Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter2 - MTL
Chapter Two: Cattleya
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Warning: This translation is considered a PREVIEW Script.
Be warned that the degree of translation error may be higher than usual due to the translation method employed.
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Noon, two days after leaving the academy...
Saito and the rest reached the la Vallière territory. However, by the time they would reach the la Vallière's mansion it would already be late at night. Upon hearing the words “late at night”... Saito turned pale. He realized that this “territory” was nothing more than a courtyard.
However, after half a day spent traveling, he could not possibly understand how something this big could be a residence’s garden.
By Japanese standards, Louise’s territory could be called a middle-sized city. A city... Saito had never heard of somebody possessing so much land before. These Upper Nobles are truly intimidating.
Louise’s status as a noble was truly displayed once they entered her territory.
They decided to take a break at an inn…
Once their carriages stopped, Siesta, who arrived just a bit earlier, quickly got out of her carriage. Having been trained as a maid, she went to open the coach's door for Louise.
“Uwaa, I can’t believe Siesta just did that... without any protesting”, thought Saito as he walked towards Louise’s carriage. But before he could get there, he was knocked down by a crowd of villagers running from the inn.
The villagers removed their hats in front of Louise, who had just stepped down.
“Miss Eleanor! Miss Louise!” they cried while deeply bowing down.
The villagers thought that even Saito, who was now lying in the dirt, was a noble. They quickly helped him up apologizing for their terrible manners.
“No, I’m not a noble…” Saito nervously tried to explain.
“Even so, you must be Miss Louise’s or Miss Eleonore’s attendant. And we cannot disrespect that.”
Plain looking farmers said while nodding.
They went on saying things such as “Let me carry your sword for you,” and “It must have been a tiring journey to get here, huh?” as they treated Saito with the utmost kindness.
“We will be resting here for a moment. Please inform the family of our arrival,” commanded Eleanor.
A young boy quickly jumped onto a horse and rode off in order to report.
They walked into the inn. Once Eleonore and Louise approached the table, chairs were immediately pulled out for them to sit on. The two sat down as if it were second nature. Saito tried to sit next to them only to be given a demeaning glare by Eleanor.
“Saito-san! Saito-san!”
Hearing Siesta call, Saito turned around.
“Commoners are not permitted to sit at the same tables as nobles.”
That reminded Saito. Recently he had been sitting next to Louise without worrying. Yet this was a strange thing to do in this world after all. Actually, Louise made Saito sit on the floor at first too.
Louise opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by a glare from Eleonore. Louise could do nothing but sit in her chair like a good girl. Saito stared wide-eyed – it was the first time he saw Louise in such a state. She really looked naturally obedient in front of her older sister. However... she must be a really scary elder sister... to make Louise look so weak.
“Oh how Louise has grown!"
"She’s growing more and more beautiful!”
The villagers were chattering around them.
“It seems Miss Eleanor has been engaged, right?” someone muttered.
“SHHH! Don’t talk about that!” came the scolding.
Eleonore’s eyebrows started to twitch and her expression darkened. The atmosphere in the inn took a plunge. Apparently, speaking of Eleonore’s engagement was definitely something to be avoided…
The commoners, feeling the murderous intent coming from Eleanor, didn’t dare speak another word. Saito and Siesta exchanged glances. Then Siesta quietly got close to Saito and grasped his hand. She was afraid.
Not noticing the change in her elder sister, Louise spoke.
“Eleonore. Eleonore nee-sama...”
“What…”
“Congratulations on your engagement!”
The face of every commoner fell, and a deep sigh escaped them.
Louise had completely misread the atmosphere once again. All of a sudden, Eleonore’s eyebrows shot up as she pinched Louise’s cheek.
“It hwwuuuurrtsss!! Waaahhhhh! Nee-shammaaa!! Whhyy?! It hwurts it hwurts it hwurts!!!”
“You don’t know? You speak of it even though you know you shouldn’t!”
“I won’t whoh wah ur alking awout!!”
“The engagement has been canceled!! C-A-N-C-E-L-E-D!”
“W-why?”
“Who knows? Why don’t you ask Earl Burgandi? He said something about reaching his limit. I can’t understand why.”
Saito completely sympathized with that Earl Burgandi. Yes. Anybody who listened to her would soon reach their “limit”. Eleonore was much more fierce and abusive than Louise. The Earl must have thought he didn’t have the stamina.
In the end, unhappy with the marriage cancellation, Eleonore just vented all of her anger on Louise…
And so, the preaching started. She scolded Louise for blowing the roof of the carriage. Louise’s stretched cheek became angry red and swollen by then. Naturally, Saito felt sorry for Louise.
However, this reprimand didn’t last very long because suddenly the door opened and a flow of pink blew in.
A girl, wearing an elegant dress around her slim waist and a wide rimmed hat with a feather on top, had entered. Under the hat was a flow of silky pink blond hair – exactly the same as Louise’s.
Surprisingly, a lovely face popped up from under the hat.
Although from the first look it was obvious that she was older, she looked very cute. Such a beautiful face was beyond description. Her eye color and the way her eyes sparkled was the same as Louise’s as well. Noticing Eleonore, the girl stared with wide eyes.
“Ah! I’m so glad I noticed the strange carriage outside and came over here to take a look. I didn’t think I would meet you! Eleonore nee-sama! You’re back?”
“Cattle...ya...” Eleonore muttered.
Noticing the sudden guest, Louise looked up. Seeing Louise, Cattleya’s face radiated a happiness which was mirrored on Louise’s face as well.
“Big sister!”
“Louise! No way! You are not my chibi Louise anymore! You came back as well!”
Louise stood up and launched herself into Cattleya's chest.
“It’s been so long, big sister!!”
Unable to control their excitement, the two hugged with a squeal.
Seems like Cattleya was Louise’s sister. She had the same hair color, the same eye color – it was like looking at Louise. However, Cattleya’s face seemed to have a more calm and placid look than Louise’s. This aura of complete calmness and tenderness coming from Cattleya made Saito’s heart race.
She was like a matured Louise, with added gentleness. Besides, her beautiful figure and breasts well matched Saito’s taste.
Cattleya's mouth half opened as she finally noticed Saito.
“Ah, ah, ah , ahah!”
While Saito was wondering what this ‘Ah’ might mean, Cattleya approached him and gazed at his face.
“W-w-what’s wrong?” Saito asked nervously.
Cattleya began to gently stroke Saito’s face. Saito almost fainted from these sensations.
“You... are Louise’s lover, right?”
“Huh?!”
Siesta's, who was standing right next to Saito, eyes suddenly turned cold. She stomped down on his foot. Hard. Saito jumped up.
Louise blushed furiously.
“He’s just my familiar! Not my lover!”
“Ah, is that so?”
Cattleya giggled and tilted her head with a sweet smile.
“I’m sorry, I got it wrong. Don’t worry about it.”
Everybody got onto Cattleya’s chariot for the remainder of the ride to the La Valliere household. Eleonore showed obvious discontent of having to sit with a commoner and a familiar. But when Cattleya jokingly said - “The more the merrier right?” Eleonore, though still not uttering a single word, reluctantly consented.
However... Saito and the rest weren’t the only passengers in the large carriage.
It was just like a zoo inside the carriage.
In front of seats a tiger was laying sprawled, yawning. Louise sat down next to a bear. Various kinds of dogs and cats were scattered here and there. A huge snake, which was hanging down the ceiling, appeared right before Siesta’s face, making her faint. While looking after fainted Siesta, Saito muttered.
“But what a wonderful carriage…”
“Big sister loves animals” said Louise.
Though he thought that the limits of love have been exceeded, Saito did not say a thing.
“I recently picked up a thrush.”
Cattleya said in a happy voice.
“Show me! Show me!” Louise was frolicking like a child.
Eleonore and others took a collective deep sigh.
This was a life of three beautiful La Valliere sisters. Saito took a deep sympathetic bow towards Louise’s older sister.
Louise and Cattleya continued having a long chat between them.
Seems like the second eldest sister, who was wearing those lovely clothes, was considerably good friends with Louise. When you see two people getting along like this, even tedious time doesn't feel so very uneasy either. Siesta was already sleeping peacefully in his lap. On the left of the coach, hills stretched. On the right – cultivated fields extended. As it was rye harvest ending, here and there mass of straws were piled up. When looking at such tranquil scenery, it was impossible to believe that war was going on. Leaning into window frame, adjusting the Derflinger behind his back, Saito took a deep yawn.
Late night...
Eleonore took the pocket watch out of her pocket and confirmed the time.
A castle came into the view right behind the hill. Because there were nothing around it, it actually looked bigger than Tristain‘s royal palace.
„Could that be?” Saito whispered, Louise nodded.
It looked like every castle. Surrounded by high walls and deep canals. Pinnacles were towering above walls. A splendid, big, true castle indeed! Elegant building.
Siesta, who was sleeping up till now, woke up and, noticing castle, stared with wide opened eyes.
“Wow! Amazing!”
At that moment, a large owl leaped in through the window and landed on Saito’s head.
“Welcome home, Eleonore-sama, Cattleya-sama, Louise-sama.” Owl bowed greeting them.
“O-o-owl talked and bowed! B-o-w-e-d!” shocked Siesta fainted again. Though coming from different world, Saito seemed to be not surprised by talking owl and did not move. Saito was not surprised by such things anymore.
Cattleya smiled.
“And mother?”
“Mistress is waiting for everyone in dining-room.”
“Father?’
Louise asked anxiously.
“Master hasn’t returned yet.”
Because the most essential member was missing, Louise frowned in displeasure. Coming here to obtain father's permission to participate in the war, was pointless without him.
One could see gates behind the canal.
When carriage stopped, sounds of chains, holding the drawbridge, being loosened could be heard from the both sides of gigantic statue-shaped gateposts.
Each stone statue was at least twenty feet tall…. Though these golems were created only as gate ornament, they made the whole drawbridge look spectacular.
Once the drawbridge finished lowering, the carriage began to move again, crossed the drawbridge and advanced into the rampart.
Saito’s surprise about the luxuries of Louise’s family was renewed again. It was a large noble‘s castle.
Saito and others arrived at the dinning room which was generously decorated by many luxurious furniture. Though Siesta at once went to servant rooms, Saito, as Louise’s familiar, was allowed to accompany them for the dinner.
However, he was made to only wait behind Louise's chair. So Saito stood like guard behind Louise, watching the table that was about 30 feet long.
Though it was just four people that sat on seats during this supper, 20 servants were queuing up around the table.
Though it was midnight, Louise’s mother, the duchess La Valliere was waiting for the daughters to arrive to the dinning table.
The duchess, who occupied the top seat, looked over at arriving daughters.
Saito flinched from that power. What one can say, though Eleonore possessed a violent, high-handed aura, which pressed Saito, Louise mother was impressive as well.
And it was just mother’s hospitality towards daughters.
She seemed to be around fifty years of age. However, this guessing was made by calculating elder sisters ages, in reality she didn’t look over 40. Her look was very sharp. Seems like Louise’s and Cattleya’s pink hair color came from their mother. The duchess had tied her charming pink hair together on the head. This person was wearing the commanding aura around her, Saito felt pressed.
Louise, despite meeting her mother after a long time, was acting tensed. Seems like Louise trusted only Cattleya.
“Mother, we returned just now.” Eleonore greeted, and duchess La Valliere nodded.
When three sisters seat themselves, waiters carried the appetizers and the dinner started.
For Saito, who was standing behind, the time was passing slowly. No words were uttered. Compared with this, even formal dinner in Academy of Magic seemed like a happy play. The only sounds coming from the dining room were the sounds of silver forks and knives.
Breaking this silence, Louise said.
“T-that… Mother-sama.”
The duchess did not answer. Eleonore did.
“Mother-sama! Tell Louise! This foolish child said that she wants to go to a war!”
Bam! – Louise stood up hitting the table.
“I am not a fool! Why I am a fool for applying to Her Majesty’s military forces?”
“Aren’t you a girl?! War is men’s business!”
“That’s very obsolete! Now it is the age when woman and man are given equal position! Therefore, if position would be arranged only to boys in Academy, even you, older sister, would not be able to become a chief researcher of Academy!”
Eleonore shook her head in amazement.
“Do you know what place battlefield is? It is not where woman and children like you should go.”
“But, Her Majesty trusts me…”
“You are trusted? You – the ‘Zero’?!”
Louise bit her lips. Henrietta is taking me to the battlefield, because I am necessary. I am the ‘Void’ user… However, I cannot tell to the family that I am the ‘Void’ user. Therefore, Louise was not able to say anything at all and fell silent.
Eleonore tried to continue preaching, but was cut by the duchess who quietly stayed silent up till now. She commanded in a haughty voice.
“Eat, Eleonore.”
“B-but Mother-sama…”
“We’ll talk about Louise tomorrow, when the father comes back.”
And so the story ended.
