Zero no Tsukaima-1. Part 2

Saito sat down on the floor, disappointed. "Holy shit," he thought, and sat down on the chair again.

He'll have to at least buy a rug or ask our quartermaster.

I glanced at my familiar and looked around the classroom.

— Just sit down today, then I'll get you a soft rug.

"Thank you, lady."

The door opened and a new teacher entered the classroom.

It was a middle-aged woman. She was wrapped in a purple robe and had a hat on her head. Her plump cheeks created an atmosphere of kindness around her.

"Is this woman a sorceress too?" Saito muttered to me.

"Isn't it obvious?" I replied in an indignant voice. The woman looked around the audience, then smiled with visible pleasure and said:

""Guys. It looks like the Familiar's Spring Summoning was quite successful. Thus, in the new spring semester, I, Chevreuse, get great pleasure from contemplating various familiars."

I looked down shyly.

"Oh, my. You've summoned an unusual familiar. Miss Valliere," Upon seeing Saito, Chevreuse spoke in a joking voice, after which the room immediately filled with laughter.

"Louise is a Zero! Don't drag this commoner bum just because you can't do the summoning!"

"Fuck you! This is my henchman!"

"Don't lie! It looks like you haven't been able to master the Summon a Sidekick spell!"

The students in the audience roared with laughter.

"Mrs. Chevreuse! I've been insulted! Malicorne insulted me with a cold! Can I challenge him to a duel and chop him down?"

"No, Miss Valliere, you've already stabbed five wizards."

I slammed my clenched fist on the desk.

"What kind of Cold? I am the Malicorne of the Wind! I haven't caught any colds!"

"You have a hoarse voice, just like someone with a cold!"

The student, named Malicorne, jumped up and glared at me. Come on, call me, you idiot. I grinned at him. Chevreuse waved the small wand she was holding in her hand. That idiot and I jumped to our feet like puppets whose strings had snapped, and were noisily dropped into our seats.

"Miss Valliere. Mr. Malicorne. Please stop this ugly argument!"

I lowered my head dejectedly. The smug behavior that I had been displaying until recently has disappeared. Damn, I shouldn't have cut the last one to death, but he really got to me.

"You can't call your friends a Zero or a Cold. Do you understand?"

"Mrs. Chevreuse. The fact that I have a cold is a common slander, but Louise-Zero is a reality."

There was a giggle.

Mrs. Chevreuse gave the audience a stern look. And she waved her wand. The mouths of the giggling students were plugged with red clay that appeared from nowhere.

"Young people, attend the class in this form. Otherwise, I will allow the duel between you and Louise Frenchoise to happen again."

The giggles subsided. The students looked at the teacher in horror with their mouths gagged.

"So, let's start the lesson."

Mrs. Chevreuse cleared her throat solemnly, and then waved her wand. A few pebbles appeared on the table.

"My runic name is "Red Clay". Chevreuse Red Clay. From now on, I will be teaching everyone a course on Earth-related magic for a year. Do you know the four main elements of magic? Mr. Malicorne."

"Y-yes. Mrs. Chevreuse. It's Fire, Earth, Water and Wind!"

I've always been good at water and air spells in my past lives, with ice magic at the junction. And here, because of this damned emptiness, everything explodes. I can only fly with my wings extended like an angel's. And the people are scared.

Well, at least the screams in dragon form work as they should, and the spells of the school of illusions. In general, the school of reason is well given.

The teacher nodded.

"According to what everyone knows, if you add the now-lost magical element of Emptiness, there are five elements in total. Among them, in my opinion, the Earth element occupies the most important position. And it's not that I specialize in this element. I don't have simple favoritism."

Mrs. Chevreuse cleared her throat solemnly again.

"So, the magic of the Earth element is an important magic that governs the formation of everything in the world. Without this magic, we would not be able to produce and process the necessary metals. If we didn't know how to use spells to build houses by crushing huge stones, or harvest crops, then I think it would take more work and time compared to current processes. Accordingly, the magic of the Earth element is closely connected with the life of each of us."

"Ah, in this world, magic probably matches the technology from my world. Now, one way or another, the reason why Louise puts on airs is that she is a magician."

"Now we will learn the basic magic of the Earth element together — the spell of Transformation. There were probably students who could perform this spell during their first year, but the basics are important. Let's do it again."

Chevreuse pointed the small wand she held in her hand at the pebbles, and then waved it.

And as soon as the teacher muttered a short spell, the pebbles lit up.

The glow died down, and what had been simple pebbles turned into brightly sparkling metal.

"Is this g-g-gold? Mrs. Chevreuse!" Kirche leaned forward with her whole body.

"You're wrong. It is a simple brass. Only square magicians are able to refine before obtaining gold. Because I'm simple..." Mrs. Chevreuse cleared her throat significantly and continued, "...the magic triangle..."

"Louise!"

Saito pushed his mistress lightly.

"What do you want?" The lesson is coming!

"What did she mean by triangles and squares?"

"This is the number of elements that can be combined in witchcraft. This determines the magician's level."

"How is that?"

I explained in a low voice:

"Do you need an example? Although Earth element magic is suitable for simple elements, if you can add Fire element to it, then the spell will become much more powerful."

"Really."

"Lineage magicians can combine two elements, for example, Fire and Earth. Triangle magicians like Teacher Chevreuse are able to combine three elements, for example, Earth-Earth-Fire." And I have a constant emptiness in the elements.

"Why combine two identical ones?"

"This makes this element more powerful."

"Really. In short, since the teacher chatting there is a triangle magician, does that mean she is a strong sorceress?"

"Exactly."

"Louise, how many elements can you combine?"

I stopped talking. Technically four, but it doesn't do any good.

"Not at all, asshole."

While we were chatting like that, the teacher called out to me:

"Miss Valliere!"

"Y-yes?"

"Refrain from whispering during the lesson."

"Sorry..."

"If you have time to chat, then have you learned everything?"

"You know it's useless for me to teach Mrs. Chevreuse that. Do you want me to practice again?"

"Exactly. Please turn the stones available here into metal as you wish."

I didn't get up. Feeling uncomfortable, I hesitated. Still, I feel sorry for cats, as well as Kirche's lizard.

"They seem to be talking to you. Go on," Saito urged me.

"Miss Valliere! Something happened?"

When Chevreuse called out to me again, Kirche said in an awkward voice:

"Mrs. Teacher."

"What is it?"

"I think it's better to stop calling her..."

"Why is that?"

"It's dangerous," Kirche said flatly. Almost everyone in the audience nodded.

"Is it dangerous? Why?"

"Is this your first time teaching Louise?"

"However, I have heard that she is a diligent student. So, Miss Valliere. Don't worry, and please try to complete the task. Fearing your own failures, you won't achieve anything, will you?"

"Louise, stop!" Kirche shouted with a deathly pale face.

However, I stood up:

"I will do. It's better to show it once. Gentlemen and ladies, please remove your familiars from the audience, all who remain will be on your conscience."

My classmates looked at each other and, horrified, began to send their familiars away and hide under the tables.

I walked briskly to the teacher's desk with a tense expression on my face.

Mrs. Chevreuse, who was standing next to me, smiled at me warmly. I see her smile in practice for the last time, then there will be a wary expression of a frightened face. Just like the other teachers who use elemental magic.

"Miss Valliere. Clearly imagine in your mind the metal you want to receive."

Nodding sweetly, I imagined steel and waved the yew wand I was holding in my hand.

My light pink hair sparkled in the morning sunlight coming through the window. The eyes are gray in color, which resemble precious stones. The skin is so white that it appears invisible. A chiseled nose that makes me feel my noble origin...

I disconnected from the picture that Saito saw from his seat.

However, contrary to such dreams of the familiar, the students sitting in the front rows for some reason hid under the chairs. I closed my eyes, cast a short spell, and waved my wand.

At that moment, the pebbles exploded along with the table. I don't care, I'm under a combat aura, and my clothes are enchanted.

After being completely hit by the blast wave, Mrs. Chevreuse was thrown back against the blackboard. A shout went up. I stood with my wand raised and smiled happily at the Person with a cold. And the rest of the students who have forgotten what I am.

The auditorium was covered in soot and glittered with broken windows.

There was a hell of a commotion in the audience. Kirche stood up and pointed her finger at me:

"That's why I told you! Don't force her to do the task!"

"That's it! Expel Valliere from the Academy!"

Saito was stunned.

Mrs. Chevreuse continued to lie motionless. However, since she was twitching convulsively sometimes, it seemed like she hadn't died.

I'm not paying attention to the commotion in the audience...

Wiping my face, stained with soot, with a handkerchief taken out of my pocket, I said in an indifferent voice:

"Oops, it looks like a small mistake."

Naturally, there was a fierce counterattack from the other students:

"Small, of course! Louise is a Zero! You can only brew potions and swing swords."

"The probability of your success is always close to zero, isn't it?!"

"Zelyony, I won't sell you any more potions either."

"I'm still silent, I'm sorry, Miss Valliere."

"Apologies accepted, Mr. Nelens."

Saito finally understood why his mistress was being called a Jerk. The lessons were disrupted. Saito and I were left to clean the office, and the injured were dragged to the hospital wing.