章 6: The white illusion under the night sky

It was a night with a full moon. The stars were shining brightly overhead. And in front of us was the famous phantom thief, Spade Echo.

She had pink hair and mint-colored eyes. Her white dress fluttered in the evening breeze. Spade Echo was a petite girl and looked harmless.

"Good evening. What are you two doing in such an empty place?" she asked while smiling.

Good. It seems that she didn't notice that we were a knight and detective pair.

"This is a good spot for lovers to hang out, don't you think? Hey Mikage. Do it already", Amelia lied as naturally as she breathed.

Oh yeah. Our plan was to launch fireworks when Spade Echo arrives. Flying over the Westa Exhibition Hall were Floaters. Floaters were vehicles that could fly. They look similar to an alien's disc-shaped spaceship. They were a mix of magic and science like the technology used in satellites.

If we launch the firework and grab the attention of a Floater, Spade Echo would have a hard time getting away by flying. From previous cases, she used a wing-shaped artifact that allowed her to fly.

I lit the rocket's fuse and it launched in the sky. It exploded in flower-like sparks.

"Wow! Seeing it up close sure is wonderful!" Amelia exclaimed.

One of the Floaters hovering above the exhibition hall was coming closer towards us.

"Oooh! A Floater! Looks like they've seen us!" Amelia was waving at the approaching vehicle.

"You're lying. You're not a couple. Who are you?" Spade Echo asked.

With the floater coming nearer, she would have a hard time escaping.

"Amelia Watson, a detective", Amelia introduced herself.

"So you decoded my message. Congratulations. I had a hard time making it so it feels nice that someone got it", Spade Echo clapped her hands.

"Shouldn't you be worried, Spade Echo? If you don't run fast, the Floater would get here", Amelia grinned.

Spade Echo looked like a small girl so I could probably overpower her. The moment she turns around and starts making a run for it, whether flying away or heading to the door, I would tackle her and pin her to the ground. Now then, Spade Echo.... Hurry up and get ready to run.

But what she did next was completely outside of our expectations.

She brought out a small rectangular device called a Communicator. Communicators were like radios that could send out messages to those who were tuned in to its frequency.

Spade Echo cleared her throat and then Captain Noel's voice came out, "This is Noel. I have sighted Spade Echo on the rooftop of Westa Monument Tower. Attention all units patrolling nearby and all Floaters: Go to the scene swiftly and stop Spade Echo."

"She changed her voice? Is that magic?!" I asked in surprise.

"No. It's purely her skill. What are you planning?!" Amelia shouted.

Spade Echo cleared her throat once more and...

"It is I, Reagan. To all knights in patrol nearby Westa Monument Tower, Spade Echo is on the rooftop. All knights converge on the roof", Reagan's voice came out of her mouth.

Impossible. She could also mimic a man's voice?!

"Are you satisfied now, Miss Detective?" Spade Echo smiled.

A spotlight shone on her from one of the 3 Floaters flying directly above us. Then, the door busted upon with Temma, Captain Noel, Captain Reagan, and other knights arriving on the scene. The empty rooftop became crowded with knights as they surrounded the phantom thief.

"Don't move, Spade Echo!" Noel shouted and drew her mace.

"My my, if it isn't Captain Noel. You sure move fast", Spade Echo replied.

"Give up on the White Star, you have nowhere to run!

"Tonight is just a practice drill. I have no intention of stealing it."

"What?"

"Oh? I made it clear at the top of the note."

Wings appeared on her back. Could she be trying to escape by flying? But there are Floaters nearby so they could chase her. And getting away from a Floaters' sensors was hard especially if you're using a mana-powered artifact.

"Artix Grace. In other words, it's a joke", she said and a small crystal dropped from her wrist.

"Crap!" Captain Noel cursed as the crystal emitted a blinding flash.

Everyone covered their eyes.

"Miss detective, did you know? A thief is a creative artist who takes her prey in style. But a detective is nothing more than a critic who follows our footsteps", Spade Echo said.

The light died down and the phantom thief was nowhere to be found.

"She disappeared?" I asked.

"That's impossible. There's no way a person could disappear that easily", Amelia said.

"Floaters! Use your sensors to see where she went!" Captain Noel barked orders on her Communicator.

"This is Floater No. 3. We aren't picking up anything on our sensors. There's no one else in the skies aside from the present Floaters", her Communicator said.

No way. She disappeared that easily?

"Did she perhaps use teleportation magic?" Temma asked.

"No. She didn't use any magic. There are no traces of mana lingering in the air", one of the knights said.

"Damn it! We let her get away again!" Captain Noel said.

There was a note on the ground and Amelia picked it up. I went closer to take a look at it.

On Artix 6, on the Westa Northern Exhibition Hall, I will arrive to steal the real White Star while it's being auctioned. -Spade Echo,

###

That night was a chaotic night. With Spade Echo's sudden disappearance, the knights tightened security once more. Amelia was also fuming with rage since she met face-to-face with a thief and failed to capture her. Not to mention that she disappeared in front of her eyes without using magic.

Oh, and I got scolded big time. Captain Noel told me that I shouldn't have tried to capture Spade Echo without help. But at least it proved that Amelia was useful. That's why she was invited on Artix 6.

The White Star was going to be auctioned off during Artix 6. Influential nobles and rich merchants would be coming to attempt to buy the said gem. Even if there would be tight security, there was still a chance that Spade Echo could slip in among the crowd.

I was walking outside as a patrolling job. With almost every available knight in my unit posted on Westa Northern Exhibition Hall, even an administrative officer like me was forced to patrol.

It was currently time for lunch and my shift was over. There was nothing noteworthy that happened so all was good. If I head for the barracks now, I could probably arrive in time for lunch.

A wonderful aroma entered my nose. It reminded me of the smell of the fastfood restaurants back in my old world. I followed the smell and I saw a restaurant with the words "Kiara Fried Phoenix." What the heck was a Fried Phoenix?

I entered the shop and saw that it was filled with people. They were eating burgers and fried chicken. Looking at them made my stomach growl. I just received my first paycheck so I guess it's okay to eat here.

"Kikkeriki! Welcome to Kiara Fried Phoenix where phoenix is everything but on the menu", an orange-haired girl greeted me. Her name tag read "Kiara Takanashi" and she was the manager.

I looked at the overhead menu. The fried chicken came in sets of 5, 10, 20 and 53. There were 3 types of burgers: Cheese burger, Phoenix burger, and Kiara burger. Potato fries and onion rings were also available and there was a thing called "Fried Salman."

"I'll take a 5 piece chicken and a medium-sized potato fries", I said.

"And what would be your drinks?" she asked.

"I'll have a.... Tokino soda."

After receiving my food and paying for it, I went to a free seat. The food was delicious. The chicken was very crispy and juicy while the potato fries were cooked at just the right temperature. It reminded me of the fastfood restaurant I used to go to back in my old world.

"Ah! Fancy meeting you here", a female voice said.

I looked up and saw Amelia Watson carrying a tray filled with her own food.

"Mind if I joined you?" she asked.

"Go ahead", I replied and she sat down.

Amelia began eating her meal.

"Do you go to this place often?" I asked.

"Ah yeah. The owner of this place and I go way back. Anyway, why is an administrative officer like you in this area?"

"Well. With most of the knights in my unit guarding the White Star, even an administrative officer like me had to patrol the area."

"I see. And how is the security of the White Star?"

"Because of the upcoming auction, they officially asked help from the 4th and the 5th units too. Also, I heard that they would have something prepared against the thief."

"I see."

"But I wonder if that's enough. We are up against someone who could disappear without a trace even without magic..."

Amelia munched on her fries, "Nah. She didn't disappear without a trace. She just tricked us."

"Wait. You found out already?"

"Yeah. I wondered why she bothered to call those knights to her position. At first I thought she was just humoring me and was showing off her skills but I found out that the knights were crucial to her escape."

"What do you mean?"

"When the Floaters and the knights arrived, she showed us her wings. This made us assume that she would flee to the skies. But in reality, she just disguised as a knight and slipped among the crowd. With everyone in panic, she could easily sneak out anytime she wanted to."

"I see. Wait a minute. If she could disguise herself, then adding more knights would be to her advantage."

"Yeah. By having more people from different units cooperate, she has a higher chance of sneaking in. But if there are less guards, she could easily enter. It's quite a problem actually. And there's also a chance that she could impersonate a noble or a rich merchant."

"Then how can we stop her?"

"We don't. We invite her in. And I'll find out who she is and make sure she goes to prison", Amelia said.

And so the days passed and it was already Artix 6. Amelia, Captain Noel, Temma, and I along with the other knights were in the auction hall. Now then, Spade Echo. How would you move?