Chapter 13 The school of Saint Lourdes

On the Monday of the 19th May, in Lourdes, a French town that was in times known for its beautiful cathedral with the same name, but nowadays it was also known for being the new HQ of the catholic church and the home of the Pope, was about to get a rare and unattended visit, not a visit in the cathedral, but in a place that was close to it, that place, was the all-girls School of Saint Lourdes.

This school had the typical size of a lot of other schools, in its campus, it had the main building that was 3 stories tall, where classes were taken, a garden, a gymnasium, a small chapel, and the dorms.

The girls of Saint Lourdes, that walked the campus, wore a school uniform that consisted of a navy blue skirt, a white shirt that had to have a bow in its collar, a blazer that was also Navy blue, if somebody heard this description they would probably think, that they wore what was standard for a girls school uniform, but the girls of Saint Lourdes had to wear something that made them stand out, and that was a nuns habit that was obligatory for all of them to wear.

Yes, this school, was one that raised the new nuns and priestess of the Supreme Cross, with over 1750 students that went from the ages of 8 to 18 studied there.

We were in the afternoon on this school, and classes had ended, so there was only one place were all of the students and it's teachers could be, that place was the gymnasium.

The gymnasium was used for the practice of sports to keep the girls healthy, but it also had another function, that was more used and that function was one of a sparring arena, and as of now, a match was happening between two, of this schools strongest.

"Alright everyone, it's time for another face-off between Chateunoire and Germain!" A voice of an energetic girl could be heard across the gymnasium now turned arena, as she was the announcer, and since today was a special day it was a full house, as some girls were seated and other were standing, all with eyes locked on the two girls that were about to fight.

On the right side, we had a girl with pale aqua blue hair that reached to her back, her eyes were of a silver color, she wore the school uniform and habit that was used by all the girls but the bow on her ample chest was black and white, that showed that she was, a first-year and on her right hand, she held a rapier, this girl was Marie Chateunoire, the girl on the left had short black hair and brown eyes, she wore the same clothes as Marie, but the bow on her chest was black meaning that she was a second-year she held a spear in her hands, her name was Elaina Germain.

"This time, I'm going to win Marie, you better start to get off your number one spot!" Elaina said with a smug tone and expression as she moved her spear around showing off and making the crowd, look at her in awe.

"Well Elaina, you already said that 267 times and I haven't seen any change, don't go make promises, that you can't keep!" Marie responded to Elaina, as she leaned forward with her hand on her hip, also with a smug expression and tone that made the crowd laugh.

"W-Wait! You've been counting them?!" Elaina asked with a confused tone and expression.

"I'm just messing with you, Elaina..." Marie said in a joking tone as she laughed a bit.

"Stop with your jokes! I'm being serious here, I will wipe the floor with you today!" Elaina said with an angry tone, but Marie just shrugged her off.

"Now then, lets put this show on the road, at my signal, we start!" The girl with the energetic voice said again as both Marie and Elaina placed themselves in a battle stance, and the silence reigned in the arena, as everyone looked at the two girls.

"All right...START!!!!" The energetic girl said and Elaina dashed at Marie with incredible speed, and as she got close, Marie dodged to the left with a twirl.

"What?!" Elaina said as she hit the ground with her spear, where Marie once stood.

"Faster, does not always equal better, Elaina..." Marie said to her as she prepared to attack with a barrage of pierces from her rapier, as she saw this, Elaina moved her body forward with a jump taking her lance off the ground and moving away from Marie.

"Oh, not bad!" Marie said with an impressed tone, as Elaina landed on the ground and looked at her.

"The last time, I lost with a move like that, there's no way, it will happen again!" Elaine said with a confident tone, as she began to run towards Marie again and as she got close, she began to attack with a mix of piercing and slashing moves from her spear, which Marie was blocking and avoiding with ease.

"Not bad Elaine, but is this the best you got?" Marie asked this with a stoic expression and tone that caught Elaine. off guard.

"An opening!" Marie thought to herself, as she dodged Elaine's spear and got close to her, she then turned her rapier's handle so that the blade, pointed backward, Marie then hit Elaine in her stomach with the rapier's handle making her go rolling on the ground and as she rolled away from Marie she let go of her spear when Elaina stooped and began to get up, Marie got close and pointed her rapier close to Elaine's face.

"Well then, Elaine...what do we say?" Marie said with a smug tone and Expression to Elaine.

"I-I give up..." As Elaine said this, the crowd went crazy applauding and cheering, Marie then put her rapier away and extended her hand to Elaine.

"Looks like we're at, 268 loses now!" Marie said in a friendly tone as she looked at Elaina.

"Yeah, but one day, I'm going to put that number down!" Elaine said as she grabbed Marie's hand and smiled.

"As long as I can fight, I will gladly accept your challenges!" Marie said as she helped Elaina get up.

"And that's it every one, the fight's over! With Marie's win once again!" The energetic girl said, as everyone clapped and cheered.

And as Marie was leaving the arena's grounds to join the crowd, a young woman with light brown hair and eyes wearing a black suit and a nuns habit in her head approached Marie, this woman's name was Adelyn Aubry.

"Miss Chateunoire, may I have a moment?" Adelyn asked Marie this, but despite the friendly tone, Marie couldn't say no to her request as this woman was her teacher.

"Sure, Sister Aubry, what is it?" Marie asked with a polite tone as she looked at Adelyn.

"The principal wants to talk to you, please follow me to the office..." Adelyn said as she turned her back to Marie and began walking away.

"The principal wants to talk to me? Could it be, that she found out what I did?" Marie thought to herself, as she began following Adelyn...

It was a small walk from the gymnasium to the main building where the principal's office was, and when they got to the door of the principal's office, Adelyn opened it and as they went inside the office that was old but well preserved, with the walls covered in stands full of old books and paintings of saints.

This office also had a desk with a big chair behind it and in front of the said desk were two smaller chairs, and in side this office was an old woman, dressed in nun clothes sitting on the chair, behind the desk.

This woman was Valerie Deschamps, the principal of saint Lourdes, and she was talking to someone sitting in a chair in front of her desk, a person that both Marie and Adelyn could not see.

"Mother Valerie, like you asked, I brought miss Chateunoire here..." Adelyn said as she bowed to Valerie.

"Mother Valerie, I'm really sorry, I know that a punishment is a punishment, but I couldn't bear to see those young girls wanting to go play with her friends with such a nice day outside, and not being able to, so I let them go play and I did their assignment, I'm really sorry!" Marie said with an apologetic tone as she bowed to Valerie expecting to be forgiven.

"What are you talking about, miss Chateunoire? I didn't call you here for that!" Valerie said as she looked at Marie with a confused expression.

"Huh? Wait, if it isn't for that, then why did you call me?" Marie asked with a confused expression and tone as seh lifted her head, and just as Valerie was about to say the reason for calling her.

"Well that is simple, she called you here, because I requested it!" The person that was sitting in the chair in front of Valerie's desk, said as she got up, and Marie became frozen in place upon seeing this person.

"L-Lady Delacroix? " Marie asked as she saw Helena smiling at her.

"Thank you for calling her here, Mother Valerie, but could please give us some privacy?" Helena asked as she looked at Valerie with a smile on her face.

"Sure, Lady Delacroix!" Valerie said with a tone of respect, as she and Adelyn began to walk out of the room, and as soon as they got out and closed the door, Helena and Marie began to look at each other in silence, until Helena opened her arms as if she was asking for a hug and smiled once more.

"A-Auntie Helena!!" Marie said as she ran into Helena's arms.

"My, oh my, did you miss me that much?" Helena asked as she hugged and patted Marie's head.

"Of course I did! It has been, almost a year already!" Marie saidwith a happy tone and expression as she looked at Helena.

"I'm really sorry, Marie, but I have been so busy lately, but I will make it up for you, I promise!" Helena said as she patted Marie's head once more.

"Now then, why don't we take a seat?" Helena said to Marie as they stooped hugging and took a seat, Helena took a seat in the chair behind the desk while Marie took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

"So Marie, I see that you're giving trouble, to the Sisters here?" Helena asked with a curious tone, as she looked at Marie.

"W-Well, I just thought that it was unfair to punish the girls like that, for a small prank!" Marie said as she frowned a bit.

"A small prank?" Helena asked with curious tone.

"They put glue in the chair of one of the Sisters..." As Marie said this Helena burst into laughter.

"I-I can't believe it, seriously?" Helena asked as she kept laughing.

"Yes, and when the Sisters found out, they put them in detention, writing a 1000 times that "they shouldn't put glue in the chair of the teachers..." I thought it was unfair for something so small, so I told the girls to go play and never do something like that and I would do their assignment, I honestly thought I was caught..." Marie said as she too laughed a bit.

"Honestly, Marie, you do exactly the same things your mother did, when we studied here!" Helena said as she stooped laughing and looked at Marie

"I do?" Marie asked a bit curious.

"Yes, it's impressive, and you're also starting to look even more like her..." Helena said with a tone that had happiness but also a bit o sadness as she looked at Marie that started blushing and smiling but also looked as if she was sad after Helena's remark.

"Last week, was your 15th birthday, wasn't it, Marie? How was it?" Helena asked with a curious tone, upon noticing Marie's reaction, which caught her a bit off guard.

"Y-Yes, it was, the girls at the dorm threw me a surprise party and everything! It was a lot of fun!" Marie said with an expression and tone filled with happiness that made Helena smile.

"That's good, I'm sorry I couldn't come..." Helena said with a sad tone and expression.

"D-Don't be like that, auntie Helena, I know your busy, so it's normal, you couldn't come!" Marie said trying to make Helena not feel guilty for not being there.

"No, I should have come and will make it for you!" Helena said as she pointed to the side of the chair that Marie was sitting.

"Can you, pick up that briefcase and put her on the table, please?" As Helena said this Marie picked up the briefcase, it was a rather big one, that had the symbol of the Supreme Cross and looked like it was used to transport weapons.

"Thank you!" Helena said as Marie placed the case on top of the table.

"Well then, I didn't come to your birthday, but I got you a present Marie!"

"You didn't have to..." Marie said with a worried tone as every time Helena gave her a gift it was something expensive, and she didn't want her to waste money.

"I say that, but this gift isn't from me..." Helena said as she opened and turned the case to Marie, which made her open her eyes wide.

"A-Auntie Helena, this is..." Marie said as she couldn't stop looking at what was inside the case.

"Yes, my dear, Marie, this is "Vivianne", the rapier that was used by your mother..." Helena said as she looked at Marie's impressed and surprised expression.

"No Auntie Helena, I can't..." As Marie said this, she was interrupted by Helena

"Listen Marie, it was your mother that asked me to give you Vivianne when you turned 15, she was the same age when she received it!" Helena said to Marie that kept looking at the dark blue rapier Vivianne one of the 5 sacred weapons of the Supreme Cross.

"Mom, wanted me to have it?" Marie asked as she placed the tip of her fingers on the handle.

"She did, she always wanted you to inherit it, and I had to agree, no other person is skilled enough or deserves to wield it!" Helena said this with an honest and heartfelt tone that made Marie blush.

"Thank you Auntie Helena and thank you too, mom..." Marie said as she smiled.

"Now Marie I didn't come here just to have some catch-up and give you Vivianne...I also came because I have something that you have to do, a mission if you will..." Helena said as she put a case file folder on the desk.

"You see, Marie something has happened and I need you to do something about it..."As Helena finished saying this she opened the case file, and on it was a paper with a photo.

"Who is this black-haired boy?" Marie asked with a curious tone as she looked at the photo in the file.

"This boy right here, is Kurokami Tatsurou a first-year high school student at Takamagahara's district 4's Esper study High School 5, he lives with a woman named Kurokami Hime in an apartment complex in the same district and he also happens to be the Endbringer..." Helena said this with an informative tone that had no worry in it, but Marie on the other hand.

"T-The Endbringer??" Marie asked as she looked at Helena with a surprised expression.

"But isn't he dangerous?" Marie asked Helena with a worried tone and expression.

"We don't know that yet...it's hard to tell, that is why I want you to go to Takamagahara, to investigate and observe him, so that we know, if he is an enemy or an ally..." Helena said and Marie just looked at her confused.

"You want me, to go and do that?" Marie asked surprised that Helena wanted her to be the one to do this mission.

"But, Auntie Helena I..." As Marie was about to say something she was interrupted again.

"Marie, I'm asking you to do this, because I trust you and I want to see how much you have grown, I will give you full authority to do as you see fit and your report will decide the next step I will take in this situation, after all, you're going to be one of my Chevaliers one day, so I want to see how you handle this!" Helena said as she got up from the chair and patted Marie's head.

"Auntie Helena..." Marie said to her in an embarrassed tone as she looked a bit down.

"So will you do it?" Helena asked with a curious tone as she awaited Marie's responce.

"I-I will, Auntie Helena! I accept your mission!" Marie said with a confident tone to Helena that smiled upon hearing her.

"That's my girl!" Helena said with a happy tone, as she patted Marie's head once more.

"Well, now you will have a few days to prepare before you go, once your ready you will fly to Takamagahara in the Supreme Cross private jet..." As Helena said this Marie was the one to interrupt this time.

"No need to prepare, I will go today if you want!" Marie said with a tone that had no fear in it, only confidence.

"You're going too fast I still have to talk to your teachers and everything, let's say you go tomorrow, alright?" Helena said as she smiled at Marie that nodded in agreement.

"Very well, I'll go talk to your teachers now and tell them that you're going to stay with me for a few days, you go and prepare a few things that you think you will need, ok?" Helena said as she walked towards the door of the office.

"Yes, Auntie Helena!" Marie said as she saw Helena leaving the office and once she got out, Marie grabbed the suitcase with Vivianne and looked at Tatsurou's file.

"Kurokami Tatsurou, there is no need to observe or analyze your actions, everyone that holds a power that can be a treat to auntie Helena or France must be destroyed, you just wait, I'm coming for you!" Marie said as she held the file in her hand and looked ready to fight...