Noblesse Oblige [Znt/SI]

[shadenight123]

Chapter Forty-Eight

Lunch was anything but somber. Honestly, if I kept this up I'd end up rolling down the hills of Gallia on my way back. The afternoon, my body was physically ready to just catch a nap on a chair somewhere beneath the shade, but meeting with the crown prince of Gallia took precedence over my own desires, and so it was that I was showed a room in which a set of red wine bottles stood in neat lines upon a table.

Joseph de Gallia was nursing a drink on the opposite side, his body slouched over and a smile on his lips even as the servant that showed me into the room bowed and left without another word.

"Your royal highness-"

"Go with Joseph, or Prince. Don't bother with the address, it's a mouthful, and I don't like mouthfuls," Joseph snorted, taking a swill and then placing the goblet on the table. "Just sit and drink. It doesn't matter what we say in the end, since my father and brother will look over it afterwards, and change it all. We're here just to put up appearances," he gestured at the selection of bottles in front of him, "Take a seat and have yourself a glass. These are all of the best wines Gallia can offer. From sour to sweet, from robust to light-just have your fill and enjoy the weather, I guess. I'm not good company anyway."

"Very well," I said as I took a seat, a servant nearing to uncork the bottle I pointed at, "Although, I would like to get to know the father of my betrothed better," I added as the servant filled my glass. "I hope you won't mind if I ask you questions."

"I could tell you to be quiet, but why not, drinking wine in silence is boring anyway," Joseph remarked, "then, I'll ask a question first." He took a deep gulp of wine, and then smiled, "The Heavy Wind, she's just hot air, isn't she? Defeating alone an entire army-did the Germanians lack cannons, were they drunk on their feet? Did no one try to shoot her down?"

I hummed thoughtfully, and then looked up at the ceiling. "I think that being on a flying mount made it easy to avoid the gunfire from below. Beyond a certain reach, bullets simply cannot penetrate armor-or skin, for what it matters. Also, if they had to aim upwards, gravity would have slowed them down considerably," I took a sip, "Also, mother is one of the rare mages that do not need to chant to create a powerful Square magic effect, so her tornadoes forced the troops to scatter if they wanted to live, and by scattering, they lost their chain of command and found themselves at a loss on what to do."

"Soldiers that can't even think for themselves? Truly Germanians are barbarians," Joseph snorted. "Had it been the Gallian army, such a thing wouldn't have happened."

I chuckled. "Perhaps so, but it depends." I hummed softly, "War isn't like chess where written rules are held tantamount to the actual game." I finished my glass, and a servant filled it once more. "The more you push an opponent in war, the worst his answers will become if he really wishes to win."

"You think more than eighty thousand men wouldn't suffice against the Heavy Wind?" Joseph asked.

"Oh no, I have no doubt they might suffice. If you imagine the battlefield as a neatly arranged board with both standing at equal distance, and equal time of chanting, and everyone skilled to the very utmost of their abilities-but life isn't like that, war least of all," I remarked. "For example, were I to move a pawn like the Heavy Wind on such a checker board, I'd have her hide in a forest, wait out the passing scouts, and then strike first at the supply carriages before rapidly retreating. I'd burn the land, ensure no food could be earned-at the end of the day, a starving army is no army at all," I took yet one more sip. "Though, again, that is wildly dependent on my desire to not lose, rather than my desire to win. Both things are hardly the same."

"Is that so? I would think that losing and not winning were the same thing as not losing and winning," Joseph said. "How would they differ?"

"I could burn down all of Tristain to prevent the Gallian army from claiming it," I said easily. "Murder its inhabitants to the last man, scorch the land-leave nothing behind," I shrugged, "in that case, Gallia wouldn't win anything but rocks and burned ground. Is that truly a victory, considering the costs of mobilizing the army? On the other hand, if I simply surrender, I have lost, Gallia has won, but my people live to perhaps, a future day, rebel against their new overlord."

"Interesting, but if you were forced to choose then, between not losing or winning, which of the two would you prefer?" Joseph asked, his expression difficult to pinpoint, but then again, I wasn't even trying to.

"Neither," I said quite honestly, "I think war is a waste of resources. Rather than send five men to fight a war, I'd prefer them to be working the fields. Also, even if I had an army of soldiers trained only for war, why would I waste them on a war of aggression? What resources do I need that I cannot obtain through diplomacy? Nobody likes war, except the hot blooded youth seeking glory. If they wish to fight, then by all means, they are free to go. I'll drink my wine and be glad nobody is trying to kill me."

"That's quite the cowardly way of thinking," Joseph said. "Also, completely different from what you told my father."

I smiled. "You are asking me what I'd do as king, not what I, personally, would like to do as myself." I hummed. "I would like to prove myself, but as a king, what would I need to prove to anyone?"

Joseph furrowed his brows, "Ah, I see now," he chuckled softly, "Then, if you were an officer of the army, sent to battle against rebels and monsters, you wouldn't flee from your duty?"

"Why would I? If rebels appeared, then I would fight them, upholding the monarchy. Just because I do not wish to start a war doesn't mean I wouldn't see one to the end as a soldier," I emptied the glass. "Thankfully, Halkeginia is quite the peaceful continent at the present, is it not?"

"For now," Joseph said. "But between those of the reformed church and the upstarting nobles that seek to increase their powers at the price of the crown's stability, it won't remain peaceful for long." He hummed as he thoughtfully sipped his glass. "But I have been asking all the questions at the present. Where are my manners? Go right ahead, ask away."

"Well, you will forgive me if I ask quite the simple question, but I did promise I'd ask. Why were you not present last night at Isabella's party?" in answer, Joseph simply laughed.

"I had better things to do! Drinking wine, spending my time with a beautiful lady, why would I need to go to a stuffy and boring ceremony and waste my night away like that? The only one they needed to start the party was my father, not myself. I'm sure Isabella enjoyed being free of me for one night, less chances of being embarrassed," he snorted. "Did she learn how to dance by the way? Or did she murder your feet like she did her dance instructors?"

"She danced splendidly," I acquiesced, "And I think she did wish to see you," I added. "She asked if she could come today to this meeting, after all."

"Bah! If she wants something, she can just write me a letter or talk to the servants. I've got better things to do than make a clingy child happy," he swallowed the contents of his glass, and as the servant filled it up once more, he drank half more, "She's got her playmates, doesn't she? A foolish father isn't something she needs, nor wants."

"The court nobles call you the foolish prince," I said calmly, "because you do not follow up to their expectations, which are wrongly based on what your younger brother can do," I remarked. "Thus, your own worth is diminished," I looked up at him, "To the point where you'd rather act foolish, rather than try to correct them."

"Oh? Careful there, you're preaching just like my father, but you don't have the right to it." His eyes narrowed in displeasure, and to that I simply laughed and shook my head.

"I know the feeling," I said, "I know it very well. I have a perfect elder sister after all," I added. "And a perfect mother. One thing I learned is that trying to compare myself to them is foolish," I chuckled. "Doesn't matter how hard I try, I'll never summon hurricanes by waving my wand, or memorize whole books in a matter of hours," I shrugged. "So I made up for it by finding something that made me feel better about myself, and started writing."

"I should pick up a pen, then?" Joseph asked, his right eyebrow raised. "My poetry might border on the heretical from how ugly it will be."

"There are a lot of things out there in the world to do," I said. "Everyone is good at something. You are an intelligent man, prince Joseph, that much I am sure of."

"Intelligence means nothing if you're a failure," Joseph said offhandedly, "My magic hasn't even awakened yet. Have you been told that too? I'm not just foolish, I'm also incapable of performing the simplest of spells. Only smoke comes out, and that's not good for anything now, is it?"

"I'd find a use for smoke," I said swallowing the contents of my cup. Was this the sixth cup? The seventh? Did it even matter? "Smoke on a battlefield, obscure the view. Smoke in a room, choke to death your enemies."

"Ha! As if, at most, my smoke irritates someone's eyes," Joseph said. "Making an enemy cry, perhaps it might make him change his mind?"

"Who knows? But if you don't try, you'll never find out," I said. "One thing I learned-"

"You learn a lot of things," Joseph said, "It does not mean they are true."

I laughed, "Perhaps so! Perhaps, indeed, it is so! But still, I wish to share what I learned. You can not believe me, and it's fine! But still, I'll say it all the same. If you try and fail, you can sleep knowing that you failed, but at least tried. If you do not try...you'll never know if you could have succeeded or not, and that will keep you awake forever at night, and perhaps even bring you to hate yourself to the point where you can't stand being in the same room as a mirror." I gingerly gestured for my glass to be filled once more, and as Joseph's eyes were firmly fixed on me, I knew he had understood what I was implying about with the mirror part. "There are wounds on our bodies, on our minds...that will never heal, prince Joseph," I said softly, my eyes looking at the bright sky outside. "Those are the ones that come from the battles we run away from."

"You have had enough wine," Joseph said, grabbing a nearby bottle with quite the strength and uncorking it with his teeth, before starting to guzzling it down. "Is this all you can drink, Valliere?"

"Call me Henry," I said as I grabbed a nearby bottle, and mimicked his uncorking method. My eyes narrowed, "the challenge is on, Joseph."

And with that, I drank in answer.

The servants' eyes widened to such a comical degree that I couldn't help but laugh, even as I easily guzzled down the whole bottle -and instantly started to regret it. Yet, undaunted, Joseph went for the next bottle.

"Foolish boy," Joseph said, an amused smile on his face, "In wine drinking, I am second to none."

"Foolish as I am," I drawled as I uncorked a second bottle, "I'm still going to try to beat you, because I would never forgive myself if I didn't at least try!" and with that, we both began to drink the second bottle.

A servant had most aptly neared with a basin, while another had quietly slipped outside -perhaps to call for reinforcements.

Yet, there we stood, the prince of Gallia and I, drinking red wine by the bottle without even caring about its taste.

In the end, I admitted defeat.

Rather, my stomach admitted defeat for me, the darn traitor.

"There's...always...next time," I groaned as I retched in the basin, the red puke pretty much being mostly wine, and only a little amount of lunch -and no, there went the venison. "Mark...my words..."

"I'll be...waiting," Joseph said with a giggle from the other side of the table. "What I'm good at...it's drinking wine," he laughed. "What a stupid good point to have."

"Mean...good liver," I drawled. "That's...not bad..." there went the fish course. Oh, and the tiny tarts filled with caviar too.

I reckoned that I lost consciousness either there and then, or slightly after.

De Damas was not pleased. His face clearly showed how displeased he was from what little I could see among the many faces of De Damas that spun around the place, my pulsing headache making it difficult to concentrate.

"Your grace, I left you alone with the crown prince," he said, "And that is my sin, but yours is quite more grievous," he shook his head, but his voice felt like knives searing my skull and brain, so I did my best to ignore him as I turned to the side of the fluffiest bed I had ever felt, only for the sheets to be roughly removed. "Unfortunately, we have a schedule to keep, so we must depart in less than thirty minutes."

I groaned, but it was too late to go back in time and stop my foolish past self from trying to out drink Joseph de Gallia.

"Thankfully we leave by carriage, and not by parade," De Damas murmured, "But I should have known not to trust your good behavior to hold. I was warned-why did I not heed De Cesaire's warning?"

"I...I like you, De Damas," I slurred out. "Yer a good man-"

"And you, your grace, are drunk off your manticore," he replied most firmly. "This is truly a shameful display-if anyone saw this-"

I closed my eyes, and fell asleep a moment later. There were servants explicitly there to dress me up, so I didn't need to be awake for it.

No, honestly...

Just wake me up once we're back in Tristain, all right?

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Forty-Nine

I was enjoying the sun.

It was a beautiful sun. It made me want to praise it. There was nothing better that standing with your back on the soft grass, enjoying the sun as above you a smug looking griffin knight extended a hand to help you up.

"Your conjuration of iron swords is slow, Henry. By the time you get one in front of you, I just need to throw lightning through it in your direction," he acquiesced. "I fail to see the reason for such a conjuration. Perhaps try to put more distance between us?"

"Jean-Jacques...the Lightning nickname is truly warranted in your case," I grumbled. My breathing evened out as I was helped back on my feet, dusting off my clothes. "How's Louise doing at the palace? I heard prince Wales came from Albion...is she behaving well?"

"She is," Jean-Jacques said with a small chuckle. "You don't have to worry about her, but yourself. With the second year coming to an end soon enough, are you ready for your incoming break?" I nervously looked away.

"Help me run away, Jean-Jacques?" I pleaded, only to receive a snort and a shake of the head. "You truly are a traitor among traitors," I grumbled. "Somehow, mother found out I got myself drunk together with the crown prince. She's switched me to water, Jean-Jacques. Water." I shuddered, "What did I do to deserve this?"

"You know the answer, Henry," Jean-Jacques said with a small smile, bringing his swordwand up. "Do you want to go for another bout?"

"Yes," I answered with a nod as I brought up my own swordwand. "Iron swords conjured from the earth-" as I spoke, swords materialized from thin air around me. They did not float, but landed firmly on the ground with their edges blunt, and their forms pretty much similar to iron blocks. Wardes was already on me with his thrusts, so by the time I began to deflect and move on the defensive, he was a few seconds ahead of me with his chanting.

"Attracting opposites, polarizing my own sword-the Founder's will is to deliver me the blade-" I chanted, the Willpower draining as suddenly, my swordwand locked with that of Wardes, the older boy blinking in surprise as sparks flew off when they separated. "Lift thyself, and come to my aid!" Wardes dodged to the side as the iron blocks that were the swords I had conjured came rushing forth for my swordwand.

"Shit." The next second, the blocks of iron hit my swordwand squarely and knocked it off my hand.

"I suppose the winner is obvious once more, Henry," Jean-Jacques said. "Though this trick of yours...wasn't bad, but with the swords conjured as they were-I wouldn't be dead even if I were hit by those things."

I grabbed one of the iron slabs that was a sword in name only, and perhaps because it had a handle on one side and vaguely was sword-shaped. "Iron swords conjured from the earth, aid me in my time of need. The Founder's faith arms me with his blades, the will of the Gods shields my heart from fear. Be it heresy or the devil itself, I will not falter for as long as your blades stand by my side. Allow me to arm myself, and my followers. This I plead of you, oh glorious Founder." By the time the proper chant was done, a set of rapiers stood in place of the iron slabs. These ones were sharp, and had those actually hit me due to the magnetic attraction, they would have skewered me to the death.

"Those might have hurt more," Jean-Jacques admitted, "But again, you would have simply hurt yourself."

"Death by self-skewering," I chuckled. "Well, once more my Void Day is happily spent away from wine and people." I exhaled and looked at the sky. "Time to get back to the academy. I have essays to catch up to, and if I don't, then I'm going to get punished even harder."

"The trick to avoiding punishment is to not do things worthy of punishment, Henry," Jean-Jacques remarked with a smile. "I'll accompany you. Wouldn't want you to lose your way and end up in Tristain by mistake."

I laughed, and said nothing more. If he had known what I did during my free afternoons, he'd report to my mother who, in turn, would punish me with such strength that I might lose my breath from it.

Raven was waiting for me back in my rooms, a scroll tied around his neck and the usual delivery already placed on my desk. Raven himself could do that much with ease once showed how, and as he grinned and flapped his wings happily, I returned him a smile of my own.

"Raven, let us see what good news you bring me," as I opened the parchment, I read through it the required amount of ecus to have a full print of my new book, as well as the costs to have it sent to the most prestigious bookstores across the capital. I whistled at the cost, but then sighed and gave my Raven a nod. The most I had spent had been for something eerily similar to a Holding Bag, which was a pouch tied around Raven's neck. Wardes had been pacified by pointing out I could hide a swordwand inside the pouch and hold it always on my person to never be without a wand.

If only he knew what I actually sent Raven to do with that pouch around his neck, I was sure he'd never forgive me.

"Well, this is what I receive in a month," I remarked. "My pen name has already been decided-now..." I hummed, "Raven?"

"No porn!" Raven shook his head, "No porn!"

"So you heard nothing about that side, uh. If only that type of books printed their editors...guess for that sort of thing, we'd need an over the border type of deal. But sending you alone would make it considerably harder, and what would you ask anyway? Where's the closest editor of porn books?" I shook my head, and Raven cawed in displeasure, acknowledging the fact that his form lacked in subtlety.

"I'm sorry," Raven cawed, flapping his wings and looking downcast. In answer, I simply rubbed his head gently.

"It's fine. I'm sure you'd do your best, but there's no need to risk it. Let's get the book published as soon as possible," I smiled. "Then, I can treat you to some of your favorite food. Minced meat and apple juice, right?"

"Yes! Yes! I love you!" Raven cawed happily, flapping his wings to fly right up on my shoulder. He rubbed his head against my cheek, and I sighed in relief. At least there was someone in this world who had no problems being all lovey-dovey and honest about his feelings.

I was pretty sure that somewhere, a long distance away from me, a certain pink-haired woman was currently sneezing.

"Take that," I snorted to the imaginary-Karin. "Sneeze again!" I chuckled, and then sat down at my desk, grabbing the leather water-skin filled with wine. "Now...where were we? Oh, right, Under the sea it's so nice to be, why must you go up, Ariel? Why not stay here, down here, under the sea?"

As my quill wrote, I exhaled.

Uneventfully, my second year at the Tristain Academy came to an end.

By the time I returned home for the break, I had already prepared myself to months of torture, but those suddenly did not matter. No, because as soon as I stepped down from the carriage, I was greeted by a most surprising sight. I was greeted by the sight of my past sins coming back to haunt me. I was greeted with the memory and recollection of that which I had forgotten, but which would never be forgotten by She Who Must Punish.

"Mother," I said awkwardly. "Why are you wearing that strange hat?"

"Breaking composure upon departure," Karin said firmly, and my eyes widened as I realized what she was saying. She was wearing her old Manticore Knight armor, and her swordwand was firmly held in her right hand and gleamed with the definite desire to be used. "Drinking wine beyond your allowed limits." Mother, your wand is rising, no, please, kindly put it down, "Making a fool out of yourself in the presence of royalty. Also, heading to drink in an inn of ill repute," as soon as she said that, my eyes widened beyond belief.

"That's not possible!" I yelled, "Objection! I never did that! I demand proof! Proof that I went anywhere!"

Karin's eyes narrowed, "Henry, take your punishment like a real noble. I have unquestionable eyewitness accounts of your sortie. Also, I will add the unlawful use of your familiar to try to circumvent the restrictions imposed on you."

Winds began to gather around me as the carriage was hastily moved by the driver, even as Raven cawed and brought both wings to clutch on to the side of my face.

I grabbed Raven by his back, and smiled at him with all of the courage I could muster. "Live, Raven. Live!" and as I threw him away, the Cutter Tornado surrounded my frame and began to send me up in the air.

"Gaaaahhhh!" my yelling was reflexive, but it honestly didn't hurt. It felt like being constricted by a sort of snake, a snake made of air that also made you spin three-hundred sixty degrees with abrupt changes of trajectory. Shit, this was like being on one of those roller-coasters that go in all directions.

And then I was dropped, ass first, on the ground in front of Karin. I hissed. Funnily enough, it had hurt more being dropped than being flung around like a rag-doll inside a miniature hurricane.

"What...sort of...eyewitness accounts...do you have?" I hissed as I painfully stood back up, rubbing the lower part of my back as I looked straight into her eyes.

"The trustworthy one," Karin said firmly, "Now, the servants will prepare you a bath. Change your clothes, then join me and your father in his office. We have much to discuss." I nodded, slowly recovering the breath I had lost due to the punishment. "Also, your familiar is not allowed anywhere inside the house." She narrowed her eyes. "Have I been clear?"

Raven came swooping down with a caw, landing on my shoulder and glaring daggers at Karin.

In answer, Karin glared daggers at Raven.

"I don't like you!" Raven said loudly. "No porn for you!"

I felt blood drain from my skin.

I began to shake.

Karin's wand rose once more.

This time, though, I was saved by the sound of the bell.

"Brother!" and as Cattleya arrived on the scene, she stood up and walked the few steps that separated her from me. Was I using my twin sister as a shield against mother's punishment? Yes, yes I was.

Was I regretting it?

"Dear sister," I answered with a warm smile, "I've missed you so much!" and with that, I held her tightly and made her spin a bit, before bringing her back to her chair -keeping her between myself and mother at all times. "But let's get inside right now-"

"Henry," Karin said quite flatly, her eyes ablaze with righteous fury. "This isn't over."

"Valhalla awaits, but it will not claim me today, mother!" and as I yelled that, I pushed Cattleya's wheelchair forth into the mansion.

Karin, shocked by my outburst, did not realize Raven had swiftly followed me inside until it was too late.

I'm the trouble starter, punking instigator. I'm the fear addicted, danger illustrated.

I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter.

 

[Tabi]

Raven came swooping down with a caw, landing on my shoulder and glaring daggers at Karin.

In answer, Karin glared daggers at Raven.

"I don't like you!" Raven said loudly. "No porn for you!"

Click to shrink...

Had her son been paying attention, and thank the Founder he hadn't, Henry would have noticed the tiniest variation in her expression of anger.

Fear.

Did this... feathered fowl know? Karin raised her wand to ensure her secret would forever be safe, but the Founder saw fit to intervene as Cattleya came out in her wheeled chair, her face joyful at the sight of her twin brother. As Henry shamelessly hid behind his innocent sister, Karin quickly matched glares with that evil little familiar.

It was an intelligent creature, that was clear enough. It's rudimentary grasp of the human tongue was simple, but the words it had chosen were clear.

Behind her mask of steel, Karin felt uneasy.

Henry took the chance to head inside.

"Henry." Karin reminded her son. "This isn't over."

"Valhalla awaits, but it will not claim me today, mother!" Called back her son, the wildly unconventional outburst shocking her. Perfectly timed as well, as that horrible little feathered gremlin took the chance to fly into her home without so much as a by have you! The termerity of that... that... thing!

Left alone to her own devices as Henry's pompous voice and the tinking laughter of dear Cattleya faded, Karin quickly rebuilt her expression of indifference as panic began to brew inside. Keen to get to her private study without appearing to be rushed, she moved swiftly and surely into the manse.

The servants knew well to stay out of her way and Karin was grateful for that as she quietly hoped against the worst as the words her son's damnable familiar crowed at her.

"No porn for you!"

The faintest sheen of sweat appeared on her face as she reached her study. Shutting the doors behind her, Karin practically forced herself not to dive at the hidden section of the bookcases. Cradled behind a false line of thick tomes were thin slivers of manuscripts covered with lurid bright colors. She quickly counted them and let herself breathe a sigh of relief.

She was wrong, and thankfully so. Karin paused as she fingered the worn copy of the 'Maudlin Maid', feeling something different. The weight was off.

Flipping through the pages, the Heavy Wind felt her insides turn to ice.

Nestled between the lewd words of the naughtiest and raunchiest center of the 'Maudlin Maid' was a black feather.

Karin swallowed audibly as she processed the implications.

That dirty damned fowl knows!

Which meant... no... did... Henry know? Shame filled her as she internally wailed, imagining the disgust and horror of her son's face as he realized just how shameful his own mother was behind the Rule of Steel. Karin forced herself to calm down. Henry didn't know, alas it was his evil horrible familiar that was trying to blackmail her! Yes... that clever little monster... It'll hold this over her head so long as it felt it's master was slighted... even against herself, it's master's mother; Karin the Heavy Wind.

There was the tiniest twitch of her lips. That crow truly was loyal to it's master.

Carefully, she hid the 'Maudlin Maiden' and put the false cover back.

First blood goes to the Raven, Karin decided. Next time however, she would be the victor and the feathery abomination would regret ever trying to blackmail the Heavy Wind.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Fifty

I had my back against the wall of my father's office, the cracks that had spread through it the year before now fully gone. There was a painting of the whole family on the wall now, father and mother standing on the background and looking forward, while Cattleya sat on her wheelchair with her hands folded on her lap in front of them. I was on my father's right side -mother being on the left- and Eleonore was on the left of mother's. Louise stood by Cattleya's side, and she did indeed look happy.

Well, everyone there looked happy, myself included, except for Karin's steel-like expression on the painting. If I had a black marker, I'd draw a pair of mustaches on her face and give her a nice smiley face. Of course, I'd do this by pinning the blade on a foreign agent, but considering how swiftly she had found out about my sorties-there was a spy. Not only was there a spy, but said spy knew all about my movements.

"So," I said as I looked at the water pitcher by my side with a look of barely restrained disgust, seated on one of father's plush armchairs while my parents were both on a sofa in front of me, "What do we need to discuss?"

Pierre chuckled softly, and then twirled one side of his mustache, "It's simply a matter of-"

"Your behavior is unacceptable, Henry," Karin said firmly, her eyes centered on Raven, who carelessly stood on my shoulder with his eyes narrowed. "I thought I had made it clear that your familiar would not be allowed inside the house."

"Then I'll leave outside an arm of mine too," I answered, extending the arm in question. "After all, if a familiar is an extension of the mage, it would be like having me leave a part of myself outside."

Karin's lips thinned, but she said nothing. Point for Henry, ball in the court once more.

"Perhaps your time at the Academy ruined you," Karin said firmly, before glancing at Pierre, who looked away slightly ashamed. "It is clear that they cannot control you any better than Wardes can." She glanced once more at Pierre, who once more looked away. "Pierre."

"What your mother-" a stare, "What she-" another glare, "What we decided," he said in the end, although it was clear he was battling with himself, "Is that you will not spend your third year at the academy."

I stared. I stared as I clenched my knuckles tightly.

"You will spend it here, getting taught everything you have apparently either forgotten, or refused to learn," Karin said firmly. "Crass behavior will not be tolerated, and rest assured that anything the academy could have taught you, private tutors will teach you better." My heart skipped a few beats. I looked down at the pavement of my father's office, thinking about whether I could just spite the man off by revealing his porn collection, or go on a binge of revealing Karin's past in the hopes of getting a lighter sentence.

Yet, what would that achieve if I didn't have someone to use as an information source? Someone who had told me that?

"It won't be that bad," Pierre said kindly, "You will be allowed to write, and I am sure we can find a few days you can spend visiting your friends-"

"Only if his behavior becomes exemplary," Karin said firmly, her voice brokering no further argument.

My heart burned. My fingers clenched together. Fuck no. My heart drummed as my eyes narrowed. Fuck no. I licked my lips. I really wanted to say that. I really wanted to-

"I'll fight it," I said in the end, staring right back at my mother. "If that's your decision, then I'll fight it."

"After a few nights without dinner, I am sure you will change your mind," Karin said. "You are in no position to refuse, Henry. Cooperating and improving your behavior will-"

"No, mother, you misunderstand," I said firmly. "The ways of old nobility are to solve everything with the wand," I clenched my hands, "So-I'll fight you for my freedom."

Pierre nearly choked on his saliva, as Karin's eyebrows both rose. She was probably wondering if she had heard me correctly. "So you wish to duel me with your freedom on the line, Henry? Is that what you are saying?"

"No, mother," I replied. "I will fight you for my freedom. A duel happen once, but I am not so foolish as to think I'd defeat you at first," I swallowed. "So-I'll fight you until you surrender."

Karin's eyes turned to steel, "Are you sure about that, Henry? This basically amounts to rebellion. I won't show you any mercy. Even if you start crying-until you surrender, I'll keep on going."

"Please, there's no need to do this sort of thing-" Pierre said suddenly, "I am sure we can find a compromise, like-once a month, a trip to the capital? Wouldn't that be fine? I'll oversee things personally-" but he balked as Karin's glare made him quiet down. "Please dear, don't be too harsh on our son," he mumbled awkwardly as he looked away.

"Precisely because he is our son, I need to be harsh," she turned her stare towards me, perhaps expecting me to fold if she looked at me with enough of a murderous glare, but I did not fold. If anything, I clenched my hands tighter and stood up, my chin held high in pride.

"I am not going to cry."

I'd eat those words, together with enough dirt to make for a mud cake, only ten minutes later. I had been pretty much sure I wouldn't have won at first, but I thought that perhaps, somehow, I might be capable of winging something eerily similar to a victory. Instead all I had gotten was mud, dirt and dust. Mostly due to air hammers slamming me on the ground and air pressure spells holding me down, weighing like iron blocks over my back.

My fingers clutched the ground even as the pressure on my back increased.

"Are you going to surrender, Henry?" Karin said flatly, "Nobody likes a sore loser," she added, her voice firm. "Surrender now, and at most, your scraps will be healed by tomorrow. Otherwise, I'll draw blood."

"Then draw it," I hissed as I tried, unsuccessfully, to lift myself back up on my feet. "Unless I'm unconscious, I'm not going to stop-"

"Please dear, don't kill him," Pierre yelled from the sidelines, "Think about Cattleya! And Louise! And the King and Queen!"

"It's precisely because I'm thinking about them, that I need to rectify my troublesome son's behavior!" Karin yelled back, the pressure on my back increasing tenfold, yet for all of the lack of air that it did to me, I still did not surrender.

I had tears in the corners of my eyes though, but I was not going to surrender, no matter what.

"I love you!" Raven yelled from the sidelines, as if encouraging me. Yet, all of the encouragement in the world could do nothing against overwhelming power.

This day was my loss, but I refused to admit it. Even in pain, I refused to admit it.

"I can keep this pressure on until tonight, Henry," Karin said. "I can take all the time in the world, Founder be my witness, so you would do best to surrender. You are simply making the work pile up by acting like this."

The pressure intensified yet again, and I gasped in pain as my lungs burned. In the end, I began to scream.

The pressure did not drop.

"Henry, instead of showing this undignified form of yours-surrender," Karin's voice was still firm, and unwavering, "I won't warn you again."

My wand clutched into my hand, I stared firmly at the ground below me.

This was a matter of principle. Headstrong as she was, I would not lose to her on principles!

...

The Gramont family escape technique.

I'm truly a dumb idiot.

Why didn't I think about using it earlier!?

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Fifty-One

I have trudged knee deep in mud and blood. Well, not really blood, but the mud was there without a doubt. My mind went to my familiar's eyes as I gazed at the landscape above me. Karin was pissed. Karin was mightily pissed, but I couldn't care less. There was a neat sealed hole right where I had stood a second before, but it was pretty apparent she had understood what had happened.

"Come out right this instant! Henry Philippe de la Blois de la Valliere!" Karin snapped, "I will not tolerate such an indecorous Gramontian-" since when is Gramont an adjective!? "way!" a powerful tornado soon began to drill into the ground where I had stood a second before. "Come out, before I decide to fish you out!" as soon as she said that, I felt the ground tremble around me.

"Oh merciful earth, save me in the name of the Founder!" I hissed as I suddenly felt the earth move around me, pushing me further ahead. This simple Dot Earth spell was truly a life savior, no doubt about it. Perhaps I could start a new life as a flatworm?

"Very well," Karin said, my eyes still gazing at her through those of my familiar. "If you will not face me yourself, your familiar will take your place-" she lifted her wand in the direction of Raven, her eyes ablaze as I felt fear rise in my familiar's chest.

"Iron spikes born from the earth's embrace, come forth from the depths and impale my foes with your spears!" as I twisted my wand to aim upwards, I watched Karin deftly move away from the emerging wall of iron spears, nimbly twisting her wand upwards from their point of origin.

Around me, the ground shook and quaked, and I found myself in mid-air within mere seconds. I hit the dirty ground soon after, twisting on myself as I felt the air leave my lungs painfully.

"You will need another bath once we are done here," Karin said, "do you surrender now, Henry?"

"Never," I croaked out. "What's the worst you can do? Kill me?"

"No," Karin answered calmly, "But I can kill your familiar," and as soon as she said that, a blade of wind left the tip of her wand with swift and vigorous precision. Raven flapped his wings to the side and barely avoided the blade of air, which sliced the ground on the point of impact. If it had hit, Raven would have been bisected neatly in half. "Perhaps that might teach you that actions have consequences?" as she remarked that, Pierre coughed.

"Dear, that's a bit too much, you know? I don't think it's wise to-"

"Why not? I am merely being strict. After all, this is what his classmates think," as she said that, I blinked. "The Heavy Wind is such a strict parent, it's a wonder how Henry might have survived so long. So, since I'm already known for being strict, I'll just increase my strictness, perhaps to show him the difference between methods. I don't think I've ever hit him with a wind whip, or a riding crop, but I can always change if he prefers such methods. I do know they are quite efficient methods of child rearing." Was she pissed off at that too? Oh, she definitely was pissed off, and whoever had informed her had to be someone close. If I found out who it was-I would not save them my wrath. No, even if it was murder most foul, I'd murder them and leave their corpse to stand as proof of how cruel my revenge could be.

"Who told you that?" I hissed as I warily managed to get back on my feet, gesturing for Raven to come closer to me. It was no use keeping him out of the fight if Karin was going to target him anyway, "All of the stuff I did-it had to be someone other than Jean-Jacques, and to know this much-" I narrowed my eyes, raising my wand. "Iron swords born of-" the iron block that formed was pushed squarely against my chest by the incoming hammer of air, which knocked me back down, my entire body aching as I gurgled, pushing the slab to the side with a sick thud.

"Bitch!" Raven cawed, flapping his wings as he stood valiantly on my chest, staring at Karin with fire in his crow-like eyes. "Bitch!"

While I shared the sentiment, especially due to the amount of hurt I was in, I don't think that was going to help.

There was a motion in Karin's wand, and I pushed myself off the ground to roll to the side, the cracking of the air whip hitting the ground where I had been a second before. A small hole the size of a fist appeared where the whip had hit.

"Perhaps even the familiar needs to be taught, but that can be arranged," Karin said firmly. "No, to be honest, the familiar is better off being changed."

"Dear!" Pierre yelled, "Perhaps you're losing control? I mean-please don't hurt him too much."

"Father of the year right there!" I yelled back hotly, "Truly-I've seen skirt wearing men do a better job at protecting their sons than-"

I swiftly rolled once more, an air whip hitting the spot I had been in a second prior. "You are still fighting me," Karin said. "This is what you wanted, Henry, so now you reap what you sow. I am here, and I am waiting. Well? You are called the Vicious Wind, but I have yet to see anything of the sorts. If the Academy taught you this little, then it's worthless for you to continue going there."

"Iron swords born of the earth, aid me in my time of-" a air hammer lifted me up the ground and a tornado that formed the next second swiftly began to spin me around, even as I clutched on to Raven's body. Small cuts began to spread across my clothes, but even as the hurricane deposited me on the ground, I still refused to yield.

"Dear, he's really your son-I don't think this is going to work," Pierre said once more, "Please think this through a bit more?" he pleaded, taking a deep breath as Karin's glare was pretty much firmly set in her ways.

"He is acting spoiled, perhaps thinking that if he holds on long enough, things will go his way," Karin said suddenly. "I think, though, that a lesson is needed."

"Really?" I coughed, spitting out the taste of mud as I wiped my mouth with the back of my right hand. "You can hit me with your worst, mother, but if I refuse, I dare you to make me change my mind."

As Karin's hair began to rise together with the currents of air around her, Pierre yelled one last time, "Please, think this through!"

"Cutter tornado," Karin began to chant, "from the very heavens-"

I heard the whistling sound of the wind gather in front of my mother's wand. I felt the pressure change abruptly, a flawless storm preparing itself in front of me.

I clutched on to my familiar, and then brought up my wand.

"Oh merciful earth, save me and my familiar in the name of the Founder!" and as the ground engulfed us, so too did the air rip asunder with the incoming storm. The ground shattered above my head as wind blades sizzled through, but yet, even as I dug myself deeper, deeper still did the hurricane come seeking me out. This was definitely in the not-safe department. Perhaps I had successfully pissed Karin off for the first time in my life, and this was the result.

"Oh merciful earth!" I yelled once more, falling deeper down as the hurricane was hot on my tail, "Oh merciful earth!" I changed direction, letting it rip past me as I rose back up the next second, swordwand raised as I threw Raven to the side and rushed forward. Karin actually blinked in surprise at seeing me appear back up rather than try to hide further, but even so, as she deftly brought up her swordwand to deflect my thrust, Raven swooped in from the sides with his talons extended.

Even though he was as big as a small dog, and his talons were sharp without a doubt, Karin didn't even flinch as he backhanded my familiar away, thrusting in turn with her swordwand with precise movements that were easily the same as those of Wardes, but...

But they were slower than his.

My eyes widened, and then narrowed as my heart drummed with the sound of triumphing victory. Now I had her. Now, I fucking had her. I roared as I charged forth, thrusting and swatting away the incoming blade as I held my other hand behind my side to lunge and pierce, each blow coming faster than the previous one.

At least, one second I had her, and the next she was gone in thin air.

A sharp, needle-like point was standing by my throat, Karin taking small breaths as she held her swordwand poised to strike.

"Surrender," Karin said firmly. "You can't win."

"No," I replied hotly, spinning around and swatting the blade away, for the flourishing dance of thrusts and parries to continue. "You're the one that has to surrender, mother! Because I'll surrender only when dead!" and as I said that, I saw it, the opening in her defenses. She was the Heavy Wind, the strongest wind user of Halkeginia. She could craft down tornadoes, bring forth terrifying spells, but if she couldn't kill her opponent, then it didn't matter-

Twin blades of air sliced at my legs making me scream the next second, only for her to swiftly disarm me of my wand and grab hold of my shoulder with her free hand. The stinging pain of having been cut mixed with the cumbersome feeling of being tired beyond belief, the dirt ad the sweat mixing into grime all over my body.

"Dear! Seriously! That's too much!" Pierre rushed forward, his staff out to probably start chanting a healing spell of sorts, but Karin gestured him to stay still.

"Henry, listen to me," she said, her voice like steel. "You are making this harder than it needs to be. I do not wish to hurt you, but if you keep this up, you will make it inevitable. I can knock you unconscious. I can break all of the bones in your body. I can do that, Henry, but you're my son and I do not want to do that. So, I am going to ask you one last time to surrender. If you won't, then I'll really have to be cruel. You will probably never forgive me, but this is for your own good. Your headstrong determination-it's only going to hurt you, and the people around you, in the end." Perhaps she was speaking out of experience. Perhaps she was speaking because she was honestly worried. Whatever the reason, I had no intention of-

"It's a draw," I said in the end, my breathing short. "For now...it's a draw."

Karin's eyes narrowed, but I simply bit down on my lips. "I-I won't drink wine until I win. I-I'll behave until I win, but-if I do win-"

"Karin," Pierre said softly, "You're bleeding too."

To that, the Heavy Wind blinked and looked down at the back of her hand, which sported a deep looking cut, the product of Raven's beak when she had backhanded him away without a doubt.

She clenched her fist, and then slowly nodded. "Very well," she said in the end. "For now, it's a draw. But I will hold you to your side of the bargain, Henry."

"I-I will."

"I really have a troublesome side of the family," Pierre grumbled as he began to chant a healing spell, which easily closed up my cuts and the wound on Karin's palm. "Why couldn't we talk this through with a glass of wine in our hands? Seriously, you really have your mother's character-"

"Pierre," Karin said flatly, "Shut up."

"Shank the bitch!" Raven yelled as he came swooping in from the sides, hurriedly fretting over my lap as he looked up at me with worry in his crow-like eyes. He appeared largely uninjured, the backhand not strong enough to break anything. "Shank the bitch!" he yelled once more, turning quickly to caw in anger at Karin, who narrowed her eyes. "Bitch!"

"He learned from the Gramont," I said hastily. "I swear I didn't teach him those words-" I clutched on tightly to Raven's beak, quieting him down even though he began to grumble and mumble a string of what I knew were definitely insults he had heard me say more than once.

"I will not have such a crude familiar inside my home," Karin said flatly. "Teach him manners, wash him, and then he may be allowed inside."

With that, she stood up with her chin held high and began to walk away.

She stopped after a few steps though, and turned to glance at me. "Your swordsmanship has improved, Henry. Do not let it rust."

With that offhanded compliment out of the way, she kept walking until she disappeared from sight.

Pierre exhaled, and then ruffled my hair. "You'll make my hair turn white before its time, Henry!" he grumbled. "Really! What were you thinking!? You know your mother's easy to rage and difficult to calm down!"

"She wasn't going to hurt me," I answered in a whisper. "Was she?"

"She wouldn't have," Pierre grumbled, "Not willingly at least, but if she had miscalculated-she wouldn't have forgiven herself. Thank the gods you took a bit of my desire to live and let live, or you'd have ended up healing in bed for the next weeks at a minimum."

"You could have intervened," I pointed out dryly. "Really, father, am I not your son?"

"Ah, but if I did, then you'd never learn the important lessons in life," he replied, twirling his mustache. "If you wish to bark at sharks, then you'd better know how to swim faster than them."

"Did you just compare mother to a shark?"

"Nonsense, Henry. Sharks are kinder," and as soon as he said that, a freezing chill froze us both in place.

We swiftly rushed away from the courtyard, and back into the sight of the servants.

Karin wouldn't kill us where eyewitnesses could see.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Fifty-Two

I looked at the contents of my glass, and sighed. It wasn't water, but fruit juice. Honestly, between fruit juice and water, I would have gone with water. Cattleya was sulking, but that wasn't the most important thing. The most important thing was that it was only the four of us eating, since Louise was at the royal palace, and Eleonore had gone to a formal dinner party of sorts somewhere I hadn't bothered asking.

It was quite the uncomfortable silence that stretched around us, interrupted only by the clinking of cutlery against the plates and little else.

"You had a fight with mother, didn't you, brother?" Cattleya asked later that night as I sat down by the side of her bed, my back against the mattress. She was pouting, her expression a mixture of adorable and hug-worthy.

"Something of the sorts," I acquiesced. "How have you been?" I asked next, only for Cattleya's hand to come and swat me on the top of my head.

"Don't change the argument," Cattleya said. "What did you fight about?" she asked next.

"On whether or not I would be allowed wine," I pointed out. "Apparently, I've been drinking too much for her tastes, so I'm cut off from it." I extended both of my hands over my head, and proceeded to seek out one of Cattleya's arms to pat it. "Have you behaved properly instead, Cattleya?"

"Of course I have," Cattleya pouted, "I haven't even exchanged a kiss with Jean yet-"

I coughed, and shook my head hastily. "Too much information! I don't want to know this sort of things, sister!"

Cattleya giggled, "You're the only one that makes mother angry, brother. Maybe you should try to get along better with her?"

"I think," I said softly, "That in our very own strange way, we are actually getting along just fine," I admitted.

"The Founder is sad whenever family fights each other," Cattleya said. "It's the sacred belief of non-aggression, brother. The one that ensures peace at all time-"

"If that was true, then there would be no need for political marriages," I pointed out. "Also, I wasn't fighting against mother...it was just...very intensive sparring."

Cattleya remained silent for a moment, but I felt her shift over the bed as she rolled, her head suddenly appearing in my cone of vision right above me with a cheeky grin. "The windows were rattling so much-did she show off her Cutter Tornado?"

"It not that amazing when you're the target of it," I said, before chuckling. "But it was cool, I guess. Also, tomorrow I'll present you Raven, my crow."

Cattleya furrowed her brows. "Is it a raven, or a crow?"

"I don't know," I acquiesced. "Is there even a difference between the two types of bird?"

Cattleya's arms snaked around my neck as she suddenly hugged me, "I missed you, brother!" she said cheerfully. "You didn't even finish your story last time! I've been waiting to know how it ends!" I laughed at the childish outburst, and then nodded.

Honestly, it was nice to be back home.

The next day, of course, I regretted it.

"One hundred and-and fifty?" I choked at the number of chants, and then stared ashen-faced at my mother's presence by my side. "Is mercy on the table?"

"No," Karin said. "Your chanting could use polish, and you clearly were too slow with your swordwand's movements. You could not disarm me in time, after all. Memorizing the proper chants will noticeably help you, Henry," and with that, she took a seat by my side. I swallowed nervously as I began to repeat them, filling my mind already starting to die a little at a time. "Eleonore won't be back for at least a few weeks. Until she is, I'll take care of your education. I realize it is lacking in various aspects, none the least respect, so refusal to obey will be punished most severely."

I clenched the quill in my right hand a bit tighter, but not to the point where it broke. "Very well," I muttered, starting to write down the chants once more.

Thus, I dutifully went to work. There were some things worth fighting for, and this wasn't one of them. If I couldn't remember them all, then tough luck. She couldn't punish me if I tried my best.

At least, that was my sincere belief. Whether it became the truth or not, it wasn't up to me.

"Is that the calligraphy you normally use?" Karin said. "It's too sloppy. Write it again."

I gritted my teeth, even as I pulled a fresh piece of parchment out from the pile near me and started once more to write the same boring chant about how to properly conjure forth a rose bush from the ground. Why was it important? I didn't know. It was, however, a very sacred chant that a lot of popes considered beautiful and divinely inspired. Thus, it had to be memorized.

I'd forget about it just like I had forgotten about all of the previous chants that weren't important. I had no intention of remembering all of the variations for sprinkling water.

"Better," Karin said after what felt like hours had gone by, snatching the parchment from the desk, "Now...repeat them."

I stared at the back of the parchment, and then calmly began to recite them, one after the other. With each passing chant, Karin remained silently impressed -I was sure of it- until she folded the parchments and gave me a curt nod. "I am expecting you outside in ten minutes, do not be late."

And with that, she stood up and walked out without another word.

From the top of the ceiling, silent like a shadow of darkness and feathers, Raven swooped down with his eyes fixed on me. Silence was, sometimes, the better part of valor.

"Job well done, Mister Raven," I whispered to him with my best Bond Villain rendition as I rubbed his head gently. "Job well done."

"You're welcome," Raven answered with a soft purring to his tone. "I love you!"

"And I love you too," I said as I gave him a tiny peck on the top of his head. "Without you, I'd actually have to memorize all of those chants." I opened the nearby window, and silently let him free to fly. "Go now, enjoy your freedom. I'll go eat the dirt once more." I sighed. "Perhaps I'll come to like it?"

"Fly away!" Raven said, hopping on the edge of the windows. "Fly away!" he gestured with his head to the wide forests.

"Only cowards run from these sort of battles," I said with a chuckle, shaking my head. "And whether mother knows it or not...I am winning. She just hasn't realized it yet-my secret card-right under my bed too."

I looked around at the empty room, and then walked out.

First off, I had to separate between the two vampire lolis and the rest of the students. If, and this was a big stretch, I was being shadowed by invisible vampires capable of firstborn magic, then I'd find out as soon as my cunning trap exploded in their face later today. If, on the other hand, the informant was one of my classmates, I'd not only discover him once back at the academy, but I would also need to plan their murder and ensure nobody would be capable of connecting it to me.

Crafting a magical glitter bomb didn't really require that much magic. It was, honestly, one of the first things they taught at the Academy to explain the process of conjuration. One conjured bubbles of soap and water, and then kept them floating and bouncing until the willpower spent into them depleted itself.

The fact was, I had placed those bubbles and neatly stacked them under my bed, thus if any wannabe spy-vampire tried to touch one of them, they would either pop or move around the room. If they did the latter, I challenged them to put them back into place exactly as I had left them -I had even gone as far as color-coding them on a Red-Green-Blue basis, just for the added touch of safety.

It is not paranoia when they are out to get you.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard where we'd normally practice, I realized that Cattleya was in attendance, and Pierre was actually standing by with his staff at the ready. "Since I realize it is folly to try to stop any of you, I will lay the ground rules. First blood means a draw for the day, for either parties. If one says that he surrenders, then he surrenders and, since we are all adults here, I sincerely hope we will all abide by the consequences of our actions," as soon as he said that, he twirled his mustache. "Also, Henry, don't make your sister cry."

"Shouldn't you say that to mother?" I retorted, only for Cattleya to wave at both Karin and I, the smile on her face warm, caring and quite honestly understanding.

And as swiftly as I said that, a feeling of burning spread across my cheek.

"Draw," Pierre said with a sigh, shaking his head as I neared a hand to the burning sensation on my right side, my fingers red with blood. She had-she had sliced my cheek while I was busy looking at Cattleya?

I stared at mother, who quite calmly placed her swordwand back by her hip. "Distraction on the battlefield is unacceptable, Henry," Karin said flatly. "Now get your father to clean you up, and then be ready to mount on your manticore. Your skills in riding must have truly grown rusty due to a lack of practice."

I clenched my fists, words threatening to burst out that yet I squashed back down.

This first blood draw thing was bullshit.

At the same time, no matter how much of a bullshit thing it was, I couldn't help but acknowledge it was perhaps the only thing that made sense. I had no way of defeating Karin, no way to make her say that she would surrender. No, honestly-she wouldn't surrender even if threatened, because she was headstrong, and determined, and she believed she was absolutely right.

So, if I wanted to convince her, I needed to use words, or at the very least, not the battlefield.

I could see what father was trying to convey with his rules, but at the same time, it took away my main card of approval.

By refusing to backing down, my hope had been to force Karin against a wall-and yet now it all came out empty.

Really, out of everyone in the house, perhaps the most terrifying wasn't my mother, but my father.

To hide his porn from her eyes-how cunning could such a man really be?

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Fifty-Three

I raised my wand, the pulsing feeling of earth rushing through my veins and crackling across my skin. "Iron shield, born of the earth's embrace, guard my body from those who would seek to harm it. For a faithful's flesh is the Founder's temple, and no temple shall on this day fall to heresy, and our enemies," as an iron shield rose and began to float in front of me, I hissed and clicked my tongue against the back of my teeth. The shield was floating because I was keeping my concentration on it. It wasn't a conjuration, as much as a simple evocation. The difference being that if I let it go, it would disappear in a matter of seconds.

Honestly, this spell turned practical only when the entire chant was either shortened down to a single word, or removed wholeheartedly.

"Henry," Karin said flatly from the side. "You have a wind affinity, so why aren't you using the wind element?"

I blinked, and then looked at her sheepishly. "Just because I am good at something doesn't mean I should ignore the rest," I pointed out. "Since it's easier to catch up on wind at a later date, I do not-"

"Henry, your next spell better be tied to the wind element," Karin said curtly, tapping with her right foot on the ground of the courtyard, her eyes locked on me. "Your signature spell, for example, would be a good try. I have yet to see it, now that I think about it." She eyed me, but I was sure there were expectations behind it.

I sighed as I dismissed the iron shield, before pointing the tip of my wand at a nearby tree. "Goodbye innocent tree," I mumbled, "I hardly-"

"Henry, less begging the tree for forgiveness and more chanting," Karin said with a snappish tone, to which I quietly complied.

I clenched the handle of my wand and took a deep breath. The drumming feeling of my heart quieted down the surrounding noises as I began to chant, my voice firm and my eyes narrow. "Rip," I spoke, and wind began to gather from the tip of my wand, "Skewer," the winds grew in intensity, the twin elements of wind now bundling together in a sickening noise of lashes rupturing across the ground in front of me, "Tear and maim," as I spoke, the wind became a visible presence, like the twisting, rotating propeller of a plane, if gathered at the tip of my wand. "Austri and Vestri, Nordri and Sudri, grip my foe with your gale, and split him apart with your gusts," as I snarled, the wind's speed increased, my hair ruffling violently as I felt tears form at the corner of my eyes from the increasingly quick propeller-like spell.

The popping sounds I had heard before became a singular static-like noise, "by the Founder's will, the heavens as judge, the sky as my witness, I summon you forth!" the popping-static noise exploded like thunderclap, the propeller-like appearance disappearing as the ground right below it sliced itself from an invisible force, "Answer my call, and rebuke my enemy...my vicious wind!"

The spell departed my wand like a shotgun blast, outright pushing my arm back as silence fell in the courtyard, the tree in front of me suddenly exploding as its bark convulsed and detonated, the spell barging through it and past it, tearing apart the one right beyond it, and the one that swiftly followed. Then, unseen hands gripped at the trees that had been affect, and tore their branches, their trunks, their bark together like a childish baby would toy with dolls, and ripped them all apart.

By the end of the spell's effects, we were effectively missing three trees.

Karin looked on with what I could only describe as a merry expression. Honestly, there even was the hint of a smile on her face.

"Why are you not practicing this?" Karin asked next.

"Because...this kills people?" I remarked, "Without doubt?" I gestured at the three trees that now were nothing more than broken trunks and splinters. "And we aren't at war?"

The truth was, I did indeed practice this spell. At the Academy, away from prying eyes, away from mother's good intentions and training, away from pretty much everything. This was because this spell was my outlet. I reckoned that simply because she was looking, I hadn't gone with the full-out emotional outburst, which in turn meant that rather than five trees, I had destroyed only three.

"Oh Henry," she sighed in disbelief. "You got your good heart from Pierre, I suppose," she shook her head. "The drinking must be on his side of the family too," she added. Then, she lifted her wand. "Now, I want you to conjure a air hammer, but rather than throw it, I want you to keep it in front of you."

I raised my wand, and as the currents of air gathered due to my chant, I didn't immediately unleash it. The next second, a blade of wind struck at the point where the currents of air had gathered, dispersing harmlessly over it.

"This same principle can be applied to wind blades. The acquiring of air currents materializes as a practical shield for the duration of the chant if you do not unleash the spell-though it weakens the spell, so be careful," she glanced once more at the shattered trees, but said nothing else. "Now, repeat the process by chanting for air blades, Henry," and as she said, we began once more to earnestly train.

When she didn't make me memorize one hundred and fifty chants, she wasn't that bad of a mother, I supposed.

On the other hand, my bubbles hadn't popped. So, either the vampires were actually good at their job, or there was someone at the academy acting like a spy.

Who could it be? Anthoine was definitely out, and so was Henriette. This left André, but Camille or Josephine could have met my mother at a random time in their lives and had an outburst of sorts-no, if it weren't them, then...

The sizzling air blade passed through my depleted spell-defense of sorts, and as it cut my clothes, I blinked as I heard a very unladylike gasp.

"Henry!" Karin actually yelled, before quickly schooling herself, "Keep your mind on the task at hand!" she hissed the next, realizing there was no blood forthcoming from the wound. "We are still dealing with dangerous spells-do not let trifling thoughts distract you!"

I bit my lower lip, and nodded.

The next air blade came drastically under-powered though.

I reckoned, in her own strange way, Karin really was a softy too.

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Fifty-Four

I looked at the forest's outskirts, and then sighed. "Let me try to handle this by myself," I said. "All right, Jean-Jacques?"

"Very well," Jean-Jacques replied as he looked at the forest's many trees, "Though I think that a hunting party would have sufficed."

I rolled my eyes. "It's an orc, Jean-Jacques. Since duties to my fief take precedence over everything else, I managed to get some fresh air for today," I smiled, "Also, a hunting party might have suffered casualties. One orc isn't much of a threat to us mages, but to a commoner-better to deal with this personally."

Jean-Jacques nodded, holding on to the reins of his griffin. "Orcs are usually smelled sooner than they are seen, Henry. Keep that in mind."

The point was, an orc had somehow managed to go through the patrols at the border, reach past the usual patrolling routes of Karin, and had been sighted on the outskirts of my territory of La Blois. This meant, simply put, that it was my responsibility to deal with it. Course, it could also be that a drunk villager had seen something that looked like an orc, but wasn't an orc at all. Whatever the reason, here I was to enjoy some good weather, a nice refreshing change of pace, and a genuinely mother-lacking day of freedom of sorts.

Orc or not, perhaps I'd lower the village's expected taxes for the following year just to show how I pleased I was with them.

If this was like the fox hunting sports of ancient nobility, then I couldn't understand the fascination of it. Standing on a manticore all day while keeping your nerves tense and ready in search for the prey-it was annoying. At the same time, I was nervous. This was still an act of killing, as much as the target was socially acceptable, no, it was actually a literal child-eating monster.

I had gone with Wardes, who had experience in dealing with orcs -he had killed a few during his duties as a griffin knight, while guarding the homes of important noble families around Tristain.

Raven was scouting ahead, my vision shared with his as he came to a halt over a large branch, his eyes centering on broken and disheveled bushes that had shown the passage of a great beast hours prior. The direction seemed to be going towards the village, but again, lonely orcs were tough, but not a threat to a proper village militia. Spears might break, for example, but enough spears killed one, and the fief of La Blois had all the spears it needed as well as good hunters which translated into good archers.

"My familiar found something," I spoke, even as Raven shared my sentiment through mere emotions, flapping his wings and following the trail while staying up in the air. Soon, the passage of destruction came to an end near a patch of ground that had been dug by hand, broken branches and leaves forming a mattress of sorts. "Its nest," I acquiesced. "But he's not home at the moment."

"Orcs tend to wait near rivers or at the edge of fields," Jean-Jacques said, the hat on his head moved slightly as he peered at the horizon. "They wait the night to attack, but in this case, he must have set up his lair early...he might be hunting already."

I nodded, and with a simple pat on the back of my manticore, we were airborne already. The problem with being on a flying mount was that it was pretty much impossible to see directly below, or for what mattered, precisely to the sides. The wings moved up and down after all, and while the creature's head was normally low to seek out preys, it still did not make for an easy targeting of foes.

There was a reason people left the bombardment to the fire breaths of dragons.

Still, the river proved to be devoid of orcs, and as we made a circular pass around it, Raven once more caught my attention with his excitement. He had, apparently, found a nest that was absolutely delightful in his opinion, but which was a bit too small. I rolled my eyes at the stream of thoughts. With his size, he'd be better off with a dog bed of sorts. This pleased Raven, who interpreted my suggestion as what I'd buy him -a soft fluffy bed filled with feathers and straw.

No choice but to buy it, then.

"Henry! Down there!" Jean-Jacques said suddenly, and as my eyes moved downwards, I saw what he meant. Near the edge of the fields, where I had built that small soccer field, a group of children was playing with the ball I had repaired. Creeping slowly towards them from the outskirts of the forest was a lonely orc, who held a large tree branch as a makeshift club and was waiting for his prey to tire out before going in for the kill.

Many scars covered his skin, and while his smell wasn't detectable from way up high, it was clear he had layers of dirt and mud to cover it.

"Iron javelin," I began to chant, extending my right hand, "Wielded by the Founder's hand to cleanse the world of heresy," a thin metal tube began to form, "strong is your body, sharp is your edge. Calling you forth, I beseech you to seek the heart of my enemy," the spear began to spin, as the wind element was added to the earth one, "let the winds guide you, my spear. Let the clouds shy away from the sun to give you a clear view, and let the powerful winds grant you speed-" the spear spun as I eyed the orc still uncaring of what was about to befall him. "Strike, my spear. Strike fear in the hearts of those who defy the Founder!" as I finished the chant, the spear departed with thundering precision across the air.

The kids stopped playing at the sudden sound, and even the orc looked around in surprise, trying to find the source of the noise that was growing closer.

Then, he turned his head no more as the javelin impaled him right through the chest and slammed home on the ground, half of the shaft erupting from the top of his chest and making him scream in agony.

"You missed the heart," Jean-Jacques said, "And the head."

"Iron javelin," I began to chant once more, even as the kids that had been playing soccer retreated hastily from the scene, the orc finally in their sights as, in his thrashing, he stopped hiding to try and push the spear out of his chest. "Wielded by the Founder's hand to cleanse the world of heresy-" I stared at the thin tube, and once I saw the tip form, I proceeded forward rather than finish the chant. "Let the winds guide you, my spear!" the second spear slammed home into the chest of the orc once more, but didn't penetrate further than half its length.

"Henry, perhaps use your famous wind spell?" Jean-Jacques suggested.

"That would make a mess," I pointed out. "And I like those trees."

The orc screamed as he thrashed about, the spear that had wounded him first being shattered in half as the monster moved, his eyes bloodshot as he spewed out blood from his mouth too.

I raised my wand once more, "Shatter," I said in the end, "Iron that I conjured forth," I pointed my wand at the thin metal tube still within the orc's body. "With the strength of fire, burn and shatter!" a small flaming wisp poured out of the tip of my wand and rushed in the air, hitting dead on the chest of the orc who stared at the flaming wisp for a brief second, before the spell found its prey in the weak metal, and began to rapidly heat it.

The smell of sizzling flesh mixed with the screams of pure agony that the creature was emitting.

"Henry...perhaps the finishing blow?" Jean-Jacques suggested, "this is starting to look grisly."

"Well, apologies for wishing to experiment chants," I replied. "The choice was an orc or a random commoner. Between the two, you understand the orc is the better choice?"

"I do understand it, but at the same time-are you going to torture the monster throughout all of the day?" Jean-Jacques asked.

"These things eat children," I replied firmly. "Torturing him the entire day wouldn't even be enough," I added with steel in my voice, my eyes narrow. "But I'll give him the mercy of a quick death," I raised my wand one last time. "Iron hammer, smash my foes to the ground, and let their broken bones teach them that the sins of heresy are paid in the blood of the heretics! Let the wind show you the way, hammer of the Founder-and may your heart never sway from your purpose!"

The iron hammer that formed came down with crushing speed, shattering right through the spine of the orc, whose screams finally died out abruptly. I took a small breath, and then looked around. The kids had ran away, and a group of villagers was nearing with spears and bows already.

"Are we sure it was only one orc?" I asked Jean-Jacques, who in turn sighed quite loudly.

"The villagers reported only one," he said. "Which I am now starting to be glad for, because my appetite is waning."

I snorted, "From so little?"

"The Vicious Wind is quite the well deserved title," Jean-Jacques said in the end as we landed on the soccer field, the mayor drawing near us with a hopeful look.

"It was only one orc, correct?" I asked the mayor, who bowed and nodded.

"Y-Yes my lord, the hunter saw only one," he swallowed. "We heard the screams-"

"Ah," I said offhandedly, shaking my head, "I missed the heart on the first spell," and that was all I needed to say. The villagers began to gather the corpse's remains to burn it away from the village, and as I bid my farewell to the village, I began my trek back home. Raven joined us mid-flight, flapping his wings as he flew by my side with his beak red with blood.

"You found something to eat on the way?" I remarked offhandedly, to which Raven replied with a cawing noise of approval.

"Deer!" he said.

I blinked, and then abruptly changed direction. "Henry?" Jean-Jacques replied, halting in mid-air to follow me.

"Since when do we have wolves in my forests?!" I yelled at him, "Or do you reckon Raven could kill a deer by himself?"

"It might have been the same orc!" Jean-Jacques yelled.

"No! Because Raven would have seen the carcass on his path to the river, but he didn't," I snapped back, the manticore's wings flapping as Raven pirouetted in mid-air, dropping down below the sea of trees.

"It could be poachers," Jean-Jacques tried to reason once more. "Not necessarily another orc-"

"Poachers or not, something killed a deer, and I want to know what it is before I leave," I said quite firmly. The fact I didn't want to go back home on the double was pretty much the main reason, but a nice, good, and noble-worthy excuse could be used instead.

Raven's vision showed me the carcass, or well, half of it. The deer had been ripped apart, the tree it had been slammed against had its trunk broken. It didn't take a genius to understand the strength behind such a blow had been inhuman.

The half of the carcass that was missing had bled profusely however, and as Raven began to fly in the direction of the blood, we began to reach the borders of my fief. "Henry-that's the border with La Fontaine," Jean-Jacques mused. "It's still under your father's control."

"So, I can help out," I pointed out. "Can't I?"

"Well, yes," Jean-Jacques agreed, "But need I remind you that we have to be back for dinner?"

I bit my lower lip, and then nodded, "I'll warn the mayor of the village just in case," and with that said, I guided the manticore to land on the main square of the village. Of course, it took less than a few minutes for the mayor to arrive running.

"Your grace! We weren't expecting-" he stopped as he squinted his eyes, "Oh! Your grace is the son of the Duke? What may I be of service for?" as he bowed deeply, I simply raised a hand and dismissed his services.

"I merely wished to warn you that a pair of orcs have been sighted in the nearby proximity. I dealt with one in La Blois, but unfortunately I have previous duties to attend to shortly, thus I cannot deal with the second one. He was heading towards your fields, so..."

"We'll be on the lookout for it, your grace," the mayor said.

"I'll alert my father in the meantime," I added. "Keep the children safe."

With that out of the way, my return to the family house could no longer be held back.

As we landed in the courtyard, the servants proceeding to bring into the stables both my manticore and Jean-Jacques' griffin, the second reason for Jean-Jacques' presence made herself known together with my younger sister Louise.

"Ah, Wardes!" Henrietta's childish voice was only of a few degrees less cute than that of Louise, but then again I wasn't a fair judge. "Did you take care of the orc?"

"It was all Lord Valliere's work, your highness," Jean-Jacques said with a smile.

"Your royal highness," I said with a bow, only for the child to pout, and shake her head.

"I said I don't want to be called that," she looked at Louise, "Why can't they do that?"

Louise shrugged, "I don't know, Henny. Big brother's a big dumb guy-"

Urk, my heartstrings. "See? Lulu-" urk, my heartstrings again. My lips twitched in a grin, but still I neared to ruffle my sister's hair.

"Hey!" Louise pouted, clutching her head gently, "You'll ruin my hair!" I laughed, grabbing hold of her and lifting her up with both of my hands. "Brother!" she whined, "Let me down! Let me down!" as she flailed and waved her limbs, I made her spin once before dropping her back down, her face red.

She tried to kick me in the ankle, only to fail miserably as I sidestepped the blows. "Now Louise, is that any way to treat your big brother? You're making me cry-"

"Stupid brother!" Louise snapped, "Stupid!"

Henrietta giggled, which did nothing to calm down Louise, who instead began to fret even more about the perceived slight against her.

"Aw...little Lulu's so cute when she grows pouty," I said with a childish-like tone as I stepped to the side to avoid another kick. "Missed me again, Louise."

"Stay still! Unfair brother!" Louise yelled, dashing to tackle me. "Henny! Get him on the sides!" and as she said that, I began to run away from the two young girls who decided to play tag on the fly with me as the target.

"You'll never catch me alive!" I said with a bout of laughter, "Jean-Jacques, warn father in my stead, will you?"

"Very well," Jean-Jacques said.

"And if perchance you don't come back, don't worry," I said as I made another pass by his side, "we won't take offense if you spend the rest of afternoon with Cattleya. Now that I think about it..." I spun rapidly, grabbing Louise and lifting her up, "Where's our best-sister, Lulu? Wasn't she supposed to look after you and the princess?"

"She's in the-in the library!" Louise said between giggles as I tickled her sides, "She saw you arrive-"

"Oh," I said with a chuckle, "Then go, Jean-Jacques! The library awaits you!"

Jean-Jacques chuckled, bowed, and then went inside.

On the other hand, I dropped Louise back down and started to run away once more, two very incensed young girls determined to catch me.

...

You can't catch this.

Can't catch this!

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Fifty-Five

Princess Henrietta de Tristain was a young charming girl that couldn't stand still, just like Louise. They both rushed about doing their own stuff, fought each other, got scolded by Cattleya, and made peace. Fact was, in the presence of royalty the ban on wine was lifted, but even then it still arrived watered down. I said nothing, and politely made a good, noble-approved face. Since Henrietta's guard was Jean-Jacques -he was truly showing himself as a model knight, all things considered- he was invited for dinner too.

On the other hand, his task was to protect the princess, and he couldn't do that with a fork and a knife in hand, so he had to stick to the wall together with a few colleagues of his, who calmly stared at their princess' back without much of a hint of worry.

"Can we go riding tomorrow?" Henrietta asked, looking right at Karin, who in turn gave a glance in the direction of her guards. The guards, at being stared at, made the tiniest of imperceptible shakes of their heads.

"Unfortunately, that will not be possible," Karin said in the end. "The horses need to rest. They have been used extensively the last week."

"What about the manticores?" Henrietta asked.

"Those too need to rest," Karin said.

"Although I will be using mine tomorrow," I replied calmly, "unless they tell me that they've found the second orc, I do not think it would be proper to let such a beast go unattended in the countryside."

"Your work will simply pile up," Karin said with an eerily quiet tone.

"I prefer to sleep with my conscience clear," I answered back without as much as an afterthought.

"Then do as you wish," Karin said. "Although I do not think her highness should be brought along."

"I'll behave!" Henrietta said, "I want to see what it's like flying on a manticore! They never let me fly with the mounts of the royal guards at the palace," she pouted. "I'll do everything I'm told to do." She nodded with such earnestness, that I could feel my heart melt. Karin's heart was made of ice and steel, but even hers was starting to heat up a little at such a show.

"I wanna go with Henny too!" Louise said hastily, her own pout and watery eyes enhancing the effect.

"Guh," I gurgled, clenching my fists. This was truly absolute cuteness. They were so cute, I was starting to see tiny chicks in them. Tiny, adorable, fluffy chicks that needed to be hugged and told that everything would be all right and that-

"Fine," Karin said in the end. "Then I will be bringing her highness with me, while lord Wardes can bring you, Louise," she eyed Jean-Jacques, who nodded and bowed. Cattleya's face, in that moment, twitched with something that I recognized intimately well in the same faces of a hundred girls that had been played by the Gramont's charms and now saw the target of their affections together with yet another girl.

This was jealousy.

She was just a young woman in love, I supposed, so jealousy was at the order of the day.

It was up to Jean-Jacques to solve that problem, not me though. My problem was to find a way to deal an attack faster than the Heavy Wind could chant before the break time was over. At the moment, I was half inclined to buy a gun, load it and then have it open fire on the spot.

But I was pretty sure Karin would deflect the gunshot and retaliate with yet another highly precise blade of wind.

The next morning, I found myself on the back of Freedom once more, Raven already flying in large circles over my head. Cattleya had woken up early in the morning too, and was sitting in her wheelchair outside in the courtyard, a book in her hands. "Brother," Cattleya spoke from her wheelchair, looking hopefully at me. She bit her lip as she closed her book. "Can I..."

I grinned, and extended a hand. "A quick ride, nothing more," I said with a smile, and to that Cattleya beamed me a smile of her own as she grabbed it. I pulled her up, holding her on my lap as I patted Freedom with my other hand. The next moment, we were airborne with Raven cawing by my side, rather than over my head.

"Ah-ah..." Cattleya gasped for air, her eyes closed shut as she held on to me, her breathing uneven and yet, even then, she was smiling. "This is beautiful-"

"Perhaps you should open your eyes and look ahead, not down," I replied as I gently began to curve the manticore. "Look right ahead, at the horizon," as I whispered that, Cattleya's eyes timidly opened to look in the direction I mentioned.

"It's beautiful," Cattleya muttered. "And you see this every time you fly?"

"Of course I do," I replied, "But now we have to go back, before mother finds out I gave you a lift I was told never to give you on promise of swift retribution," I nodded most wisely, even as we landed back in the courtyard and I dismounted first, in order to help her come down next. She hugged me tightly before returning to her wheelchair, and to the book she had left behind.

"You're the best," she said with a smile. "Stay safe."

I gave her a nod and a wave of the hand, and then once more took to the skies.

The mayor of La Fontaine had nothing new to say, which meant that the beast had either ignored his patrols, or had gone elsewhere. "Should we have a hunting party prepared, your grace?" the mayor asked, but I simply shook my head.

"No, I'll manage on my own," and with that, I was once more in the air. So, Jean-Jacques had said that orcs tended to go hunting by night, and neared rivers to drink. This meant they needed to find a comfortable hiding place that was close to a river, but away from the villages themselves. Raven cawed as he dropped back down below the line of trees, my orders clear.

Why couldn't they make trees out of some form of transparent material?

A Detect Magic spell was useless in this situation, although if someone could cook up a Detect Monsters, I would be the first to approve of its use.

A few minutes later, the feelings of joy that erupted in my chest made me immediately gaze through Raven's sight, his vision showing me the reason for his happiness. He had apparently found the big, bad monster that had eaten half a deer.

I swallowed noisily as I stared at the creature in question, which slept curled upon itself with a hefty amount of leafs and brambles to cover most of his form.

It was an orc, of that there was no doubt. It also was easily twice the size of the orc I had killed.

Raven acted as my pinpointing flare, and as I carefully pointed my wand down in the direction of where I was sure the orc was, I began to chant.

"Rip, skewer-" I finished the chant as the spell departed from the tip of my wand, shattering the top of the trees and reducing to bloody pulp most of the body of the orc in question, who did not even scream as he died on the spot, more than three quarters of his body turned to pulp, or outright sent to fly away like silly rag-doll physics.

"Well done!" Raven cawed from near me. I simply patted his head with a sigh.

Thus, the most exciting day of my entire break finished in less than a morning.

...

Nobody would know if I somewhat took my time getting back home, right?

 

[shadenight123]

Chapter Fifty-Six

There was something in the air of the capital that made me grin and smile to myself. Going at it by flight was far quicker than using a carriage, and as I nimbly left Freedom to the stables by the gates, my hair went to its usual camouflaged green state, which I then used to my great advantage to step into the Fairy Charming Inn. Very, very calmly I smiled and headed for the counter, my hands clasped together as I grinned in the direction of Scarron.

"Oh my! Mi Mademoiselle was starting to worry about you!" he giggled as he neared with a pitcher of his best red wine. "Have you been doing fine?"

"I have," I answered with a nod. "Though I've been having a bit of a snag recently," I said as I easily accepted the glass of red wine and drank half of it, the smile on my face taking on a mellower tone of happiness and bliss. "Someone's been following me, and I can't get a point on them," I acquiesced. "I'm pretty sure they're someone I know, but-" I shook my head, "They're making my life so difficult, tattling off where I've been. Can't a man enjoy a drink in peace, Scarron?"

"I wouldn't know about that, François," Scarron replied with a giggle rather than a chuckle, which while it was wrong, it still was endearingly honest to hear. "If you want, I can have a room prepared on the upper floors to drink alone?"

"Drinking alone is kind of sad," I remarked dryly. "Drinking is done to be merry, and to talk to other people," I grumbled. "If I wanted to drink alone I'd break the door of the cellar and drink straight from the barrel," I snorted, nursing the drink. "How are things going for you instead, Scarron?"

"My little girl's all grown up!" Scarron said with both of his hands clasped together to the side, "She's turned eight recently," there were tears in his eyes, "And she's already recoiling from daddy's kisses," he whimpered. "Why! That's so sad, isn't it!?"

I laughed, shaking my head in disbelief as I spoke, "Now, now, it's just a phase." I smiled gently. "I'm sure she'll grow out of it."

By the time I stepped out of my little oasis of wine and heavenly delight in sightseeing, I walked in the direction of the foreign goods shop. It was a nice day, and I had time before having to saddle up once more, so why not enjoy a bit of exotic goods? The shopkeeper grinned as soon as he saw me enter, "Oh, good evening my lord, may I interest you in a recently acquired exotic plant?"

I raised an eyebrow. "And what might it be?"

"From the lands of the east, it's a beautiful decorative plant-" and then I looked at the plant in question. It didn't matter what the man called it, because I was pretty sure I knew what it was by sight alone. I chuckled, and then shook my head. It was one thing to get coffee. It was another to return home with a potted plant of marijuana. I couldn't help the giggle though, even as I ordered the usual bag of coffee beans.

And then I stopped, and looked at the exotic decorative plant once more.

...

This is a sign of the gods, isn't it?

Then, I'll gladly take this, if you won't mind. Who am I to refuse the offer from the gods to solve my present conundrum?

As I walked out with a potted plant of pot in my arm, the bag of coffee beans in the other, I already had a glorious idea for how to solve the problem of my mother's incredibly lacking leniency.

I'd stone her into compliance, and by stone I didn't mean I'd throw rocks at her. No, I'd get her so stoned she would be able to lift her wand, and maybe, who knows, she might turn lax?

When I returned home later that evening, I whistled innocently enough, even though my mother's disapproving glare at dinner told me she knew that I had simply avoided coming back once the task had been over with. Still, I smiled.

"You must have come up with a nice trick, if you are feeling this confident," Karin said after dinner as we gathered in the courtyard, her wand raised just like mine, even as I nodded and quietly used telekinesis to drag the potted plant from the sides of the courtyard -where I had left it- in front of me. Karin's eyebrows rose. "That's...a plant. Without flowers."

"Nothing deadly, I hope," Pierre piped in from the sides, to which I snorted.

"As much as I dislike mother's draconian temperament, I'm not so angry I wish to see her dead," and as I dutifully said that, I lit on fire the whole pot before swiftly throwing it forth with another gust of wind, even before Pierre gave the start to the duel in question. The air hammer easily smashed into bits the incoming projectile, but by then my wand had already gathered the air currents to fully burn the marijuana more, creating a thick dense white fog held within its confines, and which Karin easily avoided.

Only for it to explode in all directions as I quietly sidestepped an incoming air blade by using a half-formed air hammer to deflect the attack.

"Creating fog to obscure my vision is one thing," Karin said. "But if you think this will be enough-"

I hummed, and then kept my defensive pattern as the fog dispersed in the air, Karin looking no worse for the wear.

To buzz someone, one needed a hot box situation. Thus, the air around her gathered the fog once more at my command, and threw it back right against her face. She might have not noticed, or she might have noticed and not cared, since it felt like smoke and nothing more, but as I dodged another slicing air blade, this one came with a tiny bit of strength more than previously. It was then that I realized the folly of this plan.

Karin needed to stay concentrated in order to keep her power in check.

I was slowly eroding her concentration.

"Go big brother! Go!" Louise said excitedly, Henrietta joining her too as Cattleya simply cheered every time I dodged a blade, or an air hammer. I had gotten really good at dodging those blows, or softening them up with a counter.

"Why you-" Karin growled suddenly, and then swished her wand down. The incoming blade of air actually cracked the ground, to which I answered in turn as my heart skipped a beat, rising up to my throat.

"Air blade!" I roared back, my own blade of wind pulsing forth before I took the battle to the close range quarters. Karin might have been old, but I had the feeling that after that one time I had fought her in close combats, she had begun practicing her swordsmanship once more. It was evident by how her attacks came with far more fierceness and precision than before, the sparks of blades intersecting mixed with the noise of my barely audible words meant for a chant.

It wasn't a current of air as much as a freighter train that hit me suddenly in all of my body, sending me to skid backwards right on the opposite side of the courtyard. My back hit the ground and as I skidded across it, I came to a halt on the opposite side, gasping for air.

"So it's-" Pierre began, only for me to stand back up.

"Not bleeding yet!" I said, dusting myself off. "And since I'm not bleeding, we can go on!"

"Very well," Karin said with a light giggling noise that made me blink, just as much as it made Pierre blink too. Even Cattleya couldn't help but stare at the giggle that had left Karin's mouth. The broken remains of the potted plant were near her, and as the smoke it emitted had kept on pouring out, she had breathed it in herself, the exertion from the sword-fighting forcing her to use her mouth to breath.

I stared. This was-no, no, not good.

Small currents of air began to form as Karin's eyes narrowed, her cheeks red as she understood just what she had done. Then she looked at the burning plant, and realization dawned on her that it was the plant's fault, which in turn meant that it was my fault.

"Unforgivable," she said darkly, her wand pointed straight at me. "Henry, this is...unforgivable."

"Oh merciful earth, save me in the name of the Founder!" I yelled, but even as I tried to disappear below the ground, strong winds started to gather to rip me away from it, "Oh merciful earth! Merciful earth! Merciful earth!" a small column of dirt rose up as I felt like a child being pulled out by the scruff of the neck from the water, if with far more unyielding strength.

Then, suddenly, the wind arms stopped their hold as I dropped down through the poorly constructed column of dirt and mud, which collapsed under my weight as I landed on the ground, my entire body sore.

"Still not bleeding?" Pierre asked carefully from the sides, to which I replied with a thumb-up of sorts and a groan. "Still not bleeding." Somehow, he wasn't happy about that.

"Where did I go wrong?" Karin said, "One would expect a duel to be something honorable, but this underhanded trickery! In front of her highness too! I'm ashamed of you, Henry! Ashamed! My little wubbly-Henry can't be this shameful, I didn't grow you up like this-" as she spoke, I blinked. She blinked in turn, and then lifted her wand once more to utterly pulverize the plant. "I said nothing," she said quite firmly.

"She said nothing," Pierre nodded most wisely.

I began to laugh, shaking my head as I stood back up and began to slowly near her. "Mother, you're the best."

"Eh?" one of Karin's flawless locks of hair fell out of position as her cheeks turned red. "That's-Henry! You shouldn't say stuff like that-though I'm a bit happy about it to be honest," she fidgeted with her fingers, and I was sure that I was either hallucinating, or whatever form of marijuana they grew in the far-east had to be magically enhanced to absurd degrees. "Why am I saying this sort of stuff? I destroyed the plant didn't I?" she looked at Pierre, "Pierre! Our son's so shrewd-he took that from you, didn't he?"

"I swear I had nothing to do with this," Pierre said, "but Henry...tell me the name of that plant and where you bought it later, will you?" he mouthed the last part, but still Karin saw it and narrowed her eyes.

"You're all so unforgivable," she grumbled. "You're sleeping on the floor, Pierre. And as for you, Henry, you'll be going without wine for the rest of your life if I have any power over it!"

"Of course mother, of course, you're the wisest in the family after all," I said offhandedly as I was already close to her, "if it weren't for you, the whole family would be lost," I hummed as I swiftly went for a feint, her swordwand coming up as a reflex, to which I answered by swatting it away and closing the distance for a quick peck on her forehead. "That's why I love you lots, mom!" I said with the brightest, most childish tone I could ever manage.

The next second, my absolute victory was declared through virtue of Karin's absolutely paralyzed brain.

Take the Tsundere, disarm the Tsun-potential, hit on the Dere side.

I then calmly walked back towards the traumatized expressions of Pierre, Cattleya and Louise, while Henrietta was blissfully unaware of the amount of steel balls one would require to do such a thing, and thus simply clapped with joy at such a show of mother-son affection.

"Son..." Pierre said as he stared at the utterly paralyzed Karin. "I think you broke your mother."

"You think she'll allow me to go back to school next year?" I remarked offhandedly, to which Pierre chuckled.

"I think she will, if nothing else because she won't be able to calm down otherwise," Pierre said.

"So brother won?" Louise said, and to that, I grinned and bent down towards her.

"Go hug mother and tell her how much you love her, Lulu," I whispered into her ear, "She's going to love it."

Louise beamed me a smile and rushed to do just that. As the sound of a strangled, half-choked dying woman soon reached my ears mixed with the noise of shame, I couldn't help but start to chuckle.

"Brother..." Cattleya mumbled, "That's so cruel of you."

She then stood up from her wheelchair, and smiled. "I'll go too!"

I sighed, and watched as the dying noises of Karin's poor self-control burned down with the shame of being hugged by her two daughters, while in the presence of the princess.

Meanwhile, I simply smiled.

Revenge truly was a dish best served with hugs and fluff.