Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 110 - Compiling Information

"Looks like this is a dead end too."

Viviane frowned as she crossed yet another name off her lengthy list. Surprisingly, there were a number of departures from the fief on the day before the carriage's arrival. Although most of them had alibis that were accounted for, there were a few names on the list that raised some red flags.

Neither Viviane nor Medrauta had slept during the night. Instead, they spent their time investigating possible suspects and compiling them into a list which would allow Riku and Sakura to help out much more easily. Though the foreign noblewoman was recovering from the poison in her system, Viviane's initial guess had been correct.

Not only would Sakura require multiple doses of the antidote, but she would also require ample amounts of rest. Of course, Riku didn't feel comfortable leaving her alone even in friendly territory, especially after being informed of the presence of a spy, leaving Medrauta and Viviane to do most of the work throughout the night.

Medrauta sighed as she rifled through a stack of papers detailing several lists of transactions that had taken place throughout the fief during the past week. The numbers made her head hurt, but she was willing to power through her discomfort to help her lady deal with the mountain of documents sitting on her desk.

Plus, the silver-haired knight was quite frankly done with traitors in the empire. Starting with Amelia, a whole string of sudden betrayals and uprisings had taken the empire by storm, most of them no doubt years in the making as part of whatever the witch's grand scheme was. Shutting down yet another idiotic betrayal would be cathartic, to say the least.

Setting aside the numbered lists for now, Medrauta turned her attention to the list of individuals that the baron had provided. Around two dozen names were written on it, but only five of them really mattered as the list detailed everyone who had access to the war room and the maps within, including every scholar and tactician.

However, Medrauta's experience as a squire in the Imperial Order had made her rather familiar with corruption, and she had learned that corruption generally started at the top. Because of that, she focused her attention on the five names at the top of the list.

Firstly, there was the baron's personal advisor, Lord Henri. Next, there were the four baronets who controlled the other cities in the fief, Lord Jasper, Lord Othren, Lady Olette, and Lady Brenda. Lord Othren was the wealthiest of them all, excluding the baron's advisor, but Lady Olette was the head of several businesses that operated both within and outside of the fief.

All of them had unique, distinguishable qualities that would make them possess possible motives for betraying the baron in a bid for power. Lord Jasper commanded the most troops, and while he didn't exactly have the most influence or resources, he could definitely trigger an armed revolt against the baron, granting him a rapid rise in power that was far more secure than marching out against the acting duke.

Lord Othren did little outside of delegating work, but he had several investments and helped manage the fief's banking guild. Of course, there was little he would want thanks to his affluence, but a wealthy man could always aspire to power.

Lady Olette was a woman of many talents. As a knight who inherited her family's title, the young baronetess was forced to manage her family's business ventures and expand them even in the midst of her military duties. While her position had given her great power, it also imparted a great deal of stress onto her daily life.

Finally, Lady Brenda was the most obscure noble among the baron's inner circle. There was really little that Medrauta and Viviane could discover about her other than the fact that Lady Brenda often sequestered herself within her estate and committed most of her time to researching the history of Crests. Apparently, she was a well-known expert in the field and generally left alone. However, recent reports have stated that the funding she once received was gradually being reduced, perhaps fomenting frustration against the baron.