Louise stamped her feet. Beside her was the large mole that had dug the hole, Verdandi, and the intelligent sword, Derflinger. After making Guiche’s mole dig the hole, Louise had hid in it, popping her head up to quietly watch over Saito and Siesta. She had brought Derflinger along since she had some things she wanted to ask him.
“What's with that familiar?!”
Grumbling, she hit the wall of the hole with her fist.
“Don’t die Saito!” could be heard from the bench as Siesta tended to Saito. Louise had thrown the rock that had hit Saito in the head. It was unforgivable to kiss another girl since he was her familiar.
“Hey, noble girl.” said Derflinger with an expressionless voice.
“What? Start remembering my name already.”
“Who cares about that? Moreover, has it become popular to dig holes to watch over familiars?”
“Why would it be popular?”
“Then why are you peeping from this hole?”
“If I’m seen I’m going to look bad.” Louise said while glaring at the sword.
“Then isn’t it better to just stop peeping at him? It’s okay to leave him to do whatever he likes right?”
“No it’s not okay. That idiot familiar, without even consulting me, would spend a whole day f-f-f-flirting with that girl.”
Louise’s voice had started to shake when she reached the word “flirting.” She was quite angry.
“I might even be the legendary ‘Void’ mage yet I can’t even find anyone to talk it over with. I was even going to find that useless, incompetent fool of a familiar of mine but he was off somewhere f-f-f-flir…”
“F-f-f-flir—”
“Don’t copy me!”
“But, wasn’t throwing a rock a bit too much? My partner could have even died.”
Louise crossed her arms while sitting in the hole.
“Flirting somewhere without even fulfilling the duty of a familiar; he’s still 10 years early for that!”
“Jealousy.”
“No. You’re wrong.”
As Louise turned her blushing face away, Derflinger imitated Louise’s tone of speech.
“Why would he not try to kiss me?”
“Be quiet.”
“I was even pretending to be asleep. I’ll cry you know.”
“If you say that again, I will melt you with my ‘Void’ magic. I swear, I will melt you.”
Derflinger shook uncontrollably with laughter. Eyeing it with great distaste, Louise asked Derflinger.
“Hey, I guess there’s no one else to ask but you. A fine noble like me, is asking a rusty sword like you a question, be grateful.”
“What?”
Louise gave a slight cough. With a blushing face, she asked Derflinger in a tone of voice that desperately tried to savour any dignity she had.
“State in which areas that maid is more attractive than me, in a concise and easily understandable way.”
“What use is it in asking?”
“That’s none of your business. Just answer the question.”
“Jealousy.”
“I said that wasn’t it didn’t I?!”
“And you even passionately kissed me back then… I’ll cry you know.”
“Right, now to melt you.”
Louise firmly held her wand while muttering an incantation. Derflinger quickly answered in a panic. He couldn’t possibly withstand an explosion of magical light.
“O-Ok I understand! There’s no helping you is there?! Well firstly, that girl can cook.”
“I guess so. But so what. You can just order food.”
“Guys like girls like that. She also seems to be good at sewing.”
“I can also do that. I was taught by my mother you know.”
“You are like a lizard, and she is a dragon if one were to compare you two in sewing.”
“Next.”
“Well, the face… I guess it’s a matter of preference. You’re quite good in this area but that girl also has her own charm. But that girl has a weapon you don’t have.”
“What would that be?”
“Breasts.”
“People grow you know.”
Louise says as she stuck out her chest. A magnificently flat chest.
“How old are you?”
“Sixteen.”
“Oh. Grown up already. No hope left.”
Louise started muttering an incantation.
“Wait! Stop! Hey! Guys naturally like girls with large breasts. He literally was off in fairyland when he had a bath with that girl.”
Derflinger said, as fury started to fill Louise’s eyes.
“What? What did you say just now?”
“Eh? When they bathed together…”
Derflinger explained the incident where Saito and Siesta took a bath together.
Louise had been deeply inhaling and exhaling. She was shaking uncontrollably with anger. Derflinger decided to keep quiet after being scared by her, something rare for a sword like him to feel.
Meanwhile the mole had popped its head up from the hole. It had seen the glad figure of its master who had been searching for it. Kneeling down, Guiche put his arms around his familiar and rubbed his cheek against it.
“Ah! I was looking for you Verdandi! You cute hairy thing! What on Halkeginia have you been doing, digging a hole here like this? Hm? Eh, Louise?”
Guiche looked perplexed as he peered in the hole to find Louise.
“Why are you in this hole?”
With a troubled expression, Verdandi looked at both Guiche and Louise. Guiche gave a slight nod and started to speak in a convinced manner.
“I understand Louise. You let Verdandi dig the hole, so that you could go looking for earthworms? In the mood for concocting beauty serums I see. And your familiar seems to be occupied with that maid from the dining hall as well…”
Guiche said, as he glanced over at the scene of Siesta nursing Saito. Just as usual, Saito was unconscious. Siesta was clinging to his chest and making a big fuss.
“Ahaha! You’ll have to work hard on your beauty to win back that familiar of yours! Being taken by a peasant girl…your honour will surely be ruined!”
“Crap.” Derflinger muttered.
Louise grabbed onto Guiche’s ankles and pulled him into the hole. In a mere two seconds she finished him off. The mole worryingly prodded its nose against Guiche’s unconscious face. Clenching her fists, she muttered in a low voice.
“Next up is him.”
“Seems like this ‘zero' is a hundred times more scary than the previous ones.” Derflinger said to himself.
Rubbing his sore head, Saito returned back to Louise’s room to find Louise simply sitting cross-legged on the bed staring at the window.
The room was dim. It was already evening but Louise hadn’t turned any lights on. Saito felt a slight shiver down his spine from the ominous atmosphere.
“Is anything wrong Louise? Isn’t the room a bit dark?”
Louise didn’t reply. She simply kept her back to Saito. She seemed to be in a bad mood. What could she be angry about? Saito wondered.
“Quite a late time to return isn’t it? What have you been doing?” Louise asked without moving an inch. Her tone of voice was cold, but it didn’t seem like she was angry. Saito gave a sigh of relief and replied.
“I met up with Siesta in the Vestri courtyard. She said she had something to give me. And then a rock from nowhere hit my head… it really hurt.”
“Really. Must have been divine punishment. By the way, I have something to say to you… so sit on the floor.”
“Eh, the floor?”
“You dog.”
“Ah, back to dog~”, muttered Saito as he slowly backed towards the door. Don’t curse the gods, as they say. Heck, Louise was scarier than a god. Was it because of the Founder or the Void magic, he didn’t know, but it was Louise – who had annihilated all the enemy ships with a single spell.