Osmond coughed into his fist. "Well then. That just leaves Miss Louise's familiar."

"I don't need any reward." Saito said from behind Louise. "But I have something I want you to tell me."

"Hm?" Osmond tilted his head.

"Saito! Speak politely when talking to Osmond!" Louise scolded. Saito ignored her.

"It's quite alright, Miss Valliere." Osmond waved off her concerns. "If I can, I'll answer any questions you have, young man. It's the least I can do."

Saito walked around Louise and stopped when he was in front of Osmond's desk. "Where did the Staff of Destruction come from?"

Osmond hummed and nodded. "It was 30 years ago. I was attacked by a dragon and nearly killed. A man in peculiar clothing approached and, wielding his strange staff, killed the dragon in an instant. Unfortunately, he was already heavily wounded and died before I could treat him. He had two staves with him, so I buried the one he used with him and stored the other one in the vault."

Saito's went through a few emotions through the story. Hope at hearing about someone else like him in this world, then dejection over his death.

"Do you know how he got here?" Saito asked.

Osmond shook his head. "I never even learned his name."

Saito clenched his hands into fists at his sides. "I'm really stuck here, aren't I?"

"Pardon?" Osmond asked.

"I'm not from this world. I was transported here when Louise summoned me." Saito explained.

"This again?" Louise let out with a huff. "How many times are you going to say that, Familiar?"

Saito looked back and was about to retort, but Aselith stepped forward. "It's true. He's from another world."

Louise shot him a glare. "How would you know?"

Aselith just smiled. "Because I'm quite familiar with his world."

"You are?" Saito asked excitedly.

"Of course I am." Aselith laughed. "It's my world."

The room grew quiet.

"It's…what?" Saito slowly asked.

"That world has been my home for over 6,000 years. I am merely…on a vacation, of sorts." He explained, though that hardly explained anything.

"But…" Saito's eyes moved about, as if searching for the right thing to say. "But my world doesn't have magic or spirits."

"Truly? A Japanese boy denies the existence of spirits?" Aselith raised an eyebrow.

"Well…" Saito scratched the back of his head. He'd never really thought that much about spirits and religion and stuff like that.

"Regardless. We both came from the same world. And, once I regain a sufficient amount of power and you desire it, I can take you home." Aselith said.

Saito's eyes widened in shock. "You…"

"You can't take my familiar!" Louise yelled at him.

"Your input is irrelevant." Aselith casually dismissed.

"Excuse me!" Louise shouted. "Saito is my familiar! That means he belongs to me!"

"I don't belong to anyone!" Saito spun and shouted in Louise's face.

Louise took a step back. She tried to stammer out something, but no words came.

"You're a selfish, inconsiderate girl who doesn't care about anyone except herself!" Saito went on.

Maybe that wasn't entirely true. She was friendly with the princess that came to her room a couple nights ago, but that was the princess. They were childhood friends, and they said it was years since the last time they saw each other. Even the princess was nicer to him than Louise ever was.

Louise's eyes wavered, but she glared right back at him. "You think I don't care about you? Who feeds you? Who gives you a place to sleep?"

"You don't let me eat over the smallest things! I have a bit of hay on the ground to sleep on! If it wasn't for the kitchen staff and Aselith, I'd have gone hungry by now!" Saito fired back. "You only care about me because I'm the only spell you were actually able to cast!"

That was the truth of it. He didn't matter to her outside of being a pet, or a slave. Her only arguments being her feeding and housing him—poorly, at that—was proof.

Louise shook. "T-That's not true…" She replied weakly. Tears started to form in her eyes.

Was she trying to get sympathy from him? Well, he didn't have any more to give. "You don't believe anything I say. You don't even really listen to me. I'm nothing but proof you're a mage, and you can't imagine what else I could do for you aside acting like a bodyguard—and you don't think I can even do that right!"

He was angry, but Saito knew not everything he said were his own thoughts. At least, not originally. Aselith pointed out a few things he knew he wouldn't think of. Sure, Louise bought Derf for him, but they were in a place that had guards already, not to mention however many mages. She would never really be in danger. And even if she was, she would never believe Saito could protect her from another mage. As she'd said many times before, beating that pompous noble Guiche was just a fluke.

Even after fighting that first golem yesterday, Louise barely said a single good thing about him. It was like doing that was expected, yet still far beyond what he could do. She didn't hesitate to remind him that Aselith also fought the golem.

But then there was today, when there were three golems. He destroyed one with that rocket launcher, and then fought the other alone while Aselith kept the third one back. After Saito defeated his just like he did yesterday, he went after the last one. All that work, all that fighting, and Louise didn't praise him at all. She barely acknowledged him.

He was nothing but a status symbol to her.

At this point, tears were streaming down Louise's face. But it was just an act. She immediately gritted her teeth and yelled. "Then why don't you just go off and live in the woods?! See how long you last!"

"You think I can't? Aselith's been teaching me!" Saito smirked. "It'll be hard, but it's better than living with you!"

"You…You…!" Louise couldn't seem to decide between anger and fake sadness. She really had nothing over him anymore.

"That won't be necessary." Osmond interjected. Saito and Louise turned to face him and saw him sigh. "Perhaps some time apart will do you both some good. Since he is already friendly with a number of the staff, he can sleep in the servants' quarters."

"That works just fine with me." Saito said and turned around. "The sooner I'm away from her, the better."

"Saito, wait! Saito!" Louise yelled after him, but Saito ignored her. He just walked out of the room, instantly feeling just a little bit better, even if Louise followed after him and continued to yell.

Author's Notes:

Well, that escalated quickly.