That night, Tabitha was a bit restless. Aselith didn't need sleep. He didn't need to rest or sit down or relax. Due to that, he chose to stand in Tabitha's room, watching her as she slept, or as she tried to.
When morning came, he acted as a proper servant would. Tabitha's clothes were laid out, he helped her change into them, and he even brushed her hair. So far, he seemed to be holding to his word, as unnerving as it felt. She would need to see if that kept up.
One detail she learned about him was about dresili anatomy, or lack thereof. Dresili were shapeshifters, able to take on the form of whatever summoned them, or the most prevalent intelligent creatures in the world. Hearing him talk about other worlds was another issue altogether. Suffice to say, his appearance was largely based on humans, specifically the vastly more numerous commoners—hence the black hair. Dresili features tended to be more attractive, as Kirche had brought up yesterday. If Tabitha paid more attention to men's appearances, maybe she would agree. While he admitted to lacking the…equipment of men—due to having no need of it—referring to him as a male was acceptable.
It was easier that way. As an otherworldly monster, the next closest term would be 'it', and Tabitha didn't want any of her classmates giving him any reason to be angry.
That led them to the Alviss Dining Hall. It was already filled with students for breakfast.
This would be Aselith's first real interaction with them. It was time to see if he kept his word.
His word. That was the only thing that kept him from doing as he pleased. In a sense, he already was, since familiars weren't supposed to come inside here, instead staying outside. But…
"None of these familiars interest me, except possibly your friend's."
He followed that up by saying he would attend Tabitha, as was his 'duty' as a familiar, and he would come and go as he pleased. Tabitha possibly could have ordered him to stay outside, but she didn't want to push it.
"Tabitha~!" Just as she neared her seat, she heard her friend's voice from across the hall.
Kirche quickly made her way over to them, a bursting smile on her face.
"Morning." Tabitha gave her friend a brief nod.
"And what a good morning it is!" Kirche enthused, looking rather triumphant. "I just had the most invigorating bout with Louise the Zero."
The girl in question just entered the hall, her familiar right behind her. She must have gotten permission, since Tabitha doubted Louise would just assume her position was enough to do as she pleased.
Tabitha could only partially understand why her friend, and her fellow classmates, mocked Louise so much. It was simply how other children acted, despite Tabitha not seeing the joy in it. When someone was below you, you mocked them. She has had to go through much worse at the hands of her cousin…
Still, Kirche never took it that far. Neither did the others, really. In Kirche's case, it likely had more to do with their feuding families than anything else. Despite her words, Kirche was rather kind at heart. It was one of the reasons they were friends.
"Anyway, shall we?" Kirche gestured to the table.
"Hm." Tabitha nodded and approached her chair. Aselith stood behind it and pulled it back for her. "Thanks."
"Of course." He responded pleasantly as she sat down.
They received a few glances from the people across from them, but nothing more. Tabitha looked at Kirche, but she didn't take her seat yet. Worry grew in Tabitha as she saw the mischievous look on her friend's face.
"Oh? But what about me?" She pouted.
Just as Tabitha was about to object to her friend's antics, Aselith slid toward her and pulled her chair out as well.
"My, what a gentleman." Kirche winked at him as she sat.
"Think nothing of it. It is my pleasure to help." Aselith's eyes looked at Tabitha for just a moment.
It seemed both her friend and her familiar had a certain amount of mischievousness to them. Maybe she really didn't have to worry about the two of them.
With the students seated, everyone gave a brief prayer of thanks for the food. Since Aselith didn't need to eat, Tabitha wasn't concerned about causing any fuss. Not like Louise's familiar further down the table. It seemed like he received hardly anything, and had a bowl set on the ground for him.
It was a pity Louise was treating her familiar that way.
"Ugh, why are there two familiars in the dining hall?" That voice caused Tabitha to worry all over again. "Louise, I get, wanting to show off her only successful spell, but why did you bring yours, Tabitha?"
She looked at Malicorne sitting across from them. The boy was picking a very dangerous fight he had no concept of, and no hope of winning.
"Tabitha summoned a handsome familiar, almost as handsome as my Flame." Kirche haughtily replied, flourishing her hair. This was hardly the time for her jokes. "If I had known he would be here, I would have wanted to show off Flame, too."
"You're just sticking up for your friend." Malicorne argued, biting into his food. "She summoned a slightly better familiar than the Zero."
Kirche smirked. "Are you jealous because you summoned an owl? Were you hoping for a wind dragon?"
Tabith really wished Kirche wouldn't instigate.
Malicorne slammed his fists on the table. "My familiar is far better than a commoner!"
"Hmm~." Kirche tapped her chin with a finger. "One commoner, sure. But this one? I'm not so sure~."
"Tabitha can't be great at everything!" Malicorne shouted, standing up. "She probably couldn't even cast the spell. You remember how it went, right? It was completely different!" He pointed at Aselith. "She must have faked it and hired this worthless commoner to act for her!"
"Quiet!" Tabitha, surprising everyone around her—and herself—shouted.
That section of the dining hall did indeed become quiet.
"You're really upset by this." Kirche held her hand to her mouth, concern evident in her voice.
Tabitha didn't care what her classmates thought of her. She rarely considered it. Admittedly, if she had, maybe she would have spotted the growing jealousy among some of them, like Malicorne. He basically admitted it. Now that he had something to gloat about, he was taking the opportunity.
In a sense, it reminded Tabitha of a time closer to the start of her attendance at Tristian Academy, when she drew the attention—then jealousy—of a boy she vastly outperformed. It led to a 'spar' with the boy, plus a few other events. In the end, that's how she became friends with Kirche, so things worked out well.
Not this time. Tabitha couldn't see a good ending from this. Instead of ensuring her friend of her own acceptance of the situation, she looked behind her to Aselith. She spoke calmly, but forcefully. "Don't hurt him."
"Hurt me!?" Malicorne shouted in disbelief.
Aselith simply smiled. "His words are empty, Summoner."
She was relieved to hear that, but Malicorne wasn't done.
"Don't speak to your betters that way, commoner!"
Aselith was unmoved. "Ah, a simple mistake on your part. I have no betters here."
"Well, you've gotten a proud one, at least." Kirche tried offering comforting words, her smile uneasy as she chuckled. The attempt was appreciated, but far from Tabitha's focus.
"Every mage here is a noble, commoner! By default, we are all your betters!"
That wasn't necessarily true, since some might be bastards, but Malicorne likely couldn't care less about the truth. He was too focused on showing superiority over Tabitha.
Then, Aselith laughed. "Your human social titles mean little to me, lowly mage."
Even more of the dining room went quiet after that.
"What…?" Malicorne's voice was low and full of hate.
Aselith went on. "I have seen several mages of some note, and sensed the presence of a few others. You, boy, are less than this one's salamander." He gestured to Kirche. "Though, comparing you to Flame does him a disservice, don't you think?"
He knew what he was doing. Tabitha gave him an overview of nobility and magic, and this country in particular having more mages than others. Aselith knew mages placed a great importance on their bloodline, as that indicated the power of future generations. He was instigating this fight.
And when Malicorne stood, wand drawn, Tabitha knew Aselith succeeded.
Author's Notes:
Nothing against Malicorne. Just need another fall guy. I vaguely recall him kicking Saito's seat out from under him in one of the LNs, but I couldn't find it. If it was from a fanfic instead, or someone else entirely…well, we're here anyway.