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Chrome Shelled Regios:Volume2 Chapter4

2010-05-14T13:09:52Z

82.171.230.84:

===Chapter 4: Run the entire lap===

At the same time Layfon was whispering to himself……

The heavy iron whips hung listless from her hands. Nina felt like she was suffocating, unable to stop her panting. She was sucking in air, yet her body wanted more. Despite the pain, she attempted to slow down her breathing.

She was so exhausted that her legs shook and pleaded with her to lie down, but she desperately kept standing, and slowly let her body cool off. Proper breathing technique was basic for controlling Kei. She mustn’t disturb it. Her body must not rest immediately. Everything had to gradually calm down.

On top of the drumming of blood bombarding her ears, the sound of friction from the movements of gigantic multi-legs of the city echoed from below. The city’s edge was the only place right now that was quiet and secluded enough, a place without people where Nina would not be scolded.

“……Great!”

Gaining control of her breathing, she lifted the iron whips again. In fact, she looked as if she was forcing herself, but she could keep going as long as she extended her Kei through her entire body. She controlled her breathing for that purpose.

Conscious and aware of the place she was standing, the place where Layfon had shown his strength, Nina danced alone with the iron whips.

What could she do to become stronger?

Basic moves flowed into more complicated moves.

When using a weapon, most moves were variations of the three stages of movement: retrieve, hold with increasing strength, and attack. For a sword, it was slash. For a spear or staff, it was stab and hit.

It wasn’t meaningless to repeat her moves. While the mind failed to keep up at the other end of the ladder, the body instinctively repeated familiar movements. The repetitive movements increased Nina’s physical strength, which would be helpful when she fought.

“Fu…Ha, ha, ha, ha……”

And then she rested again. Controlling her breathing, she took out a towel from her bag to wipe away her sweat. When the school year started, a bone-chilling cold would immediately cool down the body, but it was better now. Even at night. Zuellni was probably heading towards a warmer climate. Because of that, the heat from Nina's body took some time to dissipate. Irritated at the sweat continuously pouring from her skin, she lifted her head to watch the night sky through the invisible air shield.

And like that, she sat down on the ground.

The cold, hard ground felt good to her. Exhausted and feeling she hadn't the strength to stand up again, she sat there to look at the sky. Only a half moon floated above her, with the endless darkness serving as a backdrop. The existence of the moon seemed to point to the boundary of the night.

The iron whips, turned back into simple Dites, fell to Nina’s sides. Still gazing at the moon, she touched them with her fingers. To look at the moon as if reflected in her eyes, she felt for an instant that she could touch it. She didn’t reach out a hand. It was embarrassing, and she knew she couldn’t possibly touch the moon.

“……It’s so far away,” she said.

As if it was within reach, but it actually wasn’t. The moon existed between illusion and reality. It made people think it was within reach, but it was billions of Jimels away from Nina. Her arm wasn't long enough to touch the moon.

Even so, she thought there was must be a way.

If her arm wasn’t long enough, then she’d fly up there……

“Ah……”

She laughed, knowing how ridiculous it was. She couldn’t fly in the sky. This dream was meaningless. What was meaningful was her weakness, for wanting to rely on such an unrealistic way to reach the moon.

“This…Won’t do.”

She didn’t think it was meaningless to repeat the moves she’d learned, as they were directly related to her growth. She had been training like this from the very beginning. The very beginning, when she knew she had discovered Kei and decided to become a Military Artist.
She didn’t think she would become strong all of a sudden by repeating the same movements.

Was there a faster way……?

She understood that was just a wish. A wish not grounded in reality. She couldn’t help but think of it though, and that irritated her.

“Damn!”

She should become stronger if she trained at this pace. She believed if she was industrious and put more time and effort into it, she could catch up to Layfon. But how much time would she need to reach his level? One year? Two years? Impossible……It wasn’t that simple.

She had only reached her current level, after living all these years. One or two years of hard work weren’t enough for her to catch up to Layfon, who was one, three, probably many more times stronger than her.

And she didn’t even have one year.

“I won’t make it!”

What she needed wasn’t a possibility in the future, but what she could reach for now. To balance the unbalanced 17th platoon, she must become stronger. Only she could make it happen. She had decided to protect Zuellni.

“Can't I make it?”

Her hand slowly moved from the iron whip towards the moon.

Her finger caressed the air and touched the moon before her eyes.

Imagining touch.

Imagining success.

Yet she knew this was meaningless……

“Ahhhh!”

Watching the hazy moon, she lowered her wrist. Was this bitter regret or jealousy? Facing the Layfon who possessed what she desired……

And……That letter.

She had read the letter that had fallen out of the envelope. The impatience and anxiety inside her became more intense after she read the letter, along with her growing desire to catch up to him.

She didn’t know what to think of Leerin, the girl who understood Layfon more than Nina did.

Increasing anxiety. Irritation.

“Is this the end?”

She wiped the sweat off her brow and suddenly stood up.

“It can’t end here!”

She picked up the iron whips.

The night was still long. Time was limited, but it should be enough. She believed so……

“HA!”

She started her flow of Kei.

<center>◇</center>

The next platoon match was set for next weekend.

A sigh burst out of Layfon.

He hadn’t had a chance to see Nina recently.

It wasn’t easy to bump into her as they were in different grades. During training, time passed without giving them room to chat privately, and once training finished, Nina left the room immediately.

They hadn’t even met in the Engine Room. Somehow, they had been separated and placed in different groups. They now had different janitorial responsibilities.

Losing the chance to talk to Nina forced him further from the truth. Moreover, he didn’t have much spare time as he had to test Harley’s invention and attend meetings with Karian and the other Alchemists.

Although he didn't have the time to stand still, he wasn't worried about it.

But–

“How come you seem to be so busy these days?” Mifi asked.

It was now lunch break. They were eating Meishen’s special bento on the rooftop of the school building. Long benches lined the metal fences around the rooftop.

“Huh? Do I look that way?”

“Yeah.”

“……Mmh,” Meishen nodded.

Layfon scratched his head.

“We wanted to hang out with you after you were done with training, but you’re always going somewhere. And I specifically picked a time that you didn’t have work!”

How did she know his shifts in the Engine Room? Mifi’s ability to gather intelligence was terrifying.

“Maybe he's busy because it’s almost time for the next platoon match?” Naruki said.

“Huh~~ But I planned to catch Layfon when he wasn't training. Isn’t this strange?” Mifi said. Layfon was right before her, but she was indifferent to how she appeared to be gossiping about him.

Besides, Naruki didn’t seem to believe the reason she herself gave, as if she only said it to eliminate one possibility and force Layfon to tell the truth.“Then, what other reasons are there?”

Beautifully shooting down Naruki’s guess, Mifi cut straight into the chase.“Is this secret preparation for the platoon match?”

“Why do you sound suspicious?”

“Eehhhh, why?”

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not joking. I’m serious.”

“Uh?”

Mifi stared at him. He looked down at the bento.

“Have you got a woman?”

“…Why do you think that?”

“Well, you’re always with senpai lately. Isn’t that right? Senpai stands out a lot, so you can’t hide it.”

“No, that’s not it!” Layfon waved his hands, noticing how Meishen’s face had gone white.

“Our dormitories just lie in the same direction.”

“So because they're in the same direction, you have dinner with her all the time?”

“……How come you know about that too?”

Yes, since that night at the battle arena, he had had dinner a few times with Felli. It was Karian’s treat, but the Student President had never come to dinner with them. Felli was the only one eating with him.

“Don’t underestimate my information network!”

It was another arrow to his chest.

“No, it was just a coincidence.”

Layfon tried to make up another reason, but he could tell from Mifi’s eyes that she was still suspicious.

“Really? Her level of beauty and cuteness is shocking. When two people are alone, don’t they just…start shooting out the energy of youth meaninglessly? Because of a moment of thunder and fire, don’t they think they are permitted to do anything and so derail off into the lust of youth?”

“……I’m having trouble following you.”

“In other words, have you pushed her yet?”

“I wish you wouldn't use such clear words……” He shook his head. He hadn’t the courage to do such a thing to Felli. No, no, no. He didn’t mean he’d do something if he had the courage……

“So just what are you doing?”

“……”

“Uh…Is it something you can’t talk about?”

“I was asked not to.”

Karian asked him to keep it a secret. To students who hadn’t fought filth monsters, news of filth monsters in the direct path of the city would be a huge shock to them. Just like in the previous assault, when it was so chaotic within the city that students failed to follow the proper defensive procedures.

They tried to plan better for when the next wave of filth monsters hit, but that couldn’t be done overnight. And the only person who could fight back against this threat was Layfon. Hence, it was best to have Layton solve everything while everyone remained ignorant.

“Boooooooring.”

She stared at him for a while and gave up.

“Mifi……?

“This is boring. I’m gonna go to eat by myself.” She raised a hand and left the rooftop.

“Geez…She didn’t’ have to throw a tantrum like a kid,” Naruki said, standing up.“I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad.”

“No, this is my fault.”

“Really……Maybe, but her demand is unreasonable,” Naruki shrugged and looked at the uneasy Meishen.

“I’m going to stay with Mifi. Please take care of Meishen.”

Naruki took her bento and left.

“……Ah.”

While Meishen stammered, Naruki disappeared from the rooftop.

''(Why do I feel like this has happened before…)''

“Sorry,” Layfon apologized.

“……You're not the bad one here, Layton.” Meishen shook her head like a bell.

“But still, it is my fault.”

“……But, you can’t tell the truth, can you?”

“……”

He didn’t say anything. If he said “yes” then he was admitting that he was hiding something, and if he said he wasn’t hiding anything, that would expose him too.

He couldn’t say it, but also didn’t want to lie.

He didn’t want to lie because it was Meishen and her friends, so he could only shrug.

“……I think we shouldn’t ask and listen to what can’t be told. I feel that if you want to tell us, you’ll tell us one day.”

“……Thanks.”

“……Mi-chan knows that too.”

“I hope so.”

“……But, Mi-chan is curious.” Meishen smiled. Layfon envied the affection in that smile.

“……If Naruki and I had any secrets, Mi-chan would expose them immediately. But she doesn’t know what Layton’s hiding, and knowing that you don’t want her to know frustrates her.”

“She feels frustrated because I don’t want her to know?”

“……Mi-chan wants a better relationship with you. With her curiosity, she wants to be close enough to you that you can tell her things on your own. If it’s Gelni, she’ll do what she can quietly, but me……” She shook her head. “……Especially Gelni, she’s impatient too.”

“Especially?”

“……Yeah, especially.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t you help Gelni before? She’s impatient because she can’t help you out.”

“I never knew,” Layfon murmured at a loss.

“……Gelni’s good at being patient.”

“I don’t think she has to worry about it. After all, I did get paid,” he said, but he knew that wasn’t important.

To receive help from someone when she needed it, but unable to help when that person was in trouble. Naruki’s feeling of uselessness had nothing to do with Layfon getting paid.

“I see…Um, so it’s my fault.”

“……No, it’s not Layton’s fault.”

“No, it’s my fault.”

For not realizing that Meishen and the girls wanted to get closer to him. That was enough to make him at fault.

Thinking back closely, Meishen didn’t use to speak that much when they first met each other. She never talked much, always saying very little and giving snippets of words each time, but she was now talking and taking the initiative to get closer to him.

“Do I look troubled?”

“……Not troubled, more like...worried?”

“Worried?”

Layfon didn’t get it.

“……Sometimes you seem like that.” Meishen frowned.

“……Really?”

“……Yeah.”

“I see……”

…And Meishen was always on the verge of tears, but he wouldn’t say that even if someone tore his mouth apart.

“…… What is it?”

Layfon fell into contemplation.

Worried?

He didn’t worry about the filth monsters. There was a high possibility of filth monsters attacking Zuellni. Unable to run away, he had to face the crisis. This feeling was different from worrying. Either way, he was prepared for the reality that filth monsters would come near. Coming back to it, fighting filth monsters was normal in Grendan. Considering that death might become real was indeed a heavy burden, but if he lost to that pressure, he would've died already. To him, the fight of his spirit had already ended.

Then about this worry……

“Ahah……”

“Huh?”

“Ah…Hahaha…So that’s why……”

“Huh? Huh?”

“Mi-chan sounded strange, so I got it all wrong.”

“Huh!?”

“Ah…But that can’t be helped.”

“……Wuwu.”

“Uh-?”

Having laughed for a while, Layfon looked at the wall.

“……Layton……” Face white, Meishen’s hands were put together tightly, as if she was praying.

“Meihen……?”

“Um…Well…Ar……”

“Ah, Ahah…No! No…Nothing. Nothing really. I just got something wrong……So, please don’t cry?”

And as he comforted the trembling Mei-Shen, he told her the truth.

[[Image:CSR vol02 175.jpg|thumb]]

Naruki and Mifi came back to find Layfon comforting a trembling and nervous looking Mei-Shen. In order to explain he wasn’t bullying Mei-Shen, Layfon had no choice but to skip his afternoon classes.

Then he told them the entire truth.

“Uh, the captain doesn’t look strange……” Mifi nodded as she played with the empty milk packet.

“Is Layton worrying about her?”

Layfon nodded. “Yes.”

“So you want to help her?”

“If I can.” He nodded simply, burnt out from explaining things to them.

“Why?”

“Why……?” He sat up straight, surprised by the question.

Both Mifi and Naruki were watching him.

“Because you’re both in the same platoon? I thought Layton wasn't interested in the platoon and the platoon matches. If so, then the captain acting weird shouldn’t be that bad for you, right?”

“……Mifi,” Meishen looked at Mifi and Naruki, troubled, then she shook her head as if giving up.

They must have understood something between each other in that split second, but Layfon had no idea what it was. He only knew he was being asked a question.

Why did he have to do something for Nina?

“Is there a need to ask me that difficult a question?”

“Depends on Layton whether it’s difficult or not, right?” Naruki said.

“Perhaps,” Layfon nodded. Perhaps it wasn’t a difficult question, but even if Mifi kept on asking him the same question, he still had no answer to give them.

“Even now, I still don’t care about the platoon matches. But my thinking’s changed. I want to stay in the platoon before the next real Military Arts competition ends.”

“Oh? Is that the awakening of a righteous heart? A little investigation tells me Zuellni’s in a crisis. Everyone above the 3rd year knows of it.”

“I’m not that good-natured.”

“Then what is it?” Mifi said, as if she was reproving him.

“It’ll be troubling for me if Zuellni disappears. I can’t return to Grendan. If I don’t study something here for six years until I graduate, I don’t think I can survive in other cities. I don’t plan to train in the Military Arts all the way to graduation.”

“You’re not returning to Grendan?”

Layfon shook his head.

“……You probably know already. My skill in Military Arts doesn’t come about through spare training.”

“Of course,” Naruki shrugged. “If you managed to train up that skill in your spare time, then all the other Military Artists are terribly weak. I guess you had formal training in Military Arts back in Grendan? And you’ve trained to a level that the Academy City can’t teach you anything more in Military Arts. But that’s not what I’m concerned with, rather, it’s the reality of you wanting to give up Military Arts even though you’re so strong.”

The three girls watched him, increasing the pressure on him.

They were concerned about his past.

Naruki’s mouth moved, preparing to turn her suspicions into clear questions. How should Layfon answer her?

He still didn’t think what he did in Grendan was wrong. It didn’t go against his sense of morals. But he only knew that what he did had hurt a lot of people.

What would the girls think of him? Shocked? Contemptuous? Would they then leave him?

Thinking of the loneliness made him nervous. How would he feel if Nina found out about it?

“……Isn’t this enough?” Meishen said, cutting through his emotions.

“Mei-chan……?”

“……You wouldn’t want to listen to Layton’s past now, right?”

“Well……”

“But……”

“…If that’s the case, then it’s enough, isn’t it?” Meishen’s repeated question silenced the other two girls.

Layfon's reflection danced in the regret and guilt in Meishen's eyes.

“……Sorry, they……and I, just want to understand Layfon more.”

“No……”

He failed to speak, his chest feeling hot. He didn’t know how to express his weaknesses to them, and he was scared of them knowing his past.

''(Really? So I’m already so close to these three.)''

He was used to hanging out with them, going to class and studying together. This had become a part of his daily life.

He was scared of losing it.

“……I still like the people on the platoon, so I want to help.” He squeezed out those words and was left with nothing to say.

He fell silent.

He understood that just like how he was with Meishen and her friends, he was also enjoying the time he spent with Nina, Felli, Sharnid and Harley.

He was afraid of losing them.

“…In that case, I don’t have anything to complain about,” Mifi said, but still with suspicion in her voice.

“Aa, I was planning to help from the beginning. The only person who didn’t want to was Mifi.”

“You’re lying, Gelni!”

“I was never suspicious of Layton!”

“Liar. You were concerned too!”

“My concern’s not the same as your concern.”

“They’re the same.”

“No.”

“The same!”

“No.”

“Gelni was concerned about it. Definitely, definitely, definitely concerned about the captain, Felli senpai and that letter……”

“Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!”

Meishen suddenly shouted, her face all red. Everyone stared at her, dumbstruck.

“Mei…Mei-chan…?”

“……!”

Her shoulders heaving, Mei-Shen quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

“Ah……”

“So-Sorry……”

“Wuwu……” Tears filled her eyes.

''(And I thought I could apologize.)''

Meishen had been trying to find an opening to apologize for reading his letter.

But not under these circumstances...

Tears flooded down her cheeks.

This time Layfon was chased away. At a distance, he watched Mifi and Naruki comfort Meishen. Sometimes they said something wrong and made the situation worse. At other times, they mentioned the past and Meishen looked even worse at that. Meishen got angry, and was comforted, and like that the process repeated itself……

Meishen…When the three girls had calmed down, the bell signaling the end of class rang out.

The bell of the last class.

<center>◇</center>

Although they did agree on it, he never thought they’d really come.

“Well then, let me explain our mission.”

It was now night, or more like it was almost dawn. Everywhere was still dark and dim, but the sun would rise in two to three hours. They couldn’t have stayed awake all night, so they should have been sleeping till now.

Mifi’s hair was tangled, the sign of a sleepyhead.

“No, this isn't really a mission,” Naruki said to Mifi, who, for some reason, was wearing a long coat and sunglasses.

When the workers had finished cleaning the Engine Room, Meishen, Naruki and Mifi were already waiting for Layfon outside the entrance.

The quartet's breath came out as steam. Meishen had hot tea in her thermos. Everyone enjoyed the hot liquid thankfully.

“Where’s the captain?”

“The class leader’s called her over. She should still be inside.”

“Good. We’ll wait here then tail her,” Mifi smiled deviously, cupping the cup as steam from the hot tea rose to fog up her sunglasses.

“I think she’ll go back to bed like usual……” Layfon said, uncomfortable with her expression.

“Oh, I’ve been observing her. She trains until it's time to work, so if anything happens, it must happen after work.”

“Huh? Has she been training?”

“Yeah, it's pretty scary too, when she trains.”

“It’s like she’s another person.”

If even Naruki said so, then the training must have been intense.

“……”

She cancelled her training with him, but continued to train by herself.

“I see.”

“Hm? What?”

“Uh, nothing.”

That confirmed his suspicions.

He glanced at Naruki. She seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion.

“……Ah,” called Meishen softly. Everyone looked at the entrance.

Nina was coming out.

Breathing out steamy breaths, cold and shivering, Nina only wore her Military Arts uniform. Did she come straight from the Engine Room without returning to the dormitory? Her worksuit probably was inside the bag she carried. Layfon remembered that Nina had that bag with her when she came to team training.

Even the scattering street light, dim as it was, couldn’t cover the shadows of exhaustion on Nina’s face, but her pace while walking didn’t show her fatigue.

Layfon drained the tea in his cup and tossed the cup into a bin. The four of them waited for Nina to walk ahead a bit before following after her.

Layfon and Naruki decided on how far they had to stay behind Nina. If left to Mifi and Meishen, they’d have been discovered already. Although that was his conclusion, Nina’s appearance changed his judgement. Mifi might tail her well even by herself. A kind of tension surrounded Nina, but it looked more like an old wire fence to him. A fence with lots of openings.

“She’s very tired,” Naruki said in a low voice. Layfon nodded.

What had pushed Nina to this stage? Was it because they lost the platoon match? Could it have been that big of a shock to her? He wasn’t sure. No, perhaps he did know. He had tasted failure in Grendan. In order to survive, it was important for him to win again and again. The important point wasn’t his life and death, but more his being afraid of encountering a stumbling block in the process of doing what he wanted to do.

Was this the feeling that Nina held?

……Sure. She wanted to protect this city from harm. She said that to him not long ago.

“……She’s going somewhere?”

“Probably.”

Troubled expressions adorned Meishen and Mifi’s faces.

Nina continued towards the outskirts of the city.

The edge of the city was a danger zone, a zone where emergencies tended to arise, so residential and any important buildings were usually built further in from the city’s boundary. On the other hand, any buildings close to the danger zone were rented out cheaply.

Layfon didn’t know the exact location of Nina’s dormitory, but he could guess from the direction she headed after training and cleaning in the Engine Room that her dormitory did not lie on the city’s edge.

Nina finally arrived in a clearing devoid of buildings.

The sound coming from the movements of the city’s multi-legs rode the wind. Layfon and the girls hid in a forested area. This place was a bit far from the roaming bus station. All they could see was the wind carrying pollutant, a sandstorm rioting outside the air shield.

The wind tonight was especially strong. The sandstorm in the dark looked like some stirring creature.

Meishen held tightly to Layfon’s sleeve.

A hazy sky blocked out the traces of the moon. The cloud cover must be very thick.

Nina walked down some stairs to the middle of an amphitheatre and dropped the bag from her shoulders.

She took hold of the Dites in her harness.

[[Image:CSR vol02 189.jpg|thumb]]
“Restoration,” she said softly. At that sound, a familiar feeling ran through Layfon.

She readied her fighting stance. Layfon knew she’d then breathe in deeply and allow the Kei to flood her body.

The iron whips struck downwards or to the sides. She received, let the pressure slide off a side, and struck back at an imaginary enemy.

Nina’s body spun left and right, sometimes staying in one place as if defending against repeated heavy strikes, sometimes running forward as if attacking, charging in.

Nina practised all the moves she knew.

There was no delay or hesitation in her movements. Each move flowed smoothly into the next.

It was an Art, and it had a frightening air.

All three girls except Layfon were holding their breath.

Nina was like a first class dancer, showing every scene of the world in her movements. At the same time, she was like a mad fighter, fighting against everything in the world.

Meishen and the other two girls had already seen Nina training last night, but watching her for a second time did not reduce their amazement. They watched her wordlessly.

Layfon fixed his gaze on Nina, watching the light of Kei emitting from her. Her flow of Kei was brighter than the Kei she showed in team training. But unlike the first time, when Nina’s Kei was so dazzling that he could not look directly at her, a shadow now traced her Kei.

It was meaningless to judge one’s strength against the light of Kei, since the two held no relation to each other.

Layfon wasn’t sure whether he should to be happy or not about the change in Nina’s flow of Kei.

He was just saddened for some reason.

The remaining Kei dispersed from her body like steam, giving off light and floating up into air as of something finally being released. From her fingertips, shoulders, neck, head, back, toes…The remaining Kei shook like strings. The strings wove together to become one and stretched out to the sky like something struggling against a force too heavy to resist.

What a tragic scene.

And that was where her problem lay.

“What a mess,” Layfon murmured, earning wide-eyed stares from his companions.

“……Layton?”

“Huh? But I think she's amazing……?” Mifi asked and looked at Naruki. Naruki didn’t seem to understand Layfon. She wore a perplexed expression.

“Is something wrong?”

“The problem's not with the Kei flow or her movements……” No, that ‘was’ the problem. Internal-type Kei would not strengthen the entire body. What it did was coordinate a person’s movements and cause changes accordingly, making the moves faster and stronger. It was a type of training like Whirl Kei, generating sudden and speedy changes. But in Nina’s training, there were many redundant moves.

Layfon didn’t want to point that out. Her weakness could be improved, given more training.

“It’s not a problem that she trains by herself. Military Artists are always lonely. One must face oneself and struggle hard to become strong. Nobody can help you, and it’s not something you’ll ask someone for help with, but……” he shook his head.

How could he put it? He hadn’t yet organized his own emotions, so no words surfaced in his mind. He failed to find suitable words.

“She’s too reckless,” he said in the end.

The way she dispersed her Kei was like she was drowning, struggling to hold onto anything, even a bunch of wheat, but even so, it still wasn’t enough to escape the flood.

She could only sink.

What would happen if she continued to sink……

“……If she keeps this up, she’ll break.”

“Yes……” Naruki nodded in realisation.

Nina had classes and training in the Military Arts course, then team training after class and individual training after that, janitorial duties in the Engine Room after all of that and then individual training again……Just when did she sleep? Did she get enough rest? Looking at her, she had probably spent most of her time training alone when she wasn’t at her work.

But she would pay a huge price later.

In Grendan, Layfon once had to fight filth monsters for an entire week. A whole week without time to sleep and rest. A week that took away his awareness of time. In the end, he was so debilitated that he couldn't lift a single finger. No matter how he lied to his body, his biological clock went crazy afterwards. A twist of the normal pattern appeared. He spent two whole weeks resting before he could return to duty.

“……We must stop her,” Meishen said.

Layfon agreed. But how? It was easy to say you’d damage your body……But Nina knew that too.

Layfon knew training was not enough for Nina to reach what she wanted, and he didn’t know what advice to give in that area. Sure, he knew on a basic level how one became strong. The Head of the orphanage was the first person to teach him the Way of the Katana.

Nobody was born with an innate understanding of the Military Arts.

But teaching Nina the Katana wasn’t what she needed.

She needed better training in the basics, but……

Layfon couldn’t teach her his training in Kei flow. He had already passed that phase of needing someone to teach him how to handle the flow of Kei at a very young age. He could teach Nina some simple steps, but he didn’t have the confidence to teach the deeper theories. He knew his own knowledge in this area wasn’t an easy thing for others to obtain.

Maybe it’d be presumptuous of him to say this, but what he meant was the ability of a genius. It would be difficult to pass on all of his instincts, instincts that a genius possessed and made real. And as such, none of the other Heaven's Blade Receivers had apprentices. All they did was concentrate on their own training.

“We’re the rarest of the rare, special and strange. We’re humans but not entirely humans. Even if we pass on our knowledge, it’d only be one-thousandth, one-ten thousandth, one-billionth. We’re those kinds of people, off the beaten path.”

Lintence had said that when Layfon was slowly getting the hang of how to control the steel threads technique.

“I taught you this skill as a small experiment. You’ve reached one-thousandth of my level, but it isn’t possible for you to get any better at it. Even if you can control billions of steel threads, they still aren’t as sharp as the point of your Katana. It’s better for you to use the Katana when you’re in a crisis.”

Layfon wasn’t disappointed at those words. He understood and accepted it. This reality hadn’t changed. He felt the running of his Kei flow the best when he held a Katana – not steel threads.

Why was there a difference? He couldn’t pass on his skill to Nina when he was unable to explain his own skill.

He shook his head. She would have asked him already if she had wanted to learn from him.

“……Layton?”

Against Meishen’s question, he had no idea how to show them his helplessness at Nina’s situation.

“Can’t we do anything?”

He shook his head.

“Probably……No, I don’t know. We can tell her she's training too recklessly, that she’ll seriously injure her body; but is there a purpose to this? There’s something she wants to achieve even though she’s like this. I find it meaningless to tell her to stop training when we can’t help her at all.”

Nina wanted to become stronger.

She had always wanted to become stronger. This wasn’t some sudden idea of hers.

But……

“Why’s she only doing this now? Because she lost the match? Is that all?” Mifi asked reflexively.

Layfon couldn’t think of any other reason, but doubt remained. Was that all, really?

“……I think I understand,” Naruki said.

They all looked at her.

“This is how I felt when I asked for Layton’s help awhile ago. Layton’s too strong, so I feel that I can’t fight beside you. I don’t know how to feel about this other than that. You can say that’s how Military Artists think. This feeling is lonely and regretful…Frankly, I’m also jealous. The feeling of only being able to rely on another’s power is hard, especially for me as a Military Artist. I think it’s harder for her as the captain of the team that you’re in.”

Listening to that reminded Layfon of Sharnid testing his new Dite.

Though Sharnid had laughed, saying that sniping was not enough for him, that might not have been the only reason. Did Sharnid ask Harley to make him new Dites because of the feeling that Naruki held? And Nina too?

No, she must be criticizing herself even more intensely than Sharnid, right? Because she strongly wanted to save this city……

“If that’s the case, then I don’t have anything to say……”

It was natural for a Military Artist to want to become strong.

“……But why?” Meishen said.

“Hmm?” Layfon responded. Meishen, not being a Military Artist herself, wouldn’t understand……He could think that about her, but the way she voiced her suspicion sounded like more than mere doubt.

Meishen said something vague, but changed her mind. “……I know the captain wants to be stronger, but why can’t Layton do anything? Why does Layton have to do anything?”

At first, he didn’t understand what she was getting at.

“…… The captain wants to become stronger so she can win, right? Does she want the entire platoon to become strong? In that case, it’s not just Layfon, but everyone together……”

Was it alright to become stronger alone or was it better to become stronger together? Which one was it? Layfon thought that it was the same either way.

“Together?” he asked.

Meishen nodded, her face all red.

“Together…”

“What’s so strange about that?” Mifi asked.

He felt as if something was stuck in his throat, preventing him from speaking.

“I see, it’s that simple……” Naruki said, touching her chin.

Something sounded strange. The sound of flowing Whirl Kei had stopped.

Layfon was the first to look over, then Naruki and the other two girls.

Nina had fainted.

<center>◇</center>

It didn’t take long to get to the hospital. Layfon had carried Nina to the hospital and the medical students on the night shift had quickly prepared a room for them. The doctor that had been napping came over to do a simple checkup and ordered the nurses to get someone over and prepare an IV. During this time, Layfon had called Harley, and as he was about to return to the patient’s room met Naruki, Mifi and Meishen.

It was now another shift. A different doctor was checking up on Nina. The nurses had changed Nina into patient clothes that were open at the back.

The doctor was placing needles into Nina’s back.

“He specializes in Kei vein treatment,” the nurse said to Layfon.

“Is this 3rd year Nina Antalk!?” the doctor said, displeased. Could it be because of sleepiness? His eyes looked quite sleepy.

Layfon nodded.

“I never thought a 3rd year in Military Arts could faint in such stupid way.”

“Is it serious?”

“There’s a decreasing level of function of her internal organs. She lacks nutrients and has overworked her muscles……Anyway, everything about her is weak. The simple cause is the overworking of the Kei vein.”

As expected.

“Kei can strengthen body functions and speed up healing, but the source of the Kei vein is the flow caused by human activities. Military Artists have a special organ to generate Kei flow, but the basics are the same. No, to a Military Artist, this is the same as increasing her weakness, because that organ is the same as a heart or a brain. If it’s damaged, then it might die,” the doctor said as he placed more tiny needles into Nina’s back. From her waist going upward, as if the needles were mapping out some sort of a terrain.

“Even if the brain’s damaged, one can still live in a vegetative state. If a heart’s damaged, we can give them an artificial heart. But this is the only organ that is irreplaceable. If the Kei vein is damaged beyond repair, then it’s over. I think I said that already in class, that it has to be looked after carefully,” he said, continuing to place tiny needles on his patient’s back. Although there weren’t any professionals in the Academy City, this doctor’s skill seemed reliable enough.

“Can she be cured?”

“This isn’t fatal. I’m using acupuncture to strengthen her flow of Kei.”

Layfon relaxed.

“But she can’t move for now, and she can’t participate in the next platoon match.”

“……Really?”

“Hum? You don’t seem shocked?”

“That type of thing means nothing to me.”

“It seems like that rumour of the newbie of 17th platoon being a weirdo really is true.”

So there was such a rumour? The needles spread from the waist to Nina’s fingernail and heels.

The doctor placed the last needle on Nina’s left heel, and massaged his shoulders.

The nurses adjusted the air-conditioner and left the room.

Nina continued to sleep. Layfon’s fast and irregular breathing had now calmed down. A relaxed sigh escaped his mouth, and he remembered the three girls waiting in the corridor. He went out to tell them Nina was all right, that they could go home first. It was almost dawn and the girls also had class next.

“What about Layton?”

“I’ll stay here a bit then go.”

“……Is there anything you need?” Meishen asked.

Layfon didn’t understand what she meant.

“……She’ll need things, staying in the hospital.”

“Ah……”

“Layfon won’t be able to prepare everything. We’ll bring the things after class.”

“Thanks.”

“Aa, that’s all we can do for her,” Mifi said as he escorted them to the lobby.

And he saw Harley.

Representing the other two, who weren’t here, Harley’s face was stiff and green. “How’s Nina?”

“She’s sleeping.”

“I see…Is she all right?”

“She won’t be able to participate in the next match.”

“That can’t be helped,” Harley said without resistance. He sighed, relaxed after knowing Nina was all right. “Don’t you think it's a shame?”

“What’s important is the real match, right?”

“True.”

Harley’s reply gave Layfon courage. To Layfon, the platoon match wasn’t at all important, but he wasn’t sure whether Nina felt the same.

“I’ve contacted the other two. I think they’ll be here soon……But they aren’t the hasty types, huh?” Harley shrugged, not at all criticizing their slowness.

They returned to the patient’s room. Harley gasped at the needles covering her body, but he breathed out slowly after seeing her sleeping face.

And suddenly directed his gaze to the wall. His face turned red.

“Can we cover her?”

“…The nurses didn’t. If we do it ourselves, it seems……”

Layfon understood Harley’s meaning, and he also felt heat creeping up his own face.

After knocking quietly on the door, Felli walked in.

“……What’re you doing?” she asked coolly, her gaze sweeping across Nina, her underclothes illuminated by the light, and the two young men.

Losing interest at her tongue-tied teammates, Felli observed Nina’s face. After confirming that Nina was all right, she once again put her face closer to the captain’s.

Felli was in uniform. It was not yet dawn, but neither her hair nor uniform showed signs of her having slept.

Layfon was peeking at the two girls. Felli moved her gaze away and looked at him.

He hastily moved his gaze back to the wall.

“Pervert.”

“I didn’t see anything.”

“Giving that response means you’re a pervert.”

Unable to fight back, he could only moan.

“Never mind, that’s not important. What’s important is……” Her gaze landed on Harley, then she took out a big envelope from her bag.

“My brother gave me this.”

Layfon read the letter.

He had already guessed the contents of the letter before Felli opened the envelope. And after observing Harley’s reaction, stiffening and recovering and then looking at Nina, Layfon understood more.

Back at the bed, Felli was checking whether Nina was truly asleep.

Inside the envelope was a photo.

“This is the second image from the drone.”

The image was the same as the last one, but it was clearer and sharper. Maybe because it was closer to the city.

That thing was fastened high on the face of a mountain. Was it sleeping? Its wings were folded, laying on top of each other. Its body was curled up.

A filth monster.

It was a male……In which phase? Layfon couldn’t judge from the photo.

If only it would continue to sleep; but this hope was far from possible.

“Has the city……Has Zuellni changed direction?”

When a city detected a filth monster, it’d take evasive action. Every mobile city acted this way, including Zuellni.

Felli shook her head. “Zuellni’s still heading straight in that direction. At this rate, it’ll encounter the filth monster the day after tomorrow.”

The day after tomorrow……Was the weekend, and the day of the platoon match. It appeared that the 17th platoon would have to give up on the match.

Layfon sighed. He put the photo back inside the envelope and returned it to Felli.

“The Dite’s ready. You can use it anytime,” Harley said.

“The combat gear for external use is ready. My brother wants you to depart tomorrow night if possible.”

“I understand.”

“Are you afraid?” Felli suddenly asked.

“Hm?”

“Of fighting the filth monster.”

“Well……”

Of course he was afraid. That line touched his lips but did not leave them. It wasn’t because he thought he’d lose face by confirming his fear, but he hesitated at the expectation and hope in Felli’s eyes.

“It’s a bit late for you to be asking that question.”

“That’s……true.”

As if imitating Layfon, wanting to say something and deciding not to, Felli’s lips opened and closed. She sighed, a sigh of one who knew how many times cuter and more beautiful that sigh could be.

“Can't you stop……?” she murmured. Confirming Nina’s condition once more, she left the room.

<noinclude>
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| Back to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume2_Chapter3|Chapter 3]]
| Return to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Chrome_Shelled_Regios:Volume2_Chapter5|Chapter 5]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter7

2009-07-20T22:14:50Z

82.171.230.84: /* Chapter Seven- Settlement of the Past */

===Chapter Seven- Settlement of the Past===

Colbert's strategy turned out well.

Just as they planned, the pursuers from the Royal Palace were under the impression that Saito and the others who had escaped, went aboard the ''Ostland''.

The instant the dragon knights flew into the air swiftly, the ''Ostland'' used its amazing speed and crossed the border between Tristain and Germania, fleeing into the territory of the Von Zerbst family.

Disguised whilst changing horses at a station on their journey, after rushing for a day and a half, they arrived at an inn town which was 10 leagues away from the country border.

The members of Tabitha's rescue team were: Saito, Louise, Kirche and Colbert, Guiche, Malicorne, and Montmorency who said a healer was necessary - all seven of them. Because too many of them would attract attention, the rest of the Ondine acted as decoys and boarded the ''Ostland''. Because of her injuries, Tabitha's dutiful sister, Irukukuu, stayed back at the academy.

After this, it would finally be the country border.

The tactic used to cross the country border was already planned. They would sneak into Gallia at night through the sky on the back of Sylphid who was following them from above. They came here on horsebacks because Sylphid whose wounds were still not fully recovered could not stand the weight of all seven of them for a long period of time.

“Compared to Tristain, the danger in Gallia should be less, right?”

Kirche said that. Indeed, they were wanted people in Tristain now, but they would be only seven of the multitude of illegal immigrants in Gallia. As long as they were not captured by anyone there......

“Anyway, I'm hungry! We can't fight if we're hungry.”

Malicorne said that, and the group entered the most trendy inn. In an inn which had many travelers, the customers would not pay attention to Saito and the others who were at a table.

In order to sneak into Gallia, they had each disguised themselves as street performers.

Malicorne, who had raised his hand to call out to the waiter, was in a deep red outer coat, short pants, and pointed wooden shoes - the figure of a clown. He had also carefully colored the lower part of his eyes dark. At his well-matched figure, Saito burst into laughter.
[[Image:ZnT10-149.jpg|thumb]]
Clad in a merchant's clothes from the “Charming Fairies” Inn, Guiche had affixed a false mustache made from his hair under his nose, and he held some cotton in his cheek with his mouth. Upon doing that, he became a decent sake seller.

Kirche had changed into the costume of a dancer from the east. Wearing a diamond studded circlet on her head, she became a attractive dancer who was not embarrassed no matter where she revealed (her body).

Similarly, Montmorency had changed into a very revealing dancer's costume as well. Because she was restlessly bashful, she looked somewhat suspicious.

Because there was no dancer costume which fitted Louise's body size, she became a plain village girl. Dressed in a dark green dress, her conspicuous pink hair was dyed light brown, hidden underneath a hood. She appeared to be the servant of that group.

Colbert was in a monk's attire. He was supposed to be a preacher traveling alongside them.

Saito had put on a hat with a feather on it. With his gaiters folded up, he carried Derflinger at his back ordinarily. He was said to be a sword dance performer.

This is the way the group of street performers was made up. Their costumes were strangely worn-out, but their appearance as a group heading towards Gallia was successful.

“Why do we have to wear such costumes!?”

Whilst trembling all over, Montmorency said that.

“Won't we be declaring that we are nobles if we were to go there in our usual clothes?”

Guiche said to sooth her down.

“Aren't there any other costumes? I don't want it! People will scrutinize me!”

The drunk customers would stare lustfully at the cloth covering Kirche and Montmorency's breasts, and the bulging out loincloth they were wearing. Having quite a high self-respect, Montmorency could not stand that.

“Revealing my belly button in public is unthinkable! What is this!? Isn't it indecent......?”

“It's all right, once in a while. It matches you!”

Kirche said in a happy-like voice.

“That's because there are pitiful ones no one wants to look at......”

“What is that?? You're talking about me?”

Pulling down her hood, the servant girl, Louise, scowled at Kirche.

“You're quite relaxed huh. We're heading off to save your close friend, and yet you're still playing around?”

“So, if I knit my eyebrows like you and display a difficult face, I would win? If I can win just like that, I will do it as well.”

''Gigigigigi'' Both of them glowered at each other.

“Quarreling? We have to get along together, and we have to succeed as well!”

Saito said that, and Colbert nodded too.

“It is just as Saito-kun said. That's because we're a team. Trivial conflicts can lead to huge cracks. Each of us has to understand that, and act accordingly.”

''If Jean says so, I'll do it!'' Beaming, Kirche leaped into him.

This group of street performers would sneak into Gallia tonight, and head towards the old Orleans mansion.

“If we go there, we should be able to find some clues, huh?”

Munching slices of bread with a huge piece of ham in between, Saito asked Kirche that.

“That child is of a royal family. If she was detained by the royal family, there should be something which implies the same treatment. We would definitely get some information. Besides, if we use our money, there is no news we can't get in the city.”

Kirche who was mysteriously well-rehearsed with such affairs, drunk her wind whilst smiling sweetly. She should be confident in investigating their destination.

For the time being, because there was still more time until night time, Saito and the others rested at the inn. They were tired after rushing for a day and a half.

The group rented a big room with two beds. Kirche quickly slipped into a bed, dragging Colbert along, and started snoring. Simply because they were sharing, Malicorne slipped beside him.

Guiche and Montmorency used the other side. Probably because he was turned on by the dancer figure, Guiche cheerfully extended his hands towards Montmorency, but she brushed his hands away, and pushed him to the opposite site reproachfully.

Louise and Saito sat down, leaning against the wall.

They looked outside the window, and it was still near mid-day. There were still about 6 hours to while away until evening.

“You're not sleeping?”

Louise asked Saito who was sitting next to her.

“Hm? If I was sleepy, I would have fallen asleep. But someone should stand guard, don't you think?”

With a carefree face, Saito said that.

Louise wanted to ask the thing which had been bugging her all this while.

“Why do you go getting yourself involved in something so troublesome? I've said it, right? ''“I'll find a way for you to get back.”'' And yet, this time you plan to infiltrate a foreign country? For your information, this means danger beyond a war. If we are found, we are criminals! We don't have the honor, not even the rights as prisoners of war!”

“Because of exactly that, I came back for you.”

“Heeeyyy, I'm fine! Help the one who has been saving us so many times. No matter how you put it, that is the issue I have as a noble.”

“Didn't you stop being a noble?”

“I had only taken down my mantle, my heart is still that of a noble! A noble, that's how my heart is.”

“I'm the same as well.”

“Now I say...aren't you not a human from this world? You would have your own way of thinking!”


Folding his arms, Saito leaned against the wall.

“Be it a noble or commoner, there are different ways of acting as well, aren't there? Helping someone who has helped me. Isn't it natural for humans?”

“That's true, but......”

“That's not all. How do I say it...For whose sake have I fought and persisted this far? It was terrible, but I had fun. Ever since stopping the army of seventy thousand, when I was unconscious, I have been thinking. What can I do? Umm...The olden days...Japan...although that was where I was born, during the time I was there, I never had such a thought.”

Saito looked at Louise from the corner of his eyes.

“That's why, it's all right! I do it because I want to. It is not because I am obliged.”

Louise pondered about it.

She recalled what Derflinger said some time back.

''“His courage rising when he hears his master's incantations, is of the same reasoning as a mother beaming when she hears the laughter of her baby. Just like that, he can do it.”''

''What if Saito's “I want to do something for that someone.” feeling is also because of an idea he has due to being Gandalfr?''

''The emblem I gave him would probably turn Saito into someone else.''

''And then, another suspicion.''

Siesta's words just now came back to her.

''“Isn't that the feeling as a familiar?”''

In the prison of the palace, the thing she had been worrying about......

''What if it isn't just the courage of plunging directly into danger? What if the “I love you” Saito told me is from him as Gandalfr too?''

These two questions swelled within her, squashing her. She didn't want to be confessed to with such feelings. But then, Saito was not wrong at all. It was all because of herself.

Louise became silent and hugged her knees. Because of that, Saito became worried.

“What's wrong? You became quiet suddenly...”

“Nothing!”

“You were the same in the palace as well. What is it!? Did I offend you?”

“Yeah......Just that every time you showed your courage, I became uneasy.”

Louise closed her eyes, and leaned against Saito. Saito embraced those shoulders.

Whilst looking at those hands on her shoulder, Louise muttered.

“Is it a lie or the truth? How am I supposed to tell......?”

“What are you talking about?”

Louise shook her head.

“......It's nothing. Until night time, let's sleep.”

Saito was shook awake. When he opened his eyes, Kirche was in front of him.

“Now's the time.”

He rubbed his eyes, and noticed that it was already night, without him realizing. Saito became nervous. ''It's okay, from now on we will be sneaking into Gallia.'' The people around him had more or less the same feelings as well.

Malicorne who was in his clown costume, was clapping his face.

“What are you doing?”

“I-Increasing my spirit.”

Guiche leaned onto Montmorency's shoulder, and pointed towards the night sky.

“If I failed in my rescue mission and became like one of those shining stars...”

“We will give you a grand funeral.”

After that, Montmorency turned to everyone present and said,

“Although I go with you all for the time being because I'm worried, I won't do anything dangerous! Okay? I've said already. I really don't like these rough stuffs.”

“Okay! I'll try my best to protect you, even with my life!”

Montmorency fixed her eyes dubiously on Guiche who said that while hitting his chest.

“You are the most unreliable one! Sigh...I kept having this bad feeling. Life always prefers to deliver the things humans do not want...”

Whilst complaining, Montmorency inserted her wand in the opening of her dancer's costume.

That premonition of Montmorency's struck ten seconds later.

The group went down the stairs, and realized that somehow the inn was weird. Nobody was there. Lights were extinguished, and the doors were shut.

In general, an inn is a two-storied bar. This inn was not an exception. Wasn't now the busy season? Usually, it was unthinkable for it to be close at such a time.

The group members exchanged glances. Pointing towards the door, Kirche nodded in Guiche's direction. Guiche shook his head, and looked at Malicorne. Malicorne gave a deep bow, and pointed towards Saito.

“Me?”

Saito said that, and everyone nodded.

“Smart...”

Whilst resenting his ability a little, Saito opened the door. ''Giiiiiiiiiiii''<nowiki>~~~</nowiki> The door opened. Outside was already enveloped in darkness. Yet......as they thought, no one was there.

Saito turned back and said,

“......Somehow this feels so weird...”

At that instant, multiple beacon fires lightened up in unison.

Illuminated by the light of the fires, a crowd of soldiers appeared.

“Don't move! We're Her Majesty's Musketeer Corps! Throw away your wands, and give up quietly!”

Sure enough, standing right at the center of the soldiers was the one who was in an exaggerated battle armor - the leader of the Musketeer Corps, Agnes.

Apparently, they had evacuated the customers of this inn town, and had surrounded this area stealthily. An aptness which might be expected of the Musketeer Corps who was accustomed to doing errands behind people's backs.

“Agnes-san! It's me! Please let us off!”

Saito shouted. Nevertheless, within Agnes' face which was shone by the beacon fires, there wasn't any part of it which had the expression he saw in Albion.

With the iron-stiff face of a soldier, she declared coldly.

“I cannot let you all off. It is Her Majesty's order.”

Kirche poked her face out, and said in a breezy voice.

“Oh my. You're great, aren't you? How did you know that we are going to cross the country border on land?”

“If that ship is the head, then this side would be the back. During those times when we fought you mages, we have gotten used to attacking from the back.”

''Those decoys won't work!'' With an attitude as if saying that, Agnes declared.

Agnes raised both her arms. The musketeers raised their rifles simultaneously.

“Please!! Our friend is in trouble! Even if it's you, you would still help your comrades if they were caught, right?”

“Didn't you help us out before this?”

Louise shouted as well. But, Agnes shook her head.

“I've already told you, haven't I? I am Her Majesty's sword. Although I understand how you all feel, an order is still an order. Enough, put down your wands! I do not want to fight you.”

Looks like they did not have anyone else to turn to. Since they were being aimed at by the rifles, Sylphid could not land. When they board her, they would turn into a beehive immediately. Counterattack was out of the question as well. To save Tabitha, they could not injure the Musketeer Corps.

It's all over.

“Let's reduce the musketeers to ashes.”

Kirche said readily. Saito shook his head.

“NO.”

“How about trying to drop their rifles with my Wind magic?”

“If you like, I can use my Earth magic to grab their ankles to immobilize them.”

Guiche and Malicorne said that. Montmorency warned them,

“You guys better stop. We don't know how many people they have. It's probably more than what we can see.”

“I agree with Miss Montmorency's view. It is likely that there are more soldiers positioned in between houses and on the dark alleys, surrounding us,”

Colbert said while nodding.

“Teacher......”

In a small voice, Colbert pointed instructed everyone of them.

“I'll construct a wall with my Fire magic. Within that time, you guys leave on the wind dragon!”

“Ha?”

“Jean, what are you talking about?”

However, Colbert looked serious.

“Agnes-dono will be shaken the moment she sees me. We should be able to earn a little time.”

Kirche's expression changed.

“Jean! You can't do this!”

Everyone was astonished at Kirche who had become grave. That is because apart from Kirche, no one else knew about the animosity between Colbert and Agnes.

As if admonishing Kirche, Colbert said.

“We have no choice but to do this.”

“I'll stay behind as well. I'll talk to that commanding officer of the Musketeer Corps properly.”

“I thought no one else knows Miss Tabitha's mansion apart from you? You all go to Gallia, and save her at all cost!”

Being told that, Kirche became silent. She then nodded with a bitter look.

“Wait teacher! Although I don't really get it, we cannot just let teacher do that!”

Saito shouted angrily as well. Colbert shook his head.

“Enough, leave this to me and leave now!”

Pushing Saito aside, Colbert went out of the door.

Agnes looked stunned for a moment. Not wasting that opportunity, Colbert whistled. Sylphid who had been waiting for them at the sky landed.

The moment Sylphid landed, Colbert recited the spell for the “Fire Wall”.

From the ground, torrents of flames surged up, and created a wall between Sylphid and Agnes.

“Teacher!”

“Now, let's go!”

Kirche pulled Saito who was roaring, by his arm. Malicorne who had gone on ahead of them, casted a wind magic on Saito, and brought him up as well. Following that, Kirche jumped on as well.

“Go! Sylphid!”

''Kyui!'' With a purr, Sylphid flew up. In the blink of an eye, for the first time, Colbert, Agnes and the rest of the musketeers' figures became small.

In a hurt voice, Saito said,

“Damn it, not even Agnes would help us. Will you be all right......teacher?”

Casually looking at Kirche, Saito held his breath. Kirche's demeanor was one that would not lose its carefree-ness no matter what. But at that moment, biting her lips strongly, a fire-like fury was on her face.

“Kirche......”

Louise said in a worrying voice, but Kirche did not even reply.

“......That girl. If you dare to touch even a hair on my Jean, I'll burn all your hair to ashes...”

Noticing the ascending Sylphid, Agnes returned to her senses. The next thing which came out of her, was the order to shoot.

“Shoot!!”

The musketeers who had readied their rifles, pulled their triggers at once.

In the night sky, gunshot sounds echoed.

However......Sylphid had already rose too high up, and the bullets could not reach her. Within the thick gunpowder fume which hang about in the air, Agnes was stunned.

She had shot at her friends.

She had shot at the student whom she taught swordsmanship.

She was ordered to “Capture them!” but......obviously there was no intention to kill. She did not intend to seriously capture them. And yet, she had given the order to shoot immediately......

''It can't be helped,'' Agnes shook her head. ''I am a soldier. Carrying out orders faithfully is the meaning of existence given to me.''

''Above that......this guy.''

For Agnes, above her duties, there was but one other thing which was close to her heart.

Revenge.

Agnes scowled at Colbert loathfully.

[Translator's note: All the "you" Agnes direct towards Colbert is the well-known "kisama", which loosely means "you bastard"]

“You're alive? I thank God. Because I was thinking that you had died, I had lost the meaning of carrying on with life. Well then, let's settle this properly. Draw your staff!”

But, Colbert did not ready his wand. ''Poinkk'' He threw it away, and sat down.

“What's wrong! Pick up your wand!”

“Please kill me. My lady  has the right to do so.”

“What did you say!?”

Agnes lost her tongue.

“Although my lady has shot at my students, I do not hate you. I understand that because I am a soldier as well. Just now, didn't you said it, Agnes-dono? ''‘I am Her Majesty's sword.’'' I am the same too. I was ''the kingdom's wand''. If I was given the order to ‘reduce everything to ashes,’ I would carry it out faithfully. I had always been thinking that that is the way for righteous nobles.”

“SILENCE!”

“But, my lady's village......no, when I burned those innocent people to ashes, I felt that it was wrong. That's because I am a human being before being ‘the kingdom's wand.’ No matter what reason it could be, there is no way that burning innocent people is all right. Be it an order or whatever it is, this is not something permissible.”

“Enough, pick up your wand!”

“I devoted myself to research. I thought that bringing happiness to many people on my own is an atonement I can do. No...saying ‘atonement’ is prideful. This is my ‘responsibility.’ For me, devotedly serving the living people in this world is my ‘responsibility.’ That's because even if I were to choose to die, I cannot be forgiven as well.”

“You bastard, you think that by devotedly serving the world, your sins would disappear? You're saying that by serving this world, me, my family, and my friends' sorrow would clear up!?”
[[Image:ZnT10-163.jpg|thumb]]
“It would not be able to. There is no way it would clear up. My sins will not disappear. They will never disappear. Sins are like that. Because of that, I offer my life to you. Although it is prideful for me to choose my death...the only one who can decide my death is here. It's my lady. As the sole survivor of the village, my lady holds the right to kill me as a consolation for the others.”

Agnes closed her eyes.

After that, ''krrk'' She opened her eyes, and approached Colbert in long strides. With his eyes open, Colbert kept staring ahead.

Agnes raised her sword overhead, but Colbert still did not close his eyes.

The sword flashed.

However......blood did not splatter upwards. The thing Agnes cut apart, was the priest's clothing Colbert was wearing. The back of his neck was slashed at, and the nape of his neck could be seen.

The scar of a burn wound could be seen on it.

Agnes' memories traced back 20 years ago.

In the blazing village......she was carried by someone on his shoulder.

It was a man who had an ugly scar of a burnt wound at his neck.

When she came to, she was at a beach, wrapped in blanket, sleeping.

That man had saved her. Was it on a whim? Or is it awareness of his sins? She still did not know that until now.

The only thing she knew was......the one who had burned down her village, and the one who had saved her, was the man in front of her now. ''“What an irony,”'' Agnes murmured.

She had grown accustomed to asking herself why she was saved.

But at this moment, whatever.

While sheathing her sword, Agnes told him in a low voice.

“It was 129 people. REMEMBER. You, serve humans ten times...no, a hundred times of that amount.”

With a sorrowful expression, Colbert shook his head.

“It was 131 people.”

“What!?”

“Two lives in a pregnant woman.”

Agnes looked up to the sky.

The two moons were covered by the clouds, and could not be seen. Deep darkness was the only thing enshrouding the sky.

“I will never forgive you. No matter how many times I would be reincarnated, I will abhor you. But......vengeance is a chain. A chain which would extend forever if it is not severed somewhere by someone. If I kill you, your students would probably hate me, and would never forgive me. Jean Colbert. That's why, be grateful to your students! Because I have cut the chains today, here.”

Agnes jerked Colbert's chin.

“Come! If I don't at least bring you back, I cannot account to Her Majesty.”

Colbert stood up, and gave Agnes a deep bow. At that state, both of them did not move for a while. The members of the Musketeer Corps were perfectly still as well.

After a while, Agnes started walking. Colbert walked out as well.

“You are not arresting me?”

“I don't think you would run away.”

Whilst walking, Agnes said in a stiff voice,

“I can understand what you said. ''That'' is what is called a good soldier. One who responds just like a puppet when orders come. Just now, I shot at the student whom I had taught swordsmanship. When I realized, I had already given the order to shoot. Whether it hits them or not is not the issue. I had attacked my student, my friends. Your words, I have really understood them.”

Tears welled up and overflowed from Agnes' eyes. The iron lady, commanding officer of the Musketeer Corps, let her tears flow in front of everyone.

“I can't forgive the me who understood what you said.”

The Musketeer Corps and Colbert walked towards the carriage prepared for their journey towards Tristania.

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</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter7

2009-07-20T22:10:31Z

82.171.230.84: /* Chapter Seven- Settlement of the Past */

===Chapter Seven- Settlement of the Past===

Colbert's strategy turned out well.

Just as they planned, the pursuers from the Royal Palace were under the impression that Saito and the others who had escaped, went aboard the ''Ostland''.

The instant the dragon knights flew into the air swiftly, the ''Ostland'' used its amazing speed and crossed the border between Tristain and Germania, fleeing into the territory of the Von Zerbst family.

Disguised whilst changing horses at a station on their journey, after rushing for a day and a half, they arrived at an inn town which was 10 leagues away from the country border.

The members of Tabitha's rescue team were: Saito, Louise, Kirche and Colbert, Guiche, Malicorne, and Montmorency who said a healer was necessary - all seven of them. Because too many of them would attract attention, the rest of the Ondine acted as decoys and boarded the ''Ostland''. Because of her injuries, Tabitha's dutiful sister, Irukukuu, stayed back at the academy.

After this, it would finally be the country border.

The tactic used to cross the country border was already planned. They would sneak into Gallia at night through the sky on the back of Sylphid who was following them from above. They came here on horsebacks because Sylphid whose wounds were still not fully recovered could not stand the weight of all seven of them for a long period of time.

“Compared to Tristain, the danger in Gallia should be less, right?”

Kirche said that. Indeed, they were wanted people in Tristain now, but they would be only seven of the multitude of illegal immigrants in Gallia. As long as they were not captured by anyone there......

“Anyway, I'm hungry! We can't fight if we're hungry.”

Malicorne said that, and the group entered the most trendy inn. In an inn which had many travelers, the customers would not pay attention to Saito and the others who were at a table.

In order to sneak into Gallia, they had each disguised themselves as street performers.

Malicorne, who had raised his hand to call out to the waiter, was in a deep red outer coat, short pants, and pointed wooden shoes - the figure of a clown. He had also carefully colored the lower part of his eyes dark. At his well-matched figure, Saito burst into laughter.
[[Image:ZnT10-149.jpg|thumb]]
Clad in a merchant's clothes from the “Charming Fairies” Inn, Guiche had affixed a false mustache made from his hair under his nose, and he held some cotton in his cheek with his mouth. Upon doing that, he became a decent sake seller.

Kirche had changed into the costume of a dancer from the east. Wearing a diamond studded circlet on her head, she became a attractive dancer who was not embarrassed no matter where she revealed (her body).

Similarly, Montmorency had changed into a very revealing dancer's costume as well. Because she was restlessly bashful, she looked somewhat suspicious.

Because there was no dancer costume which fitted Louise's body size, she became a plain village girl. Dressed in a dark green dress, her conspicuous pink hair was dyed light brown, hidden underneath a hood. She appeared to be the servant of that group.

Colbert was in a monk's attire. He was supposed to be a preacher traveling alongside them.

Saito had put on a hat with a feather on it. With his gaiters folded up, he carried Derflinger at his back ordinarily. He was said to be a sword dance performer.

This is the way the group of street performers was made up. Their costumes were strangely worn-out, but their appearance as a group heading towards Gallia was successful.

“Why do we have to wear such costumes!?”

Whilst trembling all over, Montmorency said that.

“Won't we be declaring that we are nobles if we were to go there in our usual clothes?”

Guiche said to sooth her down.

“Aren't there any other costumes? I don't want it! People will scrutinize me!”

The drunk customers would stare lustfully at the cloth covering Kirche and Montmorency's breasts, and the bulging out loincloth they were wearing. Having quite a high self-respect, Montmorency could not stand that.

“Revealing my belly button in public is unthinkable! What is this!? Isn't it indecent......?”

“It's all right, once in a while. It matches you!”

Kirche said in a happy-like voice.

“That's because there are pitiful ones no one wants to look at......”

“What is that?? You're talking about me?”

Pulling down her hood, the servant girl, Louise, scowled at Kirche.

“You're quite relaxed huh. We're heading off to save your close friend, and yet you're still playing around?”

“So, if I knit my eyebrows like you and display a difficult face, I would win? If I can win just like that, I will do it as well.”

''Gigigigigi'' Both of them glowered at each other.

“Quarreling? We have to get along together, and we have to succeed as well!”

Saito said that, and Colbert nodded too.

“It is just as Saito-kun said. That's because we're a team. Trivial conflicts can lead to huge cracks. Each of us has to understand that, and act accordingly.”

''If Jean says so, I'll do it!'' Beaming, Kirche leaped into him.

This group of street performers would sneak into Gallia tonight, and head towards the old Orleans mansion.

“If we go there, we should be able to find some clues, huh?”

Munching slices of bread with a huge piece of ham in between, Saito asked Kirche that.

“That child is of a royal family. If she was detained by the royal family, there should be something which implies the same treatment. We would definitely get some information. Besides, if we use our money, there is no news we can't get in the city.”

Kirche who was mysteriously well-rehearsed with such affairs, drunk her wind whilst smiling sweetly. She should be confident in investigating their destination.

For the time being, because there was still more time until night time, Saito and the others rested at the inn. They were tired after rushing for a day and a half.

The group rented a big room with two beds. Kirche quickly slipped into a bed, dragging Colbert along, and started snoring. Simply because they were sharing, Malicorne slipped beside him.

Guiche and Montmorency used the other side. Probably because he was turned on by the dancer figure, Guiche cheerfully extended his hands towards Montmorency, but she brushed his hands away, and pushed him to the opposite site reproachfully.

Louise and Saito sat down, leaning against the wall.

They looked outside the window, and it was still near mid-day. There were still about 6 hours to while away until evening.

“You're not sleeping?”

Louise asked Saito who was sitting next to her.

“Hm? If I was sleepy, I would have fallen asleep. But someone should stand guard, don't you think?”

With a carefree face, Saito said that.

Louise wanted to ask the thing which had been bugging her all this while.

“Why do you go getting yourself involved in something so troublesome? I've said it, right? ''“I'll find a way for you to get back.”'' And yet, this time you plan to infiltrate a foreign country? For your information, this means danger beyond a war. If we are found, we are criminals! We don't have the honor, not even the rights as prisoners of war!”

“Because of exactly that, I came back for you.”

“Heeeyyy, I'm fine! Help the one who has been saving us so many times. No matter how you put it, that is the issue I have as a noble.”

“Didn't you stop being a noble?”

“I had only taken down my mantle, my heart is still that of a noble! A noble, that's how my heart is.”

“I'm the same as well.”

“Now I say...aren't you not a human from this world? You would have your own way of thinking!”


Folding his arms, Saito leaned against the wall.

“Be it a noble or commoner, there are different ways of acting as well, aren't there? Helping someone who has helped me. Isn't it natural for humans?”

“That's true, but......”

“That's not all. How do I say it...For whose sake have I fought and persisted this far? It was terrible, but I had fun. Ever since stopping the army of seventy thousand, when I was unconscious, I have been thinking. What can I do? Umm...The olden days...Japan...although that was where I was born, during the time I was there, I never had such a thought.”

Saito looked at Louise from the corner of his eyes.

“That's why, it's all right! I do it because I want to. It is not because I am obliged.”

Louise pondered about it.

She recalled what Derflinger said some time back.

''“His courage rising when he hears his master's incantations, is of the same reasoning as a mother beaming when she hears the laughter of her baby. Just like that, he can do it.”''

''What if Saito's “I want to do something for that someone.” feeling is also because of an idea he has due to being Gandalfr?''

''The emblem I gave him would probably turn Saito into someone else.''

''And then, another suspicion.''

Siesta's words just now came back to her.

''“Isn't that the feeling as a familiar?”''

In the prison of the palace, the thing she had been worrying about......

''What if it isn't just the courage of plunging directly into danger? What if the “I love you” Saito told me is from him as Gandalfr too?''

These two questions swelled within her, squashing her. She didn't want to be confessed to with such feelings. But then, Saito was not wrong at all. It was all because of herself.

Louise became silent and hugged her knees. Because of that, Saito became worried.

“What's wrong? You became quiet suddenly...”

“Nothing!”

“You were the same in the palace as well. What is it!? Did I offend you?”

“Yeah......Just that every time you showed your courage, I became uneasy.”

Louise closed her eyes, and leaned against Saito. Saito embraced those shoulders.

Whilst looking at those hands on her shoulder, Louise muttered.

“Is it a lie or the truth? How am I supposed to tell......?”

“What are you talking about?”

Louise shook her head.

“......It's nothing. Until night time, let's sleep.”

Saito was shook awake. When he opened his eyes, Kirche was in front of him.

“Now's the time.”

He rubbed his eyes, and noticed that it was already night, without him realizing. Saito became nervous. ''It's okay, from now on we will be sneaking into Gallia.'' The people around him had more or less the same feelings as well.

Malicorne who was in his clown costume, was clapping his face.

“What are you doing?”

“I-Increasing my spirit.”

Guiche leaned onto Montmorency's shoulder, and pointed towards the night sky.

“If I failed in my rescue mission and became like one of those shining stars...”

“We will give you a grand funeral.”

After that, Montmorency turned to everyone present and said,

“Although I go with you all for the time being because I'm worried, I won't do anything dangerous! Okay? I've said already. I really don't like these rough stuffs.”

“Okay! I'll try my best to protect you, even with my life!”

Montmorency fixed her eyes dubiously on Guiche who said that while hitting his chest.

“You are the most unreliable one! Sigh...I kept having this bad feeling. Life always prefers to deliver the things humans do not want...”

Whilst complaining, Montmorency inserted her wand in the opening of her dancer's costume.

That premonition of Montmorency's struck ten seconds later.

The group went down the stairs, and realized that somehow the inn was weird. Nobody was there. Lights were extinguished, and the doors were shut.

In general, an inn is a two-storied bar. This inn was not an exception. Wasn't now the busy season? Usually, it was unthinkable for it to be close at such a time.

The group members exchanged glances. Pointing towards the door, Kirche nodded in Guiche's direction. Guiche shook his head, and looked at Malicorne. Malicorne gave a deep bow, and pointed towards Saito.

“Me?”

Saito said that, and everyone nodded.

“Smart...”

Whilst resenting his ability a little, Saito opened the door. ''Giiiiiiiiiiii''<nowiki>~~~</nowiki> The door opened. Outside was already enveloped in darkness. Yet......as they thought, no one was there.

Saito turned back and said,

“......Somehow this feels so weird...”

At that instant, multiple beacon fires lightened up in unison.

Illuminated by the light of the fires, a crowd of soldiers appeared.

“Don't move! We're Her Majesty's Musketeer Corps! Throw away your wands, and give up quietly!”

Sure enough, standing right at the center of the soldiers was the one who was in an exaggerated battle armor - the leader of the Musketeer Corps, Agnes.

Apparently, they had evacuated the customers of this inn town, and had surrounded this area stealthily. An aptness which might be expected of the Musketeer Corps who was accustomed to doing errands behind people's backs.

“Agnes-san! It's me! Please let us off!”

Saito shouted. Nevertheless, within Agnes' face which was shone by the beacon fires, there wasn't any part of it which had the expression he saw in Albion.

With the iron-stiff face of a soldier, she declared coldly.

“I cannot let you all off. It is Her Majesty's order.”

Kirche poked her face out, and said in a breezy voice.

“Oh my. You're great, aren't you? How did you know that we are going to cross the country border on land?”

“If that ship is the head, then this side would be the back. During those times when we fought you mages, we have gotten used to attacking from the back.”

''Those decoys won't work!'' With an attitude as if saying that, Agnes declared.

Agnes raised both her arms. The musketeers raised their rifles simultaneously.

“Please!! Our friend is in trouble! Even if it's you, you would still help your comrades if they were caught, right?”

“Didn't you help us out before this?”

Louise shouted as well. But, Agnes shook her head.

“I've already told you, haven't I? I am Her Majesty's sword. Although I understand how you all feel, an order is still an order. Enough, put down your wands! I do not want to fight you.”

Looks like they did not have anyone else to turn to. Since they were being aimed at by the rifles, Sylphid could not land. When they board her, they would turn into a beehive immediately. Counterattack was out of the question as well. To save Tabitha, they could not injure the Musketeer Corps.

It's all over.

“Let's reduce the musketeers to ashes.”

Kirche said readily. Saito shook his head.

“NO.”

“How about trying to drop their rifles with my Wind magic?”

“If you like, I can use my Earth magic to grab their ankles to immobilize them.”

Guiche and Malicorne said that. Montmorency warned them,

“You guys better stop. We don't know how many people they have. It's probably more than what we can see.”

“I agree with Miss Montmorency's view. It is likely that there are more soldiers positioned in between houses and on the dark alleys, surrounding us,”

Colbert said while nodding.

“Teacher......”

In a small voice, Colbert pointed instructed everyone of them.

“I'll construct a wall with my Fire magic. Within that time, you guys leave on the wind dragon!”

“Ha?”

“Jean, what are you talking about?”

However, Colbert looked serious.

“Agnes-dono will be shaken the moment she sees me. We should be able to earn a little time.”

Kirche's expression changed.

“Jean! You can't do this!”

Everyone was astonished at Kirche who had become grave. That is because apart from Kirche, no one else knew about the animosity between Colbert and Agnes.

As if admonishing Kirche, Colbert said.

“We have no choice but to do this.”

“I'll stay behind as well. I'll talk to that commanding officer of the Musketeer Corps properly.”

“I thought no one else knows Miss Tabitha's mansion apart from you? You all go to Gallia, and save her at all cost!”

Being told that, Kirche became silent. She then nodded with a bitter look.

“Wait teacher! Although I don't really get it, we cannot just let teacher do that!”

Saito shouted angrily as well. Colbert shook his head.

“Enough, leave this to me and leave now!”

Pushing Saito aside, Colbert went out of the door.

Agnes looked stunned for a moment. Not wasting that opportunity, Colbert whistled. Sylphid who had been waiting for them at the sky landed.

The moment Sylphid landed, Colbert recited the spell for the “Fire Wall”.

From the ground, torrents of flames surged up, and created a wall between Sylphid and Agnes.

“Teacher!”

“Now, let's go!”

Kirche pulled Saito who was roaring, by his arm. Malicorne who had gone on ahead of them, casted a wind magic on Saito, and brought him up as well. Following that, Kirche jumped on as well.

“Go! Sylphid!”

''Kyui!'' With a purr, Sylphid flew up. In the blink of an eye, for the first time, Colbert, Agnes and the rest of the musketeers' figures became small.

In a hurt voice, Saito said,

“Damn it, not even Agnes would help us. Will you be all right......teacher?”

Casually looking at Kirche, Saito held his breath. Kirche's demeanor was one that would not lose its carefree-ness no matter what. But at that moment, biting her lips strongly, a fire-like fury was on her face.

“Kirche......”

Louise said in a worrying voice, but Kirche did not even reply.

“......That girl. If you dare to touch even a hair on my Jean, I'll burn all your hair to ashes...”

Noticing the ascending Sylphid, Agnes returned to her senses. The next thing which came out of her, was the order to shoot.

“Shoot!!”

The musketeers who had readied their rifles, pulled their triggers at once.

In the night sky, gunshot sounds echoed.

However......Sylphid had already rose too high up, and the bullets could not reach her. Within the thick gunpowder fume which hang about in the air, Agnes was stunned.

She had shot at her friends.

She had shot at the student whom she taught swordsmanship.

She was ordered to “Capture them!” but......obviously there was no intention to kill. She did not intend to seriously capture them. And yet, she had given the order to shoot immediately......

''It can't be helped,'' Agnes shook her head. ''I am a soldier. Carrying out orders faithfully is the meaning of existence given to me.''

''Above that......this guy.''

For Agnes, above her duties, there was but one other thing which was close to her heart.

Revenge.

Agnes scowled at Colbert loathfully.

[Translator's note: All the "you" Agnes direct towards Colbert is the well-known "kisama", which loosely means "you bastard"]

“You're alive? I thank God. Because I was thinking that you had died, I had lost the meaning of carrying on with life. Well then, let's settle this properly. Draw your staff!”

But, Colbert did not ready his wand. ''Poinkk'' He threw it away, and sat down.

“What's wrong! Pick up your wand!”

“Please kill me. My lady  has the right to do so.”

“What did you say!?”

Agnes lost her tongue.

“Although my lady has shot at my students, I do not hate you. I understand that because I am a soldier as well. Just now, didn't you said it, Agnes-dono? ''‘I am Her Majesty's sword.’'' I am the same too. I was ''the kingdom's wand''. If I was given the order to ‘reduce everything to ashes,’ I would carry it out faithfully. I had always been thinking that that is the way for righteous nobles.”

“SILENCE!”

“But, my lady's village......no, when I burned those innocent people to ashes, I felt that it was wrong. That's because I am a human being before being ‘the kingdom's wand.’ No matter what reason it could be, there is no way that burning innocent people is all right. Be it an order or whatever it is, this is not something permissible.”

“Enough, pick up your wand!”

“I devoted myself to research. I thought that bringing happiness to many people on my own is an atonement I can do. No...saying ‘atonement’ is prideful. This is my ‘responsibility.’ For me, devotedly serving the living people in this world is my ‘responsibility.’ That's because even if I were to choose to die, I cannot be forgiven as well.”

“You bastard, you think that by devotedly serving the world, your sins would disappear? You're saying that by serving this world, me, my family, and my friends' sorrow would clear up!?”
[[Image:ZnT10-163.jpg|thumb]]
“It would not be able to. There is no way it would clear up. My sins will not disappear. They will never disappear. Sins are like that. Because of that, I offer my life to you. Although it is prideful for me to choose my death...the only one who can decide my death is here. It's my lady. As the sole survivor of the village, my lady holds the right to kill me as a consolation for the others.”

Agnes closed her eyes.

After that, ''krrk'' She opened her eyes, and approached Colbert in long strides. With his eyes open, Colbert kept staring ahead.

Agnes raised her sword overhead, but Colbert still did not close his eyes.

The sword flashed.

However......blood did not splatter upwards. The thing Agnes cut apart, was the priest's clothing Colbert was wearing. The back of his neck was slashed at, and the nape of his neck could be seen.

The scar of a burn wound could be seen on it.

Agnes' memories traced back 20 years ago.

In the blazing village......she was carried by someone on his shoulder.

It was a man who had an ugly scar of a burnt wound at his neck.

When she came to, she was at a beach, wrapped in blanket, sleeping.

That man had saved her. Was it on a whim? Or is it awareness of his sins? She still did not know that until now.

The only thing she knew was......the one who had burned down her village, and the one who had saved her, was the man in front of her now. ''“What an irony,”'' Agnes murmured.

She had grown accustomed to asking herself why she was saved.

But at this moment, whatever.

While sheathing her sword, Agnes told him in a low voice.

“It was 129 people. REMEMBER. You, serve humans ten times...no, a hundred times of that amount.”

With a sorrowful expression, Colbert shook his head.

“It was 131 people.”

“What!?”

“Two lives in a pregnant woman.”

Agnes looked up to the sky.

The two moons were covered by the clouds, and could not be seen. Deep darkness was the only thing enshrouding the sky.

“I will never forgive you. No matter how many times I would be reincarnated, I will abhor you. But......vengeance is a chain. A chain which would extend forever if it is not severed somewhere by someone. If I kill you, your students would probably hate me, and would never forgive me. Jan Colbert. That's why, be grateful to your students! Because I have cut the chains today, here.”

Agnes jerked Colbert's chin.

“Come! If I don't at least bring you back, I cannot account to Her Majesty.”

Colbert stood up, and gave Agnes a deep bow. At that state, both of them did not move for a while. The members of the Musketeer Corps were perfectly still as well.

After a while, Agnes started walking. Colbert walked out as well.

“You are not arresting me?”

“I don't think you would run away.”

Whilst walking, Agnes said in a stiff voice,

“I can understand what you said. ''That'' is what is called a good soldier. One who responds just like a puppet when orders come. Just now, I shot at the student whom I had taught swordsmanship. When I realized, I had already given the order to shoot. Whether it hits them or not is not the issue. I had attacked my student, my friends. Your words, I have really understood them.”

Tears welled up and overflowed from Agnes' eyes. The iron lady, commanding officer of the Musketeer Corps, let her tears flow in front of everyone.

“I can't forgive the me who understood what you said.”

The Musketeer Corps and Colbert walked towards the carriage prepared for their journey towards Tristania.

<noinclude>
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</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter7

2009-07-20T22:00:23Z

82.171.230.84: /* Chapter Seven- Settlement of the Past */

===Chapter Seven- Settlement of the Past===

Colbert's strategy turned out well.

Just as they planned, the pursuers from the Royal Palace were under the impression that Saito and the others who had escaped, went aboard the ''Ostland''.

The instant the dragon knights flew into the air swiftly, the ''Ostland'' used its amazing speed and crossed the border between Tristain and Germania, fleeing into the territory of the Von Zerbst family.

Disguised whilst changing horses at a station on their journey, after rushing for a day and a half, they arrived at an inn town which was 10 leagues away from the country border.

The members of Tabitha's rescue team were: Saito, Louise, Kirche and Colbert, Guiche, Malicorne, and Montmorency who said a healer was necessary - all seven of them. Because too many of them would attract attention, the rest of the Ondine acted as decoys and boarded the ''Ostland''. Because of her injuries, Tabitha's dutiful sister, Irukukuu, stayed back at the academy.

After this, it would finally be the country border.

The tactic used to cross the country border was already planned. They would sneak into Gallia at night through the sky on the back of Sylphid who was following them from above. They came here on horsebacks because Sylphid whose wounds were still not fully recovered could not stand the weight of all seven of them for a long period of time.

“Compared to Tristain, the danger in Gallia should be less, right?”

Kirche said that. Indeed, they were wanted people in Tristain now, but they would be only seven of the multitude of illegal immigrants in Gallia. As long as they were not captured by anyone there......

“Anyway, I'm hungry! We can't fight if we're hungry.”

Malicorne said that, and the group entered the most trendy inn. In an inn which had many travelers, the customers would not pay attention to Saito and the others who were at a table.

In order to sneak into Gallia, they had each disguised themselves as street performers.

Malicorne, who had raised his hand to call out to the waiter, was in a deep red outer coat, short pants, and pointed wooden shoes - the figure of a clown. He had also carefully colored the lower part of his eyes dark. At his well-matched figure, Saito burst into laughter.
[[Image:ZnT10-149.jpg|thumb]]
Clad in a merchant's clothes from the “Charming Fairies” Inn, Guiche had affixed a false mustache made from his hair under his nose, and he held some cotton in his cheek with his mouth. Upon doing that, he became a decent sake seller.

Kirche had changed into the costume of a dancer from the east. Wearing a diamond studded circlet on her head, she became a attractive dancer who was not embarrassed no matter where she revealed (her body).

Similarly, Montmorency had changed into a very revealing dancer's costume as well. Because she was restlessly bashful, she looked somewhat suspicious.

Because there was no dancer costume which fitted Louise's body size, she became a plain village girl. Dressed in a dark green dress, her conspicuous pink hair was dyed light brown, hidden underneath a hood. She appeared to be the servant of that group.

Colbert was in a monk's attire. He was supposed to be a preacher traveling alongside them.

Saito had put on a hat with a feather on it. With his gaiters folded up, he carried Derflinger at his back ordinarily. He was said to be a sword dance performer.

This is the way the group of street performers was made up. Their costumes were strangely worn-out, but their appearance as a group heading towards Gallia was successful.

“Why do we have to wear such costumes!?”

Whilst trembling all over, Montmorency said that.

“Won't we be declaring that we are nobles if we were to go there in our usual clothes?”

Guiche said to sooth her down.

“Aren't there any other costumes? I don't want it! People will scrutinize me!”

The drunk customers would stare lustfully at the cloth covering Kirche and Montmorency's breasts, and the bulging out loincloth they were wearing. Having quite a high self-respect, Montmorency could not stand that.

“Revealing my belly button in public is unthinkable! What is this!? Isn't it indecent......?”

“It's all right, once in a while. It matches you!”

Kirche said in a happy-like voice.

“That's because there are pitiful ones no one wants to look at......”

“What is that?? You're talking about me?”

Pulling down her hood, the servant girl, Louise, scowled at Kirche.

“You're quite relaxed huh. We're heading off to save your close friend, and yet you're still playing around?”

“So, if I knit my eyebrows like you and display a difficult face, I would win? If I can win just like that, I will do it as well.”

''Gigigigigi'' Both of them glowered at each other.

“Quarreling? We have to get along together, and we have to succeed as well!”

Saito said that, and Colbert nodded too.

“It is just as Saito-kun said. That's because we're a team. Trivial conflicts can lead to huge cracks. Each of us has to understand that, and act accordingly.”

''If Jean says so, I'll do it!'' Beaming, Kirche leaped into him.

This group of street performers would sneak into Gallia tonight, and head towards the old Orleans mansion.

“If we go there, we should be able to find some clues, huh?”

Munching slices of bread with a huge piece of ham in between, Saito asked Kirche that.

“That child is of a royal family. If she was detained by the royal family, there should be something which implies the same treatment. We would definitely get some information. Besides, if we use our money, there is no news we can't get in the city.”

Kirche who was mysteriously well-rehearsed with such affairs, drunk her wind whilst smiling sweetly. She should be confident in investigating their destination.

For the time being, because there was still more time until night time, Saito and the others rested at the inn. They were tired after rushing for a day and a half.

The group rented a big room with two beds. Kirche quickly slipped into a bed, dragging Colbert along, and started snoring. Simply because they were sharing, Malicorne slipped beside him.

Guiche and Montmorency used the other side. Probably because he was turned on by the dancer figure, Guiche cheerfully extended his hands towards Montmorency, but she brushed his hands away, and pushed him to the opposite site reproachfully.

Louise and Saito sat down, leaning against the wall.

They looked outside the window, and it was still near mid-day. There were still about 6 hours to while away until evening.

“You're not sleeping?”

Louise asked Saito who was sitting next to her.

“Hm? If I was sleepy, I would have fallen asleep. But someone should stand guard, don't you think?”

With a carefree face, Saito said that.

Louise wanted to ask the thing which had been bugging her all this while.

“Why do you go getting yourself involved in something so troublesome? I've said it, right? ''“I'll find a way for you to get back.”'' And yet, this time you plan to infiltrate a foreign country? For your information, this means danger beyond a war. If we are found, we are criminals! We don't have the honor, not even the rights as prisoners of war!”

“Because of exactly that, I came back for you.”

“Heeeyyy, I'm fine! Help the one who has been saving us so many times. No matter how you put it, that is the issue I have as a noble.”

“Didn't you stop being a noble?”

“I had only taken down my mantle, my heart is still that of a noble! A noble, that's how my heart is.”

“I'm the same as well.”

“Now I say...aren't you not a human from this world? You would have your own way of thinking!”


Folding his arms, Saito leaned against the wall.

“Be it a noble or commoner, there are different ways of acting as well, aren't there? Helping someone who has helped me. Isn't it natural for humans?”

“That's true, but......”

“That's not all. How do I say it...For whose sake have I fought and persisted this far? It was terrible, but I had fun. Ever since stopping the army of seventy thousand, when I was unconscious, I have been thinking. What can I do? Umm...The olden days...Japan...although that was where I was born, during the time I was there, I never had such a thought.”

Saito looked at Louise from the corner of his eyes.

“That's why, it's all right! I do it because I want to. It is not because I am obliged.”

Louise pondered about it.

She recalled what Derflinger said some time back.

''“His courage rising when he hears his master's incantations, is of the same reasoning as a mother beaming when she hears the laughter of her baby. Just like that, he can do it.”''

''What if Saito's “I want to do something for that someone.” feeling is also because of an idea he has due to being Gandalfr?''

''The emblem I gave him would probably turn Saito into someone else.''

''And then, another suspicion.''

Siesta's words just now came back to her.

''“Isn't that the feeling as a familiar?”''

In the prison of the palace, the thing she had been worrying about......

''What if it isn't just the courage of plunging directly into danger? What if the “I love you” Saito told me is from him as Gandalfr too?''

These two questions swelled within her, squashing her. She didn't want to be confessed to with such feelings. But then, Saito was not wrong at all. It was all because of herself.

Louise became silent and hugged her knees. Because of that, Saito became worried.

“What's wrong? You became quiet suddenly...”

“Nothing!”

“You were the same in the palace as well. What is it!? Did I offend you?”

“Yeah......Just that every time you showed your courage, I became uneasy.”

Louise closed her eyes, and leaned against Saito. Saito embraced those shoulders.

Whilst looking at those hands on her shoulder, Louise muttered.

“Is it a lie or the truth? How am I supposed to tell......?”

“What are you talking about?”

Louise shook her head.

“......It's nothing. Until night time, let's sleep.”

Saito was shook awake. When he opened his eyes, Kirche was in front of him.

“Now's the time.”

He rubbed his eyes, and noticed that it was already night, without him realizing. Saito became nervous. ''It's okay, from now on we will be sneaking into Gallia.'' The people around him had more or less the same feelings as well.

Malicorne who was in his clown costume, was clapping his face.

“What are you doing?”

“I-Increasing my spirit.”

Guiche leaned onto Montmorency's shoulder, and pointed towards the night sky.

“If I failed in my rescue mission and became like one of those shining stars...”

“We will give you a grand funeral.”

After that, Montmorency turned to everyone present and said,

“Although I go with you all for the time being because I'm worried, I won't do anything dangerous! Okay? I've said already. I really don't like these rough stuffs.”

“Okay! I'll try my best to protect you, even with my life!”

Montmorency fixed her eyes dubiously on Guiche who said that while hitting his chest.

“You are the most unreliable one! Sigh...I kept having this bad feeling. Life always prefers to deliver the things humans do not want...”

Whilst complaining, Montmorency inserted her wand in the opening of her dancer's costume.

That premonition of Montmorency's struck ten seconds later.

The group went down the stairs, and realized that somehow the inn was weird. Nobody was there. Lights were extinguished, and the doors were shut.

In general, an inn is a two-storied bar. This inn was not an exception. Wasn't now the busy season? Usually, it was unthinkable for it to be close at such a time.

The group members exchanged glances. Pointing towards the door, Kirche nodded in Guiche's direction. Guiche shook his head, and looked at Malicorne. Malicorne gave a deep bow, and pointed towards Saito.

“Me?”

Saito said that, and everyone nodded.

“Smart...”

Whilst resenting his ability a little, Saito opened the door. ''Giiiiiiiiiiii''<nowiki>~~~</nowiki> The door opened. Outside was already enveloped in darkness. Yet......as they thought, no one was there.

Saito turned back and said,

“......Somehow this feels so weird...”

At that instant, multiple beacon fires lightened up in unison.

Illuminated by the light of the fires, a crowd of soldiers appeared.

“Don't move! We're Her Majesty's Musketeer Corps! Throw away your wands, and give up quietly!”

Sure enough, standing right at the center of the soldiers was the one who was in an exaggerated battle armor - the leader of the Musketeer Corps, Agnes.

Apparently, they had evacuated the customers of this inn town, and had surrounded this area stealthily. An aptness which might be expected of the Musketeer Corps who was accustomed to doing errands behind people's backs.

“Agnes-san! It's me! Please let us off!”

Saito shouted. Nevertheless, within Agnes' face which was shone by the beacon fires, there wasn't any part of it which had the expression he saw in Albion.

With the iron-stiff face of a soldier, she declared coldly.

“I cannot let you all off. It is Her Majesty's order.”

Kirche poked her face out, and said in a breezy voice.

“Oh my. You're great, aren't you? How did you know that we are going to cross the country border on land?”

“If that ship is the head, then this side would be the back. During those times when we fought you mages, we have gotten used to attacking from the back.”

''Those decoys won't work!'' With an attitude as if saying that, Agnes declared.

Agnes raised both her arms. The musketeers raised their rifles simultaneously.

“Please!! Our friend is in trouble! Even if it's you, you would still help your comrades if they were caught, right?”

“Didn't you help us out before this?”

Louise shouted as well. But, Agnes shook her head.

“I've already told you, haven't I? I am Her Majesty's sword. Although I understand how you all feel, an order is still an order. Enough, put down your wands! I do not want to fight you.”

Looks like they did not have anyone else to turn to. Since they were being aimed at by the rifles, Sylphid could not land. When they board her, they would turn into a beehive immediately. Counterattack was out of the question as well. To save Tabitha, they could not injure the Musketeer Corps.

It's all over.

“Let's reduce the musketeers to ashes.”

Kirche said readily. Saito shook his head.

“NO.”

“How about trying to drop their rifles with my Wind magic?”

“If you like, I can use my Earth magic to grab their ankles to immobilize them.”

Guiche and Malicorne said that. Montmorency warned them,

“You guys better stop. We don't know how many people they have. It's probably more than what we can see.”

“I agree with Miss Montmorency's view. It is likely that there are more soldiers positioned in between houses and on the dark alleys, surrounding us,”

Colbert said while nodding.

“Teacher......”

In a small voice, Colbert pointed instructed everyone of them.

“I'll construct a wall with my Fire magic. Within that time, you guys leave on the wind dragon!”

“Ha?”

“Jan, what are you talking about?”

However, Colbert looked serious.

“Agnes-dono will be shaken the moment she sees me. We should be able to earn a little time.”

Kirche's expression changed.

“Jan! You can't do this!”

Everyone was astonished at Kirche who had become grave. That is because apart from Kirche, no one else knew about the animosity between Colbert and Agnes.

As if admonishing Kirche, Colbert said.

“We have no choice but to do this.”

“I'll stay behind as well. I'll talk to that commanding officer of the Musketeer Corps properly.”

“I thought no one else knows Miss Tabitha's mansion apart from you? You all go to Gallia, and save her at all cost!”

Being told that, Kirche became silent. She then nodded with a bitter look.

“Wait teacher! Although I don't really get it, we cannot just let teacher do that!”

Saito shouted angrily as well. Colbert shook his head.

“Enough, leave this to me and leave now!”

Pushing Saito aside, Colbert went out of the door.

Agnes looked stunned for a moment. Not wasting that opportunity, Colbert whistled. Sylphid who had been waiting for them at the sky landed.

The moment Sylphid landed, Colbert recited the spell for the “Fire Wall”.

From the ground, torrents of flames surged up, and created a wall between Sylphid and Agnes.

“Teacher!”

“Now, let's go!”

Kirche pulled Saito who was roaring, by his arm. Malicorne who had gone on ahead of them, casted a wind magic on Saito, and brought him up as well. Following that, Kirche jumped on as well.

“Go! Sylphid!”

''Kyui!'' With a purr, Sylphid flew up. In the blink of an eye, for the first time, Colbert, Agnes and the rest of the musketeers' figures became small.

In a hurt voice, Saito said,

“Damn it, not even Agnes would help us. Will you be all right......teacher?”

Casually looking at Kirche, Saito held his breath. Kirche's demeanor was one that would not lose its carefree-ness no matter what. But at that moment, biting her lips strongly, a fire-like fury was on her face.

“Kirche......”

Louise said in a worrying voice, but Kirche did not even reply.

“......That girl. If you dare to touch even a hair on my Jan, I'll burn all your hair to ashes...”

Noticing the ascending Sylphid, Agnes returned to her senses. The next thing which came out of her, was the order to shoot.

“Shoot!!”

The musketeers who had readied their rifles, pulled their triggers at once.

In the night sky, gunshot sounds echoed.

However......Sylphid had already rose too high up, and the bullets could not reach her. Within the thick gunpowder fume which hang about in the air, Agnes was stunned.

She had shot at her friends.

She had shot at the student whom she taught swordsmanship.

She was ordered to “Capture them!” but......obviously there was no intention to kill. She did not intend to seriously capture them. And yet, she had given the order to shoot immediately......

''It can't be helped,'' Agnes shook her head. ''I am a soldier. Carrying out orders faithfully is the meaning of existence given to me.''

''Above that......this guy.''

For Agnes, above her duties, there was but one other thing which was close to her heart.

Revenge.

Agnes scowled at Colbert loathfully.

[Translator's note: All the "you" Agnes direct towards Colbert is the well-known "kisama", which loosely means "you bastard"]

“You're alive? I thank God. Because I was thinking that you had died, I had lost the meaning of carrying on with life. Well then, let's settle this properly. Draw your staff!”

But, Colbert did not ready his wand. ''Poinkk'' He threw it away, and sat down.

“What's wrong! Pick up your wand!”

“Please kill me. My lady  has the right to do so.”

“What did you say!?”

Agnes lost her tongue.

“Although my lady has shot at my students, I do not hate you. I understand that because I am a soldier as well. Just now, didn't you said it, Agnes-dono? ''‘I am Her Majesty's sword.’'' I am the same too. I was ''the kingdom's wand''. If I was given the order to ‘reduce everything to ashes,’ I would carry it out faithfully. I had always been thinking that that is the way for righteous nobles.”

“SILENCE!”

“But, my lady's village......no, when I burned those innocent people to ashes, I felt that it was wrong. That's because I am a human being before being ‘the kingdom's wand.’ No matter what reason it could be, there is no way that burning innocent people is all right. Be it an order or whatever it is, this is not something permissible.”

“Enough, pick up your wand!”

“I devoted myself to research. I thought that bringing happiness to many people on my own is an atonement I can do. No...saying ‘atonement’ is prideful. This is my ‘responsibility.’ For me, devotedly serving the living people in this world is my ‘responsibility.’ That's because even if I were to choose to die, I cannot be forgiven as well.”

“You bastard, you think that by devotedly serving the world, your sins would disappear? You're saying that by serving this world, me, my family, and my friends' sorrow would clear up!?”
[[Image:ZnT10-163.jpg|thumb]]
“It would not be able to. There is no way it would clear up. My sins will not disappear. They will never disappear. Sins are like that. Because of that, I offer my life to you. Although it is prideful for me to choose my death...the only one who can decide my death is here. It's my lady. As the sole survivor of the village, my lady holds the right to kill me as a consolation for the others.”

Agnes closed her eyes.

After that, ''krrk'' She opened her eyes, and approached Colbert in long strides. With his eyes open, Colbert kept staring ahead.

Agnes raised her sword overhead, but Colbert still did not close his eyes.

The sword flashed.

However......blood did not splatter upwards. The thing Agnes cut apart, was the priest's clothing Colbert was wearing. The back of his neck was slashed at, and the nape of his neck could be seen.

The scar of a burn wound could be seen on it.

Agnes' memories traced back 20 years ago.

In the blazing village......she was carried by someone on his shoulder.

It was a man who had an ugly scar of a burnt wound at his neck.

When she came to, she was at a beach, wrapped in blanket, sleeping.

That man had saved her. Was it on a whim? Or is it awareness of his sins? She still did not know that until now.

The only thing she knew was......the one who had burned down her village, and the one who had saved her, was the man in front of her now. ''“What an irony,”'' Agnes murmured.

She had grown accustomed to asking herself why she was saved.

But at this moment, whatever.

While sheathing her sword, Agnes told him in a low voice.

“It was 129 people. REMEMBER. You, serve humans ten times...no, a hundred times of that amount.”

With a sorrowful expression, Colbert shook his head.

“It was 131 people.”

“What!?”

“Two lives in a pregnant woman.”

Agnes looked up to the sky.

The two moons were covered by the clouds, and could not be seen. Deep darkness was the only thing enshrouding the sky.

“I will never forgive you. No matter how many times I would be reincarnated, I will abhor you. But......vengeance is a chain. A chain which would extend forever if it is not severed somewhere by someone. If I kill you, your students would probably hate me, and would never forgive me. Jan Colbert. That's why, be grateful to your students! Because I have cut the chains today, here.”

Agnes jerked Colbert's chin.

“Come! If I don't at least bring you back, I cannot account to Her Majesty.”

Colbert stood up, and gave Agnes a deep bow. At that state, both of them did not move for a while. The members of the Musketeer Corps were perfectly still as well.

After a while, Agnes started walking. Colbert walked out as well.

“You are not arresting me?”

“I don't think you would run away.”

Whilst walking, Agnes said in a stiff voice,

“I can understand what you said. ''That'' is what is called a good soldier. One who responds just like a puppet when orders come. Just now, I shot at the student whom I had taught swordsmanship. When I realized, I had already given the order to shoot. Whether it hits them or not is not the issue. I had attacked my student, my friends. Your words, I have really understood them.”

Tears welled up and overflowed from Agnes' eyes. The iron lady, commanding officer of the Musketeer Corps, let her tears flow in front of everyone.

“I can't forgive the me who understood what you said.”

The Musketeer Corps and Colbert walked towards the carriage prepared for their journey towards Tristania.

<noinclude>
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|}
</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter6

2009-07-20T21:43:58Z

82.171.230.84: /* Chapter 6: The Imprisoned Six */

===Chapter 6: The Imprisoned Six===

Saito noticed the sunlight which shone through the gap between the metal grills. Beside him, Louise's head was on his shoulder, and she was breathing gently. Guiche and Malicorne lied down side by side on the bed, snoring.

“It's morning, huh......”

In the end, because he was worrying too much, he did not manage to sleep at all.

''Funya funya'', with her mouth half-opened, Louise was muttering something.

“What...a...pity... Princess was lonely, after all. Funya......”

''What on earth is she dreaming about? Being trapped within these grills, now is not the time to oversleep. We have to leave to save Tabitha quickly......''

“Aren't you stupid? Being rejected by Princess, we can face our opponents......”

Saito nudged Louise.

“Funya......”

Louise, who was not fully awakened yet, probably could not differentiate between her dream and reality. She saw Saito and yelled angrily at him.

“Treating me as a spare tire for Princess! You're cruel! Or, whoever you want is fine! That's right! Who is the best, s-ss-say it!!”

“......What're you talking about?”

Astonished, Saito said that, and she realized that this place was not the dream world, but the real world.

Her face crimsoned, and started striking at Saito repeatedly.

“It's only something I dreamed! A dream!”

“Don't hit me!”

“Although it's a dream, it is still you! So be responsible for it!”

Continuing in her state of embarrassment, Louise turned away. Because he couldn't, Saito let out a huge sigh.

“You......you still have the mood to dream, huh...”

“What?”

“Surely, if you had persuaded Princess cleverly, we would have been heading towards Gallia to save Tabitha by now......”

“So you mean to say that I am bad?”

“You are the one who said we have to come here to report to Princess, ''weren't you''?”

“Ain't it obvious?”

“We are saving someone! If we didn't come here to report, and instead hasten there straight away, such a thing would not have happened!”

Upon which, Louise gazed at Saito with a solemn look.

“Saito. That is wrong. Because precisely we are saving someone, we must go through the proper way.”

“Why!?”

“Say if we had lost. What would we do then? Gallia would think that we are Tristain's spy, right? Because I am the Princess' court lady, and you're an Assistant Commanding Officer of the Imperial Guards. It would be terrible if that were to happen. Gallia would go against Tristain, and object strongly, right? It would probably become the excuse for a war. That's probably their objective.”

“How could this be......”

“What did you want to say? Although we don't know if that would be the case, but above not abandoning this probability, we must think that “there is” and act accordingly. How many times more cruel than this would the method employed by the kingdom of Gallia to capture us? We don't know what they would do. After that, we would probably bring trouble to Princess, even as far as Tristain. Because of that, it is possible that people who have nothing to do with us, to get hurt. Even I wanted to save Tabitha. But, I cannot bring problems to anyone. That action is exactly what someone who has lost their head would take.”

Embarrassed, Saito cast his eyes down.

“Sorry......But I still have to do it! Logically, I know what you said is true, but...because of that, what I can probably do, I naturally can't do it at this rate......Aaaah, damn it! I am really anxious!”

“Yeah huh......I thought Princess would probably understand, but......looks like I was too naïve.”

“We really can't get out of here?”

Absent-minded, Saito gazed at the metal grills.

“With your “Void,” is it possible?”

“Impossible. I don't know if 'Dispel' would work, but in the first place, I don't have my wand.”

“You can't use it, huh...”

“If you don't have your sword, you are just an ordinary human, right?”

“I can't use it...”

This time, he said so to himself. However, with a look as if he hadn't thrown away his wish yet,

“......Anyway, when we escape from here, I intend to go to Gallia, but don't worry. What you said about bringing trouble to Tristain - it won't happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yesterday, didn't I quit being the Assistant Commanding Officer? I'm just a normal person now.”

“You are really naïve, huh...”

Whilst sighing, Louise said.

“What do you mean!”

“You're thinking that the enemy would believe us? Stop being a knight alone is not enough! At least until you become a wanted person, then only you can be said to have cut all connections!”

“But can you actually stop being a noble? At least until be the same as me, your cheekiness......”

At that point, Saito noticed Louise's appearance for the first time. Because she was uneasy, he didn't know, but......

“Your mantle and your tie clip, what happened to them!”

“I have returned them to Her Majesty The Queen.”

“Returned...you......”

“Shaddap! With this, I'm just the normal Louise! Same as you, a commoner! Com-mon-er! Thank you very much! I have thrown away both my family name and my pride! So don't just showing off like that!”

Saito was very touched, more than he had ever been ever since meeting Louise.

''This pink-haired female magic user whose pride is supposed to be high; my master......She had been so obsessive over the “noble” title, and now she had thrown it away easily.''

''For a girl like Louise, that was probably something which needed a huge a mount of courage.''

''If she didn't have the determination to throw away the life she had built up until now, she could not have done such a thing. That's because, as far as Louise is concerned, her status as a noble was her everything.''

“Y-You......”

“What-a-waste! You like high-class woman very much riggghhhtt? Becoming the familiar of an ordinary girl, you're really disappointed right!”

“N-No way......I...I'm really touched......You would do something as far as that......”

“LIAR! Yesterday night, you stole glances at Princess, and your face turned red! I don't believe you! You like nobles and princesses right! Though you're a dog! That's so funny!”

As she was yelling that, Louise felt the anxiety Siesta talked about expand within her heart.

''What if the “like” he has towards me is but his feeling as a familiar?''

''What if Saito's real feeling is towards Henrietta......but are stopped by this “like” he has as a familiar?''

''Then Saito's shaking off Henrietta's request yesterday night can be understood.''

''The contract I have given him has probably distorted Saito's true feelings......''

''Anyway, Saito's feeling now is probably towards Henrietta. The thing which is stopping him, is the fake feeling I gave him......''

“I don't really fancy nobles or princesses!!”

Saito said disappointedly.

“I dunno such things!” 

To shake off the indescribable anxiety, Louise raised her voice.

“Why are you so mad? I have already said, haven't I? I like......”

“Don't say it!”

Covering her ears, Louise crouched down. As if his hand was hurt, Saito withdrew his hand.

“Okay, okay. I won't say it any more.”

If she doesn't want him to say such things, he couldn't do anything else. Louise became tearful.

Hearing someone clearing his throat, both of them looked forward.

In front of them, Guiche and Malicorne had woken up without them noticing; and weren't they staring motionlessly at the sensitive conversation between Louise and Saito?

Louise's ears became red.

They were seeing everything of the conversation right now.

“N-No! It's not what you think!”

“Err, I don't really mind, but Malicorne......”

Beside Guiche, Malicorne was trembling all over with anger.

“Heeey, Guiche......I'm already at my limittt......Such an envious love game in front of my eyes......?”

Malicorne leaped towards them, and at that instant, Louise pushed Saito forward. Both of them tumbled over and wrestled with each other.

“If it's gonna end like this, you win. Hug me.”

Having given up, Malicorne said that with a faraway look. Saito became sad.

“Hug me!”

“Aaah, haiz......now is not the time to be doing such things!”

The moment Saito let out a sigh and said that......

From outside the window, a flash of light and a loud noise could be heard.

“......Huh?”

Guiche and Louise leaped up and stretched their heads at the window. Outside, a surprising scenery was unfolding.

With the huge wings gleaming, the ''Ostland'' was flying at a low altitude, and was scattering something.

“Wh-Why is that thing......”

From the ''Ostland'', a voice which was magnified by the showy music and magic could be heard.

“To all ladies and gentlemen of Tristain. To all ladies and gentlemen of Tristain. This is the debut of the latest steam-run vessel of the Von Zerbst family of Tristain. Everyone walking at the streets, or those in the palace, please come to have a look.”

“Isn't that Montmorency's voice!?”

Sure enough, that was the voice of Montmorency, who was supposed to be waiting for the group's return on the ''Ostland''.

In the courtyard of the palace, be it the escorting knights, the soldiers, or the nobles who were walking at the streets, everyone was looking up to the sky.

A few dragon knights approached them, and flew around the ''Ostland''. ''Do it somewhere else! Get back!'' They were warning them. Yet, without the slightest indication that they were worried, the ''Ostland'' continued circling it.

The sentinels who were standing outside the prison in which Saito and the rest were locked up, were exchanging glances, worried by the spectacle outside.

“Those guys......what do they plan to do?”

“I wonder what they're thinking about...”

As she revealed her feelings, from outside the door, ''Donggg!'' The sound of the sentinels falling could be heard. Turning back, Saito and the others gulped.

“Kirche!”

Sure enough, the figures which could be seen from between the lattice of the narrow window, were the red-haired dazzling Kirche and......

“Teacher! Teacher Colbert!”

With his bald head gleaming, it was Colbert. Towards the imprisoned four who had rushed to the door, Kirche lifted a finger.

“Shh, quiet.”

Colbert took the bunch of keys from the waist of the defeated sentinels, and inserted that into the keyhole of the door.

Not being able to find the key which fitted, he couldn't make any progress.

At that moment, ''clack!'' With a sound, the door opened.

“Kirche, teacher!”

The four of them stepped out onto the corridor, and Colbert smiled.

“Exultation and explanation after this. Hurry!”

Because this tower was built to lock nobles up, there was a small room right beside to specially safeguard their personal belongings. Colbert moved as if he was very familiar with the layout of this tower, and located Saito's Derflinger and the others' respective wands inside the small room.

Kirche spread a robe over each of the four who were grasping their wands tightly. Putting that on and following Colbert and Kirche, the group ran down the staircase.

On their way down, every guard was already defeated.

“Did you both do this as well?”

“They're just asleep.”

Kirche replied as if she was having fun. ''How on earth did they manage to do that?'' As he was thinking how strange it was, with mage guards as their lead, some soldiers came up from below. It was a group of soldiers who noticed the anomaly in the tower.

“You bastards! What are you doing!?”

As soon as he said that, Colbert who was leading them, reacted. Within a short time, he recited a spell, and held his wand out. A torrent of wind blew away the guard who looked like the leader.

“Wh-!?”

Another guard almost rushed at Colbert's chest, but he delivered a blow into the guard's stomach with his wand. The group of guards who came up could not reach Colbert because of the previous two who was knocked down.

Whilst rushing head-on, Colbert recited another spell. From above the guards who tried to flee, a cloud-shaped green fog broke out. Because of the cloud of slumber, the guards dropped one by one like puppets whose strings were cut.

At Colbert's deftness, Saito and the others were shocked. ''Could it be that Colbert is so strong...?'' As for Louise and Guiche who would have surely thought Colbert as being someone insignificant, they merely stared at that flabbergasting turn of events.

Using his wand itself to hit the enemy, reciting spells so fast as if his lips could not be read, it wasn't the fighting skills of the usual nobles.

“The quality of the guards at the palace had dropped, huh......”

Murmuring that, Colbert broke off into a run again. When they exited into the courtyard, the people there were watching the flying ''Ostland'' in a daze.

Apparently, it was a rescue mission matching with the ''Ostland''.

The security check for the people entering and exiting the palace was loose. Colbert showed them his Academy of Magic identity card, and they easily passed the gate. The group rushed to the castle town.

“T-Teacher, you're awesome......”

Hardly able to calm down, Saito said. For some reasons, a melancholic expression was on his face.

Under Kirche's guidance, the group which sneaked out of the palace, headed towards the “Charming Fairies” Inn at which they had worked before. Surprisingly, horses and traveling equipment were already prepared there.

“You're going to save your friends right? I want to help<nowiki>~~~</nowiki>.”

Bending his body forwards, the owner of the “Charming Fairies” Inn, Scarron, smiled at them.

“The preparations are great......Who on earth informed you that we were caught?”

The moment Saito asked Kirche, from a corner of the bar, a somewhat embarrassed Reynal and the other members of the knight corps who he thought had gone back, came towards him.

“You guys. Didn't you all go back to the Academy?”

Lifting his glasses unconsciously, Reynal responded,

“We thought that you would be refused and would give up after that, and waited secretly for your return at the courtyard. And then, after seeing you all being arrested and taken away......”

“They told us who were waiting on the ship. Then, Jann and I devised a plan, and sought help from this Charming Fairies Inn.”

Triumphantly, Kirche said.

Saito was overjoyed. The knight corps did not just disperse just like that. Just like that, they were comrades who help them in times of need.

Saito bowed at Kirche and the rest.

“S-Sry...... Getting caught when we said we would go to rescue Tabitha...Guess that can't be helped, huh...”

Colbert tapped Saito's shoulder.

“As for the apologies, leave it until Miss Tabitha is rescued. There is no time to be relieved. Well then, the real thing is after this.”

Colbert then spread out a map on top of Derflinger. Everyone present became anxious, and looked at the map.

Colbert traced along one of the streets.

“We go to Gallia via a land route.”

“Can't we go using the ship?”

“Once your escape has been discovered, the first thing they would suspect is the ''Ostland'' which is sailing in the air now. Anyway, we have come here to Tristania using that ship. The pursuers would probably think that we have escaped on that ship. That's why we use it against them. The ''Ostland'' would attract enough attention, and then head towards the opposite direction, Germania. The people in the royal palace would then think we are trying to enter Gallia via Germania.”

“I see.”

Kirche explained the remaining reasoning.

“Besides that, if we cross the country frontier in such a huge ship, won't we be discovered by the Gallian army immediately? After landing at Gallia, what do we do after that? Waiting aboard in the skies on standby? If we are discovered by the Gallian dragon knights, we would just be sunken like that!”

“Anyway, I don't want to use the ship for dangerous things. After rescuing Miss Tabitha, we will use the ship to travel east. Right?”

With a teasing-like smile on his face, Colbert looked at Saito. ''Yes!'' Touched, Saito nodded.

“Because of that, we would cross the country border on horses, and head towards the old Orleans residence at the shore of Ragdorian Lake, which Miss Zerbst knew about. That is where Miss Tabitha's home is. Maybe there is some clue over there. Well then, for the time being, this is the plan. Everyone, any questions?”

“Can I ask one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Why do you help us so much? As a teacher, you should have your own stand right?”

''Why do you ask such a thing?'' Colbert showed a strange look.

“Miss Tabitha is my student. A teacher helping his student. Isn't that natural?”

When Tabitha woke up, she was in a dream country.

She was on a bed with a canopy, right at the center of a spacious room.

She was dressed in a luxurious pyjamas which she had never worn before, not even during her times as a princess.

Tabitha looked for her glasses, and then noticed a pair of glasses studded with precious stones on a small table beside the bed. It was lying there, on the table.

“............”

Putting that on, she checked her body. She could not feel anything strange at all. Looking around, just like the bed and the accessories, the furnitures around her were luxurious as well. It was the furniture of the previous Capet dynasty. The generation during which Gallia had thoroughly achieved the artistic, military, greatest splendor.

“Have you woken up?”

Tabitha turned towards where the voice came from, and there was the tall elf. Sitting on a couch near the entrance to the room, he was reading a book. Instantly, she looked around for her wand, but it could not be found anywhere. ''If this is the case, I have no way to fight against him.''

Tabitha got down from the bed slowly. ''This place is definitely not a dream country. Since the elf who had defeated me so easily is here, this is but the prolongation of the fact.''

“Who are you?”

“Member of the Old Council of Neftes......no, right now, I am but the Bidashal of Sahara.”

“Where is this place?”

“Alhambra Castle.”

The knowledgeable Tabitha knew the name of this castle. An old castle near the national border with Sahara, the elves' land. Its position was at the direct opposite of Ragdorian Lake. Looks like she was brought here whilst she was still unconscious.

“Where did you put my mother?”

Tabitha repeated the same question as the other day. The tall elf replied her instantly.

“She's in a room beside here.”

Tabitha rushed out. Although she had run up to the door, the elf did not stop her. The room in which Tabitha was sleeping at, was apparently a room designed to give shelter to nobles. Opposite the door, there was a small room for servants. Her mother was lying on a bed there.

“Mother.”

Whispering that, she rushed up to her. Her mother was snoring softly. Although Tabitha called out to her, she did not wake up. Evidently, she was deeply asleep.

At the mirror stand at the corner of the room, there was the doll Tabitha's mother thought to be her daughter. A doll she once bought for Tabitha. During that time, she named that doll “Tabitha”.

Mentally ill now, her mother called that doll “Charlotte”.

Since then, she called herself “Tabitha”. The doll which was like her other self, was lying casually on the mirror stand.

With great loathing, Tabitha glared at Bidashal who had peeked in from the door. In a crystal-clear voice, he said to Tabitha.

“You're creating a ruckus, please let her sleep.”

“What do you plan to do with us?”

As if he was looking at a desert rat he captured for experimental purposes, with eyes that contained little pity, Bidashal gazed at Tabitha.

“There are two answers to that.”

With Bidashal's words, Tabitha understood that her fate would be different from her mother's.

“What are you going to do with my mother?”

Firstly, Tabitha asked how her mother would be dealt with.

“Nothing at all. I was only ordered to 'guard' her.”

“What about me?”

After hesitating for a moment, Bidashal continued in the same tone some time ago.

“With the power of the Water Spirit, let you part with your heart. After that, I am ordered to 'guard' you.”

Tabitha understood instantly. This elf was saying that she would be made to be just like her mother.

“Now?”

“It is a special drug. Its preparation takes about ten days. You better enjoy the time left for you to the fullest.”

“You people made the drug which drove my mother crazy?”

Bidashal nodded.

“That drug which is so strong; we are not able to prepare it. Well then, although I pity you, I am also a captive-like being as well. I think this is the will of 'The Great Purpose' too, so give up.”

Tabitha stood up, and went towards a window in the room.

Under the radiant sun, the collapsed castle walls could be seen. Alhambra was supposed to be an abandoned castle, but when she looked at the furnished noble room, she thought that Joseph had probably renovated it.

Blocked by the castle walls, the courtyard until the outside of the castle could not be seen, but she was able to look down at the huge entrance protruding from the castle keep. Soldiers wielding lances and rifles were standing there. Although she did not know how many armed soldiers they were, since she did not have her wand, it was impossible to escape with her mother.

“My familiar?”

Realizing that Sylphid was not anywhere there, she asked.

“That rhyme dragon? It escaped.”

Apparently, he was able to see through Sylphid's true identity with just a look. It should have been a piece of cake for that tall elf.

''It escaped''. Tabitha was relieved that she was told that, but......Sylphid would surely inform those people at the Academy of Magic that Tabitha was captured.

Tabitha bit her lips.

Kirche and Saito's faces came to her mind.

She did not want them to think of things like trying their best to save them. Because she did not want to be a bother, she did not tell anyone about her departure at all.

''But......it should be okay not to worry about that.'' Anyhow, the one who had captured Tabitha was Gallia. Coming to save her would be the same as looking for a brawling with the whole country. ''Kirche or Saito would not think of taking such a risk. Especially Saito, isn't he a knight of the Imperial Guards now......?''

''But, if it's Saito, he probably won't mind taking such risks. Anyway, when it comes to that Saito, during that time when he fought the death match with me, without reconsidering his probable death, he had let me off.''

At her straying thoughts......Tabitha shook her head slightly.

''Thinking about things like coming and going in such a way, huh...''

''Perhaps, I want them to come to rescue me.''

''How could it be?''

''I have always been doing things alone.''

''Besides......it is useless, whoever it is. The time left for me is only a little. After that, I will lose my heart due to the elf's drug. The Ancient Magic of the elves; humans can't do anything about it.''

Although she was about to lose her heart, Tabitha was strangely calm.

''No matter how I struggle against this elf, I definitely cannot win. Even when I had my wand, I could not succeed, so being unarmed now......our difference is probably like that of an ant and an elephant.''

Having went through countless battles until now as a Knight of the Northern Parterre, Tabitha excelled in analyzing battle abilities. Her excellent sense as a warrior told her the foolishness of resisting. Tabitha's cold heart was enveloped in a sense of helplessness she had never felt before. That sense of helplessness ripped off even the last bit of emotion Tabitha had- anger.

Wearing this soft, resigned garment in her heart, Tabitha softly bit her lips.

''“Being controlled by the feeling of such strange things, she could go to the same place as her mother.”'' She felt this wee bit of relief.

Then, Bidashal told Tabitha.

“If you are bored, read a book. I have brought a few here.”

Bidashal pointed at the few books stacked in a tow which was apparently brought from the mansion of Orleans.

“This ''The Hero of Ivaldi'' book is really of great interest.”

Taking the book he was indulged in at the old mansion of Orleans, Bidashal murmured.

''The Hero of Ivaldi'' is the most popular epic tale in Halkeginia.

Receiving the divine protection of Founder Brimir, Ivaldi the Hero used ''swords'' and ''spears'' and defeated various enemies- dragons, demons, demihumans...Because the original script no longer existed, besides the plot and the characters, it had branched off into innumerable variations - folklores, traditions, poems, plays, puppet shows......

Because the main character isn't a noble mage, it is a popular work mainly among commoners.

“We elves have a legend which has a similar hero. Saint 'Anubis'. He is considered to have saved our land, Sahara during the 'great calamity'. According to this book, the hero Ivaldi's left hand could shine. Our 'Anubis' had a sacred left hand as well. Elves and humans are different, but this is a deeply interesting similarity.”

The tale “Hero of Ivaldi”, which was meant for the commoners, was not properly accepted in Halkeginia. Those who researched it were labeled “heretics” and “fools”, and it could not stand at the public stage of either theology or literature. There was even a period when it went through the painful experience of book burning. After all, this fairy-tale was said to have been made by the commoners who were then not pleased with the nobles' reign. It does not mean that all the “Hero of Ivaldi” stories which were conveyed had a left hand which could shine. There were some in which the hero is a female, and some, male. There were also times when he was the son of god, or when it was his wife instead. He was also said to be just an ordinary human. It was a group of vague stories.

Bidashal handed the “Hero of Ivaldi” book to Tabitha.

Obediently receiving the book, Tabitha sat down at the bed on which her mother was sleeping. Bidashal nodded, and left the room.

After sitting down by the bed and gazing at her mother's face......Tabitha recalled her childhood days. ''To lull the fretful me to sleep, my mother had read a book to me at the bedside, just like this.''

''During that time, the book which was read the most time, wasn't it the “Hero of Ivaldi”?''

Slowly, Tabitha started flipping the pages of the book.

Although this would never be her object of research, the “Hero of Ivaldi” was interesting. Because of that, it was popular and widely read. She would not choose a moral and straightforward story. When she was small, Tabitha had engrossed herself in reading it before as well. Her interest would shift to other things eventually......Although she did not open the book after that, the thing which had taught her the fun of reading was this “Hero of Ivaldi” book.

The sounds of pages of a book being flipped could be heard in the quiet room.

While she flipped the pages, Tabitha read it out.

Just like how her mother did it last time.

''Ivaldi was stopped by Choment and other villagers. That is because he said he would go to the dragon's cave to save the feudal lord's daughter who had been harassing the villagers.''

Casually looking at her mother, she noticed that her mother had awakened without her realizing it. And yet she did not wake up when she called out to her just now......Tabitha tried to go and get the doll which was on the mirror stand. If her mother did not have the doll, she would be very upset. However......she noticed that her mother's behavior was different from usual.

She was staring at Tabitha with an astonished face. Usually, she would start making a fuss about “Return my daughter to me!” Yet, showing no interest at the doll on the mirror stand, she stared fixedly at Tabitha.

''Maybe this passage from the “Hero of Ivaldi” made mother recall a little about the former days.'' Tabitha had given up, but now, within her heart, a small ray of hope shone through. Perhaps it would just be a hope that would be a disappointment. But still, that hope was just like a stick of candle in the dark, glowing gently.

Tabitha continued reading out.

''Choment asked Ivaldi,''

''“Oh, Ivaldi! Why are you heading towards the dragon's den? That girl had harassed you so much!”''

''Ivaldi answered,''

''“I don't know. Why? I don't know as well. Just that there's something inside me which kept pulling me there steadily.”''

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