Zero no Tsukaima

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Chapter 2 - Assault[]

Saito sighed. There was one problem that he couldn’t discuss with Louise.

He looked at the innocent face of Louise sleeping on his lap.

Will Void magic be sufficient to scare the elves? If so, can this small body withstand it?

This worried him the most. Spectacular Void spells rapidly consumed a mage’s willpower. Even the "explosion" spell couldn’t be cast without it. And if it’s just an "explosion", who knows how much willpower would use the spell that would scare the elves?

What it would require from a caster?

Even in mortal danger, Louise would use it. To protect her home...

And if it happened, I wonder if I could say her: ’Stop’...

Saito didn’t know that "sometimes Void can take part of life force" was written in Founder’s Prayer Book. Still, intuition was telling him that it is dangerous.

And, with Louise’s dedication, no one could stop her casting such a spell.

It was one of the reasons he liked her, but...

He didn’t want her to be in danger.

What can he do about it?

He thought about it a lot, but there was no answer.

Certainly it was just a potential, maybe even a theoretical, danger.

But...

Intuition warned Saito about danger. (Maybe because he was a familiar and a Gandálfr.)

Knowledge is power they say... but nothing he learned in school was relevant here.

At this moment a bright flash came from the window.

"Huh?"

Something strange had happened outside.

Clenching his teeth, Saito grabbed a katana. Runes on his left hand began to glow.

He opened the window and jumped down. As soon as he landed, magic attacks started from two sides. Ice arrow and fireball...

Saito had expected this and dodged the projectiles.

Fireball landed nearby and exploded. Sparks flew like fireworks and smoke floated over the impact point. Ice arrow hit the wall, scattering plaster.

Saito crouched and turned to attackers.

He didn’t know who was outside, friend or foe, or where they were and how many. The loud jump from the second floor was supposed to help find answers to these questions.

Judging by the magic power, it was serious adversaries.

Now it was time to do something about them.

Saito shouted into darkness.

"Hey! You! Elemental Siblings!"

After a long pause there was a reply.

"Yes! Good game!"

It was Bleu’s voice. Saito sighed.

"Come out for now. We need to discuss something."

A boy came out of the bushes in front of him, and a girl from the right side. She was with Bleu before. Her name, he thought, was Jeanette.

Last, the huge figure of the guy he fought in Gallia appeared.

"You..."

"Hi."

The giant cheerfully smiled. It was strange. This guy, Jack, was caught after the fight in Gallia.

"Hey, didn’t we catch you?"

"There is no prison in the world that could hold me."

Jack laughed heartily. He probably was right. Siblings were powerful mages, and on top of that their physical performance was also improved by some magic. Keeping them in a usual prison would be difficult.

"Let’s go! Fair play! Get ready!" - Blew screamed with a red face.

Saito scratched his head.

"Not interested."

"Really? Then you’re just gonna die."

Bleu tried to cast a spell.

"Hey now... You destroyed Derfflinger so I really want to fight you. However, it is impossible because Halkeginia is in grave danger right now."

"The rise of the continents, right?" Janette said in a bored tone.

"Do you know that it’s not just the Fire Dragons Mountains? It will happen here, too."

"So what! It doesn’t concern me!"

"It concerns me! Bleu, it’s over. Nobles of this country spend money on troops now, so they cancelled the job. You are working for free."

"So, it were nobles."

Saito said sadly. He was angry. He shouldn’t help this bunch to fight with the elves.

"Don’t talk about the clients!" said Bleu angrily.

"Oh? They are not clients anymore, so it doesn’t matter."

Saito tired of this bickering.

"Anyway, go find some safe place. I don’t really have time to mess with you. There is a lot to be done."

Bleu balked.

"Game is not over yet! Draw your sword!"

Saito felt a surge of anger. This guy killed Derf... He wanted to run to him and stab the sword through his chest.

But the other siblings would certainly get involved, and no doubt, everyone in the mansion would come to help.

It would be a big fight.

Big, but pointless.

"Hey, stop it. Your siblings don’t see a reason to continue."

Saito pointed to the bitter Jack and Jeanette.

"Well," - said Jack, scratching his head.

"We should look for a place to escape."

"Hmm... It’s supposed to happen everywhere. And whatever happens, I am sure we will survive."

That most likely was correct. Maybe most nobles thought so? That whatever happens they will be fine? Actually, everyone thinks like that yet just his popularity surge almost killed him. Nobles will be fine, but what will happen with commoners working in fields? There are a lot more of them then nobles.

"It was fine for six thousand years. It can’t be that bad. Are you slow or something?"

"What do you mean?"

"Spelling it out. Good grief, he is just obsessing about winning this stupid game."

"Stupid? To become the strongest mage in the world? This dream is stupid!?"

Bleu took out his wand and turned to Saito.

"Is it?"

Well, words didn’t work. Saito raised his katana.

Bleu waved his wand, which turned into a shining blade of powerful magic again.

Saito dodged.

Bleu made a lightning fast lunge targeting Saito’s chest. The siblings’ physique was enhanced with Ancient Magic.

However, this time Saito moved much faster.

He jumped back, evading the hit and looked at Jeanette and Jack. They just watched.

But if Bleu was in trouble they would probably intervene. In other words, Saito couldn’t win.

He was surprised that he could make such a calm observation.

In other words...

He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.

Saito turned and ran away.

"Mate!" yelled a surprised Bleu. There was no point to respond. Saito ran away from the mansion and into the forest.

Bleu was about to start chasing him, but a blue shadow blocked his way.

"W...who are you?"

It was Tabitha, menacingly holding her cane. She had noticed the commotion first, and literally flew here.

Still in a negligee, eyes sparkling with fury, she cast spells quickly.

"Windy Icicles" flew to Bleu as an embodiment of Tabitha’s anger.

Apparently she was very angry; there were dozens of them.

The icicles were launched all at once so they were difficult to deflect. Bleu stopped most of them with his wand but he didn’t expect this attack and a few arrows hit him.

"Damn!" - cried Bleu, falling.

Tabitha pointed her cane at him.

"You move, you die."

She said flatly. There was not a trace of fighting spirit in her voice, but the icy chill drifting from her whole body told Bleu that she was deadly serious. Although she looked like a child, her stance befitted a battlefield.

But Bleu wasn’t a rookie either. He prepared to absorb the girl’s attack and cast a spell. Lightning flew from the cane top with a blinding flash.

"Lightning" is a spell of a high level mage. It is difficult to use because it can hit anyone, even the caster himself. Usually mages use "Lightning Cloud" instead, creating a small cloud from a safe distance.

Bleu, however, easily deflected the lightning. He was a worthy opponent.

Although the top of Tabitha’s cane protected her hands, the lightning discharge shifted to the right. She almost dropped the cane, but managed to put it into the left hand and kept control over the discharge. She cast another spell. Raging wind hit Bleu.

This fight lasted about one second. Ten-odd mails separated the opponents.

"Good grief... I told you it would be like this. This mansion is stuffed to the roof with mages. Stop it..."

Jeanette sighed and tried to cast a spell to help Bleu.

Kaboom!

Something in front of her exploded pushing hew back. Through a cloud of dust in the light of the moons she saw a pink-haired girl in a negligee, glaring back at her.

"Is it...Vanessa?"

"No. Louise. And you are the murderer hunting for Saito."

Jeanette grinned.

"Not now, just accompanying my brother."

"Still a murderer. Absolutely unforgivable" Louise declared confidently.

Jeanette let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Come on, you have to forgive me eventually."

"Shut up."

"Who is it? The one who kissed your best friend? This is Saito? You ran to the monastery because of him, but at the minute he is a little nicer to you and everything is forgiven. Oh dear."

Louise was shaking with fury.

"N-none of your business."

"Oh, it’s mine all right. Because I was kind enough to lead you all the way to the monastery. And yet you so easily reconciled. Killjoy."

"Shut up."

"Such a generous girl."

Outraged, Louise cast a spell again.

Kaboom! It was another ’Explosion’.

Jeanette disappeared.

"Huh?" said the surprised Louise.

"Absolutely unforgivable. I like how adamant you’ve become."

"You!"

It was Janette. How did she escape the explosion? Her agility seemed inhuman. Someone grabbed Louise’s hand and she panicked.

"You! Let go!"

"Listen. How good is this guy really? I like you a lot. Maybe..."

Jeanette licked Louise’s cheek.

"I have a dreadful power!"

"Don’t be ridiculous."

Furious, Louise tried to hit Jeanette with her other hand but Jeanette grabbed it too. Her forte, a kick, wasn’t fast enough either.

"Really, an amusing kid!"

Beaming, Jeanette hugged Louise.

"Get off me! Now!"

Amazed, Jack stared at a sudden reinforcement. He noticed Saito coming to help Louise.

"Forest trees, seize my foe."

He recited a simple incantation with a very deep voice. Obeying Ancient Magic, tree branches moved tangling Saito’s leg.

Saito was surprised for a moment by Tabitha’s and Louise’s appearance. Then he was deeply touched, almost moved to tears.

But the girls can’t get involved. He was the target.

Tabitha was handling Bleu. But Louise... it seemed that Jeanette was holding both of her hands and she couldn’t fight.

Louise is like a huge cannon which can obliterate anything on a battlefield, but is useless in close combat. Someone has to protect her, otherwise she can’t fight.

"Coming!"

Shivering with anger, he bolted.

"Wow!"

Suddenly tree branches stretched out and entangled his leg.

Before crashing on the ground he noticed Jack’s huge figure.

"You... Is this Ancient Magic? Why?"

"Oh, you don’t like it? I have nothing against you, just helping my brother."

"Really pointless. Earth is going to be torn apart. We shouldn’t fight!"

"How do you know it?"

Saito kip-up and tried to reach Jack with the katana, but the giant moved fast and he dodged.

"Hey, I’m not fighting you."

Jack held the cane in front of him to hold off Saito’s attack. At this moment several fireballs exploded around him.

Then a tempting voice came from the darkness "Saito, are you ok?"

"Kirche!"

A snake of flame entangled Jack who was trying to cast a spell. Colbert controlled it with his wand.

"Mister Saito! Leave him to us!"

Saito rushed toward Louise.

Playful Jeanette cuddled the struggling Louise. She held both of Louise’s hands and licked her cheek.

"Let me go!"

Louise tried to resist, but Jeanette barely noticed it. Saito ran to them.

"Louise! Are you ok?"

"Help! This girl is strange! Something is really wrong with her!"

Beaming, Jeanette looked alternately at Saito and Louise and licked her lips.

"She is too good for you. I will make her my doll."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Saito raised the katana. Jeanette smiled cheerfully.

"Oops. One more step..."

"Taking hostages is dastardly."

"I’m not gonna harm her, moron. I’ll just rip this cute negligee off of her."

"You’ve got to be kidding!" replied Saito, and made a step forward.

Louise yelled: "Stop!"

"Huh? Why?"

Embarrassed Louise shook her head.

"I don’t want others to see..."

Saito opened his mouth and blushed deeply.

"I see..."

Looking at them, Jeanette pouted.

"What? You guys."

Meanwhile, a fierce battle between Tabitha and Bleu continued. Bleu, despite the initial wounds from Windy Icicles, was on a roll. It looked like he didn’t feel any pain. On the other hand Tabitha was known as number seven in hierarchy of Knights of the North Parterre.

Fighting against an opponent with greater power and speed wasn’t a rare occasion. Although initially somewhat surprised by the inhuman speed of Bleu, now she was keeping up with him. After all, she really wanted to protect Saito.

This desire strengthened her wind spells a lot. She furiously attacked Bleu, looking for any gap to hit him with ice arrows. Every time they reached Bleu he used his hardening ability. Still, even with his inhuman speed, it was difficult to hit the flying on the wind Tabitha.

On the other hand, Tabitha didn’t have much of an advantage. Her spells were not strong enough. Cast in quick succession, they lacked raw power and couldn’t pierce Bleu’s hardening. It was just like a perpetual check in the game of chess.

"Hmm. Goodness. What a mess."

A small shadow was watching the scuffle from a forest bush. It seemed to be a ten-to-twelve year old boy, but he wasn’t a kid.

It was Damien, the eldest of the Elemental Siblings, and he was holding a strange object.

At first glance it looked like a huge brass instrument. The pipe was bent like a snail and ended with something like a trumpet bell.

Damien put this bell on the ground and pressed a switch replacing the usual pipe mouthpiece.

The pipe trembled with a low sound. Intense aura was flowing from it. The ground under the pipe began to glow slightly. The aura hit the ground and the transformation began.

"A device that constantly casts an alchemy spell. Amazing, really."

Sylphid ran to Tabitha who was exchanging spells with Bleu. Tabitha shook her head.

"I don’t need help. This is dangerous, stay in the sky."

"Wrong. Bigger problem."

Sylphid said impatiently.

"Look there."

Why would she say it in the middle of the fight? Tabitha gave a quick glance as Sylphid suggested.

In moonlight below, Jeanette caught Louise and was about to roll up her negligee. Saito hesitated nearby.

Beaming, Janet seems to be having fun.

This was anticlimactic. Completely different from her epic battle with Bleu, it looked like only they were fighting seriously.

"This enemy weak for sister!"

"Huh?"

"Often sister too strong! Look weak, get help! Like that child! Kyui!"

Tabitha was startled. Saito naturally ran to rescue Louise. Is she...too strong?

"And now you are looking around!"

Bleu yelled and swung his cane. The distracted Tabitha reacted slowly. Even though she dodged Bleu’s blade, the wind that supported her was unbalanced.

"Help!"

Bleu tried to hit her with his magic blade, however, in the nick of time, Saito, warned by Sylphid’s cry, rushed in and cut his wand in halves.

"Ah!"

"Ah, see. Become visible. Look weak."

Apparently Saito while trying to help Louise was still paying some attention to his surroundings. When did he grow to be such a warrior?

Tabitha admired him for this.

"Damn! To lose to this guy again! Damn!"

Saito pointed the katana at Bleu stomping his feet in frustration and said "Well, who hired you to kill me?"

Anyway, he didn’t want to be targeted by country nobles anymore. Expecting a hit in the back while dealing with elves would be too much.

"Damn! Damn! How? Why?"

Bleu didn’t hear Saito. He was too distracted by his childish tantrum.

It looked like it was some Tristain nobles, sighed Saito. People he was going to help among others. Nobility of this country was rather selfish.

The princess is great though, he thought...

The ground violently shook.

"What is it! Earthquake!"

Could it be the continent rise? Saito’s face paled.

Then he started to sink.

"Huh? What? Sinking? Is it ocean water? What is happening?"

Instantly they were in the "water". Was there a flood of some kind? Did they teleport somewhere?

Anyway, it was rather deep. Can’t reach the ground! Saito’s hand touched something. It’s a tree! From a grove near the mansion.

This means the ground changed into water somehow.

He grasped a tree branch and looked around. Everywhere, water surface glittered in the moonlight. It looked like the Amazon forest in the middle of the rainy season that he seen on TV once.

Something strange... he felt a growing haze in his head. Huh? Why? Drowsey?

Dangerous. If he fell asleep he would certainly drown. Saito thrust the katana into the tree and tied his wrist to the pommel. Then he couldn’t fight the drowsiness anymore.