Chapter 30: Interrogation


TL: Scaramochi


***


Gerald Lancer, the town's mayor, is the kind of man who walks around with his clothes on by the book, but that doesn't make it any easier to detain residents.


I don't know his actual personality as I have not had the opportunity to talk to him directly, but at least there has been no such talk so far. This means that this coercive attitude is the intention of the knight's side.


The crest on the cloak of the knight in front of me showed a large bird flapping it's wings, dyed in red.


The Rough Eagle Order.


The leader of that order is a celebrity in a sense.


That's not good. He is a good swordsman and smart, so he is steadily climbing the ladder of success, but it is said that he is eager to take credit.


It is only a rumor, but it is said that he is willing to put his subordinates in danger in order to achieve success.


If this is the case, it seems that he is not afraid to make up stories.


He is acting in an attitude of discomfort, as one would expect from a person unexpectedly taken out at this hour, but he might want to soften it up a bit.


But it's good and bad to look too cooperative. It would have been troublesome if they suspected that I had something to be guilty about.


However, I was surprised by Tiana's behavior.


As she had said during the day, it probably meant nothing more than a spell. I still feel a soft touch on my forehead.


The knights on both sides looked sad, but the emotion in their eyes was clear. It's absolutely outrageous. Both of them were gripping my arms tighter than necessary.


I took a deep breath to calm my mind as we walked to the town hall.


It was already dark, but the lamps on the main street, though not as bright as those in the royal capital, cast a faint glow.


Feathered insects were flying in swarms around them. The few passersby on the street cast suspicious glances at me.


"Hey. Harris, what's going on?"


We were in front of a grocery store.


The lady owner had her arms crossed against the light inside the store.


The official leading the way stop.


"Nothing. They just wanted to talk to me at the town hall."


Since I am usually in a position to get all sorts of extras when I shop, I blabbed to the lady owner.


"I'm under suspicion of using counterfeit money."


"Hey, hurry up."


An annoyed voice came from the knights and we started walking again. The lady's voice followed behind me.


"Well, there must be some mistake. If he had such a big gold coin, that drunkard would have bought up all the liquor in our store. He never show gold coins in our store."


A loud voice echoed down the street.


She seems to be belittling me as a drunkard, but in a roundabout way she is saying that I would never use fake gold coins.


I turn my head and look back at her.


I don't recognize the expression on the lady's face as she crosses her arms and looks at me.


I guess she doesn't care about me, but she's just trying not to worry Tiana.


The lady owner is well-liked in this town because of her kind-heartedness and caring nature. She is a person of character who can see the little things that are wrong with people and immediately remember the good.


Still, she is not only sweet, but also unforgiving if someone does something out of character. Many people were taken care of, and her word meant much more than just the volume of her voice.


The town hall is not grand, but it is sturdy, the first floor is used as a guardhouse.


I climbed the stairs to the second floor and was shown into a large room.


There was a chair with desks surrounding it on three sides.


I was told to sit on the chair and wait, so I sat down without hesitation.


Now, what does this call mean?


I sorted out the things I had been thinking about along the way.


One of the possibilities was that they couldn't find any evidence, so they framed me as the culprit, the one who smelled the worst.


For my part, I'd like to think that Dennis is the best person for the job, but he's out of town right now, so I'm the runner-up.


The second pattern is that Zoe and the others were found with the fake gold coins, and for some reason they are claiming that they got them from me. Given the fact that my place hasn't been searched, this is the more likely scenario.


If that's the case, I can still deal with it. But if they pretended to search my place and planted the fake gold coins I brought in at that time, there would have been nothing I could do.


Another door on the wall to the right of me opens, and a gaggle of people enter.


Consul Lancer, his subordinate officials, and a group of knights dressed in matching outfits are followed by the loose, wavy gray hair of Arshela Summard, the guildmaster.


She is said to be over 50 years old, but she is quite a sprightly lady. She had wielded a warhammer in her younger days, and even now she certainly looks like she could take on a knight or two.


She never smiled at unserious guild members like me, and always wore a clear face. However, she was mysteriously popular with children, and I often saw her in the square talking to the town's kids when they begged her.


As an adventurer, I would be under Summard's supervision.


I'm taking my job seriously these days, so I hope that my impression has improved somewhat.


As soon as the interrogation began, I knew that the Knights were in control of the place. Neither Consul Lancer nor Guildmaster Summard spoke much.


After the clerical exchange was over, one knight cut in with a high level of authority.


"You, you used 10 fake gold coins, didn't you?"


"No, I don't recall that at all."


The knight stands up, furious.


"Don't lie!　We have testimony that you used it. If you don't confess to the crime soon, the sentence will get heavier! You'll have to jump from the gallows!"



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