Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 115 - Laid Bare

"Sorry, but could you repeat that again, Lord Othren?"

Viviane stood before Lord Henri and Lord Othren, the two of them looking rather uncomfortable as they were questioned by the young noblewoman. With the fief on the cusp of war, an interrogation was the last thing they wanted to make time for.

Due to the nature of the discussion, both lords were accompanied by their knights, and Vera certainly didn't look happy as she glared daggers at Medrauta while the silver-haired knight simply returned her gaze with a subtle smirk that only served to irritate Vera further.

It had taken about thirty minutes for Baron Dietrich to return to the office with both lords in tow. During that time, Medrauta and Viviane had gone to fetch Sakura and Riku, their visitation being greeted with a relieving surprise. Though barely a day had passed, Sakura's recovery was already exhibiting exceptional alacrity and she was now capable of walking unassisted.

Sakura leaned back in her seat as she observed Lord Othren's response, focusing more on the life energy fluctuations occurring within the lord's body rather than his facial expressions. Though the ability to detect deception through changes within one's ki circulation was generally accurate, it was by no means infallible. Even palpitations brought on by anxiety as a result of pressure from an interrogation were liable to affect changes in one's ki flow, forcing Sakura to tread carefully when attempting to identify a lie.

"...I'm not sure what you want me to say, Lady Castellia." Lord Othren said, attempting to hide his annoyance as best he could. "I told you that all my expenditures were a result of my business and for my personal pleasures. Do you expect me to remember every little transaction I make? I spend dozens, if not hundreds of gold each day just as more keeps flowing back in."

Viviane nodded, choosing to ignore the man's heated tone near the end of his speech. Instead of directly responding to the lord, she reached into a bag that she'd set aside earlier, rifling through it to retrieve a ledger. Without so much as a pause, she began flipping through the thick tome, stopping on the exact page that detailed a list of the lord's transactions just before the day when she and Medrauta had arrived at Dietrich.

"W-Where did you get that!?" Lord Othren asked, nearly knocking his chair over as he stood abruptly and reached a hand toward the ledger Viviane held. Unfortunately for him, he never even got close.

Within a fraction of a second, Medrauta had stepped in front of her lady, grabbing Lord Othren's hand by the wrist and stopping him in his tracks. She forced a smile on her face as she addressed the overweight man. "Please be seated, my lord."

"Dame Medrauta, please unhand my lord." Jasmine, Lord Othren's knight, said in a rather exhausted tone. It was clear that she was used to her lord acting impulsively, most likely due to Lord Othren's ability to pretty much pay himself out of any situation.

"Of course, Dame Jasmine. I'll do so the moment he calms himself."

"I AM CALM!!!" Lord Othren shouted, his face reddening slightly as a result of his frustration and anger at being stopped. Jasmine sighed in exasperation, placing her hands on her lord's shoulders as she sat him down firmly once Medrauta released her grip from Lord Othren's wrist.

Medrauta raised an eyebrow at the lord's statement, biting back the urge to laugh as she witnessed the clearly agitated man being forced to sit still like an overactive toddler. "Would anyone else want to interrupt?"

Though Lord Othren immediately attempted to raise another complaint, Jasmine reacted even quicker, clamping her hand over her lord's mouth before he could even get a word in. Medrauta couldn't help but smile and shake her head at the sight before turning to Viviane. "Looks like things have settled down."