Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 109 - Familiar Business

Medrauta crossed her arms.

She stood in a closed, windowless room with eight other individuals. While Viviane was standing next to her, Krista, Trianna, Pamela, Marilyn, Sakura, Riku, and Baron Dietrich all sat themselves at the round table in the center of the room.

"I understand the gist of it, Medrauta, but don't you think it's unrealistic?" Baron Dietrich asked with an eyebrow raised. "While what you say may sound logical, there is one glaring flaw in your entire theory: travel time."

Medrauta bit her lip. The baron wasn't exactly incorrect. Although she had pieced together the fact that it would only take approximately a day and a half to get from Dietrich fief to the duchy capital, the problem was that the carriage had only arrived this afternoon.

It'd taken them nearly two days to reach Dietrich, which meant that technically, there would have been ample time for a spy to send a runner to Revelo fief. Unfortunately, not even the soldiers from Helfried who had pursued them were aware of the carriage's ultimate destination. Of course, they could have made an estimate based on the direction that the carriage was escaping toward, but Medrauta doubted that Bastiche would risk launching an attack as a result of a guess like that.

In other words, even if a runner had been sent out the moment the carriage arrived at Dietrich, there would've been absolutely no way for a messenger to return with news regarding Bastiche's attack while Medrauta and Viviane were still greeting the baron and Marilyn. The runner must've been dispatched before their arrival, and for that to happen, the traitor would've needed to know exactly where the carriage had been heading during its journey to Dietrich.

Ultimately, it was a highly unlikely prospect and under normal circumstances, which would've been enough to dismiss Medrauta's concerns as nothing more than paranoia. However, the existence of a single entity brought everything into question.

"Familiars." Medrauta said, the single word making Marilyn tense up. She was more than aware of what Medrauta was implying.

After all, she had lived during an era where there had still been witches to hunt, and the first war against Kaslavna still raged on. Memories of magic—both fair and foul—were still fresh in her mind. Though skeptical, Marilyn couldn't help but give Medrauta the benefit of the doubt.

"Very well, Medrauta. Perhaps you were trailed by familiars, perhaps not. Have you seen any during your journey?" Marilyn asked. Even if Medrauta hadn't been followed, it would've been crucial to know whether a witch's minions were present in the area or not.

"Actually, yes." Medrauta said, gesturing to Riku. The foreign knight nodded and stood from his seat, addressing the room.

"I'm sure everyone here is aware that I accompanied Medrauta and Viviane during their journey here. For those who do not know me, I am Riku, Lady Sakura's knight... and also one of the fugitives that Bastiche is hunting," Riku began. "On our way to Dietrich, I noticed a rather large gathering of ravens overhead. I didn't really question it at the time, but now that I think about it, I believe they may have been familiars after all."

Marilyn frowned. "Ravens, huh...? Baron Dietrich, didn't you and your son say you saw..."

Baron Dietrich nodded, slowly growing concerned. "Ravens. They were flying outside the castle just yesterday evening. They're not exactly rare in this area, but they're certainly uncommon. Just like Sir Riku, I paid them no mind. They were just birds, after all."

Medrauta stiffened. The baron's words had pretty much just confirmed her theory. There was no doubt that information regarding their arrival had been leaked thanks to the raven familiars trailing them throughout the journey.