The Perfect Knight and the Illusionist (BL)
Chapter 22: Everything Was Going to Be Okay

Chapter 22: Everything Was Going to Be Okay

LEO

I meant to hate it, but leaning against Mario’s strong shoulder, I was feeling a little more stabilized. I still felt dizzy and my vision was blurry. I was walking, barely, toward a big building supported by Mario—of all people—with my head against his shoulder and his chunky arm wrapped around my waist, dragging me almost like a rag doll carried by a big bear.

I was already feeling somewhat weak after returning to the group from the woods. I wasn’t even sure how I returned from being a tree back to myself, but I managed. My head felt light and my breath short, and on top of that I had to complete the jogging exercise as well.

I didn’t feel like facing Mario again afterward. Luckily, Isabelle was so excited about the upcoming magic class in the afternoon that she wanted to eat lunch with us, which I later found out meant that she just wanted to chat a lot, like Blabber Becky from Erdville.

Then the magic class came, and I was so scared of being found out—being exposed—that I couldn’t actually use real magic. I watched everyone else go before me and tried to figure out what they were doing, but to no avail.

It was only when the gentleman turned up, thankfully, that I was given some guidance.

"Remember the time you were looking into the mirror," he said. I didn’t want to, but he repeated those words multiple times as if they were some sort of mantra, and when he said, "You are not Leo. You are a dual magic user who’s capable of controlling fire and water with great precision," something clicked in my head.

The rest came naturally. Although I didn’t manage to hit the target in the end, people still cheered for me. It almost made me think—could it be that... people here are also nice?

Maybe everyone was, but the one who was helping me now, I really didn’t know what to think of him.

"What did you mean... earlier?" I asked, or more like, my thoughts spilled out through my lips.

"Eh?"

"Did you really... want to be my... er... friend?"

I couldn’t believe how shamelessly I was talking, but I couldn’t stop myself.

"What are you even saying, silly boy? Hah, we are already friends."

"But then why are you so mean to me?"

My uncontrollable self was getting bolder.

This wasn’t good.

"Eh—? What did I even do?"

"Don’t act like there was nothing... or... was it really all nothing?"

I thought back to the night before. Mario under the moonlight, Mario kneeling in front of me, his hands on my calf—

"There was nothing, mate. You must have been dreaming. Are you okay in the head?" Mario asked me with a chuckle.

Something in me snapped.

"You are horrible, Mari—"

I broke free from his supporting arm and turned to face him.

DIMITRI?!!!

With whatever strength I had left in my body, I turned and started to run away in embarrassment.

"Leo? What the hell?" Dimitri called out from behind, the stomping sound of his giant strides getting closer.

I ran harder, but my legs only took me a few more steps before they gave way and I fell onto the grass, face down.

I buried my face in the ground and grabbed my head with both hands.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could I be so dumb?

Dimitri allowed me to wallow in self-pity for a moment, then I felt a hand on my shoulder.

God, no. This is so embarrassing. I can’t face Dimitri...

Still facing down and with my eyes shut tight, I started to crawl away.

The hand tapped me on the shoulder again, then one more time, and as I tried to speed up, it turned into a gentle squeeze, a pull, and I was flipped onto my back.

"Dim—ario...?"

It was Mario Boy.

Why him now? Why? When did he get here?

Behind him, I saw Dimitri standing and looking down at us with a confused expression.

"Skylark, are you okay?" Mario asked me.

"I... I..."

Then something came over me. It was as if my head went "poof" and my heart exploded and spilled out through my eyes. I started to cry, my tightly forced-shut lips wobbling like a pair of pressed jellies, barely doing their job of keeping me from bursting out into a full-on boo-hoo-hoo.

I knew I ruined it. Here I was, in the capital, mixing with the big boys and refined girls, thinking I could be a Royal Knight—and here I was, sitting helplessly on the grass, crying in front of my classmates.

Mario looked lost, rightly so. He’d probably never cried in his entire life. He was strong. Tall. Genuinely skillful in everything. And he’d grown up eating all those fancy biscuits whenever he wanted. He’d never seen someone so pitiful as me in his whole life. Yeah, that’s why he looked so lost now and—

Then, all of a sudden and against all my expectations, Mario hugged me.

He hugged me tight, just like how Indi, my massive childhood dog, sometimes jumped onto me and hugged me with his fluffy, furry legs. He knew when I wasn’t feeling well, every time. And this was his way of making me feel better. And it always worked, every time.

And just like I did back then, I buried myself in his embrace too.

It felt warm, cozy, comforting.

As my lips finally gave way and I started to sob quietly, but now more out of relief than terror, Mario whispered to me.

"Don’t push yourself too hard, Skylark. Don’t be so hard on yourself."

With my chin on Mario’s shoulder, I looked up. There was Dimitri with a smile that told me everything was going to be okay, and a thumbs-up to double confirm it. A bird—I thought it was an eagle—flew high in the clear blue sky. A breeze from the South—or so I would have liked to imagine—cooled and dried my hot cheeks.

Everything was going to be okay now.

I was sure of it.