Barian of the Void: Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Pink.

That was the first thing that stood out in Ryoga's mind as he stared at the intruder. Pink. Pink hair, pink eyes.

Just...pink.

Okay granted, he had met a lot of people with odd color hair in his lives as a human and Barian. Some more so than others. Heck even Yuma's hair was very odd to him the first time he met the boy, though he had come to accept it as just a normal occurrence in his life.

But...pink? Seriously? And a rather bright pink at that. He almost wouldn't have believed it was natural if not for the fact that the girl's own eyes were the exact same color, though that in itself was still debatable. Either way, it was clear that this was probably the oddest colored hair he had ever seen upon any person he had known before. In this life or the previous ones.

That still didn't stop him from raising his guard.

"Who the hell are you?" Ryoga demanded with a suspicious glare.

"M-Miss Louise? What are you doing here?" Colbert asked confused as the girl turned red from embarrassment at being caught.

"I-I uh, that is," Louise stuttered as she pushed herself from the ground and struggled to come up with an excuse that would work. She had really screwed up this time. All she had been trying to do was listen in so she could find out what she could about her new familiar, and now had been caught in the act by the principal and her professor, who had specifically ordered her to stay in her dorm room, "Oh Brimir please don't let mother find out about this. I won't survive her wrath!!"

"You know this girl?" Ryoga questioned as Osmond sighed and nodded.

"Indeed. She is one of our more...interesting, students shall we say that we have in the academy. Louise de la Valliere. She is also the one who summoned you here to be her familiar."

At that Ryoga's eyes widened as he turned his gaze onto the pink haired female. This was the one who summoned him? The one who had given him a second chance and he was supposed to be the servant of?

"Her?" Ryoga questioned as if in disbelief as he looked her over. She was rather short in size, around the same size as him based on what he could see. Her long flowing pink hair seemed to reach down her back and past her rear. Her face was round and had a childish look to it as her eyes shined with a similarly colored pink. Her body itself was rather flat but slightly curved, and she was wearing what he could guess was probably the school uniform of this place, with a black skirt, leg stockings, a white blouse, and some sort of black cape around her neck.

Ryoga couldn't help but blink. He had expected a lot of things when he pictured the image of the person who had summoned him to be a slave. A fancy rich prick, a sleazy looking dame, some tough muscle toned eccentric.

This was definitely not what he had expected.

"T-That's right," Louise addressed Ryoga as she stood straight and tried to present a look of nobility and wealth, "I'm the one who summoned you commoner. As such you should be grateful that I, Louise de la Valliere, am willing to look past your rugged appearance and take you under the house of-"

"Miss Valliere!!" Colbert suddenly shout as Louise pauses in her rant and pales as she looks at the professor, "I thought I told you to wait back in your room until we had news for you. Why did you disobey my instructions?"

Louise felt sweat drip down her face but recomposed herself and closed her eyes as if preparing a speech, "I-It was only natural! After all this commoner is my familiar, and it is the duty of a noble to take care of their familiar as they are a representative of the noble themselves and their life partner so-"

"Oy Ojii-san, what does she mean by commoner?" Ryoga ask Osmond as he tunes out Louise's little speech.

Osmond sighed as he rubbed his beard. He knew this would be brought up eventually but he had hoped to bring it up a little more gently, "Well as you know this is an academy where we teach children of nobility how to become proper mages and use magic yes? Well not everybody is capable of using magic, and as such those without magic are referred too as commoners."

Ryoga blinked and frowned, "So what? Because I can't use magic I'm a commoner? Is that bad?"

"It's not, bad per say," Osmond continues as he scratches his head as he tries to think of a simple way to explain it to the boy, "But you see, commoners are more of a, second-class citizen shall we say? They serve and help the nobility of the land while we as nobles ensure their safety and protection."

Ryoga's eyes narrowed. He didn't like the sound of that at all. It almost sounded like how several of the aristocrats he had met during his first life treated their people. They were treated differently and looked down upon because they weren't rich or wealthy, and as such many of the poorer or common folk suffered and died because of it.

And according to what the old man just said, this land treated those without magic in a similar way.

Okay granted maybe he was jumping the gun as he had yet to actually see the interactions between these so called nobles and commoners, but it still left a bad taste in his mouth to consider such a thing. When he was king back in his human life, all of his people were treated equally. Rich, poor, knights, blacksmiths, bards, whatever the case, everyone in his kingdom was treated with the same respect and kindness, and they all worked together to form a peaceful and kind kingdom.

Even so, that didn't mean he wouldn't keep an eye out for such events.

"A-At any rate!" Louise turns from Colbert, who was sighing exasperatedly at finally making her stop convincing him, "Now that my familiar is awake, I can complete the contract right?"

At that Colbert and Osmond both straighten as they look at Ryoga who was now glaring at the pink haired girl.

"W-Well about that Miss Louise-"

"What?" Louise turned to Colbert curiously, "I can do it now right? I mean it's all healed up and better now, so now is the perfect time to bind the contract with it right?"

Ryoga's eyes narrowed as Osmond let out a tired sigh. This was what he feared would happen.

Colbert began to sweat, "W-Well yes b-"

"And what if I don't WANT to be your familiar?" Ryoga states with a calm but hard voice.

"Huh?!" Louise's head turns back to him, eyes with shock and confusion, "Just what are you saying you commoner?"

"You heard me," Ryoga continues as looks up at the girl, "I heard about the way this so called contract works, and frankly, I'm not too fond of the idea behind it. Binding someone to you as a servant for your whole life? Sounds more like slavery too me."

"How dare you!" Louise shouts angrily, "The familiar contract is a sacred and noble tradition passed down since the time of Brimir! How dare you compare it to something so wicked like slavery!"

"Really? Sacred and noble? I might buy that if these so called familiars were treated with respect and care. But you've been calling me 'it' and 'commoner' since you first entered this room," Ryoga's eyes gaze hard into Louise's, "To you I'm not even a human being am I?"

Louise found his stare a bit scary but pushed that fear aside as pride and anger took over, "Why should you be? You're just a commoner after all. Not even that, you're a familiar spirit, my familiar in fact! It's your duty to serve and obey me. Why should I consider you anything else?"

"Excuse me?!" Ryoga growled out.

"Do you have any idea how honorable it is to be in the service of a noble? You should be grateful that a mere commoner like yourself would be given the chance to serve under a noble house. Such a thing isn't given out so easily you know," Louise continued, "Honestly, why couldn't I get a griffon or a dragon! They would have been much easier to tame and make listen than something like you!!"

"M-Miss Louise," Colbert began only to stop as Osmond raises his hand to stop the professor. Colbert blinked but Osmond merely shook his head as he watched.

"Well it doesn't matter now I suppose," Louise states as she brushes her hair to the side with her hand, "You're here now after all. And I can't redo the spell either, so I'll have to accept this whether I like it or not. Though if you apologize now, maybe still grab you something small to eat before the day is through."

Louise felt a small smile grace her face as the boy before her lowered his head so that his eyes were covered. Looks like she had finally gotten through to him just what kind of situation he was in. Now all she had to do was seal the contract and teach him a lesson back at her dorm and she c-

"Fuck off."

Louise blinks as Colbert and Osmond nearly jumped in shock at how cold the boy's voice became.

"Huh? What did you say?" Louise questioned as she glares at the boy. Surely she had misheard him. After all there was no way he would dare say-

"I said, fuck off."

That time Louise knew her ears weren't fooling her as anger fills her face, "W-what?! How dare y-"

"Shut up!!" Ryoga shouted as he glares coldly at Louise, causing her to jump back in shock, "Who the fuck do you think you are huh? Coming in here, treating me like a damn animal, thinking you can just command me to do anything you say? Who gave you the fucking right huh?!"

Louise found herself speechless for a moment at the look in the commoner's eyes before she regained herself and glared back, "How dare you?! I called you here to become a noble and proper familiar and this is how you treat me?! What backwaters alley did you come from to get such a disgusting mouth?! You should feel honored you commoner!!"

"Stop calling me a damn commoner!! I have a fucking name!" Ryoga snaps out angrily as Louise jumps back in shock, "Kamishiro Ryoga, get it memorized you candy colored chibi!"

"W-w-w-what did you call me?!" Louise shouted back in fury as she reached for her wand.

"Enough!!!" Osmond shouted as he slammed his staff to the ground and a loud boom echoed through the room causing both Louise and Ryoga to stop and look at him with different expressions. Louise with fear, and Ryoga with frustration and shock. Seeing that he had both their attentions Osmond let out a small cough in his hand and addressed them both, "It seems that some heads need to be cooled down to take in all that has happened today. Wouldn't you agree Mister Colbert?"

Colbert himself blinked at the proper pronunciation of his name before nodding, "Ah, y-yes Old Osmond."

Osmond nods and looks over to Ryoga, "Since it's clear you aren't exactly fond of the idea of being Miss Valliere's familiar, why don't we give you some time to think things over. I'll send for your things later, and we can address the issue tomorrow alright?"

"Huh?" Ryoga blinked confused.

"H-Headmaster! What are y-"

"And you Miss Valliere," Osmond turns his gaze to the girl as she freezes up, "It's been a very long day for you hasn't it? Summoning a human familiar, nearly having die, disobeying the word of your professor, I would think one such as you must feel exhausted and want to go to bed to clear your head before something consequential happens, wouldn't you agree?"

Louise bit her bottom lip as she glared at Ryoga. Shaking off the anger she composes herself and straightens her body like a proper noble, "Y-yes headmaster."

Osmond nods as his serious expression shifts back to a carefree state, "Glad to hear it. Mister Colbert, if you would be so kind as to escort Miss Valliere to her room and then bring Mister Ryoga his things?"

"Y-yes Old Osmond, right away sir!" Colbert nodded as he quickly nodded to Louise who silently walks past him and out the door as Colbert quickly follows suit.

Osmond smiles and makes his way to the door only to stop at Ryoga's voice, "Oy Ojii-san, what exactly are you up too?"

Osmond simply turns and smiles, "I don't know what you mean boy? I'm simply an old man who's ears were hurting from all the yelling and is now looking forward to a nice quiet night."

As Osmond walked out of the room Ryoga couldn't help but keep his gaze on the door. After a moment he closed his eyes and sighed as he fell back to the bed.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into?"

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Louise angrily tossed off her cape and clothes as she grit her teeth.

"That stupid rude loud mouthed ignorant GAH!!!!!"

Louise, finally undressed, crashes onto her large bed as the lights in her room dim and allow the moonlight to enter through her window. Burying her face into her pillow, Louise's anger faded as her eyes softened with sorrow and depression.

"Why...why do I always fail? Why am I such a zero?"

Louise closed her eyes as she tried to let herself fall asleep and forget the events of the day. Even still, she couldn't stop the single tear that escaped onto her face.