The five companions marched through the streets of Willowan with their escort. Kefira walked with her head held high as if she was just going for a stroll. She completely ignored the people on the street as well as the armed escort.

Reivyn, Teilon, and Kimberly took their cue from Kefira, and they maintained their composure. Serilla, on the other hand, stared right back at everyone that stared at them. There were more than a few faces that blanched in front of her glare.

“Soo… I understand why the Constable arrested Reivyn and snatched us up as accomplices,” Teilon whispered. “Well, not entirely, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, you have an emblem of the Imperial Family on you, don’t you Kefira?”

“Sure do,” Kefira nodded with a smile.

“Then why didn’t you show it to the man? We could have avoided all of this.”

“He never asked,” Kefira answered.

Teilon stared at the back of her head for a moment as they walked in silence.

“He never asked,” he repeated in a deadpan voice. “The entire reason you’re allowing yourself to be arrested is because he didn’t ask for your identity?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Kefira denied, shaking her head. “That’s why I didn’t produce the emblem. I allowed myself to be arrested for maximum damage to our opponent’s cause. How else are we going to make their scheme blow up in their face in spectacular fashion?”

“Oh, I see,” Teilon was enlightened. “Letting yourself get arrested is a trap.”

“Exactly. Plus, I don’t have anywhere urgent to be,” Kefira shrugged. “This will probably only take a couple of hours. The worry our families have over our unexplained absence will only make their reaction to the truth that much more volatile.”

“Oohh, you’re devious,” Teilon gave her a thumbs-up.

The way the shackles worked, it didn’t matter if they were placed in the front or back. They restricted one’s Stats and ability to call upon their Skills and Mana, so they were all handcuffed in the front.

“Only against other schemers,” Kefira narrowed her eyes. “If you want to play games with me, I’ll gladly accompany you.”

“Technically, this game was aimed at me,” Reivyn pointed out.

“What’s the difference?” Kefira asked, tilting her head as she gave Reivyn a confused look.

“Fair enough,” Reivyn chuckled.

“The Detainees will be silent,” the Constable called back. “I’ve been lenient with you so far, but you’ll stop talking from now until we finish getting you acquainted with your new accommodations.”

Reivyn just shrugged and kept walking. Soon, they were led to a military style building. It was one that Reivyn hadn’t seen before, and it was a bit away from the main thoroughfare of traffic in the inner city.

This must be the jail, Reivyn thought, eyeing the building up and down. He would scan the entire building with his Divine Sense as soon as they were in range, but his vision worked just fine to get a first impression.

The building wasn’t anything special. It was similarly styled to the other military buildings Reivyn had been to in Willowan, but it had a large wall around the entire building whereas the real military buildings were mostly open. He could sense some cells beneath their feet as they got closer and his Divine Sense gradually got in range.

Reivyn didn’t even need to channel his Veridical Affinity to get his Divine Sense to work. The shackles had absolutely no effect on the Skill.

I wonder if that’s because it’s technically a Divine Skill? If that’s true, maybe my Perfect Domain Skill is also active. There isn’t anyone attacking me or threatening me in any way, so it doesn’t look like I’ll find out any time soon, though.

Reivyn sensed the sprawling complex beneath their feet as they moved closer to the building. There was a layer of rock surrounding the entire underground complex like a sheath that Reivyn couldn’t identify, but it stuck out like a beacon in the night. Reivyn suspected it was an additional measure against activating Skills or Mana.

It would seem this place is much larger than it would appear on the outside.

“Do you guys jail a lot of people?” Reivyn leaned in and whispered to Kefira.

“I don’t know,” Kefira whispered back. “My older siblings handle the affairs of the capital. Being nominally in charge of the mercenary company is technically my first official duty.”

“I see.”

Most of the armed soldiers escorting them peeled off as they walked through the outer walls of the compound, leaving only one person holding each of the detained companions by an arm.

The Constable stopped on the steps leading to the interior of the building and addressed one of the other soldiers.

“I have to report to the Magistrate the completion of my duty,” he told the man. “See to it that they’re each processed properly. We can’t have anything amiss with their detention.”

Reivyn managed to hold his tongue, but Teilon barked out a laugh. He quickly turned it into a cough as the Constable turned to stare at him. Reivyn rolled his eyes as the Constable walked off back through the outer gates.

“This way,” the lead soldier guided Reivyn and the others into the building.

They were led around the front desk and down a side hall. At the end of the hall, there was a spiral staircase leading down into the depths. Reivyn’s Divine Sense told him that the building was mostly office spaces above ground, but the detention center was fully underground. There were people moving about their business all throughout the building, and Reivyn could see that the first couple rows of cells were occupied.

After only a short trip down the stairs, they arrived in front of another desk. The soldiers were outfitted differently than the ones escorting them. The largest difference was that they weren’t armed. There wasn’t a single weapon to be found among the several soldiers in the staging area, and Reivyn spied a sign that said, “No weapons beyond this point.”

Reivyn didn’t have a lot of experience with jails or prisons in either life, but he seemed to recall from his fragmented past-life memories that it was standard practice to keep any weapons away from prisoners. It made more sense to go unarmed than to allow for an inmate to get their hands on a weapon.

Reivyn simply noted it and dismissed it from his mind. He wasn’t planning on an armed breakout, and he didn’t need a physical weapon to do so, anyway.

The staging area they were led to had one main desk with several detention officers stationed behind it, but there were several benches and rooms for privacy off to the side. The way into the cells proper was barred with a thick, iron door with lots of intimidating looking bars.

Reivyn was led to one of the detention officers at the main desk. Kefira, Serilla, Teilon, and Kimberly were each led to their own, the three girls being sent to the end of the desk where a female detention officer was stationed.

“What do you have for us, today?” The man at the desk in front of Reivyn addressed the soldier escorting Reivyn.

“Warrants from the Magistrate,” the soldier replied. “Adventurer Reivyn: Insulting and Assaulting a noble and Conduct Unbecoming. With this, I transfer custody to you.”

“I accept custody. See you later tonight.”

“Sure,” the soldier waved to the corrections officer as he made his way back to the stairs. Each of the armed soldiers dropped off their detainees and departed, seemingly leaving Reivyn and the others unguarded. Reivyn could sense that there were armed guards waiting in a room nearby, though, and he assumed they would be ready to storm in at a moment’s notice.

The detention officer pulled out a large notebook with several entries recorded in it already. He produced an ink stick and looked up at Reivyn.

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“Adventurer Reivyn, is that the proper way to address you?” The man held his ink stick over the notebook, waiting for Reivyn’s reply.

“Captain Reivyn,” Reivyn answered.

The man raised an eyebrow at the statement, but he didn’t seem overly surprised.

“Are you the Party Leader, then, of your Adventuring Party?” He asked, scribbling down the response. To Reivyn’s surprise, the man actually wrote “Captain” without further investigation into what exactly Reivyn meant.

“Technically, yes, but no, that’s not what I meant,” Reivyn answered. “Captain Reivyn with the Imperial Army, Liaison to Imperial Princess Kefira.”

The man’s pen froze and he looked up at Reivyn swiftly.

“Do you have identification proving your rank and position?”

Reivyn channeled his Veridical Affinity and casually removed one of his hands from the restraints. He pulled out his official badge from his storage pouch with the Imperial Family’s insignia upon it. After tossing it onto the desk in front of the man booking him into the jail, he casually put his free hand back in the restraints.

The correction officer watched the entire thing with a blank expression. He stared at Reivyn’s hands for several moments before shaking his head and looking at the badge. He picked it up and injected his Mana into it to test its authenticity.

The detention officer took a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh, rubbing his forehead with his fingers as he did so.

“These idiots…” he muttered. He looked back up at Reivyn. “Alright, well, there was an official warrant issued by a Magistrate, and you’re not contesting your identity as the subject in question, so I can’t just let you go. We’ll put you up in the Special Quarters as a courtesy until a representative of the army can come to collect you.”

“If it’s all the same to you, I would rather stay here,” Reivyn said.

The man was momentarily surprised, but he schooled his features quickly.

“Sorry, but that’s not up to me, or you for that matter,” the detention officer held his hands out helplessly. “I have an official warrant, you have a rank and position in the army… These things are rare, but they do happen. We have procedures in place for these situations.

“I don’t make the rules.”

“I understand,” Reivyn nodded. “I’m sure it can be arranged, though.”

“Well, considering your… credentials, I don’t doubt it. I just can’t make that decision. So, do you want us to inform the barracks or have someone notify Princess Kefira of your detainment?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Reivyn cracked a sly smile. He tilted his head toward the three girls. “She’s over there.”

The detention officer stared at Reivyn for a moment, not comprehending what he heard. Suddenly, his eyes widened and his face paled so fast Reivyn was surprised the man didn’t faint. He slowly turned his head toward the three girls.

Kefira stood out from the other two girls wearing shackles. She stared down at the female detention officer imperiously, as if she was the one booking the other into jail and not the other way around.

The detention officer snapped his head back around to look at Reivyn with a face of utter panic. Reivyn bared his teeth in what could be considered a smile. The man shot up from his seat and dashed over to the female detention officer who was busy arguing with Kefira.

Reivyn had clearly heard every word of the conversation, but he was relishing witnessing the coming meltdown.

“Stop, stop, stop!” Reivyn’s detention officer shouted, waving his hands in the air as he sprinted to the other end of the desk. “Release that Lady, at once!”

The female detention officer sat back in surprise and glanced at the other man. The rest of the corrections officers on duty looked over in surprise, as well.

“Release her?” The female detention officer asked. “Why? I haven’t even fully recorded her name down yet.”

“And thank everything that is holy for that! In fact, scratch out everything you do have written down.” He looked at one of the other guards standing nearby on the other side of the desk. “What are you waiting for! Release her, now!”

“Yes, sir!” The guard said.

He gave a quick shake of his head, but he followed the orders, removing Kefira’s shackles from her wrists. Kefira rubbed her wrists and looked over at Reivyn. Reivyn winked at her.

“Tch, you’re no fun,” Kefira said. “We were just about to get to the good part, too.”

The two detention officers booking Reivyn and Kefira into the jail leaned their heads together.

“What’s going on? Why are you releasing her?” The female guard asked.

“That’s Imperial Princess Kefira!” The man fiercely whispered. “If we followed through with the Magistrate’s orders, we would quickly find ourselves behind bars with them. Actually, scratch that. They would be let go, and we would be on the hook for treason!”

The female guard’s eyes widened and she looked back and forth between her colleague and Kefira. The blood similarly drained from her face in record time. They both turned to face Kefira and bowed.

“Apologies, Your Highness,” they said in unison.

The rest of the guards were stunned for a second, but they quickly turned and bowed to her, as well. They all chorused their apologies to Kefira.

“It’s fine,” Kefira waved their concerns away. “I understand you’re all just doing your job, so you wouldn’t have been punished, either way. That being said, do you mind releasing my companions?” She gave a pointed look at the rest of the group still in chains.

“At once, Your Highness!”

The guards scrambled to release the magical shackles from everyone. As a guard approached Reivyn to release him, Kefira stopped him.

“Not that one,” she said.

“Do you wish to take custody of him, Your Highness?” The first detention officer asked, nervously shuffling back and forth from foot to foot.

Kefira rolled her eyes and sighed.

“No, that won’t be necessary,” she said. “For some inexplicable reason, he wishes to remain here. Something about his counter-scheme. Anyway, he will be remaining here for now. But!”

She paused to look each guard in the eye before continuing.

“He is a guest here, not a prisoner. Do you all understand?”

“Of course, Your Highness,” the first officer responded. “There’s precedent for such a situation, after all.”

Kefira gave him a sharp look. The man panicked and quickly waved his hands in front of himself.

“Not anytime recently, of course!” He explained. “But we’re all taught the history and made aware of the possibilities during our training.”

“I see,” Kefira said, calming down. “That’s good to know - that it hasn’t happened recently, that is.”

“Of course, Your Highness, but if he’s a guest, what about his shackles?”

Kefira just nodded her head toward Reivyn. The guards turned to look at him. Reivyn smiled as he handed the magical shackles to the closest guard, completely unrestrained.

“Oh. Right,” the first detention officer said.

Kefira walked over to Reivyn, the guards scrambling to get out of the way.

“You ruined my plans of having my father learn about my detention,” Kefira pouted.

Reivyn just chuckled as he shook his head.

“I appreciate the intention, but there’s no reason you should stay here,” he said.

“There’s no reason you should stay here!” Kefira retorted.

“There is a reason, and it’s going to be great,” Reivyn smiled.

“If you say so,” Kefira shook her head.

“Anyway, go ahead and head back to the palace. Inform your parents about what’s going on, but tell them I’ll handle it.”

“Oh, you’ll handle it? From inside a jail cell? And exactly how do you plan on doing that?”

Reivyn smiled.

“As my immediate commanding officer, and commander overall, I am officially informing you that I’m initiating a war-time tribunal against one Oryin.”

Kefira’s eyes widened and a smile crept onto her face.

“Oh, I see where you’re going. What are the charges you plan to level against him?”

“Insubordination, Disrespect to a Superior Officer, and Cowardice in the Face of the Enemy,” Reivyn replied.

The smile left Kefira’s face as she studied Reivyn’s face very intently.

“That last one is a serious charge,” she said quietly. “Are you sure about that?”

Reivyn adopted an equally serious expression.

“That’s the way to end Oryin once and for all,” Reivyn answered. “The other two charges will repel this attack, but the last one will win the war. Besides, it’s true, and you know it.”

“That I do,” Kefira nodded her head. “He abandoned everyone once the portal was open in his mad dash to get away.”

“I’ll need some help with the technicalities,” Reivyn said. “Send Jeckle to me with the relevant military law books. You can’t do it yourself as that would be a conflict of interest.”

“A conflict of interest?” Kefira chuckled. “I was there. I’m a witness.”

“But you’re not being called as one,” Reivyn pointed out. “That’s a distinction.”

“I can’t possibly be an impartial arbiter of justice,” Kefira pointed out.

“That sounds like a personal problem for Oryin,” Reivyn shrugged. “While it would be ideal, it’s understood that it’s not always the case that a commander can be. That’s why it’s not a requirement for military trials.”

“You’ve done your homework, it seems,” Kefira said with a small smile. “Were you anticipating having to litigate a legal case while attached to the Imperial Army?”

“The thought had crossed my mind,” Reivyn nodded. “We never knew what your mother was planning to throw at me in the way of a test.”

“You don’t think this has anything to do with her, do you?” Kefira’s eyes widened.

“Of course not!” Reivyn denied. “This is far too sloppy for something she cooked up. It is the consequence of her actions letting Oryin play around, though. You can’t tell me that your mother didn’t know his intentions for one second.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

Serilla snorted in the background. Kefira looked at her and frowned.

“What does that mean?” She asked.

“Everyone in the capital knew Oryin’s intentions… everyone but you,” Serilla smirked.

“I thought he was just being a friendly senior apprentice,” Kefira huffed.

“Uh huh.”

“Any way,” Kefira pointedly looked away from Serilla back to Reivyn. “I’ll send word to Jeckle and have him bring the law books for you. Is that all you need from me?”

“Go appease my parents, especially my mother,” Reivyn said.

“Oh no,” Kefira shook her head. “You’re not making me handle that for you. You have to face your mother’s wrath all on your own. You could simply go back to the Imperial Palace and hold the military tribunal at an appropriate location. Any annoyance she has with you is purely your doing.”

“Fine,” Reivyn sighed. “At least go spend some time with them.”

“Of course,” Kefira said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “I would do that even if you didn’t ask.”

“Thanks,” Reivyn said, placing his hands on Kefira’s hips.

Kefira placed her hands on Reivyn’s forearms as she stepped into his embrace.

“What’s this ‘thanks’ between us? You know you don’t have to thank me.”

“I know.”

The two hugged and shared a quick peck. When Reivyn stood back up straight, everyone in the jail staging area was conspicuously looking away. Everyone but Teilon who was openly grinning at Reivyn. He gave his best buddy a surreptitious thumbs-up.

Reivyn rolled his eyes and bid his friends farewell. The others filed out of the room, and Reivyn tracked their departure with his Divine Sense. One of the guards led the way to forestall anyone from asking questions they didn’t need an answer to.

“Well, then,” Reivyn said, turning back to the man who had started booking him in. “Shall we?”