“Completed? What did you make?”
“This.”
Guiche quickly pulled something, and where a moment ago was nothing, appeared…
“What… A statue?
What showed up in there was… a huge statue of at least five meters tall.
Because a magical cloth that imitated surroundings was used, there seemed to be nothing there. Guiche nodded in satisfaction, while pointing at the statue.
“Saito’s statue.”
“Heeh…”
The splendid statue stood with both hands on its waist and thrusting out its chest. It was made with precise details.
“Took me weeks; I worked fiercely during nights. It was a very tough time, but I finished it up unflaggingly in here.”
“You have skills.”
Montmorency watched Guiche with an admiring face.
“I will put an Alchemy spell on it now, and change the soil into bronze. And… this way, I will praise the hero forever.”
“I will show it to Louise later, Surely it will comfort her a little.”
“Indeed.”
Montmorency looked down slightly, with an unusual blush on her cheeks.
“Forgive me Guiche. It seems I have misunderstood you. I thought that you were lacking in delicacy.”
“R-really? Oh dear, even if you thought so…”
“However, now my thoughts are changed. You are a gentle, wonderful man, Guiche.”
Guiche became embarrassed and rubbed under his nose.
When looking up, Montmorency, in a shy way, placed her finger on her lips. Guiche, not waiting, brought his lips close to Montmorency’s.
“M-monmon…”
Montmorency, though hesitated for a moment, did not move away from Guiche.
When the pair of lips were about to touch… Montmorency closed her eyes, and opened them.
“G-girls are falling.”
Guiche moved his lips away.
“And? Whenever you try to kiss me, such words come, cheating on me! Like that day when you imagined the Princess naked!”
“Now it’s true! Hey! Kyaa!”
Montmorency opened her eyes.
Hearing a strong sound from behind, she turned around facing the same way as Guiche.
“M-my art. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Guiche’s masterpiece turned miserable. It was crushed back into the dirt by the fallen girls.
On the heap of earth, two girls were lying, tired out.
It was Louise and Siesta.
“What is this?! Do you have some grudge against my art! Choosing such a place to fall! Such a place!”
“…Art?”
With a blank surprise, Louise who was now covered with soil, asked.
“Saito’s statue! Aaah, for several weeks, every late evening, little by little, I finished it with just my hands… I can’t rebuild it!”
“…Saito’s statue?”
Louise looked next to her. There… was Saito’s face. Siesta and Louise knocked against the right and left shoulder of the statue, thus, though the statue crashed down, the part of the head of the statue was still all right.
And the soft soil served as a cushion for the two falling people.
“…Saito… Saved me again.”
Louise muttered. Siesta grasped her hand.
“Hey! Saito-san helped us even in a form of a statue! Therefore, he must be alive! Absolutely!”
Louise nodded.
Her beautiful eyes regained its shine.
Then Louise stood up. Montmorency ran up to her.
“Louise! What were you doing?! Are you all right? Are you injured?”
“I’m all right. Not injured at all.”
“No, you cannot decide about your injuries just by yourself…”
Louise glared at Montmorency.
“I said so. Thus it is decided. Now, Siesta, let’s go.”
“Yeees!”
Siesta gladly stood up as well.
That strange pair, her classmate and a maid, amazed Montmorency. They fell from the sky, almost dying… so why were they so energetic now?
“G-go where?!”
“To search for Saito.”
“Eh, but…”
“He is alive.”
Louise whispered with a great confidence.
“Louise?”
Montmorency, anxiously watched her classmate's face. The thought that Louise, because of the shock, became mad.
“Relax, I am not mad.”
“B-but… the gate actually opened…”
“I have been depending for so long… On that foolish familiar. Even now, that idiot protected me!”
“Louise, Louise, calm down. Summon Servant is absolute. As long as the contracted familiar exists in this world, the gate can not open!”
“I thought so too. But he can’t be gone so easily.”
“Louise!” Montmorency shouted.
However, Louise's complexion doesn't change. There was unwavering power in her eyes.
“Believe.”
“…Believe?”
“Yes. Even if everyone in the world says 'Saito died', I will not believe it until I see it with my own eyes. Even if magic tells that he is dead, I will not believe it.”
She held her breath, amazed at Louise's strength.
“He said to me. ‘I will defend you no matter what’. And I believe in those words. Therefore, he is alive. Absolutely.”
Firmly watching straight in front, Louise said.
“That’s right, he is my familiar, and he cannot die without my permission, and I don’t permit it!”
Meanwhile, when Louise was falling down the tower…
In the Westwood Village, the devoted, tough practice continued at night.
Agnes decided the time to practice was like this:
Night, morning… and dinner.
Suddenly, a wooden sword was thrown. It was in the place of training.
The front yard of Tiffania's house…
In front of Saito, who wielded the wooden sword, Agnes was standing. Though Saito's breath was rough, Agnes' breathing was calm.
Saito set up the wooden sword, and Agnes swung hers and lowered it. Though he dodged it, his arm was severely hit, and the sword fell from it…
“Ugh…”
Saito held his arm while kneeling.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh, arm hurts.”
“It is natural. It's painful if you're hit. It is more painful if cut. Thus, it is good if it is a wooden sword.”
The wooden sword hit the ground next to Saito.
“Auh… why didn’t you hit me?”
“Think about it, dog.”
“I am a human, so-“
“Alright.”
Agnes said, beating Saito's head with the wooden sword, hard.
“…eh?”
“Think well. It is you who swung the sword previously. I, following, just swung my sword back. If you see it many times, you can remember an opponent’s sword movement. Matching it is the very point of a little training. The thorough analysis of technique.“
“But, when I attack Agnes-san, I cannot even touch you. Like the previous technique…”
“Range. I have judged the limits of your range. It can be easily tracked by the position of one’s feet. If I move, staying out of your range, your sword will never hit me.”
“Indeed.”
“Have you seen my sword movements?
Saito nodded.
Agnes set up the wooden sword.
“Alright. Range. Remember to keep it.”
And then… she swung it.
Saito bent exaggeratedly backwards in panic.
“Don’t look at the sword. Look at the legs.”
As she said… Saito watched Agnes' foot. Agnes started to slowly rise the sword.
Seeing Agnes's feet, Saito felt her natural range and pulled himself away.
“Do not try to block the sword with a sword. Dodge the opponent's attack.”
-swing swing- Agnes’s swings quickened with the course of time.
“When attacking for a moment, the swinging sword is lowered. If you move your body at that moment, when the opponent swings and lowers it, your attack can reach them. Measure the timing.”