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Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter4

2008-02-03T00:56:02Z

220.239.178.138: /* Chapter Four: Port City La Rochelle */ grammar

===Chapter Four: Port City La Rochelle===

Although dawn had just broken, Saito, Guiche and Louise had already started preparing the saddles for their horses. Slung on the back of Saito was Derflinger. Because of its length,
it could not be attached to the waist.

Louise was dressed in her academy uniform, the only difference is that she now wore horse riding boots instead of shoes. Judging from that, it looks like a great deal of time would be spent riding the horse.

"How far would Albion be from here? I'm still not used to riding a horse... Most probably my waist will ache from the riding..." She thought to herself.

Just before setting off, Guiche spoke rather awkwardly.

"I have a request..."

"What is it that you want?" Saito responded with hostility while putting his belongings onto the saddle. He still could not forgive Guiche for hurting him that badly during their fight some time back.

"I wish to bring my familiar along."

"Do you have a familiar in the first place?"

"Of course I have. All magicians have one."

Louise and Saito looked at each other, then looked at Guiche again.

"Where's your familiar now?"

"Here." Guiche replied while pointing to the ground.

"But there's nothing on the ground," Louise said.

Guiche responded by tapping his feet on the ground. Just then, a giant brown creature popped out of the ground.

"Verdandi! Oh, my cute Verdandi!"

Saito, dumbfounded, asked, "What in the world is that creature?"

"What you mean creature? This is my cute little familiar Verdandi."

"You mean that your familiar is that big thing over here?"

Upon closer inspection, that giant brown creature is actually a mole with a size equivalent to a small bear.

"Yes. Ahh... My Verdandi, you look so cute from any angle I look. Have you eaten your meal of earthworms before you arrived here?"

The gigantic mole hemmed happily in response.

"Really? That's wonderful!" Guiche said while rubbing cheek to cheek with his familiar.

"Actually... I don't think that you could bring it along with us..." Saito said in disgust.

“That's right Guiche. That creature moves underground right?”

“That's right. Even though it's slightly bigger that usual, Verdandi is still a mole all right.”

“How are we going to bring it along? We're all riding on horses.” Louise said in perturbed fashion.

“That's all right. Verdandi moves along quickly underground. Am I right, Verdandi?

The gigantic mole nodded in agreement.

“But we're going to Albion! We can't bring creatures that move underground!.” Louise explained.

Guiche, upon hearing that, knelt onto the ground and replied, “I cannot bear with the separation with my dear Verdandi... Oh! The Pain...”

At the same time, the giant mole seemed to pick up some scent from its nose and approached nearer and nearer to Louise.

“What is this stupid Mole trying to do!?”

“Like familiar, like Master. They both share the same interest – girls.” Saito said.

“Stop! Stop this right now!”

The giant mole knocked Louise off her feet and started sniffing all over her.

“Ah!!! Watch where you're sniffing! Stop it!”

Louise being constantly poked by the giant mole's nose, started to roll all over the ground. All that rolling disheveled her clothes and exposed her underwear. Louise was starting to get very annoyed...

Saito unconsciously started to be immersed in watching Verdandi and Louise just as if he was admiring a beautiful picture...

“Ah... How beautiful is the scene of a giant mole teasing a damsel.”

“I totally agree.”

Both Saito and Guiche nodded in unison.

“Stop blabbering nonsense over there, you oafs! Come over and help me quickly! Ahh!!!

The giant mole saw the ring at Louise's right hand and started pecking it with its nose.

“You insolent mole! Don't use your nose to sniff at the ring the highness has bestowed to me!.”

“I see now. It's the ring. Verdandi loves jewels.”

“Such an irritating pest!”

“Please don't call Verdandi an irritating pest. It's because of me that Verdandi searches for precious stones and jewels. For a Earth magician, there's nothing more helpful than this.”

Just as Louise was preparing to blow her top, a sudden gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew away Verdandi.

“Who is that!?” Guiche shouted agitatedly.

A rather stout looking noble wearing a feathered cap appeared out of the faint daylight behind him. Saito looked rather surprised.

“That...That person is...”

“What have you done to my Verdandi!?”

Guiche hastily took out his rose shaped wand but the noble wearing the feathered cap was faster. Before Guiche could cast any spell, his wand was already out of his hand.

“I'm not your enemy. I'm under the orders of the highness to accompany you on your journey. The princess is worried about just having you few going to Albion, but then again sending a whole troop of soldiers with you will be too conspicuous. Therefore, I was appointed to accompany you all on this journey.” The noble said while taking off his feather cap and bowing.

“I'm the captain of the [[Talk:Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume2_Chapter4#Griffin|Griffin Knights]], Viscount Wald.”

The grumbling Guiche quickly shut his mouth. For most of the nobles, Guiche included, being able to join the Griffin Knights meant great prestige.

Wald looked at Guiche and spoke apologetically. “Sorry for what I did to your familiar. I couldn't stand watching my fiance being harassed.”

“What!?”

Saito was shocked.

“Fiance?”

“This majestic looking noble is Louise's fiance???”

“Viscount...” Louise spoke in a trembling voice after standing up.

“It's been such a long time. My Louise, my dear Louise.”

“My Louise??? What kind of joke is that?” Saito thought to himself.

Wald approached Louise and with a beaming smile on his face, carried Louise up.

“It's really been such a long time.” Louise said with her face turning red with embarrassment.

“Still as light as ever. Just like a feather.”

“Viscount... please don't be like this... There are people over here...”

Wald, who placed Louise back down and wore back his hat said, “Care to introduce your companions to me?”

“Erm... That is Guiche de Gramont and my familiar, Saito.” said Louise while pointing at them while she was introducing them to Wald. Guiche who did not dare at Wald directly, lowered his head. Saito followed suit but a bit unwillingly though.

Wald said with a rather surprised look on his face, “Are you Louise's familiar? This is the first time I've seen a human being a familiar.”

“Thank you for taking such good care of my fiance.”

"You're welcome."

Saito took the opportunity to size up Wald. Wald was indeed handsome. Even though Guiche could also be considered a [[Talk:Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume2_Chapter4#Bishonen|bishonen]] himself, he is always making a fool out of himself and making irrational decisions. He could even rub his own cheek with a giant mole.

However for Wald, not only he has the looks. His eyes are like that of an eagle – Keen and Sharp. The mustache which he has further enhances his suaveness.

In addition he has a muscular and well built body. Saito had originally thought that all male magicians would have a body like Guiche, but he was proven wrong. Even in hand to hand combat with Wald with the use of magic, Saito could be subdued in seconds.

Thinking about all that, Saito gave a deep and long sigh. Wald seeing that, approached Saito and gave a pat on his shoulders.

“What's wrong? Are you having doubts about this trip? There's nothing to be afraid of! Aren't you the one who caught Fouquet of the crumbling earth? With your courage alone, nothing is impossible.”

Wald who had finished said that, gave a broad smile. With that, Saito felt a tinge of remorsefulness.

"Is he really that good of a person? I don't that I can compare with him in any aspect. That's right. I think Louise would be married to him soon... Just thinking of that has made me alone and empty..."

Louise, not able to calm down due to Wald's appearance, was feeling restless with anxiety. Saito had to turn his head away, he did not want to see Louise that way.

Wald gave a whistle, and a griffin appeared out from the morning clouds. It was mythical beast with the head of a eagle and a body of a lion. And on its back was wings that were made up of beautiful white feathers.

Wald had climbed to the back of the griffin with grace, and then extended a hand to Louise.

“Come over, my Louise.”

Louise lowered her head in hesitation and bashfulness , just like a girl who is in love. This made Saito even more jealous.

What does he think he's doing? “Come over, my Louise?” Your Louise!? Your Louise!? What an obnoxious freak!

Saito being a male, had to keep those thoughts to himself and went up the horse in silence in the end.

Louise, whom was still hesitating, was suddenly carried up the griffin by Wald.

Wald with one hand on the reins and another with is wand shouted, “Well everybody, onwards!”

The griffin moved forward. Following behind it were Guiche, looking full of admiration for Wald; and Saito, feeling very down and dejected.

Saito thought to himself while staring at the blank sky.

"How far would it be to Albion?"

From the headmaster's office window, Henrietta was watching Saito and group departing for Albion. Closing her eyes, she starting praying...

“Founder Brimir, please grant them protection throughout their journey...”

Next to her was Headmaster Osman trimming his nasal hair.

“You aren't going to see them off, headmaster Osman?”

“No, as you can see, I'm busy trimming my nasal hair, your highness.”

Henrietta shook her head in disapproval.

Just then, someone knocked at the door.

“Enter,” said the headmaster.

Mr. Colbert entered room with an anxious look on his face.

“Bad news! Headmaster!”

“You say that quite often. What seems to be the problem now?”

“From the news that I've heard from the castle guards, Fouquet has escaped!”

“Hmm...” said Osman while stroking his beard.

“According to the guard who was on duty that time, some noble knocked him out using wind magic. The person used the opportunity that most of the manpower was diverted to protect the princess to help Fouquet escape! This means that someone inside is a spy! Isn't that bad news?”

Henrietta's face turned pale upon hearing the news.

Headmaster Osman made a gesture to Mr. Colbert asking him to leave.

“Okay. Okay. We'll hear further details from you later.”

After Mr. Colbert left, Henrietta placed her hands on the table and sighed deeply.

“We have a spy in our midst. This must be the doings of the Albion nobility!”

“Maybe it is... OUCH!” said the headmaster while trimming his nasal hair. Henrietta looked at him helplessly.

“How can you still be so relaxed? The future of Tristan is at stake!”

“The opponent has already made his move. All we can do now is to wait, isn't it?”

“Even so...”

“It's all right. If it's him, he'll be able to cope with any problems they'll face during their journey.”

“The person you're speaking of is Guiche? Or Viscount Wald?”

The headmaster shook his head.

“Don't tell me that person is Louise's familiar. How could that be possible! Isn't he just a commoner?”

“Your highness, have you heard of the story of Founder Brimir before?”

“I have read most of the story...”

The headmaster smiled and replied, “Then, do you know about Gandalfr?”

“Isn't that Founder Brimir's strongest familiar? Don't tell me...”

At this point of time, Headmaster Osman felt that he had already divulged too much. Regarding the secret of “Gandalfr” he always wanted to keep that to himself. Although he trusted Henrietta, he did not want the Royal family to know about Gandalfr yet.

“Yes, He's as strong and capable as Gandalfr and furthermore, he comes from another world different from ours.”

“Another world?”

“That's right. He comes from a world different from Halkeginia. Or I should say, from a place not on Halkeginia. I have always believed that this youth from another world will succeed. That's also the reason that I'm so carefree even during these perilous times.”

“Another world different from Halkeginia really does exists...”

Henrietta gazed far away. The sensation of the youth's lip still lingered on Henrietta's lips. Touching her lips with her fingertips, she closing her eyes, she smiled and said.

“Let me pray then, for the breeze that comes from another world.”

It would take two days to reach Port City La Rochelle by horse from Tristan. The port city, is situated on a deep and narrow gorge. Because of this, it has a small population of three hundred. As La Rochelle is the gateway to Albion, the number of travelers is ten times more than the local population.

Boulders could be seen on both sides of the narrow mountain pathway. People had carved holes in the boulders, turning them into taverns and shops. Although the buildings look ordinary, however, upon closer inspection, one can realize that all the buildings are carved out of a single rock, a feat done by Square ranked earth mages.

On the narrow street, it appears to be dark even though it was afternoon due to the gorges blocking the sunlight. If one makes a turn on the street, they can see an even narrower street leading to a bar.

On the signboard resembling a keg of wine, the shop's name is written – “Golden Wine Barrel Bar”. However, nothing in the shop resembles its name; the shop is just as dilapidated like an abandoned house. Piles of ruined chairs could be seen piling next to the door.

Most of the patrons are gangsters and mercenaries. When drunk, they often fight over the smallest of things like staring incidents or minor squabbles.

Whenever they fight, they fight with their weapons. Therefore, it is common to see people dead or seriously injured in side the bar. The shopkeeper, not wanting to see any more injuries and deaths, put up a notice inside the shop.

“Please use the chairs when you fight in here.”

From the notice, the customers could feel the shopkeeper's helplessness. So they started to use the chairs instead of their weapons when they are fighting each other. Even though there are still casualties, no one was killed anymore. From then on, chairs that were destroyed during fights got piled next to the door.

Today, “Golden Wine Barrel Bar” is filled with patrons as usual. Almost all the patrons are mercenaries returning from Albion which was in an internal strife.

“The king of Albion is finished!”

“Don't that means that they're going to start a republic soon?”

“If so, let us offer a toast to the republic!”

The people offering toasts to themselves were formerly mercenaries hired by the royalist to fight along side with them. However, faced with the imminent defeat of their clients, they all decided to retreat back here. This is not considered to be a dishonorable act. As mercenaries, they value their lives more than their beliefs, and so they are not obliged to fight to their death for their clients.

As they were drinking, the bar's door opened. A rather tall lady had entered the bar. The hood the lady had worn covered most of her face except the lower part of her face. However, from just the lower part of her face, one can already be sure about her beauty. As it was rare for such an attractive lady to come to such a place alone, all eyes on the bar were already on her.

The lady, unfazed by all the eyes staring at her, ordered some wine and food and sat on a table in a corner of the bar. After the food was served, she promptly paid up.

“That... That's a lot of money. Is it really all right?”

“That includes lodging. Do you have any empty rooms?”

An elegant voice replied. The shopkeeper nodded his head and left her table. Several of the male patrons looked at each other and approached her table.

“Excuse me miss, it's dangerous for you to be here alone.”

“That's right! There are lots of dangerous characters around. Don't worry though, we'll be here to protect you.”

With a vile smile on this face, one of them lifted up the lady's hood. Whistles and catcalls could be heard once the hood was removed. The lady was quite a beauty, with her beautiful eyes and elegant nose.

This beautiful lady is none other than Fouquet of the crumbling earth.

“She's really top notch! Look at her skin! It's as white as ivory!”

Another patron attempted to lift up her chin with his arm, but his hand was pushed away by Fouquet. Fouquet gave a faint smile. Another male patron immediately stood up, took out his dagger and placed it on Fouquet's face.

“Aren't chairs supposed to be used instead of weapons at this joint?”

“This is only to frighten you. Chairs can't intimidate anybody right? Don't act so innocent anymore, aren't you here to look for company? We'll keep you company then.”

Even with the dagger pointed on her face, Fouquet showed no fear. With a slight movement, she reached for a wand.

In a instant, she chanted her incantations. With that, the dagger that the man held turned into earth and settled onto the table.

“She's.. she's a noble!”

The men immediately back away from her. As Fouquet was not wearing a [[Talk:Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume2_Chapter4#Cloak|cloak]],none of them knew that she was a magician.

“Even though I'm a magician, I'm not a noble,” Fouquet said nonchalantly.

“Most of you are mercenaries right?”

The male patrons looked at each other. If she was not a noble, their lives would not be endangered. If they had done that to a noble, they would be killed without any qualms.

“Yes... And you are...?” a veteran of the group replied.

“It doesn't matter. In short, I'm here to hire all of you.”

“All of us?”

The mercenaries looked at Fouquet with a puzzled look on their face.

“What's with the expression? Is it really that weird for me to employ mercenaries?”

“No. That's not what I meant. You have gold, don't you?”

Fouquet placed a bag full of gold onto the table. After inspecting the contents of the bag, the veteran said, "Wow... Isn't this Ecu Gold?”

The bar's door opened again. This time, a man wearing a white mask had entered the bar. He was the same man who had helped Fouquet escape from prison.

“Well, aren't you early.”

Fouquet seeing that man, gave a low “Hmm” as a reply. The mercenaries, seeing that man peculiar dressing, were all quite surprised.
“They have started on their journey,” the masked man said.

“I have done what you had told me to and hired all these men.”

The man in the white mask gave a once over at the mercenaries that Fouquet had hired.

“All of you were formerly employed by the Albion royalist. Am I right?”

“That was until last month,” one of the mercenaries replied with glee.

“But the soon to be defeated royalist aren't our employers anymore.”

The mercenaries laughed in unison. The man in the white mask laughed as well.

“I'll fulfill all your monetary desires. However, I'm not like the soon to be defeated royalists, if anyone dares to run away from battle, I'll kill him myself.”

Since departing from the magical academy, Wald's griffin has been endlessly moving towards their destination. Even though the rest of the group have already changed their mount twice, Wald's griffin just like its master, appeared to be tireless.

“Hold on, isn't the pace too fast for us?” Louise, who was on Wald's griffin, asked. Over the duration of the journey, Louise spoke in a more informal manner to Wald then when they were reunited. But that was also party due to the Viscount's request.

“Guiche and Saito are already on the brink of exhaustion.”

Wald turned back and looked at Guiche and Saito. Just like Louise had said, both of them were holding their reins tightly in fear of falling off. From the looks of it, both of them would collapse from exhaustion before the horses would.

“But I had originally planned to journey to port city La Rochelle without stopping...”

“That would be difficult, it would take two days to reach by horse.”

“If that's the case, why don't we just leave them behind?”

“We can't do this!”

“Why?”

“Aren't we in this together? Furthermore, a magician should not abandon her familiar...”

“You seem protective of them both. Which one is your sweetheart?”

Louise face immediately turned red and replied, “What... What sweetheart!?”

“That sets my heart at ease. If my fiance tells me that she already has a sweetheart, I would die of a broken heart,” replied Wald with a smile.

“But that was only something that our parents had agreed on.”

“Then, do you dislike me, my small and dainty Louise?”

“Please, I'm not young anymore,” Louise replied, pouting.

“But in my eyes, you're forever that small and dainty Louise.”

Louise remembered that dream that she'd had a few days back, where she was back in the courtyard of her home, La Vallière.

The secret boat on the forgotten lake...

Whenever she was throwing a tantrum there, Wald would always be there to pacify her.

The marriage that was decided by her parents.

The betrothal that was decided since youth. The one that she would be married to. Her fiance.

At that time, she still did not fully understand what was going on. She only knew that, so long as she was with the man she had admired, she would be happy.

But now, she finally understood everything. She would be married to Wald.

“I don't dislike you,” Louise replied with a tinge of embarrassment.

“That's wonderful, in other words, you like me?”

Wald gently hugged Louise's shoulders.

“I have never forgotten about you even after all this time. Do you still remember? After my father's death during the lancer campaign?”

Louise nodded her head.

Wald began to reminisce and narrated to Louise about the past.

“My mother had passed away earlier, I inherited my father's estate and title. Wanting to make a name for myself, I went to the capital. Fortunately, the highness had a deep impression of my father who had perished in the battlefield, I was incorporated into the Griffin knights. I had entered the Griffin knight as a trainee, training was tough then.

“From then on, you seldom went back to your estate again,” replied Louise while closing her eyes. She too seemed to be immersed in her memories.

“My house and estate was taken cared by butler Galgann, while I put all my effort serving the nation. After so long, I finally made a name for myself, accomplishing what I had decided upon leaving my homeland.”

“What was that you have decided upon?”

“To ask your hand for marriage once I have made a name for myself.”

“You're kidding right, Viscount? You're so popular among the girls, you have no need to honor your promise to such an insignificant me.”

About Wald's betrothal. Louise had cleanly forgotten it until she had that dream a few days back. The bridal pact to Wald was all but a fleeting dream. In her opinion, it was only a agreement made on a whim.

After Wald had left his estate ten years ago, Louise had never seen him again. Wald had already became part of her distant memory. Distant memories had suddenly became reality.

“This journey is a good chance for us to regain those feeling we had when you were young,” Wald said with a gentle and calm tone.

Louise thought to herself, do I really love Wald?

Even though she did not dislike him and she did admire him when she was young, but that was all in the past.

Suddenly faced with a fiance and probably marriage, she did not know what to do. Furthermore, they have been apart for so many years, she did not really know weather if she still has any feelings for him.

Louise turned her head and looked behind.

She saw Saito prostrating on the horse, it looks like he has nearly reached his limit. Louise pouted her lips. Good for nothing! As soon as she thought of that, she became anxious and her heart pounded furiously.

“We have already been on the horse for nearly a whole day, doesn't he get tired? Are those griffin knights monsters?” Guiche, who was also lifelessly slouching on the horse, asked.

“Who knows?” Saito replied lethargically. He felt embittered each time Wald touched Louise. He touched her again.. This time hugging her by the shoulder... What is that guy up to... Even though you're Louise's fiance, even though I have no right to stop you, you should have at least done it somewhere else where I could not see...

Each time Saito thought of that, he became more tired and his heart became heavier.

Guiche looking at Saito in such a state, began teasing him. “Heh heh... Don't tell me you're jealous?” Guiche said with a snicker.

“Ah! What are you implying?”

“I guessed it correctly, didn't I?” Guiche laughed even harder.

“Shut your mouth, mole boy!”

“Mwahaha... You actually carried a love for you master that would never flower? To tell you honestly, love between people of different status will only result in tragedy.”

“Stop talking nonsense! How could I ever like such a person like her? I admit that she's cute. However, she has an extremely bad character.”

Guiche suddenly looked to the front and exclaimed, “Look! They're kissing!”

Saito shocked, immediately turned to the front. However, Wald and Louise did not kiss.

He then looked again at Guiche. Guiche was barely controlling his laughter.

“Arggh!” Saito shouted and pounced on Guiche. Both of the fell off their horses and began fighting each other on the ground.

“Hey! If you guys continue fighting, I'll have to leave you both behind!” Wald shouted.

Guiche quickly got back on the horse. Meanwhile, Saito realizing that Louise was looking at himself, turned his head away.

As they had been traveling at full speed and exchanged their tired horses for fresh ones several times, they reached the outskirts of La Rochelle by nightfall.

Saito looked around in astonishment. Aren't we approaching a port? Why do I still see mountains everywhere? Maybe once we cross this mountain we should be able to see the ocean.

Traveling under the moonlight, Saito and the group finally saw a narrow mountain pathway. Buildings which were carved from boulders could be seen on both sides of the pathway.

“Why is a port built on top of a mountain?”

Hearing Saito asking, Guiche replied sarcastically “Don't tell me that you don't even know where Albion is?”

Although Saito and Guiche are nearly reaching their physical limits, the thought of 'Once we reach town we can finally rest' gave them the strength to engage in small talk.

“Yeah, I don't know.”

“Really?” Guiche replied with laughter. But Saito did not laugh.
“I have no common knowledge of this world and please don't assume that I do.”

Suddenly from top of the cliff, torches there thrown at the their horses. The burning torches illuminated the ravine that they were about to cross.

“What's... What's happening !?” Guiche cried.

The burning torches had frightened the horses and thew Saito and Guiche off its backs.

As they fell, a hail of arrows showered upon them.

“It's an ambush!” Guiche shouted.

Saito began to panic, just as he wanted to unsheathe Deriflinger which was slung behind his back, two more arrows flew towards him.

“Whoa!”

Just as they thought they about to meet their doom, a strong gust of wind blew towards them, changing into a small hurricane.

That same hurricane caught all the arrows and sent it away.

Wald raised his wand.

“Are you guys all right?” Wald shouted.

“I'm all right...” replied Saito.

Damn it! Louise's fiance just saved my life. That sense of dismal kept expanding, causing Saito to feel inferior. He unsheathed Deriflinger. The runes of his left hand started glowing again, reliving him of the exhaustion that he had been suffering.
[[Image:Znt_B2_C4_01.jpg|thumb|''"He unsheathed Deriflinger. The runes of his left hand started glowing again, reliving him of the exhaustion that he had been suffering."'']]

“I'm so lonely, partner. It's too much of you to keep putting me inside the scabbard.”

Saito looked at the top of the cliff, but no arrows could be seen.

“It was most probably thieves or bandits.” Wald said.

Louise whom suddenly realizing something exclaimed, “Could it be the nobles from Albion?”

“Nobles would not use arrows.”

Just then, the sound of flapping wings could be heard. It was a sound that they were quite familiar with...

Screams could be heard from the cliffs.

Arrows could been seen shooting towards the night sky. However, all the arrows are parried away by wind magic.

After that a small hurricane created by magic blew away all the archers.

“Hmm... Aren't those wind incantations?” Wald mumbled to himself.

The archers attempting to ambush them rolled down the cliffs after being blown away by the magical tornado. They landed hard onto the ground, giving out moans of pain.

With the moon as the background appeared a familiar sight. “It's Slyphid!” Louise shouted confoundedly.

It's was Tabitha's wind dragon. After it landed, a red-haired girl jumped down from the dragon and flicked her hair.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Louise too jumped down from Wald's griffin and replied, “What do you mean sorry to keep you waiting!? Why are you here in the first place?”

“Not to help you in any case. When I saw you leaving the academy on the horse in the morning, I quickly woke up Tabitha and followed you all the way here.”

Kirche pointed at Tabitha, from the looks of it she was woken up from her sleep; she was still wearing her pajamas. But she didn't seem to mind at all, and was still reading a book.

“Zerbst! Listen to me, we're on a secret mission given to us by her highness!”

“Secret mission? You should have said so earlier! How would I know if you did not tell me about it? Anyways, be thankful to me, for I have apprehended the people who wanted to ambush you!”

Kirche said while pointed to the people who were lying on the ground. Those ambushers were unable to move due to their injuries and hurled abuses towards Louise and the group. Guiche approached them and began interrogating them.

Louise crossing her arms, gave a vicious stare at Kirche.

“Don't be mistaken! I'm not here to assist you. Am I right?”

Kirche posed suggestively, and then leaned on Wald, who was on the griffin, and said, "Your beard makes you very manly. Do you know what passion looks like?”

Wald glanced at Kirche and proceed to push her away using his left hand.

“Huh?”

“Thank you for coming to our aid, but please do not get so close to me ever again.”

“But why? I just told you that I liked you!”

That was the first time that Kirche received such cold treatment from a male. Usually any male would be mesmerized after some sweet-talking from her. But Wald was not in the least interested. Kirche dazed at Wald with her mouth wide open.

“I'm sorry. But I cannot let my fiance misunderstand.” Wald said while looking at Louise, her face turned red from embarrassment in an instant.

“What? She's your fiance!?”

Wald nodded in response. Kirche took a closer look at Wald, she did not realize it before. Wald's eyes showed no emotion at all. Just like ice.

She then looked at Saito. He looked listless and was talking to his sword rather dejectedly.

Eh? Is he looking like that because I made advances on Louise's fiance? As she thought about that, Saito suddenly looked cuter. Looking at Saito, she ran towards him and hugged him immediately.

“Actually, I'm here because I'm worried for my beloved!”

Saito gave a bewildered look, but then quickly looked away.

“Liar.”

Is he jealous? Thinking of that, Kirche's passion in her heart burned brightly.

“Cute! So cute! Are you really jealous?”

“I'm not...”

“I'm so sorry for neglecting you. You must be angry, right?" Kirche said while pushing Saito's face into her breasts.

“Please forgive me! I may have looked at other men, but in the end, the only one that I love is you!”

Louise bit her lips, wanting to tell Kirche off. She could not tolerate the Kirche for seducing her familiar.

Just then, Wald gently placed his hands on Louise's shoulder. Wald looked at Louise lovingly and gave her a smile.

“Viscount...”

Guiche who was interrogating those ambushers had just returned.

“Viscount, those ambushers admitted that they were robbers.”

“Hmm.. If they're just robbers, let them go.”

Wald effortlessly mounted back to the top of his griffin, carrying Louise up with him. He then announced to everyone, “We'll spend the night at La Rochelle, tomorrow we will take the first ship to Albion at the break of dawn.”

Kirche sat behind Saito, sharing the same horse with him. Guiche also mounted back to his horse. As for Tabitha, she was still reading her book on her wind dragon.

To front of them, sandwiched between two cliffs, was the port city La Rochelle, dazzling with lights.

----

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| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume2_Chapter3|Back to Chapter 3]]
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| [[Zero_no_Tsukaima:Volume2_Chapter5|Forward to Chapter 5]]
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</noinclude>

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter1

2007-11-01T12:31:25Z

220.239.178.138:

=== Chapter One - I'm a Familiar ===


"Who are you?" asked the girl intently examining Saito's face, with the clear blue sky behind her.
She seemed to be close to Saito's age. Underneath a black cloak, she wore a white blouse and a gray pleated skirt. She knelt down and looked at his face with shock.

''Her face is... Cute.'' Reddish-brown eyes danced upon the stage of her flawless, white skin and strawberry blonde hair.
''She looks kind of like a foreigner.'' In fact, the girl ''must'' have been a foreigner. A cute, doll-like, foreigner. ''Maybe she’s half-Japanese?''

''But still, that's some kind of school uniform she's wearing, isn’t it? I don't recognize it.''

During this time, Saito had been lying on the ground, face up, though he was unsure of how he had gotten there. He raised his head to take a look around.
Many people in black cloaks were looking upon him with curiosity.
There, in the distance, on an endlessly rich grassy plain, he saw a huge castle with stone walls, just like the ones in those European tour photographs.

''It's just like a fantasy.''


''My head hurts,'' Giving his head a shake, he said, "Who am I...? I'm Hiraga Saito."

"Where are you from, Commoner?"

''Commoner? What does she mean by that?'' Everyone around him had some sort of stick in their hand and wore the same uniform as that girl's.
''Did I wander into an American school or something?''

"Louise, what are you trying to do, calling a commoner with your 'Summon Servant'?"
someone asked, and everyone but the girl who was looking at his face started to laugh.

"I... I just made a little mistake!"

A girl in front of Saito shouted in a refined voice that carried like a bell.
"What mistake are you talking about? That's your usual."

"Of course! After all, she's Louise the Zero!" someone else said, and the crowd of people burst into laughter.

It appeared the girl looking into Saito's face was named Louise.

''Either way, this is no American school. You won't see those kinds of buildings just anywhere.''

''Could it be a movie set? Are they filming something?'' But then Saito thought all of a sudden,
''But it's too big to be a movie set. Could this kind of scenery exist in Japan?''

''Maybe it's a new theme park? But then, why was I sleeping in such a place?''

"Mr. Colbert!"
the girl called Louise shouted. The crowd parted, revealing a middle-aged man.
Saito thought it was funny, because the man looked ridiculous.
He carried a big wooden staff and was covered in a black robe.

''What kind of a look is that? He's dressed like a wizard. Is he sane?''
''I've got it, this must be a cosplay gathering.''
''But it doesn't seem to have that kind of atmosphere.''
Suddenly, Saito was gripped with fear. ''What am I going to do if this is a religious group? It's possible.''
''They could have put me to sleep somehow and brought me here while I was taking a walk in town.''
''That mirror must have been a trap. If not, I have no other explanation for this.''
Saito thought to himself that he ought to stay quiet until he understood what was going on.

The girl named Louise was in a panic, talking on and on, saying things like "Let me try again," and "I beg of you," while frantically waving her arms about.
''I feel sorry for her, being stuck in this weird religious group, since she's so cute.''

"What is it, Miss Vallière?"

"Please! Let me try the summoning one more time!"


''Summoning?''
''What's that? They mentioned it earlier.''

Mr. Colbert, the man wearing the black robe, shook his head.
"I cannot allow that, Miss Vallière."

"Why not?"

"It is the rule. When you are promoted to a second year student, you must summon a familiar.
Which is what you just did."

''A familiar?''
''What's that?''

"Your elemental specialty is decided by the familiar that you
summon. This enables you to advance to the appropriate courses specialized to that element.

You cannot change the familiar once you have summoned it, because the Springtime Familiar Summoning is a sacred rite.
Whether you like it or not, you have no choice but to take him as your familiar."

"But... I've never heard of having a commoner as a familiar!"
Everyone around laughed as Louise said that. She scowled at them,
but the laughter didn't stop.

'''Springtime Familiar Summoning'?''
''What's that?''


''I don't understand. What are they talking about?''
''How did I end up in a place like this.... It has to be one of those [[#new_religions|New Religions]].''
''The safest thing to do is to take the first opportunity to run away.''
''I mean really, where is this place?''
''Was I taken to a foreign country?''
''A kidnapping! I've been kidnapped!''
''I'm in real trouble,'' thought Saito.

"This is a tradition, Miss Vallière. I cannot allow any exceptions; he ..."
The middle-aged wizard cosplayer pointed at Saito.
"...may be a commoner, but as long as he was summoned by you,
he must be your familiar. Never in history has a human been summoned as a familiar,
but the Springtime Familiar Summoning takes precedence over every rule.
Therefore, he must become your familiar."

"You have got to be joking..."
Louise drooped her shoulders in disappointment.

"Well then, continue with the ceremony."

"What? With him?"

"Yes, with him. Hurry. The next class will begin any minute.
How long do you think you are going to take for the summoning?
After mistake upon mistake, you have finally managed to summon him.
Hurry and form a contract."

Everyone voiced their agreement and began jeering.

Louise stared at Saito's face as if troubled.

''What is it? What's she going to do to me?''

"Hey,"
Louise addressed Saito.

"Yes?"

"You should be appreciative. Normally you'd go your whole life without something like this being carried out by a noble."

''Noble? How stupid. What nobles?''
''Aren't you just a bunch of twisted cosplaying new-religion freaks?''

Louise closed her eyes with an air of resignation.
She waved around the wooden stick in her hand.

"My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers,
bless this humble being and make him my familiar."
She began to chant these words over and over, like a magic spell.

She touched Saito's forehead with the stick.
Her lips then slowly drew closer.

''What... What are you doing?!''


"Just stay still."
Louise said, a touch of anger in her voice.
Her face got closer.

"Hey, wait. Well, I'm... Well, I'm not ready for this..."

His face shook a little as he panicked.

"Ah, geez! I told you to stay still!"
Louise roughly grabbed Saito's face with her left hand.

"Huh?"

"Mmm..."

Louise's lips touched Saito's.

''What?! What is this! This is what that contract means?!''
The touch of her soft lips confused Saito more.
''My first kiss! But it was stolen in this weird place by this weird girl whose motives I don't understand!''
Saito lay there, paralyzed.

Louise removed her lips.
"It is done."


<center>[[Image:ZNT-page-019.jpg|thumb|KISU!]]</center>



''Her face is red. Is she embarrassed by her boldness? What an idiot,'' Saito thought.

"I should be the embarrassed one, not you! You kissed me all of a sudden!"

But Louise was completely ignoring Saito.

''You kissed me and this is how you act? How rude.''
''Really, who are they?! I'm scared. I want to go home right this minute. I just want to go home and get online,'' Saito thought.
He had just registered with a dating site, so he wanted to check his e-mail.

"You failed on 'Summon Servant' many times, but you have managed to succeed with 'Contract Servant' in one try,"
Colbert said happily.

"She was able to make a servant contract, because he was just a commoner."

"If he was a powerful magical beast, she wouldn't have been able to make a contract,"
A few students laughed while making those comments.

Louise scowled at them.
"Don't make fun of me! Even I do things right once in a while!"

"Truly 'once in a while,' Louise the Zero,"
laughed a girl with gorgeous curly hair and freckles on her face.

"Mr. Colbert! Montmorency the Flood just insulted me!"


"Who are you calling 'the Flood?' I'm Montmorency the Perfume!"

"I heard that you used to wet the bed like a flood, didn't you? 'The Flood' suits you better!"

"How dare you, Louise the Zero! What can I say? You are a zero!"

"Watch it! Nobles ought to show each other the proper respect,"
the middle-aged wizard cosplayer interjected to stop them.

''What are they talking about? A contract? 'Contract Servant'? ''

At that instant, Saito's body started to get hot.

"Aaah!"
Saito stood up.
"It's hot!"

"It will be over soon; just wait. The 'Familiar's Runes' are being inscribed,"
Louise said, irritated.

"Don't inscribe them! What did you do to my body?!"

''There is nothing I can do, but I can't just lie around quietly. It is unbelievably hot!''

"By the way."

"What?"


"Do you think it's forgivable for a commoner to use that kind of language before nobles?"

The hot sensation lasted only for a second.
His body rapidly returned to a normal state.

"That was quick..."

The middle-aged cosplay wizard known as Colbert, came to the kneeling Saito
and checked the back of his left hand.
There, jumping out at him, were unfamiliar letters.

''Are those letters? It looks like a wriggling snake in some strange pattern.''
Saito stared at it and thought, ''if this isn't a trick, then what is it?''

"Hmmm..."

At this point, Saito really lost it.

"These are very unusual Runes,"
said the middle-aged wizard impersonator.

"Who are you people?!"
Saito yelled out, but no one reacted.

"Well, let's go back to class, everyone."

The middle-aged cosplay wizard turned on his heel, then rose gently into the air.
Saito's jaw dropped in shock.


''Did... Did he fly? Is he floating in the air?''
''It can't be!''
The others, who looked like students, also floated up in the air all at once.

''It can't be! More of them? One person could float in the air by some trick, but all of them?''
Saito looked for wires or even a crane, but the surrounding area was just a large grassy plain.
There was nothing to suggest any tricks or setups.

Everyone who was floating flew quietly towards the stone-walled castle in the distance.

"Louise, you'd better walk back!"
"She can't fly. She can't even manage levitation."
"That commoner, he's perfect as your familiar!"
the students said as they flew away.
The only ones left behind were Saito and the girl named Louise.

As soon as it was only the two of them, Louise took a deep breath,
turned toward Saito, and yelled,
"Who are you?!"

That made Saito mad. ''That's my line!'' he thought.

"Who are you? Where is this place?! Who were all those people?! Why can they fly?!

What did you do to my body?!"

"I don't know what backwoods you came from, but I will explain it to you."

"A country? This is the backwoods, isn't it? Tokyo is nothing like this!"

"Tokyo? What is that? What country is it in?"

"Japan."

"What? I've never heard of it."

"Oh please! But why are they flying?! You saw it too! They flew! They all did!"

But Louise took no notice of it at all, as if to say, "What's wrong with flying?"

"Of course they flew. What would we do if mages couldn't fly?"

Saito grabbed Louise's shoulders and yelled.
"Mages? What is this place?!"

"This is Tristain! And this is the renowned Tristain Academy of Magic!"

"Academy of Magic?"

"I'm a second year student, Louise de la Vallière. I am your master from now on. Remember that!"


All of Saito's strength disappeared.
He was getting a really bad feeling about the situation.
"Uh... Miss Louise..."

"What?"

"Did you really summon me here?"

"That's what I've been telling you, over and over again, until I'm hoarse. Just give up. I'm giving up too.
Why does my familiar have to be a creature that isn't cool at all...
I wanted to have something cool, like a dragon, or a griffin, or a manticore.
At least an eagle or an owl."

"A dragon or griffin? What do you mean?"

"I was just saying that I wish I had one of those as my familiar."

"Do they really exist?"

"They do. Why?"

"You've gotta be kidding me,"
Saito said, laughing. But Louise wasn't laughing.

"Well, you've probably never seen them before,"
Louise said, with pity in her voice.
She didn't look like she was joking.


The mages who flew away and the fantasy words suddenly connected.

He felt a chill run down his spine, and broke out in a cold sweat.
"I thought maybe... Since they flew, are you people really witches and wizards?"

"Yes, we are! If you understand that, let go of my shoulders!
You shouldn't even be talking to me!"

''A dream... This has to be a dream...''
Slowly, his strength left him, and Saito fell to his knees.

"Louise,"
he said with a weak voice.

"Don't call me directly by name."

"Hit me."

"What?"

"Hit me in the head as hard as you can."

"Why?"

"I want to wake up from this dream now. I'll wake up from this dream and get online.
Tonight's dinner is [[#hamburger|hamburger steak]]. My mom said so this morning."

"Get online?"


"No, it's nothing. After all, you're just a part of my dream, so you don't need to worry about it. Now just let me wake up from this dream already."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you want me to hit you, right?"
Louise clenched her hands into fists.

"Yes, please."

Her fists began to tremble.
Louise's expression became unreadable, but it seemed a lot of thoughts were going through her head.
"Aren't you concerned at all about being summoned?"

"How should I know?"

"How could I, the third daughter of the Vallière family... I, a noble who takes pride in her proper pedigree and ancient lineage, end up having to make someone like you my familiar?"

"How should I know?"

"...And just who decided that the contract had be sealed by a kiss?"

"How should I know? Look, will you just get it over and done with? I hate nightmares."

"Nightmare? That's my line!"
Louise clobbered Saito in the head with all her strength.
"That was my first kiss!"

Perhaps she was a bit too forceful... ''Mine too,'' thought Saito, as he lost consciousness.




<center>* * *</center>

Hiraga Saito. Seventeen years old and in the second year of high school.

Athletic ability: normal. Grades: average. Duration without a girlfriend: seventeen years. Overall, no positives or negatives.

Teacher's evaluation: "Ah, Hiraga-kun. He refuses to give up, and he has a strong sense of curiosity, but he's a little slow."

Parents' evaluation: "You should study more. You're a little slow."

Being slow, he was rarely bothered by accidents, and accepts pretty much anything, relative to most people. Earlier, when he saw people flying, he made a commotion, but given that an ordinary person would have been so shocked as to be brought to their knees, he owed much to his disposition.


To put it badly, he just doesn't think too deeply about things before acting.

Also, he has a fiercely competitive spirit. In that sense, he might have been quite similar to Louise in personality.

Anyway, a mere thirty minutes ago, Saito had been walking down a street in Tokyo, Japan—on Earth.

He was on his way home after having his notebook computer repaired. He was quite happy in fact, since he could go on the internet once more since he'd recently registered at an online dating site, and might even have found himself a girlfriend.


Though what he really wanted was something to spice up his otherwise monotonous daily life.
However, instead of discovering it on the internet, he found it in the middle of the street.

He'd been walking past the train station on his way home, when suddenly a shining mirror-like object appeared in front of him.
Saito stopped to take a good long look at it. Remember, his curiosity is about double that of a normal person.

It was a large ellipse, about two meters high and one meter wide, with no substantial thickness.
Then he noticed it was actually floating a little above the ground.

This piqued his interest. ''What kind of natural phenomenon is this,'' he wondered, as he scrutinized the sparkling mirror-like object.

''I have no idea. I've never seen or heard of any kind of phenomenon like this.'' He considered sidestepping around it, but his curiosity got the better of him.
He wanted to see if he could walk through it.

''No, maybe I shouldn't,'' he told himself. ''But it's just a couple of steps,'' he reasoned. What a hopeless personality.

But first, he picked up a pebble and threw it in experimentally.
The pebble disappeared into the middle of the mirror-like object.

''Oho,'' he thought. When he checked the other side of the mirror-like object, the pebble was nowhere to be seen.
Next he pulled his house key out of his pocket. He poked the mirror-like object with the tip of the key.


Nothing happened.

Withdrawing the key, he examined it, but nothing about it had changed. Saito judged that there wouldn't be any immediate danger if he walked through. Which only tempted him further to do it.

In the end, even though he knew he shouldn't, he stepped forward. It was much like opening up a manga just after deciding you were going to do nothing but study from now on.

He immediately regretted it, as an intense shock assailed his senses. He suddenly remembered back to when he was a child, when his mother had bought him a strange machine that supposedly made a person smarter by running an electric current through their body. It felt a lot like that. Saito fainted.

When he opened his eyes...

He was in a fantasy world.

<center>* * *</center>

"Is that true?"
asked Louise, looking at Saito with an expression of disbelief. In her hand, she held bread from tonight's dinner.

They were in Louise's room. It looked about [[#12_jou|12 tatami mats]] in size. If you treated the window as south, the bed was situated on the west side, the door to the north, and a big wardrobe stood to the east. All the furniture looked like valuable antiques.

Louise had brought Saito here, once he had regained consciousness.

Saito, trying to ignore the pain in his head which still hurt from the blow earlier, answered her,
"So what if it isn't?"

Saito had never felt the slightest bit resentful of his own curiosity until today.

''I never should've walked through that stupid thing...''

''This isn't Japan. It isn't even Earth.''

If there were a nation with wizards who flew through the sky, even only a few, he certainly hadn't learned about it in middle school geography.
And even if there were, what about those huge moons floating in the sky? They were easily twice the size of Earth's.
Their huge size was not the issue; it was entirely possible that in some countries there were nights like that.
However, that there were two of them was strange. Had the moon multiplied into two without Saito noticing?

No. That couldn't be. In other words, this was definitely not Earth.

It was dark now... Night had already fallen. ''I guess my family is worrying about me right now,'' he finished sadly.

From the window, he could see the grassy plains where he'd been lying. Across the plains, illuminated by moonlight, he could also see a tall mountain range. Over to his right was a vast expanse of dense forest. Saito let out a sigh.


''There just aren't any wide evergreen forests like this. It's totally different from what you'd see in Japan.''

The Academy grounds he had passed on his way looked very much like some Middle Ages castle. It had been a breathtaking spectacle that would've amazed him if he'd come here on a trip.

An entrance arch, and a sturdy staircase, both made of stone...
This was Tristain Magic Academy, Louise had explained.
All of the Academy students lived in dormitories on the school grounds.

''Magic Academy? Wonderful! Dormitories? Splendid! It's just like a movie!'' 

''But, this isn't Earth...!''

"I can't believe it."

"Look, neither can I."

"By another world, what do you mean?"

"There aren't any magicians. And there's only one moon."

"There's such a world like that?"

"I'm telling you, it's where I came from!"
Saito shouted.

"Don't yell at me, you commoner."

"Who are you calling a commoner?!"


"Well, you're not a mage, right? So you're a commoner."

"What's with all your talk of 'mages' and 'commoners?'"

"Hey, are you really from this world?"

"As I've been telling you all this time, I'm not."

At that, Louise set her elbows on the table with a troubled look.

On the tabletop was a lamp with an art deco style shade. Its flickering light filled the room with a pale glow. It seemed as if electricity wasn't used.

''Jeez, electricity isn't that complicated to set up, is it? I feel like I'm back in the old foreign settler's hut that our family went to ages ago.''

''Wait, 'setup...'''
''Oh, could it be... This is...''

"I've got it."

"What did you get?"
Louise asked, looking up.

"This is one of those candid camera programs. It's just a trick everyone is pulling on me, isn't it?"

"What's a 'candid camera'?"

"They stopped airing after someone got hurt, but you don't have any material so you're resorting back to the same kind of stuff, huh? So where's the camera?"


"What are you talking about?"

Saito sprung upon Louise.

"Kya--! What are you doing?!"

Knocking over a chair, he bore down on her.

"Where's the mike?! Is it here?"

Grabbing her roughly, he started to unbutton her blouse. However, a swift kick to the groin brought that to a halt... This left him on the floor in pain.

"Gaaaaaaaaaarrrgh..." 

"H-how dare you... To a noble such as me..."
Louise stood up, trembling furiously all over.

Through the intense agony, Saito thought, ''This is no dream.''
''Plus, this isn't Earth. It's an entirely different world.''

"Please..."

"What?!"

"Send me back home..."


"That's impossible."

"But why...?"

"Because, you've been bound by a contract as my familiar. It doesn't matter if you come from the countryside, or even a completely different world as you've said. Once the bond is established, it can't be undone."

"You gotta be kidding..."

"Look, I don't like this either! Why do I have to be stuck with a familiar like you?!"

"Well then, send me back."

"Are you saying you're really from another world?"
asked Louise, seemingly still perplexed.

"Yeah."
Saito nodded.

"Show me some proof."

Wincing at the pain where he'd just been kicked, Saito stood up, and opened his bag.

"What's that?"

"A notebook computer,"
replied Saito.


The surface of the recently repaired notebook gleamed with reflected light.

"I've certainly never seen anything like this. What kind of magic item is it?"

"It's not magic. It's science."

Saito pushed the power button, and the computer whirred to life.

"Uwah! What is that?!"

Louise gave a surprised yelp as the screen flickered on.

"The notebook screen."

"It's pretty... What element of magic does it use? Wind? Water?"

"Science."

Louise stared at Saito with a blank expression. Clearly she didn't get it.
"So, what kind of element is this 'science?' Is it different from the four elemental powers?"

"Argh, enough already! In any case, it's not magic!"
Saito waved his hands around wildly.

Louise sat on the edge of her bed and dangled her feet. Then shrugging, she said with a dispassionate look,
"Hmm. But that's the only thing I don't understand...."

"Why? Is there anything like this in this world too?"


Louise pouted.
"No, but..."

"Then just believe me! There's nothing to understand!"

Clutching her long hair, Louise just shook her head.
"All right! I'll believe you!"

"Really?"

Crossing her arms and cocking her head, Louise gave an irritated growl.
"Only because you would've gone on about it if I didn't say so."

"Well, it doesn't matter, as long as you've got it. Now, send me back."

"I told you, that's impossible."

"But why?!"

Louise's face was etched with discomfort as she answered Saito.
"That's because there's no spell that can connect this world to your world."

"Then how did I end up here?"

"I don't know how!"

Saito and Louise glared at each other.

"Listen, I'm being completely honest when I say there's no such spell. Nobody's even heard of another world."


"There obviously is one, if I'm here!"

"'Summon Servant' is used to call living beings from within Halkeginia. Normally, only animals or magical beasts are summoned. This is actually the first instance that I've seen a person summoned."


"Stop talking about it like you're not involved. In that case, cast that spell on me one more time."

"Why?"

"It might return me to my world."

Looking discernably perplexed, Louise tilted her head to one side.

"...That won't work. 'Summon Servant' is strictly a one-way spell. No incantation of any kind exists to return a summoned familiar back to where it was brought from."

"Whatever, just try it."

"It's impossible. And I can't even cast it now."

"What? Why?"

"...Using 'Summon Servant' again is..."

"Yeah?"

"...Completely ineffective unless the familiar you first summoned has died."

"Say what?"



Saito's body froze.

"Would you like to die?"

"Err... I'll pass."
He hung his head.
His eyes trailed down to the runes that had been inscribed on his left hand.

"Oh, that?"

"Yeah."

"That's like a stamp that says you're my familiar."

Louise stood up and crossed her arms.
If you looked closely, she was actually quite cute. Slender and well-proportioned legs, thin ankles. Not very tall, at around 155cm.
Her eyes were like a curious kitten's, and her eyebrows traced a subtle line over them.

If Saito had met her through the message boards of a dating site, he would've hopped and leaped for joy. But alas, this wasn't Earth. No matter how much he wanted to go back, he couldn't. Saito choked up at this thought, and his shoulders drooped.

"...Yeah, all right. In the meantime, I guess I'll be your familiar."

"Come again?"

"What, you got a problem with that?"


"I see you're still not used to formal speech. It should be, 'Is there something you wish to address, master?'"
corrected Louise, one finger raised as if lecturing. The gesture was cute, but the tone was quite strict.

"But um, what exactly does a familiar do?"
asked Saito. Of course, he had seen ravens and owls appear as familiars in anime involving magicians. But mostly, they would just sit on their master's shoulder and not do anything particularly relevant.

"Firstly, a familiar is able to grant its master an enhancement in vision and hearing."

"Like how?"

"That means what the familiar sees, the master can also see."

"Oh."

"But it seems that doesn't work with you. I can't see anything."

"Yeah, but it's not like that matters,"
Saito said off-handedly.

"And also, a familiar will retrieve items that its master desires. For instance, reagents."

"Reagents?"

"A catalyst you use when casting certain spells. Something like sulphur, or moss..."

"Uh-huh..."


"But you won't ever find me stuff like that, will you? Considering you don't even know what kind of reagents there are."

"Nope."

Louise frowned irritably, but continued talking.
"And this is most important of all... A familiar exists to protect its master! The task of protecting them from any and all enemies is a duty of the highest priority! But that might be a little bit problematic for you..."

"Since I'm human..."

"...A powerful magical beast would almost always defeat its enemies, but I don't think you could even beat a raven."

"Shut up."

"That's why I'm only making you do things I'm fairly sure you can do: laundry, cleaning, and other miscellaneous tasks."

"Don't insult me. I'll be sure to find a way to get back home!"

"Yes, yes. In fact, I'll be glad if you do. Because when you return to your world, I'll be able to summon a new familiar."

"Why you..."

"Right then, all this talking has made me sleepy,"
said Louise with a great yawn.

"Where do I sleep?"


Louise pointed to the floor.

"I'm not some dog or cat, you know."

"But there's nowhere else. And there's only one bed."
She threw him a blanket.

She then brought her hand up to the top button of her blouse.

One by one, the buttons came undone.

Soon she was down to her underwear. Saito blushed.
"Wh-wh-what are you doing?!"

Louise answered as if it was the most obvious thing.
"I'm going to sleep, so I'm getting changed."

"Do it somewhere else where I can't see you!"

"Why?"

"Because! It makes the situation awkward! Seriously!"

"It's not awkward at all."

"Is that because you're a mage? You're okay with doing that in plain sight of a guy?"

"A guy? Who? I don't need to think anything of being watched by my familiar."

''What the heck. That's exactly how you'd treat a dog or cat.'' Saito grabbed the blanket, threw it over his head, and turned away.


First of all, he decided to revoke any and all thoughts he'd previously had about her being cute. She just really got on his nerves. ''A girl like her, a mage? Yeah right.''

"Oh, and these. Wash them for me tomorrow."
Several items came flying over to land softly beside him.
He picked them up, wondering what they were.

A lacy camisole and matching panties. White, too. ''What exquisite and delicate pieces'', Saito thought as his face began to flush. He clenched the items tightly as a mix of indignation and delight welled up.

"Why do I have to-- Your underwear?! Wash them?! Frankly, I'm both flattered and offended!"

He bolted upright, without even realizing he'd done so. Louise was pulling a large nightgown over her head. And in the dim light thrown off by the lamp, he could see the outline of her figure. While he couldn't make out any other details, it didn't seem as though she was embarrassed. It was kind of disappointing. He felt as though his masculinity were being denied.

"Who do you think is going to support you? Who do you think is going to give you food? And just whose room are you in?"

"Uhh..."


"You're my familiar, right? Laundry, cleaning, other menial tasks - they're naturally your jobs."

Saito pulled the blanket over his head again.

''This girl is hopeless,'' he thought. ''She just doesn't see me as a guy at all.''

''I want to go home. I miss my room. I miss my parents.''

The feeling of homesickness was overwhelming.

''...When will I be able to go back?''

''Is there even a way to go back?''

''I wonder if my family is worried about me right now...''

''Anyway, I need to find some way of returning...''

''What should I do? Should I try running away from here? But then what?''

''Maybe I'll try asking someone. But from what Louise told me earlier, nobody even knows another world exists, so there's no way they'll believe me.''

''No, I need to think about this critically. In any case, struggling won't get me anywhere. I don't have any clues, and even if I escaped from here, there's no guarantee that I'll even find a way back.''

''I don't even have relatives in this world. There's nobody I can rely on, except for a conceited girl named Louise.''

''Guess there's no choice. For now, I'll be her familiar. At least she said she'll keep me fed.''

''It'll be tough, since I'm not much more than a familiar to her.''

''Sure, she's a bit arrogant, but at least she's fairly cute. I suppose I can just imagine I made a girlfriend. Someone I happened to meet through the dating site. Treat it as if I came overseas just to see her. Or I came as a foreign student. Actually, that's better. Yeah, that's what I'll think. Hah, I'm so simple like that. It's great.''

''Okay,'' thought Saito. ''It's not like I've been stranded on a deserted island. Moping will achieve nothing.''

''I'll live as a familiar, and in the process, I'll look for a way to return home.''

Now that his plan was set, he felt noticeably sleepy.

No matter the situation, Saito's amazing adaptability had always saved him. Where anyone else would've panicked and crumbled, Saito came through thanks to his fluid personality.

Louise snapped her fingers, and the glow of the lamp died out.

''The lamp is magical too? I guess that means there really is no need for electricity,'' Saito reasoned.

A shroud of darkness descended upon the room.

Outside the window, the two moons shone down mysteriously.

Mrs. Hiraga, your son Saito has arrived in a world where there are wizards. He will not be able to attend school for quite some time, nor will he be able to study. Please forgive him.

And so began Saito's life as a familiar.

----

=== Translator's Notes ===
;[[#back_to_new_religions|↑]] New Religions
:The term "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinshukyo New Religion]" refers to any religious group in Japan that has its roots after the Meiji Restoration of 1868. This includes the Nichiren Buddhist organization [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soka_Gakkai Soka Gakkai], as well as the infamous [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum_Shinrikyo Aum Shinrikyo]. The latter probably explains Saito's concern. 
;[[#back_to_hamburger|↑]] Hamburger
:From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger#Japan <blockquote>In Japan, hamburgers can be served in a bun, called hambāgā (ハンバーガー), or just the the patties served without a bun, known as hambāgu (ハンバーグ) or "hamburg," short for "hamburg steak."</blockquote> The type mentioned by Saito was the version without the bun. (ハンバーグ) 
;[[#back_to_12_jou|↑]] 12 Tatami mats
:Rooms in Japan are measured jō (畳), which is the number of tatami mats required to cover the floor. A tatami mat is 90 cm by 180 cm for an area of 1.62 m2 each. Twelve jō is slightly more than 19.5 m2 or almost 210 square feet.

----

=== Chapter Credits ===
'''Project Leaders''' 
Onizuka-GTO, Kawool, Se-chan

'''Translators''' 
Yuko, Cala-kun, SaiyaJedi

'''Typesetter''' 
Kawool

'''CG Artist''' 
Chopaface

'''Editors''' 
Onizuka-GTO, The_naming_game, Bicube, BlckKnght, Da~Mike, Meganeshounen,
Nandeyanen,
Andiyar, CrowKenobi, Rednal

'''Special Thanks''' 
Sushi-Y, Andere

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter1

2007-11-01T12:27:35Z

220.239.178.138:

=== Chapter One - I'm a Familiar ===


"Who are you?" asked the girl intently examining Saito's face, with the clear blue sky behind her.
She seemed to be close to Saito's age. Underneath a black cloak, she wore a white blouse and a gray pleated skirt. She knelt down and looked at his face with shock.

''Her face is... Cute.'' Reddish-brown eyes danced upon the stage of her flawless, white skin and strawberry blonde hair.
''She looks kind of like a foreigner.'' In fact, the girl ''must'' have been a foreigner. A cute, doll-like, foreigner. ''Maybe she’s half-Japanese?''

''But still, that's some kind of school uniform she's wearing, isn’t it? I don't recognize it.''

During this time, Saito had been lying on the ground, face up, though he was unsure of how he had gotten there. He raised his head to take a look around.
Many people in black cloaks were looking upon him with curiosity.
There, in the distance, on an endlessly rich grassy plain, he saw a huge castle with stone walls, just like the ones in those European tour photographs.

''It's just like a fantasy.''


''My head hurts,'' Giving his head a shake, he said, "Who am I...? I'm Hiraga Saito."

"Where are you from, Commoner?"

''Commoner? What does she mean by that?'' Everyone around him had some sort of stick in their hand and wore the same uniform as that girl's.
''Did I wander into an American school or something?''

"Louise, what are you trying to do, calling a commoner with your 'Summon Servant'?"
someone asked, and everyone but the girl who was looking at his face started to laugh.

"I... I just made a little mistake!"

A girl in front of Saito shouted in a refined voice that carried like a bell.
"What mistake are you talking about? That's your usual."

"Of course! After all, she's Louise the Zero!" someone else said, and the crowd of people burst into laughter.

It appeared the girl looking into Saito's face was named Louise.

''Either way, this is no American school. You won't see those kinds of buildings just anywhere.''

''Could it be a movie set? Are they filming something?'' But then Saito thought all of a sudden,
''But it's too big to be a movie set. Could this kind of scenery exist in Japan?''

''Maybe it's a new theme park? But then, why was I sleeping in such a place?''

"Mr. Colbert!"
the girl called Louise shouted. The crowd parted, revealing a middle-aged man.
Saito thought it was funny, because the man looked ridiculous.
He carried a big wooden staff and was covered in a black robe.

''What kind of a look is that? He's dressed like a wizard. Is he sane?''
''I've got it, this must be a cosplay gathering.''
''But it doesn't seem to have that kind of atmosphere.''
Suddenly, Saito was gripped with fear. ''What am I going to do if this is a religious group? It's possible.''
''They could have put me to sleep somehow and brought me here while I was taking a walk in town.''
''That mirror must have been a trap. If not, I have no other explanation for this.''
Saito thought to himself that he ought to stay quiet until he understood what was going on.

The girl named Louise was in a panic, talking on and on, saying things like "Let me try again," and "I beg of you," while frantically waving her arms about.
''I feel sorry for her, being stuck in this weird religious group, since she's so cute.''

"What is it, Miss Vallière?"

"Please! Let me try the summoning one more time!"


''Summoning?''
''What's that? They mentioned it earlier.''

Mr. Colbert, the man wearing the black robe, shook his head.
"I cannot allow that, Miss Vallière."

"Why not?"

"It is the rule. When you are promoted to a second year student, you must summon a familiar.
Which is what you just did."

''A familiar?''
''What's that?''

"Your elemental specialty is decided by the familiar that you
summon. This enables you to advance to the appropriate courses specialized to that element.

You cannot change the familiar once you have summoned it, because the Springtime Familiar Summoning is a sacred rite.
Whether you like it or not, you have no choice but to take him as your familiar."

"But... I've never heard of having a commoner as a familiar!"
Everyone around laughed as Louise said that. She scowled at them,
but the laughter didn't stop.

'''Springtime Familiar Summoning'?''
''What's that?''


''I don't understand. What are they talking about?''
''How did I end up in a place like this.... It has to be one of those [[#new_religions|New Religions]].''
''The safest thing to do is to take the first opportunity to run away.''
''I mean really, where is this place?''
''Was I taken to a foreign country?''
''A kidnapping! I've been kidnapped!''
''I'm in real trouble,'' thought Saito.

"This is a tradition, Miss Vallière. I cannot allow any exceptions; he ..."
The middle-aged wizard cosplayer pointed at Saito.
"...may be a commoner, but as long as he was summoned by you,
he must be your familiar. Never in history has a human been summoned as a familiar,
but the Springtime Familiar Summoning takes precedence over every rule.
Therefore, he must become your familiar."

"You have got to be joking..."
Louise drooped her shoulders in disappointment.

"Well then, continue with the ceremony."

"What? With him?"

"Yes, with him. Hurry. The next class will begin any minute.
How long do you think you are going to take for the summoning?
After mistake upon mistake, you have finally managed to summon him.
Hurry and form a contract."

Everyone voiced their agreement and began jeering.

Louise stared at Saito's face as if troubled.

''What is it? What's she going to do to me?''

"Hey,"
Louise addressed Saito.

"Yes?"

"You should be appreciative. Normally you'd go your whole life without something like this being carried out by a noble."

''Noble? How stupid. What nobles?''
''Aren't you just a bunch of twisted cosplaying new-religion freaks?''

Louise closed her eyes with an air of resignation.
She waved around the wooden stick in her hand.

"My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers,
bless this humble being and make him my familiar."
She began to chant these words over and over, like a magic spell.

She touched Saito's forehead with the stick.
Her lips then slowly drew closer.

''What... What are you doing?!''


"Just stay still."
Louise said, a touch of anger in her voice.
Her face got closer.

"Hey, wait. Well, I'm... Well, I'm not ready for this..."

His face shook a little as he panicked.

"Ah, geez! I told you to stay still!"
Louise roughly grabbed Saito's face with her left hand.

"Huh?"

"Mmm..."

Louise's lips touched Saito's.

''What?! What is this! This is what that contract means?!''
The touch of her soft lips confused Saito more.
''My first kiss! But it was stolen in this weird place by this weird girl whose motives I don't understand!''
Saito lay there, paralyzed.

Louise removed her lips.
"It is done."


<center>[[Image:ZNT-page-019.jpg|thumb|KISU!]]</center>



''Her face is red. Is she embarrassed by her boldness? What an idiot,'' Saito thought.

"I should be the embarrassed one, not you! You kissed me all of a sudden!"

But Louise was completely ignoring Saito.

''You kissed me and this is how you act? How rude.''
''Really, who are they?! I'm scared. I want to go home right this minute. I just want to go home and get online,'' Saito thought.
He had just registered with a dating site, so he wanted to check his e-mail.

"You failed on 'Summon Servant' many times, but you have managed to succeed with 'Contract Servant' in one try,"
Colbert said happily.

"She was able to make a servant contract, because he was just a commoner."

"If he was a powerful magical beast, she wouldn't have been able to make a contract,"
A few students laughed while making those comments.

Louise scowled at them.
"Don't make fun of me! Even I do things right once in a while!"

"Truly 'once in a while,' Louise the Zero,"
laughed a girl with gorgeous curly hair and freckles on her face.

"Mr. Colbert! Montmorency the Flood just insulted me!"


"Who are you calling 'the Flood?' I'm Montmorency the Perfume!"

"I heard that you used to wet the bed like a flood, didn't you? 'The Flood' suits you better!"

"How dare you, Louise the Zero! What can I say? You are a zero!"

"Watch it! Nobles ought to show each other the proper respect,"
the middle-aged wizard cosplayer interjected to stop them.

''What are they talking about? A contract? 'Contract Servant'? ''

At that instant, Saito's body started to get hot.

"Aaah!"
Saito stood up.
"It's hot!"

"It will be over soon; just wait. The 'Familiar's Runes' are being inscribed,"
Louise said, irritated.

"Don't inscribe them! What did you do to my body?!"

''There is nothing I can do, but I can't just lie around quietly. It is unbelievably hot!''

"By the way."

"What?"


"Do you think it's forgivable for a commoner to use that kind of language before nobles?"

The hot sensation lasted only for a second.
His body rapidly returned to a normal state.

"That was quick..."

The middle-aged cosplay wizard known as Colbert, came to the kneeling Saito
and checked the back of his left hand.
There, jumping out at him, were unfamiliar letters.

''Are those letters? It looks like a wriggling snake in some strange pattern.''
Saito stared at it and thought, ''if this isn't a trick, then what is it?''

"Hmmm..."

At this point, Saito really lost it.

"These are very unusual Runes,"
said the middle-aged wizard impersonator.

"Who are you people?!"
Saito yelled out, but no one reacted.

"Well, let's go back to class, everyone."

The middle-aged cosplay wizard turned on his heel, then rose gently into the air.
Saito's jaw dropped in shock.


''Did... Did he fly? Is he floating in the air?''
''It can't be!''
The others, who looked like students, also floated up in the air all at once.

''It can't be! More of them? One person could float in the air by some trick, but all of them?''
Saito looked for wires or even a crane, but the surrounding area was just a large grassy plain.
There was nothing to suggest any tricks or setups.

Everyone who was floating flew quietly towards the stone-walled castle in the distance.

"Louise, you'd better walk back!"
"She can't fly. She can't even manage levitation."
"That commoner, he's perfect as your familiar!"
the students said as they flew away.
The only ones left behind were Saito and the girl named Louise.

As soon as it was only the two of them, Louise took a deep breath,
turned toward Saito, and yelled,
"Who are you?!"

That made Saito mad. ''That's my line!'' he thought.

"Who are you? Where is this place?! Who were all those people?! Why can they fly?!

What did you do to my body?!"

"I don't know what backwoods you came from, but I will explain it to you."

"A country? This is the backwoods, isn't it? Tokyo is nothing like this!"

"Tokyo? What is that? What country is it in?"

"Japan."

"What? I've never heard of it."

"Oh please! But why are they flying?! You saw it too! They flew! They all did!"

But Louise took no notice of it at all, as if to say, "What's wrong with flying?"

"Of course they flew. What would we do if mages couldn't fly?"

Saito grabbed Louise's shoulders and yelled.
"Mages? What is this place?!"

"This is Tristain! And this is the renowned Tristain Academy of Magic!"

"Academy of Magic?"

"I'm a second year student, Louise de la Vallière. I am your master from now on. Remember that!"


All of Saito's strength disappeared.
He was getting a really bad feeling about the situation.
"Uh... Miss Louise..."

"What?"

"Did you really summon me here?"

"That's what I've been telling you, over and over again, until I'm hoarse. Just give up. I'm giving up too.
Why does my familiar have to be a creature that isn't cool at all...
I wanted to have something cool, like a dragon, or a griffin, or a manticore.
At least an eagle or an owl."

"A dragon or griffin? What do you mean?"

"I was just saying that I wish I had one of those as my familiar."

"Do they really exist?"

"They do. Why?"

"You've gotta be kidding me,"
Saito said, laughing. But Louise wasn't laughing.

"Well, you've probably never seen them before,"
Louise said, with pity in her voice.
She didn't look like she was joking.


The mages who flew away and the fantasy words suddenly connected.

He felt a chill run down his spine, and broke out in a cold sweat.
"I thought maybe... Since they flew, are you people really witches and wizards?"

"Yes, we are! If you understand that, let go of my shoulders!
You shouldn't even be talking to me!"

''A dream... This has to be a dream...''
Slowly, his strength left him, and Saito fell to his knees.

"Louise,"
he said with a weak voice.

"Don't call me directly by name."

"Hit me."

"What?"

"Hit me in the head as hard as you can."

"Why?"

"I want to wake up from this dream now. I'll wake up from this dream and get online.
Tonight's dinner is [[#hamburger|hamburger steak]]. My mom said so this morning."

"Get online?"


"No, it's nothing. After all, you're just a part of my dream, so you don't need to worry about it. Now just let me wake up from this dream already."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you want me to hit you, right?"
Louise clenched her hands into fists.

"Yes, please."

Her fists began to tremble.
Louise's expression became unreadable, but it seemed a lot of thoughts were going through her head.
"Aren't you concerned at all about being summoned?"

"How should I know?"

"How could I, the third daughter of the Vallière family... I, a noble who takes pride in her proper pedigree and ancient lineage, end up having to make someone like you my familiar?"

"How should I know?"

"...And just who decided that the contract had be sealed by a kiss?"

"How should I know? Look, will you just get it over and done with? I hate nightmares."

"Nightmare? That's my line!"
Louise clobbered Saito in the head with all her strength.
"That was my first kiss!"

Perhaps she was a bit too forceful... ''Mine too,'' thought Saito, as he lost consciousness.




<center>* * *</center>

Hiraga Saito. Seventeen years old and in the second year of high school.

Athletic ability: normal. Grades: average. Duration without a girlfriend: seventeen years. Overall, no positives or negatives.

Teacher's evaluation: "Ah, Hiraga-kun. He refuses to give up, and he has a strong sense of curiosity, but he's a little slow."

Parents' evaluation: "You should study more. You're a little slow."

Being slow, he was rarely bothered by accidents, and accepts pretty much anything, relative to most people. Earlier, when he saw people flying, made a commotion, but given that an ordinary person would have been so shocked as to be brought to their knees, he owed much to his disposition.


To put it badly, he just doesn't think too deeply about things before acting.

Also, he has a fiercely competitive spirit. In that sense, he might have been quite similar to Louise in personality.

Anyway, a mere thirty minutes ago, Saito had been walking down a street in Tokyo, Japan—on Earth.

He was on his way home after having his notebook computer repaired. He was quite happy in fact, since he could go on the internet once more since he'd recently registered at an online dating site, and might even have found himself a girlfriend.


Though what he really wanted was something to spice up his otherwise monotonous daily life.
However, instead of discovering it on the internet, he found it in the middle of the street.

He'd been walking past the train station on his way home, when suddenly a shining mirror-like object appeared in front of him.
Saito stopped to take a good long look at it. Remember, his curiosity is about double that of a normal person.

It was a large ellipse, about two meters high and one meter wide, with no substantial thickness.
Then he noticed it was actually floating a little above the ground.

This piqued his interest. ''What kind of natural phenomenon is this,'' he wondered, as he scrutinized the sparkling mirror-like object.

''I have no idea. I've never seen or heard of any kind of phenomenon like this.'' He considered sidestepping around it, but his curiosity got the better of him.
He wanted to see if he could walk through it.

''No, maybe I shouldn't,'' he told himself. ''But it's just a couple of steps,'' he reasoned. What a hopeless personality.

But first, he picked up a pebble and threw it in experimentally.
The pebble disappeared into the middle of the mirror-like object.

''Oho,'' he thought. When he checked the other side of the mirror-like object, the pebble was nowhere to be seen.
Next he pulled his house key out of his pocket. He poked the mirror-like object with the tip of the key.


Nothing happened.

Withdrawing the key, he examined it, but nothing about it had changed. Saito judged that there wouldn't be any immediate danger if he walked through. Which only tempted him further to do it.

In the end, even though he knew he shouldn't, he stepped forward. It was much like opening up a manga just after deciding you were going to do nothing but study from now on.

He immediately regretted it, as an intense shock assailed his senses. He suddenly remembered back to when he was a child, when his mother had bought him a strange machine that supposedly made a person smarter by running an electric current through their body. It felt a lot like that. Saito fainted.

When he opened his eyes...

He was in a fantasy world.

<center>* * *</center>

"Is that true?"
asked Louise, looking at Saito with an expression of disbelief. In her hand, she held bread from tonight's dinner.

They were in Louise's room. It looked about [[#12_jou|12 tatami mats]] in size. If you treated the window as south, the bed was situated on the west side, the door to the north, and a big wardrobe stood to the east. All the furniture looked like valuable antiques.

Louise had brought Saito here, once he had regained consciousness.

Saito, trying to ignore the pain in his head which still hurt from the blow earlier, answered her,
"So what if it isn't?"

Saito had never felt the slightest bit resentful of his own curiosity until today.

''I never should've walked through that stupid thing...''

''This isn't Japan. It isn't even Earth.''

If there were a nation with wizards who flew through the sky, even only a few, he certainly hadn't learned about it in middle school geography.
And even if there were, what about those huge moons floating in the sky? They were easily twice the size of Earth's.
Their huge size was not the issue; it was entirely possible that in some countries there were nights like that.
However, that there were two of them was strange. Had the moon multiplied into two without Saito noticing?

No. That couldn't be. In other words, this was definitely not Earth.

It was dark now... Night had already fallen. ''I guess my family is worrying about me right now,'' he finished sadly.

From the window, he could see the grassy plains where he'd been lying. Across the plains, illuminated by moonlight, he could also see a tall mountain range. Over to his right was a vast expanse of dense forest. Saito let out a sigh.


''There just aren't any wide evergreen forests like this. It's totally different from what you'd see in Japan.''

The Academy grounds he had passed on his way looked very much like some Middle Ages castle. It had been a breathtaking spectacle that would've amazed him if he'd come here on a trip.

An entrance arch, and a sturdy staircase, both made of stone...
This was Tristain Magic Academy, Louise had explained.
All of the Academy students lived in dormitories on the school grounds.

''Magic Academy? Wonderful! Dormitories? Splendid! It's just like a movie!'' 

''But, this isn't Earth...!''

"I can't believe it."

"Look, neither can I."

"By another world, what do you mean?"

"There aren't any magicians. And there's only one moon."

"There's such a world like that?"

"I'm telling you, it's where I came from!"
Saito shouted.

"Don't yell at me, you commoner."

"Who are you calling a commoner?!"


"Well, you're not a mage, right? So you're a commoner."

"What's with all your talk of 'mages' and 'commoners?'"

"Hey, are you really from this world?"

"As I've been telling you all this time, I'm not."

At that, Louise set her elbows on the table with a troubled look.

On the tabletop was a lamp with an art deco style shade. Its flickering light filled the room with a pale glow. It seemed as if electricity wasn't used.

''Jeez, electricity isn't that complicated to set up, is it? I feel like I'm back in the old foreign settler's hut that our family went to ages ago.''

''Wait, 'setup...'''
''Oh, could it be... This is...''

"I've got it."

"What did you get?"
Louise asked, looking up.

"This is one of those candid camera programs. It's just a trick everyone is pulling on me, isn't it?"

"What's a 'candid camera'?"

"They stopped airing after someone got hurt, but you don't have any material so you're resorting back to the same kind of stuff, huh? So where's the camera?"


"What are you talking about?"

Saito sprung upon Louise.

"Kya--! What are you doing?!"

Knocking over a chair, he bore down on her.

"Where's the mike?! Is it here?"

Grabbing her roughly, he started to unbutton her blouse. However, a swift kick to the groin brought that to a halt... This left him on the floor in pain.

"Gaaaaaaaaaarrrgh..." 

"H-how dare you... To a noble such as me..."
Louise stood up, trembling furiously all over.

Through the intense agony, Saito thought, ''This is no dream.''
''Plus, this isn't Earth. It's an entirely different world.''

"Please..."

"What?!"

"Send me back home..."


"That's impossible."

"But why...?"

"Because, you've been bound by a contract as my familiar. It doesn't matter if you come from the countryside, or even a completely different world as you've said. Once the bond is established, it can't be undone."

"You gotta be kidding..."

"Look, I don't like this either! Why do I have to be stuck with a familiar like you?!"

"Well then, send me back."

"Are you saying you're really from another world?"
asked Louise, seemingly still perplexed.

"Yeah."
Saito nodded.

"Show me some proof."

Wincing at the pain where he'd just been kicked, Saito stood up, and opened his bag.

"What's that?"

"A notebook computer,"
replied Saito.


The surface of the recently repaired notebook gleamed with reflected light.

"I've certainly never seen anything like this. What kind of magic item is it?"

"It's not magic. It's science."

Saito pushed the power button, and the computer whirred to life.

"Uwah! What is that?!"

Louise gave a surprised yelp as the screen flickered on.

"The notebook screen."

"It's pretty... What element of magic does it use? Wind? Water?"

"Science."

Louise stared at Saito with a blank expression. Clearly she didn't get it.
"So, what kind of element is this 'science?' Is it different from the four elemental powers?"

"Argh, enough already! In any case, it's not magic!"
Saito waved his hands around wildly.

Louise sat on the edge of her bed and dangled her feet. Then shrugging, she said with a dispassionate look,
"Hmm. But that's the only thing I don't understand...."

"Why? Is there anything like this in this world too?"


Louise pouted.
"No, but..."

"Then just believe me! There's nothing to understand!"

Clutching her long hair, Louise just shook her head.
"All right! I'll believe you!"

"Really?"

Crossing her arms and cocking her head, Louise gave an irritated growl.
"Only because you would've gone on about it if I didn't say so."

"Well, it doesn't matter, as long as you've got it. Now, send me back."

"I told you, that's impossible."

"But why?!"

Louise's face was etched with discomfort as she answered Saito.
"That's because there's no spell that can connect this world to your world."

"Then how did I end up here?"

"I don't know how!"

Saito and Louise glared at each other.

"Listen, I'm being completely honest when I say there's no such spell. Nobody's even heard of another world."


"There obviously is one, if I'm here!"

"'Summon Servant' is used to call living beings from within Halkeginia. Normally, only animals or magical beasts are summoned. This is actually the first instance that I've seen a person summoned."


"Stop talking about it like you're not involved. In that case, cast that spell on me one more time."

"Why?"

"It might return me to my world."

Looking discernably perplexed, Louise tilted her head to one side.

"...That won't work. 'Summon Servant' is strictly a one-way spell. No incantation of any kind exists to return a summoned familiar back to where it was brought from."

"Whatever, just try it."

"It's impossible. And I can't even cast it now."

"What? Why?"

"...Using 'Summon Servant' again is..."

"Yeah?"

"...Completely ineffective unless the familiar you first summoned has died."

"Say what?"



Saito's body froze.

"Would you like to die?"

"Err... I'll pass."
He hung his head.
His eyes trailed down to the runes that had been inscribed on his left hand.

"Oh, that?"

"Yeah."

"That's like a stamp that says you're my familiar."

Louise stood up and crossed her arms.
If you looked closely, she was actually quite cute. Slender and well-proportioned legs, thin ankles. Not very tall, at around 155cm.
Her eyes were like a curious kitten's, and her eyebrows traced a subtle line over them.

If Saito had met her through the message boards of a dating site, he would've hopped and leaped for joy. But alas, this wasn't Earth. No matter how much he wanted to go back, he couldn't. Saito choked up at this thought, and his shoulders drooped.

"...Yeah, all right. In the meantime, I guess I'll be your familiar."

"Come again?"

"What, you got a problem with that?"


"I see you're still not used to formal speech. It should be, 'Is there something you wish to address, master?'"
corrected Louise, one finger raised as if lecturing. The gesture was cute, but the tone was quite strict.

"But um, what exactly does a familiar do?"
asked Saito. Of course, he had seen ravens and owls appear as familiars in anime involving magicians. But mostly, they would just sit on their master's shoulder and not do anything particularly relevant.

"Firstly, a familiar is able to grant its master an enhancement in vision and hearing."

"Like how?"

"That means what the familiar sees, the master can also see."

"Oh."

"But it seems that doesn't work with you. I can't see anything."

"Yeah, but it's not like that matters,"
Saito said off-handedly.

"And also, a familiar will retrieve items that its master desires. For instance, reagents."

"Reagents?"

"A catalyst you use when casting certain spells. Something like sulphur, or moss..."

"Uh-huh..."


"But you won't ever find me stuff like that, will you? Considering you don't even know what kind of reagents there are."

"Nope."

Louise frowned irritably, but continued talking.
"And this is most important of all... A familiar exists to protect its master! The task of protecting them from any and all enemies is a duty of the highest priority! But that might be a little bit problematic for you..."

"Since I'm human..."

"...A powerful magical beast would almost always defeat its enemies, but I don't think you could even beat a raven."

"Shut up."

"That's why I'm only making you do things I'm fairly sure you can do: laundry, cleaning, and other miscellaneous tasks."

"Don't insult me. I'll be sure to find a way to get back home!"

"Yes, yes. In fact, I'll be glad if you do. Because when you return to your world, I'll be able to summon a new familiar."

"Why you..."

"Right then, all this talking has made me sleepy,"
said Louise with a great yawn.

"Where do I sleep?"


Louise pointed to the floor.

"I'm not some dog or cat, you know."

"But there's nowhere else. And there's only one bed."
She threw him a blanket.

She then brought her hand up to the top button of her blouse.

One by one, the buttons came undone.

Soon she was down to her underwear. Saito blushed.
"Wh-wh-what are you doing?!"

Louise answered as if it was the most obvious thing.
"I'm going to sleep, so I'm getting changed."

"Do it somewhere else where I can't see you!"

"Why?"

"Because! It makes the situation awkward! Seriously!"

"It's not awkward at all."

"Is that because you're a mage? You're okay with doing that in plain sight of a guy?"

"A guy? Who? I don't need to think anything of being watched by my familiar."

''What the heck. That's exactly how you'd treat a dog or cat.'' Saito grabbed the blanket, threw it over his head, and turned away.


First of all, he decided to revoke any and all thoughts he'd previously had about her being cute. She just really got on his nerves. ''A girl like her, a mage? Yeah right.''

"Oh, and these. Wash them for me tomorrow."
Several items came flying over to land softly beside him.
He picked them up, wondering what they were.

A lacy camisole and matching panties. White, too. ''What exquisite and delicate pieces'', Saito thought as his face began to flush. He clenched the items tightly as a mix of indignation and delight welled up.

"Why do I have to-- Your underwear?! Wash them?! Frankly, I'm both flattered and offended!"

He bolted upright, without even realizing he'd done so. Louise was pulling a large nightgown over her head. And in the dim light thrown off by the lamp, he could see the outline of her figure. While he couldn't make out any other details, it didn't seem as though she was embarrassed. It was kind of disappointing. He felt as though his masculinity were being denied.

"Who do you think is going to support you? Who do you think is going to give you food? And just whose room are you in?"

"Uhh..."


"You're my familiar, right? Laundry, cleaning, other menial tasks - they're naturally your jobs."

Saito pulled the blanket over his head again.

''This girl is hopeless,'' he thought. ''She just doesn't see me as a guy at all.''

''I want to go home. I miss my room. I miss my parents.''

The feeling of homesickness was overwhelming.

''...When will I be able to go back?''

''Is there even a way to go back?''

''I wonder if my family is worried about me right now...''

''Anyway, I need to find some way of returning...''

''What should I do? Should I try running away from here? But then what?''

''Maybe I'll try asking someone. But from what Louise told me earlier, nobody even knows another world exists, so there's no way they'll believe me.''

''No, I need to think about this critically. In any case, struggling won't get me anywhere. I don't have any clues, and even if I escaped from here, there's no guarantee that I'll even find a way back.''

''I don't even have relatives in this world. There's nobody I can rely on, except for a conceited girl named Louise.''

''Guess there's no choice. For now, I'll be her familiar. At least she said she'll keep me fed.''

''It'll be tough, since I'm not much more than a familiar to her.''

''Sure, she's a bit arrogant, but at least she's fairly cute. I suppose I can just imagine I made a girlfriend. Someone I happened to meet through the dating site. Treat it as if I came overseas just to see her. Or I came as a foreign student. Actually, that's better. Yeah, that's what I'll think. Hah, I'm so simple like that. It's great.''

''Okay,'' thought Saito. ''It's not like I've been stranded on a deserted island. Moping will achieve nothing.''

''I'll live as a familiar, and in the process, I'll look for a way to return home.''

Now that his plan was set, he felt noticeably sleepy.

No matter the situation, Saito's amazing adaptability had always saved him. Where anyone else would've panicked and crumbled, Saito came through thanks to his fluid personality.

Louise snapped her fingers, and the glow of the lamp died out.

''The lamp is magical too? I guess that means there really is no need for electricity,'' Saito reasoned.

A shroud of darkness descended upon the room.

Outside the window, the two moons shone down mysteriously.

Mrs. Hiraga, your son Saito has arrived in a world where there are wizards. He will not be able to attend school for quite some time, nor will he be able to study. Please forgive him.

And so began Saito's life as a familiar.

----

=== Translator's Notes ===
;[[#back_to_new_religions|↑]] New Religions
:The term "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinshukyo New Religion]" refers to any religious group in Japan that has its roots after the Meiji Restoration of 1868. This includes the Nichiren Buddhist organization [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soka_Gakkai Soka Gakkai], as well as the infamous [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum_Shinrikyo Aum Shinrikyo]. The latter probably explains Saito's concern. 
;[[#back_to_hamburger|↑]] Hamburger
:From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger#Japan <blockquote>In Japan, hamburgers can be served in a bun, called hambāgā (ハンバーガー), or just the the patties served without a bun, known as hambāgu (ハンバーグ) or "hamburg," short for "hamburg steak."</blockquote> The type mentioned by Saito was the version without the bun. (ハンバーグ) 
;[[#back_to_12_jou|↑]] 12 Tatami mats
:Rooms in Japan are measured jō (畳), which is the number of tatami mats required to cover the floor. A tatami mat is 90 cm by 180 cm for an area of 1.62 m2 each. Twelve jō is slightly more than 19.5 m2 or almost 210 square feet.

----

=== Chapter Credits ===
'''Project Leaders''' 
Onizuka-GTO, Kawool, Se-chan

'''Translators''' 
Yuko, Cala-kun, SaiyaJedi

'''Typesetter''' 
Kawool

'''CG Artist''' 
Chopaface

'''Editors''' 
Onizuka-GTO, The_naming_game, Bicube, BlckKnght, Da~Mike, Meganeshounen,
Nandeyanen,
Andiyar, CrowKenobi, Rednal

'''Special Thanks''' 
Sushi-Y, Andere

Zero no Tsukaima:Volume1 Story1 Chapter1

2007-11-01T12:25:24Z

220.239.178.138: /* Chapter One - I'm a Familiar */

=== Chapter One - I'm a Familiar ===


"Who are you?" asked the girl intently examining Saito's face, with the clear blue sky behind her.
She seemed to be close to Saito's age. Underneath a black cloak, she wore a white blouse and a gray pleated skirt. She knelt down and looked at his face with shock.

''Her face is... Cute.'' Reddish-brown eyes danced upon the stage of her flawless, white skin and strawberry blonde hair.
''She looks kind of like a foreigner.'' In fact, the girl ''must'' have been a foreigner. A cute, doll-like, foreigner. ''Maybe she’s half-Japanese?''

''But still, that's some kind of school uniform she's wearing, isn’t it? I don't recognize it.''

During this time, Saito had been lying on the ground, face up, though he was unsure of how he had gotten there. He raised his head to take a look around.
Many people in black cloaks were looking upon him with curiosity.
There, in the distance, on an endlessly rich grassy plain, he saw a huge castle with stone walls, just like the ones in those European tour photographs.

''It's just like a fantasy.''


''My head hurts,'' Giving his head a shake, he said, "Who am I...? I'm Hiraga Saito."

"Where are you from, Commoner?"

''Commoner? What does she mean by that?'' Everyone around him had some sort of stick in their hand and wore the same uniform as that girl's.
''Did I wander into an American school or something?''

"Louise, what are you trying to do, calling a commoner with your 'Summon Servant'?"
someone asked, and everyone but the girl who was looking at his face started to laugh.

"I... I just made a little mistake!"

A girl in front of Saito shouted in a refined voice that carried like a bell.
"What mistake are you talking about? That's your usual."

"Of course! After all, she's Louise the Zero!" someone else said, and the crowd of people burst into laughter.

It appeared the girl looking into Saito's face was named Louise.

''Either way, this is no American school. You won't see those kinds of buildings just anywhere.''

''Could it be a movie set? Are they filming something?'' But then Saito thought all of a sudden,
''But it's too big to be a movie set. Could this kind of scenery exist in Japan?''

''Maybe it's a new theme park? But then, why was I sleeping in such a place?''

"Mr. Colbert!"
the girl called Louise shouted. The crowd parted, revealing a middle-aged man.
Saito thought it was funny, because the man looked ridiculous.
He carried a big wooden staff and was covered in a black robe.

''What kind of a look is that? He's dressed like a wizard. Is he sane?''
''I've got it, this must be a cosplay gathering.''
''But it doesn't seem to have that kind of atmosphere.''
Suddenly, Saito was gripped with fear. ''What am I going to do if this is a religious group? It's possible.''
''They could have put me to sleep somehow and brought me here while I was taking a walk in town.''
''That mirror must have been a trap. If not, I have no other explanation for this.''
Saito thought to himself that he ought to stay quiet until he understood what was going on.

The girl named Louise was in a panic, talking on and on, saying things like "Let me try again," and "I beg of you," while frantically waving her arms about.
''I feel sorry for her, being stuck in this weird religious group, since she's so cute.''

"What is it, Miss Vallière?"

"Please! Let me try the summoning one more time!"


''Summoning?''
''What's that? They mentioned it earlier.''

Mr. Colbert, the man wearing the black robe, shook his head.
"I cannot allow that, Miss Vallière."

"Why not?"

"It is the rule. When you are promoted to a second year student, you must summon a familiar.
Which is what you just did."

''A familiar?''
''What's that?''

"Your elemental specialty is decided by the familiar that you
summon. This enables you to advance to the appropriate courses specialized to that element.

You cannot change the familiar once you have summoned it, because the Springtime Familiar Summoning is a sacred rite.
Whether you like it or not, you have no choice but to take him as your familiar."

"But... I've never heard of having a commoner as a familiar!"
Everyone around laughed as Louise said that. She scowled at them,
but the laughter didn't stop.

'''Springtime Familiar Summoning'?''
''What's that?''


''I don't understand. What are they talking about?''
''How did I end up in a place like this.... It has to be one of those [[#new_religions|New Religions]].''
''The safest thing to do is to take the first opportunity to run away.''
''I mean really, where is this place?''
''Was I taken to a foreign country?''
''A kidnapping! I've been kidnapped!''
''I'm in real trouble,'' thought Saito.

"This is a tradition, Miss Vallière. I cannot allow any exceptions; he ..."
The middle-aged wizard cosplayer pointed at Saito.
"...may be a commoner, but as long as he was summoned by you,
he must be your familiar. Never in history has a human been summoned as a familiar,
but the Springtime Familiar Summoning takes precedence over every rule.
Therefore, he must become your familiar."

"You have got to be joking..."
Louise drooped her shoulders in disappointment.

"Well then, continue with the ceremony."

"What? With him?"

"Yes, with him. Hurry. The next class will begin any minute.
How long do you think you are going to take for the summoning?
After mistake upon mistake, you have finally managed to summon him.
Hurry and form a contract."

Everyone voiced their agreement and began jeering.

Louise stared at Saito's face as if troubled.

''What is it? What's she going to do to me?''

"Hey,"
Louise addressed Saito.

"Yes?"

"You should be appreciative. Normally you'd go your whole life without something like this being carried out by a noble."

''Noble? How stupid. What nobles?''
''Aren't you just a bunch of twisted cosplaying new-religion freaks?''

Louise closed her eyes with an air of resignation.
She waved around the wooden stick in her hand.

"My name is Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers,
bless this humble being and make him my familiar."
She began to chant these words over and over, like a magic spell.

She touched Saito's forehead with the stick.
Her lips then slowly drew closer.

''What... What are you doing?!''


"Just stay still."
Louise said, a touch of anger in her voice.
Her face got closer.

"Hey, wait. Well, I'm... Well, I'm not ready for this..."

His face shook a little as he panicked.

"Ah, geez! I told you to stay still!"
Louise roughly grabbed Saito's face with her left hand.

"Huh?"

"Mmm..."

Louise's lips touched Saito's.

''What?! What is this! This is what that contract means?!''
The touch of her soft lips confused Saito more.
''My first kiss! But it was stolen in this weird place by this weird girl whose motives I don't understand!''
Saito lay there, paralyzed.

Louise removed her lips.
"It is done."


<center>[[Image:ZNT-page-019.jpg|thumb|KISU!]]</center>



''Her face is red. Is she embarrassed by her boldness? What an idiot,'' Saito thought.

"I should be the embarrassed one, not you! You kissed me all of a sudden!"

But Louise was completely ignoring Saito.

''You kissed me and this is how you act? How rude.''
''Really, who are they?! I'm scared. I want to go home right this minute. I just want to go home and get online,'' Saito thought.
He had just registered with a dating site, so he wanted to check his e-mail.

"You failed on 'Summon Servant' many times, but you have managed to succeed with 'Contract Servant' in one try,"
Colbert said happily.

"She was able to make a servant contract, because he was just a commoner."

"If he was a powerful magical beast, she wouldn't have been able to make a contract,"
A few students laughed while making those comments.

Louise scowled at them.
"Don't make fun of me! Even I do things right once in a while!"

"Truly 'once in a while,' Louise the Zero,"
laughed a girl with gorgeous curly hair and freckles on her face.

"Mr. Colbert! Montmorency the Flood just insulted me!"


"Who are you calling 'the Flood?' I'm Montmorency the Perfume!"

"I heard that you used to wet the bed like a flood, didn't you? 'The Flood' suits you better!"

"How dare you, Louise the Zero! What can I say? You are a zero!"

"Watch it! Nobles ought to show each other the proper respect,"
the middle-aged wizard cosplayer interjected to stop them.

''What are they talking about? A contract? 'Contract Servant'? ''

At that instant, Saito's body started to get hot.

"Aaah!"
Saito stood up.
"It's hot!"

"It will be over soon; just wait. The 'Familiar's Runes' are being inscribed,"
Louise said, irritated.

"Don't inscribe them! What did you do to my body?!"

''There is nothing I can do, but I can't just lie around quietly. It is unbelievably hot!''

"By the way."

"What?"


"Do you think it's forgivable for a commoner to use that kind of language before nobles?"

The hot sensation lasted only for a second.
His body rapidly returned to a normal state.

"That was quick..."

The middle-aged cosplay wizard known as Colbert, came to the kneeling Saito
and checked the back of his left hand.
There, jumping out at him, were unfamiliar letters.

''Are those letters? It looks like a wriggling snake in some strange pattern.''
Saito stared at it and thought, ''if this isn't a trick, then what is it?''

"Hmmm..."

At this point, Saito really lost it.

"These are very unusual Runes,"
said the middle-aged wizard impersonator.

"Who are you people?!"
Saito yelled out, but no one reacted.

"Well, let's go back to class, everyone."

The middle-aged cosplay wizard turned on his heel, then rose gently into the air.
Saito's jaw dropped in shock.


''Did... Did he fly? Is he floating in the air?''
''It can't be!''
The others, who looked like students, also floated up in the air all at once.

''It can't be! More of them? One person could float in the air by some trick, but all of them?''
Saito looked for wires or even a crane, but the surrounding area was just a large grassy plain.
There was nothing to suggest any tricks or setups.

Everyone who was floating flew quietly towards the stone-walled castle in the distance.

"Louise, you'd better walk back!"
"She can't fly. She can't even manage levitation."
"That commoner, he's perfect as your familiar!"
the students said as they flew away.
The only ones left behind were Saito and the girl named Louise.

As soon as it was only the two of them, Louise took a deep breath,
turned toward Saito, and yelled,
"Who are you?!"

That made Saito mad. ''That's my line!'' he thought.

"Who are you? Where is this place?! Who were all those people?! Why can they fly?!

What did you do to my body?!"

"I don't know what backwoods you came from, but I will explain it to you."

"A country? This is the backwoods, isn't it? Tokyo is nothing like this!"

"Tokyo? What is that? What country is it in?"

"Japan."

"What? I've never heard of it."

"Oh please! But why are they flying?! You saw it too! They flew! They all did!"

But Louise took no notice of it at all, as if to say, "What's wrong with flying?"

"Of course they flew. What would we do if mages couldn't fly?"

Saito grabbed Louise's shoulders and yelled.
"Mages? What is this place?!"

"This is Tristain! And this is the renowned Tristain Academy of Magic!"

"Academy of Magic?"

"I'm a second year student, Louise de la Vallière. I am your master from now on. Remember that!"


All of Saito's strength disappeared.
He was getting a really bad feeling about the situation.
"Uh... Miss Louise..."

"What?"

"Did you really summon me here?"

"That's what I've been telling you, over and over again, until I'm hoarse. Just give up. I'm giving up too.
Why does my familiar have to be a creature that isn't cool at all...
I wanted to have something cool, like a dragon, or a griffin, or a manticore.
At least an eagle or an owl."

"A dragon or griffin? What do you mean?"

"I was just saying that I wish had one of those as my familiar."

"Do they really exist?"

"They do. Why?"

"You've gotta be kidding me,"
Saito said, laughing. But Louise wasn't laughing.

"Well, you've probably never seen them before,"
Louise said, with pity in her voice.
She didn't look like she was joking.


The mages who flew away and the fantasy words suddenly connected.

He felt a chill run down his spine, and broke out in a cold sweat.
"I thought maybe... Since they flew, are you people really witches and wizards?"

"Yes, we are! If you understand that, let go of my shoulders!
You shouldn't even be talking to me!"

''A dream... This has to be a dream...''
Slowly, his strength left him, and Saito fell to his knees.

"Louise,"
he said with a weak voice.

"Don't call me directly by name."

"Hit me."

"What?"

"Hit me in the head as hard as you can."

"Why?"

"I want to wake up from this dream now. I'll wake up from this dream and get online.
Tonight's dinner is [[#hamburger|hamburger steak]]. My mom said so this morning."

"Get online?"


"No, it's nothing. After all, you're just a part of my dream, so you don't need to worry about it. Now just let me wake up from this dream already."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you want me to hit you, right?"
Louise clenched her hands into fists.

"Yes, please."

Her fists began to tremble.
Louise's expression became unreadable, but it seemed a lot of thoughts were going through her head.
"Aren't you concerned at all about being summoned?"

"How should I know?"

"How could I, the third daughter of the Vallière family... I, a noble who takes pride in her proper pedigree and ancient lineage, end up having to make someone like you my familiar?"

"How should I know?"

"...And just who decided that the contract had be sealed by a kiss?"

"How should I know? Look, will you just get it over and done with? I hate nightmares."

"Nightmare? That's my line!"
Louise clobbered Saito in the head with all her strength.
"That was my first kiss!"

Perhaps she was a bit too forceful... ''Mine too,'' thought Saito, as he lost consciousness.




<center>* * *</center>

Hiraga Saito. Seventeen years old and in the second year of high school.

Athletic ability: normal. Grades: average. Duration without a girlfriend: seventeen years. Overall, no positives or negatives.

Teacher's evaluation: "Ah, Hiraga-kun. He refuses to give up, and he has a strong sense of curiosity, but he's a little slow."

Parents' evaluation: "You should study more. You're a little slow."

Being slow, he was rarely bothered by accidents, and accepts pretty much anything, relative to most people. Earlier, when he saw people flying, made a commotion, but given that an ordinary person would have been so shocked as to be brought to their knees, he owed much to his disposition.


To put it badly, he just doesn't think too deeply about things before acting.

Also, he has a fiercely competitive spirit. In that sense, he might have been quite similar to Louise in personality.

Anyway, a mere thirty minutes ago, Saito had been walking down a street in Tokyo, Japan—on Earth.

He was on his way home after having his notebook computer repaired. He was quite happy in fact, since he could go on the internet once more since he'd recently registered at an online dating site, and might even have found himself a girlfriend.


Though what he really wanted was something to spice up his otherwise monotonous daily life.
However, instead of discovering it on the internet, he found it in the middle of the street.

He'd been walking past the train station on his way home, when suddenly a shining mirror-like object appeared in front of him.
Saito stopped to take a good long look at it. Remember, his curiosity is about double that of a normal person.

It was a large ellipse, about two meters high and one meter wide, with no substantial thickness.
Then he noticed it was actually floating a little above the ground.

This piqued his interest. ''What kind of natural phenomenon is this,'' he wondered, as he scrutinized the sparkling mirror-like object.

''I have no idea. I've never seen or heard of any kind of phenomenon like this.'' He considered sidestepping around it, but his curiosity got the better of him.
He wanted to see if he could walk through it.

''No, maybe I shouldn't,'' he told himself. ''But it's just a couple of steps,'' he reasoned. What a hopeless personality.

But first, he picked up a pebble and threw it in experimentally.
The pebble disappeared into the middle of the mirror-like object.

''Oho,'' he thought. When he checked the other side of the mirror-like object, the pebble was nowhere to be seen.
Next he pulled his house key out of his pocket. He poked the mirror-like object with the tip of the key.


Nothing happened.

Withdrawing the key, he examined it, but nothing about it had changed. Saito judged that there wouldn't be any immediate danger if he walked through. Which only tempted him further to do it.

In the end, even though he knew he shouldn't, he stepped forward. It was much like opening up a manga just after deciding you were going to do nothing but study from now on.

He immediately regretted it, as an intense shock assailed his senses. He suddenly remembered back to when he was a child, when his mother had bought him a strange machine that supposedly made a person smarter by running an electric current through their body. It felt a lot like that. Saito fainted.

When he opened his eyes...

He was in a fantasy world.

<center>* * *</center>

"Is that true?"
asked Louise, looking at Saito with an expression of disbelief. In her hand, she held bread from tonight's dinner.

They were in Louise's room. It looked about [[#12_jou|12 tatami mats]] in size. If you treated the window as south, the bed was situated on the west side, the door to the north, and a big wardrobe stood to the east. All the furniture looked like valuable antiques.

Louise had brought Saito here, once he had regained consciousness.

Saito, trying to ignore the pain in his head which still hurt from the blow earlier, answered her,
"So what if it isn't?"

Saito had never felt the slightest bit resentful of his own curiosity until today.

''I never should've walked through that stupid thing...''

''This isn't Japan. It isn't even Earth.''

If there were a nation with wizards who flew through the sky, even only a few, he certainly hadn't learned about it in middle school geography.
And even if there were, what about those huge moons floating in the sky? They were easily twice the size of Earth's.
Their huge size was not the issue; it was entirely possible that in some countries there were nights like that.
However, that there were two of them was strange. Had the moon multiplied into two without Saito noticing?

No. That couldn't be. In other words, this was definitely not Earth.

It was dark now... Night had already fallen. ''I guess my family is worrying about me right now,'' he finished sadly.

From the window, he could see the grassy plains where he'd been lying. Across the plains, illuminated by moonlight, he could also see a tall mountain range. Over to his right was a vast expanse of dense forest. Saito let out a sigh.


''There just aren't any wide evergreen forests like this. It's totally different from what you'd see in Japan.''

The Academy grounds he had passed on his way looked very much like some Middle Ages castle. It had been a breathtaking spectacle that would've amazed him if he'd come here on a trip.

An entrance arch, and a sturdy staircase, both made of stone...
This was Tristain Magic Academy, Louise had explained.
All of the Academy students lived in dormitories on the school grounds.

''Magic Academy? Wonderful! Dormitories? Splendid! It's just like a movie!'' 

''But, this isn't Earth...!''

"I can't believe it."

"Look, neither can I."

"By another world, what do you mean?"

"There aren't any magicians. And there's only one moon."

"There's such a world like that?"

"I'm telling you, it's where I came from!"
Saito shouted.

"Don't yell at me, you commoner."

"Who are you calling a commoner?!"


"Well, you're not a mage, right? So you're a commoner."

"What's with all your talk of 'mages' and 'commoners?'"

"Hey, are you really from this world?"

"As I've been telling you all this time, I'm not."

At that, Louise set her elbows on the table with a troubled look.

On the tabletop was a lamp with an art deco style shade. Its flickering light filled the room with a pale glow. It seemed as if electricity wasn't used.

''Jeez, electricity isn't that complicated to set up, is it? I feel like I'm back in the old foreign settler's hut that our family went to ages ago.''

''Wait, 'setup...'''
''Oh, could it be... This is...''

"I've got it."

"What did you get?"
Louise asked, looking up.

"This is one of those candid camera programs. It's just a trick everyone is pulling on me, isn't it?"

"What's a 'candid camera'?"

"They stopped airing after someone got hurt, but you don't have any material so you're resorting back to the same kind of stuff, huh? So where's the camera?"


"What are you talking about?"

Saito sprung upon Louise.

"Kya--! What are you doing?!"

Knocking over a chair, he bore down on her.

"Where's the mike?! Is it here?"

Grabbing her roughly, he started to unbutton her blouse. However, a swift kick to the groin brought that to a halt... This left him on the floor in pain.

"Gaaaaaaaaaarrrgh..." 

"H-how dare you... To a noble such as me..."
Louise stood up, trembling furiously all over.

Through the intense agony, Saito thought, ''This is no dream.''
''Plus, this isn't Earth. It's an entirely different world.''

"Please..."

"What?!"

"Send me back home..."


"That's impossible."

"But why...?"

"Because, you've been bound by a contract as my familiar. It doesn't matter if you come from the countryside, or even a completely different world as you've said. Once the bond is established, it can't be undone."

"You gotta be kidding..."

"Look, I don't like this either! Why do I have to be stuck with a familiar like you?!"

"Well then, send me back."

"Are you saying you're really from another world?"
asked Louise, seemingly still perplexed.

"Yeah."
Saito nodded.

"Show me some proof."

Wincing at the pain where he'd just been kicked, Saito stood up, and opened his bag.

"What's that?"

"A notebook computer,"
replied Saito.


The surface of the recently repaired notebook gleamed with reflected light.

"I've certainly never seen anything like this. What kind of magic item is it?"

"It's not magic. It's science."

Saito pushed the power button, and the computer whirred to life.

"Uwah! What is that?!"

Louise gave a surprised yelp as the screen flickered on.

"The notebook screen."

"It's pretty... What element of magic does it use? Wind? Water?"

"Science."

Louise stared at Saito with a blank expression. Clearly she didn't get it.
"So, what kind of element is this 'science?' Is it different from the four elemental powers?"

"Argh, enough already! In any case, it's not magic!"
Saito waved his hands around wildly.

Louise sat on the edge of her bed and dangled her feet. Then shrugging, she said with a dispassionate look,
"Hmm. But that's the only thing I don't understand...."

"Why? Is there anything like this in this world too?"


Louise pouted.
"No, but..."

"Then just believe me! There's nothing to understand!"

Clutching her long hair, Louise just shook her head.
"All right! I'll believe you!"

"Really?"

Crossing her arms and cocking her head, Louise gave an irritated growl.
"Only because you would've gone on about it if I didn't say so."

"Well, it doesn't matter, as long as you've got it. Now, send me back."

"I told you, that's impossible."

"But why?!"

Louise's face was etched with discomfort as she answered Saito.
"That's because there's no spell that can connect this world to your world."

"Then how did I end up here?"

"I don't know how!"

Saito and Louise glared at each other.

"Listen, I'm being completely honest when I say there's no such spell. Nobody's even heard of another world."


"There obviously is one, if I'm here!"

"'Summon Servant' is used to call living beings from within Halkeginia. Normally, only animals or magical beasts are summoned. This is actually the first instance that I've seen a person summoned."


"Stop talking about it like you're not involved. In that case, cast that spell on me one more time."

"Why?"

"It might return me to my world."

Looking discernably perplexed, Louise tilted her head to one side.

"...That won't work. 'Summon Servant' is strictly a one-way spell. No incantation of any kind exists to return a summoned familiar back to where it was brought from."

"Whatever, just try it."

"It's impossible. And I can't even cast it now."

"What? Why?"

"...Using 'Summon Servant' again is..."

"Yeah?"

"...Completely ineffective unless the familiar you first summoned has died."

"Say what?"



Saito's body froze.

"Would you like to die?"

"Err... I'll pass."
He hung his head.
His eyes trailed down to the runes that had been inscribed on his left hand.

"Oh, that?"

"Yeah."

"That's like a stamp that says you're my familiar."

Louise stood up and crossed her arms.
If you looked closely, she was actually quite cute. Slender and well-proportioned legs, thin ankles. Not very tall, at around 155cm.
Her eyes were like a curious kitten's, and her eyebrows traced a subtle line over them.

If Saito had met her through the message boards of a dating site, he would've hopped and leaped for joy. But alas, this wasn't Earth. No matter how much he wanted to go back, he couldn't. Saito choked up at this thought, and his shoulders drooped.

"...Yeah, all right. In the meantime, I guess I'll be your familiar."

"Come again?"

"What, you got a problem with that?"


"I see you're still not used to formal speech. It should be, 'Is there something you wish to address, master?'"
corrected Louise, one finger raised as if lecturing. The gesture was cute, but the tone was quite strict.

"But um, what exactly does a familiar do?"
asked Saito. Of course, he had seen ravens and owls appear as familiars in anime involving magicians. But mostly, they would just sit on their master's shoulder and not do anything particularly relevant.

"Firstly, a familiar is able to grant its master an enhancement in vision and hearing."

"Like how?"

"That means what the familiar sees, the master can also see."

"Oh."

"But it seems that doesn't work with you. I can't see anything."

"Yeah, but it's not like that matters,"
Saito said off-handedly.

"And also, a familiar will retrieve items that its master desires. For instance, reagents."

"Reagents?"

"A catalyst you use when casting certain spells. Something like sulphur, or moss..."

"Uh-huh..."


"But you won't ever find me stuff like that, will you? Considering you don't even know what kind of reagents there are."

"Nope."

Louise frowned irritably, but continued talking.
"And this is most important of all... A familiar exists to protect its master! The task of protecting them from any and all enemies is a duty of the highest priority! But that might be a little bit problematic for you..."

"Since I'm human..."

"...A powerful magical beast would almost always defeat its enemies, but I don't think you could even beat a raven."

"Shut up."

"That's why I'm only making you do things I'm fairly sure you can do: laundry, cleaning, and other miscellaneous tasks."

"Don't insult me. I'll be sure to find a way to get back home!"

"Yes, yes. In fact, I'll be glad if you do. Because when you return to your world, I'll be able to summon a new familiar."

"Why you..."

"Right then, all this talking has made me sleepy,"
said Louise with a great yawn.

"Where do I sleep?"


Louise pointed to the floor.

"I'm not some dog or cat, you know."

"But there's nowhere else. And there's only one bed."
She threw him a blanket.

She then brought her hand up to the top button of her blouse.

One by one, the buttons came undone.

Soon she was down to her underwear. Saito blushed.
"Wh-wh-what are you doing?!"

Louise answered as if it was the most obvious thing.
"I'm going to sleep, so I'm getting changed."

"Do it somewhere else where I can't see you!"

"Why?"

"Because! It makes the situation awkward! Seriously!"

"It's not awkward at all."

"Is that because you're a mage? You're okay with doing that in plain sight of a guy?"

"A guy? Who? I don't need to think anything of being watched by my familiar."

''What the heck. That's exactly how you'd treat a dog or cat.'' Saito grabbed the blanket, threw it over his head, and turned away.


First of all, he decided to revoke any and all thoughts he'd previously had about her being cute. She just really got on his nerves. ''A girl like her, a mage? Yeah right.''

"Oh, and these. Wash them for me tomorrow."
Several items came flying over to land softly beside him.
He picked them up, wondering what they were.

A lacy camisole and matching panties. White, too. ''What exquisite and delicate pieces'', Saito thought as his face began to flush. He clenched the items tightly as a mix of indignation and delight welled up.

"Why do I have to-- Your underwear?! Wash them?! Frankly, I'm both flattered and offended!"

He bolted upright, without even realizing he'd done so. Louise was pulling a large nightgown over her head. And in the dim light thrown off by the lamp, he could see the outline of her figure. While he couldn't make out any other details, it didn't seem as though she was embarrassed. It was kind of disappointing. He felt as though his masculinity were being denied.

"Who do you think is going to support you? Who do you think is going to give you food? And just whose room are you in?"

"Uhh..."


"You're my familiar, right? Laundry, cleaning, other menial tasks - they're naturally your jobs."

Saito pulled the blanket over his head again.

''This girl is hopeless,'' he thought. ''She just doesn't see me as a guy at all.''

''I want to go home. I miss my room. I miss my parents.''

The feeling of homesickness was overwhelming.

''...When will I be able to go back?''

''Is there even a way to go back?''

''I wonder if my family is worried about me right now...''

''Anyway, I need to find some way of returning...''

''What should I do? Should I try running away from here? But then what?''

''Maybe I'll try asking someone. But from what Louise told me earlier, nobody even knows another world exists, so there's no way they'll believe me.''

''No, I need to think about this critically. In any case, struggling won't get me anywhere. I don't have any clues, and even if I escaped from here, there's no guarantee that I'll even find a way back.''

''I don't even have relatives in this world. There's nobody I can rely on, except for a conceited girl named Louise.''

''Guess there's no choice. For now, I'll be her familiar. At least she said she'll keep me fed.''

''It'll be tough, since I'm not much more than a familiar to her.''

''Sure, she's a bit arrogant, but at least she's fairly cute. I suppose I can just imagine I made a girlfriend. Someone I happened to meet through the dating site. Treat it as if I came overseas just to see her. Or I came as a foreign student. Actually, that's better. Yeah, that's what I'll think. Hah, I'm so simple like that. It's great.''

''Okay,'' thought Saito. ''It's not like I've been stranded on a deserted island. Moping will achieve nothing.''

''I'll live as a familiar, and in the process, I'll look for a way to return home.''

Now that his plan was set, he felt noticeably sleepy.

No matter the situation, Saito's amazing adaptability had always saved him. Where anyone else would've panicked and crumbled, Saito came through thanks to his fluid personality.

Louise snapped her fingers, and the glow of the lamp died out.

''The lamp is magical too? I guess that means there really is no need for electricity,'' Saito reasoned.

A shroud of darkness descended upon the room.

Outside the window, the two moons shone down mysteriously.

Mrs. Hiraga, your son Saito has arrived in a world where there are wizards. He will not be able to attend school for quite some time, nor will he be able to study. Please forgive him.

And so began Saito's life as a familiar.

----

=== Translator's Notes ===
;[[#back_to_new_religions|↑]] New Religions
:The term "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinshukyo New Religion]" refers to any religious group in Japan that has its roots after the Meiji Restoration of 1868. This includes the Nichiren Buddhist organization [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soka_Gakkai Soka Gakkai], as well as the infamous [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum_Shinrikyo Aum Shinrikyo]. The latter probably explains Saito's concern. 
;[[#back_to_hamburger|↑]] Hamburger
:From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburger#Japan <blockquote>In Japan, hamburgers can be served in a bun, called hambāgā (ハンバーガー), or just the the patties served without a bun, known as hambāgu (ハンバーグ) or "hamburg," short for "hamburg steak."</blockquote> The type mentioned by Saito was the version without the bun. (ハンバーグ) 
;[[#back_to_12_jou|↑]] 12 Tatami mats
:Rooms in Japan are measured jō (畳), which is the number of tatami mats required to cover the floor. A tatami mat is 90 cm by 180 cm for an area of 1.62 m2 each. Twelve jō is slightly more than 19.5 m2 or almost 210 square feet.

----

=== Chapter Credits ===
'''Project Leaders''' 
Onizuka-GTO, Kawool, Se-chan

'''Translators''' 
Yuko, Cala-kun, SaiyaJedi

'''Typesetter''' 
Kawool

'''CG Artist''' 
Chopaface

'''Editors''' 
Onizuka-GTO, The_naming_game, Bicube, BlckKnght, Da~Mike, Meganeshounen,
Nandeyanen,
Andiyar, CrowKenobi, Rednal

'''Special Thanks''' 
Sushi-Y, Andere