Chapter 16: The Ruined Captial

| Ezura Mikazuki |

Mikazuki made the tavern worker say the name twice. He needed to be completely sure that he really said Shishido's name. After every obstacle that day, it seemed too good to be true. "Black and yellow hair. A troublesome brat. That Shido?" The tavern worker nodded along with him.

"That one. I actually happen to be a great friend of his. I wasn't aware he was a fugitive until you all came here. Even if he's my best friend, I'd be betraying the High Elf if I didn't turn him in." Things got a bit awkward when he noticed the man's eyes watering a little. Sniffling a few times, he hid his face in his hands.

"Are... Are you crying? D-Don't. You're doing the right thing." Mikazuki was so caught off guard, he almost didn't question that the man called Shido his best friend. How was that possible? Shido was a long way away from the capital when he found him. Maybe they were childhood friends? That made him feel even worse about what he'd need to do. Compensating him after all seemed like the right thing to do once they were done there.

Standing up from the table, he pushed down the embarrassment he felt, and patted the man on the shoulder to get him to stop crying. "Don't worry. We'll take care of everything. Would you happen to know where he is?"

Wiping his eyes with his sleeve, the man kept his head down. "I do... I was going to meet him to try and convince him to give himself up. He should be waiting for me."

"Would you mind leading us to him?" Mikazuki almost sighed in relief when the tavern worker mumbled a 'yes'. He turned to his men gathered at the table. "We're off then. Remember, we're bringing him in alive."

Before he could move, the tavern worker abruptly halted him with a hand on his shoulder. Annoyance flickered in Mikazuki's eyes at the touch. The man should be luckily he felt bad for him otherwise he would have backhanded him for placing his grimy hands on his uniform, but he refrained from reacting aggressively. Instead, he listened unwillingly as the man rambled on about his supposed close friendship with Shido, detailing nostalgic childhood memories that grated on Mikazuki's nerves.

The tavern worker seemed oblivious to his growing impatience until he shot him a deadly stare. Finally sensing the urgency, the worker hurriedly agreed to lead Mikazuki to Shido.

The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting the streets into shadow as they made their way forward. The bustling crowds gradually thinned out, and patches of vegetation reclaimed parts of the pavement and nearby structures. Some buildings appeared abandoned, their once-vibrant facades now weathered and worn. Finally, the tavern worker came to a halt.

His men followed suit, stopping a short distance away from Shido near the fountain. They looked hesitant to approach any closer, beads of sweat already forming on their brows as they eyed him warily.

"Your help won't be needed from this point. You'll have your compensation once I'm finished here." he spoke to the worker. Mikazuki was the only one to dismount and approached Shido, stopping in place a few meters away from the fountain, "Since you're foolish enough to escape custody, can I assume you're not going to do the sensible thing and surrender?"

Lying on his back on the edge of the old fountain, Shido shifted his gaze towrds him before he rose to his feet, a playful grin spreading across his face, "No greeting? Not even a hi?" he asked.

Mikazuki's expression darkened. "Oh, did you want to catch up over tea? We could talk about how much you're screwing me over with this stunt of yours." That insolent brat seemed to find the situation amusing. Mikazuki was fully to blame. He should've believed Shido when he said he'd be free again. Scratch that, his first mistake was going easy on him to begin with.

Mikazuki narrowed his eyes at Shido, observing the way the other's gaze seemed to linger on him. Why did Shido appear to be sizing him up with a hint of fondness? "Ah, there's that familiar stubborn expression," he commented teasingly. "It's good to see you again, my silver knight," he added, punctuating his words with a playful wink. "Did you miss me at all, or did you find someone else to replace me?" he joked, though his tone betrayed a hint of vulnerability. Did Shido secretly hope to be missed?

"I hope you're not the one responsible for plastering my picture all over town. I've got a bone to pick with the artist," Shido remarked, "Mika, you knew I'd be making a break for it sooner or later. I warned you. I hate to be a nuisance to my silver knight, but you know me—a pest hard to get rid of," he said with a playful grin. Mikazuki struggled to maintain a neutral expression, but Shido's presence always seemed to chip away at his composure. How did he always find new ways to come up with infuriating nicknames for him?

Stepping back, Shido cast a glance behind Mikazuki before returning his gaze. "Still, I'd love to have you at my side. It's not too late to join the dark side," He was still trying to sway him to betray her Majesty? It was enough to make him want to yank his hair out in frustration. With narrowed eyes, he chewed on his finger instead, trying to contain his irritation.

"But if you're still going to be stubborn about it, then I suppose I'll bid you farewell," Shido said with a playful smile. "Feel free to follow me, though I don't advise it unless you're ready to commit to staying with me forever," he let out another soft laugh.

"I can run pretty fast, you know. And if your men decide to chase after me, there's a good chance they won't return. Or maybe I won't return," he added mischievously. "This might be the last time you'll see me, my dear Mika."

A sudden laugh escaped Mikazuki's lips. He had to admit that the situation was a little humorous. For Shishido to so confidently state he'd escape and actually pull it off? Even he could laugh at that. How many of his captures had proven to be so difficult? How many of them had Mikazuki thought about as much as Shido? The rebel enraged him in the same way Luca did. If only he wasn't a wanted criminal. If only Mikazuki didn't need to sacrifice Shido's freedom again to save his own. "You're right. This will be the last time we see each other. Feel free to voice your displeasure about your wanted poster to the prison staff after I bring you back."

It was obvious Shido would run. How foolish. It didn't work the first time he did it at that hovel of a town, did he expect a different result? A cropping of red crystals formed around his shoe. They sprouted along the pavement towards Shido the moment he saw him turn on his heel. Just barely Shido was able to dodge it and sprinted around the fountain.

Even if he avoided him, he could only be evasive for so long. All they had to do was keep track of him until he ran out of steam. He didn't prefer to let his men fall victim to Shido's magic, but he recalled how tired he got after using it a few times. No matter what Shido did, Mikazuki was confident they could outlast him. "After him. Someone cut him off."

Mikazuki ran with his men after Shido. Though, after hearing one of his men fall off their horse behind him, Mikazuki immediately got a bad feeling about things. He couldn't stop to look at what happened, he'd lose Shido.

Stupid, useless rookies. Of all the times to mess up, it was currently the worst. Biting his lip, he decided it didn't matter. He could handle the brat on his own as long as he didn't lose sight of him. Shido was making that a difficult task. He didn't have the time to warn his men not to split up after reaching an intersection between the buildings.

It was better to stick together, but it couldn't be helped. If the two that split off did find Shishido, they wouldn't stand a chance. That wouldn't be a complete loss. If the other Caster used his magic too much, it'd only make it easier to catch him.

After coming across the busted open door of a shop, Mikazuki stopped to inspect the place with the lone subordinate he still had with him. The glass from the broken windows crunched under his shoe as he walked into the building. With how trashed the place was, he doubted Shido broke into it himself. That didn't mean he wasn't hiding there.

It was some antique shop if he had to guess. Most of the shelves were empty besides a few gaudy pieces of glassware and other trinkets. He covered his nose from some of the dust floating around. "Hiding will only make things more difficult." He called out

He and the man with him did a quick search around, looking behind the old furniture Shishido could potentially hide behind, and checking in the shop's backroom. No luck. If the others hadn't found him, the brat could've been hiding anywhere. Mikazuki wouldn't let himself panic. There were only so many places he could hide or remain unseen. If he sent someone to request help from more of his men, they could pin Shido down.

He was ready to do just that after hearing the neigh of a horse outside. It was likely his idiot subordinate that fell off. Or it was… no one? Looking through the shop's broken window, he watched the animal trot past aimlessly. It was one of theirs going by the gear strapped to it.

There were footsteps. Close and growing closer. He and his subordinate weren't moving. Mikazuki looked at the man with him, right as his head suddenly recoiled backward like he got hit by something. His body lurched again as he was knocked off his feet and to the ground.

He had a rough idea of Shido's magic, so he doubted it was him. Mikazuki wouldn't even humor the idea of it being a ghost. There was a third party there with them.

Forming a crystal dagger in his clenched hand, he slashed at the air in front of him. The pitiful yelp he heard following the swipe confirmed his suspicion. He watched blood drip seemingly from thin air. Mikazuki knew better. There was another Caster, one that was imperceptible.

"What a cowardly ability." Concealing themself wouldn't help them. A wall of crystals shot forward from where Mikazuki stood. It broke through furniture as well as one of the dilapidated walls of the shop. Blinking away the particles of debris the attack flung around, he didn't hear anything. Either he managed to crush the pest or he missed. It seemed to be the latter. He caught sight of tiny splotches of blood on the hardwood floor that led outside.

| Arlo Vissa |

Arlo felt blood dampening the fabric of his shirt. Even if he wasn't solely focused on getting away from that dagger-wielding maniac, he wasn't sure if he wanted to deactivate his magic to see his wound. He definitely wasn't some random guy tagging along with the guards. Why did he have magic? That'd mean he was someone more important than some average officer.

Scampering out of the shop, Arlo nearly stumbled over the debris left by the attacker's onslaught—broken crystals and chunks of brick strewn across the ground. As he rounded the corner of the building, he came face to face with Shishido, which felt like both a stroke of luck and a potential danger. After all, Shido would be at risk too.

Shido gripped his shoulder, steadying him. "Are you alright?" His concern was evident in his voice, though he kept it subdued.

"Of course not. That rich guy tried to kill me," Arlo whispered back, allowing Shido to grasp his sleeve as he turned him partially invisible. They flickered in and out for a moment before stabilizing, just in time to hear footsteps approaching. "I can get you close if you think you can take him out."

Suppressing a pained groan, Arlo clenched his teeth, knowing they had less than a minute to devise a plan before he had to release his magic. Feeling a firm grip on him, Shido drew closer and whispered a strategy in his ear. "Let's try this," he proposed. "We'll circle around and position ourselves behind him using one of the adjoining alleyways. Mika is a skilled and trained knight caster, so he'll likely detect us if we get too close. That's why I need you to draw his attention away from me by running past him. While he's distracted, I'll incapacitate him before he can react."

| Ezura Mikazuki |

Mikazuki's gaze remained fixed on the ground, where he noticed intermittent droplets of blood marking a trail. It would be wiser for the uninvited guest to surrender; the wound appeared shallow, but continued movement could exacerbate it.

Following the trail out of the shop, he stopped at the opening of a nearby alley. With it being night, it was difficult to follow the blood tracks. Dagger in hand, he flung it down the middle of the alley to see if he could hit anything.

There wasn't a chance he was going to chase after an invisible Caster down a dark alley. If he was wounded, it was unlikely he'd get far, so his obvious option was to try ambushing him again. How pitiful. "I know you're in earshot, rat. I don't know who you are or why you're involved, but I suggest you show yourself. You still have a chance to live if you surrender."