Chapter Text
The stage was in ruins. The concerted attack from the multiple Assassins had left the wooden floor splintered and the velvet curtains in tatters.
Reinhard had acted in a fraction of a second. When the wall of killers closed in without a gap or opening, he hadn't just dodged; he had launched himself and Ayaka clear across the theater, landing softly in the very back row of the upper seating area.
He touched down as lightly as a feather, despite his armor, carrying the girl securely at his side. He turned his gaze immediately back to the stage, now a wreck of wood and fabric, where the Assassins stood clustered, staring up at them.
The Assassin was impressed. He had dodged a coordinated omni-directional assault with no opening, and he had done it while carrying baggage. He clearly outclassed her in speed. And what was truly terrifying was that it was just him. There was no surge of mana, no magical reinforcement. Just raw physical capability.
Even when he had dispersed her poisonous mist with a mere clap of his hands, it had been the same. No magic. Just air pressure generated by physical strength.
Reinhard turned his head to the girl clamped to his right side. He was holding her somewhat awkwardly, like one might carry a large, fragile doll.
"Are you alright?"
Ayaka couldn't answer immediately. Her brain was still trying to catch up with her body. One moment she was on the stage, about to be skewered; the next, the world had blurred into a smear of motion, and she was suddenly in the cheap seats at the back of the house.
She looked down at the stage. It was a wreck. And standing amidst the debris were many black figures, copies of the woman she had seen before. They all looked identical.
If someone were to ask her honestly how she was doing... she wasn't doing well. It would be strange if she was alright.
But she knew what he meant. He was asking if she was hurt. And surprisingly, she was fine. Thanks to him.
"I... I'm fine," she managed to stammer.
What was this situation? A grown woman dangling from a stranger's arm like a naughty child about to be scolded. What was next? A spanking?
Down below, the shadows didn't move. They just looked up at them, a silent, multiplied menace.
"Can... can you put me down?" Ayaka asked, her face burning. The embarrassment of hanging there like a sack of potatoes was starting to override her fear.
The knight looked at her, his expression serious. "I could, but the Assassin could attack again... I know it is uncomfortable, but please endure it for a little while longer."
That, she could understand. Being embarrassed was infinitely preferable to being dead, and she wouldn't be alive right now if he hadn't saved her. She could endure the shame.
What was strange, however, was the Assassin's behavior. The multiple figures looked up at her and the knight, but they didn't attack. Nor did they try to hide. Usually, an assassin would strike and then vanish, only to strike again from a blind spot.
"Why are you not fighting back?" the Assassin spoke, her voice echoing from all the figures at once.
"An impressive technique," the knight called down to them. His voice was calm, devoid of bloodlust or killing intent, even though he was speaking to someone trying to murder them. "To multiply one's existence... it is a skill that would confound many. However, mere numbers will not suffice against me."
The knight then turned his head to Ayaka.
"My Lady, what would you want me to do?"
Ayaka stammered. Why was he asking her? And that "My Lady" again. She had clearly said she wasn't his Master. But if she denied it again, he would probably just bring up the topic of killing himself. It was like a child throwing a tantrum: Adopt me or I jump from the building.
For now, the only thing that mattered was getting out of this alive. She could figure out how to extricate herself from this mess later.
"First of all," she said, finding her voice, "please drop the 'My Lady' part..."
"Mast…"
"No 'Master' either!" she interrupted before he could finish. "I'm not your... Just Ayaka is fine. And is it possible to resolve this without killing each other? I do not want..."
"Of course it is possible, if the other party wishes it," the knight said smoothly, not even letting her finish. "Though I cannot say if the Assassin would like that idea... we can try to tire her out."
The Assassin seemed to realize something. The multiplied bodies flickered, their forms wavering like smoke in a breeze. They melted back into the shadows, coalescing until only a single entity stood on the stage.
The woman in black stared up at the red-haired man. Her stance shifted, preparing for another assault. For him to take her so easily that he was chatting with his Master right in front of her...
"Is it possible to drop this now and continue it another time?" the knight called out.
The Assassin opened her mouth, perhaps to speak, or perhaps to chant another curse…
"Freeze! Nobody move!"
A shout boomed from the main entrance of the theater, followed by blinding beams of flashlights cutting through the gloom, pinning the knight and the woman he was holding.
Snick. Snick. Snick.
Ayaka blinked. Reinhard was now holding three small black blades in his free hand, right in front of her face. Her eyes widened. He had caught them out of the air.
"She left," the knight said calmly. "Though not without a parting gift, it seems."
He dropped the three throwing knives, letting them clatter harmlessly to the floor.
"Police! Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air!"
Ayaka flinched, shielding her eyes from the sudden glare. It was a squad of armed men wearing the uniforms of the Snowfield Police Department. They poured into the hall with practiced precision, securing the exits, their guns raised.
Ayaka felt a fresh wave of panic. The police. Under normal circumstances, this would be a relief. If they had shown up at the beginning... no, actually, they would have been slaughtered by the Assassin or the mage. But here? Now? With a dead body on the stage, and a man dressed like a fantasy knight standing next to her?
The knight placed her gently on the ground, seemingly confident that the Assassin was no longer a threat.
But one thing was clear.
She was the suspect. And this knight was her accomplice. There was no other way this looked.
"Down! Get the fuck down!" one of the officers screamed, aiming his gun at them.
Ayaka instinctively started to crouch, trembling violently. But the knight didn't move. He looked at the officers, then at their weapons. There was no fear in his eyes, only a mild, polite curiosity.
"Law enforcement," he murmured, his voice low. "Guards."
"Hey! You in the Halloween costume! Hands where I can see them!"
The lead officer was shouting directly at the knight now.
Ayaka's heart hammered against her ribs. Please don't fight them, she pleaded internally. If he fights the police, it's over. I'll be an accomplice to a cop-killer on top of everything else.
Even though the knight was fast, fast enough that they could probably escape without harming anyone, the police officers had already seen their faces. If they ran now, by morning they would be on the news and in newspapers all over the city, wanted for murder.
"Should we..." the knight began.
"Hey..." she whispered, cutting him off. She didn't know what else to call him. "Don't..."
The knight looked back at her, understanding exactly what she was afraid of. He smiled, that same gentle, reassuring smile from before.
Why is he smiling now?! she thought, bordering on hysteria.
"Do not worry, Ayaka. I have no intention of raising my hand against those who protect the citizenry."
He turned back to the officers. Slowly, deliberately, he raised his hands. It was the gesture of surrender, but he performed it with such natural grace that it looked less like capitulation and more like he was acknowledging an adoring audience.
"Me and my La… I mean, Ayaka and I have no hostile intent," the knight announced, his voice carrying clearly over the shouts of the police.
"Get on the fucking ground... on the ground! Now!"
"Yes sir..." Ayaka whispered, dropping to her knees. The knight complied as well, following her lead and kneeling beside her.
The officers advanced cautiously, looking around the destroyed stage, the shattered seats, and specifically at the dead body of the mage.
One officer approached them, gun leveled. "Did you two do this?"
"No, no..." Ayaka said instantly, her voice trembling. "I'm... I mean, we are the victims here."
The officer narrowed his eyes. "If that is true, what happened here? Why are you two here when the opera house is still closed for renovation? And who killed that man?"
"Uhh well... you see..."
Ayaka trailed off. What was she supposed to explain, exactly? That a mage kidnapped me for some misunderstanding, bound me with magic wire, and then wanted to test the loyalty of a hero he summoned, aka the knight beside me, by having him kill me? And then a woman in black attacked and crushed the mage's heart with a spectral hand?
Good luck with that. That was clearly the easiest way to admit to being delusional, and then be charged with murder anyway.
"You are under arrest for trespassing, and suspected murder and destruction of property. You have the right to remain silent..."
Wow, they actually say it.
Ayaka found herself thinking this detached thought as she listened to the Miranda warning she had heard so often in American TV shows.
And then, suddenly, another thought crossed her mind, heavy and depressing.
Police stations have elevators, don't they...
How depressing.