Zero no Tsukaima

Chapter 3: Anxiety and Jealousy[]

Louise’s room was as usual, enveloped in strange anxiety.

After classes, Saito was having tea with Louise, but... the waitress, Siesta was trying her best to incite Louise with her attitude.

“Saito-san, please.”

Whilst smiling sweetly, Siesta served Saito a freshly baked biscuit. As if saying that that was her seat, Siesta sat down beside him.

“Th-Thank you...”

Timidly, Saito checked Louise’s expression.

With an utterly sullen face, Louise glared at both of them fiercely. Her anger turned into dark waves and struck Saito.

Saito did not want to call out to Louise in this state.

Why are you angry?

You don’t really like me, do you?

You had merely said “Reward,” why are you angry?

Yet, it was no use talking about it. Because she would be wounded if he were to say that right to her face, so he didn’t get his words out. Whether Saito had become a Chevalier or a noble, to Louise he was still but a familiar. Be it Louise whom he met someday in front of the fake grave, or Louise on the bed at Westwood Village who was so cute, in the end it was still but a love towards her familiar.

Don’t you get it, Saito?

Saito warned himself.

Louise is occasionally gentle, but... she still doesn’t love you.

Saito’s master was, at any rate, serious. Because of her seriousness, she tried her best to accomplish her duties, and had dedicated her body and her heart towards Henrietta to whom she swore loyalty since young until now.

Because she was serious.... she treated her familiar as really valuable, and occasionally would tell him to do his best and allow him to kiss her; those were probably not rewards, but she did not get angry when he touched her breasts; and had accidentally allowed him to go as far as her body. Recently, she had started saying things like “I will find a way for you to return home.” His strength was probably necessary for Louise to accomplish her aspirations, and yet she had turned away from that, and continually considered Saito’s happiness.

Yeah.

Anyhow, Louise is a serious person.

Saito loved such a serious Louise.

But still... Louise didn’t love me. If she loved me, because she had been confessed to such an extent, she would have said “I like you.” at least once. No matter how I think about it, that was the case. And yet, she did not say that at all...

A serious, and significantly foolish, honest Louise. She had allowed me to such an extent, yet did not say those words at all... she really did not like me, huh.

Her jealousy was after all, her desire to possess her familiar.

It was at most a puppy love, Saito felt devastated.

“What’s wrong?”

He looked beside him, and saw Siesta gazing at him with a worried face. If one thought about it... the one who invariably always showered him with love was only Siesta.

Well then, how about Henrietta?

Saito shook his head.

She was only lonely. She was lonely, and did not have anyone else to rely on, and had merely leaned onto him who was there by chance. Cheer up, Saito. Geez, all noble ladies are so self-conceited... Saito murmured grumpily.

“Noble ladies are.... what’s with them?”

“Eh? Nah....”

“Putting that aside, look. Please open your mouth. Aaahh, ahhhh...”

Siesta pushed a biscuit into Saito’s mouth. The moment he tried to open his mouth reflexively, Piiiinkk!, the sound of a cup breaking could be heard.

Looking at the other side, Saito shivered.

Louise was holding the fragments of the cup in her mouth. Evidently, it was broken by her mouth.

“Y-You, don’t break your cup. It’s dangerous.”

Completely ignoring Saito’s words, she pushed the fragments of the cup towards Siesta. In a contemptuous voice,

“Another cup.”

“Yes yes,” Siesta stood up, and refilled a cup which was left with a little cold tea. Smiling sweetly, she held that out towards Louise.

“Please. ?”

Louise glared at Siesta fiercely.

“Make a new cup of tea! You’re really a useless maid, huh. The only thing you can do, is to look at the dog flirtatiously. If you can’t even make a cup of tea, y-you better go back to your hometown.”

Without the least drop in her smile, Siesta emptied the contents of the teapot. As she was trying to put new tea leaves into the pot, she noticed that the tea leaves had expired, and made a troubled look.

And then, pan! She clasped her hands as if she had just realized something, and rushed out. After about 5 minutes, she had gathered some weeds in her hands.

Humming a tune, she put them into the pot, spread them about and poured hot water in again. Filling the cup with water from the teapot, she served Louise in an excessively polite manner.

Louise silently poured it on Siesta’s head. Siesta displayed a broad smile, produced a handkerchief, and wiped her face slowly. After that, as if wanting to refill the tea in the pot, she poured the tea onto Louise’s head.

The two were gazing at each other with smiling faces, but soon a scuffle broke out between them. Saito became very miserable, and in a soft voice, said, “Stop.” But, grasping each other’s hair, baring their teeth, both of them were entangled in each other.

Aah... Geez...

Even though they had attacked each other recently, it was peaceful.

As for Saito, now that he had recognized the true identity of the enemy, he wanted to leave the place to bring justice. What? It doesn’t mean that this will become a war. As for the opponent, although he did not know whether it would be the king of Gallia, or the cabinet minister, or the general, or some great nobles, he wanted to see them, and openly ask "What the heck did you want to use Louise for!"

But... I was stopped by Princess-sama. Oh well, I can see her point. Recently, the war finally ended, and she did not want to create another flash point.

But still, she had said that she could do something with their diplomacy... No matter how much evidence she shows, if the other side says, “We don’t know anything about it,” the matter would probably end there.

And we had finally known the mastermind; I want to do something! It was just like an arrow which was shot with full force, and yet could not hit the target. He was feeling depressed.

If I had not become a knight, I could probably move more freely.

No... Saito shook his head.

Because I am a knight of Tristain... isn’t this some sort of excuse?

Whether I am a knight of Tristain or not, once I am able to locate the enemy precisely... I should take action.

Yeah.

The reason I became so gloomy is because of myself.

At that time when he was stopped by Henrietta, to tell the truth, Saito was relieved.

Because of that, he wouldn’t poke his head into something dangerous; he was relieved. His opponent was the kingdom of Gallia... Wasn’t it the country which defeated Albion with one shot, cornering them?

I am not going to the country of such people. His relief came into his mind accidentally.

How useless. What knight?... Saito became miserable.

Contrary to Saito’s misery, in front of his eyes, Louise and Siesta were in the midst of their scuffle.

Becoming increasingly depressed, without thinking, Saito opened his mouth and accidentally said something forbidden.

“You two, at least follow Princess-sama and be more graceful...”

Louise and Siesta’s movements stopped abruptly.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed.

Saito felt something chilly trickle down his spine.

Because of his instincts, he knew that he was in danger. He trembled.

Uuuuuunnnnn, Louise started doing warm-up exercises. With her arms akimbo, Siesta started bending backwards as well.

“Siesta. You hold him down tightly, okay?”

“Gladly, Miss Vallière.”

Saito stood up fearfully.

“Well then, I will be going to train the knight corps now. Louise, I’ll leave the rest to you. Siesta, the tea was nice. Thank you.”

Even after struggling, he still could not leave. He was seized by Siesta at his arms, and Louise, at his feet. Falling onto the bed, Saito looked up to both their faces, close to tears, and asked.

“Two times?”

“Hmm...”

With an extra large smile on their faces, Louise and Siesta said.

“Four times.”

After being thoroughly bashed up by both the mage and the maid, Saito laid on the bed, senseless. Louise was sitting on top of him, with her elbow on his body. Standing beside, "Haaah...", Siesta let out a sigh.

“Lately, I have become more and more like Miss Vallière huh.”

“Thank you,” Louise said softly.

“I’m not really praising you.”

In a tired voice, Siesta said. After that, she squatted, and whilst poking Saito’s face gently,

“...Umm, Miss Vallière.”

“What?”

“This is not the time for us to quarrel. Really, what should we do?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Her Majesty The Queen! Those eyes! Miss Vallière saw it as well right? Aah, if the opponent is Miss Vallière, then at least...”

“At least what? At least what? At least what?”

Louise kept poking Siesta around with her wand. "Yoyoyo..." Siesta fell onto the bed, but obstinately Louise still continued poking her.

“Hey maid. You’re sneering right? You’re sneering at a noble?”

“Excuse me! I’m not sneering! Well... Miss Vallière is charming enough, but... if you think about it calmly, the opponent is Her Majesty The Queen. It’s no point dreaming or hoping anymore!”

“Whhhhhyyyy??”

“Can’t she do what she want!? Ah, surely, the free times he served as a knight are not enough. Sooner or later she will order him to go to the castle for duties... And then, night after night...”

“Night after night what!?”

Siesta put her hand under the fainted Saito’s side, and lifted him up slowly. And then, just like the strings of a puppet, she mimicked Saito’s speech.

“Yo! I’m Saito!”

“What’s that?”

“I want to express the violence that Her Majesty The Queen would probably do to Miss Vallière in a drama-like way.”

“...Please go ahead.”

Siesta moved Saito’s hands skillfully, and operated him.

“Yaa. I’m Saito-san. I love Siesta!”

“Don’t say such strange lies.”

“This is part of the script for the play.”

With a composed face, Siesta continued.

“I’m Saito-san. Louise has flat chest, too flat!”

“What the heckkk?”

“Well, I’ve said that this is the script of the play.”

“You, whether it is the depiction of Princess-sama’s violence, or the expression of your true feelings, choose quickly! I’m going to use magic now!”

“I understand,” Siesta muttered, and began the play.

“I’m Saito-san. Today, I was called by Her Majesty The Queen to her room. What on earth does she want to do? Aah, it’s Princess-sama! Are there any orders?”

After that, Siesta went to Saito’s front, and clung onto him hard. The unconscious Saito reclined onto Siesta.

“Aah! Knight-sama! I have always been yearning for you!”

“Princess-sama! No you can’t! I have already decided, it’s Siesta!”

“It’s all right! After all, isn’t she just a maid!”

Siesta pushed Saito down onto the bed.

“Because I’m the queen! Because my breasts are the queen’s! Because my breasts are the queen’s! Such breasts! Oh my!”

Saying that, Siesta forced the unconscious Saito’s hand to her breasts. Poon! Louise knocked Siesta’s head.

“It hurts!”

“You went too far. And I can’t remember ever seeing such cheap drama.”

Rummaging around her things, Siesta took a book out of the space between her things.

“What is this?”

“A book which is very fashionable in Tristania right now.”

“You can read?”

Louise said in an astonished voice. Commoners who could read and write were scarce.

“Before serving in the academy, I learned reading in a temple.”

Louise stared hard at the title of the book.

“Whhhattt? Countess Butterfly’s graceful day?”

Louise flipped through the pages of the book, and her face turned crimson red suddenly.

“Wh-! What is this!? Why is it so indecent?”

As if it was filthy, she dropped the book onto the bed quickly.

“Not interested?”

“Why would I be!? If I read such book, my RETRIBUTION would be decided! Founder Brimir would not forgive me!”

Mysteriously, Siesta whispered in Louise’s ears.

“The second chapter is great.”

“I didn’t hear that! I didn’t hear that!”

While she was saying that, Louise stole glances at the book which she threw away some time ago.

“"In any way you wish, attend to me." Saying that, Madam Butterfly let the knight attend to her! That is...! Yikes, yikes! Don’t say it! Eek, eek, eek!”

Blushing deeply, pong pong, Siesta hit Louise at her shoulder. After that, she snatched the book away, and started again.

In front of Louise’s eyes, Siesta flipped a few pages of the book. Louise’s face which was crimson red, colored all the more every time a page was turned over, as if she was boiling.

“I, think so.”

“Ah! Agagagagagaga.”

Whilst trembling, Louise could not enunciate her words properly. The content inside the book was way beyond the height of even the clouds of Louise’s poor knowledge. Although she could not even understand a tenth of incidents which occurred in the book, in any case, the dreadful contents plunged into Louise’s head.

“The queen surely has done the things written in this book, with Saito. Definitely. For the nobles, speaking of which, they are surely sexually perverse, I think. That... don’t the nobles pay close attention to their conducts? As a result, the cravings which they could not speak out, accumulate, and bang”

“That’s not true!”

“Bang.”

“Princess-sama wouldn’t do such things!”

Louise snatched the book away, and threw it onto the bed.

“Wah! She would even do it for 55 sous!”

“Su-Such things! Such filthy things! Although it’s him, he would not do such a thing to Princess-sama! Even if it was a command, but...”

“To a knight, a command is absolute! Can you deny it? Even if Saito doesn’t want to do it, if he were commanded by Her Majesty The Queen, he could not disobey at all! Can he say anything at all? The worst thing is the court services...”

“B-But... This fellow here is deeply in love with me! He says it all the time! I like you! Ha! He won’t do it that easily even if it was a command, will he? He won’t...”

Siesta gazed icily at Louise who put on airs and combed her hair backwards.

“Saito-san always says ’I like you’ to Louise, but...”

“What? Make yourself clear.”

“I don’t want to make you angry.”

“I won’t get angry. Say it.”

“That ’like’ he said...”

“Yeah?”

“What if... it is only because he is your familiar?”

Overcome with surprise, Louise stared at Siesta. It was just like a topic from somewhere she had not anticipated.

“Although I don’t understand the relationship between mages and their familiars very well, but... familiars are things to protect the mage right? Everyone’s familiar... Guiche-sama’s mole, Miss Zerbst’s fire salamander... don’t they like their masters very much? But, if they were not familiars, they would not be so attached to their masters, right?”

“But! But but! Even when Saito’s runes disappeared and he wasn’t a familiar, he chose to be my familiar again! If he doesn’t like me, why did he do that?”

“There is a possibility that it is his sense of responsibility.”

Calmly analyzing, Siesta told Louise.

“Sense of responsibility?”

“Yeah. As far as I can tell, Saito-san is a strong, responsible person. That’s why he strove hard to be the rear guard when the allies were being pursued by the army of seventy thousand; that’s why he carried the responsibility of being the Assistant Commanding Officer of the Knight Corps. Isn’t that true? Becoming Miss Vallière’s familiar, to help you.... Because he felt that he had not accomplished his task yet, he chose the fate of becoming Miss Vallière’s familiar once again...”

Feebly, Louise collapsed to her knees. Panicking, Siesta caught hold of her shoulder.

“D-Don’t be so depressed, please! In the end it’s just a possibility! Just a possibility! Although it may exist...”

Siesta’s words could no longer reach Louise. What if that’s the case? This premonition of hers started expanding rapidly. Of course, it might have been what Siesta had said.

The favor Saito held towards her... it could just be a deceiving feeling because of his contract as a familiar.

Inside Louise’s heart, an unrecognizable dark cloud started expanding.

What should I do? Louise murmured.

During that night...

Together with Guiche and the rest, Saito was drinking at the Ondine · Knight Corps of the Water Spirit’s gathering spot.

This “gathering spot” referred to a shed set up beside Teacher Colbert’s laboratory, which was used to park the Zero Fighter. A table was placed in the empty space in the shed, along with some old unused chairs around the table ..... Voila! A small drinking pub was created. After dinner, Saito and the others gathered here to discuss the affairs of the Knight Corps and boring stuffs, getting excited by foolish chats. Obviously, the priority lay at the foolish chats.

Towards Saito who was pouring wine with a drunk face, Guiche asked,

“It is almost nine o’clock, but we can drink here until any time we want, right?”

“Yup. It’s all right!”

In a disappointed voice, Saito replied.

With a face of disbelief from the bottom of his heart, Malicorne who was sitting beside commented.

“Louise and that personal maid of yours are waiting for your return right? And yet you don’t want to return. Why’s that so?”

"Uwaaaaaaa!" Hugging his head, Saito shivered. Malicorne seemed to fly into rage at such a response. He began to grumble nonsense into Saito’s ears as Saito laid face down on the table.

“Oh ya, Louise has such an attitude, and her figure looks like a child, and she’s not that popular. But no matter what, she’s still an outrageous beauty, isn’t she? That maid with a disgusting figure adores you right? Of course, if one can pay, he can employ many maids, but to have one which devotes even her heart cannot be found that often. How envious!”

“Id-Idiot! That’s not something good!”

Empathetically lifting his face, Saito declared to Malicorne. Malicorne’s face stiffened, and he drained his cup jerkily. His eyes began to become glassy.

“... “That’s not something good!”? Are you despising me? You parvenu.”

“Pa-Parvenu!?”

“Don’t have anything to say? Parvenu. Stopping the seventy thousand, becoming a noble...? huh? Hehehe what’s the problem I’m a chevalier ?? On top of that ? huh?”

“Th-This... fatso... Are you looking for a fight!”

Saito said that, a fiendish smile surfaced on Malicorne’s face, who was intoxicated by wine.

“Interesting. Shall we do it? You boring parvenu, what do you want to do with I, this noble?”

“Y-Yo-Youu... You bas- you bastard...”

Saito said strongly, and someone said “Stop!”. Saito stuck his chest out as well. However, without any hesitation at all, Malicorne leaped towards Chevalier Saito.

“Wh-!?”

“I’m gonna teach you something scarier than the 70,000 troops. Get it? Since we were born, these seventeen years... spring, summer, autumn, winter; morning, noon, night...”

After shaking uncontrollably, Malicorne yelled as hard as he could at Saito.

“You’re not welcomed!!!”

“...Eh?”

“Do you understand this pain of not being welcome? The fear from which even the 70,000 troops would flee! Aah, a dragon? An elf? Bring them along!! All these things are just some amateur’s BULLSHIT!! I’m not scared at all!! But in front of the fact called ’not welcomed’...”

Without thinking, Saito retreated from the spirit of Malicorne’s yell. It was a yell whose spirit had a force stronger than the 70,000 Albion army. As if spreading the atmosphere of an invincible evil spirit, the fat Malicorne drew closer to Saito.

“Being able to woo two girls, what the hell!? Oi! Commoner!”

“Errrr, umm...”

Being completely overwhelmed, Saito started fumbling around.

“Bastard! What did you say just now? I’m asking you! I’m a noble! Just like how a commoner who got promoted would speak, I’m asking you!!”

“Th-That’s not something that good...”

“Can’t hear you!”

“That’s not something- good. Yeah.”

Malicorne shook his head.

“You f*cker, are you insulting me? You’re insulting ME!? In the 17 years since I was born, I have never received even a single line of poetry from any girl, or should I say, with matching looks, girls laughing at me... Laughing at someone who has been given such a life!? Oi! Tell me! How does this happiness-thingy taste like!? Tell this Malicorne de Grandple!”

Unable to just look, Guiche placed his arm on Malicorne’s shoulder.

“Malicorne. Looks like you’ve drunk too much... Ugh!”

Malicorne’s fist sunk into that face. Guiche tumbled down unsteadily. Apparently, Malicorne had gone crazy from intoxication. A troubled fatso.

“This fellow who has a lover; don’t lecture this Malicorne! I’ll let you taste a faster-than-wind fist...!”

At that bloodcurling aura, Saito trembled.

“Listen! Those who have a lover, take a step forward! Don’t you dare to even breathe! You bastards, you don’t even have a right to breathe in front of me!”

Although it was an unreasonable reasoning, at that force, no one could speak even a word. Students of unknown nationalities bowed their heads at Malicorne.

“So-Sorry... Although we still don’t get it, but sorry.”

Malicorne’s lips curved into a “he” (?) character, and started trembling gradually.

“...If you’re sorry, give them to me!”

“Eh?”

“Your girls, give them to me!”

Although he told us that... Saito and the rest exchanged glances.

“Isn’t it good letting them to me? Even I am a good guy as well, so give’em to me! No, because I am a good guy, give them to me! You guys who cannot not be like me, hand the girls out!”

“If you’re not a human being...” The instant somebody said that, Malicorne unleashed his magic upon him. The guy was flashily blown away by a Wind magic with a brute force unlike a “Dot” magic.

“Hey. I am not a human... in what way?”

“...A c-cat, or a lizard. Anyway, we would persist on finding whether you are MALE or FEMALE...”

For the second time, Malicorne’s Wind magic blew the one who said that in a soft voice away.

“That’s enough... that’s already enough. You idiots have made me completely furious!”

At the moment Malicorne was shaking all over from anger, Pang!!, the door of the hangar opened.

With Louise and Montmorency who were folding their arms as their lead, it was the group of female students. They began to voice their complaints to Saito, Guiche, and their own lovers.

“Until when are you going to drink!? Isn’t the curfew 8 o’clock!?”

Saying that, Louise pinched Saito’s ear.

“Guiche, today you’re not going to recite any poems to me?”

Saying that, with her toes, Montmorency nudged Guiche who was lying on the bed.

“Have you forgotten? Didn’t you promise tonight??” The other girls started making an uproar.

Due to the flirting scene unfolding before his eyes, Malicorne could not endure it any longer, and screamed,

“GIVE THE GIRLS TO ME TOO!!!!!!”

The next moment, bang! Coming out from the ceiling of the hangar which was made up of only wood, something landed on top of Malicorne.

Malicorne was pinned down heavily, “Ugh...” and let out a dying moan, and lay on the bod, motionless.

At that unbelievable turn of events, the students around him bulged their eyes.

The one who had landed was somehow... a long, blue-haired, pretty girl. 20 something years old? The knight apprentices opened their eyes wide in fixation.

That girl was stark naked. The snow-white skin was exposed completely. After restlessly surveying her surrounding with a blank face, she tried standing up whilst tottering unsteadily... but fell down clumsily.

“Kyui...”

Just like a fawn which was just being born, the blue-haired girl managed to stand up with great difficulty. However, she did not try to conceal her bare skin at all. The female students quickly closed the eyes of their respective lovers. Louise was the only one who kicked Saito around.

“Ouch! Kyui kyui!” She cried out.

Apparently, Saito was the girl’s objective, as she leaped onto him gently.

“Wh-What!?”

In a panicked voice, Saito shouted. Being embraced by a naked girl suddenly, Saito was utterly shocked.

“We finally met. Yay~~~! Kyui kyui!!”

Whilst making “Kyui kyui” sounds, the blue-haired girl hugged Saito tightly and jumped around excitedly. Louise’s face turned white, and subsequently red; her eyebrows lifted sky-high, and the hair on her head stood.

“So this is really a dog or should I say beast or should I say unbelievably finding one after another from anywhere!? Grrrr... SHAMELESS~~~! Anyway, you go to hell!”

Anyhow, whilst shouting angrily, from behind, her right foot struck Saito between his legs, and started dancing exuberantly on top of Saito who had fallen down.

At her actions, the blue-haired girl pushed Louise away.

“What are you doing!?”

“This is bad! This is bad! This is bad!”

After the series of commotion, Saito who was completely awake from his intoxication, spoke.

“What on earth is bad? Or should I say, who are you? Before this, put on your clothes!”

“Anyway, just put this on meanwhile,” Montmorency handed her the shawl she was wearing.

“Please save my sister!”

"Please save my sister! Kyui kyui!" The blue-haired girl cried out many times.

“Who on earth are you?”

As if she was troubled, the blue-haired girl inclined her head.

“Erm... that... Irukukuu. I’m my onee-sama’s younger sister. Ah, onee-sama is a person over here called Tabitha.”

“Tabitha’s younger sister?”

Everyone present bulged their eyes at the blue-haired girl’s statement.

“Younger sister... you don’t look like her.”

As Saito folded his arms and said thus, Irukukuu cried out, “Kyui kyui!”

With great difficulty, Irukukuu started explaining with words.

The consequence of Tabitha’s betrayal, which were the deprivation of Tabitha’s position as a Chevalier by the Gallian government, and also the edict to seize her mother.

To rescue her mother, Tabitha faced Gallia on her own.

However, at that place, she was captured by an elf who boasted of an overwhelming magic.

“Hey, so you want us to rescue her?”

Saito said that, and “Kyui!” Irukukuu nodded.

With a suspicious look, Guiche stared at Irukukuu.

“...This girl, is she one of the subordinates of Gallia which had attacked you and Louise?”

Guiche who had heard about the attack on Louise, started displaying a doubtful look.

“Tabitha was imprisoned, and we have to save her, you said, but that sounds somewhat suspicious. Or could this be a TRAP?”

Montmorency threw a skeptical look at Irukukuu as well. Irukukuu looked deeply troubled, "Kyui!"... and was disheartened.

“This is suspicious! You! No matter how I look at you, you don’t appear to be her sister one bit!”

“I don’t believe as well.”

“As I thought, you are Gallia’s bait, huh?”

Guiche said that, because of which, in a anger-filled voice,

“Since you can’t be of any help, don’t talk nonsense."

“Wh-What was that!?”

“I’ll show you the proof! Kyui!”

Irukukuu sped out of the shed. They followed after her, and a familiar giant appeared in the darkness.

“Sylphid!”

Sure enough, it was Tabitha’s familiar, Sylphid.

“Was your master captured!?”

Saito asked, and Sylphid nodded profusely.

“Wait! We will go save her immediately!”

In sheer delight, Sylphid purred “Kyui kyui!” and rubbed Saito’s head with her head. Evidently, that was the expression of her joy.

“If this wind dragon says so, we have no choice but to believe.”

“She’s the familiar after all, right?”

Guiche and Montmorency exchanged looks, and nodded.

Whilst shaking his head, Malicorne muttered.

“By the way, what happened to the girl just now?”

For some reason, Sylphid turned her head away awkwardly. Suddenly, she flapped her wings, flew up towards the night sky, and disappeared.

“What’s with that guy?”

A short while later, the blue-haired lady from some time ago dashed out from the darkness.

“Where’d you go!?”

Saito asked, and,

“T-Toilet.”

“How should I say it... You are Tabitha’s younger sister, and yet why are you bigger than your elder sister? And besides, you were not wearing any clothes. That’s not normal at all.”

“Because I am a younger sister with a s-sense of duty. Clothes... that, Slyphid! When I jumped off from her, they slipped off.”

She was in a profuse cold sweat. At that expression, Saito understood this lady. Tabitha’s dutiful younger sister...

"I think she has some mental disability, so it would be too much to doubt her."

Saito placed his hand on Louise’s shoulder, and said this with a straight face.

“Eh? Re-Really?”

Irukukuu became nervous and at a loss of what to do, and without warning, she opened her arms, hugged his head and turned round and round.

“Kyui kyui.”

Actions and speech of unclear meanings.

“...I see.”

Her actions made Louise accept Saito’s explanation. Within the royal families, there were quite a number of ’these people’. Anyway, Irukukuu looked too naive for a trap. There would not be any sinister motives behind the information she gave them.

“Incidentally, where did Sylphid go?”

“Th-That! That child got injured. To heal her wound, she left for a while.”

“You were injured as well, weren’t you?”

Montmorency noticed the injury on Irukukuu’s leg. She cast Water spell at it, but it still did not heal.

“It is quite a serious wound huh?”

Nevertheless, Irukukuu shook her head.

“This is nothing much! It will get well very soon, so I’m fine!”

Montmorency inclined her head. Thinking that perhaps it was because of her weak magic ability, she could not help but bite her lips.

In order to work over the strategy after this, they returned to the cabin. Montmorency followed behind as well.

Malicorne addressed Irukukuu who displayed a relieved-looking face.

“Hey. Tabitha’s younger sister, huh.”

“Kyui?”

“Just now, when I shouted “I wanted a good girl as well!!” you then dropped down.”

“Kyui.”

“You could be a fairy bestowed by the heavens to me.”

Blushing, Malicorne stretched out his hand. However, Irukukuu ignored the hand easily, and rushed into the cabin.

Malicorne who was left behind, "Fuoooo~~~!!" screamed, and looked up to the sky.

The stars could not be seen.