And that light... was also shining on Saito's beautifully dressed master.
Saito swallowed his saliva. The fatigue from the day's manual labor started to fly away.
Louise was sitting on a chair beside the table. Crossing her legs, her hair had been done with a barrette just like some time before. And... Her divine appearance also included the “Charming Faeries' Bustier”. The black bustier made Louise's beauty even more prominent.
Gaping, Saito just stared at her.
“How long do you intend to put on that stupid expression? Come on, let us eat.” Louise said in an awkward tone. A feast had been lined up on the table.
“What is this?!”
“I made those.”
Saito stared at Louise, who seemed to be embarrassed.
“Seriously?”
“I had Jessica teach me.”
Looking at Louise, who blushed and said that, Saito's heart throbbing intensified. The line of the center of her upper body became a mesh, allowing her white skin to peak through. The black bustier fitted her perfectly, making her body's lines more pronounced. The considerably short-lengthed pannier was overturned around her waist at an apologetic level. It looked more erotic than her naked.
Saito unintentionally averted his eyes. He felt like he'd go crazy if he stared at her. Whether he felt he'd go crazy because he had already been in love with her, or if it was because of the “Attraction” magic that was cast on the bustier, Saito did not know, but... there was one certain thing.
It was charming.
But without being able to say that, Saito spoke in an angry voice.
“...Weren't you going to wear that and service the customers to your heart's content?”
“If I let them touch, you would slap me, right?”
Louise replied in a pouting manner.
“Well, let's eat.”
Saito nodded, and began to eat the food Louise made. But... blood had rushed to his head and prevented him from figuring out the taste. This was probably bad. But, either way was fine. Louise made it. That was progress.
“How is the taste?”
Louise asked.
“I-isn't it delicious?”
Saito answered in a manner to avoid the main point.
“I cleaned up the room. How is it?”
“Whew, it's quite something.”
“But, how about, me?”
Leaning on her elbow, Louise leaned and peered at Saito.
The light of morning plunged in through the skylight. The morning light covered the attic, invigorating it. He had firmly shut his mouth up until now, but Saito finally thought up some words.
“Très bien.”
“...At least compliment me with a different word.”
Louise sighed. Is an attraction magic really cast on this? What? Even though I was thinking of having him treat me kindly. His attitude is the same as ever. As if he is mad, as if he is troubled, that kind of attitude.
Boring. I thought he would court me like an idiot if I wore this. Then I would treat him as coldly as possible. It's too late to realize how charming your master is! What, you idiot? Don't touch me. But, yeah, when you said “The only one that can touch Louise is me!”, I was a bit happy for some reason, so I'll allow a little bit. But, a little. Only a little, got it?
Even though she imagined that, despite her spending the whole day to prepare, Saito only looked elsewhere.
How boring Louise thought sourly.
In the end, Louise never realized it.
Saito had been madly in love with her since a long time ago... so, that “Attraction” magic was already meaningless.
Story 2: The Encounter with the Flame and the Friendship with the Wind
Chapter 1
Well, this was the Tristain Magic Academy. The summer vacation had just started and in the dorm, two nobles were killing time.
They were Kirche the “Ardent” and Tabitha the “Snowstorm”. Kirche was laying lazily on Tabitha’s bed in a very immodest pose. She had undone all her shirt buttons and was fanning her large chest with her hand. Kirche did like the heat but could not stand warmth.
She was not able to control the boiling heat in the sun-baked room.
“Hey Tabitha, would you mind making some wind for me?”
Tabitha waved her staff without looking up from her book.
“Give me a cold one. One that will cool me to the bone, just like your second name.”
As expected, there was some ice mixed in the wind. The snowy wind immediately cooled Kirche’s body.
“Ahh- that feels good.”
Drinking in Tabitha’s cool wind, Kirche finally took off her shirt. She crossed her legs in a manner that would never be seen by any of her dozen of male friends that worshipped her like a goddess.
She gazed at Tabitha who was reading her book the whole time. Tabitha did not shed a single drop of sweat, as she was completely immersed in her book. “Maybe her second name ‘Snowstorm’ cools her body as well as her mind,” Kirche murmured.
“Hey ‘Snowstorm’? You really like to read books don’t you? Just like a Protestant. Could that be the popular Protestant book about the ‘The Practical Doctrine’?”
“The Practical Doctrine” was a book that the Protestant sect of religion recited by following the interpretation of the book “The Founder’s Prayer Book,” that recorded the great deeds and teachings of the Founder, Brimir.
Although every version of “The Founder’s Prayer Book” claimed to be the “original,” their contents were slightly different. Furthermore, there were theories that “The Founder’s Prayer Book” was written hundreds of years after the fall of the Founder Brimir. “The Founder’s Prayer Book” that had been passed down through the Tristain royal family didn’t even have words in it. Therefore, many theologians interpreted it in such a sketchy way so that it would improve the political powers of the Halkeginia’s churches and themselves. The main body practitioners of the “Practical Doctrine” started in the religious center of the country Romania and was built of commoners who wanted to reform the corrupted churches that exploited people. This soon became an international circumstance. It spread out from commoners and farmers, they stripped power and land from the monks and priests, but no one knew for sure if their practices and interpretation was right. The only one that could possibly answer that was the Founder Brimir himself.
Tabitha closed her book and showed Kirche the title. It wasn’t a religious book, but an ancient magical research book.
“Just reading,” said Tabitha.
“I know. In any case there is no way you're a Protestant. Ahh, it’s really hot today. REALLY hot. That’s why I invited you to go to Germania with me. It’s much cooler there.”
Tabitha reopened her book and continued reading. Kirche, who knew the situation of Tabitha’s family, decided to invite her to the Zerbst House, but Tabitha would not agree to come. With no other choice, Kirche decided to keep Tabitha company in the Magic Academy.
She couldn’t stand to leave Tabitha alone.
“We're probably the only ones who would remain in this kind of sauna.”
Kirche thought about having a water bath in the courtyard. Since all the students and teachers had left and gone back to their homes, there shouldn’t be any danger of peeping Toms.
But then…
A scream was heard from the floor below.
Kirche and Tabitha exchanged a quick glance.
Kirche quickly put on her shirt and jumped out of the room with her wand. Tabitha soon followed behind her.
In a room a floor below, another pair of students were in the middle of a quarrel.
“What were you thinking?!”
“Um, I’m… I thought it was hot, and I was trying to help you!”