[Lifespan Remaining: 25 days, 18 hours, 32 minutes.]
"An investigation?"
The shout pulled Noct’s attention away from the Knight Captain.
A man near the front of the crowd pushed his way forward. His sleeves were rolled above his elbows, and a stained work apron hung loosely from his waist.
"My brother’s been missing for eight days! The knights sit around with their cocks in their hands instead of actually looking for the missing!"
Faust turned toward him, holding his smile firmly in place. "And I assure you, we are already doing our best—"
"Your best is not enough!"
"Investigations take time. And resources, which have been delayed while we deal with this unnecessary disruption," Faust tried changing the subject again, but to no avail.
"Then use some of the money your officials keep taking from us!"
"Watch your tone," one of the nearby knights warned. "You’re speaking to Faust de Arcadia."
The man stopped for a while before bursting out in hysterical laughter. "HAHAHA—! So? Take away your father’s name and what are you? Incompetent, that’s what you are."
"Just some brat playing lord with his father’s land."
"Say that again."
The knight standing between them glanced back. "Young Master, the announcement is happening soon. Perhaps we should—"
"Move."
Noct frowned, deciding to move to the back of the crowd in case things got hairy. Noelle did the same, though it looked like she was going to tell him to do so regardless.
’What are you doing...?’
The protesting man seemed to realize he had gone too far. His raised hand slowly dropped, but with everyone watching, he stubbornly held his ground.
"I said—"
"O flames, rage and incinerate."
Noct’s eyes widened. "Shit—! Noelle, save him!"
?Magia Flare.?
Fire burst across the street towards him. The man barely managed to raise his arms before it struck him in the chest. Luckily, Noelle managed to encase him in a thin layer of protective shadow before the spell hit.
BOOOOM—!
His body slammed into the people behind him, scattering them across the stones. Flames caught his apron and spread up toward his face. And even with the protective veil, Noelle wasn’t quick enough to cover everything.
Half of the man’s head was a charred mess, and he was completely unconscious, leading to the chaos of everyone else who was there.
"Water! Someone get water!"
"Get back!"
The crowd surged away from the bridge. Noelle caught Noct by the shoulder and pulled him aside just before a fleeing merchant crashed into where he had been standing.
Through the scrambling bodies, Noct noticed his brother turning away from the scene as if what he had just done was the most natural thing in the world.
’What the hell was that?’
Faust had always been arrogant, that was just his nature. Noct had no trouble believing he would have that man dragged to the dungeons for what he said.
But this? In front of everyone, right before a public hearing?
Faust spent days making Amelia look responsible for Altaire’s suffering. He used his silver tongue to control all of Altaire’s officials and got to this position after a few years. Even Amelia had to admit that he was always thorough with his campaigns.
But now he was risking his reputation, nearly burning a man alive because of something so trivial?
Something just didn’t feel right.
But after a second, the people’s expression turned, so fast that it had Noct questioning if he was seeing it right. Were they really the same people as before?
Maybe they were fearful that they would be next, but instead of calling out what he had just done, they cheered for him instead.
"Hail, Lord Faust! Hail, Baron Altaire! Prosperity to Altaire!"
"Hail, Lord Faust! Hail, Baron Altaire! Prosperity to Altaire!"
"Hail, Lord Faust! Hail, Baron Altaire! Prosperity to Altaire!"
"Young Master?"
Noct looked back toward the man before turning back to where Faust had been a few seconds ago. "Ask someone from the Diamond Merchants to deal with this situation and get that man some help."
"As for us..."
"Come on. Let’s follow them."
***
Obviously, the venue was held on the Plateau, the area where most of the nobles were. It was done right at the center fountain, where everyone was already gathered.
Luckily, it wasn’t too hard to blend into the crowd. All Noct had to do was pull his cloak back a little to reveal his fancy clothes underneath, and that was all it took for everyone to turn an eye away, even if he still had his hood up.
Amelia had arrived first, with Aurora closely behind. But it was clear that she was nervous.
Faust, on the other hand, strolled up a few minutes later. The smile on his face from before had turned into a smug expression. But upon noticing Aurora by his youngest sister, his smile dropped.
"Dearest sister, don’t you have something else to be doing right now?"
He was obviously mentioning the fact that Amelia was losing more of her faction by the second. She caught the notion, but swallowed her pride and stopped herself from saying anything further.
With both parties present, Baron Altaire, who was a meek-looking old man, stepped forward with a scroll in his hand.
Faust stared at him intently, giving him the "What is this? Why didn’t you tell me..." type of look. The Baron quickly avoided eye contact, looking anywhere but in his direction.
’So I was right. If even Faust doesn’t know what this hearing was about, then surely it came from the higher-ups.’
The Baron quickly cleared his throat, holding onto the scroll tightly and stepping up to the podium equipped with a sound-amplifying magic tool.
"Attention everyone who currently resides within Altaire! A message has come from Duke Amon de Arcadia! Everything within this message is his authority, and his will is the final say!"
The man gingerly opened the scroll, taking a glance at both Faust and Amelia, who were impatiently waiting for him to reveal the contents of the scroll.
Finally, the man unfurled it and read its contents aloud. And well, what was written inside was truly the gunshot that started the final race.
"To both Faust and Amelia de Arcadia," the baron relayed the message in his meek tone. "I have grown weary of your back-and-forth bickering. In three days, a formal trial shall be held to determine—"
Baron Altaire swallowed.
"...Who will receive full control of the Altaire Crystal Mines."