Chapter 118

Breathing hard, Noah scratched the cold metal around her neck with her fingers. Kyle rushed to her side and pulled Noah in an embrace, and Noah instinctively buried her face into the familiar arms, coughing. 

Meanwhile, Adrian returned to his place to testify, his voice calm as if nothing had just happened. “But it must be true that the dragon’s power will contribute to Laurent’s revival, taking into account the value of the current dragon’s master, Eleonora Asil…”

Suddenly, the invisible barrier surrounding Noah vanished. Muell growled and clenched his small hands, ready to attack. Noah hurried out of Kyle’s grasp, stopping the furious dragon. 

“…Conclusively, Your Honor.” Adrian’s voice resounded distinctly amid the shambles in the court. He was the only one too poised and composed. “In addition, I would like to ask the defendant, Eleonora Asil, to be restrained with the Obelith Chains. Also, petition for 200,000 hours of community service, and lastly, I ask you to bestow me the authority to specially manage the defendant.”

For a moment, Noah doubted her ears. How many hours of community service? 200,000 hours…? Calculations swiftly rolled in her head. 200,000 hours was about 8,300 days, and 8,300 days…

Approximately twenty-two years…? Forty-four years for twelve hours a day, and about sixty years for eight hours a day.

It’s a life sentence for me!

There was no need to think about it. “Wah, you crazy bastard!”

“Miss Noah, don’t move.” Kyle was busy scrutinizing the chains on her neck. Frowning, Muell attempted to resonate with Noah, but Noah couldn’t still sense Muell’s mana. However, it was fortunate that there was no impact on her body as Adrian had said. It wasn’t harmful to her.

Adrian, who glanced at Noah, gently urged the judge. “The honorable judge, come on, judge.”

“…The defendant.” The presiding judge, along with the justice minister, breathed in deeply and handed down the sentence. ‘The defendant is sentenced to 200,000 hours of community service, 100,000 pounds of bail. All subsequent actions should be directed to Minister Adrian Rossinel…” His voice was full of will to end the dreadful trial even a second earlier. It was not long after that the gavel was striked, indicating the end of the trial.

The echo of the hammer rang in Noah’s ears with a sense of foreboding. If I lost her freedom to Adrian here, it would be very, very painful. Everything comfortable would singlehandedly go down the drain!

In the guise of voluntary work, wouldn’t she be taken somewhere else? 

As the justice minister was just about to hit the gavel for the last time, a resolute voice sounded right behind Noah. 

“Your Honor.”

It was Kyle. 

“Give it to me. The special administrative authority for Eleonora Asil subsequent to this trial.”

“What… what?”

“I will stake my name, my position, my honor, all my trustworthiness, and protect Laurent from threats. It was originally my responsibility, so I’ll take responsibility for all subsequent incidents relating to Eleonor Asil.”

His words surprised Noah, but her bewilderment was immediately overtaken by fear at the voice of Adrian.

“Not like that, Sir Leonard. It’s not a good thing to say here, but… It’s not time for you to be so proud, is it?”

“I don’t know what you mean, Minister.” Kyle retorted, his voice cold and heavy. In contrast, Adrian wore a bright smile the entire time. Kyle was cold as ice while Adrian was hot as fire.

Adrian came one step closer to Kyle and whispered quietly. “The romance between an investigator and a criminal… I wonder how Laurent’s people will accept this.”

“The investigator and the criminal… What?” Kyle asked, dumbfounded. On the other hand, Noah realized her mistake and turned pale. She had called Kyle sweet names even when Adrian was around. 

Overwhelmed with embarrassment, Noah hastily interrupted Adrian who was about to speak. “Do it. Yeah. Do it. Once a week instead. Make it a regular report to you. Okay?”

“Two times a week.”

“…Yes, twice.” Noah agreed with a clenched jaw. 

The finance minister, who had managed to remain in his post, shouted back. “Yes, do it! The defendant’s overall management is done by Sir Leonard, and requires regular reports to Minister Rossinell. The trial ends here.”

With a look of exhaustion and annoyance, the presiding judge struck the bar with a sharper move than before. Claps echoed throughout the court. The trial was over. The final ruling was to report to Adrian regularly, with 100,000 pounds of bail, 200,000 hours of community service, and Obelith Chains on her neck and wrists.

In the middle of the courtroom, where both the judges and audience were rushing out, Noah crawled out of Kyle’s grip and grabbed Adrian by the collar.

“…Hey, you mongrel.”