For the next five minutes, Ethan explained the most plausible situation for why Edgar sounded just like Isaac.

Lucy sat down, looking both distraught and confused. She turned up to look at him. "Is it really that?"

"It’s the only thing that makes sense in regard to what we can’t explain," Ethan began. "These signatures, for instance, and building that mecha to the exact design drawn... I think Isaac has been summoned, and for the duration of that event, was fused to Edgar."

Lucy glanced at him again, turned to the ground and sighed.

There was also something he didn’t mention because that would make him a hypocrite for bringing it up, but Edgar was also breaking the law governing summoners in this country.

In Gritnia, it was against the law to use as a bonded summon anyone who had died within the last fifty years.

The law was set to protect the dignity of the dead and consider the families they left behind. It would not have been acceptable to wake up one day and see a deceased relative from recent memory brought back to roam about as a summon.

Lucy sat in silence, thinking of everything she had just heard.

Ethan gave her some time without saying anything further.

Then she spoke. "Can I ask you one favor, Ethan?"

Ethan nodded.

"If it is as you say, then please drop this case against Crypco." Lucy stared into his eyes, her gaze glistening.

"What?" Ethan had a puzzled expression.

Lucy’s voice wavered. "If it’s true, then at the end of the day, it’s my father himself who built this mecha. It was one of the things he wanted to accomplish when he was alive, and now he’s done it. Even though he did so as a summon, I know that he enjoyed working on it too."

Tears began streaming down her face.

"By fighting this against Crypco, it feels as though I’m fighting him to claim something that was his at the end of the day. And that’s the last thing I want."

Instead of replying or continuing the conversation, Ethan simply nodded. He could tell how heartbroken she was and didn’t want to rile her up any further.

—-

In a different part of town...

Within a dining room where a long table gleamed beneath the soft glow of chandeliers, Edgar Desdemona sat at its head.

His dark, tousled black hair framed his pale face, and his brown eyes remained calm as he ate with measured motions. He wore a formal black suit with ornate embroidery, a white shirt, and a black bow tie.

He was eating in calm motions as though nothing in the world concerned him. Servants moved about, placing dishes and refilling glasses.

To a seat by his right sat his advocate, Tyrwin.

"Lord Desdemona," Tyrwin began with care, "we were unable to have the injunction dismissed."

The cutlery in Edgar’s hand stilled, and a frown grew on his face. Then he banged the table with such force that it trembled.

"Am I hearing this correct?" he asked. "You lost?"

Tyrwin said nothing.

"You were unable to dismiss an injunction... against a teenager?" Edgar continued. "Are you telling me that’s who you lost to? Is this what I pay you for?"

"I apologize, Lord Desdemona" Tyrwin repeated

Edgar exhaled. "So what now?"

"We will be going to trial," Tyrwin said.

"What?!" Edgar’s gaze snapped back to him.

"Yes, Lord Desdemona." Tyrwin gulped and straightened. "There’s also another thing... after the session, I met with the Court Warden. He has yet to finalize a date, but due to his schedule, he estimates the hearing to be in about a month."

He paused. "No. Three weeks, to be exact," Tyrwin corrected.

Edgar remained silent for a moment, then spoke. "I had hoped that with everything that was set up for court today, we would have this injunction thing thrown out. But a full trial? No."

He paused, wipe his mouth with a hand towel and continued. "I have different men, powerful people, rulers even, who have invested in this. Not only does a trial make it look bad for me, warranting some of them to pull out, but this is against a family who has the resources to drag this out for as long as they want. I cannot have that."

A brief silence followed before he said, "Leave my presence."

Tyrwin stood, bowed, then turned and left the room.

The doors closed behind him.

For a moment, Edgar remained seated, his expression unreadable as the servants withdrew from the room, leaving him alone.

"I will approach this my way," he said as he rose from his seat.

Magic stirred around him, and he undid the fusion.

A faint glow separated from his body, pulling away and condensing in the space before him until it formed the full body of Isaac Hargreeves.

The older man appeared with his graying hair swept back, and black-framed glasses over his face. He was in suit with a white shirt and striped tie, the very image of the seasoned engineer he had been in life.

Edgar turned toward the summon with a smile, and it disappeared into specks of light.

—-

As of now, Eduardo and Ethan were on their way to Chief Enforcer Roland’s office at headquarters.

Ethan, in the passenger seat, received text notifications. It was from Miss Berlene❤️

Miss Berlene❤️: Hey babe, we just got break time. How’s it going? Did you guys win in court?

Ethan smiled and replied, "Yeah."

It was needless to try explaining this wasn’t the end or it wasn’t as simple as to call it a win.

When he scrolled out of the texts, he found that Bettie had left him a message about an hour ago too, asking how Lucy was doing and hoping it went in their favor today. He smiled and slipped the phone back into his pocket as they arrived at their destination.

Moments later, Ethan and Eduardo sat across from Chief Enforcer Roland in his office.

The reason for their visit was this:

If there was anyone who would have had access to Isaac Hargreeves’ body after his death two years ago, it would have been him. And if anyone could have released anything tied to that body to a third party, it would still have been him.

So they came for confirmation.

"We’re here to ask you this Chief Roland," Ethan began. "Were you the one who handed Edgar Desdemona anything that could act as a catalyst connected to Isaac Hargreeves?"

Roland frowned, leaning back in his chair.

"What are you implying?" he asked. "That because I’ve done you a favor before, I would do the same for someone else?"

His tone carried a hint of offense.

Eduardo remained silent. Ethan didn’t respond at first, then did. "Just answer the question."

There was a brief pause.

"No," Roland replied.

But Ethan had caught the lie. Even before the answer came, the man’s heartbeat had quickened. And when he spoke, it skipped again.

Ethan’s gaze sharpened. "Chief Roland," he said with calm tone, "I know you’re lying."

The room went still, and Roland’s eyes widened, "what?"

Ethan leaned forward. "You were the one who gave Edgar what he needed. C’mon, you know there’s no need to lie to us of all people. It’s not like we’re any less guilty of something similar."

There was a silence that settled between them before Roland exhaled.

The resistance left him as he rubbed his temple. "Edgar came to me himself with a threat."

"When?" Ethan asked.

"Right after, Isaac was found dead." Roland’s expression darkened. "Edgar approached me the next day and asked me to provide him with something that could summon Isaac back."

"He also asked that I shut the case down Immediately"

"Of course, I refused," he said. "But he knew things, things I had done using my position, things about my family. And the threats he made... they were vile enough to make it clear he wasn’t bluffing."

Ethan’s gaze widened. "Then you understand what this possibly implies. Edgar was the one who arranged for the assassination on Isaac."

"Do you think I didn’t know that, Mr. Stark?" Roland shot back, turning to him with a flustered edge to his expression.

"But this is Edgar Desdemona we’re talking about," Roland continued. "Even if he stood here and admitted to orchestrating the murder, there’s nothing we could do about it."

"His grandmother is a bloody grand caster, do you think I will risk myself or my family against that?" Then Roland turned to Ethan. "Just like the rest of you who have money and power, the Desdemonas can get away with anything."

Joe might have been the one who carried out the assassination, but when Ethan had, at one point, asked who was behind it, the hitman summon gave no answer.

He only said the mission was assigned to him directly by Lucien, and that it wasn’t his place to know who the contractor was.

—

A/N: Hi Guys, I’m sorry. I have to do just one Chapter for now. I’ll be coming with a few more soon.