[Lifespan Remaining: 29 days, 7 hours, 2 minutes.]
"I was overconfident."
With everything going well so far for Noct, like obtaining the Spiral Pool as well as Ambrosia and the Ice Dragon Core, he felt that his luck would just continue.
Now, whoever the culprit was, could just say that the inspector from Arcadia was killed and robbed by bandits. They would face some backlash, however, with the bandits being a long running problem, they’d get away with it almost scot-free.
But more importantly, Noct felt guilty for the inspector’s death.
When he proposed the plan, only one inspector had agreed to his proposal. Perhaps he was scared of the Arcadia motto, afraid that he would be fired if he didn’t take on this dangerous task and be useful to the Ducal family.
Whatever the case, Noct could no longer find out, because the man was already dead. Murdered in cold blood.
"It’s not your fault, Young Master," Noelle said softly from his side. "If anything, it’s my fault for not being able to discern plaques properly."
Noct slowly shifted his sight away from the ruined carriage and toward the piles of Altaire’s armor that they had found after digging around for a while. And through said piles, no plaque could be found.
"No," he shook his head. "The plaques were real. I just wasn’t wise enough to think of the scenario where bandits could’ve stolen them. And I also never thought the culprit would be stupid enough to murder an official from Arcadia."
"But I didn’t expect for something like this..."
Noelle hesitated for a second, before offering her own deduction. "Young Master, what if the plaques weren’t stolen?"
"What?"
"There’s something else," the young maid said flipping over one of the soldier’s bodies. "I’ve found a similar wound in all of the guards."
She pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped at the puncture, and instantly, a thick yellow residue stained the white fabric.
"It’s paralysis poison, Young Master."
"Would it work that quickly?"
"At this concentration? Yes." Her expression tightened. "Knight orders use this when hunting large beasts they can’t safely subdue through force alone. Against a person, even a small amount would be enough."
"And what does that mean for us?"
"It means this isn’t something ordinary bandits should have," Noelle disposed of the handkerchief. "Its distribution is restricted, reserved only when the Knight Captain gives them permission to use it."
Noct looked back at the discarded armor. He knew what Noelle was trying to say, but there was an obvious flaw within it.
"Then what if the order is simply incompetent?" he asked. "Bandits could’ve joined their ranks. They’d have access to everything they needed."
But almost as soon as the sentence left his mouth, Noct knew that conclusion wasn’t correct either. With Altaire’s location being between Arcadia and Rexford, the Royal Capital, that would be impossible.
Along with the large amount of trade passing through the city, neither side could afford to leave its security to an unreliable knight order. The position of Knight Captain here wasn’t some ornamental title handed to whoever could pay for it.
One stolen plaque might have escaped his attention. But several men operating an unauthorized checkpoint, wearing the order’s armor and carrying its restricted supplies?
Impossible.
"You’re right then, Noelle," Noct said slowly. "They really are in cahoots."
***
After Noelle gave all the corpses there a proper burial, they began their walk back to Altaire. Normally, the situation would demand sending a letter back to Arcadia to inform Amon of what happened.
But this was a secret mission that Noct didn’t want anyone knowing about. And even if they did send a mail, Vivienne would most likely get a read first, and that would certainly complicate things.
Luckily, Amelia had personally assigned someone to attend to Noct and get him through the gate checkpoint safe and sound.
And once they were inside, Noct noticed it instantly.
There were knights everywhere.
Usually, a knight order would be sent on extermination tasks or protecting an envoy, whatever other job there may be. But Altaire’s knights...were all inside the city’s walls.
’With this much firepower, how the hell are bandits still able to roam free so easily? Hmm...that only proves to correct my theory.’
"What’s going on?" Noct turned to ask the guide. "Are there always this many knights inside the city walls?"
"Not usually, my lord," the guide answered. "It’s been like this for about a week now."
"A week?"
"Yes. Baron Altaire is preparing to hold a large banquet. Quite a few nobles have already arrived, and more are expected over the coming days."
The guide stepped aside to let a carriage pass before continuing. "We’ve been told that the additional knights are here to ensure our distinguished guests can enjoy their stay without incident."
"I see..."
Noct watched the carriage roll past, moving over a bridge that connected the two halves of the city that the Altaire River had bisected.
"What is the banquet for?"
"I’m afraid I don’t know, my lord."
"You haven’t heard anything?"
"Only that the Baron has sent out a great many invitations." The man gave an apologetic smile. "Perhaps Lady Amelia will know more."
Noct nodded and let the matter drop. A banquet would explain the increased security. With so many nobles gathering in one place, any incident within the city would reflect poorly on its lord.
’But why the hell would he hold such a large banquet, and with such a large noble attendance list?’
There could be a few conclusions, but almost all of them reeks of Faust’s influence, no matter how he tried to slice it.
It was a pretty open secret that Faust pretty much controlled all of the city officials as well as having deep ties with the Baron himself. But did that same influence drip down to the city’s Knights as well?
"Young Master...?" Noelle asked when she noticed him stop to stare. "Is something the matter?"
Noct turned back toward their guide. "It’s nothing—"
"...Let’s not keep Amelia waiting."