Backlund, Queen's District.
Audrey Hall sat in a hanging chair in a cool, shaded corner, gazing at the clusters of flowers blooming brilliantly under the sunlight, her thoughts turning to the matter Fors Wall had asked for help with.
According to Viscount Glaint's verification, there was indeed a young girl named Hugh Dillcher being held in a temporary prison in the northern district of Backlund.
Her charge was causing grievous bodily harm to a respectable gentleman due to a property dispute, leaving the man still bedridden in the hospital, possibly unable to ever stand again.
As for Fors's explanation, the gentleman in question was no good person — he was a gang leader in Backlund's eastern district who made his living through usury.
The whole affair began when a borrower discovered that the interest on his loan was several times higher than expected, and that he couldn't repay it even after going bankrupt. After failing to reach an agreement with the gentleman, the borrower sought out the locally renowned "Arbiter," Hugh Dillcher, hoping she could persuade the man to waive the unreasonable portion of the debt.
The gentleman refused to comply with Hugh Dillcher's "arbitration" and even threatened to seize the borrower's wife and children that very night. So Hugh Dillcher changed her approach to persuasion, resorting to physical means, and in the process accidentally caused serious injury.
Viscount Glaint had investigated the course of events, confirmed that Fors Wall's account was accurate, and also verified that the gang leader had lost control over his subordinates. After an uninvited "visit" from someone in the middle of the night, the man had forgiven the borrower's debt and issued a statement to the prosecutor pardoning Hugh Dillcher. However, a case of grievous bodily harm was not the sort that could be dropped simply because the victim no longer wished to press charges.
"Glaint wants to resolve this through normal channels. He sent someone to consult a barrister he knows, and the other party said there was a good chance of a light sentence, but an acquittal would be very difficult to achieve — unless the defendant could obtain a medical certificate stating she had mental health issues or was intellectually impaired..." Audrey murmured to herself, inclined to agree with her friend's opinion.
For her, the most important thing was to avoid any visible connection to Fors Wall and Hugh Dillcher. After the matter with the Tarot Club, Audrey no longer felt like a naive, ignorant girl.
"There's a ball at Countess Wolf's residence tomorrow evening. I'll tell Glaint then to follow the barrister's advice," Audrey said, giving a slight nod as she made her decision.
In the Loen Kingdom, lawyers were divided into barristers and solicitors. The latter handled matters that didn't require appearing in court — gathering evidence, speaking with clients, helping people draft wills, overseeing the distribution of estates, and providing legal consultation, among other things. Of course, they could also represent clients at the most basic magistrates' courts and defend simple cases.
Barristers, on the other hand, were the lawyers who studied the evidence and appeared in court to defend clients. According to the laws of the Loen Kingdom, they were required to maintain objectivity and thus could not make direct contact with clients. They could only gather information through their assistants — the solicitors. Each one was a true expert in law, possessing outstanding eloquence and a high level of debating skill.
Now feeling relaxed again, Audrey looked at the brilliantly colored flowers outside from her position hidden in darkness, gazing toward the light, and a thought naturally came to mind:
"A medical certificate stating mental health issues or intellectual impairment… psychiatrist…"
"If the Psychology Alchemists have mastered the 'Acting method,' then could that mean they can be found among the ranks of psychiatrists?"
At this thought, Audrey felt her reasoning was spot on, and her eyes brightened like radiant gems.
Just then, she saw the golden retriever Susan sneaking behind the clusters of flowers with a furtive air, slipping into a place that only the gardener would normally reach.
"Susan… what is she doing?" Audrey watched from the shadows, stunned.
The golden retriever seemed to have had her sense of smell overwhelmed by the fragrance of the flowers and didn't notice her mistress behind her. She opened her mouth and produced throat-clearing sounds of "ah-ah-ah" and "ya-ya-ya."
Then she caused the surrounding air to vibrate, producing halting, not-yet-smooth words:
"Hello."
"How are you?"
……
Audrey's mouth slowly fell open, completely forgetting the etiquette expected of a refined young lady. She simply could not believe the scene before her eyes or the stiff voice she had just heard.
She shot to her feet and blurted out:
"Susie, you can talk? Since when can you talk?"
The golden retriever jumped in fright and turned to face its master.
It wagged its tail in a panicked, hurried manner, its mouth opening and closing several times before finally vibrating the surrounding air to speak:
"I..."
"I don't know how to explain it. After all, I'm just a dog."
Hearing this, Audrey was momentarily at a loss for words.
…………
On Monday morning, Klein, who was on leave, spent the morning reviewing and reinforcing his knowledge of mysticism as planned, then took a public carriage to Khoy University.
He wanted to spend more time with Mr. Azik and see what exactly the man knew.
In the three-story gray stone building belonging to the History Department, Klein chatted for a while with his supervisor Cohen Quentin, exchanging information about the ancient ruins atop the Hornacis main peak.
Having gained nothing new, he took advantage of his supervisor stepping out to handle some matters, entered the office diagonally across the way, and walked up to the desk of Mr. Azik, who had remained behind.
"Mr. Azik, do you have time for a chat?" He looked at the instructor—bronze-skinned, with gentle features and a small mole beneath his right ear—and respectfully removed his hat in a bow.
Azik, whose brown eyes held an ineffable sense of the passage of time, tidied a stack of books and said:
"Of course. Let's take a walk along the Khoy River."
"Sure." Klein picked up his cane and followed the other man out of the three-story gray stone building.
Along the way, both kept to their silence, neither one speaking.
When the flowing river came into view, and the area was no longer frequented by passing teachers and students, Azik halted in his tracks, turned halfway around, and faced Klein: