After over two years of silence, I have returned.

It had been a week since Louise had summoned Gilgamesh.

A very, very long week.

Louise had been driven to the brink of pulling her hair out. She had made several visits to the castle library, searching for books of magic that would impress Gilgamesh and/or help her own magic studies. While the king's magic most closely resembled transmutation, Louise knew that there was more to it. The golden circles' ability to inexplicably transverse space fit none of the four traditional elements. The only other direction her studies took her was toward the largely unknown Void magic of the Founder.

Searching in that route was bordering heresy. As a devout follower of the Founder, she explored that path no further.

This left Louise stuck in a rut regarding her magical advancements. To add more stress to her plate, she was stuck in the position of the semi-official mediator between Gilgamesh and every other person in the castle. Aside from Princess Henrietta and the two assigned knights, none of the castle residents were able to converse with Gilgamesh. Thus, whenever someone wanted to ask something of the king, they usually went to Louise.

It was frustrating.

"Would the king like to dine outside for lunch?"

"Is his majesty willing to meet with Cardinal Mazarin this afternoon?

"Would his majesty like a tour of the city's attractions?"

On one hand, for the first time in her life, Louise was looked at as someone beyond the Zero, the disgrace of the Valliere family. Unfortunately, she was essentially a secretary for a foreign king who clearly couldn't care less about anyone besides himself, except maybe her. On top of that, she still hadn't come any closer to figuring out a way to impress Gilgamesh. He hadn't given her a hard deadline, but he wasn't the patient type. She wasn't sure how long she could go without showing any results.

With all of the stress compiling on her, finally, Louise had had enough.

"King Gilgamesh," she addressed the monarch.

Gilgamesh, who was sitting out in the castle garden, looked up from the book he had been reading. Louise didn't recognize the cover, and she couldn't make out the script, so she could only assume it was one of the many treasures from the space beyond his portals.

"You have another message to deliver for me?" the king asked, his voice dripping with amusement.

Louise shook her head. "This is a selfish request from me, if I may ask." She bowed her head respectfully.

"Oh?" Gilgamesh asked. The book was still held in front of his face, but the way his eyes peered over its top made it clear that Louise held the king's attention. "You have yet to complete the simple task I asked of you, and yet you desire something from me?"

Louise gritted her teeth and nodded, still keeping her head bowed in deference. "If you will allow it."

Gilgamesh hummed idly, flipping another page. Louise didn't dare raise her head to check his expression. "Very well," he finally responded. "Ask. But for your sake, this request better be worth my time."

Louise raised her gaze from the ground to meet the king's ruby eyes. The threat was clear. The challenge was set. All that was left was to take the plunge. Sink or swim. Do or die.

"I wish to learn magic from you."

A moment of silence passed. Then a second. And a third. Louise kept her gaze steady even as her knees started to tremble.

To her relief, Gilgamesh broke out in laughter. "How bold of you!" he declared. He lowered the book and crossed one leg over his thigh. "Tell me, girl, why should I?"

"I can't find anything useful in the library." Louise noticed Gilgamesh's smirk grow wider. Yes, he had said that the library was useless earlier, but he didn't have to rub it in with his smugness. "The only thing I can think of to impress you is to learn your magic, but I don't know where to start. Please, show me at least the basics. I'm studious, I can find out the rest, but I need somewhere to start."

"Indeed," Gilgamesh agreed. "Your current training is woefully pathetic. However, I will not waste my time with such a trivial matter."

Louise, who had been looking hopeful at the king's humored expression, became downcast at his remark. Then, her eyes widened as the book Gilgamesh held was flung in her direction. In a move of panic, she stretched out her arms and pulled the book into her chest. Despite the king having made the toss with only the slightest flick of his wrist, Louise stumbled back from the impact. Only by sheer force of will was she able keep her feet on the ground.

"This should do," Gilgamesh declared. "Show me something of interest by the end of the day." He waved his hand dismissively.

"The end of the day?!" Louise echoed incredulously. That was hardly any time at all. Especially with her success rate. Was he trying to make her fail?

Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow. "Did I stutter, girl?"

"No, your majesty. Thank you, your majesty," Louise said formally. She gave the king a deep bow before scurrying off with the book tightly held against her chest.

Louise was now very glad that she had spoken to Gilgamesh in the morning. That left an entire day for her to decipher the mysteries of the book. In the safety of her castle room, far from the eyes of any onlookers, Louise opened the book and read the first page. Her eyes widened, then her brow scrunched up. She flipped to the next page with the same perplexed expression. Page after page she turned, growing visibly frustrated the further along she went.

Louise put the book down.

"What are these squiggles on the pages?! Where are the words?"

It was as if the book was written in some picturesque code. Shapes and symbols flowed down vertical columns. Some resembled real-world objects like a house or person, while others were an intricate collection of strokes that Louise couldn't even begin to decipher. No recognizable words or translation key were on any of the pages. Louise was tempted to return the book to Gilgamesh and request a translated copy. However, she decided against it.

'The king has already given me this much, and made it clear that he expects prompt results,' she reasoned internally. 'To ask for more might make him think that I am completely incompetent.'

Louise took a moment to calm herself. Though the task seemed impossible, she believed that there was still a way for her to succeed. After all, Gilgamesh was expecting results by the end of the day. The foreign king had more faith in her abilities than she did; and given what he could do with his own magic, it would be foolish of her to disregard his expectations. The young mage once again poured through the book, searching for something that looked even remotely understandable.

Finally, she came across a section that had very detailed images of a runic array. She couldn't tell exactly what the spell was supposed to be, but she could work around that. Given that Gilgamesh had given the book to her as an initial test, she doubted it was anything too dangerous. Ignoring the incomprehensible squiggles running down the pages, she focused her attention on the accompanying diagrams.

"Two layered circles… drawn on the ground… symbols within the rings… a person inside," Louise mumbled as she flipped through the pages, trying to get a picture of what she needed to do. She looked up from the book and surveyed the expensive furniture of the room. "I probably should experiment elsewhere."

Arranging for a spare room to practice magic was surprisingly easy. Louise forwarded a request through Abel to Henrietta, who immediately gave her approval. The princess even recommended a room in an unused wing of the castle, where any potential misfires wouldn't be found out by the rest of the castle residents. While a voice in the back of Louise's head told her that that extra tidbit showed the Princess's lack of faith in her, the voice of reason pointed out the practicality. After all, it was very unlikely that this would work on the first try. If she was going to be experimenting all day, it would be best to do it where she wouldn't be disturbed or disturb others.

Louise wasn't sure how she was supposed to draw the symbols. While magic circles were recognizable as formulas for spells, most spells only required the element, willpower, and name of the spell. Some people managed to master a spell to the point that they could cast it without a chant. Essentially, magical formulas were only scholarly knowledge for the basis of spell casting rather than anything useful.

Thankfully for Louise, she had paid diligent attention during her formula classes. Let it not be said that her failure in magic was not for lack of trying. Taking one of the many charcoaled-tipped sticks she had requested from Abel, the girl began writing. Every symbol was meticulously scratched against the smooth stone floor. Straight lines were drawn using the lines of the stone floor for reference. Circles were painstakingly etched out in an overlay of small curves.

"Done." Louise wiped the back of her hand against her forehead.

Louise stepped into the center of the circle, taking care not to smudge any of the symbols. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Then, she focused her Willpower. Not knowing what the spell was supposed to do added an extra level of difficulty. All Louise could do was let the magic flow into the symbols and hope for the best.

"By the power of the five elements, activate!" she chanted.

The charcoal symbols inscribed on the floor shone with pure white energy. Louise could feel the spell sapping her Willpower. There was an instinctive urge to cut off the flow of power before it could explode, but Louise quickly realized that the flow of her magic felt different. Rather than building up to the point that that the spell detonated, her Willpower was continuously siphoned with no sign of instability. Emboldened, she let her Willpower flow freely. The runes on the ground beneath her shone brighter, becoming blindingly brilliant.

After only a few seconds, Louise began to feel the effects. It was quickly becoming harder to maintain her focus on the spell as it guzzled through her willpower. She let her Willpower gradually peter out and the glow of the symbols slowly faded in response. However, the runes did not become completely inert. Rather, a soft white glow persisted over each ring and symbol.

Louise wasn't quite sure what had happened, but with the constant glow of the runes, cost of Willpower, and absence of an explosion, it could only mean one thing.

"It worked," she said. Her voice quiet in disbelief. An elated grin slowly spread across her face. "It didn't explode! I did it!"

The door to the room swung open, and in stepped an alarmed Abel. "Miss Louise, are you alright?" he asked. He stopped, seeing the wide smile on her face, and looked around the room in confusion. "I thought I heard shouting."

"Ahem," Louise cleared her throat and forced down her expression to a dignified smile. "It is nothing. I merely succeeded in completing the spell I was working on."

The knight stared at her uncomprehendingly. Then he looked down at the faintly glowing markings that surrounded the floor around her. "That… is excellent news," he said genuinely. "I apologize for interrupting your work."

"You did not interrupt me, I was finished here anyway," said Louise, dusting off the front of her dress. She frowned, realizing that her dress, given to her as a guest of the castle, was now stained with charcoal streaks and handprints. "Oh no…"

"I'll send a maid to your room," Abel said helpfully. "A few stains are nothing to worry about."

"That would be appreciated."

Abel nodded and stepped outside the door. Louise raised to her foot to step over the line and follow him—

—only to bang her knee into an invisible wall.

The girl fell to the ground with a yelp. Abel stuck his head back in the doorway. "Are you well, Miss Valliere?" he asked.

"Yes," Louise hissed. "I think I tripped over something." She got back up and tried to walk forward, only to once again hit her knee against something. Her expression slowly slipped into frustration and then panic as she pushed forward with her foot to no avail.

Abel quickly recognized that something was wrong. "Miss Valliere?" he asked in question, stepping forward unprompted.

"Something's here," Louise said. She reached out her hand, feeling her fingers and palms press against an invisible wall. Feeling around, she found that the wall had a noticeable curve to it. She looked down, and noticed the curve matched the outline of the outer circle she had drawn. "Oh no."

"Do you need assistance?"

"…perhaps," Louise admitted.

The knight approached Louise and stuck out his hand to match hers. He could feel a barrier keeping them apart. It wasn't thick, hardly as long as a fingernail, but it was an obstacle all the same. "It appears to be a wind spell, but not one I've seen before," he said. "Wind Shield uses a constant force of wind to deflect and dispel attacks, and Wind Barrier pushes objects away. But this barrier doesn't have any motion. It feels like solid air."

"Can you fix it?"

"I'll do my best," he replied. "Dispel Wind Magic!" Channeling his sword, he focused his willpower to break down the wind magic around the barrier, only for the spell to harmlessly slide off.

Frowning, he tried again. "Dispel Wind Magic!" Only to achieve the same effect—nothing.

"Dispel Wind Magic!"

With Abel's third attempt giving no signs of success, and seeing Louise look increasingly worried, the knight gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out," he said. "It looks like I can't dispel it directly, so we'll have to find a way around it."

The knight reached out his hands to feel around the outside of the barrier. Rather than being completely flat, it gently slanted upward and tapered into a dome a few feet above Louise's head. It also didn't seem to have any weak points that he could find from the outside.

"Can you dispel it?" he asked her. It sounded like a stupid question, since it would have been the first thing Louise would do in that situation, but he had to make sure. Unless he'd seen the evidence with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed Louise to be capable of casting spells.

Louise bit her lower lip before replying with a soft, "No."

"In that case, let me get the captain."

"Viscount Wardes?" Louise questioned. "Why?"

"As a square class wind mage, he'd probably be able to break this barrier," Abel explained. "After all, we can't you trapped in here all day."

"That would be a problem," Louise admitted. "Very well, please summon Viscount Wardes. But… don't make mention of my situation to anyone else," she said in a quieter voice.

"Have no fear m'lady, this knight will act with utmost discretion."

"Louise?"

"Yes, Count Wardes?"

"I'm afraid I have no idea what this barrier is or how to break it."

Louise and Abel looked at the older knight in shock.

"But I thought a wind barrier would be easy for a mage as powerful as you to fix," Abel said.

"This is no wind barrier," said Wardes. "It is fueled by Willpower, but no wind flows through it. I suspect it is element-less magic, like levitation."

"But levitation can't create a barrier this strong," Abel pointed out.

"And that is the conundrum," Wardes said with a nod. "My dear Louise, how did you make this in the first place?"

"I was following instructions from a book," she said softly.

"This one, I presume?" said Wardes, spying the only book in the otherwise barren room. Louise had placed it against the opposite wall during her experimentation, just in case the circle had exploded. She doubted the king would be happy if she destroyed one of his books by accident.

"Yes."

Wardes opened the book. His brow narrowed in confusion. "What is this?"

"It's in another language…"

"You can read it?"

"…No," Louise admitted sheepishly.

"You were casting a spell that you found in a book you couldn't read… why?"

"King Gilgamesh gave it to me and wanted me to learn a new spell by the end of the day," Louise replied. "So, I used a spell that was runic based. It worked, but I can't figure out how to turn it off."

"Most spells run out of power on their own if they're not channeled," Abel noted. "Does that mean this one will go down too?"

"I suppose?" Louise replied hesitantly. "I used as much of my Willpower as I could into this spell, and it doesn't look to be any weaker."

"I refuse to stand by and let my fiancé wait this out," Wardes declared. "For all we know it could be hours before it disperses. If the barrier can't be touched from the outside, then we'll approach it from a different angle."

"The inside?" Abel guessed.

"Absolutely not," Wardes denied. "If my dear Louise's spells fails while she is still inside that barrier she could be severely hurt."

Louise begrudgingly nodded her head. "Then how do I get out of here?" she asked.

"Simple," Wardes declared. "We target where the barrier does not reach." He drew his sword and pointed at the floor below. "Transmute!"

Nothing happened.

"Ah, the reinforcement of the castle walls is stronger than my earth magic," Wardes realized. "We need to find a square class earth mage."

"Are there any square class earth mages in the castle right now?" Louise asked.

"As a matter of fact, a renowned one arrived very recently," said Wardes. "Abel, go fetch the general. Tell him that it is urgent, but be discreet."

"Yes, sir!"

"Miss Valliere! Why, I haven't seen you since you were a little girl. You've grown into a wonderful young lady."

"Thank you, General Gramont," Louise said with a curtsey.

Unlike Guiche, General Antoine III de Gramont was a fine example of a noble gentleman. He stood half a head taller than Wardes, with a well-muscled frame and a head of curly golden-brown locks. Intimidating, but genial, in both appearance and voice.

"Now, what seems to be the matter here?" the general asked.

"Due to a magical mishap, there's a powerful barrier keeping Miss Valliere enclosed in that circle," Wardes explained. "I believe that by transmuting the ground below, we can get her out without waiting for the spell to expire."

"A barrier, you say?" Gramont stepped towards the invisible outline and rapped his knuckles against the air. "Indeed, this certainly is a strange bit of magic. Let me get the young lady out of here and then I'd like to examine it more closely. We could always use another powerful spell in the military. I trust nothing is important is below us?"

"Just storage, sir," Abel reported.

"Good." The general drew his wand-sword and chanted, "Transmute!"

After a stretched moment of waiting, everyone looked to the general, who also looked confused.

"Let me try this a different way," he said. He cast the spell again, this time peeling away the stone floor outside the barrier before trying to reach the area below Louise. The stone fell away… except that there remained a solid platform under Louise's feet.

"What in the Founder happened?" Wardes asked.

The General knelt down and stuck his head below the floor. "There's a layer of stone about as thick as my thumbnail that refuses to be transmuted," he reported.

"That's about the same thickness as the invisible barrier," Abel realized.

"So the spell makes a protective barrier in a dome that even includes the ground," Wardes said thoughtfully.

"Does that mean I'm stuck here?" Louise asked.

The three men glanced at each other.

"Of course not!" Gramont quickly denied. "We're Tristanians! No magic is beyond our ability."

"I will do my utmost to rescue you, my dear Louise," said Wardes.

"Perhaps the barrier might be designed to be turned off from the inside…" Abel mused.

"Too risky." Wardes immediately shot down that idea. "Even so much as smudging the runes could cause the spell to explode."

"Ah, yes, Miss Valliere does have a reputation for that," the general said with a thoughtful nod.

Louise glared, but then pulled back the expression. She reminded herself that they didn't mean to be insulting. Even if they were. Just because she was young lady trapped in a spell she couldn't control didn't mean she was a useless damsel that needed rescuing.

On second thought…

"So, how am I supposed to get out of here?" Louise asked her three would-be-rescuers.

There was a brief moment of silence as the men exchanged glances. None had a clear idea of what to do, but admitting as much wouldn't improve the situation or assuage Louise's fears.

"I have a solution," Wardes finally declared. "The book came from King Gilgamesh. Therefore, he must be familiar with the spell. Even if he doesn't, he can translate the book for us so we can learn how to disable the magic. Sir Abel, find King Gilgamesh and ask for his assistance in rescuing Miss Louise from the barrier."

"Yes, Captain!"

"He refused, captain!"

"He what?"

"He said, and I quote, 'I told that girl to show me something interesting by the end of the day. At no point did I say I would come at her beck and call. If she wishes to earn my approval, she should present herself instead of summoning me as if I were her servant.'" Seeing their disbelieving expressions, he awkwardly tacked on, "End quote."

Louise sighed and shook her head. Somehow, she already suspected that the king wouldn't lift a finger to help her. This truly was a test of her worth. That made her think further. Did he know that she was going to use this spell out of all the others? Was it his plan for her to be trapped in the barrier? Had he had the book ready for her, or was this all just something he made on a whim?

"Miss Valliere?" General Gramont asked gently.

Louise snapped out of her reverie. "Yes, General?"

"We were asking if you had any idea how to convince King Gilgamesh to assist."

"He won't," she stated. "This is a test for me. If I rely on him to get me out, I will fail. And I refuse to fail."

"A… test?" Abel echoed.

"It is nothing you need to worry about," Louise said diplomatically. "Thank you for assistance, but I will try to solve it on my own for now."

The three of them looked hesitant. "I'm sure there are more magic experts that we could call—" the general began.

"Thank you, but I will be fine," Louise interrupted.

"My dear Louise, you can't ask me to leave you—"

"With all due respect, Viscount Wardes, this trial is my burden to bear. It would be remiss of me to trouble you any longer. I have already wasted enough of your valuable time. Please, go about your duties without worrying about me."

The men didn't appear to agree with her decision, but there was nothing they could say. Their minds and magic had failed; there was nothing left for them to contribute. As much as they would wish otherwise, it was all up to Louise now.

A knock on the door drew the attention of the room's inhabitants.

From the hallway, a woman's voice resounded. "Announcing her royal highness, Princess Henrietta!"

"The Princess!" Louise exclaimed in horror.

The door swung open, revealing Henrietta dressed in her usual formal attire. Behind her was the captain of her personal guard, Agnes. Agnes stood several inches taller than her highness and had pale orange hair that fell slightly past her chin. She was dressed in the grey armor and white cloaks of her Royal Musketeer unit.

"Louise! We should have lunch together!" The princess entered with a smile, which quickly shifted to an expression of confusion when she saw the three men in the room. "Did I… come at a bad time?"

"Not at all, your highness," said Wardes.

"Your presence is always welcome, your highness," said General Gramont.

Abel bowed low and stood to the side, removing himself from the picture.

"I'm ashamed that you have to see me in this state," Louise admitted.

Dumbfounded, Henrietta slightly tilted her head to the side.

Alone with Henrietta—the men and Agnes having been dismissed—Louise explained the situation to the princess. (Agnes only leaving after an assurance that nothing in the room would blow up. They had the lack of results to prove it.)

After bringing the princess up to speed on the situation, Louise declared, "I will figure out how to remove this barrier promptly. You do not need to worry, your highness."

Henrietta stepped to the barrier, letting her hand gently rest against it. A saddened frown passed over her face. "Louise. You promised you wouldn't be formal when it was just the two of us."

"I—yes, you're right, Henrietta."

"Good." The princess smiled. She then sunk down to sit on the floor by the barrier. "I have faith in you, Louise."

"…Your words honor me."

Henrietta poked the barrier with an accusatory finger. "Formalities are forbidden," she said in a dead serious voice.

Louise stiffened on deeply ingrained principle, but quickly relaxed when she noticed the teasing smile on the princess's face. "I appreciate your faith in me, Henrietta. I really do," she said sincerely. "General Gramont, Sir Abel, even Viscount Wardes… they all acted like I was helpless and couldn't do anything on my own."

"They demeaned you?"

"What? No! Not intentionally, at least," Louise clarified. "They were cordial and tried their best to help. It's just… I could tell they didn't believe in me. They were more surprised that I managed to create the barrier than they were that I couldn't remove it. This is the first, well, second time I've managed to do something besides explosions, but it only reinforces how I'm stuck with the image of being useless."

"Just a pretty bird in a glass cage," Henrietta said with a sigh.

"Exactly…" Louise replied with a slow nod. She blinked. "Wait, was that joke?"

"Was it?" Henrietta replied with an innocent expression on her face.

Louise's cheeks gained a healthy flush. "St-stop teasing me!"

The princess giggled. "You shouldn't be so easy to tease then," she replied impishly. "Besides, isn't this what friends do? Staying at each other side, no matter what happens?"

"Yes, I suppose," Louise agreed. Then, her eyes narrowed as she caught the implication of Henrietta's words. "Princess, I already explained that—"

"Titles again, Louise?"

Louise huffed, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "Henrietta, this is my test from King Gilgamesh. I need to figure out how to break the spell and present it to him by the end of the day."

"I understand."

"You can't stay with me the entire time."

"Who will stop me?"

A flash of irritation showed on Louise's face. "You were about to have lunch."

"I was about to have lunch with you," said Henrietta. "Since you are unavailable, I will delay my meal until we can dine together."

"This could take hours," Louise argued. "You can't skip a meal for my sake. Think about your health!"

The princess gave a slow nod at this. "Very well," she said agreeably. "I shall go on a diet for as long as it takes for you to finish your project."

"…That's not how diets work."

"Fasting then. I hear that priests do it all the time."

Louise scowled as Henrietta smiled playfully.

"If you want me to eat that badly, then finish breaking the barrier by teatime," Henrietta suggested.

"It's not that simple," Louise argued.

"Louise." Henrietta gave the smaller girl an encouraging smile. "I've always admired your spirit. You've been stubborn since the day we've met, and you've never let anything stop you. You can do this. You will do this. And I'll be here every second until you do."

Louise's heart melted in the light of Henrietta's smile. The pinkette sniffled, wiping the back of her hand against her eyes. "If you believe in me, Henrietta, then I can't disappoint," she said decisively.

Over the next several hours, the girls spitballed different ways to undo the barrier. At Louise's instruction, Henrietta found the page Louise had used as a reference, trying to find a solution, but to no avail. Henrietta requested books from the library to aid in their research. With her back against the barrier and Louise reading over her shoulder, the two perused every relevant volume they could find. Growling stomachs vocalized their discomfort, but the two carried on resolutely.

"It's hopeless," Louise said as Henrietta closed the last book and put it aside. "There's no precedent for self-sufficient barriers that refuse to be disabled. And this one clearly isn't getting any weaker."

"I've never heard of a barrier this Willpower-efficient before," Henrietta admitted. "But we can't give up. If we take much longer, we'll miss tea-time."

"I'm pretty sure it's already dinner time," Louise corrected her. "I'm almost out of time and nothing's worked. The flow magic can't be disrupted from the outside and I can't figure out how to do anything to it from the inside."

Henrietta put a hand to her chin. "We haven't tried casting Dispel Magic," she remarked.

"Sir Abel and Captain Wardes attempted that already," Louise said.

"But you haven't."

Louise raised an eyebrow. "And how is my attempt going to be better than theirs?"

Henrietta rapped her knuckles against the barrier. "Maybe it's designed to only be opened from the inside," she suggested. "It doesn't make much sense to set up a barrier that your enemies could open but you couldn't."

"I suppose it couldn't hurt." Louise stood up and dusted off her skirt. More out of habit than necessity, since it didn't even cover her thighs. And there wasn't a speck of dust to be seen on the floor, a testament to the work of the palace staff.

Louise pointed her wand at the barrier and chanted, "Dispel Magic!"

A small explosion detonated against the barrier. Henrietta could see the cloud of ash spread across the invisible enclosure, but it didn't so much as flicker.

"Dispel Magic! Dispel Magic! Dispel Magic!"

Three successive explosions rippled against the same spot. Again, it held fast. However, Henrietta noticed that the symbols on the floor started flickering.

"Louise, the runes on the ground fade when you try to dispel it."

The pinkette looked down at the markings that ran under her feet. "Of course," she realized. "The runes are the source of the spell; the barrier is just the result."

She placed her hand against the symbols. There was nothing that stopped her from touching the runes. Tracing the ground with her hand, she found that the barrier only activated at the outer circle. "The inner circle contains all the work behind the spell, and then the lines that connect it to the outer circle link the effect to the destination."

It wasn't guaranteed. As good as Louise was with runes, it still was an outdated form of magic. She couldn't claim to be a master of the craft, especially with the foreign symbols. However, it was the best theory she had at the moment.

Princess Henrietta nodded in understanding. "So if you remove the magic from the inner circle…"

"…then the barrier in the outer circle should deactivate," Louise finished with a satisfied grin. She stepped away from the center of the circle, until her back was pressed against the barrier. "Here it goes. Dispel Magic!"

Shards of the floor exploded. Louise shrieked as she covered her face.

"Louise!" Henrietta shouted. "Are you hurt?"

"… not badly," Louise said after a moment. There were several thin cuts on her exposed legs, but she'd had worse results from her explosions. The biggest problem was that the barrier was still intact. The symbols were still alight and unharmed. The shards had come from bits of stone around the edges of the runes. Strangely enough, all the damage was contained within the inner circle of the diagram.

Louise growled. "You will not best me, you stupid magic circle! Dispel Magic!"

A larger explosion covered the floor of the barrier. Louise felt herself be pressed against the barrier as more shrapnel flew into her. She managed to get her arms up in time to shield her face. Still, she could feel the pain in her arms and legs from where she was bleeding.

"Louise! Hold on!" Henrietta cried. She tried casting a healing spell through the barrier, but the water magic failed to pass through.

"I refuse to fail here," Louise hissed.

"You're hurting yourself!" Henrietta called out desperately. "Please, stop!"

The expression on Louise's face was filled with shock and betrayal. "I thought you believed in me," she said softly.

"I do believe in you, Louise," Henrietta insisted. "But I don't want to see you die in front of me! There has to be another way to break the barrier!"

A vein on Louise's head throbbed. She knew that her theory should be working. The symbols had briefly flickered just before the explosion. The cracks in the floor showed that the inner circle was the weak point. What was she missing? Why wasn't Dispel Magic working?

"Why won't this Founder-forsaken spell just disappear!" Louise raged, pointing her wand at the offending runes.

As if in response, the light from the runes peeled away. The inner circle dimmed. While there was no visible change to the barrier, the debris that had piled up along the edge of the barrier fell across the now inert lines.

"Louise…" the princess said in awe.

"It worked…" Louise said triumphantly. "It worked!" She ran over to Henrietta.

CRACK

The two girls looked down at where the sound came from. Louise had inadvertently run over the heavily damaged inner circle, which now had a spiderweb crack from where Louise had stepped on it.

Henrietta grabbed Louise by the arm and yanked her out of the circle just as the stone gave way to the floor below.

The two watched as the stones flaked away and shattered against the floor below. They looked at each other. They couldn't recall which of them started it, but within seconds the two of them were laughing in hysterical relief.

"King Gilgamesh."

The blond royal looked up from his book. Illuminated by the fiery light of the setting sun, Louise de la Valliere stood before him. The book she had borrowed was tucked under one arm, and a basket of writing utensils rested in the other. She wore a fresh change of clothes, a slim red dress just ended above the knee, which revealed the pink lines of freshly healed skin running along her thighs and calves.

Perfectly pearly white teeth gleamed as Gilgamesh flashed a satisfied smile. "So, you finally decided to show instead of sending one of your lapdogs."

Instead of rising to the bait, Louise declared, "I am here to present to you the result of my findings."

"As I expected," the king said. "However, I would advise you to make your demonstration quick. You are very short on time."

Louise nodded. She quickly got to work sketching on the stone pavement. Gilgamesh watched her work with an amused eye. The strokes she made were quick, but not sloppy. An excellent display of calligraphy and geometry. By the time the sun had reached the treetops, the array was properly set up.

The pinkette stepped inside the inner circle and chanted, "Barrier!"

No explosion came from her chant. The willpower she funneled into the spell was sucked into the runic array. The ring of symbols lit up and projected the magical barrier. Invisible to the sight of the common man, but very noticeable to the king's ruby eyes.

Still, he wasn't going to give his praise for free. Gilgamesh waved his hand dismissively. "Is that all?" he asked haughtily. "That bounded field is nothing special. Only a simple barrier designed to be impenetrable for as long as it has mana to power itself. Good for securing valuables, but a poor choice for personal defense. How do you plan to get out? Are you going to use your infamous explosion? Do you have enough to control to harmlessly drain the spell mana?" The king's eyes glittered with amusement as he saw Louise's face twitch with every mocking word her threw at her.

"Dispel runes."

Contrary to Gilgamesh's expectations, Louise didn't go for brute force or delicate dismantling. The spell's magical framework simply unraveled at her command. The light that signaled the magic flowing through the runes quickly faded and died, and without its source of power, the barrier quickly dispelled without fanfare.

Louise looked at the king expectantly.

Gilgamesh watched carefully as the edge of the sun disappeared over the horizon. Then, he let a grin spread over his face before he burst out laughing. "How amusing! You completed your task with the dramatic timing of a true entertainer!"

"Does this mean I passed?" Louise asked hopefully.

"You should be smart enough to realize the answer to that."

"So you'll teach me magic?!"

The king laughed again. "Where did you get that foolish notion?"

Louise's face quickly fell into panic. "B-but you said to show you something interesting at the end of the day. That meant you would teach me magic since I succeeded, right?"

"Do not presume to put words into my mouth. I never said that was the condition for teaching you. I blatantly refused to waste my time with such trivialities, you should recall."

The pinkette's jaw dropped, then snapped closed as her face grew hot. "Y-you!" she hissed through clenched teeth. "What was the point of what I did then?"

"To amuse me. What other purpose should it serve?"

"I haven't eaten since this morning! I spent the entire day trapped in a tiny circle in a back room! My legs are still sore from getting cut all over!" The complaints flowed from Louise's tongue with ferocity of a frothy raging river. "I'm exhausted! And this was all a joke to you? I can't believe you!"

Gilgamesh's merriment dimmed. "Watch your tongue, girl," he warned. "You forget your place."

Louise was seething. Her breath left gritted teeth and her fingers were balled into fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. "I need help," she said. Her anger was still there, but even then, she pleaded. "Please, teach me magic so I can become a powerful mage."

She bowed her head to him. "Days ago, you said that if I impressed you, you would give me power. I may not be worthy of being a Master to a king of your caliber, but without you I can't get any stronger.

Gilgamesh frowned momentarily, although Louise's couldn't see it. "Are you willing to swear your fealty to me and become my vassal?" he asked.

Louise looked up and met his eyes with her own. "You know I would never turn my back on Princess Henrietta," she said resolutely.

"Then we have nothing more to discuss."

"…I see." Louise turned her face away. "I bid you goodnight then, your majesty."

Gilgamesh wordlessly waved her off. The girl kept herself at a reasonable walking pace. If it wasn't for the stiffness in her motions, it would be hard to tell if something was wrong. Despite everything that had happened to her, she still held herself with poise expected for a noble of her heritage. The king watched her leave, remaining still even as his assigned guard approached him.

"Would you like to retire for the night, your highness?" Cain asked.

The king didn't speak right away. His eyes followed Louise's figure until the walls of the castle hid her from mortal sight. "Tell me, what do you think of that girl?" he asked, ignoring the previous question entirely.

Cain didn't appear put off by the non-sequitur. After all, this was par for course when it came to conversing with Gilgamesh. "Miss Valliere is very driven, almost fanatically so," he replied. "It's a shame she can't use any of the elements, but it appears that she has some talent in runes and ritual magic. She might be able to get some additional training in Romalia if she doesn't decide to settle down with Viscount Wardes after she comes of age."

"She dreams of being a powerful mage in service to the princess," Gilgamesh remarked. There was no judgement in his comment. His voice was perfectly neutral, as though he was making an idle comment about the weather. "In your opinion as one of the few competents I have come across, is her dream feasible?"

"…No," Cain admitted after a moment's delay. He figured that Gilgamesh would want an honest opinion rather than any sugarcoating. "While the princess can have anyone serve her, Miss Valliere lacks the talent to be a mage comparable to her mother, Karin of the Heavy Wind. If she continues to improve, she could prove very useful to her highness. That, however, is as far as I can see her reaching with her talents."

"Your ignorance is offensive to my hearing."

Cain restrained himself from flinching at the cold words. "I apologize for my ignorance, your majesty," he said. "I am but a humble Griffon Knight. My magical knowledge does not compare to yours."

Gilgamesh nodded. "Your candor and awareness are your saving grace," he said. He rose up from his chair. "For that, I will let you know, that girl has more potential than everyone in this disappointing kingdom combined." A cruel smirk played across his lips. "It's almost time."

With a laugh that sounded borderline sinister, Gilgamesh walked forward. A golden circle appeared in front of him, enveloping his form before disappearing to places unknown.

Cain let his body slump as he tried to get his heart to stop racing and his lungs to breathe properly again. "Sometimes, I wonder if I shouldn't have become a normal cavalier."

He never noticed that as Gilgamesh had passed through the circle, the fringes of the king's clothes had begun to fade away into golden dust.

Gilgamesh's diction gives Microsoft Word a stroke sometimes. But I'm trying to be true to the character, not the English language.

I can now announce that in my hiatus I have finished writing and editing the story. There are 3 post-story chapters in the works I'll probably tack on as a post-canon omakes, but the main story is done. I'll be uploading the chapters every other week usually until the story is finished.

I've got a lot of reviews and PMs to go over since I disappeared, but even on break, the reason I kept writing was because reviews are food for a writer's soul!