I sat there in a cell, poorly lit and cold. My hands were cuffed in front of me, small gems on them glowing softly. Mana suppression cuffs, they called them, and they were to keep me from being able to channel enough mana to do anything useful. A necessary precaution, especially in a town full of adventurers.

  I was glad they put me in a cell by myself. I was so deeply tired and ashamed, I don't think I could face anyone else right now. I most likely lost my most lucrative side job, which was going to make earning coin even harder when word got around. There weren't many redheaded elves in Revenstahd, so even with a false name, people were going to suspect who I was.

  The only upshot to all this was that Dungeon School would likely not even remotely care. It was almost expected of us to have strong personalities, low tolerance for shenanigans, and a violent streak a league wide. Even if the knightly order made a complaint to the school, my self-defense was plenty clear, and they would have my back, even if only to spite the Knightly Orders.

  The Knightly Orders held a strange political space in the Mortal Kingdoms. They could be sponsored by one nation or another, but they were sort of independent organizations. Officially, their role was fighting monsters that plagued the connected roads, but oftentimes they could be called upon to fight in various conflicts. In a sense, they were high-class mercenaries with pretensions of nobility. To be fair, most of them were nobles, often children who would not stand to inherit much, so they chose the Orders to distinguish themselves somehow. The skilled and lucky sometimes gained noble titles of their own and received payment of lands.

  This desire for glory and reward often led them to do reckless things, but more often than not, the quality of training they gained from the various Knight Academies let them back it up. I was confident in my skills against monsters and some people, but with as outnumbered as I was, I was fortunate that the guard came when it did.

  I sighed, and leaned my head against the stone wall and closed my eyes. I hope I wouldn't be here too much longer. I wanted to sleep in my own bed. And also not be in this maid outfit any more. I'd have to return the outfit as soon as I could. I did not want to explain this to my roommates. Not just the arrest but the entire outfit.

  My eyes snapped open as I heard the lock to my cell opening. The metal door creaked open shrilly. "Miss Astra? It's your turn for questioning." The guardswoman helped me to my feet and escorted me through the halls of the guardhouse.

  It was mostly empty cells, and what prisoners there were had largely been comprised of those who needed to sleep off their drink. I knew of areas in the guard house with more dangerous criminals but that was more akin to a dungeon. Secure, lots of traps, etc. I wonder if it was like the dungeons I explored or the more traditional usage of the term. Which then got me wondering about the language split off in the definition, but that was something to worry about for another day.

  I was eventually led into the interrogation area, which was made up of two zones. One was for taking statements from witnesses, and the other was for smaller rooms for questioning suspects. As I was being led through the witness area, it seemed I had been designated a suspect. I sighed. No easy, quick night for me, it seemed.

  Many of the witnesses I saw were patrons from the cafe, as well as folks I recognized from other businesses, and one face definitely caught my eye. Cori. Why was she here? Did she have a side job like me that she didn't talk about? The urge to pry answers from her grew day by day.

  Presently, I had been led into a room, and my cuffs attached by a chain to the table. The guardswoman offered me some water, which I gratefully took.

  "Listen, I know this is a raw deal, but for what it's worth, I'm grateful for what ya did." The guardswoman said, breaking the silence.

  "Oh?" The only response I could think to make at that moment.

  "Yeah. These Knights have been causing problems since we rolled into town. We haven't had a break all day from processing reports, and since they're, well, knights, all we can do is send them on to the city lord and hope something comes of it. But you, miss. You finally knocked one of these pompous trolldicks on their arse, and stood your ground! We can't say anything officially, but you're good in my book." She patted me on the shoulder.

  "T-thanks. I just did the first thing that came to mind. No one grabs my arse and gets away with it!" I smiled.

  "That's the spirit! The interrogator will be in soon, and sadly, he's got their Obsidian Gauntlet commander with him as well as the Revenstahd guard captain. Just stay strong, and you'll get through this." She patted my shoulder and closed the door behind her.

  It felt nice to be thanked, even if it was just me getting immediate revenge for an indecency committed against my person. I wondered who the cur I injured was to get the Obisidian Gauntlet captain and the city guard captain both involved in my questioning. This was likely to be an absolute headache, and I deeply hoped it wouldn't take too long. However, with the kind of people coming in, there was no doubt that be some posturing and political theatre. The worst kind of theatre, next to pantomime. I couldn't stand mimes.

  I shook my head. I was exhausted, the trials of the week just continuing to pile up on me, and no matter how much sleep I got, it didn't seem to be enough to rejuvenate me. I just wanted a nice long soak in a hot bath, some nice wine, and a good long sleep. The way things were looking, I wasn't likely to have to work tomorrow. Small blessings I supposed.

  The door opened again, and three individuals filed in. The interrogator was an unimpressive individual, clean trimmed beard, small round glasses, and a neutral expression. Nothing much for me to read in his manner. He sat down and flipped through a few papers.

  Behind him was the guard captain. She was a tall woman, a face with scars and a look of judging sternness, a look that would brook no shenanigans or lies. Her name was Salandra Vesht, and I was unsure of her origins, but I knew for sure she was human. She had a reputation in the red light district as being a former worker in the shadier parts, but worked hard, made it to guard training, and worked her way up to guard captain, through effort, determination, and saving the lives of important people a few times. She was well regarded and often took the side of workers in the red light district versus whatever high and mighty noble or merchant tried throwing their weight around.

  Next to her was a face I had so dearly wanted to punch. The smarmy smiling face of the Knight who had stopped the fight in the cafe. He wasn't smiling now, but I could still feel the aura of smug self-assured superiority that oozed off every single pore of his body language, and it took all my willpower to keep from glaring daggers at him. It was rare I had such an instinctive dislike of a person, but here he was, the shining paragon of just such a feeling.

  The interrogator cleared his throat and addressed me.

  "Good evening. I am Interrogator Sherlitz, and this is Guard Captain Vesht, and Knight Captain Carter of the Obisidian Gauntlet. We will be discussing the incident at the Atelier du Maiden this evening involving you and several members of the Knightly Order of the Obsidian Gauntlet, to establish a few facts. Do you have any questions before we begin?" He rattled off, as if he had been reciting this exact line repeatedly all night, which he likely had.

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  "I've no questions, sir. Can we proceed quickly? I'd like to get some sleep at some point." I couldn't hide the annoyance in my voice.

  "Show some respect, wench, or I'll-" Carter's smarmy smile turned into a snarl at my words before Vesht held up her hand.

  "You'll do nothing, Captain Carter. You forget yourself and your position here." She said evenly, but her body language indicated that she was very much tired of this man.

  "Let us begin," Sherlitz held back a sigh, "According to the statement of one Knight Cavendish, you assaulted his person, breaking his arm, and stabbing him through the hand with an enchanted weapon, with intent to cause bodily harm, with malice afore thought as you felt he hadn't tipped you properly. He claims that you then threatened to rob him when his fellows stepped in to save him. Any comments, thus far?"

  "My main comment is how astounding it is that a so-called noble knight is so incredibly good at lying. The broken arm and the knife, including enchantment, however, are correct. The rest, however, is pure fabrication," I explained. "I was doing my job as a waitress, bringing drinks and food to clients, when the knight in question chose to rather firmly grasp my rear end under my dress. I acted purely on instinct and put the lout in his place."

  "You clearly cannot believe this wench's lies!" Carter sputtered. "She's besmirching a noble's honor! No man of his caliber would do such a thing."

  "Fascinating defense, Knight Captain, as this is the," Sherlitz flipped through several papers, "fifth reported incident of Knight Cavendish doing something similar in as many days. Either there is a group effort to discredit your soldier, or you need to admit that your men are lechers."

  "I will be taking this up with the Lord of the city! Your city is conspiring against us, and we will be recompensed for this indignity!" He shouted.

  "Please, that implies you have any dignity to begin with," I said with a derisive snort. I was so tired of his prattling on and on.

  From what I had been told during my travels, too many groups of knights were happy to act like this, and even more often got away with it. Knights were powerful and often held a lot of sway in their home countries.

  He turned and glared at me with rage before speaking, "I will not be talked to like this! I demand she be remanded to us for proper punishment!"

  "Since you like to try throwing your weight around, why don't you try dueling me while you're at you pompous jackass? Or are you going to run to the City Lord to do your fighting for you, coward?" I snapped back. I was just so incredibly done with all of this.

  "Enough!" Vesht shouted over all of us.

  We were both taken aback by her raising her voice. She pointed a finger at me.

  "You, stay your tongue or so help me, I will throw you back in a cell! And you," She turned her accusing finger back on Carter. "are not a noble of this city, nor do you have any authority here. You do not get to demand anything of me or my guard, is that understood?"

  "I'll have your head for this, Guard Captain, and this wench!" He snarled at her.

  "Sherlitz, Miss Astra, you have heard his statement, will you bear witness to it?" She asked coldly, Carter's face suddenly blanching.

  "I, Donovan Sherlitz, Interrogator Sergeant of the Revenstahd City Guard, bear witness." He said, standing.

  "I, Alta Marchesi, exiled scion of House Marchesi of Burgotova, under tutelage and protection of Dungeon School as an apprentice dungeoneer, bear witness." I cocked an eyebrow at him. Even an exiled noblewoman still had some sway, and even a knight knew better than to threaten Dungeon School.

  The act of bearing witness to such a thing was important in Mortal Kingdom law. If two people of sufficient rank or position witnessed something, it counted for a great deal. Revenstahd didn't take kindly to nobles and knights from other countries throwing their weight around, but having witnesses helped.

  "Very good. Thank you for your cooperation." And with a sudden strike to his guts, Carter folded upon himself, and two guards entered. "Knight Captain Carter made threats upon the Guard Captain of Revenstahd, witnessed by these two individuals. Throw him in a cell and see how he likes it."

  She turned to me suddenly, "Sadly Miss Marchesi, we will likely need to call on you again in the near future. This situation is going to get very dicey legally. But I appreciate it all the same."

  She sat across the table from me, sending the interrogator out, and she unlocked my cuffs. I felt relief feeling my mana finally flowed freely. Another thing to learn how to deal with in the future. I'd talk to Myth and see if she had ideas. I rubbed my wrists.

  "I understand, but what was all that. I expected some posturing, thats part and parcel for dealing with the Knightly Orders, but that was excessive seeming to me." I asked.

  "The Knights have been here for a few days already, making all kinds of demands of the City Lord. Demanding supplies, lodging, monetary 'gifts' just to keep them from finding excuses to cause trouble. We didn't have any justification to turn them down due to treaties from who knows how many decades ago, that they just now decided to cash in on. Tonight was the first day the knights had been allowed out of their barracks we had loaned them."

  She sighed and rubbed her eyes, no doubt frustrated by all of this.

  "And what do they do? Use it as carte blanche to assault workers in the Petals, rob stores claiming they had been permitted by the City Lord when no such thing had been done, and on and on and on. It's been havoc, and we've been collecting statements and tallying the damages. But people have been scared. What you did, standing up to them, inspired a lot of the wronged parties today to decide to make their voices heard." She looked at me, a small smile on her face.

  "I don't think what I did was that momentous, honestly," I replied, feeling a bit embarrassed. I hadn't left campus much, and didn't keep my ears to the rumor mills in town. "I just did what instinct demanded, and broke a dirty little man's dirty little wandering hand."

  "That's all it takes sometimes. In any case, Miss Marchest, or Astra rather. You're good to go. Sorry for all the hardship you had to deal with this evening. We may or may not be in touch depending on how this whole situation blows over." She indicated the door with a wave of her hand.

  "I'll be glad to help. I'll likely be on campus if you need to find me." I stood and stretched, feeling my back pop every so slightly as my spine rearranged itself. Sitting in a cell was not good for the body.

  A guardsman led me outside, and waiting for me was the manager and the other girls. Lily ran up and gave me a big hug, which surprised me, but wasn't unwelcome.

  'We were so worried about you, Astra! I can't believe you did that! You're amazing!" She said excitedly.

  "It wasn't that big of a deal," I tried to respond demurely, but I felt I wasn't doing a very good job of it.

  "It definitely was! They had done it to all of us, but none of us wanted to say anything. Enraging knights is a risky move, and none of us has been able to handle it. The guys in the kitchen would've tried if we said anything, but they wouldn't stand a chance." Mystra said calmly. The other girls nodded in agreement.

  The manager reached out and handed me a small bag of coins. She smiled. "For you, Astra, and thank you for standing up for yourself, and for us."

  "I suppose you'll be letting me go then? It's a shame, as I loved working there, but I completely understand." I felt my ears droop slightly as I fought to keep the sadness out of my voice.

  "Of course not, Astra. We'll expect you back next week. Take tomorrow off, get some rest. You look as tired as I feel, and I've got many more years on you!" She laughed and patted me on the back.

  All the girls gave me hugs and went on their way, waving at me.

  What a night this had been. I worked hard, got lots of coins, fought a knight, beat a knight, watched political maneuvering turn into a literal fist fight, and got released from jail.

  This week had been far too much for one girl to handle. I was going to nap all day tomorrow, if I had anything to say about it.

  As I walked back to the campus, I suddenly realized I was still in my maid outfit. This was going to be very awkward to explain. Before I knew it, I felt a hand grab me and pull me into a side alley.

  My body began to move on its own before I saw who the hand belonged to, and the surprise of it caught me immediately off guard.

  "Cori?" I sputtered, not able to keep even the tiniest bit of shock out of my voice.

  "Ssssshhhh! Keep it down and follow me. I have lots of questions for you, and I'm getting answers now!" She hissed at me, keeping her voice low.

  "Lucky for me. I have questions too. I guess we both get what we want tonight." I narrowed my eyes at her and followed closely behind.