Zero no Tsukaima:Volume6 Chapter8 - MTL
 |
Warning: This translation is considered a PREVIEW Script.
Be warned that the degree of translation error may be higher than usual due to the translation method employed.
|
Chapter Eight: The Atonement of Flame
Early morning, four o'clock.
The day has not risen yet, the sky is dark.
In the sky above the Academy of Magic one small war frigate appeared.
Menvil stood on the deck, watching the sky right ahead.
Wardes, with inaudible steps, approached Menvil from behind.
The wind’s square indicated by itself that it was the same sky.
Wardes came out to test Menvil.
Can this man lead such difficult plan to a success? He doubted.
However, Wardes's doubts seemed to be ungrounded.
Not taking eyes from the sign, Menvil called Wardes out of distance.
“So what trial is it now, Viscount?”
Wardes was surprised.
Menvil did not even turn around.
Even if you turn around – it’s just too dark.
One couldn’t even make out an approaching silhouette.
Yet… what kind of skills did he use to notice Wardes approach from such a long distance.
“Now then, we are almost there.”
Menvil muttered without turning around. Wardes, while feeling admiration, carefully approached Menvil.
“We are lucky. Oh dear, as an attacking side, we should not let them know from which side they are attacked.”
They managed to avoid mage familiar’s that were patrolling in the air… it was almost fortuitous that they managed to get this far without being spotted.
“In order to express our gratitude. When you’ll return to Albion, please let me treat you with something, Viscount.”
“Don’t think too much about it, think about surviving first.” Wardes said. Menvil suddenly pulls out the cane and pointed it at Wardes's scruff of the neck.
“Watch your mouth youngster. Or do you want to turn to ashes right now and here?”
Wardes expressionlessly watched Menvil.
“I’m joking, Viscount. Don’t stare like that.”
Laughing Menvil jumped from the deck into the air.
All other members wrapped up in black cloths followed Menvil, one after another.
A lot of people disappeared from the deck with a surprising swiftness.
Fouquet, who came up there, muttered in an unpleasant voice.
“Creepy guy.And scaring.”
“But he has the skills needed. Can’t hope for more.”
“Is he more skillful than you?”
Fouquet laughed asking Wardes a mischievous question.
“Maybe.”
The Musketeers Squadron assigned two musketeer crew memebers to a artillery tower to watch over the cannon.
That were the most of military troops that army could allow to stand as sentinels.
Something moved under the moonlight.
The older member of the squated down in silence, and unwrapped gun powder and bullets from small paper bags.
Another musketeer, following his partner’s movements, also loaded his musket with gunpowder.
And when he looked carefully…he saw something moving in the darkness.
But before he could open his moth, both guard throats were cut by wind magic.
Two bodies were caught before hitting the ground. Not making any noise, Menvil laid musketeers on the ground.
“Women. Still young. Shame.” One assassin said with a smile informed Menvil.
“There is no place for old courtesy, men or women have to be treated the same.”
Menvil, smiling rapaciously, said.
“Equally the death is given.”
“Only nobles’ children should not be killed. They must be taken as hostages.”
“Apart them, I can kill everyone else?”
Menvil, while fiddling with his cane, muttered in a happy voice.
One member's took out the map.
It was the school’s map drawn by Fouquet. It was covered with the special cloth that doesn't leak out the light, but slightly lightens the map itself.
Watching the corpses of guards, one member muttered.
“Guards only armed with guns.”
“How many mages are there? Not counting the regular musketeers.”
The member who was studying the map informed Menvil.
Commander, there are three targets. This tower, dormitory tower and the tower nearside.”
Menvil handed down the orders quickly.
“I’ll take the dormitory tower. Jean, Ludwig, Germain, Attas – you four together with Giovanni take this tower. Celestin and the rest take the last one.”
Mages nodded.
Tabitha woke up.
There were a strange sounds coming from the courtyard.
After thinking for a moment, she decided to wake Kirche up after all. She went out of her room; and headed to Kirche’s room downstairs. After she knocked against the door, Kirche, dressed up in only thin nightdress on her bare skin and still rubbing her eyes, appeared. “You what… it’s too early… even sun hasn’t started to rise yet.”
“Strange sounds” was all she said.
Kirche closed her eyes.
“Uwaaa” Kirche felt her salamander, Flame, beating against the window.
“You too”
The moment when Kirche opened her eyes again the sleepiness was already gone.
Kirche hastily began putting clothes on.
The moment when she took her wand, the sound of breaking a door echoed.
Kirche and Tabitha looked at each other.
“Retreat” Tabitha murmured.
“Agreed.”
Not knowing enemies number or location, you have to pull back to recover. It was war basics.
Kirche and Tabitha jumped down from the window and hid themselves in the bushes and from there watched what was going around.
It was getting dim - sun started rising.
At that time Agnes… woke up in the bedroom and grabbed the sword placed on the bedside.
Pulling it out from sheath, she waited at the door.
It was a second floor of the artillery tower. The room was always used as a warehouse and was only recently was made into bedroom.
Over all twelve members lived in here
They all resided in the room next door.
Agnes noticed the mirror placed in the center of the room. It was the 'Mirror of fibber'. The ugly made into beautiful, the beautiful into ugly – everything was turned upside down by the mirror. Agnes tried to not look at the mirror while setting the trap.
Four people led by the mercenary mage named Celestin led went up by the spiral staircaseto the second floor of the artillery tower. They queued at the two doors.
Tow men positioned at each door opened the door up and another one waited in the hall.
The doors were kicked open.
In a middle of the room a handsome mage set up the wand.
Alarmed, mages started to chant their spells.
“Bam…”
However, they were also hit by the magic. With his heart pierced by the ice spear, Celestin fell on the floor.
Agnes, who hid herself behind the door, noticed the sucess of her plan.
Celestin mistook his own reflection in The Mirror of Fibber, which was placed here by Agnes, for an enemy and released a spell which was reflected by the mirror and pierced his heart.
Agnes felt gratitude to Celestin who was foolish enough to shot himself with his own spell reflected by the mirror.
Another assassin, hastily flounced into the room. But his throat was cut deeply from the side by Agnes sword and he fell down.
Then, her musketeers jumped into the room.
“Agnes-sama! Are you all right?”
She nodded answering their question.
“I’m all right.”
“Two people sneaked into our room. However we finished them…”
Two people in my room. Two people in the next one. Four people in total ……
Apparently these thieves crept into the artillery tower to kill them off…
“Albion’s dogs.”
Muttered Agnes quickly understanding from where they came. The squad was made only of mages. It’s impossible to mistake them for simple thieves. They must be mercenaries employed by Albion..
Then, Agnes became worried about the situation outside.
Right now, there were only a schoolgirl’s left in the academy.
“In two minutes I want you fully armored and following me” Agnes ordered her subordinates.
Menvil took over women's dormitory without any problems.
Noble daughters were so frightened by his invasion that showed no real resistance. He took all schoolgirls’ wands and rounded them, still dressed in their nightgowns, up to the dinning hall where he confined them. There were approximately ninety people.
During that, his partner’s from the other tower joined him.
Seeing academy’s director Old Osman being one of the captives put a smile on Menvil’s face.
Menvil now gathered all captives in the dining hall and tied their hands behind their backs.
Thanks to the magic that someone recited, the rope moved and twined around their wrists by itself.
All teachers and students were female and were trembling.
Menvil sweetly muttered to everyone.
“Whaat, calm down, if no one of you will try to stand out or make noise and if you do what you are being told to, no one will get hurt.”
Someone began to weep.
“Silence!”
However, the schoolgirl doesn't stop crying. Menvil came closer and pointed his cane at her.
“Do you like cinders?”
The words were not a direct threat, but it could be understood as one. The schoolgirl stopped crying.
Osman opened his mouth.
“Hey you.”
“What?”
“Don’t use violence against women. Albion wants us as hostages right? To use us as additional cards in negotiations right?”
“How do you know?”
“Experienced guys from far away barged in here – it’s easy to see what you came here for. Not for the riches for sure. So, be more patient.”
“Old man, and what value you have in the store?”
Mercenaries laughed loudly.
“How important is one old man for the country? Consider this.”
When Osman ducked his head, intruders started to look around Alviss Dining Hall.
One could clearly read “I don’t want to be here” from mages faces.
Fuuun, Osman thought. They might still have a chance.
“Old man, are these all members of the academy?”
Osman nodded.
“That's right. They are all.“
Then mercenary noticed that their partners from artillery tower have not returned. Are they taking their time? No, he shook his head. The longer it takes the more chances for the enemies to get reinforcement. And they should be aware of that. Therefore, Menvil ramified.
Outside the dining hall a voice was heard.
“Those that shut themselves up in dining hall! Listen! We are Her Majesty's musketeers!”
Menvil and others looked at each other. Apparently Celestin failed. However none of the mercenaries changed their complexion. Single mercenary glared Osman.
“Heyhey. Haven’t you said ‘They are all’?”
“Musketeers are not part of the staff.” Osman said calmly.
With a smile on his lips Menvil stepped to the doors to negotiate with the musketeers outside the dining room.
Agnes hid herself behind the tower staircase landing. She drove the one group of commoner staff away from the courtyard so that they would not get too involved with the incident
The morning sun has not risen yet.
To at the door of dining hall a tightfisted body mage appeared. The moonlight from a gap in the clouds enlight his figure.
Agnes held her finger on the trigger, while aiming her pistol at the mage.
“Listen! Thief! We are Her Majesty's musketeers! One battalion of our troops has you and your damned accomplices surrounded! Release the hostages!”
Agnes’s “one battalion of troops” was a bluff. In reality, there were only about ten people.
From the dinning hall she heard voices laughing hard.
“We couldn’t care less about a single battalion of musketeers!”
“These musketeers have killed four of your partners already. If you’ll surrender peacefully we’ll spare your lives.”
“Surrender? Isn’t it the time to start negotiations now? Well, call Henrietta here.”
“Her Majesty?”
“Indeed. And for the time being promise to withdraw soldiers from the Albion. My client seems to hate when your soldiers dirties the country land with their shoes.
Usually, army doesn't turn back because of the hostage. However… because ninety children of nobles were taken as hostages, it might be a different talk. The invasion troop's withdrawal is really possible.
My responsibility. Agnes bit her lower lip.
She tried to concentrate herself – a blunder is a blunder. The court people - they are still my responsibility.
One musketeer whispered into Agnes’s ear.
“… we could send a courier to the Tristania and ask for reinforcement.”
“It is useless. It doesn’t matter how much soldiers we have, as long as they hold hostages.”
Seeing such consultation, Menvil shouted.
“Hey, remember. Whenever you call a new soldier, one hostage is killed. The only ones you can invite here are cardinal or Henrietta. Be not nice. Clear?”
Agnes said nothing.
Then, Menvil shouted again.
“Decide it in five minutes. Call Henrietta or not. If there will be no answer after five minutes, one hostage is killed every passing minute.”
Another musketeer poked Agnes.
“Agnes-sama…”
Agnes painfully tightened up her lips.
That moment…
Voice sounded from the behind.
“Commander.”
Turning around she saw Colbert standing and staring with surprise at Alvis dinning hall.
“Do not get involved.” Agnes said, trying to cover Colbert with herself.
“You will be caught.”
“My laboratory is in the tower. What happened?”
Agnes got angry at such carefree attitude of Colbert.
“Can’t you see? Your students were captured by Albion’s handymen.”
Colbert looked over her shoulder and, once he noticed the mage standing in front of the dining hall, his face turned pale.
“Enough already. Go back.”
Annoyed, she sent the Colbert off.
“Psst, musketeer-san.”
She was called from behind again. This time it was Kirche and Tabitha, who stood in the shadows smiling.
“Aren’t you students? Thank goodness you are all right.”
“Hey, we have a good plan…”
“Plan?”
“Yeah. Right now you can’t reject any help.”
“And what is that plan?”
Kirche and Tabitha explained their plan to Agnes.
Agnes, after listening to it, laughed.
“Sounds fun to me.“
“How about it? That’s the only plan we have.”
Colbert who heard the plan opposed to it.
“It is too dangerous. The enemy is a mercenary. You can’t be seriously thinking that such cheap trick can work.”
“No one cares about your opinion, teacher.”
Kirche said, not trying to hide her contempt.
Agnes stopped paying attention to Colbert altogether.
“They do not know about your existence. The key here is the surprise attack.”
She whispered while pointing her finger at Kirche, Tabitha and herself.
Menvil sat on a chair looking at the pocket watch on the table.
- Tick tick* clock hand moved.
“Five minutes passed.”
Hearing that students shuddered. If there were no the words about calling Henrietta from Agnes after five minutes, Menvil said he’ll kill one of them.
“Do not hold grudge against me” Menvil said putting out the cane.
“Take me instead.”
Osman muttered, but Menvil shook his head.
“You are necessary as a key in negotiation. Hey, who will it be? You choose.”
An indescribably cruel question. No one is answered in shock.
“Understood. Then I will choose. Do not hold grudge.”
But the moment when Menvil said that…
A small paper balloon flew into the dining hall.
And once all of their eyes were focused on it…
The paper balloon exploded with a very loud bang.
With it yellow blinding phosphorus flew out of the balloon.
It was directed to fly into the dining hall by Tabitha’s ‘wind’ and was lit up by Kirche's ‘ignition’.
Schoolgirls screamed.
Those mages that looked directly now were holding their faces.
Then Kirche, Tabitha and musketeers with set up the musket broked into the room
The strategy looked to be successful.
But…
A lot of fire bullets flew up aiming at Kirche.
Kirche, who lowered her guard thinking about success, fired her own fire bombs at it.
In such violent flame, the gunpowder in musketeers’ guns started exploding.
The holding fingers of hands were blown-off, and musketeers started rolling on the ground holding their hands
Kirche tried to stand up but did not noticed spell aimed at her.
Fire bomb exploded in front of her belly, and the she received a full hit of shock wave from a close distance.
Wrap in flames, was an effective attack. It takes time for flame to burn ... but explosion gives an instant impact. Opposite to burning slowly.
She saw staggering Tabitha trying to stand up.
But then another shock wave hit her head… and she prostrated against the ground again.
Menvil showed up from the white smokes.
Spell! But there was no wand.
Then she noticed one lying on the ground.
She reached for it, trying to pick it up but he stepped on it.
Menvil towered above Kirche, looking down on her.
“Too bad… Light bomb only blinds ones eyes…”
Menvil said while smiling.
That moment Kirche noticed.
Menvil's eyeballs were not moving at all.
“Your…eyes.”
Menvil extended his fingers to his eye.
And took it out. Artificial eye.
“Not only my eyelids were burnt but eyes as well. I can’t see the light.”
“H-how…”
But Menvil moved as if he was able to see.
“Snake finds a prey by the temperature.”
Menvil laughed.
“I’m a flame user, thus I am very sensitive about the temperature. Distance, position - one can know everything in full details by knowing how high or low the temperature is. You can even recognize different people by knowing their temperature.“
Kirche‘s hair stood up on her head from the fear.
What is this man…
“Are you scared? Afraid?”
Menvil laughed.
“When one’s feelings turn in turmoil, one’s temperature changes into it as well. Temperature changes tell a lot of things about one’s thoughts.”
Menvil’s nostrils widened upon taking a full inhale of the scent.
“I want to smell.”
“Eh?”
“The aroma of your burnt, I want to smell it.”
Kirche trembled.
For the first time in her life she felt a pure fear.
The fear that made a Queen of Fire whisper ‘No…’ like a small girl. However, Menvil just gave an anxious smile and said.
“How would you like to burn? There are many different ways of burning. This time you will be the one to burn.”
Not willing to see it coming, Kirche closed her eyes.
Menvil put out his cane, but the moment when flames started gathering around Kirche…
The flame was pushed back by another flame.
And once Kirche cracked her eyes open, she saw…
Colbert standing next to her, with a wand in his hands.
“…mister?”
With an ice-cold face, Colbert muttered
“Get away from my students.”
As if noticing something, Menvil looked up.
“Ooh, you… You! You! You!”
With a joyful expression on his face, Menvil roared.
“Is my temperature say tricking me?! You! Colbert it’s you! Missed you! It’s Colbert’s voice!”
Colbert's expression did not change. He stubbornly stared at Menvil.
“It’s me! Have you forgotten? It’s commander Menvil! Aaah! So long ago!”
Menvil spread out his arms and shouted happily.
Colbert puckered up his brows.
That face had something dark in it.
“You…”
“How many years passed since our last meeting? Haaa! Captain! Twenty-years! That’s right!”
Captain?
What does that mean? Students started to whisper.
“What? Captain! You are a teacher now?! Isn’t it funny? You - a teacher! What precisely do you teach? You who were named ‘Serpent of the Flame’… Ha, ha, ha! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!”
Menvil shouted with laughter.
“I will explain to you. This man here is a flame user that was called ‘Serpent of the Flame’ before. He was a commander of the special troops… Women or children – he did not care, he burned them all completely.”
Kirche stared at Colbert.
“And he was the man…who took my eyes!"
Colbert was emanating something scary.
The aura around him felt very different from normal.
Burning own people, even Kirche’s Zerbst lineage, never engaged in such a war. After all, those were nobles’ duels.
However, air that Colbert eminates today is different. If you’ll touch – you’ll burn.
You’ll burn and die.
The smell of burning flesh, the smell of death.
From the tip Colbert’s casually thrust out wand, a huge snake of flame, that looked too big for the delicate wand, sprang out. The snake bit the wand of a one mage, who silently started to chant a spell.
The wand turned to ashes in an instant.
Colbert smiled.
A cold smile without feelings, like reptile’s.
Colbert asked Kirche who stared at him in shock.
“Miss Zerbst. Do you remember ‘Fire’ element’s characteristics?”
From the edge of the bitten lip, a stream of blood trickled. Red blood, like flame, like Colbert’s mantle.
“…fire’s characteristics are zeal and destruction.”
“Fire’s zeal solely purpose is destruction. That’s what you think. Twenty years ago I thought so too.”
Colbert muttered in an usual voice.
“However, it is as you say.”
The moon hid behind a cloud again.
Surroundings turned black as if painted by a dark brush.
The fight in the dark is difficult for an ordinary man. Because one cannot see an opponent.
However, for the blinded flame user there is no light to begin this, thus darkness is not a handicap as well.
Menvil thought while gripping the cane and preparing a spell.
20 years ago my flame was defeated.
It was because of immaturity.
However, it is different now.
With time I became much stronger.
Though I lost light, I gained strong ‘flame’ instead.
Inner body senses were straightened and the nerves became twice as strong.
Now I can detect even the most subtle changes in the air.
Temperature of person, flow of air colored a shadow and the sight was projected into Menvil's mind.
