquet's strength, then all of you are cowards for not taking risk despite knowing your own advantages fully well."

The teachers all look crestfallen. I feel a bit guilty for indirectly causing them to be scolded. But I couldn't not volunteer; that would go against my nature.

The principal said so much, and finally someone raises their wand; but it's still not one of the teachers.

Chevreuse: "Ms. Vallière! You can't! You're still just a student! This matter should be left to adults..."

Louise: "But I don't see anyone volunteering..."

You mean I don't count...

Following Louise, another raises her wand; and it's still not one of the teachers.

Chevreuse: "Ms. Zerbst! You're also a student!"

Kirche: "Hmph. How can I let a Vallière gets ahead of me."

And the third.

Kirche: "Tabitha! You don't have to do this!"

Tabitha: "Worried."

In the end all three students in this room raised their wands. Still, it's really surprising that Tabitha also volunteered. Kirche looks really grateful for that, and even that Louise is thanking her. This is the first time I heard her thanks someone. Didn't know she can do that.

Osman: "Hohoho. Then, I'll leave it to you three."

Chevreuse: "Old Osman! I object to this! We cannot have students risk themselves!"

Osman: "Then will you be going in their stead, Ms. Chevreuse?"

Chevreuse: "Ah...Well, I haven't been feeling well lately..."

That excuse has zero credibility. Still, no one calls her out; they're probably afraid of attracting attention to themselves if they do.

The principal nods at us, and turns to the teachers.

Osman: "These three have seen Fouquet. Moreover, Ms. Tabitha, despite her young age, has already been bestowed the title of a Chevalier."

A word I don't know again. But it's probably something big, since the entire room is surprised.

"Louise. What's a Shu-Va-Ri-E?"

Louise: "A knight. The lowest title among nobility, but it's only attainable through great services."

A knight. That means she's pretty skilled. As I thought.

The person herself just stands still, not saying anything.

The principal gestures to Kirche next.

Osman: "Ms. Zerbst descends from a Germanian househould regarded highly for its military achievements; with many of its descendants remarkable in their own right. Ms. Zerbst herself was said to possess powerful Fire"

Kirche flicks her hair confidently.

Louise seems to have guessed the next one is her and puffs out her chest, but the principal is making a very troubled face.

Osman: "Ahem. Uh... Ms. Vallière is also a daughter of the Vallière household which many members have been famous mages throughout the history. So, she, well, is a mage with a promising future ahead of her—Moreover her familiar!"

He clearly used me to change the subject.

Osman: "Despite being a commoner, he was rumored to have defeated Guiche de Gramont, the son of the marshal Gramont, in a duel."

Colbert: "That's right! Because he is the Gan—!"

Colbert-sensei seemed like he was about to say something, if the principal hadn't pressed his hands against his mouth first.

Colbert: "Oof...! Haa! Nothing! Yes, nothing's amiss here!"

Very suspicious.

Osman: "All right. Now, if there's anyone who believes they are more fit to undertake this task than theses three, step forward."

How good will it be if there is someone. But everyone is very well-behaved and remains in their places. I'm not surprised at all.

The principal turns toward Louise's group without waiting long, probably not expecting anything in the first place.

Osman: "Our school will await the tale of your courage. May you bring [Blade of Sigurd] back to us safely."

Louise's group of three straightens their backs, and says in unison.

Louise's Group: "We swear upon our wands!"

And they curtsy.

Uh, do I do that too? I'll just bow for now.

No one said anything. I guess I did right; or maybe they just didn't care.

Osman: "With that settled, we will prepare a carriage for you. Conserve your willpower until it is time. Ms. Longueville."

Longueville: "Yes, Old Osman."

Osman: "Support these three in their quest."

Longueville: "That has always been my intention." Ms. Longueville bows.

Three. So I really don't count.

[...]

[...][...]

Does a horse-drawn cart without roof count as a carriage? No one questioned it, so I'm not gonna either.

They said it is so we can abandon the cart quickly if we are attacked. That sounds logical. We also have Tabitha riding her dragon after us; she would be able to support us from above too.

The green-haired woman, Ms. Longueville, drives the cart for us; but from how she dresses, she's probably a noble too. This doesn't looks like a job for a noble at all.

Kirche: "You don't have to drive this yourself. You could just have one of the workers does it."

Kirche starts a small talk. Ms. Longueville smiles softly.

Longueville: "It's okay. I'm no longer a noble anyway." Oh?

Kirche: "Eh? But you are the principal's secretary, aren't you?"

Longueville: "That I am. But Old Osman doesn't put much importance on social classes."

Kirche leans toward the front of the carriage, eyes sparkling in interest.

Kirche: "If you don't mind, can you tell us how this came to be?"

Longueville: "Have you heard this saying, Ms. Zerbst: a secret makes a woman, woman." Meaning she doesn't want to talk.

Kirche: "Come on~ Please. Tell us."

Louise: "Stop that."

Louise grabs Kirche's shoulder, which has been slowly inching toward Ms. Longueville. Kirche pouts, and puts her hands behind her head as she leans on the side of the carriage.

Kirche: "Well, I'm bored. I just want to pass the time."

Louise: "I don't know how it is in your country, but in Tristain, digging up someone's past when they want to keep it with them is a shameful conduct."

It's the same back in my home, and it probably is in Kirche's home as well, since she doesn't talk back.

Kirche: "...Geez, if you didn't try to show off we wouldn't be doing this. Catching a thief, seriously..."

Louise: "You followed me on your own, didn't you?" Louise glares.

Kirche: "If I let you come alone, it would be too hard on Luka."

Louise: "And just why is that?"

Kirche: "Luka would've come with you even if I told him not to. And if the giant golem appears you would just hide behind some trees and let Luka fight on his own."

Louise: "Who would run? I'll just use magic to do something."

Kirche: "Magic? Whose? Don't make me laugh."

These two are at it again. And Tabitha isn't doing anything but reading her book up in the sky. Actually, since I met her last night, I haven't seen her do anything else. It's up to me to stop these two.

"Stop it. We could be facing the enemy anytime. Aren't they supposed to be really strong; how can we win if we keep fighting among ourselves."

They stop reluctantly. Kirche shrugs.

Kirche: "Well, do whatever you want; just don't trip and get hurt. More importantly, Luka."

This time she turns to me like she's going to scold me.

Kirche: "You are my familiar for now. You have to side with me."

"Didn't you say you wouldn't force me to do things like Louise did."

Louise: "Wait, when did you two speak about that?" Louise glares at us.

Kirche: "Only when it involves Vallière, because I hate this girl."

"You sound like Louise."

Louise/Kirche: "No way!?"

Louise and Kirche stare at each other, before snapping their heads away.

[...]

[...][...]

It's been hours since we left the school. The carriage is deep in the forest where sunlight doesn't fully reach the ground, making it pretty dark for a late morning.

Longueville: "From this point on it would be better to walk."

We do as Ms. Longueville said and get down from the cart.

Longueville: "We will arrive soon. Please be careful not to make too much noise."

We're almost there, and the enemy could be anywhere.

"So don't cling to me so much. It's hard to move."

Kirche: "But it's soooo dark. I'm scared~ Hey, if that golem comes out again you have to protect me, okay?~"

"Of course I will. You, Louise, Tabitha, Ms. Longueville, I won't let anyone get hurt."

Kirche is taken aback, probably not expecting my reply; either because of the words themselves or because of how unabashed I was when I said them.

Well, that was actually a little embarrassing. But it was so obvious there was never any other answer for me. Alice and the others are so used to it they don't call me out anymore, save a few teases here and there.

Longueville: "That was quite big a claim from you, familiar-san, just like another one you made back at the school. I hope you can live up to it." Ms. Longueville looks back and smiles.

"I have to no matter what. It's a hero's duty."

Kirche: "Kya~ My darling is so cool~ Hey Tabitha did you hear that? My darling said he's going to protect you too. Has anyone ever said that to you? But I'm not giving him up, even to you~"

"Can you stop calling me that? Just use my name..."

Shiver is running down my spine constantly; it feels like Alice could come out of the bushes any time. So this is how the guys cheating on their wives feel. I would've been perfectly fine not knowing it my entire life, really.

Tabitha herself just looks ahead and doesn't even bother to reply.

Louise, save that death glare for the enemy.

Awkward. This is so awkward. Let's just change the subject.

"By the way, what's the thing that got stolen?"

Louise: "Now that you mention it, I want to know that too. Ms. Longueville, this [Blade of Sigurd], what kind of item is it?"

Louise continues the question. Phew.

Longueville: "It is little wonder you do not know about it. [Blade of Sigurd] is a magic item as famous as it is loathed by the noble society."

Kirche: "Why is that?" Kirche suddenly shows interest; excitement even.

Longueville: "[Blade of Sigurd] is said to be a sword so powerful it could easily cleave a wyvern into two."

Louise: "Cleave a wyvern into two...For Wind magic to accomplish that, the user has to be at least a Triangle mage...Such a powerful magic item, why do they hate it?"

Longueville: "Because it is a sword. The appearance and the application are no different from commoners' weapon. Most likely, the nobles are displeased with the notion that such an item could rival high level magic. Maybe they felt that their authority was being challenged. That's why nobles who do know about it avoid bringing it up." Ms. Longueville's voice has a bit of sarcasm in it.

Louise: "Then even if you want to sell it...Wouldn't it be quite hard to turn it into money? A magic item hated by mages."

Longueville: "I am not sure of it myself. It could be that the culprit has no intention of selling it, but to use it himself."

Louise: "If someone like Fouquet has gotten his hands on such a power, Halkeginia would be thrown in to chaos. We can't let him escape...!"

Louise seems eager. What she says also sound like something I would say myself, if this is my home and I know for sure how it works.

So it's that amazing of a sword. I'm starting to want to see it too. If Alice knows she'll probably say something along the line of I'm a father with two children already so I should stop getting excited like a kid. But, a cool and powerful sword is a man's romance, you know. Let me live it a little.

...

There's an open area ahead of us, as wide as a courtyard at the school. In the middle of it is an abandoned-looking wooden cabin; probably used to belong to a woodcutter or someone like that. Beside it are a broken down kiln and a warehouse with parts of its wall missing.

We hide behind the bushes, observing the cabin from an angle that can't be seen by people inside of it.

Longueville: "According to the information I have gathered, that should be his hideout."

Sylph isn't here so I can't say for sure, but I don't feel like there's a person in there at all.

Longueville: "If Fouquet is really in there, we should quickly subdue him without giving him a chance to prepare."

Kirche: "Ms. Longueville's right. If he uses that golem again, we're screwed."

Louise: "Then we have to find Fouquet before he finds us. Someone should go peek inside that house and see if he's there."

"Then I'll go."

The best candidate is obviously me.

"If someone who can't use magic like me goes alone, the enemy might let their guard down. And in a cramp place like that, a sword user like me would have the advantage."

Of course, right after I said that, someone's going to argue.

Louise: "Hey you. Aren't you looking down on mages too much? Just because this one also uses golem it doesn't mean he is like Guiche."

Am I overthinking it, or is Guiche really incompetent in Louise's eyes? I thought his magic was pretty good, even if the person himself was an amateur.

Tabitha: "I agree with him."

Tabitha says with the usual flat expression, but there's an invisible weight in it, probably because of how quiet she usually is and her knightly status that surprised an entire room.

Kirche: "Hmm...If Tabitha agrees then I'll allow it. Luka, we'll leave it to you. But if it gets dangerous, run back to us."

"Alright."

Louise scrunches up her face.

Louise: "Curse you Zerbst...Claiming other's familiar as your own..."

Kirche: "Uh-uh. Don't forget, Vallière. One week, remember. One-Week."

Now that I'm out of the bushes, there's always risk of being seen. I have to be really careful. Right hand by the sword's hilt, ready to dodge or counter attack if the door suddenly burst open and magic fly out.

But none of that happened, and I maanged to close in on the cabin safely, putting myself beside the window and peek inside.

The cabin is one big room. At the center is an old, dusty table and a fallen chair. A fireplace has crumbled down. There is a bottle of liquor lying on the table and a pile of firewood in a corner. There's also a chest sitting beside one side of the wall.

This really is an abandoned cabin. But there's no one inside, and no place to hide either. Unless an entire person could fit into that chest.

But if he's hiding with magic then I wouldn't know, and wouldn't have any way to check.

Anyway, I'd better call the group here first. It doesn't take long for them to get out of the bushes and come here.

"No one's inside."

Tabitha walks to the door and waves her staff.

Tabitha: "No trap."

I didn't think of that. If there really was one and I stupidly walked into it, things could've gone bad.

Tabitha opens the door and walks in before anyone does, followed by me and Kirche. Louise and Ms. Longueville wait outside.

Louise: "Then I'll be on the lookout."

Longueville: "I will look around the area and see if I can find something."

Louise: "Ms. Longueville, please be careful."

Longueville: "Please do not worry. Even as I am now I can still use some magic. If something does happen, I will let you know."

Two wait outside, three search inside; pretty balanced.

In the cabin there's no hidden spot or the likes to look. Tabitha goes straight to the chest and opens it. Inside it is another box, but this one isn't like everything else in the cabin; there's almost no dust on it at all, as if it had just been put in here recently.

And inside the box is...a worn-out sword covered in rust.

Kirche: "...[Blade of Sigurd]"

"Eh!? This is it?!" This rusted thing!?

Kirche: "I get how you feel, but I saw it when the school had us tour the treasury once. Well, it's a magic item. It probably doesn't matter even if the blade rusted. What do you think Tabitha?"

Tabitha: "...Looks identical."

If these two are saying the same thing...What can I do but believe them.

Kirche: "Isn't this a little too easy though?"

"...Maybe Fouquet went out to buy groceries?"

Kirche: "Luka...be serious, please."

But I am. That's a valid explanation, isn't it.

Kirche: "Well, let's just bring it with us."

We left the abandoned cabin, with the chest containing the sword. Of course, the lifting is left to me.

"Louise, we—"

Louise: "Kyaaaaaa~~!"

Eh...—! It's here!

Kirche: "Earth golem! Fouquet really is around here!"

Kirche and Louise freak out, but I'm already used to these kinds of things. Tabitha probably is, too. We make a quick scan around the area, but don't see anyone.

Tabitha raises her staff to cast a spell. A whirlwind forms and shoots out, hitting the golem, but doesn't seem to have any effect.

Kirche pulls out her wand from her cleavage and cast a spell spraying fire over the golem, but that has no effect either.

Kirche: "We can't do this!"

Tabitha: "Retreat."

We should probably do as Tabitha says, before the golem reaches us.

Wait. Why's Louise just standing still again!?

"Louise! What are you doing! Let's go!"

That doesn't seem to reach Louise. She pulls out her wand and cast a spell.

There's an explosion on the golem's body, and some rocks fall off, but the golem itself seems unaffected.

She's not going to run on her own, is she. I'll have to drag her again.

Somehow Louise just get heavier all of a sudden. ...No, she's just digging her feet in into the ground.

"What are you doing?! We have to go!"

Louise: "No!"

"We can't fight it! It's made of rock and fifty times our sizes! Cutting, stabbing, burning, exploding; none of that will work! But it's slow; we can outrun it!"

Louise: "If you want to run then go by yourself! I will never turn my back on an enemy!"

"This isn't a time to be stubborn! If it's an enemy we can't and don't need to fight, the obvious choice is to run!"

Louise: "For commoners maybe, but I'm a noble! I cannot turn my back on an enemy!"

"What does that have to do with anything?! Kirche and Tabitha already ran!"

Nobles again. Everything is about nobles with this girl. She doesn't even listen to reasons.

Louise: "It matters! To me It does! If I turn tail and run now, what would they say!? 'Of course, since she's Louise the Zero' 'No wonder for someone who can't use magic' 'There's nothing she can do anyway'. I've had enough! I will destroy this golem and silence them once and for all! I will prove it right here I'm not a failure!"

"Just let them say what they want! It's a hundred times better than being dead!"

Louise: "What would you know! Have you ever had your family watch as you fail at everything again and again!? Have you ever taken a walk outside and be watched like you're the only black sheep in the entire country! Have you ever had to cheer yourself up, time and time again; telling yourself, even if you failed at the same thing hundreds, thousands of times, to never give up! Saying to yourself tens of thousands times that you can do it, yet never accomplished anything, not even once! Even so...Even so...I don't want to give up!"

Louise's hands ball up, her face reddens, her jaws clench; trying to hold back tears that threaten to fall as her eyes glare at me with anger and pain.

...Is that why she volunteered for this?

Louise: "Enough of them! Enough of those look! Those people that label me a failure, I won't forgive them! The me that lay down and let everything trample over my life, always powerless to fight back! The me that let someone steal my own familiar right in front of my eyes! That's the most unforgivable of all! No more of that! No more!"

...!

Louise's words were overflowing with emotions, with bitterness...

They were...It was just like...I thought I had managed forget it...

Villager: "Don't touch me. Know your place, outsider."

Villager: "Hmph. You outsiders' faith in Goddess Ilias is nothing more than lip service. Do you think living close to the temple would grant you her protection? Imbeciles."

Villager: "You damn terrorists! You aren't welcome here!"

"Please help my mother! Please, give us the medicine!"

Villager: "These are our medicines. There are none for you. Get out!"

Villager: "It's a divine punishment! Goddess Ilias have punished you! Serves you right, you damn sinners!"

Villager: "There are no places for you here. If you want a funeral, go find somewhere else. Go bury your accursed corpse anywhere but our village!"

"Why...Mother and I, we've never done anything wrong...Why...!"

Lucifina: "...Luka...Don't hate them...Don't hate your father...You have to be...a brave hero. I know...you can do it..."

...

Granberia: "...Is that all!? You would just lie down and let a monster conquer this town, without any resistance!?"

So what if it's a powerful enemy. So what if there's no chance of winning. If I falter now, how could I call myself a hero!? If I give up now I'd be just like that guy...lost to his own weakness, did stupid things and died a stupid death, leaving mother behind to rot in that village. What hero...I will never...I will never be a hero like that!

Granberia: "You're still just a kid. I will overlook it just this once. Go."

Go you say...Turn tail and run like that guy; the guy that made mother sad. I'd rather be dead!

...

?: "You, are the true hero."

*thump!*

! What did I...?

That was the golem's footstep; It's slowly coming toward us. ...So I was lost in my own thought. That was dangerous.

Louise: "Kuh...! It's just one stupid golem..."

Louise still refuses to turn away from the golem despite shaking uncontrollably.

Words aren't going to change her mind; I know that very well. There's only one thing I can do. Must do.

Louise: "This is nothing. I can—Ah...! What are you doing?!"

Louise's hands pound on my back, but the hits are as light as anyone would expect from a girl. And she herself is light as well; just my right arm is enough to get her legs and raise her up on my shoulder. Even while holding her together with the sword box, I can still run at full speed. She's only a bit heavier than Neris actually.

Louise: "Let me down now! How are you so strong!"

"No way. If someone accuses you of running, just tell them I carried you out on my own."

Louise: "D—Don't be stupid. H—How could I tell them that!"

Though she's short temper, selfish, and acts like she's the center of the universe, looking at her just now felt like looking at my past self. There's no way I can ignore that.

"I don't know what made you so desperate. I'm not going to say you're stupid for challenging that golem either." Even if it would be so easy to chalk it all up to that. "But fighting that golem right here and now is wrong."

That thing isn't going to show mercy on her like Granberia did me. If she dies here, any lesson she gains here would be meaningless.

Louise: "Wh—What are you talking about?"

"You said a noble doesn't turn their back on an enemy. But if you die fighting that golem, I'm sure there will be more people who says you're stupid than people who praise you for your bravery."

Louise: "! H—How would you know that! You're not a noble!"

"How would you know that's not true? It's not like all nobles are the same, is it?"

Louise: "All true nobles are the same! If any noble runs like a coward then they don't deserve to be one!"

...She really said that. ...And it sounds too close to 'true heroes' for comfort...

"Is that so. Then is it so easy to become a true noble?" Because it wasn't easy at all for me. I don't think it was for Heinrich too.

Louise: "W—What? O—Of course it isn't!..."

Her face can't be seen in this position, but Louise stops thrashing. The distraction is working.

"Thought so. So being a true noble isn't easy; but I think you are doing well enough."

Louise: "! What did you say? What would you know!? You're just a commoner! Don't talk like you know anything about me!"

Of course she would get mad. I would have too. If Alice and I hadn't been as close as we were at the time, I would've brushed off her words too.

Still, there's something I can say to her; something I must say to her.

"I've known you for only ten days, but that's enough to see some things. In the classroom, you never let your mind wander, always focusing on the lessons. Even when other students nodded off, you tried really hard to stay awake." At least, that's what I saw when I wasn't napping myself.

"During lunch break, and after school, when many of the students just play around, you use the time to study. When you're teased by other students like you were that day, you don't try to get revenge, but you don't give up either. You just continue trying your best. No matter what anyone says, that's admirable."

Louise: "..."

Louise is quiet. I can't see her expression since she's facing backward on my shoulder. I hope I'm getting to her.

Louise: "...W...Who cares...what you think..."

Hiccups. Have to pretend not to hear them.

"I'm your familiar, aren't I? Trust me a bit."

Louise: "...Y...You are Zerbst's familiar now..."

"I never agreed to that, remember? I only accepted being your familiar at the principal office." It was only to find a way home, but it's still what I said, and I intend to keep it.

Louise: "I...It can't be...helped...since...you are begging me so much..."

"Okay."

Louise stopped struggling to focus on holding her hiccups instead. My words seem to have some effects. I should stop here; saying too much would just looks pretentious.

Kirche and Tabitha are waiting beside the carriage. The golem hasn't caught up to us yet. We can make it easily.

Kirche: "Luka! Louise! You're okay!"

"You too!"

I put Louise down, who immediately turns away from Kirche and secretly wipes away her tears. I hope I'm big enough to cover for her.

"You're both really quick to get away."

Kirche: "For these kind of things, the faster, the better. Right, Tabitha?"

Tabitha nods. Even at a time like this her eyes are still on the book. I'm impressed.

But we're short one person.

"What about Ms. Longueville?"

Kirche: "Haven't seen her yet. Might still be in the forest. What are we gonna do? Wait for her?"

"Well…"

Louise seems to have wiped away the tears as much as she can.

Louise: "Of course we will. How can we leave someone behind and run."

Her voice is still a little rasp, but she has mostly calmed down.

Kirche: "What is this Vallière? You were so scared you cried? Oh, how pitiful~"

Louise: "S—Shut up!"

They know she's crying, but at least not how hard and why. That should be good enough for Louise.

Kirche: "Alright, we'd better get to finding her then. Tabitha, can you search from the sky? If Ms. Longueville sees you she might come to us on her own."

Tabitha just nods and fly off on her dragon. She really trusts Kirche, doesn't she.

Kirche: "Well, what are we gonna do? We could hide in the forest, but if the golem reaches here before the horse will run off for sure."

Even now the horse looks like it's ready to ditch the cart and bolt at just the slightest touch.

"Uh...Maybe we can ask Tabitha to have her dragon pull the cart instead?"

Kirche: "...Luka, please, absolutely, don't say that in front of Tabitha."

"...Okay."

Kirche: "...Just kidding. If it's really necessary, that girl probably won't mind."

Her expression was so serious I believed it.

Kirche: "Also, if push comes to shove, her dragon can probably carry all of us on its back."

"Then why didn't we come here on her dragon in the first place?"

Kirche: "Because it wasn't necessary. If she didn't mind she would have offered herself."

"Which means she did mind..."

Kirche: "What I want to say is, don't worry about getting back to the academy."

Louise: "If possible I don't want to lose the academy's horse. It's worth a lot, you know."

Louise seems really strict about anything money-related. Maybe she doesn't get much allowance?

Kirche: "What do you say we do then? Even my and Tabitha's magic can't do a thing to it; yours has no chance at all. And Luka uses a sword; he can't cut a thing that big."

With Gnome's power, I can do that, at the exchange of breaking the sword. But that doesn't matter, since I don't have any of the Spirit with me. I expected, and intended for the world to be a place their power isn't necessary; I never thought I would get sent to an entirely different land where it's a moot point.

If only I have them with me, I'd at least have some way to communicate with everyone back home. Damn. I lost count of how many times I thought about this.

Kirche: "...Hey. What if we use that?"

I was lost in my thought for a moment there. Kirche just said in a serious tone as she pointed to...the long box.

Louise: "[Blade of Sigurd]?"

Louise seems to have come to the same idea.

Kirche: "It's supposed to be able to cut apart wyverns easily, isn't it? We could get it to do the same with golems."

Louise: "You're right...That might be one of the way to do this..." Louise seems to be weighing options.

But I don't think so at all. No matter how I look at it, it's just a rusty sword.

Kirche: "So, we'll leave it in your hands, Luka."

"Eh!? Me!?"

Louise: "Duh. Who else here knows how to use a sword?"

Kirche pats my shoulders. And Louise stands with hands on her hips. These girls...

...

I looked, touched, even smelled it, but I still can't see this as anything but a rusty sword.

"Hey...Are you really sure this sword has this amazing power?"

Louise/Kirche: "..."

"Say something!"

*thump!*

The footsteps are getting closer, and the horse looks really spooked. If we're going to do something we have to do it now.

I have no confidence at all I can pull this off, but there's no other way for me, it seems.

Louise: "...! Luka, you...can run if you think you can't do it. You're just a commoner; no one will blame you, do you get that..."

The girl, who had just tried to pull that reckless stunt, can now say even things like this...I'm a bit moved.

"...Okay. Thanks for concern."

Louise: "O—Only as a master...! Just a master being worried about her familiar; that's all...!"

Kirche: "Ahem."

Kirche suddenly appears between us.

Kirche: "Hello? I'm still here: Luka's current master, you know?"

Louise: "I—I know that! I'm just saying!"

Kirche: "Really you...Does my victory even mean anything at all..."

Those two are probably alright on their own. Now, the problem is the enemy up ahead.

But I really doubt this rusty sword can really do anything, or that some kind of power really dwells in it. There's one other supposedly legendary sword that got snapped like a twig by the being it was supposed to defeat after all.

"Alright! Let's try it out!" I need to psyche myself up; gripping the sword with both hands, and focus.

? My body feels strange. It seems to be lighter all of a sudden, as if I'm filled with strength not my own.

I'll have to wonder about that later; the golem is up ahead. If this sword can really cleave a wyvern into two, the best way to go about this is...

"To attack from above!"

I need a footing: the tallest tree near the golem, over there!

My body feels light; not as much as when infused with Sylph's power, but still enough to jump much higher than normal.

The first branch is three meters up; I cleared that easily, and move on to the next one, and the next one, then the top most.

The golem is close. With its speed, I can more or less tell the spot it will be in the next two steps: right over there!

Oh...! I'm jumping a bit higher than expected, because of the sudden lightness. But I seem to be on target anyway. The golem is just below me, and I'm starting to fall down.

The speed and the distance are just perfect. Blade of Sigurd is ready over my head, with my full strength put into my grip.

"Heiyaaaa!"

With a shout, all the blood rushes to my arms, as the head of the golem closes in.

Three, two, one...!

*snap*

...

...Well, I guess I did expect that.

Louise: "Ahhhhhh~~! What have you doooonnnne~~!"

But it seems Louise didn't; her scream reaches me from far behind.

Louise: "The school's treasure! The school's treasureahhhh~~!"

I guess Louise's right. Even if it's a rusty sword, it is still kept as a treasure...

"Huh? Wait, isn't this a big problem?"

This might actually be much more serious than I thought. What I just broke wasn't just some random vase in hotels.

Not good. How am I going to pay for this?

Kirche: "Luka! Dodge!"

!

*bam!*

That was close! If Kirche didn't warn me I might've gotten stomped just now. Even if it doesn't kill me, it would still seriously hurt.

And the strange lightness from before isn't here anymore. Huh? Could it be the power of the sword?

"Eh? Then this is actually a magical sword... Wh—What do I do..."

Damn. Let's put that aside for now. The secret weapon didn't work; we have no choice but to escape now.

...I am so in for a scolding once I get back.

Louise: "What. The. Heck. Did you just do~!"

She's so loud. I might as well have been hallucinating a meek Louise just now.

"I did as you told me to. Cut it with the sword."

Louise: "I didn't tell you to break it!"

"The golem was hard. What could I do."

Louise: "If you know that then hit it more lightly!"

"If you know that then don't give me that order in the first place."

Kirche: "Ah! Look!"

Huh? Kirche is pointing at the golem, which is crumbling down...

"Eh? Did that actually work?"

Louise: "...No, that can't be right. The time gap was too wide, and the sword shouldn't have broken in that case."

Louise shakes her head. So in the end you admitted the sword was useless, didn't you.

Kirche: "At least this means we're safe...are we?"

A dragon is coming toward us; on its back are Tabitha and Ms. Longueville, who step down once they reached the ground.

Longueville: "Are you all okay?"

Louise: "We are. What about you, Ms. Longueville? Where have you been?"

Longueville: "I had been searching the surrounding forest when I saw the giant golem appeared. Then I switched to looking for its master, and found a suspicious figure in black cloak holding a wand. I believed it to be Fouquet, so I tried to catch him by surprise, but he spotted me and ran away. After that, the golem crumbled down, and Ms. Tabitha found me."

Kirche: "Hmm...Did you see that suspicious man as well, Tabitha?"

Tabitha nods.

Tabitha: "Someone in cloak. Lost sight of them."

Kirche: "Ah...I guess with a forest this thick, looking from above couldn't be easy..."

"But why would someone powerful enough to create a golem that big run away so easily?" That's weird.

Longueville: "It likely have to do with mages' most grievous weakness."

Weakness?

Longueville: "Mages normally have no means to protect themselves besides magic. On top of that, they can neither cast nor maintain more than one spell at a time. Thus, a mage in the middle of casting a spell will be at their most vulnerable. Creating and controlling golems is a continuous effort, so the mage will not be able to put up a defend were they to be assaulted in the middle of it."

"I see. So mages can only use one spell at a time..."

Louise: "That's right. That's why the royal magic knights need their mounts to be able to cast spells up in the sky. If they can cast Fly and other spells simultaneously, they wouldn't all need their mounts. At least, the Wind users wouldn't."

Now I know mages' weakness. This should be helpful in the future. I'm pretty sure there's going to be more fighting.

Kirche: "In the end the culprit got away, huh. I can't believe we came all the way out here and have to go back empty-handed. Haa~"

Longueville: "Empty-handed? I heard from Ms. Tabitha you managed to recover [Blade of Sigurd], did you not?"

...

"Well, about that..."

Louise: "A certain bungling familiar broke it. The Blade of Sigurd, I mean..."

Longueville: "Eh? ...Eh!? The B—Blade of Sigurd, the prized possession of the academy is...!?"

This is the first time Ms. Longueville loses her cool in front of us, with loud voice and wild gestures. But I don't feel like caring about that at all.

Longueville: "...A—Anyway, let us go back to the school and report to Old Osman for now."

Louise: "...Yes, ma'am."

Louise is really down. Now I'm feeling guiltier by the minute.

[...]

[...][...]

So, all that happened in just half a day. I might be more surprised if I haven't already gotten used to all the excitement of hero business back then.

Aside from the principal in his room, Colbert-sensei seems to also be waiting for us.

Longueville: "They are back, Old Osman."

Osman: "Oh, Ms. Longueville, and the three of you. It's good to see you all safe and sound!"

Colbert-sensei smiles in relief as the principal nods.

Osman: "Well, can you report what you found?"

We look at each other. Louise steps forward and places the sword box on the desk.

Louise: "We reached the destination according to the information gathered by Ms. Longueville and found a deserted cabin in the middle of the forest. There, we successfully recovered the stolen [Blade of Sigurd]."

Louise is telling the story straight, but gets nervous as the end is approaching.

Louise: "But we were attacked by Fouquet's golem. We needed to stall for time to escape so...we tried to use the power of the Blade of Sigurd, but..."

Louise's left hand fiddles with her skirt. I'm not much different...

Louise: "Because of our ignorance, we could not discern the way to correctly use its power. The school's precious treasure was...broken. We're truly sorry for our blunders!"

Colbert: "Broken...! Are you speaking the truth, Ms. Vallière!?"

Louise: "Yes, I am..."

Louise stands upright, hands pressed on her thighs; she must be very afraid.

Someone who prides herself greatly on her nobility like Louise; if she is to be punished here, or maybe even fired from school, just how hard would she take it... Even so, in the explanation she gave just now, she didn't push the blame on any one of us.

If I don't say anything here, if I don't step up beside Louise, I wouldn't be me.

"It was me. I broke the sword."

Louise quickly turns to me, as I thought.

Louise: "What are you trying to do!?"

"I was the one who used that sword, since I was the only one used to handling swords. Although I felt some kind of power rushing into my body, the sword still broke when I slashed at the golem. If someone has to take punishment, it should be me."

Osman: "Hmm...But you are Ms. Vallière's familiar. You do know that your misgivings will naturally fall to your master, that is Ms. Vallière, do you not?" The principal meets my eyes, as if to test me.

"Today I'm Kirche's familiar."

Kirche: "Wait a second! You're bringing that up now!? Cancel! The deal is off!"

Well, that figures.

Still, I wanted to say that. It might not help lessens the punishment in the end, but I still want to speak up for Louise.

"I will accept whatever punishment along with you."

Louise: "O—Of course you will! You're my familiar! ...And in the first place you were the one who broke it! It's me who's dragged along with your doing!"

...Maybe I should take it back.

Longueville: "Old Osman, if I may be so bold, I believe them being safely back is enough reward in itself. In the first place, the responsibility should not have fallen to them; to punish them for it would not be right."

Louise: "Ms. Longueville..."

The principal's gaze slowly shifts from each of us to Ms. Longueville.

Osman: "Mr. Colbert, thank you for waiting for their return with me. Now that they are safe, you can go take your rest."

Colbert: "Eh? Can I hear what you have to say first?"

The principal narrows his eyes as he stares at Colbert-sensei, then he audibly sighs.

Osman: "Haa, really, you. If a principal says something like that, it means this is something he wants to keep a secret. Have you never read a mystery novel before?"

Colbert: "Well...My interest lies mostly in magic theory..."

Osman: "I'm not asking for your reading preferences! Just get out already!"

Colbert: "Y—Yes, sir!"

Colbert-sensei hurries outside.

The principal stares at the closed door, then turns toward us with a cough.

And laughs.

Osman: "Hohohoho! You're all looking so serious. I guess not telling you would be too cruel."

Louise: "Not telling...what exactly?" Louise is as confused as every one of us.

Osman: "In fact, the Blade of Sigurd contains a secret I've never told anyone. You all need to swear not to say a word to anyone else."

Louise: "Er...We swear to...keep this a secret...?"

Then he should just not tell us in the first place.

Osman: "Actually, this Blade of Sigurd..."

The principal trails off as he opens the box, revealing a sword broken in half.

Osman: "...is an old, rusty sword."

The principal says in a serious tone.

...No one seems to know what to say.

Kirche: "...Well, we can kind of tell just from looking."

Osman: "Hohoho, is that so. That's good."

...

...He's not continuing.

Louise: "...Please don't tell us...that's all it is?"

Osman: "That's all it is."

Longueville: "Eh? You mean...it's not a magic item?"

Osman: "There isn't even a grain of magic in it."

Everyone: "Eh~~!"

We're probably thinking the same thing: 'Then what had we risked our lives for?'.

Louise: "Th—Then the legend about it cleaving a wyvern into two..."

Osman: "Oh, that tale was real enough."

Louise: "Eh? What do you mean by that?"

Now we're all just confused.

The principal clears his throat.

Osman: "This happened about thirty years ago. As I was traveling on a road through a forest, I was attacked by a wyvern. But before I could become its food, it was cut into pieces right in front of my eyes."

Longueville: "A wyvern cut into pieces, that went according to the tale..."

Osman: "That's correct. However, what slayed the wyvern wasn't a sword, but wind magic."

Longueville: "Wind magic...To create blades of wind powerful enough to cut through wyverns' body, not to mention with enough number to cut it into pieces, the user would have to be at least a Triangle, and a very skilled one at that..."

Hm. I don't know about wyverns here, but back in our home only high-class monsters of races attuned to magic could manage that with the wyvern girls there.

Osman: "At first that's what I thought as well; I even briefly considered that it might be the famous [Heavy Wind] that had saved me. However, the figure that floated down from the sky wasn't holding a wand."

Everyone look surprised, especially Louise and Kirche. Even Tabitha seems to be paying her full attention.

Louise: "...Not holding a wand?"

Kirche: "Then...how were they floating?"

Osman: "I am not too sure of that either, even now. To say it was by the pair of wings wouldn't be right; they would have to be moving to keep the body aloft."

"Wings..." He said...

A pair of wings. Wind magic. It can only be...

Osman: "I was very much surprised at the time. To think that in my life I would have a chance to witness a 'succubus' only spoken in myths and legends."

Kirche: "Eh!?"

Louise: "Wh—What did you just...!?"

The principal smiles, looking proud of himself for surprising us.

Louise: "A succubus..." Louise mumbles as she looks toward me.

See! I told you so!

Louise: "What are you being so happy about. Disgusting..."

"..."

Kirche: "A succubus...Are you sure, Old Osman? This is not just you going senile is it? You aren't exactly young anymore." Kirche says rude things so nonchalantly.

Osman: "Hoho, I assure you I was sane, Ms. Zerbst. This sword is the proof."

The principal looks at the broken sword on the desk.

Kirche: "What do you mean...?"

Osman: "My savior didn't want to draw attention to herself, so she asked, hmm, told me not to tell anyone of what I saw. This sword just happened to be lying amongst the pieces of the wyvern, probably belonging to some poor sap that got themselves eaten."

...I can see where this is going.

Osman: "So I made up a story: that this sword here is a powerful magic item, and told that to the magic knights that arrived later. The sword was completely soaked in the wyvern's blood, so the knights, though being a little suspicious, accepted my explanation that the user was torn apart from its powerful magic."

...

...It's like there's a trend, where old tales are somehow off in some way or another. The truth and the story told for the last thirty years are too far apart; just look at the dumbfounded expressions everyone has on. If the principal haven't told us today, who knows if the truth will ever come out.

Osman: "And this sword isn't the only evidence. What came after that is what made it so memorable that I would never forget it all my life."

The principal nods, satisfied with himself.

...And doesn't say anything afterward. Even though we're all waiting.

The principal looks at us and chuckles.

Osman: "Hoho, you girls, it's not good to make an elderly say these things, you know."

Louise: "Eh?"

Osman: "Well, think about it. You know my savior was a succubus, right? Now, she said she only saved me on a whim, and wanted me to make it up to her so—"

*stab*

Osman: "Gyarrgh!"

...Where did that wand flew from? It's still stuck on the principal's forehead.

Longueville: "What the hell are you saying in front of students you dirty geezer!?"

Ms. Longueville goes up to the principal and quickly pulls the wand back. A small trickle of blood runs down over the bridge of principal's nose, staining his beard red.

Osman: "Blood! Blood! Ms. Longueville, how could you harm an elderly!?"

Longueville: "You deserve it! You vulgar old coot!"

Aside from Tabitha whose expression still remains neutral, Kirche and Louise made disgusted faces before Ms. Longueville even threw her wand. To me, It didn't feel like anything was out of ordinary.

Osman: "Ahem. To summarize, [Blade of Sigurd] is simply what I made up. You don't have to blame yourself over it."

The principal says as he wipes the blood with a handkerchief. Ms. Longueville is back in her original place, looking completely natural. Maybe they're used to doing this.

Louise: "But...the sword really broke. If we can't reveal the truth, what should we tell the school?"

Kirche: "The truth is one thing, but on the surface it is still a precious treasure of the school. Isn't that why we needed to take it back?"

Osman: "Just say Fouquet broke it."

Louise: "Eh? Is that okay?"

Osman: "Why wouldn't it be. You all chased after Fouquet to take back the Blade of Sigurd. The Blade of Sigurd was then broken in the battle. Putting it like this, the fault would of course lie with the person who thought to steal it from the owner in the first place."

About the fault being with the thief, well, that might be right. But...pushing the responsibility on another so easily...that feels kind of wrong.

"Then, if we catch Fouquet, they would need to pay the school, wouldn't they?"

Osman: "Naturally. As a compensation for breaking an important treasure of a noble's school, at least four or five thousand Écu of compensation is to be expected."

Didn't Louise say one hundred Écu sword was expensive...

"Okay. Fouquet broke the sword."

Louise: "At least show some guilt, will you!"

Hey, just drop it. The money would've come out of your pocket anyway.

Osman: "All right. Let's consider this matter settled. With the treasure broken, Fouquet would probably not come back here for a while. The Ball of Frigg tonight would proceed normally."

A ball. Like, a dance party, I guess. I didn't know about that. Kirche looks positively brightened though.

Kirche: "That's right! Let's all forget about this and have fun!"

Osman: "With the tale of your bravery, the star of the event would likely be the three of you. Be sure to dress up."

Louise: "Yes, sir." Kirche: "Of course, sir!" Tabitha: "..."

We bow and leave the room. Ms. Longueville goes out first, followed by Kirche and Tabitha, and me and Louise are last.

Osman: "Oh, I almost forgot. Young boy, there is something you might want to know."

Hm?

Kirche: "Then we'll go first."

Louise: "Just go already."

Ms. Longueviller closes the door, leaving only us two with the principal.

Louise: "What is it, sir?"

Osman: "It's nothing big. I just remember something else about that sucuubus. I'm sorry, but it happened so long ago. I have a hard time recalling some details."

Louise: "...Yes, sir."

Louise looks like she wants to be anywhere but here.

Osman: "When I realized I was saved, I thanked Founder Brimir out of habit. The succubus heard me, and said..."

Succubus: "Hmph. I do not know which god you referred to, but if you are going to show your gratitude, you had better say it in the name of Evil God*."

...'Evil God'...

Louise: "Evil God...What is that?"

Osman: "I don't know either. There is no such name in scriptures or legends. But if that succubus, like our boy here, also came from the Holy Land..."

The principal turns to face me, probably expecting an explanation. I guess there's no harm telling him.

"...Evil God. I can only tell you what I heard. Evil God creates the first six monsters, called Six Ancestors. All monsters are descendants of the Six Ancestors. For the monsters, Evil God is the creator."

Louise and the principal listens closely.

Osman: "Hoh. So the monsters have their own religion."

"Religion...Not exactly." If by religion he means something like Illias's faith. "There are no teachings or rules to live by; just the fact that Evil God really exists. Six Ancestors really exist." One of them were bouncing across the continent and eating fried tofu at the steps of her own shrine last I saw.

"So...for monsters, that would be a very old and very powerful ancestor that everyone knows existed...something like that."

That the principal pays attention to me isn't strange, but Louise now looks like a kid listening to a fairy tale.

Osman: "Hm... It is as I thought. Succubi that were thought to exist only in legend appeared and knew of details not in any books or legends, and the details correspond to your story. This can only mean one thing."

That succubus came from the same place I did!

"Do you know where she is right now?!"

Osman: "Unfortunately no. That's the only time I ever met that succubus. She didn't even tell me her name. She might be anywhere, or even back in the Holy Land already."

"Is that so..."

It just can't be easy, can it. Even if I do meet her, there's no guarantee anything will come out of it.

Alma Elma: "But something is going to come out of you~"

Tamamo: "No doubt. Kukuku~"

Why did I have to imagine that... I must be around them too much...

Osman: "But at least it proves that aside from you there might be someone or something else sent from the Holy Land. Those might become important clues to help you return home."

"That's right...It's exactly as you said! Thank you very much for telling me."

I don't know if I'll find them or not, but if I do I'm definitely not going to let the chance go.

Osman: "That is all I have to say. Now, hurry along and prepare. The Ball of Frigg will be after dinner; make sure you are ready in time."

I'm done here. And, catching her eyes, the same can be said for Louise.

Louise: "Then we will be going. Thank you for your time."

By the time we exited the room, greeted Ms. Longueville, and reached the first floor, Kirche and Tabitha is already gone.

Louise: "A succubus...Something like that really exist..."

"Actually, they might not be for you. They are so rare people thought they were just myth, weren't they? The only ones here, if there are more, might be all from my side of the world."

Louise: "I meant I didn't think it's even real at all. Even now I'm still half in doubt that you really came from the Holy Land."

"I've never heard my home being referred to as 'holy' either."

Louise: "What kind of land could it be...It would be interesting to see it just once."

"If I can find my way back there might be a way to take you to see it."

Louise: "That sounds good. Alright, I will help you find a way home, if it's not too troublesome."

"Uh, okay." At least she offers.

Anyway, she's speaking normally, so she must have already recovered from all those crying and shock. That's a relief.

[...]

[...][...]

Yhe Ball of Frigg is, well, a dance party, as its namesake. Students changes from uniforms to elegant clothes and dresses, freely displaying their wealth and status.

The principal was right; the three that went on a hunt for Fouquet are the main attraction of today's party. However, Tabitha just sits down and eats in silence, not answering anyone. Louise isn't here yet. Kirche is being surrounded by male students.

I haven't felt so much like an outsider in a while. I'm on the right floor, but doesn't feel like going inside at all. I feel more at ease out here in the balcony, my sword against the railing, with the food and water brought by Siesta.

It's a little bad of me that Siesta had to go out of her way to get water for me; only wine was prepared in the party. But I really can't risk drinking anything with alcohol; I've had some as part of socializing, but I really have to be careful with how much I have, or it could lead to a terrible disaster; I have a real sword with me now.

Anyway, the students inside look very content. The smiles, the happiness, they're all the same whether they're commoners or nobles.

A dance, huh...We have ones like that back home as well. The first time was...when the Queen of Grand Noah invited us. I had to drag Alice up on the dance floor as an excuse to separate her from the dining table that was thinning fast. But then I learned that both of us had absolutely no idea how to dance. In the end, we only managed a bad imitation of what we thought was a dance; Alice's tail even hit the other couples several times. And Alice herself was frowning half the dance. That was seriously embarrassing.

...

Alice. What is she doing right now. Nero and Neris too. Nero was mature for his age so I probably don't have to worry about him too much, but Neris was very attached to me. Did she cry a lot when I disappeared? Is she still crying even now?

Does Tamamo know what happened to me? Does anyone? They must be trying to find a way to get me back.

I miss them...

...

Louise: "What are you doing out here alone."

Louise's voice; she's just behind me. Good thing I'm not crying.

"Ah, Louise. What is it?"

Louise: "Why aren't you going in?"

"These kind of events aren't really my thing. And I'm practically an outsider. It might cause problems if I go in."

If Louise hadn't told me to come wait for her, I'd probably be somewhere down at the schoolyard, or helping out the staffs.

"You don't have to worry about me. Go in there and, uh, have fun." How should I've said that? I could only think of how I speak to Neris.

Anyway, just compare how we dress: I, wearing the same outfit since back in traveling days, and Louise, in a pretty, white, low-cut evening gown, long gloves, tying her hair up in a pony-tail. It's clear just how out of place I look next to her, or any of the students in there. They actually look like nobles.

Hmm...When Neris grows up, how would she look like in these kinds of clothes? Though I would need to get her to stay still for more than three seconds first.

Louise: "Who worries about you. I'm just saying that it's hard to look for you when you're out here. I told you to wait for me. Are you trying to avoid me?"

"I'm not avoiding you. Well, what do you want?"

Louise: "..."

And now she's silent. And she holds out her hand.

Louise: "...Well, what are you waiting for."

"Huh? I am?"

You're the one holding out your hand without explanation.

Louise: "Your master is granting you a special privilege; you should appreciate how lucky you are. But only for today."

And I still don't understand what she means. But, now that I think about it, haven't I seen something in events like this one? This should be, uh, someone inviting someone to dance, I think.

What am I supposed to do...I guess I'll just bow for now.

Louise seems surprised, but she does reply by pinching her skirt and curtsies, so I probably didn't mess up too bad.

Ah, Louise's outstretched hand; now I remember what they did. I'm supposed to take her hand from below, like this.

Louise: "!"

Next is walking up on the dance floor together. From what I can see from other couples, what they do here isn't too different from back home. I should be able to manage something.

My left hand hold Louise's right hand, my right loosely touch Louise's back, while Louise's left hand placed on my right shoulder: a standard position I've seen before.

Louise's hands are unexpectedly small. I've never noticed it, but now that they're touching mine, the difference is clear. They're not as small as Neris's of course, but still considerably smaller than Alice who's also a woman. They're pretty close to Tamamo's actually, but Louise's fingers are a bit thinner and longer, giving a slightly frail appearance.

Louise: "...Your hands are bigger than I thought."

"Well, I'm a guy."

Louise: "But only a little."

"..." She never lets me be proud of anything for long, does she.

We were late coming up on the floor, but we're getting pretty close to others' rhythm; at least enough to blend in. It's a relief I haven't messed up yet. I hope I won't.

Louise: "You know how to dance?"

"A little."

Louise: "Didn't you say you never went to a party like this."

"I just said it's not my style. I've been to events like this one a few times."

Louise meets my eyes, and seems to be thinking something.

Louise: "You're not actually a noble, are you?"

"Not at all. I was born in a village at the edge of an island. My father's an ordinary man. ...My mother's not a noble either. But I know some nobles myself...somewhat. So I was invited sometimes."

I'm not saying anything not true, but with so much I'm hiding this probably count as borderline lying.

Louise: "A commoner that knows some noble...Sounds reasonable."

Louise seems to have bought it.

Louise: "...When I first saw you, I thought for a moment, really just a split second, that I might have summoned a noble."

"Eh? Why?" Definitely not because of my looks.

Louise's gaze shifts toward my back.

Louise: "Because you were wearing a cape."

"...Oh."

Louise already explained about extra pieces of clothing being a sign of nobility when I asked about Fouquet's cloak. Student uniforms also have them. I thought it was more of a magician's outfit, but it's actually nobles' signature piece, it seems.

Louise: "But your clothes looked too cheap, so I instantly recognized you as an over-dressed commoner."

"...It's a hero outfit."

Heroes wear cape too.

Louise: "...I actually believe it a little."

"Believe what?"

Louise: "Your story."

"...Which one?" I did tell her more than a few.

Louise: "The Holy Land. The devils. What the principal said corroborates with your story. More than that, you ran at Fouquet's golem without hesitation. That's reasonable for someone constantly surrounded by devils."

"You say that as if living with monsters are so dangerous...And it's monsters not devils; but yes, I have fought monsters several times. I also fought a golem that size once. It was created using magic too."

Louise: "...I haven't believed that, yet."

"How come?"

Louise: "Weren't you completely useless against Fouquet's golem? Being empty-handed wasn't an excuse anymore; I bought you a sword."

"An ordinary, iron one."

Thought it's not like I can tell her about the one that absorbs magic without injuring; even I haven't fully understood it yet.

Louise: "...Well, do you want to go back?"

"What? Of course I do."

Louise: "Of course you do..."

What a strange question.

Louise: "...Thanks..."

"Ah...Huh?"

Louise furrows her brows, probably realizing I don't know what she's talking about.

Louise: "You saved me from the golem earlier didn't you."

"Eh, oh, right...But I kind of carried you out by force."

Louise: "I—I told you not to say it like that! ...If you didn't force me, I might've died. And...what you said to me back then...I was...kinda...happy..."

The last part was so quiet I almost didn't get it.

"...I don't know everything you've gone through; only you do. But I know a little of how it is, to feel like there's something you have to accomplish no matter what, even if it costs you your life."

Louise: "..."

{...}

The light shines from the moons and the glow of the nearby lamps fill the ball room with romantic atmosphere, as if taken directly out of a sappy novel.

The silence between me and the familiar is that of understanding.

The words Luka spoke to me that time, the only other person to ever said that to me was sister Chii.

And...there may be another one, but I don't remember who it was.

The words that since arriving at this school I have never heard it again, until today...

Even I didn't know how much I wanted to hear them. But this guy knew, and said them to me when I needed them the most.

It has been twelve days since the day of Spring Summoning Ritual. I felt, for the first time, that summoning this familiar might have been a good thing.

---

* 邪神 = Evil God (Jashin-chan Drop Kick), Wicked God (Yu-Gi-Oh! R)

Dark God will be saved for 闇神, in case it becomes a thing.

---

Ilias: "Her dere side came out quite fast, did it not? Did it not take the original protagonist several months before they reached this point?"

PBW: "Go read it again. Louise started liking Saito since the second volume, but those guys kept messing up so it didn't go anywhere for a long time. One stuck to traditions, another took every offense to his pride, and both were hormonal teenagers. Seriously."

Ilias: "Why are you complaining to me."

PBW: "With this kind of protagonist switching, that Louise would come to love her familiar is a given, so it's better to just take care of it from the get go. The real problem is with Luka."

Ilias: "You are correct. It is truly tragic, but Luka is too obsessed with that glutton of a Demon Lord. Heinrich alone was bad enough, now there is Luka. Why do every Hero I have chosen seem to be so taken by my rival's bloodline, I could never fathom... Although it will be most difficult, I will eagerly await the look on that venomous snake's face when she realized her beloved husband was NTRed away. Please make her so stricken by grief that she commits suicide in the most pathetic way possible."

PBW: "My work isn't your stress reliever, you know (it's mine). Ah, now I see. You yourself had been the victim of NTR by your rival; twice even. That's why you were bitter enough to try to remake the world, wasn't it?"

Ilias: "...There was no such thing. Someone like me cannot possibly be a victim of NTR. Do cease with the baseless accusation."

...

PBW: "The Author would like to make it clear that The Author abhors NTR to the point that, if NTR is a living being, The Author would not stand to even breathe the same air as it does. However, if it is within control, The Author would not hesitate to use it as much as is required."

---

*Edit: Change remarks about Luka's alcoholic drink habit to fit with information from Torotoro's Question Corner.