Saito thought.
If someone started denying the rumors, it would cause even more rumors. But one could make a plausible “true” rumor, to avert curious eyes from the truth.
It was the right thing to do in order to manipulate the information.
He ran up to Louise and whispered.
“…but what have you told me about such a plan. Not much.”
“…I only said following the order of the Princess. Even allies should not know about the Void, thus I came up with an excuse.”
“You! You are not paying attention to my words. You are not listening to what I say at all!”
“It would be useless, as you cannot act, idiot.”
With a snort, Louise turned her face away and started walking.
“What’s the matter with you and your mistress; you are moody lately.”
Rene muttered.
Saito answered casually.
“Fuh. You are imagining things.” Hearing his words, Louise turned around.
“You were acting uneasy ever since we returned from giving that report, you were acting dejected and angry. That’s unusual.”
“I am not angry,” Saito repeated.
Louise gave a cold stare to Saito.
“Wha-what…”
With a snort, Louise turned around and walked away in silence. Saito, remembering his decision to ignore her, turned his face away as well.
However, Louise's destination was not Saito‘s tent.
“Hey, where's she going?”
She passed the port where two iron towers were lined up… past the arsenal blast-furnace… and the training grounds on the great plaza.
“Not to our corps.”
Rene said. Indeed, there was the tent of the dragon knight battalion headquarters, which they visited yesterday. For some reason she passed all the other tents and walked alone, looking around as if searching for someone.
Around there were 20 wind dragons tied to a stake, roaring and barking. It was dangerous going there so far away from other units.
There was only one person taking care of them.
It was the beautiful and tall priest of Romalia… Julio.
As if spoiling a lover, Julio patted the scruff of the wind dragon's neck. He was talking about something with the dragon. Seeing Louise heading straight towards Julio made Saito’s mood drop even more.
He ran after Louise. Rene followed Saito.
“Mister Cesar.”
When Louise called, a smile appeared on Julio's face. He approached Louise in a hoity-toity manner, took her hand and kissed it.
“Please inform me with an owl or pigeon next time. I would have escorted you.”
“No, I have a business concerning you and your wind dragon.” Louise said.
“Me and my wind dragon?”
“If you are free now, I would like to fly with you.”
Julio, without asking why, bowed with a smile plastered all over his face.
“Not everyday one gets the chance to help such a beautiful lady! There cannot be any question about it! Really, this is an unexpected pleasure!”
“What are you doing?! Stop playing around!”
Saito muttered in an unpleasant tone.
“That’s just how Romalians are.” Rene frowned.
“In any case, where should I fly you to?”
When Julio said that, Saito instantly forgot his oath to ignore and grabbed Louise’s shoulder.
“Hey, Louise.”
“What? You're in the way. Move it.”
Saito, after taking a few deep deep breaths, said,
“If you want to fly, why aren't you using my Zero Fighter? Why this foppish… No, why did you ask this priest of Romalia.”
*Snort* “Because you are unpleasant,” Louise said clearly.
“Huh?”
“He is well-mannered, gentle and smart. Moreover, he doesn’t have strange thoughts. T-T-Those strange thoughts. Anyone would be better.”
“But that doesn't matter when flying!”
“I will tell you clearly. When riding behind someone, it's better to ride behind a good-looking boy.”
The moment Louise said that, Saito's body hardened.
“…W-W-Wha-what?”
While dripping in cold sweat, only by thinking, Saito said - Louise pointed her finger at Saito.
“What? Jealous? Are you stupid? Whom are you comparing yourself against? Isn’t this handsome, well-dressed priest of Romalia, three, four, five, six-times better than a dog-mole; yet it compares itself against him and is jealous? Isn't it funny? Are you stuuupid? Why don’t you drop dead?”
“Y-you…”
Saito, as if suffocating, closed and opened his mouth few times. The flame of jealousy blazed up violently, almost burning his body up.
“Better luck next time. Since this handsome Priest and I are going on a secret duty, you can clean the tent meanwhile, since you made it dirty. Make sure to make it sparklingly clean. And do the laundry.”
Louise stuck her tongue out at Saito.
Julio, who had climbed on the dragon, called out to Loiuse.
“Ready to go, Miss Vallière.”
“Hold it! I'm coming!” Louise jumped onto the wind dragon.
“Please hold me tightly. You are a jewel of Tristain. There would be a great diplomatic problem if you were to fall!”
“You flirt!”
Louise, giving Saito a wide grin, wrapped her arms around Julio's waist. And, smugly, fixed her hair.
The wind dragon flapped his wings powerfully. Sand and dust flew off the ground, making Saito and others instinctively shut their eyes.
When they opened them, the wind dragon was already high in the sky, flying vividly. Feeling like a fool, Saito watched the wind dragon disappear.
“What’s with her?! What was that?! What an attitude!”
Saito pulled out Derflinger from his shoulder and brandished it in anger. Rene and others jumped away from Saito, panicking; watching him with blank surprise.
“Hey. Nooo, partner, I am also having a tough tiiime!”
“What was that?!”
“Someone, save me from this guyyy…”
“Take this and that! What malicious words!”
“Snap out of iiit… Listen to me, partner. Ah, well, don’t pay attention.”
Extending over the wind dragon, Louise looked down at the ground. The people at the tent were quickly becoming small. The look of blank surprise all over Saito’s face put an oversized grin on Louise’s face again. Look! Such a stupid expression on his face! Whaat? Feeling jealous?
“Bleeh!” Louise stuck her tongue out towards the ground again.
“Now then, where should I fly to?”
A voice coming from the front, brought Louise back.
“W-well…” she hesitated weather to say it or not.
“Where should we scout?” Julio repeated.
“F-from where do you know that it is a scouting mission?”
“Even a child could guess that! It can’t be anything but duty! But, one thing I cannot understand!”
“What?”
“A VIP researcher of the academy like you doing a scout's duty! Unimaginable! Don’t familiars usually work as scouts?”
Louise with her left hand tightly holding the Founder’s Prayer Book. In order not to lose it, she made a bag for it, reaching down her waist with a leather string over her.
“That’s a test from the upper department. To see… how good our researched magical weapons are. Surely all tests will be passed.”
“To check the good and bad sides.”
Louise nodded.
Louise started thinking about her legendary power – she learned that it was nothing more than just a gear in the giant country and army mechanisms. How much can you use it? What can you use it for? Can you use it for your own needs? The great generals also looked at me with those kind of eyes.
Though it is natural, there is no point in lying to myself. I am not Louise Françoise, I am a user of Void.