"Oh, hey, Kalits! We were just recovering from that man over there attempting to kidnap us." I pointed to the culprit.
"You, kidnapped by him? Are you sure it's not the other way around?"
"Hey!" Kiori shouted, sounding seriously offended. "Our lives were in danger, and you're accusing him of staging the kidnapping?"
"Kiori, you do realize I broke his arm, right? Besides, it's just her telling a joke."
"I didn't mean to offend anyone, but I apologize if you find it in bad taste."
Instantly, her cheery tone switched to something more deep and serious.
"So, this man attempted to kidnap you?"
"Yes," Kiori answered. "I asked him to take us back to Megalia Academy, and he immediately went in the other direction."
"He also said a bunch of crazy stuff. Something about Benzathite and making a new world."
"Oh, one of those people."
"You know about them?" I asked.
"They're a cult who've spread the conspiracy theory of magic and Proa being a false god's poison disguised as a blessing, and how it corrupts the sense of self until the original person is erased. The Grand Mage tower actively denounces them for spreading propaganda and blasphemy."
"I believe this would be the second time you've mentioned that tower since we've met. Does it hold that much significance?"
This time, Kiori started speaking.
"They dictate all of the sanctioned and taboo practices of magic, compounded from years of trial and error and documentation. With how much standing and influence they have over magic development, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say they're the embodiment of magic law."
Kalits nodded in agreement to Kiori's words.
"And because of their accumulated knowledge of magic practices and reputation, unfounded claims such as Proa being a fake god's poison are immediately shut down."
"Kalits! Stop being friendly with the witnesses and help move this carriage!"
"I'm just collecting their testimonies for this case!"
"You're lying. I don't see you holding a pen and notepad! Now get over here!"
"Sorry about that, but you'll likely have to stick around for another knight to collect your testimonies. I'm glad both of you are alright."
She then went to assist in pulling the carriage's horse shafts with a group of knights in green uniforms.
Another knight picked up the barrel with the shattered Antis crystal and examined it with a profound curiosity, as if witnessing something he had never seen before.
"That barrel contains the Antis crystal!" I shouted to the knight from where I stood.
I sensed Kiori was giving me a look, but pretended he wasn't.
"Oh, thanks!" The knight made a salute motion with his right arm before tracing a spot on his chest plate.
That's a pretty interesting salute.
…
After we were escorted safely into town with the knights guarding us, we were brought into a building decorated with the symbol I saw on their uniform. The symbol looked pretty open to interpretation, but if I had to describe it, it looked like a coral reef being twisted into something malformed, or a hand being stretched, with each finger stretched to different lengths.
Since a pair of identical banners was draped on the building's walls, it's safe to assume it had a different, more significant meaning than the description I gave it.
"So… why have we been brought here?"
"To collect statements regarding your kidnapper's attempt to kidnap you. You aren't in trouble; it's merely a formality in doing our jobs." A knight in armor explained to me.
"What will happen to the person who tried to kidnap us?" Kiori asked.
"If you must know, he'll be interrogated before being sent to prison, but that's all I can tell you without getting into the specifics." The knight then produced a sheet of paper. From its design, it looked like you're meant to fill in the boxes. "So, could I get your names?"
"Shouldn't only the kidnapper's name matter?" Kiori asked, sharing a growing suspicion I had.
"I can understand your suspicion. Including your names in a case file where you're both victims seems unnecessary, however, with the increasing number of deaths with Benzathite tattooed on their bodies, certain people have started believing that if we can get a sense of these attackers' targets, we'll be able to prevent more deaths we should've prevented under the Knight's protection."
"Oh."
"Trust me, this practice will stop the moment these cases of Benzathite-branded deaths."
The knight in front of me admitted all of this in a monotone, devoid of emotion. It was as if all the passion and enthusiasm he had for life had been drained out of him after learning the cruelty of reality.
It felt like he was going through the motions, waiting for something to break him out of the cycle.
"So… what do we need to do before we can be let go? You said our names, but what else?"
"I'll need your names first so that I know who I'm speaking to."
"Nolval." I gave the name that had been assigned to me.
"Kiori Hemada."
"Hemada…" The knight paused for a while on Kiori's last name. "What were the two of you doing before getting kidnapped?"
"Just going out to eat. I wanted to introduce him to a restaurant I like."
"Hmm… did either of you notice anything unusual in town recently?" The knight asked, looking at me.
"I didn't see anything I'd consider suspicious," I answered him.
Which would be a lot of things, but I'm working on that.
The knight scribbled characters onto his paper before putting the quill down.
"Alright, thank you for your cooperation. Both of you may go."
Kiori turned heel the moment those words were spoken, and I immediately followed after. I had to jog for a second with how fast he speed-walked out of there.
"Y'know, we could always take my vehicle back to school. I'm not going to deploy it here, but I can do it someplace where no one is looking."
"Don't you find it suspicious?"
Huh?
"Find what suspicious?"
"How did they know where to find us?"
"Maybe they followed the tracks left by the carriage?"
"Maybe, but the carriage went off-road, and I felt it jump a few times. Do you think tracks would've been left by a carriage going so fast?"
"I'm not sure. I didn't see the tracks left by it, and we left taking a different path from the one the carriage took."
…
We continued walking until I saw a familiar fork in the rode. Then, I conjured the hovercraft and drove the both of us into school. He didn't say anything after his odd statements until we made it to the entrance of the school.
"I'll be sleeping in my room, don't follow me."
"Huh? Is something the matter?"
"It's just… I need something to think about."
"Will you be alright?" I asked him, hoping the incident didn't incite some urge to commit suicide.
"I'm just tired, Nolval. No need to worry too much."
"Well, if you insist, I'll be in the… umm… room where we played dodgeball."
He raised an eyebrow in confusion before it dawned on him what I was talking about.
"Oh, those red balls. Don't stay too long, or I'll lock you out."
"Duly noted." I gave him a thumbs up.
After that, we went our separate ways. I decided to use that time to train my reflexes in calling upon and using my power instantaneously, rather than wasting precious seconds to produce a suitable manifestation. The difference between living and dying can be dictated within fractions of a second, so I spent my time creating whatever came to mind and noting what manifestations of my power took up the least amount of time.
So far, it's a tie between beams of energy and using telekinesis on a target. Although I couldn't time them, it felt like they consistently took up the smallest number of fractions of a second to occur. Anything slower was producing an energy construct to act as a defense or projectile, and the slowest was creating an actual object to use as a weapon.
My attack arsenal has been decided, but my reflexes and fighting intuition are nonexistent. Yes, I've fought a few times against mages, but my solution has been to overpower them with sheer volume or use a power they've never seen before. The element of surprise is an advantage, but that can only work so many times before my enemy starts predicting, even capitalizing on my habits.
"I need someone else to train me on how to fight," I said aloud, before letting out a yawn.
After cleaning up the arena, I went back into the dorm, brushed my teeth, changed into shorts and a shirt, and went to sleep.