Gacha Kingdom Building-Chapter 223: Moving Pieces (03)

--This chapter is written using Ellie's POV--

Paul and his knights were quick to subdue the commotion caused by the corpse's discovery, but as expected, that did not do much to calm everyone's nerves.

The soldiers' suspícions and doubts about their comrades and leaders could be fatal, and we had to move quickly to dispel them.

As such, Paul acted swiftly and reunited all the knights in the camp that same night to discuss what happened and how to proceed.

Of course, Miwen also made sure to bring all of his citizens too.

And surprisingly, I wasn't the only one who instinctively thought he could have something to do with this...

Paul: "I'll ask just to be sure, but... This wasn't your doing, right?"

Miwen: "...Of course not. Why would I even do something like this?"

Paul: "Don't worry. It's just that Isabella told me to make sure you weren't behind it if something strange happened."

Ouch...

I'm sure she didn't mean anything bad by it, and if anything, it is good advice to ensure her knights don't interfere with Miwen's schemes, but... Who would've thought his reputation would lead to something like this...

Miwen: "More importantly, we should go over what we know."

Paul: "Right. As far as we know, one of the men sharing the tent with the deceased found the corpse a few minutes ago inside it. The body doesn't show signs of struggle, but there is a stab wound in his neck and blood around the body and in his clothes, likely the cause of his death."

Weird...

The man in question had quite a big frame. If his level matched his appearance, it would be hard to believe someone could do him in with a single blow without him lowering his guard first.

Knight #1: "It must've been a spy."

Knight #2: "But how would they have infiltrated the camp? We have dozens of men keeping watch at all times."

Knight #3: "What are you suggesting then? That one of us-"

Knight #4: "It could have been a monster-"

Gradually, the discussion heated up, and theories emerged regarding what could have happened.

Miwen: "Stop."

Using [Wind Magic], Miwen muffled the loud voices while making his own resonate with a heavy authority.

The tone of his voice showed atypical annoyance.

From what I know of him, he should be more intrigued than angry in a situation like this, but... This didn't appear to be within his expectations, and if I had to guess, the idea of us being in danger was messing with his usual calm mind.

It was hard for me to see this. I wanted to comfort him, but due to the situation, I had no choice but to remain quiet.

Anything said that did not progress the dialogue would be a waste of time for everyone, and unfortunately, this was also baffling for me.

Miwen: "Let's focus solely on the facts for now. Do we know about the relationship of the deceased with his cohabitants? Any disputes? Bad blood? Lovers?"

Paul: "As far as we can tell, no."

Miwen: "...Detain every soldier of that tent. Keep them separate and under watch-"

Suddenly, one of the knights, the one responsible for the men in that tent, shot up from his seat, his face twisted with anger as he loudly shouted...

Knight: "Are you casting suspicion on my men!? What about the monster you keep and the antisocial mage-"

Oh...

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It took everyone in the room a single moment to realize the mistake the man had committed.

Even though my mana detection and sense skills are not as good as Beatrice's, I think everyone in the room, no matter their level or abilities, could feel Miwen's mana burst out of control.

Paired with Cassandra's, it was so immense and powerful that it created palpable pressure.

Even I felt my heart become heavier...

Some of the knights went as far as to draw their swords out of instinct, which made Miwen realize what had happened, and he quickly focused on controlling the mana emanating from his body.

Ironically, this was as much of a monstrous and fearsome display.

The control he showed to subdue his emotions and rein in that amount of mana all at once in a single second was on par with what the best mages in the camp could do.

Miwen: "You are right. Right now, I suspect your men. I suspect all the soldiers from this camp. Even my girls, especially the mage, should be under suspicion-"

Bea: "...Hey?"

Miwen: "However, in this moment, the men in that tent are more important than anyone else. They ought to offer us the most information to clear our suspicions, and they are also too important to be left unsupervised. Until we understand what happened, keeping a watch on them also works to keep them safe, yes?"

Even though Miwen was obviously angry at the accusatory tone and the way the knight referred to us, I think he sympathized with the frustration of having the subordinates you trust being unfairly under scrutiny.

Or he could simply have been trying to resolve this as peacefully as possible, knowing that starting a fight now would only make things messier...

Miwen: "Increase the number of watchmen. Starting today, we will interrogate every single soldier."

Knight #1: "What? Do you have any idea how late it is? We should start tomorrow."

Knight #2: "It's been a long day. The men are too tired..."

Knight #3: "You want to investigate everyone? It will take weeks! By the time we are finished, Hamperlon will have already destroyed Terith's army and reinforced this city. Again!"

...It's so annoying.

They are getting too full of themselves, even going as far as assuming Terith's army stands no chance on their own.

Who do they think won the war for them?

Ugh...

Miwen: "The men will be able to rest better if they know we are doing something to solve the issue. As for the interrogations... Hopefully we can get a clear picture sooner rather than later."

With the fear and tension escalating, it was hard to predict what would come next...

I think the soldiers wanted to believe that if we focused on capturing the city, all of the problems would disappear, but... That's a little too optimistic.

Even with our best estimates, the city would only fall after a month. Knowing that danger looms around for so long will definitely impact the soldiers' morale.

Knight #1: "What about you, then? How can we know-"

Miwen: "Oh, leave them to me. Don't worry, I'll be very thorough..."

...This wouldn't normally work due to our close relationship, but I think few in the room are willing to question Miwen after what he showed. There's also the fact that Paul is trusted by the soldiers and knights, so when he backs Miwen up, they are reluctant to distrust him.

As for the possibility of one of us being responsible for this... I can't see it.

I hate to admit it, but... The most probable to go to such an extent would be Bea, but even she wouldn't do this unprovoked.

And although she might be the most... Well... Inclined and willing to do such a thing...

I doubt she would have had the time to do it. Not only did she prepare an entire room to perform her magic in, but she was also busy drawing and setting everything up.

She doesn't really have an alibi since she was alone while I was running errands for her, but... It's hard to believe she'd be able to do this much in the short amount of time I didn't have my eyes on her.

As for my case... The soldiers saw me running around, and the people responsible for supplies can attest to my innocence since I got the things Bea asked me from them, so I'm totally safe!

That leaves us with... Quite a number of people...

I think Cassandra and Lana can be ruled out instantly though...

Cassandra almost always stays in her sword form, unless it's her turn to keep watch, which wouldn't have happened until much later in the night.

And Lana... Much like Cassandra when she's in her sword form, she's always by Miwen's side. Or in her case, by his shadow...

I think Anna was also with Miwen in his tent...

As for Angelica... She was in the clinic, helping injured people and learning from the other healers.

Since I was with Beatrice, I couldn't be sure until Miwen started his interrogations, but to my surprise, once we entered the tent, he completely ignored us and lay down on his bed.

Ellie: "Um... Are you not going to question us...?"

Miwen: "Ah, true. Have you guys done it?"

Obviously, everyone's answer was a resounding no.

Miwen: "Have you seen something strange or potentially incriminating?"

Again, the same answer.

Miwen: "Then it's fine."

Ellie: "...That's it?"

Miwen: "Yeah, anymore would be a waste of time. Unless you have something to confess to me?~"

Ellie: "I don't!"

He accepted our answers without even using an order or looking at our expressions carefully to search for a lie...

And this is him being thorough, huh...

Bea: "So... Any idea of what might have happened?"

Miwen: "Not yet..."

Surprisingly, Miwen seemed sincere about this.

Miwen: "My guesses are pretty much the same as theirs. This could be an attack from an enemy spy, but just as much, it could be the result of a betrayal or an internal conflict. I don't believe we have enough information to rule anything out yet."

Ellie: "...Could it have been a monster?"

It's unlikely that a monster could get past all the people in the camp, enter a tent, and kill a man without being noticed, but depending on its Gift, the chances are not zero.

Since this attack feels so random... I thought it might have been the case...

Beasts like them don't normally select a target. They just kill when they get the chance to kill.

Miwen: "I thought about it too, but... It's odd behavior for a monster. Not only did they infiltrate the camp and select a target, but they would also have to choose to hide from us instead of going on a killing spree. A monster this intelligent would have to be at least a [King]..."

He did not rule it out...

But hopefully we are wrong about this...

An intelligent monster like this... It could cause much more trouble than a human.

Miwen: "Well, I wanted to sit this one out and mostly advise you, Anna, but with the situation being what it is... You don't mind me taking charge, right?"

Anna: "Hah... It's all yours."

She seemed quite excited to hand over the responsibility...

Even though she did a great job last time, I think Anna really prefers to have to think as little as possible, and this situation definitely requires a different set of skills than what Miwen seems to be trying to have her develop...

Miwen: "In that case... You are not to be alone, no matter the circumstance, always have another girl by your side."

Bea: "Really? But-"

Miwen: "Sorry, but this is final, Bea. You can adjust your plans accordingly."

Since we would have to share activities to make this work, Bea probably would not manage to focus as much time on her magic as she might've liked, but she was not the only one who would suffer a little from this decision.

Unfortunately, the same would apply to Angelica since not a single one of us has business in the clinic...

Miwen: "Angelica and Ellie... I'll be extending the time of your turns in the night watch and I want you two to pair up for them, alright?"

Angelica: "Yes..."

Ellie: "No problems for me!"

Miwen also instructed us to search for good high spots to watch the camp more effectively than from the ground...

Pairing my sight and Angie's ability to fly was not a bad idea at all, but he also increased the time of his own turn and paired himself with both Anna and Beatrice to use his own senses and Bea's magic sensitivity.

Since having only these two groups stand night watch would make us a bit too tired during the day, he also asked Lana and Cassandra to form their own pair.

As a beastman, Lana's five senses are pretty sharp. Cassandra is the only question in my mind...

But I've heard she's more of a nocturnal person and is quite used to night watches, so maybe that makes her suitable too... Although I'm not too sure how much experience can impact this...

Anna: "I think that's all fine, but... What about Hamperlon? If we focus on this incident, won't our chances of taking the city decrease?"

Miwen: "...Truth be told, I was counting on good results in the field and mounting pressure... I think we'll have to wait and see how much we can do each day for now..."

Bea: "Hmph... I've already told you that I'll bring down the barrier, have I not? Even if our attacks cease, it won't matter."

Miwen: "Oh... Isn't that reassuring? Alright, Bea, if you do a good job, I'll be sure to be nicer to you."

The more the time passed, the more it felt like those two were flirting, so Angelica and I decided to leave for our posts as quickly as possible...