"Derf, our first legend is about to begin. I will do my best to make it a performance worthy of the Great Derflinger. As your junior, please take care of me."

"Give me some more of that magic like you did before, and I'll consider it. Can't work on an empty stomach."

9 – A Lesson in Nobility

[Interlude]

The golden armoured mage swooped in to a cacophony of cries as the crowd of students backed away.

He landed with a heavy thud, cracking the ground.

Guiche watched cautiously as the man positioned himself directly between his bronze Valkyrie and the commoner boy.

A wind mage too? That landing was way too fast and hard to be levitation, the blonde son of General Gramont thought.

Many students had seen the foreign mage sitting at the staff table, and asked their teachers about him during class.

Ms. Chevreuse had told them Lord Axion was staying as a guest at the school. She'd also told them quite enthusiastically that the man was a renowned hero in his homeland.

That the golden armour he wore was made from the nigh invincible scales and bones of an enormous evil dragon he'd defeated. A dragon that whole armies of elite mages had no luck against, who for decades had laid waste to entire cities and whose fire breath was hot enough to melt steel in an instant.

She had proudly said that an ingenious application of Earth magic had been key to his victory. A highly complicated transmutation of tiny destructive grains of dust that attacked the dragon from the inside out, getting around the invincible scales when the dragon tried to breathe fire and the dust went in through its nostrils.

It was like a story out of a fairytale. The hero kills the monster, saving the people and taking his rightful spoils. It was the kind of story every boy dreamed of imitating.

What would such a mighty hero think about the duel they were having?

Technically Guiche hadn't broken any rules, but if a teacher came by he'd probably still get in trouble.

"What's going on here?" Lord Axion asked. "What is your name, and why have you attacked my student's familiar?"

A mass of whispers broke out among the crowd of students.

His student? How could he take Louise the Zero as a student? It was too unfair! Anybody would have been more worthy than that failure. Guiche himself, for example. Still, he kept a lid on his indignation to answer the question.

"Sir, my name is Guiche de Gramont. That commoner insulted me and I offered him a duel to teach him a lesson about respect, a duel he accepted," Guiche said.

Lord Axion turned to the little Vallière. "Is that true, Louise? Saito insulted this boy? And agreed to a duel?"

"Y-yes, Sir Axion," she answered in a shaky voice. "I-I t-tried to stop him, but he w-wouldn't listen! I told him that it was impossible for a commoner to fight a noble, and now he's…he's…"

She sniffed while her tears returned to her puffy eyes.

"…don't write me off yet, I'm just catching my breath." The commoner struggled to rise yet again. An admirable perseverance, but it was meaningless. I shouldn't drag it out any longer, Guiche thought.

Louise looked relieved that he was still moving, but then shouted, "Stop! Can't you see you can't win? You're my familiar, understand? I won't forgive you for any more stupid acts."

"If he wants to continue, I shall oblige," Guiche said with a smile. "That is, if Sir Axion would step aside and allow us to finish this honorable duel? Otherwise, if the commoner is willing to apologize, I am willing to forgive him, and we can be done with it."

"Honorable duel? Pathetic worm. What honor is won by striking down a powerless and unarmed commoner who cannot fight back?" The hero's voice thundered over the Vestri court, getting a flinch from Guiche. "This is nothing more than bullying the weak. Let us see how you do in a fair fight."

Guiche watched with a sinking feeling as the man drew his sword slowly. Did the man mean to fight Guiche himself?

"This is a sword that has been my partner through many years. Unfortunately, it has been a very long time since I've had an opponent worthy of facing its power…during that time, it has grown hungry for battle."

Then he threw it into the ground beside the commoner, which caused Louise to jump back in fright with a yelp, and Guiche to let out a breath in relief.

"Hiraga Saito! You were a fool to fight an opponent you knew nothing of. However, I will allow you a chance to redeem yourself. That sword has the power to destroy magic. Now get up and prove your worth as my student's familiar!"

The sword didn't look impressive—a bit beaten and weathered, if Guiche's eyes didn't deceive him. But if Lord Axion's words were true, then it couldn't be underestimated.

Then sweat gathered on his face and hands as what he was up against sank in. My magic will be useless? How can I even fight against something like that?!

Saito grabbed the handle with his unbroken left hand, and the runes on the back of his hand began to glow.

"Hah...! What's this? It's like the pain just disappeared! I feel so powerful! Just what kind of crazy sword is this?" He straightened up with a mad grin, to Guiche's shock.

"It's Lord Derflinger to you, boy!"

Saito looked at the sword in his hand flabbergasted. "Did the sword just talk?"

"What, never seen a talking sword before? If you want my help, then you'd better show some respect. I am the sword that killed a god! I am the legendary Derflinger, destroyer of armies, herald of the end! Now ask for my help properly."

"A-Amazing! Please help me win this fight, Derflinger-sama!"

"Humph! Not like that! Hold me toward the sky and repeat after me. O' Lord Derflinger the Great, spirit of the sword, please grant me victory!"

"Un! O' Lord Derflinger the Great, spirit of the sword, please grant me victory!" Saito yelled with the sword held high.

"Heh, you're a user, so I guess I can help you out. Release: One Percent Power! HAAA!" The sword glowed slightly, then Saito's whole body glowed with it and he felt even more powerful than before.

It even talks…of course it talks…erases pain and destroys magic…the legendary sword of a famous dragon slaying hero…I'm doomed! Guiche watched the scene in horror.

He stepped back shakily as oohs and awes broke out among the crowd. "W-wait a minute. How is it fair if you give him a legendary sword to fight with?!"

"Oh, so when you had the unfair advantage of magic over your powerless opponent, it was an honorable duel, but now that your opponent has an advantage you don't, it's unfair? Coward. The commoner boy you looked down on at least had the courage to fight against the odds," said the hero.

The words cut deep. For a commoner to be considered better than him, it was unthinkable.

Yet in that moment, he couldn't deny it.

I…am a coward.

"All you have to do is make sure the sword doesn't touch your spells. Do you have so little confidence in your skills?" Lord Axion stepped aside from the field of battle and crossed his arms scornfully.

He made it sound easy, but the weight of the challenge pressed down on Guiche like a mountain. For the sword to not touch any of his spells, his golems would have to dodge every single strike.

It was impossible.

Even if Guiche himself fought, it was impossible. No—that was wrong.

It wasn't like he was stronger than his Valkyries. He had always used the bronze golems because he didn't want to risk his own body to fight. That was the whole purpose of the Gramont way of fighting. The way of an officer, a general.

To command armies of golems and overwhelm the enemy.

And now…a single sword would render all his training meaningless.

Saito moved the sword down until it was pointing at Guiche. "I don't mind being a familiar…I don't mind sleeping on the floor…I don't care if the food sucks…washing underwear, I'll do that too. I don't really have a choice, being stuck in this world. But I won't let two-timing scum like you look down on me! I may not have any fancy titles or magic, but all you ego-inflated brats sure as hell aren't any better than me! My name is Hiraga Saito, and I won't bow to anyone against my will!"

With a grand yell, the angry commoner shot forward.

The bronze Valkyrie barely had time to react before it was slashed into two halves. His beautiful golem, the fruits of painstaking hours of work, destroyed in an instant. Guiche moaned in torment as if he physically felt the cut.

"Aw, yeah!" Saito annihilated the still standing bottom half of the Valkyrie in his excitement and started laughing. The broken golem transformed back into torn pieces of a rose petal.

Then he charged at Guiche himself, who hastily waved his rose wand.

Six new golems appeared and sprang at Saito.

However, it was useless. Five of the golems were cut down so fast that the other students barely saw the action.

The last golem tried to run back to protect Guiche, but it too fell into pieces and a kick to Guiche's face sent him sprawling.

Derflinger struck into the ground beside Guiche's cowering head.

"You want to continue?" Saito asked.

Guiche shook his head furiously. "I yield!"

The gathered students all had stunned faces at the sudden turn of events.

Saito pulled the sword out with a look of awe. "Only one percent power did this much…"

"That's all your body can handle, kid."

"Thanks, Derflinger."

"That's Lord Derflinger to you!"

Saito walked over to Lord Axion with a lopsided smile, holding up the sword for him to take. "Thanks, sir Axion."

"Careful, kid, even if it doesn't feel like it, you're still injured and it's going to hit you hard once you let go of me," said Derflinger.

"You did well, Saito," said Axion with a nod and he sheathed the sword.

Saito began swaying on his legs.

"Saito!" Louise shouted and ran to try and support him, but Saito toppled over first.

"Don't worry, he's fine, just tired," Axion said while Louise shook him.

"Why did you make him fight?!" She glared at her teacher angrily.

"He would have done it anyway. I merely gave him the means to win."

"But, you could have stopped him!"

"If I stopped him, I might have saved him some bodily pain, but I would have killed his spirit. It may be difficult for you to understand Louise, but Saito's not like the commoners of this world. Where he came from, there are no nobles. That's why he had to see this fight to the end."

"He said that before…but I don't get it! How can there be no nobles? And why does that have anything to do with him fighting Guiche?"

"You still don't understand? There are no nobles on his world because they were corrupt and abused their power, so the commoners rose up in revolution and killed them all for their hubris and tyranny! Something similar happened on my world long ago too, even though it didn't end in quite the same way."

"Killed…?" Louise whispered with horrified eyes. Gasps of shock resounded among the still watching crowd.

"For someone like Saito, he would prefer to die on his feet than to live on his knees! That's why he had to fight that battle, even if it meant risking his life. To him, it was not just a duel over a petty insult…he fought because he had something to prove! That even in another world, even if he's your familiar now, no matter how much he's lost, he still retains his pride and dignity as a free man!"

"Pride and dignity…for something like that…Saito, you idiot…how can it be worth dying for?" Louise asked with a hollow tone.

Lord Axion walked over to Guiche next. The foreign lord gazed down at the boy sitting in a daze with his legs sprawled.

"As for you, Guiche, even if you had won this duel, do you think you would have won any honor? Would those maidens you wronged forgive you just because you showed yourself willing to step on the powerless?"

"No…" He admitted with his head lowered in shame. He had simply wanted to take out some frustration. There was no way Montmorency or Katie would ever forgive him.

"Then let this be a lesson to you, Guiche of house Gramont! Nobility does not come from magic alone, nor is it simply a status given by birth! Nobility is an honour—earned from the valorous deeds of your ancestors! Nobility is an ideal—to uphold justice, act with virtue, and hold yourself to a higher standard! Nobility is a pledge—of service to a just Crown and to the subjects under the Crown's protection! To be a noble means to be an icon for your people, that they may look upon with admiration and say 'This is a person worth following, this is a person worthy of my loyalty!'"

As the hero's words echoed out, something stirred within all those watching.

It was a message that resonated deep in their hearts.

Memories of a glorious past, written in the history books.

Stories passed down from their families since the ancient times of the Founder.

Ideas which were taught to them since they were but children, at home and in school, yet never witnessed in person, never understood in full.

To many of them, the man in radiant golden armour—with a legendary sword at his side, speaking with such strength and conviction about the meaning of nobility—truly seemed like a hero out of the old legends.

One who embodied the concept of nobility with every fibre of his being, in his words, actions, and even sheer presence.

Unconsciously, many of them stood straighter and their postures stiffened as if afraid to appear inadequate before him.

"If you stain that honour by bullying the weak, if you abandon that ideal by indulging in vice, if you betray that pledge by abusing your status for despicable ends, then you are not a noble, but a corrupt tyrant, and a disgrace to your ancestors who accepted the oathbound duties of peerage!"

To Guiche, these words struck a greater blow than any physical blade.

Nobility. The source of their pride and glory. That beautiful ideal upon which the Kingdom was founded. How could he not know of it?

He was the son of General Gramont. The latest in a long line of proud nobles that served the Crown loyally and defended Tristain from any invaders.

Every son in the family aspired to join the military and achieve greatness, and just like his brothers, he was no exception to that tradition.

And today he had been found wanting.

"That's…right. I'm a…disgrace...to the name Gramont," he said quietly as tears gathered in his eyes. "By my…dishonorable deeds today…I've lost any right to call myself a noble."

"If you want any chance of regaining the honour you lost here, then remember this day. Remember my words. And above all, remember the humility you just showed by admitting to your failures."

With those final words, the hero turned and left with Louise, who had been joined by several other students helping to levitate Saito.

Guiche saw that Montmorency and Katie were among them, and felt the urge to act.

"Montmorency! Katie!" He shouted. "I am sorry! What I did was despicable! I shouldn't have toyed with your hearts like that!"

The two of them looked at each other, then turned to Guiche.

"I won't forgive you so easily!" Montmorency shouted back.

"Me neither!" Katie shouted.

"I know! I don't deserve forgiveness, but you deserve my apology!" He said sincerely.

The two girls grumbled and turned back around.

"Louise Vallière, when your familiar wakes up, please tell him, I'm sorry!"

"You can tell him yourself!" Louise shouted back without even looking at him in a still angry tone.

As the group got further away, the rest of the students began to scatter as well.

Guiche slowly stood up. His eyes were still locked on the retreating back of the foreign lord.

As he stared at the red cape billowing in the wind and the golden armour shining with the reflected light of the sun, Guiche came to a realization.

A person worth following…so that's what a true noble looks like...such radiance…truly, a rose—nay, a star that shines its light upon all, sharing the glory of its majesty!

He shouted once again with all the power of his lungs. "Lord Axion!"

The hero stopped and turned his head back.

Guiche kneeled on one knee, and put his wand over his heart.

"Thank you! Your words! I will take them to heart, and never forget! From this day forward, I, Guiche de Gramont, shall commit to the true path of nobility!"

There was only a small nod of acknowledgement, but for Guiche, it was enough confirmation that he had taken the first step on the right path.