Marren was one of seven houses that held the most power after the king.

Corland was one of them too and probably held the most power currently as a result of Arthur’s title.

But Marren wasn’t to be trifled with either, they held several prominent government positions.

Like being the prime minister or the head of the nobles running the bank.

According to what I could find, only the seven families could have a large estate here.

The rest of the nobles had to have their mansions right next to each other.

As a result, I’d probably be spotted before I could find the prisoner.

I also decided not to tell Arthur before I snuck in to the Marren home.

I didn’t know whether or not he would order me to stop.

But I hoped that this was something I could use later.

The residence didn’t differ in size or quality from Arthur’s place.

But it did have more guards on patrol.

I could also sense some kind detection magic above the estate.

So, I couldn’t drop in from the sky.

The employees also seemed to live on the premises.

The maids, butlers, and other servants lived there, of course.

But I was surprised to see barracks near the house.

Deliveries were also carefully searched and examined.

It didn’t look like there would be an easy way in.

There were two groups that were able to get in unannounced though.

The royal knights were able to where they pleased with the authority of the king.

But the circumstances that lets them burst in on high ranking nobles usually are on the charges of treason.

That wasn’t something I could just conjure up and most importantly, it draws way too much attention.

So, I decided to kill two birds with one stone and went to look at the clergy.

I looked up at the large building in front of me as the sun’s rays were reflected at my eyes.

This wasn’t a place for the common people.

Even the people of the central district were only recently able to enter.

That was provided they donated a generous amount of course.

I gave my “donation” to the priest at the front and he signaled to the two guards nearby to let me in.

It was the last of the bandit’s money that I took.

They had quite a fortune, and the amount I took was not one that someone from the lower district could ever get.

Well, I guess praying for those girls now wouldn’t hurt.

The clergy were given a giant cathedral when the city was being built by the king.

He needed the support of the church to legitimize his rule.

And the building he gave them was almost twice as big as a regular noble’s mansion.

It had six towers that surrounded the central dome.

The stained-glass windows looked like they were handled by the best artisans.

With vivid colors showing the various stories of the goddess.

The doors were made of bronze that was shaped beautifully in to the images of a dragon and the king.

When you walked in, you would find pillars in the interior that were intricately designed.

The ceiling was extremely tall and if you looked up, you could see a painted ceiling that depicted the goddess of light in her

full glory.

This church was well funded by the king, the nobles, and now the central district.

The other areas had churches as well, but they were all much smaller and less attended.

Since it was the afternoon on a weekday, there was hardly anyone here.

I didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

I had spent the most of today going through churches, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman I saw last night.

She definitely was related to the clergy somehow but just in case, I searched all the small churches.

I guess it was only appropriate that someone with her power would have a connection with the nobles.

She probably couldn’t recognize my presence as our interaction was brief. . . probably.

While I was thinking about all this, I came upon a surprising sight.

A blonde knight was kneeling in front of the statue of the goddess and praying.

I slowly approached him, thinking it was Arthur.

I waited until he was done praying but when he turned around, I could see he was a stranger.

He also had blonde hair and blue eyes, yet his face was more friendly looking than Arthur’s.

“Hello young lady, how can I help you?” He said with an inquisitive look.

“Oh. . uh sorry, you look like someone I know from behind”

I turned around and walked away from him.

The statue of the goddess was the master piece of the cathedral.

Rows and rows of beautiful wooden benches were lined up in front of it.

But most of the people here were in the sides of the cathedral, rather than in the center.

They were all conducting some business and were all busy.

Rather it was strange the knight and I were actually not busy in this place.

I used this to my advantage and swiftly walked through the cathedral.

The ground level had most of the general facilities for the public for things like confessions, purifications and healing.

Most of the clergy in the cathedral lived near the back where it opened in to an exclusive garden for them only.

The level below us housed the crypts of the noble dead, but there wasn’t any one of interest there.

The level above had some meeting rooms but no one there matched the woman’s face.

I was walking through the main level again when I saw him again.

The blonde knight from before was waiting for me.

“Oh hello, again”

I said trying to be courteous to him.

“Hmm, I couldn’t help but notice you walking around here. Do you need any help?”

“Um, I don’t know if you can help me”

I said in doubt.

“Despite how young I look, I’m a full-fledged knight. Name’s Leon”

He said as he gave me a short bow.

This was true, Leon could’ve been my older brother for what anyone knew.

I chuckled and pretended to do a curtsy.

“I’m Shera”

“Nice to meet you Shera. I’m sure I can help you out in some way”

I took a step back in my mind and thought about it.

Certainly, he was a knight and the woman was nowhere to be seen.

I guess I had no choice but to play this carefully.

“I. . . I hope so. It’s . . . no never mind”

“What’s wrong?”

He said, sounding concerned as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

I looked Leon in the eyes and started to put a plan in to effect.

“You have to promise not to tell anyone”

I said in a hushed voice as I looked around us.

He nodded and led me to an unoccupied room.

After Leon closed the door, I continued, carefully choosing my words.

“I was working on the paperwork for the bank in the aftermath of the scandal in the lower district. As a result, I was late in

going home last night”

I paused to let Leon start to form a picture.

He nodded and I continued.

“When I was walking back, I spotted a hooded figure and curiosity got the better of me. So, I followed them and saw them

talking to man by a fountain. I caught bits and pieces of their conversation but it seemed like they were planning an attack

on Duke Marren’s estate”

“WHAT?”

Leon said with a shocked look on his face.

He mulled over the information I had just given him before speaking again.

“Are you sure this is true?”

“From the last snippet of their conversation, yes”

“I have to warn the knights”

Leon said as he suddenly stood up.

“WAIT!”

I grabbed his arm and he decided to hear me out.

“The hooded figure was a woman and it seemed like she knew a lot about the Duke. I think she’s someone close to him or

least close enough to know about his home. I think the best course of action is for us to go directly to his home and speak

with the one in charge. I can go with you and help to identify the woman”

“No, what if she recognizes you. We need a careful plan to catch her”

I turned around and shook my head.

“We need to go now; the attack seemed to be in haste. And if a bunch of knights show up at the Duke’s place, then it would

only be postponed. But if it's just the two of us, we can warn the guards and set up an ambush”

Leon was at a loss for words, I pleaded with him the best I could until he caved.

“Alright fine, but you must not do anything rash you hear?”

I smiled and patted my sword.

“Don’t worry even though I got this recently, I know a move or two”

With that, Leon soon commandeered a horse from the cathedral and I rode with him to Duke Marren’s estate.