145 Investigation (1/2)
Li put a wooden hand to his skull-white head.
What to do?
Lady Zhen's inopportune rampage had driven this whole case upside down. Li had wanted to settle things quietly and within the boundaries of man's laws, but now, there were too a number of problems he had to solve. He could, if he spent some time to think about it, likely come to a reasonable way to solve them all, but
First was explaining Chevrette's death. There was the matter of the daughter seeing him, but she had only seen his more monstrous forms. To be more specific, she had only clearly seen his Howling Ursine form too. Regardless, she had seen him, and that was the important part. The appearance of the Howling Ursine had to be explained.
Then there was the matter of the farmers – the main reason why he had undertaken this venture in the very first place. Li had wanted to criminally indict Chevrette and then have his assets transition over to one of Count Alexei's pawns who would then destroy the contracts accordingly. But there had been no indictment.
That also brought up how the beastwomen were to be treated. Li had intended them to participate in the case even if their testimonies were not truly needed. If Chevrette had gotten desperate and used the armed forces in his employ, then he would have given the beastwomen a chance to fight and use that as leverage to free them as elsewise, the heroes would simply argue for detaining them because they were threats to the crown.
Finally, Li had to explain what his human form was presumably doing this whole time, especially because he had decided to split up from going to the Golden Flagon.
Li stopped beating his wings and flared them out, letting the wind glide past them and wafting him down to Riviera. He directed himself towards the Chevrette estate, and as he glided down, he thought about what to do.
To be sure, Li was confident he could come to a solution. It was just that he was not too confident he could come up with a perfect one. After all, it was not like he had gotten super intellect from gaining his new form. He was still himself for now.
Li's superhuman sight honed in on the estate and he saw that it was surrounded by Knights of Lys oncemore. There was also the very same carriage that the heroes and adventurers had used earlier in the day.
Though, Li figured, the reason why he could now commit to a plan with so little hesitation even if it was not perfect was because he knew that there could be imperfections. He was a meticulous person most times, but when there were too many variables like this, he knew when to be realistic and commit to a path even if the road was not clear.
Go with the flow, as the old adage went.
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Meld looked at the Chevrette mansion, her head tilting up to the shattered roof and the blasted apart front doors in descending order. She nodded and patted the knight on the shoulder. ”How old are you, good knight?”
”Me?” the knight said in momentary confusion before shaking his head, remembering to answer and not question. ”I am twenty-two, honored hero.”
”Only twenty-two and bearing witness to such slaughter.” Meld tapped the knight's shoulder plate once more, this time with a more comforting touch. ”Take leave of your duties for the night and rest. You will be compensated by the crown for any missed work.”
The knight nodded and saluted. ”Thank you, honored hero.”
As the knight left, Meld crossed her arms and drew close to the destroyed double doors leading into the Chevrette estate. The very same doors she had stood in front of just the last day.
”Look how that fool quivers in his greaves,” said Thunderstrike as he floated behind her. ”A little pup he is, and yet he has a white plume trembling atop his helm. Do the Knights of Lys have no shame, promoting cowards to their officing ranks?”
”Now is a time of peace. That standards are lax is a sign that the people are comfortable, and that alone should make you, a hero, happy,” said Meld calmly.
Thunderstrike grunted. ”Were these human pups to know of the dangers brewing north, they would not be so comfortable being so weak.”
Meld sighed. ”There is no shame in weakness, and that we have power alone does not make us heroes. How we use it is what separates us from monsters. You would do well to remember that.”
”I should have expected such words from the weakest among the Order,” said Thunderstrike. When he saw that Meld ignored him, he continued with the task at hand. ”What do you make of this situation?”
Meld crouched down, her head tilting up and down and scanning the destroyed entrance to the mansion.
”Forced entry-,” said Meld.
”Obviously,” scoffed Thunderstrike.
”-With explosive force,” continued Meld. ”The warped shards of the door indicate they bent inwards in concussive impact before shattering. A single explosion. No traces of mana. Non-magical force. Explosion occurred approximately one and a half hours ago considering the amount of fading there is in the color of the runes that were etched into the frame.”