Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 113 - Catching a Rat

He never had a chance.

When Medrauta and Viviane arrived at the messengers' stables, they found the place empty. Aside from the horses that stood in relative silence, the early morning atmosphere around the gate was just as lax as they'd thought it would be. Even the nearby guards barely gave them a look as they made their way to the building, much less verified their identities.

The lack of vigilance worried Medrauta, especially as the baron's forces were due to march in the following morning. However, the state of the fief's guards were the least of her concerns at the moment. A quick inspection of the stables told the knight that all the horses were accounted for, and as far as she knew, the only other stables inside the city walls belonged to the soldiers.

Though Medrauta's instinct told her that the traitorous messenger hadn't arrived yet, Viviane certainly wasn't planning on leaving it up to a hunch, and Medrauta was inclined to agree. The knight settled herself comfortably in the stable's loft, lying in wait for her prey while Viviane headed to the gate and questioned the guards.

While Medrauta wasn't exactly known for her patience, she didn't have to wait long. The large double-doors of the stable creaked open soon after the knight had established herself in her perch, a man poking his head through the entrance and casting furtive gazes around.

Medrauta looked down at him with a raised eyebrow, finding it rather amusing that the man chose to look in every direction except up. The man quickly slipped into the building and closed the door behind him as quietly as he could, wincing as the rusty hinges creaked. A nearby horse whinnied, probably in an attempt to greet its partner.

Thank fuck, it's empty. The man heaved a sigh of relief as he continued casting furtive glances around, keeping a close eye on the door as he hurried to his horse's stall in an attempt to untie its bridle from a wooden pole. He'd managed to sneak in while the guards were changing shifts, but it wouldn't be long before the new guards arrived. He let out a sigh of relief as it finally came loose, moving to unlock the door of his horse's stall. In a matter of seconds, he would be free and riding through the city's front gate, but unfortunately for him, he never had a chance to begin with.

Thump.

Medrauta leapt down from the loft just as the stall door's latch slipped free. Landing directly behind the man, the knight wore a smirk of victory on her face as she'd caught him red-handed. Based on the sheen of sweat that coated the man's nape and his suspiciously hurried actions, Medrauta was pretty sure that this was the person she was looking for.

"Alright, I think that's about enough." Medrauta said as she clapped a hand on the man's shoulder, causing him to let out a startled yelp.

"W-Who the hell are you!?" The man shouted, stumbling backwards and nearly bumping into his horse.

"The person who's gonna kick your ass if you don't start answering my questions," Medrauta dragged the man out of the stall, throwing him against the ground and away from the stable door. She fixed the man with a hard glare as she advanced toward him menacingly. "Question one. What the hell are you doing here this early in the morning?"

"F-Fuck off!" The man stammered as he backed away from the knight. His eyes darted around rapidly, making no attempt to hide his panic. "I'm not answering shit!"

It was fairly obvious that the courier was merely stalling for time as he attempted to engineer a plan to escape, but with Medrauta standing squarely in between him and the doors, he could find no safe routes that would allow him to avoid the knight.

Medrauta drew her sword, the sound of its blade scraping against her leather scabbard ringing loud and clear inside the stable. She had no intentions of playing cat and mouse with the man, and though she didn't intend to actually use the weapon on him, the knight found the sharp implement a rather useful tool in persuasion.