Disclaimer: I do not own The Familiar of Zero. It belongs to Noboru Yamaguchi (rest in peace).
So, I got writer's block in my other stories. I decided to create a new one to make some space in my mind.
Well, enjoy the show guys!
Diary mode
OF COURSE! Of course! Why did I expect ANYTHING ELSE?
Another Brimir-damn EXPLOSION!
Why, and how? I have learnt it properly! I have followed every, single, damn, word! Even the WORST person in my class can perform a simple spell like that! How am I so useless?!
…
Calm down… calm down. Raging up won't solve anything.
I might not be good at casting spells… That would be wrong. All spells I cast explode. But I know how they work, remember every word of the spells. I believe I'm one of the best among the students, except Tabitha. She's way too good for someone in her age. Then again, we're in the same age, so who am I to complain.
…Who am I kidding? I fail as a mage, as a Noble.
I can't perform a spell properly. If I'm just a commoner, it would be less embarrassing. But no, things aren't that easy. I'm the third daughter of the Valliere family, which makes the disappointment on me even worse. Everyone has their expectations more on my older sisters, while casting hateful glares towards me. Only a very few people would overlook my disability and be near me.
…Though, maybe it has some benefits. If it's on anyone else, they would just quit. Me? I will show those who don't believe in me that I'm a proud Noble, someone who will get her work done no matter what. I will show the world that they're underestimating me!
And I will show it tomorrow! The Familiar Summoning Ritual! I will summon the BEST familiar in Halkeginia!
Next day. Reality mode
'Damn it! I shouldn't have shouted that to their faces!' Louise Francoise Le Blanc… no, just Louise Valliere for short… is getting anxious as she walks towards the gathering crowd consisting of students in Second Year. Last night, she has exclaimed loudly to her 'friends' that she's going to beat them in summoning the greatest Familiar of all times. She did it in a fit of rage, and now, when she has calmed down, she becomes very embarrassed, both because of the premature declaration, and her actions being unfitting for a Noble. 'I should just hide for now…'
"Ara? You can still show up here Louise?" A massive tick mark appears on her forehead when she hears that, and she doesn't have to look back to know who just said it. "Now my curiosity has reached a new level. I'm looking forward to seeing the amazing familiar you're going to summon!"
Irritated by the sing-song voice, the pinkette just 'hmm' before saying: "Of course! You just stay there and watch!"
Once seeing the students are gathered enough, Jean Colbert, a Professor of Tristain Academy of Magic and a Square-level Fire mage, starts his explanation: "Greeting, my students. Today, you are going to perform the Summoning Ritual and get yourself a familiar fitting for the next years of your time here, maybe more in the future. This is also a test for your advance towards Second Year, so do your best!"
With that speech done, the Professor steps back so the first student could have a proper ground to perform the spell. Then, once the person has done with the spell, he would step aside for the next one to do it.
Louise, feeling extremely nervous, decides to just hide behind everyone and everything so her presence wouldn't be easily found. While it's true her desire is to prove people how a good Noble she is, Louise fears that she would be laughed till the end of her life if she couldn't summon anything. Worse, if the summon also ends up in another explosion. Though, that doesn't really help when she would still let a part of her being seen occasionally.
And the worst possible thing: Her nemesis calling her out.
"Has everyone finished your summons?" The Professor has to ask again, considering how many students and Familiars presented at the moment.
"Not yet, Professor. We still have miss Valliere to go."
'Curse my luck!' Shouting in her brain, Louise has no choices but to step forward and show herself in front of everyone. The moment she's in the position, murmurs start appearing as everyone guesses the results, most of them being insulting her. 'Those…damn… you ARE going to regret it!'
"If you're ready, miss Valliere, please go ahead." Unaware of the insulting, Colbert urges the girl.
Stiffening her mind, Louise replies: "Yes, professor." Pointing her wand forward, she then raises it on top of her head as she chants: "My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe…" Ignoring the confused exclaims from her 'friends', she continues: "My divine, beautiful, wise and powerful familiar! Heed my call! I wish from very bottom of my heart! Follow my guidance, and appear!"
Diary mode
Again, explosion. Why did I expect anything else?
And of course, immediately after that happened, everyone starts shouting at me, about how I failed the spell, how I should just quit being a mage, and so on.
At that one small moment, I thought the worst thing has happened to me, as my mind started drifting towards very negative thoughts… when I noticed something on the ground…
Reality mode
The insulting and shouting then die down, as everyone sees something lying in the middle of the smoke. Louise has also noticed it as well, and she looks at the object…
"Is that a human?" One of her classmates, Guiche de Gramont, exclaims loudly.
Yes, like he said, there's a human. A boy to be exact, around the age of twenty. He looks normal in his white shirt and his black jeans… too normal…
"Isn't that a commoner?" Another student shouts up, and immediately everyone else ignores the smokes and starts talking to each other about the new appearance.
"This… this is…" Louise can't believe what she's seeing right now. While she is secretly glad that she has summoned something, she was expecting at least a small bird, or a dragon (though she doubted that considering her failures). But a commoner? "Divine, beautiful… powerful?" No matter how you look at him, he's just the same as any other commoners, there's nothing unusual…
"To think that you has summoned a commoner!" Much to her anger, Kirche just has to poke fun into that fact. "As expected of Louise the Zero!" With that declare, every student surrounding them starts laughing out loud.
"I… I just made a mistake!" Glaring towards her rival for a second, she then turns back to Colbert: "Professor! Please let me redo the ritual!"
"My apology, but I can't let it happen, Miss Valliere." The Fire mage shakes his head with an apologetic face. "It's strictly forbidden to change a familiar once you have summoned one. Like it or not, you're going to take him with you."
"But… but I have never heard of having a commoner as a familiar!" Louise shouts in disbelief. That outburst also earns her mocking laughs from everyone, causing her to scowl at them.
Then, a small grunt catches her attention, and Louise turns to see the person on the ground slowly opening his eyes. She is about to say something, before slightly shivering at how they look: behind a pair of glasses, the black eyes look dead and very hollow, and they're only half-opened. They start turning around and observing the place in a very slow pace, making it be creepier than before.
"This is a tradition, miss Valliere." Colbert's voice snaps her head back to him. "I can't make any exceptions." He points his staff to the person, who's now starting to sit up. "He may be a commoner, but he's summoned by you, so now he's your familiar. There's no records about a human being summoned as a familiar, but the Springtime Familiar Summoning takes precedence over every rule. You cannot change it."
"It… it can't be…" Louise says with a low tone, disappointed that she couldn't change the situation.
"Please continue the ceremony. The next class will begin any minute."
"…Yes, professor." Defeated, Louise walks towards the person and kneels down, preparing to seal the deal with a disappointed kiss. "You should count yourself lucky. You won't get a second chance having a Noble doing this to you." She then moves towards his face and tries to plants a kiss on his lips… before the person suddenly stops her face with his left palm, causing her to widen her eyes in shock. Then, he gently pushes her away, making her step back in further surprise. "What are you doing?"
"Look! Even a commoner is rejecting Zero!" Guiche laughs out loud after that, and everyone else follows suit. That embarrasses Louise even further, as her grip on her wand gets tighter…
"Familiar Summoning ritual…" For the first time, the mysterious 'commoner' speaks up, his voice hollow and shallow at the same time, which causes everyone to drop their laughs as they focus on him. "How nostalgic." He finishes the sentence with the same tone of voice. He then stands up and looks at the pinkette with his half-opened eyes, slightly scaring the girl. He then turns to Colbert, and asks: "From what you two just spoke, she summoned me, correct?"
A little surprised by the change of event, Colbert manages to answer back: "Ah, yes. She has performed the Springtime Summoning ritual. She was just about to finish it…"
"…I see." He then turns to the girl, expression never changes. "…My sincere apology, but, I cannot let you finish this ritual."
"W…WHAT?" Louise can't hold her voice back and shouts at him with anger. "How dare you! I summoned you to be my familiar! Lower your head down and let me finish the ritual!"
"And let my mistress to hold the regret of doing so in the future? I can't let you suffer that." The 'commoner' calmly replies, no suddenly movements or none at all, his eyes focusing on the girl with empty feelings… with a small tint of sadness.
"…What?" Her anger then subdues, as she questions what he just told. 'My mistress'? Does… does that mean that he has already accepted his position? But, regret? Suffer? What is he talking about? "Um… what… are you saying? If you…"
"You must have recognized it, my mistress." Kneeling down before Louise, the person then looks her in the eyes, with his eyes now showing a small hint of emotions in them. "When you summoned me… I could just ignore it. I could just pretend you never did it. I have… very bad experiences of knowing how terrible this spell's side-effect is. However… I can't ignore your pleadings. I can't turn away, knowing that the action could create heavy consequences. That's why I will serve you as your familiar, but I will never let this ritual be finished."
Nobody can't say a word after hearing those words from the mysterious 'commoner'. Louise is also having a conflicted feeling towards the situation. On one hand, she's so happy that the person has agreed to be her familiar. However, she could feel something very wrong in him. It looks like he doesn't even have a will to just live, much less the will to serve. Although, she could feel the sincere in his words, so at least…
"The spell has side-effect?" Professor Colbert breaks up the silence. "I have never heard such things!"
"…It only happens if the one summoned is an intelligent being." The new familiar reveals. "Otherwise… nothing much."
The professor sighs in relief and says: "If you're willing to accept being her familiar, then maybe I could make a small exception. Though I still need to talk with the Headmaster…" He then remembers that he's still in the middle of the class. "Alright everyone, the ritual is completed. Head to your next classes now."
Time skip
Diary mode
At least it's a successful summon… right?
I asked for a divine, beautiful, wise and powerful familiar. And I received a seemingly 'giving-up-on-life' commoner. And he doesn't let me finish the ritual! Though, he did accept being my familiar, so I guess it's better than nothing.
Also, he's obedient, and that's something I like. After the ritual, he was always be on my side all the times, following me until I told him to wait outside of the class. And, according to the other servants, he just stood in one place for the entire duration of the class without saying a word, and somehow his expression stayed the same… now I feel bad remembering it. For a commoner, he is… how should I call it? Unique?
…Am I missing something?
…Right! I haven't asked for his name! Damn it, I was so excited that I didn't even do that simple thing!
…
Looking up from her diary, Louise turns back to see the familiar sitting on the haystack she has prepared before the ritual. His eyes are staring at nothingness, not having any motions to make any unnecessary moves. Seeing that makes her heart sink. '…Even if he's a familiar… this doesn't feel right.' Using up her courage, she calls for him: "Hey, familiar." That catches his attention as he turns his head to her. "It's a little late to ask, but what is your name?"
"…Call me however you want." That's his simple answer before his head returns to his previous position.
Hearing that stuns her temporarily. She turns back to her diary for a moment, then decides to just close it down and heads to her closet. Throwing her uniform out and wearing on her nightwear, she heads to her bed and lies on it. She then gives out her last order: "Wake me up at dawn tomorrow." Hearing a confirmation from her familiar, she's satisfied and pulled the blanket over her body… and sees the familiar standing and walking to her bed. "What do you need?"
"Allow me." That's his simple answer, as his hands gesture to the blanket.
"…Granted." Nodding, her familiar starts fixing the blanket so she's comfortable under it. Once he has done his work, Louise says with a smile: "Thank you familiar."
"My pleasure." Unchanged, the familiar returns to his haystack and to the same position.
"…Good night, familiar." Feeling bad for using him too much, Louise says her wish before closing her eyes dripping into her slumber.
"…Good night, Young Successor of the Sinful Brimir."