[A few minutes before the duel.]
Professor Colbert walked into the head headmaster Osmond's office to report his important finding about the runes on Ms. Vallière's familiar carried.
The Gandálfr
But was greeted by an unusual sight of Ms. Longueville Osmond's secretary manhandling said person on the floor only to be stopped by Colbert's sudden appearance.
Longueville was a stunning young spectacled woman with hazel-colored eyes and long green hair tied into a ponytail wearing a blue robe that was slightly shorter than finger length with brown boots underneath a purple cloak.
Osmond was an old man with long white hair as well as long facial hair. He had purple-colored eyes and wore black robe and held a wooden staff.
"...Uh, did I come in at a bad time?" Colbert finally spoke from the growing awkward silence of the situation.
"~No, not at all, Osmond asked me to massage since his back was hurting. After all, managing his health is a part of my job as well."
"R-Right." was the only response he could give. Even though he could tell that what Longueville said wasn't the whole truth, not wanting to press the matter further he ignored it. Besides, he could guess what had happened.
Early on in his teaching career at the academy he found out Osmond was a infamous perverted individual, this had led to the ire of many women. Even without context figured he did something perverted to earn Longueville's wrath, yet still she'd tried to stay professional in front of him.
After that debacle, Ms. Longueville went back to her desk near the corner of the room, while Osmond went to his near the back.
The room was spacious, longer than it was wide. There're gigantic wooden doors where Colbert entered matched by the gigantic window behind Osmond. A bookshelf was next to him that was parallel to where Longueville was facing.
"Ahem." Osmond coughed to clear the atmosphere of the previous moment. "So, how can i help you with professor~"
"Colbert, sir." Colbert said, completing Osmond's sentence as he wondered if the headmaster seriously forgot due to his old age, or it just slipped his mind.
"Right, Colbert!"
Ah yes, that's what his name was.
Osmond said to him before he then addressed his assistant. "Ms. Longueville, can you please prepare some tea for us?"
"Yes sir, right away." Longueville replied before getting up to make some tea.
"It's about this." Colbert's tone was serious as he presented Osmond a single book.
Osmond then picked up the book and inspected the book's title.
"This book is 'The Familiar's of Brimir' the founder is it not?
For what reason do you have to show me this?" Osmond asked inquisitively as he pondered about Colbert's actions.
"Have you heard about Ms. Vallière's familiar that she'd summoned?" Colbert implored.
"Hmmm." Osmond began to recall the information before speaking once again.
"Oh, the plebian familiar. Yes, I've heard about it, a very unusual case indeed. Never before had such a thing occurred at this academy, but what does that have to do with this book?"
Cobert gingerly picked up the book and flipped through its contents to find the page he was looking for. "Well, take a look at this right here."
ᚷᚢᚾᛞᛟᛚᚠ
"Hmmm, these are some unfamiliar Runes." Osmond responded off handedly before reading more.
"!?"
Osmond's eyes widened in shock as he'd read the page's contents. He looked up at Colbert to verify the meaning of what he just read.
Colbert with a serious look on his face just nodded to confirm Osmond's suspicions. At that moment Longueville came back with tea.
"Ms. Longueville." Osmond said, his voice stern and his happy go lucky attitude gone. Replaced by something more appropriate for a man of his station. "Can you give us a minute? I'd like to discuss this matter with Professor Colbert in private, if you would?"
This momentarily stunned her as she had never heard Osmond make such a serious tone in his voice before. Not only that, but the atmosphere in the room also suddenly began to feel heavy.
She then placed the tea down and gave a curt bow before leaving the room, only to hide behind the door to overhear their conversation.
Her real name was Matilda de Saxe-Gotha, better known as Fouquet the clod. A notorious thief and mercenary working for Reconquista, her missions were to infiltrate the academy to monitor Louise. This was at the behest of a certain individual who convinced her to join them in order to protect her adoptive little sister, Tiffania.
The other part was for her to steal any powerful or valuable items they ordered her to get for the organization.
"Jean, are you absolutely sure what you saw were those exact runes on Ms. Vallière's familiar?" Osmond said pensively as he got up to face the window, his hands behind his back.
"Yes, I've even double checked just to make sure. Not only that, when the contract was completed, he read those runes aloud." Colbert answered.
"And does anyone else know about this?" Osmond asked, turning to face Colbert which he responded by shaking his head no.
Osmond began to hum while stroking his beard in thought. Pondering on Colbert's words.
"The Gandálfr." Osmond began. "The Legendary familiar that the founder himself once had, it has been said that they could masterly use any weapon and defeat an entire army of a thousand single handedly."
Colbert swallowed hard before reluctantly asking his next question. "Should we inform the palace?" Though this was a discovery of a lifetime, a Gandálfr in their modern era, the implications for war and bloodshed were apparent to him. This is what caused him to be more apprehensive.
How could he not when he himself was a former captain a troop of fire mages.
"No, not yet, we have no real proof. Besides, you probably realized what those fools at the palace would do if they had that power in their hands, am I right?" Osmond retorted. "Just leave this matter to me."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Both Colbert and Osmond turned their attention at the door before Osmond asked for the person outside the door to enter as their conversation on the matter was done.
"I was just informed that there's going to be a duel between Ms. Vallière's familiar and the Fourth son of Marshal de Gramont happening at the Vesti Field." Fouquet informed them before once again exiting. Colbert soon began to follow behind to stop the fight.
Never again.
He won't allow anyone else to get hurt.
Not when he has the means to prevent it.
"Hold on their Colbert, this is an opportunity to see if Ms. Vallière's familiar really is what you say he is." Osmond said while he pulled a mirror from a drawer in his desk. "And if it does get serious, we will use the Bell of Sleep to stop things from going any further."
/-/
What sort of magic was that?
How was that possible, swords made out of nothing?
How could they cut through brass Golems so easily?
And what kind of fighting style was that?
Can he actually see us?
Shirou was currently receiving an ear full from Louise for almost giving her a heart attack from making her worried.
When she learned what he did for her. Gave her the same warm feeling she would get when Cattleya, her elder sister would defend her again and again.
Meanwhile Shirou was looking into space where he sensed the presence of someone who was watching him slowly fading away and directing his full attention on Louise.
Little did Shirou Know that Colbert and principal Osmond were the ones observing him and the see if he was the legendary Gandálfr. Only to be bewildered by his skills and abilities.
Colbert was just thankful things ended peacefully with no one getting hurt.
To the perspective of others, it seemed as if he was purposely ignoring Louise as she was in the midst of her rant before he'd apologized to her for the trouble he caused.
Several days had passed since the Vestri Field incident.
As Shirou went around placing a detection bounded field around the academy for safety and on Louise's door so as to not accidentally walk in on her changing.
After that he'd flooded his magic energy into her dormmate circuits, causing her to gasp at the indescribable filling she was now experiencing.
It was as if a dried upriver bed that suddenly began to fill with water or a desert coming to life from the arrival of rain.
However, in her haste to see what she could do now, despite Shirou warnings for her to properly get adjusted to them.
Upon using said circuits with wand in hand for the first time she'd chanted a fire spell which failed in an explosion, Louise then began to feel hot, dizzy, nauseous, and weak, nearly fainting instantly on the spot after a single use.
This caused her to be bedridden for one to two days. He then told her that what she experienced was normal for someone who used their circuits for the first time. This made her feel a bit better knowing she didn't mess up on the usage of her magic circuits.
On those days she then saw a dream of him repeatedly practicing his craft as he would struggle and fail again and again to reinforce a single object to the brink of being so exhausted that it caused him to pass out.
This made her recall the times of when she would study until late in the evening, sometimes till the break of dawn. Before she went to the academy and was given the title of "Zero."
A cynical part of herself wanted to see him just give up in his futile efforts, but as the visions continued, he gradually got older as months and years began to pass within moments. Until finally he succeeded, as he sprawled his body across the floor with a big grin plastered on his face in success before getting up and once again continued practicing.
In that vision of his stubborn tenacity to not give up had resonated with something deep inside her and reawakened that same drive within her.
/-/
Siesta and the other students quickly spread the word about Louise's familiar, Shirou. who defeated a noble like Guiche, the staff briefly calling him "Our Sword'' believing he too was a fellow commoner who had beaten a noble, before learning that he could use magic which brought upon mixed feelings more so with Marteau who told Siesta to keep her distance from him.
He'd disdained nobility for their ungrateful high and mighty attitudes and looking down on the common folk, despite serving delicious high-quality food for years he hadn't received thanks, nor was he praised once by them for all his hard work.
Some days he really wanted to make their meals awful to make them realize how good they have it, but his pride as a cook wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.
But Shirou, he was different, he was helpful, kind, and when he talked to them, he did so as an equal or as his superiors. Even after they started to act coldly towards him as he still offered his help.
It was humbling for them as they began to think that he was but a bastard instead, a bastard who somehow learned magic and treated others with respect. Even though he was part noble by blood but in their eyes, he was one of them, yet they were too embarrassed to apologize and had no idea how to even reconcile with him.
It wasn't until Siesta who helped them bridge and mended the relationship between Shirou.
Shirou just scratched the back of his head and said "No hard feelings, really" with a nervous laugh in which some started to cry from how easily he could forgive.
When others asked to question if he was a fallen or bastard of a nobility, he only responded that he wasn't but instead that he was just a normal person, a plebian. Which confused others as the notion that commoners could use magic was never heard nor thought of.
Those who could use magic were nobles and those who couldn't were commoners.
And from what others hear about the incident they'd determined that Shirou was at least a triangle class mage.
Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, commoners could become nobles through their great merits and achievements but very few had attained this and fewer could have a domain to rule over, yet still they are looked down upon as lesser nobles.
Those who are born in nobility but have no magic are still considered nobles due to the prestige and pedigree of their family names and are often married off.
Kirche on the other hand was not bothered by his status and often tried to seduce him.
Shirou on his part had to repeatedly had to turn down or straight avoid her advances as she escalated with every attempt.
Although he could keep a stone face at times, the reddening of his cheeks and ears were always apparent. This encouraged her to continue as assets and her feminine wiles still affected him.
Rejection was something she had never experienced before. For what man didn't want her, she could get any man from just her exotic body alone. Hell, even some girls too if she so desired. With her body built for sin and exotic tan body. That's why it vexed her to no end. Yet at the same time made her desire him more.
It was to the point that she'd started to focus less on her other playthings; Styx, Pelisson, Manicamp, Ajax, and Gimli, for Shirou
She was Kirche the ardent, the fervent. But she'd rather now be called Kirche the passionate, for she had fallen in love with him.
Yet this self-awareness had awakened and drew her nearer to her own origin.
As she puts it, "Love and fire are the destinies of the Von Zerbst family" and she only wishes to burn in the flames of love.
But Shirou could see right through her. What she was feeling was a strong desire born from something she couldn't easily attain nor understand.
When he asked her why she'd chosen him? She answered him simply with his looks, abilities, and skills.
But a more in-depth reason would be the strength of his muscles, the bravery of facing an opponent alone, the loyalty to defend his master's honor, the look he had in his eyes when fighting, how he'd effortlessly taken out Guiche, and yet still being a kind and gentle person. Not only that, he manages to also refuse her advances, in her own words as "the most attractive girl in the academy."
To say she was intrigued by him would be an understatement.
Shirou began Louise's training lessons on what he knew.
First and foremost was magic energy and its sources, Mana and Od; The greater and lesser respectfully.
The Od, the lesser source, was the easiest to explain to Louise as it was the same thing as "willpower", qi, and prana. In other words, life-force energy, found in and every living thing as they naturally generate it.
While mana, the greater source was found everywhere as it is produced by the planet itself. Because of this mana is found in higher abundant quantities and density than one's own od. That's why mages mainly use it for straightening one's own spells or for the use of greater and more complex mysteries.
But once it was used it would take time for mana in the used area to naturally replenish itself.
This astounded Louise as a source of energy that neither modern nor former mages never accessed such a thing.
Indeed, after he was summoned, he could tell right away that the density of mana in the air was several folds more than his own world. If he had to guess, he would put it around the same level as the age of gods or the beginnings of their recession.
Next was a proper explanation of magic circuits.
Louise was shocked when she learned that magic circuits are not found nor attracted to the body itself but instead attached to one's own soul, and what she saw was simply the physical representation of activation where the soul meets the "vessel."
However, Shirou had brought his circuits closer to his body by trying to convert his own nerves into makeshift circuits for several years.
Not only could such an act have killed himself. But the process itself felt like sticking a hot steel rod down his spin.
Like one's own height, magic circuits are determined at birth and can't increase by natural means; this also applies with their quality as well.
When Shirou had first explained magic circuits, he had to summarize so he could save time and not overload her with a full in-depth explanation at the time, it was the same for Louise although curious, she also what to ask the next question as a fuller explanation could be asked for later.
Next was their purpose and use, Shirou explained to her that they were like wands so that she could understand the concept much easier, this was kind of true as some mystic codes can have the capacity to act as a mana reactor such as the Prelati's spellbook.
The main purpose for magic circuits is to pull, convert, and store magical energy from the two sources.
They can also record and store information. This property allows the existence of a family magic crest or a magic crest.
By sacrificing a few circuits and implanting them into their successor they can artificially increase the number of magic circuits one can have. This also grants them access to knowledge of spells from the former owners, by passing and adding on to a magic crest it becomes more powerful over time. So, the older one was the better.
He then showed Louise his own magic crest, she blushed in embarrassment at the action before noticing the details of it.
Shirou had received one from Illya, who convinced Rin to help transfer the majority of her magic circuits into him before or after she'd died; it was then engraved on his back, chest, left shoulder, and parts of his neck and face.
Making him a third-rate magus with a first-rate crest as Illya's circuits made up 70% of her being as a homunculus. He now had enough power to match or even surpass Rin's own magic capacity.
This was only possible due to Illya's attribute of flow and transfer of power and Rin's conversion which made it possible for it to be successful.
Despite the granted knowledge of the Einzbern's alchemic magecraft, it did little to help him in an actual fight. The only things that he found useful were healing, bounded field creation, and the ability to transmute his surroundings to an extent, he at one point tried to use familiars like how Illya did but to no success.
While originally, he wanted to train Louise by teaching and letting her practice with reinforcement magic but thought better of it, and instead taught her some runecraft as well as helping her with what she already knows until she has a better handle on her magic.
Shirou had picked up the basics of runecraft due to them being one of the few things he can actually perform with as well as their diverse usages, and as a present Rin gave him some runestones.
Runes were unique as once inscribed they automatically realize their Mysteries accordingly with the meaning of what those symbols represent; The precise meaning of each Rune varies depending on the caster's interpretation of them.
However, it does take some time to engrave them in the first place, but once they're set, they could be activated as a Single-Action spell by simply passing Magical Energy through them.
Yet Louise didn't seem to mind as she was jubilated by the fact that she was able to perform a successful spell.
when it came down to her usages of the normal spells that she was taught he watched carefully. Observing how he could help; with no idea he could only give his advice yet in that moment he remembered something.
Just like how he was very good at projection magecraft before his old man, Kiritsugu told him to focus more on reinforcement instead.
Maybe Louise needed to embrace the explosions of her spells instead of fighting to change it.
Louise was taken aback by such a suggestion never would she have heard nor had such a thought. She only perceived her explosions were a byproduct of her failures.
Never realizing that could be her own specialty, her very own spell. For that reason she would try.
After some personal morning training, Shirou began to hear a rumor about a count named Mott visiting again today from some student as they passed by.
Count Jules de Mott frequented the academy on errands requested by the Palace, though he disliked being a messenger and an errand boy even he wouldn't easily refuse the request from the high nobles from the Royal Palace the only plus side was getting to see Longueville.
He was a tall man with fair skin, grayish eyes, and black gelled hair parted on his left side, with a swirly mustache and curved sideburns on both of his sides.
Wearing a blue-and-red top with turned-back cuffs, where the middle of the shirt opens in the middle vertically, adorned with gold trimmings and linings paired with puffy black breeches and stockings over his shoes. Underneath a red cloak clasped by a small black ribbon in the manubrium area, topped with a white ruff.
He wielded a standard medium wooden staff adorned with a sphere on top and blue-coloured part on the bottom and the middle.
This time he was there to warn them about Fouquet the Clot as she had recently struck in the nearby area, stealing high valuables. However he saw a young maid he would mind having as a mistress as he asked for her name before he left.
Louise attended her normal classes without him; he'd so far got the gist of the power structure of this world's magic and decided to train to keep his skills sharp and in shape, not only that but to also see what effects the runes on his hand had given him thoroughly as well as their limits.
What he found out about with his training and experimenting of that power given to him, it allowed a better understanding of the weapons he was projecting and because of the slow progression of this world; Mysteries are more powerful. Hence why the erosion of his copies was so slow.
He'd mostly choked it all up to the world and runes, which was part of it; the other was the influence of his reality marble.
Normally his reality marble could only have an effect on his body in a way of "sword stitching" which replaced his muscles with swords instead, Now with the power of the Gandálfr it took an effect to the weapons pulled from his "Hill of Swords." making them last much longer almost as if they were the real things.
As he went on his day he'd helped the staff with cooking and cleaning as well as adding his own touches to the recipes to help with the flavor and nutrition, to the awe and frustration of Marteau who found no faults and had been surpassed in the kitchen.
This was because the world Shirou came from was more advanced with revolutionary ideas such as techniques, styles, utensils, and ingredients giving Shirou an advantage when it comes to cooking.
/-/
Shirou had noticed something was up with Siesta as she had the same aura as Sakura had when something was bothering her.
When he confronted her about it all she said was that "there was nothing wrong" before giving him a solemn smile. He'd wanted to press more on the matter but he knew it wasn't his place to do so. As he wasn't a person to force someone else to do something they don't want to do.
All he could do for the time being was to comfort her by telling her that he'd be there to help or to listen to her troubles at any time, letting her know that she doesn't have to handle what she is facing alone.
This greatly moved her as she was starting to have doubts of not involving anyone.
As she pondered she'd continued with her decision, this was a problem with consequences and what Marteau had theorized Shirou was a bastard meaning he had no political protection.
Even though he was a familiar of a Vallière he'd can't do anything as it would be a noble messing with another noble's business for no reason.
This intern would cause a major backlash from other aristocrats towards the Vallièresr over a simple unimportant village girl. Because of these thoughts she'd given up on the hope that someone would save her from this situation. Cynical as it may be but only someone out of their mind would do something so brazen as to cause that much trouble for a plebian.
As those thoughts ravage her mind as she'd tossed and turned in her bed as she'd tried to sleep only to stare at the ceiling then to her luggage full of all her belongings and then towards the window looking at the twin moons as their light bathed her as she fell asleep.
Sorry for the very late update. I had a lot of personal stuff to deal with and it took a huge mental toll on me.
Thank you for understanding.
And if anyone is curious, here are Shirou's stats parameters
Partial Activation
[ STR: D+ ] [ END: B- ] [ AGL: C+ ] [ MP: A] [ Luck: E ] [ NP: ? ]
Tomorrow is my Birthday
-Azur