The name Fouquet the Crumbling Earth was one that Henrietta had heard of before. Even in the surrounding countries, Fouquet was a notorious and highly skilled mage.
Despite her infamy, it didn't diminish the fact that she was incredibly powerful.
Compared to her, the students of the Magic Academy were clearly not on the same level. Most of them had little to no actual combat experience.
"Princess Henrietta, please entrust me with the task of pursuing Fouquet!"
Seeing Henrietta's troubled expression, Louise, who had arrived with her, knelt on one knee and volunteered for the mission.
However, upon seeing Louise's determination, Henrietta's expression became even more conflicted.
Henrietta understood Louise's desire to uphold her noble honor and prove herself. However, when it came to Louise's abilities... Well, Henrietta didn't want to criticize her friend's skills, but she knew that sending Louise on this mission was practically sending her to her death.
Just as Henrietta was struggling with how to gently refuse Louise's request, someone else stepped in to solve the problem for her.
"Zero Louise, what gives you the courage to chase after Fouquet? If I remember correctly, you can't even properly cast magic, can you?"
"That's right, Princess Henrietta. Instead of sending Louise, why not let me, Guiche de Gramont, serve you in this mission?"
The people who entered the room were a trio—two girls and one boy. The ones who spoke were Louise's rival, Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst, and a flamboyant blonde boy holding a rose-shaped wand, Guiche de Gramont.
Behind them was a petite girl with glasses, short blue hair, and a large staff—Tabitha.
Kirche, Tabitha, and Guiche had been eavesdropping outside the room. However, when they heard that Louise wanted to take on the mission to chase down Fouquet, Kirche and Guiche couldn't sit still.
Regardless of their personal relationship with Louise, they recognized that such an opportunity was rare.
If it were merely a request from the Magic Academy, retrieving the 'Staff of Destruction' might earn them some praise from the school. But if the request came from Princess Henrietta herself, that was an entirely different matter. Henrietta represented the royal family of Tristain, and completing a royal mission could potentially earn them a knighthood.
In this world, nobles valued their honor above all else. While battlefields were dangerous, this mission, though risky, was within acceptable limits.
"Princess Henrietta, I was actually going to recommend these students from the Magic Academy to you. While we cannot send professors to pursue the notorious thief Fouquet, the students before you are some of the most outstanding ones in our academy."
"Charlotte Helene Orléans, although a student of the academy, is already as skilled as some adult mages. She even earned her knighthood at a young age. Her familiar is a dragon, a creature of legend with great intelligence and power."
"As for Kirche and Guiche, I believe Princess Henrietta recognizes their family names as well."
Osmond was also deeply concerned about the Staff of Destruction, but he knew that Tabitha and the others were among the academy's most exceptional students.
"Zerbst's daughter and Marshal Gramont's son, huh? Since Headmaster Osmond recommends you so highly, would you be willing to accept this mission and help the Tristain Magic Academy recover the stolen Staff of Destruction?"
Without a doubt, neither Kirche nor Guiche would pass up such an opportunity.
Although Tabitha, who had already earned her knighthood and didn't care much about noble honors, had no particular desire for the mission, she was pulled into it by her friend, Kirche.
Everything seemed to be falling into place, with Kirche and the others preparing to set off after Fouquet. However, someone in the room wasn't happy with this arrangement.
"Princess Henrietta, I was the one who first requested to pursue Fouquet. Why did you assign the mission to Kirche and the others?"
Louise was visibly upset. She felt that her best friend had betrayed her. It was she who first volunteered to recover the Staff of Destruction, but her friend had ignored her request and instead entrusted the task to her most hated rival, Kirche.
"Louise, please don't misunderstand. The Princess didn't want you to go because she was concerned for your safety. Fouquet is a formidable foe, and if your magic fails in battle as it does in the academy, it could cost you your life!"
Henrietta looked troubled, but Kirche, who had always had a rocky relationship with Louise, didn't hold back.
"That's right, Louise. This enemy is very strong, and once the battle begins, we won't have the luxury of looking out for you. If your familiar were stronger, it might be different, but what can a mere commoner familiar do?"
"Look at tonight's commotion. Where was your commoner familiar? Even the lowest-level familiar knows to protect its master at all times."
Guiche, holding his rose and striking a flamboyant pose, mocked Louise's commoner familiar and took the opportunity to boast about his own.
Guiche's familiar was a large mole. Though not a high-level familiar, Guiche was very fond of it and had even named it 'Verdandi.'
"Oh, so just because a familiar is a commoner, you assume it has no combat ability? Well then, how about we make a bet, dear Guiche? Perhaps your so-called powerful familiar isn't as great as you claim."
The reason why Wood and Saito had arrived late to the scene was simple. Saito had been knocked out in his room by Kirche, and Wood had been in his own room, adjusting to his reduced strength since arriving in this new world.
Wood remembered the general plot of the ancient anime "The Familiar of Zero." He was aware of the 'Staff of Destruction' and Fouquet, though the current events seemed to be unfolding earlier than he recalled.
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 200+ at patreon.com/Betek.