As time ticked by, the three quickly arrived in front of a mansion that was neither too large nor too small.
Yuto gently pressed the doorbell, and before long, a neatly dressed butler emerged from the mansion.
In the upper circles of Fontaine, a saying circulates: 'A butler's work style can, to some extent, reflect his master's work style.'
It's the same theory as before: spend enough time with certain people, and you naturally become like them.
The butler and the master of the mansion live together day and night, and the butler also has to undertake tasks from his employer.
In a sense… this behavior can also be called assimilation.
When this Noclan Family butler walked out of the mansion's main gate, his steps could be described as… arrogant and haughty.
His pace was neither fast nor slow, but his old, wrinkled face carried an air of disdain that would make anyone who saw it uncomfortable.
However, when he saw that the people blocked outside the mansion were the Deputy Administrator of Fontaine and the Traveler, who had been frequently in the newspapers recently…
His neither-fast-nor-slow pace instantly quickened, and the expression on his face changed as rapidly as if he had learned a traditional Ritou art called 'Face-Changing.'
From the previous arrogance, it quickly transformed into a somewhat nauseating obsequiousness.
Truly a legendary face-changing king.
Watching the butler scurry over, Paimon's mouth twitched slightly. She wanted to say something but didn't know how.
To her… this person's performance was far more exaggerated than that of the official's bodyguard they had encountered in Ritou.
"Chief Justice, what brings you here? Is there something important, or… do you have something to inform my Mr. Sal about?"
The butler asked obsequiously as he quickly opened the main gate, attempting to extract some information in advance.
He knew very well that if this Chief Justice, who usually stayed in Palais Mermonia, left… it meant something major was about to happen.
And these "major events" were almost always bad, never good.
So, as a loyal subordinate, he naturally had to gather some information for his master.
Yuto, of course, understood the meaning behind the butler's words. He paused slightly, looking at the old, wrinkled face with a half-smile, and said softly:
"Nothing much, just some things to discuss with your Mr. Sal."
Upon hearing this, the butler's face stiffened, and then, while fawning, he led the three into the reception room.
After brewing black tea for them, he fled the reception room as if escaping.
Although he hadn't obtained any useful information, from Yuto's expression… he could sense one thing:
—The Noclan Family was about to be finished again.
To ensure he could continue living decently in this world, this old butler, who had served the Noclan Family for decades, decided to run away.
…
"Chief Justice, it's almost dinner time. Would you like to… have a simple meal first, and then we can talk?"
Noclan Sal looked at Yuto, who was staring at him with a half-smile, and asked tentatively.
Hearing this, Yuto gently shook his head.
"Mr. Sal, I haven't reached the point where I panic from hunger if I don't eat for an hour or two. I imagine… you're the same, aren't you?"
Yuto looked at the corpulent man in front of him, estimated to weigh around three hundred pounds, and said meaningfully.
It's hard to imagine how many mora belonging to ordinary citizens were consumed to create such a massive body.
Sal's face stiffened at these words, and then he let out an awkward laugh.
"Ah… yes, yes, my wife also told me I'm too fat recently and asked me to lose weight."
Looking at Yuto, whose expression remained unchanged, Sal felt a chill down his spine, as if a knife was pressed against his back.
He knew that this Assistant Administrator didn't fall for his feigned ignorance, so he quickly said:
"So… it's so late, what is your intention in coming here?"
"If it's about the recent disaster relief needing mora, my Noclan Family can donate eighty million mora in charity. What do you think…?"
Looking at the obsequious man in front of him, Yuto gently shook his head.
"Do you know Noclan Edward? I remember… he's your nephew, isn't he?"
Hearing Yuto utter that name, Sal was first stunned, then gently nodded.
"Know him, of course I know him, but… due to some conflicts, I expelled him from the family two months ago."
"Now… even if he commits a crime and ends up in Meropide, it has no relation to the Noclan Family whatsoever."
"If he is currently an escaped suspect, I will immediately deploy the Noclan Family's own hired guards to search for him and then hand him over to you for disposal!"
Sal patted his chest and said in a deep voice.
'Edward committed a crime, so Yuto came knocking' was the only possibility Sal could think of.
Precisely because of this, he needed to quickly sever ties with Edward and, by doing so, express his loyalty.
This way… his minor transgressions might be covered up.
However…
He was wrong, and spectacularly so.
Clang—
With a crisp sound, the Evil Eye that Yuto had shattered was directly tossed onto the table by him.
"Do you… recognize this thing?"
Yuto asked indifferently.
Sal looked at the Evil Eye on the table, feeling a moment of confusion.
How could Sal, who had been in the business world for many years, not recognize an Evil Eye?
But he had no choice; in this situation… he could only pretend not to know it.
"This is… a shattered Vision?"
"This is an Evil Eye, an artificial external magical organ crafted by the Fatui, which grants the power to manipulate elemental energy by consuming one's lifespan."
Yuto explained calmly.
Hearing this, Sal, who was already somewhat confused, became even more so.
His business scope didn't include Evil Eyes at all! Why would Yuto come to him with this thing?
Sal was at a loss, and after a long silence, he asked somewhat tremblingly:
"…Are you saying… Edward is selling this evil item?"
Yuto shook his head, then gently said:
"He isn't selling Evil Eyes, and he has no connection to the Fatui whatsoever."
"The reason I came to you… is because he tried to kill me with this thing, and these two by my side are witnesses."
"In his confession, he wanted to kill me because he wanted to return to the family, and the Noclan Family has always hated my actions of exiling you back then, which is why I came."
Yuto didn't continue, just smiled faintly, as if he wasn't the one who had been assassinated.
"I need a reasonable explanation, Mr. Sal."
"Why… was it such a coincidence?"
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