Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 105 - Haven

"Looks like the gates are closed."

Viviane nodded, channeling ki through her eyes and sharpening her vision as she watched a flock of ravens lift off from a nearby tree. Thanks to the carriage slowing down, she now had the luxury of keeping the door slightly open to communicate with her knight. "Looks like there are guards this time though. They seem quite on edge for some reason."

Medrauta frowned. "Do you think they've caught wind of what happened in Helfried already?"

It was a far-flung suggestion, but it wasn't entirely impossible. After all, it had taken them quite a bit of time to reach Dietrich thanks to the weight of the carriage slowing down the horses. A single messenger from Helfried riding an appropriately trained horse could've easily outpaced them.

"Probably not," Viviane replied. "Maybe they're expecting something to happen? It sure looks like they are."

"Yeah. I don't know about the empire, but it sure wasn't normal to keep ballistae loaded when you weren't expecting an attack." Riku put in. "Medrauta, you told us that the commander of that cavalry unit saw the witch, right? Do you think she attacked any of the duchy's territories?"

Medrauta shook her head. "Nah. Amelia probably just dropped by to help Bastiche put on a show so he could earn the people's trust."

"I see..." Riku nodded, a frown creasing his brow. "In that case, there can only be one conclusion seeing as this duchy does not border Kaslavna."

"They're expecting an attack from inside." Viviane said, voicing the thought in everyone's heads. "...But from who?"

"I guess we're about to find out." Medrauta remarked as the carriage began drawing closer to the gate. The ballistae mounted atop the ramparts swiveled, following the vehicle's advance and causing the coachman to feel more than a bit nervous despite being sandwiched between two knights. In response to their approach, Riku wrapped a piece of cloth around the lower portion of his face, obscuring it from view and serving as a makeshift disguise.

Luckily for him, the ballistae showed no signs of shooting even as the carriage stopped in front of the large metal gates. A slight clamor of conversation and activity was heard from the guards on the battlements, the sound disturbed only by the cawing of nearby ravens. Despite the distance and distractions, Medrauta's finely tuned senses overheard their discussions easily.

From what she could tell, the guards hadn't refrained from shooting out of mercy or curiosity. In fact, the only thing that saved their lives was the imperial crest carved on top of the carriage's roof. Seeing that the soldiers had been thrown into a state of confusion by the unexpected visit, Medrauta decided to make their jobs a bit easier.

She extended a hand toward Viviane with her palm facing upward. "Mind passing me the medallion real quick?"

Understanding her knight's intentions, Viviane nodded and fished through her bag for a few seconds before managing to find the item. "Don't drop it," she grinned.

"As if I would," Medrauta laughed. She presented the medallion to the guards who peered down at the carriage, her clarion voice carrying easily to the top of the battlements and beyond. "My name is Medrauta, a knight of the empire! We're here on an imperially sanctioned mission to confirm the acting duke's statement!"

The soldiers exchanged a quick glance amongst each other before turning their attention back to Medrauta. One of them squinted, peering at the silver-haired knight closely before dashing away and disappearing behind the walls. Meanwhile, the remaining guards simply milled about on the ramparts as if the carriage was no longer their business to handle.

"...Now what?" Riku asked, the worry in his voice evident as he saw the guards dismiss them so easily despite Medrauta's words. It was clear he wanted to acquire the necessary tools to brew Sakura's antidote as soon as possible, and he certainly wasn't enthused about the prospect of having to journey to yet another city.