Forged Destiny [Book 5: Ch. 13]

We couldn't get involved in this matter because it was an internal military matter, or one between the Soldier and Noble Caste. We didn't have the authority and the only one who would was—Wait, that was it.

"We lied about the scrolls before," I said.

The Seneschal froze. "What?"

"The scrolls that you tried to look at before. We gave you fake ones because our Quest was too important to be known. Even with Roux dead, the Quest was our main priority. And it was not just to stay here and kill any Grimm which spawned."

The Soldiers began to whisper and murmur between themselves, while the Nobles looked suddenly nervous. The one in charge, the Scribe, narrowed his eyes. "What is your point, Knight?"

"Ren, the scrolls."

Ren nodded and moved over, revealing both from within his clothing and placing them in my hands. "I hope you know what you're doing," he whispered.

But even with that doubt, he backed away, trusting me.

I hoped I knew, too.

Both were about equal in weight, but one was marked with the symbol of Mistral, and the other of Vale. I uncorked Mistral's drew out the parchment a little to show it, and then tossed it to the nearest Soldier, one of those moving to arrest Grey. "Read it," I said as he caught it. "Read it out loud so that everyone can hear."

The man looked at it nervously, but finding that nothing bad happened, drew it out and unrolled it. The Seneschal moved to try and take it off him, but I angled my body in such a way as to make it clear I'd intervene if he did. He stopped with a frown.

The Soldier spoke, "The bearer of this scroll has all rights to and from the camp of Mistral, led under Lord General Corvo, and also retains the right to order the immediate arrest and dismissal of General Corvo – or any under his command - as per the bearer's judgment!" The last bit was read in an increasingly high-pitched voice. The shock among the Soldiers was audible. "This right is to be carried out on behalf of the bearers by any and all Soldiers of Mistral it is presented to, by divine order of the Crown Princess and Future God-Queen of Mistral, Cinder Fall. This… it is the royal seal of Mistral!"

The proclamation brought with it intense chatter as people shouted and gasped, fighting to be heard over one another. The Nobles tried to regain control, but even their faces were pale and taut. I strode forward and took the scroll from the soldier before he could do anything with it. Unrolling it, I presented the seal so that everyone in the room could see it.

"This was given to us by the Crown Princess of Mistral to support us in our true Quest – which is to investigate General Corvo of treacherously working with the Greycloaks, a terrorist organisation. That is our Quest."

The men shuffled. The Scribe spoke, "What does that have to do with us?"

"That scroll does not," I said, raising the second – and intentionally showing them the sigil of Vale on the exterior. The Nobles gasped. "This one does."

Weiss caught on and strode forward to stand beside me with an impressively condescending smirk. "Did you honestly believe that Vale would allow Magnis to fall without some intervention? We can't be tasked with investigating Mistral's army without the same being expected of your own. That was a decision with support from the royal family of Mistral. Who do you expect ordered the same for Magnis?"

"T-The King did!?"

Actually, no, but I didn't feel the need to point that out and neither did Weiss. It was a bluff on our parts since the scroll only really contained Ozpin's signature, and a request that they offer us "all the aid they felt they could", but with the explosive contents of the first, it wasn't hard to see why they would assume the second to be just as big.

They were both in similar containers, both marked the same way, and we'd kept both secret from them before, and after a clandestine meeting with both Grey Sullivan and Lord Roux. It wasn't hard for one's imagination to fill in the gaps, as incorrect as such assumptions would be.

"So, by all means, you may arrest Lord Sullivan if you wish," Weiss said, waving a hand. "But whosoever seeks to take control had best be prepared for our intervention. With the Grimm approaching, we don't have the time to waste on a thorough investigation."

"B-But the Treaty," the Scribe stammered. "It forbids you from interfering!"

"Read the missive from Mistral again," Pyrrha said. "It doesn't say we arrest the Commander. It says we can order every other Soldier to do so. We're not interfering at all."

"Of course, we can only do so against the acting commander," Blake said. "So, if you wish to depose yours, who is to be the replacement?"

The threat was obvious. No one stepped forward.

"T-This is madness," the Scribe said. "This is treason. It's against the natural order – against the very Caste System itself! You cannot act with such impunity!"

I tossed the scroll up and down. "This says otherwise."

The man snarled and turned to his fellow Nobles, hoping for support. While he had been distracted however, they'd all backed away, leaving him far out of the group and singled out for our attention. The Scribe balked and looked to the Soldiers. All had hands on weapons, but they were no longer certain who to move towards.

Following orders was one thing, but Treason? That carried harsh penalties, especially in a time of war. Death was by no means an unlikely outcome.

"Grey is in command," the Scribe finally spat. He opened his mouth to say more, no doubt a last warning or ominous insult, but shook his head and closed it with a snap. He spun on his heel and stalked away, slamming the door behind him.

—Forged Destiny [Book 5: Ch. 13]