Fontaine, Hotel Debord.
After finishing the interview, it was already noon by the time Charlotte led Nolan and his companions to the restaurant, intending to treat them as thanks for the exclusive.
The interior of the Hotel Debord was spacious. At its center was a wide open floor, with dining tables arranged along the walls and at the back.
Looking up, one could see the second floor. Likewise, diners upstairs could look down—the middle section of the upper floor was open to provide a full view.
"That signboard outside mentioned a magic show, right? Paimon bet it's going to happen in that open space," Paimon guessed, pointing.
"That's right," Charlotte confirmed with a nod, her monocle catching the light. "The restaurant was designed specifically so that diners on both levels could watch performances from anywhere."
A waitress approached, smiling warmly.
"Welcome to the Hotel Debord. Please, this way."
She led them to a vacant table, set menus before them, and added:
"Here are your menus. Please take your time—if you're ready to order, just signal me."
Then she stepped back about five or six meters, standing attentively in a spot clearly chosen for servers to wait discreetly, ready to respond at once.
As expected from a high-class restaurant with live performances, the service was refined. Guests were given space to choose without pressure.
Charlotte pulled out a chair, sat down, and handed the menu to Paimon with a smile.
"Order whatever you like. Don't hold back."
"Hehe, then Paimon won't!" Paimon's eyes lit up as she eagerly scanned the menu.
"Duck confit, Fontaine foie gras, harbor tripe, cream of mushroom soup, rainbow macarons—oh, Paimon want to eat everything!"
Drooling over the illustrations, she looked ready to order the entire spread.
"If you want them all, then let's order them all," Charlotte laughed, resting her chin in her hand. "There are four of us, so it won't go to waste."
"Mhm!" Paimon nodded, then glanced at Lumine and Nolan. "What about you two?"
"Anything is fine. What you've picked already is plenty," Lumine answered calmly, sitting with poise.
Nolan nodded in agreement.
With the decisions made, Charlotte waved the waitress back and placed the order.
Just then, the clock on the wall chimed with a crisp bird-like sound. Nolan glanced at it—it was exactly noon.
Suddenly, the restaurant's lights dimmed. Guests murmured in confusion. Then—snap!—a sharp finger snap echoed through the hall.
All eyes turned instinctively toward the sound—at the center of the hall.
And there, where moments ago the floor had been empty, two figures now stood under a bright spotlight.
Both wore tall black top hats. Their ash-golden hair made them look like siblings.
The girl at the boy's side, however, drew more startled looks: dressed in a black leather dress with a plunging neckline, sheer black tights, and short boots, she bore a long, gray-brown cat's tail swaying behind her.
A tail? Could she be of the same race as Diona? Nolan thought, noting how lifelike it appeared. He refrained from probing with spiritual sense—it would be impolite toward strangers and might be mistaken for something sinister.
"Good afternoon, everyone! We're so happy to be back performing at the Hotel Debord. I am the magician, Lyney."
The young man, dressed in black, tipped his hat with a flourish.
"And I am his assistant, Lynette."
The girl removed her hat as well, her voice cool and reserved. Sure enough, a pair of catlike ears—ash-golden like her hair—trembled atop her head, fuzzy and adorable.
"Ah, I saw the signboard outside about a magic show—I knew it had to be them!" a guest on the upper floor exclaimed.
With their sudden appearance, chatter rippled through both floors. Many were thrilled at the chance to witness their act.
"So they'll be doing today's performance? Judging by the crowd's reaction, are they famous in Fontaine?" Paimon asked Charlotte curiously.
As a seasoned reporter, Charlotte knew them well. She smiled and explained:
"Lyney and Lynette are among Fontaine's finest magicians. Every performance amazes the audience, and they always unveil new tricks—never the same routine twice. That's why they're some of the most renowned magicians in Fontaine."
"W-whoa, that amazing?!" Paimon, who had never seen a magic show before, perked up with interest.
Nolan and Lumine, hearing Charlotte's high praise, also looked forward to what these two could do.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Lyney's voice carried smoothly through the hall, "to enjoy a magic show, it's best to dine leisurely while watching.
"But since dishes are served in order, some tables already have food while others are still waiting. Those without anything to nibble can't experience the full delight of eating while watching."
He tipped his hat back on. "So before the show begins, Lynette and I will serve you all a cup of coffee. Sipping coffee while watching magic—surely that will do as well."
He rubbed his hands together, and when he opened them, a playing card appeared between his fingers. A coffee cup was drawn on its face.
"Oh? Is he going to pull coffee out of a card?" Paimon whispered in wonder.
"Maybe. I don't know how he'll do it," Charlotte murmured back.
Lumine glanced at them and gently shushed, "Paimon, you have to stay quiet during performances. You'll disturb the other guests."
Realizing her mistake, Paimon quickly covered her mouth.
"Now then, everyone, don't blink," Lyney said with a smile, raising the card.
Nolan watched intently as the magician directed all attention to the card in his hand.
He pinched at the little handle drawn on the coffee cup in the card's image, and to everyone's astonishment, the picture actually moved as if being tugged out of the card!
The crowd gasped.
Paimon's eyes went wide—she had never seen anything like it. A printed picture, pulled out by hand? Did this magician have some mysterious power in his fingers?
Nolan, however, with his sharp eyes and ears, didn't need spiritual sense to spot the trick.
The hand pinching the "handle" was indeed doing nothing suspicious.
But at the cuff of the hand holding the card, he noticed something: a near-invisible filament, finer than a strand of hair, was attached to the side of the card, pulling out the "cup" image bit by bit.
The principle was simple—the card was hollow, and the coffee cup was actually a thin, separate insert that could slide out smoothly without wrinkling.
Ordinary eyesight wouldn't catch it. Only people like him and Lumine, with sharper senses, could spot it at a glance.
Seems I'm not cut out for magic shows, Nolan mused.
Everyone knew stage magic wasn't real. If true supernatural powers were used to perform a "real" miracle, people would actually lose interest.
The appeal lay in watching a magician, without any divine power, pull off the impossible in plain sight—knowing it was fake, yet still being astonished.
If someone flaunted a Vision and conjured flames between their palms, it wouldn't impress anyone—it would be expected.
So now, with his keen perception, watching the tricks felt less like wonder and more like watching a practiced swindle.
Still, Lyney continued with flair. As he pulled the cup free, the flat image turned into a real coffee cup, drawing gasps of delight from the crowd.
But again, Nolan noticed the method: the small insert was palmed, and with a deft distraction, Lyney unfolded a collapsible paper cup hidden in his sleeve.
Simple enough.
Lyney handed the cup to his assistant, Lynette, and conjured another card—this one showing coffee beans.
While attention was on him, Lynette smoothly switched the paper cup for a real one.
Lyney showed the cup empty, then placed the "coffee bean" card over its rim. With a shake, the printed beans seemed to tumble out—and in the next instant, the cup filled with steaming coffee.
The audience erupted in astonishment.
Nolan saw through it again: Lynette had swapped in a gimmicked cup, one with a false bottom disguised by a card. The paper "beans" merely provided a cue, while the hidden mechanism released liquid, giving the illusion of coffee appearing out of nowhere.
"And one cup isn't enough for everyone, is it?" Lyney smiled, draping a black cloth over the cup. "So let's share it among all your tables."
"Please, watch the cups on your tables," Lynette announced.
Indeed, every table already had cups set out along with cutlery.
As the diners looked, dark liquid began to rise within each one, filling them to the brim.
"Wha—? Is there some kind of switch underneath?" Paimon exclaimed, lifting her cup. But the tabletop was solid, no holes or channels in sight.
"I know there must be some mechanism, but I can't see a thing. I'm curious too!" Charlotte admitted, inspecting her cup and the table beneath without finding anything.
Visually, it was flawless. Yet Nolan's sharp hearing picked up faint gears turning beneath the floor.
Ah. So it's the tables, he thought.
Extending a touch of spiritual sense, he confirmed it: a narrow pipe from beneath delivered coffee straight into the cup. A clever valve system prevented spillage or backflow.
The trick required careful pre-arrangement—the cups had to remain exactly in place for the mechanism to work.
Still, it was a successful illusion. The crowd broke into loud applause for the twin magicians.
"Thank you all! And now, let the main performance begin," Lyney said with a bow, Lynette mirroring him.
Just then, the dishes Nolan's group had ordered began arriving, rich aromas filling the air. They settled into a pleasant rhythm of dining while enjoying the show.
About half an hour later, the magic performance came to an end, just as their meal did.
After a brief rest and settling the bill, Charlotte led them back outside to continue exploring the Court of Fontaine.
At the restaurant's doors, they spotted the magicians Lyney and Lynette again, now standing by the roadside as if waiting for someone.
Their eyes lit up slightly when they noticed Nolan and the others emerging.
(End of Chapter)
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