The servant lowered his head and said, “My lord, I truly don’t know. This operation was led by Lord Hof. He brought in many people who were far more skilled than us to execute the task.”
“The forged evidence was almost ready, but somehow, when we went to check the warehouse today, everything was gone.”
“There were no signs of forced entry on the doors or windows, and the keys to the main gate were in the custody of Hof’s people. We couldn’t possibly confront Hof’s men for an explanation; we’re really at a loss.”
Frustrated, Mambaton kicked a stool aside and stormed out of the tent, his cloak billowing behind him as he headed to the warehouse.
At the entrance, a group of about a dozen people were engaged in an animated discussion.
They were all gesticulating wildly, each seemingly eager to explain the situation.
However, with so many talking at once, Mambaton couldn’t make out a single word.
Raising his voice, Mambaton commanded them to cease their pointless debate.
His eyes glinting darkly, he ordered each person to recount what they were doing the previous day.
A middle-aged man clad in a sheepskin coat approached Mambaton and said, “My lord, yesterday afternoon, we had completed the tasks assigned by Lord Hof. After checking everything, we closed the doors and windows, and then the main gate, before leaving the warehouse. But today, everything is gone. I have no idea how it happened.”
Mambaton grabbed the man in the sheepskin coat by the collar, showcasing the strength of a military noble, and said, “Don’t give me these useless details; I’m asking you a direct question! Tell me, after you left the warehouse yesterday, what did you do?”
The man in the sheepskin coat, gasping for breath, pointed to his throat, unable to speak.
Mambaton let him go, his gaze turning menacing as he looked at the man.
The man in the sheepskin coat explained, “My lord, we dispersed in front of the warehouse around five in the afternoon yesterday. By half-past five, I was at an itinerant merchant’s place having dinner and a bit of drink. Around six-thirty, my friend and I went to a temporarily requisitioned house in the village and went to sleep, not waking up until this morning.”
Mambaton asked with suspicion, “Is that all? You had dinner, drank, and then nothing else?”
The man spread his hands and pointed to someone in the crowd, saying, “Yes, my lord, and the friend I mentioned is right there. He can vouch for me.”
The person indicated, wearing a brown leather jacket, stepped forward from the group.
“That’s right, my lord. The liquor at the merchant’s was quite strong, so we both got drunk pretty quickly yesterday.”
Mambaton, not particularly skilled in unraveling complex scenarios and deducing logical conclusions, struggled to find any inconsistencies in their statements.
He felt increasingly irritated but couldn’t rush them as they calmly stood before him.
More individuals sent by Hof were watching Mambaton closely.
Finally, Mambaton gave up, waving his hand dismissively and moving on to question another person.
However, his inquiries – brief, ordinary, and inconclusive – led to nothing substantial.
With the limited capabilities at his disposal, Mambaton was unable to unravel the mystery.
A man wearing a brown sheepskin felt hat cautiously asked, “My lord, we’ve all accounted for our whereabouts yesterday, each of us backed by someone who can vouch for our statements. So, my lord, could you please let us go? We are innocent.”
Mambaton shook his head, his gaze fierce, retorting, “No, I can’t let you go. I haven’t found the culprit yet. How can I release you?”
The man in the felt hat pleaded, “But, my lord, we have all proven our activities for yesterday, and until this morning’s gathering, none of us had been near the warehouse. The perpetrator surely isn’t among us. Please, my lord, see reason!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the others also implored for Mambaton’s discernment.
Mambaton was reluctant to release them but couldn’t find a valid reason to hold them either, leaving him in a state of irritation and helplessness.
One of Mambaton’s attendants suggested, “My lord, perhaps we should let them go. I’ve been listening to their accounts, and there seems to be no issue. The perpetrator is probably not among these people.”
In response, Mambaton kicked his attendant, knocking him down, and stormed over to the people sent by Hof, demanding, “Who did it? Stand out! Daring to sabotage my plans! Why don’t you have the courage to come forward?”
Met with silence, Mambaton pushed the man in the sheepskin coat, barking, “Speak up, was it you?”
The man pushed Mambaton’s hand away in a flurry, exclaiming, “What are you doing, my lord? Haven’t I already told you? It wasn’t me!”
Mambaton drew his sword, roaring, “You dare talk back to me? Do you believe I would kill you? I am a noble; you are a commoner. How dare you defy me?”
The man in the sheepskin coat stumbled backward, tripping over a small stone and falling to the ground.
The others quickly helped him up.
He curled up, too frightened to speak.
As a commoner without noble status, he was terrified of Mambaton.
Just as the situation became deadlocked, Hof arrived.
Clearly placing great importance on this operation, he had personally come to this remote village to oversee the mission.
Seeing Hof, Mambaton sheathed his sword and bowed in respect.
Hof, seemingly oblivious to Mambaton’s earlier aggressive gesture with his sword towards the commoner, chuckled heartily as he exchanged pleasantries with Mambaton.
Soon after, without bothering to question each person individually, Hof simply decided to imprison them all.
Mambaton approached Hof, “My lord, I have already questioned these people, but I couldn’t find any suspicious points. Each of them has an alibi for the time from yesterday until this morning, backed by witnesses. We can’t proceed further in the investigation.” .
Hof stroked his small mustache and said, “No suspicions at all? That in itself is suspicious! I know my people well, and none of them could pull off such a deed alone. Among them, someone must have stolen the forged evidence.”
“The fact that the perpetrator managed to steal the completed forgeries and produce alibis exceeds the capabilities of any one of them. I believe someone else must be assisting them from behind the scenes!”
Mambaton immediately declared his loyalty, assuring Hof, “My lord, I have definitely not aided the perpetrator! My loyalty to you is as clear as the sun and the moon!”
Hof strode towards the village lord’s hall, with Mambaton following closely behind.
As they walked, Hof spoke, “Mambaton, I certainly trust your loyalty to me; otherwise, I wouldn’t have requested passage rights for you from the lord of this village. However, it seems the village lord himself might not be as loyal to me.”
Upon reaching the village lord’s hall, they encountered a young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old.
He had a buzz cut and wore a garment adorned with a subtly patterned phoenix crest.
At that moment, he was sitting in a chair, his left elbow resting on the armrest, forearm standing erect, his head slightly tilted to the left in a relaxed pose, leaning on the back of his left hand which faced the doorway.
His name was Wyatt, the lord of this remote village and a vassal to Baron Hof.
As Hof approached the lord’s hall, the guards standing outside didn’t dare to obstruct him.
Hof opened his arms wide and laughed heartily, “Wyatt, long time no see!”
Wyatt sighed, stood up, and embraced Hof in a perfunctory manner.
He spoke with a tinge of unease, “Baron Hof, why have you come yourself? Didn’t you already send Mambaton here to handle matters on your behalf?”
Mambaton looked at Wyatt with ill intent and scoffed, “Hmph, I came here on Lord Hof’s orders to handle affairs, and you didn’t even have the decency to offer me a proper welcome. I had to camp outside in a tent! Now that Lord Hof himself has arrived, you finally decide to obey. Isn’t this an unnecessary complication?”
Wyatt disregarded Mambaton’s words.
Although both were knights, Wyatt looked down on nobles like Mambaton who saw loyalty as their sole creed.
Wyatt acknowledged that loyalty was commendable, but to a corrupt lord like Hof, such allegiance only meant siding with evil.
There was a clear discord between Wyatt and Hof.
Hof recounted the day’s events to Wyatt.
With a smile that held three parts mirth and seven parts chill, Hof addressed Wyatt, “Knight Wyatt, we adhere to the noble codes, so I don’t mind not having command over you during peacetime. However, if you interfere with my important affairs, rest assured, I won’t let you off easily. I hope you understand that beforehand.”
Hof was insinuating that Wyatt was deliberately opposing him and sabotaging his plans.
However, the truth was that the incident was orchestrated by Portia, sent by Howard, and had nothing to do with Wyatt.
Wyatt, in fact, was unaware of Mambaton’s purpose in his village until Hof informed him.
This content is taken from 𝘪𝘳.𝘤𝑜