The Perfect Knight and the Illusionist (BL)

MARIUS

Luckily, I found Falken at the checkpoint just where he had been before. I didn’t see Sergeant Becker, but the ’extraordinary’ report was to be made directly to Falken—in my case, anyway.

"Sir," I said, running up to him immediately.

"Yes, Marius? What’s the hurry?" he asked, intrigued.

"There was a magician at the circus who used dual magic—fire and water," I reported immediately.

"Hm, possibly unlicensed and improper use of magic, I see," Falken said, then continued, "That is a useful report, Marius. Thank you."

"But Sir, there was something extraordinary about his magic," I said quickly.

Falken’s eyes narrowed.

"What is it?"

"He placed a fireball inside a water sphere—the fire kept burning. This was just like—"

But before I could finish, Skylark caught up with me and stopped next to me, panting.

"Stop there, Marius. Understood," Falken interrupted, cracking the joint of his left index finger.

"Yes, Sir," I said and looked at Skylark. He seemed puzzled, but there was no time—or perhaps no need—to explain the situation to him.

It was then that Sergeant Becker came running as well, with Isabelle and Beatrice following him from some distance behind.

"Sir," he said, catching his breath.

"I heard it already, Sergeant Becker. Bring Lieutenant Gerlsbeck to me. Immediately."

"Yes, Sir."

With that, the Sergeant ran off. Isabelle and Beatrice then arrived.

"Ladies, did you witness the magic as well?" Falken asked them.

"Together with more than a hundred people, Sir," Beatrice said, speaking appropriately although she didn’t know who Falken was.

"Moreau—that’s your name, isn’t it?" Falken asked Isabelle, who seemed surprised that he knew her.

"Yes, Sir. Isabelle Moreau," she said, her voice somewhat nervous.

"You are a dual magic user, aren’t you?"

"Yes, Sir. Fire and water."

"What did you think of the magician combining fire and water?" Falken’s eyes on Isabelle were sharp, his voice interrogative.

"It was... something impossible, Sir. At least for me. I can use both, but I cannot combine them. Water would extinguish the fire."

Falken then rubbed his earlobe once and said,

"Listen carefully. You are not to speak about it to other students."

"Yes, Sir," Isabelle and Beatrice affirmed.

Right after, Lieutenant Gerlsbeck arrived.

"Sir, Lieutenant Gerlsbeck reporting," he said.

Isabelle and Beatrice looked at each other, confused that the Lieutenant was addressing a civilian-clothed man so formally.

"Tell Captain Schmidt that I need the Third Company to secure the district. Set up checkpoints. No one is to enter or leave. You take your platoon to close the circus. No one is to enter or leave there either. And Marius—" Falken paused and turned to face me again.

"Yes, Sir."

"What was the name of the circus, and what did this magician look like?"

"The Grand Salvani Company of the Southern Coast, Sir. The magician wore a cape and a mask, so I’m afraid I can’t give a full description. But he was slightly shorter than me, with a slender build and thin arms. His hair, where visible, was black, Sir."

"The Southern Coast..." Falken said, cracking the joint of his left middle finger this time.

"So is our task to find such a man, then, Sir?" Lieutenant Gerlsbeck asked.

"Tell the Captain it’s Code I."

"Yes, Sir."

"Take these students with you so they can help spot the man," Falken commanded the Lieutenant.

"Yes, Sir."

"Leo, you come with me," Falken said.

Skylark looked almost frightened by how fast things were moving. None of us understood what was happening, but we could tell this was something serious.

"Would you require support from another platoon, Sir? The Second Platoon of the Third Company is available at short notice, Sir," the Lieutenant asked.

"It’s not necessary."

With that, Falken put his arm around Skylark’s shoulder and began to walk away.

"Marius, come with me," the Lieutenant told me, then faced Isabelle and Beatrice. "You two go with Sergeant Becker."

"Yes, Sir," the two replied together.

The Lieutenant left swiftly, and I followed closely behind him.

"Marius Valenkraft, correct?" he asked me as we rushed.

"Yes, Sir."

"We will meet the Second Platoon at Checkpoint B. You will join Sergeant Pence there. Report to him all you know and assist in identifying the man we are looking for. I need to go to Captain Schmidt. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Get going and do the Valenkraft name proud," the Lieutenant said, giving me a firm pat on the shoulder before walking off in a different direction.

I began to run toward Checkpoint B, my mind full of questions but all my muscles tingling with excitement. Now, this was a real mission.

At the same time, though, the image of Skylark walking away with Falken’s arm around his shoulders stayed in my mind. I was concerned—not exactly sure what my concerns were about, but there was this feeling of unease in my heart that persisted despite my anticipation for the mission we were tasked with.

Falken. Alone with Skylark... what are they—or what can they actually do?

I looked up at the sky. It was a very hot, sunny day with a clear sky. I saw five eagles circling with intent.

A bit unusual in the city—what would they be hunting for?

When I arrived at Checkpoint B, I saw that a platoon of Royal Knights was already ready, and as I was reporting to Sergeant Pence, I got the impression he’d heard the news already and I was merely there to confirm the details.

"Well done, Marius. Now let’s go look for the magician."

That was all he said after my report, and we moved quickly to the district square where the festival was being held.

Falken said earlier it wouldn’t be a good look for the Academy students to arrest young boys. But now the actual Royal Knights were here, rushing to the festival site.

All because of one magician who used dual magic—

Or more precisely, because his magic was similar to Skylark’s.

Falken told me to think about the big picture, but in this instance, I couldn’t see the big picture at all.

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