Chapter 15 - Consequences of Louise

Louise slowly wakes up from her sleep, feeling a sharp pain on one side of her face. She rubs her cheek with a furrowed brow, but her concern quickly dissipates as she recalls the events of the previous day.

Had her familiar managed to escape? Her familiar's words before striking her resonate in her mind, causing a small twitch in her eye before she calms herself. "Stupid familiar," she murmurs to herself in frustration.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she quickly gets out of bed and starts dressing and applying makeup to hide her bruised cheek. Although she had only had her familiar for a few days, most of the time had been spent taking care of him, and his absence left an uncomfortable void within her. Would she need to hire a servant? Although she doubted she would have time while she was at the academy.

Louise looks at herself in the mirror, gently patting her cheek and nodding to herself. She needed to go to breakfast, but first, she had to figure out what had happened to her familiar.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK - sounds at the door.

"Come in!" she calls out, wondering who could be knocking on her door so early. For a moment, she imagines her familiar walking in, but quickly dismisses that fantasy.

The door opens, revealing Professor Colbert with a stern expression on his face. "Miss Valliere, the headmaster needs to speak with you," he announces.

Louise lets out a sigh, anticipating that this encounter probably involved her expulsion. However, before she can ask any questions, she corrects herself, "Why? Did... um, that dangerous familiar manage to escape?" she asks, barely containing a smile.

Colbert rubs the bridge of his nose and adjusts his glasses after a moment's pause. "Yes, he did," he replies, raising an eyebrow at his student's attempted smile.

Louise suppresses feelings of relief and nods demurely, "Very well, follow me." With that, the two of them make their way to the headmaster's office at the top of the academy.

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...

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Professor Colbert guided Louise through the heavy wooden double doors, approaching to stand beside Osmond's desk as the headmaster observed her analytically. Louise's back unconsciously straightened as she saw the rest of the faculty present. She felt as though she was standing before a tribunal of judges, waiting for her to make a mistake.

She entered and halted with her hands low and clasped together, adopting a submissive stance that Louise remembered from her childhood etiquette lessons. "Did you need me, Headmaster?" she asked calmly.

The elderly wizard nodded, then rested his chin on his hands. "Indeed... I understand yesterday's events must have been difficult for you, Miss Valliere. You were taken hostage by that familiar. But it seems we need your help. Your familiar escaped yesterday," he stated. Though he and the rest of the faculty noticed the flash of relief on Louise's face, they decided not to address it at that moment.

Osmond continued his explanation, adopting a more serious tone. "We sent Professor Colbert to capture it, but all they found was the horse it used to flee," he informed. "So, Miss Valliere, do you have any information regarding your familiar's abilities, its whereabouts, or even the motive behind the attempted assassination of Guiche de Gramont?" he asked, seeking answers that could aid the situation.

Louise lowered her head, lost in thought, unsure of how to respond to the headmaster's questions. She could tell the truth, explain that her familiar had no intention of harming anyone and was possibly trying to return home. However, this might raise doubts about whether she had truly been taken hostage or not.

On the other hand, she could simply declare her familiar as a villain, but she was not willing to make her life any more difficult than it already was. She opted for a middle ground, trying to balance truth with protecting her familiar.

"I don't know why it hurt Guiche. But I heard it mention something about going home. I think it's trying to reach Romalia!" she asserted, watching as the faculty nodded slowly, apparently satisfied with her response.

"As far as I can tell, if it's capable of using magic without a wand, it may have used a spell to conceal itself. But it doesn't seem to be very skilled at it, as its tracks indicate it's heading northwest, although that could be a ploy to mislead us while it heads south... I suspect it's from Romalia, but it would have to pass through Gallia to get there," she added, trying to offer all the relevant information she had.

Osmond nodded, pulling his pipe out of nowhere and puffing a few times as he reflected on Louise's words. "Tristain's relationship with Gallia is worse than one would hope... It seems unlikely that we'll be able to get Gallia to extradite him," he concluded, voicing his concerns about the next course of action.

"Then we must catch him before he can reach the border. We cannot allow such a criminal to escape. It will tarnish Tristain's reputation and the Academy," said Longuevuille, better known as Fourquet, firmly.

Meanwhile, Louise couldn't help but feel inwardly smug. Her familiar should head east, towards Germania, if he truly listened to her; that way, his safety would be practically assured. "Is there anything else, Director?" she asked, pulling the group from their thoughts.

Osmond let out a deep sigh as he looked at Louise, knowing there was no other way, he forced himself to meet her eyes. "Miss Valliere. Your failure to summon a loyal familiar during the Sacred Ritual disqualifies you from further magical studies at this institution. I would advise you to start packing your belongings, as a letter has already been sent to your parents," he stated, not enjoying the desperate look that overtook Louise.

Louise simply nodded, knowing this was coming. "Thank you all for your teachings. I apologize for not meeting your expectations," she said with a trembling voice as she bowed deeply. "Thank you all very much."