Total qualification of previous chapter:

Narration: "S"

Characters: "S"

Details: "S"

Originality "S"

TOTAL: "S"

Remember that you can qualify me from "S" to "E" this chapter.

Special thanks to user colinot for the name for Wardes´s Griffin

Credits to their respective authors:

"Zero no Tsukaima" or "The Familiar of Zero" belongs to the late author Noboru Yamaguchi and were encouraged by the company JCStaff Co., Ltd.

"Asura's Wrath" belongs to the developer CyberConnect2 and was published by the company Capcom.

OC characters are my own.

Story made non-profit, from a fan to other fans.

Annotations:

"Dialogues are shown between quotation marks"

—Clarifications and messages are shown in long lines quotes—

The 3rd person narration is shown in normal letters

Words in italics indicate narration, monologues or thoughts of the character

Underlined words indicate locations

{Words in square brackets and in italics indicate dialogue in a different language}

Bold words indicate voices, powers or anything supernatural

[Y] [B] [X] [A] [FURY!] Indicate video game mechanics like quick time event, where you have to press a button in sync to do something.

CRACK! PUNCH! BOOM! They indicate sound effects

۞Words between these symbols and in bold indicate a transformation۞

—Part 2: A duty that does not end—

—Episode 3: A trip full of unforeseen—

ACADEMY STABLES (NEXT MORNING)

Although dawn had just broken, Louise and Asura had already started preparing the saddles for the horse that magician would ride.

This time, the Karma acted in Asura's favor, taking advantage of the food he had stored with the academy staff so that Louise had something quick to eat for breakfast. He made sure the academy clerk who delivered the food didn't say anything to others, giving him the excuse that his sudden departure was due to an emergency from Louise's family. The man accepted the excuse, promised not to say anything and handed over the food. Mainly they were fruits, bread and a glass of milk.

Louise ate them without any objection except for an apple because the little magician commented that she hated them, contrary to him who loved them.

Well she will have her reasons.

Hanging around the ex-demigod's waist was Derflinger.

Louise was dressed in her academy uniform, the only difference was that she now wore riding boots instead of shoes. She only changed her shoes, but they have been preparing for quite some time.

"We have everything ready. Let's leave as soon as possible!"

"Good. Let me help you get on the horse" said Asura, who was preparing to take little Valliere by her waist with his arms and then mount her on the horse.

But just when he was about to do it...

"NO!" Louise jumped back to avoid such action. Her heart began to beat faster.

"What's wrong Louise? I just want to help you up" asked the dismayed white-haired man. Louise looked away as her emotions showed a small amount of fear. Sighing, Asura spoke again "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise I'll be careful when I touch you" he said believing that this was the reason for her actions and her emotion, just like when she stopped forcing him to dress her.

And there, Louise's wrath increased again and a part of it mixed with vanity, resulting in shame.

"It's not that, I can do it myself. I don't need anyone to help me! And the next time you want to touch your master's body ask permission first!" Her wrath and shame increased again.

Confused by Louise's emotions and wishing didn't deal with stupid Master-Familiar customs, Asura just rolled her eyes before answering.

"As you wish" said the warrior in a simple way although thanking inside that Louise was not afraid that he would harm her.

Actually, Asura was completely wrong. Louise had not the slightest fear that her Familiar would harm her. Having protected her from various dangers and attacks so far it would be ridiculous even think it.

The reason was a much more personal one.

The moment Asura was about to touch Louise, little Valliere quickly recalled her dream in the lake of her mansion and how the viscount suddenly became her Familiar. The latter began to act charmingly and held her in his huge, muscular, warm arms.

She had felt very good.

But that was a dream. An experience alien to reality although openly based on it.

And for Louise, the fear she felt did not stem from believing that Asura could harm her, but from not knowing what she would do if she really felt her Familiar's arms around her body.

Just as Louise was preparing to get on her horse, they both heard soft footsteps approaching them very quietly. Asura abruptly turned around and went into combat position.

"Who's there?!" he scream, waiting for any unwanted meddling or even any enemy.

A stout nobleman in a feather hat appeared from the dim light behind him. His emotions radiated wrath and greed, resulting in a protective personality.

"You can calm down. I am not your enemy. I am under Her Majesty's command. The princess told me of the situation they were in and I begged her to allow me to accompany them on this journey" said the nobleman, taking off his feather hat and bowing "After all I, Viscount Wardes, commander of Griffin Knights, I couldn't leave my fiancee neglected"

"What!?" Asura was surprised "Fiancee!?"

"Mister Wardes...!" Louise said in a shaky voice.

"It has been so long. My dear Louise"

My dear Louise!? It was then that Asura realized something: this is the same nobleman for why Louise began to increase her lust and vanity when seeing him when he arrived together with the princess. Now everything makes sense.

Wardes approached Louise and with a big smile on his face, he carried her in his arms.

"Yes, it's been quite a while" Louise said, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"You are still as light as ever. Like a feather"

"Viscount... please don't say that... he is watching us..."

Wardes lowered Louise and putting his hat back on, he said, "Would you like to introduce me to your friend?"

"He... Mmm. Well, he is my Familiar, Asura" Louise said as she pointed at him.

Wardes said with a surprised look on his face "Are you Louise's Familiar!? This is the first time I have seen a human Familiar. Thank you for taking such good care of my fiancee"

"You're welcome" answered the red-eyed man unimportant, though internally dismayed. Doesn't this guy look too big to marry to Louise?

Asura carefully inspected Wardes. Actually, the man was handsome. Although Guiche could also be considered one, he always did his ridiculous idiocies. He even rubbed his cheek with that of his giant mole.

However, for Wardes, didn't just have the looks. His eyes were like an eagle's, sharp and calculator. He also had a well-built muscular body. He was obviously inferior to the ex-demigod, but Asura had always thought that all male magicians had a body like Guiche.

While he was thinking about all that, Wardes approached to the warrior and patted his shoulders.

This made him angry.

"What happens? Do you have doubt about this trip? There is nothing to fear! Aren't you the one who caught Fouquet The crumbling earth? Also, Henrietta told me that before you were a General of the Army of your country. With our skills together, nothing will be impossible" Wardes finished saying that with a wide smile.

"I have full confidence that we will be able to accomplish this mission" Asura replied as he quickly removed Wardes's hands from his shoulders. The knight did not bother about it, his emotions were still the same "as long EVERYONE does what is their duty" he said giving a serious look to Louise, who, unable to calm down due to the appearance of Wardes and what was said by her Familiar, was restless.

Making the most serious look so far, Wales spoke "Since you mention that each one does his due…. we must establish who will be in command of this mission"

Louise swallowed thickly as soon as she heard those words.

"Although your rank of General exceeds mine as Captain, we are not in your country, nor do you continue to exercise it. Not to mention that you are Louise's Familiar. Also, I have knowledge of the terrain and I am one of the best square class magicians in the kingdom. Forgive me for being so direct but I consider that I am the one who should guide us in this mission"

Internally, the little pink-haired magician was praying with all her might that a battle will not be unleashed ahead of time between her Familiar and her fiancé for taking over the mission.

Luckily, Asura took care of solving that problem.

"I don't know the way to Albion or who I must interact with to get there. You can take the leadership if you want… but Louise's safety corresponds to me and that IS NOT up for discussion" he finish staring fiercely at griffin knight.

Asura was a proud and stubborn warrior, but he wasn't stupid enough to think (or pretend) that he could better leadership a group to a place he didn't know compared to someone who already had experience on the journey. And on the other hand, giving the mission leadership to this guy was not a problem for him and he avoided getting into a stupid discussion. As long as he kept Louise safe, things like that didn't matter to him.

With a combination of Pride and Wrath resulting in Triumph, Wales smiled after hearing those words.

"I understand"

Glad that one disaster didn't happen, Louise released the air she didn't know she was holding.

Then Wardes whistled, and an eagle-headed beast with a lion's body and beautiful white feathered wings appeared among the morning clouds. A Griffin, that's how that creature was known.

Wardes boldly climbed onto the Griffin, then held out his hand to Louise. "Come on, my Louise"

Louise lowered her head shyly and hesitantly, just like a girl who is in love. Her emotions fully supported her, again there was a mixture of Lust and Vanity that resulted in Love. Though still hesitating, she climbed onto the Wardes griffin.

Since it seemed that they were not going to need the horse, Asura went silently towards the animal and proceeded to remove the saddle and put it back in the stables. It didn't take long, but he was curious why non-Familiar animals didn't bow to him.

And though he was bothered by the fact that Louise decided to use the Griffin as a transport and therefore travel with Wardes, Asura accepted it because it was the best option to get to Albion faster.

With a coup in progress every second counts... and he more than anyone knew it very well.

Nevertheless…

"Louise!" Asura suddenly shouted, startling and drawing the attention of the little magician and the knight "If your are going to fly in that animal, I don't want you two to get away from me. 30 meters to any direction is the maximum that I allow you" he finished his words with a very serious look that did not lead to replies.

Louise answered immediately "Alright" However, there was a question that she needed to resolve "But, how much is a meter?" She did not know that word, but from what Asura had said it was a measurement scale.

Asura almost fully extended his arms horizontally.

"More or less this distance"

"Oh! It seems to be the same as a Mail" Louise said after noticing the similarity in the distance with Halkeginia's unit of measure.

"Then don't stray more than 30 Mails away" Asura said using local terminology.

"Aren't you going to use a horse?" Wardes was the one who spoke, curious about the ex-General lack of transportation.

"I do not need it. I'm pretty fast"

A genuine look of bewilderment appeared on the face of the Griffin knight. He turned his gaze to his fiancée and she nodded slightly. There was no trace of doubt in her pink eyes.

Smiling, Wales replied to Asura "Okay. I will not get more than 30 Mails away from you but I will not slow down either"

"Perfect"

With one hand on the reins and the other with his wand, Wardes yelled "Well, let's go!" The Griffin took flight and was ahead.

Asura quickly followed them using only his speed. Internally wondered how far Albion will be.

LA ROCHELLE PORT

It takes two days to get to town of La Rochelle Port on horseback from Tristain, although thanks to the speeds at which they could reach the Wardes´ griffin and Asura, the journey was completed in less than a day.

The port city is located in a deep and narrow passage between two mountains. Due to this, it has a small population of 300 people. La Rochelle is the gateway to Albion and the number of travelers is ten times more than the local population.

To the left and right, only the walls of the mountain could be seen. People had dug holes in the rocks, turning them into taverns and shops, something that seemed quite original to Asura. In Gaia they were usually only wooden houses because they were easy to build in case any population had to move after the attack of a horde of Gohmas. Although the buildings look ordinary, they were made of rock and reinforced with magic, a feat performed only by square-class earth mages.

Ever since they left the Academy of Magic, Wardes's griffin had been unstoppable advancing to its destination and Asura was not far behind. Yasha was not the only who could run extremely fast.

"You summoned an amazing Familiar, my dear Louise. Not even the other griffins of the Griffin Knights can compete against Tempête" Wardes said, referring to his Familiar.

"Of course. Aren't we in this together? On the other hand, a magician must not abandon his Familiar..."

"You seem to like him very much. Is your boyfriend?"

Louise quickly replied "No... He's not!"

"That reassures me. If my fiancée told me that she already has a boyfriend, I would die of sadness" Wardes replied.

"But that was just something our parents agreed on"

"Then you don't like me, my delicate little Louise!?"

"I'm not a little girl anymore"

"But in my eyes, you're always so little and delicate, Louise!"

Louise again recalled the dream she had yesterday ago, where she was back in the courtyard of her house de la Vallière.

The secret boat on the forgotten lake...

Every time she had a tantrum, Wardes was always there to calm her down.

The marriage that was decided by her parents.

The engagement was decided a long time ago. Where she would marry with Wardes, her fiancé.

At that time, she still didn't understand what was going on. She only knew that as long as she was with the man that she admired, she would be happy.

But now, she finally understood everything. She would marry with Wardes.

"It's not that I don't like you!" Louise said sheepishly.

"That is wonderful! In other words, do you like me?" Wardes gently hugged Louise's shoulders "I've never forgotten you, even after all this time. Do you still remember after my father's death during the career campaign?" Louise nodded "My mother had died before, and then inherited my father's title. Wanting to make a last name for me, I went to the capital. Fortunately, His Highness had a deep impression of my father, who had died on the battlefield and put me on Griffin's guard. I had entered the Griffin cavalry as an apprentice. That was difficult for me"

"From then on, you rarely went to the estate" Louise said.

"My house and property were cared for by butler Galgann as I put all my effort at the service of the nation. After so long, I finally made a title and decided something"

"What have you decided?"

"Ask for your hand for marriage!"

"Are you kidding Viscount!? You are very popular with the girls... you don't have to fulfill your promise with someone as insignificant as me!"

"This trip is a good opportunity to regain those feelings we had when we were young" Wardes said in a soft and calm tone.

Louise thought to herself: Do I really like Wardes!?

Yes, she liked and admired him when she was young, but that is already part of the past.

Suddenly, faced with an arranged marriage, she did not know what to do. Also, they had been apart for so many years, she didn't quite know if she still had feelings for him.

Louise turned her head and looked back.

She saw Asura running without showing any sign of tiredness, which at this point no longer surprised her remembering everything he was able to do. Louise pouted her lips. He's a beast that only knows hit everything! As soon as she thought about that, she became anxious and her heart was pounding.

They had been traveling at full speed, arriving at the outskirts of La Rochelle almost at dusk.

Asura looked around in amazement. Aren't we going to a port!? Why do I keep seeing mountains everywhere!? Maybe once we cross a mountain we should be able to see the sea.

Traveling under the increasing light of the moons, Asura and the group finally saw a narrow path through the mountain. The houses made of stones could be seen on either side of the road.

"Why did they build a port on a mountain?"

Hearing Asura's question, Wardes asked him "Have you ever seen a port in Halkeginia?"

"Never"

Wardes's smile could only be described as mildly mocking "Then I won't tell you so you can see for yourself"

Suddenly, from the top of the cliff, torches were lit. Torches lit the ravine they were about to cross.

Asura watched as a shower of arrows headed towards them.

"It's an ambush. Stay behind!" he said annoyed, it would take no effort to stop those who attacked.

Just as the arrows were about to hit him, a strong gust of wind blew, transforming into a small hurricane.

That same hurricane stopped all the arrows and dissipated them.

Wardes raised his wand.

"Are you ok!?" Wardes shouted.

"Yes" Asura replied without giving importance or thanking the magician. The fate of those arrows was just to break once they will hit his body, so Wardes did not deserve a thank for —saving his life—.

Asura looked at the top of the cliff and clearly saw the archers. There were at least about 30 in tattered clothes and angry looks.

"It´s very likely that they are thieves or bandits!"

Louise, realizing something, suddenly exclaimed "Could it be Albion's noble rebels!?"

Her fiancé answered that question "Impossible Louise! Nobles don't use arrows!"

At that moment, the sound of hundreds of arrows was heard again. It was a sound that had already been recorded in his minds...

But in that, screams could be heard from the cliffs.

The arrows were perfectly visible in the night sky. However, all arrows were paralyzed as if by magic.

After that, a small hurricane attacked all the archers.

"Hmm... aren't those wind spells?" Wardes muttered to himself.

The archers who tried to ambush them fell off the cliffs after being swept away by the magical twister. They fell hard on the ground without grace.

With the moon in the background, a familiar image appeared "Ah, Sylphid!" Louise yelled.

Asura's wrath increased again: along with that dragon also came a Lust and Melancholy quite well known to him.

After the dragon landed, a red-haired girl jumped out of it and arranged her hair.

"Sorry, I'm late"

Louise also jumped off the Wardes tap and replied "What do you mean by that!? Why are you here!?"

"It is not to help you, if you think! When I saw you leave the academy in the morning, I quickly woke up Tabitha and followed you here"

Kirche pointed at Tabitha, she was still wearing her pajamas, she doesn't seem to be lying. But she didn't seem to mind at all and was still reading a book.

"Zerbst! Listen to me, we are on a secret mission that His Highness has given us!" At the end of that sentence, Louise bit her tongue when she realized that she was causing the secret mission to stop being so.

"Secret mission? You should have said it before! How can I know if you don't tell me!? You should thank us anyway, for stopping the people who wanted to ambush you!" Kirche said as he pointed at the people on the ground.

Liar. Asura thought.

The attackers desperately tried to move to flee, but their feet were immobilized thanks to an ice spell of the blue-haired magician without ever looking away from her book.

Louise folded her arms and looked down on Kirche.

"I already told you! I did not come to help you!" Kirche said, and then leaned on Wardes and said "Your beard makes you very manly. Do you want to taste the passion?" Wardes looked at Kirche and proceeded to push her with his left hand.

"Thanks for helping us, but please don't come near me"

"But why? Did you dislike me!?"

That was the first time that Kirche received a cold treatment from a man, even Asura was much more understanding and kind. Usually any man was hypnotized by her. But Wardes had no interest. Kirche looked at Wardes with her mouth open.

"I'm sorry. But I can't let my fiancée misunderstand it!" Wardes said looking at Louise. Her face turned red with embarrassment in an instant.

"What? Is she your fiancée!?" Kirche cried out in amazement and Asura immediately noticed that the already natural lust of the fire magician was joined by vanity and pride. It was a curious result: jealousy.

Wardes nodded in response. Kirche looked closer at Wardes, he hadn't realized before. Wardes's eyes showed no emotion at all. Just like ice.

Almost immediately, Kirche's lust came back to dominate her "Actually, I'm here because I'm worried about my beloved!" Then she looked at Asura...

And she immediately regretted it.

"I hope you like the mud Kirche… because there is a 30-Mails golem that you are going to have to do" If it wasn't for the fact that she knew that was in trouble, the Germany girl would be glad to be received by a gaze much more ardent than her own fire.

"Wait honey! It's not what you think!" Kirche said as she started to sweat, not only because of the death look that Asura sent her but she really didn't want to destroy her hands to build the golem "Please forgive me! I may have looked at other men, but in the end, the only person that I love is you!"

"FUCK WITH IT KIRCHE! YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" His scream scared several of those present "I told you that I didn't want you to do something stupid like this again and here you are again!"

"Wait! I can explain it to you!" said the redhead recovering a little of her bravery "This time I am not coming to meddle… we are here to becoming part of "Team Asura!"

"Team what?" Asked the master and Familiar Valliere.

"Team Asura with you as the leader, of course" the flirtatious look Kirche sent the ex-demigod just annoyed him even more "It means we will do whatever you say. We will be under your complete guidance and mandate no matter what happens. From this moment on your words are our orders and we will comply with whatever you say"

"Go back to the academy right now"

"Except for that one" Kirche scratched the back of her neck nervously "Please, we've already come this far and now we know of Her Majesty Henrietta's mission. At least let us help you. Please!" She emphasize the last word raising her lush bust with her arms.

"Why is she here?" Asura pointed at Tabitha, ignoring the provocative action.

"Transport" was the subtle answer from the wind magician as she read her book. It was logical that Sylphid would not allow herself to be ridden by anyone other than her master and remembering that wind dragons are among the fastest creatures that exist, she had no problem keeping up with the Wardes griffin and Asura.

Louise bit her lip to avoid saying some rudeness to Kirche. She could not tolerate that Kirche seducing her Familiar.

Just then, Wardes gently placed his hands on Louise's shoulders. Wardes looked at Louise with love and gave her a smile.

"Viscount..."

Wardes gave Louise one last smile before going to address his attackers "What is the reason behind your actions?! Are they related to the Albion nobles?!" to emphasize his words, he raised his sword-wand and allowed a small part of his wind magic to flow into it, generating a small twister in all the blade.

"No! We just wanted to rob you!"

"We have nothing to do with war!"

"We caught them off guard! Please don't kill us!"

The viscount pondered the words and expressions of the men in front of him, finding no lies "Hmm... If they are only thieves, let them go" Tabitha carried out that order with a simple movement of her staff, thawing the thieves' feet who quickly fled. Wardes easily mounted his Griffin again, taking Louise with him. Then he announced to everyone "We are going to spend the night in La Rochelle, we will take the first ship for Albion that is available"

Kirche send Asura a little kiss before jumping back towards Tabitha's dragon.

Ahead of them, situated between two cliffs, was the port city of La Rochelle

LA ROCHELLE

Tired of traveling all day, they decided to rest in the most luxurious hotel in the city of La Rochelle, —Temple of the Goddess—. It was a very elegant place, even for a noble. The tables and floor were made of marble and the floor was so clean that you could see your own face on it.

Wardes and Louise returned from the dock.

When Wardes sat down, he said hesitantly "The ship leaves in three days."

"This mission is very urgent...!" Louise pointed out.

Kirche decided to make a comment "I've never been to Albion, so I don't know why there aren't any boats available"

Wardes looked at Kirche and replied "In 2 days the moons will be closer, then Albion will be closer to La Rochelle"

It seemed strange to Asura how the distance from the moons to the planet could be related to one continent being closer to the other.

A Moon is a natural satellite: a celestial body that orbits a planet and exerts gravitational pull on it. The intensity of this —Attraction— was in turn due to the —Translation—, which is the movement that changes the position of the moon with respect to the planet it orbits, being the Apogee when it is farthest from the planet and the Perigee when it is closer. Thanks to the latter, there is a high tide.

Perhaps it is a continent small enough for the attraction of both moons to displace it from its place? Smaller even than the Shiva continent and being blown away by natural sea currents when the moons are not full. That would be fascinating. Asura thought genuinely delighted.

Wardes put the keys on the table "Let's rest for now, take your keys" Tabitha and Kirche took a room, Asura took another one, thanking inside for having a room only for him "Louise, you and I will be sharing a room" Asura squinted and look at Wardes fiercely "Obviously, since we are engaged" he replied quickly.

Louise looked at Wardes in shock and said "B-but we can't! We're not even married yet!"

But Wardes shook his head and said to Louise "There is something important that I have to tell you"

Asura looked at them one last time before going to his room. He didn't like Wardes, least of all the fact that they were engaged, but he figured if Louise's parents chose him then it must be for good reason.

Even so, he was still concerned that there was a certain emotion that until now he not detected in the viscount.

Wardes and Louise stayed in the best room in the hotel. They wondered who designed the room. There was a huge bed with a delicate lace canopy hanging from the top.

Wardes sat down in one of the chairs, opened a bottle of wine and poured himself a glass. He drank it down and said "Why don't you sit down and have one too, Louise?" Louise sat down. Wardes poured one for Louise and refilled hers. Then he raised his glass and said "Cheers!" Louise, however, did not seem to feel like toasting. Wardes asked "Is the princess's letter safe?"

Louise patted her pocket and to make sure it was still there. I wonder why it is so important. What is in this letter? Does the prince already have a letter prepared? I think I know a small part. I have known Henrietta since childhood, so I imagine what she wrote.

Wardes looked at Louise in amazement. Then Louise nodded and said "The letter is safe. Are you worried that you won't be able to get the letter from the Prince of Albion!?"

"Yes, I am very concerned" Wardes replied.

Louise raised her beautiful eyebrows and said "Don't worry, everything will be fine, because I will always be with you""

"That's right, if you're here, there will definitely be no problem"

Wardes sounded very far away when he said that.

"Do you still remember the promise, when we were at the lake?" Louise asked.

He nodded "In the little boat that floated in the middle of the lake? You always went there when your parents scolded you. You were like an abandoned kitty!"

"Really!? You remember the strangest things!"

Wardes replied cheerfully "Of course I have to remember those things. They always compared you to your sisters" Louise lowered her head embarrassed "But I think that's wrong. I know you're a bit silly and a failure, but..."

"How bad you are!" Louise said angrily.

"You have incredible power that no one else has. I know this because you're a different kind of magician" Wardes ended, up ignoring what Louise said earlier.

At that moment, Louise began to worry. Although the man in front of her was her fiancé, the matter of her true magical affinity was an EXTREMELY delicate subject "That is impossible!"

Wardes replied "It is possible. For example when you use magic..."

Louise's face turned red and she said "You mean Asura?"

"Yes. When I was studying the history of founder Brimir an incredible fact was mentioned: his Familiar was said to be unique and different even among all other types of Familiars. And this Familiar was classified as legendary"

"Legendary?" Louise was beginning to fear where this conversation was headed.

"Yes, and I could even see at one point the runes inscribed on his left hand. I remembered my studies in the capital and when I saw those runes I knew immediately that they were the runes of Gandálfr, the legendary Familiar who could master any weapon he held with great skill. The Familiar that belonged to the founder Brimir" Wardes' eyes flashed with admiration, but in half a second that glow was replaced with a fierce look that slightly terrified Louise "Tell me, Louise... don't you know what your magical affinity is yet?"

A shiver ran down the little magician's spine. "I don't think so. All I do is cause explosions every time I try any spell"

"Well you just have to use logic" Oh no "Those runes are from the Familiar Gandálfr, which is a Familiar of the void, but Brimir was the only Void magician that existed... which means that... you are a Void magician Louise"

At this point, Louise knew she could no longer hide it anymore. Speaking slowly, he replied "That's right. I discovered it a short time ago: I am a Void magician"

"Incredible! Not just anyone can control Gandálfr! You have the magic to do it!"

Who said I control him? Louise scoffed in her head.

"After this mission, marry me, Louise!"

"What...!?"

The sudden marriage proposal left Louise speechless.

"I am not satisfied to be a captain of the Royal Guard... I want to become a noble recognized throughout Halkeginia someday!"

"B-but ...!"

"But what?!"

"I... I'm still...! Still…!"

"You are no longer a child, you are already 16 years old. You have reached the age where you can decide your own things. Also, your father agrees too. So..." Wardes suddenly stopped here. Then she looked up and said in front of Louise "But you're right, I never went to see you and I have to apologize for this marriage is not something that can be talked about in a simple way, I also know that. But Louise, to me, you are the most important!"

"Wardes ...!"

Louise thought of certain things. Why did Asura's face keep popping up in her mind? After marrying Wardes, will she have to abandon Asura?

I don't understand why, but I always think it would be wrong to leave him. Sure, he's extremely powerful but he never looks for trouble on his own... most of the time. If it was a crow or owl it wouldn't be that troublesome. If no one keeps an eye on that otherworldly savage, what will happen to him!?

Kirche or that maid Siesta... one of them will take care of him, guide him and not get into unnecessary fights, right?

I don't understand why, but I am very upset.

Louise thought just like a little girl, she wanted to have Asura to herself.

She couldn't quite understand that feeling. That strange dream he had aroused many doubts inside her. At first Louise wished that Asura would blindly obey her orders as any other Familiar would.

Of course, HE WASN'T any other Familiar.

She knew it from the moment she saw him receive the most powerful attacks from each noble who decided to face him and not receive the slightest scratch for them. She confirm this when Fouquet used a legendary weapon to try to kill her and Asura, without hesitation, jumped in front of her to protect her and destroyed the attack with a single punch.

Asura was not only better, he WAS SUPERIOR to any other Familiar than any other noble he had summoned. From the dogs and cats of almost all nobles, Kirche´s salamander and Wardes´ griffon, even the Tabitha´s wind dragon or the Manticore of her own mother... Asura surpassed all of them without effort.

And not to mention his knowledge and his way of being.

It had been almost 3 weeks since they met and Asura had already changed her life in a certain way. It showed him how far the wickedness of nobles can go when he free those maidens. With his firm values he made all the students understand that they depended on a mutual work with the commoners to live, the great weakness of magic and that their actions would have consequences. He showed her that helping others when they need it makes people appreciate and reward you for your actions and not for your status, and prevented her from continuing to risk her life carelessly for seeking the approval of others.

Would any other Familiar have done at least half of the things that man did?

No.

No other Familiar could do even a tenth of everything he did, and in the end would not even attempt it unless it were at the command of his master.

She also remembered that warm and pleasant feeling that came from inside her when Asura, after scolding her for her actions, also congratulate her on her willingness to improve and achieve her goals. It was very strange and she didn't know why, but she wanted to feel it again.

Louise did not want to abandon Asura.

Although Asura is a savage and often drives me crazy, I don't want him to become someone else's property. He is mine.

She raised her head and saw her fiancé in the eyes.

"Is...! Is...!"

"Is, what?"

"It's just... I am not a magician at your height, I still have to study and improve...!" Lowering her head Louise murmured "Wardes, when I was young, that's what I always thought, that someday, I would make everyone recognize me, becoming a great magician, and that my mother and father are proud" Louise raised her head and looked at the older man "I still can't get married!"

"Is it because someone already stole your heart!?"

"No! How do you think that?! I don't think that will happen, hehehe!" Louise panicked and denied, looking away.

"I'm so glad to hear that" Wardes put his right hand inside his clothes and took out a curious object "It means that it will be me who will have the honor to deliver this to you"

Louise returned her gaze to the griffin knight. Her eyes centered on what her fiancé was holding.

She lost his breath immediately and bring both hands to her mouth.

"That is... that is... that is..."

"It is, my little Louise" A soft, elegant smile spread across Wardes' face "An engagement necklace"

Engagement necklace. It was the name given to a special type of accessory for those couples determined to get married.

As its name said, the element was basically a necklace, usually made of some metal not too valuable but very elegant, like Mithril or silver in some cases.

Even more important was that piece that the necklace itself held: a small hoop-shaped object, made entirely of gold and whose exuberant brilliance announced its position as the most valuable of all his brothers.

It was a ring.

It was an engagement ring.

Anyone would think that the necklace was too much and the only important thing of all was that ring.

But no.

For Halkeginia society the necklace and ring were extremely important that they were together, at least before the wedding.

When a man seriously proposed to a woman, he offered her an engagement necklace. The woman would then wear that necklace with everything and the ring and would wear it fully there resting on her chest, preceding her heart. In this way, to all who saw her, she would say, without the need for words, that her love already belongs to someone.

It will not be until the same wedding and in the middle of the altar that the necklace and the ring will finally separate. The necklace will be kept and rested until a male descendant of the woman makes the decision to wear it.

But the ring would be kept among the fiancées. They would use magic to engrave the initials of their names on it in conjunction with the runes —ᛚᛟᚹᛖ— that meaning —Love—. It would be manipulated by the man's hand and would eventually end up on the woman's left ring finger, completing the contract and uniting them in holy matrimony.

It is worth mentioning 3 quite interesting things about this piece of jewelry

The ring was blessed by the Pope himself, which increased its sentimental and religious value.

The ring could only be obtained in Romalia, the main country on the continent of Halkeginia and its religious seat. The process to obtain one was long and full of paperwork, as the noble had to demonstrate his worth as a noble and his absolute Faith as a follower of the Brimiric church.

The ring was completely UNAFFORDABLE on the market. The fact that even Fouquet had not dared to steal one was the great proof of this. This was because, despite being made up of the maximum of precious metals, its origin was entirely under ceremonial reasons and it was not considered a jewel with a monetary equivalence.

Like cherry on the cake, it turns out that the ring couldn't be manipulated with Shape-shifting Magic either, as it was protected under the same reinforcing spells that were used to seal the Magic academy's vault. This means that only a blacksmith would be able to alter its form by hitting it in a forge, but the result would not even be worth the effort as it would not be monetarily equivalent to that of a Halkeginia gold coin, not to mention that a single bad blow given it could destroy the piece forever.

This ring is not for whoever wants it... it is for whoever deserved it.

"Are you... are you..." Louise choked on her own words. I never hope that during that important mission her fiancé would give her such a valuable object "Are you completely sure, Viscount?"

He, in response, showed her a dreamy smile again.

"I've never been safer in my entire life" and then Wardes hung the engagement necklace around Louise's neck.

The length of the chain was perfect, allowing the ring to rest on the heart of its bearer. The precious metal gleamed in any light that made contact with it.

Definitely the most precious and important object for a woman.

"I don't know what to say" were Louise's words.

"There is no need to say anything, my Louise I just want you to see how important you are to me and how much I want our commitment to be carried out"

Louise nodded in response.

"Well then, let's go to sleep. You're tired already, aren't you?" Wardes suddenly approached Louise, wanting to kiss her. Instantly, Louise's body stiffened, and she shoved Wardes away "Louise!?"

"Sorry... but, that is also prohibited... until..."

Louise looked proudly at Wardes. He smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"I'm not in a hurry" replied the viscount gently.

Louise lowered her head again.

Why, even though Wardes is so soft, handsome, and strong, even though I longed to be with him for so long...? However, I'm not even happy about the proposition.

Before long, they both finally fell asleep in the same bed.

Outside the room and about 3 windows away, Asura was leaning against the frame. He sighed after listening to all the conversation that was taking place between the two fiancé.

"So what are you listening!?" Derflinger said suddenly.

"I was just worried"

"Of what?"

"That Wardes was going to do something indecent to Louise. I thought it was a girl of 13 years old or maximum 14, but from what I heard she is already 16 years old"

"That is the legal age to marry in these lands"

Asura pondered those words. In Gaia, for humans, the age of majority (and with it sexual consent) was 17 years old. But men and women could be in arranged marriages even from birth and could marry from the age of 14. Despite the fact that child marriage is frowned upon, it was sometimes necessary because there were families that would benefit from the marriage union.

Furthermore, with the large number of human deaths that occurred from the attacks of the Gohma, it was better that humans already had an established partner with whom they began to procreate and restore the losses. But the latter once the women were at least 19 years old, which was an optimal and fertile age since they were in their perfect biological and psychological capacities to have children.

Of course, there were men and women who protested and wanted the legal age to have sex to be even less than 14, arguing that —If they can get married, then they can have relationships and children— or —It is necessary to repopulate the city after of the Gohma attack—, but Asura was not deceived, the intentions were very clear.

Damn pedophiles.

Switching to an equally important topic, Louise had revealed to Wardes what her magical affinity was and he had discovered on his own that he was Gandálfr, all because of a stupid mistake on his part.

I should have put at least a bandage on my hands. He thought growling, remembering that the gloves he asked Sucy to make were intended precisely to hide the runes and that in the meantime he had to take due precautions.

This may not severely influenced in future events or maybe yes. The butterfly effect was Karma's bastard brother and they both knew very well how to screw up his life or help him as they pleased.

While he plunged into his thoughts, something or rather someone floated up to Asura.

"Kirche"

"What are you doing here!? Do you like looking at the night sky!? Wow! You're more romantic than I imagined!"

Was Kirche who using the Levare Corpus spell, had reached the ex-demigod's window. Then she proceeded to enter it.

"You could have knocked on the door" Asura replied as he gave space to Kirche.

"I tried for a long time! But you did not answer!"

Really? Asura thought, and then he realized that having his hearing and concentration focused entirely on Louise and Wardes' talk, he unconsciously ignored the knocking on the door.

"But that is already past" Kirche's behavior indicated an indecent next situation, but his emotions were barely containing lust. That was strange to Asura who saw how the brunette girl approached him, walking provocatively "We will not let those be the only ones to have fun... right?" Just like her voice.

Asura took a second before answering "You were listening to the conversation we had with Henrietta. That you are here with Tabitha is no coincidence" said the warrior frankly and directly. Typical of him.

Kirche's lust almost evaporated. She stopped her walk. "You really know how to break the moment"

"I know how break many things" he said indifferently, although it wasn't a lie "I need to talk to you"

"I already told you that I refuse to leave the mission. I do not care what you say"

"I wanted to talk about Louise"

"What about her?"

"Do you agree that she should marry whit Wardes?" Asura saw Kirche's face change to a very sad one.

"To be honest, no" the Germany girl decided to go to the bed in the room and sit down. Asura didn't care, he still wasn't going to use it. "I've always hated arranged marriages. It is an imposed union that contradicts what I believe in love. This must start as a small flame that with the passage of time will become an indomitable fire!"

Asura was able to agree with those words, including the analogy to the fire. His marriage to Durga was born naturally and although it started little by little and had it stumbling blocks (from both of them), it ended up working and from it his wonderful daughter was born for whom he would give anything to see she happy and he would hit anyone for making her cry.

"Besides, Louise has no romantic experience with men yet. Since I know her, her relationships with boys fall into 2 categories: horrible and disappointing. The first because they know her flaws in casting spells and insult her for it. The second occurs when they still have not discovered it and they treat her well, they praise her and even invite her out... but all that grace is extinguished when she causes an explosion and the boys begin to reject and insult her" Kirche's emotions betrayed melancholy.

"You care about her a lot, although you have insulted her too" inside Kirche, wrath began to gain ground.

"Don't compare me to those imbeciles" she replied with eyes burning in fire "Our families are rivals, so it is natural for us to hate each other... but from there to play with their feelings is an ocean of difference"

"Does that mean you're not going to do anything about their marriage?" A snort anticipated the Germany girl response.

"For what? When a man and a woman settle down in an arranged marriage it´s very difficult to break it" she turned to see the warrior with amusement "Besides… do you really think that Louise is going to hear A SINGLE WORD of what I would say to prevent her from getting married? Even with everything you've done to her, it's easier for her to listen to you"

They were both silent for a couple of minutes, reflecting on the words they said.

"You were right"

"What do you say?" Asura looked at the magician.

"When you told me that what I'm looking for is someone who loves me, because I really don't know what it is to be in love, you were right. And I know why" her sad gaze was the forerunner of an intimate secret "I was being forced to marry an old noble in Germania and was only able to postpone it when I convinced my parents to send me to study at the Academy of Magic in Tristain. If the old man still doesn't die by the time I graduate then I still have to marry him"

"Can't you refuse it once you being of legal age?"

"In Germania, when the marriage is arranged by the parents before the legal age, then the son or daughter cannot reject it. My only options are to stay forever in Tristain or that my own parents cancel the engagement for some reason of force majeure"

"Which?"

"That the old man betrays the German crown, that he finds another girl who wants more than me... which I doubt because of the horrifyingly and lascivious looks and comments he makes to me when I was in my country" her hands clenched tightly on the sheets "My parents can also find another noble that our house get more from benefits, which I also doubt because he is one of the richest and most influential nobles that Germania has"

"Are you sure you know him well? He can't be worse than that Mott bastard"

As a previous response, Kirche's wrath increased to levels he had only felt in Louise. The redhead's hands almost and ripped through the sheets, all the muscles in her body tensed hiding a savage fury.

"Mott is a spoiled child compared to that old man, even saying his name disgusts me. He is a perverted and degenerate old man... but also very intelligent. Mott had to use false documents to obtain all those young women... HE does not occupy them. He has a great fortune, his mansion is almost a castle with dozens of servants, and he has all the luxuries that nobles could wish and commoners could dream. He has many important contacts both inside and outside of Germany, he has a great gift of the word and is an excellent negotiator. Many good deals and great progress in my country were because of this man... it could be said that he is so important that he is only surpassed by the emperor"

And then melancholy began to take its place.

"But as I said he is also a degenerate: he turns the misfortunes of others to his advantage, he makes people go into debt with him to have them practically as slaves. He takes advantage of the legal holes in the country's laws and uses the morals of the people in his favor because where others would throw a few coins at a beggar, he hires him to work for the lowest salary. When he makes contracts, he makes sure that he is the one who benefits the most, and he does everything under the legal framework so that not even other nobles can stop him. Much of Germania's economy depends on him"

And that melancholy kept increasing.

"Many women would surely accept such a man, someone from whom they could live a life of luxury and pleasure… but I know the truth: he doesn't want me as a wife because he loves me, he want me as a wife to have me but not as a lover or even as a harlot. For him I am shorter than a prostitute: for him I am only an object, a prize that he wants to obtain. I am known for always having my cleavage open when I am with other boys but with him I always go as covered as I can. He looks at my breasts lewdly without hiding his intentions, he tells me all the lascivious and grotesque things he wants to do to me when we are married without shame... I hate him..." she bring her hands to her face, hiding small tears "...I hate him so much..."

Asura waited patiently for Kirche's emotions to calm down and then weighed whether the following words would not make the girl angry "Can they at least allow you a divorce?"

"In Germania, married people must spend a year as a formal marriage before the possibility of a divorce is accepted under the law. If I try to escape before that or I am unfaithful he with another man then the marriage is annulled as well as the alliance with the Zerbst family and I would be put in prison on the charge of marital fraud. That means that in the meantime I must fully serve as a wife… with all that that means" unconsciously, Kirche protected her abdomen with her hands.

No... Not her abdomen...

She protected her belly.

Asura tensed his muscles and sharpened his gaze until he looked savage. A wrath was pouring out of him full of pure destructive intent, intended only for those who became his enemies. He had the furious intention of go to Germania and looking for that old man to beat all his bones, especially his pelvis.

So far, Kirche's actions haven't put her on the top of his appreciation list but she wasn't on his hate list either (and that's a list where once someone enters she never leaves) but he was able to see the wonderful person who was the red-haired girl once she stopped being guided by lust and began to reveal her true feelings and intentions.

9 months, ¾ parts of a year. That was what was needed for a normal human pregnancy. If Kirche became a wife she was going to be forced to make love with that man and in that same year she would get pregnant and give birth to the baby. With what little he knows of Kirche, Asura was certain that she would have preferred to endure living as the wife of a damn and perverted old man rather than aborting him.

No one had to go through that.

"You know... I haven't said this to anyone, never" Kirche took her hands away from her face, already more recomposed "I don't even know why I told you, I have known you less than a month ago"

"Sometimes it´s necessary to talk about our problems to others to feel better"

"It is true. Well, I already took enough time from you. I'll go to sleep" Kirche got out of bed and looked at Asura one last time "Please don't tell anyone about this"

"I won't say" and, for the first time in a long time, the powerful ex-demigod of wrath allowed a genuine, friendly smile to show on his face "Still, thanks for sharing it"

"Wow! You really are more handsome when you smile. I think I'm regretting leaving"

"Go to sleep Kirche" he replied seriously.

The fire magician walked to the door. Opening it, she left the room and Asura lost sight of her, but before she closed it completely...

"I haven't given up yet..." her voice was armored with a determination that the warrior had never heard come from her "I'm going to find true love... I'm going to make that person really love me and I can really love him... and, you like it or not, my main target is you" without giving him time to respond, she finally closed the door.

Asura stared at the finely carved piece of wood for a long time. Almost as if he thought that now it would be the one to tell him an undeniable truth.

"Heavens! That girl is more than just a pretty face and body. Right partner!?"

Of course, Asura recalled that he already had a —not alive— object that was actually —alive— and that it did the job of —saying something when you don't expect it— perfectly.

"Yes, she is" Asura closed the door of his room and close the lock.

Not to keep himself safe but to keep others safe from him, remembering how on one occasion while sleeping in his personal room in The Karma Fortress, a Kagebosh unit decided to wake him up abruptly for an important meeting and as it was not a voice from someone who he appreciated (Durga, Mithra and, barely, Yasha) ended up hitting him out of pure instinct and embedding him against the wall.

Asura never knew how he found out, but that Yasha gave him an alarm clock with a thick rubberized cover and titanium circuits out of the blue was proof that the demigods are gossips (and that his brother-in-law has elegant ways to remind him of their savage behavior).

Asura went towards the bed and just grabbed a pillow before sitting on the floor in the Lotus position. He decide to meditate a little before sleeping.

"Won't you sleep in bed? Now that that noble girl is no longer present, I thought you were going to enjoy it"

"It could not bear my weight, just like with the academy bed, this Louise present or not" feeling the emotions of the sword, which still could not understand how a non-living being could possess them, suddenly there was a mixture between Greed and the Melancholy that resulted in Longing, which increased by seconds.

"Do you think you can… allow me to take it?"

The tone bordering on the plea kept Asura from making a puzzled face or even questioning him. He got up from his position, took Derflinger out of his cover and left him in bed whose reason for existence was to be used by a client in the form of a human.

And to top it off, he also covered it with the blanket

"This is life!"

Does he have a sense of touch? It was Asura's last thought before meditating for a couple of hours before going to sleep.

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{…don´t…}

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{…trust…}

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{…in…}

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{…Ward…}

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TEMPLE OF THE GODDESS (THE NEXT DAY)

On the second day, Asura woke up because someone knocked on his door. Derflinger was still sleeping peacefully in the bed next to him. With no other choice, Asura went out to open the door.

There is no ship today, I wanted to spend the day meditating. Asura thought angrily as he opened the door.

Behind it was Wardes in his usual hat. He looked at Asura, who was a little over 2 heads taller than the knight, and said "Good morning, Familiar"

Asura made an angry face "Good morning nothing... in 2 days the ship leaves, right!? Why did you come to wake me up!?" We had to understand. Not even a former warrior-type demigod like him, who lived forever and slept alone when required, liked to be awakened by others.

Wardes only smiled "Are you Gandálfr of the legend?"

"What?" Asura looked at Wardes with a confused expression. The viscount did not know of the superhearing that he had, so it was better to play ignorant so that the man in front of him did not suspect that he had overheard his conversation with Louise the night before.

Wardes was trying to clarify something, he bowed his head and said "Well, since happened about Fouquet, I've had a great interest in you. I asked Louise before, I have heard that you are from another world and I also know that you are the legendary Gandálfr"

"So what?" so Louise told him about it, too. Asura thought she must have told him in the morning, when he was still asleep.

"I think history and war are extremely interesting. When I found out that Fouquet was captured thanks to you, you really caught my attention. Then I learned that you are the legendary Familiar, Gandálfr, and my interest in you grew even more"

"And what about that?"

"I want to know how strong the person who captured Fouquet is. Can you prove it to me?"

"I'm very strong but I don't want to prove it to you… for now only the princess's mission matters… so until the ship leaves let me sleep" Asura proceeded to close the door.

Claaac

It was almost effectively blocked by foot in boots of Wardes.

The —almost— of the sentence comes from the fact that Asura could easily close the door by applying a little more force and smashing Wardes' foot in the process.

There were several reasons why he did not meet that goal, but the first one is called —Louise's annoying screams—.

Wardes drew his wand from his belt "Let me put it this way"

"A duel?" Asura replied with an icy smile.

"Exactly"

Wardes and Asura smiled together. With a glance at the still sleeping Derflinger, the muscular man thought the following: I don't know what the hell this asshole is looking for but I never rejects a duel. He already knows about Louise's magical affinity, the runes and that I come from another world, so apart from my origins as demigod of wrath he can no longer discover anything else of importance besides knowing a tiny part of my power level.

"My only condition is that if I defeat you, you let me sleep peacefully" Asura made efforts so that his own pride would not betray him and make fun of his own words. Of course he was going to win.

"I promise" Wardes replied.

"Where do you want your duel?"

"This hotel used to be a castle designed to repel invasions from Albion. There is a parade ground in the center"

"Fine" Turning around, Asura walked to his bed and tapped Derf with his finger "Hey Derf, wake up."

"Hey! What?! What happens?! Why are you waking me up that way partner?!"

"Wardes just challenged me to a duel and I thought you would like to be my weapon"

"...I keep dreaming... there is no way this is possible..."

[A]

CLANK!

"AUCH!" Derflinger complained of the pain after the small blow of Asura on his blade, a necessary modification of the typical —pinch me because I think I'm dreaming— "It's true! I am not dreaming! I finally will be used to fight! Thank heaven, I almost believed that living with you wasn't going to be any different than being in that shop"

"Believe me... I need you more than you think" Asura knew that if he only used his fists in the duel, Wardes would not endure even the first blow.

He stuffed Derflinger into his scabbard (just for aesthetic reasons, it wasn't a good idea for a gigantic man with an unsheathed sword to be walking by) and walked to the door of the room where the viscount was looking at him in bewilderment.

"Do you let your sentient sword sleep on your bed... and you sleep on the floor?" He shot a quick glance at the pillow that was still on the floor and Asura didn't bother to pick it up.

"I weigh more than 300 kilos" was the response of the red-eyed man.

A slight laugh escaped the lips of the Griffin knight "You really are unique"

You have no idea. Asura thought smiling inside, although he also thought about something very important. What was that strange voice and what was he saying?

COURTYARD OF THE TEMPLE OF THE GODDESS

The two left the room and went to the yard. It may have been used before, but now the yard was desolate and littered with debris, including empty wine barrels.

"You may not know it, but under the reign of Felipe III, this yard was used as a place for duels among the nobility"

"Whatever" Asura pulled Derflinger from the sheath at his waist and the runes on his left hand began to glow.

"At one time, the king could still duel. The nobles of the king's time... those were indeed noble. Who risked their lives for fame and honor, we nobles fought with magic. But sometimes, they fought over nonsense, like a lover"

Suddenly Asura's face turned serious. He was about to go on the attack but Wardes stopped him with his left hand.

"Now what!?"

"There are certain rules that a duel must have, a witness for example"

"Witness!" Asura was upset, he preferred that no one see the duel and continue to spread more rumors and news about him.

Only Gaia will know what nickname they give me now.

His reasons were… somewhat questionable.

"Quiet, she´s here" Wardes replied and Louise appeared. She was stunned to see them.

"Wardes, you called me and I came, but what the hell are you doing!?"

"I want to test his skills" there was elegance bathing Wardes' words.

"Don't continue this nonsense!" Louise yelled louder.

"He wants a duel to know if I am strong or weak" Asura replied with an INCREDIBLE INNOCENCE.

Louise turned to see her Familiar annoyed "And you didn't stop him?!" Those words caught the full attention of the knight, who received the worried look of his fiancée "Don't continue with this duel Wardes! Don't take chances like this!"

"Louise... do you really trust your Familiar's power to beat me?" the Louise´s snorted indicate him that he wasn't going to like her answer.

"Wardes I'm going to be VERY sincere: you have a better chance of winning fighting against a supercharged ogre, being blind and with both arms broken, that to beat Asura with all your sword and magic skills powered by all the enchantments and magic items that exist"

A subtle chill ran through Wardes' body at Louise's words. He was not yet close to being the best and most powerful magician in all Halkeginia (that throne is still occupied by that woman who was his teacher), but Louise's Familiar was not a dragon, a manticore, a giant or some magical creature of the one that needs to take extreme precautions.

Of course, he was a very tall and very strong man, things that by themselves were dangerous. And the fact that he had the Gandálfr runes and fought with a sword only multiplied the danger several times over.

But he was a commoner at the end of the day and Wardes was a square-level magician and a decorated Griffin knight. Victory was not a possibility...

It was an established fact.

Wardes got rid of those useless thoughts "Since the witness is here, let's begin" He drew his sword-wand from his belt once more and entered a combat position, aiming at Asura.

Asura replied "I'm going to go with everything!" It was a vile lie: he was going to contain himself enormously, but at least the duel would be somewhat entertaining if Wardes fought to his best abilities.

Wardes replied with a slight laugh "No problem, give me everything you have"

[Y]

Asura leaped forward at incredible speed. Wardes out of instinct made the right decision to evade the attack instead of repelling it with his own sword-wand as he would have liked.

Facing his opponent again, Wardes launched himself in a quick thrust towards Asura's shoulder.

[X]

But he was faster deflected the attack in a diagonal arc, both blades releasing sparks from the impact.

Griffin knight had to take several steps back to regain posture and take valuable seconds off for his arm, which was affected by the previous attack due to the transmission of kinetic energy. Almost and lets his sword fly out if he hadn't held it tight enough.

Incredible. If a single hit with the intention of defending could do that... he didn't want to imagine what it would feel like when he had to block a direct attack.

Better he listened to Louise and took Asura more seriously.

He charge against the red-eyed man again this time trying to take him apart. Many of the duels he had in the past had this as a goal and it was perfect so as not to harm the opponent and get a fair victory.

Some would think that this can be solved simply by grasping the equipped weapon tighter to prevent disarmament.

Not at all.

The sublime combination of the technique used by the swordsman, a harmonious and perfect mix of the movements of the legs, arms, forearm, wrist and hand grip were the key to achieving proper disarmament. One that was both quick and effective, one that was both unexpected and graceful. Something that only a soldier with years of training and experience like Wardes could achieve.

After all, mind and technique always wins...

[B] [X] [B] [X] [B] [X] [B] [X] [B] [X] [B] [X] [B]

Until they met Asura.

Both swords collided dizzily and no matter what moves the silver-haired knight used, he always received a blocking from Asura that broke his sequence.

He try everything: ascending and descending cuts. Side cuts and lunges directed at the abdomen, chest and face. Twists of the sword worthy of a master fencer... all of these attacks were blocked and deflected faster than he could avoid or even see them.

However, as the duel progressed, Wardes managed to identify a characteristic of Asura's movements, as only knights of his caliber can do.

Asura's movements were extremely precise.

Not that this was a bad thing: a true swordsman must move his weapon with the skill necessary to harm the enemy. Not so little that it doesn't really hurt him or too much to prevent a rapid recovery and continue attacks or protect himself from those launched by the opponent.

But Asura was another thing.

He was not only accurate... he was MICROMETRICALLY accurate.

In less than the duration of a blink, Asura could move Derflinger with the necessary force to make the block and stop immediately, just waiting for the next attack to block it like the previous one without bothering to regain the posture.

The latter was also something that puzzled Wardes. One of the main advantages that can be had in the fight was intimidation. If the mind was weak then the movements are weak.

When the viscount attacked Asura he was not afraid to make it to vital organs or sensitive areas, in addition to continuing to try to disarm him. It was not a dishonorable tactic but a strategy in which to scare the enemy into believing that he would be mortally wounded and thereby giving him a valuable chance to win.

Asura was not intimidated. He didn't show a scared expression. He did not back down at any moment as much as Wardes approached him. It was like a steel wall that could take any attack.

Even his movements were never clumsy or exaggerated. He wielded his sword with proper skill and technique. Surely he could have defeated many bandits, mercenaries or other knights using it, but years of fighting made Wardes realize something else: many of his opponent's movements were almost forced… but not forced to act but forced to stop.

To top it off, there was also another inconsistent thing: Why wasn't he counterattacking?

It´s now time to head towards Asura's mind, where unbeknownst to the Griffin Knight, the ex-demigod was also fighting an intense battle.

One where the goal was to avoid accidentally killing Wardes.

Damn! It is more difficult than I thought!

Back in Gaia, very few warrior-type demigods could access Unlimited Mode or Trikaya. Asura could only count him and somehow Yasha, plus a handful of other demigods who were already dead.

On the other hand was the Vajra form, which was even more common having him, Yasha, Wyzen, and Deus as users, plus many other demigods (who were actually also dead).

Both were as similar as they were different.

Vajra mode was a semi-permanent transformation, which could be activated whenever one wanted through the activation of the Mantra within the body and also deactivated when desired. Thanks to this transformation, the limbs can be metallized and thus increase strength, resistance, durability and make them more suitable for combat since that metal was suitable for the transmission and empowerment of attacks based on Mantra.

Unlimited mode was a temporary transformation, the duration of which depended on the control of the demigod's mantra, his experience, his will and the unique qualities of his own body. It was for the latter that Asura gained invulnerability by activating him contrary to Yasha who only enhanced his powers.

Some considered Trikaya a variant of Vajra, others said it was an evolution, but they both had one thing in common: they multiplied the demigod's power multiple times, allowing him to face multiple Gohma of all sizes with much greater ease.

The Gandálfr runes were essentially the combination of both transformations: they enhanced the user's strength WHILE holding a weapon.

But here was the biggest problem: There was no way to —control— or —tell— the runes how much power they had to give the user when he fighting. There was no regulator that would decrease the amount of force and speed in case they were excessive. Weapons techniques and styles were always welcome but the —pure power— behind them there was no way to contain it.

When Asura first took the Rocket Launcher it felt like the Trikaya was activated again but with the duration of the Vajra.

Until now he did not know if the runes only multiplied the power that the user already had (Example: 100 x 3 = 300) or only gave a specific increase in quantity (Example: 100 + 300 = 400). This means that he had to carefully control that increase in power on his own.

As if that were not enough, Asura's instincts and reflexes were also affected.

Doing a review of human physiology (also applicable almost completely to demigods) to be able to move a limb of their own accord, the —Peripheral Nervous System— is used in its —Efferent— or —Motor— division, which transports information FROM the nervous system to the periphery. This efferent information leads to the contraction of the skeletal, smooth and cardiac muscle or to the secretion of the glands.

The direct brother of this division is the —Afferent— or —Sensory— that does exactly the opposite: it provides information TOWARD the nervous system, generally about phenomena that have occurred in the peripheral sensory receptors.

Receptors are the prodigal children of the sensory system:

Mechanoreceptors are activated by pressure or pressure changes. Photoreceptors are activated by light and are responsible for vision. Chemoreceptors are activated by chemical substances and are necessary for the proper functioning of smell, taste and for the detection of oxygen and carbon dioxide to control breathing. Thermoreceptors are activated by temperature or the temperature changes and Nociceptors that respond to extremes of pressure, temperature or harmful chemicals causing pain.

Physiologically speaking, this is the closest thing that the human being knows as —instinct— or —sixth sense—.

For Asura, that his entire body was semi-mechanical and almost completely made of metal, which was already hundreds of times superior to an average human being, when adding the power of the runes it was now thousands of times superior and almost uncontrollable.

To sum up: Asura was fighting a simple human, using an adequate amount of power and ability to kill a giant Gohma.

This was not difficult. It was almost impossible.

His non-lethal options for winning this combat (and any in the future) were for Derf to destroy the opponent's weapon or this last will get tire of fighting.

Luckily this last option seemed to be working.

Wardes leaped back to catch his breath and rest again. It was already 15 minutes since the fight began.

Asura detected an increase in his pride.

"A Magic Knight not only recites enchantments" Wardes replied, with a hat tilt "How we recite a spell. How we hold the wand, the movement we make when charging, everything is something specialized for battle... the way we use our wands as swords, full of magic. This is the most basic thing for soldiers" he said with a mocking smile

Oh thanks. I'll put it on the list of things I don't give a shit about. Asura thought with displeasure. What kind of knight starts to talk around showing off in the middle of a duel?

"You are very fast and strong. Nobody would think that a commoner is the legendary Gandálfr. But your movements are too rigid, you cannot beat a real magician just with that"

[Y]

As if he was looking for it, Asura launched a direct cut to the head of Wardes who again dodged the attack.

But the ex-demigod, who had much better control of his boosted power as opposed to when the duel began, this time managed to make a precise cut in the feather that decorated Wardes' ridiculous hat. The knight watched the white feather spin irregularly before finally falling to the ground.

"What were you saying?" Asura's mocking smile complemented her comment.

"That doesn't change anything. In a real fight against a magician, we make use of physical and magical abilities. I admit it, you completely beat me on the first, but you totally fail on the second. In other words, you can't protect Louise" Wardes returned to his combat position. With speed impossible for a normal person to follow, he launched an attack on Asura "Dell yill soll la windy" Wardes made his spell while brandishing the sparkling wand.

"Partner! Bad news! Magic is coming!" Derflinger shouted, when he realized the magic chant whisper...

It was already the damn time.

BAAAM!

Suddenly an invisible and enormous force wind hit against Asura, shaking her hair and clothes dizzyingly.

.

.

.

.

.

"Impossible!" Wardes exclaimed, seeing that his attack did not affect his opponent at all.

"Not for me" Asura scoffed, wanting to see what the knight was up to now.

"Solidum aeris malleo!" The air around Asura solidified into invisible blocks, striking him with great force throughout the body, mainly the face.

TON! TON! TON! TON! TON! TON! TON! TON! TON!

But not only did Asura not seem damaged by the attack that would have shattered a normal man's bones, but he couldn't even get something as simple as moving him.

"Is that really all? I begin to believe that they only gave your position out of pity. What you can't do it better!?"

"DELELL YILL SOLL LA WINDY!"

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!

Said and done, Wardes used his first spell again, but this time he used even more willpower when performing it and used it in a variant in which he continued to cast the gale constantly. For a moment it seemed to work, and Asura was beginning to be displaced from its place a few centimeters, but it was only enough to rearrange the position of his feet to become still again.

Almost a minute after that attack began, Wardes finally gave up. He still had a lot of willpower left to fight but a new strategy had to be tried.

Asura planted Derflinger on the ground and released the handle. The runes stopped glowing.

"My turn"

Taking those words as a signal to evade, the viscount with his wand generated multiple currents of air around his body. To any ignorant, they would be nothing more than just any wind, but for a magician it is a valuable resource by dramatically increasing their speed and using it in new strategies aimed at obtaining victory.

[X]

"ARG!"

And such an appeal failed miserably.

Wardes could swear that he never felt a pain in his abdomen as strong as that of Asura's fist hitting him. He could also swear that that blow was not making a straight path but a curve upwards and...

[FURY!]

"Aaaaaaahhh!"

TRAAACK!

Miraculously the only thing broken in that area were the wood and the viscount's pride, not his bones. After being thrown upwards to a height of 6 meters and falling backwards onto the empty wine barrels.

"Let this teach you a lesson, noble idiot" Asura's voice showed a considerable amount of wrath "Do not underestimate your opponent and do not believe that your magic will win all your fights" For a second, he remind his former master Augus and his criticism of other demigods for trusting the Mantra too much to win the battles against the Gohma "any other fool may have confronted you without ever considering the deadly combination of sword and magic… but I not! Are you saying I can't protect Louise? Do not make me laugh! How can you protect your fiancée if you attack me with such useless spells more than once?"

"A good magician... never uses more power... than is necessary... to win..." Wardes replied between labored breaths.

"It´s true. You nobles have your so-called —willpower— that is only recharged by sleeping. It´s true that using spells during a sword fight also allows you to win without risking physical injury, but you have to be very idiot to not use better strategies or other more useful spells after seeing that the ones you used do not work" a little nostalgia seeped into Asura, remembering how he combined his incredible strength and physical abilities with his powerful Mantra shots when fighting "Either way. I won the duel"

"No!" Wardes got to his knees with difficulty "That was not a victory! You beat me treacherously!"

"Do not be a moron. Treason would have been hitting you on the back, you did not evade or protect yourself quickly enough. There is also another thing you should know about me: I am a melee fighter, I have never used swords. If I fought Derf it was to make him happy for at least once... "

"Hey partner, I'm still waiting for you to get me out of this place! And what does it mean to be content at least once?! At least you would have used me to win!"

"...and because if I had only used my fists, you would not have lasted 2 seconds against me" Asura clicked her tongue contemptuously "Although if you are so crying I allow you declared that it was a draw"

Wardes didn't utter a word in response. He was too busy trying to stand up, but Asura felt his wrath build rapidly after that last sentence.

Goal accomplished. Asura picked up Derf and cleaned the blade a bit before putting it back in it's sheath. On the way to his room he saw Louise looking at him disapprovingly.

He also saw hanging from her neck was the engagement necklace Wardes had given her the night before. He decided not to mention it.

"Usually this is the moment you complain, Louise," not that the red-eyed man really wanted it, but it was already becoming a habit.

Shaking her head, Louise replied in a resigned tone.

"I stopped worrying about it a long time ago. I know that no matter what you did you weren't going to kill him and he would end up learning a lesson from you. Furthermore I clearly warned him that he was not going to be able to defeat you and he still continued with the fight" Wardes' moan of pain couldn't have come at a better time. Louise hardened her gaze "Still, I ASK you not to do it again"

A petition and not an order. I think now we really are progressing "I will try"

Louise also knew that her Familiar would give that answer and that trying to change it was a waste of time, so she went in the direction of the Griffin knight to see his condition. Asura meanwhile returned to his way to his room.

"Don't worry Lord Wardes, I know you fought with the bravery and honor of a knight"

"Louise! That's a monster!" Wardes said finally standing up with the help of his saber-wand and with an expression full of fear.

"Not precisely"

"WHAT?!"

"He claims to be from a race of people who do not use magic and therefore developed great strength to fight and great resistance to the attacks. It´s because this that I didn't want you to fight him"

"Louise, has your Familiar received other attack spells in the past? Of any of the other elements?"

"Yes... and they all ended the same. They didn't affect him at all"

"It is a greater danger than I thought! It doesn't matter where he come from or what race he are! A commoner who is practically immune to the attacks of a magician is a threat to the nobles!"

"He will not be. He just wants to protect me and so far he has done that job perfectly well. All the nobles who attacked him did the same as you: they challenged him to a duel and he was the one who took the victory"

"But…!"

"You was setting the conditions, viscount, and I am witness of the duel. Therefore I grant victory to Asura and my decision is final"

For the first time in a long time Wardes had to swallow his words. He raised his forehead with pride and said in a solemn voice "I admit my defeat"

Louise smiled softly. "Let's go to the inn. Maybe they have some potion to ease the pain"

ASURA´S ROOM

That night Asura stared at the moon from her balcony window, he had recently finished meditating. Kirche and company were drinking at the bar on the first floor. Tomorrow they would travel to Albion, so everyone was partying before leaving. She invited him, but he refused.

Asura looked up at the starlit night sky. In the infinite sea of the heavenly vault, the pink moon hid behind the white moon, and thus became a peach-colored moon. That moon reminded him of his homeland, the moon of Gaia.

He recalled the last battle he had against Augus on the surface of the satellite. He wish with all his strength to face his former teacher again if that meant being able to be at least in the world in which he belongs and with the moon to which he belongs.

He recalled his teacher's teachings. Many were good, many were bad, but they partly made the man he is today. He definitely did not share his philosophy of fighting for the fight itself, regardless of whether it was on the side of good or evil.

That was bullshit. If someone had power then they could use it to hurt others or protect them, and Asura decided to protect them. No matter how much someone likes to fight, the feeling of victory, wine, sex or any other damn thing that was rewarded... nothing could justify hurting or killing an innocent.

Without realizing it, Asura's fists were tearing apart the window frame. The chips sprang slowly from the wooden frame and some fell to the ground. Asura just kept looking at the moons, then he heard someone behind him.

"Asura" Turning around, he saw Louise standing behind him, arms folded "...Just because you've defeated Wardes doesn't mean you should stay away. I already talked to him and he is not going to retaliate or will be violent with you as long as we continue together"

The muscular man in response shrugged "As if I cared about that. That's not the reason I'm here" He noticed the splinters between his fingers and quickly but discreetly brushed them away before speaking to Louise again.

"So?"

"I am remembering my world"

Louise lowered her head "...Sorry, it's my fault"

"No, it isn't" Louise raised her head and looked confused at Asura "When I was in my world I could hear your voice before you summoned me. At no time did you mention my name, so you couldn't specifically choose me. It's not your fault"

Something of joy began to flow from Louise upon hearing those words "How is your world like?" She asked suddenly. Asura widened his eyes slightly, surprised "So far I only know it has just a moon, I would like to know more"

Asura carefully thought what he was going to say. Shinkoku Trastrium was the equivalent (multiplied by thousands of times) of the noble society here in Halkeginia, therefore it would be a gigantic blow of information and revelation if he told Louise his true origin, in addition to the fact that he was technically a noble and even more so an ex-demigod

On the other hand, it was preferable that he not tell her about the ancient Gohma threat. He didn't need to give the girl nightmares about giant monsters made of lava and evil energy capable of destroying a planet.

But above all: he could never tell her that she had distanced him from his family, from Durga and Mithra, when she invoked him and breaking the cycle of reincarnation.

Well... for the moment it seems that talking to Louise about geography will be more than enough.

"There are 3 continents" Asura began to say in a calm voice "the largest is called Brahmā, which is where I was born. It has a territory of more than 55 million square kilometers or… square kilomails"

"55 million! That's like 6 or 7 times more than Halkeginia!" Louise scream absolutely amazed that a continent of such size existed.

"Depending on the region where you be, the climate was varied: most of the continent was cold but if you went north it increased even more because the continent was very close to the pole. Towards the center and much of the west the climate became more temperate, however there were also cold desert regions and a series of mountains so high that they caused an icy area. The south was definitely warmer and with more vegetation. I lived here"

"Amazing… although I had never heard the term —cold desert—. Deserts are supposed to be hot"

"Depending on many factors, it can be a desert with high temperatures or one with low temperatures, both characterized by the almost zero presence of vegetation. And to tell you the truth, I'm summarizing it for you: we can classify the climate in up to 30 categories according to the Köpp scale"

Louise's eyes sparkled with excitement. Asura became a victim of melancholy again because Louise's gaze, so eager and hungry for new knowledge, was exactly the same as that of her daughter.

As if the voice was not enough.

"Then there is the Vishnú continent with almost 22 million square kilometers. Their climates were more precise, being hot desert in almost all the north, tropical in the center and temperate a few territories in the south" Louise's eyes never lost their shine, only increased "Finally there was the Shiva continent, it was the continent more small with only 9 million square kilometers. The north was a hot little desert, at its center it was mostly tropical and more temperate to the south"

Asura wisely decided not to mention the —Fourth Continent—.

If he was say it, Louise would end up learning even more about his true origin.

"They sound spectacular, but who gave them those names?"

"The same people who lived there, in honor of their respective founders"

"So you also had a founder?" Louise's gaze now shot reproach.

Time to lie again "Brahmā, Vishnú and Shiva, also called the —Trimurti— only established the political and social foundations of our culture, including some foundations of science and militia, but at no time did people classify them as gods, unlike your founder"

"He was... Brimir was the incarnation of God on earth"

"How do you say, I still don't believe it"

"But even if he isn't, we still owe him a lot of important things"

"Yeah. The war against the elves, the magic and the summons of Familiars" Asura replied in a tone that little importance "By the way, what kind of creature do you say it summons?"

"In 90% of the times the summoned Familiar coincides and determines the magician's magical affinity, in addition to his power level. The other 10% is a Familiar that does not match affinity, much less the level of power... but..."

"But?"

Louise gave a long snort before continuing. "All the Familiars are supposed to match on being the most suitable for the magician who summoned him. They say it in all the books about the theme"

"Then, am I the most suitable for you?"

"Ha! There's no way a Familiar like you is right for me! What have you done to deserve that title?!"

"I made you aware of the limited magical power that nobles have"

"That doesn´t count. We already knew but we were ignoring it"

"I made you aware of what your true magical affinity is"

"Well... that does count..."

"I prevent you from continuing to risk your life blindly for royalty"

"Only by order of Princess Henrietta"

"But…?"

"…also count..."

"And I saved your life twice, even though you were the one who got into those problems and still I do not claim you because despite that you continue treating me like an animal"

"It´s your job as my Familiar and I appreciate it, but there is nothing I can do about it. I´m a member of the nobility and if I don't, there would be rumors"

"Just my luck" he said growling.

Louise spoke in a friendly tone "...when this mission is over, I will do my best to find you a way to home"

"Thank you, it means a lot to me"

Louise put her arms around her waist, nodding with a cute expression "But... in the hypothetical case I can't find a way to return you" Her face flushed a little "...If that happens, I will ask you to continue serving me...-

Again, a petition "I'm sorry Louise, but even if you can't send me back to my world I've already decided to go back and it's definitive. And if I can't find the solution in you then I'll find it on my own"

"Would you abandon me?" Her melancholy was increasing.

"I´m not your slave Louise... I´m not slave to anyone. I do not care what your society says or what the runes show, I made my own decisions and decided to be your Familiar for 2 reasons: you are the best opportunity I have to return to my world and I will never let my actions hurt you. Also, do you really want I to remain your Familiar even if you get married?"

"This has nothing to do with marriage. During your time in Halkeginia, you are my Familiar. So regardless of whether or not I get married, it´s your duty to protect me and do the laundry, as well as other duties" Louise replied with her typical proud tone and air of superiority, things that do not completely match her current expression.

Asura looked at Louise.

Her hair a perfect and charming pink color with undulating volume. Her eyes that sparkled with beautiful fury. Her normally peach-colored face now tinted cherry-colored and her pursed lips were very pretty.

Everything in Louise was really cute. If this universe had had the idea to create the most beautiful girl that ever existed to honor him with her presence then this would be Louise. Despite her constant outbursts of wrath and annoying demeanor, Louise's glow existed not only on the outside but also on the inside. She was just like Kirche, when they were both honest with their true feelings they became much better people. Those 2 were more similar than they thought, if only they were friends.

And speaking of Kirche, recalling his conversation with the Germany girl, Asura decided that it was time to speak on a very delicate subject with Louise.

A subject he waited for (and almost prayed for) just by having to discuss with his daughter Mithra many millions of years from now and a good deal of eternities.

"Changing the subject, Louise... are you sure you want to marry Wardes?"

Surprised by the sudden question, Louise stepped back.

"What? Of course yes! It was an arranged marriage with my family since I was little"

"Leaving aside what your family says... are you sure is Wardes who you love as a husband? Are you sure you know him well?"

Louise spluttered several times before answering "Of course I did! Wardes has been one of the few who has understood me and has comforted me whenever I am sad. He has never hit me, he has never insulted me. He is the perfect man"

"Do you know the true feelings that he has for you?"

"He has brought me roses, he has written me poetry. He has always been gentle and kind to me. What feeling can it be but love?!"

Time to drop the bomb "He has been sexually hinted at you?"

.

.

.

[X]

"RETURN MY WAND STUPID FAMILIAR SO I CAN KILL YOU!" scream the little magician Valliere, her face boiling with wrath as she futilely tried to retrieve her wand after Asura disarmed her.

"Calm down Louise! I swear I ask you for the correct reasons!"

"What correct reasons?! Perverted Familiar! Damn degenerate! You are a danger to all women!"

"Louise, he doesn't feel lust for you"

If possible, Louise's face reddened even more "Of course he doesn't feel lust for me! Those kinds of things are not demonstrated in public! Don't compare me to Kirche!"

"No Louise, I mean it literally. I can't feel the emotion of lust coming from him"

"What are you talking about?" She asked slightly calmer.

"I have a special ability called —Emotion Detection— I can feel the emotions of others around me"

"I do not believe you"

"You can ask Kirche. Thanks to this ability, I have not fallen into her insinuations" Well, that and my fidelity to Durga "Because I have detected that she only feels lust and not true love"

"Kirche knows that you can feel other people's emotions?"

"Yes, but..."

"Did you dare tell an enemy of the Valliere about your ability before your master?!"

What contradictory girl "That is irrelevant. What I'm trying to tell you is that Wardes doesn't really feel lust for you and therefore doesn't feel love"

"How stupid! Don't compare the despicable lust with the beautiful love!"

"I don't compare them, the first is the complement of the second"

"That makes no sense"

"The combination of lust and vanity is love"

"That makes even less sense. These are deadly sins"

"For that I to detect emotions these must be based on some sins: Wrath, Melancholy, Pride, Lust, Violence, Laziness, Vanity and Greed"

"That does not explain how love can be born from lust and vanity"

"Vanity consists of excessive belief in one's own abilities or the attraction caused towards others, therefore attracts the couple. Lust is the desire to have sex or, in the non-sexual sense, it´s the passionate desire for something. If we use the first concept it refers to the fact that the peak of love is the desire of couples to have sex because it is the maximum union between 2 people who love each other, otherwise they are only 2 idiots who say beautiful things to each other...-

"So I'm an idiot now?!"

"It's not what I meant Louise!"

"I'm sick of hearing you speak! I'm going to marry Wardes and it's definitive!" Louise repeated it again. At first she expected Asura to say something to stop her, but he didn't even say a single word. In an oversight from Asura, Louise retrieved her wand "Someone like you must spend the rest of his life looking at the moons!" Louise yelled when she prepare to off running.

And suddenly...

"What the hell!?" Asura shouted. Louise turned her head and, to her surprise, something appeared that covered the moons...

Under the shadow of the moon, it seemed to be a giant. But when looking up close, that was the shadow of a huge stone golem. The person controlling the golem turned out to be...

"Fouquet!" Asura and Louise screamed at the same time.

The figure sat on the golem's shoulder and cheerfully replied "Oh, it's a great honor to be remembered!"

Asura growled angrily "You fucking bastard! Shouldn't you be rotting in jail!?"

Fouquet yelled at him "A beauty like me must be free for the welfare of the world, so they let me escape!"

It was dark but Asura saw there was a figure in the black cloak of the nobility standing next to Fouquet. Maybe was the person who helped her escape. The entire time it was silent. Because the figure was wearing a mask, nobody could see anything clear, but it appeared to be a man.

"I don't know what makes you more stupid Fouquet. The fact that you want to face me again instead of escaping or that you attack me again with a damn useless golem"

"Don´t worry, now my golem is made of stone! I'm here to thank you for the vacation you gave me. Take my thanks!"

Fouquet burst out laughing and the huge golem pulverized the balcony with a single blow.

TROOOOOOOMMMM!

[Y]

And being immediately stopped by Asura's powerful arms. The balcony was solid stone, so it seemed that the power of the golem had increased considerably, but was still inferior to him.

"Run Louise!" The little magician obeyed immediately, barely remembering Henrietta's order and Asura's threat about what was going to happen to her if she didn't comply. She escape the room and go down the stairs.

[X]

With Louise out of danger, Asura pushed the golem's arm back, pushing back all the stone monster nearly a dozen meters. Its occupants had to hold on to the rock to avoid falling.

The masked man signaled to Fouquet and casually jumped off the golem's shoulder, disappearing into the darkness like the midnight wind, soft and chilling. To his bewilderment, Asura was unable to sense that person's emotions.

"Gee... what a relaxed guy! He can't tell me anything he were thinking about"

"I am your opponent, Fouquet!" The ex-demigod shouted, jumping from the hole in his room. Already on the ground he look angrily at the gigantic living mass of stone and the rider who mounted it. But a shouts caught his attention and he turned to a group of men in armor and shooting arrows toward the lower floor of the inn "More thieves?!" he wondered.

"Asura!"

"Louise?!" exclaimed the ex-demigod upon hearing that scream come from the area where the thieves were attacking.

"You will not go for them" turning back to Fouquet, she made her golem create not one but 2 giant rocks in its fists and got ready in launch position "I am your opponent, do you forget?" Her intentions were clear.

Damn bitch. It was all a trap to keep me away and prevent me from protecting them. Good plan, I admit, although Kalrow would have done a hell of a lot better using at least 10 different ways to lure me, immobilize me and attack me. I just hope that stupid Wardes can handle the situation.

"If you want!" Asura leaped in the direction of the golem as the same time that this backed away and threw one of the rocks.

[Y]

Asura caught that rock like a simple ball and put it aside, as he watched the golem throw the second one.

[X]

Catching it again, this time he quickly made a 360° turn.

[A]

The rock returned directly to its launcher, severely damaging the left leg.

[X]

He embedded his fingers in the first rock he caught, and like its twin, it was thrown into the golem's other leg, causing the gigantic mass of stone to begin to wobble.

Fouquet moved her wand and shoved it into her own rock construction. Asura couldn't see her at all, just feel her.

Like the filthy parasite that she is.

Asura finally found himself underneath the golem just as this attempt to crush him with a hammer-turned fist.

[Y]

With a single blow that hammer was smashed into hundreds of pieces...

[X]

The same thing happened with the twin hand.

[A]

Fed up with everything, Asura jumped straight into the golem

[B] [B] [B] [B] [B] [B] [B] [B]

[B] [B] [B] [B] [B] [B]

[B] [B] [B] [B]

As if he were a wild animal, Asura brutally broke and ripped the entire body of the golem with his hands, sending dozens of rocks everywhere that, had it been some red mineral, would make it look like the bloodiest murder ever imaginable.

He continued digging into the bowels of the giant until he finally found...

Nothing.

"Where are you, miserable?!" He exclaimed when saw that there was no one inside the Golem.

"Fluxus petram!" Fouquet's scream caught his attention as he felt the stone that made up the golem become softer and more fluid. The woman had stepped out of the golem without his noticing "Lapis sarcophagus... sepeli et monstrum!"

In a blink of an eye the entire stone gathered around Asura and buried him like a sarcophagus. Exerting a pressure of hundreds of kilos per cubic centimeter, it was a very useful spell to stop and even kill creatures that had enormous strength.

But Fouquet knew that was not going to stop him. Nothing can stop him! She screamed in her mind and started running. Her part was already done, so there was no point staying to receive the fury of...

[X]

TRRRAAAAK!

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Talking about the devil.

"Ugh!" Fouquet shouted as she fell to the ground. Maybe if she hadn't run in rect line when she was running from Asura, those rocks that scattered when he escaped from the sarcophagus wouldn't have hit her all over her back.

Fouquet was still conscious, but that was a few seconds to fix. With effort she could turn around and saw the monster that she uselessly tried to stop.

Painful intentions showed in his gaze and she no longer had the willpower for any other spell.

"Wait! I can explain it!" Fear was the predominant emotion on the thief, but not the only one...

"Explain it to my fist!"

[FURY!]

With Fouquet passed out (and a black eye forming on her face) Asura turned in the direction of the inn just in time to see a huge gust of wind drive out all the bandits, followed by a curtain of fire that prevented them from advancing again.

"My turn!" He shout, drawing the attention of all the armed men before running towards them with his fists raised.

The bandits saw in the distance the remains of the huge 30-meter golem completely destroyed and its summoner, one of the most dangerous magicians in all of Halkeginia, passed out without grace.

They exclaimed their surrender but Asura completely ignored them.

They had tried to hurt those whom he decided to protect. Piety was the last thing he would offer them

[X] [B] [X] [B] [X] [B] [X] [B] [X] [B]

[X] [B] [X] [B] [X] [B] [X] [B]

[X] [B] [X] [B] [X] [B]

With the arrows bouncing off his skin and the swords destroying on contact with it, it took Asura less than 10 seconds to knock out all the bandits present. Those men barely had time to feel extreme pain before unconsciousness enveloped them.

With the last of them out of combat, he headed in the direction of —Team Asura— "Everyone are alright?"

Kirche was the first to respond "Of course, darling! Thank you very much for helping us!"

"I'm sorry to be late"

"Not at all. Without your timely help we could not have gotten rid of the bandits"

"How?"

"Scream" was the subtle reply from Tabitha, who was still reading her book.

It was Louise's turn to speak "Your scream distracted them long enough for Wardes and Tabitha to attack them with a wind spell"

"However, that same scream is also going to attract all the curious and guards of the city. This site is no longer secure. I suggest moving" Wardes said in a voice full of reasoning.

"I'm going for my sword. Louise, go for your stuff" the ex-demigod ordered.

Taking only a couple of minutes to collect everything they needed. The whole group finally left The Temple of the Goddess and started walking towards the port.

But just down the road.

"What do we do with her?" The pink-haired magician asked no one specifically, looking at the unconscious green-haired woman right where Asura left her.

Asura was about to say to just ignore her and to have the guards take arrest her... but another very angry voice was anticipate to him.

"I say there we must be put an end to this here and now" said the Germany girl with her wand pointed at the unconscious thief.

"Zerbst! Won't you say you intend to kill her?!" was Valliere's frightened exclamation.

"But Louise! She almost killed you that time at the academy and she almost killed us in the Ardennes Forest. Also, if I'm not mistaken, you were with Asura when she attacked in his room... It means that she has already tried to kill you 3 times! Don't you think it's time to end this once and for all? Don't you think about your safety?"

Louise's beautiful eyes widened even further at this revelation. Kirche had told the truth: Fouquet was a danger to them and someone had released her. That means he could get out of prison again after a while.

"Let her live, Kirche"

They all turned their heads towards the owner of the voice.

"Under what argument, darling? And being a team leader doesn't count. A good leader knows when to eliminate those who are a threat to the life of the group"

"2 reasons: the first is that I was the one who defeated Fouquet, therefore I am the one who decides what to do with her and I decide not to kill her"

"Are you going to risk everyone to a new attack on her part? And by the way, just because you decide not to kill those who attack you doesn't mean that we should do the same"

"There is nothing honorable about killing an unconscious enemy, Miss Kirche. Even if it is Fouquet, the crumbling dirt" Wardes interrupted the conversation.

"With all due respect, Griffin knight, I'm not talking to you" Wardes' hand on Louise's shoulder prevented her from releasing endless insults at Kirche in response to that comment "So... what's the second reason?" she say to Asura, fiercely.

The sound of multiple voices and galloping horses, plus the characteristic screech of armor let them know they would soon not be alone.

"I'll tell you later... for the moment let's get out of here"

Members of the Team Asura were running toward the harbor along the bright path illuminated by the moons. Then Wardes ran up the long stairs of a building and everyone started up them too.

"Aren't we going to a port!? Why are we climbing a hill!?" Asura asked. Wardes did not reply.

After climbing a long staircase, they reached the top of a small hill. Seeing everything in front of him, Asura gasped.

It was a huge tree, branching out in all directions. It was the size of a mountain. How high will it be? The night covered its upper part, but it was a considerable height. Asura looked at the tree as if it were one of the Multipurpose Towers that existed in Gaia, although those completely surpassed it as they even surpassed the clouds. But those were metal structures built by demigods and this a tree, a real life form of enormous size.

And then... with a closer look between the branches, the tree seemed to contain something even bigger.

A fruit?

He was wrong. It was a ship.

"This is the —port—!? And... that's the —ship—!?" Asura asked in shock.

Louise replied in surprise "Yes... Isn't it the same in your country!?"

"The ports and ships I come from are on the water" That was true if Nirvana battleships were not counted, but there was no need to tell Louise that.

"If there are ships that sail in the water, there must also be ships that sail through the air!" Said the little magician with complete ease.

Wardes ran towards the roots of the tree, which was as large and spacious as the temples of Gaia.

It was night, so he couldn't see anyone. Between each flight of stairs were metal panels, with something written on them. They are the signs of the station, although I do not understand the names well. Asura thought. He still couldn't read the language at all.

Wardes started up the stairs in front of him.

One flight of wooden stairs connected to another. There were scaffolding and reinforcements on them, but it still looked dangerous. One could see the lights of La Rochelle in the spaces between each flight of stairs.

At a halfway rest stop, Asura heard footsteps behind them. He turned around and there, hidden deep in the darkness, was the figure of a man. He made a movement with his wand and the air above him began to cool.

"What are he doing!?"

"Electric Cloud!" Derflinger exclaimed, recognizing the spell.

"Everyone hide!" Asura shouted to the group, who followed his orders. He had hardly any idea what that spell could do and he didn't like it in the least.

The unknown continued to make his spell. The air shuddered, creating a cloud. Then from that cloud, a lightning hit Asura directly.

SPAAAAAARK!

Acting like a non-human shield, Asura completely received the electric attack from the unknown. Although unknown was not the right word: it was the masked white man in Fouquet's golem.

"Asura! What's going on?!" Louise shouted away from the fight area with her wand in hand.

"That guy was with Fouquet during the attack!" He said as his body expelled smoke. That lightning bolt was colossally weaker than Deus's attacks, but for a normal human it would have been enough to seriously harm him or even kill him.

In a blink, the masked man cast a new spell. Multiple lightning bolts began to come out of the cloud forming powerful electric arcs that struck in all directions and nearly injured several members of Team Asura.

"Bastard!" Was the leader's exclamation. He was about to jump in the direction of the masked man to break his bones.

"Solidum aeris malleo!" But it was Wardes who finally ended the problem. Using the air hammer spell again, he hit the masked man to the ground.

They slowly approached the subject, who almost and even seemed to have died. With only a meter to go to reach him, he vanished into thin air.

"But what?!" Asura exclaimed.

"Ubiquitous wind"

"What do you say Tabitha?" Kirche asked her friend, who was an expert in wind magic.

"She is referring to a spell that creates anything using the wind element. Basically what it does is create a realistic illusion using air to shape and flesh out the illusion so you can interact with the surroundings and even cast spells. Only the most powerful square mages can do it" the Viscount explained.

"Is that thing alive or does it think of itself?" Asura asked.

"No. At all times it actions are the orders of the magician who created it"

That explained why Asura couldn't feel that guy's emotions. He literally did not exist and because he did not exist he could not generate emotions.

Perfect. Now I have to deal with some fucking illusions that escape my detection. Only Gaia will know what more damn tricks these magicians have. And to top it off, he had to be a masked man. Yasha wasn't enough?

"Let's go at once before something else happens!" Shouted the ex-demigod already tired of everything.

Behind the last flight of stairs was a branch. On that branch, a ship... just docked there. It was shaped more like a yacht, maybe to let it fly. It had wings on the sides. Many ropes hung from the boat, all tied to branches. It was so that the ship would not leave.

They got on board and a sailor lying on the floor asked them "Hey, you! What are they doing!?"

"Where's the captain!?"

"Is sleeping! Come back in the morning!" The man replied coldly, apparently he was drunk because he took a sip from his bottle of rum.

Wardes didn't answer and pulled out his wand "You want a noble to repeat what he just said!? I asked where the captain is!"

"An n-noble!" The sailor stood up immediately and ran to the captain's cabin.

After a while, he brought in a sleepy fifty-something man in a hat. He seemed to be the captain "Who are you and what do you want!?" He looked at Wardes suspiciously.

"I am the leader of Her Majesty's Guard, Captain Wardes!"

The captain's eyes widened, and he went on to speak formally after learning of his identity as a high-caliber nobleman "Oh, uh... so what services can this ship perform for you...?!"

"Take us to Albion. Now!"

"What madness!"

"This is by order of Her Majesty. Are you planning to go against the Royal Court!?"

"I don't know why they want to go to Albion, but we can't leave for another 2 days!"

"Why?"

"Albion will be closer to Tristain by then! We don't have enough windstones to get there from here right now!"

"Windstones?" Asura wondered.

The captain gave him a look that said —You really don't know what the windstones are?— and replied "They are stones with the power of the wind. This ship cannot fly without them" Then he turned to Wardes "Your Excellency, this ship only has enough windstones to travel the shortest distance to Albion. If we had more, we could have left earlier. But, for now, we can't go. We're going to fall out of the sky in the way"

"I can regain the power of the stones. I'm a quadrangular wind magician"

The captain and his sailors looked at each other. The captain turned to Wardes and nodded. "Mmm... fine then, but he will have to pay."

"What is the price!?"

"Sulfur. Right now, it's worth its weight in gold. The nobles have raised the price in their desperation for security. Gunpowder is already a necessity!"

"Sell me everything you have"

The captain nodded, perhaps with a sly smile. With the agreement, the captain gave order after order: "Lift the Anchor! Release the ropes! Hoist the sails!"

The sailors followed orders, all the while complaining quietly, removing the ropes from the branches.

Without the ties, the ship suddenly sank, then floated again with the power of the windstones.

"When will we get to Albion?" Wardes asked.

"We will arrive at Scarborough Harbor the day after tomorrow at noon!" Replied the captain.

Asura looked at the ground from port side. The —port— could be seen among the branches of the huge tree. The lights of La Rochelle soon faded into darkness. They seemed to be traveling quite fast for a wooden boat, which was powered by —magic pebbles— and not thrusters.

"Hey, are you okay?" Louise asked Asura.

"Of course yes. You know none of magicians' spells can hurt me" he replied slightly amused.

"But that was a lightning spell. Lightning magic is an evolution of wind magic and is almost always fatal even if the affected person has no wounds or feels normal. I also saw you expel smoke after the illusion attacked you"

"They would need the power of a storm to harm me at least" Asura said smiling.

Before answering, Louise sighed in defeat "At this point I believe every word you say"

Wardes approached them "From what I have heard from the captain, Albion's Royal Army is near Newcastle and completely surrounded and is fighting an uphill battle"

Louise, clearly frightened, asked him "What about Prince Wales!?"

Wardes shook his head "He seems to be alive..."

"Wait...! The port won't be completely taken over by the rebels!?"

"Yes"

"Then how can we contact the Royal Family!?"

"We are going to have to fight to get there It takes only a day on horseback from Scarborough to Newcastle"

"Fight against the rebels!?"

"It's okay for me. You just stay behind Louise" Asura commented receiving a scolding look from the aforementioned girl.

"So is. That is the only option we have. We are going to have to find an opportunity to get out of his circle and run straight to Newcastle. All we have to think about then is how to get"

Louise nodded anxiously, and asked "Speaking of which Wardes, where's your Griffin!?"

Wardes smiled. He leaned out port, and whistled. Then, came the sound of the Griffin's wings flapping, and landed on deck, scaring some of the sailors.

POINT OF VIEW: ASURA

I sat down near the mast and closed my eyes. It looks like we are going to get into new trouble very soon. I better go to sleep to relax.

"Excuse me, Familiar. I would like to discuss a very important topic with you"

With a grunt, I open my eyes to see the owner of the voice. The last person among all those present in that strange —ship from heaven— with whom I would like to have to speak: Wardes.

I reply annoyed "Now what do you want? If it's because of the duel I told you that leave it in a tie, I don't care"

"It's not about that... but now that you mention it I inform you that I accept my defeat. You´re right that I was the one who underestimated you and I wasn't at your level"

"Fine"

"But that doesn't change in that you don't have what it takes to protect Louise. My biggest proof is the masked entity that attacked us recently"

I clench my fists in annoyance "Just because you beat him doesn't mean I couldn't" I say to Wardes in undisguised wrath.

"I don't doubt it, but its latest attack could have killed the entire group if I hadn't stopped him"

Well, I'm upset already "If you only came to brag, you can go to hell!"

Ignoring the insult, Wardes continued "General Asura, your physical abilities and endurance are something that even a consecrated knight like me can only dream and I envy you. But whoever created that wind entity is a very powerful magician and all magicians are adept in ranged attack"

"And what about Fouquet? From what I saw she can only create giant golems that can throw giant rocks, will your magic be enough to stop them and defeat her?"

"While Fouquet is a magician known for focusing more on physical damage, it is not his only trick. If the enemies were always bandits, mercenaries or even monsters then no one better than you to protect Louise... but against magicians who attack from to distance or worse still, who are not even present, then I am the most indicated"

Almost and a new fit of laughter escapes me.

My light Mantra shots are much faster and much more powerful than any stupid spell magicians have cast on me thus far.

Does this dunce think his advantage lies in ranged attacks? Of course not! Even if I can only throw rocks I am superior to anyone. Even a lemon-sized rock turns into a dangerous projectile launched with a force like mine, based on the physics of —Impact Energy—.

In fact, I could literally throw something as small as a grain of rice with all my strength and it would pierce through the strongest and densest alloys that can exist, drill mountains and drill the planet as if it were a wet sheet of paper...

Sure, if the kinetic energy and air friction forces hadn't disintegrated the rice just a second after I launched it.

"Therefore, I ask that you also trust me for Louise's protection. You are Gandálfr, the sword and shield of the Void. Let me be the bow and arrow"

Trust in this fool whose feelings for Louise are even iffy?

He may keep dreaming. Right now his emotions are pure greed.

"I'm going to think about it… now leave me alone"

With a nod of his head with everything and hat, Wardes finally left.

I close my eyes thinking about sleeping. It´s not that I really occupy it, but I must relax in some way before I end up hitting someone just for being angry and with the multiple noises that the crew produces I cannot meditate at ease.

Whatever appears in Albion I will be prepared.

Ironic, considering that this has only been a trip full of unforeseen.

.

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ZERO´S WRATH

SUPER IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As you can see I had to reorganize the times so that they fit correctly, since in the novels it takes 2 days to get to La Rochelle due to Saito and Guiche traveling on horses.

Today I wanted to give some information about the continental division of the Asura´s Wrath canon. Basically i organize it this way:

The Trimurti (in Sanskrit: 'Three forms') is a Sanskrit term that refers to the 3 most important gods in Hindu mythology: Brahmā the creator of the universe; Vishnú the preserver of the universe and finally Shiva the destroyer of the universe.

The Brahma continent is essentially Eurasia, a supercontinent formed by the territories of Europe and Asia. I chose it this way because it was the Asian continent where Hinduism and Buddhism originated and the division of the European continent from Asia is merely political-cultural and not physiographic. The Vishnu and Shiva continents are Africa and Oceania respectively. There is no specific reason why I assigned them like this, they just fit the concept of the Trimurti.

Something very important to clarify: during some cinematics of the Asura´s Wrath video game we are shown that the continents of Gaia have modifications in terms of the extent and shape of the territory: in the final episode (when Asura transforms into his Destroyer form and turns to look at Gaia) we can appreciated that Africa only has half of its surface: that which corresponds to the countries where the Sahara desert is found, plus the lower tropical areas retain their normal shape, but the rest of the "body" so to speak (spanning from the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya downwards) it has been severely reduced in size or practically eliminate (that is why Asura mentions it as 22 million square kilometers according to calculations that I have made in instead of the 30 million it really has). Oceania for its part suffers a severe change in the shape of its territory despite being geographically in the same place.

The fourth continent is obviously America, but its name and history will be revealed later.

Also take the opportunity to try to give some extra information in the canon of Zero no Tsukaima because:

I have never read in any fanfic where they explain how the powers of the Gandálfr runes work on a physiological level, since everything is always attributed to magic, and although in the end it´s true, I wanted to be the first to do. Naturally, I have used my knowledge of medicine and a reliable source (Linda S. Costanzo, Physiology, 5th edition, 2014).

Kirche's situation regarding how her family was forcing her to marry an old nobleman in Germania is never fully explained and I wanted to delve a little deeper into the subject.

Lastly, to say that the Köpp classification mentioned by Asura is the Köppen Climatic Classification Scale created in 1900 by the German-born Russian scientist and meteorologist Wladimir Peter Köppen.

All kinds of criticism are accepted and see you in the next chapter.

END OF SUPER IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

This chapter was completed and published on July 1, 2020