Images
Kingdom of Magic
Chapter One: I'm a Familiar
“Who are you?” asked the girl intently. She was examining Saito's face. The sky was a clear blue behind her.
She seemed to be close to Saito's age. Underneath a black cloak, she wore a white blouse and a gray pleated skirt. She knelt down and looked, shocked, at his face.
Her face is… cute. Reddish-brown eyes danced upon the stage of her flawless, white skin and strawberry blonde hair. She looks kind of like a foreigner. In fact, the girl must have been a foreigner. A cute, doll-like foreigner. Maybe she’s half-Japanese?
Still, that's some kind of weird school uniform she's wearing isn’t it?I don't recognize it .
Saito was lying on the ground, face up, though he was unsure of how he had got there. He raised his head to take a look around. A crowd of people in black cloaks were curiously examining him. In the distance, on an endlessly rich grassy plain, he saw a huge castle with stone walls, just like the ones in those European tour photographs.
It's just like a fantasy.
My head is killing me. Giving his head a shake, he answered, “Who am I…? I'm Hiraga Saito.”
“Where are you from, commoner?”
Commoner? What does she mean by that? Everyone around him had some sort of stick in their hand and wore the same uniform as that girl's. Did I wander into an American school or something?
“Louise, what were you thinking, calling a commoner with 'Summon Servant'?” someone asked, and everyone but the girl who was looking at his face started to laugh.
“I… I just made a little mistake!” The girl in front of Saito shouted in a refined voice that carried like a bell.
“What mistake are you talking about? Nothing unusual happened.”
“Of course! After all, she's Louise the Zero!” someone else said, and the crowd burst into laughter again.
It appeared the girl looking into Saito's face was named Louise.
Either way, this is no American school. You won't see those kinds of buildings just anywhere.
Could it be a movie set? Are they filming something? But then Saito thought all of a sudden. But it's too big to be a movie set. Could this kind of scenery really exist somewhere in Japan?Maybe it's a new theme park? But then why was I sleeping here?
“Mr. Colbert!” The girl, Louise, shouted.
The crowd parted, revealing a middle-aged man. Saito thought it was funny because the man looked ridiculous. He carried a big wooden staff and was covered in a black robe.
What is he playing at? He's dressed like a wizard. Is he even sane? Oh, I've got it, this must be a cosplay gathering. But it doesn't seem to have that kind of atmosphere. Suddenly, Saito was gripped with fear. What am I going to do if this is a religious sect? It's possible. They could have put me to sleep somehow and brought me here while I was taking a walk in town. That mirror must have been a trap. If not, I have no other explanation for this.
Saito decided that he ought to stay quiet until he understood what was going on.
The girl named Louise seemed to be in a panic, begging to redo something and gesticulating frantically.
I feel sorry for her, being stuck in this weird religious group, since she's so cute.
“What is it that you want from me, Miss Vallière?”
“Please! Let me try the summoning one more time!”
Summoning? What's that? They mentioned it earlier.
Mr. Colbert, the man wearing the black robe, shook his head. “I cannot allow that, Miss Vallière.”
“Why not?”
“It is strictly forbidden. When you are promoted to a second year student, you must summon a familiar, which is what you just did.”
A familiar? What's that?
“Your elemental specialty is decided by the familiar that you summon. It enables you to advance to the appropriate courses for that element. You cannot change the familiar once you have summoned it because the 'Springtime Familiar Summoning' is a sacred rite. Whether you like it or not, you have no choice but to take him.”
“But… I've never heard of having a commoner as a familiar!”
Everyone around laughed. Louise scowled at them, but the laughter did not stop.
'Springtime Familiar Summoning'? What's that?I don't understand. What are they talking about? How did I end up in a place like this? It has to be one of those New Religions[1]. The safest thing to do is to take the first opportunity to run away.I mean really, where is this place?Was I taken to a foreign country?A kidnapping! I've been kidnapped!I'm in real trouble,thought Saito.
“This is a tradition, Miss Vallière. I cannot allow any exceptions; he,” The middle-aged wizard cosplayer pointed at Saito. “He may be a commoner, but as long as he was summoned by you, he must be your familiar. Never in history has a human been summoned as a familiar, but the Springtime Familiar Summoning takes precedence over every rule. In other words, there is no other way around it; he must become your familiar.”
“You have got to be joking…” Louise drooped her shoulders in disappointment.
“Well then, continue with the ceremony.”
“With him?”
“Yes, with him. Hurry. The next class will begin any minute. How much more time is this summoning going to take? After mistake upon mistake, you have finally managed to summon him. Hurry and form a contract.” Everyone voiced their agreement and began jeering.
Louise stared at Saito's face as if troubled.
What is it? What's she going to do to me?
“Hey,” Louise addressed Saito.
“Yes?”
“You should count yourself lucky. Normally, you'd go your whole life without a noble doing this to you.”
Noble? How stupid. What nobles are you talking about?Aren't you just a bunch of twisted cosplaying new-religion freaks?
Louise closed her eyes with an air of resignation. She waved around the wooden stick in her hand.
“My name is Louise Franзoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers; bless this humble being and make him my familiar.”
She chanted those words over and over, like a magic spell, and touched Saito's forehead with the stick. Her lips then slowly drew closer.
What… What are you doing?!
“Just stay still.” Louise said, a touch of irritation in her voice. Her face got closer.
“Oi, wait a second. I'm… Well, I'm not… ready for this…”
His face twisted in panic.
“Ah, geez! I told you to stay still!” Louise grabbed Saito's face roughly with her left hand.
“Huh?”
“Mmm…”
Louise's lips touched Saito's.
What is happening?! What kind of contract is this?! The touch of her soft lips confounded Saito even more. My first kiss! Stolen in this weird place by this weird girl whose motives I don't understand! Saito remained frozen, paralyzed.
Louise removed her lips. “It is done.”
Her face is all red. Is this idiot embarrassed by her boldness? Saito thought.
“I should be the one embarrassed, not you! It was me who was kissed all of a sudden!”
1
The term “New Religion” refers to any religious group in Japan that has its roots after the Meiji Restoration of 1868. This includes the Nichiren Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai, as well as the infamous Aum Shinrikyo. The latter probably explains Saito's concern.