— Mmm... — A couple of hours after Ben finished his night out and returned, Louise began to wake up.
"Hmm... Has the bed always been this comfortable?" — Louise was a little perplexed. She had lived in this room for quite some time, but she had never felt such comfort. However, this misunderstanding did not last long. Suddenly, the girl realized that she was lying on something other than a bed.
Opening her eyes, Louise saw in front of her a handsome male face that belonged to her familiar. The girl blushed instantly. She wanted to get angry and yell at Ben for being on her side of the bed. But Louise quickly realized that she couldn't blame Ben, as she had lain down on him in her sleep.
In order not to be caught, Louise quickly got off her familiar and left the bed. Ben was sleeping peacefully after his night out, unaware that he had almost been the victim of an unfair accusation.
— Wake up, we have to go! — A few minutes later, when Louise changed out of her pajamas into her school uniform, she finally decided to wake Ben up.
— Yeah... — Ben nodded sleepily, turning his back on Louise. He hadn't slept much last night, so he could barely react adequately to someone's words right now. However, he suddenly felt as if a chill ran down his spine. Sensing danger, Ben jumped out of bed and found Louise raising her wand and preparing to cast a spell. At that moment, Ben realized that it was better not to anger Louise.
***
After a little scuffle in the room, Ben and Louise headed for breakfast. I spent all my time reading my diary. He absorbed all his attention. Ben had so many questions that he couldn't wait to find out the answer to them. Ben was so engrossed that he completely ignored Louise.
— Hey, are you listening to me? — Louise said angrily, pushing Ben in the back.
— M... yes, of course... So what are you talking about? — Ben asked calmly.
— Haa... — Louise sighed heavily and started explaining to Ben again about the need to visit the city and buy a sword.
Listening to her, Ben agreed. Right now, he had few ways to defend himself, so having a sword could help, especially considering that he had recently discovered the ability to wield weapons.
Slowly moving towards the exit of the academy, the guy and the girl were having an abstract conversation. When reading the book Ben found yesterday, he had countless questions, so the man decided to ask something:
— Louise, have you heard the name Brimir by any chance? — The information in the diary that Ben found was incomplete, and any clues were important to him. From the notes, Ben could understand that the Eternal Wanderer led a reclusive lifestyle, so little should be known about him. However, Brimir, who completed the void magic, should be well known to the wizards of this world.
— Are you talking about the founder of Brimir? I'm surprised you know about him. So that's what kind of book you've been reading... — Louise finally understood the reason for Ben's absent-mindedness.
— Yes, I guess I'm talking about him... Could you tell me what you know about him? — Ben said, interested.
— Well, all right... — Louise replied with a nod. It wasn't difficult for her to share her knowledge, besides, it was a good way to pass the time. In the short time they walked through the academy grounds, Louise told Ben everything she knew about Brimir.
— So he's a hero who fought back against the elves and returned their territories to the humans... — Ben concluded after Louise's story.
— Yes, that's right. — The girl nodded.
"So that's what the Eternal Wanderer mentioned about the storm... It turns out that Brimir played a key role in that war. But still, it's not enough..."
— Do you know anything about Brimir's familiar? — Ben asked the most important thing. The diary mentioned that Brimir's familiar bore the title Gandalf. The director called Ben the same title yesterday.
— Hm... To be honest, I don't know anything about it. — Louise said thoughtfully, remembering. She really didn't know much, as everything about Brimir was shrouded in mystery and kept secret. For this reason, an ordinary student had an extremely limited amount of information.
Ben just sighed in frustration. He already expected that Louise didn't know anything about this, otherwise she wouldn't have been so surprised when Ben defeated Guiche with a sword.
"Okay, I won't think about unnecessary things. I think if I'm around Louise, I'll learn something soon." — Approaching the gates of the academy, Ben decided to put aside unnecessary thoughts.
— So how are we going to get to the city? — Ben asked.
— On a horse, of course. — Louise replied shortly, walking up to the harnessed horse that was tied near a small stall.
"That won't do... it's too long and inconvenient." — Ben shook his head. The prospect of riding a horse did not please him. He had had little riding experience in the past, and then Ben decided that he would never get on a horse again.
— Wait, Louise! — Ben called out to the girl: — I think it will be faster this way. — With that, Ben took a broom out of his bag.
— Really you... — Louise looked at Ben with pity. She began to feel that her familiar had injured his head during yesterday's duel.
Seeing that Louise wasn't impressed, Ben sighed:
"Apparently, brooms are not used as transport in this world..."
Without saying a word, Ben held the broom between his legs and with a slight kick of his legs he was in the air. To impress Louise, Ben decided to do a few laps nearby, performing various tricks. In the past, he was pretty good at flying on a broomstick, so he still has some skills. While in the air, Ben caught the enthusiastic and surprised glances of students who felt nearby. Realizing that he was attracting too much attention, the man decided to end his demonstration and go downstairs.
— How do you like it? — Ben asked, smiling broadly.
— Unbelievable! Is this really possible in your world?! — After a short demonstration, Louise was pleasantly surprised. She had never thought that a broom could be used as a means of transportation.
— Get in the back and hold me tightly behind my back. — Ben said after Louise had calmed down a bit. Anticipating incredible emotions, the girl obediently sat behind Ben and the couple soared into the air, catching envious glances at themselves.
***
Meanwhile, in the western courtyard of the academy near the fountain.
— What happened, Kirche? You've been acting weird all morning. Did someone dare to be rude to you?! — A handsome young man was asking the buxom beauty Kirche.
His name was Marcus de Valmont, heir to the Count of Valmont. He had quite an attractive appearance, tall stature, thick dark hair and a handsome manly face. He was literally the epitome of nobility, but apart from that, his face often showed arrogance and disgust for all those who are lower in status.
— It's okay, it's simple... — Kirche's mind was still reeling from yesterday's conversation with Ben. She couldn't believe that someone could reject her so coldly, and even humiliate her.
— Kirche, you can trust me. Tell me, what happened? I will punish the offender to the fullest extent! — Marcus said proudly. He had been courting Kirche for quite some time, so he couldn't miss the chance to show off in front of her.
Seeing that Marcus was determined, Kirche nevertheless spoke up: — Have you heard about the familiar of the incompetent Louise? Yesterday I accidentally crossed paths with him and wanted to make friends, but he did... He started pestering me, and he also said all sorts of nasty things about me... — The girl looked pathetic, which quickly won Marcus's sympathy.
— I'm going to kill him! How did this unworthy person dare to behave like this!? — The arrogant noble was furious. He wanted to tear Ben apart with his own hands.
— Kirche, honey, don't worry! I'm going to make him apologize to you on his knees today! — Marcus said solemnly. Without wasting a second, he went looking for Ben, blazing with rage.
— Pfft... Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha... — When Marcus was far enough away from her, Kirche laughed loudly. There was no trace of the unhappy girl she had portrayed a couple of minutes ago.
— What an idiot he is... But it's good for me. I told you you'd regret this, Ben. — Kirche smiled slyly, imagining Ben's unhappy face.
***
— Hey, Simon! — The nobleman shouted to one student, with whom he was obviously well acquainted. This student was one of his henchmen. At his core, Simon was nothing like himself, he did not have an outstanding mind or an attractive appearance. But he was good at sucking up, so Marcus kept him to himself, giving him all sorts of errands.
— Yes, Mr. Marcus, what happened? You look furious... — The one called Simon answered him. He tried to ingratiate himself with Marcus by praising him.
— Do you know anything about Louise Francoise's familiar?
— I heard that he defeated Guiche Gramont in a duel yesterday, but that's all. Did he cross your path somehow? — Simon was surprised, he didn't think that Louise's familiar would be so thoughtless. To provoke two influential nobles at once, he's just crazy!
— It's none of your business! Do you know where he is? — Markus got right to the point.
— I saw him and Louise leave the academy recently... They must have headed to the nearest town. — Simon replied thoughtfully.
Hearing this, Marcus bared his teeth: — Well, it's even easier that way! You won't have to solve problems with the director.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry, I was a little late. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Yes, as you might have guessed, Kirche will be a negative character, at least initially. Therefore, do not have any hopes about her.