"Didn't you just say there's nothing in this capital that you couldn't handle?" Linton shouted.
"I said most things, but I'm not the emperor. There are some matters even I can't handle," the old man responded.
"So, has this matter escalated to the point where only the emperor can deal with it?" Linton asked, trying to get a clearer picture of what had happened. After all, Gasen had been taken away halfway through, and Linton had no idea what had occurred afterward.
"You don't have anything to do with this, do you? That phantom beast, is it yours?" the old man inquired.
"Uh... of course not," Linton immediately threw the Fire-Swallowing Beast under the bus. "It's just that my nephew got dragged into this mess through no fault of his own, and now I'm trying to find a way to get him out."
"Your nephew?" The old man frowned. "I heard they've locked up a suspect. Could it be your nephew?"
"Yeah," Linton nodded.
"Then... this is troublesome," the old man said.
"What's the issue? Did the phantom beast cause a lot of damage?" Linton asked.
"The damage is one thing, but the real problem is that during the capture of the beast yesterday, the Crown Prince got injured. Pretty badly, too. So now the situation is extremely tricky. I figure you're here looking for someone to help, but I doubt anyone will dare intervene. The emperor is furious, and no one wants to be the one to provoke him," the old man explained.
"The Crown Prince got injured?" Linton felt a headache coming on. If nothing unexpected had happened, the Crown Prince was likely the heir, which meant this situation had spiraled out of control.
"Yeah, the boy overestimated himself. When he heard about the hunt for the phantom beast, he insisted on joining and ended up getting hurt," the old man said, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture.
"And what happened to the phantom beast? Was it killed?" Linton asked.
"No, it escaped. The royal guard is still hunting it down," the old man replied.
Linton's headache grew. It would have been better if the beast had been killed. If it decided to come back and find him, things would get even worse.
After thinking for a bit, Linton said, "So this is pretty serious, but it really has nothing to do with my nephew. For the phantom beast to escape from the royal guard, it must be incredibly powerful. There's no way it could be my nephew's pet. He's just a country baron; there's no way he could have such a creature."
"I understand your point, but there's nothing I can do about it. I'm not the emperor," the old man said, shrugging. "But someone definitely brought that phantom beast into the city. Otherwise, it would've been reported by the guards the moment it entered. This whole thing is clearly part of a scheme, and while I doubt your nephew is involved, only the nobles of the capital could have pulled something like this off. Bringing a beast into the city without being checked would require someone of significant power."
Linton felt more of a headache coming on. He knew exactly how the Fire-Swallowing Beast had entered the city—it was the Third Princess who brought it in. She had likely made the beast hide a bit when entering the city, as getting a magical beast past the guards would have been tricky. But no one dared inspect the Third Princess's carriage, so it slipped through. This misunderstanding was growing worse by the minute.
"So if even you don't think my nephew is the culprit, others should realize that too, right? The emperor isn't stupid. My nephew should be fine, right?" Linton asked.
"Who knows? It all depends on whether they can find the real culprit. If they can't, someone will have to take the fall," the old man said.
Linton understood now. With the Crown Prince injured and the beast wreaking havoc in the capital, the royal family's authority was at stake. If they couldn't find the culprit, they would still need to pin the blame on someone to save face. Even if no one believed Gasen was the culprit, he had become the perfect scapegoat. If no one else was found to take the fall, the blame would likely land on him.
This was turning into a real problem. Linton didn't have a great solution. The best way to resolve the issue would be to find the real culprit. But the real culprit was him! How could he explain to the emperor that he owned the Fire-Swallowing Beast but hadn't intended to cause harm? It was all a misunderstanding, and the emperor would just let it go because his son had been foolish? Obviously not.
"So, the only option left is trial by combat?" Linton mused, rubbing his chin.
"Trial by combat? Are you considering that?" the old man asked, surprised.
"What's wrong with that?" Linton asked.
"It's not exactly a great idea," the old man replied, "but it seems like there's no other option..."
"What do you mean?" Linton inquired.
"You know the person who got injured was the Crown Prince, right? If there's a trial by combat, the royal family will send one of their knights to represent them. A royal knight..."
"Oh, so the strongest kind," Linton nodded.
"You don't seem worried at all. Is your nephew very strong?" the old man asked.
"My nephew will have a champion—that's me," Linton said.
"So you're going to fight in the trial by combat?" The old man looked at Linton in surprise. "Are you that strong?"
"Not just strong, I'm unbeatable," Linton said with a flourish.
The old man looked at Linton, speechless. Though he said nothing, his expression told Linton exactly what he was thinking.
"Hey, hey, what's with that doubtful look? I really am unbeatable!" Linton said.
"Are you sure? The royal knights they send for this sort of thing are usually titled knights. They're monsters. I saw some of your magic earlier, and while you've got some skill, you're nowhere near their level," the old man warned.
"You've got it backward. They're nowhere near my level," Linton corrected him. "But whatever, I'm not worried about the fight."
"Alright then," the old man said. "But before you die, could you teach me that magic you used earlier? Or at least introduce me to your teacher."
"Ugh..." Linton sighed. "Alright, alright. So if I win the trial, this whole thing is over, right?"
"Unfortunately, in my opinion, even if by some miracle you win the trial by combat, this situation will still be tricky," the old man said.
"Oh? Why's that?" Linton asked.
"You don't get it? This is a trial involving the royal family. Sure, if you win, you'll legally be absolved of this crime, but what about the royal family's pride? Do you think they'll treat your family kindly after this?" the old man explained.
"Hmm..." Linton nodded. That was indeed a problem. A trial by combat initiated by the royal family was really more of a public execution. Even if he won and was declared innocent, humiliating the royal family by defeating their knight would certainly lead to future retaliation. As a small baron, it would only be a matter of time before they found an opportunity to come after him.
The more Linton thought about it, the more complicated the situation became. He wasn't personally afraid—he could always escape using his teleportation abilities—but his family couldn't. He didn't care about most of his relatives, but there were still a few people he cared about, like Gasen. Linton didn't want him to get hurt.
"I've actually thought of a way to help your family avoid trouble," the old man suddenly said.
"Oh? What way?" Linton asked.
"If you teach me that magic from earlier, I'll tell you," the old man offered.
"Tell me the solution first, and I'll decide if it's worth it," Linton replied.
"Fair enough," the old man said. "If you're confident you can beat the royal knights, then trial by combat might work. But you shouldn't challenge the royal family directly. Instead, have someone else initiate the trial, and it has to be before the royal trial. That way, before the emperor can sentence your nephew, he'll have already been cleared of the crime in a different trial by combat. If you win, the royal family can't use your nephew as their scapegoat."
"Oh?" Linton was surprised. "But can someone else really do that?"
"Of course," the old man replied. "Many people were injured in yesterday's chaos, including some nobles. They have the right to demand a trial. Have one of them accuse your nephew, and then your nephew can demand a trial by combat. Once he's cleared of the charges, the blame for everything—including the Crown Prince's injury—won't fall on him."
"I see," Linton nodded, finally understanding. The old man's plan cleverly avoided directly embarrassing the royal family. Linton realized that this old man must have some experience in politics or used to be an official, as he clearly understood how to navigate the intricacies of court politics.
"This plan works," the old man said, smiling. "So now, you'll teach me that magic, right?"
"Alright," Linton nodded. "I'll teach you, but I'm not sure you'll be able to learn it. My magic isn't your typical magic; it's completely different from what you're used to.
If you want to learn, you'll have to start from scratch, and that will take a lot of time."
"Completely different from regular magic? Starting from scratch?" The old man became even more serious. "Are you serious?"
"Of course," Linton replied.
"Then I'm even more interested," the old man said, clearly a magic enthusiast. "Come, come! Let's go to my place and start learning right away!"
"Fine, but I have one question first," Linton said. "Does your household have anyone who was injured by the phantom beast yesterday?"
(End of Chapter)