The Perfect Knight and the Illusionist (BL)

MARIUS

In the afternoon class, we all sat attentively as a man who introduced himself as Lieutenant Gerlsbeck stood in front of the class, dressed in full Royal Knight uniform.

Seeing the immaculately polished boots, the perfectly sharpened creases on his trousers, and the Royal Knight badge on his chest was enough to make everyone nervously excited. After all, he was what we all aspired to be.

"The mission is simple, everyone. To keep order and offer assistance to civilians as and when needed—a community service, so to speak," he said with calm authority.

"This is the ideal opportunity for first-year students to experience the duties of the Royal Knights in a non-combat capacity. Now, this does not mean that you can be lax and take things casually. Protecting and serving civilians is as serious a task as fighting on the battlefield."

"Yes, Sir!" we all answered, unprompted. It just felt like the right thing to do.

"You will be divided into groups of five, patrol the area, and ensure that the festival takes place and concludes in an orderly fashion."

I looked to my side, and Skylark, who for some reason had insisted on sitting next to me this afternoon—for the first time—was listening with twinkling eyes. It was good to see that he was taking the Knights’ duties seriously after the little talk we had earlier.

"The mission area, where the local festival will take place, is populated by the less affluent citizens of the capital. Now, this does not mean they are any less precious to the Empire, but it does mean that you may be faced with unique challenges."

He scanned the room with his probing eyes and continued.

"Most, if not all, of you have lived privileged lives. The fact that your family can afford to enroll you in the Academy alone is a sign that you did not grow up sleeping on a growlingly empty stomach or worrying about not having a roof over your head."

There was probably truth in what he was saying. Some scholarships were available at the Academy, but without the lifelong training that starts at a young age, junior guild memberships, and participation in official competitions, one would struggle to qualify for admission.

That’s just the way it was.

"Since this is your first mission, naturally, you will be under the command of experienced Royal Knights. You shall not take any actions by yourselves and will only act as commanded after your report has been assessed by your superior."

"What are we meant to report, Sir?" someone in the room asked.

"Who was that?" Lieutenant Gerlsbeck asked.

"It was me, Sir," I heard a male student’s voice, but knew better than to turn my head to see who it was.

"There is no ’me’ in the Royal Knights. When you speak to your superior, you shall state your name and rank."

"Joseph Kreiss. First-year student in Lion Class, Sir."

"I know what class I am in. Did I say you could ask me questions?" the lieutenant asked, his voice eerily calm.

"No, Sir."

"This is exactly what you need to learn, Joseph. For everything we do as Royal Knights, there are orders and procedures. One person acting on his own, out of turn, disrupts the process of the whole. Now the entire class has been interrupted, and our briefing has been derailed."

"I’m sorry, Sir."

"I will explain what you need to do, and I will give you a chance to ask questions. Before I do that, you shall remain seated and listen carefully until I say you may ask me questions. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good."

The nervous excitement in the air had cooled after the exchange. But I, for one, felt my heart fill with joy. This was what I had been training for. Discipline, control, order. It was all happening now.

Then I glanced to my side and noticed that Skylark was starting to fidget quite visibly. I quickly tapped his right leg with my foot to grab his attention and mouthed, Stop moving, which startled him at first. But he heeded my advice and did his best to stay still and focused.

"Now, let me continue. Your main task is to patrol the area and spot anything unusual. If you find someone loitering in one area for too long—report to your superior. If someone abruptly raises his voice during a conversation—report to your superior. If two or more people in rags approach and corner a decently dressed gentleman or lady—report to your superior. If someone keeps ordering drinks that he does not appear able to afford—report to your superior. You get the idea. Anyone who could cause any kind of trouble must be observed closely, and the situation must be stopped before it can escalate. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Sir!"

After that, Lieutenant Gerlsbeck went on to explain the logistical details. We were to be divided into groups of five. We would arrive at the site a day in advance—Thursday—for a pre-inspection and to familiarize ourselves with the patrol routes. As this was a civilian mission, we would not wear armor, but we would be lightly armed with our weapons clearly on display to dissuade any dissenters. Our presence itself would—and should—be sufficient to ensure that the citizens behaved respectably so that the festival could be enjoyed in an orderly fashion.

Once the lengthy briefing was complete, the lieutenant had explained everything so thoroughly that there was nothing left for anyone to question.

As soon as he left the room, Skylark, sitting next to me, let out a deep breath and sighed.

"What’s wrong?" I asked.

"This doesn’t sound like a festival at all... Back in Erdville, whenever we have festivals—"

Then he stopped himself and shook his head.

"What is it?" I asked again.

"Never mind."

"Skylark."

"...Yes?"

"This festival might be different from how things are back in your village. But we are there to ensure that everybody has a good time in a safe manner. This is important work, and everyone will be happier for it."

Skylark didn’t seem too convinced, but eventually he let out another deep sigh and said,

"If you say so, Mario."

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