Chapter 96: Gathering Details
After hearing something like that from Lyra, Arwyn turned her head slightly, her eyes moving across the room as though she could not quite believe what she had just heard, and after a moment she asked in a low voice, "Are you certain about this, Lyra?"
Lyra straightened a little, though the stiffness in her shoulders betrayed her unease, and she replied, "Yes, Lieutenant. The knight I sent to look into her place of living came back with this information."
Arwyn shifted her posture with a slow and deliberate grace, her gaze sliding toward Seraphina, and there was a faint narrowing of her eyes that made her words sharper than before, "Captain, are you beginning to suspect the same thing I am?"
Seraphina leaned back slightly, her gloved fingers lacing together over the desk, her cold expression never wavering. "Yes. If Rowen spent much of his time in that tavern, then it would explain how he might have crossed paths with Eska. It suggests there was some form of connection between them, and if that is the case then it is not difficult to imagine that something occurred which pushed him to act so selfishly out of a personal grudge. We will continue as planned. Arwyn, you are to speak with Eska, but remember to approach her with generosity. Lyra, you will go to Caelum instead."
Lyra's face drained of color, her lips parting slightly as if the very name itself unsettled her. "M-ma'am, me? Speak with that unstable man? I have no idea how to handle someone like him, and interrogation of that kind is beyond me. Would it not be better to send the Lieutenant there instead?"
Seraphina's brows lowered, though only faintly, and she released a long, steady breath that carried with it more weight than impatience. Arwyn remained silent, but the Captain's voice continued in a tone that was cold yet cuttingly reasonable. "Control yourself, Lyra. Fear is natural, but so is duty, and you will not forget that. I did not command you to go alone. Take several knights, they will support you, but you also know as well as I do that our Lieutenant has never dealt well with men. Should I send her, then by the end of the day half of his bones would be broken, and the guy has already suffered enough. I am left with little choice, and so I'm sending you. I will place my trust in you, Lyra, and you will not break it."
Lyra inhaled shakily, her hands tightening at her sides for a brief moment before she steadied her voice again. "I understand, Captain. If you trust me to do this, then I will not fail you."
A faint laugh escaped Arwyn, smooth and a touch teasing. "That is more like it." Her eyes then returned to Seraphina, gleaming faintly. "Ah, Captain, your description of me was far too generous, and yet I cannot help but feel grateful for it. It seems you know me better than I thought. Well then, I will be off."
With that, both women stepped out of the room, leaving Seraphina alone with her thoughts. She remained seated for some time, her eyes following them only until the door closed, before turning her attention to the stack of documents before her.
Slowly, with her usual precision, she began the work of reading and signing, her movements calm and methodical as part of her daily routine.
---
A while later, a lone figure clad in silver armor traced with green reached the front of a tavern that stood just beside the road. The woman paused, her teal green eyes taking in the scene of the busy establishment, for it was more crowded than she had expected. With a faint lift of her chin she regarded it, then without hesitation she stepped inside.
The moment she entered, the lively voices of the patrons fell into silence, and the sudden weight of their gazes pressed in from every direction. It took only a few breaths before murmurs began to spread like ripples through the room, since it was not every day that the Lieutenant of Velhart Town herself walked into such a place.
Arwyn moved through the tavern as though she were completely untouched by their stares, her eyes searching not for comfort or drink, but for a single person... Eska.
Yet instead of finding her, she noticed another waitress weaving between the tables. The girl had short black hair and an alert look in her eyes, and the moment she noticed the armored woman she turned at once, hurried to her with steps that were quick but respectful, and lowered herself in a graceful bow.
"Lieutenant Arwyn," she said softly, her voice polite yet curious. "It is rare to see someone like you in a tavern such as this. How may I be of help to you? And if you have come to sample our food, then by all means I would be glad to show you to a table. Ah, forgive me, I should have introduced myself first. You may call me Effie."
Arwyn regarded her for a moment, her expression cool yet steady, and then glanced briefly across the room before she asked, "Effie, I am not here for food. I came with a different purpose. Do you know of a woman named Eska, who is said to work here as well?"
Effie tilted her head slightly as though in thought, then answered without hesitation, "Yes, of course. She is my friend. At present she is working in the kitchen." Without waiting further, she lifted her voice toward the back of the tavern. "Eska! Someone wishes to meet you."
Arwyn's gaze followed her words toward the doorway of the kitchen, and after a moment a figure stepped out. Eska approached, and though she tried to maintain composure, her face lost a trace of color when her eyes met the Lieutenant's. She quickly lowered her head and bowed. "Lieutenant Arwyn… did you come here for me?"
Arwyn gave a slight nod and turned with a movement that left no room for question. "Yes. There are matters I must speak with you about, but this is not the place. Come with me outside."
Eska's fingers tightened into the fabric of her skirt, her expression shifting briefly before she forced it back into stillness. She followed the Lieutenant without protest.
They stepped out to the side of the tavern where a large tree cast its shade over the soft grass. The place was quiet save for the faint sounds of another shop nearby.
Standing across from Arwyn, Eska asked carefully, "Lieutenant, why did you seek me out? What is it that you wish to speak of?" Her heart, however, trembled with unease, she could not forget Kael's warning from yesterday, that deceiving these people was nearly impossible. A faint shiver ran through her despite her efforts to remain composed.
Arwyn studied her quietly, her eyes sharp and unflinching, before at last she asked, "I need information from you. Tell me, do you know a man named Rowen?"
Eska's eyes widened for a heartbeat before she forced her features back under control. Had they already discovered the body she had tried to hide? How could they have traced it so quickly? She remembered the struggle in the darkness, the weight of the corpse, the soil she had pressed down with trembling hands, all of it done in desperation to avoid suspicion. Had they already uncovered it? Or was this merely probing? Still, she lifted her gaze with cold resolve and replied, "No, ma'am. I do not know who you speak of."
Arwyn's brow lifted ever so slightly, her voice calm yet carrying a subtle weight that pressed on Eska's heart. "Are you certain of that?"
Eska let out a slow, uneven breath, her gaze firming even as her chest tightened. Her eyes, which had once wavered, now hardened as she spoke with a tone meant to leave no doubt. "I am very certain, Lieutenant."
Arwyn's eyes narrowed a fraction, a trace of curiosity flickering there, and she allowed a low chuckle to slip from her lips. "Even though he was the very person who arrested your husband."
At those words Eska's shoulders trembled slightly and she lowered her head, as though the weight of her own foolishness had struck her at last. In her desperation to avoid suspicion for Rowen's murder, she had actually forgotten how deep the knowledge of the order actually is, far beyond anything she could imagine, and how easily they could unravel her clumsy attempt at deceit.
Arwyn, watching her falter, exhaled softly and then placed a gloved hand on her shoulder, the gesture gentle yet firm. "Why do you tremble so much, Eska? I have told you before, you have no reason to fear me, and you need not weave lies every time you open your mouth. If you entrusted us with the truth, we could help you with the strength we hold. If you hide everything, if you continue burying it deep inside, you will only keep living in fear, and such fear will never release you."
She paused for a moment then added, "Do not force me to use methods I would rather not, because I have the authority to do so and the right as well. Please, Eska, do not make me prove it." Her gaze grew colder and the glow in her teal-green eyes sharpened until it seemed to pierce through Eska's very thoughts. "If you persist, you will come to regret it greatly."
Silence clung to Eska, her lips pressed together as she wrestled with her own emotions. It was not that she wished to hide everything, nor that she desired to keep the truth buried, but the weight of what had happened had crushed her trust in the knights completely. In those days she had been shackled in despair, her husband locked away, and there was no one to whom she could reach out. But what bound her now?
The knight who tormented her was already dead, her husband had already been released, the shadows of her nightmare should have lifted, and still her tongue felt heavy with fear. She asked herself again and again why she could not speak, and she could not find the answer. What was there left to dread? Her suffering had already passed, had it not? She could speak now, she could beg them to understand what had happened to her, she could even speak of her husband without restraint, and yet the chains of hesitation still gripped her. Her thoughts swirled, and with them came the sting of tears at the corners of her eyes. But she raised her head, wiped them away with a trembling hand, and filled her chest with a small, fragile resolve. She had to do it. For her own child's sake she must do it.
And so she spoke. She told Arwyn what she could bear to say, the way she had been threatened, the torment that had crushed her, and the manner in which her husband had been kept in the shadows of the prison. She revealed all she could, though she held back the one truth she could not surrender, the one secret she had to guard... the masked man who had appeared from nowhere to save her life, the one who had slain the knight when no one else dared. That much she could never betray.
Arwyn listened to her every word. Her eyes widened for the briefest moment, and then silence fell on her. Her lips pressed together tightly until she raised a hand clad in steel and covered her mouth, hiding what almost broke through, an expression that wavered between sorrow and anger. At last she bent forward, bowing her head with quiet gravity. "I am truly sorry. Think of it as an apology from the Knight Order."
Eska blinked in confusion, stepping back a little with both hands raised as though to shield herself from such words. Her voice faltered, uncertain. "You do not need to say that, Lieutenant. You have done nothing wrong yourself. You really are a good person."
Arwyn straightened her posture, her presence regaining its noble composure. "No, Eska, I must. That something so vile and merciless could occur before us, and we did not see, we did not know, that itself is our failure. And if the knight is dead, then he received what was deserved, perhaps even less. What remains is apology, and it is the least I can offer you." Her voice grew quieter, yet steady. "But there is one thing I would ask you now. Tell me about your husband. Why was he arrested in the first place?"
The sudden question struck Eska, and her brows knitted together, though she quickly found her words. "My husband? You do not know? They accused him of stealing a relic, which was found in our home, and that was the reason. But I was not there when it happened, I was at my work. And… and I know he did not take it. He could not have done such a thing."
Arwyn's lips curved faintly, almost a smile. "So you believe firmly that he did not steal it."
Eska nodded with conviction. "Yes, Lieutenant. Believe me or not, I know him well enough. That man would never take what belongs to another. The problem is I have no proof to show it."
Arwyn shifted her gaze toward the tree standing tall before them, her voice carrying softly but with quiet determination. "If what you believe proves to be true, then I will do all I can to uncover it and prove it in your stead. That is what remains in my power." She turned back, her tone final yet not unkind. "That is all I can promise you now. Remain safe, Eska, and remember you may come to me whenever you need. And perhaps I will stop by your tavern when I can, but today there is other work I must see to."
Eska bowed her head deeply, her voice tinged with trembling gratitude. "Thank you for believing me, Lieutenant. If you help me, then perhaps his name can be cleared at last."
Arwyn gave no further word. She turned on her boots and walked away, her figure carrying a quiet dignity, her steps measured and unyielding until the road swallowed her.
Eska remained where she was, her heart fluttering with unease and relief. Had she chosen rightly in telling the truth at last?
She lifted her eyes to the vast soft blue sky and soon caught sight of a dragonfly gliding gracefully before her, its wings shimmering briefly in the air as though blessing her choice, before it vanished into the distance.
---
Lyra soon found herself standing at one of the livelier parts of the town, a place where the streets were filled with voices and movement, though behind her the presence of several knights in silver armor gave her a sense of false courage she knew she did not possess.
Before her stood a long wooden house, a single story yet stretched in length more than most in the area. She hesitated for a moment, her steps small and uncertain, then forced herself to walk forward until she stopped before the rough wooden door.
With a breath that betrayed her unease, she raised her hand and knocked several times, while behind her the knights remained perfectly still, their composure almost too graceful compared to her anxious state.
At first there came no response at all, and she wondered if the man inside had truly heard, but then a coarse and irritated voice broke out from within, carrying no welcome in its tone. "Hey, bitch... I was asleep here. You couldn't find a better time than this to disturb me?"
Lyra winced slightly at the rudeness, yet tried to steady her voice, though it came out louder than she intended. "We are from the Knight Orders. We wish to speak with you. And please do not be alarmed... we are not here to arrest you. You can trust us in this."
From inside, the man barked back with fury, his voice laced with scorn. "Oh, you bastards again... what do you want after ruining my life already? Get out of here. Leave me alone. I have no desire to waste a single word. Let me sleep."
Lyra faltered and lowered her eyes, her thoughts racing. His temper was clear, and she felt her own shrinking heart urging her to step back, yet she wondered desperately what her superior would have done in this moment. If Lieutenant Arwyn had been here, surely she would not hesitate. The knights at her side tilted their heads toward her ever so slightly, as if wordlessly urging her to hold her ground, and she found herself blurting out with more force than she thought she had. "If you refuse to open the door in the next few seconds, I will order it broken."
A long groan followed from within, filled with unwillingness. "You people never let me rest, do you? Fine... fine... I'm coming."
After a dragging moment, the door creaked open, and what appeared before her made her avert her eyes in embarrassment.
The man, Caelum, stood barely covered, his body naked beneath a blanket he had hastily thrown around himself.
Lyra quickly turned her face aside, muttering under her breath. "You deal with him..."
One of the knights immediately stepped forward, his tone firm though not cruel. "What nonsense is this? Why did you come out like this? Put some proper clothes on before you dare face us. Do you wish us to drag you back in and force you to dress?"
Caelum gave a low groan, his hand tightening on the blanket, and then he exhaled as though every word spoken to him was a burden. "What difference does it make? You woke me from the little peace I had. And now you stand there demanding things again. Have you not punished me enough already? If you want to speak, then speak like this. If not, I'll shut this door right now."
Lyra stepped back further, leaving it to the knight, who kept his voice steady. "Very well then. We will not waste time. You were a prisoner for a month, accused of theft. We need to know if you truly stole the relic or not."
A bitter grin spread across Caelum's face, his eyes narrowing with disdain. "Does it truly matter? My punishment was carried out already. Whether I stole or not makes no difference now. You can take your questions and leave."
The knight's hand hovered near his hilt, though he did not draw it, his expression calm but resolute. "Perhaps it does not matter for your sentence, but a knight was murdered recently. He was the one who arrested you. We must ask if you were the one who took his life."
Caelum's lips curled, and the laugh that escaped him was harsh and dry. "Then arrest me again. I have seen worse than your prisons. Do what you like. It makes no difference to me."
The knight's tone deepened, unshaken. "I will ask one final time. Were you involved or not?"
Caelum shifted the blanket slightly and rubbed at the back of his neck, his expression dull with weariness. "What can I say? Whether I tell the truth or not, you will doubt me all the same. You branded me a thief and I bore it. If I tell you I did not, will you even believe me?"
The knight thought for a moment, his voice finally softening with a sigh. "Belief will come only after more is uncovered. Still, we had to hear it from your own mouth."
Caelum tilted his head back then lowered it again, his voice sharp though tired. "Then hear this. I did not steal it. I never even saw that relic, let alone touched it. Yet back then no one cared for my words, and even now I doubt anyone will. Are you satisfied now?"
The knight straightened his stance, his tone now colder. "Not yet. There is another question. Were you the one who insulted your wife before the Knight Orders Prison?"
The name itself seemed to ignite something dark in Caelum. His lips twisted into a smile that held no warmth, his gaze turned distant as though looking at something he hated. "My wife? You mean that free prostitute who spread herself among men and still dared call herself mine? Is she even still alive? She was never my wife, not truly. And yes, I spat on her in public and I do not regret it even a little. I enjoyed every moment. What now? Will you chain me for that too?"
The knight did not waver, his voice steady as he pressed further. "Then tell me, were you also the one who hired those bandits?"
Caelum lifted his head, his eyes flashing with a mockery that felt venomous. "Bandits? What foolishness is this? I was locked in a cell, barely able to move, and you think I had the means to hire bandits? If I had, I might have considered it. But your suspicion is wasted on me."
The knight's voice lowered, heavy with warning. "Those bandits nearly killed your wife. She survived only by chance."
Caelum's smirk deepened, his voice cold as ice. "So she lives. What a pity. Perhaps she still warms herself with others even now. Is that all? Are you done tormenting me with this nonsense?"
The knight's composure finally hardened, his eyes narrowing. "I suggest you restrain your tongue, Caelum. It is only because of her mercy that we are leaving you free. But if you dare act again, we will not hesitate. Remember this well."
He turned to Lyra, his tone respectful again. "Shall we leave, ma'am?"
Lyra gave a small nod and hurried to follow, her heart heavy with unease, and as they stepped away from the doorway, the sound of wood slamming shut echoed behind them like a final curse.
---
(Chapter Ended)
To be continued...