"Ser Kenneth, I'm not sure I quite understand the point of continuing this exercise." Guiche shifted nervously as he looked over at where his familiar was standing. They were not in the school itself but, rather, had come out into the woods nearby once more. Yesterday there had been an abject demonstration of his familiar's fighting prowess when compared with his own Bronze Valkyries.
It had been humiliating. Kenneth had caved in the chest of the first one with a left straight, and then only drawn his axe because he'd simply decided that destroying them with his bare hands would be inefficient. Today, however, it was different. The dwarf's axe was sitting at his back, yes, but he was only holding on to it in case of bandits.
Instead he had put on a pair of steel gauntlets and was grinning maliciously.
"Weeeell, tha's simple, boy. Ah'm going t'show ye how to survive on the off-chance that ah'm nay available t'keep ya alive." Guiche nodded. He understood that much. Only… well, he'd managed to recreate a pair of valkyries at least. Kenneth had suggested he arm these ones with axes exclusively; that way his familiar could teach him some fighting techniques to use with them later. That wasn't the concern; he was more worried about the metal plate he had on.
"Yes, but I fail to see the point of
this." He rapped his knuckles on the breastplate. It was smelly, and heavy, and even with the padded vest he'd been forced to put on as well it was rubbing in uncomfortable places. Kenneth had taken pity on him and not made him wear the helmet, or any of the other bits.
"Boy, where ah come from th' best warmages wear full plate armour. We gotta build up yer strength a bit. Th' attack squad idea 's a good one, ah'll grant, but th' best way to run it well'd be from in th' thick o' things. Which means armour!" It had never really occurred to Guiche that, if he were to go into battle, he'd have to get within a certain distance of the actual fighting to control his golems reliably before Kenneth had pointed it out to him. Now he was seriously reconsidering his specialty.
"Whene'er we train, ye'll wear tha'. Ah'll work out a proper diet plan an' such wi' th' help o' one of yer healers. Dun wanna o'er work ye." Guiche whimpered. The brute would ruin his perfect, handsome figure! Kenneth just rolled his eyes and kicked at the dirt a bit. "Dinnae be daft, ye idjit. Th' lasses love a strong man. An' asides from that…" He strolled over to his pile of stuff.
There was the cloth-wrapped stone tablet he always took with him everywhere, of course. The thing was massive and, judging by the sounds when Kenneth laid it down, incredibly heavy. He'd also brought a bag of food, thankfully, as well as something very strange. It looked like three flour sacks sewn together. The dwarf hucked it up and tossed it over at Guiche's feet where it landed with an unceremonious thump.
"Pick tha' up." He stared at it instead. What on Halkegenia? Kenneth sighed. "Y'wanna be a hero, kid. Well tha's yer damsel." Guiche stared a bit more. Truly, there was a crude face on one of the sacks. He'd managed to attach a straw wig to that end as well. "C'mon. Pick 'er up. Best way'd be o'er yer shoulder, but y'won't be doin tha', will ye?"
After a final moment's hesitation Guiche bent down and picked up the 'damsel'. Or attempted to, at least. The blasted thing was just so heavy! Surely his beloved Montmorency didn't weigh nearly so much as this? In fact, he said as much to his trainer. "No' yet, boy. But she'll be an adult one day, an' so will many o' th' damsels ye'll be rescuin' in yer life."
Guiche nodded solemnly and tried again. Then again. Once more, even! He really was doing his best but the sacks were just too heavy. He could barely get one end off the ground. The damnable armour was a problem as well. Kenneth nodded a few times.
"A'ight. Tha's enough. Y'cannae do it, an' tha's fine. Yer just a boy, still. Dinnae worry, lad, ah aim t'change that. C'mon, let's getcha armour off. Ah'll need t'adjust m'plans. We'll work on yer basic fitness fer now an' spend th' rest o' th' day on yer valkyries instead." Guiche breathed a sigh of relief as his familiar helped him pull the breastplate and smelly padding off himself. It was bundled up with the rest of Kenneth's stuff as he started to guide Guiche through a few light stretches and exercises to help his muscles relax from the strain.
"Ah… Ser Manson-" His familiar shot him a Look again and he swallowed hard. "Uh… that is to say… Ser Kenneth. Might I ask what you had planned for me today before you changed your mind?" Part of him knew he would deeply regret asking but, even so, he just had to know. The dwarf's answering grin was dripping with malicious glee.
"Ah was gonna have y'run away from me with yer damsel, boy. An' if ah caught up with ye, ah was gonna bury me foot in yer tacklebox." The young mage's brow furrowed. They hadn't brought any fishing geeaaaaooooh. Ooh. That was
evil.
"Ser Kenneth! You wouldn't really have done it though, right? It's just meant to motivate me. Right?" He looked helplessly into the thickly bearded face of the madman he was trusting to teach him. "... right?"
Kenneth just laughed.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
All of this had come about as a result of his foolishness the day after the Summoning, and his desperate attempts the next to apologize. Katie had forgiven him… sort of. Rather, she had said he was forgiven but she still desired never to see or speak to him again. He'd made his apology to Montmorency twice as heartfelt after that.
The dirty footprints on his lovely white shirt may have had some impact on her decision as she asked what had happened after she left. He'd explained about Kenneth, well, kicking the crap out of him; almost literally, in fact, and sworn his regret and shame to the heavens.
She'd forgiven him. Eventually. After letting him wax poetic on her perfection and how truly sorry he was for a few minutes. Ten at the most. After which she had magnanimously agreed to give him a second chance. If he screwed up again…
But it was so hard! All these beauties around for him to appreciate. The school was simply rife with temptation in the form of so many charming young ladies. It was quite difficult to keep his composure. Which was why, the next day, he had asked his familiar what he knew about being a soldier.
Very little, as it turned out. Kenneth wasn't a leader of men, or dwarves, even though it sounded like they'd probably follow him regardless. He was a wandering rogue. An adventurer, he called it, although his stories painted a very different light. His familiar was a
hero. Even if he didn't quite see it like that himself.
So he'd foolishly asked his familiar to teach him about how to be an adventurer. Or, as Kenneth kept teasing him, a hero. He didn't mind the terminology, nor did he make any comments about what Guiche felt might be a somewhat naive choice in the long run. Not being criticized for his romanticism was… it was nice, really.
"Right. Tha's enough o' that fer t'day." Guiche hit the forest floor; panting and sweaty. Kenneth looked very amused. The dwarf was wearing some sort of studded leather and he still wasn't as bad off as his master. Ugh, and his shirt would just be absolutely ruined. "Ye'll be repeatin' this e'ry morn if ye wanna get proper strong, boy."
'This' had been a series of push-ups, sit-ups, squats, strange jumping things and all sorts of other exercises that Guiche could still feel screaming in his muscles. "When ah get th' stuff y'sent away for ah'll make ye a proper set o' weights, as well." His muscles screamed in anticipation. Oh, the joy.
"Ser… Kenneth… it… it is only… barely midday…" The dwarf nodded and tossed something at him. It appeared to be a wrapped package. A few long moments of deliberation passed before Guiche pulled himself upright and shuffled over to lean against the nearest tree. The shirt was already ruined anyway.
There was food inside the package and Guiche tore into it with a ravenous fury he'd never before experienced. Until that very second he had no idea how damn hungry he was. Part of him cared that it wasn't a delicate garden salad with fine bread and cheese. The rest of him was wolfing down cold cuts like they'd vanish in an instant if he didn't.
Only once every last morsel was firmly in his stomach did Guiche realize that his lunch was about twice the size of his familiar's. At which point he became fully cognizant of precisely how much food he'd actually eaten, going by the bones. Kenneth was still consuming a leg of chicken; crushing the bones between his teeth and eating the lot, by the sounds of it.
Being somewhat more polite than his familiar he at least waited for the dwarf to finish before starting conversation again. Coincidentally, it gives him some time to recover from the burning pain suffusing all of his muscles.
"Ser Kenneth?" The dwarf looked up over at him. He'd finished his food and had cracked open a small cask of ale; only about the size of his head. "I am somewhat
concerned about the size of my portions. Are you sure that's… correct?" Saying that he was worried about his figure probably wouldn't get a great reaction from the familiar.
"Aye. Y'need t'put on weight if yer gonna bulk up.Tha' pudgy fellow yer class would have an easier time getting muscular than ye would righ' now." What? Malicorne the Blow-hard, a grander hero than he? Ridiculous. "Yer body converts fat t'muscle. Y'body is too lean righ' now, so ye'll be eatin' more." Oh. He didn't know that. Well, of course he didn't; he wasn't a healer, after all.
"Come on, finish up an' we'll head back. Ah've got some stuff about yer valkyries t'go over." Guiche held out his empty lunch box and Kenneth nodded with approval. He cleaned up the cask of ale in a single pull and then laid it down as he packed up the stuff. His tablet was slung back over his back with Guiche noting his feet sank into the ground for a brief moment before he got the balance right.
They strolled outwards from their practice ground shortly after; passing through the devastated area that had been the site of their 'battle' yesterday. Not much of a fight. Kenneth had done more damage to the trees than Guiche had done to his familiar; which was mostly due to him striking through them to hit Valkyries. Thankfully he'd been able to pull off a basic water magic to douse the flames that had resulted.
Guiche could say this much; the effort he had to expend so consistently to clean up after the dwarf would certainly see him to Line rank shortly. His sleep had been very sound as of late due to the massive amounts of willpower he was using on a daily basis. Perhaps that was also like a muscle? Would using it strengthen it? A curiosity to consider further.
As they came out of the forest on to the path, having tied up their borrowed horse a small way into the forest, they encountered another pair of people heading the opposite direction they'd been intending to go. Louise de la Vallière was seated on a horse behind her bemused familiar; who was quite startled to see the pair of them coming out. Especially given how sorry Guiche looked.
"Ah, what is it, Saito?" The pink-haired girl poked her head out from around her familiar. Her expression was slightly green and Guiche could guess why; the horse was one of the larger ones from the stables and it had come to a skidding halt as her familiar reined it in. He must have been going quite fast.
"It is Guiche de Gramont and Kenneth Flamecutter, Lady Vallière." Guiche shot a look at his familiar at the counterpart's explanation. It was certainly an odd epithet to add. He often forgot that his familiar was, apparently, famous in his homeland.
"Oh, so it is." She peered around Saito at the two of them, taking in Guiche's frightful state with no small hint of amusement. "You look quite a mess, de Gramont. Having fun playing in the woods? It must be so nice to have such a leisurely life…" The nobleman bristled at the insult, but Kenneth just chuckled and pulled their horses out of the undergrowth.
"Aye, 'tis a blessin', indeed. Y'off to town there, Saito of Hiraga?" The young man nodded; happy to converse with his fellow familiar; although he did have one minor correction to add, it seemed.
"It is just so, Flamecutter; although I am, as well you know, Saito of Vallière now. I doubt the Lord of Hiraga would allow me to return to his service in the future." Guiche was confused by the entire conversation, and Louise seemed a little embarrassed, but Kenneth nodded approvingly.
"She treatin' you right, boy?" What a thing to ask! In front of two other nobles, no less. Surely no commoner worth their pay would ever answer such a foolish question. Then again, the two foreigners seemed to have strange customs.
"Yessir, she is a high quality master. I have made numerous presumptions for which Lord Hiraga would have likely had me punished severely, but even when I fetched the horsewhip for her she declined to give me any lashes." The Zero turned bright red and muttered something under her breath that Guiche didn't quite pick up on. His dwarf just seemed even more pleased.
"Very good. Ah'm glad yer treatin' him right, lass. Tha' boy's a proper Kagati Woodsman; he'll do right by ye." She nodded faintly, hiding behind her familiar. Saito straightened up and pulled the horse straight with the reins.
"We ought to hurry, m'lady. Our pace is good, but the stores may not be open much longer." A certain curiosity arose in Guiche and he couldn't help but ask.
"What are you aiming to buy in town, Vallière?" There was a moment as she eyed him as if debating whether or not to say anything. But, shortly, she relented.
"If you must know, Saito does not have a bow. I aim to purchase one for him." Kenneth clicked his tongue in a fashion that could only denote disapproval. The way he rolled his eyes was also somewhat of a hint.
"Bah. Y'willnae get a good enough one fer him in this place. C'mon, Guiche, up y'go." Said noble was quite surprised when he was hauled up by his ankles and deposited firmly on his horse. Kenneth didn't have one. His stone was too heavy and he was quite capable of keeping up anyway. His maximum speed certainly wasn't equal to a proper gallop, or even a sprint from a horse, but he could certainly keep it up for some time.
"We'll go with ye. If ye'll foot th' bill fer th' materials ah don't mind makin' a proper Dwarven bow for ya, an' ah kin help y'pick out some good quality tools for him." Louise seemed confused by the offer but Saito was certainly eager. He perked up immediately and turned to look at her. They began a hushed discussion as Guiche leaned over and glared at his familiar.
"I thought we were returning to the Academy to continue
my training," he hissed down at the dwarf. Certainly, that was what he'd thought. Wasting time on the Zero and her familiar meant less time for him!
"This 's worthwhile. Yer gonna need a sparring partner closer t'yer skill level than me if y'gonna make any progress. Besides, a true hero 's selfless, boy." He blanched at the gentle yet firm rebuttal and weakly nodded his head. Right. They'd had a… discussion about the treatment of others. Especially the… ah… Louise.
"Very well; I would welcome your help. I don't know much about weaponry, and neither does Saito." Guiche bowed as gracefully as he could while on horseback, and then they set off. Louise's horse was faster than his, but Saito reined it in. Kenneth kept up, somehow, by just calmly and firmly jogging along with them. He was much like a golem, in many ways.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The guards must have thought they looked a sight when they reached the gates of Tristain a few hours later. Louise's appearance was reasonable enough but Guiche knew he was a frightful mess, and Kenneth was… Kenneth.
Still, they were allowed in and warned not to dally too long if they wanted to return to their Academy before nightfall. Kenneth was the one who queried the guard as to the location of a decent equipment store, as well as a bowyer, and soon they were inside the store.
Although the proprietor gave Guiche a confused glance and Kenneth a suspicious glare he quickly rallied as Louise entered with Saito close behind. That rankled heavily at his sensibilities; to be derided as if he were a mere commoner. Harumph.
"Ah, a student of the academy. I regret to inform you that I do not sell sword-wands, it's not my trade, but perhaps I have something here that might suit your servant? A young noblewoman such as yourself ought to have firm protection at hand with the troubles going on." Louise preened, Guiche fumed, and Saito frowned.
"Troubles?" He moved further into the store and examined the daggers with a critical eye; picking one up and shifting it in his hand. Guiche wondered just what he was doing.
"Yessir, we've had a spate of nasty murders lately. After dark, thankfully, but there's talk of a curfew and more besides; but I think it shan't come to that." The elderly store-owner looked from side to side and then leaned in to carry on with a conspiratorial faux-whisper. "I have heard that the victims were all common criminals, mi'lady, and that they may have been slain with magic. Perhaps some fine, upstanding noble has taken it upon themselves to clean up our fair Tristain!"
Now this, Guiche considered, was a man who showed proper respect to his betters. If only his own familiar was a little more… well, perhaps not. A deferential Kenneth would feel… off. He just couldn't picture it.
"I've no care for your gossip; rather, I'm looking for a weapon for my guard to use." Louise folded her arms in a way that she likely thought was imperious but just put Guiche in mind of one of his young cousins demanding a second helping of cake.
It seemed to work, though. The old man brought out the finest blade that he had ever laid eyes upon. He laid it reverentially on the counter and began to extol its many virtues; the reinforced hand-guard, the exquisitely honed edge with the many runes denoting the infused magic, an alchemically-created alloy that shone like gold and was stronger than steel. Truly an exquisite weapon worthy of a noble servant.
"What a load o' shite. Even if ah deigned t'wipe me arse wi' tha' thing it still prob'ly wouldn' cut me." Guiche was appropriately mortified by the absolute temerity of his familiar, and the store owner turned a colour reminiscent of boiled beets.
"I would thank you not to impugn the quality of my wares! And what, pray, would you know o-" He didn't get to finish his thought. Kenneth had drawn his own weapon. It was the first time Guiche could really get a good look. During his first encounter it had been pressed too close to his neck to take it in. His vision had been somewhat blurry during the second encounter. As for the third, he'd been far too busy trying to dodge the flying fragments of his Valkyries.
It was beautiful. The haft was engraved with runes that shone in the light of the oil lamp. In fact, the metal itself seemed to glow faintly; it was a deep, reddish colour unlike any metal that Guiche had ever seen before. There was an engraving upon the pommel of a snarling wolf, teeth bared in preparation to strike.
More spectacular was the edge of the axe-blade itself. If the metal seemed to shine from within that part actually glowed with warmth; Guiche could feel it from where he stood. The store owner was totally silent as he took it in. What had previously seen so fine a sword looked shoddy by comparison.
"This 'ere 's th' finest work o' th' finest smith in all o' Kelicho; 's name is Redfang, which is to say 'tis the Fang of Red the Iron Wolf. Me beloved wife, an' a woman without peer. Ah killed the creatures whose bones she melted down to make it an' presented her their skulls as an engagement present." Guiche shuddered to think what sort of creature had the kind of bones that might make that.
"Yer sword there's pretty, ah'll grant ye tha'. 't'ain't no weapon, though. Whereas ah'd wager on my Fang here 'gainst any piece o' metal in this shop. E'en the anvil." The way the glowing edge seemed to hiss and die down as he put the axe away made Guiche feel he was firmly in agreement with that.
"I prefer knuckle daggers, in any case. You don't seem to have any here." Saito laid two long, thin knives on the counter along with a dozen smaller ones. "I will, however, take these; the balance is good on them. Is that alright, Louise?" The old man recovered as she stammered her assent to the purchase, and made a quick calculation.
"Yes, yes, that's… quite." He stuck the fancy fake under the counter, after having re-wrapped it in velvet, and finished his tally. "Those will be…" For a moment he eyed Kenneth. "Ah… twelve in new gold for each of the two long blades, and… five ecu for the small." Louise did similar calculations and counted out the coins. He counted out some change for her, due to the exchange rate between the new gold and the ecu, and Saito set about sliding the daggers into pockets in his vest.
"Hey! You're really married to the person who made that axe?" An unfamiliar voice, deep and male, rang out from behind Guiche somewhere. Kenneth quickly spun around but the room was empty of anyone else. Except that the voice rang out again, "You think you could bring it out again? I didn't get quite a good enough look at it! What a beauty!"
The shopkeeper's eyes bugged out of his head; partially due to the tone of the voice and partially due to the very impolite whistle that followed the words. He dashed over to a basket of rusty swords and yanked one out of it.
"What have I told you about harassing the customers!" A scabbard was quickly seized and the protesting sword shoved into it. The old man looked at them with a touch of red on his cheeks. "Ah, I apologize, noble sirs… it is an unruly item I came into possession of due to a disreputable trader and isn't worth your time." It seemed that Kenneth, grinning from ear to ear, thought differently.
"Guiche." His head jerkd up and took in the expression on the dwarf's face with growing horror. "Buy tha' sword." Everyone in the room, even the amazingly unflappable Saito, was dumbfounded by the dwarf's declaration.
"B-but, good sir, I assure you that it is a terrible trinket possessed of an unhealthy temperament and a disrespectful disposition!" Guiche couldn't help but agree, given that it had seemed to be lusting over Kenneth's own prized weapon; perhaps even his wife. What a strange personality for a sword to have, of all things.
"Bah. 's a magic sword. Either 'tis a mighty weapon an' might help out me young master there, or else 'tis a cursed object an' is thus better off in th' care o' someone who knows how t'dispose of it properly." For a moment the old man gained an agonized expression; and he then pressed the sheathed blade into Kenneth's hands.
"Very well, you may have it; please, take it far away from my store. There is no need to consider payment in this case." Ah, a firm bargain! But Guiche felt that it wouldn't last and was therefore unsurprised when his familiar disagreed once more.
"Ah cannae defraud ye so; but ah may have a solution. This smithy were recommended t'me on m'way into town, an' ah reckon ye get quite a few o' those." The man nodded cautiously. "Now, ah'm nay a smith onna same tier as me wife, but ah'm still a dwarf through 'n' through. E'rryone knows tha' y'cannae beat Dwarven craftsmanship… wi' only a very few minor exceptions." Guiche had to wonder where he was going with this.
"Soon enough ah'll have an anvil o' me own back a' the academy. If yer willin' t'sell th'stuff ah make then ah think a ten percent commission sounds fair." Obviously thinking of the short man's glorious axe a shrewd expression graced the salesman's face.
A veritable duel of haggling ensued. The store owner, whose name Guiche finally learned was Nikolas, countered with a market rate of forty percent. Kenneth's counterpoint was based on the reputation that could be gained from the quality of his wares. Nikolas offered to arrange cheap material deals. Kenneth cited a prior arrangement with General Gramont. Nikolas suggested the value of his connections ought to bring a premium. Kenneth implied his potential military contracts might be preferable.
In the end they settled on a sixty-forty split of the proceeds, in Kenneth's favour,
after the cost of the materials. Then, obviously with high spirits, they passed by the bowyers on the way out of the city and Louise purchased a few varieties of wood on the recommendations of both Saito and Kenneth with which the latter would make a bow for the former.
They made their way back to the Academy in good spirits overall. Guiche had never considered the potential for
investing in his own familiar. If Kenneth's wares were of good quality then he could purchase materials for the familiar to make into weapons with his own stipend, and perhaps share the proceeds. He might double, or even triple, the money his father gave him! With proper re-investment and a decent labour rate he may be able to afford to fund Kenneth's wages all on his own as well.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Whatever cheer they had remaining died firmly and ignobly shortly after they passed through the gates. A carriage was parked near the entrance that bore the insignia of House Gramont; with it was a wagon loaded high with the many items that Guiche had asked for. That was not, in and of itself, a concern.
The thing that caused both Louise and Guiche to tremble in their boots, albeit for
slightly different reasons, were the three adults waiting in the main courtyard for them. Firstly was the Headmaster, who looked rather put-upon. Likely due to the other two; one of which appeared in many ways to be an older, rather more in-shape version of Guiche himself.
However; that concern paled in comparison to the woman. It was like someone had taken Louise's general appearance and reassembled it on the frame of one of his Valkyries. The end result was steel personified standing there and looking coldly at the two of them.
"Ah, son. You have finally returned. We were about to send out search parties." Guiche bowed his head automatically as his father spoke, the distant tone recalling many painful memories. There was no derision in there, nor anger; just the subtle tones of faint disappointment. Louise was in a similar state to him, he noted; unable to meet the gaze of the pink-haired demon that must be her own mother.
"Louise." The girl beside him trembled slightly, but slowly looked up regardless. Guiche did not; he did not wish to see the expressions levelled at them right now. "I should very much like to know why you are returning to the Academy at this time of night in the company of two commoners, and a mere dot mage." There was a rustle of motion. "No offence meant to your line, General." The sound of a graciously inclined head.
"None taken; it was something I wondered as well, though perhaps I can answer. It is likely that Guiche trusted in his new familiar to keep them safe. Given his current state, I find myself questioning the wisdom of that decision." He wanted to speak up. Exclaim that he looked like this due to his own effort, not the predations of wild animals or bandits. Yet… and yet… his father didn't even sound insulted. Surely he ought to rebut the claim that his son couldn't protect himself?
"Zazâni's boun'iful tits, yer an unpleasant pair." For a moment, Guiche thought that maybe his heart had ceased to beat at the sight of his father and he was thus in the depths of Hell at that very second. Because the alternative was that his familiar had just sworn at his father
and Karin de la Vallière.
He dared to look up. Although the expression of the Duchess hadn't changed Lord Gramont's left eyebrow was half-raised. His father turned away from his familiar and looked directly at Guiche, who shrank under the gaze.
"I cannot say I am surprised, son." He waved a gloved hand vaguely as he spoke. "It seems your romanticism has gotten the best of you once again. I've no idea what story you span for my son, but I assure you that I do not take insults to my family lightly; which, given the condition of my son, I think you may very well have given. It seems you have overstated your skills." Oh, by the Founder; this could not end well.
"Th' state th' boy 's in is
because o' me, not in spite of. Ah spent th' whole mornin' whippin' him into shape. If 'e wants t'be a proper hero then there's a long way to go." Guiche winced as his father's eyebrow raised higher. That was not the right thing to say.
"I will thank you to not feed into my son's delusions any further. He is to be a
soldier, and a commander of men; a path that does not require him indulging in such flights of fancy." Karin stepped forward and ignored both man and boy alike.
"I have come to evaluate your 'familiar', Louise, and ensure that he a servant appropriate to the name of Vallière. However; it is late now. Any further discussions can wait until morning." General Gramont nodded, and turned on his heel without any further word. Karin gestured at her daughter. "To your dormitory, young lady; and I should like your servant to escort me to the guest wing. I have some questions for him." Louise nodded weakly, and Saito moved forward and bowed smartly to the mother of his master.
"If you would be so gracious as to follow me, my Lady." Much to Guiche, and likely Louise's, surprise Karin nodded to the young man with a faint smile. At the very least his manner was one she approved of. The two students stood there as their parents left; one alone, the other in the company of her daughter's familiar.
"... ah. Well, given the circumstances, there's no need for any punishment. However, in future, I would ask that the both of you ensure one of the staff knows where you have gone before any long outings, hm? Off to bed with you both; I shall ask for dinner to be sent up to you." Louise nodded and wandered off in a daze as Old Osmond himself moved away muttering about being grilled by the Heavy Wind for an hour straight.
"... Kenneth?"
"Aye, boy?"
"Please don't hurt my father."
"... ah shall think 'bout it."