The staff officer shook his head.
“Then such an unreliable ‘weapon’ can’t be called our trump card.”
Those words made Saito respond.
“Hey, Louise is not a weapon.”
“What? It’s not for a familiar to talk.”
Before it turned into a fuss… General De Poitiers interrupted.
“We’ll take over the fleet. Let’s have Miss Void undertake the feint. Can you do it?”
“Feint?”
“We discussed it before. We only have to convince the enemy that we will land not in Rosais but in Dartanes. It should be simple for the legendary 'Void user,' right?”
Louise thought.
…Was there such a spell?
Saito muttered quietly from the back.
“…Didn’t Derf say that it can be read when the right time comes?”
Louise nodded.
“Tomorrow, I’ll look for a spell that can be used.”
General De Poitiers gave a hopeful smile.
He then urged Louise and Saito to leave the room.
“Great,” Saito nodded.
“Those people, I think that they see me only as a gift horse.”
Saito tapped Louise's shoulder.
“These are the great generals? This way we won’t win the war this year.”
But, it might be a correct idea during the war.
The fighter is more than just a means of boarding the ship, it is also indispensable.
However, while thinking absent-mindedly, his shoulder was tapped from behind.
When he turned around, five or six nobles were sharply staring at Saito. They all seemed to be teenagers rather than men. They looked similar in age to Saito. They were wearing leather hats and clad in blue tunics. Like soldiers, they were wearing rapier-looking wands at their waists… yet it looked considerably shorter.
“Hey, you.”
Being addressed to, Saito turned.
“What?”
“Stop it,” Louise muttered quietly, pulling his sleeve.
The boy in the middle with a long jaw-line seemed to be their leader.
“Come.”
Huh? With a suddenly agitated imagination, Saito, holding Derflinger, walked towards them.
They entered the upper deck where the Zero Fighter was placed. All Zero Fighter’s parts were tied with ropes that were fastened to the deck. Not able to understand, and still trying the figure out the meaning behind this, the irritated Saito pulled out Derflinger.
“Is this thing alive?”
One noble boy asked embarrassed, pointing at the Zero Fighter.
“If it is not so, then what is that. Explain.”
Another one requested for the explanation with a serious look.
Saito felt dumb-struck.
“No, that is not a living thing, however…” He muttered.
“Hurray! Didn’t I tell you? I win! Everyone give one écu!”
The fattest boy began to roar. Everyone sulkily took out gold coins from their pockets pocket and handed them to the boy.
Seeing Louise and Saito with their mouths agape, the boys gave awkward smiles.
“Were you surprised? Sorry.”
“Yes.”
“No, we were having a bet. Over that thing.”
A noble boy pointed at the Zero Fighter.
“We thought that it was alive. We thought that it was a dragon.”
“There is no place where such dragons could exist!”
“There might be! The world is wide after all!”
They started to quarrel again.
Seeing that, Saito recalled the classroom in his hometown. During the break, they also had similar foolish discussions to pass the time…
“It is a flying machine.”
He said, and the noble boys were interested immediately and listened attentively to Saito's explanation. However, they seemed not to be able to understand; an object that flies over the sky using power other than magic.
“We are dragon knights.”
When the explanation of the Zero Fighter ended, the boys guided Saito and Louise to dragons inside the deck. The Dragon Knight Corps had suffered a lot of damage and was almost completely annihilated during the battle at Tarbes, that’s why the dragon knight apprentices were incorporated into the army as true knights.
“Under normal circumstances, one more year of training would be needed though.”
Explained the shyly smiling plump boy, who had won the bet before. He said that he was a commander of the 2nd Dragon Knight Squadron. He was the one that had guided Saito's Zero Fighter to the warship.
The dragons inside were all adult dragons. They looked twice as big as Tabitha’s Sylphid. Their big wings seemed to be built for speed.
“It must be very tough to become a dragon knight.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Having a dragon as a familiar is not that simple. Not everyone can do it. Dragon familiars are hard to please, difficult animals, because they will only allow those riders whom they accept to ride them.”
“Does being a dragon rider require not only skill but also magic powers? Intelligence too? To see through that sort of thing and never let his or her guard down?”
Seems like the dragon knight boys were elite, and had considerable owner’s pride too.
“Can I get on?”
Saito asked, they nodded.
Saito tried to straddle it, but was thrown off quickly. The boys burst into laughter, holding their sides. Since Saito’s competitive spirit was strong, he took the challenge again. The result was the same. Even a small girl like Tabitha was able to get on a dragon with a cool face… this was mortifying for Saito, so he took the challenge many times.
Louise watched the spectacle from far away. Saito and the dragon knight boys were getting along well, he made noise and screamed like one of them.
The boys looked happy, and she envied them for a moment. Why are they getting along so well and so quickly? Louise thought while she sulked.
I mean, what do dragons have that your master doesn’t? He did that with me in the boat the other day. Yet now he plays, screaming with dragon knights?
Don’t we have a battle in the sky tomorrow? Isn't there a chance we will die tomorrow? Is this how you decide to spend your time?
Louise thought, while glaring at Saito.
I am insecure and scared, I’d like you to hold me tight
But I’ll never say it aloud.
And… she sighed.
The feint operation.
It was necessary to convince the enemy that the united army of 60,000 was going to land not in Rosais, but in Dartanes… What spell would suit? She had not the slightest idea.
“Hey, you. You.”
The dragon knight boys noticed the looks Louise was giving off in their direction, as she idly swung her legs leaning against the wall, and asked Saito.
“Is she your master? Is it ok for you to leave her alone?”
“Uuh! Damn!” Saito turned pale. Louise was left alone. She’ll hit, hit and complain later for sure. However, he did not want to look so pathetic in front of his new friends. Boys are inexperienced beings, and a new mate should not show weaknesses. Saito was strong.
“I-it’s all right if it is her. Leave it.”
“Oooh,”
Applauses erupted.
“That’s the spirit. To oppose your master in such manner! You are not an ordinary person.”
Louise, who got angry at Saito's attitude, approached.
“What did you say?”
“No, nothing…” the moment when he shut his mouth, Louise kicked him between the legs. And once she turned to go back to their room, dragging him with her, the commanding officer called for them both.
“What are your plans for tonight?”
For some reason Louise’s cheeks turned red.
“Nothing…” Saito replied, Louise kicked him in the stomach.