Chapter 14 - Truly Unfortunate.
Many things began to happen rapidly as soon as Louise's familiar successfully escaped from the magic school. The first was the announcement that any human familiar summoned from that moment onward would have to be thoroughly examined to prevent something like this from happening again.
The fact that Guiche de Gramont lost his hand after the duel made everyone realize how bad things had become. With the culprit managing to escape the academy, rumors were swirling uncontrollably around almost every aspect of Mash and Louise.
Despite the official explanation being that Louise was taken hostage by her familiar while attempting to flee, a large portion of the student body thought she was allied with him. The bond between a master and their familiar wasn't easily broken, even if the familiar was an independent person.
Some people even began to invent stories about Louise's obsession with Guiche, leading her to attempt to murder him in a fit of jealousy and envy towards Montmorency. The fact that Louise hadn't yet regained consciousness made it difficult to refute, especially because nobody particularly liked Louise and her tendency to complicate everyone's lives with her random outbursts.
The second thing was that, for the first time in history, the academy would have guards patrolling from then on. It had never been intended to function as a highly secure institution, as it was believed that the professors were sufficient to defend the academy. However, recent events made it clear that additional measures were necessary to protect the students and maintain security in the academy.
Thirdly, it was the unofficial "current" expulsion of Louise de la Vallière. For failing to summon an "appropriate" familiar, the academy had been lenient with her, allowing her to keep her human familiar and remain in school. However, recent events had forced their hand, and the academy proclaimed that any disobedient familiar would have to be sacrificed, while any student unable to control their familiar would face expulsion.
Despite some missives from the capital requesting that they delay Louise's expulsion, it was already set in stone as a non-student. Unless the Queen herself intervened or Osmond made an exception, Louise's fate was sealed.
These events caused tremendous stress for a certain thief, who was now unsure if they would be able to carry out their heist with soldiers being a temporary addition to the academy.
Fouquet, the thief in question, knew that they could probably remain in their disguise for an extended period of time, but they had other responsibilities besides the robbery that required their attention. A responsibility bestowed upon them by their father, the former Archduke of Albion.
Their original intention was to attempt the heist during the familiar exposition, but perhaps they needed to accelerate their plans. They had some treasures from their other heists that, although they didn't want to use them, would likely be necessary.
........."Shit, shit, shit!" I scream in desperation as I cling to the horse's stomach. Yes, the stomach. My lack of knowledge on how to ride a horse has led me to this absurd point. Fortunately, this body is strong enough to endure this position for a long time. I have no idea where the horse is headed, but it's definitely better than being at that academy.
Just as I think this, I feel weakness in my hand. It seems I was reaching my limit. "Oh no, no no no," I murmur in anguish as my grip loosens. I let go of the horse and fall to the ground, feeling a hoof on my leg as I slide across the ground until I stop.
"Damn it! It hurts like a bitch!" I exclaim with a strained voice as I watch the horse run off without me, leaving me behind with a sharp pain in my leg and a growing sense of desperation.
After a moment, I pick myself up from the ground and take a deep breath as I limp through the forest. Branches occasionally cut my skin and tear my clothes. Fortunately, I still have my shoes from Earth; otherwise, my feet would be in a sorry state.
Finally, I am forced to stop and take a break because I am so exhausted that I might faint, in addition to the wounds left by the horse. Although this body was trained, it suffered a major nerf by not possessing cursed energy.
Not to mention how hungry I am. I haven't eaten since I came to this world, and I'm on my last legs. Now, simply walking feels like a monumental task, and I am genuinely afraid of being ambushed by any animals that live in these woods.
I know this place can't be so dangerous, as it is close enough to the Magic Academy for any threats to have been addressed long ago, but that doesn't mean I'm safe. At this point, even a simple stray dog could be able to kill me. Of course, if we don't count my only spell that defends me from death in a situation like that.
"Ha... Ha... Maybe I should have let them cut off my head... It would have been easier than this," I mutter, leaning on my knees to keep myself upright.
I stay there for a while to catch my breath. Once I recover my breath, I start moving again, this time at a slow and more reserved pace. After all, it wouldn't make sense to escape if some random animal were to devour me alive.
I really don't know where I'm headed. Despite the thousands of stars above my head, I doubt there's anything like the 'Polar Star' through which I can infer my location. Louise told me to go to Germania, but what will happen in the future remains a fact to me. I know I have to start gaining strength quickly, otherwise I'll be defenseless when that Ancient Dragon eventually comes to destroy the world.
I know Albion will eventually be taken over by that rebellion and will attempt to invade Tristain. In the story, Saito and Louise use Void Magic to destroy the army, but obviously that's not going to happen this time. It might be a good opportunity to gather experience, so maybe interfering in the war would be beneficial.
But, upon reflection, I would probably die if I tried. Ignoring the army of soldiers, dragon riders, etc., the leader of the Albion rebellion is in possession of that mind control ring. Considering I've barely learned a spell beyond the basics, I doubt I could withstand something like that.
I let out a resigned sigh. Without becoming much more powerful than I am now, any ideas about wars and large-scale conflicts could be unilaterally ignored.
My priority should be to search for Excalibur, but judging by the height from which the sword fell, I could be searching for a needle in a haystack. Plus, in my short time at the academy, I hadn't heard any rumors about a sword falling from the sky.
I decide that the most sensible thing is to learn more spells before venturing into the search for Excalibur. But first, I need to be in a safe place where I can concentrate on studying and practicing without interruptions.