The courtroom erupted in murmurs. Lucy’s hands flew to her mouth, and the glistening of her eyes were as though trying to hold in tears from joy.

Hayley, seated in the back, also smiled too. She was genuinely happy

Ethan nodded, still retaining a calm expression. But at the back of his mind, something was off. That voice he heard earlier didn’t feel right.

Tyrwin didn’t show it, but he was discontent.

Hearings weren’t meant to be about wins and losses, yet the media would treat them as such. Anything to make the headlines more enticing.

Even so, Tyrwin himself saw it as a loss, especially against a boy who, by all accounts, had no legal experience.

Or was that assumption wrong?

He seemed far too young to be an advocate, and yet the way he spoke and carried himself suggested otherwise. Tyrwin couldn’t help but wonder.

Everyone rose as the Court Warden stood and exited through the door behind the bench.

The moment he was gone, the courtroom erupted into noise. Journalists scrambled for their notes. Observers whispered to each other.

Ethan turned toward Lucy, who was staring at him with wide, grateful eyes.

"Thank You", she whispered.

Ethan nodded without saying anything more.

Hayley had also approached from the back, with a smile on her face. "Ethan I was knew you were smart, but this... this was something."

Ethan gave her a smile, then his gaze shifted toward Crypco’s table. Tyrwin was already on his way out.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed as he thought back to those words. "The records now reflect the same."

He had a guess what that meant now, and he knew what he had to do next.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Willing the reward screens that had begun popping up out of his sight for later, Ethan quickly turned to Hayley and Lucy. "Guys, we have to go now."

At this time, Ethan was driving toward the Patent Office. Hayley sat in the passenger seat, occasionally glancing at him, while Lucy remained in the back, staring out the window in silence.

After a moment, Ethan reached for his arcphone and placed a call to Wilson.

When the line connected, Ethan spoke. "How close are you?"

On the other end, Wilson replied. "Not far. A few minutes away."

"Alright," Ethan said, ending the call with a tap of his finger.

He had contacted Wilson immediately after leaving the courthouse, sending him the address of the Patent Office and instructing him to head straight there.

Wilson hadn’t asked questions. He simply said he would be there.

Ethan dropped his arcphone back into the cupholder, and the silence in the car returned for a brief moment.

Then Hayley spoke.

"You haven’t said a word since we left court," she said, glancing at him with a faint frown. "Not even a smile. It’s still a win, you know."

Ethan turned slightly toward her, before returning his gaze to the road. "It’s not that. I’m just not convinced everything is as straightforward as it looks."

"There’s something I need to confirm. Until I do, I’d rather not assume anything."

Hayley studied him for a moment, then nodded and said nothing more.

They arrived at the Patent Office shortly after. The building was large, with tall columns framing the entrance. A set of wide steps led up to double doors, marked with Gritnia’s crest.

Wilson pulled up in his own car almost at the same time, parking just a few spaces away. He stepped out, adjusting his coat, and walked toward them with his usual calm demeanor.

The four of them regrouped at the base of the steps where Ethan gave Wilson a brief nod of acknowledgment, and together they made their way up and through the entrance.

The main hall was spacious, with a long counter at the front, behind which several clerks worked at desks stacked with papers and ledgers.

A few people sat on benches along the walls, waiting their turn. Ethan approached the counter, where a middle-aged man in a formal vest looked up from his work.

"Good afternoon," the man said. "How can I assist you?"

"I need to speak with the person in charge," Ethan said.

The man’s expression remained polite but slightly guarded. "May I ask what this is regarding?"

"Patent records," Ethan replied. "I need to verify one."

The man replied. "The Director isn’t in at the moment. But since you’re looking for patent records"

He gestured toward a door on the far side of the hall. "You’ll need to speak with Records Management. Through that door, down the hall, second office on the left."

Ethan nodded. "Thank you."

He turned and led the group through the indicated door. The hallway beyond was narrower, lined with closed doors bearing small plaques with department names.

The second door on the left read: Records Management.

Ethan knocked, then pushed the door open.

Inside was a modest office. Shelves lined the walls, filled with stacks of files and ledgers too.

A woman sat behind a desk near the window, with her brown hair pulled back into a tight bun. She wore a plain blouse and had a pair of reading glasses on her nose.

Miss Courtina looked up as they entered, setting down her pen.

"Can I help you?" she asked, in a polite but businesslike tone. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"We need to see the records for Patent Number P-4782 ME 19," Ethan said.

The woman’s gaze scanned briefly to the group behind him, taking in Lucy, Hayley, and Wilson. Then she returned her attention to Ethan.

"Are you advocates?" she asked. "Or do you have a court order?"

Ethan had expected this, then answered. "There is a court order," he said carefully. "But it wasn’t issued to us directly."

The woman shook her head. "I’m sorry, but I can’t release those records without proper authorization. If there’s a court order, it needs to be presented by the Court Warden’s office or by an advocate with the appropriate documentation."

Ethan exhaled. This was why he had called Wilson.

Ethan could sense the woman was an awakened, but he could also tell by her mana capacity that her talent was low. C-tier at most.

He turned slightly toward Wilson and gave him a nod.

Wilson then walked towards the woman and stared into his eyes. Courtina’s expression went blank as the effect of compulsion took hold.

Wilson’s voice was calm as he spoke. "You’re going to do everything Ethan asks. Starting with showing us the records for that Patent Number."

The woman nodded. "Of course," she said, standing from her desk and walking toward one of the shelves. She ran her fingers along the spines of the ledgers until she found the one she was looking for.

She pulled it down, set it on the desk, and flipped through the pages. Then she moved to one of the filing cabinets along the wall, opened a drawer, and retrieved a thick folder.

She laid both the ledger and the folder on the desk in front of Ethan.

"Patent Number P-4782 ME 19," she said. "Originally filed by Isaac Hargreeves. Currently under ownership of Crypco."

Ethan stepped forward and opened the folder.

The first few pages were as expected. Isaac’s original patent application. Detailed diagrams of the mecha design. The official seal and stamp from the Patent Office. The date of filing. The approval signature.

And then, a few pages in, he found a document titled: "Assignment of Patent Rights."