"I told you there was no way he'd do something as evil as that..."
Medrauta breathed out a sigh of relief. Getting the man to open the door had been quite the ordeal, but she'd eventually managed it after a long verbal bout coupled with the presentation of the imperial medallion which verified her identity.
After a few minutes, the man had reluctantly opened the door, confirming he was alive and whole. Despite Viviane's casual dismissal of the possibility that Bastiche had exploited his citizens, she hadn't entirely doubted Medrauta's proposal, making the moment one of relief for both herself and her knight.
"So... Whaddya buggers want?" The man asked. He was clearly very nervous, his eyes darting to and fro while keeping one hand on the door to shut it at a moment's notice.
Normally, Medrauta would've rebuked him for such crass attitude toward Viviane, but now wasn't exactly the best time to stand on etiquette. "Sorry about all this, we just thought it was strange that there was no one in the streets."
"Strange, huh? ...What's it to you?"
"As you saw from the medallion we possess, we are on an official mission sanctioned by the crown. We would appreciate it if you could just answer a few questions," Viviane smiled courteously, laying a hand on Medrauta's forearm before the knight could fire off what was clearly going to be a brusque response.
The man sniffed, looked behind his shoulder, and then scratched his chin before shrugging. "Sure."
"Great," Medrauta forced a smile. "Could you please tell me what everyone's doing indoors? It's late afternoon, but there's no reason for the streets to be empty."
"Hell if I know," the man shrugged again. "Buncha soldiers showed up and told us to stay indoors or they'd kick our ass. Apparently the duke got done in by foreigners or somethin' and they're doin' a sweep."
After the man finished his explanation, Medrauta and Viviane exchanged a glance that carried a strange amalgamation of hope and worry.
"I was right!" Viviane exclaimed excitedly in a hushed voice. "They escaped! They escaped, Medrauta!"
Medrauta merely nodded in response, placing a hand on her lady's shoulder before Viviane could start hopping around in joy. "Thanks for the help," she said to the man. "We'll stop bothering you now."
The man began to close the door. "Take care, lassie. Nothin's been feelin' right ever since the duke's son took over."
The moment she climbed back into the carriage, Viviane let out a squeal of unrestrained joy. "They're safe! They're gonna be okay!"
"For now." Medrauta pointed out. "Let's focus on finding them before we start celebrating, alright?"
"R-Right! Where should we start?"
"Who knows? They could be anywhere at the moment, but I think searching near Dietrich fief would be a good start. It's a city center and as far as we know, Baron Dietrich is probably trustworthy. Plus, once we meet up with Krista, the search'll go a lot faster. She's got much better eyes than both of us."
"But we don't know how long it'll take for her to get here, right...? I'd rather we started now..." Viviane's brow furrowed as she occupied herself with her thoughts for a moment before her eyes lit up with an idea. "Say, Medrauta. Can I ask you something?"
""Hm? What's up?"
"You used to live in this duchy, didn't you? As an... orphan, I mean."
Medrauta shrugged, moving to sit next to Viviane before wrapping an arm around the lady and pulling her close. She'd noticed Viviane's hesitance midway through the question, and though Medrauta wasn't exactly ashamed of her past as an orphan, it still wasn't something she enjoyed talking about.
Despite that, she would be willing to relive those painful memories if it meant that she could make her lady smile.
Viviane looked up at Medrauta guiltily. She knew that her knight was doing this to show her that it was alright to continue this line of questioning, but she still couldn't help but be upset at herself for forcing her beloved knight to remember such a traumatic past.
"It's fine, Vivi. What did you want to know?"
"Well... Do you... Do you remember anything before that? About where you used to live?"
"A little. My memory's quite hazy, but I do remember my mother and a few other things... Why?"
"No, I was just wondering if you'd be familiar with the duchy at all. I know you spent your squirehood in the capital, but I was hoping you'd know a bit about the lay of the land here."
"Ah." Medrauta understood Viviane's intentions at once. "You mean you want to know whether I'd be familiar enough with the duchy to know which fief would be the best place to lay low, yeah?"
Viviane nodded. As much as Medrauta portrayed herself as someone who despised complexity, she was surprisingly sharp most of the time and did fairly well in her tactics classes despite her disdain for them.
"...I used to live in Blanchet, as you know. It was a big city in a big fief. Before that, I lived closer to the ducal capital, so I know my way around the duchy pretty well. If I were escaping from the duke's castle, I'd probably want to go to... Orinth." Medrauta finally said after a hefty period of thought.
Viviane frowned. "That's around a day's ride from here, isn't it...? And hold on, isn't Orinth the place where Dame Marilyn wanted to meet!?"
"Now that you mention it, it is!" Medrauta's eyes widened in surprise, a grin spreading on her lips. "Looks like my memory isn't that shabby when it comes to the important stuff!"
...The important stuff? Viviane raised an eyebrow. You mean your apparent promise to the princess wasn't important? She couldn't help but wince at the thought. I mean, I think I should be happy about that, but... Ouch.
"Something wrong?" Medrauta asked, concerned.
"No... Nothing's wrong. My mind just kind of wandered off, ahaha..."
"Right." Medrauta would've pressed her for a more concrete answer, but she had a feeling it wasn't really that important compared to what they were supposed to be doing. "I guess we'll make our first stop Orinth then."
After making it past a small checkpoint manned by a few guards, Medrauta opened the carriage door and informed the coachman of the change in route. It'd take them a day of continuous travel to reach Orinth, but now that they were within the duchy walls, travel wasn't much of a problem anymore.
There were towns scattered all throughout the territory, and though the streets were empty, it looked as though the taverns and inns were still bustling. It was night when they pulled into the small town of Ancide, their carriage stopping beside a small and rustic inn.
The coachman had apologized profusely for failing to find better accommodations for the pair, but Viviane assured him it was fine. After all, the most important thing to her was that Medrauta remained by her side.
As the two approached the inn, sounds of mirth leaked from the entrance, intermingling with the warm light spilling from the establishment's curtained windows. Viviane grinned excitedly as she gripped the door handle, her giddiness clearly infectious as Medrauta smiled as well.
"...First time you've been to an inn, I'm guessing?"
Viviane nodded emphatically. "Yeah! I'm so excited! I heard that inns and taverns were where legends are born! I mean, I really wanted to give you an unforgettable night back in that high-class hotel, but something about staying in an inn makes me feel like I'm one of the main characters in a story!"
"Does it now?"
"Mhm!"
Viviane pushed the door open, revealing a rather loud and rowdy mass of people who were all drinking, feasting, and socializing. Barmaids weaved skilfully through the crowds, carrying food and drink to patrons without even pausing in step whereas the chefs cooked furiously behind the kitchen counter. To Viviane, the whole thing was like a shoddily put-together machine that somehow worked perfectly.
"Uwaaah! This is so exciting!" Viviane gushed as she cast her gaze around. "Shall we try some of the food, Medrauta!?"
Medrauta merely smiled and shook her head in disbelief even as she allowed herself to get swept up in the momentum of her lady's pace. Just a few hours ago, she'd been worrying about how they'd track down Sakura and Riku, but now she'd gone full throttle with enjoying herself. It was truly an unbelievable sight to watch.
"Let's get a room first, Viviane." Medrauta said, observing the other patrons inside the inn. Everyone looked rather carefree and relaxed, meaning that Bastiche probably hadn't done anything crazy yet except keep everyone cooped up indoors.
Looks like things should be fine for now, Medrauta thought, gently guiding Viviane to the counter. She was still worried about what the "circle" was and what sort of ritual Bastiche was preparing if that was indeed what it referred to. Eh... I'll have the whole day to grill Dame Marilyn for answers once we reach Orinth.
"That'll be three coppers for a room on the second floor," the woman manning the counter said.
Viviane nodded and fished through her purse for a couple moments before looking back up at them. "Um... Sorry, I don't have any coppers with me. Do you take gold?"
"...Sorry, what?" The receptionist blinked. "We, uh... We don't have change for gold, ma'am."
"Oh... Well, I suppose you'll just have to take it!" Viviane grinned. "I don't mind losing a few coins if it means getting to stay the night someplace warm!"
The receptionist's eyes bulged. "A few coins" was such an immense understatement that she could barely even wrap her head around what Viviane had just said. A single gold coin would be enough for her to settle down comfortably for multiple generations.
"N-No, ma'am! We couldn't possibly do that! H-How about we let you stay for free tonight and you can visit the local bank tomorrow when it opens?"
"We can't do that either!" Viviane protested, tugging on Medrauta's sleeve and drawing the knight's attention. Although Medrauta had been slightly occupied by her thoughts, she was now fully focused on Viviane. "Medrauta, do you have any coppers or silvers you can spare?"
Medrauta shook her head. "No. I was going to bring my coin pouch, but then you told me not to and said you'd pay for everything, remember?"
Viviane stared at Medrauta for a few seconds, the tips of her ears growing redder by the second. "S-Sorry..." She mumbled. As embarrassing as it was, Viviane had indeed said that. After all, her plan was to treat Medrauta to a whole slew of luxuries during what was originally supposed to be a three day trip.
"It's fine. Let's just think of something else. How about..." Medrauta rubbed her chin thoughtfully, pursing her lips. "Ah! I've got it! How about you use the gold to pay for everyone's meals and room tonight?"
"Oh, that's a wonderful idea, Medrauta!" Viviane grinned, clasping her hands together delightedly. "Well? How about it?" She directed the latter question to the receptionist who had been listening in with disbelief.
"I... I suppose that would be more than enough to cover the cost, ma'am." The receptionist reluctantly accepted the gold coin that Viviane slid across the table before announcing that she'd chosen to pay for everyone's food and board for the night, causing the patrons to all fall silent and stare at Viviane.
There was a moment of silence before the entire inn erupted into a frenzy of cheers and noise, some of them rushing forward in an attempt to throw Viviane up into the air as a gesture of celebration and thanks. Fortunately, Medrauta quickly stepped in front of her lady protectively, deterring any would-be merry-makers.
"What!? That's insane! Thank you so much, ma'am! Things've been pretty tight for me lately!"
"H-Huh!? You serious!? I'm gonna grab that chocofowl dish I've been eyein' for days, then!"
"Whoa, no way! Thanks a ton, lady!"
Viviane smiled, a feeling of warmth in her chest as she realized how she'd managed to bring such joy to so many people with such a small gesture. She wished she could do the same for even more people in the future.
As she basked in her newfound joy of altruism, a voice cut through the inn's hubbub.
"...Hey, don't they fit her description?"
A few of the patrons stopped in their celebrations, turning to inspect Medrauta and Viviane a little more closely. The silver-haired knight tensed up at this sudden scrutiny, ready to defend Viviane at any moment despite the noblewoman still being caught up in her daydreams of helping more people around the continent.
"Huh. They do, don't they? Silver hair, blue eyes, the aura of a knight..."
"...The lady don't look like no noblewoman, but she's got 'em golden eyes and hair."
"She don't needa 'look like no noblewoman' to pay for all our shit, Fred."
"Hey!" The original patron who first noticed their distinctive appearance called out.
Medrauta turned in his direction, careful not to let anyone else out of her sight. Who the hell are they? Bastiche's spies? ...Or Amelia's?
"Y'all know a foreigner named Riku? He said y'all would come help him an' his lady out."
Upon hearing that, Viviane snapped out of her trance immediately, her head jerking up as she rushed to the man, held back only by Medrauta who caught her by the wrist.
"Y-Yes!"
The excitement was evident in Viviane's eyes.
After all, she'd finally found her first clue.