It's been a couple days since Louise was taken on as Princess Henrietta's attendant and many thing's had changed since she'd arrived at the palace. The first and foremost is the discovery that Louise was actually a Void Mage, a true descendant of Brimir who possessed the same magic he did.
Usually, this wouldn't actually mean much as Void Magic was a lost art, and with no documentation on how to use it, nor anyone who could teach it, Louise would be left fumbling around on her own trying to recreate the feats of Brimir.
Fortunately, Osmond had seen fit to send the Founder Brimir's Prayer Book with his letter. An artifact that to most would be blank, but for Louise, taught small lessons about Void Magic. To be honest, it was quite aggravating for Louise to have the almost-sentient book choose what she was ready to learn or not. She just wanted to master her magic as fast as possible now that she knew she wasn't a complete failure, but the book seemed to disagree.
Indeed, only the first page actually showed anything, and it was literally just a bunch of meditation techniques that it presumably wanted Louise to follow. These were supposed to help her control her magic better, eventually allowing her to use other elements, but that didn't make Louise any happier with it.
She hadn't actually learned any magic from the book yet, and had spent most of her time meditating... When she wasn't attending to Henrietta of course.
There was also Louise status as a Void Mage to take into account. Henrietta hadn't announced her existence yet, and didn't intend to unless her hand was forced. Void Magic was considered sacred to most of humanity, as Brimir was a revered figure who was the only known user of it.
If it became known that Louise was a Void Mage, she'd either be forced to leave for Romalia, or targeted by many, many assassins from both human countries, and the hidden Elven ones.
Henrietta was fearful for her best friend's safety, as even her status as royalty wouldn't do much to protect her, thus, the secret must be kept... This came with many consequences however, since Louise' capacity of magic couldn't be announced, everyone assumed she was still a failure of a mage, barely above a commoner.
In most circumstances, this wouldn't mean much, but now that Louise was Henrietta's personal attendant, the many noble families had started making inquiries into their relationship. Additionally, even the Valliere family didn't want Louise as Henrietta's attendant, as they wished to marry her off for political gain, now that she was regarded as a failed mage.
There were already rumours spreading throughout the capital of Henrietta and Louise' secret relationship. And while most would either ignore it or not believe it, it still affected her reputation, possibly endangering her position as future Queen.
Already, Henrietta and her more loyal subordinates had uncovered a few plots attempting to mar her image more, or even to assassinate Louise and make her look responsible. And while none of the nobles involved could be pinned with the crimes, they'd most certainly made it on Henrietta's shit list... The fact that the nobles didn't seem to care however, was a big red flag that things weren't as calm as they seemed.
Not everything was doom and gloom though. Louise and Henrietta's relationship had become far stronger than ever before. With both of them spending much of their time together, they felt more like true sisters than simple friends.
Both Louise and Hernietta were actually having a tea break when a Guardsman bursts through the door with a sweaty face and an anxious look on his face. "Your Majesty!" he bows deeply while still out of breath, "Fouquet of the Crumbling Earth has attacked the Magical Acadamy!"
...
Both Henrietta and Louise pause at this, both looking at one another with raised brows, "When has this occurred?" Henrietta questions, her back straightening as she dons her 'Ice Queen' facade.
"Barely an hour ago your Majesty! The damage to the Acadamy is extensive, but no person was harmed."
...
"Person?" Louise mutters, feeling as if his wording was off.
The guard nods, "The Acadamy Instructors and Students were all safely inside when this occurred, but the same could not be said for the familiars resting outside... The majority of them were killed, leaving only a few alive." he states.
Henrietta struggles not to release a tired sigh at this, she was scheduled to go attend the Familiar Exhibition. Though, originally this was just an excuse for her to visit Louise, she needed to keep her promise... Not that it would matter much anymore considering most Familiar's had been killed.
While she was thankful that no person was harmed, the deaths of the student's familiars would still cause a massive controversy. A large portion of the students belonged to foreign countries, and since familiars were considered life-long partners, people would begin to question the Acadamy's safety... Especially with the recent death of Guiche de Gramont.
The Acadamy was actually an incredibly lucrative source of income for the country, as tuition was quite expensive for foreign students. With its reputation becoming damaged, so to would the stability of Tristain's economy... That was not even mentioning the income the students brought to the capital whenever they wished to take a break from their education.
Henrietta shakes her head and waves at the guard, "Please request Cardinal Mazarin, Chancellor Bastien, and Finance Minister Lishman to meet me with me in half an hour. Also, have Headmaster Osmond send a letter on the damages to the Acadamy, as well as a list of any items that were stolen." she says, knowing that Fouquet was an infamous thief. The guard quickly nods before leaving, giving a firm salute as he exits.
Louise frowns, "Lishman? I know he's in charge of the Kingdom's finances but, I don't like the way he looks at you, Henri." she mutters, not wanting her friend to associate herself with such people.
Henrietta can only smile at Louise' concern, "Unfortunately, I'm not in charge of them yet. My mother allows the Council to rule for her, so until I gather enough support, or something terrible happens, this is all I can do."
Louise nods and whispers, "I know, I just wish things were different."
Henrietta rests a hand atop Louise' own, "Don't worry and focus on your studies." she smiles, "If your suspicions are correct, I'll be waiting for you to save me."
Louise dour expression morphs into a resolute one, "Of course! You can count on me, Henri!"
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The day wanes and night inevitably falls, leaving the city of Antomiers in darkness once again. This is the third night that Michael was venturing into D'argent territory to 'gain some exp', but unlike yesterday and the day prior, the gang he was hunting were more than aware that they were being targeted by something.
Yesterday, with his upgraded Ethershock, he'd managed to kill around twenty-two gang members before having to retreat back to his inn room. The fact that his Ethershock could now instantly kill groups of five people made it almost impossible for the small patrols of petty criminals to even fight against him.
Obviously, this many people dying all in one night wasn't exactly common, causing the gang to now travel in patrols of at least ten or more. This massively reduced the gang's income as they couldn't cover as much of the city as before...
Marcel, the D'argent gang leader hadn't said anything on the matter yet, but after this night. Michael was sure to have the man's full attention.
Since he was relying on his magic too much, he'd elected to purchase a short bow and arrows in the morning. He'd never used a bow before, but his Gandalfr runes made him a better shot than most hobbyists.
This is why he could currently be found sneaking along the city's rooftops around the alleyways that the D'argent usually frequent. His cloak hood was pulled up over his head and a bandana obscured his face as he knelt over a wall where fifteen men could be seen waiting for something.
They each had the signature black ribbon tied around their pinky fingers, signifying their affiliation with the D'argent gang. Honestly, Michael was thankful that they wore such things, as it made it terribly easy to target them. If not, he'd need to wait around until they said something incriminating.
He nocks an arrow and aims it at the largest man who was wearing a durable-looking brigandine... It looked strong enough to resist a couple arrows, but unfortunately for the man, its protection didn't extend to his head.
*Fwip*
*Thunk!*
*Clack!*
The man instantly tumbles backwards as the arrow pierces the side of his head, penetrating his brain and easily killing him. The other immediately jump up and try to find some cover against their hidden assailant, but Michael casually and calmly fires another arrow, downing another gang member.
By now all of the men know where he's located, but none are really sure how to reach him. Michael had leapt from rooftop to rooftop to gain this position after all, and you'd either have to scale a sheer stone wall to reach him, or take the same, long path he'd taken earlier.
So, instead of attacking him, they elected to flee and fight another day. Or try at least.
Michael gestures at the thin alleyway that leads into the main street and whispers, "Carnival Tricks.", causing the illusion of flames to appear in front of the men.
They all instantly stop in response, fearing the ominous orange flames in their path. None were aware of it due to their adrenaline running through their bodies, but none could feel the heat from the fire. It was only their instinctual fear of the flames that prevented them from escaping, allowing Michael to pick a couple more off as they were stuck in a daze.
Two, three more go down, leaving only nine of the men left. One had pissed themselves in terror, and thrown himself to the floor to beg for his life... This only gave Michael an easy shot however, allowing his arrow to pierce the back of the man's skull with ease.
Eight left.
Finally, one of the men decided that burning to death was better than waiting to be shot. He sprinted into the orange flames, unconsciously screaming as they enveloped him. He doesn't even notice the flames fading away at his disruption as he runs out of the alleyway and back to the D'argent hideout.
With Michael's illusion broken, the rest all try to flee the same way, but he doesn't allow this to happen... "Ether Shock. Ether shock." he recites twice, causing bright ropes of orange lightning to strike the seven remaining men.
The ropes collide with each of them, some actually scorching holes through bodies due to the sheer heat and electricity they carry. Each of them drops dead, and Michael quickly escapes from the area before any reinforcements arrive.
While the one man that'd managed to flee had seen his Carnival Trick illusion, it wasn't something that was really uncommon in this world. They hadn't seen him cast it wandlessly either, making it almost impossible to pin on him.
"Maybe letting that guy flee wasn't the best idea... They might start having guys patrol the rooftops now..." Michael mutters as he relocates to another part of the slum. He hadn't run out of mana yet, nor had he finished tonight's hunt.
Using his rune enhanced strength, he leaps from roof to roof with ease and eventually comes to a stop as he spots a smaller patrol of D'argent. Though, this time they seemed to have found people to prey upon.
The twelve gang members were grinning maliciously at a young man who was hastily trying to awaken a senior who was face down in the dirt... Judging by the blood pooling below the older man's head, he was either already dead or dying.
Michael shakes his head at the scene, mostly blaming the two idiots who'd wandered into criminal territory without means to defend themselves. The elder looked well-off, so there wasn't really a reason for them to be there.
Regardless, their presence made him unable to use his magic for fear of discovery if they blabbed about him. Whether this would get the two men killed, he wasn't sure. But it wouldn't be his fault if it happened.
*Thwip!*
*Thunk! Clack!*
Again, same as earlier, chaos breaks out as soon as the first man dies
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