48 School Life Again

48 School Life Again

Osmand, the headmaster of Tristain Academy of Magic, stared out the observation window at the disturbingly magical goings-on in the courtyard. He always observed the summoning ritual, just in case something untoward showed up and he had to deal with it. It hadn't happened yet and that didn't stop him from watching each and every second year class as they performed the ritual.

This time, Osmand had frozen stiff when a human, a very powerful and magical human, appeared during Miss La Vallière's insanely worded summon spell. Who calls upon the multiverse to have a basic familiar show up? No one! It was insane to cast so wide of a net!

The old man sighed as he felt Mister Colbert approach his office at a run. He was sure to get an earful about the potentially evil person that had shown up and then cast extremely powerful magic without any of their structured training. He sat there and listened for a good ten minutes before Colbert ran out of steam.

“Your complaint is that the summons didn't attack anyone, showed strong magic, and changed the familiar bond into a partnership.” Osmand said and Colbert nodded several times before he realized what he was agreeing to. “Why did you rush here to tell me instead of looking out for the rest of the students?”

Mister Colbert opened his mouth to defend himself and realized he couldn't. He didn't have any real reason to distrust the new summons, and had rushed off, only because he despised the young man. He normally didn't make such rash decisions right off the bat and he wondered why he had this time.

“I see you've cottoned onto something.” The old headmaster said with a knowing smile. “Perhaps a few hours of reflection will let you know what happened.”

Mister Colbert nodded, bowed to him, and left at a fast walk.

“He's going to completely forget about this in about an hour.” The old man's secretary said.

“Miss Longueville, it's not nice to disparage a colleague's shortcomings.” Osmand said as a small mouse leapt out from under the woman's desk and up into his waiting hand. “Black lace, you say?”

“UGH!” Miss Longueville growled and sent a knockout spell at the old man, whom easily knocked it away with his staff.

“You can't blame a helpless creature for admiring your wares, Miss Longueville.” Osmand postulated.Th.ê most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m

“No, I can't. However, I can blame you for teaching him how to do it, you perverted old bastard!” The secretary said and shot off spell after spell that the old man easily dodged. “Stand still, dammit!”

The old man laughed and the mouse squeaked, teasingly. The old man would never tell his secretary that he already knew she masturbated at least once a week to relieve her frustration over not being allowed to marry at her proper social station.

“Sir!” Mister Colbert exclaimed as he ran back into the office and interrupted the normal cat-and-mouse game that the old man and his secretary played every few days. The sexual tension could be cut with a knife, it was so thick. “What do we do with this weird familiar?”

The old man sat down behind his desk and looked pensive. “He's not a normal familiar, obviously.” The headmaster said and rubbed his chin. “Perhaps a few days of observation will give us a view into the young man's secrets, eh?”

Mister Colbert nodded and left the office again. It was such a relief for him to get the top authority to investigate how this travesty had happened. It would never occur to the slightly scatterbrained balding man that he wouldn't need the headmaster's help in covering up that anything happened to the heir of such a prominent family during his class. Messages were already being sent out by the other students about the entire thing.

*

“No, no. This won't do.” I said when we arrived in Louise's room.

“What's wrong with it?” Louise asked and glared at me. “Don't you want to live with the daughter of an important and prominent noble?”

I gave her a smile and put a hand on her shoulder. “I meant this small room isn't befitting your station. Or mine.” I pointed to the mound of straw on the floor. “I am not going to sleep there, no matter what you think.”

Louise started to blush and then she went angry again. “What right do you have to question...”

I plucked her wand out of her hand.

“Hey! Give that back!” Louise almost shouted.

“Do you have another? I heard what the other students were saying about you blowing things up and regularly burning your wands out.” I said and she blushed. I moved my hand up from her shoulder to pat the top of her head. “It's all right now, Miss La Vallière. I've already stabilized your magic and you have the same affinity as Kirche. Fire.”

“WHAT?!?” Louise gasped.

“I believe your fiery temper gives you too much power and that's why you were blowing things up when trying to cast a spell. Your frustration poured too much magic into the spells and they backfired.” I explained and she stared at me. “I assume you were already taught how to channel your magic into a spell to get it to work?”

Louise nodded. “It... it always explodes. Always.” She said and tears came to her eyes. “That's why...”

“Hush.” I said and moved my hand back down to her shoulder to give it a slight squeeze. “From now on, you will no longer be what they say. Trust me.”

Louise sighed and looked up into my eyes. “Why do I believe you?”

I tried to not laugh at her non-answer answer. “I meant today. When is the next meal?”

“In about half an hour. Our spellcasting class ran a little long today.”

That I did laugh at. “That was completely your fault for trying to impress so many people with how powerful you are.”

Louise looked both embarrassed and proud.

“Speaking about being around the other students, can you show me what a proper male noble wears normally? My casual clothes aren't good enough for people to see me wearing, apparently.”

Louise looked at my pants and shirt before she let out a sigh and walked over to the door. “I suppose I have no choice but to show you. I don't want you to embarrass me.”

“That's the spirit!” I said and walked over to her. “Who are we going to see?”

“I have to return Guiche's wand before he freaks out about losing it.” Louise said and led me out into the hallway. As she walked away, I cast a lock spell on the door and an alert ward to let me know if anyone tried to break in.

We left the wing the females stayed in and entered the one where the males stayed. I did not point out the obvious about me staying in her room when I should be segregated like the others. She reached an open door and we both heard the blond ponce shouting about how I was a coward for stealing his wand and for attacking him unprovoked.

Louise set her face to show no emotions and knocked on the door frame. The two startled and their nearly identical girlish screams made me laugh, so I had to turn away and cover my mouth as I coughed to try and cover it up.

“What are you doing here, Louise the Zero?” The blonde girl with long ringlets of hair asked. “You're interrupting me consoling my boyfriend.”

Louise held up the wand that was wrapped with a rose. “My familiar...”

“Partner.” I interrupted and corrected her.

“...found this and gave it to me. I thought I would be nice and return it, rather than break it or throw it away, Montmorency.” Louise said, quite pointedly.

The blonde girl nodded, albeit reluctantly. “My boyfriend graciously accepts your apology and the return of his stolen property.”

Louise let her face show anger and bit her tongue, probably to not escalate things.

I had no such qualms, however. “She has nothing to apologize for, you ungrateful bitch.” I said and plucked the rose wand out of Louise's hand. “Since you accepted on his behalf, then you can be responsible for this.” I snapped the wand in half and threw the pieces at her feet. “Oh, look! It must have broken when he dropped it. How unfortunate for you. Maybe his cowardly foot stepped on it as he ran away?”

Both she and her boyfriend gasped. Louise just stared at me like I was crazy.

“Just so you know, if you keep verbally attacking my partner like you always do, your wand will be mysteriously dropped and stepped on every time.” I said and looked right at the blond ponce. “Do you understand?”

“You are buying me a new wand.” Guiche said, his face angry.

“Why? Montmorency had possession of it. She even said so.” I said and he closed his mouth. “Again, fair warning. Keep up with the attitude and you won't like what happens.”

“How dare you threaten a high noble of this kingdom!” Montmorency shouted.

“I'll do more than threaten him if you don't shut up.” I said and Guiche put a hand on her arm.

“You have made a grave mistake this day.” Guiche said. “I am Guiche de Gramont and my family...”

I pointed my wand at the floor and cast ice. The entire room was instantly covered in an inch of ice. “Only one family name? How... plebeian.” I said and my breath let out a cloud of steam from the cold. “It's you that made the mistake with your arrogance and self-entitlement. Go ahead and call your lesser family and call in some favors. I can't wait to see you try to put me in my place.”

Guiche didn't say anything in response.

“Before you do that, have your girlfriend tell you what I did after you fled.” I said and cast a detection spell. It gave me a full mapping of the area 200 feet around me and I 'saw' the clothing the ponce had in his closet. “Perhaps you should rethink your life choices as your things thaw out.”

Louise let me take her hand and I led her back down the hallway. “He's right, you know. That was a mistake to make him an enemy.”

“He's not my enemy. Not yet.” I said, loud enough for it to carry. “My enemies don't live very long.”

Louise kept quiet as we went back to her rooms. I had some clothes to transfigure to make myself more presentable and I couldn't make a school uniform because I wasn't enrolled. How unfair was that?