Barian of the Void: Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Guiche de Gramont was having a good week. A very good week indeed.

First he had finally become a second-year student at Tristain Academy of Magic. Then he had managed to summon his own familiar, Verdandi, who while had at first shocked him, had quickly warmed his way into Guiche's heart. Then he of course had managed to meet a cute adorable first-year with whom he had managed to entrance with his wit and charm, as such beauty should never be denied one such as he. And then to top it all off, he had managed to discover a tasty little secret last night that he fully planned on finding a use for later.

And so here he was, at the end of his week, enjoying a warm sunny day with his dear Montmorency Margarita La Fère de Montmorency, while at the same time spending quality bonding with his beautiful familiar spirit.

"Yes," Guiche thought to himself with a smile as he took a sip of his tea, "Nothing could possibly ruin such a wonderful week for me."

"Sir Guiche!!'

And like that Guiche promptly spat out his tea.

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"First year?" Ryoga questioned as he looked at the girl's cape.

"Yes," Katie said with a smile, "You see at the academy each student is identified by year based on the colored cape that they wear. Since I am a first-year my cape is brown, while all the second-years like the ones around us have black."

"I see, that explains why you looked different from everyone else," Ryoga stated. It was a half-truth, as she had seemed out of place, even in the courtyard full of nobles. Despite being one of them though she had felt different than the rest. It wasn't because of her cape though, but her aura and appearance, as she had seemed to be a bit younger than everyone else both physically and spiritually, least to him.

If he had to guess he'd would say she was probably around his age or so. Well, physically anyways.

"Still though, why is a first-year like you so interested in finding this Guiche guy if he's a second-year. I mean outside the obvious?" Ryoga questioned as he gazed at the basket.

Katie promptly blushed and looked down embarrassed, "T-That's a bit personal I'm afraid. Sorry."

Ryoga raised an eyebrow but simply shrugged and turned back to walking. It didn't really concern him either way. He was just making small talk in hopes of preventing any kind of trouble, though he honestly wasn't sure if doing that with a noble was something commoners did in this world.

Still, Katie wasn't so bad. A bit quiet yes, but she was so far the nicest noble he had met so far. Her being a first-year might have had something to do with that, but at least it was a lot better than just being ordered around or being called 'commoner' constantly.

Kind of a shame really. If more nobles were like her he might not have had such a negative view of them.

Shaking that kind of thinking away Ryoga looked ahead as he finally spotted the table he had last been at. The boy and girl were still there thankfully, along with their familiars. Now to see if he was right in his assumption or not.

"Hey Katie," Ryoga spoke. Katie looked up as he pointed towards the table, "That the guy you're looking for?"

Katie blinked and looked at the direction Ryoga pointed at. Instantly her mouth shifted into a huge smile as her eyes seemed to sparkle.

"It is! Sir Guiche!!" Katie cheered as the blond boy flinched in shock causing Ryoga to raise an eyebrow. Turning to the purple-haired boy once more Katie gave a small bow and smiled, "Thank you very much for your help Mister Ryoga. I won't forget it!"

With that Katie ran past her escort and towards the table, excitement and joy glowing off her face as she did.

As Ryoga watched her run however he couldn't help but feel uneasy. For some reason it felt like something bad was about to happen, and that it was going to involve that boy Katie was heading towards.

And while he knew such a thing didn't really involve him and that he should stay out of it, a small part of Ryoga told him to go and check it out. To be sure that if something did happen, he was there to help try and fix it.

"I blame you for this feeling Yuma," Ryoga muttered with a small smile before pushing it down with a hard expression and making his way towards the table.

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"K-Katie!" Guiche sputtered out as he looked at the first-year who had approached. Why was she here?! Why was Katie here of all places?!

"I've been searching for you Sir Guiche!" Katie spoke happily as she held out her basket, "I thought you might be enjoying your tea outside, so I brought the souffle I spoke of last night! I was hoping you might want to taste it now and tell me what you thought?"

"A-Ah I see," Guiche replied nervously, "W-Well that's-"

"Last night?"

Guiche flinched at the voice as he turned to the blond beauty across from him, "It's not what you think! Y-You see I was just-"

"Huh?" Katie blinked confused as she looked at the blond, "Oh! I'm so sorry Miss Montmorency, I didn't realize Sir Guiche was with a friend."

"Friend?!" Montmorency half-shouted as she stood from her chair, "What do you mean friend?! What does she mean 'friend' Guiche?!"

"T-That's-"

"Sir Guiche, what's going on?"

Guiche felt himself panic. This was bad. This was really REALLY bad! He needed to come up with an explanation and fast.

"W-Well I, that is, you see-"

"Heh, so that explains it."

The trio of nobles turned to the voice as Ryoga stood there, arms in pocket, eyes closed, and a smirk on his face as a soft chuckle could be heard.

"Y-You're, Zero's familiar?" Guiche asked in confusion at the newcomer.

"I had thought something was a bit odd with the situation. But this," Ryoga chuckled as he looked up at the boy, his gaze resembling a cat having cornered a mouse, "This is just hilarious."

"Hey, what's that guy saying?"

"Not sure but isn't that the Zero's familiar?"

"Looks like it. Seems he's involved with whatever's going on with Guiche as well."

Guiche paled as he looked around. It seemed the event with the girls and the familiar had drawn in a crowd of students. The situation had swiftly gone from bad to worse in the blink of an eye.

"Mister Ryoga, what do you mean?" Katie asked confused and a bit worried, as she looked between Guiche and the boy who helped her.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ryoga said as he continued grinning. Screw the promise, this was grade-A gold here and he wasn't gonna pass it up. Not when this idiot had done all the work for him. Besides, he needed a stress reviler after all that had happened, and he just found the perfect dummy for him, "You mentioned earlier how your color made you a first-year right? Well earlier when I was delivering this guy his cake, I heard that girl over there mention something about a rumor involving 'Sir Guiche' here messing around with a first-year, am I right?"

Guiche paled as Montmorency raised an eyebrow, "That's right? What of it?"

"Well as it so happens, Katie here was looking around for Guiche, mentioning something about talking to him last night and how she had made something special for him. And wouldn't you know it, she just so happens to be a first year as well. Isn't that a bit of a strange coincidence?"

The crowd seemed to mutter in agreement as Katie frowned, "Sir Guiche?"

"Guiche, is he telling the truth, speak up!" Montmorency demanded.

Guiche felt sweat drip down his face rapidly. This was getting out of control! He needed to fix things now before they became unsalvageable! Deciding to try and re-aim the focus onto the familiar rather than himself, Guiche stood from his chair and pointed his rose at the boy.

"W-What are you saying!!" Guiche spoke out as he tried putting on a display of pride and respect, "Aren't you just making accusations?! Such words you speak!! Don't give these girls the wrong idea about me you commoner!!"

Ryoga felt his smirk grow wider.  

"Wrong idea, about WHAT exactly?"

Guiche flinched as he suddenly realized what the boy had done.

"Oy Guiche!!"

"Sir Guiche!!"

Turning back to both girls, one filled with anger and the other of fear and sorrow, Guiche brought up both hands reassuringly, "W-Wait a minute!!"

"You'd love to have a taste of her souffle, isn't that what you told Katie last night?" Ryoga continued. The blood was in the water, all he needed now was to deliver the killing blow.

"Y-You!"

"Fact is, you have two girls here before you, both of which you hid from the other, both of which wanting to know the truth, and yet you still won't say anything? It's almost like you're trying to hide something from them," Shark taunted as he let out a toothed smile, "In fact."

"W-Wai-"

"If one didn't know any better, one would think you were almost TWO-TIMING them. Eh, 'Sir Guiche'?"

And like that, the ice shattered.

"Two-timing?!"

"So you really did lay your fingers on this first-year then!!"

"P-Please Montmorency the Fragerence! Please don't distort your rose-like face with anger! T-This is all a mista-"

"You're horrible!! You said I was the only one for you! The only one in your heart!!"

"P-Please, both of you, c-calm do-"

"YOU LIAR!!!!!!!!!"

SLAP!!! SLAP!!!

And like that, Guiche landed on his ass, as both his facial cheeks were now marked with red hand-prints. All around laughter broke the air from every noble who watched the event unfold before them.

"You got dumped Guiche!!"

"He totally deserved it too for two-timing!!"

"Hahaha, that was so worth watching!!"

Ryoga himself smiled silently at the scene. Kami that felt good. He needed that after all the shit and confusion he had gone through since he first arrived in this world.

"Still," Ryoga thought to himself with a frown as he watched Katie run off. He should have known how bad the girl would be hurt, but it was better she find out the cold hard truth now rather than later. Even so he knew he should at least apologize for his involvement of this.

However before he could follow a voice broke out, "It seems, one such as you isn't aware of the manners and respect you should show to a noble, commoner."

Ryoga calmly turned his head towards Guiche, who had now stood up from the ground and bared a look of anger onto his face.

"Respect? Sorry to say but where I come from you aren't given respect unless you earn it," Ryoga replied with a cold voice and gaze.

"Is that so?" Guiche questioned as he rubbed his face with a handkerchief and pulled out his rose, "It seems then you are lacking in a few lessons, though that could be easily fixed. But first, how do you plan to apologize?"

"Apologize?" Ryoga questioned as if the boy had grown a second head.

"Indeed!" Guiche declared as he glared at the boy before him, "You are a mere commoner, and a familiar spirit at that! And yet you dared to insult me, and above all, made two girls cry! How do you plan to answer for this?"

"Cry? Last I checked they were more pissed than sad. Besides, wasn't it YOU who two-timed them? I'm pretty sure that makes everything your fault in the end."

"He's right Guiche!"

"Yeah take responsibility!!"

More laughter broke out as Guiche grit his teeth and watched as the boy turned his back and began to walk away. This commoner, how dare he say such things and put HIM on the spot! And then have the nerve to just show his back as if Guiche was nothing?!

He would not take this!! He would not be brought down and insulted in such a manner!!

He would not be mocked!!!

"I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!!"

At that the crowd's laughter faded and was replaced with gasp and shocked whispers. A duel? With a commoner familiar? Was that even allowed? None of them had heard of such a thing before as duels were forbidden by the academy instructors. But then again that was between nobles, so many weren't sure what to think.

Ryoga however had strangely stopped and remained silent.

"You come here uninvited, promptly insult the honor of two lovely women, insult my own honor, and then have the nerve to walk away?! I will not stand for it!! You will be taught a valuable lesson about the difference between nobles and commoners, and when it is over, you will be begging me for an apology!!"

Guiche grit his teeth as he awaited a response. A reply, a movement, something, anything from the boy who had mocked him.

But Ryoga just continued to stand there. Unmoving, unflinching, and in complete silence.

"SAY SOMETHING!!!"

"Heh..."

The crowd and Guiche flinched at the sudden sound. It had been quiet and out of nowhere, like a ghost. Suddenly they noticed the boy shaking, as they realized the sound was coming from him. Thinking it was out of fear Guiche put on a mask of arrogance.

"What's wrong? Is the little familiar afraid? Well maybe if you apologize to me here and now I may just consider forgi-"

"Hehehehehehe! Hahahahahahahaha!!"

Guiche paused in his speech as he realized suddenly what the sound was the commoner was making.

Laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It was laughter, but it was not normal laughter by any stretch of the imagination. The entire crowd along with Guiche froze at the sound emitting from the boy's mouth. They would deny it, but the noise they heard were absolutely terrifying, as if from a demon or monster rather than a human being.

The laughter soon died though as Ryoga brushed his hand through his hair and collected himself.

"You know, ever since I first came to this land, I've had nothing but contempt and annoyance at this place. I've been confused, frustrated, mocked, insulted, and pissed off so many times in the past twenty-four hours, that it's a miracle I held myself back as long as I did on you fucking nobles."

With that Ryoga turned and gazed at Guiche, as the blond flinched from the shark-toothed grin on the boy's face.

"But a duel?" Ryoga spoke out as his eyes seemed to gleam with excitement, "Out of all the damn craziness that's happened to me, out of all the stupidity and nonsense I've seen, THAT is the first damn thing I can get behind!"

Guiche felt sweat drip down his back, but he quickly shook it off. Why was he sweating? Surely not because of some commoner, right? Of course not, he was just caught off guard by the boy's confidence was all. And the way the boy makes it sound like he had dueled before, it was clearly just a rouse was all. It had to be.

Pushing aside that moment of weakness and recollecting himself, Guiche grinned as well, "I take it you accept then?"

"Of course. I don't ever back down from a challenge," Ryoga replied.

"Then meet me at the Vestri Court! I will be waiting to teach you a proper lesson!"

With that Guiche turned and walked off, as the crowd of nobles muttered and whispered excitedly, and several even began following the blond. Ryoga meanwhile closed his eyes as he recollected himself, but never let the smirk drop from his face.

This was going to be fun.

"Familiar!!!"

"Shark-san!!!"

Ryoga's eyes snapped open as his smirk promptly vanished, as he spotted two female figures suddenly approaching him. As he noticed their faces however, a single thought echoed through the duelist mind.

"Shit."