Aah, I shouldn’t have shown him after all!
But in reality, Saito was just amazed.
“Louise.
“W-what… Idiot… why you haven’t said anything when I asked…”
“Louise.”
He called again. Louise shouted.
“Noisy! Idiot! Shut-up!”
Louise shouted, not noticing that it was a dream. Saito and Louise had similar… meeting in a dream.
“They are small anyway! Idiot! I will absolutely never reveal them again!”
In her room, Louise talked in her sleep.
“They are perfect, because I love you.”
Once he said so in her dream, Louise’s body lost the strength completely.
“You really love me?
“Yes.”
He said, smoothly and confidently…
Louise thought.
I should say it.
Say that important word to Saito.
But… even now she could not say it easily.
She still lacked courage when it came to that word…
Louise woke up.
“…that.”
There was no Saito around. And she was clothed in her nightdress.
“A dream…” Louise said in a dull voice.
Even in a dream, she couldn’t say that important word. Saddened, she sunk her face in her palms. Then…
“Louise.”
Her name was called from the corner of the room, startled she turned around.
The beautiful boy with the blond hair stood there leaning against the wall.
“…Julio?”
It was Julio, priest of Romalia. With a beaming aura, he watched Louise with great interest.
Louise drew the blanket around herself.
“Why are you here?”
“I came to meet you. You seemed to be having a very pleasant dream. I was not looking! Just a little bit! Umm, what on earth were you dreaming about?”
Even Louise’s ears turned crimson.
“Don’t enter without permission. It's not a battlefield tent here.”
Louise said, not revealing her emotions.
Julio handed Chevreuse’s permit document.
“Is this paper good enough?”
“Still, why did you enter a lady’s room without permission?”
“Because we are connected by a strong bond.”
Julio gave Louise his right hand, covered with a white glove.
Louise ignored his hand.
“Stop joking.”
Julio gave a carefree smile.
“Finally, I was released from the Dragon Knight Corps, so I decided to return to Romalia. Tristainians are such hard workers! Writing reports are foreign to me, that‘s why I always stayed with the squad! But I finally made a report.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Before returning home, I decided to drop in and greet you.”
“Well… thank you.” Louise said with a hollow face.
“Low-spirited?”
Louise tightened her lips and buried her face under the blanket.
“I am a person to whom you owe your life. Don’t I deserve at least a little bit of thanks?”
“What do you mean?”
Louise looked up and stared at Julio
“It was I who put you on the ship.”
Instantly, Louise sprang out of the bed to her feet, and urged Julio.
“Where did Saito go to?”
“I will say it clearly. He is surely dead.”
“Stop!
“I won’t stop!”
Julio put on a serious look.
“What are you saying?! Aren’t you a priest? If you knew he was going to die, why didn’t you stop him!?”
“He did his duty. He couldn’t be stopped.”
“What do you mean 'Saito’s duty'?!”
“He is Gandálfr. Being the master's shield – that job.”
Louise gave Julio a long hard look.
“Do you know why? You weren’t listening, Miss ‘Void’. A strange name for a girl. User of the great Void.”
“…How do you know?”
“I am a priest of Romalia. I come from the country with the most advanced theology research in the world. From Tristain to Gallia.”
Losing her strength, Louise knelt on the floor. Though she was surprised about Julio knowing details about Void, what worried her more now was Saito’s fate. Understanding Louise, and trying to gently admonish her, Julio said.
“Really, you might meet him. But not otherwise.”
“Keep your theology for the dogs to eat.”
“I do not want to lecture you about theology. In reality, Romalia needs you.”
“Leave me alone.”
“I can not… time is important. Now Louise, you love him - true or false?”
After brief reflection, Louise answered.
“True.”
“Good. Though I am not a mage, I know some spell principles. Could you explain what a 'Summon Servant' is to me?”
“It’s a spell that summons familiar.”
“Is that all?”
He asked.
“Ha!” Louise made a sour face.
“Though for mages, a familiar is an important being… it is not irreplaceable. After goodbyes you can always meet someone new. I think that’s what Summon Servant symbolizes.”
“Shut up.”
“I’ll pray for a new meeting. See you.”
With these words, Julio went out of the room.
Louise thought quietly for a while… and began to tremble.
“He is not dead…”
She whispered like a prayer.
“He is alive.”
She hung her head for a while, then…
Louise slowly lifted her head up again.
“Stay strong.”
He’s only missing, not dead yet, she told herself.
The door was knocked at again, Louise jumped and went up.
“Julio? Still have something to say?”
She shouted while opening the door. However, the one that stood there was…
“I do, Louise.”
It was Montmorency with an embarrassed face. She sighed once she saw Louise's face.
“I know you are very depressed. I understand your feelings… Yet you still need to go to class. You can’t rest for too long. The war is already over…”
Guiche, who stood behind, anxiously protruded his face as well. Montmorency squatted down next to Louise and softly said.
“Umm… It is still uncertain if he is dead.”
Louise, who had her face buried in her knees, stood up abruptly. As if desperately getting her courage back, she clenched her hands.
“…I know. He’s still alive.”
“T-that’s right! Saito is not one to die so easily!”
Guiche’s voice encouraged Louise as well. After that, Montmorency and Guiche, looked at each other's faces and nodded.
“That’s right. He is still alive.”
Louise stood up and muttered with a determined expression on her face.
“I’ll confirm it now.”
“Heh?”
Guiche and Montmorency were confused.
“He is absolutely alive. I will confirm it.”
Louise continued to talk in a feverish tone.
“H-how?”
Guiche asked. Montmorency seemed to understand something.
“Summon Servant?”
“Indeed.”
Louise nodded.
“The spell that summons a familiar… If I can cast Summon Servant again, then my familiar does not exist in this world.”
“I, I see.”
“Therefore… since Saito is alive I will not be able to be complete the spell.”
Guiche hastily said.
“But, what if you complete th-”
Montmorency blocked Guiche’s mouth with her hand.
“Louise… maybe you should prepare yourself a little…”
However, Louise shook her head.
“If I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it.”
With a wand in her hands, Louise raised up her eyes.
Guiche began to tremble. Montmorency closed her eyes.
Silently, Louise began to utter an incantation.