"Miss Tabitha and her familiar are here."

Headmaster Osmond's secretary, Miss Longueville, knocked on the door.

"Come in." He responded.

Longueville opened the door for Tabitha and Aselith, allowing them to enter before closing it again. Inside, Osmond was seated at his desk with Colbert at his side. Once Tabitha and Aselith were closer, she bowed her head slightly.

"Headmaster." She said.

"Miss Tabitha." Osmond stroked his beard as he spoke. "I understand there has been some issues with your familiar."

Tabitha could only wonder why that was brought up. Did Malicorne actually complain? Another student? One of the servants? She supposed it didn't really matter.

"Malicorne instigated a fight. He lost." Tabitha briefly explained.

"Hm." Osmond nodded. "I have heard that your familiar issued the challenge."

Whoever told Osmond about this wasn't a friend of Malicorne's. Another jealous student? It still didn't matter.

"The weak and arrogant will rise to any provocation against their perceived lesser to prove their strength." Aselith said, rather unhelpfully.

Osmond regarded him skeptically. "And for that, you saw fit to injure one of my students?"

Aselith let out a soft chuckle. "I gave the boy the first strike, which he used to make a sadistic attack. If we are discussing conduct, I believe he has no defense."

Some nobles couldn't stand the idea of a commoner speaking up to them, and would be more than willing to make a clear example out of them. Malicorne was no exception to this.

"Hm." Osmond continued to look at him. "In the future, restrain your actions against my students, familiar."

"So long as they don't bother me or my summoner, that won't be an issue."

"This is not a request or a discussion."

"I agree."

The two of them stared each other down, one finding more amusement in this than the other.

"Aselith." Tabitha spoke to her familiar.

"This is reasonable." Aselith said. "If anything, I am doing them a favor. Carelessly meddling with beings they don't understand would normally get them killed. As Tabitha has prohibited me from doing so against those who pose no real threat, such a minor beating should be acceptable."

Osmond hummed. He then looked to Tabitha. "Do you truly control your familiar?"

Even earlier today, Tabitha wouldn't have thought so. As the day progressed, she started getting a better understanding of Aselith.

By and large, he didn't seem to take his being here very seriously, though he has maintained his role as familiar well. He made no attempt to leave, though Tabitha didn't know where he could go. His primary concern seemed to be learning how mages performed magic. He also wanted to learn about oddities, such as Louise and Saito.

As long as he got that, he probably wouldn't cause too much trouble. Hopefully.

"Yes." Tabitha responded simply.

"Hm." Osmond looked at her. He didn't seem to fully believe her. "Professor Colbert? You had something to ask as well?"

"Yes." Colbert stepped forward. "Miss Tabitha, I wish to look at your familiar's runes again."

Tabitha nodded and Colbert approached. He seemed to a little wary of Aselith, but since Aselith stood there with his hands behind his back, Colbert went on with it.

"I see…" He said, looking at the runes. Aselith was fairly taller than Colbert, making it easier to view the runes without bending over at all.

"Something wrong?" Tabitha asked.

"No, nothing like that." Colbert shook his head and stepped back.

"Something you wish to know?" Aselith asked next.

Colbert regarded him strangely. If he didn't notice anything about Aselith before, it wasn't likely he saw anything now.

"What is your relation to Miss Valliere's familiar?" He asked.

"A curiosity." Aselith responded.

"Could you elaborate?"

"Her magic is different, as is the magic she gave the boy."

"She gave him magic? Beyond what the runes bestowed?"

"Colbert." Osmond spoke up quickly.

"Ah!" Colbert shook his head. "Never mind that."

They knew something about Louise. That much was clear. Did they suspect what Tabitha did, about Louise possibly being a void mage? Admittedly, Tabitha didn't have much to go on aside from Aselith's comment about divine magic, but she was willing to believe a being like him knew what he was talking about.

"About the runes on your…shirt?" Colbert shifted the topic slightly.

"Yes?" Aselith asked.

"I wish to verify a few things about them."

The meeting lasted a little longer, Colbert asking questions about Aselith. Aselith continued to give somewhat vague answers that didn't really mean anything, leaving Colbert with an unsatisfied look. It wasn't as if Colbert could force any real answers out of Aselith. He was too whimsical for that, and Tabitha wasn't sure how she felt about accepting that description anymore.

In any case, now was the time for her to bond with her familiar—same with the other students and theirs. The two made their way back to the dormitory, where they would have some privacy. After they spoke some more, Tabitha would visit Kirche and inform her of what Aselith was.

But first…

"Don't fight with Osmond and Colbert." Tabitha said to Aselith.

"Were we fighting?" He asked innocently.

"Square and triangle. Experienced. Important." Her words were meant as much as a warning as they were a request.

"I hold them to the same standard as the students here." He said. "Assuming they have more sense than children, we will not come to blows. As curious as I am…"

So, if another powerful mage started a fight, he wouldn't back down. He didn't with Malicorne, but Malicorne was a dot mage. Hopefully, someone stronger wouldn't try anything.

As they walked down the hall, they passed by Kirche's room. "Oh~."

Tabitha slowed her walk and stopped just passed the door. Once more, Kirche had some boy in her room. It was rather early for that, maybe an hour after lunch.

"Mm~."

Still, Kirche would do this as much as she liked. It wasn't as if there weren't a host of boys who were interested. And, really, it wasn't Tabitha's place to say anything. It didn't matter how much she wished—

"Ah, Aselith~!"

Hearing that name caused Tabitha to whirl around. Still behind her was Aselith, a smile on his face.

"Is something the matter?" He asked. There was no way he didn't hear…and he was standing right there.

Tabitha didn't hesitate. She ran to the door and threw it open.

"Kirche!" She yelled, quickly observing the room. She knew what to expect, at least in part, but what she saw wasn't that.

Author's Notes:

Having limited chapter lengths has its pros and cons. I can't say as much without occasionally splitting things between chapters, but it also gives me a push to handwave or skip over things that don't need as much attention.