Chapter Text
It was late evening, and Rozatte had found himself pacing in the doorway to the schoolhouse that doubled as his home. A faint fog had started to gather on the meadow outside the window, catching the light from inside, peaceful despite the situation. He had decided to stay behind- just in case his students walked in. At one point, Richard bounded down the stairs in the foyer to ask if Rozatte wanted him to go out and look himself, but his teacher couldn’t bear the idea of letting his students out of his sight- not now.
After what felt like an eternity of busying himself, the front door finally creaked open, letting the golden light of the schoolhouse’s foyer into the dusklit front garden, and a pair of familiar and awaited footsteps found their way to him. At least Albert managed to kick his outdoor shoes off before tracking in mud.
“These two are yours?” Said the knight standing in the threshold, his wings awkwardly fitting through the doorframe. The professor had only met him an hour ago.
“Professor!” Matthew barreled into Rozatte’s side for a hug before his teacher could reply.
“M… Matthew! Oh, goodness…” His student was dusty and he had foliage stuck in his hair, but he had returned safely. Albert followed him, smiling a little sheepishly.
“Now, care to explain where you two were?” Rozatte says, voice turning affectionately stern, hands firm on Matthew’s small shoulders, bending down to meet his eye level.
“Me and Albert saw some awesome animals!” He exclaimed. “There were birds with horns at this lake we’d never been to, and we managed to find our way back all by ourselves-”
The tall knight cleared his throat from behind the two students.
“We got lost.” Albert said simply in the space between the knight’s introjection and Matthew’s chatter.
“Oh, well, yeah, we did, but this mister here helped us get back safely! Well, I think I could’a gotten us back, but it was getting dark ‘n stuff so-”
“Alright, alright,” Chuckled Rozatte, taking his student’s hat off and giving Matthew an affectionate pat on the head. “Neither of you are hurt anywhere, are you?”
“We’re fine.” Said a tired Albert.
“Nope!” Said his classmate.
Rozatte looked at the stranger who had guided them home, and was given a nod, so he finally frowned down at his students. "Why didn’t you use your…”
“Signal Sacheta, I know! But… Um… Well, last week I fell in a pond, and the magic circle got all messed up ‘n stuff, so…”
His very concerned teacher let out a defeated sigh.
“Albert?” Said Rozatte, turning to the older boy.
“I left mine at home. In my winter uniform’s pocket. I’m really sorry.” Albert tried to shrink into his coat.
Their teacher could only sigh, again. He had prepared those magical charms for moments like these, where his students had fallen into real danger. If they had just been more prepared, Rozatte could have seen the light they’d give off a mile away…
He couldn't blame his students, though. A mixture of relief and regret filled his mind as he blinked at the wood flooring. Relief, that they were safe, and regret, that he had to ask someone else for help to find them.
…and before he knew it the two of his students were explaining the whole ordeal all over again.
“...We followed the signs like usual, but it’s like they were flipped or something… We even ended up going in a circle at some point.” Albert continued with a frown. “I even marked the tree to make sure- it had three by the time we….”
“It was so quiet!” Said Matthew. “Usually I can hear Paprisus in the trees and birds ‘n stuff. It was silent this time, though…”
“I’m just thankful nothing serious had happened.” Finally returning Matthew’s hat to his head, he turns to the knight that had started to eye the still slight-ajar front door. Normally, Rozatte would have invited him in and closed the door, but the evening spring air was cool and gentle and pleasant after the ordeal of waiting for what felt like forever.
“Thank you very much for bringing them back safely. I’m thankful that all the Heavenly Knights around these parts are so responsive and quick to act…” Rozatte gave a slight bow to the knight, but the man in question held up a hand in refusal.
“Thank you, but I’m not affiliated with the local sector. Just happened to be in the right place at the right time.” That right place being the fork in the road outside the schoolhouse, and the right time being 15 minutes after supper had already been served and the two had been due to come back to school.
Despite his words being warm- or rather, polite- the man seemed a little cold. Rozatte’s right hand worried the other.
“I… see. Thank you, still. I should…” He turns to glance at the pair of students in waiting, as if to consider leaving them alone again a great sin, but resolves himself. “I should investigate myself just what caused my students to get lost.”
He grabs his hat hanging on the entranceway hanger, hushes the two children to get ready for bed and to stay inside, and pulls on his coat before giving the stranger a smile and an exit through the open door. “I’m sorry for taking up so much of your time. Thank you again- if you’re ever in town, please let me treat you to a meal.”
“Wait.”
Rozatte expected to part ways with the stranger as soon as they had rushed his way out of the front garden belonging to the schoolhouse, but instead felt a hand on his wrist just as he had shut the front gate and turned towards the small forest between the school and Albert’s home. He looked up and smiled.
“My, you don’t need to follow me or escort me. I’m much more adept than my students.” Said Rozatte with a sly grin. "You've done quite enough already."
“It’s not that. I wanted to tell you something without them listening.” Ah, not one for jokes?
“And that is…?” The light from the front porch’s oil lamp was the only thing illuminating the two of them in the late evening mist.
The knight looked to the side, as if hesitant in his own recounting as he began. “…I’m not able to use magic. I can tell when something powerful has been cast, though. Anyone could. The area I found them wandering in was littered with incantations- it’d do you good to be careful.”
“…Cast? So someone placed it there- it’s not natural?” Rozatte’s smile dropped- he had been anticipating a simple case of natural magic. This was something he should had heard 15 minutes ago. “You’re certain.”
“I can assure you.”
“Show me then.“