Zero no Tsukaima

Volume 14 9

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Chapter 9: Memories of the bond[]

The Water Spirit Knights rushed towards the Panzer hitting down 8 Jörmungandr in succession.

" Saito! That’s Saito!"

Looking at the flying chevalier’s cape hanging on the antenna, Malicorne yelled.

"Incredible! A cannon installed on a giant steel box!"

Just as Saito explored from the hatch, he was tightly surrounded by the Ondine Knights.

"Sorry I’m late~~"

Faced with his companion’s warm welcomes, Saito shyly said. Guiche, with bandaged hands himself, hung on Saito’s wrists with watery eyes.

"I, I, I.... always believed in that, that, you would, would come back..... You’re vice-captain...."

"Alright,alright~"

Then Gimili gently lifted Louise on top on the turret.

"Saito, your master. Other than fainting...., there should be no damage overall...."

Saito stared at Louise, the pure white nun clothes were almost ripped to shreds, on her cheeks quite a few areas were stained with blood and dust.

Saito thought "Obviously, must have gotten into trouble again."

Although against war so much..... actually going to the front lines, for my sake, forced to join this war by contracts...

"Stupid...."

Saito softly blamed.

Did she want to let himself go home that much, Saito gently touched Louise’s cheeks with his hands.

.....Slowly, Louise awoke.

Widening her eyes to the unknown teen in front of her

".....who, are you?"

Suddenly realizing him stroking her own cheeks, Louise pushed Saito away with sudden force and jumped onto the ground.

"De-Despicable!"

Guiche and the others went "Ohhh....." and slapped their hands to their foreheads.

"What are you talking about? You’re...."

Saito looked at Louise with shock, did she completely forgot about him? Did she hit her head somewhere?

Guiche and the others shook their heads with "Oh no Oh no"s and told Saito

"Seems like Tiffania’s magic was used to, remove all memories about you."

"Oh?"

Saito looked at Louise, dumbfounded.

That "erasing memory" magic? Used? Really?

Under great shock, Saito asked Louise

"It’s me, did you really forget?"

"Uh-huh......" Louise made a low pitched whine like a wild cat angry. Saito found a feeling of helplessness all over his body.

Really....this idiot...., always making decisions on her own, doing whatever she wants.....

"I said, you..... what were you thinking! Really, the word dumb is designed especially for you...."

"Who, who’s dumb?! Where are your manners!"

"Erasing memories about other people on your own..... what were you thinking!"

With mixed emotions of anger and sorrow, Saito shook his head.

Such a fickle girl. Louise only sent me back for because of my situation. A truly gentle child.

But then again, you didn’t need to forget about me as soon as I’m gone, can’t you still have a bright tomorrow without doing that.....

If we were in each other’s shoes, I would never choose so. I would Definitely always remember each other, treating it as a treasure of being alive...."

Obviously, looking at this peach-haired girl, this kind of thoughts never came to her.

"Is that so, is that so, did you really want to forget about me that much! Yes, I might have done something to make you angry...., but did I try my best to live on either!"

Saito submitted to his anger and yelled. If that were the Louise before she lost her memories, this is not something Saito would have dared said in front of her.

"You did something to make me angry ~~?"

Seeing Saito like this, Guiche couldn’t help but shake his head

"Wrong."

"What?"

"You really don’t understand a girl’s feelings! This proves your importance in Louise’s heart, something irreplaceable! Seeing each other is impossible, her feelings to you were unbearable."

Guiche’s words hit Saito, the previous anger turned into feelings of love.

Thinking of me that much....

Saito looked at Louise with eyes filled of enthusiasm.

Louise somehow also blushed.

Jumping down from the tank, he held Louise’s hands.

"Wh-What...."

Louise turned her head to one side.

"It’s me, Saito Hiraga. Also called Saito, Saito Chevalier De Hiraga. Your familiar, did you forget, did you completely forget?"

"Saito.....? Familiar?"

Louise couldn’t help but repeat the name she’d heard so many times. Then.... this teen is her familiar? Yet, to her, there is no recognition at all.

"That, listen to me, Louise, you let Tiffania use the ’forget’ magic and erased your own memory!"

"Oh? And why would I ever do that?"

"That, em, er, love~~. It’s what you had towards me, though it sounds a little embarrassing, deeply loved me. Just like...."

"Love? Who towards whom?"

"You, loved me."

Saito nodded softly with a red face and confirmed, then "Thunk", between his legs came a brutal kick. Saito fell to the ground in slow motion.

"Let me ask again, who, towards whom?"

Saito squeezed his hands between legs and yelled

"Everyone, you tell this little dumb girl, this innocent girl, how much she loved and wished for me!"

Malicorne whispered quietly in Louise’s ears

"This guy is out of his minds."

The other boys pressed him immediately

"Hey, fatty!"

"No....., uh, that came out accidentally, it’s better to be companions, you know."

Guiche shook his head and told Louise

"-Sigh, how should I put it, just like what Saito said, whether you loved him or not, through magic you erased all memories about him, that is completely true."

The Ondine knights all nodded their heads in confirmation, seeing this, Louise said "Understand" and hung her head.

"So you finally believe me!.... Such a heavily suspicious girl."

"However, saying I love this kind of guy is completely out of your mind!"

"Ohh, about that, we’re not to sure ourselves...."

"Guiche!"

"Can’t help it, love really can’t be seen through attitude, you know."

"Beside, let me clearly say it right now, you are way off from the type I like!"

Louise pointed towards Saito and announced. Saito completely lost his face after hearing.

"No way...."

"Wow, so cruel~~"

Gimili spoke.

"Not, not necessarily, I guess"

Malicorne rasped with a rough voice.

"You may possibly be my familiar, also, I should thank you for saving me just now. However, I am ’Saint of Aquileia’, a girl completely pure! My love is devoted across the entire Halkenia, across all Brimir believers, not to people like you...."

Louise pointed to the wobbling Saito,

"You commoner faced guy!"

"This might be too... don’t think he can ever stand up again."

Reinard said with a face full of sorrow and sympathy.

"Looks like it’s more and more possible now."

Malicorne’s breathing became heavy.

Guiche almost gave compassionate tears seeing poor Saito like this; Colbert, Kirche and Tabitha also came out from the tank and watch this scene play out interestingly.

Since some time ago, Romalian soldiers started to gather around interestingly to watch what’s going on.

".......Urg"

Shakily, Saito stood up.

"Do you understand? If so then go attack the enemy, kill every one of those Gallian bunch, come on, aren’t you my familiar! Get to work!"

Waving her hand, Louise said cheekily.

"Commoner faced....? Perhaps that’s true, but Louise, do you know what you did to this commoner face?"

"Oh? What are you talking about, we’re in the middle of a Crusade! Go and get to--"

"Crusade so what!? Your holiness and all go eat my shorts!"

"Such insolence..."

Louise raised her hand and prepared to slap Saito, but Saito caught it in midair tightly.

"Pretended to be asleep."

"Huh?"

"You kissed me when I was pretending to be asleep."

"What, What are you talking about!/"

Saito continued under a burst of unknown enthusiasm.

"Saying ’you may sleep on my bed’ with a blushing face to me."

"Wa-wait! Know your place....."

"Boat, on the boat, you allowed me to ’touch any part of your master’s body’."

The gathered crowd broke into whispers of astonishment.

"Louise, pretty brave, aren’t you."

"Did, did not say these kind of things! This guy is lying!"

"Wearing a black cat’s dress, you said ’You are my master today~’; In Albion you told me, ’Hurry up and do it to me’."

"Louise is incredible!"

"Let’s see how she defend This."

"Even more intense than Saito"

"How strong a love potion will need to be to have that kind of effect...."

Hearing this kind of murmurs, Saito openly said

"There was no love potion."

"Just what I thought, this is really incredible!"

Malicorne said and put his hand on Louise’s shoulders,..... with one sweep of her leg, Malicorne’s fat body flew to the distant universe.

"Don’t, stop telling lies!"

Louise’s flying leg was stopped by Saito’s tight ones this time.

"All of the are true. Louise, frankly, compared to that,.... you are really it. I may be a dreaming commoner’s face, but you are even worse. Honestly, there’s no one above you."

"In-insolent! Some-Someone, tie this guy up for me, treat it as a questioning! Insulting the saint of Aquileia with lies....."

"But, that’s exactly the you I like...."

Saying so, Saito suddenly hugged Louise, and planted a kiss. Louise blushed to her roots just as suddenly.

His body just reacted that way.

For an unknown reason, like Brimir in his dreams telling him to do it.

"The bond between a void user and his familiar is unbreakable."

That’s right.

A unbreakable bond even in different worlds,.... how can it disappear from just magic?

Both lips kissed tightly by Saito, Louise let him go his own way, both hands raised highly limped slowly, through the tightly linked lips, something seemed to be flooding Louise.

A warm current of warmth slowly filled up the crack in her heart, letters without recipients began to named, completed.

Blank memories started having its shape, colors.

Fouquet’s Golem, traversing through Albion.... spiking every single part of her memories, simultaneously, every sorts of events surfaced as well, happy ones, embarrassing ones.

All of what Saito just said were also freshly imprinted in them.

"Chirp", their lips parted, Louise cried out intensely

"Saito!"

"Did you finally remember,..... this is great!"

"W-w-w-w-w-why...."

Louise’s pair of eyes were overwhelmed with tears.

"What?"

"Why didn’t you go back like a good boy"

Louise thumped Saito’s chest gently with fists.

"Do I need to explain, of course it’s because I have you."

Hearing this, Louise couldn’t hold back any longer, pulling Saito towards her and kissed him deeply.

But soon she realized everyone around looking and pushed Saito away with sudden force.

"W-wait! We’re still-still in a battle, what are you doing."

"You started it, besides, don’t send other people back when you feel like it!"

Louise’s lips trembled, trying to say something but couldn’t. Eventually, crystal clear tears dropped from her eyes and cried.

"Because..., because Saito saw a letter from your mother and cried...., you looked so sad, compared to me, didn’t you want to go home more.... I thought Saito can only have true happiness only after going home....."

Saito lifted Louise’s head gently and said

"My own future, should be chosen by myself. My happiness, I’m sure is already here...."

Uncontrollably, the two hugged each other tightly. This time, Malicorne flew towards them using magic and separated both of them.

"OK~, show’s over.... ok? Otherwise, big brother is really going to be angry~"

Baring a fearsome smile, Malicorne threw a Crusade’s flag into Saito’s face.

"Now, we’re in a Crusade....~"

Saito and Louise both stood up, blushing, intentionally coughing with an "ahem" together.

Saito let Louise sit on the seat of the tank commander’s.

"Enemies.... how much are left?"

Guiche asked.

"All of them fled? If there were more, they would have attacked us."

Reinard answered.

Saito looked towards the deepest part of the Valley.

This.... has not ended, Saito felt.

"Anyhow, let’s advance forward for now. Leaving them behind would be troublesome."

The teens nodded their heads in agreement, surrounding the Panzer and went into formation.

"Everyone distant yourself a little behind, you don’t have much armor."

The steel tiger, once again, set forward to the depths of "Tiger’s highway", followed closely by the Ondine Knights. After seeing them disappear into the canyon, the Romalian army also followed inside.

Deepest parts of the Canyon....

Inn street, Sheffield gazed at a portrait of Joseph on her hands. On her face is a face of shock that cannot be faked. The large force of Jörmungandr turned into 2 in almost a blink of an eye.

Enemy’s long ranged cannon.... the Jörmungandr’s prided armor was merely paper in front of its power.

What should be done to achieve victory?

Herself..... is Joseph’s most talented commanders, this must be done....

Seeing Gandálfr coming to his master’s aid, Sheffield’s head went hot, and used an incorrect method of approaching.

When fighting strong enemies, you should always retreat in and wait in the shadows, patiently waiting to make good use of any mistakes.

--The basics out of basics in warfare tactics.

Myozunitonirun would be out of words if the heard this....

Because of exactly this.....Sheffield rambled.

"Joseph does not actually need me in meaning."

The same as anyone else...., that’s why, her existence was permitted.

Yet those two are different.

They have a strong desire for each other. The reason why she lost was not because of Gandálfr, even less, the weapon from a parallel world.

But it’s that "bonding".

In a split second, Sheffield felt her whole body almost shaking from anger.

As more Jörmungandr could be made, there was always the chance to fight again.

Even if it’s a complete loss, that "steel box" must be brought down.

Sheffield started to collect barrels of gunpowder from the ship which fell out of the sky.

Finally, the panzer arrived at Inn street. What came into sight, was a wasteland made only in one day.

There seemed to be no trace of the enemy at all.

"None.... all fled?"

"Look closely for me."

Louise said to Saito, popping out her head from the hatch.

"You should look closely, can’t you see the outside better on your side."

The disadvantage of the tank is its small field of view. If one wants to look around, coming out of the tank is a must.

At right this moment, the wooden barrels placed around the structures exploded.

"Waaah! What happened!"

The original street trapped in the middle of the valley instantly turned into a stew of fog and smoke, from before, a tiny scope where things are barely visible, to now, where every angle seems to be coloured in brown.

Tabitha named the crude source of explosives

"Black powder."

Quickly chanting wind magic as she says, the dust around rose up in the air swiftly.

"Saito, in the front!"

Colbert cried out, in the fog like a moist morning when the sun is about to rise, a Jörmungandr showed itself. Saito who always had his hand held tightly on the trigger, pulled without hesitation.

Bang!

The shell sent the whole Jörmungandr flying away.

Next moment, Louise from the Captain’s seat called out

"Saito, from above!"

Completely cornered.

Utilizing its cape to hang on the cliff, the other Jörmungandr jumped down in midair, his hand holding a giant barrel of black powder already ignited.

Looks like it’s prepared for a suicide mission.

"Crap!"

Attacking from above, a tank is helpless about it, the barrel isn’t capable of aiming above, even if it were possible, there was no time to do so.

Saito dragged Louise up in the cabin of the tank.

But.... after a long period of time, the explosion was still yet to come.

"Huh?"

Saito carefully peeked out of the hatch.

What only came into sight was a green scaled wind dragon tightly grasping the Jörmungandr and flying upwards, the throwing it over one side of the cliff.

Bang,bang,bang,bang,bang,bang!

With a long long echo, the high-pitched bang sounded throughout the valley. The pressurized air current hit the armor of Panzer violently.

"Saved by wind dragon, but.... that really is a powerful one."

"Slipheed?"

Tabitha standing at a corner shook her head.

"No, my dragon cannot carry something that heavy."

As everyone was pondering who might it be, Julio’s laughter sounded from above

"Wahahahaahaa! That was really close, no? You sure owe me one~"

Saito shook his fist in anger, regretting putting the Panzer in danger.

"How is this a debt!?"

Behind, the Crusaders and the Romalian army all arrived subsequently. Carlo standing at the very front waved his staff high and cried out

"Look, the arrogant Gallian dogs have been destroyed by us!! May our ancestor’s blessing be bestowed upon all of us!"

"Whoooooooooo!!!" The Romalian army let out a ground breaking cry.

From a distance, Malicorne despised the cheering soldiers and murmured

"What ever did they do?"

"Who knows~~" Reinard answered with his hands open.