Chapter Text
"Alright. Were would you like us to begin?" Saito asked as the group had returned to Louise's room, with Siesta in tow.
"For starters, why didn't you tell me you were all nobles?" Louise asked, getting straight to what she believed was the point.
"Because none of us are, each of us have simply inherited our abilities from their previous owners.” Heath explained.
"Impossible! You have magic, and thus you are nobles." Louise insisted to the four quite heavily.
"I'm fairly certain even non-nobles can have magic. The obvious first thought, the child of a noble and a street-working woman." Nikolai said to his master.
Louise opened her mouth to counter that, before closing it again and thinking about it "Alright… You have a point there." she admitted.
"I was wondering about that announcement you made Nikolai. Before you were armored, you asked for permission to use dark magic." Siesta asked.
"I'd like to ask about that too," Louise scowled. "Why do you have that evil power? Don't you know what it is?"
"I know what it is, yes, but just because a power is dark, doesn't mean the user is evil, just as the power of light may be used for nefarious purposes. It's something I've learned over the years." Nikolai said "As for the source of the armor itself, I'm not its first user, like Heath said, I inherited it."
"And how did you go about obtaining these powers?" Louise queried her familiars.
"Well, let's start at the beginning, regarding how I learned of its existence. It happened shortly after I left my family due to my dislike of them. I found a very old book that detailed a secret conflict between a family of mages and an ancient and powerful creature named N Ma.” Nikolai said, spinning a yarn that would fit Louise's worldview.
“The demon had managed to capture the patriarch of the family, Isamu Ozu, to serve him by imprisoning him in a shell of Dark Magic modeled after his original armor. He did eventually break free of the shell, and fought alongside his wife, and now grown children against the demon. The tome held rather accurate drawings of the weapons, wands, and armors they wielded, so from there I was able to learn what it all looked like, and how to use it.”
“Then, one day, I actually found the wand sealed within a box, and was able to take it away from its hidden location. When I claimed the wand and entered the mystic code the first time, I met with a magical recording of Isamu explaining that he had recreated the armor using what little dark magic that remained within him for a worthy successor to use.”
Both of the girls seemed… quite unsure what to say.
"I see…" Louise frowned. "But… there aren't any side effects, are there?" She wanted to check as most stories she read said that dark magic ate away at the soul of the user.
"Not that I've felt so far," he said, being honest since he really hadn't had much time in the armor.
"I see." Louise nodded "But still, dark magic isn't something that would be considered common here. It might be best if you avoid using it too much, or it might cause too much of a commotion."
He nodded as well "Fair point. I guess I'll avoid using the armor too much then. Though I think the wand should be able to channel other sorts of magic as well."
“As for me, I found the Gaisoulken while exploring an old cave system. The sword was lodged in a large stone with an inscription on it stating ‘Only with the chivalry of a Knight may the sword be pulled from the stone.’ and I guess I fit the description since you saw me use it for the first time today.” Alexander said, telling his own tall tale about how he obtained his blade and armor. After Alex finished, Saito spoke up with his own story.
“I purchased the Geartozinger from a bankrupt museum in my hometown. It was said to be once wielded by the caesar, which means ruler, of the Tojitendo Dynasty, an ancient and nearly forgotten period of my land’s history.”
“The previous Don Murasame gave it to me personally as he lay dying. Then I got summoned to be your familiar.” Heath lied simply and concisely.
"My, I never thought I'd see the day when a noble summoned a human familiar, let alone four of them." Siesta mused in interest.
"Indeed." Louise admitted "Still… I don't know how to feel about the fact that one of my familiars is better at magic than me." she said, giving him a pointed look.
Nikolai raised his hands to placate her, "Calm yourself please, I'm not the kind that would berate you on your magic skills."
"I'd appreciate that," Louise sighed.
"So...what happens now?" Nicolas asked.
"For now? I think rest would be good. It's been a long day," Louise sighed.
"Sounds good to me," Heath shrugged, as the others nodded their heads.
"My, it is getting rather late, and I have a few things I still need to attend to," Siesta remembered. "I will see you both another day. Good evening," she said, quickly excusing herself and leaving.
"She's really fun to talk to." Nikolai said idly as he waved at Siesta as she left the room.
“Yeah, she is.” Alexander agreed to the sentiment.
"I suppose a maid won't be insulting me while talking to me, so I have to agree there." Louise admitted after a moment, before looking at him "By the way, I suppose I should mention this since unlike other familiars you're human, but you're allowed to pursue romantic relationships while here, not that you needed my permission… just as long as it's not Zerbst, you can be with anyone but her, I won't even complain if you somehow become involved with another noble, but NOT her."
"What's the reason for the hate anyway?" Nikolai asked, vaguely remembering it from the few episodes he had watched, so he could use a refresher course.
"To make a long story short, her ancestor stole away the wife of my ancestor. The Zerbst family have since seemed to make it a game of just how much they can steal from the Vallieres." she said bitterly.
"Wow… that guy was a bastard. I mean, stealing another man's wife then making it out like a sport is just the lowest of the low." Alexander said, shaking his head at the thought, seriously, just stealing someone's wife alone was low, but Kirche's family just made it worse if they continued doing it through generations. The other three agreed on that.
"It is," Louise nodded with a huff. "I'm glad we see eye to eye on this matter."
"Don't worry, if I am looking for a relationship, I'd prefer someone who isn't the type to sleep around," Nikolai said flatly.
She snorted in amusement at that, not bothering to hide it since she knew he wouldn't tell anyone "Walls are rather thin here, so I have confirmation she does tend to spread her legs every night."
"Can't be easy to sleep for whoever lives in the next dorm over." Heath said with a smirk at the rather humorous image of the poor girl who was stuck listening to that through the night.
"She found a workaround apparently." Louise said with a shrug. "Now then, in a couple days it'll be the Day of the Void. It's a vacation day. It might be a good idea to use it to go to the nearby town and see if we can find you any spare weaponry should something happen to the ones you already have."
"Good point, can't be too careful." Saito said with a nod, though he was agreeing mostly because he wanted Derflinger back at his side. Heath, however, scoffed at the thought.
"As well, I found Professor Colbert earlier a bit before your duel, I assumed he already knew but he apparently did not, so all he said to me was that your room would be ready by tomorrow." she added.
"Good, sleeping on straw isn't very good for the back." he said with a chuckle before standing up "Let us know when you're done changing, Master." he said and walked out of her room followed by the others as she nodded at them.
The next few days soon passed in a rather comfortable rhythm.
The four were slowly getting used to the academy, and while some students gave them a bit of respect, mainly the ones who saw the duel first hand, most still treated them as little more than human-shaped familiars or ordinary commoners.
Katie was one of the respectful few, the girl thanking Nikolai for exposing Guiche's true nature to her, and speaking of the blonde playboy, he was still with Montmorency… though the girl was making sure to keep a much tighter leash on him.
Heath also may or may not have mentioned ideas for disciplining others within earshot of her and watched her walk off with a light grin.
At the moment though, he was walking back to Louise's room, intent on getting an early night's rest after a nice meal in the kitchens and chatting with Siesta, when he spotted something on the other end of the corridor he was walking through.
"Aren't you Kirche's familiar? Flame was it? What do you want with me you discount Charmeleon?" Nikolai wondered with a deadpan look, vaguely remembering something like this from the episodes he had seen.
The salamander looked at him funny, quite sure he'd just been insulted, but as it was, he had a job to do. With that he walked around, before promptly biting down on the back of Nicolas's shirt and started trying to drag him away.
"A few lit candles, the perfect bedtime wear, and nice full moons. Perfect to spend the night with someone," Kirche chuckled as she finished the preparations. Now all that was left was for Flame to bring her target here and…
She stopped short when the door was nudged a bit. Smiling, she turned to the door and opened it, fully expecting to see Valiere's familiar being dragged by Flame. Instead, she was met with the sight of her familiar alone… and sporting a sizable goose egg on his head while looking rather miserable. She also noticed a note stuck on said goose egg, to which she picked it up, finding the note had only a simple 'Not interested' written upon it.
Kirche blinked as Flame waddled into the room, while she was staring at the note, as if she couldn't believe that just happened. Eventually… "I see...oh well, I guess I'll just have to try harder," she chuckled to herself. She always did like a challenge.
"Hey Louise, the Zerbst family… are the women usually as 'gifted' as Kirche?" Heath idly asked, as he sat in the hay.
"...that gives me more questions, but yes. Why do you ask?" Louise sighed.
"Cause I think they stuffed their brains in there. I'm worried that girl won't understand the meaning of 'not interested'," Nikolai interrupted flatly as he entered the room.
Louise could not stop laughing at that, the image of Kirche's head being void of anything only for a brain to be present in her chest and not working at all was rather hilarious to her.
Heath grinned a bit as he let her have her laugh, knowing she definitely needed it after dealing with all the problems she had at this school.
Eventually, she calmed down, though she was still smiling. "So, what did she try to do, and what did you do in response?"
"She had her familiar try to kidnap me and bring me to her room for a romp in the bed. Instead, I gave its head a bit of a wallop, a stern talking to, and then stuck a note on its head." he, that is Nikolai, answered with a grin.
Louise couldn't help it. She laughed at the mental image that gave her. "I think you're the first person to reject someone in that kind of method, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Zerbsts could probably be used as battering rams with how stubborn they're known to be."
"Think she'd stop trying if I was actively dating someone?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I doubt it, but she would at the very least try a different tactic." she said with a shrug, making him sigh. Looks like he had his work cut out for him in this regard.
Eventually the Day of the Void came, and as such, all students had the day off to do as they pleased, baring anything illegal. Currently Louise and her familiars were at the stables, looking to borrow horses.
"So these are the academy's horses, huh?" Nikolai mused as he looked at the various horses.
"Yes they are. Is something wrong?" Louise asked.
"No nothing wrong per say… just reminded me of something from the tome I read," Nikolai told her.
"What is it?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The original Wolzard, Isamu, had not one but two steeds, when he was controlled he rode a black horse known as Balkyrion, while he originally had a white unicorn named Unigolon for his steed. He was capable of summoning them whenever needed, so I'm just wondering if I'm capable of calling on them for us." he said, bringing out the WolzaPhone and flipping it open.
"Well, give it a try." she suggested, “Though I highly doubt a unicorn would answer your call. They are notoriously fickle creatures.”
"I can still try." he said with a smile as they walked out of the stables and he punched in 4-0-3 on the phone. "Uu Uru Zazare!” he said and flicked the wand out in front of him. For a second nothing happened, but then Wolzard’s/Blagel’s distinct voice called out from the aether.
Uu Uru Zazare!
Two seals formed on the ground, before a black horse ran out of the first seal, and a white unicorn rode forth from the second. Both were wearing saddles on their backs and helmets over their heads, a dark colored helmet for Balkyrion, and a sterling silver helmet for Unigolon.
"They're… big." Louise said after a moment, because yes, the twin steeds were also quite big compared to the ones in the stable.
"Oh yeah. Dark Magic Horse, Balkyrion and Heavenly Steed, Unigolon really do live up to their names," Nikolai said in awe, while the dark horse took one look at him… and let out an unamused snort. "…why do I feel like I was just dissed by a horse?"
"I think you were." Heath said idly, still not looking away from the unicorn.
"Right… Normally I'd be offended… but this is Balkyrion, the one horse you know you don't want to piss off." he said, before walking up to the horse as calmly as he could.
"Balkyrion, Unigolon, nice to meet you. I'm Nikolai D’arc, and yes, I know you might not care." a snort was the Madou Horse’s quick answer, while the Heavenly Steed just stared at him.
"Yeah, figured that. So, let's cut straight to the chase. You remember Isamu Ozu, right? Your master, or maybe previous master? I don't know if he's still alive considering his nature, and I doubt either of you will give me an answer, but I inherited his armor and powers as the Dark Magic Knight, so I just want you to give me a chance. You may not want me to be your master, and I doubt I can compare to Isamu or even Kai, but what would you say to being partners instead? Can you give me a shot at that?"
The dark steed looked at him for a moment, before he seemingly lowered down to let Nicolas get on… but there was a certain ominous air to the horse still.
"I don't think you should get on just yet, Master." Nikolai told Louise. "I get the feeling he's not about to give me an answer straight away," to which Louise wordlessly nodded. She could tell this horse was in no way anything like the horses that belonged to the academy. In fact, now that she idly looked at the stables, she noticed many of the horses near the front had backed off or started looking very skittish the moment the black steed was summoned.
Mentally bracing himself, he climbed onto Balkyrion's back… and once he was secure, the horse sped off into a nearby clearing, and began bucking and jumping, fully aiming to knock his rider off.
"OH MOTHER!" Nikolai screamed as he held onto Balkyrion’s neck, ‘Don't let go! Don't get bucked off! Hope he gives up and pray he stops soon!’
The crazy ride went on for several agonizing minutes, and each passing second his arms felt more and more like jam. Eventually though, he felt Balkyrion slow, before coming to a complete stop.
"Are… you… satisfied?" he panted, earning a small nod from the horse. "…thank god…" he groaned as he promptly fell off the horse in exhaustion.
Louise went up to him "Are you going to be ok?"
"Yeah… yeah just gimme a bit to get the feeling back in my arms." He said, panting.
Louise nodded, before looking at the horse with a wary eye "So… he's going to listen to us now?"
"To me. If you want him to listen to you, you need to take the hell ride as well. I don't know if he respects me, but he at least acknowledges me as someone who can ride him." Nikolai told her with a sigh as he slowly got back up, noticing that Unigolon was letting the other three touch and pet him. At least he knew now that the unicorn was much friendlier.
"So… will they be willing to bring us to the nearby town?" Louise asked cautiously.
"I think so," Nicolas sighed as he got back on the horse, the dark horse not fighting him this time, before he helped Louise get on also. "Point the way."
"Land!" Both Nikolai and Louise practically cried when they arrived, all but jumping off of Balkyrion, and if it weren't for the fact both had more self respect, they'd have started kissing the ground. Unigolon, apparently, wasn't much better considering his three riders looked carsick.
Both steeds definitely lived up to their names as magical horses because the trip from the academy to the town, which should have taken 3 hours or so, was done in only 20 minutes. Quite the feat indeed.
"Alright… alright…" Nicolas sighed as he took a breath and looked at Balkyrion, "Take it a bit slower on the return trip, please, partner?"
Balkyrion snorted, but nodded his head nonetheless along with Unigolon.
"Right, on top of a sword, we're going to buy some proper horse riding gear… just the standard stuff, nothing bad." she added, looking at the horse and unicorn who nodded in acceptance, making her sigh in relief.
"So, reins and a bridle then." Nikolai counted off on his fingers as he and Louise started walking in town after the two steeds settled themselves into empty stalls at the stable on the edge of the town.
"A saddle blanket too, they'll probably like us more if we make it as comfortable as possible." Louise added dryly.
"Never thought you'd have to make a horse like you, did you?" Nikolai asked knowingly.
"Yes and no… I did entertain the idea of a horse as a familiar, but this is definitely more than I ever would have asked for," she sighed.
"I don't think any normal person would ask for a horse like him unless they're a top tier master," he chuckled awkwardly.
"Let's just get what we came for," Louise sighed as they soon made their way to a local weapon shop. When they got in, Nikolai immediately knew it was the right one from the ratty looking shop owner, and Derf's rusted form in the bargain barrel. Unfortunately for Nikolai, Saito had beaten them there and was talking with the shop owner about buying Derflinger.
‘Damn it, beat again.’
He tuned out the talk between Louise and the shop owner, opting to look at the other swords, trying to gauge how good they were. He wouldn't claim he was some expert on swords, but he'd taken a passing interest in them.
He idly grabbed the sword placed in front of him, looking it over, before making a face of distaste. "Not for me." Nikolai said and handed it back.
"Do you have anything better?" Louise asked, and Nicolas knew it was time for him to call someone out on their bullshit.
The man hummed in thought, looking up as he rubbed his chin, before snapping his fingers "I believe I have just the thing." he said, before walking through a curtain and into the back of the store.
"I don't trust that guy. He just screams opportunist," Saito said frowning.
"How so?" Louise asked.
"He looks and acts like a rat. Take what he says with a grain of salt," Nikolai advised, with Saito nodding along.
True enough, when the seller came out, he was carrying a gaudy looking golden sword. The thing sure seemed nice, but there were a few problems. First of all, it was a solid gold sword. Anyone who knew metals would know gold is hardly ideal for something like a sword. Second, the sword was far too decorated, making it feel more like an ornament than a weapon. And third, related to the second, a sword like that would draw attention instead of warding it off.
Louise however seemed quite taken by the sword.
'Not a chance.' was Nikolai and Saito’s simultaneous thought as they gave their best offended look to the shopkeeper.
"The hell/Why are you presenting us this paperweight for?" They both asked, Saito being much less crude about it.
"I'll have you know sirs and ma'am that this sword was forged by a famous Germanian Alchemist. It's our best sword," the arms merchant said confident in his lie.
"If this is your best then you're a sad, sad excuse of an arms merchant. Gold is worthless in a weapon, and there's far too many decorations on it. A proper sword would be glossed over, not made to attract attention, just like this sword." Nikolai said, pointing out the rusted form of Derflinger in Saito’s hand, idly wondering if he would speak soon.
“Exactly! A bit of maintenance, and this sword would be as good as new."
"I told you people had working brains these days." a new voice said through the store, though Nikolai and Saito both knew the source.
The shopkeeper, meanwhile, was gritting his teeth.
"So, a talking sword?" Nikolai falsely mused as he looked at Saito with envy.
"Yeah, I can do more than just talk, but I guess that would be the first thing most people notice." the blade said in amusement "The name's Derflinger, but you can call me Derf."
"Nikolai D’arc, I'd shake your hand, but I don't think you have one." Nikolai shot back with a joking grin.
"Oh, you I like!" Derf laughed. "Hey, girl, if you're gonna buy a sword, pick me!"
"I dunno…" Louise frowned, a little off put by the talking sword. However…
"How much did you say for this sword again?" Saito asked the seller.
"Uh…" the seller fumbled, honestly not expecting him to want to buy Derf. "1000 gold," he tried.
"Do I look like I was born yesterday? If I'm not wrong, and I don't believe I am, not only was he in the bargain bin, you said a much lower price before, so I shall make my own offer." Saito deadpanned "10 Gold."
"Even if that sword is in the bargain bin, no way am I selling him for that little! 500 gold!"
"He's completely rusted, 30 Gold."
"That would only buy a dagger! 200 Gold!"
"You tried selling us an ornamental sword before, but I'm reasonable so how about this: 100 gold if you toss in a maintenance kit. I need to clean him up after all,"
Nikolai grinned, knowing his friend had just put the ‘canon’ price of the sword alone for both Derf and a maintenance kit.
The seller looked torn...but finally…. "Oh alright. I've been wanting to get rid of that thing anyway," he huffed.
As he went into the back of the store to gather up the maintenance kit, Nikolai grinned at Derf "Who's the man?"
"He's the man!" Derf said with a laugh.
"I don't get it." Louise said, still a bit perplexed by what just happened. She was a bit miffed at Saito just up and picking his own weapon, but seeing as the price was only 100 Gold she could wave it off. Had he actually bought that sword for 1000 Gold, then she'd be rather upset for him not consulting her.
"I'll explain it to you once we're all outside." Nikolai told her simply, receiving a nod from the pinkette. Just in time too, as the man came out with the kit and a scabbard, and placed them on the counter.
"One sword maintenance kit, plus Derf's scabbard. As we agreed, that's 100 gold," he said, looking a bit crabby.
"Pleasure doing business with you," Saito said as Louise put the money on the counter and the four of them, Derf being the fourth person, were soon out of the shop. Once they were outside…
"Yeah, real pleasure sucker," Nikolai snickered.
"Yeah, he was never the sharpest tool in the shed." Derf added from his scabbard hanging off Saito's back.
"Could you explain now, please?" Louise asked as she looked to her familiars with a raised eyebrow.
"You tell me," Nikolai chuckled, “Seriously, take a look at Derf, and tell me what you see."
"...a rusted sword?" Louise said flatly.
"A rusted talking sword. Last I checked, normal swords can't talk unless…" he trailed off.
THAT was when it clicked in Louise's mind. "...unless they're highly enchanted," she gasped.
"And not just that, look at the blade. Derf may be caked in rust, but there isn't even a nick in the blade," Saito pointed out. "And I doubt magic swords go rusty easily. Imagine how old he must be to have actually gotten rust that overpowered whatever enchantment he no doubt had to avoid rusting too easily."
"You got that right, I'm 6,000 years old and still going strong," Derf laughed. "Glad someone finally can see beyond the obvious."
"Right… that does all make sense, so… we just tricked that man then." Louise summed up.
Nikolai shrugged "He was trying to trick us first by selling us that worthless paperweight, which I'm pretty sure I could have snapped over my knee… as Wolzard obviously. I mean seriously, even if you pull the 'magic' card, gold is never a good metal for a sword, 'cause it's a softer material compared to iron and steel. And like I said, that thing would attract every thief or opportunist around us with how gaudy it was. Even if Derflinger was a regular sword, even I'd have picked him over that thing," he huffed at the end.
"Aw, you know just what to say to warm my cold metal heart!" Derf said, before snickering.
Louise groaned "Great… another one." she muttered, before sighing "Let's just go buy the equipment for Balkyrion and Unigolon and head on back."
A couple hours later, and only Saito getting a new weapon, the group had rejoined one another at the stable for the trip back, which was thankfully less gut churning. However, that also provided a new question from Louise.
"Where do you plan to keep them anyway?" Louise asked as she dismounted Unigolon. "I don't think they'd do well in the stables."
"Well… we could talk to the headmaster and try to find a solution…" Nikolai mused, before Balkyrion snorted and galloped off into the woods on his own accord with Unigolon following soon after. "Or they can do that. I'm definitely not at Isamu or Kai’s level in their eyes," He groaned.
"Kai?" Louise repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Kai Ozu. Kai was Isamu's youngest son and a user of fire magic like his father."
"Give it time kid. He'll probably respect you eventually, and that Kai boy probably got respect faster because of being his father's son." Derf said with the closest thing to a shrug a sword could do.
"That's actually a fair point," Nicolas conceded.
"I have to admit, I'm rather curious about this conflict that you learned about. Perhaps you could tell me about it another time?" Louise asked, rather intrigued by what little she knew.
"I can tell you a bit about it on the way to your room, though I'm gonna have to ask you to keep an open mind. The story can be a bit out there on some parts," he chuckled.
"It can't be that bad," Louise shrugged.
"Okay, you asked for it," Nikolai laughed lightly as they walked. "It all started with a conflict between two realms, one miles below ground, and another hidden amongst the clouds…"
Nikolai couldn't help but chortle at the mind blown expression she had gained from his story, and he'd only covered the early bits so far.
"That can't be real," was the first thing Louise said upon reaching the safety of her room.
"I read it from a book, which mind you was quite detailed, and I'm even wearing an armor from the story.”
"But what you're talking about feels more like a conflict between heaven and hell!" Louise pointed out.
"I only said Magitopia was a magical kingdom in the sky, while Infershia was a subterranean realm. Though now that I think about it, the parallels ARE there," Nikolai conceded at the end. "The point is, I never said the Heavenly Saints were angels, nor did I claim the Infershians were demons."
"A fair point. So the Ozu family fought as representatives for Magitopia against Infershia?" Louise mused.
"Something like that," he nodded. "It was more that Miyuki, the Ozu Family matriarch, convinced Magiel, the ruler of Magitopia, to give her and her children the power to fight back if the Infershians returned after Isamu sealed them the first time."
"I'm also having a hard time swallowing the part about the patriarch also being a Heavenly Saint," Louise sighed.
"The story wasn't really clear on how it all worked, but apparently humans who master magic to a high enough degree can ascend to being Heavenly Saints though it costs them their memories of ever being human, so it's entirely possible that he was a human once." Nikolai explained to Louise.
"Maybe we should put a pin in this for now. The little lady looks like she could use a break," Derf suggested from Saito's lap, where he was getting rubbed down with some rust remover. “A little to the left, partner.”
“If you start moaning, I'll throw you out the window.” Saito dryly said to his new yet old partner.
"I think I would enjoy that, yes," Louise sighed, right before a knock was heard on the door.
"Huh, wonder who that is?" Saito asked as Heath got up and went to open the door, dodging out of the way of a tan skinned missile.
There were several seconds of silence as everyone stared at the twitching Kirche on the floor.
During that time, Nikolai noticed an ever so silent blue haired, glasses wearing girl slipping into the room and just standing next to the door as she continued to read a book. Sighing, he turned to the redhead who'd been helped up by Heath.
"Good evening, Kirche. To what do I owe the ‘pleasure’ of this visit?" he sighed, figuring they might as well get this over with.
"Well, I happened to notice Valliere taking you to town earlier today…" Kirche started.
"You were following us," Louise said. It was a statement, not a question.
Kirche to her credit, only smirked. "It's only natural I wanted to know where you were taking my darling," she said, trying to get closer to Nikolai to press her assets against his arm, but the boy successfully kept her at arm's length with a tired sigh, the glasses girl shooting him a small sympathetic glance.
"At any rate, I noticed you trying to woo him by buying him a present, and imagine my surprise when you came out with such a cheap sword," she snorted. "After a bit of talking with the nice salesman, I was able to get this," she said, revealing the sword that both Nikolai and Saito had acknowledged as a glorified paper weight. "It's a much more fitting sword for someone like my darling, don't you think?"
There was an awkward silence, Louise seemingly looking down as if in shame at being outdone again… or so Kirche thought. It was to her great surprise that Louise burst out laughing to the point she looked like she needed stitches from laughing so hard.
"And what do you find so amusing?" Kirche demanded flatly.
"Because…" Louise gasped as she tried to get her laughing under control "Because that sword is useless! It's just a paperweight, anyone could break it over their knee if they tried hard enough!"
"I'd do it while wearing my armor though, I don't want to hurt my knee." Nikolai muttered to the blue haired girl, earning a nod from her. “I'm Nikolai, what's your name?” he asked the girl.
“Tabitha.”
"Well that can't be right, this sword was made by a great Germanian Alchemist," Kirche frowned, believing what the arms dealer had told her.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but even if that's true, its gauche appearance implies that it was made for ceremonies, and ceremonies alone.” Derflinger said.
THAT took some of the wind out of Kirche's sails, and she looked a bit glum at the realization… before she realized that none of the humans in the room had spoken.
“Who said that?” Kirche exclaimed as she looked around the room.
“I did, the ‘cheap sword’ you were talking about.” Derf said as he was held up by Saito. “And she didn't buy me for your ‘darling’, I was bought by my partner.” he told her.
“A… talking sword?” Kirche muttered, completely blindsided and dumbfounded, before a couple finger snaps from Nikolai broke her from her stupor.
"I suppose this could make a good decoration piece since you DID go through the trouble of getting it," He added, since while Kirche could be annoying, she did have feelings, and it'd be rude anyway to turn down a gift.
When Kirche again leapt at Nikolai, this time obviously to kiss him, he leaned out of the way letting Kirche crash back out of Louise's room.
The blue haired girl took out a bookmark and placed it in her book before closing it, nodding to the group before walking out and closing the door behind her.
"So, what was that blue haired girl's name?" Heath asked after a moment.
"Tabitha, she's basically the one that reigns in Kirche when she gets out of hand. Now then, why exactly are we keeping the paperweight?" she asked, looking from the golden blade to Nikolai.
"Well, a reminder of Kirche's failure would be fun, wouldn't it?" He said with a grin.
"Oh, you are a devious man." Derf said with a snicker.
"I'll be sure to buy a stand for it the first chance I get!" Louise laughed. THIS was a great reason indeed to keep the sword.
Hours later, when all but Nikolai had gone to sleep, he found himself sitting on a bench in a courtyard looking at the sky.
"Nikolai?" a voice said, startling him.
"Oh, hey Siesta," he said with a smile as he turned to face her.
"What are you doing out so late?" she asked curiously as she went up to him and sat down next to him.
"Just stargazing. So, what are you up to?"
"Just doing my rounds," Siesta said. "Nikolai?"
"Hm?" Nicolas blinked.
"Thank you very much," she said.
"Huh? What brought that up?" he asked in surprise.
"It's just that… none of you seem capable of giving up. In fact, from what I've seen, you always face everything with confidence, even if you're fighting a noble. Just looking at you gives me courage." she said, smiling as she turned to him "It's thanks to you all that I feel I can do my best."
Nikolai stared at her for a good moment, before his cheeks went red "Oh jeez. I really don't know what to say, but I'm glad I can help you at least." he said with an awkward smile.
She smiled back at him, before standing up and bowing to him "Good night."
"Good night." he called back to her with a smile.
The next day went about as normal. While Louise was in her classes, the four of her familiars waited outside doing one thing or another, like taking the time to walk around the academy, and occasionally watching the other familiars. However, he soon noticed something...or rather, someone, missing from this picture.
"Is it just me, or has Siesta not been around today," Nikolai mused. He then decided to go check in the kitchens, maybe she was caught up there.
Once he reached them, he found Head Chef Marteau, who had started calling them by a special nickname.
"Ah, if it isn't one of our Dark Knights." the chef said with a laugh.
"You aren't going to stop that no matter how many times we ask, are you?" Nikolai asked in deadpan.
"Absolutely not!" Marteau said before laughing brightly, making Nicolas sigh.
"Anyway…" Nicolas said, looking around the kitchen, before frowning "Have you seen Siesta today?"
Marteau blinked at him "You mean you don't know?"
"Don't know what?" Nicolas asked back.
Marteau sighed "Honestly, that girl… she actually quit this morning. It was decided that she would be a servant for this nobleman named Mott, some sort of Count apparently."
"Wait… seriously? When did she leave?!" Nikolai asked, regret in his voice as he knew what was happening, he just didn't think it would happen so soon!
"Just this morning, a carriage came to pick her up." Marteau said with a sad look. "In the end, us commoners can do nothing but obey the whims of the nobles."
"Did something happen?" Louise asked when she noticed Nikolai return looking rather distracted.
"Yeah. Siesta was ordered to transfer to the service of a noble," he sighed, inwardly hoping the conversation would end soon so he can go and gut the bastard.
"She was? That's too bad…" Louise sighed disappointedly since she did like talking with the maid. "Did you at least get to say goodbye to her?"
"That's the thing, she never mentioned it. The staff told me she was suddenly transfered to a rather rotund Count named Mott, and I was wondering if you knew anything about this guy," Nikolai asked, expecting nothing to happen, only he was met with a spit take when Louise had taken a cup of water to drink.
"Did you say Count Mott?" Louise coughed.
"Yes, is something wrong?" Nicolas asked with genuine concern in his voice, for if even Louise has heard something about him, then he must be even worse than the original canon.
"EVERYTHING is wrong about that!" Louise said with a look that was a mix between anger and panic, "Mott is well known for being nothing but a lecher who hires young women to be his mistresses, then tosses them aside when he tires of them!"
And like that, he froze, and Louise could practically feel his emotions about to burst "…you're serious?"
She nodded silently, watching as he stood up, and pulled out the WolzaPhone and approached the bedroom door. "I know what you're thinking… and it's dangerous."
"I figured as much. Are you going to stop me?" he asked, his hand on the doorknob.
She was silent for a moment, before taking a deep breath "For tonight, you are not one of my familiars. Mott lives an hour east from the academy… that's all I'll say. Try to keep the damage to a minimum, because lecher or not, he's still in direct service of the crown.”
"I make no promises," was all Nicolas said as he stepped out of the room. It wasn't long before he was outside the academy, his WolzaPhone at the ready.
"Uu Uru Zazare," he said as he punched in the code, and Balkyrion appeared through the Madou circle, stopping just before him. Not wasting time Nikolai climbed onto his back.
"Let's go, we have a damsel in distress and a monster to take care of." he growled. Balkyrion letting out a snort of approval before taking off.
With the Madou Horse’s speed, the trip to Mott's estate took record time, with Nicolas stopping him a decent distance from the front, and dismounting. "I promised Louise I'd try to keep damage to a minimum, so we'll do the diplomatic approach first. If that doesn't work, and I doubt it will, then we raise hell," he told the horse, who snorted and nodded.
Nicolas took a step, before looking back at his partner and grinned "If you hear a ruckus inside, that's the signal to kick ass." he said, before he started walking again.
‘I don't care what the people here think they're doing with magic, but people like Mott are no better than the Infershians were when N Ma ruled them, abusing magic and power just to satisfy themselves and not caring who gets hurt in the process.’ Nikolai thought as he got to the gate, and of course the guards stopped him.
"Halt! This is a private estate. If you have business here, speak now!" one of the two guards said.
"I've come to speak with Count Mott," Nikolai commanded, his tone firm and confident, creating an air of strength.
The guards brought him to what appeared to be a parlor of sorts, as one of the servants went to get Count Mott. Nikolai sat in one of the empty chairs while he waited.
As expected, the Count seemed less than pleased to be called out so suddenly.
"I was wondering what kind of person would be calling for an audience at this hour, but I did not expect it to be some commoner. What is it you wanted to talk about so badly?" Mott said in annoyance.
"I've come to obtain the release of a maid known as Siesta, a close friend of mine. I know you employed her just today, and I know what you plan to do with her. You will release her now… lest there be consequences to your actions." Nikolai spoke in a no nonsense tone as he clasped his hands together.
"And why would I do that?" Mott glared. "What right do you have to barge into my home and make such a demand?"
"Well…” Nikolai leaned forward and gazed up at the disgruntled count, “I wonder how the royalty would react if they heard of the treasures and coins you hoarded for yourself? Treasures and money which should have gone to them as was part of the original arrangement." Nikolai said, and withheld a grin when Mott flinched.
It seems being genre savvy paid off this time, as he was bluffing about what Mott had done.
"You...how did you…?!" Mott floundered like a fish on land.
"I have my ways. So what will it be? Give Siesta up, or do I have to figuratively, and if you'd like, literally, bring your house crashing down upon you?" He said, pressing his advantage.
"I… I…" Mott stuttered… before he glared. "I will not stand for this!" he growled. "I challenge you to a duel!"
Nicolas blinked...before the smirk his face twisted into became absolutely vicious, and making Mott wonder if he didn't just dig himself deeper. "I was desperately hoping you'd go for that option. What are the terms?"
Mott gulped, but quickly got his nerves back. "If you win, you can take Siesta and I won't bother you ever again," he growled. "But if I win…" Mott trailed off, before giving one of those bastard grins, the kind that made Nikolai want to cave skulls in "If I win, you will become my slave, and you will watch when I finally claim Siesta for myself."
Nikolai stared at the man for a long moment, "I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass." he growled as he withdrew the WolzaPhone and turned into Wolzard. Mott was, for a short bit, speechless before his pride demanded a reply.
"On your head be it then. I am known as Mott of the Surge, a triangle class mage," he said, as suddenly every vase in the room's contents suddenly flew out of them, the water gathering into a sizable ball of water. "Let us move to a more spacious venue. I'd rather not dirty my parlor with your blood," he said.
"Talk while you still can," Wolzard growled, as they soon moved to a larger hall at the base of the stairs. Once they were there, Mott waved his staff forward, and the water lashed out towards Wolzard. However, instead of getting hit, he dodged to the side, unsheathing the WolSabre along the way, and lashed out at the water, the blade glinting in the light. When the blade made contact with the water, it glowed purple, and suddenly the water fell to the ground with a splash as if its strings were cut.
There was a long silence as nobody moved. Mott was shocked. "Impossible!" he gasped, before glaring, and raising his staff, as the water started moving again. "But that won't save you!" he glared as he turned the water into icy blades and launched them forward.
"Not good enough!" Wolzard shouted before lifting the Jagun Shield, causing the blades to shatter harmlessly.
"What the-?! Those blades were sharp enough to rend steel, how is your shield still whole!?" Mott gasped.
"It's magic." Wolzard called from behind the shield with a hidden grin.
"That's impossible! You're just a commoner! Only Nobles can have magic!" Mott shouted, a mix of disbelief and probably whatever drivel he'd been given for years.
"Spare me the bigotry! I'm taking Siesta back!" Nicolas growled as he charged forward, Mott sending more waves of water and blades at him, only for him to cut off the magic or block it with his shield, and when he got close, he reared back his shield and slammed it into Mott's chest, sending him tumbling back.
"I won't lose THAT easily," Mott spat as he shakily got up.
"Bring it, pervert!" Nicolas growled. However, before the fight could continue, a tremor shook the mansion. "...okay, that doesn't sound good."
A few moments later…
"Count Mott!" a guard came in, looking terrified. "You must escape! There's…!" he never got to finish as a green appendage wrapped around him and pulled him away, his terrified screams ringing out before...a sickly chomp was heard…
Once again, silence remained…
"Was… what WAS that…?" Mott asked weakly.
"We need to leave, now!” Nicolas said slowly, before breaking into a sprint "I'MSAVINGSIESTAANDLEAVINGBYE!"
"Hey! What do you think you're-?!" Mott angrily demanded, before more screaming was heard throughout the mansion followed by more chomps, which convinced Mott to start running.
Wolzard meanwhile was running through the mansion, throwing doors open left and right as he searched for Siesta, and telling anyone else who hadn't been eaten by whatever was in here to run for their lives. Eventually he came to a door and threw it open. Good news: Siesta was there. Not so good news. It was a bathroom... and Siesta was in the middle of bathing.
Once again, a long silent moment, till blushes slowly started to rise over both of their faces.
Now, normally, he would have closed the door, but he spotted another door on the other end of the room, so sadly, he had to come in to make sure the monster that was in the mansion and eating people wasn't going to eat her.
"N-Nikolai… why-?"
"Not the best time to talk Siesta, long story short, I came to bring you back, but now there's a monster loose in the mansion, and it seems to be eating people, so I'm not gonna leave you here knowing that." Wolzard answered, as he scooped Siesta out of the bathwater.
"A monster?!" Siesta asked in confusion, but at least understood things were urgent.
"I was dueling Count Mott and then we got interrupted by a guard rushing in with a warning only to be dragged away screaming." He said as he sat Siesta down and handed her a towel.
“Dry yourself off quickly, then get dressed.” Wolzard requested, still looking away, and Siesta nodded with a blush and rushed to do so. Thankfully her clothing choice wasn't the revealing maid outfit that Mott had been making her wear, but her original outfit from her time employed at the school. Once she was done, she told him as such and he turned around.
"Okay, now let's get-" he didn't get to finish as the nearby wall exploded, and when the dust cleared… "It's not possible…"
It was a large slime monster with a skull head, a helmet with a spike on the top, a mouth-like club on its right arm, a three-fingered hand on the left, and a massive mouth with many white buck teeth on his chest area. It wears black armor with gold parts on the knee caps and stomach and has slime dripping out from the holes on his armor located on his knee caps, abdomen, and shoulder pads.
"Hades Beast Blob… What's a Hades Beast doing here?!" Wolzard said in a mix of confusion and panic. "Siesta, get the hell out of this place. I'll deal with this thing,"
"But Nikolai!" Siesta tried to argue, but seeing the creature she decided that if Nikolai knew what it was, he should have an idea how to fight it. "Please don't die," she said before running away.
Beneath his helmet, he smiled, glad she'd be out of harm's way.
‘Blob’ lumbered over, sloppily swinging its arm in wide swings that were honestly very sloppy and easily read, allowing Wolzad to roll out of the way, and counter with his sword, causing sparks to fly from the monster's body. It howled in pain before trying to strike him again, but once again he was easily countering the lumbering and slow monster.
"Oh yeah, I forgot something important about Blob," Wolzard mused. "He's dumb as a brick and just as slow," Wolzard chuckled, as even when ‘Blob’ raised his arm to fire his projectiles, he was ready.
"Douza Uru Zazado!" He quickly called out, his shield opening before several spectral wolf heads were fired from the gem and meeting the projectiles head on, and even overpowering them, causing more damage to the blob monster when they hit.
"I don't think this place can take much more punishment," Wolzard said to himself, and true enough, the building shook violently when the creature hit another pillar.
"Uru Ugaro!" he called out as the dark magic circle appeared behind him, before he raised his sword and moved it in a circular motion, the blade igniting with dark magic. Once the revolution was done, he brought the weapon down in a savage slash, cutting straight through the still dazed creature's body… and unfortunately through another wall and pillar.
Wolzard smirked under his helmet, before sheathing the WolSabre and snapping his fingers. "Checkmate!"
The monster screeched as the energy went through it, sparks covering its body, before it soon exploded, leaving nothing save for bits and pieces behind… and of course, the mansion started shaking immediately afterwards.
Wolzard sighed as he started running "I wonder if this is what Samus Aran feels whenever she ends a mission, because I have the strange belief that crumbling buildings are going to become a thing around us." Wolzard deadpanned as he ran through the collapsing mansion.
Eventually he managed to get out, just in time to see the surviving guards and servants running away in terror, no doubt thinking the monster was responsible… which it sort of was, but that's besides the point. Fortunately Siesta was waiting there, and somehow she was petting Balkyrion, and the horse didn't seem displeased by it.
"…Seriously?" Wolzard groaned as he dismissed his armor, reverting to his normal self who had an incredulous look on his face at the sight.
"Is something the matter?" Siesta asked when she saw him come close.
Nikolai looked at her for a moment, before sighing "No… nothing's wrong." and then he smiled at her "Glad to see you're fine, Siesta. He didn't hurt you, did he?"
She smiled back at him "I'm fine, he didn't really have time to do anything with how quickly you arrived." she told him with a smile, before walking up to him and hugging him "Thank you, Nikolai."
"Hey, what are friends for?" he chuckled. "You'll need to thank Louise too. If she hadn't told me where his mansion was, I wouldn't have gotten here in time."
"But still you came all this way to save me," Siesta smiled, and before he could react, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”
Once again, he blushed at that, before smiling a bit, "Really, it was my pleasure, Siesta." he said with a chuckle "So… ready to head back?"
Siesta smiled "Well… I think I am, yes." she said with a nod… before blinking and looking at the ruins of the manor. "I may have lost a few of my clothes, though."
Nikolai sweatdropped at that, "I'll pay you back eventually." He said as he got into his partner's saddle and helped Siesta up behind him.
“Back to Tristain, Balkyrion.” Nikolai said to his steed with a very gentle touch from his heels. Balkyrion nodded and gently trotted away from the ruined mansion.
Unbeknownst to anyone present, the monster had survived and seeped out from the cracks from the back end of the ruins. After it reconstituted itself, it tilted to the side… and spoke.
“Koragg?” Mucor asked itself as confused as ever, but it knew one thing. Anyone attacking it was an... "Enemy!" it screamed before a sickly green Madou Circle appeared below it, causing Mucor to grow until it became a towering giant!
The event was seen by everyone within several miles, including Nikolai and Siesta.
“Seriously!?” he said as he saw the enormous ‘Hades Beast’ that he thought had been killed. “Balkyrion, take Siesta back to Tristain as fast as you can, I'll finish off Blob for good.” He said as he dismounted the horse, who snorted and nodded before taking off in a blur of motion with Siesta screaming for him to save himself as well. Meanwhile Nikolai took out the WolzaPhone and turned it into wand mode, Nikolai then stared at the magical phone for a couple seconds before he entered 1-0-7 into it.
“Please let this work. Uuza Uru Ugaro!” he said as he held the WolzaPhone to the sky and pressed Enter, and to his surprise…
Uuza Uru Ugaro!
Two Madou Circles appeared around him. The one above lowered itself over Nikolai turning him into Wolzard once more, the other remained hovering in front, as if waiting for him to jump through, and who was he to miss this opportunity?
Mucor roared as it shot out multiple ‘pellets’ from its arm at the various trees around it hoping to hit the hiding enemy. Miraculously, no one on the ground was hit by either the falling trees or Mucor’s attacks.
Suddenly Mucor got knocked away from the manor ruins and further into the trees. Mucor got up and saw what had hit him, it was…
“KORAGG!” Mucor yelled to the immense shock of Wolzard.
‘What? Blob can't talk… and calling me ‘Koragg’…? Then, that means this isn't Hades Beast Blob but Mucor from Power Rangers Mystic Force.’ Wolzard thought to himself as he unsheathed the WolSabre from the Jagun Shield.
*Insert Madou Kishi Wolzard*
“It was a mistake not ensuring you were dead, now I'm going to destroy every bit of you!” Wolzard said as he and Mucor circled each other before Wolzard charged at it and quickly slashed the area beneath Mucor's main mouth, causing great pain to the blob monster who retaliated with a swing of its club arm trying to crush Wolzard's head.
Wolzard dodged the fierce but clumsy swing, and raised his sword to cut away more of Mucor, before getting shot in the abdomen and flying backwards into a nearby 'hill'. He grunted in pain as he tried to get up, only for Mucor to jump onto him and beat him multiple times.
"Zazado!" Wolzard chanted as he pointed the Jagun Shield at Mucor allowing the spell to blast the monster off of him. Wolzard leapt to his feet and prepared his final spell.
“Douza Uru Zazado!” He chanted, causing the shield to release four spectral wolf heads formed from dark magic, wolf heads that quickly pinned Mucor in place.
“This is the end for you! Uru Ugaro!” he called, once more causing the WolSabre to ignite in purple flames. “Madō Giri!” Wolzard yelled as he bisected Mucor horizontally, then bisected him again vertically, and finally finished with two diagonal slashes, one from right to left, then left to right.
“Koragg… bad!” Mucor called as he fell backwards and exploded into nothing.
“My name is… Dark Magic Knight, Wolzard!” he yelled triumphantly as he held up the WolSabre in victory, before he dispelled his magic and shrunk down to normal size.
“That was... exhausting... Need to… get back…” Wolzard panted, “Uu Uru Zazare." he called, summoning Unigolon from wherever he had been before, and getting into the unicorn's saddle. “To Tristain… as quick… as… possible…” Wolzard said before he passed out from exertion and reverted to Nikolai. The unicorn snorted softly and trotted gently towards his friend's current home.
Meanwhile nearby, Count Mott still couldn't believe his eyes and ears. Not only had an unknown creature eaten half of his staff, and destroyed his mansion, but the creature had been killed by a commoner who used dark magic of all things! The royalty needed to be informed of this before it was too late!
Hours later, Louise and Siesta were in the boys’ room worrying about the resting Nikolai, wondering if he'll ever wake up. Siesta wiped down his forehead with a wet cloth, while Louise muttered up a storm from worry. The muttering was so loud, one occupant in the room had a problem with it.
“Could you keep it down, I'm trying to sleep.” Nikolai said, as he blearily opened his eyes to look at Louise.
“YOU'RE ALIVE!” Louise cried out as she hugged him tightly around the neck.
"Not... if you... keep squeezing!" Nikolai choked out. Louise quickly jumped away allowing him to take a much needed breath of air, before Siesta slapped him across the face as tears fell down her face.
"You absolute bastard! Do you have any idea how worried I was when you sent me away! I thought I was going to lose one of the few proper friends I have at Tristain!"
"I'm sorry, Siesta, I truly am, but only I had the power to stop that beast, and I didn't want you getting hurt in the fight."
"How did you even fight that thing? Siesta said it grew to the size of a mountain!" Louise demanded to know.
"By using magic to become the same size, of course." Nikolai smirked, dropping the bomb on their poor heads.
"...WHAT!?" The two screamed loud enough for the whole academy to hear.