Now that Lady Treebark was awake thanks to no longer having the "Demon Soot" as I will call this substance, she seemed confused about what had happened to her. It appears that much like her son; she had no clue about what happened. She didn't know who poisoned her, or even why. But I would guess she might not be telling the truth completely.
However, as she is a noble, I cannot just question her so leisurely, if she gets angered, she could have the authority to end our visit here and send us out of this house. I am no longer the authority I once used to be. I am a human child, therefore, I must abide by this world's society even if it's a pain.
Of course, in this world the strong can also have great authority, but even now, I am not strong enough to do that with nobles.
…But that changes with commoners, such as the maids. These women are in charge of the kitchen, they cook all the food that is eaten, and serve all the drinks that are served as well. I believe one of them must have something to do with this entire incident and using the spell that allows me to see the emotional auras of people, I will find this out.
There were three maids, the oldest is the black-haired maid, who seemed to be in her 40's, she had short hair and looked dignified and experienced, her aura was red and yellow. The girl to her left, the one with brown hair and a ponytail had a pink and yellow aura, and then lastly the red haired one had an aura of green and blue…
"Speak. Or you'll force me to make you speak. Who of you poisoned the lady?"
I asked so directly that it was obvious they were going to lie, and of course, I would be able to easily use my magic to see who is lying and who isn't. I can deduce a lot from their lies. It is easy to see through their faces as well. I have seen thousands of faces and expressions in my previous life, from humanoids to the most bizarre-looking aliens there are.
It is hard for me to even let a lowly human like these get away with a lie without me realizing it.
"I have not done such things! I've served this house for years, I-I would never poison the lady! I was frightened by this man, he suddenly jumped towards us and attacked us with his chains! It has happened before with some thugs in the town.
They think that because we are maids they can easily overpower us and rape us or something… I have taken down countless thugs with my snake, and I don't fear doing so to protect my life and that of these two girls which I am responsible for…" Said the black-haired maid. "Also, why is a child acting as some sort of detective?
I know you're a healer but you shouldn't be stepping above your own boundaries, child!"
"Silence, woman." I said. "I am the one that l asks the questions here." I unleashed a small amount of my Qi aura; the woman immediately grew stiff. I could have used my Demon Eye, but that would be a waste of precious demon energy which I am storing for more important matters. However, by checking her Emotional Aura, I found that there was no lie in her words.
She was incredibly confident and also quite reliable as a woman. It seems she's a responsible maid that had gone through hardships and had become quite strong willed.
"Y-You might be a priest apprentice but that doesn't give you the right to call me like that…!" She muttered, resisting the fear she felt by being put below the aura of my Qi. Interestingly, this maid is competent. I suppose this noble family hit the jackpot with her.
"Blank, I believe you're going a bit too far there, although… I kind of want to find the truth as well." Said Ellergest. "What about you two, girls? If you confess your sins to us right now and repent, the Holy Spirits may forgive you."
"I didn't do a thing!" Said the brown-haired maid, she seemed more upfront than even her superior. "Unhand me now! I dislike these stupid chains… Lady Treebark, I am happy that you're back!"
Lady Treebark looked back at the maids confusedly, she didn't seem to understand the chaotic scene that was going on right now and was feeling rather dizzy at this point. Her son was taking care of her but she needed more rest and perhaps a meal, she looked very frail and malnourished, a day or two would probably kill her out of starvation.
In fact, her malnourishment would have probably taken her out sooner than the Demon Soot.
I looked at the maid again as Lady Treebark was in silence listening and trying to understand what was happening. I saw that her aura didn't change, she was just very angered, wasn't she? But she was not lying… Hm, this is quite annoying, are all three of them so stubborn? If it wasn't them and they don't know, then what about the butlers? Or the wife and the first concubine?
If the maids were not, even the two other children of the Lord could be the ones behind this entire thing, but I am sure they wouldn't let me interrogate them so easily due to their authority. I am already stepping over my boundaries as a serf kid.
"I-I didn't do anything, please believe me…!" Muttered the pink-haired maid. "I-I have always cared about Lady Treebark; I love to see her smile every morning…! Poisoning her would be a sin I would never forgive myself for!" She was lying. I could see it in her face, her expressions were different from the two other more upfront maids, her eyes were looking around nervously, and her aura… was blue.