Zero no Tsukaima

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Chapter Four: The Visit of the Priest[]

One week after the day Saito woke up…

One wind dragon landed on the courtyard of the Tristain Academy of Magic.

All the students, who were chatting in the courtyard, turned around.

Upon seeing the boy on the dragon’s back, a sigh escaped from the schoolgirls’ chests.

“Look! What beautiful hair!”

“Look there!”

On seeing the boy’s eyes, the schoolgirls became frightened in an instant. The colors of the right and left eyes were different.

“‘Moon eyes’.”

One girl muttered.

Eyes with different right and left colors were called ‘Moon eyes’, following the two moons of Tristain. In the provinces, where the superstitions were strong, it was believed that such person was evil and was despised by everyone.

However… they still absent-mindedly watched the beautiful boy get off the dragon.

“Hyaa… is he a noble from some country? He’s like a fairy!”

Priest of Romalia - Julio Cesar.

The schoolgirls rambled on – “Kyaa Kyaa”.

Julio, ignoring the commotion, jumped down to the ground from his wind dragon’s back….

Thump.

He hit the ground with his head.

Schoolgirls, dumbfounded, looked at each other, and ran up to Julio.

“Are you… all right?”

Julio laughed with a smile, while laying on the ground. What a charming smile – all schoolgirls were swayed in an instant.

“The soil is on your face… P-please use this…” one girl gave a handkerchief to Julio, making the other girls stir as well.

“H-here use mine!”

“My handkerchief has a nice smell to it!”

“I’m alright.”

“Haah! The soil doesn’t suit your elegant features!”

“It’s good. Just about.”

“But…”

“I still haven’t washed my face after the war. That’s why it’s dirty.”

Julio waved off.

“For three weeks? Seriously!”

“Do you really hate washing your face that much?”

Laughter echoed.

“That’s not it. I just cannot make a lady's handkerchief dirty.”

He stood up and bowed.

“Nooo! Stop joking!”

Girls shouted joyfully.

The boys sourly watched the schoolgirls swoon. One schoolboy, with a challenging smile, approached Julio.

One girl shouted.

“Pelisson-sama!”

Third-year Pelisson was a ladykiller of the Tristain Academy of Magic. Though he had a pretty face like an ancient sculpture, he lacked charm. He was jealous when a popular person showed up suddenly, and could not stomach it.

Pelisson crossed his arms and glared at Julio and noticed a Holy Saget on his chest.

Fuun, he gave a goofy smile.

“Priest, did you come to plead for offerings?”

Without loosing his cool, Julio answered.

“I came here to meet a friend.”

“This is a noble studying building. Go preach to the streets.”

“I don’t remember asking for your opinion.”

Pelisson’s brow slightly paled. Once understanding that Julio didn’t have a wand, he pulled out a long, thin wand. It was a brand-new one, one that young knight’s received when joining the army.

“Judging from your words a little while ago, you seem to also have participated in the Albion campaign, Priest.”

“Aa.”

“I am a report officer from the Navarre unit. You?”

“Various jobs.”

Julio said, waving it off.

“It must have been taking care of your dragon. Like your follower. Yes.”

“For priests, any work suits.”

Pellison hit Julio’s head with his wand.

“By beating my head, you are insulting God and Founder Brimir, Officer-san.”

“I am not insulting God. I’m just teaching a cocky priest, who started acting like a noble, some manners. I’ll show you an insult.”

“So you are a noble? Then why you are so jealous about someone who is outside the noble’s circle?“

Pelisson's face reddened. Schoolgirls, who gathered around, became frightened.

“Then cast your spell!”

He shouted while uttering a spell…

The wind dragon, that was sitting behind Julio, sprang to his feet and jumped at Pelisson. And in one second, Pelisson, unable to resist, was pinned down by the large wind dragon.

“H-hey! It’s unfair! Don’t use a dragon! Guah!”

Pelisson, whose back was trampled down by the large wind dragon, fainted in agony.

“Since I cannot use magic, I use dragons instead.”

Hearing such commotion, teacher Chevreuse ran up in short steps.

“What’s this! What’s this! I think the war is already over, so stop fighting in the courtyard now! I’m serious!”

Chevreuse's eyes widened upon noticing Julio, who stood up.

“Ara ara, aren’t you an outsider? Whose permission do you have to enter? Not to mention, bringing such a dragon too!”

Taking the hand of rattling Chevreuse, Julio bowed gracefully.

“…Eh?”

After taking her hand, he looked into Chevreuse's face. Such a handsome face made Chevreuse blush despite her age.

“I am sorry. However, I only came here to meet a friend…”

“A-ara, is that so? Who?

“Yes, Miss Vallière. I want to get permission from your beautiful self, to see her today.”

“Beautiful? What?”

“Yes. In my mother country, Romalia, there is an ancient painting of a holy woman. When you appeared, I mistook you for that holy woman in the painting.”

“Oh dear! Holy woman! That!”

Chevreuse shouted in a frolicking voice.

“May I enter the school?”

“This holy woman cannot possibly refuse priest-sama! P-please take this!”

Chevreuse smoothly wrote down on paper the entrance permission, and with a dreamy face, handed it to Julio.

“Thank you. Ah, if I may, can I ask you to take care of the dragon?”

“Y-yes! Please go!”

Chevreuse stood upright and gave an emphatic salute.

“Azuro! I’m going then.”

Barking, the wind dragon Azuro, nodded to his master.

Schoolgirls stared coldly at Chevreuse, who absent-mindedly watched the back of the leaving Julio.

“W-what are you looking at?!”

“Nothing… A teacher is still a woman, indeed.”

“D-don’t make fun of your teacher! Y-you! Stop sleeping forever on the ground! Quickly, remove yourself from the foot of priest-sama’s wind dragon!”

Blushing, Chevreuse shouted at Pelisson who was groaning from being stepped upon by the wind dragon.

-Knock knock knock- someone knocked against the door. Louise absent-mindedly opened her eyes.

“Who?”

She asked.

It was silent for a moment, then,

“It’s me. Me.”

Came the answer.

Hearing that voice, Louise instantly jumped up and ran. However… after some thought, she returned back and hid under the blanket.

Must be some kind of hallucination. Because of too much longing, she started hearing voices in her head.

“Please, open up. It’s me.”

The voice sounded again. Louise slowly stuck her head out of the blanket and watched the door.

“Are you the real thing?”

“And why would I be a fake? Hurry up and open it.”

Louise sprang to her feet. Like pink lightning she dashed to the door, dressed only in a thin nightdress, and hastily tore the door open.

The face that she saw many times in her dreams, now stood before her.

“Saito…”

Louise almost crumbled to the floor.

Smiling, Saito held Louise’s shoulders.

“Sorry for taking so long.”

“Id…”

“Id?”

“Idiot…”

Louise’s eyes were full of tears.

-sob- -sob- “I was worried so much… I was terribly worried if you were dead or not… waah, hic, waaah.”

Louise sobbed. Saito gently embraced her.

“Sorry… I’m really sorry. I desperately tried to escape, but finding a ship took time.”

Saito said in a very gentle voice.

“Why, why did you leave me and go alone?! Idiot. Idiotidiotidiot!”

Louise started hitting Saito’s chest with her small fists.

Saito scratched his nose, seemingly in confusion, as he replied,

"Because, I can't really send you to your death, can I?"

"Someone as ungrateful as me, isn't it better to leave me alone......"

"Of course I can't do that." Said Saito.

"Why?" Asked Louise.

"Because I love you."

Being told so straightforwardly, Louise’s cheeks blushed.

“D-don’t be silly. No matter what you say, love has nothing to do with it.”

“Your voice is trembling.”

“It’s not trembling.”

“You love me too, right?”

He said with great confidence. Louise sank her eyes down. Louise was weak against such straight words.

“Id-Idiot. Why would I be in love with you...”

“Your face gives it out, hey, it’s already red.”

“It’s not giving it out. It’s not red. I’m not in love.”

“You put such clothes on, wanting me to push you down, right? What. So shameless.”

Before noticing, she was wearing black-cat clothes again.

“N-not true. I am just playing familiar. And I am only wearing these black clothes because that wasted sword said so.”

He grasped her tightly and laid her down on the bed.

“…Ah”

Even though she was complaining, a hot moan escaped her mouth.

Saito brought his face closer. Though she resisted, she closed her eyes.

"Wah, Ah..." While Louise was still making meaningless moans, Saito kissed her neck, making her body feel heavy as though as she had dropped into a cluster of clouds.

“Fuah, fuah, fuah…” noise escaped through closed lips.

Louise held Saito closer.

What great confidence this guy has.

Did I want him to embrace me tightly like that?

Lies. Lies.

However, my body is not listening at all.

Her arms wrapped tightly around him, clinging as if her life would depend on it, seemingly enjoying the feeling.

For a long time, Louise laid there with her face buried into Saito’s chest.

Then…

“Really, you made these black cat clothes for this?”

Casually, Saito, stripped off Louise’s black cat clothing. The part which covered her breasts.

“S… S!”

In an instant, Louise covered her breasts.

With a shocked face, she looked up at Saito. Usually, this is where the bickering, hitting, kicking and shouting would start, yet now a sweet voice escaped her mouth.

“S-stop…”

She muttered, averting her eyes from Saito.

“Show them.”

Saito blankly said such bold thing.

“S-stupid… that… not. No…”

“Why? Didn’t you change clothes back then without feeling shy at all?”

“B-because… because, you were a familiar during those days…”

“And still a familiar.”

“T-that’s right, but now it’s different.”

“How is it different?”

Uuh… Louise faltered.

“A-anyway, it’s no good now.”

“Why?”

“Because, well…”

“Tell me.”

Saito repeated words like a spell. Louise, like bewitched by it, honestly told what she was thinking.

“…small.”

“Slightly?”

“Small. Wanted.”

Louise said while blushing.

“I know.”

“…really just a tiny little bit. But not much. Well you see, only because Saito would not hate me.”

“I do not.”

“You do. I know. You always look at other girl’s breasts. The Princess, the maid, Jessica… when you compare theirs to mine…”

“When Louise shows them to me, I will not look at others.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

He said with passionate eyes. Louise’s arm lost its strength.

Louise said in an embarrassed voice.

“Just watch. Just watch, all right? You won’t do anything else, p-promise?

“Promise.”

Saito gripped Louise’s hand and slowly lifted it up. Louise feeling so embarrassed that she could die, squeezed her eyes shut.

It felt as if eternity passed.

“…h-how are they? Small? Right? Average?

Louise demanded for his impression.

However, there was no answer.

“S-say something. Hey.”

She continued to urge him, yet there was still no answer.

Because Saito didn’t say anything, Louise became insecure.

Aah, I shouldn’t have shown him after all!

But in reality, Saito was just amazed.

“Louise.

“W-what… Idiot… why you haven’t said anything when I asked…”

“Louise.”

He called again. Louise shouted.

“Noisy! Idiot! Shut-up!”

Louise shouted, not noticing that it was a dream. Saito and Louise had similar… meeting in a dream.

“They are small anyway! Idiot! I will absolutely never reveal them again!”

In her room, Louise talked in her sleep.

“They are perfect, because I love you.”

Once he said so in her dream, Louise’s body lost the strength completely.

“You really love me?

“Yes.”

He said, smoothly and confidently…

Louise thought.

I should say it.

Say that important word to Saito.

But… even now she could not say it easily.

She still lacked courage when it came to that word…

Louise woke up.

“…that.”

There was no Saito around. And she was clothed in her nightdress.

“A dream…” Louise said in a dull voice.

Even in a dream, she couldn’t say that important word. Saddened, she sunk her face in her palms. Then…

“Louise.”

Her name was called from the corner of the room, startled she turned around.

The beautiful boy with the blond hair stood there leaning against the wall.

“…Julio?”

It was Julio, priest of Romalia. With a beaming aura, he watched Louise with great interest.

Louise drew the blanket around herself.

“Why are you here?”

“I came to meet you. You seemed to be having a very pleasant dream. I was not looking! Just a little bit! Umm, what on earth were you dreaming about?”

Even Louise’s ears turned crimson.

“Don’t enter without permission. It's not a battlefield tent here.”

Louise said, not revealing her emotions.

Julio handed Chevreuse’s permit document.

“Is this paper good enough?”

“Still, why did you enter a lady’s room without permission?”

“Because we are connected by a strong bond.”

Julio gave Louise his right hand, covered with a white glove.

Louise ignored his hand.

“Stop joking.”

Julio gave a carefree smile.

“Finally, I was released from the Dragon Knight Corps, so I decided to return to Romalia. Tristainians are such hard workers! Writing reports are foreign to me, that‘s why I always stayed with the squad! But I finally made a report.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Before returning home, I decided to drop in and greet you.”

“Well… thank you.” Louise said with a hollow face.

“Low-spirited?”

Louise tightened her lips and buried her face under the blanket.

“I am a person to whom you owe your life. Don’t I deserve at least a little bit of thanks?”

“What do you mean?”

Louise looked up and stared at Julio

“It was I who put you on the ship.”

Instantly, Louise sprang out of the bed to her feet, and urged Julio.

“Where did Saito go to?”

“I will say it clearly. He is surely dead.”

“Stop!

“I won’t stop!”

Julio put on a serious look.

“What are you saying?! Aren’t you a priest? If you knew he was going to die, why didn’t you stop him!?”

“He did his duty. He couldn’t be stopped.”

“What do you mean 'Saito’s duty'?!”

“He is Gandálfr. Being the master's shield – that job.”

Louise gave Julio a long hard look.

“Do you know why? You weren’t listening, Miss ‘Void’. A strange name for a girl. User of the great Void.”

“…How do you know?”

“I am a priest of Romalia. I come from the country with the most advanced theology research in the world. From Tristain to Gallia.”

Losing her strength, Louise knelt on the floor. Though she was surprised about Julio knowing details about Void, what worried her more now was Saito’s fate. Understanding Louise, and trying to gently admonish her, Julio said.

“Really, you might meet him. But not otherwise.”

“Keep your theology for the dogs to eat.”

“I do not want to lecture you about theology. In reality, Romalia needs you.”

“Leave me alone.”

“I can not… time is important. Now Louise, you love him - true or false?”

After brief reflection, Louise answered.

“True.”

“Good. Though I am not a mage, I know some spell principles. Could you explain what a 'Summon Servant' is to me?”

“It’s a spell that summons familiar.”

“Is that all?”

He asked.

“Ha!” Louise made a sour face.

“Though for mages, a familiar is an important being… it is not irreplaceable. After goodbyes you can always meet someone new. I think that’s what Summon Servant symbolizes.”

“Shut up."

“I’ll pray for a new meeting. See you.”

With these words, Julio went out of the room.

Louise thought quietly for a while… and began to tremble.

“He is not dead…”

She whispered like a prayer.

“He is alive.”

She hung her head for a while, then…

Louise slowly lifted her head up again.

“Stay strong.”

He’s only missing, not dead yet, she told herself.

The door was knocked at again, Louise jumped and went up.

“Julio? Still have something to say?”

She shouted while opening the door. However, the one that stood there was…

“I do, Louise.”

It was Montmorency with an embarrassed face. She sighed once she saw Louise's face.

“I know you are very depressed. I understand your feelings… Yet you still need to go to class. You can’t rest for too long. The war is already over…”

Guiche, who stood behind, anxiously protruded his face as well. Montmorency squatted down next to Louise and softly said.

“Umm… It is still uncertain if he is dead.”

Louise, who had her face buried in her knees, stood up abruptly. As if desperately getting her courage back, she clenched her hands.

“…I know. He’s still alive.”

“T-that’s right! Saito is not one to die so easily!”

Guiche’s voice encouraged Louise as well. After that, Montmorency and Guiche, looked at each other's faces and nodded.

“That’s right. He is still alive.”

Louise stood up and muttered with a determined expression on her face.

“I’ll confirm it now.”

“Heh?”

Guiche and Montmorency were confused.

“He is absolutely alive. I will confirm it.”

Louise continued to talk in a feverish tone.

“H-how?”

Guiche asked. Montmorency seemed to understand something.

“Summon Servant?”

“Indeed.”

Louise nodded.

“The spell that summons a familiar… If I can cast Summon Servant again, then my familiar does not exist in this world.”

“I, I see.”

“Therefore… since Saito is alive I will not be able to complete the spell.”

Guiche hastily said.

“But, what if you complete th-”

Montmorency blocked Guiche’s mouth with her hand.

“Louise… maybe you should prepare yourself a little…”

However, Louise shook her head.

“If I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it.”

With a wand in her hands, Louise raised up her eyes.

Guiche began to tremble. Montmorency closed her eyes.

Silently, Louise began to utter an incantation.

Her hands trembled with tension.

Her heart trembled with fear.

‘Summon Servant’ was not an elemental spell, and everyone could use it. So Louise didn’t need to read runes to cast it.

“I, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, in the name of the great Five Pentagon Powers, following my fate, summon a familiar.”

She thrust out her wand into the air.

If Saito, who was a familiar bound to Louise, was alive… the summon gate would not open.

A few moments passed.

Montmorency, who did not have the courage to open her eyes, wondered why Guiche and Louise did not dare to open their mouths.

What happened?

“Hey Guiche. How did it go?”

She asked in a tiny voice, he answered.

“Nh!”

Giving up, Montmorency opened her eyes while holding up her breath.

And… dazzled, fell to her knees.

In front of Louise, there was a mirror-shaped gate that shone with light.

Soullessly, Louise kept on blankly staring at the gate.

“Aah, that’s terrible. A great man was lost. A very great man was lost. He… loved you dearly.”

Guiche said in a painful voice.

“Louise…” Montmorency muttered.

Many summons could be seen within the gate. By that time, the selected beast or spirit would pass through the shinning gates. They could pass through only on their own free will.

Before that could happen…

“Close the gate!”

Louise closed the gate. Due to Montmorency’s scream, she did it without thinking.

Montmorency hugged Louise from behind.

“Louise… Aah, Louise…”

Louise crumbled like a rag doll to the floor.

In the end, with her courage shattered into pieces… Louise was engulfed in despair.

At that time, in a forest village near Albion's Saxe-Gotha…

Saito, who was sleeping, woke up.

He felt something shining next to him.

But… when he opened his eyes, there was nothing there.

“Somehow… Was it a dream? But I already had one dream about light.” Saito said to himself.

Then he watched his left hand again.

Every night he hoped for them to reappear…

Yet, they were gone for good.