SOTBW - 94

The Chief’s office was already in chaos.

The deputy commander of the Colnux Knights had stormed in early and, despite knowing it was rude, was raising his voice in anger at the elderly Chief.

From the hallway, Gwyneth and Najane silently listened to the howls seeping through the crack in the door.

The deputy commander seemed convinced that Nathan, who had been a central figure in Colnux, was murdered by Maximón. His voice leaking through the door was largely a protest—why hadn’t a death sentence been imposed on Maximón?

A death sentence.

The moment she heard those words, Najane felt a chill run down her spine. Of course, Maximón would not die. Maximón was absolutely essential here.

Even if someone capable of replacing him appeared, Maximón still needed to remain here. He was the only one who could stand against the Serith Sanctum. Yet, hearing the voice so vehemently arguing for his execution, Najane’s face turned pale, as though she had plunged into icy water.

Gwyneth hesitated for a moment, wondering when to knock, and glanced at Najane.

Najane was nervously fiddling with the rough edges of her fingernails. Though she herself seemed unaware, her face bore the unmistakable expression of a lover genuinely worried about the dire fate of someone she loved.

The words “You shouldn’t love someone like Maximón” rose to Gwyneth’s throat but remained unspoken. That was beyond Gwyneth’s purview. Instead, an unbidden memory of what she had witnessed at the mansion flitted through her mind, and she grimaced before finally knocking on the door.

The dull knock echoed, cutting off the voices of the Chief and the deputy commander. Without waiting for permission, Gwyneth opened the door and addressed the gray-bearded Chief with polite composure.

“My apologies for arriving unannounced.”

“Your Eminence?”

The Chief looked bewildered. The deputy commander, on the other hand, glared at Gwyneth with displeasure before shifting his hostile gaze to Najane.

His eyes were brimming with animosity. Yet Najane did not avert her gaze. Instead, she lifted her chin higher than ever and locked eyes with the deputy commander in a silent contest of wills.

“What brings Your Eminence to the magistrate’s office…?”

Clearly flustered by Gwyneth’s visit, the Chief hurried to show proper respect.

“I’m here regarding Maximón Elgort. I hear he’s been arrested on suspicion of murdering Nathan Armunzen?”

At the mention of Maximón’s name, the deputy commander’s face twisted into a sharp expression.

“That’s correct. Not only did that man act insolently on countless occasions, but he also dared to murder the son of the Duke of Armunzen, Nathan, the commander of the Colnux Knights. Surely, Your Eminence hasn’t come here to argue for clemency on his behalf?”

Though the deputy commander’s voice was calm, his eyes were anything but.

Gwyneth rubbed her chin and glanced at the Chief.

“Did Maximón truly kill Nathan?”

Her tone suggested disbelief. The deputy commander, now visibly agitated, raised his voice.

“There’s no doubt about it! All the guards stationed at the mansion saw him clearly! Several were even injured while trying to capture that wicked man!”

“I’d like to verify the witnesses’ testimonies.”

“Are you doubting the testimony of my men?”

The deputy commander’s tone was one of clear displeasure, prompting Gwyneth to furrow her brow.

Gwyneth was one of only three people in the Kingdom of Bastronia with divine abilities, and she held the title of Archbishop.

Though often mentioned as a candidate for the next Pope, she desired a simple life and lived far from the trappings of power. However, no matter how much Gwyneth preferred humility, she was no saint who would overlook the insolence of a cheeky knight.

“Mind your manners when you speak, Fisher,” Gwyneth said, addressing the deputy commander by name. Fisher flinched, seemingly startled that the Archbishop knew his name.

She continued.

“It’s understandable that you’ve lost your composure, having lost a commander you trusted and followed. But you should know when and where to raise your voice. Do you take me for one of your subordinates? Or do I seem like someone who came here on a whim? I’m here because I, too, need to understand the situation. Under the direct order of His Holiness, the Pope, I oversee the Romsoa Knights, which means I must be fully informed about everything that has happened here.”

Gwyneth’s tone was stern and cold.

Fisher, his jaw trembling with suppressed anger, finally stepped back.

With a nervous heart, the Chief watched their conversation unfold.

He let out a deep sigh. He had always suspected that Maximón would cause trouble someday, but he had never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that he would commit such an outrageous act.

Najane, standing near the door, glanced anxiously between Gwyneth and the deputy commander.

Would Maximón’s fate be decided here? Or would they be setting up a trial?

It didn’t matter either way. She was only focused on finding an opportunity to speak. She wanted to prove Maximón’s innocence.

They didn’t spend every moment together, but these days, they were almost inseparable. She was confident that she could account for Maximón’s every move and explain what he had been doing. But if she failed to persuade them, and he ended up being punished...

Najane clenched her hands tightly together. She refused to entertain such a defeatist thought.

“Surely the testimonies have been recorded?” Gwyneth asked, ignoring the deputy commander and addressing the Chief instead.

“Yes, they have... Please wait a moment.”

The Chief quickly returned with a few sheets of paper, which contained the detailed statements of the witnesses. Gwyneth stood and calmly read through them. Najane, too, was eager to read what was written and fidgeted slightly.

After swiftly scanning the testimonies, Gwyneth handed the papers to Najane.

It was only then that the Chief finally gave Najane a proper glance. Her dull, earth-colored hair and plain appearance stood out. This was Najane Schnicks—the knight Maximón Elgort had suddenly brought into his life one day.

There were plenty of stories circulating about Najane.

Some said she had been confined in Maximón’s mansion but eventually started coming and going as if it were her own home. The tale had spread across the city like the scandal of a noble family. A woman who had been brought into the home of Maximón—a man who had never once shown interest in the opposite sex. Everyone assumed they were lovers, though the idea left many puzzled.

The residents of Noctis Fortress didn’t know much about Maximón, but they knew enough to gossip endlessly over a drink for at least an hour.

They knew he had dark green eyes, which was why he was adopted into the Elgort family. They knew he had a terrible relationship with his brother, Lucas. They knew he was engaged. They knew he possessed superhuman strength that ordinary people couldn’t fathom. And they knew he treated beautiful women as if they were horse dung on the side of the road.

Unlike Lucas, Maximón was strangely disinterested in women.

People speculated that this was because of his fiancée. But if he truly loved Rachel, wouldn’t he have found the time to run off to the Marquisate of Rochelle and marry her by now? This was why no one could easily make sense of Najane’s presence.

The idea that someone as extraordinary as Maximón had chosen a woman with such an unremarkable appearance baffled them all.

To the Chief, however, it didn’t matter whether Maximón was meeting Najane or someone else. What mattered was how well Najane could rein Maximón in. But before addressing that, there was the pressing matter of Nathan Armunzen’s murder to resolve.

Najane read through the detailed testimonies written on the paper, her expression gradually turning puzzled.

Gwyneth, her arms crossed, was the first to speak.

“Do you have something to say, Najane?”

“Yes, I do.”

Najane responded immediately, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

The deputy commander furrowed his brow.

“The testimonies seem strange. Every single one of them says only that they fought with Sir Elgort after he suddenly ran out of the mansion.”

“And why is that strange?”

The deputy commander replied, clearly irritated. After reviewing the soldiers’ testimonies and confirming Nathan’s corpse, the Chief had immediately ordered Maximón’s arrest. That alone meant the Noctis magistrate’s office recognized Maximón’s guilt.

The deputy commander felt an overwhelming urge to grab Najane by the hair and throw her out into the hallway. For Nathan’s honor, there was no line he wouldn’t cross. His gaze, fixed on Najane, gradually darkened with malice. But Najane, undeterred, pointed to the records with her finger and continued asking questions with determination.

“Why did the Colnux soldiers allow him to enter the mansion in the first place?”

“What?”

At Najane’s calm question, the deputy commander’s face twisted into an ugly scowl. To him, it seemed as though she was nitpicking at irrelevant details.

However, Najane handed one of the sheets of paper to the Chief and began explaining her points in a composed and methodical manner.