Zero no Tsukaima-1. Part 2

Chapter 2: Louise-Zeriza

Saito stared at me sleeping, then woke me up by pulling off the blanket at 5 a.m.

"What the fuck? What's the matter?!"

"Morning. Lady." "Calling her mistress is ugh."

"Aa? th-that's how... Who are you anyway!?" I exclaimed, half asleep.

"Hiraga Saito."

What the fuck is some Japanese kid doing in my room? And damn, I summoned him yesterday. I sat down and looked at her watch on the table.

"Ah, the familiar. Exactly. I summoned you yesterday. It would be better to really summon a cat or a rat like Director Osmon's."

I yawned. Damn, it's five in the morning, that's a lark.

"If you wake me up again before the bell rings, you'll get kicked in the balls again. Or should I leave you hungry?"

Then she ordered Saito to bring her clothes. Saito grumbled and handed it over.

"Now I'll see her naked or in a bra. Oh..."

"Get out you pervert, and get the fuck out of the room, you horny jerk."

I started getting dressed. Dark grey trousers, white blouse, black vest. All with protective runes. She pulled her hair back into a high ponytail, with strands of hair hanging on the sides of her head.

* * *

When Saito left the room after Louise's shout, he found three wooden, identical-looking doors arranged in a row on the wall of the corridor. One of the doors opened, and a girl with red hair like a blazing fire appeared. She was taller than Louise, and her height was almost as tall as Saito's. She exuded such sexiness that you could suffocate. Her expressive face and protruding breasts were charming. Her breasts looked like melons. "Fucking gorgeous."

The red-haired beauty had the top two buttons of her blouse undone, which made it imperative to look at her breasts. His gaze was involuntarily drawn to the hollow between them. Her dark skin exuded a sense of health and wild sexuality. Height, skin color, surrounding aura, breast size... It was the exact opposite of what Louise had. However, there was no difference in charm.

I left the room stretching. When the red-haired girl saw Saito's mistress, she smiled maliciously:

"Good morning, Lou."

She made a displeased grimace and returned the greeting with visible disgust:

"Good morning. Kirche. How long can I shorten my name?"

"Is your familiar this one, or did you decide to take my advice and use the services of at least a common servant?" Pointing at Saito, the neighbor spoke in a mocking tone.

"The familiar is also a horny guy, damn it, so you can add it to your collection. Bad luck. You know I have all my spells through my ass. It would have been better not to call anyone at all, but to take one of my father's guards as my sister advised. They say you're going to summon some kind of freak with your focus anyway. I really didn't understand what she meant."

"Well, at least he's trained to handle a gun. If you mean a commoner."

"Then a magician will come to serve me. How so."

"I also summoned a familiar yesterday. And, unlike some, the spell was successful on the first attempt."

"Hmm, brag."

"After all, it's great to have him as my familiar. The flame!"

Kirche called out to her familiar in a triumphant voice. A large bright red lizard slowly emerged from her room. Hot air surrounded Saito.

"Wow, you! A bright red unknown creature!" The boy recoiled in panic.

Kirche laughed:

"Oh-ho-ho! Is this probably the first time you've seen a salamander?"

I hid my smile with my palm from the sight of the dumbfounded familiar.

"You should have chained her up! She's dangerous, isn't she?! And by the way, what is it?!"

"Calmness. She won't attack unless I order her to. Little coward."

Kirche put her finger on her chin and cocked her head coquettishly.

The lizard was two meters long. The tail consisted of blazing fire. The flame coming out of his mouth seemed to be hot. I bent down and scratched the salamander under the chin.

"Don't you feel hot being around her?" Saito asked. Calming down, he carefully examined the beast.

"As for me, it's so cool."

"A fire salamander, right?" I asked, feeling annoyed at my summons. "Damn, I wanted a cat so much. Colbert promised me yesterday to get a red or striped pet. Let it be an ordinary cat, well, at least something. I'll put him in the familiar's cubicle, Saito is sleeping on the mattress next to my bed anyway."

"Exactly! The salamander! See? That tail. Its flame is so bright and large that it is undoubtedly a salamander from the Fiery Dragon Ridge. A famous breed. If you show it to an amateur, he won't appreciate it! And Lou, an ordinary cat will be just right for you, and this familiar of yours will be thrown into the kitchen by the maids. Rumor has it that he looked at them."

"It's a pleasure," Louise said in a bitter voice.

"I think it's amazing. Exactly for my abilities!"

"Your ability is the element of Fire, right?" The dumbfounded Saito decided to clarify.

"Yes. My runic name is Kirche Smoldering. This means that passion burns with restraint. However, this makes it easy to turn the boys' heads. Unlike you, right, Lou?"

Kirche puffed out her chest triumphantly. I did the same thing on full automatic, however, unfortunately, the sizes were too different. Damn, all normal boys fall for it.

Damn, maybe I should really eat cabbage, as John advised me at the shelter. I still remember my stunned face when I saw him at the N7 Academy.

Although I'm already used to having small breasts, it's more comfortable to wear armor with them.

"I just don't have time to waste my charm in front of everyone like you do. Besides, it's not my title."

Kirche smiled sweetly. She was cool about it. Although I often told her that she was acting like a wench. Then she looked at Saito carefully:

"What's your name?"

"Hiraga Saito."

"Hiraga Saito? It's a strange name."

"Are you nagging? I'm from Japan."

"Japan, I've never heard of it. Okay, I'm sorry to leave you" After saying that, Kirche fixed her red hair that looked like fire and walked majestically down the corridor. The salamander hurried after its owner, its paws ridiculously small for such a large body.

As soon as Kirche disappeared, I clenched my fists:

"That slut, damn, she's got a real salamander from Dragon Ridge!"

"It's okay, isn't it? Some kind of appeal."

"Nothing good! At least, they say: to assess the real power of a magician, take a look at his familiar! Why does this fool have a salamander and I have you?! An ordinary person."

"My fault. Because I'm a human being. But you're human too, aren't you?"

"The difference between a magician and a commoner is like the difference between a wolf and a dog!" I said smugly, turning up my nose. At least I have some fighting skills, unlike you. Like most of my father's guardsmen. And anyway, pick up your drool, you might get something with Kirche, but then she'll leave you."

"Why did Kirche call you Zero?"

"Yes, because I have all the magic going through my ass, I'm just great at alchemy."

The guy started laughing. For which he got a kick in the head and a message that he was going without breakfast today.

* * *

The dining hall at the Tristain Academy of Magic was located in the Main Tower, which was the tallest of all the buildings of the school, and was located in the very center of the territory. Inside the dining room, three long tables stood parallel to each other. Each stream has its own one. I went to the middle table, and Saito followed me.

I sat down next to Tabitha and helped myself to some oatmeal porridge with milk. And a plate of scrambled eggs with herbs and bacon. The only common clothes we had were raincoats. And girls have blouses and boys have shirts. The rest is at your discretion.

Of the common clothes, we had only colored raincoats, depending on the year of study. And the girls have white blouses and the boys have shirts. The rest is at your discretion.

The second floor was located above the first floor in the form of a gallery. The teachers were visible there, having a pleasant conversation.

All the tables were lavishly decorated.

Countless candles were set up, flowers were placed, and there were baskets filled with fruits. And between them were pots of porridge with milk and large silver dishes with omelets. There are jugs of herbal tea nearby.

Noticing Saito standing with his mouth agape, who was amazed by the splendor of the dining room, I smugly raised my finger and spoke. My gray eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Tristain's Academy of Magic teaches not only magic, but also etiquette."

"Good."

"The magicians are mostly nobles. The basis of the basics is: "Using magic, a noble builds his soul," and those who are nobles get enough of the necessary knowledge. Therefore, the dining room should also be a suitable place for nobles."

"Good."

"Understood? To tell the truth, a commoner like you wouldn't dare enter the Alvis Dining Hall in his entire life. So, be grateful."

"Good. What is Alvis?"

"The name of the little man. I believe there are many statues of him around." To confirm my words, there were carefully executed sculptures of a little man standing in a row against the wall.

"It's a delicate job. Listen, don't they move at midnight?"

"You're too knowledgeable."

"Are they moving? I just asked out of stupidity."

"To be more precise, they're dancing," Louise said, crossing her arms.

I tilted my head sharply to the side, and at the same time my long light pink hair swayed.

I pulled out a chair for myself and then sat down. The familiar also pulled out a chair for himself and sat down.

"Saito, familiars are not allowed to eat in the cafeteria. Go to the kitchen."

"What the hell, I'll eat here too."

"Well, whatever you want, but if you're kicked off the table in disgrace as a commoner, I have nothing to do with it and I won't interfere."

The rays of dawn still slid across the dining benches, picking out the gleam of the cutlery and the golden crust on the slices of bread from the gloom.

In the dining room of the Tristain Academy, the morning went on as usual: someone was hurriedly finishing tea, someone was arguing about yesterday's spells, and somewhere, as always, a small storm was breaking out.

"Zero, keep your pet away from the table of the nobles."

"Lester, don't push yourself, although he really has nothing to do at the table."

"Here's kso, I'm probably really going to the kitchen. Damn, it hurts." Saito grumbled, rubbing his bruised butt.

"Go straight down the corridor, then turn left, there will be a door that smells delicious and grab me something meaty. At least sandwiches. Damn, there's almost no bacon in this omelet. But I want meat."

Tabitha, as usual, settled into her quiet corner, a little to the side, where neither drafts nor other people's conversations interfered. In front of her was a thin volume on the theory of air flow, next to it was a cup of herbal tea. She turned the page without looking up, and tilted her head slightly, as if she wanted to merge into the silence. Those minutes were precious to her: while the others were busy, she had time to read a few paragraphs before classes started.

And a few steps away from this island of tranquility, I was fighting again, this time with breakfast. The porridge had already been eaten, and now I was finishing the omelet.

"There's three pathetic slices of bacon here!" I muttered, poking at the omelet with my fork as if I hoped to find a whole platter of meat underneath. "Is this bullying? We are future magicians, not... monks of some kind!"

Tabitha put down her book and handed me some cheese and smoked pork sandwiches.

"Here's Lou, I brought you some food from the kitchen yesterday when I was taking it for my familiar. The portions are really small for you, why haven't you told the school administration yet that you're a dragon and you need meat?"

"When my father saw that I was changing into a dragon, he told me not to tell anyone that I was a void magician and could transform into a dragon. I still don't understand how you found out."

"Well, I'm not blind, but seriously, I saw you when I was walking in the woods."

"Damn, what if someone else saw it?"

"By the way, I still don't understand why you and Gish broke up?"

"Because he's a womanizer, he hasn't had enough yet, and I actually have a fiance."

"You were talking about your Viscount. I don't understand what you see in him."

"He's the only one who didn't laugh at me, and even then he was younger, just like me."

I ate an omelet, stuffing it with sandwiches, at least there would be chicken for lunch and roast for dinner.

* * *

The classrooms at the Magic Academy were similar to lecture halls at universities. If it occurred to you that the rooms were also made of stone, then this is mostly true. The teacher-wizard leading the lecture was located at the lowest level of the auditorium, and the seating areas were placed like stairs. When Saito and I entered, the students who had come to the classroom earlier all turned towards us.

And they started laughing. Kirche, whom the couple had met earlier, was also here. She was surrounded by boys on all sides. The students around her revered her as a queen. Everyone came accompanied by a variety of familiars.

Kirche's salamander was fast asleep under her chair. There were students with owls perched on their shoulders. A giant snake was peeking through the window into the room. One of the boys whistled, and the snake hid its head. There were also crows. And cats. Damn, I want a cat, I bent down and stroked the gray striped kitty.

"Hey, Louise, this is my familiar!"

"I'll just stroke it, it won't explode, Meli."

"Well, look, if something happens to him, I will demand a vira."

"Yes I understand. I love cats. And I got such a commoner that it's terrible."

We went to my place surrounded by empty chairs. Guiche was sitting next to me, and he wasn't so afraid of me, even though he joked behind my back that I should have been born a warrior.

Well, yes, I gave his fighting skills to the valkyries. He sculpted them from me.

There was a lizard with six legs. A giant eyeball floated in the air. What is it? The boy asked me:

"What is this eyeball monster?"

"The beholder."

I remember they often lived in goblin settlements in Rivelon.

"But that eight-legged merman?"

"The skua." I replied in a sullen voice and sat down in one of the seats. Saito sat down next to her. I glared at him.

"Wasn't the fight in the cafeteria enough for you?"

"What's the matter?"

These are places for magicians. Familiars are not allowed to sit on them.