Halkegenia Online - v2.1 - Chapter 3

When Kirito had put himself at the Rats disposal, he hadn't known what to expect, but it hadn't been this. The table was covered in files and ledgers, the contents of Novair's office. With no hint or indication of where to start or where to go next. It was sort of like a jigsaw puzzle of a perfectly blue sky.

"You would have thought the guy would have been more organized," Kirito commented. "First month food consumption report, Northern Region . . . City of Tau Tona . . . City of Goubniu . . ." Kirito sighed softly.

"Tis probably an eccentricity," Argo decided as she looked over the documents. "He had his own system and didn't think to teach it to anyone else. I think Novair was keeping a master ledger. That could be important. And if you find anything else on security or intel gathering, toss it to me."

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that these papers documented Novair's life. Every business dealing, meeting, and transaction that Novair had performed on behalf of Lady Sakuya for the past two months had been meticulously
recorded. That was the problem. Information overload. The trail started at Novair, but Novair was connected to everything.

"Just what was Novair's job description anyway." Secretary really didn't seem to do him justice.

"He didn't have an official title," Argo said as she read on. "He just did a little bit of everything. Briefed Sakuya-san, kept her appointment books, took notes, managed her guard rotations, that sort of stuff. Actually, I've been
thinking. What if this murder is aimed at Sakuya-san?" Kirito's head shot back up. Argo sat back in her chair, watching him like a cat watched a mouse.

"You're thinking about that tacky banner?" It was the sort of calling card he'd expect from . . . No . . . that was impossible here. Besides, the banner's political statement didn't much with Laughing Coffin's MO.

"We can't rule out the possibility, can we? The timing is too convenient."

"I don't believe it." Kirito shook his head slowly. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. "Two reasons. More people would have a motive for a murder than an assassination. And however it was done, it almost had to be a Faerie to get away with it in the middle of Arrun."

"Well," Argo tilted her head, puffball ears pivoting as she thought, "There's really only two people that could be called Sakuya-san's rivals. One of them is a person named Ryo. He ran against Sakuya-san in the last elections, but didn't get very far."

"And the other one?"

Argo snorted. "You know about Sigurd, right?"

In fact, Kirito hadn't spared a thought for the treacherous Sylph player, the man hadn't deserved the attention. Anyways, it seemed a sore loser like him wouldn't have been the type to try logging back in right after losing everything. Argo confirmed his suspicions with a shrug. He'd seemingly been left behind in their old world.

"I don't know if someone like Ryo would have it in him. But he might know people who would." She looked over her shoulder to where a doll-like figure sat atop a bookshelf. "Suisen, you're sure we have everything that was in Novair's office, right?"
Suisen stopped nibbling on her snack. "Yes, Argo-san. I watched them just like you instructed. The Watch didn't remove anything."

"What about a crime of passion?" Kirito regained Argo's attention.

Argo eyes rolled back as she seemed to reflect on something, then snorted faintly and shook her head. "No . . . he definitely wasn't seeing anyone."

Kirito closed his eyes and stretched back in his seat until the chair was balanced only on its back legs, feeling the tension fading from his arms and shoulders.

"Please refrain from misusing library property. Kirito-san."

Kirito almost fell backwards as a pair of severe, hazel eyes regarded him. Wobbling, a hand caught the back of his chair just as it began to tip.

The eyes belonged to a Faerie girl, her short, wavy brown hair pulled back in a small bun, a pair of spectacles balanced on the bridge of her nose. She was dressed in a scholar's robes and cap, a book tucked into the crook of her arm.

"Good timing." Argo said.

"Miss Argo. If you are going to use space in the library, I do ask that you respect the rules." The girl looked back to Kirito, glaring balefully from behind her glasses. Kirito swallowed.

"You two know each other?" Kirito attempted to shift the attention away from himself, and more importantly, escape that powerful killing intent.

Argo nodded. "Bishop is the Head Librarian. Bishop, this is Kii-bou."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kirito-san." Bishop nodded. "Please feel free to make use of the library and its resources. But I ask that you respect our rules. Rule breakers can be most disruptive." Bishop looked like she was burning him into her memory. "I came to give you this. I believe you said you were looking for a copy."

"Oh, excellent!" Argo cheered as she took the offered book. "This is the whole thing?"

The librarian nodded. "It was cataloged just this morning . . . You're investigating the murder of Mister Novair, are you not?" she asked.

"Tis what we hope to sort out," Argo said softly.

Tilting her head oddly, Bishop blinked. "I see. I suppose you will be staying until closing time."

"I was actually going to ask if we could stay late. I know it tis a rule, but . . . "

"As long as a librarian is on duty, it isn't a problem." Bishop bowed. "Very well. I shall bring some tea later." As she turned to leave, the librarian stopped and stared at Kirito once more.

Kirito couldn't help it, he flinched. "Please try to obey the rules from here on, Kirito-san." He had a menacing feeling that she had ways to make that 'request' into a threat.

"Yes ma'am."

Bishop turned and vanished down one of the rows of bookshelves, her muted footsteps fading to silence.

The spots of sky visible through the small, high set windows slowly turned from blue to orange, and then finally a pale violet, the fading daylight replaced by the soft glow of ore lamps.

While Argo had busied herself piecing together Novair's life, Kirito had taken her up on her challenge. Bishop took her job seriously, and had been collecting copies of all the letters and papers that had been publicly posted to Arrun's message boards, creating a sort of archive of publish discourse. Looking through what was available, Kirito was already sure that this Ryo person couldn't be their man.

A half dozen letters. An interview. And essays penned by Ryo personally. It was all attacks and posturing, Kirito had heard enough of that to know what it sounded like even on paper. The Sylph had it in for Sakuya, but nothing in his words stood out. He didn't sound like a murderer. Stretching slowly, Kirito had drawn his conclusion and rubbed at his tired eyes.

"So, what do we know?" Argo asked as she too pawed at her face.

"Novair probably wasn't carrying anything of value. So we can rule out a robbery gone wrong." Argo rose and began to pace back and forth like a prowling cat. "Of course, if we're really unlucky, it could be a serial killer."

"Don't even joke about that." Kirito's voice fell to a low growl.

"Tis no joke." Argo grimaced. "We can't close our eyes to the possibility, especially if that tis the case. There's no obvious motive, which makes it a crime of passion, or homicide for homicide's sake. I hate to say it, but that slash on Novair's neck is an awful lot like a calling card."

Kirito remained silent as they climbed the wide stairway to the library entrance. The streets were almost abandoned in spite of the glowing ore lamps. Thinking of Novair, he didn't leave Argo's side until they reached the door of her apartment.

The peace couldn't last though. By morning, two more bodies had been discovered in Freelia.


A ripple cast from the bright hard core of her being. It met resistance. And echoed back on itself.

Yui grimaced in concentration, sending out feelers again as she sat atop of nest of living room pillows. Her dark eyes failed to do anything to the silvered surface of the card held out in both of her hands. Every interrogation returned nothing of value.

Emphatic : Literally nothing. Its opacity almost like a void to her enhanced sensing.

"Maybe you should rest, Yui-chan," a sweetly honeyed voice suggested. "You've been at that a long time."

"Two million milliseconds isn't long at all." Yui told her mama as the Maeve seated herself and hugged Yui from behind.

"Hmm." Asuna looked thoughtful. "That's half an hour isn't it?"

Yui's nose twitched, the only external evidence of a mind in deep meditation. It was . . . Frustrating . . . very . . . frustrating. The way that the GM card defied all attempts to unlock its secrets.

With one GM card safely stored in Lord Rute's treasure vault, Sakuya had agreed to leave the other card in Yui's care. She was the only Denizen of ALfheim who could in any way interact with the card without an access point. People were counting on her. Even if they didn't know it.

And she was glad they didn't know. Because she was failing them. Frustating!

What was more frustrating, and maybe frightening, was how that frustration was influencing her own thinking.

Yui didn't understand it. She could comprehend Futility and normally put down a task which she could not complete. But with the GM card she persisted. She had no new insight, no clues, or leads to follow, only a determination which grew with each failed attempt.

The young girl's face twisted into an uncharacteristically hideous scowl as she tried to adequately define the both challenge and the feeling which confronted her. She failed at both.

She had no answers. And it made her want to throw the GM card against the wall and never look at it again. To flail her arms and kick her legs. To shake and to shout. . . .

"Yui?"

Yui's concentration was broken by the gentle squeeze of her mother's embrace. "Why don't we eat now? You can always start again after lunch."

The coaxing broke the cycle. Yui appraised the card with hooded eyes and then let it drop lightly onto the floor. She didn't feel any better. But not looking at the card, or holding it, made the urge to crack the puzzle easier to keep at bay.

She and mama ate lunch at the kitchen table. It was a meal of simple finger sandwiches, pickled vegetables, and tall glasses of Moo-milk.

Yui kicked her legs as she ate wedges filled with sweet jam. With the GM card out of her site, her appraisal naturally drifted to her mama.

It was a matter in which Yui was compelled to be delicate. Both by her own innate desire to aid those who were in distress. And for fear that, if she interfered, she might upset her own precious peace.

Yui's intended purpose had been as a mental health diagnostic tool. She had never been intended as a caregiver but only to provide a preliminary diagnosis and urge her patients to seek professional treatment.

She was far from properly equipped to provide for long term, in depth, psychological care. Care like what might be needed by her mama and her papa.

The truth was that both had experienced prolonged periods of confinement and psychological trauma. That they remained outwardly stable despite their harsh experiences was not a miracle which Yui would take for granted.

She could no more ignore their health and well being then they could neglect hers. Observation : Children often served as caregivers to their parents in turn. There was no better way to define the individuals who had accepted her as their own and had made her a part of their family. So she would Soldier On to the best of her abilities. For their sake.

Observation : Asuna's physical health had been improving steadily day by day. A month after her return from Albion the electrical burns she had suffered had fully healed. Her appetite was normal, and she had regained a healthy weight.

Mentally . . . Yui pushed aside the Anxiety which attempted to make itself felt. She would be remiss to ignore how her own feelings might compromise her judgment.

Asuna demonstrated healthy sleep patterns. Emotional engagement with Papa and Aunt Suguha. And an intense interest in her new environment and their surroundings further exemplified by the status of their family kitchen.

The countertops were messy and crowded with pots and pans containing the results of experiments. As well as copious notes about the cooking qualities of every sort of ALfheim ingredient. The air was warm with cooking heat and filled with the smell of some sauce left to reduce on the stove.
A large wooden box had been situated in the corner of the counter where it would be warmed by the sun-side wall during the day, and by the kitchen hearth at night. It was full of small clay urns, and a book on mold spores sat propped open at its side.

Interrogative : "Mama?"

"Hmm?" Mama had been lost in her own thoughts while watching the cream mix with her tea. "Yes Yui-chan?"

"You're not giving up trying to make soy sauce, huh."

Asuna's smile lit up. "Not just yet." She said. "I know I told Kirito-kun that it might be impossible. I didn't want to get his hopes up. It's all a matter of finding substitutes for Aspergillus."

Yui's query brought up no known reference within her own knowledge base. Heuristic correlation and cross referencing made her think . . . "Asparagus?"

"Ah, you probably wouldn't know that one." Her mama realized and then explained kindly. "Aspergillus is a kind of mold that is used to make soy sauce. The sauce gains its flavor from fermentation."

"Mmm . . . Like cheese?" Yui asked.

"That's exactly right Yui-chan." Mama's praise lightening her heart. More so because she made the correlation herself. "However, the molds used to produce cheeses won't do. I need a special type of mold. And the strains that I really need might not even exist in this world. Which is why it might be impossible."

Interrogative : "Can't you make it the way you did in Aincrad?"

"That's the first thing I thought to try." Her mama admitted. "I thought that using ALfheim ingredients with similar flavor profiles to the ones I used in Aincrad might work but . . ."

Yui tilted her head.

"Well, the results didn't taste bad. But they weren't authentic. The processes involved in making a sauce that way could never make it taste right. Although . . . maybe that would be for the best."

"Why?" Mama prided herself on her authenticity. And people would surely want a familiar staple in their diets. Wouldn't the recipe that gave the most happiness be the best?

But Mama's smile turned pained and made Yui feel terribly afraid that she had hurt her mother. "Because Yui-chan. It would be a reminder of our home."

Yui processed this. Correlating Home and the physiognomic response it elicited in people. "But that would be good wouldn't it?"

"I think so." Asuna agreed. "And also, I think it could be very painful. It would be both."

Yui tried to understand. But the contradiction was an illogic that her mind refused to process. Maybe because she lacked direct experience?

"Do you miss your home?" Asuna looked a little taken aback by the question. Yui fixed her mama with a dark, serious stare.

Asuna smiled bravely. "A little." She said. "Sometimes very much. And sometimes barely at all. It is the people I miss the most. And the things that weren't said which I regret. But this is home now. And I am happy in it." She reached across the table and brushed a lock of hair from Yui's eyes. "Just like I am grateful every day for the people who are here."

Observation : Asuna was able to recognize and express her sadness. She was Proccessing her grief in a productive and empathetic way. Yui felt a sense of relief.

Conclusion : Her Mama and Papa continued to demonstrate resilience in the face of adversity. They were still at elevated risk. Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress could manifest months or years after their cause.

But Yui would continue to watch and, if necessary, intervene. What she had to do might violate many of her Ethics functions. She was not qualified to provide in depth psychiatric care.

Correction : MHCP-01 was not approved to be provide psychiatric care. Yui had the freedom to grow and decide for herself. That was the benefit of a physical existence which defied her initial limitations.

When the time came, she intended to be ready.


Her inquiry at the Royal Archives had yet to bear fruit.

In Louise's opinion, that was nothing less than a shameful failing of the archival staff. She had shown her credentials, she should have had the highest priority.

"T-This is inexcusable!" the youngest Vallière daughter stammered, glaring at the clerk who had given her the bad news.

"It's okay Louise, these things happen." KoKo waved a hand, smiling all the while. The Cait Syth had come all this way to help, and now it looked like Louise was just wasting her time.

"Actually, that is the matter at hand," the clerk spoke in his own defense. "Your query was seen to promptly, Miss Vallière, but the records you requested are currently being held in their entirety by a third party. I fear that they cannot be released at this time."

"What?!" Louise knew, just knew, that her shout must have broken windows.

"As an appointed agent in the service of the Crown of Tristain, and a member of the Vallière family, I demand to know the meaning of this!" Acting with the full weight of the Vallière family and orders from the Crown, there were few doors that would be closed to her.

The clerk hesitated before apologizing once more. "I beg your pardon, Miss Vallière, but we were ordered not to disclose the business or identity of the involved party." He then added, carefully, "I assure you that the other party is acting with the fullest faith and authority of the Crown."

Louise stared at the clerk. Certainly there were people entrusted by the Crown with much greater responsibilities than her own. But the thought that she might cross paths with such a person had never occurred to her.

"So," KoKo said at last, "what now?"

Louise frowned. What now indeed. "I think we need to wait. Unless we want to walk the entire city asking random people if they know a man named Terrance de'Martou."

Botan would not be pleased with more waiting.

"Actually, that reminds me." KoKo raised her right hand as if to ask a question. "Tristania has town criers and stuff, right?"

"That's right. Arrun has something similar, does it not?" The Faeries had taken advantage of their literacy to post news on large message boards scattered around their settlements.

"Yep," KoKo agreed. "So, couldn't you post a request for anyone with information about this de'Martou person to come forward?"

"I could," Louise agreed thoughtfully. It hadn't occurred to her when their search was having satisfactory results. "It will take time to arrange." A small reward probably wouldn't be out of place either.

They found their way to Tabitha and Kirche in the Palace's eastern wing. Kirche was lounging on a sofa while Tabitha had seated herself at the bottom of a tall ladder, with a neat stack of books taken from the shelves above. Neither of them looked the least bit motivated. Louise began to twitch.

"I suppose it's too much to ask that you've found something," Louise pondered rhetorically. She had been gone the whole day, and it appeared neither of them had lifted a finger.

Kirche yawned, stretching slowly. "Oh," she blinked sleepily. "Vallière."

"Zerbst."

The Germanian's eyes turned next to the Faerie at her side. "And KoKo. How have you been?"

Tabitha looked up from her book long enough to give a small nod of greeting before turning back to the page. The relaxed air was rapidly getting on Louise's nerves.

It was like she and Botan were the only ones who were taking this matter seriously anymore. "Kirche!" Louise snapped bluntly, her foot tapping on the hardwood floor.

"That de'Martou guy?" Kirche asked as she sat up. "Yeah, we've been looking into him. But no luck so far."

"Of course not," Louise muttered under her breath. She'd at least held out hope. "So I suppose we haven't gotten anywhere at all."

"What do you think me and Tabi were doing all last night?" Kirche asked.

"With you, I should think some sort of debauchery."

Kirche smiled thinly. "Haha, very funny Vallière. But I'll have you know that after a long day of asking all over the Capital for your mystery man, we were up all night going through familial records."

"And?"

Tabitha held up a blue leather-bound book embossed with a chivalric crest. "de'Martou, three generations of Chevaliers. Served the Kingdom of Tristain with distinction in the War of the Rose and the Three Years War."

Louise shook her head. "But that was almost half a century ago!"

Tabitha nodded. "Family died out." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Or fell on hard times." She nodded again to signify satisfaction with this conclusion.

Meaning, Louise thought, that if there had been further de'Martous, they had not qualified to inherit any sort of title. They had likely wandered off into obscurity.

"So the trail went cold again." She took a seat beside Kirche.

Kirche sat up slowly. "While that's true, de'Martou wasn't really a common name in the records, and it only comes up once in reference to an estate. I'd be willing to bet the de'Martou we're looking for is a son or grandson of the last Chevalier."

"That estate wouldn't happen to still have people living on it, would it?" KoKo leaned back against the arm of the sofa. "I mean, if it does, maybe someone there would know about the person we're looking for."

"Plan to fly out this afternoon," Tabitha said.

Which left Louise with little to do but resume her practical studies.

She'd found exactly the place in the past weeks, a secluded portion of the Palace gardens where she could practice to her heart's content. So long as she kept the explosions small.

But fate didn't seem willing to allow her progress in any of her endeavors.

They made it as far as the garden paths to be met, or more like ambushed, by Botan and her black-feathered drake, who reported that the place reserved for her had been occupied by someone unfamiliar.

Sword glinting, a youth was in the midst of fighting an invisible enemy in the center of the garden, or in fact seemed to be fighting four of them at once. Guarding, countering and spinning lightly on the balls of his feet. Louise knew enough from seeing her mother practice to tell that his form was excellent.

The swordsman noticed them watching and stopped, giving Louise her first good look of the man. Young, blond, garbed in dark pants and a white cotton shirt. His features were a mix of Romalian and something else, not unattractive, but the eyes were different.

Red and blue. The Marked Eyes of the Moons. It was those eyes. Blue and red. Calm and urgent at the same time. Like she was looking at a coin stood on its edge.

The youth lowered his hand from his sword and bowed lightly. "Good day, madams. I hope I have not spoiled your view."

"Oh, not at all," Kirche growled, like a wolf that had just scented fresh meat.

Louise rolled her eyes. "We happened to come here to practice. It never occurred to me that someone else might favor this spot."

The youth smiled. "Yes. It reminds me of a place back home. Though there, it is olive trees rather than cherry, and the weather by now would be a good deal more sweltering. Forgive my manners, I am Julio Chesaré."

"Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt-Zerbst. Charmed," Kirche took the liberty of introducing herself. "Oh, and this here is Tabitha," she added on behalf of her silent friend.

"Excuse me," Louise paused, "ah, Louise de La Vallière," she introduced herself in short. "But Julio Chesaré? Is that not the name of the representative of the Holy Father?" Had they just barged in on the personal servant of the Pope?!

The boy smiled genially. "Well, I don't care for such address. It can be, shall we say, impersonal."

"Uhm. Holy Father?" KoKo asked. "As in the Church?"

"Why yes." Julio took a rag he had left hanging on a nearby tree branch, wiping away the sweat. "Specifically, a Holy Knight of Romalia. And you must be one of the Cait Syth. I mean no disrespect if I have that wrong."

"KoKo." The Cait nodded politely. "And you're right on the money. It's a pleasure to meet you Chesaré-san."

Tilting his head, Julio noticed the smallest of their group hiding behind Louise. "And if I may be so forward as to assume that you are one of the pixies I have heard mention of?"

Nodding her head reluctantly, Botan rose to give a small courtesy and introduced herself. "I am Botan, a Knight of the Garden of Tarbes."

"It is an honor to meet you Dame Botan." Julio's voice dripped with sincerity. "I had to abstain from the opportunity to accompany the Princess, but I offer my prayers that there will be peace for all of the people of ALfheim."

"On behalf of my Sisters and Mother Yggdrasil, I thank you." It was hardly an elegant reply, Louise appraised, but coming from Botan it had been the picture of diplomatic grace.

"Again, forgive me for occupying your training area. Though I would think this place a little confined to practice magic."

"Oh it is!" Kirche agreed. "But we don't want Louise here to disturb anyone while she practices. She has a bit of an incendiary reputation."

"Thank you, Kirche," Louise muttered. One thing she could be thankful for; as long as Kirche was around, she would always get the worst out of the way at the very beginning.

"Incendiary?" Julio looked perplexed.

"You know. She casts something and," Kirche shrugged, "Boom."

"Boom?" There was a hint of something oddly grave in Julio's voice as he parroted Kirche's monosyllabic reply. He probably didn't want to be anyplace near her when she started casting.

"Explosions." Tabitha elaborated in a single word. "Always."

"Really," Louise repeated, "thank you so much, Kirche, Tabitha."

Muttering about Kirche's less than ladylike qualities, Louise made her way to a clearing at the middle of the garden. Tabitha made the necessary preparations. The stone foot path at the center of the garden began to sink and flow until it had formed a well around three mails deep and four across filled with water.

They had discovered early on that Earth magic was less than optimal to shield against Louise's spells. More often than not, the magically conjured barriers only made things worse by adding debris. It had also proven, much to Louise's satisfaction, that Guiche wasn't nearly the master of Earth wards he thought he was.

"Ready?" Tabitha asked.

Louise breathed. "Ready."

Tabitha didn't bother with magic, instead simply selecting a number of small stones from beside the footpath, hefting each to determine its weight, then one by one skipped them across the pool.

While Louise could now reliably levitate small objects without causing an explosion, she could only do so while completely focused. If her attention wavered for even an instant . . . well, Botan thought it was a marvelous way to make apple sauce.

Julio observed politely until Tabitha exhausted her ready supply of projectiles. Eyes following each stone, his lips twitched every time one of the small rocks burst. "Well then, I shall take my leave. Miss Vallière, I do truly hope for your success."

Sighing to herself, Louise listened to Kirche walking her through technique with the occasional comment from Tabitha. "Don't let the stone distract you Louise." Kirche stood behind her, taking hold of her wand arm and adjusting the tilt of her head. "Urgency is the bane of a mage."

"I know that already!" Louise snapped back. Founder, she knew it! But knowing was one thing and doing another.

It was these baby steps, she thought. Her retraining had seemed to be paying dividends after her return from Tarbes. She'd been delighted at first to see herself making progress, but success had spawned impatience and a gnawing insistence that she should be able to do more, faster, better.

"I thought it would get easier is all," Louise grumbled as she examined her new wand, a graceful focus. Mother had been very generous with her.

Kirche smirked. "If it were really that easy you'd see more Square mages running about."

"Kirche-san has a point," KoKo chided. "Back when I was in school I worked really hard at archery and I still wasn't even close to being a master."

"Archery?" Kirche asked.

"Oh yeah," KoKo grinned. "I was never as good as some of my friends, and not even close to my captain." The Cait's ears twitched thoughtfully. "My point is, it never gets easy Louise-chan, because if it is easy you aren't challenging yourself anymore."

Louise nodded slowly. Right, she was back to failing, but it was at a higher level than she'd ever failed before, and once she stopped failing at this, she could move on to failing at something even more challenging.

"So that's why you use a bow?" Louise asked.

KoKo scratched at the back of her head. "Yeah, I really shine with longbows, but they're a little tricky to use in midair."

"But you use magic as well, don't you?" Kirche questioned. "I mean, you didn't just use your bow and arrow back in Tarbes."

Any further comments were cut off by a faint but stern voice clearing itself at their backs. A severe looking blonde woman in chivalric uniform was standing at the far side of the garden. She swept them with her gaze before fixing on Louise.

"Would I be correct in assuming that you are Louise de La Vallière?" she spoke.

"I am her. State your business, Miss?"

"Agnes." The woman assumed a rigid military stance. "Lieutenant Agnes of her Majesty's Royal Musketeer Squadron."

Louise eyed the pistol on her hip. She hadn't even known there were commoner officers, but it seemed such people existed if one only looked. The Captain's eyes flicked to the others.

"My business is only with you, Miss Vallière."

"If you're worried about eavesdropping, I can vouch for everyone here," Louise said diplomatically.

"I have just been informed about an inquiry you made into one Terrance de'Martou."

Louise was fully alert at once. "Then, do you know something of the whereabouts of this man?"

Agnes nodded slowly. "I do."

Louise had to strangle a triumphant cry in her chest as she spun around to look back at Botan. The Vespid Knight looked every bit as excited. That joy died in a heartbeat.

Agnes reached into her jacket and withdrew a carefully folded letter. "Those documents are being held at my order," she explained, allowing the letter to fall open so Louise could see the Royal Seal embossed, granting the holder the full authority and cooperation of Tristain's Crown. "Terrance de'Martou is currently under investigation on criminal charges against the Crown of Tristain. I demand to know your business with him."