Editing Zero no Tsukaima:Volume5 Story2 (section)

==== Chapter 4 ====

After listening to the story of their past, Montmorency seemed to find it hard to believe and said,

“So that incident with De Lorraine and Thonet Charente’s hair and clothes burnt, and even hung upside down on the tower, was done by you!”

“That’s right", Kirche nodded cheerfully, admitting it.

The next morning, when De Lorraine and Thonet Charente were rescued from the tower, they insisted that they had climbed up to hang themselves upside down on their own. But the truth behind that incident? No one knows. It seems that they might have been threatened by Kirche.

Guiche nodded hard in agreement.

“That is to say, just now when Tabitha used "owe you one" as her reason, and took on the duel for you… Is due to you taking revenge for Tabitha as well then?”

Kirche nodded.

“Yup.”

Louise, who was originally serving wine and dishes, and Saito, who had been washing plates in the kitchen, had joined the group at the table, and were listening attentively.

Louise, who was wearing a thin shoulder strap close-fit vest and skirt, used an indifferent tone to say.

“But, that time you were just intending to punish De Lorraine and gang yourself, so you robbed Tabitha’s right to revenge by your own account right? So what is there to say she owes you one?”

“You can say that too.”

“You are really overboard.”

Guiche expressed his views in a helpless tone.

“I, am really…”

“Really what…?”

“Really willful… Maybe that's the case?”

Kirche shook her head and mumbled, vexed. Everyone sighed deeply. ''So this person never realized it all along!''

“You do not really need to take the place of this woman for that duel, right? According to what she said herself… As Louise said earlier, you owe her nothing.” Montmorency said to Tabitha, who was reading a book.

''No''------ Tabitha was shaking her head in objection to Montmorency’s comment. She didn't feel that she owed Kirche because Kirche helped her take revenge then.

“''I will become your friend.''” This sentence was the reason why Tabitha felt that she owed Kirche.

In other words, that was a proof of their friendship. So… If Kirche were humiliated by others, she would fight for her in replacement, and she viewed this action as proof of their friendship.

''What is owed, must be returned''.

Yet Tabitha did not go the extra mile to try to explain this, and just nodded slightly.

“Huaaaaa~” Kirche made a big yawn. “Drinking wine and chatting for so long, I feel sleepy.”

“Is that so, good, go back already.” Louise replied in a cold tone.

“It is so troublesome to go back~ I want to stay here.”

“What about the money?”

“Thanks for the treat.”

“What is that you are saying! How much do you think this meal costs!”

“I am going to tell everyone in the academy...”

Louise shut up and lowered her head.

Following that, Kirche dragged Tabitha and stood up, going up to the guestroom area on the second story and leaving Montmorency, Guiche, Saito, and Louise still sitting there.

“That, that, that woman! One, one, one day I will definitely kill her…” Louise was so angry that her whole body kept on shaking.

Guiche pulled the lower portion of Montmorency’s clothes.

“What are you doing?”

“Let’s, let’s stay here today?”

“…Fine, but there must be two beds!”

“You will pay for your own bills, right!?” Louise glared at the two of them.

“Err, we don't have any money… Don’t be so calculating, since you are paying for those two already, might as well pay for us as well.”

“What the hell are you talking about!”

As Louise was shouting at the two, Saito recalled that he had given them his money last time, and then he heard nothing about it. At first, they said they needed money to make the antidote for the love potion, so he should have given them around five hundred écu gold then. He had not gotten his money back from them up till now.

“Hey Guiche.”

“What is it?”

“I gave you guys some money, right? Return it quickly.”

Guiche and Montmorency put on awkward expressions and looked at each other.

Saito began sweating a cold sweat down his back.

“Hey… Don’t tell me you guys spent it all already?”

“No… No we didn’t… Just that…”

“What?”

“Erm, that is to say… Due to the necessary expenditures when making the medicine…” Montmorency gave a smile as if trying to curry favor with Saito.

“So you spent it all, right!?”

“I will return you the money after some time!”

“How long is some time! You poor noble!”

“Who are you calling poor!”

Then, just as they intended to put up an ugly fight…

The nobles that were taken care of by Tabitha earlier came into the shop once more. They noticed Guiche and Montmorency, and walked over.

“What do you guys want?” Saito asked.

Guiche and Montmorency were shocked, and began shivering following that. 

The middle aged noble among the group spoke.

“Where did the ladies earlier go?”

“They, they went upstairs to rest.” Montmorency replied as she was trembling.

The military officers looked at each other.

“They got away?”

“Seems like it.”

“May, may I know what is the matter?” Guiche queried. 

The other party gave a cheerful smile and replied.

“No, it is nothing much. We just thought that we might thank them, regarding what happened earlier. But, if it is just the few of us, we may not be able to thank them properly… So, please look, like this, we brought an entire squadron over.”

Louise and gang were shocked, and hurriedly looked outside the shop.

Because there were several hundreds of military men lined up outside, the scene scared them so much that they almost fell off their chairs.

“Stand attention<nowiki>~~~</nowiki> Line up towards your right!!”

After the military officer standing before the squad shouted out the commands loudly, all the soldiers adjusted their groups instantly, the weapons in their hands gave off a clear sound.

“I will get them down now!” Guiche stood up, and intended to escape to the second storey.

“No, no, no, if you escape as well, then we would be very troubled. No problem, it is fine for their friends to accept our thanks as well. Because, be it taking revenge for a friend, or taking revenge in place of a friend… They all are part of the privileges of being friends, and a duty as well.”

Saito and gang hurriedly tried to make their escape. But they were easily caught by the military officers. The four of them were dragged out of the shop together.

“You guys should be expert magicians as well! Since you are friends of those two ladies! So please, don’t be shy, you must show us your strength!”

“Help! We are not their friends!”

The screams of the four of them echoed in the night skies.



Two hours later……

In the end, Kirche still had not drank enough, and came down to the shop… And she found Louise, Montmorency, Guiche and Saito lying on the table, barely alive.

The group were beat up by those military men, and were half-dead. Louise had used too much "explosion" magic in the past few days, and that consumed all her willpower. Saito, as usual, had left Derflinger at the small room at the attic, and so was of no use. As for Guiche, he was taken down in a mere two seconds. Since Montmorency hated fighting, she made a declaration of neutrality, but the other party did not accept what she said.

Kirche, who knew nothing of what had happened, scratched her head, at a loss.

“You guys… What happened?”

The party lying on the table used a hateful voice to reply at the same time.

“You owe us one!”

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