With all her clothes taken off, Louise, wearing only Saito’s parka, pouted.
“Still want to go for a walk?”
Giving it to Siesta will have to wait for tomorrow night, Saito thought, now wearing only a T-shirt. Even though it was an early summer, the climate in Halkeginia was very different from Japan. Walking this way, he would catch a cold. Without a doubt, Louise knew that too.
“There are more important things than the night wind, don’t you agree~? And a partner who doesn’t serve his master is no good, don’t you agree~?”
Louise said, while lying down on her stomach and swinging her feet.
Reluctantly, Saito sat on the bed.
“Understood.”
Louise, lying down on the bed, began to read the Founder's Prayer Book.
“Isn’t it all blank?”
“I can read it.”
Louise showed “The Ruby of Water” on her finger to Saito and explained its relation to the Founder’s Prayer Book.
“Hee, Element of Void…”
Saito remembered the magical light, which blew off the fleet that day.
‘Void’. The legendary element that Founder Brimir used…
And, I am a Familiar that Founder Brimir is said to have used - 'Gandálfr'.
The legendary Familiar that has the ability to master all kinds of weapons, in order to protect the Founder, while he casts his spells…
“Then you are the strongest wizard in this world? Cool! Destroying with one swing.”
“I wouldn’t say so. I haven’t said this to princess-sama since I didn’t want to disappoint her…”
With a sigh Louise took the wand.
“Wh-what?”
After that, Louise slowly began uttering an incantation.
“Eor Sun Fuir…”
“S-stop! Idiot!”
It would be terrible if such explosion were to happen in a place like this. However, Louise didn't stop chanting.
“Yarunsakusa..”
Finishing the chant uninterrupted. Louise lifted the wand. Saito dug himself into his pile of hay, scattering the straw all around.
And then Louise’s eyes rolled back and she crumbled to the bed suddenly.
“L-L-L-Louise? Louise!”
Saito shook Louise in panic. After being shaken for a while, Louise opened her eyes.
“Auuu…”
“Wh-what? What’s wrong?!”
Shaking her head Louise got up abruptly.
“Stop making such a fuss. I only fainted for a moment.”
“Eh? Eeeh?!”
“Been chanting 'Explosion' till the last minute, but nothing… After that time, no matter how much I chant, I faint in the middle of it. The explosion only happened once.”
“What kind of thing?”
“I think the reason may be that the willpower is insufficient.”
“Willpower?”
“Right. Willpower is consumed when the magic is chanted. Didn’t you know?”
“How could I know such a thing?”
Then, Louise sat up straight demurely, lifted a the finger and started explaining, proud as a peacock.
“Listen, the number of elements that a mage uses can be increased, and his class changes accordingly. A mage who can use only one element is a dot. Ability to have two – makes one a line. Being able to use three - triangle. Spells are also applied to the class. The spells from three elements are called 'Triangle spells'. Each time the spell class rises, the consumption of willpower doubles.”
“Haa.”
“For instance, the line spell would cost the mage eight willpower, but when that mage decides to use the dot spell, only four of his willpower will be consumed. The cost depends on each person individually, however the same rule applies to all.”
“Haa.”
“The main point is, that mage could cast two ‘Dot’ spells instead. Eight divided by four is two. Therefore, you could cast the spell twice. But when you cast a line spell only once, because twice of the willpower consumed, and eight divided by eight is one.”
“Haa.”
“When the line mage grows up to a triangular mage, consumption of the willpower spent on dot spells decreases by half. Therefore, four divided by two - two, he can use the dot spell four times. The line spell can be used twice. Triangular spell – one time. That’s because the mage grows up.”
“Haa. In other words, the low class spells can be chanted many times, while the high class spells can be chanted only so many times.”
“Right. So now you understand the relation between spells and willpower?”
“Somehow. Then, you fainting a little while ago…”
“Yeah. I fainted a while ago because I overworked and used up my willpower. The spell was too strong and my willpower was insufficient.”
“Then, why were you able to cast it the other day?”
“Well… Really why… I wonder myself…”
“How does willpower recover?”
“Basically, it recovers while sleeping.”
Saito thought while folding his arms together.
“Ummm… Well, up till now, you haven’t used many spells correctly?”
“Well, yes.”
“Therefore you collected a lot of willpower, right? And that time you used it all up at once.”
Louise made a startled face.
“For instance, let's assume that your willpower is 100. The ‘Explosion', consumed all 100 at once. While usually the willpower is recovered while sleeping at night, the amount needed is too large for you… Since it is as much as 100, you cannot store that much just with one night of sleep.”
Saito plainly stated his hypothesis.
“What? To me it seems that it might be the end of your magic.”
However, Louise's face was serious.
“It might be so..”
“Eh? Eeeh?”
“Applying the Earth magic Square Class spell ‘Wrought Gold’, gold can be created. But do you know why the world still uses money?”
“Eh?”
“It is said the square mages simply cannot chant the square spells many times. It’s too unreliable, one time the recovery might take one week, the other – one month. Besides, the amount of gold you could convert this way is too little. Therefore money is used instead of gold.”
“Hmmm…”
“In other words, powerful spells use up more willpower and take more time to recover. For me, it might be so as well.”
“Then…when would you be able to chant again.....”
“Don’t know. I… One month or maybe one year…”
Louise pondered.
“Ten years.”
“Don’t say such scary thing.”
“But, it was successful.”
“Oh well. No one can understand ‘Void’ fully. Anyways, the incantation’s power was demonstrated. There are no other spells like this one.”
“It’s too little now. Uuu, my hay…” Saito said while watching the scattered around pieces of straws.
“Isn’t it all right? Even if there is no pile of hay.”
Louise muttered, blushing for some reason.
“Haa”, Saito held his breath once he noticed something. What! He became crazy from the view that Louise gave him, not aware of it herself. The parka’s hem had rolled up to Louise’s buttocks. Just a little more, mooore, he peeked.
Saito instinctively held his nose. Due to Saito’s gesture, Louise finally became aware that the parka rolled up. Instantly she sprang to her feet and held down the Parka’s hem while blushing.
“Na! You saw! You saw, you saw! You saaaaaw!”
“I-it’s your fault for not wearing panties!” Saito shouted as well.
“I cannot sleep with them! It was always that way!”
“Always, huh?!”
Then Louise bit her lower lip and, with some rustling, slipped under the futon.
“Sleep.”
Saito reluctantly slipped behind the blanket’s edge. He heard the voice of a sulky Louise within the futon.