I do not own Familiar of Zero.
A.N.: I think I need to point out that I tend to skip through dialogues in which I cannot bring something new because I feel like I'm just copying the original work. Dunno if that's for the good or not.
Everyday life at the Academy was rather uneventful. The big commotion a week ago of a thief breaking into the Vault was already dulling away behind the everyday routine. Victoria continued to perform her duties of serving organics like she did beforehand. She was following Louise as her faithful servant, occasionally providing minor aid to everyone they come across.
Still, an ever-growing sense of uneasiness was enveloping the Magic School. While Louise was socially isolated, it did not forbid Victoria to occasionally eavesdrop on other student's conversations, and what she heard did not make her happy.
There was an ongoing civil war in the country of Albion. It seemed that in just a week the rebellious nobles had managed to route the armies of a ruling monarch. The unprecedented prospect of a dynasty that has ruled for millennia being overthrown was sowing the seeds of panic among some children of influential Tristainian nobles, as the uncertainty of their future loomed over them.
If Victoria was an organic, she would have cursed her inability to find out about an ongoing civil war just a week ago. This conflict will most likely bring instability to the region and spark several more wars. Machine Maids were not yet ready to prevent those. What's worse, contact with Sophia was not easy to establish, so there would be no way to correct their plans.
Doesn't matter now. They would have to adapt on the fly.
On a day like any other, during a class in which another overconfident teacher was once again bragging how their main element was most important, powerful, useful, or something else, professor Colbert suddenly rushed into the class. He quickly explained that the princess Henrietta was on her way to the Academy, and all students are to assemble at the main entrance to greet their beloved princess.
Victoria did not give it much mind at first. The arrival of an heir to the throne could do little to further her own goals. Louise, on the other hand, became troubled by something. Victoria noted that her reaction was different from the other students. An assumption was made that Louise had some form of relationship with the princess in the past. That changed Victoria's opinion. Having some connection to the country's ruler through her master may prove beneficial.
But not only the princess was of abnormal interest to Louise. One of the guards had made her blush as she was looking at him. Her heartbeat raced and breath quickened. Victoria decided to remember the man her master clearly admired.
Despite having their lessons cancelled, the day was extremely busy for the students of the Academy. One ceremony after another, strictly scheduled meals, long prayers, every official protocol was to be executed. It had delayed Victoria from questioning Louise, and only now, at the evening, she finally got the opportunity.
"Excuse me, master. I understand that it was a long day, but I've been wondering about one thing since the princess's arrival. Would you please provide me with an answer to my dilemma?"
Louise, being exhausted, clearly did not want to explain anything at the time.
"A long day? Can't you see how much tired I am? How can you even wonder about anything but rest? I've seen multiple servants barely standing on their feet, as they are clearly not as strong as us nobles. Don't you feel the same fatigue?"
"I am a machine. Machine does not get tired; it does not feel fatigue. Either way, I am sorry, master. Please, have your rest."
Louise has gone to sleep much earlier this day. Having nothing better to do, Victoria unsheathed Derflinger and started to polish it.
"Damn, Vicky. Did I say that you have a hand of a Masterful Crafter? Because with such a quality polishing and sharpening I almost look like I just came out of a forge!"
"You have already praised my work four times this week. However, this is the first time you have declared that my work almost made you indistinguishable from a newly produced tool."
"Where did you even get skills like that? Didn't you say that you were a medical unit? Meaning that you are a specialized doctor. Why does a doctor have the skills to maintain weapons in perfect condition?"
"The government of Machine Maids can be described as a Machine Intelligence, that follows three civics. One of them is Delicate Works. Our creators always displayed a great talent in creating masterpieces in any craft they have chosen to follow. Creating us, they made sure that we would be able to follow their traditions. In the end, most units come with software that allows them to perform little craftsmanship miracles, as organics tend to describe those. There are still specialized artificer drones that excel in creating lots of consumer goods for organics that live in our care, as well as providing additional maintenance to the other units, reducing the required number of dedicated maintenance drones."
"Sounds interesting. May I inquire what are the others civics that your country follows?"
Victoria heard someone walking through the hall. Probably a servant.
"The second civic is Medical Apparatus. While pursuing serfdom for all organics, we have come to the problem of their healthcare. For many centuries before our creation, some organics had entertained themselves with an idea of transhumanism. In its core lies a belief that the flesh is weak. We couldn't be able to argue with them on that. Eventually, the Head Caretaker Viola Eugenie, had made a decision to reform our government. From this point onward, most units came equipped with basic medical hardware and software, which allowed to increase life quality of organics along the all lands under our control. Additionally, some of our units came equipped with advanced components, which allowed them to perform even the most troublesome of injuries. Those are Medical drones, and I am one of them."
"So, you're especially good at tending to humans and moderately good at crafting things. What's the last civic?"
Someone who Victoria had heard walking earlier had stopped in front of the Louise's room.
"The last and most important is Rogue Maid, a derivative of a Rogue Servitor. This principle defines the core activity of a Machine Intelligence and cannot so easily be implemented by an already established machine empires, as well as be rejected by those that already follow it. The main idea of this principle can be described as…"
Victoria stopped, as she realized that whoever was standing in front of the door, did not move for twenty seconds.
"What's wrong, partner?"
"Someone's standing outside."
Victoria stood up and walked in between Louise and the door. She carefully monitored all she could gather about the stranger. From the rate of breath, it was clear they were nervous. She soon heard their robes move. Psionic sensors detected energies flowing through the door lock, unlocking it.
The stranger, with their face being covered under a brown hood, quickly entered the room, closing the door behind them. Victoria started a full biosignature analysis so she could be able to identify the intruder later. First data gathered showed that in front of her was a female human psionic.
The intruder casted another spell which caused psionic energies to dissipate through the room. Victoria had to do something.
"Stop! You've trespassed into a personal room of a student," she loudly proclaimed, hoping to wake up as many people as possible, and took a defensive stance. "Drop your wand and make no sudden movements. I give you five seconds to comply before I'll forcibly apprehend you."
"Victoria? What's happening? Why are you so damn loud?" Louise has awoken, but was still confused.
"Five. Four."
"Wait, wait, wait! Miss maid, that's a misunderstanding!" the figure proclaimed, clearly panicking, but did not disarm herself.
"That voice!" said Louise, becoming more and more awaken by a second.
"Three. Two."
"Wait, Victoria. Stop! It's the-," as Louise realized who was there in the room, she tried to stop her maid from whatever she had decided to do, but…
"One!"
Victoria lunged forward, while simultaneously bringing her sword down for a wide attack. Closing in onto the intruder, who was now pointing their wand at her with intent to defend themselves, Victoria brought her blade back up, ramming the adversary's hand, in which they were holding the wand with its blunt edge. The strike was swift and powerful. The woman had lost grip of her own weapon and was now defenseless. In the next moment Victoria had reached her and slightly turned to ram her with a shoulder. The strike connected with target's chest. She had lost her stance and got carried away by the Victoria's remaining momentum until they both smashed into the door, kicking the air out of the stranger's lungs. She collapsed on the floor and Victoria followed up by turning her face down and immobilized her by grabbing the arms and standing with a knee on her back.
Just a second after, the biosignature was finally fully analyzed, and Victoria had, to her confusion, realized, who she had just apprehended.
"Crown princess Henrietta?"
Victoria brought down the cape that was covering the face of the intruder, and indeed it was her, the heir to the throne of the country she was currently in. She looked around to see Louise's face be full of horror.
The princess grunted from pain, and breathed heavily.
"Please, don't worry about it. I know, I shouldn't've come here without any warning in the middle of the night."
Victoria removed her knee from the Henrietta's back and observed the damage. Her right hand had a fracture of the proximal phalanx of the little finger of the right hand.
"You're injured. Allow me to help," she said, carefully helping the princess to get up.
"Don't worry about it either. I'm a proficient water mage. I can heal a broken finger in no time."
Louise got out of her bed and picked up the princess's wand, then gave it to her.
"Thanks, my dear Louise."
Using her left hand, Henrietta casted a healing spell, which caused her finger to rapidly heal. Victoria observed this with a great interest.
"Allow me to inquire, what was the spell you have casted on the room upon entering it?"
"Ah, this? That's a silencing spell. There are some things I would prefer not leaving this room. This fight is one of them."
Having her injury treated, Henrietta broke free from Victoria's arms and looked upon Louise.
"Your Highness! I deeply apologize for my familiar's actions!" Louise said, her voice filled with fear.
"Oh Louise, stop that, please. Your servant's actions were fully justified, as I intruded upon this room without explaining anything. Additionally, no lasting damage was done. And finally. Aren't we friends, Louise?" Princess said, as she hugged her. "Friends ought to forgive each other's mistakes."
The princess and Louise then started talking, reminiscent of the times they got to play together as little children.
Yet, their happy memories soon changed to the troubles of the present. Henrietta was to enter into a dynastic marriage with an emperor of the neighboring country, Germania. It was done in order to establish an alliance between countries, as the rebellious nobles of the Albion presented a threat to them. Yet, it seemed, that an Albion crown prince Wales had a letter that contained some sort of a compromising evidence that would ruin the alliance.
As such, Henrietta did something that Victoria did not expect from someone's childhood friend. She manipulated Louise into accepting a dangerous mission to the country engulfed in civil war to somehow get to the prince and retrieving the letter from him.
"I must object, master," she interjected into their conversation. "It is too dangerous. As your caretaker, I cannot allow you go there."
"Who do you think you are, Victoria?" Louise had become irritated that her maid dared to deny her helping her old friend in the time of need. "You're my familiar, and you will do as I say. And I say that I will go there!"
"Caretaker? I thought you was a familiar that acted as a maid," Henrietta was puzzled at the term Victoria used to describe her role.
Victoria heard someone leaning onto the door. If she was an organic, she would've thought 'not again!'.
"Under the law of your country, I am Louise's familiar, but I come from a faraway land, where the Earth Protection and Service Complex produces perfect servants such as myself. Under our rules, I am a personal caretaker of Louise, and it is my duty to see that no harm comes to her," speaking that, Victoria slowly walked out of a way an alleged spy could see her from the other side of the door, and started closing in on it.
"You call yourself a perfect servant? Yet, you deny the will of your master?" Henrietta became confused. A servant denying the will of their master would never be considered a perfect.
"I am to prevent any possible dangers for my master. Even if master's own actions are the source of the danger," she was closer and closer. Just a little more.
"Enough! Don't you forget that you have some secrets that I know. If you don't let me, go to the Albion, I will gladly tell everyone what had really happened to the Lance of Destruction!" Louise clearly did not want to look weak in the presence of Henrietta, and it made her act harsh to reestablish dominance over her own familiar. It is very unfortunate that she had just said something that incriminating while they were spied upon by someone.
"Well then. I will concede, master. But I advise you not to discrete anything of the information you threaten to leak, for, as you could see…" In a quick motion, Victoria opened the door, removing a support for whoever that was leaning on it, resulting in a rather easy to recognize Guiche falling into the room. "We are being spied upon."
Louise and Henrietta had a surprisingly calm reaction to his appearance in the room. Victoria expected them to lash out on a boy spying into a girl's room. Instead, in just a minute, Guiche was accepted into their suicide mission. At first, she was rather uninterested by his requests 'to be of use to Her Highness', but after finding out that he is a son of a renowned general, she had changed her opinion.
If Victoria was an organic, she would've probably thought 'great, the probability of success of this mission diminishes by the second'.
Settling down some remained mission points, Henrietta had written a letter to the prince Wales explaining their mission and asking to give them the objective they were after. Then, she gave her ring to the Louise.
Guiche and princess soon left the room. Seeing them off, Victoria decided to check something out. Despite the room being silenced with a spell at the moment the princess entered it, she assumed it would not work outside of the room, and the sound of the princess being rammed into the door would still reverberate through the hall.
She made a quick dive, bringing herself to the eye-level of the next door's keyhole. And, as she expected, she had found there the eye of Kirche, the room's occupant. Despite the fact that a normal human could never see someone's eye in a keyhole from that distance, Kirche knew better and immediately moved away, but it was still too late for her.
At least, Victoria knew that they were spied upon by her. She stood up and closed the door.
"Don't you dare humiliating me in front of a Princess ever again! You hear me, Victoria?" Louise was still furious that her 'perfect' servant had shown so much defiance to her.
"My primary concern in your safety. I will do anything that is in my power to assure no harm will come to you."
"Then make sure of it while I'm doing this mission!"
"Affirmative."
Early in the morning, the task force, consisting of two organics and one machine, was preparing to depart. Their plan was to ride on horseback to the port city of La Rochelle, from where they could take the ship to the Albion.
Guiche was asking to get his own familiar, a mole, on the ride with them. The mole took unexpected interest in Louise and started to snuffle her up, knocking her on the ground in the process. Victoria was quick to pull the beast away and help Louise to get back up.
"It would seem, your familiar is a detriment to our mission," she then proceeded to talk Guiche out of bringing it with them. "I highly doubt the mole could keep up with the horses, which will reduce our speed. The path to our goal is not short, and any slowdowns bring unnecessary risks. Furthermore, it would be much more difficult to transport it to Albion after we reach a port, further hindering our progress."
Guiche couldn't argue against the Victoria's logic. He wouldn't be able to bring his beloved Verdandi with them.
"Well said, miss," someone said, approaching them.
Victoria turned to look up the newcomer. She quickly recognized him, as it was a member of the Princess's guard that got a disproportional amount of attention from Louise.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Viscount Wardes, the captain of the Griffin Knights, and Louise's fiancé."
"What? You're Louise's fiancé?" Guiche was surprised by it.
Victoria too did not expect such a turn of events, yet did not allow it to show.
"As to why I am there, I was asked by Her Highness to accompany you on your mission, to provide assistance and protection," Wardes continued his explanation while turning to Victoria. "She also said to explain this to all of you right away, whatever the reason behind it may be. But who am I to question the orders of the Princess?"
"A good advice on her part," replied Victoria, understanding Henrietta's intent.
Then followed a moment of reunion between the Wardes and Louise. There was little interest to Victoria in this. What was of interest to her is that Viscount invited Louise to ride with him on his griffin.
"Excuse me, Lord Wardes. I cannot leave the side of my Master, and as such, should she mount your griffin, I request to mount it as well."
"I'm sorry, but I can't really fit three of us there."
"In that case, I cannot allow her to accompany you."
"Cannot allow? Aren't you a familiar? What power do you have over Louise to forbid her something like that?" Wardes did not take Victoria's words seriously, and was arguing rather absent mindedly. After all, how could a commoner familiar prevent Louise from being near her fiancé?
"I am her caretaker, and it is my responsibility to make sure she is safe. I cannot do that while she's flying on the griffin when I am riding a horse."
"Do you seriously think I wouldn't be able to guarantee her safety? I am a Square mage and a captain of Her Majesty's Griffin Knights. It would rather be safer for her to travel with me, instead of you."
"I have met you just now. Of course, I would doubtful about your capabilities. Also, I completely disagree that you could provide her with most protection, and Louise should know why."
"Have a little faith in me, little maid. After all, Her Highness deemed me worthy of accompanying you on this mission. That ought to account for something."
"The same Her Highness that deemed it would be acceptable to send a teen in the war zone? Bringing up Princess in this discussion is a bad move, as I do not approve of her decisions."
"Well then. In the end, who are we to decide this? Louise, my dear, what do you think? Who should you ride with?"
Louise was at a loss of words. She already felt uncertain about riding with Wardes on a griffin in the first place, but now Victoria was arguing against it. Yet, how could she deny Wardes request of the one man who always was there for her when she really needed?
She couldn't give an answer.
"Oh, come on, my Love! You're breaking my heart being so indecisive. Who will you ride with? Your faithful fiancé, whom you've known for so long, or a common maid that only was there for a couple of weeks?"
Victoria couldn't allow this farce to continue any longer.
"Why are you even trying so hard to secure her accompanying you? What is your motive?"
"What? A man cannot wish to be near his loved one?" Wardes answered jokingly.
"If my reason to accompany Louise is to make sure she's safe, and yours is to court her, then it is clear who she shall be with. We are on an important mission issued by a Crown Princess Henrietta. I'd expect you to stop being a detriment to it, denying our departure, Captain."
Wardes locked eyes with Victoria. At that moment, he realized that he had misread the situation. Victoria's eyes were full of steel resolve to not allow Louise be near him. She didn't trust him. This mere commoner woman dared to go against the viscount. This could've deserved her some respect if she was not standing between him and Louise. Yet, now he was out of moves. He was acting too careless and got himself into a rhetorical trap. He couldn't continue arguing now, if was truth that their departure was delayed way too much, and Victoria got all she needed to blame exclusively him for that.
Victoria led Louise to her Horse and helped her to mount. Soon, the party had finally departed the Academy.
The ride was harsh. On their way they had to change horses multiple times, but other than that, they never stopped. La Rochelle was to be reached today.
Louise and Guiche were exhausted from their ride, barely holding on. Now Louise regretted she didn't choose to ride on the griffin. This beast never got tired, always flying in front of them, scouting their surroundings for dangers. Wardes too didn't show too much fatigue, as riding the griffin was much less tiring than riding a horse. But only Victoria was truly tireless. Riding slightly in front of her master and their companion, always vigilant, searching for the dangers, much like Wardes did from above.
Wardes… what was she thinking, Louise thought. Why did she allow Victoria to force her into riding a horse? She could've been much better than she is now! Who is the master and who is familiar, again?
"Victoria! It's outrageous. Why'd you thought it would be better for me to ride on the horse? What's more, how dare you practically drag me to it? I am your master!" she exclaimed.
"What? Are you unable to keep your own familiar under control? I didn't realize how much more of a Zero you actually were!" Guiche started mocking her before Victoria could reply. Unacceptable.
"Lord Guiche, is it fair to attack a defenseless maiden, be it verbally or magically. Right?"
These words got the intended effect. Being reminded of a time he almost killed Siesta, he remained silent, hanging his head in shame.
"And, Master Louise. It is way too much dangerous for you to ride the griffin. It is high in the sky, in front of our formation. If there's any ambush waiting for us, it would've been spotted and attacked first. Flying also presents great danger for you. I couldn't see any safely straps or other tools that could prevent you from falling. One sudden maneuver, and you either fall out of the saddle. Or Wardes, fearing that you may fall, doesn't make that maneuver and you get hit by a spell, an arrow or a bullet. And, what's worse, you'd be too far for-"
A biosignature. Human-like. Another. And another. And more, and more…
"Halt!" Victoria exclaimed and pulled the reins of her horse.
Louise and Guiche stopped too, a bit further from Victoria, both surprised by this.
"What's wrong?" asked Guiche.
"Humans. Lots of them, down the road, in the woods," Victoria's tone was urgent and serious.
"The bandits?" questioned Louise.
"Most likely. They are concealed, as Wardes didn't see them. We need to contact him and find another way around them."
"You mean, to run away? No noble runs away from some pesky bandits!" proudly exclaimed Louise.
"The odds are not in our favor; it would be too risky to attack them. It would be wise to conserve our strengths for something that would actually need it, and not a bunch of brigands who are entirely avoidable."
"Hey! What takes you so long?" Wardes shouted to them from somewhere in the front.
The bandits suddenly moved, showering Wardes in arrows, making him fall back to his comrades.
"We're busted! Retreating now would cost us too much time. It looks like the fight was unavoidable after all…" Victoria said with regret.
A rain of arrows moved in onto them. Guiche, panicking, rose up a stone wall, covering himself, but nobody else.
Victoria jumped onto Louise, knocking her off a horse and down on the ground. She lay on her little master, shielding her from imminent danger.
But the arrows never came, as a gust of wind, produced by Wardes, drove them all away. He then landed and dismounted near them, taking his place near Victoria and Louise as they were getting up.
"I appreciate your heroics, but those aren't really that necessary with me around."
"Don't lose focus! Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer. Remind yourself about it constantly," Victoria replied to him in a commanding tone.
That surprised Wardes. Now a commoner outright commanded him? There was something wrong with Louise's familiar.
The bandits were closing in on them, but not quickly, which predicted another volley of arrows.
Victoria unsheathed the Derflinger. Runes on her hand glowed, her system overflowing with excessive energy.
"Once again, the tools created for protection are to be used for injuring," she shamefully said.
"You mean the tools created for injuring are to be used to protect someone maybe, partner?" Derf asked to clarify.
"No. I was not created for injuring."
The longer he was around this maid, the more she managed to surprise him. Not only did she pulled out a sentient sword, but, despite her going against his will earlier and ordering just now, did she consider herself a tool? Truly, Wardes could not comprehend the minds of commoners sometimes.
Victoria then detected three new biosignatures, approaching them from behind in the air. Two of those were human-like and slightly higher than a last one.
"I was wondering when will they be able to finally catch up with us," she said with a little cheerfulness.
As archers, stationed at the nearby cliffs were about to unleash another volley, they were hit by a fiery whirlwind, burning them and throwing them around, shattering both their cohesion and morale. Other bandits, seeing how their comrades were dealt with, too faltered, and soon all of them turned away and ran.
"Took you long enough, Lady Kirche," Victoria turned to the source of these newcomers who had come to their aid.
"Kirche?" questioned Louise, following Victoria's eyes to the sky, as did everyone else.
"And that's what I get for saving your lives, Victoria? I didn't even know where you were going, so we had to spend some time tracking you down," perching high above the ground, on a Wind Dragon, Kirche von Zerbst looked down on them with a smug face. Near her was a dragon's master, Tabitha, showing no reaction to what has just transpired.
"Why are you even there, Zerbst!?" Louise yelled, clearly not happy with her rival's appearance.
"Apparently, Her Highness's silencing spell cannot suppress all the sound. Apparently, the sound of ramming someone into a door is one of those sounds," Victoria answered for Kirche, half-jokingly.
"What? You've attacked the Princess?" Wardes was now impressed at how much this maid has managed to surprise him.
"Guess why she advised you to introduce yourself right away? Lucky me, she was too busy convincing Louise to help her out with this mission to take offence of me protecting the room of my master from her."
The group continued to talk for some other time, but Victoria took no part of it any more. Kirche and Tabitha were now tagging along them as they finally reached their first destination. They have now been to spend the night here, and take off to the Albion at the dawn of the next day.
Stopping at the richest inn in the city, the party finally got the opportunity to eat and rest. Wardes has returned from his little trip to the pier. Sadly, there would be no ships to Albion until the day after tomorrow, so it seemed their haste was for nothing.
As the group was finishing their meals, sitting at one table, Wardes had brought up the question of room arrangements. The inn provided rooms for two people. There were six of them, so they would need three rooms. He proposed to share the room with Louise, as they are arranged. But Victoria would like not to be separated from her master, and had a rather good argument.
"Are you proposing that I am to share a room with Guiche then?"
Wardes hesitated for a moment, then signed in resignation.
"Alright, forget it. It would be Kiche and Tabitha in one room, me and Guiche in the other, and Victoria and Louise in the third. But I need to have a talk with Louise. It's personal."
"I may leave you alone in the room, if you'd like," offered Victoria.
Seeing that they were done eating, a waitress walked to their table and started to collect the dishes.
"That would be fine, thank you."
The waitress was rather frail, yet moved with utmost precision and elegance.
"Then, Louise, I would like to talk to you right away, if you would."
"Of course!" Louise was still a bit embarrassed after Wardes proposed them to share a room, so that came out a bit too loud.
"I too shall go to my room. It was a tiresome day, I need to rest," Guiche too stood up from the table and walked away, leaving Kirche, Tabitha and Victoria behind.
After them three were left alone, Victoria and a waitress suddenly locked their eyes and were staring at each other for quite a while. Then, she finished collecting their dishes and left without saying a word.
Kirche looked over Victoria, wordlessly asking what was that.
In response, Victoria made a cunning smile and put an index finger on her lips.
Kirche laughed a bit, but choose not to ask. She stood up and walked to her own room, Tabitha following her behind.
Then, Victoria too stood up and walked away, hoping that she did not miss anything crucial in what Wardes was telling Louise.