Zero no Tsukaima:Volume10 Chapter6
Chapter 6- The Imprisoned Six
Saito noticed the sunlight which shone through the gap between the metal grills. Beside him, Louise's head was on his shoulder, and she was breathing gently. Guiche and Malicorne lied down side by side on the bed, snoring.
“It's morning huh......”
In the end, because he was worrying too much, he did not manage to sleep at all.
Funya funya, with her mouth half-opened, Louise was muttering something.
“What.....a....pity.... Princess was lonely, after all. Funya......”
What on earth is she dreaming about? Being trapped within these grills, now is not the time to oversleep. We have to leave to save Tabitha quickly......
“Aren't you stupid? Being rejected by Princess, we can face our opponents......”
Saito nudged Louise.
“Funya......”
Probably Louise who was not fully awakened yet, could not differentiate between her dream and the reality. She saw Saito and yelled angrily at him.
“Treating me as a spare tyre for Princess! You're cruel! Or, whoever you want is fine! That's right! Who is the best, s-ss-say it!!”
“......What're you talking about?”
Astonished, Saito said that, and she realized that this place was not the dream world, but the real world.
Her face crimsoned, and started striking at Saito repeatedly.
“It's only something I dreamed! A dream!”
“Don't hit me!”
“Although it's a dream, it is still you! So be responsible for it!”
Continuing in her state of embarrassment, Louise turned away. Because he couldn, Saito let out a huge sigh.
“You......you still have the mood to dream huh...”
“What?”
“Surely, if you have persuaded Princess cleverly, we would have been heading towards Gallia to save Tabitha by now......”
“So you mean to say that I am bad?”
“You are the one who said we have to come here to report to Princess, weren't you?”
“Ain't it obvious?”
“We are saving someone! If we didn't come here to report, and instead hasten there straight away, such a thing would not have happened!”
Upon which, Louise gazed at Saito with a solemn look.
“Saito. That is wrong. Because precisely we are saving someone, we must go through the proper way.”
“Why!?”
“Say if we had lost. What would we do then? Gallia would think that we are Tristain's spy, right? Because I am the Princess' court lady, and you're the Assistant Commanding Officer of the Imperial Guards. It would be terrible if that were to happen. Gallia would go against Tristain, and object strongly, right? It would probably become the excuse for a war. That's probably their objective.”
“How could this be......”
“What did you want to say? Although we don't know if that would be the case, but above not abandoning this probability, we must think that “there is” and act accordingly. How many times more cruel than this would the method employed by Gallia kingdom to capture us? We don't know what they would do. After that, we would probably bring trouble to Princess, even as far as Tristain. Because of that, it is possible that people who have nothing to do with us, to get hurt. Even I wanted to save Tabitha. But, I cannot bring problems to anyone. That action is exactly what someone who has lost their head would take.”
Embarrassed, Saito cast his eyes down.
“Sorry......But I still have to do it! Logically, I know what you said is true, but...because of that, what I can probably do, I naturally can't do it at this rate......Aaaah, dammit! I am really anxious!”
“Yeah huh......I thought Princess would probably understand, but......looks like I was too naïve.”
“We really can't get out of here?”
Absent-minded, Saito gazed at the metal grills.
“With your “Void”, is it possible?”
“Impossible. I don't know if “Dispel” would work, but in the first place, I don't have my wand.”
“You can't use it huh...”
“If you don't have your sword, you are just an ordinary human, right?”
“I can't use it...”
This time, he said so to himself. However, with a look as if he hadn't thrown away his wish yet,
“......Anyway, when we escape from here, I intend to go to Gallia, but don't worry. What you said about bringing trouble to Tristain- it won't happen.”
“What do you mean?”
“Yesterday, didn't I quit being the Assistant Commanding Officer? I'm just a normal person now.”
“You are really naïve huh...”
Whilst sighing, Louise said.
“What do you mean!”
“You're thinking that the enemy would believe us? Stop being a knight alone is not enough! At least until you become a wanted person, then only you can be said to have cut all connections!”
“But can you actually stop being a noble? At least until be the same as me, your cheekiness......”
At that point, Saito noticed Louise's appearance for the first time. Because she was uneasy, he didn't know, but......
“Your mantle and your tie clip, what happened to them!”
“I have returned them to Her Majesty The Queen.”
“Returned...you......”
“Shaddap! With this, I'm just the normal Louise! Same as you, a commoner! Com-mon-er! Thank you very much! I have thrown away both my family name and my pride! So don't just showing off like that!”
Saito was very touched, more than he had ever been ever since meeting Louise.
This pink-haired female magic user whose pride is supposed to be high; my master......She had been so obsessive over the “noble” title, and now she had thrown it away easily.
For a girl like Louise, that was probably something which needed a huge a mount of courage.
If she didn't have the determination to throw away the life she had built up until now, she could not have done such a thing. That's because, as far as Louise is concerned, her status as a noble was her everything.
“Y-you......”
“What-a-waste! You like high-class woman very much riggghhhtt? Becoming the familiar of an ordinary girl, you're really disappointed right!”
“N-no way......I...I'm really touched......You would do something as far as that......”
“LIAR! Yesterday night, you stole glances at Princess, and your face turned red! I don't believe you! You like nobles and princesses right! Though you're a dog! That's so funny!”
As she was yelling that, Louise felt the anxiety Siesta talked about expand within her heart.
What if the “like” he has towards me is but his feeling as a familiar?
What if Saito's real feelings are towards Henrietta......but are stopped by this “like” he has as a familiar?
Then Saito's shaking off Henrietta's request yesterday night can be understood.
The contract I have given him has probably distorted Saito's true feelings......
Anyway, Saito's feelings now are probably towards Henrietta. The thing which is stopping him, is the fake feeling I gave him......
“I don't really fancy nobles or princesses!!”
Saito said disappointedly.
“I dunno such things!”
To shake off the indescribable anxiety, Louise raised her voice.
“Why are you so mad? I have already said, haven't I? I like......”
“Don't say it!”
Covering her ears, Louise crouched down. As if his hand was hurt, Saito withdrew his hand.
“Ok ok. I won't say it any more.”
If she doesn't want him to say such things, he couldn't do anything else. Louise became tearful.
Hearing someone clearing his throat, both of them looked to the front.
Over there, Guiche and Malicorne had woke up without them noticing; and weren't they staring motionlessly at the sensitive conversation between Louise and Saito?
Louise's ears became red.
They were seeing everything of the conversation right now.
“N-no! It's not what you think!”
“Err, I don't really mind, but Malicorne......”
Beside Guiche, Malicorne was trembling all over with anger.
“Heeey, Guiche......I'm already at my limittt......Such an envious love game in front of my eyes......?”
Malicorne leaped towards them, and at that instant, Louise pushed Saito forward. Both of them tumbled over and wrestled with each other.
“If it's gonna end like this, you win. Hug me.”
Having given up, Malicorne said that with a faraway look. Saito became sad.
“Hug me!”
“Aaah, haiz......now is not the time to be doing such things!”
The moment Saito let out a sigh and said that......
From outside the window, a flash of light and a loud noise could be heard.
“......Huh?”
Guiche and Louise leaped up and stretched their heads at the window. Outside, a surprising scenery was unfolding.
With the huge wings gleaming, the Ostland was flying at a low altitude, and was scattering something.
“Wh-why is that thing......”
From the Ostland, a voice which was magnified by the showy music and magic could be heard.
“To all ladies and gentlemen of Tristain. To all ladies and gentlemen of Tristain. This is the debut of the latest steam-run vessel of the Von Zerbst family of Tristain. Everyone walking at the streets, or those in the palace, please come to have a look.”
“Isn't that Montmorency's voice!?”
Sure enough, that was the voice of Montmorency who was supposed to be waiting for the group's return on the Ostland.
In the courtyard of the palace, be it the escorting knights, the soldiers, or the nobles who were walking at the streets, everyone was looking up to the sky.
A few dragon knights approached them, and flew around the Ostland. Do it somewhere else! Get back! They were warning them. Yet, without the slightest indication that they were worried, the Ostland continued circling it.
The sentinels who were standing outside the prison in which Saito and the rest were locked up, were exchanging glances, worried by the spectacle outside.
“Those guys......what do they plan to do?”
“I wonder what they're thinking about...”
As she revealed her feelings, from outside the door, Donggg! The sound of the sentinels falling could be heard. Turning back, Saito and the others gulped.
“Kirche!”
Sure enough, the figures which could be seen from between the lattice of the narrow window, were the red-haired dazzling Kirche and......
“Teacher! Teacher Colbert!”
With his bald head gleaming, it was Colbert. Towards the imprisoned four who had rushed to the door, Kirche lifted a finger.
“Shh, quiet.”
Colbert took the bunch of keys from the waist of the defeated sentinels, and inserted that into the keyhole of the door.
Not being able to find the key which fitted, he couldn't make any progress.
At that moment, clack! With a sound, the door opened.
“Kirche, teacher!”
The four of them stepped out onto the corridor, and Colbert smiled.
“Exultation and explanation after this. Hurry!”
