Just as everyone heard Jack's question, a wave of confusion spread through the royal courtroom.

The nobles exchanged uncertain glances, whispering among themselves, trying to understand what the blacksmith meant.

But the color drained from Cian's face. His confident smirk vanished, replaced by a stiff, pale expression.

"Mr. Klassen," Cian began quickly, his voice shaky yet trying to sound composed. "Can you please not bring this up here? This isn't the time or place for that."

Jack didn't even blink. His deep voice echoed firmly through the chamber.

"No, I'm bringing it up here," he said coldly, "because this is exactly the right time and place."

The nobles immediately went quiet again, feeling the tension rise.

King Edward frowned, his tone calm but commanding.

"Mr. Klassen," he said, his piercing gaze focused on the blacksmith, "would you mind elaborating on what's happening here?"

Every noble, general, and mage in the royal court leaned slightly forward, curiosity and unease etched across their faces.

Jack turned to the king and gave a polite nod.

"Of course, Your Majesty."

He shifted his gaze to Cian, who visibly flinched under the blacksmith's calm stare, and then began,

"Two months ago, when I was on a business trip in the Holy Empire, Mr. Cian Aurelias here contacted me. He said he was in urgent need of a large sum of money."

The murmurs returned, louder this time. Cian clenched his fists tightly.

Jack continued smoothly, his tone calm but sharp as a blade.

"The amount of money he wanted was enormous, and yet he didn't approach any banks or other business owners. Why?"

Jack paused for effect. "Because he didn't want the news to spread that he was attempting to purchase Genesis Biotech—a company that had just discovered the cure for Abyssal Corruption itself."

Gasps echoed through the court.

"He wanted to secure it secretly," Jack said, his expression unchanging. "He didn't want competitors, and since his father—Pope Charles Aurelias—is a good friend of mine, he decided to come to me for the money instead."

King Edward leaned forward slightly. "I assume the money was used to buy Genesis Biotech?"

Jack nodded. "Exactly."

He clasped his hands behind his back as he continued, his tone calm but confident.

"Because the Pope is a dear friend, I agreed to lend Cian the money he needed—one hundred billion credits. However…"

A faint, devilish smile formed on Jack's lips as he turned his gaze toward Alex, who nodded silently, already knowing what was coming next.

Jack's smile widened slightly. "As I am also a businessman, I made him sign a contract. According to that agreement, if he failed to pay me back within forty-five days, he would owe me double the amount—two hundred billion credits. And, to ensure transparency and accountability, he also promised me thirty-five percent of the company's shares as collateral."

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping across the nobles who were now utterly silent, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"A company that found the cure for Abyssal Corruption," Jack continued, "was bound to be worth trillions. Naturally, I wanted some form of guarantee."

The silence in the courtroom was deafening.

Then Jack said evenly, "At that time, Mr. Cian told me that the medicine would hit the market soon, and that he would repay the money right after the sales began."

He paused again, his voice lowering slightly, but his tone carried a sharp weight.

"But now it has been over sixty days. The medicine hasn't been launched, and as per the contract… it's time for him to pay me back two hundred billion credits. And since he failed to do so, I already hold thirty-five percent of Genesis Biotech's shares."

The courtroom exploded in shocked murmurs. Even King Edward looked momentarily taken aback.

Cian gritted his teeth, anger and panic flashing across his face.

"I just talked to you last week!" he said sharply. "You told me it was fine—you said you'd give me more time! Why are you doing this now, Jack Klassen?"

He took a step forward, his voice rising in desperation. "You're my father's friend! I don't remember ever offending you in any way!"

Jack turned his head slightly, his calm, unflinching gaze meeting Cian's.

"You're right," he said. "I'm a good friend of your father, not you."

Cian's face darkened further.

Jack continued, his tone firm and merciless.

"To you, I'm just a business partner. And I handled our transaction as such—like business. You made the deal, you signed the contract, and you agreed to the terms."

Cian tried to interrupt, but Jack raised a hand slightly, silencing him.

"Don't try to act clever with me, mr.cian I know exactly how your kind operates. If something went wrong with the cure—if the production failed due to side effects or caused a scandal—you'd blame me. You'd say I pressured you, that I was part of the scheme as I woukd have also owned a part of the company."

Jack's gaze turned colder.

"That's why you offered me thirty-five percent of the company shares in the first place—to ensure I'd stay silent and carry part of the blame if anything went wrong."

The nobles gasped again. Some turned toward Cian with disgust, while others whispered nervously.

Cian's body trembled with rage, his face turning completely red, veins visible on his temple.

'That damn blacksmith… he knew it all and he planned this from the start!' he thought.

But what terrified him most wasn't Jack's words—it was Alex, standing silently beside him, that faint smile on his face like a predator watching its prey cornered.

"And I assume something did go wrong," Edward said smoothly, his tone slicing through the murmurs like a blade. "After all, mr.cian still haven't launched the antidode, has he?"

The question hung in the air like a challenge.

Cian's jaw tightened, but before he could answer, Jack's calm, unyielding voice continued, "I also know you've been deliberately avoiding repayment despite having the funds. You thought I wouldn't notice, didn't you?"

Cian froze, his mouth hanging open. His composure cracked.

'Shit… this bastard's more cunning than I thought. Our plan failed… completely.'

He swallowed hard, forcing a shaky breath. But before he could stammer out an excuse, Jack's gaze turned toward Alex.

"And as for me," Jack said with a small, knowing grin, "my real friend and benefactor is standing over there. The one who believed in me when no one else did. He's the reason I'm standing here."

The entire courtroom followed Jack's gesture toward Alex, who merely smiled faintly, his eyes gleaming with quiet satisfaction.

Cian clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles pale as snow. His voice came out low and strained.

"What do you want, then?"

Jack's expression hardened as he looked towards alex and said. " You already know what i want don't you "

The air in the throne room turned heavy. The nobles looked at each other uncertainly, as if afraid to even whisper.

Cian's jaw twitched, his pride battling his fear. After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke through gritted teeth.

"Fine," he said bitterly. "The Holy Empire will not take any action toward him."

Alex tilted his head, a calm smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"And the reason for that will be?"

Cian's eye twitched in irritation. His pride screamed to lash back, but the weight of the situation pressed him down.

He exhaled sharply and forced the words out.

"Because the Oracle of the Goddess herself has conveyed the will of the Goddess.

Therefore, we have concluded that you and that demon are not a danger to the world. This matter," he said through clenched teeth, "is concluded."

The royal courtroom fell silent once more. No one could believe that Cian Aurelias—one of the most influential figures of the Holy Empire—had just conceded so easily.

King Edward slowly leaned back on his throne, relief flickering across his face.

'Thank the heavens,' he thought. 'If this hadn't been resolved peacefully, we might've been looking at a war between Avaloria and Celestara.'

He stood, his regal voice echoing through the marble hall.

"Then it is settled. The Holy Empire has declared that Alex Dragonheart is not guilty. Therefore, he shall not be punished and will be released from his imprisonment at once."

A sharp clap echoed through the chamber, followed by cheers and murmurs of praise.

The same nobles who had mocked and insulted Alex moments ago now clapped loudly, shouting his name with feigned admiration.

"Truly remarkable!"

"A wise decision, Your Majesty!"

"Long live Avaloria!"

Alex just looked around, unamused.

'Pathetic. A bunch of spineless cowards,' he thought.

Azrael chuckled beside him, shaking his head. His crimson eyes gleamed faintly with amusement.

'The bastard really came through at the perfect time,' he thought with a grin. 'Maybe… maybe this partnership won't be so boring after all.'

As the guards unlocked their chains, the sound of metal clattering against marble filled the hall. Azrael flexed his wrists, exhaling deeply. Freedom.

Before Alex could speak, two figures rushed toward him—Alyssa and Selena. Both wrapped their arms around him tightly, nearly knocking him back.

Selena's voice trembled slightly as she said, "I really thought your head was going to roll on the floor this time."

Alex smirked, his tone teasing. "It'll take a lot more than that to kill me."

Selena huffed, lightly punching his shoulder. Alyssa smiled softly, brushing a strand of his hair aside before stepping back.

Then, in a blur of movement, Serena appeared right in front of him and pulled him into another sudden hug.

"You stupid boy!" she said, her voice cracking between laughter and scolding. "You really had me worried this time. My Alice is going to break your legs and hands when she meets you!"

Alex blinked, tilting his head. "Wait, what did you just say? I think I didn't hear that last sentence correctly. Could you repeat it?"

Serena released him, a mischievous smile dancing on her lips. "Oh, don't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough."

Alex frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Serena grinned wider. "You'll know."

His eye twitched. "Yeah, no thanks. I think I'd rather not."

Reynard approached then, his rough expression softening for the first time. He clapped Alex's shoulder with a heavy hand.

"Maybe you're not as bad as I thought, kid," he said gruffly. "You did good. Taught those greedy bastards a lesson they won't forget."

Alex smirked. "Maybe you're not that bad either, old man."

A quiet understanding passed between the two men, simple and unspoken.

But as Alex looked past them, his gaze fell on Jack. The blacksmith stood near King Edward, speaking quietly with Cian, Evelyn, and Saintess Liana. Their expressions were serious—negotiating, re-evaluating, scheming.

Alex's smirk returned, cold and sharp. He whispered to himself, his voice almost lost in the crowd.

"They think it's over..."

His eyes darkened slightly, glinting like tempered steel.

"Not by a long shot."

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.