Louise wanted to prove her identity, but she realized that in her haste to leave, she hadn't brought any identification, neither the Magic Academy's student badge nor the Vallière family crest.
Just as the patrolling guards were about to arrest Louise and Saito, mistaking them for spies from the Kingdom of Albion sneaking into the capital under the cover of night, a young man's voice suddenly came from behind them.
"I was planning to go to the Magic Academy tomorrow to ask for your help, but it seems you've found your way here first. It's been a few days, Louise... and Saito. It seems your relationship has progressed quite well."
The patrolling guards, recognizing the voice, immediately stood respectfully to the side, forming a passage for the person to pass through.
As Louise and Saito wondered who this significant figure could be that knew them, a familiar face slowly emerged from the darkness.
"Wood!" (x2)
Saito and Louise were both understandably shocked. The way Wood carried himself now was worlds apart from how he had been at the Magic Academy.
Clad in a gleaming silver suit of armor that looked anything but cheap, with two finely crafted long swords at his waist, Wood now had a demeanor that could easily be mistaken for that of a noble or even a knight from an ancient and prestigious family.
Before leaving the Magic Academy, Saito had thought that, like himself, Wood was also a familiar and, being in the royal palace, likely had a tougher time than he did.
But now, seeing himself in his two-day unwashed tracksuit and holding a rusty old sword while Wood was decked out in regal attire that could make anyone look like a noble, Saito couldn't help but feel envious.
Honestly, they were both summoned to this world as familiars.
Sure, Wood's summoner was the esteemed princess, but a duchess's daughter like Louise wasn't much lower in rank.
So why was Wood now commanding such respect and authority while Hiraga Saito had to sleep on the floor and endure the occasional whip?
They both came from another world, but the difference in their treatment was just too much!
Wood's current position in Tristain wasn't particularly high, but he was indeed part of the nobility now. A few days ago, he had been knighted by the Queen of Tristain, becoming a "Chevalier," a Royal Knight, and was even granted the right to form his own order of knights.
When Her Majesty the Queen issued the order, many ministers naturally opposed it.
On one hand, it was because a commoner being elevated to nobility required significant contributions and achievements, and Wood had yet to make any.
On the other hand, the powers granted to Wood were too extensive. As a Royal Knight, he could command the city's and the palace's soldiers at will and even had some authority over military matters.
Many noble ministers believed that Wood was far too young, just a kid, to be commanding soldiers in battle.
To address the ministers' concerns, Wood didn't put the Queen in a difficult position. Instead, he single-handedly challenged and defeated thousands of elite soldiers stationed in the royal capital.
The outcome was clear: to the disbelief of everyone watching, Wood emerged victorious!
Although the battle lasted several hours, Wood had truly demonstrated the legendary ability to take on a thousand enemies single-handedly!
Even after defeating countless knights, Wood was only slightly out of breath.
Such skill and strength instantly silenced the ministers who had previously doubted him, fearing Wood might challenge them to a duel next.
And when the Queen of Tristain witnessed Wood's prowess for the first time, her eyes sparkled with renewed admiration as she gazed at the young man standing victorious.
Previously, when Wood claimed he could help Tristain, Her Majesty the Queen had viewed it as a desperate gamble worth trying.
However, after witnessing Wood's extraordinary martial prowess, her confidence in him soared.
Such awe-inspiring skills were beyond anything she had imagined; the power of a legendary Void familiar was on a level far beyond her expectations.
In fact, even Princess Henrietta, who had seen Wood fight before and knew her familiar was strong, had never imagined that he could be this powerful.
Given her high hopes for Wood, the Queen of Tristain granted him even greater authority.
Wood now had the right to command any Tristain army unit and even had the authority to execute decisions independently, without waiting for the Queen's approval, in special circumstances.
The reason why the Queen trusted Wood so much ultimately boiled down to the fact that he was Henrietta's familiar, and Henrietta was Tristain's only heir.
Familiars are bound by their contracts and cannot betray their masters, a fact that is common knowledge in this world. Therefore, to the Queen, Wood was unquestionably on their side.
His reliability was even greater than that of other noble ministers.
Thanks to that duel, Wood's name spread throughout the royal capital, calming the nerves of some residents and earning the respect of all the soldiers.
After all, apart from a few officers who were nobles, most of the rank-and-file soldiers were commoners.
Wood had been a commoner too, but he used his unmatched martial prowess to defeat hundreds of noblemen and other soldiers, making it difficult for the common soldiers not to admire him.
"Your Majesty, these two are the ones I mentioned earlier: the Void mage of Tristain, Louise Vallière, and her familiar, Gandálfr."
With Wood's endorsement, Louise and Saito naturally had no trouble securing an audience with the Queen of Tristain.
Louise and Saito never expected that Wood could earn the royal family's trust in such a short time.
"So the legendary Void magic truly exists, and it belongs to the young lady of the Vallière family?"
By now, the Queen of Tristain was thoroughly convinced of the existence of the Void and the legendary familiars.
After all, whether it was Wood's "prophetic" abilities or his performance in the duel where he single-handedly defeated thousands of soldiers, the Queen found it hard to believe that any ordinary person could possess such power.
So when she heard that Louise and Saito were the legendary Void mage and the familiar Gandálfr, the Queen couldn't hide her delight.
The Queen had witnessed Wood's power firsthand. If Louise and Saito were part of the same legendary legacy as Wood, it meant they must possess power comparable to his.
Even if they were slightly less powerful than Wood, that was fine. With one or two more warriors of Wood's caliber, what did the Kingdom of Albion even amount to?
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 200+ at patreon.com/Betek.