While staring at an ancient looking book, Osmond stroked his beard. The old leather cover was so worn out, it looked as though it would wither away from a single touch. The pages inside didn't look much better.
"Hmm..."
Osmond turned a page, but nothing was written there. There were roughly three hundred pages and they were all blank.
"The Founder's Prayer Book has always been passed down through Tristain's royal family..."
Six thousand years ago, Founder Brimir offered a prayer to God and wrote down his spells in his prayer book.
"Isn't this a fake?"
Osmond looked at the book suspiciously. Fakes were too common with 'legendary' artifacts. Only one 'Founder's Prayer Book' exists. Everybody claims to have the real thing. But regardless of each one's authenticity, all of them were collected in the library as genuine articles.
"But if it is a fake, it's an awful one. All of the characters are gone."
Osmond had seen the 'Founder's Prayer Book' several times on numerous occasions. The runes always seemed to leap from the pages. However, he never saw one with no characters like this one. Could it be genuine?
At that moment he heard someone knocking. I should really hire a secretary. Osmond thought as he invited the guest into the room.
"It's open. Please come in."
The door opened and a slender girl stepped in. It was Louise.
"I heard that you had called for me, so..." Louise closed the door behind her.
"Oh, Miss Vallière. Have you rested after your tiresome journey? Your efforts have ensured the alliance's safety and prevented a great crisis." Osmond's tone shifted to be softer. "And, next month in Germania, there will be a wedding ceremony for the princess and Germania's emperor. It's all thanks to you. Be proud."
Hearing the mention of the wedding, Louise's spirit faltered. Her childhood friend Henrietta was about to be used as a political pawn to have a loveless marriage just to protect her country. Louise silently bowed toward Osmond.
Osmond kept quiet for a minute, then, remembering what he had, he held out The Founder's Prayer Book for Louise.
"What's this?" Louise eyed the book suspiciously.
"The Founder's Prayer Book."
"This? This is the Founder's Prayer Book?" It was given to the royal family, and it's legendary. Why does he have it?
"According to tradition in Tristain's royal family, when a royal family member is wed, one noble is chosen to take the role of bridesmaid. Following the imperial edict, the bridesmaid is traditionally given the Founder's Prayer Book."
"Uh huh," Louise replied blankly.
"And the princess has chosen you, Miss Vallière to be that bridesmaid."
"The princess?"
"That's right. The bridesmaid must also come up with a written edict when receiving the Founder's Prayer Book."
"Ah... huh?! I have to think of an edict?"
"Indeed. Of course, there is still certain etiquette that you need to learn... traditions can be rather bothersome. However, Miss Vallière, the princess is looking forward to it. This is a great honor. So follow the palace regulations and write the edict, because something like this only happens once in a lifetime."
Louise firmly looked up. "I understand."
Louise took the Founder's Prayer Book from the smiling Osmond's hands.
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Around the same time Louise was in Osmond's office, Kai found himself near a small creek. On his back was his trusty sword Derflinger. He had been resting since his return to the academy, but it was high time that he started training again.
Rolling his neck, Kai sat down, crossed his legs, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath in. His mind was a complete blank slate as he started feeling the energy around him.
The easiest to feel were the animals in the nearby forest. He could tell most of them didn't pay attention to him. Starting to concentrate harder, he felt the trees and all the different types of plants around him.
With the wind blowing through his hair, Kai felt at peace.
Finally, he pulled his concentration toward himself. Could he feel his own energy?
It was odd. He felt his own energy, but could also sense it at the same time. It was using two similar, yet distinct ways to feel it. He started moving it around throughout his body, amassing more of it toward his hand. He could both feel and sense it moving.
Then a question presented itself. The runes on his left hand had powers... So does it have energy?
Kai squeezed his eyes shut as he started feeling for an energy in his hand. Soon, he found it. A very small and faint energy, but an energy nonetheless. That only begged the question...
What would happen if he gave his runes some energy?
He had meant to just send a little bit of energy, but the runes on his hand started shining, and before he knew it almost all of his energy had been drained.
"Partner! Are you all right?" Derflinger poked out of his sheath, concerned for Kai.
"Y-Yeah... just screwed up a little..." Kai sounded like he had just run a marathon.
Screwing up a little is an understatement.
Kai quickly shot up upon hearing that voice again.
"Partner?"
"Derf, did you not hear that?"
"Hear what?"
He can't hear me, idiot. I'm in your head.
Kai started breathing heavily. Oh god, I'm going crazy.
You're not going crazy. You've heard me before.
"Partner, are you sure you're fine?"
Kai shakily nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about it Derf." He went back into his meditative pose.
Alright, so you can hear my thoughts... that's weird.
I had thought I would go to Otherworld again soon enough, but you've not only survived so far, but you managed to wake me up again.
What?
Don't worry about it.
A-Alright... So, who are you?
Why don't you take a crack at it genius?
Jeez, no need to be so rude.
Kai felt his mind start to shake as if someone had grabbed his brain and started rattling it. Oh, I'm sorry, it's not like someone so rudely woke me up!
Gah! Don't yell so loud!
For a moment, Kai didn't hear that voice in his head.
Is... Is it gone?
Hm... Super Saiyan, huh? Odd, I thought you were human.
I am human!
Obviously not. And what's with that tale? The Golden Demon? Ha! Don't make me laugh! That form isn't nearly as strong as a demon!
Okay, that's it! Who the hell are you?!
My name? S- No. It was lost to time. If you had to guess what I was-
A previous, and or, the original Gandalfr?
Kai felt as though the presence in his mind was analyzing him. Not bad for a brain-dead moron.
Alright, so how long are you gonna stay in my head? I don't wanna seem like I'm schizophrenic.
The voice stopped for a second. Ah, so that's what that word means.
Kai realized what was going on. Stop going through my memories!
Hm... You can call me by many names. The original Gandalfr. The left hand of God. The strongest familiar-
Got it. Gandy it is.
Wha- Don't call me by such a childish-!
My mind, my rules.
Kai completely ignored Gandy and stood up. It was time for some physical training.
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That evening, Saito was preparing a bath. Of course, the academy had its own bathhouse. It was similar to how ancient Romans had their bathhouses, lined with marble. Supposedly it was supposed to be quite nice, heavenly in fact. Though, Saito wouldn't know, only nobles were allowed to use it.
The commoner's bathhouse... compared to the nobles' it was... it was like comparing a dirt shack to a mansion. The commoner's bathhouse smelled of sweat and gross odors that only made whoever entered want to hurl.
That particular day was the day that made Saito snap. He just couldn't deal with it anymore. He went straight to the head chef, Marteau, and asked if he had an old pot that he wasn't using anymore. Luckily for the boy, he did.
Saito dragged it out to a secluded corner of the academy, put firewood below it, filled it with water, and viola! He had made himself a makeshift bath!
Unfortunately, he didn't have anything on hand to light the firewood. He would have to go bother Marteau again.
Before he could turn around, he heard a voice.
"Whatcha doin' there?"
The voice belonged to Kai.
"Making a bath, the commoner's bathhouse just isn't cutting it anymore."
Raising an eyebrow, Kai asked, "There's a bathhouse?"
"You... You didn't know about it? How have you been cleaning yourself?!"
"Okay first off, no one told me! And B, there's this small creek not terribly far that I use to wash up at. Not great, but it kinda works... Anyhow, what's up?"
Saito let out a sigh. "I forgot to grab a firestarter... Now I've gotta run back to grab one."
"Psh, no need." Kai flicked his finger as if it were a lighter and a small blue flame appeared. Kai quickly moved to the wood underneath the pot and lit it up. "Tada~!"
Saito blinked a few times. Did Kai just use magic? Without a wand? "How... did you do that?"
Kai ignored him, took off most of his clothes save for his underwear, and jumped into the pot. Following Kai's lead, Saito threw off his clothes and jumped in as well.
"Aah... the water is nice and hot." Saito put a towel on his head and started humming a melody.
Derflinger, who was leaning against the wall of the pot called out, "Does it feel good?"
The two boys nodded their heads.
It was a blissful few minutes.
"So, Kai, I'm curious... Did you use magic back there?"
"Back where?"
"When you lit up the firewood. It looked like fire was shooting straight out of your fingertip."
Kai shook his head. "Nah, that ain't magic. That's my energy." Kai looked like he winced. "Sorry, more specifically, it's called Ki."
"So... not magic."
"Not magic." He paused once again. "Somewhat similar, but also not really. Magic is more of a willpower thing, while Ki is more of a life force thing."
Saito looked confused, making Kai sigh.
"Just... They aren't the same."
"So, how did you get it?"
Scratching his cheek, Kai tried to find the right way to put it. "Well, every living thing has Ki. I just know how to use it 'cause of ma runes."
Derflinger rattled a bit. "That just goes to show how powerful the legendary Gandalfr is."
Hearing that piqued Saito's interest. "Hey Derflinger, what do you remember about Gandalfr? What kind of things did he do?"
"I forgot."
"Huh?"
"It was a long time ago. Besides, someone is coming."
The two boys turned and saw a shadow under the moonlight.
"Who's there?"
Saito's call startled the figure. It dropped something it was carrying, and the sound of a pot shattering rang out.
"Waah, it broke... I'll be scolded again..." Saito was able to recognize the figure's voice.
"Siesta?!"
Illuminated by the moonlight, the maid bent down to pick up the shards of what had shattered.
"W-What are you doing here?" Saito's face was a little red.
"Umm... I was able to get some really tasty treats earlier, and I wanted you to try them!" A teapot and a few cups were on the tray next to Siesta. The only thing that had shattered was a cup.
Seeing the two of them act awkwardly made something click in Kai's mind. Without either Saito or Siesta noticing, Kai slipped out of the pot, dried himself off, got changed, grabbed Derflinger, and tiptoed away.
"A treat?"
Suddenly Siesta noticed that Saito wasn't wearing any clothes, and averted her eyes. "T-That's right. Some unusual goods came from the east today. Tea."
"Tea?" The whole time Saito had been in this world he hadn't had tea.
Siesta poured some from the teapot into an unbroken cup and gave it to Saito.
"Thank you." Lifting the cup to his lips, Saito drank some of the tea. It tasted like Japanese green tea. With that taste, a wave of nostalgia washed over the boy. He had to wipe the corners of his eyes.
"W-What's the matter? Are you all right?" Siesta bent over the edge of the pot.
"I just felt nostalgic for a moment. I'm alright." Saito brought the cup back up to his lips for another long sip.
He turned around. "Kai, you should have some-" He finally noticed that he was gone. "W-Where did he go?" Saito looked around, but couldn't find him. After a minute, Saito went back to drinking his tea and soaking up in the pot.
"Do you miss it? Your home in the east?" Siesta gave a shy smile.
"I... Yeah, I do... But, how did you know that I was here?"
Saito's question made Siesta blush. "I saw you going over here with water... and..."
"You peeped?" Saito asked extremely bluntly, causing Siesta to shake her head.
"N-No! I didn't!" Flustered, Siesta tripped and fell straight into the pot. She let out a scream, but her shriek was suppressed by the hot water.
"Are you alright?" Saito could only ask that question blankly.
"I-I'm fine... But, I'm soaked now..." Siesta stuck her head out of the water.
The two of them, being right next to each other started to panic.
"S-Sorry! I should have done something to make it harder to fall in!"
"N-No, I'm sorry!" Though she apologized, Siesta didn't make a move to get out of the bath. Seeing her not be terribly bothered by the situation Saito tried to pretend that it wasn't a big deal that she was still in the bath.
"Ahaha." Siesta laughed. She laughed even though the situation wasn't funny.
"W-What's wrong?" Saito started to panic. Did she see it? Did she somehow see it through his underwear? Was it funny?
"Nothing, but, this feels nice. Is this how you bathe in your country?"
Breathing a sigh of relief, Saito answered, "That's right. Though, it's unusual to get in while wearing clothes."
"Is that so? Hmm, well then, I'll do the same."
Saito blinked a few times. "W-What did you say?"
The usually shy Siesta seemed bolder. "I said I'll take them off."
"B-But..." Saito was dumbfounded.
"It's fine. I know that you aren't the type of person to hurt me."
Saito nodded, but not a single word was processed.
As Siesta started to take off her clothes, Saito turned away in a panic. "S-Stop it! Just wait a moment! This is awkward!"
"B-But, my clothes are wet. I would get in trouble if I returned like this. I should at least dry my clothes by the fire first."
Siesta quickly undressed and set her clothes by the fire. After that, she stepped into the bath.
"Ahh... It feels good! Having a bath like this really does feel good! It feels like a nobles' bath. I am so jealous, but I can make it myself, right? Saito, you really are smart."
"N-Not really." Saito's answer was slightly muffled since his face was turned away.
"Please don't be so shy. I'm not shy. It's fine to look this way. Besides... it's so dark that you can't see anything, so stay calm."
Saito, feeling half embarrassed, and half happy, turned around. He was both relieved and somewhat disappointed that he couldn't see much.
"So, Saito, what kind of place is your country?"
"My country?"
"Yes, please tell me about it."
"Well... there's only one moon, there aren't any mages, we use switches to turn the lights off, we fly in the sky with planes..."
Siesta puffed out her cheeks. "Stop it. One moon? No Mages? Are you making fun of me? Don't look down on me just because I'm a village girl."
"I-I'm not making fun of you!" Even if he told her the truth, it would only confuse her more. After all the only people who knew he and Kai were from a different world were Louise, and Osmond to his knowledge.
"Well then, tell me the truth." Siesta looked into Saito's eyes. For some reason, her look reminded him of a girl from Japan.
"R-Right..." Saito started to talk about Japan. The starry-eyed Siesta listened to every word.
Before they realized it, the two of them lost track of any sense of time.
After some time, Siesta stood up, covering herself with her hands. Saito hurriedly turned away.
"Thank you. It was very fun. The bath and your story were great Saito." Siesta flashed a dazzling smile that made Saito's heart race. "Can I hear it again sometime?"
Saito nodded.
Siesta started to shyly fiddle with her fingers. "Well... The talk and the bath were great, but you were the most amazing..."
"Siesta?"
"Could you..."
"Y-Yes?!"
Siesta didn't ask her question but ran off instead.
Saito let out a sigh and started to snuggle into the warm water of the pot.
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Kai let out a long yawn as he made his way back to Louise's room. Training was exhausting, and that bath, albeit short, relaxed him beyond belief.
So that was the other half of Gandalfr... Can't say that I'm impressed.
Hey, shut it. Saito saved my butt a few times. Now, is he strong? No. But, when those runes flare up, he packs more of a punch than me normally.
Hm...
What?
I'm thinking.
Well, you can have all the time in the world to think, because as soon as I enter this room, I am going to completely ignore you.
Hrm...
As soon as Kai opened the door, he saw Louise doing something on the bed. Once she saw Kai, she hid a book in a panic. Kai wondered why but shrugged it off. It was Louise, she was weird.
Rolling his shoulder, he started walking toward the laundry, getting ready to do his nightly chores before bed. If he was lucky he would catch Saito before he got out and could use that water... Ah, who was he kidding, that pot was gonna be empty.
When he saw the basket, he was confused. "Uh... Louise. Where's the laundry?"
Louise shook her head. "Washed already."
"You wash-" When Kai turned around to look at Louise again, he was taken aback. Louise was wearing his red hoodie that he left behind. Whenever Kai went out training he always left his hoodie behind, only wearing his white T-shirt. Since that hoodie was a gift from his dad, Kai didn't want it getting banged... more banged up than it was.
Louise was probably wearing that hoodie over her underwear. Since the sleeves and waist were too long it looked extremely cute on her.
"You... Why are you wearing that?!"
Hearing him, Louise buried her face into the collar of his hoodie. Her cheeks started to turn red for some reason. "Because... after doing laundry, I didn't have anything to wear."
Kai pointed at her. "Fibber! It's full!" He twisted his arm toward the closet. The closet had plenty of different dresses and outfits for her to wear.
"I... wanted to try something else on."
"Aw come on..." Kai pulled out a casual-looking dress from her closet. "You could wear this?"
"I don't want to!" Louise puffed out her cheeks.
"Can I have it back... It's really comfortable..." At night, it was really Kai's only source of keeping warm.
Louise didn't try and take it off, instead, she started moving around in it more. "It's light and fits nicely. What is it made of?"
Kai had to agree, it fit her nicely... Kai let out a sigh and gave up. He could survive a night without his hoodie.
"How am I supposed to- Oh yeah..." Kai walked over toward Louise, and without warming pulled the back of the hoodie toward him.
"W-What do you think you're doing?!" A furious blush was on her face.
"Calm down. I'm checkin' what this thing's made of..." Kai looked right under the part where the collar and the hood connected. "Ah, there it is. Let's see... Fifty percent cotton... Fifty percent polyester..."
Louise quickly pulled the hood away from Kai, who started to back up. She started to calm herself down. "So... what is pall ee ester?"
"Polyester, and I'm pretty sure it's a fabric made from plastic."
"Plas tuck?" Louise blankly stared at Kai while parroting his words. He couldn't get a gauge on her expression since half of her face was hidden behind his hoodie, but she was irresistibly cute.
Something was off... Louise was being more self-sufficient. Great for most people, but Louise? She was so spoiled that something like this was unheard of. Her face was also red.
Louise was startled when Kai inched closer to her. She quickly turned away.
Trying not to think about how creepy he was being, Kai grabbed Louise's shoulders and touched her forehead with his own. A way his mother had checked to see if he had a fever.
Louise stiffened up, but she didn't fight back, instead, she closed her eyes.
Kai took a moment. "Welp seems like you've got yourself a fever."
When Kai pulled away from her, Louise clenched her hand into a tight ball.
"What's wrong?"
Louise completely ignored him and pulled the blanket over herself.
"Hey." Kai poked the ball of Louise in front of him.
"Sleep."
"You know I was about to mention that sleep was the best way to deal with a fever." Kai knew she didn't have a fever. Though he didn't know why, he really wanted to mess with her.
Slightly laughing to himself, Kai crawled into his pile of hay.
Mnm... Home sweet not home... It's gonna be a cold night to- Kai's thoughts were interrupted by a pillow hitting him.
"The hell...?"
"Bring back the pillow I just threw. Didn't I tell you to sleep in the bed from now on? Idiot."
Kai gulped. He thought it was a one-time thing. Pulling the blanket over himself, he felt Louise's warmth right beside him. The events of last night and the current day started to play in his mind.
I felt like I connected deeper with her last night... At the same time, I want to know more about her...
Speaking of wanting to know more... I want to know more about my powers as Gandalfr, and Gandy.
Kai stole a quick glance at Louise. He really loved that girl. But... she's a noble. She wouldn't ever think of me like that. And even if she miraculously did, she wouldn't act on it. Besides, I said I'd protect her.
With thoughts of protecting Louise floating around in his mind, Kai drifted off to a deep sleep.