He's awake. My familiar! My brutish and horrifying familiar. My handsome and protective familiar. Ok Louise, you can do this. You have an interesting familiar. You performed a spell. You aren't a zero!
"What do you expect from me?" An unfamiliar voice. Is that him?
"Very little, honestly. We can't force humans into something like this. Well...we won't. The Vallières are a powerful family. And us here at the Academy would love the chance to study your abilities. We would return that favor in kind, of course. Any text Louise can access, would also be open to you." The headmaster. I knock on the door, now worried.
"Headmaster, it is Louise."
"Enter. We have much to discuss." Headmaster seemed to be in a positive mood. So maybe I shouldn't be concerned?
My familiar was unbound, sitting in a chair. He looked my way, my heart felt unease. He didn't glare, didn't seem mad, but he clearly wasn't pleased either.
"Louise, I won't apologize for before." Those aren't good first words.
"That is fine, you were afraid, and didn't mean me any harm. We can start a clean slate." I really want this to work.
"You are aware I'm a human, right? I'm not a dog. I won't bark because you said so. And I don't come free." Was my familiar trying to dictate terms? How dare he! Wait.
"Are you a noble?" I ask, fearing the answer, especially after he smirked.
"His family's ancestor is one of the two founding families of his country. Their right of rule isn't completely determined by blood, but he is similar to royalty." Professor Colbert's word freeze me.
I summoned a Noble, snatched him away from his home. Oh no, oh founder please no. The look in his eyes turn predatory.
"It's been brought to my knowledge that the summoning can't be undone. You've done me a great disservice, Louise de la Vallière." Now I can see it, the anger.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do this! I had no direct hand in choosing what or whom would be summoned via the ritual." Surely he can understand that?
"I'm aware of that. Regardless, I find myself away from home, in a foreign country, and branded by you. As if I'm a slave."
I can't breathe.
This is too easy. She's a noble? Aren't they supposed to know how these games work? I'm not as good at this as Ino, and even her skills here shouldn't be enough. Is their noble training really so subpar? They must over focus on magic. Or she is just sloppy. The Professor and Headmaster don't seem the most pleased, but they aren't intervening.
"I'm your responsibility, I offer my services, in return for you to handle everything I need. Shelter, nutrition, and any other reasonable favors." It sounds like a demand, but I have no idea what I can actually do. These two act all nice, but I don't know what this magic of theirs is capable of. They could just be trying the carrot before the stick. I'm completely alone and this silly girl is my life line. I need her eating out of my hand. Fear, respect, admiration. She's older, but shorter, weaker...I might have to play the fucking honeypot. Magic.
"And what kind of services can you offer to Louise?" Colbert asks, likely for her benefit. Not good enough, Professor.
"With me watching your back, no one could ever kidnap you again. And I'm sure I could be of help in your studies, this is an academy after all." Why did she just cringe?
"I'd like to have your protection, as for my studies, I am the best of my year in that regard. So I won't need the help. Thank you for being willing to be my familiar." Louise seems off. What am I missing.
"You can't return me home, I understand that. I still don't see why you are so eager to accept." Infact, the angle Colbert and Osmond have been trying to use, it's as if my servitude, one way or the other, has to happen. Was my curse seal that interesting? Is chakra so fascinating as to warrant that?
The three are silent for a tad bit longer than I like. Louise, I think, is simply bothered. These two though...
Osmond sighs.
"One familiar only. She bound you. You are her familiar. A human one, a smart one, one with free will, but a familiar nonetheless. Until your death, she can not so much as do the summoning again, let alone have another familiar." Osmond almost drones.
They didn't mention this earlier. This isn't a back handed threat. Mentioning that before Louise showed up would of put me on the back foot immediately. They all have something to gain from my death. The girl can try again with a more convenient familiar, Colbert and Osmond get to not worry about the strange non magic powered human. Shit.
He's scared again. Away from home, surrounded by strangers, and I'm not stupid, I know what I would be thinking hearing those words. I should balance this.
"If I had failed this summoning, I would of been expelled, for being a failure." There, now my familiar can know how useless his master is.
"Did you not just say that you are the best of your year?" He said. Oh, I still don't know his name.
"I'm the best academic. I...I am almost completely useless in actually using magic. Everything I try, explodes. Even spells like levitate just go boom! I don't know what to tell you sir...?" This sucks.
"Sasuke Uchiha, and everything you try explodes? I'm a bit of a prodigy, but I've had the odd explosion problem." Sasuke, my familiar, smirks.
For real? Seriously? Is this my chance?
"Can you help me?" I can't help but shout.
"Possibly, we aren't the same, I can tell you that now, but i have a working theory, after what you just said. A friend of mine had a far worst explosion problem than me. It was because of a lack of control. And his lack of control came from having far more power than anyone else our age."
Is that it? No, that sounds ridiculous. He must of seen my doubt on my face. He shrugs.
"Now that I think about it, you caused an explosion even when you summoned me. And you summoned a person. A person with a lot of power. Compared to most of the things I've heard about your classmates, well. Do you truly think someone who summoned a frog is more powerful than you? That I'm weaker than a frog?"
That, actually makes sense.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Colbert and I have other duties to attend to, perhaps you can take this conversation to your room, Louise?" Headmaster Osmond basically commands.
Naturally, Sasuke and I make haste to my room.
Can I finally stop being a zero? Am I just tragically too powerful?
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