Zero no Tsukaima:Volume8 Chapter7 - MTL

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Chapter Seven: Louise's Decision

The cold night continued.

Seemed like the night would last forever. But, when at last morning came, and she goes to sleep. She wakes up at noon and goes to sleep again. Repeating such sort of slumber eventually makes ones head foggy.

Two weeks passed… after using Summon Servant and learning about Saito’s death. During all this time, Louise never went even a single step out of her room. Time to time she gets off the bed to eat the dishes placed at her door. She didn’t care anymore who it was placing it there.

Only in her dreams Louise could meet Saito. Therefore, Louise tried to sleep all day long. Whenever she cannot fall asleep, she drinks wine. For Louise, the distinction between morning and night already lost its meaning. The curtains in her room are always closed, so it is always dim.

Such way of life gradually devours the boundary between the day and the night.

The verge between dream and reality becomes ambiguous too.

However, this was the only world that Louise longed for.

She wanted to stay forever in this dream world, where she could meet Saito.

Even if someone knocks on the door, Louise does not answer. In order not to hear if someone calls her, she stuffed her ears with cotton. All locks were locked, preventing anyone from entering the room. She hugged her pillow as if it was Saito… closing her eyes and pressing her cheeks against it.

Saito in the dreama always… gently embraces Louise, holding her close.

And did it many times with love.

This was the ideal Saito of Louise’s subconsciousness.

From the bottom of her heart, she wanted to be with the beloved familiar.

…On the evening of that day, Louise had a dream about Saito.

They were strolling together on the Ragdorian lake’s side.

“The water is beautiful.”

“Indeed.”

Hand in hand, the couple walked around the lake.

Louise was wearing black dress and black beret, like on her first date with Saito. That appearance was mirrored by a beautiful surface of the water.

“Here, the water spirit was seen, right?”

“Aye.”

They did not talk much.

All words seemed plain and useless.

It felt that, uttering them would break this little world of theirs.

A warm world of illusions of cracked glass, even if it was swallowed further and further by the darkness – that’s how it felt.

“Louise, hey, come here. This light reflected on the water is very beautiful.”

“Waa, truly beautiful!”

“But, not as beautiful as you, Louise.”

“S-stop saying silly things!”

“It is true. I think you are more beautiful than anyone. So, I want to be together. Always together.“

“Then, you won’t go anywhere, right?”

“Aah, I won’t go anywhere.”

Deep inside Louise knew; this was just a dream. But she kept on repeating a bad acting play of her and Saito. In fact, she was the only spectator watching it.

“I have something to tell you.”

“What?”

Louise muttered embarrassed as she stepped into the water.

“Stop it Louise. The water is cold, you’ll freeze.”

There is something about the things said in this water. Maybe because of water spirit. Spirit of the oath. An oath given her will never be broken…

In a dream, Louise wanted to tell it to Saito.

“…I want to swim. Why don’t we swim together?”

“All right. If you get cold, I’ll warm you up.”

So…

It was a dream.

True, Saito is not that gentle.

Still… she was happy. Because it’s impossible for her and reality Saito to meet again…

-Pachpach- Saito entered into the water.

She thought he was going towards her, but was wrong.

Steadily, Saito went further into the lake.

“Saito… Where are you going?

Saito waved her back with a smile.

“Stop! You’ll drown!”

Slowly… Saito's body disappears in the water. Louise ran after.

“Wait! Do not go! Please!”

However, Louise's shouts did not reach him. Saito went fully under the water.

Louise ran towards him, splashing the water.

Seeing Saito, as if asleep, sinking further to the bottom of the water, Louise went in a half-frenzy.

“Wait! No! No, don‘t go there! I said stop!“

Saito’s figure became smaller and smaller.

“Wait! Please!”

“Wait!”

Louise sprang to her feet. It was pitch-dark in the room. It was a night, apparently. Waking up at night, leads her to despair. Though it’s not much different in the morning, but while awaking at night, her tiredness is stronger.

Yet, Louise did not ease about the dream. It is the same – dream or reality. Either way, same pain in her chest, same feeling of guilt on Louise.

That day, when Saito left, she criticized him non-stop.

“Where are you, Saito?”

She understood.

“Is it… cold in there? Like on the bottom of Ragdorian’s lake… is it cold and sunshine-less?”

Saito stands in the place where I can’t go… where my voice will never reach him. Though she knows that, she cannot help saying it.

“I want to meet you.”

Louise closed her eyes.

And… she muttered in a fading voice.

“Can I go too?”

No tears left. Just a body, dully wrapped in helpless numbness.

“I cannot bear it anymore. I cannot bear the parting in the dream. Therefore, can I go to the place where you are?”

Louise knew.

There’s only one way to get there…

But, this would be betrayal of everything.

Duty to the mother country, mission as Void user… hopes and beliefs, beloved people… and Saito too, who died to save her… she would be betraying that too.

Louise understood that well. However, she could not think of anything else.

But, now being saved meant to meet her kind familiar again, only this way.

“I want to tell you those words. Those that I could not utter even in my dream… So, can I go to meet you? I want to say them by all means. I want to tell them to you… So, forgive me.”

Louise rose from the bed and headed towards the door barefooted.

* * *

Midnight. 　

Louise chose the artillery tower, where people come rarely. She could not remember how she got there. She just noticed when she already stood on the rooftop. The roof of the round tower was a staircase leading towards the hole in the stars and nothingness. A too low stone fence enclosed around the circumference of the roof.

-tap tap tap- Louise approached the stone fence and climbed on top of it.

When she stood there, she looked down to the ground. It was pitch-dark and nothing below could be seen. Yet, she felt that somewhere on the other side of darkness, Saito waited for her.

“If I go to the same place… we can meet.”

She whispered and tried to take that one step into the space.

However… she can't make that step forward. Her legs were not obeying her. Contrary to her will, her body still wanted to live, which made Louise irritated.

“Saito… is in that pitch-dark place… and you are regretting some light?”

When she decisively bit her lip… the voice came from behind.

“Miss Valliere! Please stop!”

When she turned around, she saw Siesta standing there.

Apparently, Siesta was worried about Louise. She may be the one that brought her dishes as well.

Unable to look straight at her face, she subconsciously averted her eyes

“What are you trying to do?!”

“C-calm down.”

“Even if you do that, it will not bring Saito back!”

“Maybe so… but I cannot meet him anyway. Upon casting the Summon Servant spell, the gate opened. I’ve got to do it, or I will never meet him.

“Summon Servant, so what?!”

Siesta ran up to Louise, trying to catch her.

However, her feet tangled with her long dress… and she fell down.

“Ah!”

Siesta fell forwards… pushing Louise.

Feeling her body in the air, Louise closed her eyes.

In her mind, words flashed.

I can meet Saito…

In there, you will warm me up, right?

It must be really cold in there…

And then, I will tell you those words.

The words that has not been said for a long, long time… I will say.

“Say. To say. Will say…”

She muttered softly, waiting for the impact with the ground that was about to come… 　 Yet, there was nothing.

“…N?”

Louise timidly opened her eyes.

Then… she saw the shape of tower lit by the moon. However, it was not up above. When Louise looked up, she saw Siesta gripping her ankle.

“Siesta?”

“A, auuuu…”

It looked like a tough position. Siesta was barely hanging by one foot on the stone fence.

“L-let go.”

“W-w-won’t let go.”

“Do you want to fall down as well?! It’s all right, let me go!”

“Han, ngh, won’t!”

Siesta said fiercely.

“If miss Valliere dies, Saito will be sad. He… sleeping pills that I passed to him… used to let you go, didn’t he? When I said for him to use them to escape! Therefore, I won’t let you go. Saito-san didn’t want you to die! So, I won’t let you to die either! Absolutely!”

“C-calm down…”

Louise said weakly, yet Siesta still kept shouting.

“Please do not misunderstand me! Miss Valliere is still no good! But, I do not want to see the tears of the one I love… gugugu…”

“Saito cannot shed tears anymore!”

“Why? Do you have evidence of his death?”

“Haven’t I told you already?! Summon Servant-“

“I don’t understand these magic things! Summon Servant, so what! Rather than those things, I believe in the one I love!”

Once she said: "believe in the one I love", something lit up in Louise's heart.

Feelings to which she was not been able to be honest with, while timidly crying in her bed.

Siesta repeated it loudly.

“You love him! So why don’t you believe in him?!”

“B-because…”

Her dried up tear glands… were filled with tears again. Because she was hanging upside down, the tears ran down her temples.

“Even I… was depressed. But, if we don’t believe, then who will? Right?”

“Uh, uuuh…”

“Saito-san in Albion said to me, when I was worrying, if something bad might happen to him, he said ‘Calm down. It’s all right. Everything is all right. When you return back to the school, please make the stew for me again.‘ I don't believe in God, Founder Brimir or the kind… I believe just in these words!“

Siesta said.

Saito said it to me.

‘I’ll protect Louise.’

For Saito, going somewhere alone, where Louise cannot be defended, is impossible.

Because Saito protected me from all the things.

When in need, I was always saved by him. Therefore…

Louise wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.

I was embarrassing, thinking that there was no other way.

I was weak.

Siesta, who cannot use any magic, was a few times stronger than me.

Even if you can use the legendary element… it is only a wasted treasure when one’s mind is weak.

Seeing the weeping Louise, Siesta said.

“…Uhm, miss Valliere. I’m sorry for what I said.”

“It’s all right. It’s all right. It’s me who is sorry…”

“Really, that, umm, I'm sorry. Todays words are about to turn out completely useless.”

“It is not useless. You taught me an important thing… I won’t forget it. So, don’t worry.”

“Not that.”

“Eh?”

“My foot is at its limit.”

Then the foot upon which Siesta was desperately supporting herself, slipped off the wall.

They both, letting out long trails of screams, fell directly towards the ground

* * *

The Vestri Courtyard…

Montmorency asked Guiche at her side…

“…What do you want to show me, in the middle of the night?”

When she was sleeping, she was called to come here. But… even if you come here, is there anything? Could he be having some strange thoughts? Montmorency glared at Guiche.

“No, it’s because I completed something with great effort. And I called you at such time because… I wanted you to be the first to see it.”

“Completed? What did you make?”

“This.”

Guiche quickly pulled something, and where a moment ago was nothing, appeared…

“What… A statue?

What showed up in there was… a huge statue of at least five mails height.

Because a magical cloth that imitated surroundings was used, there seemed to be nothing there. Guiche nodded in satisfaction, while pointing at the statue.

“Saito’s statue.”

“Heeh…”

The splendid statue stood with both hands on its waist and thrusting out its chest. It was made with precise details.

“Took me weeks; I worked fiercely during nights. It was a very tough time, but I finished it up unflaggingly in here.”

“You have skills.”

Montmorency watched Guiche with an admiring face.

I will put a ‘Transmutation’ spell on it now, and change the soil into bronze. And… this way, I will praise the hero forever.”

“I will show it to Louise later, Surely it will comfort her a little.”

“Indeed.”

Montmorency looked down slightly, with an unusual blush on her cheeks.

“Forgive me Guiche. It seems I have misunderstood you. I thought that you were lacking in delicacy.”

“R-really? Oh dear, even if you thought so…”

“However, now my thoughts are changed. You are a gentle, wonderful man, Guiche.”

Guiche became embarrassed and rubbed under his nose.

When looking up, Montmorency, in a shy way, placed her finger on her lips. Guiche, not waiting, brought his lips close to Montmorency’s.

“M-monmon…”

Montmorency, though hesitated for a moment, did not move away from Guiche.

When the pair of lips were about to touch… Montmorency closed her eyes, and opened them.

“G-girls are falling.”

Guiche moved his lips away.

“And? Whenever you try to kiss me, such words come, cheating on me! Like that day when you imagined naked princess-sama!”

“Now it’s true! Hey! Kyaa!”

Montmorency opened her eyes.

Hearing a strong sound from behind, she turned around facing the same way as Guiche.

“M-my art. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Guiche’s masterpiece turned miserable. It was crushed back into the dirt by the fallen girls.

On the heap of earth, two girls were lying, tired out.

It was Louise and Siesta.

“What is this?! Do you have some grudge against my art! Choosing such place to fall! Such place!”

“…art?”

With a blank surprise, Louise who was now covered with soil, asked.

“Saito’s statue! Aaah, for several weeks, every late evening, little by little, I finished it with just my hands… I can’t rebuild it!

“…Saito’s statue?”

Louise looked next to her. There… was Saito’s face. Siesta and Louise knocked against the right and left shoulder of the statue, thus, though the statue crashed down, the part of the head of the statue was still all right.

And the soft soil served as a cushion for the two falling people.

“…Saito… Saved me again.”

Louise muttered. Siesta grasped her hand.

“Hey! Saito-san helped us even in a form of a statue! Therefore, he must be alive! Absolutely!”

Louise nodded.

Her beautiful eyes regained the shine.

Then Louise stood up. Montmorency ran up to her.

“Louise! What were you doing?! Are you all right? Are you injured?”

“I’m all right. Not injured at all.”

“No, you cannot decide about your injuries just by yourself…”

Louise glared at Montmorency.

“I decided so. Thus it is decided. Now, Siesta, let’s go.”

“Yeees!”

Siesta gladly stood up as well.

That sort of pair, her classmate and a maid, made Montmorency amazed. They fell from the sky, almost dying… so why they are so energetic now?

“G-go where?!”

“To search for Saito.”

“Eh, but…”

“He is alive.”

Louise whispered with a great confidence.

“Louise?”

Montmorency, anxiously watched her classmate's face. The thought that Louise, because of the shock, became mad.

“Relax, I am not angry.”

“B-but… the gate actually opened…”

“I have been depending for so long… On that foolish familiar. Even now, that baka protected me!”

“Louise, Louise, calm down. Summon Servant is absolute. As long as the contracted familiar exists in this world, the gate can not open!”

“I thought so too. But he can’t be gone so easily.”

“Louise!” Montmorency shouted.

However, Louise's complexion doesn't change. There was unwavering power in her eyes.

“Believe.”

“…Believe?”

“Yes. Even if everyone in the world will say 'Saito died', I will not believe until seeing it with my own eyes. Even if magic tells that he is dead, I will not believe it.”

She held her breath, watching such Louise's strange strength.

“He said to me. ‘I will defend you no matter what’. And I believe in those words. Therefore, he is alive. Absolutely.”

Firmly watching straight in front, Louise said.

“That’s right, he is my familiar, and he cannot die without my permission, and I don’t permit it!”

* * *

Meanwhile, when Louise was falling down the tower…

In the Westwood village, the devoted, tough practice continued at night.

Agnes decided the time of the practice like this.

Night, morning… and dinner.

Suddenly, the wooden sword was thrown. It was in the place of training.

The front yard of Tiffania's house…

In front of Saito, who set up the wooden sword, Agnes was standing. Though Saito's breath is rough, Agnes breath is calm.

When Saito sets up the wooden sword, Agnes rejected the positioning and lowered. When Saito sets up the wooden sword, Agnes swung hers and lowered it. Though he dodged it, his arm was severely hit, and the sword fell from it…

“Ugh…”

Saito held his arm while kneeling.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh, arm hurts.”

“It is natural. It's painful if you're hit. It is more painful if cut. Thus, it is good if it is a wooden sword.”

The wooden sword hit the ground next to Saito.

“Auh… why didn’t you hit me?”

“Think about it, dog.”

“I am a human, so-“

“Alright.”

Agnes said, beating Saito's head with the wooden sword, hard.

“…eh?”

“Think well. It is you who swung the sword previously. I, following, just swung my sword back. If you see it many times, you can remember an opponent’s sword movement. Matching it is the very point of a little training. The thorough analysis of technique.“

“But, when I attack Agnes-san, I cannot even touch you. Like previous technique…”

“Distance. I have judged your distance limits. It can be easily tracked by the position of one’s feet. If I move, keeping that distance, your sword will never hit me.”

“Indeed.”

“Have you seen my sword movements?

Saito nodded.

Agnes set up the wooden sword.

“Alright. The distance. Remember to keep it.”

And then… she swung it.

Saito bent exaggeratedly backwards in panic.

“Don’t look at the sword. Look at the legs.”

As she said… Saito watched Agnes's foot. Agnes started to slowly rise the sword.

Seeing Agnes's feet, Saito felt her body distance and pulled himself away.

“Do not try to block the sword with a sword. Dodge the opponent's attack.”

-swing swing- Agnes’s swings quickened with the course of time.

“When attacking for a moment, the swinging sword is lowered. If you move your body at that moment, when the opponent swings and lowers it, your attack can reach them. Measure the timing.”

Saito, watching Agnes's feet, turned his attention to the sword.

And… is this is the right moment? He thought waiting for the moment.

While seeing it many times, he could judge it safely. Keeping the timing… the moment when half of her body was averted, he launched into attack.

“Gu!”

Agnes groaned.

Saito's sword hit her shoulder.

“I, I hit it! I hit it!”

Saito was making an exaggerated noise. Agnes finally laughed.

“Now this was the timing. Even though you did it right, there could be also feints, but eventually you will learn it all.

“Yes.”

“Follow the body.”

That time, the sword practice continued, for all night.

* * *

Morning started to break… finally released from practice, Saito was washing himself.

He was pouring the water from the wooden bucket onto his head. The water felt cool on his burning body.

“Auch!”

However… the water permeates through the wounds.

His body was filled with bruises and abrasions. Agnes didn’t have mercy on his body.

“That person is a real S… dog remarks and looking down…” Saito muttered shamefully.

However, the pain felt good.

Little by little, Saito felt he strengthened.

Not by given Gandalfr, but by true, self power… 　 Such growing feelings every day, were not bad feelings.

Saito forgot the towel, so now flustered, he tried to wipe his upper nude body. It was a season still near winter. Even though his body burns, it still gets cold.

“Use this.”

When he, startled, turned towards the voice – Tiffania stood there with a towel. Seeing Saito’s upper-body nakedness, an embarrassed blush spread on her cheeks.

“Thank you”, Said Saito, receiving the towel, and starting to wipe his body.

Tiffania looked hesitant, as if wanting to say something.

“What’s wrong?”

Urged, Tiffania opened her mouth.

“W-working hard.”

“Aye. Because I want to be stronger.”

“Can I ask something?”

“All right.”

“Uhm… recent injuries. They were from confronting Albion army, right…? You have stopped that huge army from advancing?

Shaking his head, Saito answered.

“Who told you that?”

“That sword-sand – Derf-san.”

“He can’t stop chatting…”

“Have you really confronted all 70,000 troops, how did it feel?”

“100 more or less. Well, even I could not understand how many there were of them. I felt like jumping into a huge typhoon.”

“Typhoon?”

“No… that's what a severe storm doing huge natural damage is called…”

“You are courageous.”

Saito shook his head.

“It’s different. Because I was powerful then… Hey, remember the power I talked before?”

“Something about ability to use all weapons?”

“Indeed, Because I had it, I could stand against 70,000. Today, I do not have it.”

Saito said, staring at his left hand.

“No matter how powerful one is… still nothing can be done. To defend the one you love, one you trust. You said it the other day – important person…”

“Aye.”

“Now… are you training yourself to defend the person you love?”

“It’s different. I said – I do not have the qualification to defend that person, already.”

Tiffania became silent.

“Enemies of that person are big. Her goals are big. She will not need someone who can swing a sword only a little.”

“Then why you are training so hard?”

“To return.”

“To return?”

“Aye. The other day… when I heard Tiffa’s performance, I recalled the hometown and came to miss it unbearably. I thought about returning there. This thing I should do. Louise has things that Louise should do… And I have mine. For this purpose, I try to improve my sword skills. This world is a dangerous place. I have to find my own way to defend myself…”

In a somewhat settled voice, Saito said.

“That person is named Louise?”

Saito feeling a little shy, nodded.

“Yeah.”

“…What kind of person is she?”

“Pink hair... short...”

“Beautiful?”

Saito didn’t answer. He began to put the clothes on.

“You are great.”

“It’s not about greatness. Yet, as I said, I only want to return.”

“You work hard for that. It is great. I…”

Tiffania said, choosing her words carefully.

“Even if you are not doing this for a person you love, you still had something to work hard on. However… I absent-mindedly wanted to just live quietly and stay out of trouble. Though I wanted to go to my mother’s hometown, I only thought about it, but never acted.”

“It’s not true. You are serious.”

“No. It is all because of my cowardly nature.”

Tiffania clasped Saito's hand.

“Thank you, Saito. I want to see more different things. Before, I lived just in old residence… and then in this village for years, but now, for the first time, I want to see the world. The world is not just unpleasant things. There are also joyful things for sure… After seeing you, I realized that.”

Saito blushed.

“Hey, do you want to be my friend? My first… friend.”

“I do.”

“When you first came to the village, though I thought about erasing your memory… I didn’t. For a long time, I wanted a friend.”

“I see.”

Saito said, turning crimson for a while.

With his face close, he got a perfect sight of the valley of her breasts.

Noticing Saito's glance, Tiffania quickly pulled herself away.

“Sorry…”

“I-it’s all right. Since you are a friend, it is all right.”

An embarrassed silence followed.

“M-meal is ready. Let’s eat.”

Saito nodded, and began to walk. From the house, a nice smell flowed, making Saito notice that he was hungry for the first time.