Zero no Tsukaima:Volume2 Chapter7 - MTL

Chapter 7 - The Prince of a Dying Country

Saito was caught and imprisoned by the pirates. It seems like Mary Galante's (?) crew has helped to take over the ship.

The sword was taken up from Saito, and canes were taken up from Wardes and Louise. Therefore, their hands and feet were not confined. Without canes mages, just like weaponless Saito, were harmless. Though same cannot be said about Louise.

In the background, one could see wine barrels, cereal sacks and gunpowder casks disorderly thrown around. Heavy cannonballs were piled up in the corner of the room.

Wardes explored such cargo with a great interest.

Saito sat down in the corner of the hold. He was frowning because of pain in his injured arm.

Louise looked with worried expression after seeing Saito's such state.

"...What. As I thought, the injury hurts after all."

"It's nothing."

Saito said snappishly.

"It's not nothing - show me!"

Louise forcefully gripped Saito's arm and tucked up clothes.

"Kya！"

It looked really awful. Due to Masked Man's lightning spell the severe injury going from shoulder to wrist was inflicted on left arm. More so, it seemed to be getting worse.

The shoulder was under an awful convulsion.

"Is that not awful burn?! Should I feel relieved now?!"

Louse shouted. She stood up and started knocking on the door

"Somebody! Somebody come!"

Guardian stood up.

"Eh?"

"Water! Is there a mage? We need water mage! There is an injured person! Need to heal him!"

"There is no such thing."

"Lies! It is so!"

Wardes who was taken back with a surprise, watched Louise dumbfounded. Saito gripped Louise's shoulder.

"Be obedient. You are the prisoner here."

"No！　I won't, you are injured!"

"Stop saying that!"

Saito shouted. Louise cringed because of Saito's threatening attitude. Louise's pupil started getting moist. However, Louise gulped down saliva and tried to fight back the incoming tears.

"D-do not cry."

"I am not crying. There is no master who would cry in front of her familiar!"

Saito turned his face away.

"I see."

"I would never cry in front of you."

Louise walked to the other wall and sat down , facing away from Saito. Her body was shivering. Saito headed towards Wardes and tapped his shoulder.

"Please comfort her"

"Why?"

"Aren't you Louise's fiancé?"

Wardes nodded and turned towards Louise, and hugged her shoulders her from behind, comforting her. Saito collapsed on the ground, averting his eyes from Wardes and Louise. The pain in arm kept on getting worse. It was Saito's fault for preventing Louise from helping him.

It is a suitable punishment for such a worthless being like myself.

"My punishment... Doesn't hurt that much. Uwaa"

His muttering was interrupted by the opened door.A fat man with the plate of soup entered.

"Rice."

When Saito , who was near the door, tried to take it a man suddenly lifted the plate up.

"Only after you answered few questions."

Louise, whose eyes looked puffy, stood up.

"Ask."

"What business you have in Albion?"

"Traveling."

Louise said in a decisive voice, putting her hand on the waist.

"Traistain's noble, why would you travel to Albion? Why would you be sightseeing in such place?"

"I do not have to tell you such things."

"Still pretending to be tough, despite being scared and crying?"

Louise turned her face away, when the pirate started laughing. She grabbed a plate with soup and water to throw at him, but

Saito took it from her.

"Hey!"

"I cannot eat a soup made by such people!"

Louise faced away again.

"It's not healthy to stay hungry."

When Wardes said so, Louise took the plate of soup with the pouting face.

Three people ate the same soup from one plate. Though in normal circumstances that would never happen.

Wardes leaned into the wall with tired expression on the face.

Louise tore up the sleeve of the shirt and soaked it in water, trying to cool down Saito's wound with it.

"It's alright."

"It's not alright!"

Louise stared firmly at Saito with her puffy eyes.

"Because, you are my familiar, you have to listen what I tell you!"

Saito averted his face. Louise, who was treating his arm softly, looked up at him.

"What is it?"

"You have more important duties to care about."

"It is so, but injury is also very important! Clear?!"

Saito kept on looking away, before noticing the barrels with gunpowder.

"We could escape by using that."

"Eh?"

Louise suspiciously followed Saito's look. Saito opened the barrel and filled the plate with gunpowder.

Wardes muttered tiredly.

"And where would you run? Only emptiness surrounds us."

Saito sat down again with a thump.

"...but, sitting like that and doing nothing..."

At that time, door opened again. This time it was a thin pirate standing before them. Pirate looked at them three with a piercing eyes and asked.

"Good evening, are you the aristocrats going to Albion?"

Louise did not answer.

"Oi oi, judging from silence its truth. Though we do not look like that we repect nobles. Thanks to the aristocrats our business goes well."

"But, isn't this a warship of rebels?"

"No no, though we are employed, we cooperates in the fifty-fifty relationship with each other. We are related to both fractions. So how is it? Are you nobles? If it is true, then you will be let go free in the closest port."

Saito felt relieved. Since Louise is an aristocrat everything can be settled peacefully then. Also, they will be taken to the closest port.

However, Louise did not nod her head in agreement, instead, she kept on glaring at pirate's forehead.

"How dare you have anything to do with those dirty rebels? Do not disregard Albion nobles. I myself am one of the noble families. The Albion is still a kingdom, as the royal family is still a legitimate government in the Albion. Because I am an aristocrat who comes here on behalf of the Tristain, I am ,in other words, an ambassador. Therefore, I demand the ambassadors treatment from you."

Saito widely opened the mouth and muttered.

"Are you an Kunikida?"

"Who are you calling an Kunikida? The Kunikida is you! For trying to act cool while being injured so badly!"

Louise angrily turned to Saito and shouted.

"But! You should choose time and place for your straightforwardness better!"

"Shut up! You are my familiar and should listen to what I say! Anyways, show your arm! Hey!"

Surprised Saito clasped his arm. While Louise tried to pull Saito's arm with a jerk.

The pirate laughed after seeing such scene.

"Honestly, you should stop doing that!"

"You are wrong, I can't let you be hurt so carelessly."

Louise asserted.

"Eh?"

Saito said in a surprised voice.

"It's because you are my familiar... t-that's why..."

"I'll go to report to the boss then."

The pirate left laughing.

Saito was so surprised that he wasn't able to reply Louise properly.

"Arm, show it."

"Don't act this way. Aren't there more things to be concerned of? Like our present situation."

Louise said decisively.

"I won't let such things to take me down, as far as we have a slightest chance to survive."

Louise stood up straightly. Though the thought about marrying Wardes made her feel funny at the start, it wasn't so strong anymore.

"…… In any case, you lied to them."

"Don't talk nonsense. Are you seriously think that lying to such people is a bad thing?"

Saito sighed tiredly. Wardes came near, and tapped Louise's shoulder.

"Don't say such things Louise, you are still my bride."

Saito looked away dejectedly. Louise face showed mixed feelings, as she looked down.

The door opened again, it was the same thin pirate who said

"The boss calls. "

---

The aisle passed up the narrow stairs and took three people to a splendid room. It was build on the upper part of the deck.

Boss... He seems to be the chief of the pirates.

As door opened one could see a gorgeous dinner table and one pirate sitting at the end of it. He was playing with cane that had big crystal attached on top of it. Seems like he was a mage himself. Boss room where very differently from what one wouldexpect from a pirate.

He looked intensively at Louise who entered the room. The thin pirate who brought Louise here poked her slightly from behind. 　 "Hey、you, you are standing in front of the Boss so greet him properly." 　 However, Louise just stood there glaring at the Boss, who smiled at her.

"Ah, I like a strong willed woman, you are not a child at all. "

"I demand the treatment of the ambassador."

Louise, not paying attention to the words of Boss, repeated her demand.

"And what would be that message you are trying to give?"

Boss said ignoring Louise's words.

"And did you say royal?"

"Yes, I did."

"Do you go to [Nanashi]? They will be gone tomorrow."

"I won't tell you."

But Boss said to Louise in a joyful voice.

"Are you willing to betray nobles? Otherwise, even if you are a mage I might not guarantee your safety even for considerable fee."

"I'd better be dead."

Saito poked Louise, at that time he noticed her body trembling. She was scared. But even if she was scared, she kept on looking straight into the eyes of the Boss.

Saito remembered his duel with Guiche.

I was scared at that time. I thought I was going to die. But I haven't bowed my head down. I think that Louise today resembles me at that time. She stands against a scary opponent but is able to withstand because she has something important in her mind, just like me.

This Louise looked really amazing.

"I'll ask you again. Are you willing to betray the nobles?"

Louise looked up straightly. She applied her arm to the waist, and put out the chest. 　 However, Saito interrupted her earlier before she opened her mouth.

"She told he answer already."

"And who are you?"

The Boss looked at Saito with piercing glare. The eyes that seemed to see the deepest secrets. But Saito looked straight at the Boss, just like Louise did.

"A familiar."

"Familiar?"

"Seems so."

The Boss started laughing. He laughed loudly.

"I knew that Tristains nobles were weird but not so helplessly. Oh my, my stomach hurts."

Boss said so while standing up laughing. Saito and others were puzzled by the sudden change of atmosphere and looked at each other.

"Oh, I am sorry. As noble I should properly introduce myself as well."

The pirate who was laughing loudly suddenly stood up straight.

He removed his black curly hair from his head. It seemed to be a wig. He also took of the the black eyepatch, and also removed his fake beard. Before them now was standing a young person with blond hair.

"I am general of the Albion royal air force. Also the commander of our country fleet. Though to tell the truth this warship named "Eagle" is the only ship in our fleet. A powerless fleet. Oh dear, even people from street could easily beat it."

The young person bowed while introducing himself.

"I am prince of Albion's Kingdom, Wales Tudor."

Louise mouth opened wide, Saito also couldn't take his eyes from the surprising appearance of young prince of Albion. Wardes watched prince with great interest.

Wales smiled with a charming smile and moved a chair for Louise to sit.

"Welcome to Albion, Ambassador. Now, lets talk about your message."

However, Louise were still speechless. She just stood there dumbfounded, unable to move.

"Why do I dress up as a pirate? To hide myself? No, the rich rebels sent a lot of support to rebellion, and it is a basic war tactic to cut enemy's supply line. Even if I have to do that in such an undignified way as to dress myself up as a dirty pirate."

Wales said laughingly.

"No, it was really impolite to treat ambassador like that. But you have to admit you don't look much like one of royal messengers yourself. And I never thought about support from other country's nobles. Yet I still should apologize."

Even after Wales words, Louise's mouth still opens and closes without a single sound. She wasn't mentally prepared to meet the prince so suddenly.

"We brought a secret letter from her highness princess Henrietta."

Wardes said while gracefully bowing.

"Ohh, from her Highness. And you are?"

"Captain of Tristain's Griffin Knights, viscount Wardes."

After that, Wardes introduced Louise to Wales.

"An this is her highness sent ambassador from de la Vallière family and her familiar, Your highness."

"Indeed! Such a splendid noble. And I only have my ten bodyguards to greet you, such a miserable greeting. Then, do you still have the secret letter?"

Louise panicking took out Henrietta's letter from her clothes. 　 However, she stopped before giving it to Wales. After few moments of hesitation she opened her mouth.

"B-but..."

"What?"

"Excuse me, but are you really a prince?" 　 Wales laughed.

"Oh dear, you won't believe me even if I showed you my true face. I am Wales. And I am really a prince. I will show evidence then."

Wales said after seeing the water ruby ring shining on Louise's finger.

Louise's hand was taken and the ring that shone on a finger was removed. Prince brought it close to his ruby ring. Two rings reacted to each other, shining with a bright light.

"This ring belongs to Albion royal family, the ruby of the Wind, while that one belongs to Henrietta from Tristain royal family and is a ruby of the Water. Right?"

Louise nodded.

"Water and the wind make the rainbow. Rainbow that forms between royal families."

"True, I am sorry for my impoliteness."

Louise handed Wales the letter and bowed.

After looking at the letter lovingly, Wales kissed the signature. Then, the seal was carefully removed, the paper inside was taken out, and Wales began to read.

For some time he kept on reading it with serious expression.

"Is the princess marrying? That beautiful Henrietta. My beloved... cousin."

Wardes bowed silently, with an affirmative expression. Wales dropped the glance to the letter again. And smiled when the last line was read.

"Understood. The princess is informing me with this that she wants you to return that letter. It's the most important. Princess also hope that I will get the chance to read it. Seems like it."

Louise face beamed up with pleasure.

"However, I won't give it for now. I will properly give it with my answer in Newcastle, instead of this ship."

Wales said laughingly.

"So, even though its troublesome, please come with me to Newcastle."

The end of Chapter 7.